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.