Weekend picks for book lovers
What should you read this weekend? Paste BN’s picks for book lovers include new novels by Mitch Albom and John Irving.
The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom; Harper, 489 pp.; fiction
With The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, Albom again plucks at heartstrings, this time with the fictional story of Francisco Presto, a gifted guitarist and singer. His life intersects with major events of the past century, from the Vietnam War to Woodstock and Hurricane Katrina, and musicians including Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Lyle Lovett and Paul Stanley from KISS.
Frankie’s story is told through flashbacks and interviews with the mourners who arrive at his funeral. “Music” is a character who narrates the story, with the engaging hook that everyone joins a series of “bands” in life, playing a different role in each.
Born in the small village of Villareal, Spain, during the Spanish Civil War, Francisco is abandoned throughout his young life. He comes to America and becomes Frankie Presto, a singer with Elvis-like charisma and similarly bad life choices.
Paste BN says *** out of 4 stars. “Cleverly zips the reader through Frankie’s saga… Albom’s love for music is richly apparent.”
Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving; Simon & Schuster, 460 pp.; fiction
A poor, bage-scavenging Mexican kid named Juan Diego teaches himself to read Spanish and English from books he salvages from Oaxaca’s city dump in the 1970s. He grows up to become Juan Diego Guerrero, a respected, famous novelist in the U.S.
Paste BN says ****. An “unfailingly masterful narrative.”
Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meacham; Random House; 864 pp; non-fiction
Jon Meacham has written the memoir that President George H.W. Bush didn’t — and probably couldn’t.
Paste BN says ****. “Illuminating… there is plenty of dish.”
The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks; Viking, 302 pp.; fiction
Novel about the life of David, King of Israel – perhaps better known to most of us from the world’s most famous statue, by Michelangelo.
Paste BN says ***1/2. “Beautiful, subtle, grave.”
The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff; Little, Brown, 498 pp.; non-fiction
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Cleopatra re-examines the infamous Salem Witch Trials.
Paste BN says ****. “Almost scandalously pleasurable …(Schiff) casts a spell on you.”
Contributing reviewers: Patty Rhule, Don Oldenburg, Susan Page, Kevin Nance