#The best books of the week

Grand: A Grandparents Wisdom for a Happy Life

Charles Johnson (Essays, Hanover Square Press)


A delightful collection of essays from the award-winning novelist on the joys of being a grandparent, offering life lessons and wise observations.

A Burning

Megha Majumdar (fiction, Knopf)


Jivan is a Muslim girl from the slums who becomes the main suspect in a terror attack on an Indian train, all fingers pointed at her due to a careless comment on Facebook. As she becomes the focus of a huge media trial, the different players in her life — including her opportunistic gym teacher — manipulate the situation for personal gain.

The Vanishing Sky

L. Annette Binder (fiction, Bloomsbury)


In 1945, as the war in Germany lurches to its end, a rural German mother has two sons: one on the Eastern front, and a younger son at a school for Hitler youth. When her older son returns home, he is thin and withdrawn, while her husband retreats further into nationalism.

Tea by the Sea

Donna Hemans (fiction, Red Hen Press)


Plum Valentine’s daughter was taken from her the day after the baby was born, snatched, without explanation, by the girl’s father. Seventeen years later, a photo of the man in a newspaper leads her to this quest: Confront the man, and take her daughter back.

The Boyfriend Project

Farrah Rochon (fiction, Forever)


A fun, fresh new digital-age romance about three young women who become friends after a live-tweeting incident that goes viral; turns out they’ve all been led on by the same guy. In the aftermath, Samiah Brooks decides to take a break from men and focus on herself and her career. But that’s when an attractive new co-worker comes along …

I Was Told It Would Get Easier

Abbi Waxman (fiction, Berkley)


Jessica and Emily Burnstein are on a crowded bus, mapping out their college tour. Emily is excited to get a preview of the independence that will soon be hers, while Jessica is looking to reconnect with her daughter. Hilarious misadventures ensue.