Five picks for December

Buzz Reads is a column about books by reviewer Cindy Burnett. Each month, Cindy recommends five recently or soon-to-be released titles.

Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino (mystery/thriller) – Best Offer Wins is an unhinged, hilariously entertaining thriller set in the highly competitive Washington, D.C. real estate world. Margo, who is desperate to find her dream home and willing to find it at any cost, quickly becomes consumed by her search to purchase the perfect house. What results is a fresh thriller with clever plotting and a commentary on status, coveting what others have, and people’s ability to go after what they think they deserve no matter the cost. The story is filled with witty banter and over-the-top machinations. The reading experience is a bit like watching a train wreck in slow motion. This book is a great fit for those wanting a fast-paced, fresh thriller.

Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn (nonfiction) – In Family of Spies, Kuehn chronicles how she learned as an adult that her family was directly involved in the bombing of Pearl Harbor by passing secrets and intel to the Japanese while they were living in Hawaii. Prompted by a letter from a journalist, she begins to uncover her family's horrific, secretive involvement in a pivotal aspect of World War II. Kuehn examines what it is like to come to terms with the despicable acts committed by her grandparents and other family, something that has always personally intrigued me. How do descendants move forward from atrocities committed by ancestors and cope with the generational trauma that often results? Who should atone and how? Kuehn spent years researching her family’s hidden past, and her determination to tell their story results in a captivating and compelling read. This book will appeal to those who love family sagas, World War II history, and engaging nonfiction.

Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman (fiction) – Both Grace and Henry lost their spouses nearly a year ago. Grace’s husband died of cancer at age 42, and Henry’s wife was killed in a plane crash. Hoping to help their children process their grief, their mothers conspire to bring them together. While both say they are not willing to date yet, they concede that sharing their grief with someone who understands would help so they begin watching holiday movies together. As Henry begins to integrate into Grace’s family (she has two kids and a dog), both slowly begin to feel somewhat normal again. Norman expertly handles grief and the myriad of ways that it presents, and the characters are fabulous. Henry and Grace’s witty banter kept me smiling the entire time I was reading. Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon is a delightfully engaging read for fans of holiday movies and romance novels with some depth.

A Guardian and A Thief by Megha Majumdar (fiction) – Who is the guardian and who is the thief? This question will challenge the reader throughout the entire tale. Set in near-future India when climate change has devastated the country and its population, A Guardian and a Thief centers around two families whose drives to protect each other and survive clash in heartbreaking ways. The book thoughtfully examines how morality and civility break down during a tragic event such as climate change. Ma, together with her father Dadu and young daughter Mishti, are counting down the days until they leave for the United States after being approved for climate visas. Days before they are to leave, Boomba, a young man down on his luck, breaks into their apartment and steals their food and Ma’s purse, which contains their passports and visas. This profound and gut-wrenching story is a fast read that packs a very powerful punch. The audio production is outstanding. It is a good fit for fans of literary fiction, thought-provoking tales, and climate fiction.

Ladies in Waiting: Jane Austen’s Unsung Characters by various authors (fiction) – In honor of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, a group of authors come together to write happy-ever-afters for several of the author’s minor characters. However, Ladies in Waiting not only pays homage to Jane Austen, it is a fresh, creative celebration of her stories that reimagines the world in which she inhabited. Each entry allows readers to revisit this landscape through the characters who play minor roles in Austen’s classics. Emma’s Miss Bates stars in several stories, and Sense and Sensibility’s Margaret Dashwood is determined to have a romantic adventure, while another story provides a tale about Colonel Brandon’s first love, Eliza. Pride and Prejudice features prominently in the collection with the Bennet family residing in contemporary Greenwich Village in one story, Lydia Wickham finding true love when she is older in another, and Georgiana exacting her revenge on Wickham in a third. This inventive group of short stories will delight readers while also demonstrating Austen’s timeless allure. Avid Austen fans as well as historical fiction fans will devour this one.

Editor’s note: Book reviewer Cindy Burnett also writes our weekly Page Turners column. She hosts an award-winning book podcast entitled Thoughts from a Page Podcast, runs the Instagram account @thoughtsfromapage, and regularly speaks to groups about books.