Up Front by Martin B. Deutsch for 2017 WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MARTIN Martin B. Deutsch created Frequent Flyer magazine in 1980 and was editor-in-chief and publisher for 15 years. He also wrote a column called "Up Front" for Frequent Flyer during those years. In a career that has spanned seven decades, he has published and edited dozens of other magazines, including Travel Management Daily and Travel Age. For many years, he also wrote columns for Argosy and Travel Agent magazines. After Joe Brancatelli created JoeSentMe.com in 2001, he called on Deutsch, his former boss at Frequent Flyer, to create its noncommercial format. He is based in New York. November 9: A GRIPPING WINTER'S TALE IN AUTUMN Winter is a sprawling and riveting read about how one family in Berlin changes and adjusts to German life during a tumultuous 45-year period. August 3: FURST READ: A SUMMER OF ENGROSSING WAR NOVELS You're probably looking for some relaxing beach or resort reading during what is the slowest period of the year for business travel. I'm suggesting a pair of historical novels from a series by Alan Furst and they're guaranteed to keep you engaged. June 29: A GRIPPING GRISHAM THRILLER I quickly tire of authors who plow familiar grounds. But I was reintroduced to John Grisham thanks to a timely novel about a hot topic: the death penalty. May 25: A LITTLE LOVE FOR THE ROAD The Japanese Lover, a 2015 bestseller, is my first encounter with one of Chilean-American writer Isabel Allende's highly regarded works. I found it highly readable, intelligent and occasionally provocative. The perfect late-spring read, in fact. May 4: A BRILLIANT HISTORICAL NOVEL OF TRUTH AND TRAVAIL Winner of the 2016 National Book Award and 2017 Pulitzer Prize, The Underground Railroad is categorized as historical fiction. But you don't need historical accuracy to appreciate the heart-rending emotions that it both imagines and evokes. April 6: LOVE AND DEATH BY WAY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES Need something to read now that they've taken away your laptop and tablet? Allow me to introduce you to Peter May and The Lewis Trilogy. It's like visiting Scotland. March 16: THRILLERS IN THE SNOW If it snows again in the next few days, two thrillers--one of espionage and one of familial relationships--will help pass the time at the airport. March 2: RICHARD SANDOVAL'S GLOBAL MEXICAN EMPIRE Richard Sandoval, a Mexican City-born entrepreneur and chef, builds a global dining empire from New York to the Middle East to Mexico itself. His restaurant on New York's Upper East Side is a surprising find in a city bereft of good Mexican options. February 23: A PACKED ITALIAN IN MANHATTAN'S MEATPACKING DISTRICT In a Manhattan neighborhood once known for meat packing, a coastal Italian restaurant designed by Renzo Piano is packing them in. Opened two years ago, a few steps from the oh-so-hip Standard Hotel, Santina has won critical raves and acquired a sizable following of New York foodies. February 2: I AM AN IMMIGRANT I am an immigrant. I was born and bred, and had my early schooling, in what was becoming Nazi Germany. This country has given me everything: an education, a family, children, a career--and my life. I have always felt as American as the next guy or gal. But having been born and raised in a dictatorship, I have an unwelcome feeling that my days as an immigrant could end in circumstances not different from my early years. These columns originally appeared at JoeSentMe.com. Copyright © 1962-2017 by Martin B. Deutsch. All rights reserved.