REQUIRED READING
Beartown
Fredrik Backman (Atria Books) From the best-selling Swedish author of “A Man Called Ove” comes this novel about Beartown, a small town that doesn’t win anymore — in any sense. The one thing the place still has is its hockey team, a bit of hope, and dreams of victory that rest on the shoulders of a bunch of teenage boys. Before the semifinal game of the season, though, a violent act threatens to tear the community apart and has its citizens wondering what they really stand for.
One Day We’ll All Be Dead And None of This Will Matter
Scaachi Koul (Picador) You’ve got to love a book that kicks off with the line “Only idiots aren’t afraid of flying” and goes on to detail why, exactly, this is the case. Whether she’s musing about this or bikini waxes, Indian weddings, growing up as the daughter of immigrants or sharing hilarious e-mails from her dad, Koul’s essays are sharp, hilarious and insightful.
Speed of Life
Carol Weston (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky) Teenage Sofia lost her mother eight months ago, and while her friends were there for her initially, now they’re wondering why she can’t just “move on.” Sad and confused, she decides to write a letter to Dear Kate, an advice columnist for Fifteen Magazine. She receives a quick response, and soon the two are e-mailing back and forth. A sweet, moving tale about grief and growing up.
The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior
Robert O’Neill (Scribner) A jaw-dropping, fast-paced account of O’Neill’s time as a Navy SEAL, which included 400 missions and ranged from attempts to rescue “Lone Survivor” SEAL Marcus Luttrell and ship captain Richard Phillips, abducted by Somali pirates, to the famous shots that killed the world’s most wanted terrorist.
I’ll Eat When I’m Dead
Barbara Bourland (Grand Central Publishing) Stylish editor Hillary Whitney has been found dead in a conference room at RAGE Fashion Book. The speculated cause of death: heart failure brought on by an eating disorder. But Hillary’s best friend knows something’s up. When a mysterious note in Hillary’s handwriting arrives in the NYPD office, the case is reopened. From toast-only restaurants to organic skin care laced with opioids, this is a smart, satirical take on fashion and media that will have readers snorting with laughter.
I Found You
Lisa Jewell (Atria Books) In a seaside English town, Alice meets a stranger who appears to have no idea who he is, what he does or how he’s gotten there. Against her better judgement, she invites him to stay in her guest room. Meanwhile, in London, a newlywed files a missing-persons report when her husband fails to come home after work. Combined with flashbacks to a family vacation gone wrong more than 20 years prior, Jewell keeps the reader guessing as to what’s going on and how the three elements are connected.