Robin Coste Lewis' 6 favorite books

Robin Coste Lewis' debut poetry collection, Voyage of the Sable Venus, won a 2015 National Book Award. One of the poet's six favorite books, as shared at The Week magazine:

Jazz by Toni Morrison

It would be enough that Jazz brilliantly explores a significant moment from the past through the story of a love triangle in Harlem, and that Morrison layers various histories so that each steps up then recedes — yes! — like jazz improvisation. But on top of all that, she draws and redraws the frame of narration, ever so subtly, so that one begins to wonder about the narrator's identity in the way one wonders about God's.

Read about another entry on the list.

Toni Morrison's Jazz is Mohsin Hamid's most influential book and one of Reggie Nadelson's top ten jazz books.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Christine Husom's "Secret in Whitetail Lake"

Featured at the Page 69 Test: Secret in Whitetail Lake by Christine Husom.

About the book, from the publisher:

Christine Husom has once again captured the essence of a rural Minnesota mystery as she draws readers into the Secret in Whitetail Lake. When the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department stumbles upon a car at the bottom of Whitetail Lake, what appears to be a probable accident from three decades earlier, turns into something far more sinister that makes this story a page turner.

Visit Christine Husom's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Iced Princess.

The Page 69 Test: Secret in Whitetail Lake.

--Marshal Zeringue

Julia Knight's "Warlords and Wastrels," the movie

Featured at My Book, The Movie: Warlords and Wastrels by Julia Knight.

The entry begins:

I think the most important way to decide this would be – would they look right in the right sort of clothing (think Musketeers) and can they pull off the swagger? I didn’t really have any actors in mind when I was writing, but one or two did spring to mind later, especially when I saw the covers. Kacha there has a hint of Ronda Rousey about her, and she would fit perfectly with how I...[read on]

Visit Julia Knight's website.

Coffee with a Canine: Julia Knight & Frek.

The Page 69 Test: Warlords and Wastrels.

My Book, The Movie: Warlords and Wastrels.

--Marshal Zeringue

TIME's ten top nonfiction books

One of Time magazine's top ten nonfiction books of 2015:

H Is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald

This is a memoir by a woman who lost a parent and found a hawk. Macdonald, a scholar at Cambridge University, went to pieces after her father died, and in her mourning she did something unexpected: she purchased a goshawk. Macdonald was already an experienced handler of birds, but goshawks are large and wild and fierce even by hawk standards, and she’d never tried to tame one before. The war of wills that ensued may have made the goshawk (Macdonald names her Mabel) tamer, but it made Macdonald wilder too. It also proved strangely healing and redemptive, and she describes her avian adversary in language so breathtaking and immediate, you’d swear one was sitting on your shoulder.

Read about another book on the list.

H Is for Hawk is among Jeffrey Lent's top ten books about justice and redemption and Alex Hourston’s ten top unlikely friendships in literature.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: Mario Erasmo's "Strolling Through Rome"

Featured at the Page 99 Test: Strolling Through Rome: The Definitive Walking Guide to the Eternal City by Mario Erasmo.

About the book, from the publisher:

Rome, the Eternal City - birthplace of western civilisation and soul of the ancient world - has a history that stretches back two thousand five hundred years. It is also one of the most-visited places in the world, but where does one begin to delve into two millennia of history, culture, art and architecture, whilst also navigating the vibrant modern city? Mario Erasmo here guides the traveller through Rome's many layers of history, exploring the streets, museums, piazze, ruins and parks of this 'city of the soul'. Punctuated with anecdote, myth and legend, these unique walks often retrace the very steps taken by ancient Romans, early Christians, medieval pilgrims, Renaissance artists and aristocrats on the Grand Tour. Here is a rich cultural history of Rome that brings its epic past alive, illuminating the extraordinary sights and fascinating secrets of one of Europe's most beguiling cities.

The Page 99 Test: Death: Antiquity and Its Legacy.

Writers Read: Mario Erasmo.

The Page 99 Test: Strolling Through Rome.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Carolyn Brown's "The Wedding Pearls"

Featured at the Page 69 Test: The Wedding Pearls by Carolyn Brown.

