From Russell Shorto to Xiaolu Guo: new books reviewed in short

Call Me Ishmaelle by Xiaolu Guo is an exciting feminist reimagining of Moby Dick .

Russell Shorto’s account of the early history of New York City is timely.

Affairs: True Stories of Love, Lies, Hope and Desire by Juliet Rosenfeld .

Zoë Huxford Batsford , 192pp , 20 . Buy this book from Amazon.com for 9.99 .

Zoë Winsham is able to show that the impulse to better understand this elusive figure is as irresistible as ever.

Killing a witch, for example, was a costly business (though hanging was substantially cheaper than burning)..