Books

“The man looked like all the men in the cars – he looked ordinary. But ordinary men, I had discovered, could be the most dangerous of all.”

NEW YORK – Sue Monk Kidd’s next novel is very much a work of fiction. “The Book of Longings” is the fourth novel by the author known for such bestsellers as “The Secret Life of Bees” and “The Invention of Wings,” a 19th century slavery narrative that Oprah Winfrey chose for her book club. “The Book of Longings” is told from the point-of-view of a restless young woman from the Galilee region named Ana who meets Jesus when he’s 18 and eventually marries him. Kidd draws upon historical research, but Ana is entirely invented.

Michelle Obama’s first book since “Becoming” is more about her readers than about herself

“Imaginary Friend” is Stephen Chbosky’s first new novel in 20 years, and it comes as a complete surprise. Chbosky’s only other published work, 1999’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” concerned a trio of self-styled misfits navigating the complexities of high school, adolescent angst, sexual confusion and assorted personal traumas. Over the years, the book has led a charmed life acquiring millions of readers and serving as the basis for a popular film adapted and directed by Chbosky. Those many readers now have something new – and unexpected – to contemplate. Weighing in at more than 700 pages, “Imaginary Friend” is an all-out, not-for-the-fainthearted horror novel, one of the most effective and ambitious of recent years. Who would have guessed?

Seattle writer Timothy Egan, the National Book Award-winning author of “The Worst Hard Times,” as well as “The Big Burn” about the Great Fire of 1910, is coming to his hometown of Spokane on Oct. 29 to celebrate the release of his latest book with the Northwest Passages Book Club. Egan’s new book strays from the historical journalism for which he has become known. “A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith” chronicles Egan’s travels along the Via Francigena, a 1,200-mile medieval route that runs from Canterbury to Rome, where he sought an audience with Pope Francis.

Sometimes things are just meant to be. Like when you work for seven years researching and writing a book that takes a massive deep dive into the complicated and often misunderstood world of whistleblowers only to have one of the largest and most important whistleblower cases in our country’s history begin at almost exactly the same time your book is to be released. That’s exactly what happened to Tom Mueller.

Considering all that has happened in the last few weeks, it’s remarkable that author Tom Mueller spent nearly seven years working on his latest book – “Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud” – which will be released this week. Last week, while in Italy, Mueller answered questions via email about his new book.

Rene Denfeld’s new novel “The Butterfly Girl” is a heartbreaking story of children living on the streets of Portland who face some of the worst kinds of predatory crimes, including sexual abuse, trafficking and kidnapping.

The Spokesman-Review Outdoors editor Eli Francovich will lead the conversation with Ben Goldfarb at the Northwest Passages Book Club on Wednesday. Here are five things to know about Goldfarb and his #YearOfTheBeaver research, which resulted in this book.

Over the past decade, the accidental memoirist has grown into a YA rock star by becoming an open book. Telgemeier’s largely autobiographical stories are so accessible and emotionally resonant that there are 13.5 million copies of them in print, as she’s tapped into a largely overlooked comics-loving female readership.

The graphic novelist who first cracked the bestseller list by writing about her teeth has turned her focus to another part of her body, her stomach. It’s yes, a gutsy move – and one that pays off.

Tommy Orange is coming back to Spokane. The celebrated author of “There There” will be part of the 2019-20 Gonzaga Visiting Writers Series. His visit is planned for Feb. 4, less than 10 months after he was here for Eastern Washington University’s Get Lit festival.

In the final installment of the 2019 Summer Stories series, Jess Walter tells the tale of a teacher dealing with the parents of his worst student. Revisit previous entries in the Summer Stories series at spokesman.com/summer-stories.

Ben Goldfarb will discuss his PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award-winning book “Eager: The Surprising Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter” with the Northwest Passages Book Club on Sept. 18.

“You know what the problem is, don’t you?” Paul leaned forward. It had been a sunny day, but evening settled in cool. It smelled like grass and hot concrete. Al knew this look, the tone. “Geez, Paul, can’t you wait until we start drinking?” He poured the scotch.

Spokane authors got the chance to meet local readers and Spokane readers got a chance to hear from a slate of local writers Wednesday night, during a Northwest Passages Book Club celebration of The Spokesman-Review’s annual Summer Series of short fiction.