On Book: Back to School (5 Picks for September) + Author Events
From elementary school drama to book club behind bars; from eager lifelong learning to reluctance in trying again — as summer wanes and a new class year enters, these books are about starting something different.
Plus, some great events from authors, both local and touring, around Seattle this month — see below.
Great Reads: 5 Picks
How to Read a Book
Monica Wood
Why on earth would [they] hate book club? / Because we love it.
Every Friday, retired English teacher Harriet heads to the women’s prison to teach her “fellow creatures” lessons in empathy through literature — probably the only way to get approval for bringing the welcome diversion of a book club in from outside. And though it’s often deemed an unwarranted privilege for the inmates, Harriet finds it’s just as much a privilege for herself. Her students, full of outbursts and barbs and especially complaints, are a passionate bunch, unwittingly teaching her how to approach and relate to literature in ways she never has before.
The club’s not the same when its star young pupil, Violet, gets released. But these things tend to come back around, at least in novels, and Violet returns to her orbit, along with a widower named Frank, through a connecting tragedy. Among them, there’s a lot to work through, confess to, and heal from — even as other players on the periphery try to keep them stuck.
Wood’s depth of storytelling shows up, among other ways, in her remarkable knack for both observing and sharing profound little truths (e.g., “the rare compliment of curiosity”) and specific forms of loss (e.g., the magnified loneliness after loss because “he’d let his wife manage the friendships”).
For fans of the Acorn TV show Harry Wild, it’s almost irresistible to picture retired lit professor Harry in the role of this Harriet. More than the names, the similarities are striking: Harriet’s unshakable belief in the good of reading (Wild: “the mathematicians and scientists tell us how we are here; historians can tell us when; but only literature can tell us why“), her annoyance with stating the obvious (Wild: “no, Glen, it’s a flamingo!”), her mystified joy when someone who’s too easily written off shines in unexpected ways (Wild: pretty much the basis of her and Fergus’ bond). If Harry moved from Dublin, Ireland, to Portland, Maine, I think she’d find her calling in Harriet.
Wood’s characters are familiar in life, as well. In her students behind the prison walls, I see the flickers of light, humor, and natural curiosity, stark among the gray monotony, of the writers and performers in two wonderful local programs (lost, at least temporarily, to the pandemic): Freehold Engaged Theatre with the inmates at Washington Corrections Center for Women (Purdy); and Pat Graney’s Keeping the Faith, with the inmates at Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women. It makes it easy to see the women of Harriet’s group happily riffing off each other.
Full of sadness, victories, acceptance, and unexpected laughter, How to Read a Book is as much a loving redemption story as a literary embrace.
Release date: 5/7/2024, from Mariner Books (HarperCollins); 288 pages. See book info here.
Lavash at First Sight
Taleen Voskuni
I wonder what fresh hell is coming for me. …
In everything there is a blessing.
Nazeli is stuck. Work is getting on her nerves, and going nowhere fast even as the (generally needless) pressure mounts. The relationship she thought had promise just came to an unceremonious end. And now, during a critical work moment, she’s stuck traveling to a convention in the Midwest to help out her parents with their long-suffering business, even though they’ve never listened to her advice on anything before and surely won’t this time, either. Clearly nothing good could come from this trip.
But, this being a romance novel, she finds a surprise attendee in Vanya, who’s not only the product of an Armenian foodie family like her, but hails from the Bay Area, too. The two can’t believe they’ve never met. And, romance being its trope-filled self, they quickly discover why: both sets of parents know each other well, and they hate each other. On the plus side, that loathing will incense both families to push for their respective businesses’ success harder than either thought possible.
The trip also leads Nazeli to re-evaluate everything — her career path, her family, her relationship outlook — and where she’s placed her priorities.
Lavash is funny, it’s sweet, and it’s surprisingly suspenseful. The combination of cooking competition TV, family drama, and whirlwind romance makes for a fiery read.
