Having Everything Right, Kim R. Stafford (Western...

Having Everything Right, Kim R. Stafford (Western States Arts). “Like Blake, (the author) can see the world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wildflower. The fact that this literature is entirely secular and in prose in no way diminishes either its lyricism or its spirituality” (Elaine Kendall).

In the Hollow of His Hand, James Purdy (Weidenfeld & Nicolson). The author “stands once again on his Midwestern home ground in the ‘20s . . . (exploring) the blood forces of generations and the mutual needs of a father and a son” (John Espey).

Discrete Thoughts: Essays on Mathematics, Science and Philosophy, Mark Kac, Gian-Carlo Rota and Jacob T. Schwartz (Birkhauser Boston). Excerpts from the works of three eminent mathematicians. While some of the writings require a scientific background, all are “studded with insights that could stand alone as ‘The Sayings of Mathematicians’ ” (Lee Dembart).

Night Train, Todd Walton (Mercury House). “An unusual and often gripping tale that begins like a hard-boiled crime story and becomes something resembling science fiction” (Tom Nolan).