Recommendations by Josh Duke, Information Services Specialist at the Dublin Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.
Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity
by Eric Topol
In Super Agers, cardiologist Eric Topol makes the case that lifestyle matters more than genetics when it comes to aging well. He looks at the “wellderly” – older adults living disease-free – and shares straightforward advice: lift weights, eat a Mediterranean-style diet and keep up with screenings. Particularly compelling is the idea of “organ clocks” – blood tests can track how fast your organs are aging (biological vs. chronological age). Topol also touches on AI in medicine and today’s political hurdles facing scientific research.
Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame: A Novel
by Olivia Ford
The story follows Jenny and her husband Bernard as they near 60 years of marriage. Jenny, carrying a long-held secret, enters a TV baking show to chase a long-buried dream. Fans of The Great British Bake Off will love the competition and the recipes. At its heart, this is about late-life reinvention: “It’s sometimes easy to feel left behind at my age... but I hope to discover that there is meaning and adventure still to be found.”
My Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me
by Caleb Carr
My Beloved Monster is a touching tribute to Caleb Carr’s rescue cat, Masha. Best known for the atmospheric detective novel The Alienist, Carr takes a surprising turn in what became his final work before his passing in 2024. This heartfelt elegy offers unguarded insight into the deep, often mysterious bonds we form with our animal companions and how those connections can shape a life.
Pets and the City: True Tales of a Manhattan House Call Veterinarian
by Amy Attas
Pets and the City offers a warm, witty glimpse into the world of New York’s top house-call vet, Dr. Amy Attas. A lifelong animal lover who knew she wanted to be a veterinarian at 14, Attas shares heartfelt and humorous stories from both celebrity clients and everyday pet owners. As she writes: “They could have a Monet on the wall and an Oscar on the shelf, but if their cat gets a cold, all they want to talk about are snotty noses and sneezing fits.”
The Whole Cat and Caboodle (Second Chance Cat Mystery #1)
by Sofie Ryan
In the seaside town of North Harbor, Maine, we meet Sarah Grayson, owner of a repurpose shop called Second Chance. She’s close to her grandmother’s friends, a group of “oldsters” who call themselves “Charlotte’s Angels.” When one of them is accused of murdering her con-artist boyfriend, the Angels leap into sleuthing and Sarah reluctantly joins in to keep them out of trouble. Integral to the mystery is Sarah’s lie-detecting, rescue cat named Elvis!
George: A Magpie Memoir
by Frieda Hughes
Poet Frieda Hughes, daughter of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, delivers a surprising and poignant memoir of life in a crumbling Welsh countryside fixer-upper. As cracks appear in her marriage (to a man known only as “The Ex”), she finds unexpected joy in rehabilitating George, an abandoned baby magpie – the sole survivor of a storm-destroyed nest. Mischievous George becomes a wild-hearted companion to Frieda in this compelling ode to corvids.
Dublin Life Book Club Selection
Editor’s note: to be added tot the Dublin Life Book Club mailing list or for more information, email kgill@cityscenemediagroup.com. The club will meet Weds., Aug 20 at 7 p.m. Location TBD.
Broken County
By Clare Lesile Hall
Beth and her husband are happily married, focusing on the present and burying the past. That is, until her brother in-law shoots the dog of an olde love of hers who has recently returned to the village, stirring up dark secrets with deadly consequences.