Release date: 5/7/2024, from Berkley (Penguin Random House); 304 pages. Book info here.
Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life
Helen Fisher
Joe realized that a life is lived differently when there is someone there to witness it.
Janet is writing a lesson plan for a class of one. She knows every 20-something has a lot to learn, but that’s uniquely true for her son, Joe-Nathan, to whom social cues don’t come easy and any changes in routine are particularly fraught.
When Joe loses his anchor unexpectedly, Janet’s careful tending provides him a good runway — both in existing structures (a predictable work life with a kindly boss, apparent financial security, and a motley crew of friends with good hearts) and an extensive, painstakingly crafted written guide for whatever new challenges might come ahead. But when life veers wildly off script, can Joe improvise his way out of some daunting messes, especially when those around him need him most?
In a tale that’s a little bit The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (particularly the stage version), a little bit Atypical, and a little bit Superstore (I pictured that show’s Glenn as the book’s Hugo), and with a voice that charms as only British comedies can do, Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life might be the sweetest adventure of the year. Through bits of cringe and deep loss, with triumphant underdogs, Fisher’s page-turner is at once tender, sad, and rip-roaringly funny.
Release date: 5/28/2024, from Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster); 400 pages. Book info here.
It’s Elementary
Elise Bryant
Okay, maybe the petition was overkill, but I just wanted to make sure the point got across and we didn’t have, like, casual blackface on deck for February.
New school year, new principal, new PTA drama.
Hard-working single mom Mavis Miller needs a break, some time to herself. What she gets instead is a murder mystery dumped in her lap, as she watches the devious, loathsome PTA president dragging something heavy out of the school under cover of darkness. The next morning, the divisive new principal is nowhere to be found.
Whether it’s the reward money, a new-found purpose, or simply a diversion, Mavis is quickly in deep, egged on by the school psychologist — a hottie she’s never seen before who happens to burst onto the scene at an opportune time. All while dodging her PTA responsibilities as the new “diversity rep,” an unpaid job she never asked for.
Dotted with sharp observations on nonprofit life, family, and so-called diversity and inclusion (“There doesn’t have to be a special committee to make this happen for the white kids”), Bryant writes a tale that’s full of warmth and side-eyes in equal measure (“I wish I could say this comes from her daddy, but a long, petty memory and a list of nemeses is all me”). It’s all wrapped up in a light mystery with plenty of suspicious red herrings thrown in, and a satisfying-enough ending of oh yeah, I knew they did it.
Release date: 7/9/2024, from Berkley (Penguin Random House); 368 pages. Book info here.
Reboot
Justin Taylor
Their lives were all about getting by and making do. Here was something else entirely, something unforeseen, a new frontier for discovery.
Hollywood has-been David Crader needs to get it together, but it’s never quite urgent enough. His video game voice-over work provides enough lucre to pay the bills. His appearance fees and signing lines at occasional character conventions remind him he’s still somebody, at least to someone. One of his ex-wives will always pull through in a financial jam or a sticky situation; another one will always be the responsible single parent. And his boozing is at last under control enough, probably, mostly.
But when the opportunity comes along to revive his throwback beach-vampire show — a contentious move among some of the show’s fanfic-writing diehards — David welcomes the chance to go back to school in the stage sense, to become relevant again, beyond just a rabid few.
Things get weird from there.
Approached in a unique style — a faux celebrity memoir, with large bursts of “speculative nonfiction” that invite the reader to question the teller’s sanity — this new one from a prolific novelist and memoirist puzzles over what’s real in an ever-changing world, where “alternative facts” just might be the new normal.
Release date: 4/23/2024, from Pantheon (Penguin Random House); 304 pages. Book info here.
Around Town
There are loads of author events happening all the time, especially at the usual suspects, but here are a few of special note during September. Most events are free.
For more, including a list of indie bookstores, see NWT’s new On Book page here.
