The Curious Casebook of Inspector Hanshichi: Detective Stories of Old Edo by Kido Okamoto

It’s fitting that one of the Ukiyo-ye paintings of Edo graces the cover of this fabulous collection of short cozy mysteries set in 19th century Japan. Inspector Hanshichi is retired but he remembers the city of yesteryear, populated with a lively assortment of characters. The stories themselves are not complex mysteries but it’s the narrator, like Arthur Conan Doyle, that is the draw here. Peppered with descriptions of festivals and practically every small establishment in old Tokyo (called Edo), this 1910 masterpiece entertains more than a century later. You can almost taste the piping hot soba noodles and warm sake.

Forgiving Imelda Marcos by Nathan Go

As Lito undergoes endless rounds of dialysis in hospital in the Philippines, he wants to forge some measure of peace with his estranged son living in the United States. Knowing that the son is a journalist, Lito promises a scoop—an account of a meeting between politicians Corazon Aquino and Imelda Marcos. Hollowed out by cancer, Aquino insists Lito drive her to meet Marcos. An act of closure is on the books. While narrating the journey, Lito reminisces about his own damaged upbringing and regrets. Filled with weighty questions about forgiveness, this is also a moving portrait of the father-son bond.

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro

 

I’ll cut to the chase: Read. This. Book. 

In the bedroom community of Avalon, retired physician Ben Zilf finds his life’s path repeatedly intersects that of his young neighbor, Waldo. Waldo is a boy genius who’s misunderstood at home but finds companionship with Ben. The Wilfs are United by a terrible tragedy they push under the rug that will haunt the (now grown) children for decades. Writing about families without a hint of melodrama is no easy task but Shapiro accomplishes it superbly. Passages worth rereading, not a misplaced word. I cried after I put the book down. A masterpiece.

Have You Eaten Yet? Stories from Chinese Restaurants Around the World by Cheuk Kwan

I was expecting a quirky and nuanced exploration of the mom-and-pop Chinese restaurant around the world. To some extent this book succeeds. But too often, it reads like an extension of a documentary series. The focus strays to how a particular restaurant got chosen, the tourist attractions in town, and the author’s own place in it all. The book misses the title’s promise by a mile. The early chapter on Noisy Jim, a diner owner in Outlook, pop. 1200 in Canada’s Saskatchewan province is delightful. Most of the rest of the fare though is edible enough but not lip-smackingly delicious.

Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan

In a crumbling Jaffna, the epicenter of Sri Lanka’s decades-long civil war, seventeen-year-old Sashi comes of age. The war comes to a slow boil before she enters medical school and systematically tears her family—including her four brothers—apart. Unsure about her allegiances with the Tamil Tigers, Sashi tries to stay true to her shifting loyalties even as the world she knows crumbles. Expertly paced and nuanced in its telling of one of South Asia’s most volatile conflicts, this is one dynamite novel. That Sri Lanka is once again in dire straits because of its tumultuous economy, only reframes an anguished perspective.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Demon Copperhead is the Appalachian equivalent of Dickens’ David Copperfield. Born to a drug-addicted mother, Demon goes through hell and back in the foster care system. Yet he retains his spirit that sustains him through the bleakest times. The horrors of Oxy-ridden counties manifest themselves in tragic ways yet a thread of hope sparkles throughout this heartwarming narrative. All it takes is occasional glimpses of kindness for Demon to eventually find his footing. The narrative might sag in the middle but Kingsolver has delivered a classic, reinterpreted with nuance for our contemporary times. Demon is himself the superhero he needs.

Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

I’m not a huge fan of Stanley Tucci nor have I watched his wildly popular travelog plus cooking show. So I was not expecting to love this memoir much. But I got swept up in his descriptions of his Italian-American childhood in upstate New York. As Tucci describes his career, he keeps the focus unwaveringly on his personal religion—food. From the first quarantine shutdown to his struggles with cancer that temporarily robbed him of his sense of taste, this is an engaging memoir told in an entertaining (if occasionally too saucy) voice. I ate it up in two large bites.

