Thirty year old Eleanor lives a life of routine. She has held the same office position for nine years – arriving at 8:30am, completing the newspaper crossword at lunch, and leaving at 5:30. Despite her obvious intelligence and extensive vocabulary, Eleanor is strangely oblivious to the trappings of modern life and acts like someone in … More Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
This brief but frightening book is the companion to the 2020 film by Attenborough and Hughes, who were assisted by the World Wide Fund for Nature’s science team. Hughes has served as director and producer on Attenborough’s documentaries since 2000. The first section of the book – the Witness Statement – provides a succinct overview … More A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future by David Attenborough and Jonnie Hughes
Stella and Desiree grow up in 1960s Mallard – a tiny town populated by light skinned black people who are strangely obsessed with maintaining this characteristic. The twins run away and move to Chicago, where Stella passes for white, gets a secretarial job at a white firm, and later marries her boss. She does not … More The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Seventeen year old Molly and 91 year old Vivian have both been failed by the child welfare system. Since Molly’s father died, she has been shunted through a series of foster care households and will soon age out of the system. Vivian is a victim of the Orphan Train movement, which transferred destitute children from … More Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
The Armchair Critics' Book Club 