E8 EZ EE THE WASHINGTON POST.
riahs realize they’re part of a larger
community — the Talents — when
they end up at a special school
alongside other exceptional misfits
who are the world’s only defense
against an apocalyptic future.Rickey: The Life and Legend
of an American Original,
by Howard Bryant
Nonfiction | Bryant, the author
of the Hank Aaron biography “The
Last Hero,” turns his attention to
left-fielder Rickey Henderson, who
stole more bases and scored more
runs during his career than any
other Major League Baseball play-
er in history. More than just a por-
trait of the “Man of Steel,” Bryant’s
book considers how Henderson’s
Oakland upbringing shaped him
and how Henderson, in turn, trans-
formed the culture.Sea of Tranquility,
by Emily St. John Mandel
Fiction | St. John Mandel’s lat-
est is a curious thought experi-
ment that borrows from the
plague terror she spun in “Stationcan teaching English in Seoul.
When video of Jacob’s failed at-
tempt to enter North Korea goes
viral, things get complicated for
his parents and sister back in
Hawaii.Olga Dies Dreaming,
by Xochitl Gonzalez
Fiction | This smart debut
about a celebrity wedding planner
whose love life is in shambles
stretches the seams of the rom-
com genre. It lures us in with
laughter and keeps us hooked
with an engaging satire of con-
sumer excess, an appraisal of busi-
ness morality and a study of inter-
national relations. No wonder a
Hulu pilot starring Aubrey Plaza is
already in the works.Ordinary Monsters,
by J.M. Miro
Fiction | The first novel in a
planned historical fantasy trilogy
starts in Victorian England, where
two castoff children with extraordi-
nary powers are targeted by a man
made of smoke. The ostensible pa-thing, starting with a band of ruth-
less Russian mercenaries, who
turn Bohjalian’s 23rd book into a
bloody sprint of a read.Mecca,
by Susan Straight
Fiction | A highway patrolman
struggles to keep a deadly secret; a
woman becomes a single mother
overnight; and a traumatized mi-
grant discovers an abandoned
baby. The disparate experiences of
characters living in Southern Cali-
fornia — far from the glitz of Holly-
wood — gradually interweave to
create a celebration of families
made all the more poignant by the
constant threat of separation, ex-
ile or worse.Nuclear Family,
by Joseph Han
Fiction | Han’s i nventive novel
begins from the perspective of a
ghost, desperate to cross the Ko-
rean demilitarized zone in
search of his long-lost family. His
only option is to possess the body
of his grandson, Jacob, an Ameri-some. But more than ever, we need
Tyler’s comforting tales, docu-
menting the mingled strains of
affection and exasperation that tie
a family together, the love that
persists somewhere between
laughing and sighing.Funny Farm: My Unexpected
Life with 600 Rescue Animals,
by Laurie Zaleski
Nonfiction | After a hardscrab-
ble childhood that sparked her
devotion to all creatures, Zaleski
started a 25-acre animal sanctu-
ary in New Jersey, where she cares
for abandoned animals: dogs,
cats, ducks, donkeys, even skunks.
In a memoir that’s both uplifting
and heartbreaking, Zaleski re-
counts her father’s violent out-
bursts, her mother’s attempts to
keep her children safe and the
adoption of the inaugural member
of their furry brood: a German
shepherd named Wolf.The Last Resort:
A Chronicle of Paradise,
Profit, and Peril at the Beach,
by Sarah Stodola
Nonfiction | Here’s a beach
read that will make you think.
Stodola explores the fascinating
history of how beaches became
our dream destinations. The 19th-
century notion that saltwater and
sea air were panaceas led inexora-
bly toward the creation of deca-
dent resorts in Monte Carlo and
beyond. Since then, beach vaca-
tion mania has led to overdevelop-
ment, erosion and complications
for communities where resorts
spring up. Happy swimming!Left on Tenth:
A Second Chance at Life,
by Delia Ephron
Nonfiction | After the deaths of
her husband and beloved sister,
Nora, Delia Ephron’s life seemed
to be turning around with a new
romance. Then she was diagnosed
with acute myeloid leukemia, the
same illness that killed her sister.
Ephron’s memoir honors the
depths of fear, sickness and sor-
row, but she also celebrates with
humor and awe the great fortune
of small thrills.Lessons in Chemistry,
by Bonnie Garmus
Fiction | Garmus, a venerable
copywriter and creative director,
released her debut novel just shy
of her 65th birthday, and the
1960 s-set comic novel arrived
right on time for readers in need of
a laugh. Its indelible protagonist is
Elizabeth Zott, a gifted research
chemist with a popular cooking
show who refuses to bow to con-
vention, even when it gets her in
trouble — and it often does.The Lioness,
by Chris Bohjalian
Fiction | It’s 1964, and Holly-
wood starlet Katie Barstow de-
cides to take her closest friends
along on her honeymoon safari in
the Serengeti. On this luxury ex-
cursion, there’s even a kerosene-
powered ice machine to chill the
gin and tonics. What could possi-
bly go wrong? Just about every-BY WASHINGTON POST
EDITORS AND REVIEWERSW
hether you’re headed
to a far-flung beach or a
nearby couch, these
books are worthy addi-
tions to your summer reading list.
Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning
and a Reconciliation,
by Maud Newton
Nonfiction | There’s no short-
age of books about shocking fam-
ily revelations uncovered through
research and DNA testing. But few
writers can offer a tale as riveting
and timely as Newton does here,
detailing her discovery of racism,
violence and cruelty passed down
through multiple generations of
her family tree. At its best, “Ances-
tor Trouble” becomes a kind of
personal reconciliation project,
boosted by lyrical writing and
wide-ranging scholarship.
Finding Me,
by Viola Davis
Nonfiction | One of the finest
actors of her generation delivers a
memoir that’s no breezy Holly-
wood tell-all. Instead, the Oscar,
Emmy and Tony winner delves
into growing up “po” — “That’s a
level lower than poor,” she clarifies
— in an abusive home, and ulti-
mately channeling her pain and
trauma into wrenching perform-
ances in “Doubt,” “Fences” and
other films.
Fire Island: A Century in the
Life of an American Paradise,
by Jack Parlett
Nonfiction | Parlett offers a
sweeping history of Fire Island,
from its Native American settlers
to its rise as a gay resort destina-
tion. Paying special attention to
the literary luminaries who spent
time there — Frank O’Hara, James
Baldwin and Patricia Highsmith
among them — the book explores
the area’s cultural importance, as
well as the tragedies that befell
residents during the AIDS epi-
demic.
Freezing Order: A True Story
of Money Laundering,
Murder, and Surviving
Vladimir Putin’s Wrath,
by Bill Browder
Nonfiction | This sequel to
Browder’s “Red Notice” couldn’t
be more topical. It documents
how Russian companies try to
outmaneuver U.S. legislation de-
signed to prevent powerful people
from parking their ill-gotten as-
sets in safe havens abroad. With
prose that reads like a thriller,
Browder walks us through legal
strategies and developments that
include enough high drama, plot
twists and colorful characters for
a movie.
French Braid,
by Anne Tyler
Fiction | Everything about
Anne Tyler’s 24th novel is immedi-
ately recognizable to her fans: the
kind but flinty Baltimore family,
the quirky occupations, the spe-
cial foods. There are times when
such familiarity might feel tire-
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