Wow, 2020, certainly hoping for a clearer outlook on the world now! So let’s begin with Bill Bryson, who takes us on an interior world view in The Body: A Guide for Occupants. In his usual anecdotal fashion, he sets out to describe the functioning, the healing, and ultimately the failings of the human body. Given the delightful tours he’s offered in his previous books: the Appalachian Trail, England, the flora and fauna of Australia, the cosmos, I’ve no doubt this tour guide will be a pleasure to digest.

Skip along to a wider view, and you encounter Susan Straight in her memoir, In the Country of Women. Marriage to her African-American, basketball star, high school sweetheart, led her on a course to discover their ancestors, and especially the women who led the families onward. We learn the word, “biraderi,” a Pakistani term for the complexities of families and clans. Her children were raised by a larger community than the biological family, and this book is her tribute to the intertwined relationships that help us grow into adulthood and beyond.

And by the way…a generous donor dropped off over 60 children’s books to the Bachelder Library…just to share with the kids…just so you know…