Books @ Noon--November 2022 Picks

Wendy is waiting for the newest Elizabeth Strout and decided to read this in the meantime. She enjoys the way that the author's writing flows. This book, which focuses on a poor, Midwestern family and "the one who got away," was sympathetic to each character and very readable. She really liked it.

Claudia read this nonfiction book about fig trees and their place in nature and cultures around the world. The Fig is a keystone species, providing food and habitat for animals and plants in its area. It fruits in a remarkable way, requiring each fig to be pollinated by a tiny wasp which crawls inside the flower and dies, after which the fruit ripens around it. It is an old genus with many variations worldwide, from the Ficus to the Banyan, to the backyard fruit tree.

Ellie recommended this nonfiction books about influential naturalist Alexander von Humboldt. He travelled extensively in Europe, Russia, and the Americas and pioneered ideas in the fields of conservation, ecology, and geography. Returning to Prussia later in life he wrote extensively and hosted lectures, dedicating himself to sharing ideas as widely as possible. Darwin, Thoreau, Muir, and others credit him as an influence.

Mary mentioned this book as similar the A Spool of Blue Thread, which she read this month.

Mary read this novel that follows four generations of a family from the 1920s through the 2000s, with a particular focus on the 2nd generation. She liked this story of how the family of Southern country folk moved to Baltimore and each member's successes, failures, and luck. She mentioned a lot of the richness of the story is in the connections between people.