New Releases: October 13th, 2015
NEW RELEASES IN HARDCOVER
THE ADVENTURESS: A Lady Emily Mystery by Tasha Alexander
Emily and husband Colin have come to the French Riviera for what should be a joyous occasion --- the engagement party of her lifelong friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge, and Amity Wells, an American heiress. But the merrymaking is cut short with the shocking death of one of the party in an apparent suicide. Not convinced by the coroner's verdict, Emily must employ all of her investigative skills to discover the truth and avert another tragedy. Historical Fiction / Mystery
ALL THE STARS IN THE HEAVENS by Adriana Trigiani
The movie business is booming in 1935 when 21-year-old Loretta Young meets 34-year-old Clark Gable on the set of The Call of the Wild. Though he's already married, Gable falls for the stunning and vivacious young actress instantly. Far from the glittering lights of Hollywood, Sister Alda Ducci has been forced to leave her convent and begin a new journey that leads her to Loretta. Over the course of decades, they forge an enduring bond of love and loyalty that will be put to the test when they eventually face the greatest obstacle of their lives. Historical Fiction
BLACK WIDOW: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl
Once a lethal assassin for Russia, Natasha Romanov (aka Black Widow) strives to atone for her past mistakes. Working with S.H.I.E.L.D, Natasha is ready to kill her former teacher, Ivan Somodorov, but does not count on rescuing a little girl from a planned explosion at his lab. Without realizing it, Natasha and Ava are caught in Ivan's latest experiment, which gives Ava access to Natasha's abilities. Years later, their lives converge when Ava meets Alex, a boy she has been having dreams about, and is reunited with Natasha, who turns their normal lives upside down. Natasha reluctantly involves Ava and Alex in her mission to kill Ivan and save the world, but the cost may be too high. Black Widow: Forever Red can be enjoyed without prior knowledge, and for those who are familiar with Black Widow, Natasha's history is expanded in new ways. Comic Books / Young Adult
CITY ON FIRE by Garth Risk Hallberg
New York City, 1976. Meet Regan and William Hamilton-Sweeney, estranged heirs to one of the city’s great fortunes; Keith and Mercer, the men who, for better or worse, love them; Charlie and Samantha, two suburban teenagers seduced by downtown’s punk scene; an obsessive magazine reporter and his idealistic neighbor --- and the detective trying to figure out what any of them have to do with a shooting in Central Park on New Year’s Eve. When the blackout of July 13, 1977, plunges this world into darkness, each of these lives will be changed forever. Historical Fiction
DARK TIDE: Waterfire Saga, Book 3 by Jennifer Donnelly
Once a lost and confused princess, Serafina is now a confident leader of the Black Fin Resistance (BFR). While she works on sabotaging her enemy and enlisting allies for battle, her friends face challenges of their own. Ling is in the hold of Rafe Mfeme's giant trawler, on her way to a prison camp. Becca meets up with Astrid and learns why the Ondalinian mermaid is always so angry: she is hiding a shameful secret. Ava can't return home, because death riders await her arrival. And it is getting more and more difficult for Mahdi, Serafina's betrothed, to keep up the ruse that he is in love with Lucia Volerno. If Lucia's parents become suspicious, his life--and all of Sera's hopes--will be extinguished. Political intrigue, dangerous liaisons, and spine-tingling suspense swirl like a maelstrom in this penultimate book in the WaterFire saga. Fantasy / Children's Fiction
DRINKING IN AMERICA: Our Secret History by Susan Cheever
From the drunkenness of the Pilgrims to Prohibition hijinks, drinking has always been a cherished American custom: a way to celebrate, grieve, and take the edge off. At many pivotal points in our history, alcohol has acted as a catalyst. In DRINKING IN AMERICA, Susan Cheever chronicles our national love affair with liquor, taking a long, thoughtful look at the way alcohol has changed our nation's history. History
TWAIN'S END by Lynn Cullen
In TWAIN'S END, Lynn Cullen reimagines the tangled relationships between Mark Twain, his private secretary Isabel V. Lyon, and his business manager Ralph Ashcroft, as well as the little-known love triangle between Helen Keller, her teacher Anne Sullivan Macy, and Anne’s husband John Macy, which comes to light during their visit to Twain’s Connecticut home in 1909. Add to the party a furious Clara Clemens, smarting from her own failed love affair, and carefully kept veneers shatter. Historical Fiction
NEW RELEASES IN PAPERBACK
THE ACCIDENTAL EMPRESS by Allison Pataki
The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe’s most powerful ruling family. With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich and ready to marry. Fifteen-year-old Elisabeth, “Sisi,” Duchess of Bavaria, travels to the Habsburg Court with her older sister, who is betrothed to the young emperor. But shortly after her arrival at court, Sisi finds herself in an unexpected dilemma: she has inadvertently fallen for and won the heart of her sister’s groom. Historical Fiction
