This week, we feature two lesser-known literary works by the playwright of “Our Town” and, in time for the holiday season, a children’s heart-tugging tale of miracles.
Nonfiction
‘The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections With Your Kids’
By Sarah Mackenzie
This author brings together some wonderful positive messages for family read-alouds. Sharing books with kids from toddlers to teens helps them succeed in school, teaches empathy and compassion, allows parents to be fully present with their children, and can be a special and enjoyable family activity. Mackenzie offers plenty of suggestions for beginners, from overcoming a teen’s resistance to matching kids with stories they’ll love to lists of books her family has enjoyed. Delightful and inspiring.
Zondervan, 2018, 288 pages
Nonfiction
‘Shadow Cell: An Insider Account of America’s New Spy War’
By Andrew and Jihi Bustamante
Find an asset. Source all the information available. Once the well is dry, search for another asset. That method of espionage is tried and tested, though not always efficient or effective. When the CIA discovered a mole, it relied on a married couple within the Agency to expose the offender. The Bustamantes not only achieved mission success, but they established a new method of espionage pulled from the pages of their enemies: creating a cell. It reads like a spy novel, but is in fact nonfiction.
Little, Brown & Company, 2025, 272 pages
Archaeology
Version 1.0.0
‘Arrow Points of Texas and Its Borderlands’
By William E. Moore
Arrow points, sometimes called arrowheads, are one of the most common artifacts of Native American people. Texas’s large size offers a wide variety of arrow points for those interested in finding them. This field guide offers a one-stop spot for information on arrow points, their appearance, the materials they are made from and who made which style. A comprehensive guide to the arrow point artifacts in and around Texas and their identification. It is a must-have for anyone interested in this field.
Texas A&M University Press, 2025, 376 pages
Science Fiction
‘Ringer’
By Joelle Presby
Calypso (Caly) Sadou is a Ringer. She lives in Chawla Station, in Saturn’s rings. Her family are the colony’s leaders, descendants of the First Crew that brought Chawla Station to Saturn. Her parents must leave Chawla Station temporarily. While gone, her grandparents are her guardians. Political rivals are trying to get her grandparents declared incompetent and give Caly a guardian who intends to exploit her. To stop this, Caly, at age 12, must pass the Maturity Test to be declared an adult.
Baen Books, 2025, 304 pages
Classics
‘The Cabala’ and ‘The Woman of Andros’
By Thornton Wilder
Set in Rome in the 1920s, the American narrator of the novel “The Cabala” leads us into a world of secrets, philosophies, and historical fantasy. This was Wilder’s first major literary work. “The Woman of Andros,” a beautifully written tale set in ancient Greece, features an aging courtesan bereft of hope in her love with a younger man whose insights act as a precursor to Wilder’s “Our Town.” Includes an excellent foreword by Wilder biographer Penelope Niven and afterword by Wilder’s nephew.
Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2022, 304 pages
For Kids
By Matt Tavares
Red and Lulu are a cardinal pair who enjoy a peaceful life in an especially beautiful spruce tree until one day the tree is taken away. This story featuring the famed Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will tug at your heartstrings. Makes a great read to pair with the tree lighting or in advance of a trip to New York City for the holidays.
Candlewick, 2017, 40 pages
What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to features@epochtimes.nyc
