This week, we feature a look at the mysteries surrounding Amelia Earhart’s final flight and a heartwarming collection of letters between a British bookseller and a book-loving New Yorker.
Biography
‘The Ordeal of Thomas Hutchison’
By Bernard Bailyn
Winner of two Pulitzer Prizes and a National Book Award—won for this book, Bernard Bailyn was a leading historian of the 20th century. Originally published during the nation’s bicentennial, this brilliant work was recently republished by Harvard Press for the semiquincentennial. It tackles the complexity of Hutchison’s position as governor of Massachusetts during the early days of the American Revolution. An insightful biographical study of a man struggling to stave off what he viewed as impending disaster.
Belknap Press, 1976, 448 pages
Science Fiction
‘Artemis’
By Andy Weir
Jasmine (Jazz) Bashara is looking to make a quick fortune. She lives on Artemis, a town on the Moon—Earth’s first lunar colony. Artemis’s currency are slugs, and Jazz wants lots of them: 416,922, to start. She will try almost any get-rich-quick scheme to get them. Many of these end badly. Then, she finds herself entangled with Brazilian mobsters, Artemis’s authorities, and potentially the future of the colony’s existence. A fast-paced, amusing, and exciting adventure ensues.
Ballantine Books, 2017, 320 pages
Aviation History
‘Lost: Amelia Earhart’s Three Mysterious Deaths and One Extraordinary Life’
By Rachel Hartigan
When Amelia Earhart disappeared on a flight from New Guinea to Howland Island, it created the 20th century’s greatest aviation mystery. This book combines a biography of Earhart’s life, a look at the round-the-world flight in which she disappeared, and an examination of the various attempts to uncover what really happened. Written by a participant in a 21st-century expedition seeking her remains on Nikumaroro Island, it’s a measured examination of the various theories explaining what happened.
National Geographic, 2026, 320 pages
Nonfiction
‘The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward’
By Daniel H. Pinker
Pinker begins this guide by demonstrating why those who claim to have “no regrets” are “dead wrong.” Drawing on two large-scale international surveys, he shares scores of regrets submitted by real people. Along the way he shows readers how confronting regrets and dealing with them in an imaginative way can help us become more successful in our work and personal relationships. It can evenmake us better people. Here is a witty, practical book that entertains while offering solid advice.
Riverhead Books, 2022, 256 pages
Classics
‘84, Charing Cross Road’
By Helene Hanff
Though it was first published in 1970, this sweet memoir composed completely of trans-Atlantic letters dates back to 1949, when New Yorker Helene Hanff began ordering books from London’s Marks & Co. antiquarian bookshop on Charing Cross. Soon this correspondence developed into a friendship between Hanff and the staff, particularly buyer Frank Doel. If you’re a book lover, or if you just want to read the story of a true and beautiful friendship, this is a must-read. Also highly recommended is the 1987 film.
Penguin Books, 1990, 112 pages
For Kids
‘The Enormous Turnip’
By Kathy Parkinson
Grandfather planted a turnip seed that grew and grew until he couldn’t pull it up alone. So he called Grandmother, and they still couldn’t pull it up. So, she called their granddaughter, who called the dog, who called the cat … until at last, the great turnip came out. This engaging cumulative folktale is perfect for the coming planting season.
Albert Whitman & Co., 1986, 32 pages
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