If you’re a reader, you might want to keep your fingers crossed for a rainy November. That way, you’ll have plenty of time to stay indoors with the new books coming this month.
- “Lazarus Man” by Richard Price: For the past decade or so, Price has been Mr. Prestige TV, writing for acclaimed crime shows “The Wire” and “The Night Of,” as well as the Stephen King miniseries “The Outsider.” Even before that, his novels were movie magnets, with “The Wanderers,” “Clockers” and “Freedomland” all becoming terrific movies. So it’s probably only a matter of time before “Lazarus Man” becomes a film, too. It sure sounds like it could be a good one: When a New York tenement building collapses, the tragedy reverberates through many lives, including one man who somehow walked out of the rubble. (Nov. 12)
- “The Magnificent Ruins” by Nayantara Roy: A millennial woman must abandon her promising career in America to return home to Kolkata, India, where she has inherited her family’s mansion. One problem: Practically her entire extended family already is living in her ancestral home. Another problem: Every single one of them has a secret that threatens to destroy the delicate balance in which they all live. Roy, whose day job is as a TV executive, says the book is about belonging and learning to speak up for oneself. Already drawing comparisons to “Ask Again, Yes,” it also sounds like just the kind of juicy family drama that’s perfect for autumn. (Nov. 12)
- “Open Minded” by Chloe Seager: Polyamory is definitely having a moment. Earlier this year, Molly Roden Winter’s memoir, “More,” recounted what happened (good and bad) when she and her husband opened up their marriage. Having more than one partner pops pretty often in the movies and this year even produced a reality show about that balancing act, “Couple to Throuple,” on Peacock. Romance novels were way ahead of the curve, with so many of them taking on polyamory that it became a subgenre. In that vein, Seager’s “Open Minded” is a seriocomic look at two couples, one of which is opening their relationship and one of which is closing it back up again. (Nov. 12)
- “The Ultimate Minnesota a Cookie Book” by Rick Nelson and Lee Svitak Dean: Former Star Tribune staffers Nelson and Dean have beefed up their popular collection of recipes from the paper’s annual holiday cookie contest. It’s bigger, better and even more full of deliciousness, featuring only the cream of the crop of flour, butter and sugar creations. “Ultimate” features the 100 best recipes as well as photos by another former Stribber, Tom Wallace. And I’m not just saying that because one of the new recipes is Nelson’s dolled-up take on my mom’s beloved molasses cookie recipe. (Out now)
- “Ingenious” by Richard Munson: There have been plenty of doorstopper biographies of statesman Benjamin Franklin (as well as an extraordinary look at the brilliant sister who lived in his shadow, “Book of Ages”). That’s not what this is. Instead, in only 200 or so pages, Munson — who was director of the Environmental Defense Fund — narrows his scope to Franklin’s work as a scientist. The book, beginning with a fun anecdote about Franklin flying that key attached to a kite, proceeds to demonstrate how much we still owe to his explorations in botany, meteorology, physics, chemistry and more. (Nov. 12)
