What’s new: Gregory Maguire’s spin on ‘The Nutcracker,’ a James Madison bio, debut stories by Lara Williams
A detail from the cover of "Hiddensee" by Gregory Maguire (William Morrow, October 2017) Credit: William Morrow
HIDDENSEE: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker, by Gregory Maguire. The author of “Wicked” — inspiration for the Broadway musical — loves his fairy tales. Here he dives into German Romantic tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann, with the back story of the Nutcracker — yes, the same Nutcracker of Tchaikovsky’s ballet — and his creator, one-eyed Godfather Drosselmeier. (William Morrow, $26.99)
THE THREE LIVES OF JAMES MADISON: Genius, Partisan, President, by Noah Feldman. You know about Washington, Jefferson, Adams and, of course, Hamilton. This new biography aims to give an unsung founding father his due. Among Madison’s accomplishments: fathering the Constitution, drafting the Bill of Rights, founding the Republican Party and serving as America’s first wartime president. (Random House, $35)
A SELFIE AS BIG AS THE RITZ, by Lara Williams. In this collection of short stories, with apologies to F. Scott Fitzgerald and his “Diamond,” debut author Williams explores young women’s lives, navigating singledom, couplehood, breakups, unexpected pregnancies, sexual fetishes, bad dates and other shoals of contemporary adulthood. This “Selfie” sparkles. (Flatiron, $17.99)
