REQUIRED READING
Portraits of Courage by George W. Bush (Crown)
When the 43rd president first began painting as a hobby, his subjects were dogs and cats. Now, he turns his focus — and his paintbrush — to honoring the sacrifices made by post-9/11 veterans. With a foreword by former First Lady Laura Bush, the book contains 66 color portraits and a fourpanel mural. Each painting is paired with the veteran’s story, written by the former president, who got to know many of the veterans personally.
The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge (Penguin Press)
Marina Willett’s husband, Charlie, is obsessed with legendary horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. It’s no casual hobby. But just when he thinks he’s solved a particular puzzle in the author’s life, a new scandal erupts and Charlie ends up dead. The police claim it was suicide, but Marina knows that’s not the truth.
The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy (Random House)
A 38-year-old New Yorker writer Ariel Levy was living life on her own terms, with a successful career, a wife, and a baby on the way. But after a reporting trip to Mongolia, where she suffers a miscarriage, her world begins to implode. A dark and beautiful memoir that takes aim at the idea that women can ever really “have it all.”
Madame President by Helene Cooper (Simon & Schuster)
The incredible story of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who became the first female president of Liberia and the first elected female head of state in all of Africa. Just as incredible is the tale of the Liberian market women who supported her so enthusiastically that they were willing to do whatever it took (even if that meant voter fraud) to make sure their woman won.
The Mermaid’s Daughter by Ann Claycomb (Harper Collins)
Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little Mermaid” gets a modern makeover in this novel, which imagines a descendant of the original mermaid trying to save herself from a curse that affects the women in her family.
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (Riverhead Books)
A wrenching story about Nadia and Saeed, a young couple in an unnamed country. Their love plays out while chaos erupts in their country, their city collapses and they are forced to join a group of migrants who are also fleeing for their lives.