REQUIRED READING
The Boat Rocker by Ha Jin (Pantheon)
In this latest novel by Chinese writer Ha Jin (“Waiting”) narrator Feng leaves China to join his wife in New York — and she ends the marriage the day he arrives. When Feng signs on to work for a Big-Apple based Chinese news agency, he winds up investigating the origins of his now ex-wife’s best-selling novel about 9/11. Something about the book is suspicious, but can Feng remain objective about the woman who broke his heart? The situation turns frightening when the governments of both countries get involved.
Mister Monkey by Francine Prose (Harper)
There’s no business like show business. That campy saying comes to life in Prose’s new tale — the fictional behind-the-scenes story of a stunningly bad off-off-Broadway children’s musical. The show’s zany plot — an orphaned African monkey finds a new home with a wealthy Manhattan family and helps them find love — is surpassed only by the show’s dysfunctional cast and odd audiences, including a couple on a blind date seated next to the author of a book on which the show is based.
Angelic Music The Story of Ben Franklin’s Glass Armonica by Corey Mead (Simon & Schuster)
He’s better known as the Founding Father who invented the lightning rod and bifocal, but Ben Franklin’s most beloved brainchild is more obscure. Here, Mead delivers the little-known story behind Franklin’s glass armonica (as it was known). Made of stacked glass bowls and played by rubbing one’s fingers on the rims, the instrument’s fans included both Mozart and Beethoven. The armonica’s popularity eventually shattered amid rumors that its sounds could drive people into madness. It’s made a comeback in recent years, with artists such as Daft Punk and Radiohead featuring it in their recordings.
The Girl from Venice by Martin Cruz Smith (Simon & Schuster)
They call it the city of masks, and that’s just one reason Venice serves as the perfect backdrop for the latest mystery from Smith (“Gorky Park”). The story starts near the end of World War II, amid an SS roundup of the city’s few remaining Jews. When Giuila Silver, a young Jewish woman, tries to flee by water, fisherman Cenzo Vianello saves her from drowning and takes her into hiding. There’s trouble: Cenzo’s brother is a key Mussolini henchman.
Mission Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe by Robert Matzen (goodknight Books)
After returning from his heroic service as a bomber pilot in Europe during WWII, Stewart’s first movie was “It’s a Wonderful Life.” During filming, Matzen discovered, the actor suffered from PTSD; Stewart was anguished over his fellow airmen who never made it back and civilians killed in bombing raids. A revealing look at the wartime service of one of America’s most beloved actors.