HOW TO BE BOTH by Ali Smith
HOW TO BE BOTH is a novel all about art’s versatility. Borrowing from painting’s fresco technique to make an original literary double-take, it’s a fast-moving genre-bending conversation between forms, times, truths and fictions. There’s a Renaissance artist of the 1460s. There’s the child of a child of the 1960s. Two tales of love and injustice twist into a singular yarn where time gets timeless, structural gets playful, knowing gets mysterious, fictional gets real --- and all of life’s givens are given a second chance. Fiction
JOAN OF ARC: A Life Transfigured by Kathryn Harrison
In JOAN OF ARC: A Life Transfigured, Kathryn Harrison gives us a Joan for our time --- a shining exemplar of unshakable faith, extraordinary courage and self-confidence during a brutally rigged ecclesiastical inquisition and in the face of her death by burning. Deftly weaving historical fact, myth, folklore, artistic representations, and centuries of scholarly and critical interpretation into a compelling narrative, she restores Joan of Arc to her rightful position as one of the greatest heroines in all of human history. Biography
MERMAIDS IN PARADISE by Lydia Millet
On the grounds of a Caribbean island resort, newlyweds Deb and Chip meet a marine biologist who says she has sighted mermaids in a coral reef. As the resort's "parent company" swoops in to corner the market on mythological creatures, the couple joins forces with other adventurous souls to save said mermaids from the "Venture of Marvels," which wants to turn their reef into a theme park. Fiction
VANESSA AND HER SISTER by Priya Parmar
London, 1905: The city is alight with change, and the Stephen siblings are at the forefront. Vanessa, Virginia, Thoby and Adrian are leaving behind their childhood home and taking a house in the leafy heart of avant-garde Bloomsbury. There they bring together a glittering circle of bright, outrageous, artistic friends who will grow into legend and come to be known as the Bloomsbury Group. And at the center of this charmed circle are the devoted, gifted sisters: Vanessa, the painter, and Virginia, the writer. Historical Fiction
Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014: Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott
2013: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
2012: The Hunger Games (Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins
2011: Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings by Alison Weir
2010: Captivity by Deborah Noyes
2009: Random Ranting: Why is it so hard to find a good place to read?
2008: American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield
THE ADVENTURESS: A Lady Emily Mystery by Tasha Alexander
Emily and husband Colin have come to the French Riviera for what should be a joyous occasion --- the engagement party of her lifelong friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge, and Amity Wells, an American heiress. But the merrymaking is cut short with the shocking death of one of the party in an apparent suicide. Not convinced by the coroner's verdict, Emily must employ all of her investigative skills to discover the truth and avert another tragedy. Historical Fiction / Mystery
ALL THE STARS IN THE HEAVENS by Adriana Trigiani
The movie business is booming in 1935 when 21-year-old Loretta Young meets 34-year-old Clark Gable on the set of The Call of the Wild. Though he's already married, Gable falls for the stunning and vivacious young actress instantly. Far from the glittering lights of Hollywood, Sister Alda Ducci has been forced to leave her convent and begin a new journey that leads her to Loretta. Over the course of decades, they forge an enduring bond of love and loyalty that will be put to the test when they eventually face the greatest obstacle of their lives. Historical Fiction
BLACK WIDOW: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl
Once a lethal assassin for Russia, Natasha Romanov (aka Black Widow) strives to atone for her past mistakes. Working with S.H.I.E.L.D, Natasha is ready to kill her former teacher, Ivan Somodorov, but does not count on rescuing a little girl from a planned explosion at his lab. Without realizing it, Natasha and Ava are caught in Ivan's latest experiment, which gives Ava access to Natasha's abilities. Years later, their lives converge when Ava meets Alex, a boy she has been having dreams about, and is reunited with Natasha, who turns their normal lives upside down. Natasha reluctantly involves Ava and Alex in her mission to kill Ivan and save the world, but the cost may be too high. Black Widow: Forever Red can be enjoyed without prior knowledge, and for those who are familiar with Black Widow, Natasha's history is expanded in new ways. Comic Books / Young Adult
CITY ON FIRE by Garth Risk Hallberg
New York City, 1976. Meet Regan and William Hamilton-Sweeney, estranged heirs to one of the city’s great fortunes; Keith and Mercer, the men who, for better or worse, love them; Charlie and Samantha, two suburban teenagers seduced by downtown’s punk scene; an obsessive magazine reporter and his idealistic neighbor --- and the detective trying to figure out what any of them have to do with a shooting in Central Park on New Year’s Eve. When the blackout of July 13, 1977, plunges this world into darkness, each of these lives will be changed forever. Historical Fiction
