GBH staffers always seem to be armed with a long list of book recommendations. For this fall’s staff-recommended reading list, it seemed appropriate to give these bibliophiles a new challenge. We asked employees from across GBH to not only share a book they are excited about but to also suggest a program with similar themes that readers could watch or listen to. Read on to find the connections they made between a mystery and music, a memoir and the science of birds, science fiction with a little history, and, of course, a family drama with a side of MASTERPIECE.
As we head into those shorter days and darker nights of autumn, it’s a great time to explore some of their picks. Settle into your favorite chair and bookmark this list.
1. Music and Mystery
The Book: The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician whose prized heirloom violin is stolen just before the world’s most prestigious musical competition. The quest to recover the violin, which had belonged to his enslaved great-grandfather, reveals the true value of his ancestor’s legacy.
Donna Taub, Legal: “I’m a classical bassoonist, so I connected with the story on the most basic level — a kid finds love for music and wants to keep playing…forever. If you like an audiobook, this one is exceptional because of the musical interludes.”
Watch: Great Performances: Now Hear This and ANTIQUES ROADSHOW. Join host Scott Yoo on a voyage of musical discovery, including young artists on the rise, on Now Hear This, and then watch ANTIQUES ROADSHOW appraise an heirloom violin.
2. Exploring Mythology
The Book: Circe by Madeline Miller
When Circe is born to the sun god, seemingly without the skills that make her worthy of her family’s powerful place, she turns to the world of mortals. It is then that she discovers her powers of witchcraft, which threaten the gods themselves. Drawing the ire of men and the gods, she must decide where her allegiances lie.
Markie Remien, Membership:
“I’ve always enjoyed stories from Greek mythology. This one was a fun read that connected a lot of knowledge and other characters from Greek stories, such as
The Odyssey.”
Watch: Fate & Fabled. The premiere episode of this series of digital shorts explores Greek mythology’s most powerful deities.
3. The World of Jane Austen
The Book: The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
Hadlow revisits the world of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice from the perspective of Mary Bennet, the bookish middle sister. What if instead of being the marginalized middle, she actually pursued a life that brought her choices and fulfillment not previously imagined?
Kate Van Sleet, Legal & Business Affairs: “I love a reimagining of a classic, and I love reading books from another character’s perspective. This is a charming example. Hadlow does a wonderful job remaining faithful to the original in creating a realistic and romantic outcome for Austen’s most dowdy sister.”
Watch: MASTERPIECE Miss Austen. This MASTERPIECE series is a drama based on the life of Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra. And if you need more Austen, check out MASTERPIECE’s Sanditon or another Pride and Prejudice reimagining, this time by P.D. James: MASTERPIECE’s Death Comes to Pemberley.
4. Crime Fiction in the Kitchen
The Book: Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder by Asako Yuzuki
This Japanese bestseller is inspired by a true story. A journalist investigates a gourmet cook accused of murdering wealthy men after seducing them with her cooking. As the journalist seeks to crack the case, she makes her own discoveries about herself and societal expectations.
Leah Abrams, Office of Inclusion: “Through the lens of food, Yuzuki’s novel traverses taboo topics on what it means to be and look like a woman in the 21st century. Accompanied by characters who are anything but lovable, the reader goes on a journey to figure out whether it is a woman or a society that is guilty of the crime of murder.”
Watch: The French Chef with Julia Child. Revisit the magic of watching a master chef prepare spectacular meals. Then, visit GBH’s Food page for more program suggestions and recipes.
5. A Modern Rip Van Winkle?
The Book: The Sleeping Soldier by Aster Glenn Gray
In this historical romance, a closeted college student in the 1960s accidentally awakens a Union soldier from a hundred-year sleep and has to help him adjust to an unfamiliar world. They explore friendship, love, and changes in social customs that may create a cultural divide they cannot overcome.
Rebecca Fraimow, Archives: “I found the book remarkable for the detailed, thoughtful exploration of the contrast between two different time periods with very different ideas about responsibility, masculinity, and LGBTQ+ identity.”
Watch: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Death and the Civil War and The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns.
6. A Memoir About Nature and Love
The Book: H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
After the sudden death of her father, Macdonald embarks on a project to adopt and raise one of nature’s most vicious predators, a Eurasian goshawk. Together, the animal and human explore the pain, loneliness, and beauty that are part of life. Not a traditional memoir, the book is a deep meditation on grief, and also includes extensive nature writing and biographical explorations of T.H. White, author of The Once and Future King.
Rani Schloss, Information Technology: “The writing is just gorgeous. Grief manifests for all of us in different ways, and it’s certainly not linear. This book changed the way I see things.”
Watch: NATURE Meet the Raptors and NOVA Bird Brain. If you prefer drama, MASTERPIECE’s All Creatures Great and Small celebrates the special relationship of humans and animals through the story of veterinarian James Herriot in the 1930s Yorkshire Dales.
7. Some Scary Sci-Fi
The Book: Annhiliation by Jeff VanderMeer
In this speculative science fiction book, a team of four researchers are sent on an expedition into the mysterious Area X, a region that has been isolated from the rest of the continent for years. Starting as an Edenic landscape, it was later the site of mass suicides, an all-out war, and then a sudden outbreak of cancer diagnoses in all who visited. What the researchers discover and the secrets they keep from one another change everything.
Hannah Albright, Legal & Business Affairs: “VanderMeer’s prose slowly feeds the reader just the right amount of information to keep you curious all the way through. I found myself agreeing with the main character about how the world she found herself in was equally terrifying and captivating.”
Watch: NOVA Secrets of the Forest and AMERICAN MASTERS Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin.
8. Family Drama Through the Ages
The Book: The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
When Penelope Keeling returns to her Cornwall home after a heart attack, her three adult children are forced to adapt to a new normal. This heartwarming family saga explores Penelope’s unconventional parents, her wartime experiences in London, past romances, and her struggles to accept who her children have become.
Melissa Pollard, GBH Kids: “I’m drawn to the author’s ability to seamlessly weave together a narrative that not only looks at family dynamics — both past and present — but also gives you a vivid snapshot of life on the U.K. homefront during the WWII years. I couldn’t put it down!”
Watch: MASTERPIECE World on Fire and MASTERPIECE MaryLand about two estranged sisters who reunite following their mother’s sudden death as they work out a string of family secrets. And for more stories about family, check out Stories from the Stage: Family Business.
