New Year, New Books! Carole E. Barrowman, Author, English professor at Alverno College, Author, Reviewer Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Minneapolis Star Tribune is here to recommend some new books for 2023. 2 are non-fiction and one is a novel getting some buzz!
Fieldwork by Iliana Regan (Agate)
Regan is a Michelin-starred chef from Chicago. With her wife, Anna, she moved to the UP of Michigan and opened Milkweed Inn, a B&B. They planned to serve their guests food foraged in the Hiawatha Forest. Then the pandemic hit. Anyone with a passion for what it means to try to live a life with a deeper connection to nature (and to each other) will adore this beautifully written memoir.
Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing Time by Sheila Liming (Melville House)
Where Fieldwork is about foraging in nature, Hanging Out is about “foraging for connection, intimacy, and meaning—in a world that feels increasingly
hostile to all three.” It’s a book about “daring to do nothing much and, even more than that, about daring to do it in the company of others.” Each chapter offers anecdotes, challenges, and advice on how to just hang out. This book spoke to me. I love doing nothing.
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson (Wm Morrow)
I plowed through this snort-out -loud, devilishly clever mystery set in a snowy resort in one sitting. The author is also a stand-up comedian. I could tell. The story’s narrator manipulates us from the beginning when they arrive at the resort for a long overdue family reunion. A blizzard traps them. A body is found. The fun begins.