1 buzzworthy books
MAKE MORE ROOM ON THE SHELF
We highlighted a half-dozen new books by local authors in our last issue . We already need a sequel .
WRITTEN BY CINDY SCHWEICHHANDLER
1 EULOGY BY MIKE LASER ( JULY26 )
In this intriguing novel , Ken Weintraub has just delivered his father ’ s eulogy when he learns that the man he thought he knew kept life-defining secrets from him — including that he spent three years in prison , and that he performed two surprising acts of heroism . As Weintraub pries information from old friends , relatives , and others , he pieces together a portrait that ’ s full of contradictions . Was his father an assassin ’ s accomplice , a gullible victim , or a brave and loyal friend ? Laser , a Montclair resident and author of the novels My Impending Death and 6-321 , has written a book with “ all the tension and fast pacing of a police procedural ,” according to Shelf Awareness , the book business newsletter publisher .
2 BLOOD & INK : THE SCANDALOUS JAZZ AGEDOUBLE MURDER THAT HOOKED AMERICA ON TRUE CRIME BY JOE POMPEO ( SEPTEMBER 13 )
Vanity Fair correspondent Joe Pompeo isn ’ t the first author to investigate the unsolved double murder of lovers Reverend Edward Hall and choir member Eleanor Mills , but his research is the most thorough , and Blood & Ink : The Scandalous Jazz Age Double Murder that Hooked America on True Crime couldn ’ t be more of apage-turner . This is especially true for New Jersey readers interested in local crimes ( the bodies are discovered under a crabapple tree in a New Brunswick park ). Pompeo , a Montclair resident , also shows how the lurid details of the case wereleveraged by the nascent tabloid newspaper industry for profit , marking the beginning of a business model with which contemporary readers are more than familiar . Blood & Ink ’ s pub date mid-September coincided with the 100th anniversary of the crime .
3 YOUARE WORTHY BY KELLEY HOLLAND ( SEPTEMBER 20 )
While writing about personal finance issues at CNBC , journalist and longtime area resident Kelley Holland noted how women ’ s participation in the workforce had peaked in the ’ 90s , and that persistent themes — caregiving duties , living longer — made smart investing even more important for them . “ There was a lot of information out there on how to accumulate wealth , but women weren ’ t using it ,” she says .“ What was the missing piece ?” Her new book , YouAre Worthy : Change Your Money Mindset , Build Your Wealth & Fund Your Future , answers that question . It is aguide that helps women get past the feelings of doubt and self-defeatism that preclude making successful investment plans , she says .“ The book is a journey with money , not just how to makeabudget ,” saysHolland .
MAGGIE O ’ FARRELL TO DISCUSS
4 THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT ( OCTOBER 19 )
Maggie O ’ Farrell , author of the NewYork Times bestselling Hamnet , will talk about her latest book , The MarriagePortrait , at7p . m ., October 19 , atThe Sanctuary , Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Montclair , 67 Church St . The discussion is part of nonprofit Succeed2gether ’ s Montclair Literary Festival , and will be O ’ Farrell ’ s only event planned in support of The MarriagePortrait in New Jersey . The novel is about young duchess Lucrezia de ’ Medici as she makes her way in a troubled court . In a starred review , Publishers Weekly proclaims it “ a captivating portrait of a woman attempting to free herself from a golden cage .” Tickets to hear the author in person cost $ 35 and include a copy of the book . For more information and to buy tickets , visit bit . ly / Maggie1019 .
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MIKE LASER : COURTESY OF HELEN LASER ; JOE POMPEO : COURTESY OF NEW MOON PHOTOGRAPHY ; KELLEY HOLLAND : COURTESY OF MICHAEL J . STAHL ; MAGGIE O ’ FARRELL : COURTESY OF MURDO MACLEOD ; BOOKS : COURTESY OF THE PUBLISHERS
4 FALL 2022 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE