Weekend picks for book lovers
What should you read this weekend? Paste BN's picks for book lovers include a novel about a husband's devastating secret and non-fiction about the '60s hit song Dancing in the Street.
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty; Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, 394 pp.; fiction
Put yourself in Cecilia Fitzpatrick's shoes: If you found a letter that your husband – conveniently away on a business trip on another continent – marked "to be opened only in the event of my death" – exactly how long would it be before you were steaming it open?
Add into your decision that things have been a bit off lately with your handsome and devoted husband, John-Paul. You haven't made love in six months, and your daughter heard him weeping in the bathroom. Still, Cecilia holds off for 162 tantalizing pages.
All husbands – and wives – have secrets, but John-Paul Fitzpatrick's is devastating.
Australian author Liane Moriarty (What Alice Forgot) is far more than the skillful writer of potboilers. Her compelling characters could be your friends and neighbors, nice and neurotic in equal doses.
Paste BN says *** ½ out of four. "The Husband's Secret is so good, you won't be able to keep it to yourself."
Ready for a Brand New Beat: How "Dancing in the Street" Became the Anthem for a Changing America by Mark Kurlansky; Riverhead, 288 pp.; non-fiction
The author examines how an innocent '60s pop song became an activist rallying cry for the times.
Paste BN says ***. "Kurlansky sure does know how to make his story sing."
The Greek House: The Story of a Painter's Love Affair With the Island of Sifnos by Christian Brechneff with Tim Lovejoy; Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 304 pp.; non-fiction
An understated memoir about 30 years of part-time residence on the Greek island of Sifnos by artist Christian Brechneff; with lovely drawings.
Paste BN says ***. "There is enough wistful charm to beguile readers who are longing for an escape."
The Road to Burgundy: The Unlikely Story of an American Making Wine and a New Life in France by Ray Walker; Gotham, 292 pp.; non-fiction
An appealing memoir by a young American who pursued his dream of moving to France and making his own fine Burgundy wines.
Paste BN says ***. "Wine lovers, Francophiles and anyone who roots for dreamers will want to raise a glass to Ray Walker."
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling); Mulholland Books; fiction; 464 pp.
In The Cuckoo's Calling, a No. 1 hit now that the world knows it was written by J.K. Rowling, a private detective investigates the death, seemingly a suicide, of a Kate Moss-like model.
Paste BN says ***1/2. Rowling has "written one of the books of the year."
Contributing reviewers: Patty Rhule, James Endrst, Charles Finch, Jocelyn McClurg