Every now and then we encounter a new book that we’re so excited about we want to shout it from the rooftops, so we've created a special tag to distinguish it from the rest: Tattered Cover Book of the Month (formerly called Tattered Cover V.I.B.)!
Our latest selection is:
Furious Hours by Casey Cep
Furious Hours takes three incredible, intertwined stories and turns them into a page-turning account of a forgotten moment in American history. Family members of an African-American revival preacher in 1970s Alabama start dying, and no one knows why—all they know is that the preacher holds life insurance policies on every one. Meanwhile, his white attorney—who fashions himself a Southern Kennedy—gains a reputation as the winningest lawyer in town, to the extent that when the preacher is shot dead in front of 300 witnesses by someone whose suspicions have reached a boiling point, a man turns to him and says “Don’t worry. That lawyer will get you off.” And who should hear about this curious trial, where a lawyer is defending the killer of his former client, trying to clear him of a crime three hundred people saw him commit? Legendary writer Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird. The story of this trial is her major lost work. New Yorker writer Casey Cep deftly weaves together crime writing, literary history, an examination of race in America, and fascinating character studies to create the best piece of nonfiction I’ve read in a long time. It’s my favorite book of the year. —Bethany Strout, Directory of Buying
Purchase this and previous Books of the Month below:
Bestselling British writer Tessa Hadley's The Past brings four middle-aged siblings and their families together for what might be their last summer holiday in the family's country home. Old family dynamics and surprising new twists make for a delightful, entertaining and thought-provoking novel. Hadley's storytelling deftly weaves the family's past, with all its ghosts and memories, jealousies and nearly unconditional love in with its present reality of squabbling and deep affection. Each player in The Past is uniquely engaging: from fading beauty Alice with her ex-boyfriend's 20 year old son Kasim, in tow, sister Frans's odd and captivating young children Ivy and Arthur, Harriet, lonely and harboring a dark and secret longing, and all the others, each with an agenda, all under one roof. The perfect storm for an utterly wonderful, brilliantly crafted novel. The Telegraph calls The Past keenly intelligent, and I certainly agree. A wonderful way to begin your reading year. -- Cathy Langer, Tattered Cover Lead Buyer
