Books
After months of anticipation, former FBI director James Comey's memoir A Higher Loyalty is finally hitting bookstores this week. Although most of the book has already been mined by journalists and reporters for all the juicy stories, the #1 Amazon bestseller is pretty much destined to become the book all of your Tinder dates ask you if you've read.
But Comey's memoir isn't the only book about a high-profile public figure out this week. Andrew Morton, famous for his biographies of the Royal Family, past and present, turned his pen to the story of Prince Harry's fiancé Meghan Markle in his latest book, Meghan: A Hollywood Princess.
And for readers who are tired of both the Royal Wedding and the Trump White House (same), there are plenty of other books out this week to add to your TBR pile: Sofija Stefanovic's memoir, Miss Ex-Yugoslavia, is a poignant, charming, and gorgeously written account of the complexities of navigating the immigrant experience and finding a home — especially when the place you used to call home no longer exists as it once did; Fran Hauser's The Myth of the Nice Girl dissects the double standards that affect women in the workplace and offers actionable advice for moving past them; Alexander Chee's How To Write An Autobiographical Novel is a stunning essay collection from one of America's most beloved novelists; Lisa Jewell's thriller Then She Was Gone is the perfect distraction for these gloomy days of spring; and Jana Casale's novel The Girl Who Never Read Noam Chomsky is a brilliant debut novel about the search for meaning in ordinary lives.
Here are the seven books you need to know this week:
'A Higher Loyalty' by James Comey
Perhaps the only book of the year that needs no introduction, A Higher Loyalty is former FBI director James Comey's long-anticipated account of his time spent serving the Presidents of the United States — including Donald Trump, who famously asked Comey for his unbridled loyalty. (Hence, the title of the book.) The "leaked" copies acquired by news outlets in the days ahead of the book's release indicate that Comey's stories about Donald Trump are even more disturbing than previously imagined.
'Meghan: A Hollywood Princess' by Andrew Morton
Andrew Morton, the biographer behind Diana: Her True Story, tackles the history of Prince Harry's beloved in his latest tome. Although the biography doesn't deliver many new pieces of information, it's a thorough, informative, and compassionate history of Meghan Markle, the Suits star turned princess-to-be.
'Miss Ex-Yugoslavia' by Sofija Stefanovic
Serbian-Australian writer Sofija Stefanovic, the host of New York's famed Alien Nation and Women of Letters, debuts with a memoir about the collapse of her homeland, Yugoslavia, and her experiences as an immigrant to Australia. Fresh, vibrant, and enlightening, Miss Ex-Yugoslavia is a stunning immigrant narrative that will tug at your heartstrings the whole way through.
'The Girl Who Never Read Noam Chomsky' by Jana Casale
Don't let the neon green cover fool you — The Girl Who Never Read Noam Chomsky is a subtle and sparkling ode to one woman's life, from college to motherhood to old age. This heart-wrenching novel is a reminder that beauty and meaning can be found in all places, especially in the most "ordinary" of lives.
'The Myth Of The Nice Girl' by Fran Hauser
I don't need to explain the paradox women face in the workplace — if you're too nice, you're a pushover; if you're too assertive, you're a you-know-what. As Hillary Clinton wrote in her 2016 memoir, What Happened: "Sexism is all the little ways society draws a box around women and says, 'You stay in there.' Don't complain because nice girls don't do that. Don't try to be something women shouldn't be. Don't wear that, don't go there, don't think that, don't earn too much."
In The Myth of the Nice Girl, Fran Hauser shares strategies and advice that she hopes can help women find their footing and their success despite the double standard.
'Then She Was Gone' by Lisa Jewell
Ellie Mack was the golden girl with the perfect family, boyfriend, and future. Until she was gone. Ten years after her disappearance, her mother Laurel is still trying to put together the pieces of what happened. Then she meets a mysterious man in a coffee shop and strikes up a romance. But when she meets his daughter, she realizes that his youngest daughter, Poppy, bears a striking, uncanny resemblance to her long-missing daughter. One of the most anticipated thrillers of the season, Then She Was Gone has more unexpected twists than 2018's version of "spring."
'How To Write An Autobiographical Novel' by Alexander Chee
Do not sleep on this essay collection from novelist Alexander Chee. In it, he traces a line through his life as a writer, activist, artist, Korean-American, and gay man through a series of essays about everything from tarot cards to his father's death to his personal experience with the devastating realities of HIV/AIDS.
