Try one of these new books!
Although I haven’t had a chance to read any of these books yet, they are featured in every promotional publication I see. While the title of this entry is “Try one of these new books”, the fact is that they aren’t so new anymore. In fact, several of them have shown up on book club reading lists already.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, James McBride
James McBride is the author of Deacon King Kong and The Good Lord Bird. Both of these books gained critical acclaim, but I haven’t read either one of them. I do, however, plan to read The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. From all accounts, it is the type of book I love–part mystery, part social commentary, part historical fiction and a large part very good storytelling. The setting is 1972 Pottstown, Pennsylvania, is a community that lives on the outskirts of the Great American Dream. A myriad of memorable characters solve the mystery and show what ‘community’ really means.
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray. Another long, long book and not one for the faint of heart. Irish author Murray does not intend to write a ‘feel good’ novel. He shows the grit and determination, and sometimes lunacy, of a family facing an uncertain future while rememberting a haunted past. This is a serious book with a serious literary spine. Even if you decide not to read it, you will hear a lot more about it.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett The long awaited ‘new’ Patchett novel has had a lot of publicity. It is the story of a mother and her three daughters with allusions to Chekhov and reminicient of Our Town. Alexandra Jacobs reviewed the book for the New Yorker and states that “With Tom Lake, she (Patchett) treats us–and prehaps herself–to a vision of a family beautifully, bucolically simple.” Maybe this is a family Patchett wishes she had had while growing up. Jacobs ends her review by saying, “Tom Lake is a quiet and reassuring book, not a rabble rouser.” Undoubtedly the book is quite the opposite of The Bee Sting. If you decide to listen to it, you will be treated to Meryl Streep reading it!
The River We Remember, William Kent Krueger Readers of this blog surely know that William Kent Krueger is one of my favorite authors. Ordinary Grace is one of the top five books I have ever read! Why I like it so much almost defies explanation, so I won’t try to explain!! At any rate, this new book by Krueger is once again set in Minnesota and once again begins with the discovery of a dead body, this time one of the town’s wealthiest citizens. The year is 1958, and people are still dealing with scars left by World War II. In the solving of the mystery of the murder, the characters’ find that their own personal mysteries may be in need of healing.
I have all three of these books waiting for me to read as soon as I finish Black Cake! It will be hard to wait until next year to have them on our book club list! Maybe we need to meet twice a month!