Weekend Cooking: 4 New Books for Food Lovers and Cooks

As many of you know, September is a big month for new book releases. That means I was blessed with a number of new cookbooks and food-related books to read and review. Here are four that crossed my desk. I haven't cooked out of any of them yet, but I wanted to put these titles on your radar. Thanks to the publishers for the review copies; my thoughts are entirely my own. All books come out this month.

Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography by Laurie Woolever (Ecco): Woolever met Bourdain in about 2002 and eventually became his personal assistant, working closely with him for the last years of his life. After Bourdain's death, she wanted to preserve his memory, so she interviewed almost 100 people who knew him personally: family members, childhood friends, adult friends, and work colleagues of various sorts (from restaurants, publishing, and television). The book is arranged in rough chronological order and consists of short recollections from these individuals. Together their stories paint a fuller picture of who Anthony Bourdain was as a person. I've read only the first few chapters, but I find it fascinating.

Amber & Rye: A Baltic Food Journey: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania by Zuza Zak (Interlink Books): The author of this cookbook was born in Poland but has lived in the UK since she was eight years old. Wanting to know more about her heritage, Zak traveled with her partner and young daughter to discover the culinary treasures of the Baltic region. The cookbook is divided by meal, as expected, but also includes a chapter on fermented and preserved foods. You’ll find beautiful photographs throughout and several features that serve as a travelogue. Each recipe is introduced with a personal story or a note about its history. Many of the recipes call for fish or meats, but vegetarians and vegans will find a number of suitable and well-marked recipes. Zak notes that she is able to find the ingredients in large supermarkets and Polish markets near her UK home, but many of us will have trouble finding all of them. To be honest, I was more interested in reading this book than I was inspired to cook from it. Note, however, that I did mark a poppy seed fudge recipe and a couple of the cocktails. I learned a lot about the region and its food and history. Zak also has a website.

Life Is What You Bake It: Recipes, Stories, and Inspiration to Bake Your Way to the Top by Vallery Lomas (Clarkson Potter). Have you hear of Lomas? Hers is an interesting story. As the first line of the book says, she left her “job as an attorney to become a baker.” It paid off, since Lomas not only created a successful food blog but won the fourth season of The Great American Baking Show. The cookbook starts out with Lomas’s story, including details about her experience on The Great American Baking Show. From there, we get into the recipes for delicious sweet bakes of all kinds--breakfast treats, pies, cakes, French specialties, and bread and biscuits. Things I love: The photographs of the finished dishes, the many tips and tricks and hints for becoming a better baker, how clear and easy the instructions are, and the personal stories throughout. What I didn’t like: Um . . . no cons here! This is a book I’ll bake from often. Highly recommended.

Flavors of the Sun by Christine Sahadi Whelan (Chronicle): I was attracted to this cookbook because of the subtitle: “The Sahadi’s Guide to Understanding, Buying, and Using Middle Eastern Ingredients.” First, if you don’t know, Sahadi’s is a Brooklyn food emporium, which has been in business over 100 years. You can find all kinds of specialty food items in the store and in the catalog. One of the purposes of this cookbook is to provide recipes and tips for using the spices and ingredients you may have bought to make a single dish. Whelan wants to help you find ways to incorporate these ingredients into “your everyday repertoire.” Each chapter beings with a description of a handful of ingredients that share a common feature (bright, spiced, sweet, etc.) and then provides recipes for using them. Some of the recipes are distinctly Middle Eastern (Beef and Lentil Bowl with Tahini Dressing) and others are all-American (Harissa Mac & Cheese), and all look fantastic. Besides recipes for using ingredients like pomegranate molasses, za’atar, and berbere, you’ll find charts titled “Ten More Ways to Use [ingredient],” which give you quick tips and ideas, like using ras el hanout as a dry rub for lamb. The recipes themselves look incredibly appealing, and I have a ton marked to try. I also need to explore the menus provided at the end of the cookbook, which offer suggestions for holidays, picnics, tea, and game days. Highly recommended. And if you don’t have one of the ingredients, you can always order it from Sahadi’s!

Shared with Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader (and Baker)

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Stacked-Up Book Thoughts; Or What I Read in November

Can it be? This year is almost over, and most of us can't wait to say good-bye to 2020 and hello to new possibilities and a happier new year. November turned out to be a kind of bust of a reading month. The first week was taken up with election news and the last week with Thanksgiving. In between I read and listened to small batch of meh books. Well, some months are like that, I guess.

I'm still in the middle of three books: one is a book of essays, one is nonficiton, and the other is a thriller. I'll write about those at the end of December. In the meantime, here are my thoughts on November in books.

Note that I've also posted these thoughts in GoodReads. Thanks to the publishers for the review copies -- whether audio, digital, or print. If you see "AFM" at the end, visit AudioFile Magazine to see my review of the audiobook production.

First I want to mention a book I didn't finish. Early in November I started Tower of Fools by Andrzej Sapkowski (trans. David A. French, Orbit, Oct. 27). This book has all kinds of elements I usually really love: history, religious politics, Renaissance, and fantasy. It's also a book in translation, which is normally a draw for me. Unfortunately, it just didn't click, maybe owing to my pre-election mood. I might try this again.

We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper (Grand Central, Nov. 10). This is true crime about the 1969 murder of a Harvard anthropology grad student. I was interested in the book for two reasons: (1) I'm fan of true crime and (2) I have a doctorate in physical (biological) anthropology and knew about this case and was familiar with some of the people in the Harvard anthropology department.

It's clear Cooper dug deep into this case, conducted as many interviews as possible, and honored the life and work of the victim, Jane Britton. I know published reviews praised this book to the ends of the earth, and I can see why because of the quality of Cooper's investigation and because the book reveals many less-pleasant aspects of academia and graduate departments: gender inequality, socioeconomic privilege, department politics, and Harvard culture. On the other hand, Cooper's account could have used a tighter edit to eliminate filler, tangents, some of the dead-end paths, and some rambling. Still, if you like true crime, you'll like We Keep the Dead Close.

I listened to the unabridged audiobook, which was read by the author. Cooper did only an okay job as a narrator. She's clearly not a professional or a dynamic voice actor, and a few mispronunciations were annoying. My advice is to listen to a sample before trying the audiobook.

Sweet Harmony by Claire North (Orbit, Sept. 22). Set in the future, this short book explores addiction, relationships, FOMO, self-image, and an acquisitive society. In Harmony's world, people can buy biological upgrades through a phone app: no more broken-out skin and no more weight gain; it's possible to have perfect teeth, perfect hair, level moods, perfect health, and so on. The problem is, each upgrade comes with a monthly fee, quickly plunging Harmony into insurmountable debt. When she can't pay, her enhancements stop working, one by one, which not only affects her self-image but also leads to the destruction of her relationships and her being downsized at work.

North offers an interesting perspective on many contemporary issues, which might make this a good book club pick. I, however, simply just didn't like Harmony and couldn't get behind her choices. If the book had been any longer, I'm sure I would have DNF'd it. For my thoughts on the audiobook, see AFM.

