Three Books I Like Reviewed in the NYTBR

Krystyna Poray Goddu thinks Maile Meloy’s The Apothecary  “…with its intricately constructed plot, well-paced suspense, credibly rendered fantastical elements, thoughtfully drawn characters and authentically detailed settings, satisfies on all levels.”

“There’s no denying it: this is one profoundly sad story. But it’s also wise, darkly funny and brave, told in spare sentences, punctuated with fantastic images …. “ writes Jessica Bruder about Patrick Ness’s A Monster Calls.

And Chelsey Philpot takes on Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone noting that the author “…tackles themes of longing and self-­actualization with a sympathetic understanding of her audience. Who as a teenager didn’t feel like a chimera, a mix of seemingly disparate parts forming an uncertain self?”

 

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Learning About Africa: What You Wish For

A new book, What You Wish For, created as a fundraiser for Book Wish Foundation, a nonprofit organization working to build libraries for Darfur refugees living in Chad, is a unique collection of stories and poems all contributed by a celebrated authors from all over the world.  Meg Cabot, Jane Yolen, John Green R. L. Stine, and Alexander McCall Smith are among 18 writers who have taken on the idea of wishing in original and different ways.  Some of their offerings are folkloric in tone, some contemporary, some magical. The works are remarkably varied from stories, to poems to comics.  My personal favorite may be Ann M. Martin’s “The Lost Art of Letter Writing,”  but all bear reading.