The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama

If there’s a singular trait that’s Michelle Obama’s greatest asset, it’s her wisdom. It’s on fine display in this heartwarming book, where the ex-First Lady shares advice on making friends, choosing meaningful work, focusing on small goals and more. Mrs. Obama borrows from her own life experiences to share lessons learned. While I love the soothing nuggets of advice, I found the book’s structure—are we talking about resilience, the pandemic, or her Mom—to be a bit disorganized. It distracts from otherwise exceptional material. Young adults will especially appreciate Obama’s clear-eyed views of the world and our roles in shaping it.

Dinner With the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House by Alex Prud'Homme

 

A delicious idea for a book, Prud’homme tucks into the subject matter with gusto. The book acknowledges the role of slavery in the Presidential kitchen. It traces how food became a significant component of politics. Remember Arugula Gate? The early sections are understandably slim and sometimes unnecessarily compensate by digressing into adjacent material. A last section, covering a round-table discussion with experts about the topic, also feels tacked on. Nevertheless, from the vichyssoise that President Kennedy loved to the cottage cheese that President Nixon savored, there’s lots of fun behind-the-scenes peeks at what each President has brought to the table.

Close to Home by Michael Magee

 

Despite his college degree, Sean Maguire is in the same socioeconomic rung as his childhood friends who didn’t pursue higher education. “We were stuck in Belfast, working in a nightclub four nights a week, with no prospects, and no chance of anything better coming our way,” he says. Worse, Sean grinds away at hundreds of hours of community service because he uncharacteristically assaulted a stranger when provoked. Scraping by on the barest minimum during a recession and dealing with dysfunctional family, Sean is every disillusioned young man. A rich debut peppered with humanity, it ends on a sliver of hope.

Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead

1970s Harlem shows up in kaleidoscopic color in this sequel to Whitehead’s earlier novel set in the New York borough, Harlem Shuffle. Furniture dealer Ray Carney features here again and is trying to lead an upright life. But he gets enrolled in a sketchy endeavors when he goes looking for tickets for an upcoming Jackson 5 concert. Cutting through momentous time swathes of the ‘70s when America underwent a social catharsis of sorts, this novel retains much of the biting humor of the original. But the disparate periods lack a cohesive glue and so come apart at the seams occasionally.

Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou

Twenty-nine-year old doctoral student Ingrid Yang is confined to the narrow definitions of a life she believes she must have. To get there she must finish her PhD dissertation first. Unfortunately the Chinese poet she is researching is not the most engaging subject Ingrid’s adviser believes him to be. As Ingrid gets pulled into a major reveal about the poet’s identity, she confronts racism and its many fallouts in the country. An incisive and nuanced exploration of contemporary life in multiracial society, all cloaked in generous doses of razor-sharp humor. One plot twist too many but still fun and illuminating.

Cocoon by Zhang Yueran

Childhood is complicated enough but friends Li Jiaqi and Cheng Gong’s lives are further muddied by the upheavals of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. “Maybe this was the truest representation of childhood. Walking through a fog made of secrets, stumbling along a path we couldn’t see, not knowing where we were going. Growing up felt like making it through the fog and seeing the world clearly–but actually, that wasn’t the case. We’d just wrapped that fog around ourselves, each of us spinning it into a cocoon,” Gong says. The mildly confusing denouement doesn’t detract from the rawness of this memorable novel.

Return to Valetto by Dominic Smith

If you’re looking for authentic Italy, of the crumbling villa variety, look no further. Valetto is a dying town–its population has dwindled to just ten. But Hugh Fisher has deep ties to the village in Umbria where his aunts live and has returned to celebrate the 100th birthday of his grandmother. As Hugh navigates recent losses of his mother and wife, he also confronts the brutal weight of history. Not one word out of place, saturated with imagery and atmosphere while paying homage to family ties, this is one masterpiece of a novel. I devoured it and so will you.