This week, we feature a fascinating homage to the colorful insects that brighten our world and a thorough exploration of a prominent Gilded Age banker’s life and legacy.
Nature
‘The Language of Butterflies: How Thieves, Hoarders, Scientists, and Other Obsessives Unlocked the Secrets of the World’s Favorite Insect’
By Wendy Williams
No insect is as glorious, or beloved, as the butterfly. This book takes a detailed look at butterflies: their evolution, their anatomy, what and how they eat, where they wander, and how they live. It examines the people who are fascinated by these creatures, a diverse assortment that includes Maria Merian, Charles Darwin, several Rothschilds, and Vladimir Nabokov. It shows why butterflies entrance us in a colorful account of the creatures themselves and the many individuals obsessed by them.
Simon & Schuster, 2021, 256 pages
Nonfiction
‘No Contact: How a Seductive Ideology Broke Families and Friendships and How We Can Repair Them’
By Noelle Mering
This book isn’t intended for families fractured by classic abuse, but for those divided by politics and culture. Backed by research and scores of interviews, Mering delves into the causes of these breakups, then offers guidance in repair and restoration, even for those whose adult children have gone full no contact. It’s red flag warning of the damage done to society by today’s bitter divisions.
Forum Books, 2026, 288 pages
Biography
‘The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance’
By Ron Chernow
Winner of the National Book Award, Chernow doesn’t simply tackle the massive subject of one of history’s most important financiers, J.P. Morgan. He tackles how he changed the banking industry and the modern financial system. It is an exhaustively researched book, written in Chernow’s engaging literary style. For those interested in American finance and arguably its largest giant, this is an important and serious book. The life of Morgan helps answer many questions about the modern banking era.
Grove Press, 2010, 832 pages
Fantasy
‘A Sense of Murder’
By Sam Robb
In a distant world, Crown official, Ser Kellan, is known as a Highwayman—a mix of a circuit-riding magistrate and a justice-executing sheriff. As a Truth-Teller, he is capable of reading emotions. When an Imperial Magus arrives, hunting a rumored Truth-Teller, Kellan is assigned as his guide, forcing him to keep his gift a secret. The search is interrupted when they discover a warlock serial killer, causing the case to be ensnared by Imperial politics. A fast-paced, nuanced adventure tale.
Selene Press, 2026, 400 pages
Classics
‘The Aeneid’
By Virgil
Troy is in flames, and Aeneas is in flight, destined, as it turns out, to found a new kingdom. Opposed by the goddess Juno, but aided by Venus, he leads his crew through storms and adventures: He enters into a love affair with Queen Dido of Carthage, who cuts against female stereotypes of that age; he learns Rome’s future from his father in the Underworld and winds up on the Italian peninsula battling to claim his kingdom. A superb epic by Rome’s greatest poet brought to life in this vivid translation.
Penguin Classics, 2010, 496 pages
For Kids
‘Peek-a Who?’
By Nina Laden
This board book for the youngest readers features every element a first book should have: colorful illustrations, simple words that can be memorized and soon recognized, and delightful anticipation with the turn of each page. You’re sure to read this over and over. It’s simple books like this that can encourage a lifelong love of reading.
Chronicle Books, 2000, 10 pages
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