5 books not to miss: Peter Heller’s ‘The Guide,’ ‘The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois’
In search of something good to read? USA TODAY's Barbara VanDenburgh scopes out the shelves for this week’s hottest new book releases. All books are on sale Tuesday4.
1. “The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois,” by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (Harper, fiction)
What it’s about: This ambitious debut novel by a National Book Award-nominated poet chronicles the journey of an American family from the colonial slave trade through the Civil War to our present day and one Black woman’s coming-to-terms with her legacy.
The buzz: “If this isn’t the Great American Novel, it's a mighty attempt at achieving one,” says a starred review from Kirkus Reviews.
2. “The Guide,” by Peter Heller (Knopf, fiction)
What it’s about: Jack arrives at Colorado’s fancy, five-star Kingfisher Lodge to help posh clientele find the biggest fish along a stretch of river known as Billionaire’s Mile and quickly senses something awry.
The buzz: "A COVID-era thriller will sound like either the best or worst thing to read right now, depending on your disposition. But if you’re of a darker, more contemplative frame of mind, there’s something cathartic about Peter Heller’s latest novel," says a ★★★ (out of four) review for USA TODAY.
3. “Real Estate: A Living Autobiography,” by Deborah Levy (Bloomsbury, fiction)
What it’s about: This third and final installment in the Booker Prize-nominated author’s Living Autobiography series is an intimate meditation on home, writing and womanhood.
The buzz: Kirkus Reviews calls it “A captivating journey to find a sense of place.”
4. “Seeing Ghosts,” by Kat Chow (Grand Central, nonfiction)
What it’s about: The author explores grief and its fallout after her mother’s unexpected death from cancer in a Chinese American family story that spans three generations.
The buzz: “A powerful remembrance of a family unmoored by the loss of its matriarch,” says Kirkus Reviews.
5. “The Failed Promise: Reconstruction, Frederick Douglass, and the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson,” by Robert S Levine (Norton, nonfiction)
What it’s about: A dual biography that illuminates the struggle between Frederick Douglass, one of the country’s most influential Black leaders, and President Andrew Johnson after the Civil War.
The buzz: A starred review from Publishers Weekly says “this trenchant study speaks clearly to today’s battles over voting rights and racial justice.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 books not to miss: Peter Heller’s ‘The Guide,’ Deborah Levy
