This week, we feature a gripping novel set in an alternative past when everyone is deemed smart and a fun look at the unorthodox rituals associated with America’s pastime.
Fiction
‘Mania’
By Lionel Shriver
Here’s a strange novel, seemingly written to offend readers of all political stripes except those looking for truth. It’s 2011 in this alternative history, and progressive female Democrat Pearson Converse—an apt last name—is up in arms against the Mental Parity movement, which has declared all people equally intelligent. She favors other left-wing causes, but deluded equity and threats to free speech are a step too far. A sharp satirical takedown of a culture gone mad over equity and radicalism.
Harper, 2024, 288 pages
Sports
‘The Magical Game: The Spirit and History of Baseball’s Superstitions, Rituals, and Curses’
By Addy Baird
Baseball is America’s pastime—America’s great game. It is also the sport most encrusted with rituals and superstitions. This book examines them, explaining why baseball is so filled with magical thinking. Lucky clothing, rituals before each at bat, even a special meal to gain luck are all part of baseball—and not just for the players. Many fans exhibit similar beliefs. A delightful read, it offers a lighthearted look into baseball’s lore, myths, and legends, both nationally and internationally.
St. Martin’s Press, 2026, 304 pages
Maritime History
‘The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald’
By John U. Bacon
The title of this book may trigger memories of Gordon Lightfoot’s song that immortalized the tragic voyage of the Edmund Fitzgerald. In 1975, this 729-foot freighter sunk to the bottom of Lake Superior when, as Lightfoot famously noted, “the gales of November came early.” Bacon gives the history of the ship, shipping on the Great Lakes, and, most importantly, the history of those 29 members lost onboard through interviews with family members and locals. A powerful and heartfelt commemoration.
Liveright, 2025, 464 pages
Mystery
‘The Nine Tailors’
By Dorothy L. Sayers
When a car accident strands Lord Peter Wimsey and his manservant Bunter overnight on New Year’s Eve in rural East Anglia, they find shelter with the local rector. A nine-hour bell-ringing session is planned, and Wimsey joins the ringers. Later, when a mutilated corpse is found in the churchyard, Wimsey is invited back to discover the dead man’s identity. It proves to involve a long-ago jewelry robbery. Set in the 1930s, this is one of Dorothy Sayers’s most intricate Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries.
Hodder Paperbacks, 2023, 384 pages
Classics
‘Poor Folk’
By Fyodor Dostoevsky
Published when Dostoevsky was 24, “Poor Folk” tells a story of love told in letters exchanged between two distant cousins, close neighbors and both living in poverty. They share their daily lives, the books they’re reading, and the miseries they suffer. Except for the ending, the plot matters less than the pictures these two paint of St. Petersburg, the compassion they have for others, and their hopes and dreams for the future. It’s a fine introduction to the later fiction of this Russian master.
Dover Publications, 2007, 112 pages
For Kids
‘A Time to Keep, The Tasha Tudor Book of Holidays’
By Tasha Tudor
A young girl sits at her grandmother’s knee and asks, “Granny, what was it like when Mummy was me?” Month by month, Granny recalls the many joyful traditions that colored each year. This beautifully illustrated celebration of holidays and seasonal family activities fosters appreciation for the warmth of family and the importance of traditions.
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1996, 64 pages
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