The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde (Viking; Spet. 29). I love Fforde and went into this book with high hopes. Warning: It took me a while to warm up to the story, and it is certainly not my favorite of his books. What I did like was the satire on all things sociopolitical in contemporary America and the UK.

The book opens about 50 years after there was a cosmic event in which several species of mammals (including rabbits, weasels, and foxes) and a few insects became anthropomorphized. While these creatures retained much of their animal characteristics, they also became kind of human: they were able to speak and read and drive cars and own homes and have jobs right along side humans. Fforde uses the interactions between people and the human-like animals to explore prejudice, integrated neighborhoods, power, equal rights, citizenship, and so on.

There were some laugh-out-loud moments and lots to think about. On the other hand, the whole thing became a bit wearying once the general gist and message were clear. My very positive review of the audiobook can be found at AFM.

The Arrest by Jonathan Lethem (Ecco; Nov. 10). Set in the future, this book explores what happens to society and the world when we suddenly lose the power to run our TVs, computers, phones, and cars. Different groups of people react differently to the new normal, some making political power grabs and others trying communal living, hiding in isolated paranoia, forming bands of militia, and so on. Without mass communication, no one knows what's happening in the world outside their own small community.

When the Arrest happened, Hollywood script doctor Sandy was visiting his sister, who runs an organic farm in Maine. When transportation and communication go down, Maine is where he had to remain, and he now does odd jobs for the town's butcher and for the farm. Where Sandy lives, all is peaceful. The residents have almost no contact with outsiders until a mega movie producer friend from Sandy's past shows up in a mysteriously powered vehicle and begins to woo the town and disrupt the delicate balance of peace.

The book was only okay for me. The drama and tension among Sandy, his sister, and his friend didn't fully resonate, and I found much of the story just kind of weird. I liked the dynamics of the town and its relationship to the more militant group that lived nearby, but I was less intrigued when the plot spun into a different orbit. On the other hand, Robert Fass did a super-duper job with the narration of the audiobook, especially in the way he created a mood and connected us to the characters' mental state.

The Orchard by David Hopen (Ecco; Nov. 17). I really wanted to love this book because I was taken by the premise: An ultra-Orthodox Jewish family from Brooklyn moves to south Florida to another Orthodox Jewish community, but one that is more connected to contemporary America.

Ari Eden is just about to start his senior year of high school. In Brooklyn, his yeshiva concentrated mostly on Jewish studies, preparing young men to be good members of their closed, religious community. The Florida yeshiva, however, covers all subjects and while religious, also prepares its students (male and female) for college and life in the world at large.

The story promises to show how Ari adjusts to his new life, mingling with Orthodox Jews who bend the law--for example, not always wearing a yarmulke and allowing casual touching between unrelated men and women. While the book is a lot about that, the events and relationships don't seem at all realistic. Ari quickly falls in with the cool kids; has a girlfriend; and discovers smoking, drinking, and drugs. Despite being well behind in some academic subjects, he seems, with minimal tutoring, to keep up with the rest of his class and is on a path to graduation and possibly college. His friends are privileged and wild, suffering few consequences for their actions. At the same time, they come off as religious and philosophical scholars.

The boys' explorations into the mysteries of God and the spiritual world don't ring true. It's hard to imagine seniors in high school behaving and thinking the way they did. The cast includes at least three high school girls and a couple of adult women, all of whom are uni-dimensional and seem to appear only for a love interest or for motherly concern. It's a shame, because the the setup offered much to be explored about the interface between strict religious traditions and contemporary society.

The Survivors by Jane Harper (Flatiron, Feb. 2). I'm a big fan of Jane Harper, and her newest didn't disappoint. When Kieran returns to small coastal town in Tasmania to help his mother settle his father in a nursing home and close up his childhood home, he knew things would be uncomfortable. After all, a dozen years ago during a tremendous storm, he got trapped on a rocky beach; when his brother and a friend tried to rescue him, their boat capsized and the pair drowned. Most people in the small town (and maybe even Kieran's parents) blame Kieran for those deaths, though the storm also took others, including a teenage girl whose body was never found.

On Kieran's first night home, a young woman is murdered on the beach. The investigation opens up old wounds and hurts within the community, affecting Kieran's relationship with his parents, his friends, and even his girlfriend and their infant daughter.

This is a multilayered, atmospheric mystery that masterfully interlaces the past with the present. Harper has a way of making the landscape come alive, acting almost as another character. The story is character driven, and Kieran's personal journey is as important as solving the murder. This is a don't-miss read.

Narrator Stephen Shanahan is a perfect match to Harper's prose, and he once again captures the heart the soul of her work. Recommended in either print or audio.

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16 Books I Read in October

Happy November, my friends. If you haven't yet voted, please make a plan to do so tomorrow! (And wear your mask.)

I read 16 books in October, and most of them were audiobooks and almost all were for pure escapism. Maybe one of these days I'll return to books that make me think, but last month I wasn't in the mood. That said, I was surprised to find several 5-star reads/listens on my list. October was an awesome reading month.

Here are my brief thoughts. I wrote longer reviews for some of these over on GoodReads, where you'll also find my thoughts on the audiobook productions. Thanks to the publishers for print, digital, and/or audio review copies of the following books. Also many thanks to Libro.fm. My opinions are my own. Note too that I reviewed several of these for AudioFile magazine (indicated by "AFM"); my thoughts on the audiobook production can be found on their website.

• Prime Deceptions by Valerie Valdes (Harper Voyager; Sept. 8; AFM). This is book two of a series, which I listened to for a freelance assignment. An action-packed science fiction story starring a space smuggler trying to walk on the right side of the law; some romance, some LGBTQ+ themes. It was only okay for me.
• Road Out of Winter by Alison Stine (Mira; Sept. 1) I'm still reading dystopian; maybe because I'm looking for survival tips? Anyway, this one is scarily realistic. Wylodine has a green thumb, but after climate change creates never-ending winter and the infrastructure begins to fail, she decides to risk a road trip from Ohio to the presumably warmer and better California. The world is a dangerous place, even for a smart young woman. I really liked this; see deeper thoughts on Goodreads.
• And Now She's Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall (Forge; Sept. 22; AFM) This combination missing person investigation and domestic thriller was only okay for me. I liked the main character, Grayson Skyes, who is trying to solve her first case as a professional private investigator and liked that she made rookie mistakes though had solid instincts. A few side plots were a little confusing, but everything was clear by the end.
• Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith (Mulholland; Sept. 15) I thought I could rise above the controversy surrounding this title and the author because I really loved the first four Cormoran Strike books. Alas, I stopped reading about a quarter of the way in. I couldn't get over the issues and the book itself was not very good.

