Why the March sisters remain such favorites
The Thread's Must-Read
"Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win"by Jo Piazza
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I picked up "Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win" from a van-turned-bookstore called Twenty Stories on Hope Street in Providence, R.I. They only stock 20 books at a time — not a lot of room for overstock and backlist in that Chevy. Co-owner Alexa Trembly hand-sold it to me with a simple pitch: It's a one-sit read. Pick it up and the plot will keep you turning pages.
She's right.
Charlotte Walsh, Silicon Valley titan, returns to her home state of Pennsylvania to run for Senate as a Democrat. Her competition: a longtime, revered Republican incumbent. As the days to the election count down, the demands of the campaign trail test Charlotte's marriage, morals and patience. Veteran journalist turned novelist Jo Piazza weaves in sharp critiques of the media, political establishment and our current economy within the soapy plot. It's a treat.
-Stephanie Curtis
After 150 years, "Little Women" still resonates "Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy" by Anne Boyd Rioux
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In "Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy," Anne Boyd Rioux describes how the sisterly bond of the March girls that Louisa May Alcott created many years ago remains a paragon of female friendship and inspiration.
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Why we can't look away from the end of the world "The Crossing" by Jason Mott
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Jason Mott's novels capture dark, unforgiving situations: the dead returning, a new world war, a deadly epidemic. Why do we have a taste for those stories?
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The world ends not with a bang, but a memo "Severance" by Ling Ma
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Ling Ma's shocking and ferocious new novel mashes up a zombie apocalypse story with the everyday tribulations of office life — you may run from zombies but you'll never escape middle management.
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This is a sweet book about a savvy young woman "To Be Honest" by Maggie Ann Martin
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Maggie Ann Martin's new novel follows Savannah, who's dealing with her sister's departure for college, her mother's obsession with her weight, and the cute new boy at school.
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"How Are You Going to Save Yourself" asks the hard questions "How Are You Going to Save Yourself" by JM Holmes
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JM Holmes asks a lot of questions in his debut story collection, a shockingly powerful, gorgeously written book about four African-American friends growing up and growing apart.
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An immortal goddess gets her due "Circe" by Madeline Miller
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Remember Circe from "The Odyssey"? The ancient sorceress finally gets to take center stage in Madeline Miller's new novel.
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Once it gets rolling, this sci-fi mind-bender shines "Ball Lightning" by Cixin Liu
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The novel is Chinese writer Cixin Liu's first in English since his "Remembrance of Earth's Past" trilogy. And that series' radical creativity returns in this tale of scientific striving — eventually.
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A childlike Western with hidden depths "Coyote Doggirl" by Lisa Hanawalt
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Artist Lisa Hanawalt creates kids' stories for grownups, both on TV — she's the production designer for "BoJack Horseman" — and in her new book "Coyote Doggirl," a candy-colored Western saga.
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