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In an alternate history where the US created a ‘Pale of Settlement’ for Jews after World War II in a desolate corner of Alaska, Yiddish is spoken, ultra-Orthodox gangsters control the islands and a lonely detective tries to solve the murder of a neighbor he barely knew. No ordinary crime novel, Chabon’s language is extraordinarily rich and the setting imaginative and evocative.
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This wonderful novel by award-winning South African Andre Brink, banned by the apartheid regime, tells the story of an historical slave rebellion. The chain of voices consists of multiple narratives by different people: slaves, slave owners, family members, magistrates.
Tagged: Africa, Fiction, Historical fiction
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Set in Kenya, this book tells the story of a foreign librarian who goes to work at a bookmobile service. Traveling by camel to reach remote villages, she becomes emotionally involved in one community where a couple of books have not been returned. This threatens bookmobile services for the entire village. Beautiful writing and moving story – highly recommended.
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Brandon Vanderkool’s extreme dyslexia and height give him a peculiar perspective, which proves handy once his father pushes him off their Washington dairy farm into the Border Patrol. Though he used to just jump over the ditch into British Columbia, he’s uncomfortable in this uniformed role and instead indulges his obsession with birds and art while incidentally spotting smugglers and illegal immigrants who are provoking an already paranoid society.
Tagged: Fiction, Immigration
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A student of Isaac Newton, John Selden believes he can turn his daughter into a brilliant natural philosopher and alchemist. Secluded in their ancient house, with only two servants for company, he fills Emilie with knowledge and records her progress obsessively. After encounters with two strangers, Emilie discovers that for all her extraordinary education she has no insight into the workings of the human heart. When she tries to return to the world of books and study, she instead unravels a shocking secret that sets her on her true journey to enlightenment.
Tagged: Fiction, Scientists
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A collection of short stories, each of which could equally well be described as science fiction and as a mystery. These stories are fun, amusing, and all the more charming for being a little dated. A quick, easy read.
Tagged: Fiction, Mystery, Science fiction, Short stories