In search of something good to read? ‘s Barbara VanDenburgh scopes out the shelves for this week’s hottest new book releases. All books are on sale Tuesday.
1. “Finding Me,” by Viola Davis (HarperOne, nonfiction)
What it’s about: The Oscar-, Emmy- and Tony-winning thespian (“Fences,” “The Help,” “How to Get Away With Murder”) shares her personal story of overcoming childhood poverty and dysfunction to become one of the most celebrated artists of her generation.
The buzz:Kirkus Reviews calls it “An unvarnished chronicle of hard-won, well-earned success.”
2. “The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor – the Truth and the Turmoil,” by Tina Brown (Crown, nonfiction)
What it’s about: Brown, the British royal family chronicler and author of “The Diana Chronicles,” tells the inside story of how the British monarchy tried to reinvent itself in the wake of Princess Diana’s death and the forces threatening to rip it apart.
The buzz: Brown’s new book has been kept under lock and key. But her 2007 book “The Diana Chronicles” was a captivating, dishy bio, and the royal family has only gotten more melodramatic since.
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3. “City on Fire,” by Don Winslow (William Morrow, fiction)
What it’s about: A beautiful woman sets off a war between the two criminal empires controlling New England in this contemporary Iliad from the celebrated crime writer.
The buzz: A starred review from Kirkus Reviews calls it “A blistering novel filled with anger and bite,” and says there are “plenty of thrills for the reader.”
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4. “Where the Children Take Us: How One Family Achieved the Unimaginable,” by Zain Asher (Amistad, nonfiction)
What it’s about: The Acesparks anchor pays tribute to her mother who, after her death, raised four children alone as a Nigerian immigrant in South London, overcoming incredible hardships and obstacles to help her children succeed.
The buzz: A starred review from Kirkus Reviews calls it “A wholly inspiring portrait of an extraordinary immigrant family.”
5. “The Children on the Hill,” by Jennifer McMahon (Gallery / Scout Press, fiction)
What it’s about: In her genre-defying new novel, the author of “The Drowning Kind” takes inspiration from Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” about the “monsters” linked to a 1970s psychiatric hospital.
The buzz: “Mary Shelley would give it two thumbs up,” says a starred review from Kirkus Reviews.