• The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (Redhook; Oct. 13) I liked this novel but not as much as I like Harrow's The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Still, this story of three sisters and women's power, love, independence, and knowledge was good and gave me lots to think about.
• A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson (William Morrow; Oct. 27) I really liked this start of a mystery series starring wildlife biologist Alex Carter. When she gets the opportunity to take over a field research project in northern Montana to study wolverines, she doesn't hesitate, even though she'll be working alone. Someone, however, does not want her in the wilderness preserve. What are they hiding? Good in print or audio.
• Silence of the White City by Eva Garcia Saenz (Vintage Crime; July 28; AFM) Unlike many published reviews of this start of a trilogy set in the Basque country, I have some reservations with the book. First, what I liked about this police procedural mystery: the plotting, the characters, and the details of the city and Basque culture and history. What I didn't like: the translation was not smooth, often using a clumsy literal translation when an idiom would have been better. Still, now that I'm on guard about the translation issues, I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
• Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam (Ecco; Oct. 6) Another dystopian, this one set in contemporary times in the Hamptons after an unexplained blackout leaves people without a clue of what happened or what may happen next. Two couples, one wealthy and Black and the other white and middle class, end up sheltering together as the new reality begins to settle on them.

• The Killing of the Tinkers by Ken Bruen (Minotaur; 2005; personal collection) This was a reread via audio for me. I love the darkness of the Jack Taylor series, set in Ireland. After Jack returns to Galway after a stay in London he juggles his personal problems with trying to solve targeted murders.
• Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth (William Morrow; Oct. 20) I encourage you to read my thoughts on Goodreads, but I loved this book about a book about a movie about a book with creepy happenings and female friendship and love. If you listen to the very well done audio, don't forget to download the accompanying PDF.
• The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart (Orbit; Sept. 8) This is the first in an non-Western epic fantasy with several plot lines, a few surprises, strong women and no love triangle. It's set in an island nation with hints of the Pacific; perhaps Japan. Maybe not the best fantasy I've read, but I'm still looking forward to book 2.
• Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (Gallery; Oct. 13) This was a strong opening to another non-Western epic fantasy; this one set in pre-Columbian Mexico and Central America. Several plot lines, good characters, and great world building.

• They Never Learn by Layne Fargo (Gallery; Oct. 13) An engrossing and well-plotted revenge thriller / female Dexter mashup set on a small college campus with #metoo and LGBTQ+ themes. Worth the read.
• The Cold Millions by Jess Walter (Harper; Oct. 27; AFM) Set in Spokane, Washington, about 100 years ago, this is a story of two brothers who get caught up in larger sociopolitical issues. Read my review on Goodreads or in AudioFile magazine, but the short take is read this. A shoo-in for my top 10 list this year.
• Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy (Harper; Oct. 13) If you read too much about this thriller before you start, it will be spoiled. Avoid reviews! Fun escape reading with a nod to a well-known thriller / light horror book.
• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab (Tor; Oct. 6) This book about what happens if you make a deal with the Dark God deserves every single starred review and every second of buzz. Loved, loved, loved it. Trust me, you want to read this.
  

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21 Books: Catching Up with Reviews

Here's what I've read since my last check-in. All books were received for review or for a freelance assignment unless otherwise indicated. Where you see "AFM," please check out my full audiobook review on the AudioFile Magazine website. Also note that I've given fuller treatment to some of these titles over on Goodreads.

• Age of Empyre by Michael J. Sullivan (Grim Oak Press, June 2020): This is the final installment of the Legends of the First Empire series. If you like great characters, terrific world building, and good action in your epic fantasies, then you need to read everything Sullivan has written. Better yet, listen to the audiobooks brilliantly read by Tim Gerard Reynolds. (personal collection)
• Pile of Bones by Michael J. Sullivan (Audible Studios, Jan. 2020): This short story takes place in the same universe as the Legends of the First Empire series. If you're a fan, you need to listen to this, read by Tim Gerard Reynolds. (personal collection)
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic, May 2020): This is a prequel to the Hunger Games series. I enjoyed seeing something of the background to the games and to Snow. AFM

• The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner (St. Martin's Press, May 2020): Set in post-World War II England, a group of very different and differently broken people come together to help preserve Jane Austen's cottage and legacy in Chawton. Deserves the buzz; you don't have to be familiar with Austen to like this book.
• Red Sky over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman (Mira, June 9): This book starts just a day before the attack on Pearl Harbor and is set on the Big Island of Hawaii. It's both a story of young woman trying to understand her late father as well as a tale of doing the right thing and protecting those in your care. It also has some romance.
• Unreconciled by W. Michael Gear (Daw, May 2020): This is the fourth in the Donovan series set on a remote planet in the distant future. I love so much about these books, including the characters and the world building. Even more, though, I like the way Gear explores several issues connected to colonization of a "new" world and the connections between the colonizers and their motherland. As always for this series, I part read and part listen. Alyssa Bresnahan does a great job with the narration.

• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (Riverhead, June 2): An excellent novel that tells the story of teenage very light-skinned Black twins who run away from their small Louisiana town to NOLA. From there they lose track of each other as one disappears again, this time to marry a white man and pass into a new world of the rich and comfortable; the other marries an abusive man, whom she leaves to return to her childhood home. The story follows them and their daughters and focuses on the consequences of each woman's decisions. #OwnVoices AFM
• The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon (Forever, June 9): A fun rom-com featuring three Black women who meet when they realize they've all been two-timed by the same guy. Humor and romance mixed with feminist issues. #OwnVoices AFM
• What I'm Looking For by Karen Grey (Home Cooked Books, June 2020): Another fun rom-com, this one set in Boston in the 1980s. A female financial analyst who is trying to make it in a man's world meets a Shakespeare actor who is unsure about his ambitions. Good period details. Well-done audiobook (see Goodreads for more).

• The Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson (Ecco, May 2020): A beautiful book that is partly about the natural life of the eel and partly a moving tribute to the author's father. I was surprised and fascinated by what I learned about the eel and loved hearing the stories of Svensson's father. Give this book in translation a try. AFM
• Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev (William Morrow, May 2020): An enjoyable take on Austen's classic novel featuring a chef, a soccer star, and a reality cooking show. #OwnVoices AFM
• Mirgations by Charlotte McConaghy (Flatiron, Aug. 2020): I wrote about this on Instagram and Goodreads. Set in the not too distant future, this book explores relationships, climate change, and the Arctic tern. One of my favorites of the year. Narrator Barrie Kreinik tapped into the emotional core of the story.

• Death of a Chimney Sweep by M.C. Beaton (Grand Central, 2012): The 26th in a fun, light mystery series featuring a village copper who solves all the cases in a small Highland town. Love the characters, the Scottish setting, and the mysteries. Narrator Graeme Malcolm is a pleasure to listen to. (personal collection)
• The Bothers York by Thomas Penn (Simon & Schuster, June 2020): My favorite way to learn history is to combine listening with reading, which is what I did here. Penn makes the complexities of the War of the Roses accessible, and I'm beginning to get a handle on this period of British history. Roy McMillan held my attention with his expression and sense of pacing, though he could have more clearly distinguished direct quotations from the narrative.
• The Wedding Thief by Mary Simses (Back Bay Books, July 2020): A rom-com on the surface with some deeper themes of family, sisters, forgiveness, and understanding. Some of the characters went a little too far in their antics for my tastes, but all in all fine summer read.

• Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing (Berkley, May 2020): Good start to a new cozy mystery series. I liked the details of the Boulder, Colorado, setting as well as the introduction to the characters and premise of the series. The mystery was well presented with good red herrings. AFM
• The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni (William Morrow, April 2020): I read this earlier in the year and forgot to write about it. A Gothic story of a young woman who inherits land and a castle in the Italian Alps from a relative she never knew she had. A dream come true? Not necessarily. Can't say more without spoiling it, but this is one of my favorites of the year.
• When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald (Gallery, Jan. 2020): This is by far my favorite book of the the year right now.  A super coming-of-age story about a young woman who has fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Narrator Phoebe Strole's performance is amazing. (See Instagram and Goodreads for details.)

• Death of a Kingfisher by M.C. Beaton (Grand Central, 2012): The 27th Hamish Macbeth mystery gave me all I expect from this series. Graeme Malcolm narrated. (personal collection)
• The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton (Berkley, June 2020): Three women who need change cross paths during the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, which caused much damage and many deaths in the Florida Keys. Loved the period details and was fooled by a couple of twists. AFM
• The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls by Ursula Hegi (Flatiron, Aug. 2020): I had mixed feelings about this book about three women and their children, set in the late nineteenth century in Germany along the shores of the North Sea. Maybe a little too unreal for me? AFM

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10 Books for Your June Wish List

June marks the official start of summer, which means we can look forward to vacations (or staycation, as the case may be), lazy days on the deck or porch, and maybe even some afternoons at the pool or beach. Hand in hand with warmer weather comes more time for reading.

Throughout this month I will be sharing my picks for the week's new book releases. For the most part, the books on my lists are for summer escape reading, though you'll also find a few nonfiction titles mixed in. I also include a few books in translation.

Note: For a variety of reasons, publishers have changed the release dates of many of this season's titles. When I wrote this post, the following books were all set to publish on June 2; check dates before ordering. [This list was postponed from last week; look for the second post on Thursday or Friday.]

Head to the Beach

• The House on Fripp Island by Rebecca Kauffman (Mariner) Setting: South Carolina. What happens? Two families on different sides of the economic divide vacation together. The adults have secrets, and the children are on the brink of change. Before the trip is over, one person has been killed. The novel is introduced by the ghost of the victim, leaving the reader to figure out the clues as the story progresses.
• The View from Here by Hannah McKinnon (Atria) Setting: Connecticut. What happens? Three adult siblings and their families reunite at the family lake house to celebrate their grandmother's 97th birthday. One brother and the sister have led conventional lives, but the other brother has been distant. His arrival, with a woman and her daughter in tow, foreshadows change for the family dynamics--but what kind of change is uncertain.

Read with the Lights On

• Seven Years of Darkness by You-Jeong Jeong (Penguin) Setting: South Korea. What happens? Sowon was only 11 when his father was sent to prison for killing his wife, a young girl, the girl's father, and two security guards before opening a dam and flooding an entire village. Sowon grows up under the shadow of his father's crimes, until seven years later he receives information that could clear his father's name. This promises to be a complex thriller. (in translation)
• The Guest List by Lucy Foley (William Morrow) Setting: Ireland. What happens? What could possibly go wrong at an opulent celebrity wedding held on an island with with iffy cell service? Long-festering jealousies, too much alcohol, and exposed secrets lead to murder. This is a twisty closed-room-type mystery/thriller.

Prepare to Discuss

• The Choice by Gillian McAllister (Putnam) Setting: London. What happens? The choice making up the book's title is multilayered. First, a woman chooses to believe the man walking behind her is up to no good. Second, she decides to strike first by turning around and pushing him. Third, she must choose what to do when she realizes she may have killed him: call for help and face the consequences of her actions or keep walking and live the rest of her life as if nothing happened. What does she do? What would you do?
• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (Riverhead) Setting: United States; last half of 20th century. What happens? Twin sisters grow up in a small Louisiana town where the black community has been consciously self-selecting for lighter skin tones. After running away from home as teens, the girls make very different choices to escape their past: Stella runs a second time, this time to live in the white world, disappearing from her family forever; Desiree marries the darkest man she can, though ends up back at her mother's house. The paths of the twins may have diverged, but those of their daughters intertwine in unexpected ways. Race, socioeconomics, transgender, love, family, self-identity, and many more themes to think about.
• An Elegant Woman by Martha McPhee (Scribner) Setting: United States; 20th century. What happens? How four generations of women coped with their differing circumstances, reinventing themselves as necessary and informing the lives of their children and their grandchildren to follow. This family saga takes us from the East Coast to the upper Plains, from richer to poorer, from supportive to indifferent as a set of sisters in contemporary times try to understand the lives of the women who came before them.
• Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan (Ecco) Setting: Hong Kong. What Happens? A contemporary Irish expat living in Hong Kong must decide who she really is. While eking out a living teaching English to the wealthy, Ava meets a rich male banker and soon allows herself to become a kept woman, entering a social stratum she could never afford. When he is transferred to London, Ava meets a powerful female lawyer and is soon attracted to her and her lifestyle. When the banker returns to Hong Kong, Ava must decide who she is and what she wants.

Pick Fantasy or Reality

• The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant (Knopf BYR) Setting: alternate Paris; 1828. What happens? After the failed French revolution, Paris is ruled by two courts: that of Louis XVII, which remains indifferent as ever to the plight of the poor, and that of the underworld guilds, who control the people. Nina has found a place in the Thieves Court, building her reputation as a skilled burglar, but when her BFF attracts the attention of the Guild of Flesh, Nina becomes determined to save her friend and the others enslaved by that guild. Action and adventure mixed with themes of class, race, and human trafficking.
• The Inner Coast by Donovan Hohn (Norton) Setting: United States What happens? This collection of 10 previously published essays explores our relationship with the landscape, with our past, and with some of our literary heroes. Several essays focus on water, ranging from ice canoeing to scuba diving, droughts, and the Flint, Michigan, water crisis. In some pieces, Hohn turns to his family, writing about his mother's struggles with mental health and his uncle's passion for collecting antique tools. His discussions of literature include Henry David Thoreau, Adrienne Rich, and even the Bible. Put these though-provoking, prize-winning essays on your reading list.

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5 Ways to Catch a Serial Killer: New Crime Fiction

If you read a lot of crime fiction, you'd think a serial killer lived on every block of every town or city in the world. I do read a lot of mysteries and thrillers, but I'm pretty sure I don't live next door to the new Ted Bundy.

The common thread of the books I feature today is that they all involve multiple murders and in all but one case the killer is yet to be identified or caught. The protagonists range from ordinary citizens to FBI agents, each one determined to find the villain before he (or she?) strikes again.

The Third to Die by Allison Brennan (Mira, Feb. 4), stars an LAPD detective and an FBI special agent who are tasked with tracking down the "Triple Killer" before he strikes again. Every three years, starting on March 3, the killer murders three people, three days apart, and then disappears for three years before starting the cycle over. After Detective Kara Quinn finds the body of a nurse, Special Agent Mattias Costa and his forensic psychologist are sent to help investigate. The trio has three days to stop the next murder and only six days until the killer goes into hiding for three more years. Reviews have been mixed, but I'm all in, especially because this may be the start of a new series.

