The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden
by Jonas Jonasson (Ecco)
There’s a new offbeat ingenue lurking in the land of “Pippi Longstocking,” and “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”— and this one’s an expert in thermonuclear weaponry. In her second satire, Jonasson (“The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared”) Nombeko Mayeki is an escaped prisoner from a secret South African nuclear arsenal. With a bag of stolen diamonds, this extraordinary orphan seeks sanctuary in the Nordic north. But alas, the Swedish situation is far from sweet, as twisted twins named Holger 1 and Holger 2 plot to kidnap the king.
There Goes Gravity
A Life in Rock and Roll
by Lisa Robinson (Riverhead)
In chronicling, among other things, her early ’70s touring with the Roling Stones and Led Zeppelin, former Post music columnist Robinson (now with Vanity Fair) writes in a breezy style that conveys a feeling of “I can’t believe that I’m one of the boys on the bus — or plane”). Robinson reported on and befriended the likes of John Lennon — she writes about being at Peter Boyle’s wedding with him and Yoko, then on to Lutèce, and later, a party for Rod Stewart — hanging with pre-plastic surgery Michael Jackson, along with stories on Bowie, Blondie, Patti Smith U2 and lots more.
A Sting in the Tale
My Adventures with Bumblebees
by Dave Goulson (Picador)
In case you didn’t know, there is an organization in the UK called the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Author Goulson is the founder. And his enthusiasm shines through as he tells of his attempt to bring the short-haired bumblebee back to Britain, its native land (they’re found only in the wilds of New Zealand now). Despite writing about lots of research and details, such as genetics and nesting habits, Goulson transforms what could be dry material with a stinging wit.
My Mantelpiece
A Memoir of Survival and Social Justice
by Carolyn Goodman (Why Not Books)
Upper West Siders Carolyn and Bobby Goodman believed in progressive causes, and lived their lives accordingly. So when their son Andy, then 20, said he wanted to go to Mississippi in 1964 to register black voters as part of the Freedom Summer, they could hardly say no. He and fellow civil rights activists Michael Schwerner and James Chaney were murdered in Philadelphia, Miss., in a case that roiled the nation. In her 200-page memoir, Ms. Goodman, who died in 2007, recalls her own turbulent childhood, and life of activism after her son’s death.
Manhattan Sweetheart
by Jay Fingers (JFXXXVI Books)
The Memphis-raised Brooklyn author introduces us to good guy Bash, a promoter in a firm about to close its NYC office. He’s fallen for model/singer-wannabe Persephone, who despite one hookup, sees him only as a pal. Add in a local Fort Greene dive bar getting gentrified daily, parties with Rihanna and a Spitzer-like prostitution scandal with NYC Mayor Tomato, and you’ve got a fine urban-fiction yarn.