Back to School Books

Just because it’s back-to-school that doesn’t mean the summer reading ends. 

‘Ready for my Close Up’

Are you ready for Norma Desmond’s closeup? David M. Lubin explores the dark side of Hollywood and the making of Sunset Boulevard in Ready for My Close Up. This is a terrific behind-the-scenes peek at Billy Wilder’s comeback vehicle for silent star Gloria Swanson and last chance for William Holden. Loaded with juicy details and ruminations on Hollywood’s cavalier treatment of its stars, it is insightful and will delight fans of movies, Hollywood, and history.

‘House of the Monstrous Women’

Daphne Fama wraps us in an oppressive maze-like house in the Philippines in her House of Monstrous Women. This gothic horror is set in 1986 when the country was rebelling against the iron rule of President Ferdinand Marcos. It took me a minute to engage, but once I did, I found it truly atmospheric and unique. Josephine travels to her childhood friend’s home, set amongst shapeshifting trees and silent servants. Unbeknownst to her, she has been summoned to engage in a life-or-death game with her estranged brother and his girlfriend. The winner will have everything she, or he, desires, but first someone must die. I loved the climax on this one which is brutal and chaotic.

‘Night Watcher’

It must be in her blood. Daphne Woolsoncroft’s Night Watcher is an eerie thriller set in Portland, Oregon. If the name is familiar, it is because she is a descendant of “Frankenstein” author Mary Shelley, whose own mother was Mary Wollstonecraft, an author and early feminist icon. As a popular true crime podcaster, in her debut novel Woolsoncroft deftly writes about a serial killer called the Hiding Man that has haunted Nola Strafe. Nola witnessed her babysitter killed by the masked man, only to have him haunt her decades later. This one is spine tingling. 

‘The Frequency of Living Things’

Three sisters and their activist mother are at the heart of Nick Fuller Googins’ The Frequency of Living Things, the follow-up to his powerful The Great Transition. Josephine and her twin sisters are in a band. The band hasn’t had a hit in years, and Josephine has been keeping them afloat financially and emotionally. The twins return to the stage (Josephine is the offstage silent partner) but they are falling apart as one of the sisters struggles with drugs. Googins brings us an epic yet intimate story, filled with warmth, about family and addiction and resilience. 

‘We Are All Guilty Here’

Karin Slaughter’s 25^th book in 25 years is the terrific We Are All Guilty Here. In Clifton County, Georgia, two disgruntled teens go missing. Deputy Emmy Lou Clifton (her forefathers founded the area) and her sheriff dad race against the clock to find out what happened. Flash forward a dozen years and the town is reeling when another teen goes missing. Slaughter is expert at what she does, drawing us into the drama, making her characters flawed and deeply empathetic. Don’t miss this one. 

‘High Season’

In the character driven mystery High Season by Katie Bishop, Nina is struggling with her sister’s murder. When she was a young girl she was the only witness to the killing. Now, years later Nina returns to the scene of the crime where someone is investigating the long-ago murder, causing Nina to doubt what she saw and what she told others she saw. Bishop seesaws between two timelines and several POV’s to solve the riddle of what really happened so long ago in “paradise.”

‘The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer’

International bestselling mystery writer Ragnar Jónasson is back with his best yet. The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer is another Agatha Christie-worthy mystery. When a popular Icelandic author goes missing it is up to a young detective Helgi Reykdal to solve the crime. Reykdal is a super fan and under pressure to return his idol to safety. Along the way he uncovers her secrets and learns of those who might have wished her gone. Jónasson always produces a page-turner with interesting characters set in his beloved Reykjavik.