What happened when Nadia got pregnant?

“The Mothers” By Brit BennettRiverhead (278 pages, $26)The Mothers of Upper Room Chapel are worried about the future: “Anyone knows a church is only as good as its women, and when we all passed on to glory, who would hold this church up?” they demand, gazing with disapproval at the teenagers in their small Southern California congregation. Who will carry on? Not the “sullen and slow” boys, not the girls, who are “even worse.”How can any community survive with such a disappointing legacy?“The Mot

Oct. 26, 2016

Memoir of ‘Glamour and Dysfunction’

“Scream: A Memoir of Glamour and Dysfunction” By Tama JanowitzDey Street Books (304 pages, $25.99)When author Tama Janowitz was 15 years old, her pothead father suggested she enter a wet T-shirt contest if she couldn’t find a summer job. As one of New York City’s “It-Girl” writers in the 1980s, she rubbed elbows with the likes of Andy Warhol and the who’s who of magazine editors by day, and retreated to a meat locker-turned-apartment at night. Later, she traded city life for upstate New York, wh

Oct. 26, 2016

New biography explores real-life Victorian horror behind Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’

“Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker, the Man who Wrote ‘Dracula’” By David J. SkalLiveright (652 pages, $35)Several years ago, I read the book “Dracula” for the first time, expecting that Bram Stoker’s 19th century fable of blood, lust and the undead would be a quaint echo of Dracula’s many screen incarnations. I was astonished at its powerful sense of creeping, unstoppable horror, still spellbinding more than 100 years after its publication.In “Something in the Blood: Bram

Oct. 26, 2016

Beatty becomes first US author to win Man Booker Prize

LONDON (AFP) -- Paul Beatty has become the first US author to win the Man Booker Prize for his novel “The Sellout,” which the novelist said should not be read as a “mono-directional” take on race.The jury behind the world’s most prestigious English-language literary award said the novel was a “shocking and unexpectedly funny” portrayal of Beatty’s native Los Angeles, using satire to explore racial equality in a fictional neighborhood.Beatty said readers should think of the novel as a work of fic

Oct. 26, 2016

Oxford says Shakespeare will share credit for Henry VI

LONDON (AP) - The Bard was not a solo act.Oxford University Press’ new edition of William Shakespeare’s works will credit Christopher Marlowe as co-author of the three Henry VI plays, underscoring that the playwright collaborated with others on some of his most famous works.Marlowe, a playwright, poet and spy, will share billing in the latest version of the New Oxford Shakespeare being published this week. While scholars have long suspected that Shakespeare’s plays included the work of others, n

Oct. 25, 2016

Belgian author creates stir with tale of ice-cold revenge

FRANKFURT (AFP) - She's a literary sensation whose debut novel has sold over 100,000 copies, yet unless you speak Dutch you’ve probably never heard of writer Lize Spit. But all that's about to change as publishers line up to translate her dark tale of friendship and betrayal.Why would a traumatized young woman return to her hometown with a block of ice in her car?It is this question at the heart of “The Melting” that has gripped readers and caused a stir unlike any other Dutch-language debut in

Oct. 20, 2016

Novel looks at life as damaged goods in violent Minnesota

“The Heavens May Fall”By Allen EskensSeventh Street Books (300 pages, $15.95)In Allen Eskens’ novels, Minnesota is a dark, violent place. His recurring characters routinely wrestle with loss, loneliness and loathing as they work their way through the carefully plotted mayhem imagined by the lawyer turned mystery writer.Eskens’ third book, “The Heavens May Fall,” is not exactly part of a trilogy, but it does follow a familiar pattern with familiar names. Minneapolis detective Max Rupert, who appe

Oct. 19, 2016

French woman smitten by America in ‘Champagne Baby’

“Champagne Baby” By Laure DugasBallantine (316 pages, $26)In many a light memoir or novel, an American moves to Europe and is transformed. “Champagne Baby” upends that theme - and lots of cultural assumptions. Laure Dugas, who comes from a French winemaking family, moves to New York for what’s supposed to be a six-month job and finds herself surprised and smitten by America -- “Blasphemous!” she says playfully.Despite its bubbly title, her story is mature, thoughtful and well written. It’s half

Oct. 19, 2016

A stranger-than-fiction tale of a murder conspiracy, among posh Brits

Suppose you had a secret. A secret that would cost you your career, your friends and your place in a very stratified society. The list of things you shouldn’t do is pretty basic: don’t put anything on paper, don’t tell anyone and don’t continually plan a homicide in earshot of your colleagues.Yet all of those are exactly what Jeremy Thorpe, a charismatic and nattily dressed Liberal member of Parliament, did, and he ended up “in the dock,” as the English say, on charges of conspiracy to murder, i

Oct. 19, 2016

83-year-old US Supreme Court judge Ginsburg is pop culture icon

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Known for her lacy white collars and fastidious vocabulary, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg seems like a figure from a bygone era in the austere chambers of the US Supreme Court.Yet the “Notorious RBG” is a liberal trailblazer, championing progressive views that have made the 83-year-old a beloved pop culture icon.The doyenne of the venerable court has a new book out, “My Own Words,” a compilation of her writings and speeches that shine with finely crafted arguments.Its publicati

Oct. 19, 2016

Cho Chong-nae’s ‘The Human Jungle’ available in English

Korean historical fiction writer Cho Chong-nae’s epic tome “The Human Jungle” has been published in English by Chin Music Press Inc., a San Francisco-based company. The novel, which portrays China through its turbulent struggle of being an industrial hegemon, has sold over 1.8 million copies in Korea. It is a muckraking drama as well as a transnational love story encompassing migrant workers, Korean manufacturers, high-flying venture capitalists, street thugs and shakedown artists. “The picture

Oct. 12, 2016

Today will be different. Except, of course, it won't

“Today Will Be Different” By Maria SempleLittle, Brown (336 pages, $27)Maria Semple understands women on the verge -- she just likes to have a little fun at their (our?) expense. She’s empathetic, sure, but as a former television writer (“Arrested Development,” among other shows) with a formidable sense of humor, she can‘t help but reflect sardonically on bad decisions, questionable behavior, neurotic lapses and self-sabotage.In her first book, “This One is Mine,” a TV writer-turned-stay-at-home

Oct. 12, 2016

More irresistible tails from a cat-loving man

“Close Encounters of the Furred Kind: New Adventures with My Sad Cat & Other Feline Friends” By Tom CoxThomas Dunne (265 pages, $24.99)Fans of cat man Tom Cox and his merry band of pets can rejoice -- his fourth book about life with four demanding cats is available on our shores. Those who don't know Cox or his wildly popular social media accounts (@MYSADCAT, @MYSWEARYCAT, @Cox _ Tom, plus Facebook and Instagram) will want to get better acquainted after reading this charming book.“Close Encounte

Oct. 12, 2016

How pianist Van Cliburn captured Russian hearts

“Moscow Nights” By Nigel CliffHarper (452 pages, $28.99)In 1958, at the height of the Cold War, a gangly young Texan with an impressive mop of blond curls and an aw-shucks manner traveled to the Soviet Union to take part in the first International Tchaikovsky Competition. Sputnik had just been launched, and the Russians were swaggering.The music competition was intended as Soviet propaganda, and there was almost no question that a Russian would win. The event took place in Moscow; most of the ju

Oct. 12, 2016