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Book Reviews:
Editors' September Picks

Check out six new titles on our radar this month.

NurtureShock: by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman (Twelve); Expanding on their award-winning magazine articles, the authors rationally and unsensationally (despite the title) take on some of modern parenting's most sacred cows, from the self-esteem movement to emotional intelligence.

$17, Amazon.com.

by Liz, Diana, Amanda, and Dan Welch (Harmony; available in late September)

After losing both parents, the four Welch kids (ages 8 to 18) were separated among different households. This touching, funny memoir about their separate lives—with chapters written by each of the siblings—and eventual reunion is an ode to the strength of sibling bonds. If you have a brother or sister, it will make you want to call them, stat.

$17, Amazon.com.

Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall

by Kazuo Ishiguro (Knopf)

Music is the main thread of these hilarious (sometimes heartbreakingly so) short stories. As in his previous book, the best-selling Never Let Me Go, Ishiguro's voice is breezy and boyish, but the characters haunt you long after you've finished.

$17, Amazon.com.

Prospect Park West

by Amy Sohn ( Simon & Schuster)

It's Sex and the City has kids and moves to Brooklyn in this page-turning soapy read about motherhood, marriage, and the Park Slope. Every mom is represented here—the sex-starved, the climber, the alpha, the celeb. Sohn's trademark witticisms and observations on the sad, sorry lot are sure to make you laugh in recognition.

$17, Amazon.com.

The Curse of the Good Girl

by Rachel Simmons (Penguin)

The author of a book on female bullying (Odd Girl Out) looks at another kind of girl: the people-pleasing, perfection-seeking "Good Girl." Simmons, who founded a camp for middle- and high-school girls, argues that young women's pursuit of "goodness" can damage their self-esteem. She offers smart tips for parents who want to help their daughters feel empowered and confident about who they are (imperfections and all).

$17, Amazon.com.

Blame

by Michelle Huneven (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux)

This novel is about how a former alcoholic puts her life back together after serving four years in prison for a car accident that resulted in the death of a mother and daughter. The story has the pacing and twists of a thriller (you will steal away to read it any chance you get), but also provides a nuanced look at alcoholism and the notion of redemption.

$17, Amazon.com.