Steven Millhauser has a new book of short stories out called "Dangerous Laughter", where as usual he takes a theme or premise and elaborates on it to a conclusion. Millhauser won the Pulitzer Prize in 1997 for "Martin Dressler: Tale of an American Dreamer"; for my money though his best book was Edwin Mullhouse (full title: "Edwin Mullhouse: The Life and Death of an American Writer 1943 - 1954 by Jeffrey Cartwright") . Yes I did get those dates right, the title character died at age eleven, in a very dark way but the book was still very very good; the most precise rendition of American pre-1970s suburban childhood I've ever read. This is one of my top twenty (I never get it any lower than that) all time best books.

Two family-saga books that came out just recently; "Monsters of Templeton" by Lauren Groff, and "The Comfort of Our Kind", by Tom Stoner. The Stoner book is seriously into traditional Catholic doctrine taken lightly, so be forewarned.

Also, "An Arsonist's Guide to Writer's Homes in New England" by Brock Clarke. The premise alone makes the book worth a look.