I argued with myself about this but decided my last blog entry would be the November LibraryReads list. There is something for everyone on here I think and some pretty well known authors. I've enjoyed writing this. It seemed to put some order to my selections. But here we go.
First on the list is Artemis by Andy Weir. His debut novel was The Martian - a runaway hit and movie. This is his second book and according to reviewers, people either loved it and highly praised it or hated it. In this story the main character is a young woman, Jazz. Jazz lives a struggling, not always legal life in Artemis, a city on the moon. She takes on a major job which will have gigantic rewards but it involves her in a plot to overturn the current civilization. Jazz is a sarcastic, jokey personality. Some people found that annoying. If you liked his first book, I would definitely give this a try.
And the rest in no particular order:
The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty. This is Chakraborty's first novel and it is also the first in the Daevabad Trilogy. It is about Nahri, a trickster living in Cairo making money by preying on gullible wealthy people. She can detect illness just by looking at people. However, she herself does not believe in magic. That is until she summons a djinn warrior who leads her to the magical city of Daevabad, the city of brass. Here she becomes involved in court politics while trying to find out who she actually is. Reviewers universally praise the world building and prose and although a large book, could not put it down. If you like fantasy, give it a try.
Next, by one of my favorite authors, The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg. This is definitely 'women's fiction' but I don't care, she writes great characters. Arthur is a widower who takes his lunch everyday to the cemetery to eat by his wife's grave and discuss his thoughts.There he meets Maddy, a high school senior avoiding school. The two of them along with Arthur's nosy next door neighbor are three lonely people who become a family. Sappy - maybe - but if the characters are real enough, it sounds like real life.
Felicity Hayes-McCoy has The Library At the Edge of the World on the list. Hanna Casey is around 50 when she leaves her cheating husband and moves in with her cranky mother in a town in Ireland where she grew up. She takes a job as a librarian driving the mobile library (bookmobile) through the town's farms and villages. When the local library is threatened with closure, Hanna is forced into leading the force to keep it open. It forces her into a personal interaction with the community and changes her life.
Mary Balogh, a popular roman author, has Someone to Wed, on the list. This is the third in her Regency era Wescott series. Wren Heyden has a birthmark on her face which she has hidden under a veil all of her 30 years. In that time though, she has become an accomplished business woman and is quite wealthy. Alexander Wescott becomes the new Earl of Riverdale and with that came heavy debt.
He needs a wealthy wife and Wren is willing to buy a husband to provide her with children. Can they become more than a convenience?
Moving to a different genre, Lee Child's new Jack Reacher title made the list. The Midnight Line has Reacher hunting for the owner of a small West Point class ring. He noticed it in a pawn shop window and could not imagine why a woman would have given it up, as a West Point graduate himself, he knew what she had gone through to get it. His search for it's owner takes him into the wilds of Wyoming. He tells himself he will walk away if she is alright. Chances are in a Reacher novel, she isn't.
Louise Erdrich has Future Home of the Living God on the list. Erdrich is a wonderful literary novelist and this title is wonderful dystopian fiction. Erdrich, part Native American herself, makes her main character, 32 year old Cedar Hawk Songmaker, a Native American who had been adopted by white upper class liberals. At this time, she becomes pregnant and after a sonogram, her doctor tells her to run away. Society is breaking down and evolution is reversing with women giving birth to less than human fetuses. Cedar, tries to reconnect with her Ojibwe mother and writes diary entries or letters to her unborn cild. Very effecting fiction.
Next comes Matthew Weiner's Heather, The Totality. Weiner was the creator and producer of Mad Men on television. This is his debut novel. I am kind of surprised that it made it to the list. The reviewers I read were not impressed. Perhaps it made the list because they thought people would want to see what the creator of Mad Men came up with. Anyhow, it is about a upper class couple with an apartment on Park Ave. and the perfect daughter (beautiful, compassionate and intelligent) and a boy who has none of those benefits.
Caroline Fraser's Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder. This nonfiction work is a biography of both Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter Rose.For those who loved the Little House on the Prairie books and show.
Lastly, The Shadow District by Arnaldur Indridason is on the list. Indridason writes Nordic Noire but this is the beginning of a new series for him. One of the reviews I read made a really good point. This is a mystery - not a thriller meaning that the pace might seem slow to those use to holding their breath. The new lead in this series is a retired detective, Konrad. It connects two crimes in two different eras. First, a woman is found strangled in 'the Shadow District' (the petty crime ridden part of town). The crime is investigated by Konrad in wartime Reykjavik. In present day, a 90 year old man is found dead and it wasn't from natural causes. In his apartment they found newspaper copies about the original crime. Could there be a connection? Had they imprisoned the wrong man?
OK - that is it for me. I hope you have many happy reading days in your future. May you always find just the right book.
Saturday, October 14, 2017
Saturday, September 30, 2017
November Big Names
Time to share some news. I am retiring on October 20th and I do not know if the blog will be continuing. I am sure the new person will find other ways to share information after I leave. I do, however, want to do at least this entry and one more to ensure you have some information through November. This one will be really short - kind of the way my time at work is. Just really the big name authors, the titles of the books and the date they are coming out. I think you know what kind of thing they write.
So:
Danielle Steel has Past Perfect coming out on November 28, 2017.
David Baldacci has End Game. the fifth in the Will Robie series, coming out on November 14, 2017/
Lee Child has The Midnight Line, the twenty second in the Jack Reacher series, coming out on November 7, 2017.
Mary Higgins Clark has Every Breath You Take, which was originally called Snow White, Deadly Night, coming out on November 7, 2017
Clive Cussler has Typhoon Fury, the twelfth in the Oregon Files series, coming out on November 7, 2017
Janet Evanovich has Hardcore Twenty Four, the (take a guess) ahhh twenty fourth in the Stephanie Plum series, coming out on November 14, 2017
James Patterson has The People vs Alex Cross, the twenty fifth in the Alex Cross series, coming out on November 20, 2017.
Next week I hope I have time to get into more of the plot of the less well known authors. One more than done.
So:
Danielle Steel has Past Perfect coming out on November 28, 2017.
David Baldacci has End Game. the fifth in the Will Robie series, coming out on November 14, 2017/
Lee Child has The Midnight Line, the twenty second in the Jack Reacher series, coming out on November 7, 2017.
Mary Higgins Clark has Every Breath You Take, which was originally called Snow White, Deadly Night, coming out on November 7, 2017
Clive Cussler has Typhoon Fury, the twelfth in the Oregon Files series, coming out on November 7, 2017
Janet Evanovich has Hardcore Twenty Four, the (take a guess) ahhh twenty fourth in the Stephanie Plum series, coming out on November 14, 2017
James Patterson has The People vs Alex Cross, the twenty fifth in the Alex Cross series, coming out on November 20, 2017.
Next week I hope I have time to get into more of the plot of the less well known authors. One more than done.
Saturday, September 23, 2017
The Last of October is October's LibraryReads
The list came out and I haven't shared it with you yet. Three of the ten titles, I have already talked about so I am not going to do more than mention that they were on the list. The others are a mixture of things including 2 nonfiction and 2 short stories.
First on the list is Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak. It focuses on the family of the Birches. Andrew is a journalist turned restaurant critic who hides in his study; Emma, his wife, quit her career to raise the family; and two grown children, Phoebe and Olivia. Olivia has been missing the few last Christmases but this year, she is forced to come home because she returned home from Liberia where she was doing relief work among disease bearing natives and required to be in quarantine for 7 days to make sure she would not spread the disease. Phoebe recently became engaged and she is occupied with planning the perfect wedding. A family who never communicated normally forced to be together for 7 days straight. All were holding back secrets also. Would anything good come out of the week?
The next three I will just list as I have talked about each of them in a previous week:
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash
The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain
On to new ones, Caitlin Doughty has the first of two nonfiction works, From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death. Doughty's first book was Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. As a mortician, she has experience. It this title she discusses death cultures around the world. One reviewer says "Doughty makes the morbid very readable".
Next Alice Hoffman's The Rules of Magic. This title is a prequel to Hoffman's best seller, Practical Magic. The story focuses on Sisters, Franny and Jet and their brother, Vincent. Their mother tried hard to keep them unaware of their natural abilities but once they are sent to visit their aunt, nothing can prevent it. One reviewer said "I loved everything about it - the writing, the characters, the places/" And another said "...utterly compelling, exquisitely told, and really just so fantastic."
OK, Tom Hanks, YES that Tom Hanks, has written a book of short stories. Uncommon Type are short stories about, as reviewers have said, characters that he would like to play on film. Most reviewers loved it but a few were not impressed although they agreed that Tom Hanks can write.It doesn't seem fair, does it. Too much talent in one person.
Gabrielle Union has her collection of essays, We're Going To Need More Wine, on the list. It is important to note that this is NOT a memoir but a collection of essays. They cover all sorts of topics that a modern woman today in Hollywood would want to cover. Reviewers have said "she writes with grace, heart and energy.
Joe Hill, Stephen King's son, has Strange Weather on the list. This is subtitled Four Short Novels but I count is in the short stories genre. However, this work reinforces that fact that his mind is not all that different from his fathers. One of the stories is about it raining nails!!!! Another about a man who goes on a parachute jump and lands on a solid cloud with no way to get off. If you want to be frightened, this seems like a good place to start.
Lastly, Jennifer Egan has Manhattan Beach on the list. This is Egan's first historical fiction according to sources. Reviews have been some good, some OK. This is the story of Anna, whose father disappears after dealing with the local gangster, Dexter Styles. Anna takes care of her family by becoming a diver, repairing naval ships during WWII. However, she is fixated on finding out what happened to her father. If you are interested in the culture of the time in New York - this is for you.
There you go. Perhaps you understand why I said it was a mixture of things - and a strange mixture at that. Hope there is something here that interests you.
First on the list is Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak. It focuses on the family of the Birches. Andrew is a journalist turned restaurant critic who hides in his study; Emma, his wife, quit her career to raise the family; and two grown children, Phoebe and Olivia. Olivia has been missing the few last Christmases but this year, she is forced to come home because she returned home from Liberia where she was doing relief work among disease bearing natives and required to be in quarantine for 7 days to make sure she would not spread the disease. Phoebe recently became engaged and she is occupied with planning the perfect wedding. A family who never communicated normally forced to be together for 7 days straight. All were holding back secrets also. Would anything good come out of the week?
The next three I will just list as I have talked about each of them in a previous week:
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash
The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain
On to new ones, Caitlin Doughty has the first of two nonfiction works, From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death. Doughty's first book was Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. As a mortician, she has experience. It this title she discusses death cultures around the world. One reviewer says "Doughty makes the morbid very readable".
Next Alice Hoffman's The Rules of Magic. This title is a prequel to Hoffman's best seller, Practical Magic. The story focuses on Sisters, Franny and Jet and their brother, Vincent. Their mother tried hard to keep them unaware of their natural abilities but once they are sent to visit their aunt, nothing can prevent it. One reviewer said "I loved everything about it - the writing, the characters, the places/" And another said "...utterly compelling, exquisitely told, and really just so fantastic."
OK, Tom Hanks, YES that Tom Hanks, has written a book of short stories. Uncommon Type are short stories about, as reviewers have said, characters that he would like to play on film. Most reviewers loved it but a few were not impressed although they agreed that Tom Hanks can write.It doesn't seem fair, does it. Too much talent in one person.
Gabrielle Union has her collection of essays, We're Going To Need More Wine, on the list. It is important to note that this is NOT a memoir but a collection of essays. They cover all sorts of topics that a modern woman today in Hollywood would want to cover. Reviewers have said "she writes with grace, heart and energy.
Joe Hill, Stephen King's son, has Strange Weather on the list. This is subtitled Four Short Novels but I count is in the short stories genre. However, this work reinforces that fact that his mind is not all that different from his fathers. One of the stories is about it raining nails!!!! Another about a man who goes on a parachute jump and lands on a solid cloud with no way to get off. If you want to be frightened, this seems like a good place to start.
Lastly, Jennifer Egan has Manhattan Beach on the list. This is Egan's first historical fiction according to sources. Reviews have been some good, some OK. This is the story of Anna, whose father disappears after dealing with the local gangster, Dexter Styles. Anna takes care of her family by becoming a diver, repairing naval ships during WWII. However, she is fixated on finding out what happened to her father. If you are interested in the culture of the time in New York - this is for you.
There you go. Perhaps you understand why I said it was a mixture of things - and a strange mixture at that. Hope there is something here that interests you.
Friday, September 15, 2017
October Goodies
Tomorrow is the Children's Book Festival. If you have young children, it will be the place to be. The library will still be open for other activities though so if you want to come and pick up a book, or dvd, or whatever - we will be here for you. Now on with more title.
Donna Andrews has How the Finch Stole Christmas! coming out on October 24. This is the 22nd in the Meg Langslow series. This time, her husband is putting on a big production of The Christmas Carol. The person who is going to play Scrooge, brings lots of people with him - including perhaps a murderer. For cozy readers who love a touch of humor, this is for them.
Carolyn Hart offers her eighth Bailey Ruth title, Ghosts on the Case, on October 31. Bailey by the way is a ghost Another humorous cozy. Here Bailey is sent to help Susan Gilbert whose sister has been kidnapped. The kidnappers are insisting that she get the ransom from her bosses safe. More murders ensue. Can a ghost really solve murders?
Wiley Cash has The Last Ballad coming out on October 3. This is based on the life of Ella May Wiggins who was murdered in 1929 around Gastonia, NC for urging people to join a union. Here her story is told by one of her daughters. Reviewers have all commented on the beautifully written story and highly recommend it.
Roddy Doyle's Smile will be published on October 17 in the USA. Doyle is a Booker Prize winner who routinely writes about everyday life in Dublin with an edge of bitter humor. Here, a man Victor Forde, on his own for the first time in years, is drinking his daily draft at the local tavern when a man comes up and starts a conversation. He say they went to school together and starts to remind Victor of all the things he would rather forget.
Diane Chamberlain has The Stolen Marriage coming out on October 3. This is historical fiction, taking place in the early 1940's in Hickory, NC. Tess DeMello was from 'Little Italy' in Baltimore, MD. She had been engaged to the boy next door when she abruptly calls off the engagement and marries Henry Kraft, an important man in Hickory. When they arrive in Hickory, Tess can feel the distrust of the community. When children catch polio, the community get together and build a polio hospital. Tess, trained as a nurse, works at the hospital. But what is up with her new husband who is distant and often missing at night. Reviewers have uniformly praised the work.
On October 10, for Fantasy lovers, Gardner Dozois has edited The Book of Swords. These are short stories from some of the greatest fantasy authors of today. George R. R. Martin, Robin Hobb, Elizabeth Bear, Garth Nix, C.J Cherryh and others have all submitted one. All fantasy lovers will want to see what this offers.
OK, there you go. Six pretty diverse offerings for you to think about. Next week will be time for a more thoughtful entry I hope. Enjoy.
Donna Andrews has How the Finch Stole Christmas! coming out on October 24. This is the 22nd in the Meg Langslow series. This time, her husband is putting on a big production of The Christmas Carol. The person who is going to play Scrooge, brings lots of people with him - including perhaps a murderer. For cozy readers who love a touch of humor, this is for them.
Carolyn Hart offers her eighth Bailey Ruth title, Ghosts on the Case, on October 31. Bailey by the way is a ghost Another humorous cozy. Here Bailey is sent to help Susan Gilbert whose sister has been kidnapped. The kidnappers are insisting that she get the ransom from her bosses safe. More murders ensue. Can a ghost really solve murders?
Wiley Cash has The Last Ballad coming out on October 3. This is based on the life of Ella May Wiggins who was murdered in 1929 around Gastonia, NC for urging people to join a union. Here her story is told by one of her daughters. Reviewers have all commented on the beautifully written story and highly recommend it.
Roddy Doyle's Smile will be published on October 17 in the USA. Doyle is a Booker Prize winner who routinely writes about everyday life in Dublin with an edge of bitter humor. Here, a man Victor Forde, on his own for the first time in years, is drinking his daily draft at the local tavern when a man comes up and starts a conversation. He say they went to school together and starts to remind Victor of all the things he would rather forget.
Diane Chamberlain has The Stolen Marriage coming out on October 3. This is historical fiction, taking place in the early 1940's in Hickory, NC. Tess DeMello was from 'Little Italy' in Baltimore, MD. She had been engaged to the boy next door when she abruptly calls off the engagement and marries Henry Kraft, an important man in Hickory. When they arrive in Hickory, Tess can feel the distrust of the community. When children catch polio, the community get together and build a polio hospital. Tess, trained as a nurse, works at the hospital. But what is up with her new husband who is distant and often missing at night. Reviewers have uniformly praised the work.
On October 10, for Fantasy lovers, Gardner Dozois has edited The Book of Swords. These are short stories from some of the greatest fantasy authors of today. George R. R. Martin, Robin Hobb, Elizabeth Bear, Garth Nix, C.J Cherryh and others have all submitted one. All fantasy lovers will want to see what this offers.
OK, there you go. Six pretty diverse offerings for you to think about. Next week will be time for a more thoughtful entry I hope. Enjoy.
