Paperback Picks
Need a holiday gift, or just something to read on a dark afternoon? Here's an assortment of new paperbacks, fiction and nonfiction, that should suit every taste.
"Burning Boy: The Life and Work of Stephen Crane"
by Paul Auster (Holt Paperbacks, $25).
The short, remarkable life of the author of "The Red Badge of Courage" — he achieved international celebrity from his writing, survived a shipwreck, risked his life while filing dispatches from the Spanish-American War, faced a scandal that exiled him from New York, and died at 28 of tuberculosis — is elegantly told by an acclaimed novelist. "Auster's sprawling narrative combines punchy writing and shrewd analysis with an exuberant passion for his subject," wrote Publishers Weekly in a starred review. "The result is a definitive biography of a great writer."
"All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business"
by Mel Brooks (Ballantine Books, $20).
Now 96, Brooks is still busy making comedy, and last year he finally got around to publishing his long-promised memoir. "Perhaps named for 'All About Eve' but less of a bumpy night than a joy ride, 'All About Me!' takes humor as an absolute value, something that 'brings religious persecutors, dictators and tyrants to their knees faster than any other weapon,'" wrote New York Times reviewer Alexandra Jacobs. "Its 460 pages rattle along like an extended one-liner."
"The Final Case"
by David Guterson (Vintage, $17).
I loved disappearing into this book earlier this year, the latest from the Seattle author of "Snow Falling on Cedars." Fiction and reality blend deftly here, in a story narrated by a Seattle novelist whose father, an older lawyer, is representing a woman accused of abusing her adopted daughter (the trial is based on a real-life case). "Though a story of hate is at its center," I wrote in my review, "it's enveloped by a larger story of fiction and wonder and love — most brightly that of a son for his father, a man of set-in habits and determined goodness."
"The Appeal"
by Janice Hallett (Atria Books, $18.99).
This debut mystery from British author Hallett is a kick: a whodunit epistolary novel, in which a pair of young lawyers sort through a mountain of emails, messages and letters to try to sort out a mysterious death in an amateur theatrical troupe. I quite agree with New York Times reviewer Sarah Lyall, who concluded that "The whole thing is a delight; teasing out the mystery is almost as fun as searching for its solution."
"These Precious Days"
by Ann Patchett (Harper Perennial, $18).
The author of "The Dutch House" and "Commonwealth" offers here a collection of personal essays, written with her trademark grace. Washington Post reviewer Michele Filgate wrote of Patchett, "Whether she turns her gaze to her three fathers, her beautiful mother, her husband's delight in piloting a plane, or her friendships, there's a generosity in the way she not only looks at the world but invites the reader in to stay for a while."
"The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth"
by Sam Quinones (Bloomsbury Publishing, $18).
Quinones, a journalist and author of the National Book Critics Circle Award-winning "Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic," returns with a sequel of sorts, examining the opiate epidemic's toll on communities. Washington Post reviewer David Herzberg described Quinones as "a fluent storyteller who delivers his argument through a palette of affecting stories about people and communities torn apart, and about the small, step-by-step reclamations earned through patient, daily, humble work," adding, "Few readers will keep dry eyes through the entire book."
"The Violin Conspiracy"
by Brendan Slocumb (Vintage, $17).
Slocumb, a classical musician and music teacher, made a strong debut early this year with this breathless, often mesmerizing thriller about a young Black violinist devastated to learn that his priceless violin, a family heirloom, has been stolen. I happily zipped through this one, particularly appreciating Slocumb's eloquent descriptions of the racism within the classical music world, and his lovely touch with writing about the music his hero loves — you can practically hear the notes rising from the page.
"Black Cake"
by Charmaine Wilkerson (Ballantine Books, $18).
Wilkerson's bestselling debut is a family saga about a pair of siblings who piece together their mother's unspoken past — in which a traditional Caribbean black cake plays a key role. Read it now; it's currently in development as an original series on Hulu. Washington Post reviewer Keishel Williams called it "a delectable read," and went on to say, "Wilkerson's intent is clear: We are left to think about the things we inherit from our ancestors — physical traits, mental and emotional strife, even cultural attachments, like a beloved recipe that has the power to bring us home, if only in our minds.
