By Washington Post book critic Ron Charles

Here are four new books to take on vacation or just kick back with at home.

Fifteen years ago, American readers went wild for an unlikely bestseller by Joseph O’Neill called “Netherland,” about a Dutchman in New York who becomes a cricket enthusiast.

Well, O’Neill is back on the field again with “Godwin” (Pantheon), about a writer who becomes involved in a bizarre scheme to find an African boy who may be the next international soccer star.

Millions of dollars are on the line. But while your eye follows the ball, O’Neill takes some brilliant shots at the exploitation of immigrants and the forces shaping our global economy.

Read an excerpt: “Godwin” by James O’Neill

“Godwin” by Joseph O’Neill (Pantheon), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org

Claire Lombardo’s new novel, “Same As It Ever Was” (Doubleday), follows the long, complicated life of a woman who wonders if motherhood is really for her.

When we first meet Julia, she’s got a devoted husband and a bright little boy, but she’s so desperately unhappy that she almost throws it all away. Two decades later, another crisis threatens to disrupt Julia’s hard-won equilibrium. But maybe now she’s wiser and a little kinder to herself.

This is a big novel, full of wit and heart, and perfect for your next book club.

Read an excerpt: “Same As It Ever Was” by Claire Lombardo

“Same As It Ever Was” by Claire Lombardo (Doubleday), in Hardcover, Large Print Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org

clairelombardo.com

A grizzly roams through the pages of Julia Phillips’ new novel, “Bear” (Hogarth). The story is about two poor sisters struggling to take care of their dying mother on an island off the coast of Washington state.

The younger sister, Sam, just can’t wait to get away and start a new life. But her older sister falls under the spell of a bear that’s been seen wandering the forest near their home. What would Sam do to save her sister? What would she destroy?

This is a hypnotic, tense story, with the woodland scent of a dark fairy tale.

Read an excerpt: “Bear” by Julia Phillips

“Bear” by Julia Phillips (Hogarth), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org

juliaphillipswrites.com

After she escaped slavery in 1849, Harriet Tubman became a legendary abolitionist who led scores of enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad.

Now, National Book Award-winning author Tiya Miles explores the life of this remarkable woman in her book, “Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People” (Penguin).

In her deep examination of the world in which Tubman lived, Miles winds through the elusive history and the awesome mythology to find a real-life figure more extraordinary than we ever knew before.

Read an excerpt: “Night Flyer” by Tiya Miles

“Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People” by Tiya Miles (Penguin), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org

tiyamiles.com

For more suggestions on what to read, contact your librarian or local bookseller. 

That’s it for the Book Report. I’m Ron Charles. Until next time, read on!

     
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For more reading recommendations, check out these previous Book Report features from Ron Charles: 

     
Produced by Robin Sanders and Roman Feeser.