EP70: The Mayflower, Blood Quantum, and Great Sandwiches

Live from the Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost

Sam has been doing research into the family tree, which is largely irrelevent, but does have him fired up to talk books. Hannah's right there with him, with brand-new reads hot off the presses. But we're not quite done with "Fire Exit" yet and start things out with some closing thoughts and a great deal more context (the Press Herald reviewer that we mention is named Genanne Walsh). With that sorted, we've got a quick overview of some summer reads by North Shore authors, a look at the brand-new "Choice" from Booker-nominated Neel Mukherjee (who skewers the well-meaning liberal), and Hannah raves about Catherine Newman's brand-new and very funny "Sandwich." It's a triple entendre. She likes it almost as much as Sam likes "Lexicon," a 10-year-old novel that asks us to consider why people are persuasive and why we're eager to be persuaded. Finally, we wrap with the very strong "God of the Woods," by Liz Moore, about a summer camp gone wrong (we're going with "literary mystery") in 1975; plus a sneak peek at the new Halle Butler. Find some great books for your July 4 time in the beach chair!