Current:Home > StocksThe Book Report: Washington Post critic Ron Charles (August 6)-InfoLens
The Book Report: Washington Post critic Ron Charles (August 6)
View Date:2024-12-23 11:24:50
By Washington Post book critic Ron Charles
Here are four titles that might help keep you cool this summer.
Pulitzer Prize-winner Richard Russo is back with "Somebody's Fool" (Knopf), his third, thoroughly charming novel about the folks in North Bath, New York.
But this time, the struggling town is finished – about to be swallowed up by its wealthier neighbors. In these final days, retiring police chief Douglas Raymer has got to solve a mysterious death, and Peter Sullivan has got to figure out if there's still time to be a good dad. His own father, the famous Sully, may be dead, but he's still hovering over this whole town, reassuring everybody that it's never too late for a second chance.
Read an excerpt
"Somebody's Fool" by Richard Russo (Knopf), in Hardcover, Large Print Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org
The Mexican-American woman in Brando Skyhorse's new novel, "My Name is Iris" (Simon & Schuster, a division of Paramount Global), is determined to follow all the rules, fit in and live the American dream.
But soon after buying a house, an enormous wall starts growing out of the ground in her front yard. In this dystopian social satire, Iris realizes that she'll never be quite white enough for a country obsessed with stigmatizing and excluding immigrants.
Read an excerpt
"My Name Is Iris" by Brando Skyhorse (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org
brandoskyhorse.com
If you're on vacation, maybe you want a book that's easy to dip in and out of. One of my favorite British novelists, Tessa Hadley, has just published a collection of short stories called "After the Funeral" (Knopf).
These pieces catch family members in ordinary moments, but the real action always takes place far beneath the surface with observations that Hadley draws with exquisite skill.
Read an excerpt
"After the Funeral and Other Stories" by Tessa Hadley (Knopf), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org
After fighting in the Civil War as a Union general and serving almost 20 years in the House of Representatives, James Garfield became president of the United States in 1881. But just four months later, he was shot by an assassin, and after lingering for weeks, the president succumbed to his wounds.
In his sweeping new biography, "President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier" (Simon & Schuster, a division of Paramount Global), C.W. Goodyear moves beyond the tragic tale of Garfield's assassination and illuminates the whole life of this remarkable man and his surprisingly consequential influence on the United States.
Read an excerpt
"President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier" by C.W. Goodyear (Simon & Schuster), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org
cwgoodyearbooks.com
For more suggestions on what to read, contact your librarian or local bookseller.
That's it for the Book Report. I'm Ron Charles. Until next time, read on!
For more info:
- Ron Charles, The Washington Post
- Subscribe to the free Washington Post Book World Newsletter
- Ron Charles' Totally Hip Video Book Review
- indiebound.org (for ordering from independent booksellers)
For more reading recommendations, check out these previous Book Report features from Ron Charles:
- The Book Report (June 4)
- The Book Report (April 30)
- The Book Report (March 19)
- The Book Report (February 12)
- The Book Report: Ron Charles' favorite novels of 2022
- The Book Report (November 13)
- The Book Report (Sept. 18)
- The Book Report (July 10)
- The Book Report (April 17)
- The Book Report (March 13)
- The Book Report (February 6)
- The Book Report (November 28)
- The Book Report (September 26)
- The Book Report (August 1)
- The Book Report (June 6)
- The Book Report (May 9)
- The Book Report (March 28)
- The Book Report (February 28)
- The Book Report (January 31)
Produced by Robin Sanders and Roman Feeser.
- In:
- Books and Beyond
veryGood! (71)
Related
- Democrat George Whitesides wins election to US House, beating incumbent Mike Garcia
- Fewer Americans apply for jobless claims last week as labor market remains sturdy
- Sequel to Kevin Costner-led 'Horizon: An American Saga' has been canceled: Reports
- Is this overlanding camper van the next step for the legendary Mitsubishi Delica?
- Kelly Rowland and Nelly Reunite for Iconic Performance of Dilemma 2 Decades Later
- Is this overlanding camper van the next step for the legendary Mitsubishi Delica?
- Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' trial is underway: Live updates of the biggest revelations
- Police track down more than $200,000 in stolen Lego
- DWTS' Sasha Farber Claps Back at Diss From Jenn Tran's Ex Devin Strader
- Alexa Chung Joins Joe Alwyn for Wimbledon Outing in London
Ranking
- McDonald's Version: New Bestie Bundle meals celebrate Swiftie friendship bracelets
- Sale of US Steel kicks up a political storm, but Pittsburgh isn’t Steeltown USA anymore
- Sale of US Steel kicks up a political storm, but Pittsburgh isn’t Steeltown USA anymore
- Mexico will build passenger train lines to US border in an expansion of its debt-laden rail projects
- Black, red or dead: How Omaha became a hub for black squirrel scholarship
- Alexandra Daddario is 'finally embracing' her pregnancy with husband Andrew Form
- Hurricane Beryl’s remnants flood Vermont a year after the state was hit by catastrophic rainfall
- George Clooney urges Biden to drop out of the 2024 race: The dam has broken
Recommendation
-
Joan says 'Yes!' to 'Golden Bachelorette' finale fantasy beach proposal. Who did she pick?
-
Man detained after BBC commentator's wife, 2 daughters killed in crossbow attack in U.K.
-
Taylor Swift consistently pauses her European concerts for this reason
-
Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' trial is underway: Live updates of the biggest revelations
-
November 2024 full moon this week is a super moon and the beaver moon
-
Bill would ban sale of reproductive and gender affirming care locations gathered from cellphones
-
Lola Consuelos Shares Rare PDA Photos With Boyfriend Cassius Kidston
-
North Carolina senator’s top aide now CEO of Carolina Hurricanes parent company