Our recommended books this week run the gamut from a behind-the-scenes look at the classic film “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” to a portrait of suburbia in decline to a collection of presidential love letters with the amazing title “Are You Prepared for the Storm of Love Making?” (That question comes from a mash note written by Woodrow Wilson.) In fiction, we recommend debuts from DéLana R.A. Dameron, Alexander Sammartino and Rebecca K Reilly, alongside new novels by Cormac James, Ashley Elston and Kristin Hannah. Happy reading. — Gregory Cowles
COCKTAILS WITH GEORGE AND MARTHA:
Movies, Marriage and the Making of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
Philip Gefter
Rarely seen diary entries from the screenwriter who adapted Edward Albee’s Broadway hit are a highlight of this unapologetically obsessive behind-the-scenes look at the classic film starring the super-couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
Credit…“Showed how the ‘cartoon versions of marriage’ long served up by American popular culture … always came with a secret side of bitters.”
From Alexandra Jacobs’s review
Bloomsbury | $32
TRONDHEIM
Cormac James
James’s new novel is a deep dive into a family navigating a crisis. It follows two mothers waiting in the I.C.U. to see if their son will wake up from a coma, and through that framework, explores their lives, their relationship, their beliefs and much more.
Credit…“Hospital time has a particular and peculiar quality, and ‘Trondheim’ is dedicated to capturing the way it unfolds.”
From Katie Kitamura’s review
Bellevue Literary Press | Paperback, $17.99