Saturday, September 9, 2017
More September Thrillers and Mysteries
Liv Constantine has The Last Mrs. Parrish coming out on Oct 17. This is a debut psychological suspense novel that was actually written by two sisters using skype to communicate! It is the tale of a 'golden' couple - handsome, wealthy, etc - and the woman who is obsessed and envious of the wife. She insinuates herself into their life and the result is....well - you have to read it to find out. Very well reviewed. Here are some of the things said "From the very first page, I was totally engrossed in this story....and it didn't let up one bit until the very end." and "This book gripped in a way that revitalized my love for reading." Pretty good, huh?
Felix Francis has Pulse coming out also on October 17. Felix wrote several with his father before his death and now is taking his own slant while still dealing with racing.mysteries. Dick Francis was, of course, an ex-jockey so his mysteries tended to deal with horse racing. Felix however spent 17 years as a physics teacher. Quite a difference. Pulse deals with a well dressed man found unconscious at a race track. He is rushed to the hospital where the examining physician can find a reason for his state. He dies and she becomes obsessed with finding out who he was. Unfortunately, this leads to trouble and danger.
John Lawton has Friends and Traitors coming out on October 3. This is the eighth in the Inspector Troy series. This one takes place in 1958 and Troy is touring the Continent when he meets an old friend, (an a real life figure) Guy Burgess, who was one of the people accused of spying on Britain for Russia along with Kim Philby. Burgess expresses his wish to return to Britain. Not everyone is happy with that idea and chaos is the result. If you like historical suspense, this one is for you.
Anna Snoekstra has Little Secrets coming out on October 17. This is Snoekstra second book after Only Daughter. It focuses on a small dying country town in Australia. Someone is leaving porcelain dolls at houses where little girls who look exactly like the dolls live. Rumors start flying and a young woman trying desperately to become a journalist and leave town decides to take advantage of the situation. She interviews town people who supply her with stories and accusations. Reviewers say this has a great sense of place and is more than a little 'noir'.
Tasha Alexander has Death in St. Petersburg coming out on October 10. This is the 12th in the Lady Emily series. Lady Emily is in St. Petersburg with her husband when the bloody body of a ballerina is found in the snow. When the ballerina's lover comes begging Lady Emily for help, how can she refuse. What lies behind this death? What could the motive have been? Leave it to Lady Emily to find out.
Lastly, M.C. Beaton has The Witches' Tree coming out on October 5. It is the 29th in the Agatha Raisin series. Agatha takes on the mystery when an elderly spinster from a neighboring town is found hanging from a tree. Agatha is up against something larger than she first thinks when additional murders take place and even her life is in danger.
OK - there you go. Some titles to think about. Hope there is something that interests you.
Saturday, September 2, 2017
October Big Names
OOOOOHHHHH. There are lots of goodies this month. There must be something for everyone I bet. Take a look at the big names with an entry in October.
Dan Brown has Origins coming out on Oct 3. It is the fifth in the Robert Langdon series. Some complain that his work has become repetitive. Maybe it has but it can still be exciting. Here Langdon again runs around Europe with a beautiful companion trying to discover a secret. Sound familiar?
Michael Connelly has Two Kinds of Truth coming out on Oct 31. Harry Bosch lovers get ready - this is the 22nd in the series. Here Bosch is still a volunteer working cold cases for the San Fernando Police Department. He is pulled into a murder case where a druggist has been found dead. While this is happening, an old case from him LAPD years has reared it's ugly head. He did not leave the LAPD on the best terms so administration up there is not anxious to defend him when a killer in prison says Harry framed him and he has proof. How do these two things combine? Read and find out.
John Grisham has The Rooster Bar coming out on October 24. Three friends in their last year of law school realize they have been duped. They took out gigantic student loans to get a law degree from a mediocre school. Then they find out their school is one of a chain owned by a hedge-fund operator who also owns the bank specializing in their student loans. Do they have any way to recover some of their money? We will find out.
Iris Johansen has Mind Game coming out on October 24. This is the 22nd in the Eve Duncan series although it is mostly about her adopted daughter Jane MacGuire. Jane returns to Scotland to continue hunting for treasure and starts having reoccurring dreams of a girl in trouble. In addition, Seth Caleb is back in her life and he is in trouble. This could be a new focus for this series. Johansen never seems to write a bad one.
John Sandford has Deep Freeze coming out on October 17. This is the tenth in the Virgil Flowers series. Flowers returns to Trippton, Minnesota at the request of a teacher. Within the last year, three women from the same high school class have been killed. That class is having a mid-winter reunion and the teacher is afraid there will be more murders. Flowers comes to investigate things that happened of the past 20 years. There is a lot.
Stuart Woods has Quick and Dirty coming out on October 24. Gosh, Stone Barrington has been around forever. This is the 43rd in his series. Sloan takes on as a client a beautiful woman. This pulls him into the exclusive world of art. It seems high class in NYC and the Hamptons but just underneath are the people who are always looking to make a buck. People are willing to kills for some things.
OK - these are the really big names for this month. Next week, we look at some of the others.
Dan Brown has Origins coming out on Oct 3. It is the fifth in the Robert Langdon series. Some complain that his work has become repetitive. Maybe it has but it can still be exciting. Here Langdon again runs around Europe with a beautiful companion trying to discover a secret. Sound familiar?
Michael Connelly has Two Kinds of Truth coming out on Oct 31. Harry Bosch lovers get ready - this is the 22nd in the series. Here Bosch is still a volunteer working cold cases for the San Fernando Police Department. He is pulled into a murder case where a druggist has been found dead. While this is happening, an old case from him LAPD years has reared it's ugly head. He did not leave the LAPD on the best terms so administration up there is not anxious to defend him when a killer in prison says Harry framed him and he has proof. How do these two things combine? Read and find out.
John Grisham has The Rooster Bar coming out on October 24. Three friends in their last year of law school realize they have been duped. They took out gigantic student loans to get a law degree from a mediocre school. Then they find out their school is one of a chain owned by a hedge-fund operator who also owns the bank specializing in their student loans. Do they have any way to recover some of their money? We will find out.
Iris Johansen has Mind Game coming out on October 24. This is the 22nd in the Eve Duncan series although it is mostly about her adopted daughter Jane MacGuire. Jane returns to Scotland to continue hunting for treasure and starts having reoccurring dreams of a girl in trouble. In addition, Seth Caleb is back in her life and he is in trouble. This could be a new focus for this series. Johansen never seems to write a bad one.
John Sandford has Deep Freeze coming out on October 17. This is the tenth in the Virgil Flowers series. Flowers returns to Trippton, Minnesota at the request of a teacher. Within the last year, three women from the same high school class have been killed. That class is having a mid-winter reunion and the teacher is afraid there will be more murders. Flowers comes to investigate things that happened of the past 20 years. There is a lot.
Stuart Woods has Quick and Dirty coming out on October 24. Gosh, Stone Barrington has been around forever. This is the 43rd in his series. Sloan takes on as a client a beautiful woman. This pulls him into the exclusive world of art. It seems high class in NYC and the Hamptons but just underneath are the people who are always looking to make a buck. People are willing to kills for some things.
OK - these are the really big names for this month. Next week, we look at some of the others.
Friday, August 25, 2017
September Big Names - Or At Least In My Opinion
Since I missed 2 weeks, I am going to try to do all the big names this week. Next week will start October. Some of these have been big names in the past and perhaps are not quite as popular today but....they are worth mentioning in my opinion. I have very fond memories of reading them. See if you can identify which ones I am talking about.
I am starting with my favorite author, Harlan Coben. Don't Let Go is coming out on September 26. Napoleon 'Nap' Dumas is a New Jersey police detective. 15 years ago, his twin brother and the brother's girlfriend were found dead on the railroad tracks and Nap's girlfriend had disappeared. 15 years later, her fingerprints were found at a murder scene.Can Nap find her and finally get some answers about his brother's death? What do you think.
Clive Cussler and Robin Burcell have The Romanov Ransom coming out on September 12. This is the ninth in the Fargo series. Here, Sam and Remi Fargo search for a Romanov fortune that was supposed to secure the safety of the Czar and his family. The search brings them into contact with a dangerous Neo-Nazi organization that is trying to bring the Fourth Reich into power.
Kyle Mills continues Vince Flynn's work with the sixteenth in the Mitch Rapp series. Enemy of the State comes out on September 5. Rapp is taking some rest time trying to heal after his last mission when the President calls on him to go very deep undercover. It has been discovered that a Saudi Prince is funneling money into ISIS while maneuvering himself to take over when the current king dies. In order to undertake this mission, Rapp quits the CIA and when it goes awry and his picture is taken, he becomes a high value target for both the Saudi's and the USA.
James Patterson and James O. Born have Haunted: A Detective Michael Bennett Thriller coming out on September 18. This is the tenth in the Bennett series. Detective Bennett takes his family and goes on vacation to a small town in the Maine woods. Unfortunately, crimes happen everywhere and he gets pulled into a case where town children are disappearing and then bodies are found. Things that look idyllic aren't always what they appear.
J.D. Robb has Secrets In Death, the 45th in the series, coming out on September 5. When Larinda Mars, a professional gossip and blackmailer is killed right under Eve Dallas' nose, she must investigate. There are many suspects and Dallas has to dive into their secrets. She finds out more than she wanted to know.
Ken Follett has the third in the Kingsbridge series, A Column of Fire, coming out on September 12. I love Follett and The Pillars of the Earth (the first in the series) may be my favorite book in the genre ever. You do not have to read this as a series as each title takes place hundreds of years after the preceding one. Here, the main character, Ned Willard, becomes a spy for Princess Elizabeth as she becomes queen and has to fight Mary Queen of Scots. Reviewers have loved it. Two quotes from different reviewers are: "What Ken Follett does effortlessly is weave a wonderful story in and around with fact and fiction." and "Capturing the thrill and drama of religious and politically changing times in England and it's neighbors, Ken Follett writes a masterful telling of how it all could of been."
Jan Karon has To Be Where You Are, the twelfth in the Mitford series, coming out on September 12. We get reacquainted with Father Tim and Cynthia and also Dooley and Lace. The community may be idealized but they face real life problems. Come hang out in Mitford.
Lastly, Sharyn McCrumb has The Unquiet Grave coming out on September 12. I've always like McCrumb's books. Maybe it is because I went to school in the mountains in Virginia and it has that kind of flavor. Here, she has thoroughly researched the story of the Greenbrier Ghost. The story is told from two points of view. One is more than 30 years after the event by the first black attorney in West Virginia while an inpatient at an asylum after trying to committee suicide. The second is the mother of the daughter who was murdered. The daughter had been married to a man the mother did not approve of and several months later she was informed that her daughter had died in a fall. The mother said that her daughter's ghost has appeared to her and told her that she had been murdered. When the officials did an autopsy, they discovered the mother was right! In many ways, a true crime story of the late 1800's.
OK - that covers most of the ones that I consider 'big' names. Hope there is something there for you.
I am starting with my favorite author, Harlan Coben. Don't Let Go is coming out on September 26. Napoleon 'Nap' Dumas is a New Jersey police detective. 15 years ago, his twin brother and the brother's girlfriend were found dead on the railroad tracks and Nap's girlfriend had disappeared. 15 years later, her fingerprints were found at a murder scene.Can Nap find her and finally get some answers about his brother's death? What do you think.
Clive Cussler and Robin Burcell have The Romanov Ransom coming out on September 12. This is the ninth in the Fargo series. Here, Sam and Remi Fargo search for a Romanov fortune that was supposed to secure the safety of the Czar and his family. The search brings them into contact with a dangerous Neo-Nazi organization that is trying to bring the Fourth Reich into power.
Kyle Mills continues Vince Flynn's work with the sixteenth in the Mitch Rapp series. Enemy of the State comes out on September 5. Rapp is taking some rest time trying to heal after his last mission when the President calls on him to go very deep undercover. It has been discovered that a Saudi Prince is funneling money into ISIS while maneuvering himself to take over when the current king dies. In order to undertake this mission, Rapp quits the CIA and when it goes awry and his picture is taken, he becomes a high value target for both the Saudi's and the USA.
James Patterson and James O. Born have Haunted: A Detective Michael Bennett Thriller coming out on September 18. This is the tenth in the Bennett series. Detective Bennett takes his family and goes on vacation to a small town in the Maine woods. Unfortunately, crimes happen everywhere and he gets pulled into a case where town children are disappearing and then bodies are found. Things that look idyllic aren't always what they appear.
J.D. Robb has Secrets In Death, the 45th in the series, coming out on September 5. When Larinda Mars, a professional gossip and blackmailer is killed right under Eve Dallas' nose, she must investigate. There are many suspects and Dallas has to dive into their secrets. She finds out more than she wanted to know.
Ken Follett has the third in the Kingsbridge series, A Column of Fire, coming out on September 12. I love Follett and The Pillars of the Earth (the first in the series) may be my favorite book in the genre ever. You do not have to read this as a series as each title takes place hundreds of years after the preceding one. Here, the main character, Ned Willard, becomes a spy for Princess Elizabeth as she becomes queen and has to fight Mary Queen of Scots. Reviewers have loved it. Two quotes from different reviewers are: "What Ken Follett does effortlessly is weave a wonderful story in and around with fact and fiction." and "Capturing the thrill and drama of religious and politically changing times in England and it's neighbors, Ken Follett writes a masterful telling of how it all could of been."
Jan Karon has To Be Where You Are, the twelfth in the Mitford series, coming out on September 12. We get reacquainted with Father Tim and Cynthia and also Dooley and Lace. The community may be idealized but they face real life problems. Come hang out in Mitford.
Lastly, Sharyn McCrumb has The Unquiet Grave coming out on September 12. I've always like McCrumb's books. Maybe it is because I went to school in the mountains in Virginia and it has that kind of flavor. Here, she has thoroughly researched the story of the Greenbrier Ghost. The story is told from two points of view. One is more than 30 years after the event by the first black attorney in West Virginia while an inpatient at an asylum after trying to committee suicide. The second is the mother of the daughter who was murdered. The daughter had been married to a man the mother did not approve of and several months later she was informed that her daughter had died in a fall. The mother said that her daughter's ghost has appeared to her and told her that she had been murdered. When the officials did an autopsy, they discovered the mother was right! In many ways, a true crime story of the late 1800's.
OK - that covers most of the ones that I consider 'big' names. Hope there is something there for you.
Friday, August 18, 2017
September LibraryReads
First let me apologize for missing 2 weeks. I had the horrible stomach bug that is going around and it took me a while to recover. However, the LibraryReads came out and although there are some - well - quirky ones on the list, I need to let you know about the titles chosen for September.
First place was Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. The Richardson's are respected members of the Shaker Heights, Ohio community. Elena, the wife, is an avid planner and rule follower. Her younger daughter, Izzy, is the brunt of teasing and never seems to make her mother happy. Into the community come Mia and her daughter Pearl. Mia is an artist and moves every few months to find inspiration. Pearl envies the Richardson's life style but all is not perfect in the Richardson family. Ng is able to have us really look at the individuals inside the family. A rewarding mother/daughter read that is compared to Jodi Piccoult.
And the rest:
Sourdough by Robin Sloan. One of the quirky ones. Sloan's first title was Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore. The tone in this one is the same but the topic and plot is different. Here, Lois Clary is a software engineer in the near future San Francisco. She spends all day coding and collapses by herself at night. That is, until a neighborhood restaurant quickly closes and the brothers that ran it leave her with their sourdough started. The door to underground San Fran is opened. One reviewer called it 'delightful'.
Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence. OK - first of all, this list is chosen by librarians or people that work in libraries so....the subtitle will tell you why this one made the list - it is A Librarian's Love Letters and Break-Up Notes to the Books in Her Life. A must read for all book lovers.
Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore. Cashore is known for writing fantasy for young adults. This one is different. Quirky and different. Cashore, herself, says she started writing this title as a choose your own adventure type of story. Jane, is mourning the loss of her Aunt Magnolia - the person that raised her - when Kiran Thrash comes and asks her to go with her to her family's estate, Tu Reviens. Here, the story takes five different courses and Jane decides what choice to take. Those who like different and quirky might just find this is the book for them.
Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford. This title tells the story of the struggles of an abandoned part Chines young boy and is told in 2 time periods. One is the 1909 World's Fair where a 12 year old charity student at a boarding school is raffled off as the prize and ends up as the house boy at a high-class brothel. The other is the 1962 Worlds Fair where the man who had been that boy is trying to help his wife retain some of her memories. Not just a sweet love story but one reviewer has said "One of the first really good historical fiction reads of 2017, the characters that Mr. Ford creates are so well developed, they are unique and yet believable.
The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld. Before I even tell you anything about the plot, I want to cite some of the reviewers for this extraordinary work. One said"A wonderful, extraordinary book. The author speaks from her heart on every page." Another said it is "written with such ethereal grace it's like reading a holy relic but with subject matter so perverse and dark I find myself ricocheting from joy to sheer terror at the story being told." Lastly, one said although it addresses "themes of home, child abuse, memory, survival, fear of intimacy, and the necessity of stories, The Child Finder is absolutely glorious." High praise all around. Naomi Cottle is an investigator that specializes in finding missing children. Part of the reason she is so good at it is that she was a missing child herself and can remember nothing of the time before she was found. She takes the case of Madison Culver who disappeared three years before while her family was in the forest in the Pacific Northwest looking for a Christmas tree to cut down. What a story!!!!
