We think of whales as creatures of the sea, but there is more to it.
The Thread's Must-Read
"Like Water for Chocolate"by Laura Esquivel
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Normally my reading pile is nothing but new, new, new, but this week I read “Like Water for Chocolate” — almost thirty years after it was published. It’s one of those literary stars which, when you finally get to it, makes you wonder: Why didn’t I read this sooner?
The book is a tantalizing mix of magic realism and recipes, which are integral to the narrative. The premise is simple — it’s a love story. But love is never simple, and in “Like Water for Chocolate,” love is tied up and tripped up and thwarted by family and violence and fate.
The novel follows Tita, the youngest daughter of Maria Elena. Tita is told from the moment she can walk that, as the youngest, she will never marry; she must instead take care of her mother until her death. As Tita wrestles with this binding tradition, life on their quiet family ranch is complicated by the fact that Tita’s emotions get cooked, baked and sautéed into the extravagant dishes she prepares. Those who eat Tita’s meals bear the risk of experiencing the same internal tumult she does.
It’s a clever, poetic read with sentences that will stick with you. In one moment of devastation, as Tita contemplates her fate, the author writes: “How unfortunate that black holes in space had not yet been discovered, for then she might have understood the black hole in the center of her chest, infinite coldness flowing through it."
If you’re looking for a classic you missed, “Like Water for Chocolate” is my recommendation.
-Tracy Mumford
Scientists are trying to learn more about how whales eat, talk and ... walked? "Spying on Whales" by Nick Pyenson
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Paleobiologist Nick Pyenson is dedicated to uncovering the "hidden lives" of whales. Forty to 50 million years ago, he says, whales had four legs and lived at least part of their lives on land.
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How fair sideshows saved babies' lives "The Strange Case of Dr. Couney" by Dawn Raffel
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In a mosaic mystery told in vignettes, cliffhangers, curious asides, and some surreal plot twists, journalist Dawn Raffel investigates the secrets of the man who changed infant care in America.
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This novel will get under your skin "The Third Hotel" by Laura Van Den Berg
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Laura Van Den Berg's new novel follows a woman who runs into her ostensibly-dead husband at a Cuban film festival. It operates in symbols and layers, leaving readers disoriented, but fascinated.
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Cartoonist Thi Bui weaves together personal and political history "The Best We Could Do" by Thi Bui
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Thi Bui's Eisner Award-nominated graphic memoir "The Best We Could Do" chronicles her family's struggles in fleeing war-torn Vietnam to immigrate to the United States.
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A thwarted child kidnapping inspired this novel "Fruit of the Drunken Tree" by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
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Growing up amid widespread violence in Colombia, Ingrid Rojas Contreras and her sister were targeted for kidnapping. They were saved by the courage and compassion of a teenager working in their home.
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Take this book on your next picnic, and hope for rain "Pignic" by Matt Phelan
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Bookseller Rebecca Dowling recommends the perfect book for a family picnic.
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Yabbadabba-what? These aren't the Flintstones you remember "The Flintstones: Vol. 1" by Mark Russell
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When you say "The Flintstones," most people think of the old Hanna Barbera cartoons. But a new comic book adaptation keeps the humor, and tackles some heavy themes like capitalism and human frailty.
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Violence leaves a lasting scar "I Didn't Talk" by Beatriz Bracher
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Brazilian author Beatriz Bracher's new novel — her first to be published in English — follows a professor who, years later, is still haunted by his arrest and torture during Brazil's dictatorship.
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A poignant and powerful look at campus life "The Incendiaries" by R.O. Kwon
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R.O. Kwon's new novel explores the attractions — and dangers — of faith, against the overheated, over-the-top backdrop of an upper-crust college somewhere in the Northeastern United States.
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