The first hard frost of the year have arrived, beloved patrons, and you know what that means….
…..It’s time for more books!
It’s always time for more books. Who are we kidding here? That was a very easy question.
Here’s a list of some of the new volumes that have nestled onto our shelves this week who are willing to brave the wintry weather by your side!
A Life of My Own: Claire Tomalin is a world-respected biography of such literary lights as Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens. In her newest work, however, she turns her gaze inward, telling us about her own life surrounded by books and literature. From discovering books as a form of escapism during her parents’ difficult divorce, to pursuing poetry at Cambridge, to the glittering London literary scene of the 1960s, this is a book of huge scope and private emotions, including Tomalin’s difficult marriage to a philanderer, his death, and her struggles as a single mother. In addition, she sheds light on a longstanding career, including being commissioned to write her first book, a biography of the early feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. Marked by honesty, humility, and grace, rendered in the most elegant of prose, Tomalin’s memoir is a portrait of a life, replete with joy and heartbreak. Vogue.com wrote a glowing review of this book, calling Tomalin “a master craftswoman, and it’s a thrill to see her prose and capacity for moving storytelling turned on her own life… If it leads you to read some of her biographies (Jane Austen is a favorite), you’ll be better off.”
The Accident on the A35: Readers who loved Graeme Macrae Burnet’s first Inspector Gorki novel (and his Man Booker Prize Shortlisted book!) will love to see the Inspector return in another fascinating puzzle, set in rural France. Detective Gorski is called away from his night of solitary drinking to the site of a car accident that left Bertrand Barthelme, a respected solicitor, dead. When the deceased’s rather attractive wife suggests that the crash may not have been an accident, Gorski looks closer into Barthelme’s circumspect movements on the night of his death. His investigation leads him to various bars, hotels, and brothels in the nearby city of Strasbourg. At the same time, Barthelme’s rebellious son, drunk on Jean Paul Sartre novels, is conducting an investigation of his own. Their independent, dual inquiries lead the reader down a twisted road marked by seedy back rooms, bar brawls, and–as we have come to expect from Burnet–copious amounts of wine. Publisher’s Weekly gave this second book in the series a starred review, saying “Man Booker-finalist Burnet’s smart, sharp follow-up to The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau offers a “lost” novel by fictional French writer Raymond Brunet (who anagram is hardly subtle), released by his estate after his suicide….Burnet elevates what starts as a Simenon pastiche into something dazzling.”
Treason of Hawks: Lila Bowen’s stunning Shadows series draws to a close with this absorbing fourth book. Rhett Walker is looking for peace, the memories of all he’s lost haunting his dreams. But with the lawless Rangers on his heels and monster attacks surging, Rhett is surrounded on all sides. When his friends and allies are suddenly ambushed, Rhett must answer the Shadow’s call and ride into one last, fateful battle. Fans who have already encountered Bowen’s limitless imagination and flare for prose will know how fascinating the world of this series has become, and for new readers…this is a perfect excuse to get started on a series that is sure to delight. Kirkus Reviews gave this book a starred review, calling it “Absorbing…fans will love this final chapter in Bowen’s story.”
Worlds Seen in Passing: Ten Years of Tor.com Short Fiction: Tor.com has been a site for some of the most ground-breaking and innovative science fiction on the internet, and this volume brings together some of the highlights of the past decade for those looking to move away from the screen to the page. Here, readers will find a wealth of remarkable stories that span the distances from science fiction to fantasy to horror, and everything in between. With Nebula- and Hugo-Award-winning authors N. K. Jemisin, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Jeff VanderMeer, this is a book for devoted fans and genre newcomers alike to savor. Kirkus Reviews described this behemoth tome gleefully as “a small sampling of the excellent fiction they’ve been offering over the past decade…Short Fiction is awesome. Tor.com is one of the reasons why.”
Where the Crawdads Sing; A “new to us” book, this emotional and finely wrought story is a perfect fit for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell. For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens. This is a book that has gotten rave reviews across the country, including from The New York Times Review of Books, who called it “A painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative and a celebration of nature….Owens here surveys the desolate marshlands of the North Carolina coast through the eyes of an abandoned child. And in her isolation that child makes us open our own eyes to the secret wonders—and dangers—of her private world.”
Until next week, beloved patrons–happy reading!