Twenty-five nominees in five categories made it from the longlist to the shortlist of the National Book Awards. Here's a look at three of them, and also one that didn't make the cut but has an interesting scandal going on in Norway.
Category: New Books
Which 2019 Man Booker finalist will win?
Will it be Margaret Atwood's sequel to “The Handmaid's Tale”? Or perhaps Lucy Ellman's one-sentence epic? This year's shortlist offers six novels that embrace the issues of our times. Here's the list and thoughts to go with it.
A new novel inspired by CIA documents
In “The Secrets We Kept,” Lara Prescott unfolds a little-known, Cold War story about Boris Pasternak’s “Doctor Zhivago.” It’s historical fiction that’s entertaining, with a colorful cast of characters.
An orphan in the family storm
"A Girl Returned" is the English-language debut of Italian author Donatella Di Pietrantonio. This memorable novel captivates readers with its young narrator whose identity and sense of belonging is shattered by her misguided family.
Two summer books not to be overlooked
So many summer books, so little time. You'll be sorry, though, if you missed these two.
An astute mystery about racial injustice
"The Gone Dead," a novel by Chanelle Benz, immerses readers in the Mississippi Delta with protagonist Billie James suspecting foul play in her father's death 30 years ago. This atmospheric debut explores themes of deceit, race relations and family ties.
“Let her tell it as she sees it.”
Françoise Gilot’s memoir of her 10 years with Pablo Picasso, published in 1964, was met with praise and controversy. The best-seller is now back in print. Here’s what “Life With Picasso” is about and why critics praised and criticized it.
A Soviet spy in 1938 Germany
A secret agent's diary written in the days leading up to World War II finds its way to upstate New York in 1988 in this compelling new spy novel by David Downing.
A cow book by an Irish farmer’s son
Take time this summer to enjoy a moving memoir by John Connell, a story about returning home to the family farm in Ireland.
Ocean Vuong’s new novel
Award-winning poet and essayist Ocean Vuong has written an emotionally raw coming of age story with "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous."
This reading life: finding a book you love
We should allow ourselves more often to wander through the library stacks. Here are two novels I hadn't planned on reading.
It’s fiction, but true.
Two absorbing novels about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Syrian civil war illustrate how the region's politics and trauma affect the daily lives of citizens. One a story of friends, the other a story of family, these memorable novels make the news headlines human.
Reading Miriam Toews
“Women Talking” released this month is getting great reviews. So have previous novels by Canadian author Miriam Toews, whose books are bestsellers up north. Why is she so little known to American readers?
The 100 Best Novels in Translation
We depend on translators to bring us the world's literature. We also depend on them to make the right decisions on how to bring a novel to life, wrestling with fidelity to the original versus comprehension for the reader. This book is not only a list, but a guide to those who do this marvelous work.
Books I’m talking about
Here are books I recently recommended on WOSU All Sides Weekend Books.
