A Tale for the Time Being. Ruth Ozeki. Viking. 422 pages. $28.95.

Fiction

Diary pulls woman into the past

Interlocking narratives about a Japanese girl and a writer drive this compelling novel.

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power. Jon Meacham. Random. 800 pages. $35.

Author! Author!

Jon Meacham discusses his new biography on Thomas Jefferson

When President John F. Kennedy hosted all living recipients of the Nobel Prize in 1962, he told them, “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.’’ Photo Gallery Available

Comandante: Hugo Chavez's Venezuela. Rory Carroll. Penguin. 320 pages. $27.95

Nonfiction

BOOK REVIEW: What Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez left behind

A journalist delves into the good and bad of Hugo Chávez’s legacy

Wool. Hugh Howey. Simon and Schuster. 528 pages. $15 in paper.

Science fiction

Wool: Is the silo shelter or prison?

In a post-apocalyptic world, society lives underground, kept in the dark in multiple ways.

What are you reading now?

“Right now I’m reading the novel Schroder by Amity Gaige. It’s about a first-generation German immigrant who passes himself off as a Kennedy and, years later, kidnaps his daughter for six days during a heated custody battle with his wife . . . . It doesn’t seem like this guy should be particularly sympathetic, but the book is so beautifully written that you get completely caught up in it. And I think a lot of people can relate to the idea of parents who would do anything at all for their children.”

The Sunshine When She’s Gone. Thea Goodman. Holt. 228 pages. $24.

Fiction

Pushed to the edge by a baby

Sleeplessness and stress lead a Manhattan couple to separate for a weekend.

Salt Sugar Fat. Michael Moss. Random. 480 pages. $28.

Nonfiction

Reporter gives readers a lot to digest

You might get indigestion from this up-close examination of processed food.

N.Y. Times bestsellers for the week

1. (1) Frost Burned, Patricia Briggs

Nothing Gold Can Stay. Ron Rash. Ecco. 256 pages. $24.99.

Stories

Ron Rash’s stories reflect a hardscrabble Appalachia

Appalachian storyteller Ron Rash weaves tales and characters together in an illuminating collection

N.Y. Times bestsellers

1. (1) Calculated in Death, J.D. Robb.

What are you reading now?

“I am currently reading A Clash of Kings by some guy named George R.R. Martin. Has anyone heard of this series? It’s quite good. I was fortunate to be stationed near George during a book signing in Chicago last year. I’ve never seen a man more gracious with his readers and fans. And now that I’m living in the world he created, I count myself among both. It’s the sort of writing that makes you either want to give up or try harder. I’m trying harder.”

Literary events

Book events around town include Maddow, Diamant and more

The Broward Public Library Foundation celebrates 25 years of literary fun and fundraising with this year’s Literary Feast, which runs Friday through March 17 with events around town.

Benediction. Kent Haruf. Knopf. 272 pages. $25.95.

Fiction

Kent Haruf returns to Holt, Colorado in ‘Benediction’

Kent Haruf returns to Holt, Colo., to set the scene for death, reunions and life’s highlights

FAREWELL, DOROTHY PARKER. Ellen Meister. Putnam. 308 pages. $26.95.

Fiction

Shrinking Violet summons her strength, with help from a literary friend

Fierce on the page but shy in real life, movie critic Violet Epps discovers her inner Dorothy Parker — with the help of the author’s ghost.

Gun Guys: A Road Trip. Dan Baum. Knopf. 338 pages. $26.95.

Nonfiction

Packing a gun while touring armed America

Guns are a hot political topic now. Since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in December, almost everyone has one of two views on firearms. Guns, like abortion, are seen by some as a life-or-death issue that merits careful regulation, and by others as a matter of personal freedom and constitutional right. Each camp makes little attempt to understand the other, much less to compromise.

Suspense

Doc Ford tackles old Florida mystery

Florida’s history is fairly recent. But what the state lacks in longevity, it makes up in oddities and eccentricities. Photo Gallery Available

What are you reading now?

“I just read The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer [the novel comes out in April]. It’s all about what it means to be a success and what happens to talent and aging. It’s just great.”

The Storyteller. Jodi Picoult. Emily Bester Books/Atria. 462 pages. $28.

