In search of something good to read? These are among the hottest new book releases.
‘The Red Daughter’ by John Burnham Schwartz
Random House, $26
What it’s about: Josef Stalin’s only daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva, flees her father’s brutal legacy, defecting from the Soviet Union for the United States in the 1960s. It’s the beginning of a strange and lonely search for self in a compelling historical tale that blends fact and fiction.
The buzz: Kirkus Reviews calls the book “an insightful and compelling saga of a woman desperately trying to escape her infamous past.”
‘Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11’ by Mitchell Zuckoff
HarperCollins, $29.99
What it’s about: As an investigative journalist for the Boston Globe at the time of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Mitchell Zuckoff led a team that told the stories of the victims and their families. Based on those years of reporting, “Rise and Fall” is a detailed, graphic, heartbreaking and definitive portrait of that fateful day.
The buzz: “The horror and heroism of 9/11 are brought to life in this panoramic history,” Publishers Weekly says.
![<a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/author/100148/mitchell-zuckoff/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mitchel Zuckoff.</a> | Provided photo](https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/34e1268/2147483647/strip/true/crop/300x450+0+0/resize/840x1260!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FAkrNB6SD-6isw51q_BtsXIXlQgU%3D%2F0x0%3A300x450%2F300x450%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28150x225%3A151x226%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16272631%2Fx300_1.jpg)
Mitchel Zuckoff. | Provided photo
‘The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters’ by Balli Kaur Jaswal
William Morrow, $26.99
What it’s about: Jaswal’s witty followup to “Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows” follows three Punjabi sisters who travel to India on a Sikh pilgrimage to scatter their mother’s ashes. They’ve never been close, but the journey starts to strengthen their bonds of sisterhood.
The buzz: “Teen and adult fans of women’s fiction will find much to appreciate here,” says Publishers Weekly.
‘A Good Enough Mother’ by Bev Thomas
Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, $26
What it’s about: Psychotherapist Ruth Hartland is a professional, but grief wins out when she meets a new patient who looks like her own troubled son, who disappeared a year-and-a-half earlier. Boundaries are crossed and hearts broken in this psychological thriller.
The buzz: Author Bev Thomas melds astute psychological insight with powerful storytelling in this moving thriller,” Publishers Weekly says.
![<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2187048/bev-thomas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bev Thomas.</a> | Provided photo](https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6b89323/2147483647/strip/true/crop/300x450+0+0/resize/840x1260!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2Ff8jFguSFxxzkVq2B9QocUi4wiOE%3D%2F0x0%3A300x450%2F300x450%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28150x225%3A151x226%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16272635%2F2187048.jpeg)
Bev Thomas. | Provided photo
‘Mama’s Boy’ by Dustin Lance Black
Knopf, $27.95
What it’s about: The LGBTQ advocate and Academy Award-winning screenwriter of “Milk” pays tribute to his religious and politically conservative mother Anne in a memoir of an enduring mother-son bond that transcends the deepest ideological divides.
The buzz: Kirkus Reviews calls the book “a terrifically moving memoir of the myriad complexities of family dynamics.”
Read more at USA Today.