This week, we feature a controversial theory about mass extinctions and a Charles Dickens novel he claimed was his favorite.
Science
‘The Last Extinction: The Real Science Behind the Death of the Dinosaurs’
By Gerta Keller
What killed the dinosaurs? Many believe an asteroid strike caused the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction, a theory (called the Alvarez hypothesis), originally posited in 1980. Gerta Keller, who holds doctorates in geology and paleontology, asserts that volcanic eruptions were the cause. Her findings upended the field and ignited a bitter feud, the “Dinosaur Wars.” She holds that massive volcanic eruptions in India, called Deccan volcanism, triggered a long-term catastrophe and Earth’s fifth mass extinction. A fascinating book, it looks at the nature of modern science.
Diversion Books, 2025, 320 pages
Biography
‘J.R.R. Tolkien: The Father of Modern Fantasy’
By Don Marshall
Part of the Pocket Portraits series, this well-crafted hardcover book delights the eyes while providing a wealth of information about one of the 20th century’s greatest writers. Through 100 biographical vignettes, Marshall conducts a tour of Tolkien’s life, his books, and his immense influence on English-language culture. The book provides lots of treats and astonishing details along the way. This is the perfect holiday stocking stuffer for fans of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit.”
Adams Media, 2025, 240 pages
Fiction
‘The Greek Treasure’
By Irving Stone
He was wealthy, eccentric, a fast learner, and an incredibly brilliant man. Heinrich Schliemann believed that what Homer wrote in “The Iliad” was in fact a map to great treasure, and that Homer’s story on the Battle of Troy was more fact than fiction. This belief turned him into a self-taught archaeologist. Stone wrote this biographical novel about Schliemann and his Greek wife, Sophia, and their pursuit of the lost treasure of Troy. A fascinating fictional retelling of an incredible adventure.
Doubleday & Company, 1975, 479 pages
Science Fiction
‘End Game: Wolfhounds Book 6’
By John Van Stry
This last book of a multi-volume space opera ends the cycle, closing the Wolfhounds’ march back to the imperial capital, Cor Imperii, to overthrow the usurping Democratic People’s Republic of Solaria, a vicious dictatorship. The Wolfhounds, the personal guard of the assassinated Emperor Charles, are led by the heir, Chase Collingsworth Morgan, and plan to restore the Morgan dynasty. Those who like books where right prevails, featuring competent men and women of action, will like this series.
Independently published, 2025, 320 pages
Classics
‘David Copperfield’
By Charles Dickens
A novel whose first chapter is titled “I Am Born” will snag the attention of even a casual reader. Among its many pluses, this semi-autobiographical novel astonishes by its command of language as we follow the protagonist through a Victorian world whose people are both strange and familiar to us today. Clara Peggotty, Mr. Micawber, and others come alive as vividly on the page as when it was written 175 years ago, and David’s push to improve his lot should strike a chord with young people.
Penguin Classics, reprinted in 2004, 1,024 pages
For Kids
‘Moose Tracks!’
By Karma Wilson and Jack E. Davis
This light-hearted, humorous, and somewhat predictable mystery will keep young readers engaged to the end, as the question is posed again and again, “Who left all these moose tracks?” They’re in the kitchen, in the den, in the bathroom—everywhere. Who could have left them? Rhyming texts and repetition help budding readers along. A fun read.
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2006, 32 pages
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