PositiveBookPageAn energetic, wildly comical tale that\'s bursting with copious historical details. Amid all the action and plot twists, it\'s also a serious examination of immigration and xenophobia, identity and impersonation, and art, propaganda and censorship ... Marra glides effortlessly between a number of characters and their pasts, presents and futures, all of which are complicated by World War II ... While Marra\'s many threads are intricately woven, they can occasionally be overwhelming, and the novel is at its strongest when focused on Maria, Vincent and their immediate families. Despite some meandering, Mercury Pictures Presents is full of passion, energy and exuberance, just like the Hollywood world it portrays.
Isaac Fitzgerald
RaveBookPageIsaac Fitzgerald grabs readers\' attention with the title of his memoir...and never lets go. He\'s a mesmerizing storyteller who deploys unexpected delights from his very first line ... He fills the 12 essays in Dirtbag, Massachusetts with heaping helpings of humor, joy, pain, sorrow, grace and insight. Throughout, Fitzgerald writes in carefully chosen prose ... Fitzgerald joins the ranks of some of the very best memoirists, including Tobias Wolff, Tara Westover and Dani Shapiro. This entertaining and thoughtful book reveals Fitzgerald\'s talents as a master craftsman of unusual insight and will leave readers eager for more.
Edith Widder
RaveBookPageWidder’s passion is so contagious that by the end of the book, I was yearning to explore these deep, dark waters with her. (Dr. Widder, I’m available!) The wonders she has witnessed are completely compelling ... Her enthusiasm is matched by her sense of humor, which is frequently on full display in footnotes ... With Widder as their guide, readers of Below the Edge of Darkness will become staunch champions of the spectacular bioluminescent world that thrives in the ocean’s depths. It’s a display they’ll long to see, and an education they’ll never forget.
Alexander Lobrano
RaveBookpageA scrumptious, humor-filled love letter to Paris and its food, written by a James Beard Award-winning writer who is the first to admit that his life’s trajectory sounds highly improbable ... Lobrano’s childhood memories are rich, although laced with sadness, loneliness and sexual abuse ... His slow, steady attempts to transition to food writing are fascinating fun, and Lobrano’s nonstop curiosity and enthusiasm are particularly engaging—especially when they lead him to a dinner with Princess Caroline of Monaco and several encounters with Yves Saint Laurent ... Lobrano concludes that \'gastronomic expertise is dull and can be irritating unless it’s leavened by humility, humor, and emotion.\' Rest assured, there’s never a dull moment in My Place at the Table . It’s a veritable feast of humility, humor and emotion.
Delphine Minoui, tr. Laura Vergnaud
RaveBookPagesIn precise yet passionate prose, Minoui tells this remarkable story [of a Syrian rebel group who created a secret library in the basement of an abandoned building during the war]. The Book Collectors is a phenomenal story of hope in the midst of complete devastation. As 23-year-old Abu el-Ezz told Minoui in 2015, \'Reading helps me think positively, chase away negative ideas. And that’s what we need most right now.\'
Juli Berwald
RaveBookPageReminiscent of Hope Jahren’s Lab Girl, Spineless reveals not only an around-the-world exploration of emerging science but also Berwald’s evolution as a science writer, learning to 'write a book that matters,' as one jellyfish expert challenged her ... Full of humor and intrigue, Spineless is a seaworthy saga brimming with information about not only jellyfish but also about the health and future of the oceans and our planet.
