Welcome to the Books Wire — our monthly page bringing you a smorgasbord of essential new reads on China. At the start of each month, we will feature a list of recommendations, including one book to put at the top of your list (“The One to Read”), as well as other new or upcoming releases (“The Shortlist”) and a sprinkling of gems from last year (“In Case You Missed It”). We all know there are too many books about China. Some are birds’-eye views – the ones with red-and-gold