Required reading from the week in books and comics.

Shades of "Forrest Gump" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" pop up in Lisa Grunwald's "The Irresistible Henry House," the critically acclaimed tale of an orphan used as a "practice baby" for housewives during the 1950s. Big surprise: He becomes a womanizer -- just like that cad Don Draper. Telling your wife or girlfriend that your cheating ways stem from being an orphan is like an instant get-out-of-jail-free card.

Also in stores:
-- "The Exorcist" author William Peter Blatty returns with the psychological thriller "Dimiter." He again tackles heady themes, like faith and the nature of good versus evil, but with fewer head-spinning demon children.
-- Catch up on the misadventures of Deadpool, currently Marvel's most over-exposed hottest character, with the "Deadpool: X Marks the Spot" hardcover collection.
-- "The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine" is Michael Lewis's ("Moneyball") take on the global economic downturn and not, sadly, a detailed look at Cobra Commander's many crazy schemes.