LIFE STORIES

Because everyone likes to take a peek into other people’s lives.

The Ghost Orchard, Helen Humphreys (HarperCollins)

At first glance, this book is a simple meditation about apples — but read on and it becomes a meditation on life, on the history of North America. It started with research into the White Winter Pearmain, which is considered to be the best-tasting apple in the world. Things we learn: At one point, there were 17,000 apple varieties in the United States; and 50 years before Johnny Appleseed there was Ann Jessop, who you really do need to read about. A little volume to treasure.

Leonardo da Vinci, Walter Isaacson (Simon & Schuster)

What made da Vinci a genius? Five hundred years after his death, the question still fascinates us — and it’s one Isaacson tackles with an accessible style and a gift for narrative, bringing together da Vinci’s art and science. It’s a beautifully produced book too, with plenty of photos, pictures and illustrations.

Hunger, Roxane Gay (Harper)

American writer Roxane Gay doesn’t pull any punches. She’s big, she’s gay and she is as vulnerable as the rest of us. The difference is she’s willing to lay herself on the line in her writing. In Hunger, she talks about her experiences as a large woman, both in terms of her own relationship with her body and the way society dealt with her size. Heartbreaking and honest.

What Happened, Hillary Clinton (Simon & Schuster)

After being relatively silent since her U.S. presidential election loss to Donald Trump in November 2016, Clinton’s finally revealed what she was thinking and feeling throughout that historic campaign. It’s personal, tells her side of the story and, despite its title, offers a way of looking toward new directions for the future.