About the book, from the publisher:

Tessa Wilson’s life is all over the map. She may be clumsy, but this time she’s stumbled into a pickle by choice, not by accident. She’s agreed to take a month-long trip around Texas jammed into a ’59 Cadillac with a drama-loving teenager, two elderly spitfires, and—oh, yes—her biological mama who gave her away at birth. And the ride gets even crazier when hot-as-sin cowboy Branch Thomas crosses into her lane. They don’t call him the sexiest man in the Lone Star State for nothin’.

As the miles pass and sparks fly between Tessa and Branch, her grandmother starts dropping hints about family wedding traditions. And as Tessa discovers the power of her budding friendships and the unbreakable strength of her newfound family of strong Texas women, she wonders if she’s also on the road to the biggest adventure of all: true love.

Visit Carolyn Brown's website and Facebook page.

The Page 69 Test: The Wedding Pearls.

--Marshal Zeringue

What is Laurie Cass reading?

Featured at Writers Read: Laurie Cass, author of Pouncing on Murder.

Her entry begins:

For months, I’d been resisting the recommendation of a friend of mine to read a certain book. “You’ll love it,” she kept insisting, but it was set in a post-plague world and I figured I’d read enough of those. I didn’t want to read it and get one of those post-book hangovers that left me depressed for days.

But I finally gave in. And you know what? She was right. I did love it. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. It is set in a post-plague world, and parts of it are downright depressing and even frightening, but…but I won’t say anything else other than that it was outstanding. I could never in a million years have written anything like that and...[read on]

About Pouncing on Murder, from the publisher:

Springtime in Chilson, Michigan, means it’s librarian Minnie Hamilton’s favorite time of year: maple syrup season! But her excitement fades when her favorite syrup provider, Henry Gill, dies in a sugaring accident. It’s tough news to swallow…even if the old man wasn’t as sweet as his product.

On the bookmobile rounds with her trusty rescue cat Eddie, Minnie meets Adam, the old man’s friend, who was with him when he died. Adam is convinced Henry’s death wasn’t an accident, and fears that his own life is in danger. With the police overworked, it’s up to Minnie and Eddie to tap all their resources for clues—before Adam ends up in a sticky situation…

Visit the official Laurie Cass website.

The Page 69 Test: Pouncing on Murder.

Writers Read: Laurie Cass.

--Marshal Zeringue

Top 10 uncanny graphic novels

Ian Williams is a physician, comics artist and writer, based in Brighton, UK. His 2014 graphic novel is The Bad Doctor. One of his ten top uncanny graphic novels, as shared at the Guardian:

The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr Punch by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean (2006)

A young boy comes across an old Punch and Judy booth standing alone on the shingle beach. The thuggish red puppet soon appears and begins to talk to the boy from the stage. Later, the boy makes the acquaintance of a sinister Punch and Judy “professor” who lets him try on some of the glove puppets. When he asks to try on Mr Punch he is refused, being told “once you bring Mr Punch to life there’s no getting rid of him”. This is a tale of fading childhood memories and the intrusion of adult evil into the innocence of youth. Dave McKean’s ominous graphics, combining puppet tableaux, photomontage and paint, create a wonderfully macabre atmosphere around Gaiman’s characters.

Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: David A. Bell's "Napoleon: A Concise Biography"

Featured at the Page 99 Test: Napoleon: A Concise Biography by David A. Bell.

About the book, from the publisher:

This book provides a concise, accurate, and lively portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte's character and career, situating him firmly in historical context.

David Bell emphasizes the astonishing sense of human possibility--for both good and ill--that Napoleon represented. By his late twenties, Napoleon was already one of the greatest generals in European history. At thirty, he had become absolute master of Europe's most powerful country. In his early forties, he ruled a European empire more powerful than any since Rome, fighting wars that changed the shape of the continent and brought death to millions. Then everything collapsed, leading him to spend his last years in miserable exile in the South Atlantic.

Bell emphasizes the importance of the French Revolution in understanding Napoleon's career. The revolution made possible the unprecedented concentration of political authority that Napoleon accrued, and his success in mobilizing human and material resources. Without the political changes brought about by the revolution, Napoleon could not have fought his wars. Without the wars, he could not have seized and held onto power. Though his virtual dictatorship betrayed the ideals of liberty and equality, his life and career were revolutionary.