The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones. This one is dystopian fiction and it is one I am not going to read. Why you ask???? Because the US has become infested with disease bearing ticks!!!! I hate ticks! OK - it may be because I have dogs and I get the willies when I find a tick on them but....they really are blood suckers. OK - so most of society lives behind a scorched line where ticks can not venture. Those who find that limiting, go beyond the line and leave themselves open to those ticks. There is more than the ticks out there. Which is the right side of the line?
Hanna Who Fell From The Sky by Christopher Meades. Truthfully, I am not sure what to say about this one. Hanna is approaching her 18th birthday in a polygamist community and on her birthday she is to marry a man her father's age who already has 4 wives. She meets Daniel, a young man in church and he opens her eyes to other possibilities. Then her mother tells her a secret. Should Hanna leave the life she has always known and live her own life on her own?
Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller. This novel has been authorized by the Little House estate. It retells the story from the point of view of Laura Ingalls' mother, Caroline from when she and her husband Charles left their home and family with their two young girls and ventured forth to make a life for themselves in Kansas.
Lastly, George and Lizzie by Nancy Pearl. This is the story of two very different people who meet and get married. Lizzie is depressed and unsatisfied even before the marriage. George is happy and loves Lizzie completely. 10 years into the marriage, a long held secret of Lizzie's is revealed and she must make a decision. Can she move toward happiness?
OK - there you go. Some quirkiness for sure. Hope that is something that sounds interesting to you.
First place was Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. The Richardson's are respected members of the Shaker Heights, Ohio community. Elena, the wife, is an avid planner and rule follower. Her younger daughter, Izzy, is the brunt of teasing and never seems to make her mother happy. Into the community come Mia and her daughter Pearl. Mia is an artist and moves every few months to find inspiration. Pearl envies the Richardson's life style but all is not perfect in the Richardson family. Ng is able to have us really look at the individuals inside the family. A rewarding mother/daughter read that is compared to Jodi Piccoult.
And the rest:
Sourdough by Robin Sloan. One of the quirky ones. Sloan's first title was Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore. The tone in this one is the same but the topic and plot is different. Here, Lois Clary is a software engineer in the near future San Francisco. She spends all day coding and collapses by herself at night. That is, until a neighborhood restaurant quickly closes and the brothers that ran it leave her with their sourdough started. The door to underground San Fran is opened. One reviewer called it 'delightful'.
Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence. OK - first of all, this list is chosen by librarians or people that work in libraries so....the subtitle will tell you why this one made the list - it is A Librarian's Love Letters and Break-Up Notes to the Books in Her Life. A must read for all book lovers.
Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore. Cashore is known for writing fantasy for young adults. This one is different. Quirky and different. Cashore, herself, says she started writing this title as a choose your own adventure type of story. Jane, is mourning the loss of her Aunt Magnolia - the person that raised her - when Kiran Thrash comes and asks her to go with her to her family's estate, Tu Reviens. Here, the story takes five different courses and Jane decides what choice to take. Those who like different and quirky might just find this is the book for them.
Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford. This title tells the story of the struggles of an abandoned part Chines young boy and is told in 2 time periods. One is the 1909 World's Fair where a 12 year old charity student at a boarding school is raffled off as the prize and ends up as the house boy at a high-class brothel. The other is the 1962 Worlds Fair where the man who had been that boy is trying to help his wife retain some of her memories. Not just a sweet love story but one reviewer has said "One of the first really good historical fiction reads of 2017, the characters that Mr. Ford creates are so well developed, they are unique and yet believable.
The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld. Before I even tell you anything about the plot, I want to cite some of the reviewers for this extraordinary work. One said"A wonderful, extraordinary book. The author speaks from her heart on every page." Another said it is "written with such ethereal grace it's like reading a holy relic but with subject matter so perverse and dark I find myself ricocheting from joy to sheer terror at the story being told." Lastly, one said although it addresses "themes of home, child abuse, memory, survival, fear of intimacy, and the necessity of stories, The Child Finder is absolutely glorious." High praise all around. Naomi Cottle is an investigator that specializes in finding missing children. Part of the reason she is so good at it is that she was a missing child herself and can remember nothing of the time before she was found. She takes the case of Madison Culver who disappeared three years before while her family was in the forest in the Pacific Northwest looking for a Christmas tree to cut down. What a story!!!!
The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones. This one is dystopian fiction and it is one I am not going to read. Why you ask???? Because the US has become infested with disease bearing ticks!!!! I hate ticks! OK - it may be because I have dogs and I get the willies when I find a tick on them but....they really are blood suckers. OK - so most of society lives behind a scorched line where ticks can not venture. Those who find that limiting, go beyond the line and leave themselves open to those ticks. There is more than the ticks out there. Which is the right side of the line?
Hanna Who Fell From The Sky by Christopher Meades. Truthfully, I am not sure what to say about this one. Hanna is approaching her 18th birthday in a polygamist community and on her birthday she is to marry a man her father's age who already has 4 wives. She meets Daniel, a young man in church and he opens her eyes to other possibilities. Then her mother tells her a secret. Should Hanna leave the life she has always known and live her own life on her own?
Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller. This novel has been authorized by the Little House estate. It retells the story from the point of view of Laura Ingalls' mother, Caroline from when she and her husband Charles left their home and family with their two young girls and ventured forth to make a life for themselves in Kansas.
Lastly, George and Lizzie by Nancy Pearl. This is the story of two very different people who meet and get married. Lizzie is depressed and unsatisfied even before the marriage. George is happy and loves Lizzie completely. 10 years into the marriage, a long held secret of Lizzie's is revealed and she must make a decision. Can she move toward happiness?
OK - there you go. Some quirkiness for sure. Hope that is something that sounds interesting to you.
Saturday, July 29, 2017
The Last For August
July is almost over so it is the last entry for August titles. And yes - there still are more that are interesting so I will get started.
Carla Neggers has her seventh Sharpe and Donovan title coming out on August 29, Thief's Mark. This series reminds me a little of the Catherine Coulter FBI series. Here Sharpe and Donovan are on their honeymoon in Ireland when they find out that the home of Emma's grandfather has had a break-in and an old acquaintance, Oliver York - an expert in Celtic mythology and a well known art thief. When Oliver is discovered missing with a dead body in his apartment - the case begins.
Next Hollie Overton has The Walls coming out on August 8. This is Overton's second book after Baby Doll. In this title, Kristy Tucker is a single mom who works for Public Relations with the Texas Department of Corrections. She becomes involved and eventually marries her son's martial arts instructor and discovers she made a big mistake. Now she has to decide whether to stay in an abusive marriage or murder him. Seems like there ought to be another choice.
T. Parker Jefferson has The Room of White Fire coming out on August 22. Parker is an award winning thriller author who has yet to make it to the 'A list' but perhaps he will make it this time. Roland Ford is a private investigator who is very good at his job but has hidden problems. He is asked to track down a young traumatized veteran, Clay Hickman, who as escaped from a mental institution. But why is he getting different stories from people and why are so many anxious to have him found?
Erica Spindler has The Other Girl coming out on August 22 also. Spindler writes fast paced, dramatic, psychological suspense with strong female characters and usually a dark atmosphere. Here, Miranda Rader has become an Officer in the Hammond, LA police department. She has covered up an incident in her past until the policeman who took her statement that night is found dead AND her fingerprints are at the scene. Her co-workers begin to doubt her trustworthiness and she can only rely on herself to find out who is setting her up.
Stephen Baxter has his SciFi title The Massacre of Mankind coming out once again on August 22. This is actually a sequel to H. G. Well's The War of the Worlds. Baxter's title takes place 14 years after Well's work. Earth may have prepared technologically but when the Martian's invade again, they are successful. Walker Jenkins's sister-in-law is organizing one last attempt for survival.
Laurie Gelman gives us something quirky with Class Mom on August 1. This is a debut from Gelman who follows the antics of Jen Dixon, recently settled down after a rather wild youth (and beyond). The PTA president asks her to become the class mother for the Kindergarten class. When she requests 'special' brownies for curriculum night - you know that the protests will begin.
Hopefully, that will give you some more to think about before we start on September titles. Enjoy!
Carla Neggers has her seventh Sharpe and Donovan title coming out on August 29, Thief's Mark. This series reminds me a little of the Catherine Coulter FBI series. Here Sharpe and Donovan are on their honeymoon in Ireland when they find out that the home of Emma's grandfather has had a break-in and an old acquaintance, Oliver York - an expert in Celtic mythology and a well known art thief. When Oliver is discovered missing with a dead body in his apartment - the case begins.
Next Hollie Overton has The Walls coming out on August 8. This is Overton's second book after Baby Doll. In this title, Kristy Tucker is a single mom who works for Public Relations with the Texas Department of Corrections. She becomes involved and eventually marries her son's martial arts instructor and discovers she made a big mistake. Now she has to decide whether to stay in an abusive marriage or murder him. Seems like there ought to be another choice.
T. Parker Jefferson has The Room of White Fire coming out on August 22. Parker is an award winning thriller author who has yet to make it to the 'A list' but perhaps he will make it this time. Roland Ford is a private investigator who is very good at his job but has hidden problems. He is asked to track down a young traumatized veteran, Clay Hickman, who as escaped from a mental institution. But why is he getting different stories from people and why are so many anxious to have him found?
Erica Spindler has The Other Girl coming out on August 22 also. Spindler writes fast paced, dramatic, psychological suspense with strong female characters and usually a dark atmosphere. Here, Miranda Rader has become an Officer in the Hammond, LA police department. She has covered up an incident in her past until the policeman who took her statement that night is found dead AND her fingerprints are at the scene. Her co-workers begin to doubt her trustworthiness and she can only rely on herself to find out who is setting her up.
Stephen Baxter has his SciFi title The Massacre of Mankind coming out once again on August 22. This is actually a sequel to H. G. Well's The War of the Worlds. Baxter's title takes place 14 years after Well's work. Earth may have prepared technologically but when the Martian's invade again, they are successful. Walker Jenkins's sister-in-law is organizing one last attempt for survival.
Laurie Gelman gives us something quirky with Class Mom on August 1. This is a debut from Gelman who follows the antics of Jen Dixon, recently settled down after a rather wild youth (and beyond). The PTA president asks her to become the class mother for the Kindergarten class. When she requests 'special' brownies for curriculum night - you know that the protests will begin.
Hopefully, that will give you some more to think about before we start on September titles. Enjoy!
Saturday, July 22, 2017
Continuing With August Titles
So - lots of good mysteries and thrillers in August. So many, in fact, that I don't know if I can cover them all this week. I better get started.
Allison Brennan has Shattered coming out on August 22. This is the fourth in the Max Revere series. A friend asks her to help exonerate his wife, who has been charged with their son's murder. There have been 4 boys kidnapped and murders in the same manner over the last 20 years. No one will talk to Max about this case but she thinks if she can solve one of the older ones, she can find the killer in this one. Justin Stanton was the first one killed. His father will help if she works with Justin's aunt, an FBI agent, Lucy Kincaid. They don't trust each other but between Max's research and Lucy's training, they could be successful......if the killer doesn't stop them first.
Paul Cleave has A Killer Harvest coming out on August 1. Cleave comes from New Zealand and writes fast paced; intricately plotted and often gruesome thrillers. This one focuses on Joshua, a teen who was blind but received a corneal transplant. One of the cornea came from his father who was killed in a shootout; the other came from his father's killer who was shot by his father's partner. With the eyes, came memories of things both had seen and done. Then, the killer's partner decides he want revenge. Will Joshua be safe?
Tess Gerritsen has I Know a Secret coming out on August 15. This is the twelfth in the Rizzoli and Isles series. First, a horror film producer is found dead in her bedroom, laying on her bed, holding her eyes. A case that has Rizzoli and Isles baffled. Then a second body is found with three arrows straight to his heart. Someone knows the answer to the questions and that person, is most likely next on the list of the killer. Can Rizzoli and Isles find her before the killer strikes again?
Hart Hanson has The Driver coming out on August 8. Hanson was the creator of the TV series Bones so much was expected for this title. Reviewers seem to think he came through. Michael Skellig is an ex- special forces sergeant and now has his own limo driving firm which employees other veterans. He also hears voices of people he has killed. The voices are not angry but warn him of trouble. When he saves the life of an ex-skateboarding rapper, he also becomes the prime suspect. When other's start to die, the rapper hires him for protection. Who is trying to kill whom?
Jorn Lier Horst was a senior police office on the Norwegian police force. He started writing crime fiction in 2004. Ordeal also comes out on August 8 and is the tenth in the William Wisting series. If you like Norwegian noir and haven't tried Horst, give him a try. He is good at what he does. Here a single mother inherits her hated grandfather's house and opens a basement safe. Here, she finds clues to a long unsolved case. Wisting, in following the clues, finds contradicting evidence for a case where the wrong man is on trial. Neighboring police are not happy with him. It is a question of police procedures or justice? Which will win?
Shari Lapena has A Stranger in the House coming out on August 15. First, we meet Karen who is preparing a meal at home waiting for her husband. Then, when her husband, Tom, comes home, he finds the door unlocked, dinner half prepared and Karen with her car is missing. When the police show up at his door, he is sure he is about to hear the worst but finds his wife is in the hospital after a car wreck and can't remember the accident or the hours before. Is she faking it? There had also been a murder in the vicinity. Is Karen a murderer?
Sean McFate and Bret Witter have Deep Black coming out on August 8. As a former U.S. Army paratrooper and private military contractor working in Burundi, you would have to suspect McFate would write military action thrillers. Your suspicions would be correct. This is the second in the Tom Locke series. If you haven't read the first one, it gave a relatively believable description of the role of military contractors in today's wars. Here, Locke and his team, part of a military contractor's efforts, is in Isis controlled Iraq when a Saudi middleman asks them to find a missing Prince. More is going on than meets the eye. Will Locke's team survive?
OK - that hopefully has one that interests you. Next week there will be more August titles. Enjoy!
Allison Brennan has Shattered coming out on August 22. This is the fourth in the Max Revere series. A friend asks her to help exonerate his wife, who has been charged with their son's murder. There have been 4 boys kidnapped and murders in the same manner over the last 20 years. No one will talk to Max about this case but she thinks if she can solve one of the older ones, she can find the killer in this one. Justin Stanton was the first one killed. His father will help if she works with Justin's aunt, an FBI agent, Lucy Kincaid. They don't trust each other but between Max's research and Lucy's training, they could be successful......if the killer doesn't stop them first.
Paul Cleave has A Killer Harvest coming out on August 1. Cleave comes from New Zealand and writes fast paced; intricately plotted and often gruesome thrillers. This one focuses on Joshua, a teen who was blind but received a corneal transplant. One of the cornea came from his father who was killed in a shootout; the other came from his father's killer who was shot by his father's partner. With the eyes, came memories of things both had seen and done. Then, the killer's partner decides he want revenge. Will Joshua be safe?
Tess Gerritsen has I Know a Secret coming out on August 15. This is the twelfth in the Rizzoli and Isles series. First, a horror film producer is found dead in her bedroom, laying on her bed, holding her eyes. A case that has Rizzoli and Isles baffled. Then a second body is found with three arrows straight to his heart. Someone knows the answer to the questions and that person, is most likely next on the list of the killer. Can Rizzoli and Isles find her before the killer strikes again?
Hart Hanson has The Driver coming out on August 8. Hanson was the creator of the TV series Bones so much was expected for this title. Reviewers seem to think he came through. Michael Skellig is an ex- special forces sergeant and now has his own limo driving firm which employees other veterans. He also hears voices of people he has killed. The voices are not angry but warn him of trouble. When he saves the life of an ex-skateboarding rapper, he also becomes the prime suspect. When other's start to die, the rapper hires him for protection. Who is trying to kill whom?
Jorn Lier Horst was a senior police office on the Norwegian police force. He started writing crime fiction in 2004. Ordeal also comes out on August 8 and is the tenth in the William Wisting series. If you like Norwegian noir and haven't tried Horst, give him a try. He is good at what he does. Here a single mother inherits her hated grandfather's house and opens a basement safe. Here, she finds clues to a long unsolved case. Wisting, in following the clues, finds contradicting evidence for a case where the wrong man is on trial. Neighboring police are not happy with him. It is a question of police procedures or justice? Which will win?
Shari Lapena has A Stranger in the House coming out on August 15. First, we meet Karen who is preparing a meal at home waiting for her husband. Then, when her husband, Tom, comes home, he finds the door unlocked, dinner half prepared and Karen with her car is missing. When the police show up at his door, he is sure he is about to hear the worst but finds his wife is in the hospital after a car wreck and can't remember the accident or the hours before. Is she faking it? There had also been a murder in the vicinity. Is Karen a murderer?
Sean McFate and Bret Witter have Deep Black coming out on August 8. As a former U.S. Army paratrooper and private military contractor working in Burundi, you would have to suspect McFate would write military action thrillers. Your suspicions would be correct. This is the second in the Tom Locke series. If you haven't read the first one, it gave a relatively believable description of the role of military contractors in today's wars. Here, Locke and his team, part of a military contractor's efforts, is in Isis controlled Iraq when a Saudi middleman asks them to find a missing Prince. More is going on than meets the eye. Will Locke's team survive?
