For Readers: Jessica

This collection of essays is a blend of poetry, memoir, and nature writing. Nezhukumatathil explores lessons that can be learned from insects, animals, and plants. World of Wonders will make you appreciate the little things that can be found in nature. Fans of Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald will enjoy this book.

After the death of their mother, the Shergill sisters--Rajni, Jezmeen, and Shirina--must fulfill their mother's wishes of travelling to India to scatter her ashes. The Shergill sisters have grown apart since childhood, and the secrets they are keeping from one another cannot be hidden forever. This book is a perfect summer read for readers looking for a story that is part travelogue and part dysfunctional family.

Libby Copeland unpacks the history and implications of home DNA testing as she follows the journey of Alice Collins Plebuch. In 2012, Plebuch received confusing results from a home DNA test, and she must solve a 100 year old mystery about her father's past. Copeland discusses the legal and privacy concerns that surround home DNA testing and explains how law enforcement is using recreational DNA databases to solve crimes. For fans of Inheritance by Dani Shapiro and She Has Her Mother's Laugh by Carl Zimmer.

This fast-paced book follows Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey as they investigate the sexual harassment allegations made against Harvey Weinstein. The reader is given a behind-the-scenes look at the investigation as Kantor and Twohey work with sources that are nervous about going on the record. She Said helps set the scene for the conditions before the #MeToo movement began in 2017. For fans of nonfiction about journalism.

Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction (2020). The reader follows the events of the Trojan War through the eyes of the women in this fast-paced book. Calliope asserts that the women are heroes, even if they never fought on a battlefield. Haynes' writing style is beautiful, and it will make you feel like you are in Ancient Greece. For fans of The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker and Circe by Madeline Miller.