RECOMMENDED READING Epoch Booklist

FICTION ‘Waste of a Life’

By Simon Brett Declutterer

Ellen Curtis finds her life turned upside down. The elderly owner of the house she’s revamping ends up dead, likely poisoned, and police are looking at several suspects, including her. Meanwhile, her two grown children have fled their own troubles to set up camp in Ellen’s house, as a rival declutterer spreads lies about her and as a man rekindles her romantic interests. If you’re looking for a mystery mixed with eccentrics, humor, and the trials of everyday life, this book fits the bill.

SEVERN HOUSE, 2022, 192 PAGES

EXPLORATION ‘Ninety Degrees North’

By Fergus Fleming

The quest for the North Pole fascinated the world. It was one of the last few exploratory adventures left on Earth, and it was filled with mystery, danger, and miscalculations. Fergus Fleming’s work about the numerous attempts to reach the North Pole and catalog its discovery is a masterful retelling of those attempts, which resulted in disaster, proved fraudulent, or ended successfully and brought glory to the country and its men who accomplished the feat. This is a great book about the human spirit.

GROVE PRESS, 2003, 496 PAGES

Are there books you’d recommend? We’d love to hear from you. Let us know at features@epochtimes.com

This week, we feature an urban planner’s engaging guide to building on Mars and a suspenseful novel about eight strangers who meet one fateful day.

Space

‘The First City on Mars’

By Justin B. Hollander

FICTION ‘The Time Has Come’

By Will Leitch

This is contemporary fiction that takes place in Athens, Georgia. The specific setting is a beloved pharmacy— Lindbergh’s—that’s reminiscent of nostalgic drugstores of decades past. The main protagonist is a fourth-grade teacher convinced that something sinister lurks in its history. She plans drastic action to prove that she’s correct. On a hot June evening, her path crosses with those of seven other individuals. Choices, consequences, and connections (and humor) coalesce in a fateful and tense encounter.

HARPER, 2023, 304 PAGES

FOR KIDS ‘Noah’s Ark’

By Linda Falken

Featuring fine works of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s (and others’) vast collections, the Biblical tale of Noah’s Ark is impressively presented. Its timeless resonance rings true as works from different periods and cultures accompany the epic story of diligence, faith, and hope. Details about the works are found in the back for further study.

ABRAMS BOOKS, 2015, 32 PAGES

Someday there will be a city on Mars occupied by humans from Earth. The question is whether it’ll be a planned community or a jumble of structures, such as McMurdo Station in the Antarctic. This book explores the issue. Professional urban planner Hollander presents a serious, scholarly approach to such a city. He examines how to build on a foreign planet with a hostile environment, makes a serious attempt at resolving these difficulties, and offers his own possible design.

SPRINGER, 2023, 286 PAGES

Classics

‘The History of the Book in 100 Books’

By Roderick Cave and Sara Ayad

This history isn’t a classic, but it points the reader to several dozen books that do fit into that category. Many of these older books affected their own age but are neglected or forgotten today; all document, chronologically, the evolution of books. Soyer’s “The Modern Housewife,” Sterne’s “Tristram Shandy,” the Indian “Panchatantra,” the medieval “Roman de la Rose”—these and others are discussed here, and many remain in print. Beautiful illustrations add to the pleasure of this history.

FIREFLY BOOKS, 2014, 288 PAGES