OK - that hopefully has one that interests you. Next week there will be more August titles. Enjoy!
Saturday, July 15, 2017
LibraryReads for August
It is an interesting mix of titles for this month's LibraryReads. Only one big name in the bunch and the rest are a mixture of genre too.
Number one on the list is the new one from Gabrielle Zevin, the author of one of my favorite books, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. I was afraid that her new book would be similar to Fikry but I was wrong. Young Jane Young follows Aviva Grossman as she is shamed out of public life when her affair with a congressman is publicized. She runs away to a rural Maine village to raise her daughter and reinvents herself as Jane Young. After establishing herself in her new life, she is urged by others to run for public office which she does.....not realizing that the past is never completely hidden. This is a novel about double standards; in fact, Zevin described it as a novel about slut shaming. It is described as engaging and humorous with wonderful characterizations.
The rest:
I will start with the well known author. Louise Penney has Glass Houses on the list. This is the thirteenth in the Inspector Gamache series. Reviewers have always said each additional one gets better and this is no different. Gamache has become Chief Inspector of the Surete du Quebec and is deeply involved in a drug investigation. Meanwhile in Three Pines, a costumed figure appears on the village green. The figure does not talk but just stands there and seems to represent someones conscience. As always, Penney does a wonderful job depicting people and plot and place. And yes, reviewers say this one is even better the last.
Veronica Henry's How To Find Love in a Bookshop is on the list.One reviewer said "this book oozes charm, strength, passion, romance, beautiful books, a compelling yet feel good read". Pretty high praise. Emilia Nightingale was left Nightingale Books by her father on his death. She pledged to him she would keep it open. When she actually took control, she discovered her father had been having financial problems. The bookshop was not the bread winner it had been when she was a child. Can she keep it open? Wonderful characterizations.
If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss made the list. This is a debut novel for Weiss who didn't start writing for real until she retired from her position as the Executive Assistant to a Headmaster at a private school. One reviewer said "It's bold, powerful, dark and hard to believe that this is a debut novel." It is the story of Sadie Blue among others. She is 17, newly married, pregnant and an abused wife who can barely read. It takes place in the mountains of North Carolina. Is there life beyond the life she is currently living? Read and find out. I love Appalachian tales.
Michael Poore has Reincarnation Blues on the list. Well, this is a strange one for me to explain and truthfully, although reviewers seem to love it, it was not one I would have picked. It is about Milo who has been reincarnated more than any other human and only has a limited number of times left. Yes, apparently there is a limit. Somehow, he falls in love with Death - who is names Suzie and who he only meets when he is in between lives. Said to be funny, insightful and entertaining.
Ann Hood has Morningstar: Growing Up with Books on the list. This is a work of nonfiction and is
Hood tale of growing up in a non reading family in a town that did not value books. Through it all, she illustrates how books transformed her life and can do the same with others.
The Address by Fiona Davis is on the list. This is the story of two women - Sara Smythe in the 1880's and Bailey Camden in the 1980's - and an apartment building - the Dakota in New York City's Upper East Side. Sara was hired by the architect of the Dakota to manage the new apartment building. She also became the architect's lover and end up murdering him. Bailey, is a recovering alcoholic who is hired to renovate an apartment in the building and uncovers papers in the basement which uncover a secret. Reviews have found it "a compulsively readable novel".
Next comes Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker. One reviewer said it is "a disturbing, insightful, captivating, and a twisted psychological thriller that is filled with dysfunctional and manipulative characters." Two sisters, 15 year old Cass and 17 year old Emma, went missing three years ago. Then, Cass shows up on the doorstep with a story of kidnapping and being held captive on an island. FBI agent Abby Strauss knows something isn't right but can't pin her suspicions down. Can Emma be found?
The Burning Girl by Claire Messud. The story of two girls, Julia and Cassie who were best friends from nursery school and knew each other's secrets. Then.....they entered junior high school and Cassie left Julia to figure it out on her own. Cassie ran with the more dangerous crowd and when things got dangerous, the only one trying to save her was Julia. The story of heartbreaking friendships.
Lastly, The Clockwork Dynasty by Daniel H. Wilson. Here, the story of the author is almost as good as the story in the title. Wilson is a Cherokee citizen who grew up in Oklahoma. He got a PhD in robotics from Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh and now lives in Portland, Oregon. His first title, Robopocalypse, obviously must have come from his scientific background. Here, he kind of uses that also. A young anthropologist, June Stefanov, is studying ancient technology when she uncovers a secret in the workings of a 300 year old mechanical doll. She is thrown into a hidden world that is just under the surface of ours. One reviewer said "fun, intriguing and nearly impossible to put down."
There you go for the list for August. Hope something tempts you. See you next week.
Number one on the list is the new one from Gabrielle Zevin, the author of one of my favorite books, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. I was afraid that her new book would be similar to Fikry but I was wrong. Young Jane Young follows Aviva Grossman as she is shamed out of public life when her affair with a congressman is publicized. She runs away to a rural Maine village to raise her daughter and reinvents herself as Jane Young. After establishing herself in her new life, she is urged by others to run for public office which she does.....not realizing that the past is never completely hidden. This is a novel about double standards; in fact, Zevin described it as a novel about slut shaming. It is described as engaging and humorous with wonderful characterizations.
The rest:
I will start with the well known author. Louise Penney has Glass Houses on the list. This is the thirteenth in the Inspector Gamache series. Reviewers have always said each additional one gets better and this is no different. Gamache has become Chief Inspector of the Surete du Quebec and is deeply involved in a drug investigation. Meanwhile in Three Pines, a costumed figure appears on the village green. The figure does not talk but just stands there and seems to represent someones conscience. As always, Penney does a wonderful job depicting people and plot and place. And yes, reviewers say this one is even better the last.
Veronica Henry's How To Find Love in a Bookshop is on the list.One reviewer said "this book oozes charm, strength, passion, romance, beautiful books, a compelling yet feel good read". Pretty high praise. Emilia Nightingale was left Nightingale Books by her father on his death. She pledged to him she would keep it open. When she actually took control, she discovered her father had been having financial problems. The bookshop was not the bread winner it had been when she was a child. Can she keep it open? Wonderful characterizations.
If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss made the list. This is a debut novel for Weiss who didn't start writing for real until she retired from her position as the Executive Assistant to a Headmaster at a private school. One reviewer said "It's bold, powerful, dark and hard to believe that this is a debut novel." It is the story of Sadie Blue among others. She is 17, newly married, pregnant and an abused wife who can barely read. It takes place in the mountains of North Carolina. Is there life beyond the life she is currently living? Read and find out. I love Appalachian tales.
Michael Poore has Reincarnation Blues on the list. Well, this is a strange one for me to explain and truthfully, although reviewers seem to love it, it was not one I would have picked. It is about Milo who has been reincarnated more than any other human and only has a limited number of times left. Yes, apparently there is a limit. Somehow, he falls in love with Death - who is names Suzie and who he only meets when he is in between lives. Said to be funny, insightful and entertaining.
Ann Hood has Morningstar: Growing Up with Books on the list. This is a work of nonfiction and is
Hood tale of growing up in a non reading family in a town that did not value books. Through it all, she illustrates how books transformed her life and can do the same with others.
The Address by Fiona Davis is on the list. This is the story of two women - Sara Smythe in the 1880's and Bailey Camden in the 1980's - and an apartment building - the Dakota in New York City's Upper East Side. Sara was hired by the architect of the Dakota to manage the new apartment building. She also became the architect's lover and end up murdering him. Bailey, is a recovering alcoholic who is hired to renovate an apartment in the building and uncovers papers in the basement which uncover a secret. Reviews have found it "a compulsively readable novel".
Next comes Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker. One reviewer said it is "a disturbing, insightful, captivating, and a twisted psychological thriller that is filled with dysfunctional and manipulative characters." Two sisters, 15 year old Cass and 17 year old Emma, went missing three years ago. Then, Cass shows up on the doorstep with a story of kidnapping and being held captive on an island. FBI agent Abby Strauss knows something isn't right but can't pin her suspicions down. Can Emma be found?
The Burning Girl by Claire Messud. The story of two girls, Julia and Cassie who were best friends from nursery school and knew each other's secrets. Then.....they entered junior high school and Cassie left Julia to figure it out on her own. Cassie ran with the more dangerous crowd and when things got dangerous, the only one trying to save her was Julia. The story of heartbreaking friendships.
Lastly, The Clockwork Dynasty by Daniel H. Wilson. Here, the story of the author is almost as good as the story in the title. Wilson is a Cherokee citizen who grew up in Oklahoma. He got a PhD in robotics from Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh and now lives in Portland, Oregon. His first title, Robopocalypse, obviously must have come from his scientific background. Here, he kind of uses that also. A young anthropologist, June Stefanov, is studying ancient technology when she uncovers a secret in the workings of a 300 year old mechanical doll. She is thrown into a hidden world that is just under the surface of ours. One reviewer said "fun, intriguing and nearly impossible to put down."
There you go for the list for August. Hope something tempts you. See you next week.
Saturday, July 8, 2017
Big Names in August
While not that many titles are published in August, there are lots of the A List authors publishing this month. Let's see how many you already have your name on the list for.
Sandra Brown has Seeing Red coming out on August 15. Romantic suspense is Brown's genre and this title is no exception. She is very good at what she does. Kerra Baily is a television journalist who is out to get an interview with Major Trapper. Major led a group of people from the Pegasus Hotel after it had been bombed and became a successful celebrity until.....he removed himself from view. One of Kerra's contacts she attempts to use is John Trapper, Major's estranged son and an ATF agent. When she finally gets her interview, unknown assailants try to kill both the Major and Kerra. John has to get involved.
Robin Cook has Charlatans coming out on August 22. Another medical thriller from Cook, this one features Noah Rothauser of Boston Memorial Hospital. When healthy patients start dying during surgery in the ultra modern operating room, Noah investigates and questions a surgeon who believes he can do no wrong and an anesthesiologist who is addicted to social media and has created multiple accounts portraying herself as different people. Could one of them be at fault?
Debbie Macomber has Any Dream Will Do coming out on August 8. Shay Benson needs a place to start fresh after attempting to help her baby brother. Pastor Drew Douglas is unsure of his direction after losing his wife. The pair strike up a friendship that could be developing into something more when Shay's brother comes back to town.Will the secret she has been keeping be revealed?
James Patterson has The Store coming out on August 14. I have one comment to make about this book - what did Amazon do to James Patterson????? Jacob and Megan Brandeis are trying to write an expose type of book about 'The Store' that anticipates your needs and delivers it to your door before you know you need it. Well obviously 'The Store' is not happy with the idea. Can they live through this till publication?
Lisa Scottoline has Exposed coming out on August 15. This is the fifth in her Rosato and DiNunzio series. When Mary DiNunzio wants to represent an old friend in a wrongful termination suit, a conflict of interest arises. Bennie Rosato represents the parent company. An epic battle of wills takes place ripping the law firm apart. Will things ever be the same?
Karen Slaughter had The Good Daughter coming out on August 8. The novel focuses on Charlie Quinn. Twenty-eight years ago an attack on her family that left her mother dead, her father devastated and her sister estranged, reemerges when Charlie is the first witness to an attack. Secrets have been kept from the first crime, will this one bring the family back together or tear them further apart. I am going to quote one of the reviews here because it sums it up pretty well. There is "the beautifully drawn divisive relationship between the sister's, their very different connection to their father, the heartbreaking thing that happened to the family all layered into a twisty plot that is fantastically unpredictable." And Slaughter comes from Georgia!
Lastly, Stuart Woods and Parnell Hall have Barely Legal coming on August 8. This is the second collaboration between the two but the first in what we hope is the Herbie Fisher series. Fisher has been mentored by Stone Barrington and has changed from a nerd into a high polished lawyer. Currently, he is the youngest partner in a high society law firm. Then - problems arise.
Enjoy - hope something interests you. See you next week.
Sandra Brown has Seeing Red coming out on August 15. Romantic suspense is Brown's genre and this title is no exception. She is very good at what she does. Kerra Baily is a television journalist who is out to get an interview with Major Trapper. Major led a group of people from the Pegasus Hotel after it had been bombed and became a successful celebrity until.....he removed himself from view. One of Kerra's contacts she attempts to use is John Trapper, Major's estranged son and an ATF agent. When she finally gets her interview, unknown assailants try to kill both the Major and Kerra. John has to get involved.
Robin Cook has Charlatans coming out on August 22. Another medical thriller from Cook, this one features Noah Rothauser of Boston Memorial Hospital. When healthy patients start dying during surgery in the ultra modern operating room, Noah investigates and questions a surgeon who believes he can do no wrong and an anesthesiologist who is addicted to social media and has created multiple accounts portraying herself as different people. Could one of them be at fault?
Debbie Macomber has Any Dream Will Do coming out on August 8. Shay Benson needs a place to start fresh after attempting to help her baby brother. Pastor Drew Douglas is unsure of his direction after losing his wife. The pair strike up a friendship that could be developing into something more when Shay's brother comes back to town.Will the secret she has been keeping be revealed?
James Patterson has The Store coming out on August 14. I have one comment to make about this book - what did Amazon do to James Patterson????? Jacob and Megan Brandeis are trying to write an expose type of book about 'The Store' that anticipates your needs and delivers it to your door before you know you need it. Well obviously 'The Store' is not happy with the idea. Can they live through this till publication?
Lisa Scottoline has Exposed coming out on August 15. This is the fifth in her Rosato and DiNunzio series. When Mary DiNunzio wants to represent an old friend in a wrongful termination suit, a conflict of interest arises. Bennie Rosato represents the parent company. An epic battle of wills takes place ripping the law firm apart. Will things ever be the same?
Karen Slaughter had The Good Daughter coming out on August 8. The novel focuses on Charlie Quinn. Twenty-eight years ago an attack on her family that left her mother dead, her father devastated and her sister estranged, reemerges when Charlie is the first witness to an attack. Secrets have been kept from the first crime, will this one bring the family back together or tear them further apart. I am going to quote one of the reviews here because it sums it up pretty well. There is "the beautifully drawn divisive relationship between the sister's, their very different connection to their father, the heartbreaking thing that happened to the family all layered into a twisty plot that is fantastically unpredictable." And Slaughter comes from Georgia!
Lastly, Stuart Woods and Parnell Hall have Barely Legal coming on August 8. This is the second collaboration between the two but the first in what we hope is the Herbie Fisher series. Fisher has been mentored by Stone Barrington and has changed from a nerd into a high polished lawyer. Currently, he is the youngest partner in a high society law firm. Then - problems arise.
Enjoy - hope something interests you. See you next week.
Thursday, June 29, 2017
End of July Titles
There are still some really good titles coming out that I can not NOT talk about. I might have to zoom through these but I want to at least let you know they are coming.
Suzanne Brockmann has Some Kind of Hero coming out on July 11. Brockmann writes romantic suspense many having to do with the military. This is 19th in her Troubleshooters series. The Troubleshooters are former Navy Seals - ones that Peter "Grunge" Greene had trained. Peter gets custody of his teenage daughter, Maddie, after her mother dies and is at a loss for communication. When Maddie runs away, Peter knows she is in trouble and calls on his team for help while involving his neighbor - romance writer and single mom - Shayla Whitman.
Alisyn Camerota has Amanda Wakes Up coming out on July 25. Camerota was formerly a Fox News reporter and is now a co-anchor of CNN's morning show. This is a debut for her and surprise, is the story of a young co-anchor of a local morning show, Amanda Gallo, and the things she must deal with personally as well as at work. As she is about to break a big story, questions of an ethical nature arise. Sounds interesting.
Sarah Beth Durst has the second in her fantasy trilogy following The Queen of Blood, The Reluctant Queen coming on July 4. After having fought the evil spirits in the first book, Queen Daleina is dying and must find a successor who is also able to fight the spirits. Unfortunately, the perfect person doesn't want the job.
Shelley Shepard Gray has His Guilt coming also on July 4. This is the second of The Amish of Hart County series.Mark Fisher had left home after being wrongly accused of beating an Amish woman. He returned home though when the local pastor encouraged him too. He meets a young woman, Waneta Cain, and is thinking things are looking up when more assaults happen. The community seems to think he is the guilty party once again. He though, starts to suspect he knows who is guilty.
Jean E. Pendziwol has The Lightkeeper's Daughters once again arriving on July 4. Pendziwol is a Canadian author and this title tells the tale of time, Elizabeth (now old, blind and living in a nursing home); Mandy (a teenager performing required community service at the home); Emily (Elizabeth's twin sister who could not speak and disappeared) and Lake Superior. One of the reviewers said it is "a sensitive and moving examination of the nature of identity, the importance of family, and the possibility of second chances."
Now, one of my favorite authors, Jane Casey has Let the Dead Speak coming out on July 25. This is the seventh in the Maeve Kerrigan series. In this title, 18 year old Chloe Emery discovers her mother missing from her home and the house is covered in blood. Even though there is no way her mother could have survived with that amount of lost blood, there is no sign of a body. Kerrigan knows people are keeping secrets but she can't seem to get anyone to talk. I am going to give you one reviewers sentiments with this series because I love it as much as she/he does. "What I love about this particular series is the intensely absorbing writing with it's ironically humorous undertones and the characters that do almost literally leap off the page. ...Added to that the plotting is so gorgeously realistic and tightly drawn that you never disbelieve any of it." Give Casey a try is you haven't yet and see what you think.
