NPR Book News and Reviews
The following book news and reviews are presented via RSS feed from National Public Radio (NPR) for the benefit of our patrons. The opinions expressed are those of the individual authors, and do not reflect the views of the Wauwatosa Library, its staff, volunteers or associated governing and philanthropic bodies.
- Grief Haunts ‘Ghosts Of Bergen County’
Dana Cann's novel is packed with ghosts, literal and figurative. It centers on a married couple grieving the loss of their infant daughter — and the way that grief can make strange things happen. ... More - ‘The Queue’ Carries On A Dystopian LineageBasma Abdel Aziz's new novel is set in an unspecified Middle Eastern city, where an endless line snakes back from the mysterious Gate where citizens await pronouncements from a sinister government. ... More
- ‘Where’s Warhol?’ Is Democratic ArtHigh art is highly entertaining in this grown-up goof on the Where's Waldo? books. Readers hunt down a tiny Andy Warhol against a series of elaborately detailed art and culture-themed backgrounds. ... More
- Unquiet Minds Make Absorbing Reading In ‘Imagine Me Gone’Adam Haslett's new novel focuses on a family tormented by father-and-son battles with chronic depression and anxiety. He captures the lasting reverberations of suicide with precision and tenderness. ... More
- ‘The Chimes’ Is A Post-Apocalyptic Hymn To The Power Of MemoryViolinist and author Anna Smaill's musical training shows through in her debut novel. The Chimes is set in a post-apocalyptic London where a mysterious order controls the population via music. ... More
- No Pink, But Plenty of Red, In Hack-N-Slash ‘Fairyland’Skottie Young's comic may horrify (or delight) the parents of princess-obsessed kids. It's the story of a not-so-little girl who's gone a little violent after 27 years trapped in a sparkly fairyland. ... More
- The Mathematics Of Magic And Loss In ‘Square Root Of Summer’Teenaged math whiz Gottie knows a little too much about subtraction; her fractured family is spinning apart sfter the death of her beloved grandfather — and that's before the time wormholes appear. ... More
- Weeping For All That Is Lost: A Harsh Migration Out Of IndiaSunjeev Sahota's new novel follows three men who journey from India to England, looking for a better life. But NPR's Nishant Dahiya says that life turns out to be a complex, and often dangerous one. ... More
- Stars Tell The Story Of This Fairy Tale-Inspired ‘Queen’Roshani Chokshi's smooth and assured debut draws on folk and fairy tales — Bluebeard, Persephone, Beauty and the Beast — for the story of a young girl whose ominous horoscope sends her on a journey. ... More
- Mother And Daughter Come Together At The Card Table In ‘The Bridge Ladies’Betsy Lerner writes about joining her 83-year-old mother's weekly bridge club in her new book. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls The Bridge Ladies a "smart and colorful memoir." ... More
- Three Generations Of Trauma Haunt ‘Ladivine’Marie NDiaye's unflinching new novel handles heavyweight emotions — guilt, shame, grief, cruelty — with sharp-edged writing and clear-eyed courage. It's an intense read, but an engrossing one. ... More
- ‘Plain Houses’ Is A Spellbinding Story Of Witchcraft And DisobedienceJulia Franks' debut novel is set in Depression-era North Carolina, where young farm wife Irenie is sneaking off to the woods for moments away from her husband — who's convinced his wife is a witch. ... More
- ‘Sleeping Giants’ Kicks Off A New Series In StyleSylvain Neuvel's debut begins with a young girl who falls into a hole in the ground and is found soon after, sitting on a 20-foot-long mechanical hand. And that's just the (finger) tip of the iceberg. ... More
- ‘Maestra’ Is Pure Pulp MadnessL.S. Hilton's new book, the first in a trilogy, follows the aptly-named Judith Rashleigh on a wild ride of sex parties, private yachts, and behavior just as shallow and selfish as any male character. ... More
- Angels, Mobsters, Monsters: This ‘Box’ Really Does Have EverythingRichard Kadrey kicks off a new series about a magic-immune thief in a magic-soaked Los Angeles with The Everything Box. It's a madcap ride in which the end of humanity is just the beginning. ... More