100 Best Non-Fiction Books

The Guardian has just published its list of the best 100 works of non-fiction. It is (understandably) biased towards British titles, but worth a look regardless.

I am embarrassed to admit that I have read only one of the books on the list. Time to get cracking I guess.

-Paul

Vintage Affair

I picked up Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff based on a review of the author’s current title – just to see what her writing was like. It turned out to be a delightful contemporary story, packed with references to vintage fashions, vivid characters and a nice romance (or two) as well. It was one of those books that suddenly you are at the end, and you are surprised to discover that you are because you have been enjoying the read so much.

-Alison

The Silence of the Grave

The Silence of the Grave is the second mystery by Arnaldur Indridason. (For a review of Jar City, the first book in this series, click here.) Police detective Erlendur is back, along with his subordinates in the department, Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg. Once again, the crime is murder. This time, however, the crime is some seventy years old and the victims have been reduced to skeletons. Using testimony from former residents of the crime site, as well as crime scene evidence, archival research and a bit of luck, the team gradually uncovers the identities of the bodies and the events that led to their deaths.

What I like most about these books is the personalities of the detectives: they seem believably real. I also like that the author makes it easy for the reader to feel he has guessed the likely suspect and outcome, only to have the details of the resolution twist off in unexpected directions. Iceland -- cold, snowy, and isolated -- contributes an essential bleakness to these novels.

-Paul

Claire Dewitt and the City of the Dead

It is always exciting to find a new author. When I happened upon Sara Gran's newest novel, Claire Dewitt and the City of the Dead, I knew I would add to my list of favorite authors.

The detail in this provocative mystery is griping. Set in post-Katrina New Orleans, the author gives her protagonist a memorable role in solving an unsettling crime amidst the ravages of the hurricane damaged city. This is a fast paced novel and one not to be missed.

-Anne

History of a Suicide: My Sister’s Unfinished Life

Jill Bialosky writes a probing memoir about her younger sister’s short life and tragic suicide at the age of twenty-one. The loss of her sister took a profound toll on Bialosky and she felt the need to understand more about both her sister’s life and the mystery of suicide. Her sister Kim was abandoned by her father (Bialosky’s stepfather for a time), influenced by her mother’s bouts of depression, and involved in a relationship with an abusive boyfriend. Bialosky, also a poet, has a gift for words and makes this book, despite its heavy subject matter, easy to read. She infuses her book with ruminations from notable literary figures from Melville to Plath. History of a Suicide: My Sister’s Unfinished Life should appeal to fans of memoirs, particularly those involving the process of grief, such as Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking.

-Elizabeth

Love You More

I just finished reading  Love You More by Lisa Gardner.

The police are called to the home of State Trooper Tessa Leoni where they find her severely beaten, her husband shot dead, and her 6 year old daughter missing. She claims self defense from an abusive husband, and won't give any information as to where her daughter might be.

This book has alot of twists and turns, and some surprises. Some situations are a little graphic and disturbing, but overall a good, suspenseful read.

-Cindy

Jar City

"I don't read enough mysteries. I should read more." I say this to myself each time I read a good mystery. Then I go looking for more but cannot find any that live up to what I just read. Months later I stumble upon another good one and the process repeats itself. Fortunately, I think I have overcome this tedious cycle of reader's disappointment -- at least temporarily -- for I just read Arnaldur Indridason's first novel, Jar City. He has written many more in addition to this, and if they are only half as good as Jar City, I should have mysteries to keep me busy for some time.

Set in bleak, rainy Reykjavik, Iceland, Jar City follows police detective Erlendur as he and his team investigate the murder of a man found bludgeoned in his apartment. A cryptic note left on dead man's chest is initially all they have to work with. The trail leads eventually to the victim's violent past, his crimes and their repercussions for the living. Indridason's prose is elegant in its economy and is perfectly paired with the novel's quick pace and dark foreboding.

Fans of Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo will enjoy Arnaldur Indridason.

-Paul