OK - one more - a debut this time. Wesley Snipes (yes - the actor) and Ray Norman have Talon of God coming out on July 25. This title has been identified as an urban fantasy but......well, I will let you make up your mind. It focuses on Lauryn Jefferson, a young female doctor who becomes involved in a seemingly impossible battles against the invisible forces of Satan's army and their human agents. How can a skeptic win? You need to read it to find out if she wins or fails with millions dying.
Next week, we start on August. Enjoy!
Suzanne Brockmann has Some Kind of Hero coming out on July 11. Brockmann writes romantic suspense many having to do with the military. This is 19th in her Troubleshooters series. The Troubleshooters are former Navy Seals - ones that Peter "Grunge" Greene had trained. Peter gets custody of his teenage daughter, Maddie, after her mother dies and is at a loss for communication. When Maddie runs away, Peter knows she is in trouble and calls on his team for help while involving his neighbor - romance writer and single mom - Shayla Whitman.
Alisyn Camerota has Amanda Wakes Up coming out on July 25. Camerota was formerly a Fox News reporter and is now a co-anchor of CNN's morning show. This is a debut for her and surprise, is the story of a young co-anchor of a local morning show, Amanda Gallo, and the things she must deal with personally as well as at work. As she is about to break a big story, questions of an ethical nature arise. Sounds interesting.
Sarah Beth Durst has the second in her fantasy trilogy following The Queen of Blood, The Reluctant Queen coming on July 4. After having fought the evil spirits in the first book, Queen Daleina is dying and must find a successor who is also able to fight the spirits. Unfortunately, the perfect person doesn't want the job.
Shelley Shepard Gray has His Guilt coming also on July 4. This is the second of The Amish of Hart County series.Mark Fisher had left home after being wrongly accused of beating an Amish woman. He returned home though when the local pastor encouraged him too. He meets a young woman, Waneta Cain, and is thinking things are looking up when more assaults happen. The community seems to think he is the guilty party once again. He though, starts to suspect he knows who is guilty.
Jean E. Pendziwol has The Lightkeeper's Daughters once again arriving on July 4. Pendziwol is a Canadian author and this title tells the tale of time, Elizabeth (now old, blind and living in a nursing home); Mandy (a teenager performing required community service at the home); Emily (Elizabeth's twin sister who could not speak and disappeared) and Lake Superior. One of the reviewers said it is "a sensitive and moving examination of the nature of identity, the importance of family, and the possibility of second chances."
Now, one of my favorite authors, Jane Casey has Let the Dead Speak coming out on July 25. This is the seventh in the Maeve Kerrigan series. In this title, 18 year old Chloe Emery discovers her mother missing from her home and the house is covered in blood. Even though there is no way her mother could have survived with that amount of lost blood, there is no sign of a body. Kerrigan knows people are keeping secrets but she can't seem to get anyone to talk. I am going to give you one reviewers sentiments with this series because I love it as much as she/he does. "What I love about this particular series is the intensely absorbing writing with it's ironically humorous undertones and the characters that do almost literally leap off the page. ...Added to that the plotting is so gorgeously realistic and tightly drawn that you never disbelieve any of it." Give Casey a try is you haven't yet and see what you think.
OK - one more - a debut this time. Wesley Snipes (yes - the actor) and Ray Norman have Talon of God coming out on July 25. This title has been identified as an urban fantasy but......well, I will let you make up your mind. It focuses on Lauryn Jefferson, a young female doctor who becomes involved in a seemingly impossible battles against the invisible forces of Satan's army and their human agents. How can a skeptic win? You need to read it to find out if she wins or fails with millions dying.
Next week, we start on August. Enjoy!
Monday, June 26, 2017
Still More July Titles
July is great for the mid range authors. There are so many I don't know if I will be able to get to all the interesting ones. I guess I better get started if I want a chance to get them all down.
Bill Loehfelm has The Devil's Muse coming out on July 1. If you haven't read any of his work before, he writes gritty, compelling suspense with a great sense of place. He is often compared to Dennis Lehane, Ken Bruen and Ace Atkins. This is the fifth in his Maureen Coughlin series and it is her first Mardi Gras as a beat cop. You can probably imagine the things she has in front of her.
Gin Phillips has Fierce Kingdom coming out on July 25. The first thing you probably should know is that Gin Phillips lives in Birmingham. Yes - an almost local author. She has written in different genres but this one is .... well, I would say suspense although it is about a woman, Joan, and her 4 year old son, Lincoln. They are spending a great day at the zoo when while rushing to the exit at closing time, Joan sees armed men with guns shooting people. Joan picks up her son and escapes into the zoo. The book takes place in the 3 hour time frame while Joan and Lincoln are hiding from unknown adversaries. Wow!
Michael Robotham has The Secrets She Keeps coming out on July 11. If you haven't read Robotham yet, you are missing a good one. Stephen King calls him "an absolute master" of the psychological thriller. He is from Australian and perhaps that might be one reason he hasn't made it to the A list year but he is compared to Jonathan Kellerman and Nicci French. Here, the two main characters are Meg, a 'mommy blogger' living an apparent perfect life with husband, children, nice home, etc; and Agatha, an unmarried, pregnant, stocker at a grocery store. When they find out they are having babies at the same time, they become 'friends'? When one of their newborns is kidnapped - a fight to the end is the result.
Simon Toyne has The Boy Who Saw coming out on July 4. This is the second in his Solomon Creed series. Creed is an amnesiac who travels to France to find the tailor who made the jacket he was wearing. When he arrives he finds the tailor, Engel, dead, having had a Star of David carved in his chest and written in his blood "Finishing what was begun". Engel had been a concentration camp survivor and someone is killing the other survivors. Creed takes responsibility for saving Engel's daughter and grandson. They escape and go on the run. One reviewer compares Creed to a cross between Indiana Jones and Jack Reacher.
Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza have Fitness Junkie coming out on July 11. This one is definitely in the genre of humorous women's fiction. Janey Sweet, the CEO of a couture wedding dress company, gets an ultimatum from her business partner - lose weight or lose her job. From there, get ready for a romp as she throws herself into whatever new finagled workout is said to work. But did she really need to lose weight?
Lastly, Beatriz Williams has Cocoa Beach coming out on June 27th. That feels like July to me. In addition - I use to live outside of Cocoa Beach so how could I not chose this title????? First, Willaims has written a trilogy of titles and this is the last in her 1920's series. Reviewers have said that you can read this one alone but if you are planning on reading the first two .... do so first. The first of the trilogy is A Certain Age followed by The Wicked City. Here, you follow headstrong Virginia Fitzwilliam who arrives in Cocoa Beach to investigate where the husband she was separated from apparently died in a house fire. There is plenty of treachery and secrets and Virginia revisits the past also and the reasons for her separation. One reviewer said "Something sinister was brewing throughout, and the end will have you saying: What? Who was the bigger liar?"
Enjoy. I am going to try to squeeze in one more before July arrives. Can't promise but I am going to try.
Bill Loehfelm has The Devil's Muse coming out on July 1. If you haven't read any of his work before, he writes gritty, compelling suspense with a great sense of place. He is often compared to Dennis Lehane, Ken Bruen and Ace Atkins. This is the fifth in his Maureen Coughlin series and it is her first Mardi Gras as a beat cop. You can probably imagine the things she has in front of her.
Gin Phillips has Fierce Kingdom coming out on July 25. The first thing you probably should know is that Gin Phillips lives in Birmingham. Yes - an almost local author. She has written in different genres but this one is .... well, I would say suspense although it is about a woman, Joan, and her 4 year old son, Lincoln. They are spending a great day at the zoo when while rushing to the exit at closing time, Joan sees armed men with guns shooting people. Joan picks up her son and escapes into the zoo. The book takes place in the 3 hour time frame while Joan and Lincoln are hiding from unknown adversaries. Wow!
Michael Robotham has The Secrets She Keeps coming out on July 11. If you haven't read Robotham yet, you are missing a good one. Stephen King calls him "an absolute master" of the psychological thriller. He is from Australian and perhaps that might be one reason he hasn't made it to the A list year but he is compared to Jonathan Kellerman and Nicci French. Here, the two main characters are Meg, a 'mommy blogger' living an apparent perfect life with husband, children, nice home, etc; and Agatha, an unmarried, pregnant, stocker at a grocery store. When they find out they are having babies at the same time, they become 'friends'? When one of their newborns is kidnapped - a fight to the end is the result.
Simon Toyne has The Boy Who Saw coming out on July 4. This is the second in his Solomon Creed series. Creed is an amnesiac who travels to France to find the tailor who made the jacket he was wearing. When he arrives he finds the tailor, Engel, dead, having had a Star of David carved in his chest and written in his blood "Finishing what was begun". Engel had been a concentration camp survivor and someone is killing the other survivors. Creed takes responsibility for saving Engel's daughter and grandson. They escape and go on the run. One reviewer compares Creed to a cross between Indiana Jones and Jack Reacher.
Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza have Fitness Junkie coming out on July 11. This one is definitely in the genre of humorous women's fiction. Janey Sweet, the CEO of a couture wedding dress company, gets an ultimatum from her business partner - lose weight or lose her job. From there, get ready for a romp as she throws herself into whatever new finagled workout is said to work. But did she really need to lose weight?
Lastly, Beatriz Williams has Cocoa Beach coming out on June 27th. That feels like July to me. In addition - I use to live outside of Cocoa Beach so how could I not chose this title????? First, Willaims has written a trilogy of titles and this is the last in her 1920's series. Reviewers have said that you can read this one alone but if you are planning on reading the first two .... do so first. The first of the trilogy is A Certain Age followed by The Wicked City. Here, you follow headstrong Virginia Fitzwilliam who arrives in Cocoa Beach to investigate where the husband she was separated from apparently died in a house fire. There is plenty of treachery and secrets and Virginia revisits the past also and the reasons for her separation. One reviewer said "Something sinister was brewing throughout, and the end will have you saying: What? Who was the bigger liar?"
Enjoy. I am going to try to squeeze in one more before July arrives. Can't promise but I am going to try.
Saturday, June 24, 2017
More July Titles
I will continue with the July titles this week. There are quite a few thrillers coming out in July and some sound pretty good.
Ace Atkins, the author that was chosen to continue Robert B Parker's Spenser series, is a good author on his own. He has The Fallen, the seventh in his Quinn Colson series, coming out on July 18. Colson is still a County Sheriff in a northern Mississippi county. There have been a string of bank robberies around the area and when one occurs in Colson's county - he finds himself wondering if the robbers aren't former army rangers as he is. When Colson goes on a hunt for someone, it is always exciting. Highly praised by reviewers.
Saul Black, the pseudonym for Glen Duncan a British author, has the second of the Valerie Hart series, LoveMurder, coming out on July 25. This is the second in the troubled San Francisco homicide detective, Valerie Hart series. In this one, there are a string of murders and the murderer is leaving behind clues addresses to Hart. It reminds Hart of the murders done by Katherine Glass who is now behind bars. The last thing Hart wants to do is call on Glass again but....that is what is required.
Christopher Brookmyre has the eighth in the Jack Parlabane series, The Last Hack, coming out on July 4. Parlabane lands a job at an online news start-up when someone he owes a favor to calls in the debt. He finds himself aligned with a young woman who is a hacker and is the sole support of a learning disable sister. She also is being forced into illegal acts. Who is it that is doing this to them. Really well reviewed when it came out in Britain last year. This can also be read as a stand alone.
Nicci French is actually the writing team of Nicci Gerrard and her husband Sean French. Dark Saturday, the sixth in the Frieda Klein series, will be published in the US on July 11. Klein is a psychotherapist and minds can be frightening places. Here she is called in to evaluate Hannah Docherty who was convicted of killing her entire family 10 years previously. Klein begins to think that perhaps the original verdict was wrong but someone is out to stop her.
Glen Erik Hamilton has the third in the Van Shaw series coming out on July 25. Every Day Above Ground has Shaw learning of a pile of gold from a dying ex-con who was told about it by someone who had dies in prison. The man that told Shaw wants to make sure Shaw will take care of his pre-teen daughter. Shaw could use the money to repair his destroyed home. When he follows the lead, he ends up in a trap. And then, the pre-teen daughter's life is threatened. Will he do what's right or will he do what's legal?
Sheena Kamal has The Lost Ones coming out on July 25 also. This is Kamal's first novel. Nora Watts is a tortured character and the focus of the novel. She specializes in finding lost people but has a skill for which her employers pay her. She is able to tell when someone is lying. Nora lives in the basement of her employers building with her dog, Whispers, when she is approached by the adoptive parents of the child she gave up 15 years ago. Their daughter, a chronic runaway, has disappeared and this time, not returned. Will she help? Reviewers have really loved this - one said "Sheena Kamal smashes it out of the park with her breath-taking debut.......This really is a dark, female-driven thriller that keeps you on edge all the way through and you cannot help but hope for the best but fear the worst." Give this one a try.
OK - that gives you six from which to choose. There are more, but I will wait till next week.
Ace Atkins, the author that was chosen to continue Robert B Parker's Spenser series, is a good author on his own. He has The Fallen, the seventh in his Quinn Colson series, coming out on July 18. Colson is still a County Sheriff in a northern Mississippi county. There have been a string of bank robberies around the area and when one occurs in Colson's county - he finds himself wondering if the robbers aren't former army rangers as he is. When Colson goes on a hunt for someone, it is always exciting. Highly praised by reviewers.
Saul Black, the pseudonym for Glen Duncan a British author, has the second of the Valerie Hart series, LoveMurder, coming out on July 25. This is the second in the troubled San Francisco homicide detective, Valerie Hart series. In this one, there are a string of murders and the murderer is leaving behind clues addresses to Hart. It reminds Hart of the murders done by Katherine Glass who is now behind bars. The last thing Hart wants to do is call on Glass again but....that is what is required.
Christopher Brookmyre has the eighth in the Jack Parlabane series, The Last Hack, coming out on July 4. Parlabane lands a job at an online news start-up when someone he owes a favor to calls in the debt. He finds himself aligned with a young woman who is a hacker and is the sole support of a learning disable sister. She also is being forced into illegal acts. Who is it that is doing this to them. Really well reviewed when it came out in Britain last year. This can also be read as a stand alone.
Nicci French is actually the writing team of Nicci Gerrard and her husband Sean French. Dark Saturday, the sixth in the Frieda Klein series, will be published in the US on July 11. Klein is a psychotherapist and minds can be frightening places. Here she is called in to evaluate Hannah Docherty who was convicted of killing her entire family 10 years previously. Klein begins to think that perhaps the original verdict was wrong but someone is out to stop her.
Glen Erik Hamilton has the third in the Van Shaw series coming out on July 25. Every Day Above Ground has Shaw learning of a pile of gold from a dying ex-con who was told about it by someone who had dies in prison. The man that told Shaw wants to make sure Shaw will take care of his pre-teen daughter. Shaw could use the money to repair his destroyed home. When he follows the lead, he ends up in a trap. And then, the pre-teen daughter's life is threatened. Will he do what's right or will he do what's legal?
Sheena Kamal has The Lost Ones coming out on July 25 also. This is Kamal's first novel. Nora Watts is a tortured character and the focus of the novel. She specializes in finding lost people but has a skill for which her employers pay her. She is able to tell when someone is lying. Nora lives in the basement of her employers building with her dog, Whispers, when she is approached by the adoptive parents of the child she gave up 15 years ago. Their daughter, a chronic runaway, has disappeared and this time, not returned. Will she help? Reviewers have really loved this - one said "Sheena Kamal smashes it out of the park with her breath-taking debut.......This really is a dark, female-driven thriller that keeps you on edge all the way through and you cannot help but hope for the best but fear the worst." Give this one a try.
OK - that gives you six from which to choose. There are more, but I will wait till next week.
Saturday, June 10, 2017
LibraryReads for July
The LibraryReads for July just came out yesterday so...hot off the presses I am going to tell you about the books that made the top 10 in libraries around the world. There are some good ones.
Number one on the list is The Lying Game by Ruth Ware. Ware's prior works (In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10) received great reviews so there were a lot of people waiting for this one. The plot here sounds vaguely familiar to me but....perhaps it is completely different when you are reading it. Isa receives a text from Kate - a friend from school days that she hasn't seen in 10 years. All it says is 'I need you'. Within 24 hours she and two other friends from those days drop everything and are on their way. While at school, they like to play 'the lying game' which was to make up some outlandish lie and see how many they could get to believe it. However, something more sinister happened and something has washed up on the beach that could destroy the lives they built.
The rest in no particular order:
Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown. Brown has written domestic fiction but this is her first try at suspense. Here, a happy family of 3 - wife, Billie, husband, Jonathan and daughter, Olive - is destroyed when Billie goes out for a solo hike and never comes back. One year later, Jonathan is trying to get his wife declared dead so he can collect the insurance while Olive starts seeing her mother in 'visions' and becomes convinced she is still alive. Then secrets from Billie's past are discovered.
The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond is on the list. If you think this is a romance from the title - you would be spectacularly wrong. Here newlyweds Jake and Alice are invited to join an exclusive club - The Pact - that will help them stay married and together. The 'rules' seem harmless - but what if you break one? What if you want to leave? No one ever leaves The Pact. One reviewer called it "entertaining and super suspenseful with a satisfying creep factor."
