There are one million new books published each year. With so many books and so little time, where do you begin to find your next must-read? There’s the New York Times Bestseller list, the Goodreads app, the Cape Library’s Staff picks shelf and now Martin’s Must-Reads.
Every Wednesday at 6:42 and 8:42 a.m., and Sunday at 8:18 a.m., Betty Martin recommends a must read based on her own personal biases for historical fiction, quirky characters and overall well-turned phrases. Her list includes WWII novels, biographies of trailblazers, novels with truly unique individuals and lots more. Reading close to 100 titles a year, Betty has plenty of titles to share. Tune in each Wednesday and visit KRCU.org for previous must-reads.
Local support for "Martin's Must Reads" comes from the Cape Girardeau Public Library and the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library.
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“Jerusza’s mother...used to tell her that the knowing of impossible things was a gift from God passed down through maternal blood of only the most fortunate Jewish women. Jerusza,....was certain at times that it was a curse instead, but whatever it was it had been her burden all her life to follow the voices that echoed through the forests.” -
“In the 1580’s, a couple living on Henley Street, Stratford, had three children: Susanna, then Hamnet and Judith, who were twins. The boy, Hamnet, died in 1596, aged eleven. Four years or so later, the father wrote a play called Hamlet.”
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If you are looking to read about the human condition, danger, excitement and exceptional heroics then you must read Julian Sancton’s book Madhouse at the End of the Earth.
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If you’re looking for a mystery that’s both a commentary on the prejudice that still exists in our world today and a story about how one caring adult can make a huge difference in a young person’s life, then you must read The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb.
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“Even before the cats, before the dogs, before the chickens, before the turkeys, before the ducks and the guinea fowl and the betta fish and the Black Angus cattle, I was always a little animalish.”
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“Doug Tompkins spent the first half of his life scaling the peaks of capitalism, founding iconic companies including THE NORTH FACE and ESPRIT. Then he realized he had climbed the wrong mountain. Moving to a remote cabin in Patagonia without electricity or running water, he launched one of the greatest conservation efforts the world has ever seen.”
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“I never know what to expect when I open my door to new clients. The preliminary phone call only reveals so much. In this case, it came from a woman who introduced herself as Marissa Bishop. My marriage is in trouble, she began. I need to talk to my husband about something, but it’s a bit complicated. I thought if we came in together -“
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If you’re ready to read a novel about the COVID experience, one that is about the triumph of the human spirit, then you must read Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult.
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“Titanic’s fate was not preordained, it was ordained by the failings of men in critical moments.” I’m Mark Martin with "Martin’s Must Reads" and William Hazelgrove separates fact from fiction, reality from myth in his book One Hundred and Sixty Minutes, The Race to Save the RMS Titanic.
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As the book jacket says, “Discussions become debates, debates become arguments, which turn into fights. As sides are declared, a madness takes hold.” There are four or five murder suspects and like any good mystery, it’s not solved until the last pages of the book.
