Book review: Better Luck Next Time — by Julia Claiborne Johnson

(Custom House) When an unknown but interested party finds Howard Stovall Bennett III, living out his last days in a retirement home, and shows him an old photo, Ward, as he was known, is delighted to tell the story of the time he worked as a make-believe cowboy on a dude ranch near Reno, Nev. that catered to the divorce trade, The Flying Leap. In those days, the late 1930s, a woman with means could establish residency in Nevada in just six weeks, and then obtain a divorce. It was Ward’s job to squire these … (read more)

(Ecco Press) In a nation split by irreconcilable differences, one woman, rigid and unyielding in her determination, imprinted with a legacy of familial misconduct, takes on the task of single-handedly rescuing her new family from the violent outlaw who se … (read more)

(Algonquin Books) It was just too good to be true. Charlie Boykin, a boy whose life had been marked by misfortune — his father gone before he was born, his young mother estranged from her family working nights to support the family, a social life in high … (read more)

(Algonquin Young Readers) Badger, a rock scientist without steady rock work, but most assuredly on the precipice of an Important Rock Discovery, lives in his Aunt Lulu’s brownstone, offered as a place for him to live, “until-you-get-back-on-your-feet” Aun … (read more)

(Random House) Be prepared to be amazed as you enter the world of fungi, from yeast to psychedelics, mycelial networks to metabolic masters. You’ll learn about fungal worm-hunting and zombie fungi (a group of fungi that hijack the bodies of insects to spr … (read more)

(Mariner Books) Robert Macfarlane, author of “Underland,” “The Lost Words” and “The Lost Spells,” as guest editor this year, ushers readers into this most peculiar time, a time when dreaming about travel, and thus reading and writing about travel, is surg … (read more)

(Sounds True) You’ve probably heard of the Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof, also known as the Iceman, who has set numerous world records with his ability to withstand freezing temperatures. In his newest book, following his nonfiction works “The Way of the … (read more)

(Harper) On the surface, this small serious novel, droll in moments, concerns the individual experiences of three young people who, having been witness to and actors in a tragic occurrence, find themselves no longer comfortable in their ordinary lives as … (read more)

(Pamela Dorman Books) Richard Osman, the hugely popular star of numerous British quiz shows, has delivered an intricately plotted and delightfully devilish mystery in her debut novel, and it appears perfectly poised to make the leap directly to television … (read more)

(Princeton University Press) It is always edifying to expand your mind in the contemplation of big ideas, and author Sean Carroll is very adept at creating such an opportunity, presenting his big ideas in a tiny tome (his new book is approximately 5- by 8 … (read more)

(Liveright Publishing Corporation) Les Payne, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist, conducted hundreds of hours of interviews, and pored over books, newspaper accounts and court documents, to construct this epic biography of Malcolm X, and it i … (read more)

(Harper) In the harsh, cold landscape of early 20th-century America, futures and fortunes are being made, much as they always are, on the backs of the underpaid and underrepresented workers and the fortunate ones call the shots, giving nothing in return. … (read more)

(Grove Press) A decade in the childhood of Hugh Bain, called Shuggie, son of Shug Bain, hackney driver, and Agnes Bain, in decaying public housing, framed by year and locale, is rich with empathy and love, a seemingly unending capacity for love. It’s no m … (read more)

(Picador USA) At the close of a recent virtual conversation about her new collection of essays, Terry Tempest Williams, educator, naturalist, writer and activist, howled towards the sky from her living room in the wilds of Utah, and joyously enlivened the … (read more)

(Counterpoint Press) Now in paperback, “The Revisioners” is award-winning author Margaret Wilkerson Sexton’s second novel, and a national bestseller. It is a lively, expansive and deeply moving book composed of three timelines and focused on two women, Jo … (read more)