This year's Man Booker Prize finalists are an intriguing lot. They include a lurid crime story and an epic family saga. Here is a list of the six contenders, with summaries of what they're about. All are available in the United States.
Category: Book Review
Good books coming in August
Three novels to browse and then look forward to next month.
Blockbuster sales for this crime novel
"Six Four" is being hailed by critics for its complexity and insight into Japanese media, police and government culture and corruption. Readers have shot sales figures into the stratosphere. It's a unique novel for ambitious, patient and demanding readers.
2016 International Award Winners
Award-winning novels don't often equate to page-turners, but they do point us in the direction of fine literature. These winners of recent international fiction awards tell stories about family tragedy, a South Korean woman's obsession with vegetarianism and crime in Ireland's post-crash society. Here are the book titles and more of what each is about.
Charlotte Salomon: “It is my whole life”
David Foenkinos has written a novel that's as compelling for its style as it is for the story. The new novel is a multiple award-winner and massive bestseller in France, recounting the life and work of German artist Charlotte Salomon during World War II. Foenkinos' obsession with the subject and the way he writes the story make it a stand-out.
The best in mystery fiction
It never fails. The annual Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Allan Poe Awards bring to the forefront not-to-miss, stay-up-all-night mystery novels. Here are the three that won in the categories of Best Novel, Best First Novel by an American Author and Best Paperback Original for 2016.
Is this author a somebody?
Rob Spillman's memoir "All Tomorrow's Parties" about his rebellious pursuit of artistic authenticity yields an inviting although shallow story.
An unlikely sleuth working 1843 NYC
Mention the name Walt Whitman in literary circles and his poetry immediately comes to mind, such as "Song of Myself" and "I Sing the Body Electric" and "O Captain! My Captain!," let alone "Leaves of Grass." He's one of the greatest 19th century American poets. But a protagonist in a murder mystery? You got it.
Images of the sea and life itself
John Craske was a Norfolk fisherman who became incapacitated by a strange illness no one could diagnose. He spent his invalid days painting and then embroidering, creating scenes of the sea and boats on the sea up to when he died in 1943. Julia Blackburn has written an enchanting and beautifully illustrated biography.
My love for old, tattered books
Here's a recommendation to read (if you haven't already) John le Carré's classic espionage novel "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold" -- and why I read an old, beat-up 1964 copy.
Yes, Thomas Hardy was my friend
Christopher Nicholson's new novel explores a winter season in the life of British author Thomas Hardy, who penned the classics "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" and "Jude the Obscure." The story focuses on desires of the heart that come too late in life. A quietly powerful, beautifully written book.
What would you say?
French author Jean-Philippe Blondel creates an engaging fictional story out of an ordinary incident that takes place on a train from Troyes, in northeastern France, to Paris. A best-seller in France and Germany, here's what it's all about.
The books I gave on Christmas Eve
Five books for five friends, specially selected, this holiday season.
Best fiction 2015: where the critics agree
Everyone's making their lists of 2015 best books from a year of reading. I wanted to see if there's agreement on one book of fiction, so I cross-referenced the fiction lists from five publications. Turns out, there are two.
“The Mysteries of Paris”
Ernest Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast" is flying out of Paris bookstores. A bit here about that, and also about a new-old book set in the City of Light that first appeared in serial installments in a 19th century Paris newspaper. It captivated readers and saved the failing newspaper from bankruptcy. Here's the scoop.
The Longest Chapter 