Looking for something to read to fill all of those hours you now have cooped up at home? Here’s the rundown on some hot, new books:
Click for an audio excerpt from Jason B. Rosenthal’s “My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me.”
Harper
‘My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me’ by Jason B. Rosenthal
Harper, nonfiction, $26.99
What it’s about: The Chicago lawyer and former real estate developer whose wife, writer Amy Krouse Rosenthal, wrote a viral New York Times “Modern Love” essay (read by more than 5 million people) headlined “You may want to marry my husband” as she was dying of ovarian cancer, was thrust into the spotlight, got a boatload of proposals from women, cut back his law practice, started a foundation in memory of his late wife and, as the North Sider reveals near the end of this new memoir, yes, he’s met someone new, described in the book only as “a hazel-eyed identical twin,” no details.
Amy Krouse Rosenthal in 2005.
Sun-Times file
The buzz: “An essay gone viral leads to this memoir about deep loss and navigating profound grief,” Kirkus Reviews writes. “He found that he was able to move on, even to fall in love again, perhaps partly because his late wife encouraged him to do so. . . Filled with advice and support for anyone else going through similar circumstances.”
‘Camino Winds’ by John Grisham
Doubleday, fiction, $28.95
What it’s about: A hurricane rips through Camino Island, leaving popular thriller writer Nelson Kerr dead in its wake. But his injuries look suspiciously like murder. Nelson’s bookseller friend Bruce Cable is on the case.
The buzz: “Readers will hope to return soon to this appealing vacation hot spot,” Publishers Weekly says.
‘Big Summer’ by Jennifer Weiner
Atria Books, fiction, $28
What it’s about: Jennifer Weiner explores the complexities of female friendship in a novel about two estranged friends brought together when one shocks the other by asking her to be her maid of honor.
The buzz: “Sexy and satisfying,” USA Today says. “Will delight Jennifer Weiner’s many fans and could be the absorbing take-me-away read so many of us need right now.”
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
‘Masked Prey’ by John Sandford
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, fiction, $29
What it’s about: This 30th entry in John Sandford’s series of novels centered on deputy U.S. marshal Lucas Davenport series detours from his norm in that it isn’t all about the violence. Instead, it’s about an extremist, Nazi-linked website that could threaten the safety of politicians’ children in order to manipulate the government.
The buzz: “Sandford always delivers rousing action scenes, but this time he’s especially good on character, too,” The New York Times says.
‘The Happy Ever After Playlist’ by Abby Jimenez
Forever, fiction, $15.99
What it’s about: Two years after the death of her fiancé, Sloan Monroe is struggling to get her life back on track when she happens on a runaway dog and falls in love. But the dog’s owner wants him back – and Sloan finds herself falling again.
The buzz: “A perfect blend of smart, heart-wrenching and fun,” Kirkus Reviews says.
Click for an excerpt from Oliver Harris’ “A Shadow Intelligence.”
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
‘A Shadow Intelligence’ by Oliver Harris
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, fiction, $25
What it’s about: MI6 operative Elliot Kane heads to Kazakhstan, where agent (and lover) Joanna Lake has gone missing. What should be a simple search turns much darker, as Kane is drawn into a corrupt world of psychological warfare
The buzz: “An absorbing, superbly written novel likely to stand as one of the best spy novels of the year,” Kirkus Reviews writes.
Read more at USA Today.
