Film
Ian Urbina has written about crime on the high seas for The New York Times, published books on the topic and hosted a podcast. Now, the Chevy Chase, D.C., journalist has created “Dispatches from The Outlaw Ocean,” a series of 10 short films covering forced labor, murder and other atrocities he investigated on board ships from Asia to Africa and South America. See them at theoutlawocean.com.
Book
Flavors of the Maghreb & Southern Italy: Recipes from the Land of the Setting Sun, (Hippocrene Books, April 2023) combines the family recipes of Alba Carbonaro Johnson, who lives near Annapolis, with the editing and testing expertise of Rockville’s Paula Miller Jacobson and Potomac’s Sheilah Kaufman. The pair tries to keep the recipe creator’s voice while tailoring the directions to cooks of every skill level.
Podcast
I Hate Politics podcast host Sunil Dasgupta says he gets it that many people don’t want to deal with politics because of the inherent conflict. “But politics, by definition, is about resolving conflict. It’s what we use in a democratic society when we disagree with each other,” says Dasgupta, who lives in Aspen Hill. His latest effort: a six-part series that examines the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Listen at ihppod.org.
Book
Just in time for the summer swim season, Michelle Brafman is out with Swimming with Ghosts (Keylight Books, June 2023), a novel that takes place at a community pool where the drama intensifies the night a storm knocks out power. “Everything is turned upside down,” says the Glen Echo author, a competitive swimmer and swim mom herself. “It forces these people to face their demons and ghosts.”
Reading List
Here are the top-selling books at Loyalty Bookstores, 823 Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring.
Fiction
- 1. Above Ground | Clint Smith
- 2. Hell Bent | Leigh Bardugo
- 3. We Deserve Monuments | Jas Hammonds
- 4. Where I’m Coming From | Barbara Brandon-Croft
- 5. Galatea: A Short Story | Madeline Miller
- 6. Moonrise Over New Jessup | Jamila Minnicks
- 7. Full Exposure | Thien-Kim Lam
- 8. Kindred | Octavia E. Butler
- 9. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida | Shehan Karunatilaka
- 10. Before I Let Go | Kennedy Ryan (tied with) Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution | R.F. Kuang
Nonfiction
- 1. How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America | Clint Smith
- 2. Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto | Tricia Hersey
- 3. How We Heal: Uncover Your Power and Set Yourself Free| Alexandra Elle
- 4. The Love You Save: A Memoir | Goldie Taylor
- 5. All About Love: New Visions | Bell Hooks
- 6. Dyscalculia: A Love Story of Epic Miscalculation | Camonghne Felix
- 7. “You Just Need to Lose Weight” and 19 Other Myths About Fat People | Aubrey Gordon
- 8. Black Women Writers at Work | Claudia Tate (editor)
- 9. Inciting Joy: Essays | Ross Gay
- 10. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands | Kate Beato
In each edition, Bethesda Magazine presents best-sellers from a local bookstore. Please reach out with store recommendations or lists at editorial@moco360.media
This story appears in the May/June issue of Bethesda Magazine.