Learn more about Napoleon: A Concise Biography at the Oxford University Press website.

Writers Read: David A. Bell.

The Page 99 Test: Napoleon: A Concise Biography.

--Marshal Zeringue

Eight of the best books to leave for Santa instead of cookies

At B & N Reads Ginni Chen tagged eight of the best books to leave for Santa instead of cookies, including:

The Great Beanie Baby Bubble, by Zac Bissonnette

Remember, Santa, when all the little boys and girls asked for Beanie Babies in the ‘90s? And you scratched your head and wondered what the heck was going on? Here’s a fascinating look at the rise of Beanie Baby mania, the eccentric man behind the meteoric success of the plush toys, and the aftermath of the craze.

Read about another book on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue

Coffee with a canine: Julia Knight & Frek

Featured at Coffee with a Canine: Julia Knight & Frek.

The author, on how Frek got his name:

As he was a rescue, he already had a name, Freckles. However I refused to stand in the park shouting that, so we shortened it to Frek. He’ll actually answer to anything ending in “eck” so Shrek is also a common one. He also gets called Frekadoodle, I have no idea why....[read on]

About Julia Knight's Warlords and Wastrels, from the publisher:

The epic conclusion to the fast-paced new adventure fantasy series, the Duelists trilogy, from one of the most exciting new talents in fantasy.

Vocho and Kacha may be known for the first swordplay in the city of Reyes, but they've found themselves backed into a corner too often for their liking.

Finally reinstated into the Duelist's Guild for services rendered to the prelate, who has found himself back in charge, Vocho and Kacha are tasked with bringing a prisoner to justice. But this prisoner is none other than Kacha's old flame Egimont. The prelate wants him alive, and on their side. However the more they discover of Egimont and his dark dealings with the magician, the more Kacha's loyalties are divided. Soon she must choose a side -- the prelate or the king, her brother or her ex-lover.

The fate of Reyes is balanced on a knife-edge...

Visit Julia Knight's website.

The Page 69 Test: Warlords and Wastrels.

Coffee with a Canine: Julia Knight & Frek.

--Marshal Zeringue

Laura DiSilverio's "The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle," the movie

Featured at My Book, The Movie: The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle (Book Club Mystery Series #2) by Laura DiSilverio.

The entry begins:

I am so excited to blog here today because for once I know exactly who I want to cast as my main characters. I actually cut out these actors' photos before I wrote any of the books, and tacked them up in my office. The Readaholics have always been clear to me, and I hope none of you will gasp and say, "Oh, no, that actor couldn't play Amy-Faye (or Lola or Brooke)."

For those of you who don't know, the Readaholics are the five women who participate in a mystery book club in fictional Heaven, Colorado. In each book, they are reading a classic mystery that somehow figures into solving the murders they end up investigating. In The Readaholics and the Falcon Fiasco, they were reading The Maltese Falcon. In the latest book, The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle, they're reading Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.

They are Amy-Faye Johnson, the main protagonist, who is a 32-year-old event organizer; Brooke Widefield, Amy-Faye's best friend who is a former Miss Colorado and who married into the richest family in town; Lola Paget, a couple years ahead of Amy-Faye and Brooke in school, who turned the family farm into a plant nursery and supports her grandmother and younger sister; Maud Bell, a sixty-something fishing guide and conspiracy theory blogger; and Kerry Sanderson, a Realtor and Heaven's part-time mayor, who is a late forties divorcee with a grown daughter and a teenage son.

Here's my cast list:

Amy-Faye — Amy Adams

Brooke — Jaimie...[read on]

Learn more about the book and author at Laura DiSilverio's website and Facebook page.

My Book, The Movie: Swift Run.

My Book, The Movie: The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle.

--Marshal Zeringue

Oline Cogdill's 15 best mystery novels of 2015

Among Oline Cogdill's fifteen best mystery novels of 2015:

Hush Hush by Laura Lippman

“Hush Hush” by Laura Lippman (William Morrow): Baltimore private investigator Tess Monaghan’s most welcome return after a three-year hiatus finds the perceptive detective juggling motherhood of a precocious toddler while working for a wealthy woman who was found not guilty of killing her infant daughter 12 years before. Parenting issues seldom are fodder for crime fiction, but Lippman uses this to provide an emotional depth for an exciting mystery that spins on the precise character studies.

