I have several geography nerds in my family. One is my husband. I thought of him frequently as I read Peng Shepherd's book The Cartographers. Using fiction, it wrestles with the question: what is the purpose of a map? (I asked the internet that question, and one of the things that popped up was this gem of a website: https://www.mapshop.com/10-reasons-why-maps-are-important/) The story is a bit campy with several barely credible coincidences, but I enjoyed it and was a willing participant in setting aside reality. The premise is Nell Young, a rising star in the cartographer world and the daughter of prominent cartographer Daniel Young, has a public argument with her famous father over an ordinary gas station map. He is her boss, and she is an intern. He not only fires her, but also destroys her reputation. They don't speak for seven years. Then he dies under suspicious circumstances. She finds the disputed map hidden in his office. What makes this worthless map so valuable?
This book is fun to read because it contains the New York Public Library, a mysterious society, a curve-ball laden plot, and quirky characters. I'm looking forward to reading other works by Peng Sheperd. It is a mature version of Greenglass House by Kate Milford.
Greenglass House is the first in a YA series. Milo is looking forward to Christmas break at his family's usually deserted hotel; however, several peculiar guests arrive. They seek answers about the smuggler the hotel belonged to before his death. Where is his treasure? What would they do to get it? Milo finds untapped courage as he and Meddy, the cook's granddaughter, try to solve the puzzle and redeem their ruined holiday before anyone get's hurt. Milford had several plot twists that surprised me.
When I worked at a bookstore, we joked that beach reads usually incorporated turquoise in their covers. The Vacationers by Emma Straub indeed advertises itself well. It is a quintessential beach read: a good one. A Manhattan couple, Jim and Franny, with their two children--Sylvia, who recently graduated high school, and Bobbie, who is five years out of college--go on vacation to Mallorca, Spain. Franny's best friend, Charles, and his husband, Lawrence, and their son's long-term girlfriend are with them in a beautiful house. Seven people are vacationing under one roof with secrets and unspoken hopes, but not for long. Straub skillfully takes the familiar ingredients of a beach read: betrayal, unrequited love, expectations, and sunshine and creates a diverting, satisfying story. ⛱
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