The Beasts of the East: The Fall and Rise of America’s Eastern Wilderness by Andrew Moore (Mariner Books). Reviewed by Dennis Drabelle. “In some ways, the elk project has been the biggest surprise of the three. Elk are now holding their own in a realm once written off as an ecological wasteland: the denuded mountaintops of strip-mined Kentucky, reclaimed — in essence, replanted — by mining companies under legal obligation to do so. Flying over the area one day, a pilot who’d taken part in reintroducing whitetail deer to woodlands had an aha moment: Why not do the same for elk in these rehabbed heights?”

The Daffodil Days: A Novel by Helen Bain (Scribner). Reviewed by Samantha Neugebauer. “Although no one has quite articulated the historical world around Plath before, after Clark’s magical biographical feat, it’s hard to add more to the Plath canon. And yet, Bain’s urge to do so is understandable. Ultimately, this novel is for the Plath devotee who will always want more of her, the one who is not choosing between this, the Clark biography, The Bell Jar, the journals, or the original poetry. For true fans, The Daffodil Days succeeds at keeping Plath alive in our minds for another day and from an entirely new direction.”

Shakespeare’s Margaret: The Dramatic Life of a Warrior Queen by Charles O’Malley and Scott W. Stern (W.W. Norton & Company). Reviewed by Bob Duffy. “The book charts Margaret’s progress — from teenager to wizened, exiled queen — through four of Shakespeare’s plays, reflecting both her remarkable theatrical longevity and the playwright’s fascination with her. After exploring Margaret’s treatment at Shakespeare’s hands, authors Charles O’Malley and Scott W. Stern turn to the starkly variant approaches to her portrayal taken by adapters and performers over the centuries since she first took shape in young Will’s mind. This latter excursion, in particular, is a singularly compelling survey of stage practice.”

Cold War Football: A History in Ten Matches by Tony Shaw and Alan McDougall (Cambridge University Press). Reviewed by Janet Hook. “Some matches sent powerful political messages. Chile hosted a World Cup qualifying match against the Soviet Union in November 1973, just after the coup by brutal dictator Augusto Pinochet, who used the national soccer stadium to imprison, torture, and kill dissidents. The Soviets demanded that the game be moved to another country, but the sport’s international governing body refused. So, the Soviets boycotted the game. The Chilean side showed up anyway, kicked off without opposition, scored one goal, and declared victory minutes later.”

Killing Baby Hitler: A Novel by Michael Tomasky (OR Books). Reviewed by Wiley Clements. “More than anything, this is a conceptual novel born out of the author’s anger at the state of our world — one that supplies likeminded readers with a vehicle for vicariously expressing their own outrage. There’s nothing subtle about Killing Baby Hitler, but it’s obvious there isn’t meant to be.”

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