Read about another book on Cogdill's list.

The Page 69 Test: Hush Hush.

--Marshal Zeringue

What is Mario Erasmo reading?

Featured at Writers Read: Mario Erasmo, author of several books, including Death: Antiquity and Its Legacy, Reading Death in Ancient Rome, and the  historical walking guides, Strolling Through Rome and Strolling Through Florence.

His entry begins:

Charles Spencer, Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared To Execute Charles I (Bloomsbury, 2014).

In this gripping book, Charles Spencer traces the fascinating series of events leading to the trial and execution of Charles I, the fate of participants in the trial, and the consequences to the Stuarts and Bourbons. I was drawn to the subject from the perspective of the Medici as players on the world stage of politics. Many people are familiar with the ancestry of Charles I but many do not know that Henrietta Maria of France was a Medici. In many ways the marriage between Charles I and Henrietta Maria, the daughter of Henry IV of France and Navarre and Marie de Médicis, the granddaughter of Cosimo I Grand Duke of Tuscany and the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I was a successful dynastic match that brought the Stuarts closer to the Austrian and Spanish Habsburgs through their Bourbon relatives. From the perspective of Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans...[read on]

Mario Erasmo's historical walking guides, Strolling Through Rome: The Definitive Walking Guide to the Eternal City and Strolling Through Florence: The Definitive Walking Guide to the Renaissance City, take visitors step-by-step through the eras and areas of the cities to experience first-hand the sites and art that have played an enormous role in shaping Western Culture.

Erasmo is Professor of Classics at the University of Georgia specializing in the Legacy of Classical Antiquity. He is the author of several books, including Death: Antiquity and Its Legacy and Reading Death in Ancient Rome and the volume editor of A Cultural History of Death in Antiquity.

The Page 99 Test: Death: Antiquity and Its Legacy.

Writers Read: Mario Erasmo.

--Marshal Zeringue

Ten urban fantasy books for "Jessica Jones" fans

At Bustle.com Catherine Kovach tagged ten urban fantasy books you should read if you loved Jessica Jones, including:

Night Shift by Lilith Saintcrow

Jill Kismet is a Hunter, meaning that she is one of the rare humans who hunts the monsters that hide among mortals called hellbreeds. Having accepted a mark from a particularly nasty hellbreed, Jill is a little more resilient than the average human, but carries a heck of a lot more angst than the average human too. In the first book of this series, Jill needs to hunt down a hellbreed who has gotten loose and killed a few cops. If you like how Jessica Jones rises above her "damaged" status, or the unique and creepy villain Kilgrave, you'll enjoy the adventures of Jill Kismet.

Read about the other entries on the list.

The Page 99 Test: Night Shift.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Christine Husom's "The Iced Princess"

Featured at the Page 69 Test: The Iced Princess by Christine Husom.

About the book, from the publisher:

The national bestselling author of Snow Way Out returns with more sparkling snow globes and cold-blooded murder…

It’s that time of the year again—the Christmas rush is about to begin, and curio shop owner Camryn Brooks and her BFF, coffee shop owner Alice “Pinky” Nelson, need to hire additional help. Their former high-school classmate, Molly Dalton, is not exactly who they had in mind. Has the rich socialite worked a day in her life? But Molly practically begs for the job.

On her first day, Molly seems to be in her own little world, and Cami worries that her new employee may flake out. The problem turns out to be far worse than that when Cami discovers Molly dead in the back of the shop, after drinking a poisoned cup of coffee. Soon there is an avalanche of suspects as Cami starts shoveling through the clues—including a shattered snow globe of Marilyn Monroe. Now Cami will have to venture out of her safety zone before the pathological poisoner stirs up more trouble…

Visit Christine Husom's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Iced Princess.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: Michael A. McDonnell's "Masters of Empire"

Featured at the Page 99 Test: Masters of Empire: Great Lakes Indians and the Making of America by Michael A. McDonnell.

About the book, from the publisher:

In Masters of Empire, the historian Michael A. McDonnell reveals the pivotal role played by the native peoples of the Great Lakes in the history of North America. Though less well known than the Iroquois or Sioux, the Anishinaabeg, who lived across Lakes Michigan and Huron, were equally influential. Masters of Empire charts the story of one group, the Odawa, who settled at the straits between those two lakes, a hub for trade and diplomacy throughout the vast country west of Montreal known as the pays d’en haut.

