Katharine Weber: Recommended Read of 2011

Katharine Weber is the author of six books, including “The Memory of All That” and “True Confections.” She also has contributed work to more than 15 anthologies. About her latest book, “The Memory of All That,” Ben Brantley wrote the following in the New York Times: “Ms. Weber is able to arrange words musically, so that they capture the elusive, unfinished melodies that haunt our memories of childhood. As her grandmother’s lover might have put it, she’s got rhythm.”

Katharine’s recommended read for 2011 is:

“State of Wonder” by Ann Patchett. This is an intoxicating novel. It’s immensely ambitious, and while that is usually a word critics use to suggest that an author’s reach has exceeded her grasp, in this instance I mean to say that the ambition of this novel is entirely and magnificently realized. It’s provocative, original, and deeply moving. A wonderful read.  (EDITOR’S NOTE: “State of Wonder” also was recommended by Caroline Leavitt, author of “Pictures of You,” and Ron Charles, Fiction Editor at the Washington Post Book World.)