This was my favorite book of the last year simply because of its “huh” factor. As in, it had been years since I’ve read a book that made me say “huh, wow” or “huh, no kidding” or “huh, that’s amazing!” as many times as this book did.
The book was a gift to read because it made me look at the world with a fresh set of eyes (and other senses). A warning, though: the book is dense. It took weeks to read. If you’re looking for a light-hearted romp, this isn’t it. But if you do choose to dive in, you will come away with a new understanding that our world is larger and richer than humans can possibly perceive.
'Wonderful, mind-broadening... a journey to alternative realities as extraordinary as any you'll find in science fiction' The Times, Book of the Week
'Magnificent' Guardian
Enter a new dimension - the world as it is truly perceived by other animals.
The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every animal is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving only a tiny sliver of an immense world. This book welcomes us into previously unfathomable dimensions - the world as it is truly perceived by other animals.
I’ll start with this caveat: I generally could care less about 18th-century naval adventures. It just isn’t my thing. But I heard author David Grann give a radio interview about this book, and was sucked in by his storytelling abilities. And I was indeed sucked in: I read this book in a single day. I couldn’t put it down!
Sure, this book is the account of a shipwreck, but it transcends the boundary of that genre. This book weaves together geography, geopolitics, adventure, hubris, and weather into a life-or-death battle for survival. It’s a great choice for anyone who loves nonfiction stories that reveal the best and worst of human nature.
'The beauty of The Wager unfurls like a great sail... one of the finest nonfiction books I've ever read' Guardian
'The greatest sea story ever told' Spectator
'A cracking yarn... Grann's taste for desperate predicaments finds its fullest expression here' Observer
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES NO. 1 BESTSELLER
From the international bestselling author of KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON and THE LOST CITY OF Z, a mesmerising story of shipwreck, mutiny and murder, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth.
On 28th January 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the…
I generally gravitate to non-fiction, but this reimagining of Nathanial Hawthorne’s life combines the things I love about non-fiction with the expansive possibilities of fiction.
The core of the book poses this question: what if the protagonist of The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, had actually been based on a real woman? The more you read, the more it seems plausible—while you still understand you’re enjoying a work of fiction. I also enjoyed how this book brought in disparate topics of the Salem witch trials and the phenomenon of synesthesia.
Named a Most Anticipated Book for Fall by Goodreads • Washington Post • New York Post • BuzzFeed • PopSugar • Business Insider • An October Indie Next List Pick • An October LibraryReads Pick
"A hauntingly beautiful––and imagined––origin story to The Scarlet Letter." ––People
WHO IS THE REAL HESTER PRYNNE?
Isobel Gamble is a young seamstress carrying generations of secrets when she sets sail from Scotland in the early 1800s with her husband, Edward. An apothecary who has fallen under the spell of opium, his pile of debts have forced them to flee Glasgow for a fresh start in…
During the depths of World War II, Frenchman Marcel Heuzé mailed letters to his wife and three young daughters from a labor camp in Berlin. His beautiful looping cursive carried tender words of love along with testimony about his fight for survival. Sixty years later, designer Carolyn Porter found his letters at an antique store in Stillwater, Minnesota and began to transform Marcel’s handwriting into a modern computer font. She became obsessed with finding answers to the questions: Who was Marcel? Why had he been in Germany? Why were his precious letters for sale halfway around the world? And most importantly: Did Marcel survive?
