Weekend picks for book lovers
What should you read this weekend? USA TODAY's picks for book lovers include an Alice Munro retrospective, plus Christmas tales, both fanciful and true.
Family Furnishings: Selected Stories, 1995 – 2014 by Alice Munro; Knopf, 620 pp.; fiction
When Alice Munro was awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature, at the age of 82, she became the first Canadian woman to do so, and the 13th woman to win since its launch in 1901. Munro viewed the Nobel as a victory for her preferred genre.
"I would really hope that this would make people see the short story as an important art, not something you play around with until you got a novel written," she said at the time.
Her mastery is evident throughout Family Furnishings, which offers 24 stories written over the past two decades.
With great subtlety, Munro delves into small- town life (notably, the rural Ontario of her childhood), the vicissitudes of love and marriage, the difficult relations between parents and children, and the painful task of reconciling with the past.
USA TODAY says **** out of four. Munro "proves that she can do more in a single story -- stylistically, emotionally -- than most writers can do in an entire novel."
Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand; Little, Brown, 246 pp.; fiction
The story of the Quinn clan and their relatable crises begins with a bang when Nantucket innkeeper Kelley Quinn discovers his ditsy second wife, Mitzi, kissing Santa Claus passionately in Room 10.
USA TODAY says ***. "Open this diverting tale of family dysfunction and you'll find a holiday package filled with humor, romance and realism (one son is fighting in Afghanistan)."
Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron; Soho Crime, 336 pp.; fiction
The latest in Barron's witty series of Jane Austen mysteries concerns the seemingly accidental death of a government official thrown from his horse. It's also a loving portrait of Jane's sister, mother and niece.
USA TODAY says ***1/2. The "warm depiction of family relations chimes perfectly with the seasonal setting."
Mr. Miracle by Debbie Macomber; Ballantine, 255 pp.; fiction
When 24-year-old Addie Folsom moves home to get her life back on track, she runs into her childhood crush, Erich Simmons. It's the holidays, so she has a little help from her (very literal) guardian angel Harry.
USA TODAY says ***. "Mr. Miracle definitely falls in the category of 'heartwarming.' "
A Christmas Far From Home: An Epic Tale of Courage and Survival During the Korean War by Stanley Weintraub; Da Capo Press; non-fiction
Examines mistakes U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur made during the Korean War leading to the sacrifice of many American lives in the cold desolation of North Korea in December 1950.
USA TODAY says ***. "Builds suspense… Weintraub does not give readers a joyous holiday tale, but he does provide a useful one."
Contributing reviewers: Carmela Ciuraru, Jocelyn McClurg, Charles Finch, Kelly Lawler, Ray Locker