Sunday Morning

The Book Report: Washington Post critic Ron Charles (January 26)

By Ron Charles

January 26, 2025 / 8:23 AM EST / CBS News

1/26: The Book Report by Washington Post critic Ron Charles

1/26: The Book Report by Washington Post critic Ron Charles 02:28

By Washington Post book critic Ron Charles

The year is already off to a great start:

Adam Ross's terrific new novel, "Playworld," is dipped in nostalgia and flecked with love and sorrow. It's 1980 in New York: Griffin Hurt is a successful teenage actor who just wants to pass his classes, excel on the wrestling team and date a pretty girl, but instead he's got to deal with fame, his parents' ambitions, predatory adults, and his own yearning for authenticity.

Drawing on his experiences as a child actor, Ross blends a child's innocence with a man's wry reflection to produce a big, irresistible story.

READ AN EXCERPT: "Playworld" by Adam Ross

"Playworld" by Adam Ross (Knopf), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org

Follow Adam Ross on Instagram

As you forage through this winter's new books, you are not likely to find a more charming novel than "Tartufo." Kira Jane Buxton's story about truffle-mania whisks us away to Italy and serves up one buttery page of comedy after another.

At the start, a little Tuscan village is dying, and the new mayor is desperate to attract tourists. As luck would have it, in a nearby forest, a truffle-hunter and his dogs are about to discover the largest truffle in the world.

It's a miracle that could bring untold riches and worldwide attention – or unimaginable disaster!

READ AN EXCERPT: "Tartufo" by Kira Jane Buxton

"Tartufo" by Kira Jane Buxton (Grand Central Publishing), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available January 28 via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org

kirajanebuxton.com

Tired of winter? In Alafair Burke's new thriller "The Note," three women who've been friends for years gather for a sun-filled vacation in the Hamptons.

One night, on their way to dinner, a couple in a white sedan cuts them off and steals their parking space. Incensed, one of the women leaves a damning note on his windshield. It's just a prank, after all. But the next day, the driver goes missing ... and these three friends get caught up in an investigation that could uncover all manner of deadly secrets.

READ AN EXCERPT: "The Note" by Alafair Burke

"The Note" by Alafair Burke (Knopf), in Hardcover, Large Print Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org

alafairburke.com

Next month, Bill Gates, the legendary co-founder of Microsoft, will publish his first memoir. In "Source Code: My Beginnings," Gates reportedly looks back at his childhood, his awkward adolescence, and the experiences that led him to the then-burgeoning world of computers.

This is a memoir that promises to reveal the formative life of one of the most revolutionary figures alive – a man whose products changed the way we work, and whose philanthropy is now racing to save the world.

"Source Code: My Beginnings" by Bill Gates (Knopf), in Hardcover, Large Print Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available February 4 via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org

Gates Notes: The website of Bill Gates

That's it for the Book Report. For these and other suggestions about what to read this winter, talk with your local bookseller or librarian

I'm Ron Charles. Until next time, read on!

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