Never Forget by Martin Michaud (Dundurn, Feb. 11) is set in Montreal and stars police detective Victor Lessard and his partner, Jacinthe Taillon. The mystery starts out with several seemingly unrelated events: a murder, a suicide, and a missing person. Lessard and Taillon, however, soon discover the possible links among the current cases as well as some evidence that the crimes may be related to a political assassination that occurred decades earlier. The pressure is on to solve the cases before anyone else is killed. Political intrigue, conspiracy theories, and lure of revenge all play a part in this twisty mystery. This is the third in a series, but the first one to be published in English.

The Only Child by Mi-ae Seo (Ecco, Feb. 11) features an FBI-trained criminal psychologist who is in Seoul to interview a serial killer who insists he'll tell his story to no one else. While Seonkyeong is doing her work, her husband is moving his estranged 11-year-old daughter into their house. The girl lived with her mother and then her maternal grandparents; now that all three have died, her father has taken her in. The girl is difficult, to say the least, but more disturbing, Seonkyeong is finding a surprising number of similarities between the convicted murderer and her stepdaughter. Are Seonkyeong's suspicions legit or is she just having trouble dealing with an adolescent?

Pretty as a Picture by Elizabeth Little (Viking, Feb. 25) takes place on an island off the coast of Delaware where a movie about an unsolved murder is being filmed. When Marissa Dahl takes over the film editing duties, she discovers that the movie is based on a real-life cold case that took place on that very island decades earlier; she also quickly learns that the movie set is fraught with tension and an unhappy cast and crew. After she discovers a body, Marissa suspects that the original killer may still live on the island. With the help of some local teens and her own curiosity, she sets out to expose the villain before he can strike again. The novel includes details about how movies are made as well as a little bit of romance.

Ten Days Gone by Beverly Long (Mira, Feb. 18) stars Wisconsin police detectives A.L. McKittridge and Rena Morgan who are tasked with investigating the murders of four women, who were killed  days apart in the small town of Baywood. The killer has been striking every 10 days for more than a month, leaving very few clues behind. In this first installment in a new series, we learn as much about A.L.'s and Rena's personal lives as we do about the crimes, as the detectives race to end the killing spree, overcome obstacles, and do their best to protect the woman they think could be next victim. Good character development with a nod to larger issues (such as marriage and parenthood) round out this thriller.

Which serial killer novel is calling to you? I'm equally interested in The Only Child and Pretty as a Picture.

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Starting from Page 1: Which June Book Is for You?

It's been a really long time since I've done a Starting from Page 1 post (as in a few years), but so many of my June books have great opening sentences, I just had to revisit this feature.

Today I share the opening lines from 9 general fiction books published this month. All of them caught my eye, and I'm not quite sure which to read first. (Okay, that's a little bit of a lie, because I think I know what I'll be reading next. Can you guess?)

Just for fun, I'm giving you the bare minimum information for each title. Based only on the first lines, which ones are calling your name?

FKA USA by Reed King (Flatiron); dystopian; humor; comp'd to everything from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to Wizard of Oz!

" 'There,' Jared Lee, the first of my two and a half friends, pointed past the stubby line of waste-treatment plants. 'Right there. See? Refugees.' "

How Could She by Lauren Mechling (Viking); set in New York and Toronto; 21st-century issues

"Geraldine considered her grapefruit."

Lifelines by Heidi Diehl (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt); set in Oregon & Germany; family, relationships, motherhood

"Louise was a passenger in her own car."

The Summer We Lost Her by Tish Cohen (Gallery); comp'd to two of my favorite books: Deep End of the Ocean & Map of the World

"It was one of those things that never should have happened--the kind you turn over, splay open with pins, and examine at intervals for the rest of your life because it will never, ever cease to matter."

A Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards (Mira); sisters; buried past; redemption

"What do alligators dream about?"

The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Moore (William Morrow); a beach read set on Block Island

" 'It was disconcerting, to see a man cry like that,' said Bridget Fletcher"

The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung (Ecco); mathematics; family history & secrets

"There is nothing as intriguing as a locked door."

This Is Home by Lisa Duffy (Atria); set in Boston; coming of age

"The year I turned ten, my father shot the aboveground pool in our backyard with his police-issued pistol."

The Great Unexpected by Dan Mooney (Park Row); aging; friendship; maintaining independence

" 'Miller,' Joel whispered across the space between their two beds. 'Why aren’t you dead yet?' "

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3 Recommended Books + Travel Reading

I've had a crazy spring. Between travel, my lace workshop, and the holiday, I feel as if I haven't worked a full workweek since mid-April. It's all a lot of fun, but I'm really ready to just say no to squeezing five days' worth of work into only three or four.

On Monday, I shared my thoughts on some of the audiobooks I've listened to lately. Today are brief musings on some of the print and digital books I've read or am still reading.

How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper (Putnam, May 28): I'm a huge fan of quirky premises and characters, so I pretty much knew I'd really enjoy this novel. Andrew works for the government, trying to track down the next of kin when a person dies alone without any obvious clues to friends or family. He's a loner and is mostly okay with that. There's only one hitch: his work colleagues think he's a happily married man with two kids. Even that's okay . . . until he meets the new employee, that is. Peggy reawakens Andrew's ability to connect with others, but how will he be able to reveal all his secrets? Fun and different with characters that are easy to root for or boo at. (print copy provided by the publisher)

Time Museum Volume 2 by Matthew Loux (First Second, June 11): This is the second entry in the Time Museum series starring a group of kids who work at a natural history museum. This isn't your usual museum though, it's a portal to different worlds and different time periods. Each member of the youthful squad has a unique skill, and together they manage to get out of scrapes. In this installment they are sent to the French court of 1778, where they have to correct a glitch in time. The fun starts when the squad is given a new instructor--none other than Richard Nixon. The series is geared to a middle grade audience and is filled with action, humor, good art, a recurring bad guy, and (a little) young love. The time loop theme was sometimes hard to follow, but I still liked the story and artwork and seeing how the kids are maturing and learning to work as a team. (digital copy provided by the publisher)

The Weather Machine: A Journey Inside the Forecast by Andrew Blum (Ecco; June 25): I've always been interested in the weather and forecasting, and since moving to same county that houses AccuWeather's headquarters, my interest has only increased over the years. I've been reading this book slowly (a chapter every few days) and haven't finished yet. I've learned a lot about the history of forecasting, the science of meteorology, and the technology that drives them. The weather is one area in which countries throughout the world freely share knowledge and data. Blum visits weather stations, talks to weather experts, and tells us about the art and science behind the daily forecast. Try to imagine living in the days before the telegraph or telephone, when major storms could hit at any time, giving you absolutely no warning or time to prepare. Fascinating stuff. (digital copy provided by the publisher)

And here's what I've loaded onto my phone for listening and onto my tablet for reading as I get ready for yet another trip.

