Weekend picks for book lovers
What should you read this weekend? Paste BN’s picks for book lovers include Juniper, the moving true story of a premature baby.
Juniper: The Girl Who Was Born Too Soon by Kelley and Thomas French; Little, Brown, 319 pp.; non-fiction
She was a partially formed, 20-ounce mess of unknown problems and unknowable prospects when she came into the world, one day short of the 24-week gestational period doctors believe is the lowest limit of a baby having a shot at survival. Her lungs, digestive system and brain were underdeveloped; her eyes were still fused shut; her papery skin so thin she couldn’t be touched.
She hardly looked human. But the love her parents had for her was huge.
And when they — two journalists — describe in alternating voices the very different ways they experienced the rushing cascade of post-natal calamities that befell this “micro-preemie,” as such babies are called, the impact is raw, rough and wrenchingly tender.
Kelley and Thomas French chronicle the daily turmoil. With great honesty, they lay forth their darkest feelings and fears during the months it was unclear if Juniper would live.
Paste BN says ***½ out of four stars. “Two parents…have written of a singular experience that is presented with such grace it is an almost universal story of love and determination and strength.”
Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple; Little, Brown, 259 pp.; fiction
A day in the life of Eleanor Flood, a dispirited, disorganized misanthrope in Seattle who has gone from animation director of a popular TV show to full-time wife and mother.
Paste BN says *** out of four stars. “Funny…wholly enjoyable, even downright hard to put down.”
The Most Famous Writer Who Ever Lived by Tom Shroder; Blue Rider Press, 416 pp.; non-fiction
Shroder uses his investigative-journalist skills to learn more about his late grandfather, MacKinlay Kantor, author of Andersonville — considered one of the greatest Civil War novels ever written.
Paste BN says ***½ stars. “Deeply rewarding.”
Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen; Knopf, 333 pp.; fiction
This new novel about various criminals and shysters trying to con each other in Key West features a hilarious satire of Duck Dynasty and an ingenious redheaded heroine.
Paste BN says ***½ stars. “Hiaasen (is) Florida’s resident master of the sunburnt caper.”
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue; Little, Brown, 304 pp.; fiction
In a small Irish village in 1859, an English nurse is hired to watch an 11-year-old girl who claims to have gone without food for four months, without detriment to her health.
Paste BN says *** stars. “Deliciously gothic…this is a novel that lodges itself deep.”
Contributing reviewers: Sharon Peters, Steph Cha, James Endrst, Charles Finch