The Berlin Letters, Kathrine Reay, Harper Muse – Berlin, 1961: Haris Voekler is the star reporter for a top newspaper in Communist East Germany. Haris is a true believer in the system, but his wife Monica increasingly dislikes the totalitarian regime.
How to Solve Your Own Murder, Kristen Perrin, Dutton – England, 1965: Teenager Frances Adams and her friends are at a fair near their village of Castle Knoll when the fortune teller tells her she’ll be murdered.
The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza, Dutton – Sara Marsala is having a bad time. Her award-winning restaurant has shuttered. She’s bankrupt. Her husband is filing for divorce and sole custody of their daughter.
When Cicadas Cry, Caroline Cleveland, Union Square & Co – Dedicated attorney Zach Stander had a growing practice and a nice lifestyle until a bad decision brought him to the edge of ruin.
Keller: Autobiographies and Other Writings, Kim E. Nielsen, Editor, Library of America – Helen Keller lived from 1880 to 1968, and is justly famous for her achievements in the face of her disabilities.
Running Mates, Emily Locker, Bancroft Press – Edgartown, NC: A place literally divided along ideological lines. Eleventh-grader Annabelle Morningstar lives in Eastside, the liberal part of town.
Good Book to Read: Jimmy Breslin: Essential Writings, Edited by Dan Barry, Library of Congress – Jimmy Breslin’s journalistic career spanned the years 1960 to 2004 and earned him the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.
Good Book to Read: Crow Talk by Eileen Garvin-Dutton – Chance brings Frankie O’Neill and Anne Ryan to the summer cottages at Beauty Bay on June Lake, Washington, in 1998. Both women have troubles.
Good Book to Read: The Night of the Storm by Nishita Parekh, Dutton – Jia Shah hoped the move to Houston would put distance between her and her cheating ex-husband Dev for the sake of herself and their twelve-year-old son Ishaan.
Good Book to Read: The Heirloom, Jessie Rosen, Putnam – Shea Anderson’s Italian heritage comes with a semi-truck full of superstitions, particularly concerning what she wants from a marriage proposal. Top of the list is no heirloom ring.