Bookstore events this month include:
September 5: Storyteller Chris La Tray tracks down his Native heritage, hidden to him by his family, in the new memoir Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home. At Elliott Bay Book Company. Event info here.
September 10: Novelist Coco Mellors follows three estranged siblings in her hotly anticipated brand-new release, Blue Sisters. In conversation with Laurie Frankel at Elliott Bay Book Company. Event info here.
September 10-27: Seattle’s own queen of mystery, J.A. Jance has a new J.P. Beaumont tale (Den of Iniquity) out on 9/10, with local events scheduled throughout the month: Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park (9/10); Book ‘n’ Brush in Chehalis (9/14); and King County Library in Redmond (9/27). See schedule here.
September 11: Danzy Senna’s new novel, Colored Television, delves into writing, race, and unraveling. In conversation with Prageeta Sharma at Elliott Bay Book Company. Event info here. (Update 9/3: Read or hear Senna’s interview with NPR here.)
September 12: Jodi Picoult’s new novel, By Any Other Name, digs into the Shakespeare identity question in a unique way: through stories of two women, centuries apart, who each must hide behind a fake identity. Picoult appears with prolific romance novelist Julia Quinn (author of the Bridgerton series) at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park. Tickets are $36, including signed copy of the book and photo line. Event info & tickets here.
September 20: Romance writer Cathy Yardley has been writing for ages, but it wasn’t until last year’s Role Playing that I tuned in; her story of a walled-off gaming superstar finding love landed as a surprise favorite. Her new one, Do Me a Favor — about a cookbook ghostwriter with writer’s block and a guy-next-door type with an escape-artist dog — sounds all sorts of promising. She’ll talk about it at Third Place Books in Ravenna. (Note: This store is tiny, so while RSVPing isn’t required, in this case it makes sense to get your reservation in now.) Event info & free tickets here.
September 24: Sally Rooney has a new book out, Intermezzo, and Third Place Books is celebrating it with a release event in Seward Park. The author won’t be there, so it’s more like those movie release nights, when people would line up outside for the first midnight screenings of their favorite blockbusters. Tickets are $40 to the (21+) party, including the book, a free drink from Chuck’s Hop Shop onsite, goody bags, and camaraderie. Event info & tickets here.
September 26: Seattle-based author Lauren Appelbaum’s debut novel, Rachel Weiss’ Group Chat (out 9/24) dishes a very funny, disastrous mess of a tale, with plenty of recognizable Seattle descriptions, as the title character watches her life wreck in slow motion in the year she turns 30. When she really makes a mess of things, can she redeem herself? (And of course there’s some romance, not to mention ill-advised flings, in the mix, too.) Appelbaum talks about the new release at Third Place Books in Seward Park. Event info & free tickets here.
September 26: Seattle rocker Eva Walker (pictured above) (frontwoman of The Black Tones and a DJ on KEXP) and writer-husband Jake Uitti discuss the duo’s new book, The Sound of Seattle: 101 Songs that Shaped a City, which came out in August. Joining them in conversation are some PNW music royalty: Molly Sides, frontwoman of Thunderpussy; guitarist Jimmy James; hip-hop artist Vitamin D; and rock DJ Marco Collins. At Town Hall Seattle’s downstairs forum. Sliding-scale tickets are $10-$35, with an optional add-on of the book. Event info & tickets here.
Big-stage, ticketed events this month include:
Jesmyn Ward with Ijeoma Oluo at Town Hall Seattle (9/6, tickets here); Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson at Benaroya Hall (Seattle Arts & Lectures series) (9/9, tickets here); Fran Lebowitz with Claire Dederer at Benaroya Hall (9/22, tickets here); Connie Chung at Town Hall Seattle (Seattle Arts & Lectures series) (9/23, tickets here); Edward Burns at Town Hall Seattle (9/25, tickets here).
Chase D. Anderson is Editor & Producer of NWTheatre.org.