By Jessica Grose - Vulture - June 1, 2012
1. The Innocents, by Francesca Segal
This retelling of The Age of Innocence sets Edith Wharton’s classic in modern London among cloistered, upper-class Jews. A debut novel, Segal’s book has been getting raves for its elegance and subtlety. (June)
2. Motherland, by Amy Sohn
A sequel to Sohn’s juicy Prospect Park West, which was about Brownstone Brooklyn mommies and their various discontents, Motherland takes place in Park Slope, Cape Cod, and the Village just before the end of the summer. Like all of Sohn’s books, it will be engaging and probably hit slightly too close to home for New York moms. (August)
3. Hotels, Hospitals, and Jails, by Anthony Swofford
Another memoir from the author of the Gulf War chronicle Jarhead, this book follows a series of RV trips Swofford took with his Vietnam Vet dad. Sounds alternately touching and booze-soaked — the best kind of story. (June)
4. Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety, by Daniel Smith
This chronicle of one man’s lifetime of soul-destroying anxiety might not seem like an obvious book to take on the Hamptons Jitney. But for fellow anxiety-sufferers, it’s like finding an Anne of Green Gables–style kindred spirit. (July)
5. All Told: My Art and Life Among Athletes, Playboys, Bunnies, and Provocateurs by LeRoy Neiman
I do love it when a celebrity will dish the dirt, though they so rarely deliver the goods. Something tells me the artist who covered the “Man at His Leisure” beat for Playboy will not be shy about telling all his sexy stories. (Out now)
This retelling of The Age of Innocence sets Edith Wharton’s classic in modern London among cloistered, upper-class Jews. A debut novel, Segal’s book has been getting raves for its elegance and subtlety. (June)
2. Motherland, by Amy Sohn
A sequel to Sohn’s juicy Prospect Park West, which was about Brownstone Brooklyn mommies and their various discontents, Motherland takes place in Park Slope, Cape Cod, and the Village just before the end of the summer. Like all of Sohn’s books, it will be engaging and probably hit slightly too close to home for New York moms. (August)
3. Hotels, Hospitals, and Jails, by Anthony Swofford
Another memoir from the author of the Gulf War chronicle Jarhead, this book follows a series of RV trips Swofford took with his Vietnam Vet dad. Sounds alternately touching and booze-soaked — the best kind of story. (June)
4. Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety, by Daniel Smith
This chronicle of one man’s lifetime of soul-destroying anxiety might not seem like an obvious book to take on the Hamptons Jitney. But for fellow anxiety-sufferers, it’s like finding an Anne of Green Gables–style kindred spirit. (July)
5. All Told: My Art and Life Among Athletes, Playboys, Bunnies, and Provocateurs by LeRoy Neiman
I do love it when a celebrity will dish the dirt, though they so rarely deliver the goods. Something tells me the artist who covered the “Man at His Leisure” beat for Playboy will not be shy about telling all his sexy stories. (Out now)