Dom’s Book Club
This month’s choices:
Fiction
The Spy Coast
By Tess Gerristen
I consider Tess Gerristen to have one of the best backstories of any successful author. She got her college degree from Stanford in anthropology, but then pivoted into studying medicine, eventually getting her medical degree and becoming a doctor.
On maternity leave, she followed her dream of always wanting to be an author. She wrote a short story that won a writing contest, and that was the spark she needed.
Now, decades later, she has dozens of bestselling books under her belt, including romance thrillers, medical thrillers (naturally), and a hit crime series (Rizzoli and Isles) that’s been turned into a television series.
With “The Spy Coast,” Gerristen introduces a new series, and this one has a wonderful twist. Maggie Bird is a CIA spy who has retired to a tiny, out-of-the-way town in rural Maine, leaving her past behind.
But can she? When a body turns up in her driveway, she knows it’s a message from someone in her spy past. Fortunately, she chose this particular small town because some of her other retired spy friends—they (and the book series) call themselves The Martini Club—are immediately on the job, rolling up their sleeves to help Maggie.
Her investigation means leaving the quiet life and traveling abroad to get to the heart of this puzzle—one that could do much more than shatter her retirement.
I loved this book, and, if you’re a thriller fan, I think you will, too.
Find it here.
Non-Fiction
Hamilton
By Ron Chernow
Sure, this is the book that inspired the smash hit musical. But this is much, much more than fodder for Broadway.
Ron Chernow, the author of several fascinating biographies, took on the challenge of documenting the life of one of our nation’s founding fathers. And it’s not like that’s an easy task, given how old the stories are. Think about it: We’re coming up on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
Alexander Hamilton is perhaps the most unlikeliest hero from that era. From his illegitimate birth in the Caribbean, and soon an orphan, he made his way to the American colonies and dedicated himself to a better life.
Before you know it, he became the aide-de-camp of none other than George Washington (the subject of another Chernow biography, by the way, and equally excellent). From there, he founded the Bank of New York, became the young country’s first Treasury Secretary, and helped lead the Federalist Party.
The book covers it all, from his childhood, to his escape to America, and through all of the tumultuous years of revolution and starting a new country.
And yes, it covers in detail the famous duel between Hamilton and Aaron Burr—a story that could almost fill an entire book itself.
If you haven’t immersed yourself in a good biography in a long time—or never have—this is a great choice. Chernow’s attention to detail is remarkable, and his writing is superb.
Find your copy here.
Past Selections
Magpie Murders
By Anthony Horowitz
A who-dunnit murder mystery.
Stolen Focus
By Johann Hari
Is our attention being manipulated?
The Mountain in The Sea
By Ray Nayler
Sci-fi and octopuses? Beautiful!
Big Magic
By Elizabeth Gilbert
Your creative energy could use this.
Primal Fear
By William Diehl
Courtoom drama with a serious twist.
Devil in the White City
By Erik Larson
A serial killer at the World’s Fair.
Lonesome Dove
By Larry McMurtry
A western that will make you suddenly love westerns.
The Boys in the Boat
By Daniel James Brown
A riveting story of true underdogs who shocked the world.
The Shadow of the Wind
By Carlos Ruiz Zafón
A beautiful - and haunting - story within a story.
The Power of Habit
By Charles Duhigg
The science behind why we do the things we do - and how we can change.
Project Hail Mary
By Andy Weir
Human existence depends on one man—and some alien help.
Bird by Bird
By Anne Lamott
Writing inspiration, sure—but sprinkled with life instructions.
The Graveyard Book
By Neil Gaiman
A delightful and poignant Halloweeen book for all ages.
In Cold Blood
By Truman Capote
Many proclaim this to be the first real true-crime blockbuster.
Slow Horses
By Mick Herron
Disgraced British agents star in a fun, exciting thriller.
Born Standing Up
By Steve Martin
The master of comedy through six decades tells all in this memoir.
Nothings Lasts Forever
By Roderick Thorp
The book that inspired the movie “Die Hard.”
Daring Greatly
By Brené Brown
One of the best books written on the topics of vulnerability and shame.
City of Thieves
By David Benioff
A fascinating tale of WWII, set in a bitter Russian winter.
Man’s Search for Meaning
By Viktor Frankl
A survivor of a Nazi concentration camp will change your view of life.
Rendezvous With Rama
By Arthur C. Clarke
A sci-fi thriller about first contact - with a twist.
All the President’s Men
By Bernstein and Woodward
The definitive account of the scandal that brought down a U.S. president.
I Am Pilgrim
By Terry Hayes
The kind of spy-on-the-hunt thriller that makes for great escapism.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
By Susan Cain
Well, hell - the title says it all.
Carrie
By Stephen King
The first published novel from the master of horror and suspense.
The Information
By James Gleick
A fascinating history of how our systems for storing and sharing information have changed through the years.
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Happy reading!