Continuing with the spooky, gothic theme of last month but altering it a bit to vampirism…
Deborah Harkness has just published Time’s Convert, a successor to the All Souls Trilogy, that
asks what it really does take to become a vampire during the American Revolution and in
modern day Paris. It’s a big read, and here come two more. So Much Left Over, by Louis de
Bernieres of Corelli’s Mandolin fame, is a story of how marriage survives after war when a
fighter pilot and an army nurse grapple with peacetime. Ohio by Stephen Markley, pays
homage to Dickens and Franzen in its all-encompassing look at the characters and setting and
history of Ohio.

And then there’s Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians was so popular it’s been turned into a movie.
Kwan followed up by writing China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems, all set in
Singapore as the characters navigate the problems of wealth and greed in a humorous, quirky,
and cutthroat family trilogy.

For a touch of compassion and a connection to the animal world, keep your eyes out for Sy
Montgomery’s new memoir, How To Be a Good Creature. She reflects on thirteen animals who
have informed her personal growth and profession as a wildlife biologist and naturalist. From
tarantulas to tigers, with a cassowary in-between, Ms. Montgomery has thoroughly enjoyed the
company of others, no matter the number of legs they sport. Go find these books!