what welove

Frontier tale

It’s the early 1800s. When Cy Bellman reads about the discovery of animal bones as large as trees, he leaves his preteen daughter behind and journeys to find out more. With a young Shawnee boy, Cy treks into the hostile Western frontier. Carys Davies’s moving, atmospheric West questions the balance between responsibility and adventure.

The ShortList

FIVE BOOKS THAT WON’T DISAPPOINT

By Nora Horvath

Dishy history

Americans are obsessed with advice, spending many millions a year on self-help books. But most of us know very little about the writers dispensing these words of wisdom. In Asking for a Friend, Jessica Weisberg unmasks influential Dear Abbys throughout history. Readers will learn that while American values have transformed over time, our biggest insecurities remain the same. Notable debut

Hero, the woman at the center of America Is Not the Heart, flees political unrest in the Philippines to find a home with her aunt and uncle in California. But as Hero settles into her new life— caring for her cousin, Roni; exploring her sexuality—her uncle threatens to destroy everything they’ve built. First-time novelist Elaine Castillo interweaves English and Filipino dialects and moves across time to explore how hard it is to truly escape the past. Delicious memoir

In The Best Cook in the World, Rick Bragg introduces readers to his mother: A Southern woman, with a repertoire of recipes as old as the Civil War, Margaret whips up the most heavenly foods, from biscuits to indulgent spareribs stewed in butter beans. Bragg’s tender memoir traces the family history and struggles that shaped his mother’s cooking and leaves readers yearning for a slice of buttermilk pie. Great for book club

Greer Kadetsky is doing her best. Studying at her last-choice college, far from her boyfriend, her biggest ambition is to avoid becoming like her stoner parents. When she meets celebrity feminist Faith Frank at a lecture, suddenly Greer finds purpose. Meg Wolitzer’s timely novel, The Female Persuasion, delves into mentorship— and how even the people we admire most can be flawed.

For more book recommendations, visit realsimple.com/books.