I probably can only read one book a month, so I have to make a choice from Book Group Favorites:
Here is the list for myself:
MRS. POE
Lynn Cullen
Inspired by literature’s most haunting love triangle, award-winning
author Lynn Cullen delivers a pitch-perfect rendering of Edgar Allan
Poe, his mistress’s tantalizing confession, and his wife’s frightening
obsession . . . in this “intelligent, sexy, and utterly addictive” (M.
J. Rose) new masterpiece of historical fiction.
1845: New York City is a sprawling warren of gaslit streets and crowded
avenues, bustling with new immigrants and old money, optimism and
opportunity, poverty and crime. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” is all the
rage—the success of which a struggling poet like Frances Osgood can
only dream. As a mother trying to support two young children after her
husband’s cruel betrayal, Frances jumps at the chance to meet the
illustrious Mr. Poe at a small literary gathering, if only to help her
fledgling career. Although not a great fan of Poe’s writing, she is
nonetheless overwhelmed by his magnetic presence— and the surprising
revelation that he admires
her work.
What follows is a flirtation, then a seduction, then an illicit affair .
. . and with each clandestine encounter, Frances finds herself falling
slowly and inexorably under the spell of her mysterious, complicated
lover. But when Edgar’s frail wife Virginia insists on befriending
Frances as well, the relationship becomes as dark and twisted as one of
Poe’s tales. And like those gothic heroines whose fates are forever
sealed, Frances begins to fear that deceiving Mrs. Poe may be as
impossible as cheating death itself. . . .
Sweet Tooth
Ian McEvan
Cambridge student Serena Frome's beauty and intelligence make her the
ideal recruit for M15. The year is 1972. The Cold War is far from over.
England's legendary intelligence agency is determined to manipulate the
cultural conversation by funding writers whose politics align with those
of the government. The operation is code named "Sweet Tooth." Serena, a
compulsive reader of novels, is the perfect candidate to infiltrate the
literary circle of a promising young writer named Tom Haley. At first,
she loves the stories. Then she begins to love the man. How long can she
conceal her undercover life? To answer that question, Serena must
abandon the first rule of espionage: trust no one.
Wild
From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Cheryl Strayed
A Best Book of the Year: NPR, The Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, Vogue, St. Louis Dispatch
At
twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake
of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was
soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made
the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training,
driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of
the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and
Oregon to Washington State—and she would do it alone. Told with suspense
and style, sparkling with warmth and humor,
Wild powerfully
captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead
against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and
ultimately healed her.
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