Highlighting the long-standing rivalries and relationships among the great Indian nations of North America, McDonnell shows how Europeans often played only a minor role in this history, and reminds us that it was native peoples who possessed intricate and far-reaching networks of commerce and kinship, of which the French and British knew little. As empire encroached upon their domain, the Anishinaabeg were often the ones doing the exploiting. By dictating terms at trading posts and frontier forts, they played a crucial part in the making of early America.

Through vivid depictions—all from a native perspective—of early skirmishes, the French and Indian War, and the American Revolution, Masters of Empire overturns our assumptions about colonial America. By calling attention to the Great Lakes as a crucible of culture and conflict, McDonnell reimagines the landscape of American history.

Visit Michael A. McDonnell's website, blog, and Twitter perch.

Writers Read: Michael A. McDonnell.

The Page 99 Test: Masters of Empire.

--Marshal Zeringue

What is D. K. Wilson reading?

Featured at Writers Read: D. K. Wilson, author of The Traitor's Mark.

His entry begins:

My next two books – Superstition and Science – Renaissance to Enlightenment, a non-fic study of 16th-17th C thought, and The Devil’s Chalice – No.3 in the Thomas Treviot series of Tudor crime novels – are taking me deep into the world of the Renaissance magi. This is well-populated territory but, at the moment, I am particularly enjoying Philip Ball, The Devil’s Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science and Allan Chapman, Stargazers: Copernicus, Galileo, the Telescope and the Church....[read on]

About The Traitor's Mark, from the publisher:

Based on the true story of the unsolved disappearance of Hans Holbein—famed portrait-painter of Henry VIII—this atmospheric historical novel plunges into an underworld of Tudor politics and intrigue.

The Real Crime: Hans Holbein, King Henry VIII's portrait painter, died in the autumn of 1543. A century later a chronicler reported that the artist had succumbed to plague, yet there is no contemporary evidence to support this. Suspicions have been raised over the centuries, but the mystery of what actually happened remains unsolved to this day.

Our Story: Young London goldsmith Thomas Treviot is awaiting a design for a very important jewelry commission from Hans Holbein. When the design fails to turn up, Thomas sends a servant to track Holbein down, only to discover that the painter has disappeared. In his hunt for Holbein and the lost design, Thomas is led into a morass of dangerous political intrigue, Spanish spies and courtiers that is more treacherous than he could ever have anticipated...

Visit Derek Wilson's website.

Writers Read: D. K. Wilson.

--Marshal Zeringue

Seven top books about dogs

Geraldine Brooks is the author of The Secret Chord and other books. One of her seven great books about dogs, as shared with the Penguin Hotline:

Stepdog by Nicole Galland

In this delicious romp, boy meets girl only to discover that he’s also married her dog. A comic novel with much to say about the compromises of marriage and the expansive capabilities of the human heart.

Read about another entry on the list.

The Page 69 Test: Stepdog.

My Book, The Movie: Stepdog.

Coffee with a Canine: Nicole Galland & Leuco.

--Marshal Zeringue

Paullina Simons's "The Bronze Horseman," the movie

Featured at My Book, The Movie: The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons.

The entry begins:

In The Bronze Horseman, Alexander the dashing Red Army officer, patrolling the streets of a large city the day Hitler invades the Soviet Union, meets and falls in love with Tatiana, a comet of innocence and desire. I had visualized them in their entirety, him tall, her tiny, him dark-haired her blonde, the fire between them burning on all the pages of my story.

For the last fifteen years my readers and I have engaged in heated discussions about who can possibly live up to the images we have built up in our minds of these two unforgettable characters. This is an instance where the image on the screen, even the Imax version, cannot compare to the vividness of our imaginations.

But if we were to try, if we were to agree that somebody must play them on the screen, then Henry Cavill would be a fine choice indeed as...[read on]

Visit Paullina Simons's website.

The Page 69 Test: Lone Star.

Writers Read: Paullina Simons.

My Book, The Movie: The Bronze Horseman.

--Marshal Zeringue