Prize-winning scholar Nussbaum argues that opera engages in political thought, conveying moral and philosophical ideas about rights and freedoms, gender, rank, and class. Beyond the libretti, these ideas are expressed in the music itself and in the act of singing. Nussbaum devotes half the book to Mozart, whom she sees as “the deepest philosopher of the Enlightenment,” cognizant of other major thinkers, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, and Johann Gottfried von Herder. Mozart was a Freemason, a member of a “quasi-religion, a fraternity based upon ethical commitments,” especially to fostering human dignity. As a Freemason, he was committed to the ideals of freedom, equality, mercy, and fraternal love, as well as to the rejection of religious superstition, class privilege, honor, and revenge. These ideals inform Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, Idomeneo, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, and the lesser-known La clemenza di Tito, operas in which characters commit bad acts motivated by a desire for revenge, but in which mercy and reason prevail. Mozart, Nussbaum asserts, conceived of his operas as political, contributing to the reshaping of human attitudes needed to forge a new public culture. The second half of the book considers operas that further Mozartean themes, including Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, “opera’s greatest musical depiction” of hope; Heggie’s Dead Man Walking; Verdi’s Don Carlos, infused with its creator’s “zeal for liberty”; Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes and his Albert Herring, dealing with the plight of the outcast; Janacek’s Jenufa; John Adams’ Nixon in China; and Verdi’s Falstaff. These works capture the spirit of optimism and joy that pervades what the author calls “a republicanism of the heart.” In contrast, Nussbaum sees Wagner as the composer whose despair, xenophobic paranoia, and fantasies of cultural purity place him in opposition to Mozartean ideals.

Sixty-five-year-old Nancy Norman, who recently ended a career as a home nurse, loves James Bond movies and spy novels, her cat (Dr. GoldenPaw), and the act of bedazzling nearly every surface of her Minneapolis home. She’s a woman with big dreams but little means to make them a reality, beyond a casual flirtation with a handsome stranger on a dating app for senior citizens, and she lacks a clear sense of purpose. So when she’s offered an overpaid position as a substitute night nurse for technology mogul and environmental activist Gnut Berdqvist, she takes it. After intruders break into Gnut’s mansion, however, Nancy uncovers a labyrinth of corporate intrigue, fraud, and violence—and on top of everything, her cat goes missing. Dahlman’s novel makes a solid effort to pay homage to classic espionage thrillers, and the fact that the protagonist is a senior citizen is relatively uncommon in the genre and sets the stage for a truly engaging story. However, various attempts at humor throughout the book often come off as silly. Characters generally feel underdeveloped and frequently use catchphrase-laden language, such as a retired football star turned hacker who often uses football metaphors: “Hell yeah. Touchdown. Accessed the power grid.” Others fall into stereotypical patterns: The villains are oafish, Gnut is a self-absorbed pseudo-environmentalist, and Sinclair, who becomes Nancy’s love interest, is a narcissistic Englishman who wears a tuxedo to a jewel heist. The plot frequently drags through unimportant details, particularly toward the end, as a battle or a tense scene takes place in nearly every room in Gnut’s expansive mansion. Finally, frequent references to Target department stores and its brands make the book feel like an advertisement at times, rather than an intriguing spy tale.

In keeping with Romani traditions, young Marisol must enter an arranged marriage, though she’d rather stay with Mammie, Gran Rose, and her sister, Flora. Sneering “You’ll do what I want,” her future husband Levoy is abusive, just like Marisol’s father, so when both men are killed in a brawl at her wedding, Marisol isn’t heartbroken. However, Romani culture shames widows, and left without funds, the women travel to Buckeye Lake Park in Ohio to work as fortune tellers. Two people at the park play a pivotal role in Marisol’s future: Lila, the park manager’s wife, honors her dead child who loved books by helping Marisol to practice reading; Will, a young man who enlists in World War II as a pilot against his parents’ wishes, locks eyes with Marisol in her exotic fortune-telling costume and is smitten. Their courtship remains clandestine—Will’s family thinks “Gypsies” are thieves, and Romanis discourage relationships outside their clan. It’s a summer of many adventures for Marisol—a loathsome park man, Hal, makes her life difficult, and disasters, including a fire and a twister strike the park, but positive events, such as experiencing first love and applying to study medicine, balance things out. Paul convincingly captures the ambiance of a 1940s small-town carnival: A saltwater taffy stall has “blue, pink, and yellow puffs twisted into waxy papers,” the boardwalk is lined with hanging flower baskets, and big-band music pours from the speakers. The dialogue sometimes sounds flat, as everyone, young and old, speaks in a similar manner; however, Marisol, Will, and Lila are likable, kind, and open-minded. The less charming characters are similarly well-developed; readers learn that Hal, whose wife left him, resents the entire Romani population because he believes they have taken all of the available jobs. Overall, Paul presents a nuanced portrait of Romani culture, depicting the Romani as more than martyrs—despite Nazi persecution—and displays varied traits like those in any other group.

Words can do any number of things: they can heal, they can hurt, they can describe sounds, they can ask questions, and they can even entertain. Howell reminds readers that, “Words are mighty, words are strong. We write them, speak them, sing our song! I hope you learn new words today and think about the ones you say.” The text presents a list of big words sure to improve readers’ vocabulary, covering emotions like frustration, anger, and excitement as well as everyday topics like transportation and the weather. The book is divided into sections of about three words each. Each term is paired with one of Rocco’s bold and colorful illustrations, which truly carry the book by demonstrating their meanings fairly clearly. (Certain entries, like “diesel” and “humid,” may require further explanations from an adult reader, as a child may not be able to infer their entire meanings from pictures of a train or a beach.) Despite the emphasis at the beginning and the end of the text on the importance of using your words wisely, there is no clear trajectory in the pages that carries this intended moral. This volume may best be suited to a classroom setting, as a supplement to a vocabulary-related assignment.

Born in 1854, Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby went on to become an author and journalist particularly renowned for her fishing stories. Along with stimulating both the tourist industry (she coined the catchphrase “Maine, the Nation’s Playground”) and a love of outdoorsy pursuits in general, she became the state’s first officially licensed tour guide and a wilderness advocate to the end of her long life. Readers primed for specific anecdotes or yarns that would capture the flavor of her writing will have to look elsewhere, but Mealey does reel off the major events of her life in breezy prose laced with appreciative comments—and then closes with writing prompts and pointers for budding authors tempted to craft “fish stories” of their own. Rivers, some filled with colorful trout and other fish, flow through Michael’s illustrations of the smiling, confident-looking outdoorswoman casting a line or tossing back her catch (she was an early advocate of catch and release) and, indoors, either sitting at her writing desk or posing amid outdoor wear and gear at expositions. She and those around her are pale-skinned, but there is some racial diversity in closing scenes of modern hikers and museumgoers.