Dear Wags,

There’s a presidential debate on Thursday. That’s if the scheduled confab doesn’t implode on the tarmac. We suspect that you are doing your level best to avoid thinking about it. What will the world say on Friday morning? A whole lot of nonsense, obviously! Meantime, it’s helpful to remember that while dread is a reliable revenue driver, it’s a terrible coping mechanism.

Clever tweets will not save us. Why not contemplate doing something, however small, to turn this ship around? We believe in you, and there’s still time. Meantime, our prescription for dealing with the vicissitudes of modern life is more reading, less bleating. Your enormous brain is capable of digesting far more than the day’s outrages. Indulge it. Now, here’s what the Book Squad can’t put down this week.

Yours Ever,

JDH and BKP

Bear by Julia Phillips

Wilderness may scarce, but it still has an irresistible hold on us. Phillips (Disappearing Earth) delivers an evocative yarn about Sam and Elena, sisters eking by on an island off the Washington coast. Working gigs catering to rich weekenders, the pair yearn to get off their lonely rock. Then one day, an enormous bear shows up outside their cabin door. Sam’s convinced it’s a terrible omen and wants to flee, but Elena is fascinated by the dangerous visitor. What happens next tests their relationship and commitment to a shared dream. It’s an atmospheric exploration of family ties and the eternal magic of nature. — Sam Gribley

Shanghai by Joseph Kanon 

When the world clamped down on Jewish emigration from Nazi-controlled Europe, Shanghai, which required no entry visa, was a last refuge for those rich and lucky enough to find their way there. Kanon’s period thriller stars Daniel Lohr, an antifascist who slips past the Gestapo and onto a ship bound for China. He finds himself in a city of intrigue, trying to outrun his dark past and the local underworld. There’s danger, romance, and more than a hint of Casablanca in this moody adventure. —Wang Chia-chih

The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing

In bleak 2020, Laing devoted herself to restoring a centuries-old garden in Suffolk. The place was overgrown with strange plants, and it got her thinking about the perennial human quest to create paradise on earth. The author traipses through utopias imagined by poet John Milton, Arts and Crafts visionary William Morris, and director Derek Jarman, among other visionaries. What she discovers is that human ingenuity can be both destructive and complimentary to the natural world. They may be pleasant refuges, but gardens also offer a road map to our future. —Mary Lenox

Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones by Priyanka Mattoo

Mattoo, a writer, filmmaker, and co founder of the Earios podcast network, began her life in a wooden house in the mountains of Kashmir. Her family fled communal violence and wandered the world in search of a brighter future. That prodigal life took the author to England, Saudi Arabia, Michigan, Rome, and Hollywood, where she became a talent agent before embarking on a literary career. This is an elegant memoir about a seeker driven to carve out new territory—within and without. It’s also a warm, moving and very American tale. —Ashima Ganguli

A Woman of Interest by Tracy O’Neill

O’Neill had a real-life mystery to solve. She’d never met her biological mother, who she feared might be nearing the end of her life in South Korea. So, she hired a scruffy private detective, who gathered a few clues before suddenly vanishing. In the middle of the pandemic, the writer continued the investigation on her own. As she ran down leads, O’Neill began to wonder if the mystery woman she hunted was an actual renegade—and more like her than she could have dreamed. The result is a riveting detective story that happens to be true.

How the Light Gets In by Joyce Maynard

The indefatigable Maynard has been a well-known writer since her teens. Now in her seventh decade, she’s not about to slow down, cranking out a sequel to her family saga Count the Ways. After the death of her former husband, Eleanor, the matriarch, has returned to the clan’s New Hampshire farm to care for her adult son Toby, who has a traumatic brain injury. Not far away in Vermont, Toby’s sister Ursula is married with kids, while their brother Al is off in Seattle with his wife. The crew weathers the dislocations of the past 15 years while tamping down seething resentment. As kinship drama, it’s real enough to be relatable and soapy enough to keep you thoroughly entertained. — Letitia Lawrence

Entrances and Exits by Michael Richards

Cosmo Kramer, everybody knows, was Jerry’s loopy neighbor on Seinfeld. But Michael Richards, who brought him to life, is not such a stitch. He’s a deeply thoughtful writer, mulling art, architecture, and philosophy as he explains how he shaped one of the most memorable characters in sitcom history. Richards poured anarchic energy into the creation that made him famous. But he couldn’t always control it, and owns up to well-publicized mistakes. “Turmoil is with us all the time, “ he writes. “It’s in the way I am, both light and dark, good and not-so good.” It’s also the wellspring of a craft he treats with reverence. — Gail Cunningham

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

Something sinister lurks in little Monta Clare, Missouri. In 1975, young girls from the community keep disappearing. Joseph “Patch” McCauley, a local boy born with one eye, happens upon a victim being attacked by a hooded figure in the woods. He disrupts the crime but finds himself held prisoner in a pitch dark cellar. In captivity, Patch is befriended by Grace, another hostage, who gives him the strength to survive. After an escape, he spends years trying to track down a savior he only knew by voice. Meanwhile, his hometown hunts for a serial killer. Whitaker keeps you guessing about suspects, but the love story at the center of this thriller is what makes it soar. —Catherine Martin

Questions and suggestions for BookWag? Please ping intern@culturewag.com, and we’ll get back to you in a jiffy.

CultureWag celebrates culture—high, medium, and deliciously low. It’s an essential guide to the mediaverse, cutting through a cluttered landscape and serving up smart, funny recommendations to the most hooked-in audience in the galaxy. If somebody forwarded you this issue, consider it a coveted invitation and RSVP “Subscribe.” You’ll be part of the smartest set in Hollywood, Gstaad, Biarritz, and Ox and Finch in Glasgow, a small plates Xanadu on Sauchiehall Street. Try the pollock crudo, the ricotta gnocchi, and everything else.

Gnocchi deliciousness courtesy of Ox and Finch.

I don't know if I should care for a man who made life easy; I should want a Wag who made it interesting. — Edith Wharton