Nightstand Reads with Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry

Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry, shares some books she’s loving. Garmus will be appearing in conversation with Nancy Pearl at the Central Library at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23.

Set in 1960s California, Bonnie Garmus’ blockbuster debut novel follows Elizabeth Zott, a scientist whose career is shaped by the idea that a woman’s place is in the home, and unexpectedly finds herself in a starring role hosting America’s most beloved TV cooking show.

I just finished reading Kate Zernike’s excellent (and infuriating!) The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science. It follows the career of Nancy Hopkins, a brilliant scientist and cancer researcher who endured decades of sexism before joining with other women at MIT to make the bias against women both seen and heard.

Shortlisted for the Booker and a novel that moved me like no other, Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These.

I really enjoyed Maame by Jessica George, a funny and sad tale of youth, racism, and family expectation.

Book picks from the author of ‘Growing Up Gorilla’

Clare Hodgson Meeker’s new nonfiction picture book, Growing Up Gorilla: How a Zoo Baby Brought Her Family Together, is a  heartwarming true story about a baby gorilla at the Woodland Park Zoo. When a mother gorilla walks away from her newborn, the staff at the zoo finds innovative ways for mother and baby (Yola) to build a relationship. It’s a charmer of a book, with fun facts and solid research behind it. We asked Clare, a Washington author, to share some books starring animals — and, delightfully, some of her selections are for adults, and some for kids. Here are Clare’s recommendations:

Nightstand Reads with author Sara Donati

Where the Light Enters is the latest from Sara Donati, a bestselling author known for her riveting and well-researched historical novels. We asked her to share her own reading list with us:

I read a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction out of personal interest and professional necessity. My novels are deeply researched, so I spend a lot of time reading medical texts and government reports written before 1890.  But I also read contemporary and historical fiction of all stripes, from noir crime to romance to short story collections. Ancient Rome, modern-day Detroit, Victorian England, WWII China are all welcome.

If I continue thinking about a book long after I’ve finished it, I consider it time well spent. Here are some of my recent discoveries.

Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger
by Rebecca Traister
There is a lot to be angry about. Traister’s book came out just after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified, and it reminded me that women’s anger, once focused, is hugely powerful. It has launched movements and revolutions that have changed the world for the better.

Naomi Shihab Nye shares her Nightstand Reads

Internationally beloved poet Naomi Shihab Nye, who is coming to Seattle September 19 for a SAL event, shares a mix of her recent favorites in fiction, memoir, nonfiction and poetry.

Nye is the author and/or editor of more than 30 volumes, including  19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East (a finalist for the National Book Award), A Maze Me: Poems for Girls, and You & Yours. Her latest book for adults, The Tiny Journalist, is a collection inspired by seven-year-old Janna Tamimi, the “Youngest Journalist in Palestine,” who captured videos of anti-occupation protests with her mother’s smartphone.

Thanks to Naomi Shihab Nye for sharing her recommendations!

Nightstand Reads: Trudi Trueit recommends middle-grade novels to read now

Seattle author Trudi Trueit’s newest book, The Nebula Secret, is part of the Explorer Academy series of novels from National Geographic. We asked Trudi to tell us about some other middle-grade books she’s been reading and loving. Here are five she recommends:

 

 

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
When Amal, a young Pakistani girl, offends the son of her village’s corrupt landlord, she is forced into indentured servitude to work off her family’s debt. In a country where women are perceived as inferior, Amal refuses to abandon her belief that girls have as much right to pursue their dreams as boys. This story could have easily turned darkly tragic, but Saeed chooses, instead, to make it a hopeful one. Amal’s optimism, as well as her bravery and resolve, gives hope to us all that change is possible. At the end of the book, Saeed writes that she was inspired by the real life story of Malala Yousafzai.