Next on the list is Final Girls by Riley Sager. First of all, Sager is a pseudonym of another published author so this may be the first novel under this name but not the first novel she has written. The reason I have explained that is the high praise by Stephen King who calls this "the first great thriller of 2017!". High praise indeed. Quincy Carpenter went on a vacation with friends and during the vacation everyone was murdered except her. She ran through the woods, bloodied but not dead to escape. The press linked her with 2 other survivors who made it through massacres and called them the Final Girls. Although they had never met or really been in contact, when the first 'final girl' was found dead, the second girl shows up on her doorstep forcing Quincy to relive her trauma. Why?
Down A Dark Road: A Kate Burkholder Novel by Linda Castillo made the list. This is the ninth in the Kate Burkholder (the once Amish Police Chief) series. Here, Joseph King, a fallen Amish man convicted of killing his wife 8 years ago, escapes and returns to Kate's small Pennsylvania town and kidnaps his children. When Kate tries to talk him down, he captures her too but releases her telling him to go prove he is innocent. So...Kate is faced with a cold case that she must investigate. Could the police be hiding something?
When The English Fall by David Williams is next. There are more than one David Williams and I don't want you to get confused. I believe that this is the first 'novel' that this David Williams has written. He is a pastor in the Presbyterian Church and he has written other religious nonfiction works. This is apocalyptic fiction. It is written from the point of view of Jacob, an Amish farmer. There is a solar storm which pretty much wipes out all modern communities. No phones, no televisions, no gas pumps that work, no electricity. Pretty much all modern conveniences are gone. The Amish, however, have supplies to rely on and knowledge of how to live without modern conveniences until, of course, the English as non Amish people are called, come to take all his supplies away from him. How peaceful can he remain?
Joshilyn Jackson has The Almost Sisters on the list. I am going to start out by quoting one of the reviewers so you can get the big picture of what this book is about. She said "I adore this author, will read anything she writes. How many authors can combine the grace and elegance of the south while deftly showing many of the issues that are still apparent underneath the charming veneer." OK - it is the story of Leia who finds at 38 that she is pregnant from a one night stand; her stepsister's marriage is falling apart and her grandmother is acting strange. She goes to her hometown in Alabama to straighten things out but finds a dark family secret.
Next comes Eve Chase's The Wildling Sisters. Eve Chase is another pseudonym this time for a British journalist. This is a story of family and how they come together, grow apart and react to problems. In 1959, the Wilde sisters spend the summer at Applecote, a country manor, with their aunt and uncle who are distraught from the disappearance of their daughter. The sisters, left to their own devices grow distant. 50 years later, Jesse and her family move back to Applecote hoping to start over. They become involved in the old mystery and things get dark.
Wired by Julie Garwood is on the list. Romantic suspense at its finest. FBI Agent Liam Scott is looking for a leak in his department. Allison Trent is a hacker; college student; model. Allison has been recruited by her family to protect her cousin from his criminal record. Scott uses this information to get Allison to work as a consultant for the FBI and find his leak. Allison has people after her but Liam is the person to keep her safe.
Lastly, Hello Sunshine by Laura Dave. Sunshine MacKenzie had a popular cooking show; several bestselling cookbooks; an architect husband - she had it all. Then, she secrets came out. She lost everything in one day and had to retreat to her estranged sister's home. But...Sunshine has plans. She WOULD succeed. Follow her on her path.
OK - lots of suspense this month but two others for those non suspense people. Hopefully one will draw your attention. Enjoy!
Number one on the list is The Lying Game by Ruth Ware. Ware's prior works (In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10) received great reviews so there were a lot of people waiting for this one. The plot here sounds vaguely familiar to me but....perhaps it is completely different when you are reading it. Isa receives a text from Kate - a friend from school days that she hasn't seen in 10 years. All it says is 'I need you'. Within 24 hours she and two other friends from those days drop everything and are on their way. While at school, they like to play 'the lying game' which was to make up some outlandish lie and see how many they could get to believe it. However, something more sinister happened and something has washed up on the beach that could destroy the lives they built.
The rest in no particular order:
Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown. Brown has written domestic fiction but this is her first try at suspense. Here, a happy family of 3 - wife, Billie, husband, Jonathan and daughter, Olive - is destroyed when Billie goes out for a solo hike and never comes back. One year later, Jonathan is trying to get his wife declared dead so he can collect the insurance while Olive starts seeing her mother in 'visions' and becomes convinced she is still alive. Then secrets from Billie's past are discovered.
The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond is on the list. If you think this is a romance from the title - you would be spectacularly wrong. Here newlyweds Jake and Alice are invited to join an exclusive club - The Pact - that will help them stay married and together. The 'rules' seem harmless - but what if you break one? What if you want to leave? No one ever leaves The Pact. One reviewer called it "entertaining and super suspenseful with a satisfying creep factor."
Next on the list is Final Girls by Riley Sager. First of all, Sager is a pseudonym of another published author so this may be the first novel under this name but not the first novel she has written. The reason I have explained that is the high praise by Stephen King who calls this "the first great thriller of 2017!". High praise indeed. Quincy Carpenter went on a vacation with friends and during the vacation everyone was murdered except her. She ran through the woods, bloodied but not dead to escape. The press linked her with 2 other survivors who made it through massacres and called them the Final Girls. Although they had never met or really been in contact, when the first 'final girl' was found dead, the second girl shows up on her doorstep forcing Quincy to relive her trauma. Why?
Down A Dark Road: A Kate Burkholder Novel by Linda Castillo made the list. This is the ninth in the Kate Burkholder (the once Amish Police Chief) series. Here, Joseph King, a fallen Amish man convicted of killing his wife 8 years ago, escapes and returns to Kate's small Pennsylvania town and kidnaps his children. When Kate tries to talk him down, he captures her too but releases her telling him to go prove he is innocent. So...Kate is faced with a cold case that she must investigate. Could the police be hiding something?
When The English Fall by David Williams is next. There are more than one David Williams and I don't want you to get confused. I believe that this is the first 'novel' that this David Williams has written. He is a pastor in the Presbyterian Church and he has written other religious nonfiction works. This is apocalyptic fiction. It is written from the point of view of Jacob, an Amish farmer. There is a solar storm which pretty much wipes out all modern communities. No phones, no televisions, no gas pumps that work, no electricity. Pretty much all modern conveniences are gone. The Amish, however, have supplies to rely on and knowledge of how to live without modern conveniences until, of course, the English as non Amish people are called, come to take all his supplies away from him. How peaceful can he remain?
Joshilyn Jackson has The Almost Sisters on the list. I am going to start out by quoting one of the reviewers so you can get the big picture of what this book is about. She said "I adore this author, will read anything she writes. How many authors can combine the grace and elegance of the south while deftly showing many of the issues that are still apparent underneath the charming veneer." OK - it is the story of Leia who finds at 38 that she is pregnant from a one night stand; her stepsister's marriage is falling apart and her grandmother is acting strange. She goes to her hometown in Alabama to straighten things out but finds a dark family secret.
Next comes Eve Chase's The Wildling Sisters. Eve Chase is another pseudonym this time for a British journalist. This is a story of family and how they come together, grow apart and react to problems. In 1959, the Wilde sisters spend the summer at Applecote, a country manor, with their aunt and uncle who are distraught from the disappearance of their daughter. The sisters, left to their own devices grow distant. 50 years later, Jesse and her family move back to Applecote hoping to start over. They become involved in the old mystery and things get dark.
Wired by Julie Garwood is on the list. Romantic suspense at its finest. FBI Agent Liam Scott is looking for a leak in his department. Allison Trent is a hacker; college student; model. Allison has been recruited by her family to protect her cousin from his criminal record. Scott uses this information to get Allison to work as a consultant for the FBI and find his leak. Allison has people after her but Liam is the person to keep her safe.
Lastly, Hello Sunshine by Laura Dave. Sunshine MacKenzie had a popular cooking show; several bestselling cookbooks; an architect husband - she had it all. Then, she secrets came out. She lost everything in one day and had to retreat to her estranged sister's home. But...Sunshine has plans. She WOULD succeed. Follow her on her path.
OK - lots of suspense this month but two others for those non suspense people. Hopefully one will draw your attention. Enjoy!
Saturday, June 3, 2017
First of the July Titles
I usually start the month with the big name authors but there really aren't too many who have books coming out this month. Now don't panic - there are lots of good books - just only a few big name authors.
The first author I am covering is Kathy Reichs in a stand-alone (which isn't to say it won't turn into a series). Two Nights comes out on July 11. This is her first new protagonist since 1997. The main character is Sunday Night - an ex-military and ex-cop, private investigator. We don't initially get information about Sunnie's past but we know her background isn't spotless. She is hired by a wealthy woman when her grandson and daughter are killed in a bombing but the granddaughter is missing. Many reviewers found Sunnie less than likable before learning of her past. Hunting for the granddaughter makes Sunnie go back to try to understand herself and how it relates to the current case.
Next, big name is Iris Johansen writing with her son, Roy Johansen. Look Behind You comes out on July 18. This is the fifth in the Kendra Michaels series. A serial killer is working in the San Diego area, close to where Kendra is living. He is leaving behind souvenirs of unsolved murders all over the country. Kendra begins to feel as if he is taunting her. The FBI calls on her to help them and she begins to feel that perhaps one of the FBI team is the culprit. Reviewers have loved it.
Elizabeth Peters died in 2013 but she left behind much of the next adventure of Amelia Peabody. Her friend, Joan Hess, agreed to finish the work. The Painted Queen comes out on July 25. Here, the compadres chase a stolen statue of Nefertiti while Amelia dodges an assassin. Reviewers think that Hess did an admirable job with Peters voice. This is the final installment....if you want to see how it ends.
Perhaps not really a 'big' name but one I always recommend, David Rosenfelt has Collared coming out on July 18. I recently re-recommended Rosenfelt to my sister. I tried and tried before to get her to read on of his titles but....to no avail. Recently, however, she did try ---- and as of today, she has read 5 of them. If you haven't read him, try him. It is not just because I am a dog lover that I recommend him. His work is really good. They are legal thrillers but there is comedy in there and the plot moves very quickly. This is the fourteenth in the Andy Carpenter series. Here, a dog is left at a rescue organization that Carpenter founded. The dog's microchip identifies him as the dog that was also taken two and a half years ago in a kidnapping. The search for the baby is renewed but Carpenter is also involved in discovering if the man jailed for the crime is really guilty.
Lastly, Daniel Silva has House of Spies coming out on July 11. So far, reviewers haven't gotten their hands on this work. His work though has been in great demand and this is the seventeenth in his Gabriel Allon series. Allon and his team are sent to track down the terrorists who committed the deadliest attack on the United States since 9/11. They are leaving a trail of destruction through London but Allon can find only one clue to follow. It leads his team to a drug runner who is doing business with the terrorists. Can Gabriel follow the trail?
OK - next up are some really good titles from lesser known authors. They are the best kind anyway when you feel you have helped make someone successful.
The first author I am covering is Kathy Reichs in a stand-alone (which isn't to say it won't turn into a series). Two Nights comes out on July 11. This is her first new protagonist since 1997. The main character is Sunday Night - an ex-military and ex-cop, private investigator. We don't initially get information about Sunnie's past but we know her background isn't spotless. She is hired by a wealthy woman when her grandson and daughter are killed in a bombing but the granddaughter is missing. Many reviewers found Sunnie less than likable before learning of her past. Hunting for the granddaughter makes Sunnie go back to try to understand herself and how it relates to the current case.
Next, big name is Iris Johansen writing with her son, Roy Johansen. Look Behind You comes out on July 18. This is the fifth in the Kendra Michaels series. A serial killer is working in the San Diego area, close to where Kendra is living. He is leaving behind souvenirs of unsolved murders all over the country. Kendra begins to feel as if he is taunting her. The FBI calls on her to help them and she begins to feel that perhaps one of the FBI team is the culprit. Reviewers have loved it.
Elizabeth Peters died in 2013 but she left behind much of the next adventure of Amelia Peabody. Her friend, Joan Hess, agreed to finish the work. The Painted Queen comes out on July 25. Here, the compadres chase a stolen statue of Nefertiti while Amelia dodges an assassin. Reviewers think that Hess did an admirable job with Peters voice. This is the final installment....if you want to see how it ends.
Perhaps not really a 'big' name but one I always recommend, David Rosenfelt has Collared coming out on July 18. I recently re-recommended Rosenfelt to my sister. I tried and tried before to get her to read on of his titles but....to no avail. Recently, however, she did try ---- and as of today, she has read 5 of them. If you haven't read him, try him. It is not just because I am a dog lover that I recommend him. His work is really good. They are legal thrillers but there is comedy in there and the plot moves very quickly. This is the fourteenth in the Andy Carpenter series. Here, a dog is left at a rescue organization that Carpenter founded. The dog's microchip identifies him as the dog that was also taken two and a half years ago in a kidnapping. The search for the baby is renewed but Carpenter is also involved in discovering if the man jailed for the crime is really guilty.
Lastly, Daniel Silva has House of Spies coming out on July 11. So far, reviewers haven't gotten their hands on this work. His work though has been in great demand and this is the seventeenth in his Gabriel Allon series. Allon and his team are sent to track down the terrorists who committed the deadliest attack on the United States since 9/11. They are leaving a trail of destruction through London but Allon can find only one clue to follow. It leads his team to a drug runner who is doing business with the terrorists. Can Gabriel follow the trail?
OK - next up are some really good titles from lesser known authors. They are the best kind anyway when you feel you have helped make someone successful.
Saturday, May 27, 2017
A Mixture of Genres That Appeal To Me
Gosh - the last one for June titles. How time flies. I have dipped into a few different genres this week mostly because these sound interesting to me and I hope one or two will interest you also. Let's get started.
Elin Hilderbrand has The Identicals coming out on June 13. Hilderbrand is usually considered a 'women's author' and she does generally write about women. Here she looks at 2 identical twins, Tabitha and Harper Frost, who may look alike but are completely different. So different in fact that they haven't been in real communication for years even though one lives in Nantucket and one on Martha's Vineyard. When a family crisis arises - they are forced to come together and overcome their differences. As a side note - Hilderbrand has a twin brother who is NOT an author. Hmmmmm.
Neil Jordan has Carnivalesque coming out on June 1. This title is defined as Fantasy but I might almost push it into the Horror genre. It is the story of a young male, Andy, who slips away from his parents when they take him to the circus and enters the Amazing Hall of Mirrors. Andy walks right into a mirror and a changeling walk out - someone that looks like Andy but is not. While Andy stays behind in the land of the circus. Think Night Circus by Morgenstern is you want to compare the atmosphere to another title. Warning - some readers have found it TOO descriptive while others loved it for it's descriptiveness.
Ann Kidd Taylor has The Shark Club coming out on June 6. Honest truth here - 2 things attracted me to this title. One is that Taylor is the daughter of Sue Monk Kidd and I have loved her work. This is Taylor's first novel although she co-wrote a memoir with her mother. Second - well - SHARKS!!!! I have lived on the coast and even seen a shark or two and I will never forget the first time I saw Jaws. But this work focuses on Maeve Donnelly who had been attacked by a shark when she was 12 and is now a world famous marine biologist. She returns home to find her ex fiance as the chef in the hotel and she is also involved with a British co-worker. So - part romance perhaps but mostly the story of a young woman trying to make up her mind.
Hallie Ephron has You'll Never Know, Dear coming out also on June 6. 40 years ago, 7 year old Lissie was playing with porcelain dolls on the front lawn with her 4 year old sister. While Lissie was chasing a puppy - her sister and her sister's doll, disappeared. Lissie still blames herself and every year, on the anniversary of her disappearance, her mother places an add for the doll. Then, one fateful day, the doll comes home. However, someone wants the truth to remain hidden.
Lastly, Joseph Finder has The Switch coming out on June 13. If you haven't read any of Finder's work (and he has written 14 works) generally deal with the common man being put in an extraordinary occurrence. Here, Michael Tanner, mistakenly pick up the wrong MacBook after going thought airport security. He has the one belonging to Senator Susan Robbins which has top secret files regarding a secret US spying mission. Obviously, more than one group wants it. He goes on the run to protect his family and he isn't sure who to trust.
OK - there are the last five coming out in June. Next week - we start July. Happy summer reading.
Elin Hilderbrand has The Identicals coming out on June 13. Hilderbrand is usually considered a 'women's author' and she does generally write about women. Here she looks at 2 identical twins, Tabitha and Harper Frost, who may look alike but are completely different. So different in fact that they haven't been in real communication for years even though one lives in Nantucket and one on Martha's Vineyard. When a family crisis arises - they are forced to come together and overcome their differences. As a side note - Hilderbrand has a twin brother who is NOT an author. Hmmmmm.
Neil Jordan has Carnivalesque coming out on June 1. This title is defined as Fantasy but I might almost push it into the Horror genre. It is the story of a young male, Andy, who slips away from his parents when they take him to the circus and enters the Amazing Hall of Mirrors. Andy walks right into a mirror and a changeling walk out - someone that looks like Andy but is not. While Andy stays behind in the land of the circus. Think Night Circus by Morgenstern is you want to compare the atmosphere to another title. Warning - some readers have found it TOO descriptive while others loved it for it's descriptiveness.
