Recommended reading, Jan. 24

The Portable Veblen

Penguin; 430 pages; $26

Set in a recognizably recent Palo Alto when it was still straddling the threshold between funky charm and upscale ambition, this unforgettable novel offers a heartfelt and sincere investigation into the paradoxical nature of love, familial as well as romantic.

In her witty, candid memoir — and sixth one to date — Athill proves again that she is not prone to inhibition, shame or regret.

A Memoir of Friendship

Graywolf; 218 pages; $16 paperback

If “The Narrow Door” is centrally about Lisicky’s relationship with Denise Gess, his closest friend of more than two decades, it’s also about the collapse of his long-term relationship with poet Mark Doty.

Some Recollections of a Busy Life

Hawkins’ 1913 book — depicting life on the frontier and ending with a rousing portrait of pioneer days in Hollister — is back in print with a spirited introduction by his great-great-grandson, Dave Eggers.