“The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid,” by Bill Bryson

Lightning may not strike twice, but Bill Bryson, the serial memoirist, seems to have struck again with what appears to be recollections of his exciting 1950s childhood. The cover shows a well-worn and moth-eaten sweater with a yellow lightning bolt hanging on a clothesline. Does Bryson know that the “thunderbolt” is actually a lightning bolt? The cover is ambiguous in that regard, though as the author of “A Short History of Nearly Everything,” I suppose Bryson should know. Either way, it is funny to imagine the over-weight, middle-aged Bryson putting on this sweater and running around the yard pretending to be a superhero.


“Blood and Thunder,” by Hampton Sides

A sepia-toned picture of Indians on horseback. A spiky desert plant. A name like Hampton Sides? Together that spells “American Epic,” or so the cover of this book seems to imply. It’s manifestly your destiny to buy this book.


“Sea of Thunder,” by Evan Thomas

Two flags wave behind a big ship with big guns: Ol’ Glory and the rising red sun. Oh, I get it! It’s about World War II! My guess is that the big noise from those big guns sounds a lot like thunder, so you could perhaps call the Pacific Ocean the “sea of thunder.” Bob Woodward has a one-line review of it on the back, so you know it’s the real deal.