This month’s choices:
Fiction
Sea of Tranquility
By Emily St. John Mandel
Ten years ago, I featured another book by Mandel, the now-classic “Station Eleven,” which eventually was turned into a popular HBO miniseries.
This time, she’s produced a compelling novel that blends literary fiction, mystery, and science fiction.
The story spans centuries, following a handful of characters whose lives become connected by a strange and seemingly impossible event. As the story unfolds, we’re drawn into questions about time, reality, memory, and human connection.
Don’t let the science-fiction label scare you away if that’s not normally your thing. At its heart, Sea of Tranquility is a character-driven novel that explores what it means to be human in uncertain times. It’s thoughtful without being heavy, imaginative without becoming confusing, and beautifully written.
Mandel has a gift for creating stories that feel both intimate and expansive at the same time. If you enjoy books that leave you thinking long after the final page, you’ll like this.
It’s a novel filled with big ideas, but it never loses sight of the people at the center of them. And that balance makes it an entertaining read.
Find your copy here.
Nonfiction
The Lost City of the Monkey God
By Douglas Preston
In 2001, I spent four days and nights deep in the Amazonian jungle, cut off from the rest of the world. That experience—one I’ll never forget and certainly never repeat—drew me to this book about the search for a lost civilization.
Fans of Preston’s fiction, including his string of thrillers cowritten with Lincoln Child, might not know he’s a noted journalist, too.
Here, he tells the story of a real expedition into the remote rainforests of Honduras. He joins a team of explorers, scientists, and researchers searching for a legendary city that’s been the subject of rumors and folklore for centuries.
But what begins as an archaeological adventure soon becomes something much larger, touching on history, technology, disease, and the challenges of exploring one of the most frightening and unforgiving environments on Earth.
I love how this book reads almost like one of his thrillers. The discoveries are fascinating, but so are the dangers faced by the expedition team. Along the way, Preston raises important questions about lost cultures, the rise and fall of civilizations, and how much of our world remains unknown.
It’s a reminder that even in the age of satellites and smartphones, there are still mysteries waiting to be uncovered—and stories that seem almost too remarkable to be true.
Find your copy here.
Fourth Wing
By Rebecca Yarros
A young woman enters a deadly dragon-rider academy where survival, ambition, and loyalty are constantly tested.
Empire of AI
By Karen Hao
An exploration of artificial intelligence's rise, its architects, and its growing impact on society.
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Happy reading!
