Books

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Page 4
Book cover. Title in pink at top left. Black & white drawing spoofs Julie Andrews singing in the mountains in Sound of Music

These Are a Few of My Least Favorite Things, by Shannon Frost Greenstein

The sound of my anxieties

Philadelphia writer Shannon Frost Greenstein’s new poetry collection, These Are a Few of My Least Favorite Things, chronicles a 21st-century life in which terror is part of daily existence. C.M. Crockford reviews.
C.M. Crockford

C.M. Crockford

Reviews 3 minute read
Book cover: illustration of a squirrel in a green park looking at a nut on a fishing rod, with the Philly skyline beyond

Exploring Philly Nature: A Guide for All Four Seasons, by Bernard S. Brown

The wild things are here

Philadelphians don’t have to leave the city—even its most urban corners—to enjoy a wealth of wildlife. Exploring Philly Nature, a new book by Bernard S. Brown, is an accessible and eye-opening guide. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 4 minute read
The book cover. The title, in large white letters, is superimposed on a painting of a woman’s face.

Five-Part Invention, by Andrea J. Buchanan

Parents are people, too

Trauma and abuse, as well as the practice of healing, reverberate through five generations of women in Five-Part Invention, a new novel by Philadelphia writer Andrea J. Buchanan. Kirsten Bowen reviews.
Kirsten Bowen

Kirsten Bowen

Reviews 3 minute read
Four rows and four columns of a tree-like shape stenciled with various shades of black and gray, the title 'thrum' is in red

thrum, by Jon Chaiim McConnell

A timely take on contemporary crisis

The debut work from the Delaware-based author takes on climate change with interweaving dystopian but contemporary stories. Nick Joseph reviews.
Nick Joseph

Nick Joseph

Reviews 4 minute read
Book cover: 2 Black teen boys in a painted illustration, a train & crowded Ferris wheel behind them. The title appears above.

Kings of B’more by R. Eric Thomas

Baltimore, Bueller-style

R. Eric Thomas’s debut young-adult novel Kings of B’more is a witty, adventurous nod to Ferris Bueller that hits close to home, but may be hindered by its own genre tropes. Kyle V. Hiller reviews.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Reviews 3 minute read
The book cover, with the English title in white, superimposed over red Chinese characters, & a black-and-white historic photo

Beethoven in Beijing, by Jennifer Lin

The Philadelphians in China

Lavishly illustrated and full of anecdotes and surprising tidbits about people and places, Beethoven in Beijing deserves a place in the home of every music-lover and every student of the ever-changing tide of East-West relations. Linda Holt reviews.
Linda Holt

Linda Holt

Reviews 3 minute read
The book cover. The title on an orange background, with slender images of mosaic, grass, cement, and dirt winding beneath.

Ways of Walking, edited by Ann de Forest

Headed somewhere together

A new anthology by Philly writer Ann de Forest explores how we walk, and where, and
why that experience means such different things for different bodies. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Reviews 5 minute read
The book cover. The upper half shows the classical façade of the school; the lower a crowded city protest for school funding.

The Roots of Educational Inequality: Philadelphia’s Germantown High School, 1907-2014, by Erika M. Kitzmiller

A century in Germantown

We know how the story of Germantown High School ended, but how did it begin? A new book explains, and highlights the fault lines that remain in our schools today. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Reviews 5 minute read
Book cover. The title and author appear in white, over a black & white photo of a young Dan Rottenberg on a city street.

The Education of a Journalist, by Dan Rottenberg

The power of public discussion

As his readers already know, BSR founding editor Dan Rottenberg loves a good debate, a quest he affirms in his journalistic memoir. Longtime colleague Rob Laymon reviews.
Rob Laymon

Rob Laymon

Reviews 5 minute read
Monáe is dressed in white with black accents, singing into a mic, on stage, with lights and a banner behind her.

The Weekly Roundup, April 13-20

A contemporary speculative and sci-fi recommended reading list

Kyle V. Hiller rounds up sci-fi and speculative fiction novels for the sake of spring ahead of the release of Janelle Monáe's new book The Memory Librarian.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 4 minute read