A Woman Like Me
by Bettye LaVette (Penguin)
The life story of this soul singer — a real survivor, now 66 — is destined for the big screen. From the opening line about a pimp dangling her by a foot from the top of an apartment building at Amsterdam and 78th, she’s got us hooked, as she does onstage with her world-weary voice. Scoring her first hit, “My Man, He’s a Lovin’ Man,” as a teen, the Detroit-raised singer was going places. But she made some bad choices — she was a mother at 15, had troubles with drink and drugs and wooed her share of bad men. LaVette’s candid story is also a window into the early years of Motown and the Detroit music scene.
Isaac’s Army
A Story of Courage and Survival in Nazi-Occupied Poland
by Matthew Brzezinski (Random House)
They were “the other 1 percent.” According to journalist Brzezinski, that’s the portion of Jews in Poland who chose to resist the Nazis during WWII. The author focuses on Zionist activist Isaac Zuckerman and four other Polish Jews — including his 15-year-old bodyguard and a woman — who helped him form and lead the underground. All five survived to tell their stories, which Brzezinski weaves into a highly personalized yet epic account, beginning with the first day of World War II and ending in with the 1946 secret exodus to then-Palestine.
The Code
by G.B. Joyce (Pintail/Penguin)
Just in time for hockey fans who’d like to put NHL owners in the penalty box because of their lockout of the players, veteran Canadian sportswriter Joyce is out with a mystery starring retired journeyman player-turned-private eye Brad Shade. After a long, undistinguished career, Shade is scouting for the Los Angeles Kings. Following an old-timers charity game in Ontario that Shade plays in, the corpse of the legendary coach of a top prospect Shade is scouting is discovered in the parking lot. Soon, Shade’s scouting mission mixes with his murder investigation. And we thought hockey violence was only on the ice.
Little Star
by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Thomas Dunne Books)
Dubbed the Stephen King of Sweden, Lindqvist (“Let the Right One In”) lives up to the billing with a chilling tale of two teenage girls who team up as a terrifying singing duo bent on revenge against anyone who has ever crossed them. One, Theres, was found in the woods as a baby. She is kept, but hidden, by the family of a singer-songwriter. Later, she is seen on a reality TV show by Teresa, a depressed, overweight and bullied teen — and the two team up.
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore
by Robin Sloan (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
In an age where bookstores are disappearing, Sloan’s debut novel may just give them a reason to stick around. His Clay Jannon has lost his job as a Web designer for a hipster bagel shop in San Francisco. This leads him to a position at the title book shop, a magical place where the narrow space is made up for by shelves that reach three stories high. Clay’s world is filled with oddball customers and obscure ancient volumes, as well as today’s tech-obsessed activities.