Author appearance

Jodi Picoult’s new book tackles Holocaust, forgiveness issues

Like most novels about the Holocaust, Jodi Picoult’s latest book takes readers on a harrowing, unforgettable journey. But fans aren’t the only ones who experience the story’s emotional punch. Photo Gallery Available

Finding Florida. T.D. Allman. Atlantic Monthly. 528 pages. $27.50.

History

Revisiting the past

T.D. Allman takes issue with some of the myths in Florida’s history

National Book Critics Circle honors Caro, Fountain

Author Robert Caro is again the critics’ choice.

What are you reading now?

“John Searles has a new book coming out called Help for the Haunted, which is fantastic. It’s about a pair of sisters whose parents help people who believe they’re haunted by some kind of spirit. It is just great and unique. The characters are not anything you’ve ever seen before. He doesn’t write fiction often, but when he does, he knocks it out of the park.”

FLIMSY LITTLE PLASTIC MIRACLES.
Ron Currie Jr. Viking. 340 pages. $26.95.

Fiction

Taking a long drive off a short pier

A fictional author fakes his death, treats people badly — and becomes an overnight sensation.

Little Known Facts. Christine Sneed. Bloomsbury. 304 pages. $25.

Fiction

Fame and fortune in the celebrity world

For a debut novelist with a quiet literary sensibility to take on the bloated, overexposed milieu of celebrity culture — and to approach it as a head-on dissection — requires a certain bravado. The soul-sucking Hollywood machine is an area well tread by journalists, memoirists, filmmakers and novelists.

American Isis: The Life and Art of Sylvia Plath. Carl Rollyson. St. Martin’s. 319 pages. $29.99.

Biography

More than a damsel in distress

A biography of Sylvia Plath is the first to draw from her husband’s archives.

The Dinner. Herman Koch. Translated by Sam Garrett. Hogarth. 292 pages. $24.

Fiction

Unspeakable crime and rival brothers

A murder brings two couples together for a long dinner and some serious conversation.

Book excerpt: Like life itself, nurturing begins with seeds

A basic way to give yourself the care you need is by making healthier food choices — for you and the planet Photo Gallery Available

RICHARD BLANCO

‘Son of Miami’ Richard Blanco talks life, inaugural poetry

At the Arsht Center, Richard Blanco spoke about growing up in Miami and the honor of being the presidential inaugural poet.

The Sound of Broken Glass. Deborah Crombie. Morrow. 359 pages. $25.99.

Suspense

She’s still at the top of her game

Suspense author brings married London detectives to vivid life — again.

Coolidge. Amity Shlaes. Harper.576 pages. $35.

History

Biography of Calvin Coolidge puts passive president in a fresh light

In the summer of 1927, Calvin Coolidge stunned the nation with a characteristically terse announcement that he would not seek a second full term as president. At the time, he was vacationing in the Black Hills of South Dakota, home of the then-unfinished Mount Rushmore monument. If Amity Shlaes had her way, Coolidge’s cheerless visage would be added to that polished crag. The consensus among historians is that he was a minor president, a “placeholder between Roosevelts.” But in her biography, Shlaes argues that Coolidge’s passivity and tight-fistedness were what was needed to foster an era of apparently endless plenty.

Swoon: Great Seducers and Why Women Love Them. Betsy Prioleau.
Norton. 339 pages. $26.95.

Nonfiction

Common traits of modern Casanovas

This book may well answer the question: What do women really want?

Stories

Seven unexceptional men shine a light on coping with everyday life.

Jim Gavin’s remarkable debut story collection takes us into the lives of seven unexceptional men. A deliveryman, a salesman, a dropout — they’re all blunderers, each living a sort of limbo existence. But Gavin doesn’t let them rest. He flips them over, shakes them. He makes them confront their failures and themselves.

The Disaster Diaries: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Apocalypse. Sam Sheridan. Penguin. 324 pages. $26.95.

Nonfiction

He’ll be ready when catastrophe strikes

One man’s obsession in dealing with and surviving inevitable disaster.

What are you reading now?

“I just started Michael Palmer’s exciting new thriller Political Suicide, and I’m already gripped by the high stakes and the complex characters. What a writer! I also love literary fiction, and my favorite this year was Echolocation, an exquisite debut novel by Myfanwy Collins. It’s a richly layered story about broken souls yearning for wholeness and is so moving I recommend it to everyone. Next on my nightstand: Melanie Benjamin’s The Aviator’s Wife. Can’t wait!”