REQUIRED READING

All Our Waves Are Water Jaimal Yogis (memoir, Harper Wave) The author of “Saltwater Buddha” is back with a memoir that takes him from the Himalayas to Indonesia as he searches for balance, meaning, God and a great wave (“If you came for surfing, you can easily skip to Mexico and Indonesia,” he points out in the introduction. “But if you can ventureture onto land for a few chapters, the sea can be found on those snow-capped peaks, too.” Putin: His Downfall and Russia’s Coming Crash Richard Lourie (nonfiction, Thomas Dunne) Russia’s leader has been getting a lot of buzz these days, and this book by Russian expert Lourie sheds light on the former KGB intelligence officer. Lourie also posits that Putin’s Russia will collapse just as completely as imperial Russia in 1917 and Soviet Russia in 1991 — the question is simply, when and at what cost to the rest of the world? The Necklace Claire McMillan (f iction, Touchstone) Nell’s great-aunt LouLou has just died, and she’s been summoned to the family manor. It turns out that LouLou has left her an extremely expensive, ornate necklace, news which is received poorly by the rest of the family. Jealous relatives begin asking questions about where the necklaceklace came from, and Nell learns that it’s connected to an old family secret. Meddling Kids Edgar Cantero (f iction, Doubleday) If you loved Scooby-Doo as a kid (or as an adult — no judgment), you’ll love this sly take on the genre, which reunites the members of the Blyton Summer Detective Club, now all grown up, dealing with alcoholism, mental-health issues and various other pitfalls of adulthood. It’s timee for them to return to Sleepy Lake, scene of their last mystery, to put the demons to rest for good this time. Deadfall Linda Fairstein (f iction, Dutton) Alexandra Cooper is hot on the trail of a killer in the latest installment by Fairstein, who spent more than two decades as chief of the sex-crimes unit in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. A public official has been murdered, and Cooper’s investigation takes her from the illegal animal tradeade to New York City zoos, street gangs and city government. Fierce Kingdom Gin Phillips (f iction, Viking) Joan and her 4-year-old son are finishing up a near-perfect day at the zoo and are on their way out when a man with a gun begins shooting people at the entrance. Joan runs with her son to take shelter in an animal enclosure and then stays on the move for the next three hours, usingng her exten-extensive knowledge of the zoo to protect herself and her son.