• The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton (Picador, June 11): a kind of coming-of-age story set in Australia. This is my first Winton novel, and I have high hopes for this book, which has won much praise. (print review copy)
• With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (HarperTeen, May 7): The author, the food aspects, and the message to trust one's talents all call to me. Also part of #WeNeedDiverseBooks (digital review copy)
• Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips (Knopf, May 14): This is a totally new setting (Kamchatka) for me and promises to be a combo thriller and community story. (audiobook freelance assignment)
• Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear (Gallery; March 5): Now that I know I like science fiction, I thought I give this much, much, much praised first in a new space opera series a try. (audiobook review copy)

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10 Thrillers to Look Forward to (or Find at BookExpo 2019)

Last week I talked about the general fiction I'd look for if I were attending BookExpo this year (starting in just a few days!). Today is all about some of the crime fiction I added to my wish list when I was reading BookExpo buzz and looking through publishers' catalogs.

As you know, I'm a series addict, and I found one or twenty new mysteries to look forward to in the coming months. Today, however, I decided to feature thrillers that can be read as standalones. Like last week, I'll tell you why I want to read each book and then quote from the publisher's summary.

Great Location

To the Lions by Holly Watt (Dutton, Sept.). Why: Features a journalist, includes a conspiracy theory, and takes us to Saint-Tropez and Africa

Casey Benedict, star reporter at the Post, has infiltrated the lives and exposed the lies of countless politicians and power players. Using her network of contacts, and her ability to slip into whatever identity suits the situation, Casey is always on the search for the next big story, no matter how much danger this might place her in, or what the cost might be, emotionally.

Tipped off by an overheard conversation at an exclusive London nightclub, she begins to investigate the apparent suicide of a wealthy young British man whose death has left his fiancée and family devastated. The young man’s death, however, is only the tipping point of a much more sinister and dangerous scandal involving the world’s most powerful leaders and magnates—men who are gathering in Northern African for an extreme and secret hunt. With fellow reporter Miranda and former soldier Ed by her side, Casey’s determined hunt for the truth will take her from the glitz of St Tropez to the deserts of Libya and on to the very darkest corners of the human mind.

The Accomplice by Joseph Kanon (Atria, Nov.). Why: I'm curious about a World War II-based story that's set in South America

Seventeen years after the fall of the Third Reich, Max Weill has never forgotten the atrocities he saw as a prisoner at Auschwitz—nor the face of Dr. Otto Schramm, a camp doctor who worked with Mengele on appalling experiments and who sent Max’s family to the gas chambers. As the war came to a close, Schramm was one of the many Nazi officers who escaped  Germany for new lives in South America, where leaders like Argentina’s Juan Perón gave them safe harbor and new identities. With his life nearing its end, Max asks his nephew Aaron Wiley—an American CIA desk analyst—to complete the task Max never could: to track down Otto in Argentina, capture him, and bring him back to Germany to stand trial.

Unable to deny Max, Aaron travels to Buenos Aires and discovers a city where Nazis thrive in plain sight, mingling with Argentine high society. He ingratiates himself with Otto’s alluring but wounded daughter, whom he’s convinced is hiding her father. Enlisting the help of a German newspaper reporter, an Israeli agent, and the obliging CIA station chief in Buenos Aires, he hunts for Otto—a complicated monster, unexpectedly human but still capable of murder if cornered. Unable to distinguish allies from enemies, Aaron will ultimately have to discover not only Otto, but the boundaries of his own personal morality, how far he is prepared to go to render justice.

The Sacrament by Olaf Olafsson (Ecco, Dec.) Why: I like the setting; addresses child abuse in the Church, and super cover

A young nun is sent by the Vatican to investigate allegations of misconduct at a Catholic school in Iceland. During her time there, on a gray winter’s day, a young student at the school watches the school’s headmaster, Father August Franz, fall to his death from the church tower.

Two decades later, the child—now a grown man, haunted by the past—calls the nun back to the scene of the crime. Seeking peace and calm in her twilight years at a convent in France, she has no choice to make a trip to Iceland again, a trip that brings her former visit, as well as her years as a young woman in Paris, powerfully and sometimes painfully to life. In Paris, she met an Icelandic girl who she has not seen since, but whose acquaintance changed her life, a relationship she relives all while reckoning with the mystery of August Franz’s death and the abuses of power that may have brought it on.

Authors I Like

The Butterfly Girl by Rene Denfeld (Harper, Oct.). Why: I loved her first two novels; addresses important issue of homeless children

A year ago, Naomi, the investigator with an uncanny ability for finding missing children, made a promise that she would not take another case until she finds the younger sister who has been missing for years. Naomi has no picture, not even a name. All she has is a vague memory of a strawberry field at night, black dirt under her bare feet as she ran for her life.

The search takes her to Portland, Oregon, where scores of homeless children wander the streets like ghosts, searching for money, food, and companionship. The sharp-eyed investigator soon discovers that young girls have been going missing for months, many later found in the dirty waters of the river.

Though she does not want to get involved, Naomi is unable to resist the pull of children in need—and the fear she sees in the eyes of a twelve-year old girl named Celia. Running from an abusive stepfather and an addict mother, Celia has nothing but hope in the butterflies—her guides and guardians on the dangerous streets. She sees them all around her, tiny iridescent wisps of hope that soften the edges of this hard world and illuminate a cherished memory from her childhood—the Butterfly Museum, a place where everything is safe and nothing can hurt her.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (Atria, Oct.). Why: I'm always attracted to books with family secrets; Jewell is great at suspense

Gifted musician Clemency Thompson is playing for tourists on the streets of southern France when she receives an urgent text message. Her childhood friend, Lucy, is demanding her immediate return to London.

It’s happening, says the message. The baby is back.

Libby Jones was only six months old when she became an orphan. Now twenty-five, she’s astounded to learn of an inheritance that will change her life. A gorgeous, dilapidated townhouse in one of London’s poshest neighborhoods has been held in a trust for her all these years. Now it’s hers.

As Libby investigates the story of her birth parents and the dark legacy of her new home, Clemency and Lucy are headed her way to uncover, and possibly protect, secrets of their own. What really happened in that rambling Chelsea mansion when they were children?

Long Bright River by Liz Moore (Riverhead, Jan. 2020). Why: I've enjoyed her other novels; address the opioid crisis

Two sisters travel the same streets, though their lives couldn’t be more different. Then one of them goes missing.

In a Philadelphia neighborhood rocked by the opioid crisis, two once-inseparable sisters find themselves at odds. One, Kacey, lives on the streets in the vise of addiction. The other, Mickey, walks those same blocks on her police beat. They don’t speak anymore, but Mickey never stops worrying about her sibling.

Then Kacey disappears, suddenly, at the same time that a mysterious string of murders begins in Mickey’s district, and Mickey becomes dangerously obsessed with finding the culprit—and her sister—before it’s too late.

Debuts

Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin (Celadon, Feb. 2020). Why: Uncovering past secrets, understanding the truth of family stories

Claire is only seven years old when her college-age sister, Alison, disappears on the last night of their family vacation at a resort on the Caribbean island of Saint X. Several days later, Alison’s body is found in a remote spot on a nearby cay, and two local men—employees at the resort—are arrested. But the evidence is slim, the timeline against it, and the men are soon released. It turns into national tabloid news, a lurid mystery that will go unsolved. For Claire and her parents, there is only the sad return home to broken lives.

Years later, Claire is living and working in New York City when a brief but fateful encounter brings her together with Clive Richardson, one of the men originally suspected of murdering her sister. It is a moment that sets Claire on an obsessive pursuit of the truth—not only to find out what happened the night of Alison’s death but also to answer the elusive question: Who exactly was her sister? . . . Claire doggedly shadows Clive, hoping to gain his trust, waiting for the slip that will uncover the truth.

All That's Bright and Gone by Eliza Nellums (Crooked Lane Books, Dec.). Why: child protagonist, the Detroit setting

I know my brother is dead. But sometimes Mama gets confused.

There’s plenty about the grownup world that six-year-old Aoife doesn’t understand. Like what happened to her big brother Theo and why her mama is in the hospital instead of home where she belongs. Uncle Donny says she just needs to be patient, but Aoife’s sure her mama won’t be able to come home until Aoife learns what really happened to her brother. The trouble is no one wants to talk about Theo because he was murdered. But by whom?

With her imaginary friend Teddy by her side and the detecting skills of her nosy next door neighbor, Aoife sets out to uncover the truth. But as her search takes her from the banks of Theo’s secret hideout by the river to the rooftops overlooking Detroit, Aoife will learn that some secrets can’t stay hidden forever and sometimes the pain we bury is the biggest secret of them all.

TV Connection

Just Watch Me by Jeff Lindsay (Dutton, Dec.). Why: Lindsay is the author of the Dexter novels, unique setting

A masterful thief plots an impossible crime—stealing the Iranian Crown Jewels.

Riley Wolfe is an expert at disguise and violent when he needs to be. It’s no accident, though, that Riley targets only the .1% and is willing to kill when necessary: He despises the degenerate and immoral possessors of the objects that he steals.

In this series launch, Riley targets an extraordinary set of crown jewels, a heist that will hopefully land him with a sensational collection of heirlooms and leave their owners bereft and embarrassed—or worse. Yes, these jewels are worth millions, but the true attraction for grabbing the jewels comes down to one simple fact: These jewels are absolutely unstealable. There is just no way anyone could get past the airtight security and dream of getting away with even a single diamond from the Imperial Collection. Riley Wolfe has always liked a challenge.

The Chestnut May by Soren Sveistrup; trans. Caroline Waight (Harper, Sept.). Why: Sveistrup is the author of the show The Killing; set in Denmark

If you find one, he’s already found you.

A psychopath is terrorizing Copenhagen. His calling card is a “chestnut man”—a handmade doll made of matchsticks and two chestnuts—which he leaves at each bloody crime scene.

Examining the dolls, forensics makes a shocking discovery—a fingerprint belonging to a young girl, a government minister’s daughter who had been kidnapped and murdered a year ago. A tragic coincidence—or something more twisted?

To save innocent lives, a pair of detectives must put aside their differences to piece together the Chestnut Man’s gruesome clues. Because it’s clear that the madman is on a mission that is far from over. And no one is safe.

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13 Novels for Your Wish List; Or What to Look for at Book Expo (2019)

For the second year in a row I will not be able to attend Book Expo in New York. I'm not all that upset because the real-life trade-offs I made are well worth it. On the downside, I hate missing the chance to visit with friends, see the city, and eat some good food. I'm also sorry to miss out on learning about all the new books coming out in the second half of the year.

I can't do anything about compensating for missed face-to-face conversations with friends, but I can do something about the books. I've been paying attention to the Book Expo buzz and looking through publishers' catalogues to discover the upcoming titles that I would have looked for when at Book Expo.

I found many good books to look forward to, and I want to share some of my discoveries with you. I'm going to save the thrillers, mysteries, and other crime fiction titles for next week, and I think I'll wait until closer to publishing dates to talk about speculative fiction and nonfiction.

Today, I'm featuring 13 novels that caught my eye. These are nowhere near the only books that interest me, but I'm making a start on my fall reading wish list. In the descriptions that follow, I tell you why I want to read each book and then provide the publisher's summary.

Authors I Like

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (Doubleday, Nov. 5) Why: mysterious book, puzzle to be solved, non-reality

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth.

What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians—it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose—in both the mysterious book and in his own life.

The Innocents by Michael Crummey (Doubleday, Nov. 12): Why: setting (Newfoundland), the premise

A brother and sister are orphaned in an isolated cove on Newfoundland’s northern coastline. Their home is a stretch of rocky shore governed by the feral ocean, by a relentless pendulum of abundance and murderous scarcity. Still children with only the barest notion of the outside world, they have nothing but the family’s boat and the little knowledge passed on haphazardly by their mother and father to keep them.

Muddling though the severe round of the seasons, through years of meager catches and storms and ravaging illness, it is their fierce loyalty to each other that motivates and sustains them. But as seasons pass and they wade deeper into the mystery of their own natures, even that loyalty will be tested.

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson (Riverhead, Sept. 17): Why: I'll read anything Woodson writes.

As the book opens in 2001, it is the evening of sixteen-year-old Melody’s coming of age ceremony in her grandparents’ Brooklyn brownstone. Watched lovingly by her relatives and friends, making her entrance to the soundtrack of Prince, she wears a special custom-made dress. But the event is not without poignancy. Sixteen years earlier, that very dress was measured and sewn for a different wearer: Melody’s mother, for her own ceremony—a celebration that ultimately never took place.

Unfurling the history of Melody’s parents and grandparents to show how they all arrived at this moment, Woodson considers not just their ambitions and successes but also the costs, the tolls they’ve paid for striving to overcome expectations and escape the pull of history. As it explores sexual desire and identity, ambition, gentrification, education, class and status, and the life-altering facts of parenthood, Red at the Bone most strikingly looks at the ways in which young people must so often make long-lasting decisions about their lives—even before they have begun to figure out who they are and what they want to be.

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (Ecco, Nov. 5): Why: humor, themes (families, twins)

Lillian and Madison were the unlikeliest of roommates at their elite boarding school: Madison, the daughter of a prominent Atlanta family, being groomed for greatness; Lillian, a scholarship student, plucked out of nowhere based solely on her intellect and athletic prowess. The two were as tight as could be, reveling in their unique weirdnesses, until Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly.

Years later, the two have lost touch, but Madison writes and begs Lillian for help. Her husband’s twin stepkids are moving in with them and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: the twins can spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a disturbing but beautiful way.

Disbelieving at first but ultimately too intrigued by these strange children, Lillian agrees. And as they hunker down in the pool house, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other—and stay cool—just as Madison’s family is bracing for a major announcement. It all seems impossible to manage, but Lillian soon accepts that she and the children need each other, urgently and fiercely.With a white-hot wit and a big, tender heart, Kevin Wilson has written a most unusual story of deep parental love that proves to be his best book yet.

Diversifying My Reading List

On Swift Horses by Shannon Pufahl (Riverhead, Nov. 5): Why: setting (American West, 1950s), themes (including LGBTQ+).

