‘The Four Winds,’ ‘The Blacktongue Thief,’ and 55 Other Exceptional Titles | Starred Reviews, Apr. 2021

Essential titles reviewed in our April 2021 print issue, spanning mystery & suspense, sf/fantasy, romance, graphic novels, horror, fiction, social sciences, and more.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

MYSTERY & SUSPENSE

Burton, Jeffrey B. The Keepers. Minotaur: St. Martin’s.

Redondo, Dolores. The North Face of the Heart. Amazon Crossing.

When a Stranger Comes to Town. Hanover Square: Harlequin. ed. by Michael Koryta.

Whitfield, Clare. People of Abandoned Character. Head of Zeus.

 

SF/FANTASY

Buehlman, Christopher. The Blacktongue Thief. Tor.

Parker-Chan, Shelley. She Who Became the Sun. Tor.

Rossner, Rena. The Light of the Midnight Stars. Redhook: Orbit.

The Science of Middle-earth: A New Understanding of Tolkien. Pegasus. ed. by Roland Lehoucq, Loïc Mangin & Jean-Sébastien Steyer.

Suri, Tasha. The Jasmine Throne. Orbit.

Whitten, Hannah. For the Wolf. Orbit.

 

ROMANCE

Henry, Emily. People We Meet on Vacation. Berkley.

Jalaluddin, Uzma. Hana Khan Carries On. Berkley.

Lowell, Joanna. The Duke Undone. Berkley.

 

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Ito, Junji. Lovesickness. Viz Media.

Jodorowsky, Alejandro (text) & Jérémy (illus.). The Knights of Heliopolis. Statix: Titan.

Lee Lai. Stone Fruit. Fantagraphics.

 

HORROR

Desiree, Amanda. Smithy. Inkshares.

McGregor, Tim. Hearts Strange and Dreadful. Off Limits.

Meyer, Tim. Paradise Club. Grindhouse.

 

FICTION

Blau, Jessica Anya. Mary Jane. Custom House: Morrow.

Jackson-Brown, Angela. When Stars Rain Down. Thomas Nelson.

Mozley, Fiona. Hot Stew. Algonquin.

Nothomb, Amélie. Thirst. Europa.

Ross, Leone. Popisho. Farrar.

Spiotta, Dana. Wayward. Knopf.

Walton, Dawnie. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev. 37 Ink: Atria.

 

ARTS & HUMANITIES

Baldassaro, Lawrence. Tony Lazzeri: Yankees Legend and Baseball Pioneer. Univ. of Nebraska.

Golden, Eve. Jayne Mansfield: The Girl Couldn’t Help It. Univ. Pr. of Kentucky.

Kelly, Donika. The Renunciations: Poems. Graywolf.

Larsen, Gavin. Being a Ballerina: The Power and Perfection of a Dancing Life. Univ. Pr. of Florida.

Lopate, Phillip. The Golden Age of the American Essay: 1945–1970. Anchor Books.

The Penguin Book of the Modern American Short Story. Penguin Pr. ed. by John Freeman.

 

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Chomsky, Aviva. Central America’s Forgotten History: Revolution, Violence, and the Roots of Migration. Beacon.

Feldshuh, Tovah. Lilyville: Mother, Daughter, and Other Roles I’ve Played. Hachette.

Grinspan, Jon. The Age of Acrimony: How Americans Fought to Fix Their Democracy, 1865–1915. Bloomsbury.

Hough, Lauren. Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing. Vintage.

Hudes, Quiara Alegría. My Broken Language: A Memoir. One World.

Kashatus, William C. William Still: The Underground Railroad and the Angel at Philadelphia. Univ. of Notre Dame.

Riley, Alex. A Cure for Darkness: The Story of Depression and How We Treat It. Scribner.

Sincerely, Your Autistic Child: What People on the Autism Spectrum Wish Their Parents Knew about Growing Up, Acceptance, and Identity. Beacon. ed. by Emily Paige Ballou & others.

Schreier, Jason. Press Reset. Grand Central.

Schulman, Sarah. Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987–1993. Farrar.

Synnott, Mark. The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest. Dutton.

Wickenden, Dorothy. The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women’s Rights. Scribner.

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DeSilva, Jeremy. First Steps: How Upright Walking Made Us Human. Harper.

French, Erin. Finding Freedom: A Cook’s Story; Remaking a Life from Scratch. Celadon.

Johnson, Steven. Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer. Riverhead.

Khan, Yasmin. Ripe Figs: Recipes and Stories from Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus. Norton.

Kimball, Christopher. Milk Street: Tuesday Nights Mediterranean; 125 Simple Weeknight Recipes from the World’s Healthiest Cuisine. Voracious.

Krause, Johannes & Thomas Trappe. A Short History of Humanity: A New History of Old Europe. Random.

Tucker, Abigail. Mom Genes: Inside the New Science of Our Ancient Maternal Instinct. Gallery.

 

REFERENCE

Douglas, Deborah D. Moon U.S. Civil Rights Trail: A Traveler’s Guide to the People, Places, and Events That Made the Movement. Moon Travel.

Race in American Television: Voices and Visions That Shaped a Nation. Greenwood. ed. by David J. Leonard & Stephanie Troutman Robbins.

Stevenson, Tom. The New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia. National Geographic.

 

AUDIOBOOKS

Hannah, Kristin. The Four Winds. Macmillan Audio.

King, Marissa. Social Chemistry: Decoding the Patterns of Human Connection. Bks. on Tape.

Parton, Dolly. Dolly Parton, Songteller. Recorded Bks.

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