*The
Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin “is
a love letter to the world of books.” A.J. Fikry, the irascible owner of
Island Books, has endured some tough years: his wife dies, his bookstore is
failing, and his rare edition of Poe poems is stolen. He has given up on life until a baby is left
in the store and A.J. decides to make
his life over. This enchanting novel is
literate, witty and wise.
**The
Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson is a picaresque tale of how one
person's actions can have far-reaching—even global—consequences. Nombeko Mayeki
has risen from a latrine cleaner in Soweto to become a chief adviser at the
helm of one of the world's most secret projects in South Africa. She holds the fate of the world in her hands
when she discovers a nuclear missile that was supposed to have been dismantled.
The satirical novel has the same charm
and sometimes over-the-top humor as Jonasson’s previous, The 100
Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of a Window and Disappeared.
Still
Life by Louis Penny is a cozy
mystery featuring a small in
village in Quebec complete with a cast of eccentric characters, a wise,
insightful Chief Inspector with a varied team and, of course, a murder—of Jane Neal, a beloved and elderly member
of Three Pines. None of the
residents can believe that anyone would
murder Jane, though, apparently one of them has done just that.
*Red
by John Logan is a searing portrait of an artist's
ambition and vulnerability. Abstract
expressionist Mark Rothko has landed the
biggest commission in recent history for a series of murals in New York's Four Seasons
Restaurant. Rothko works feverishly with
his young assistant, but when Ken gains
the confidence to challenge him, Rothko faces the agonizing possibility that
his crowning achievement could also become his undoing. “Raw and provocative”
in print and in performance.
*Shotgun
Love Songs by Nickolas Butler is a debut novel
called "Impressively original"
by The New York Times. Five childhood friends from small-town
Wisconsin went their separate ways with careers and families are reunited during a wedding visit marked by culture clashes, pursuits of meaning and a woman who inspires
passion in each of them. Butler powerfully
captures small town Wisconsin, a
specific time and place, yet describes the universal human condition.
"This book does for Wisconsin what Larry McMurtry did for Texas in The Last Picture Show."
The
Other Story by Tatiana de Rosnay, the
best-selling author of Sarah's Key,
is engaging and well-written, but lacks the emotional depth of her previous
novel. Hoping to put a generations-old secret behind him, Nicholas Duhamel
becomes a successful writer and pens a novel that makes him famous before he is
forced to reexamine his family's disturbing past. She does capture and illustrates the
difficulty of being productive and creative after writing a very successful
book.
**The
Financial Life of Poets by Jess Walter is the story of
Matt Prior, who’s losing his job, his wife, his house, and his mind—until, all
of a sudden, he discovers a way that he might just possibly be able to save it
all . . . and have a pretty damn great time doing it. You’ll have a damn great time reading this
laugh-out –loud funny and insightful book. “Walter's wildly funny, heartrending
novel is a clever meditation on the American Dream gone horribly wrong.”
**The
Orphan Master’s Son
by Adam Johnson won the Pulitzer Prize and was described
as “An exquisitely crafted novel
that carries the reader on an adventuresome journey into the depths of
totalitarian North Korea and into the most intimate spaces of the human heart.”
Growing up in orphan work camp, Pak Jun Do rises to prominence using
instinctive talents and eventually becomes a professional kidnapper and
romantic rival to Kim Jong Il. His story is full of delicious satire, brilliant
insight and empathy.
*Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and
Lasting Fulfilment by Tal Ben-Shahar, the
teacher of Harvard University’s most popular and life-changing course. One out of every five Harvard undergraduates lined up to take the class summarized in this
book. The book (and course) is based on the new science of positive psychology,
explains what happiness is and how to strive for it.
Missing You by Harlan Corben has NYPD Detective Kat Donovan
looking for love in all the wrong places.
Her on-line dating service has a picture of her ex-fiancé Jeff, the man who walked out on
her 18 years ago. Corben almost manages
to weave together alternative explanation of
Jeff’s bizarre behavior, her father’s death, a missing mother, and a precocious
teen-ager…almost.
The Cairo Affair by Olen Steinhauer's
masterfully unveils a portrait of a troubled marriage, “a jigsaw puzzle of
loyalty and betrayal, against a dangerous world of political games where
allegiances are never clear and outcomes are never guaranteed.” Minutes after
Sophie Kohn confesses to her husband, that she had an affair while they were in
Cairo, he is and killed. Her former lover, Stan Bertolli , a Cairo-based CIA
agent, tries to help her find out why.
UP: How Positive
Outlook Can Transform Our Health and Aging by Hilary Tindle is a simple, almost
simplistic, guide to the health
benefits of an upbeat outlook on life.
She presents the highlights of good research on the subject, but
obscures much of the value by phony, folksy illustrations or quotes from
friends, colleagues and associates.
The Ballard of a Small
Player by
Lawrence Osborne follows “Lord Doyle” who is hiding out in Hong Kong,
finding solace in alcohol and
losing his embezzled wealth at the
baccarat table. The British lawyer is searching through his past and trying to
make sense of the present. At the peak of his gambling addiction, he meets a prostitute (yes, with a heart of
gold) who changes his fortune forever. Good reviews, but too much detail about
the food, drink, and gambling in Macau.
*Labor Day by Joyce Maynard is
an engaging story of a divorced mother and son whose lives change during
a long summer weekend when an escaped convict comes into their house. Labor Day
is “a sexy, page turning, poignant story” that “affirms Maynard’s reputation as
a master storyteller and shows her to be a passionate humanist with a gifted
ear and heart.”
*Early Decision:
Based on a True Frenzy by Lacy Crawford follows five students over one application
season as the narrator helps them craft their college essays, cram for the
SATs, and perfect the Common Application.
Crawford draws on 15 years of experience as a successful private college counselor who
understands the madness of the college admissions application process.
The writing is witty and insightful insider's guide to modern college admissions. It's also a sharp
commentary on modern parenting among the rich and famous.