Muriel is newly married and restless, transplanted from her rural Kansas hometown to life in a dusty bungalow in San Diego. The air is rich with the tang of salt and citrus, but the limits of her new life seem to be closing in: She misses her freethinking mother, dead before Muriel’s nineteenth birthday, and her sly, itinerant brother-in-law, Julius, who made the world feel bigger than she had imagined. And so she begins slipping off to the Del Mar racetrack to bet and eavesdrop, learning the language of horses and risk. Meanwhile, Julius is testing his fate in Las Vegas, working at a local casino where tourists watch atomic tests from the roof, and falling in love with Henry, a young card cheat. When Henry is eventually discovered and run out of town, Julius takes off to search for him in the plazas and dives of Tijuana, trading one city of dangerous illusions and indiscretions for another.

Dominicana by Angie Cruz (Flatiron, Sept. 3): Why: themes (immigration, feminism. POC), setting (1960s New York)

Fifteen-year-old Ana Cancion never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she has to say yes. It doesn’t matter that he is twice her age, that there is no love between them. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate. So on New Year’s Day, 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and becomes Ana Ruiz, a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Lonely and miserable, Ana hatches a reckless plan to escape. But at the bus terminal, she is stopped by Cesar, Juan’s free-spirited younger brother, who convinces her to stay.

As the Dominican Republic slides into political turmoil, Juan returns to protect his family’s assets, leaving Cesar to take care of Ana. Suddenly, Ana is free to take English lessons at a local church, lie on the beach at Coney Island, see a movie at Radio City Music Hall, go dancing with Cesar, and imagine the possibility of a different kind of life in America. When Juan returns, Ana must decide once again between her heart and her duty to her family.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (Putnam, Jan. 7, 2020): Why: themes (race, class, social media), setting (Philadelphia)

Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living showing other women how to do the same. A mother to two small girls, she started out as a blogger and has quickly built herself into a confidence-driven brand. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains’ toddler one night. Seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, a security guard at their local high-end supermarket accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make it right.

But Emira herself is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix’s desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix’s past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other.

Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha (Ecco, Oct. 15): Why: themes (race, police violence), setting (LA)

In the wake of the police shooting of a black teenager, Los Angeles is as tense as it’s been since the unrest of the early 1990s. Protests and vigils are being staged all over the city. It’s in this dangerous tinderbox that two families must finally confront their pasts.

Grace Park lives a sheltered existence: living at home with her Korean-immigrant parents, working at the family pharmacy, and trying her best to understand why her sister Miriam hasn’t spoken to their mother in years. The chasm in her family is growing wider by the day and Grace is desperate for reconciliation, and frustrated by the feeling that her sister and parents are shielding her from the true cause of the falling out.

Shawn Matthews is dealing with a fractured family of his own. His sister, Ava, was murdered as a teenager back in 1991, and this new shooting is bringing up painful memories. Plus, his cousin Ray is just released from prison and needs to reconnect with their family after so many years away. While Shawn is trying his best to keep his demons at bay, he’s not sure Ray can do the same.

When another shocking crime hits LA, the Parks and the Matthewses collide in ways they never could have expected. After decades of loss, violence, and injustice, tensions come to a head and force a reckoning that could clear the air or lead to more violence.

My Kind of Book

Call Upon the Water by Stella Tillyard (Atria, Sept. 17): Why: time period (1600s), themes (engineering, New World, love/hate, women)

In 1649, Jan Brunt arrives in Great Britain from the Netherlands to work on draining and developing an expanse of marshy wetlands known as the Great Level. It is here in this wild country that he meets Eliza, a local woman whose love overturns his ordered vision. Determined to help her strive beyond her situation, Jan is heedless of her devotion to her home and way of life. When she uses the education Jan has given her to sabotage his work, Eliza is brutally punished, and Jan flees to the New World.

In the American colonies, profiteers on Manatus Eyland are hungry for viable land to develop, and Jan’s skills as an engineer are highly prized. His prosperous new life is rattled, however, on a spring morning when a boy delivers a note that prompts him to remember the Great Level, and confront all that was lost there. Eliza has made it to the New World and is once again using the education Jan gave her to bend the landscape—this time to find her own place of freedom.

The Grammarians by Cathleen Schine (Sarah Crichton, Sept. 3): Why: themes (language, twins), other (copyeditor, dictionaries, language)

An enchanting, comic love letter to sibling rivalry and the English language

The Grammarians are Laurel and Daphne Wolfe, identical, inseparable redheaded twins who share an obsession with words. They speak a secret “twin” tongue of their own as toddlers; as adults making their way in 1980s Manhattan, their verbal infatuation continues, but this love, which has always bound them together, begins instead to push them apart. Daphne, copy editor and grammar columnist, devotes herself to preserving the dignity and elegance of Standard English. Laurel, who gives up teaching kindergarten to write poetry, is drawn, instead, to the polymorphous, chameleon nature of the written and spoken word. Their fraying twinship finally shreds completely when the sisters go to war, absurdly but passionately, over custody of their most prized family heirloom: Merriam Webster’s New International Dictionary, Second Edition.

The Truants by Kate Weinberg (Putnam, Jan 28, 2020): Why: descriptions (obsession, coming of age, deceit, first love)

People disappear when they most want to be seen.

Jess Walker has come to a concrete campus under the flat grey skies of East Anglia for one reason: To be taught by the mesmerizing and rebellious Dr Lorna Clay, whose seminars soon transform Jess’s thinking on life, love, and Agatha Christie. Swept up in Lorna’s thrall, Jess falls in with a tightly-knit group of rule-breakers—Alec, a courageous South African journalist with a nihilistic streak; Georgie, a seductive, pill-popping aristocrat; and Nick, a handsome geologist with layers of his own.

But when tragedy strikes the group, Jess turns to Lorna. Together, the two seek refuge on a remote Italian island, where Jess tastes the life she’s long dreamed of—and uncovers a shocking secret that will challenge everything she’s learned.

Still Loving Dystopian

The Bear by Andrew Krivak (Bellevue Literary Press, Feb. 11, 2020): themes (nature takes over, father/daughter, survival)

A gorgeous fable of Earth’s last two human inhabitants, and a girl’s journey home

In an Edenic future, a girl and her father live close to the land in the shadow of a lone mountain. They possess a few remnants of civilization: some books, a pane of glass, a set of flint and steel, a comb. The father teaches the girl how to fish and hunt, the secrets of the seasons and the stars. He is preparing her for an adulthood in harmony with nature, for they are the last of humankind. But when the girl finds herself alone in an unknown landscape, it is a bear that will lead her back home through a vast wilderness that offers the greatest lessons of all, if she can only learn to listen.

A cautionary tale of human fragility, of love and loss, The Bear is a stunning tribute to the beauty of nature’s dominion.

The Divers' Game by Jesse Ball (Ecco, Sept. 10): Why: themes (class divide, future, power)

The old-fashioned struggle for fairness has finally been abandoned. It was a misguided endeavor. The world is divided into two groups, pats and quads. The pats may kill the quads as they like, and do. The quads have no recourse but to continue with their lives.

The Divers’ Game is a thinly veiled description of our society, an extreme case that demonstrates a truth: we must change or our world will collapse.

What is the effect of constant fear on a life, or on a culture? The Divers’ Game explores the consequences of violence through two festivals, and through the dramatic and excruciating examination of a woman’s final moments.

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