DARK TIDE: Waterfire Saga, Book 3 by Jennifer Donnelly
Once a lost and confused princess, Serafina is now a confident leader of the Black Fin Resistance (BFR). While she works on sabotaging her enemy and enlisting allies for battle, her friends face challenges of their own. Ling is in the hold of Rafe Mfeme's giant trawler, on her way to a prison camp. Becca meets up with Astrid and learns why the Ondalinian mermaid is always so angry: she is hiding a shameful secret. Ava can't return home, because death riders await her arrival. And it is getting more and more difficult for Mahdi, Serafina's betrothed, to keep up the ruse that he is in love with Lucia Volerno. If Lucia's parents become suspicious, his life--and all of Sera's hopes--will be extinguished. Political intrigue, dangerous liaisons, and spine-tingling suspense swirl like a maelstrom in this penultimate book in the WaterFire saga. Fantasy / Children's Fiction
DRINKING IN AMERICA: Our Secret History by Susan Cheever
From the drunkenness of the Pilgrims to Prohibition hijinks, drinking has always been a cherished American custom: a way to celebrate, grieve, and take the edge off. At many pivotal points in our history, alcohol has acted as a catalyst. In DRINKING IN AMERICA, Susan Cheever chronicles our national love affair with liquor, taking a long, thoughtful look at the way alcohol has changed our nation's history. History
TWAIN'S END by Lynn Cullen
In TWAIN'S END, Lynn Cullen reimagines the tangled relationships between Mark Twain, his private secretary Isabel V. Lyon, and his business manager Ralph Ashcroft, as well as the little-known love triangle between Helen Keller, her teacher Anne Sullivan Macy, and Anne’s husband John Macy, which comes to light during their visit to Twain’s Connecticut home in 1909. Add to the party a furious Clara Clemens, smarting from her own failed love affair, and carefully kept veneers shatter. Historical Fiction
NEW RELEASES IN PAPERBACK
THE ACCIDENTAL EMPRESS by Allison Pataki
The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe’s most powerful ruling family. With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich and ready to marry. Fifteen-year-old Elisabeth, “Sisi,” Duchess of Bavaria, travels to the Habsburg Court with her older sister, who is betrothed to the young emperor. But shortly after her arrival at court, Sisi finds herself in an unexpected dilemma: she has inadvertently fallen for and won the heart of her sister’s groom. Historical Fiction
HOW TO BE BOTH by Ali Smith
HOW TO BE BOTH is a novel all about art’s versatility. Borrowing from painting’s fresco technique to make an original literary double-take, it’s a fast-moving genre-bending conversation between forms, times, truths and fictions. There’s a Renaissance artist of the 1460s. There’s the child of a child of the 1960s. Two tales of love and injustice twist into a singular yarn where time gets timeless, structural gets playful, knowing gets mysterious, fictional gets real --- and all of life’s givens are given a second chance. Fiction
JOAN OF ARC: A Life Transfigured by Kathryn Harrison
In JOAN OF ARC: A Life Transfigured, Kathryn Harrison gives us a Joan for our time --- a shining exemplar of unshakable faith, extraordinary courage and self-confidence during a brutally rigged ecclesiastical inquisition and in the face of her death by burning. Deftly weaving historical fact, myth, folklore, artistic representations, and centuries of scholarly and critical interpretation into a compelling narrative, she restores Joan of Arc to her rightful position as one of the greatest heroines in all of human history. Biography
MERMAIDS IN PARADISE by Lydia Millet
On the grounds of a Caribbean island resort, newlyweds Deb and Chip meet a marine biologist who says she has sighted mermaids in a coral reef. As the resort's "parent company" swoops in to corner the market on mythological creatures, the couple joins forces with other adventurous souls to save said mermaids from the "Venture of Marvels," which wants to turn their reef into a theme park. Fiction
VANESSA AND HER SISTER by Priya Parmar
London, 1905: The city is alight with change, and the Stephen siblings are at the forefront. Vanessa, Virginia, Thoby and Adrian are leaving behind their childhood home and taking a house in the leafy heart of avant-garde Bloomsbury. There they bring together a glittering circle of bright, outrageous, artistic friends who will grow into legend and come to be known as the Bloomsbury Group. And at the center of this charmed circle are the devoted, gifted sisters: Vanessa, the painter, and Virginia, the writer. Historical Fiction
Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014: Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott
2013: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
2012: The Hunger Games (Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins
2011: Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings by Alison Weir
2010: Captivity by Deborah Noyes
2009: Random Ranting: Why is it so hard to find a good place to read?
2008: American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield