By Carole Reedy

SPRING

Frog Music by Emma Donoghue   Author of the best-seller Room and the delightful book of short stories based on old newspaper clippings, Astray, her newest book is a story of intrigue and murder that takes place in 19th century San Francisco.

The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt   An accomplished author herself, Hustvedt is often better-known as the wife of the famous novelist, screen-play writer, poet, and translator Paul Auster. Many of you will remember her well regarded What I Loved. Again in her latest book she tackles the theme of art and identity. A note for Auster fans: he’s just published another memoir, Report from the Interior, which explores his psychological development from childhood to early adulthood.

Carthage by Joyce Carol Oates   Fans of this 75-year-old literary genius may have trouble keeping up with her output. Oates publishes at least one very hefty book per year. Many of us have followed her since the 70s, when she started her writing journey with such marvels as Expensive People, Them, and Wonderland, through her gothic period, and to the present with Mudwoman. Her books are emotionally charged without sentimentality.

A Broken Hallelujah: Rock and Roll, Redemption, and the Life of Leonard Cohen by Liel Leibovitz   Insight and understanding into the life of the enigmatic poet and songwriter.

Valerie Solanas, by Breanne Fahs   Biography of the woman who shot Andy Warhol and the writer of SCUM Manifesto.

The Road to Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead   Known for her New Yorker pieces, Mead’s new nonfiction book revisits George Eliot’s 19th-century classic.

The Last Illusion by Porochista Khakpour From Iran to New York City, the story of a boy who suffers years of torture and thinks he is a bird.   Previews of this book claim it is unforgettable.

SUMMER

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King   This is his first hard-boiled detective novel, about an insane killer and a retired cop. We know King for his scary books such as The Shining, Cujo, Carrie, and the grand tome, The Stand.   His recent novel about the JFK assassination was a huge success internationally. This one sounds like great beach reading for yourr vacation.

Evil Eye by Joyce Carol Oates   Yet another selection by this prolific author of 100 books (40 of them novels). This one is four novellas about love.

The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis   Son of British icon Kingsley Amis, Martin has made his own success as a novelist. His newest work is a different and interesting take on the Holocaust.

The Moth   Here’s an interesting concept: A nonprofit organization has published real stories by ordinary people as well as some of our favorite famous writers, such as Malcolm Gladwell, Sebastian Junger, and Nathan Englander.

 

Mr Bones by Paul Theroux     Prolific story-teller Theroux gives us yet another collection of his genius.

FALL

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami     This novel, about a man who seeks out the friends who have abandoned him, is a huge hit in Japan, as are all of Murakami’s books. It follows on the coattails of his recent success IQ84. Murakami is one of the most influential Japanese writers of our time.

WINTER

Frog by Mo Yan   Chinese novelist and 2012 Nobel Prize winner gives us an insight into China’s one-child policy.

Visitants by Dave Eggers   Known for his stirring and sometimes disturbing books, including Hologram for a King, The Circle, and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, this latest is a nonfiction read about travel.