Ann Kidd Taylor has The Shark Club coming out on June 6. Honest truth here - 2 things attracted me to this title. One is that Taylor is the daughter of Sue Monk Kidd and I have loved her work. This is Taylor's first novel although she co-wrote a memoir with her mother. Second - well - SHARKS!!!! I have lived on the coast and even seen a shark or two and I will never forget the first time I saw Jaws. But this work focuses on Maeve Donnelly who had been attacked by a shark when she was 12 and is now a world famous marine biologist. She returns home to find her ex fiance as the chef in the hotel and she is also involved with a British co-worker. So - part romance perhaps but mostly the story of a young woman trying to make up her mind.
Hallie Ephron has You'll Never Know, Dear coming out also on June 6. 40 years ago, 7 year old Lissie was playing with porcelain dolls on the front lawn with her 4 year old sister. While Lissie was chasing a puppy - her sister and her sister's doll, disappeared. Lissie still blames herself and every year, on the anniversary of her disappearance, her mother places an add for the doll. Then, one fateful day, the doll comes home. However, someone wants the truth to remain hidden.
Lastly, Joseph Finder has The Switch coming out on June 13. If you haven't read any of Finder's work (and he has written 14 works) generally deal with the common man being put in an extraordinary occurrence. Here, Michael Tanner, mistakenly pick up the wrong MacBook after going thought airport security. He has the one belonging to Senator Susan Robbins which has top secret files regarding a secret US spying mission. Obviously, more than one group wants it. He goes on the run to protect his family and he isn't sure who to trust.
OK - there are the last five coming out in June. Next week - we start July. Happy summer reading.
Saturday, May 20, 2017
More June Thrillers
June is a big month for suspense or thrillers. There are quite a few more coming this month so I will start on the first bunch.
Mary Kubica has Every Last Lie coming out on June 27. In this title, Clara Solberg has just had her second child when she is informed that her husband has been in a car accident and is dead. Their 4 year old daughter miraculously survived. When their 4 year old starts having nightmares, Clara starts to feel as if the car accident was NOT an accident and must investigate. The story is told by alternating points of view, Clara's as she is investigating and her husband's (in the month before his death). Some secrets are better left alone.
Karen Robards has The Ultimatum coming on June 13. Robards in my opinion is the closest to Mary Higgins Clark in romantic suspense. Here Bianca Saint-Yves has been trained by her father to be a successful thief but she chooses to con money from thieves and in her 'real' life - run a security agency. When one of the jobs goes wrong and her father is killed, Bianca escapes to her 'real' job. Then she gets an email implying her father is not dead. Just what is going on?
Haylen Beck has Here and Gone coming on June 20. This one sounds good! It is from a pseudonymous Edgar Award nominated author. A women, Audra Kinney and her two children (11 year old Sean and 6 year old Louise) are fleeing an abusive marriage when they are pulled over on a desolate Arizona highway. The sheriff 'finds' marijuana in the car and arrests her - as she is being put in jail - she asks about her children and gets the reply "What children?" The true horror starts.
Ben Coes has his seventh Dewey Andreas title, Trap the Devil, coming out on June 20 also. A coup aimed at toppling the US Government is planned and the CIA director sends Dewey as an extra layer of protection for the Secretary of State but this assassin is smart enough to plan the murder and lay it at the feet of Andreas. Now Dewey has to solve the crime while being on the run from the people who should be his friends.
Marc Elsberg has Blackout coming out on June 6. This work is particularly frightening because you can almost see it happening. One night, the nights all over Europe go out. The nuclear reactors begin to overheat. A former hacker starts to investigate the cause and is immediately accused of doing it. He and an American reporter go on the run and try to get the grid back up while threats are arising to the US.This was a best seller in Europe.
OK - That gives you a few more to choose from. Hope you find something interesting. I will have move next week.
Mary Kubica has Every Last Lie coming out on June 27. In this title, Clara Solberg has just had her second child when she is informed that her husband has been in a car accident and is dead. Their 4 year old daughter miraculously survived. When their 4 year old starts having nightmares, Clara starts to feel as if the car accident was NOT an accident and must investigate. The story is told by alternating points of view, Clara's as she is investigating and her husband's (in the month before his death). Some secrets are better left alone.
Karen Robards has The Ultimatum coming on June 13. Robards in my opinion is the closest to Mary Higgins Clark in romantic suspense. Here Bianca Saint-Yves has been trained by her father to be a successful thief but she chooses to con money from thieves and in her 'real' life - run a security agency. When one of the jobs goes wrong and her father is killed, Bianca escapes to her 'real' job. Then she gets an email implying her father is not dead. Just what is going on?
Haylen Beck has Here and Gone coming on June 20. This one sounds good! It is from a pseudonymous Edgar Award nominated author. A women, Audra Kinney and her two children (11 year old Sean and 6 year old Louise) are fleeing an abusive marriage when they are pulled over on a desolate Arizona highway. The sheriff 'finds' marijuana in the car and arrests her - as she is being put in jail - she asks about her children and gets the reply "What children?" The true horror starts.
Ben Coes has his seventh Dewey Andreas title, Trap the Devil, coming out on June 20 also. A coup aimed at toppling the US Government is planned and the CIA director sends Dewey as an extra layer of protection for the Secretary of State but this assassin is smart enough to plan the murder and lay it at the feet of Andreas. Now Dewey has to solve the crime while being on the run from the people who should be his friends.
Marc Elsberg has Blackout coming out on June 6. This work is particularly frightening because you can almost see it happening. One night, the nights all over Europe go out. The nuclear reactors begin to overheat. A former hacker starts to investigate the cause and is immediately accused of doing it. He and an American reporter go on the run and try to get the grid back up while threats are arising to the US.This was a best seller in Europe.
OK - That gives you a few more to choose from. Hope you find something interesting. I will have move next week.
Saturday, May 13, 2017
June LibraryReads List
The LibraryReads list for June just came out and I will quickly go over them. This list to me is kind of mixed - there are entries that I totally agree with and others that leave me baffled. Basically, it is proof that librarians worldwide have different tastes when reading.
Number one on the list and one I voted for too is Anthony Horowitz's Magpie Murders. Horowitz also writes a fiction series for elementary aged boys but for adults, I consider his book literary mysteries. Here, Susan Ryeland, an editor for a London firm, receives the latest title from a popular mystery author. As she reads it, she feels that something else is going on. Then she realizes that the last 3 chapters are missing AND the author turns up dead. How can she not investigate.
The rest in no particular order:
Nalini Singh has Silver Silence on the list. Singh writes paranormal romance....passionate paranormal romance. This is the first in the series Psy-Changling Trinity. Silver Mercant is head of an aid organization reacting to terrorism. Valentin Nikolaev - from the Bear Clan - feels the need to protect her. Good thing, since someone or several someones are out to kill her.
Callie Bates had The Waking Land on the list. This fantasy is Bates first novel. Here Lady Elanna Voltai, who was kidnapped from her home and raised by the king in her adopted homeland, is accused of the kings murder and must flee. She returns to her birth country and realizes that the things she has been told about it are untrue. Since people are still after her, perhaps a rebellion is in store.
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire is on the list. Another fantasy --- hum....McGuire also writes as Mira Grant. This work is the second in the Wayward Children series. Here two sisters 'fall down a rabbit hole' and disappear. They enter a world of fairy tale horror and magic and the Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children.This is what happened to them first.
Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy. This sounds frightening. Two families (the mothers are cousins) decide to take a family cruising vacation. There are 4 children altogether. They are having an enjoyable time - children included - when they decide to take an off ship adventure and the two moms and the children leave the ship in a Central American country. Then, through a series of misadventures, the children disappear. Told through the eyes of the parent and the children.
Kate Quinn has The Alice Network on the list. Quinn's work involves a young, pregnant socialite who has been exiled from her family who is looking for her cousin, Rose, who was a member of The Alice Network during WWI. To try to locate her, she contacts Eve Gardiner who had been a member of the Alice Network.
Fiona Barton has The Child on the list. A baby skeleton is unearthed at a construction site. Kate Waters, a reporter, investigates but finds more than she bargained for. She traces it back to a newborn stolen from a maternity ward but who? why? how? That is the story to be told.
The Little French Bistro by Nina George is on the list. Marianne, depressed after decades in a unhappy marriage, attempts suicide but is rescued. Then, her husband abandons her. She drops everything and head to Brittany where she works at a seaside bistro. Being in the company of a diverse community leads her to life, the way it is suppose to be.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is on the list. It is a tale of old Hollywood where Monique Grant interviews a powerful star, Evelyn Hugo, and learns all about her career and seven husbands. The mystery is why Hugo - a famous woman - chose Monique Grant, a close to broken journalist, for this task.
Lastly, Matthew Sullivan's Midnight At The Bright Ideas Bookstore is on the list. Sullivan is an award winning short story writer but this is his first novel. It centers on Lydia Smith - an employee at the Bright Ideas Bookstore. When one of the regulars commits suicide in the backroom of the bookstore and leaves all his possession to Lydia, she feels she must investigate WHY? By doing so, she opens up all sorts of trauma from her childhood. Really highly reviewed and declared a MUST READ by many.
OK - there you go. Perhaps there is something there for you. Even though I hadn't planned on it, I am going to read Matthew Sullivan's work. But then.....I love bookstores.
Number one on the list and one I voted for too is Anthony Horowitz's Magpie Murders. Horowitz also writes a fiction series for elementary aged boys but for adults, I consider his book literary mysteries. Here, Susan Ryeland, an editor for a London firm, receives the latest title from a popular mystery author. As she reads it, she feels that something else is going on. Then she realizes that the last 3 chapters are missing AND the author turns up dead. How can she not investigate.
The rest in no particular order:
Nalini Singh has Silver Silence on the list. Singh writes paranormal romance....passionate paranormal romance. This is the first in the series Psy-Changling Trinity. Silver Mercant is head of an aid organization reacting to terrorism. Valentin Nikolaev - from the Bear Clan - feels the need to protect her. Good thing, since someone or several someones are out to kill her.
Callie Bates had The Waking Land on the list. This fantasy is Bates first novel. Here Lady Elanna Voltai, who was kidnapped from her home and raised by the king in her adopted homeland, is accused of the kings murder and must flee. She returns to her birth country and realizes that the things she has been told about it are untrue. Since people are still after her, perhaps a rebellion is in store.
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire is on the list. Another fantasy --- hum....McGuire also writes as Mira Grant. This work is the second in the Wayward Children series. Here two sisters 'fall down a rabbit hole' and disappear. They enter a world of fairy tale horror and magic and the Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children.This is what happened to them first.
Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy. This sounds frightening. Two families (the mothers are cousins) decide to take a family cruising vacation. There are 4 children altogether. They are having an enjoyable time - children included - when they decide to take an off ship adventure and the two moms and the children leave the ship in a Central American country. Then, through a series of misadventures, the children disappear. Told through the eyes of the parent and the children.
Kate Quinn has The Alice Network on the list. Quinn's work involves a young, pregnant socialite who has been exiled from her family who is looking for her cousin, Rose, who was a member of The Alice Network during WWI. To try to locate her, she contacts Eve Gardiner who had been a member of the Alice Network.
Fiona Barton has The Child on the list. A baby skeleton is unearthed at a construction site. Kate Waters, a reporter, investigates but finds more than she bargained for. She traces it back to a newborn stolen from a maternity ward but who? why? how? That is the story to be told.
The Little French Bistro by Nina George is on the list. Marianne, depressed after decades in a unhappy marriage, attempts suicide but is rescued. Then, her husband abandons her. She drops everything and head to Brittany where she works at a seaside bistro. Being in the company of a diverse community leads her to life, the way it is suppose to be.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is on the list. It is a tale of old Hollywood where Monique Grant interviews a powerful star, Evelyn Hugo, and learns all about her career and seven husbands. The mystery is why Hugo - a famous woman - chose Monique Grant, a close to broken journalist, for this task.
Lastly, Matthew Sullivan's Midnight At The Bright Ideas Bookstore is on the list. Sullivan is an award winning short story writer but this is his first novel. It centers on Lydia Smith - an employee at the Bright Ideas Bookstore. When one of the regulars commits suicide in the backroom of the bookstore and leaves all his possession to Lydia, she feels she must investigate WHY? By doing so, she opens up all sorts of trauma from her childhood. Really highly reviewed and declared a MUST READ by many.
OK - there you go. Perhaps there is something there for you. Even though I hadn't planned on it, I am going to read Matthew Sullivan's work. But then.....I love bookstores.
Saturday, May 6, 2017
June's Top Authors
June is another popular publishing month and there are a lot of really good titles coming out. There are quite a few 'A List' authors who are publishing this month too. I will start with those.
Janet Evanovich has Dangerous Minds coming out on June 20. This is the second in the Knight and Moon series following Curious Minds (in case you want to read them in order). Knight is a handsome, rich, charming totally socially inept man. Moon is a Harvard Business and Law degreesfemale who has been kind of swept up in Knights path. Here, Knight has taken on the job of finding a missing island. Sound quirky enough for you?
Dean Koontz has The Silent Corner coming out also on June 20. Jane Hawk, an FBI agent, takes leave after her successful husband commits suicide. All Jane wants is to find out why. What she finds out is that many people who were successful and seemingly happy have been committing suicide recently. And the other thing she discovers puts her life in danger because some very high placed individuals are out to keep her from talking.
Eric Van Lustbadder has Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Initiative coming out on June 13. Bourne is hunted by his own when the head of the Russian FSB, Karpov, dies but leaves a plot in place. Bourne was the only one Karpov trusted so all are convinced that Bourne has betrayed his country. Karpov's plot entailed stealing the United States nuclear launch codes. Could Bourne have done it? Now he must unite with his worst enemies to solve the riddle.
James Patterson teams with Howard Roughan for Murder Games which comes out on June 26. Here, Elizabeth Needham, a NYC detective enlists Dylan Reinhart, a professor/author, in the hunt for a serial killer who is operating on the streets of Manhattan. The only clue he leaves behind is a playing card hinting at his next victim.
Lee Child is the editor for Matchup: The Battle of the Sexes Just Got Thrilling which comes out on June 13. 11 female writers are paired with 11 male writers for 11 stories. Just as an example, Child's writes with Kathy Reichs where Temperance Brennan and Jack Reacher pair up also.Sounds interesting.
Terry Brooks, a gigantic name in the fantasy world, has The Black Elfstone coming out on June 13. This is the start of the end for Shannara. It is the first of a four book series which close the series for good. There has been peace, but now a force of invaders are cutting their way through the land. Who will face them? Four individuals including an exiled High Druid; a confused warrior, a teenage girl and a young orphan. Shannara has been around for 40 years. I don't think it will disappear before the last books come out.
Lastly, Nora Roberts has Come Sundown arriving on May 30 which isn't exactly June but it almost is. Bo runs the family ranch and resort in Montana. Suddenly, women are being murdered. Police suspect a new hire Callen Skinner but for some reason Bo trusts him. Involved with this somehow is Aunt Alice who had been missing since before Bo was born. Suddenly she is back but can she believe her. Can Bo really trust Cal. Who is murdering people? Nothing but questions here. Enjoy.
Hope there is something above that interests you. We will start slightly less know authors next week.
Janet Evanovich has Dangerous Minds coming out on June 20. This is the second in the Knight and Moon series following Curious Minds (in case you want to read them in order). Knight is a handsome, rich, charming totally socially inept man. Moon is a Harvard Business and Law degreesfemale who has been kind of swept up in Knights path. Here, Knight has taken on the job of finding a missing island. Sound quirky enough for you?
Dean Koontz has The Silent Corner coming out also on June 20. Jane Hawk, an FBI agent, takes leave after her successful husband commits suicide. All Jane wants is to find out why. What she finds out is that many people who were successful and seemingly happy have been committing suicide recently. And the other thing she discovers puts her life in danger because some very high placed individuals are out to keep her from talking.
Eric Van Lustbadder has Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Initiative coming out on June 13. Bourne is hunted by his own when the head of the Russian FSB, Karpov, dies but leaves a plot in place. Bourne was the only one Karpov trusted so all are convinced that Bourne has betrayed his country. Karpov's plot entailed stealing the United States nuclear launch codes. Could Bourne have done it? Now he must unite with his worst enemies to solve the riddle.
James Patterson teams with Howard Roughan for Murder Games which comes out on June 26. Here, Elizabeth Needham, a NYC detective enlists Dylan Reinhart, a professor/author, in the hunt for a serial killer who is operating on the streets of Manhattan. The only clue he leaves behind is a playing card hinting at his next victim.
Lee Child is the editor for Matchup: The Battle of the Sexes Just Got Thrilling which comes out on June 13. 11 female writers are paired with 11 male writers for 11 stories. Just as an example, Child's writes with Kathy Reichs where Temperance Brennan and Jack Reacher pair up also.Sounds interesting.
Terry Brooks, a gigantic name in the fantasy world, has The Black Elfstone coming out on June 13. This is the start of the end for Shannara. It is the first of a four book series which close the series for good. There has been peace, but now a force of invaders are cutting their way through the land. Who will face them? Four individuals including an exiled High Druid; a confused warrior, a teenage girl and a young orphan. Shannara has been around for 40 years. I don't think it will disappear before the last books come out.
