Short-story readers are in for a treat with Roxana Robinson’s new collection, while current events observers can delve into “No God But God,” a look at Islam. “Eventide,” Kent Haruf’s follow-up to the exquisite “Plainsong,” is finally out in paperback.
FICTION
“A Perfect Stranger,” by Roxana Robinson, Random House, 256 pages, $23.95|Here are 13 stories in the third collection from from the author of the novel “Sweetwater.”
“Music of the Mill,” by Luis J. Rodriguez, Rayo, 308 pages, $24.95|Three generations of the Salcido family set in post-World War II California.
“The Breakdown Lane,” by Jacquelyn Mitchard, HarperCollins, 383 pages, $25.95|Julieanne is an advice columnist who hasn’t a clue about her own life.
NONFICTION
“No God But God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam,” by Reza Aslan, Random House, 310 pages, $25.95|The author argues that rather than facing an Islam vs. the West battle, we are seeing an internal conflict within Islam itself.
“The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed,” by John Vaillant, Norton, 255 pages, $24.95|The felling of a celebrated giant golden spruce tree in British Columbia takes on a potent symbolism in this study of an act of eco-vandalism.
“On American Soil: How Justice Became a Casualty of World War II,” by Jack Hamann, Algonquin, 340 pages, $24.95|The lynching of an Italian prisoner of war on American soil stunned the country and led to the court martial of three black soldiers.
PAPERBACKS
“Eventide,” by Kent Haruf, Vintage, 300 pages, $13.95|The author returns to Holt, Colo., scene of his masterful “Plainsong,” to continue the story.
“Blood Done Sign My Name,” by Timothy B. Tyson, Three Rivers Press, 355 pages, $14 |A look at the civil rights struggle in the South centered on the murder of a young black man in North Carolina.
“River Rising,” by Dorothy Garlock, Warner, 388 pages, $12.95|The best-selling romance writer tells a tale of Depression-era Missouri.
COMING UP
“Eleven on Top,” by Janet Evanovich, St. Martin’s, 320 pages, $26.95, June|Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum wants a new job, but a stalker brings her back to familiar turf.
“Homefront,” by Chuck Logan, HarperCollins, 368 pages, $16.95, July|A minor scuffle between two kids results in violence and criminality.
“Cross Bones,” by Kathy Reichs, Scribner, 368 pages, $25, June|There is intrigue galore as forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan travels to the Holy Land on a case.
