See You in the Cosmos
Jack Cheng

I listened to the audio version of this book through libro.fm. This middle grade/young adult novel opens with protagonist 11-year-old Alex Petroski making a voice recording that he intends to someday launch into space. Alex lives with his mom, who is mostly bedridden due to depression and his dog, Carl Sagan. Alex's dad died when Alex was 3 years old. Older brother Ronnie lives in L.A. and sends money to help support Alex and their mom. Alex and Carl are on a journey to a rocket convention, made tricky by Alex's age (physically 11, although probably more like 13 in responsibility, Alex claims) and Carl being a canine. The narrative is charming and honest. It's one of those lock-yourself-in-a-room-and-hang-a-sign-on-the-door-that-reads-BUSY-GO-AWAY books. The audio book  is terrific.

What’s Bred in the Bone, Book 2 in the Cornish Trilogy
Robertson Davies

Remember last month when I said I was enjoying the first book in the series so much I'd probably read the next book? Well, I'm now reading and loving book 2. In the first book, Rebel Angels, the reader is introduced to the university and its staff which must handle Francis Cornish's estate after Frank's death. In book 2, author Davies backs up in time and gives us the story of Frank's young life, full of family secrets, social classes, and national identity. Some of the narration is provided by beings best described as angels. Like book one of the series, What’s Bred in the Bone is witty, smart, and I'm enjoying it a great deal.

The Hearts of Men
Nickolas Butler

I recently finished The Hearts of Men and I highly recommend it. The novel  covers approximately 60 years of Nelson's life. The reader is introduced to Nelson as a boy—he's passionate about being a boy scout, suffers under the tyranny of a terrible father, and suffers from his peers as a small and awkward kid. He is taken under the wing by a boy scout camp director. Throughout Nelson's life, we are privy to the thoughts and actions of those in Nelson's life. Themes of family, friendship, loyalty, hardship, and changes brought by time are explored. The writing is excellent and the narrative easy to navigate. My only complaint is that Butler is such a good writer I sometimes found myself quite anxious for the characters in The Hearts of Men.

The Physics of Everyday Things
James Kakalios

I was really excited when I heard about this book. Oh, this should be fun. A Physics Prof from the U of M walks you through all the stuff you come in contact with in a day, and explains how it works in terms that make total sense! Everyone will love this book. So I dove right into it and was instantly transported back to my first college physics course….but not in a good way.  There I sat in the second row, five minutes into the class wondering, what in the world was this person saying? Little did I know that there are people in teaching positions who are either so smart or so old they forgot what it’s like to be dumb and a student. The author is two pages into the book and he’s differentiating the kinetic and potential energy of an oscillating pendulum. And I believe in the first ten pages he used the word “flux” without explanation. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t used the term “flux” once in the past month. Now does that mean the book is bad? No. It just means the book is written more for an audience that, at a party, would brighten up if you mentioned “Big Bang Theory” (that’s a nerd TV show.) Needless to say, I found it an interesting read. You can jump around in the seven chapters to something that catches your eye because, obviously, there’s no plot.  And to confirm that it’s truly nerdy, there’s a “Notes” (reference) section in the back so you can do further reading. It’s certainly a book to consider for that “technical” person who has a birthday (or a thesis defense) coming up.

The book releases May 16.

The Soloist  
Steve Lopez

Newspaper columnist Steve Lopez found a homeless man playing the violin on Skid Row in Los Angeles. How Steve helps the man is the basis of the story. Parts of the book were frustrating to me, as it brings out the problems of homelessness, mental illness, bureaucracy, and what can ordinary people do about them. But it's also a wonderful story of what a simple friendship and the redemptive power of music can do to restore a man who was lost. A good read.

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend  
Katarina Bivald

The story opens as Sara arrives in Broken Wheel, Iowa from Sweden. She has come to visit Amy, her pen pal, and is shocked to find that Amy has passed away. The people of the town take Sara under their wing. Sara decides to repay them by opening a book store with all of Amy's books. A story about books is always fun for me. There is humor and, of course, a romance. Having lived in Iowa I enjoyed references to events that have happened there. This book was a #1 American Bookseller's Association pick and a #2 Library Reads pick. It’s a heartwarming reminder of why we are booklovers.

A Lowcountry Heart: Reflections on a Writing Life
Pat Conroy   

When bestselling author Pat Conroy died this past year, his friends and family put together some of his essays, speeches, and blogs, resulting in this charming book. His widow Cassandra King, a well-known author in her own right, wrote the beautiful introduction. Conroy tells about his father, attending college at The Citadel, and staying motivated to exercise. The chapters I most enjoyed were about his favorite books and authors. Bel Canto by Anne Patchett was one of his very favorite books. This was also a favorite of our book club several years ago. Though I may not ever read his books as they are definitely man fare, I heartily recommend this small volume and encourage you to check out Pat Conroy's many best-sellers for yourself.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Dave Eggers

Whoa: a memoir like no other. The writing is a bit like Hunter Thompson without the drugs: we spend the whole book in Eggers' mind, where he frantically ricochets from delight to paranoia to ambition to pessimism to, yes, heartbreak. In the opening chapters, Eggers describes the death of both parents. Once he and his siblings are on their own, they move from the Midwest to California. Toph, only seven years old, moves in with Dave, a frisbee partner sort of guardian. Does he really think that fast? How exhausting that would be!

The Girl in the Spider's Web
David Lagercrantz

This is the fourth book in the series that started with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but the author of the series passed away, so this is the first by Lagercrantz. I hesitated to read it, but he does a decent job with Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. I don't think it's quite as good as the originals, but it's still an exciting story.

The Sense of an Ending
Julian Barnes

This beautifully written short novel leaves you feeling as though you've read a long one, the effect is so profound. A man in his 60s looks back to his youth, the things he did and the ambitions he once held, and learns and remembers things that bring a deep remorse. It made me glad that while I have plenty of regrets, I am more content now than ever. This is not a book for callow youth, it's for those of us who have a lot to remember.

Les Parisiennes
Anne Sebba