Lastly, Nora Roberts has Come Sundown arriving on May 30 which isn't exactly June but it almost is. Bo runs the family ranch and resort in Montana. Suddenly, women are being murdered. Police suspect a new hire Callen Skinner but for some reason Bo trusts him. Involved with this somehow is Aunt Alice who had been missing since before Bo was born. Suddenly she is back but can she believe her. Can Bo really trust Cal. Who is murdering people? Nothing but questions here. Enjoy.
Hope there is something above that interests you. We will start slightly less know authors next week.
Friday, April 28, 2017
Last May Post
I have this last posting to finish up the May titles I think you should know about so.....I better get going. It is going to be a mixture of genres this week.
Jo Nesbo has The Thirst coming out on May 9. This is the eleventh in the Harry Hole series. There has been some demand for this so I know we have readers. Nesbo is Norweigan and writes intricate, gritty crime novels usually around Oslo. Hole is troubled deatective who has a substance abuse problem.. I think we can honestly describe it as dark. Here, Hole is pulled into a criminal investigation when a serial murderer starts targeting Tinder daters. He finds the killer's MO very similar to his biggest advisary.
Phaedra Patrick has Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone coming out on May 16. Stone owns a small jewellery store in a small village. He has hit a dry spell and nothing is going right. He and his wife wanted children but have not had any. After continuous fights, his wife has moved out. His business is in decline and he is bored. Suddenly, his estranged brother's daughter shows up on his doorstep and moves into his house and his life. Looks like some changes are about to be made. Reviewers have loved this work. A novel about family and forgiveness with wonderful characters that grabs your attention and doesn't let go.
Katherine Heiny has her first novel, Standard Deviation coming out on May 23. Heiny has one published work of short stories. She said recently that she had started writing a few short stories and they were all about the same people. She wrote more and then she realized what she had written was a novel. So....don't expect a plot heavy work. Heiny though provides us with wonderful finely drawn quirky characters. One reviewer said that by page 5 she was hooked and by page 20, she didn't want it to end. Gives you an idea of how good this work it. It is about Graham and his wife, Audra and his ex-wife, Elspeth and his 10 year old son with Asperger's. It is really an examination of love, marriage, infidelity, and origami. Give it a try if you like books with strong characters.
Tracy Chevalier has New Boy coming out on May 15. This is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series where different authors have transitioned one of Shakespeare's title to more modern times. Here, Chevalier uses Othello and places it in the 1970s Washington DC. A diplomat's son, Osei Kokote, enters his fifth new school in five years and is befriended by the blonde and beautiful Dee. Well, Ian, another friend of Dee's, won't stand for a romance between the two. This series has become quite popular.
Gable, Michell has The Book of Summer coming out on May 9. Is that a title for a Beach Read or what! Physician Bess Godman comes to Nantucket to help her mother clean out their house, Cliff House, since is is perilously close to falling into the sea. Her mother refuses to leave. In the ensuing discussions, arguments and reflections, we learn the history ot the house and the family.
Finally, Jill Santopolo has The Light We Lost arriving on May 9. This is a debut that could be the love story of the summer. Lucy and Gabe meet as seniors at Columbia University and then meet again one year later. They feel that they were meant to be together but Gabes a photojournalist who is assigned to the Middle East and Lucy's career is in New York. Said to be a heart wrenching love story that the reviewer could not put down. One 5 star review said "This was a journey of love, choices, passion, dreams and desires, and how each of them impact two souls that were bound together." So if you want a love story - THIS one is it this summer.
OK - we move on to June next week - hope you enjoy.
Jo Nesbo has The Thirst coming out on May 9. This is the eleventh in the Harry Hole series. There has been some demand for this so I know we have readers. Nesbo is Norweigan and writes intricate, gritty crime novels usually around Oslo. Hole is troubled deatective who has a substance abuse problem.. I think we can honestly describe it as dark. Here, Hole is pulled into a criminal investigation when a serial murderer starts targeting Tinder daters. He finds the killer's MO very similar to his biggest advisary.
Phaedra Patrick has Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone coming out on May 16. Stone owns a small jewellery store in a small village. He has hit a dry spell and nothing is going right. He and his wife wanted children but have not had any. After continuous fights, his wife has moved out. His business is in decline and he is bored. Suddenly, his estranged brother's daughter shows up on his doorstep and moves into his house and his life. Looks like some changes are about to be made. Reviewers have loved this work. A novel about family and forgiveness with wonderful characters that grabs your attention and doesn't let go.
Katherine Heiny has her first novel, Standard Deviation coming out on May 23. Heiny has one published work of short stories. She said recently that she had started writing a few short stories and they were all about the same people. She wrote more and then she realized what she had written was a novel. So....don't expect a plot heavy work. Heiny though provides us with wonderful finely drawn quirky characters. One reviewer said that by page 5 she was hooked and by page 20, she didn't want it to end. Gives you an idea of how good this work it. It is about Graham and his wife, Audra and his ex-wife, Elspeth and his 10 year old son with Asperger's. It is really an examination of love, marriage, infidelity, and origami. Give it a try if you like books with strong characters.
Tracy Chevalier has New Boy coming out on May 15. This is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series where different authors have transitioned one of Shakespeare's title to more modern times. Here, Chevalier uses Othello and places it in the 1970s Washington DC. A diplomat's son, Osei Kokote, enters his fifth new school in five years and is befriended by the blonde and beautiful Dee. Well, Ian, another friend of Dee's, won't stand for a romance between the two. This series has become quite popular.
Gable, Michell has The Book of Summer coming out on May 9. Is that a title for a Beach Read or what! Physician Bess Godman comes to Nantucket to help her mother clean out their house, Cliff House, since is is perilously close to falling into the sea. Her mother refuses to leave. In the ensuing discussions, arguments and reflections, we learn the history ot the house and the family.
Finally, Jill Santopolo has The Light We Lost arriving on May 9. This is a debut that could be the love story of the summer. Lucy and Gabe meet as seniors at Columbia University and then meet again one year later. They feel that they were meant to be together but Gabes a photojournalist who is assigned to the Middle East and Lucy's career is in New York. Said to be a heart wrenching love story that the reviewer could not put down. One 5 star review said "This was a journey of love, choices, passion, dreams and desires, and how each of them impact two souls that were bound together." So if you want a love story - THIS one is it this summer.
OK - we move on to June next week - hope you enjoy.
Saturday, April 22, 2017
More May Thrillers and Mysteries
Another week and there are even MORE thrillers to talk about - but I have thrown in some mysteries too. Sometimes the difference between thrillers and mysterious are in individuals minds so you can view and guess which are which.
Sarah Lotz has The White Road coming out on May 30. Simon Newman is an adrenaline junkie who films high octane experiences for viewing on a shared web page 'Journey to the Dark Side'. He arranges a guide to explore some dangerous caves and barely makes it out alive. Then he decides to conquer Mount Everest with filming of those who never made it back. When he comes across the remains of a tragic event ten years ago, danger is on his trail.
David Swinson has Crime Song coming out on May 2. This is his second in the Frank Marr series. Marr is a retired police detective that has a secret drug habit. Here, he is staking out a nightclub to track down a dealer that he can steal drugs from for his habit. When he returns, he finds his home has been broken into and things like his gun have been stolen. Then, he finds out the drug dealer has been murdered. Who do you think they will suspect?
Peter Blauner has Proving Ground coming out also on May 2. What is most interesting to me about this title is that some reviewers are fascinated with Lourdes Robles, a detective just off probation who is trying to solve a murder and others think the main interest is Nathaniel Dresden, a prosecuting attorney from Miami who is a Iraqi war veteran with PTSD. Nathaniel Dresden's father - a defense attorney from New York is murdered. Nathaniel comes to help his mother. He never got along with his father and had no relationship with him. Maybe he is involved with his death. I guess the only way to figure out who is the central figure in this possible series is by reading it.
Carolyn Haines has the seventeenth in her Sarah Delaney series, Sticks and Bones, coming on May 16. Sarah and friends are at a party when an unliked college classmate shows up in town. Frangelica 'Sister' McFee is in town for the filming of her hit memoir about the murder of her mother and brother. The production company has some questions and hires Sarah to look into the past event. Someone doesn't want the truth to be told.
Leif Persson has The Dying Detective coming out on May 23. Retired Swedish homicide detective Lars Martin Johansson is hospitalized after a stroke and heart problems. His doctor mentions an old cold case - the rape and murder of a nine year old girl. It is just the type of things that he can not resist trying to solve. Can he solve the case from his hospital bed with only a group of amateurs to help him? Said to have subtle, dark humor with Swedish cultural and political history information. Reviewers have loved it.
OK, there you go. Five more books to ponder. There are at least 3 of them that are on my list. How about yours?
Sarah Lotz has The White Road coming out on May 30. Simon Newman is an adrenaline junkie who films high octane experiences for viewing on a shared web page 'Journey to the Dark Side'. He arranges a guide to explore some dangerous caves and barely makes it out alive. Then he decides to conquer Mount Everest with filming of those who never made it back. When he comes across the remains of a tragic event ten years ago, danger is on his trail.
David Swinson has Crime Song coming out on May 2. This is his second in the Frank Marr series. Marr is a retired police detective that has a secret drug habit. Here, he is staking out a nightclub to track down a dealer that he can steal drugs from for his habit. When he returns, he finds his home has been broken into and things like his gun have been stolen. Then, he finds out the drug dealer has been murdered. Who do you think they will suspect?
Peter Blauner has Proving Ground coming out also on May 2. What is most interesting to me about this title is that some reviewers are fascinated with Lourdes Robles, a detective just off probation who is trying to solve a murder and others think the main interest is Nathaniel Dresden, a prosecuting attorney from Miami who is a Iraqi war veteran with PTSD. Nathaniel Dresden's father - a defense attorney from New York is murdered. Nathaniel comes to help his mother. He never got along with his father and had no relationship with him. Maybe he is involved with his death. I guess the only way to figure out who is the central figure in this possible series is by reading it.
Carolyn Haines has the seventeenth in her Sarah Delaney series, Sticks and Bones, coming on May 16. Sarah and friends are at a party when an unliked college classmate shows up in town. Frangelica 'Sister' McFee is in town for the filming of her hit memoir about the murder of her mother and brother. The production company has some questions and hires Sarah to look into the past event. Someone doesn't want the truth to be told.
Leif Persson has The Dying Detective coming out on May 23. Retired Swedish homicide detective Lars Martin Johansson is hospitalized after a stroke and heart problems. His doctor mentions an old cold case - the rape and murder of a nine year old girl. It is just the type of things that he can not resist trying to solve. Can he solve the case from his hospital bed with only a group of amateurs to help him? Said to have subtle, dark humor with Swedish cultural and political history information. Reviewers have loved it.
OK, there you go. Five more books to ponder. There are at least 3 of them that are on my list. How about yours?
Saturday, April 15, 2017
LibraryReads For May
The LibraryReads list for May came out yesterday. This month the list has some titles that are my type of thing and some that aren't. Certainly though, the ones that aren't for me, must have been for somebody so....here they are.
The number one position is one that I do love. If you like Frederic Bachman, give this debut a try. Gail Honeyman has Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Eleanor is a totally socially inept woman who has a low paying office job during the week. During the weekend, she has frozen pizza and 2 bottles of vodka at home. No one taught her as a child how to have fun or how to interact. She is blunt - not knowing to soften some critical things she says. One day she and a new awkward IT guy are walking down the street when an older man collapses. They come to his aid and it changes everything.
The others in no particular order:
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore. This is a nonfiction work that critics have loved. During WWI, some 'lucky' women were able to obtain jobs painting clock and watch dials with a paint that contained radium. They were instructed to 'lip-point' their brushes. Often, they glowed from the radium dust. When they started suffering the results, the companies refused to take responsibility. This is the story of their struggle.
Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane. This was actually the first book I mentioned last week. It follows Rachel Childs who had an on-air mental breakdown and lived as a shut-in until......What happens shatters whatever calm she had achieved.
The Leavers by Lisa Ko. 11 year old Deming Gou's mother, an undocumented Chinese immigrant, disappears after leaving for her job at a nail salon. Deming is eventually adopted by two professors who attempt to make him over as 'an Amercan boy'. Deming - now named Daniel, is confused and feels like he belongs no where. As soon as he is old enough, he goes looking for his mother. A novel that explores the life of an immigrant and also the meaning of family.
Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig. Another debut novel, this one focuses on Ginny Moon, an autistic girl who had a horrid home life and eventually is adopted into a warm and loving home. Strangely, all she wants to do is to go back to her abusive mother. Why? To take care of her 'Baby Doll'. Is she really leaving safety and love for a doll? Reviewers say this is a really original voice and very emotional.
Saints For All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan. This is a sweeping family saga about 2 Irish sisters who come to the United States in the 1950's. Something ends up separating them and they become estranged. Fifty years later, they come together at a funeral and we learn about the life they have led. One, a mother of 4 adult children and the other, a cloistered nun. For those that like family sagas.
White Hot by Ilona Andrews This is the second in the Hidden Legacy series. Andrews writes paranormal romance so if you like Patricia Briggs, you might want to give her a try. Here the action takes place in a world of magic. The two main characters (Nevada and Rogan) have a past and apparently, they have a future too. They are up against some heavy duty magic users here.
Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor. A newly divorced woman moves to a small Arizona town. Out walking one day, she discovers human remains in the wall of a dry ravine. Residents seem to think that it is probably Jess Winters, a teenage girl who disappeared 18 years ago. Many town residents go over the stories and rumors surrounding Jess. This patchwork seems to reveal the truth.
Astrophysics For People In A Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Tyson's writing style is very regular person friendly. It is clear and concise and if you want to understand the universe in which we live - this is the book for you.
Lastly, The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn.Time travel and Jane Austen - how could those things possibly mix. They do here. Two people from the future use time travel to go back to Jane Austen's time, try to infiltrate her close friends, and find out if she does in fact have an unpublished novel "The Watsons". They are to steal it and bring it back to their time. Things get complicated - as these things always do. Read it to find out how.
OK - there you have the ten titles being published in May that library employees around the world voted as the best. See if there is one here that interests you.
The number one position is one that I do love. If you like Frederic Bachman, give this debut a try. Gail Honeyman has Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Eleanor is a totally socially inept woman who has a low paying office job during the week. During the weekend, she has frozen pizza and 2 bottles of vodka at home. No one taught her as a child how to have fun or how to interact. She is blunt - not knowing to soften some critical things she says. One day she and a new awkward IT guy are walking down the street when an older man collapses. They come to his aid and it changes everything.
The others in no particular order:
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore. This is a nonfiction work that critics have loved. During WWI, some 'lucky' women were able to obtain jobs painting clock and watch dials with a paint that contained radium. They were instructed to 'lip-point' their brushes. Often, they glowed from the radium dust. When they started suffering the results, the companies refused to take responsibility. This is the story of their struggle.
Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane. This was actually the first book I mentioned last week. It follows Rachel Childs who had an on-air mental breakdown and lived as a shut-in until......What happens shatters whatever calm she had achieved.
The Leavers by Lisa Ko. 11 year old Deming Gou's mother, an undocumented Chinese immigrant, disappears after leaving for her job at a nail salon. Deming is eventually adopted by two professors who attempt to make him over as 'an Amercan boy'. Deming - now named Daniel, is confused and feels like he belongs no where. As soon as he is old enough, he goes looking for his mother. A novel that explores the life of an immigrant and also the meaning of family.
Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig. Another debut novel, this one focuses on Ginny Moon, an autistic girl who had a horrid home life and eventually is adopted into a warm and loving home. Strangely, all she wants to do is to go back to her abusive mother. Why? To take care of her 'Baby Doll'. Is she really leaving safety and love for a doll? Reviewers say this is a really original voice and very emotional.
Saints For All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan. This is a sweeping family saga about 2 Irish sisters who come to the United States in the 1950's. Something ends up separating them and they become estranged. Fifty years later, they come together at a funeral and we learn about the life they have led. One, a mother of 4 adult children and the other, a cloistered nun. For those that like family sagas.
White Hot by Ilona Andrews This is the second in the Hidden Legacy series. Andrews writes paranormal romance so if you like Patricia Briggs, you might want to give her a try. Here the action takes place in a world of magic. The two main characters (Nevada and Rogan) have a past and apparently, they have a future too. They are up against some heavy duty magic users here.
Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor. A newly divorced woman moves to a small Arizona town. Out walking one day, she discovers human remains in the wall of a dry ravine. Residents seem to think that it is probably Jess Winters, a teenage girl who disappeared 18 years ago. Many town residents go over the stories and rumors surrounding Jess. This patchwork seems to reveal the truth.
Astrophysics For People In A Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Tyson's writing style is very regular person friendly. It is clear and concise and if you want to understand the universe in which we live - this is the book for you.
Lastly, The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn.Time travel and Jane Austen - how could those things possibly mix. They do here. Two people from the future use time travel to go back to Jane Austen's time, try to infiltrate her close friends, and find out if she does in fact have an unpublished novel "The Watsons". They are to steal it and bring it back to their time. Things get complicated - as these things always do. Read it to find out how.
OK - there you have the ten titles being published in May that library employees around the world voted as the best. See if there is one here that interests you.
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