So many great books, so hard to keep up with what's new and
interesting. Today I hope to tempt you with books that might have
slipped off your radar. Whether you like memoir or mystery, contemporary
stories or history, I hope you find something to add to your reading
list.
- All the Best People by Sonja Yoerg
(Berkley; May 2017): Psychic realms, psychological disturbances, the
past, and the present all collide as a young mother tries to hold on to
reality and keep her family together. Set in 1970s Vermont, this novel
explores mental health, family legacies, and rural America.
- The Cure of La Fontaine by M. L. Longworth (Penguin; April
2017): A new restaurant, a possible curse, and a haunting past lead to
murder and mayhem in Aix-en-Provence, France. The latest entry in the
Verlaque and Bonnet mystery series is as much about the food as it is
about the crime.
- I Found You by Lisa Jewell (Atria; April 2017): This
multi-layered contemporary novel, set in England, involves three men--a
missing husband, a man with no memory, and a predatory tourist--and the
women whose lives they're affected. A well-paced dark mystery with
"intriguing characters" (Shelf Awareness).
- I'm Traveling Alone by Samuel Bjork
(Penguin; March 2017): Attention Scandinavian crime fans! This police
procedural set in rural Norway involves a disturbing murder of a young
girl and the possibility of more deaths. A twisty plot and a flawed
female protagonist will keep your attention until the end.
- Man of the Year by Lou Cove (Flatiron; May 2017): In 1978, Howie Gordon decides he wants to be Playgirl's
Man of the Year and enlists his friend's son, thirteen-year-old Lou
Cove, to manage his bid for centerfold fame. A true-life coming-of-age
story that captures both an era and a family in transition.
- Pretend We Are Lovely by Noley Reid (Tin House; July 2017):
Over the course of a 1980s Blacksburg, Virginia, summer, a family
grapples with past grief and shattered relationships, both among
themselves and with food. Told from four different perspectives, this
novel explores emotional attachment, the bond between sisters, and the hope for hope.
- Quiet Until the Thaw by Alexandra Fuller
(Penguin; June 2017): Fuller's debut novel is set in the Lakota Oglala
Sioux Nation in South Dakota and follows two cousins over the course of
decades as they struggle to balance their traditional heritage with
American culture. The story explores themes of family, being an
outsider, and self-acceptance.
- Roads by Marina Antropow Cramer (Academy Chicago; May 2017):
This World War II story, set in Yalta and beyond, looks at the effect of
war on an ordinary Russian family that is simply trying to stay alive
and together. With the Nazis on one side and the Communists on the
other, where can they find safety and how, if they are separated, will
they discover each other's fates at the end of the war?
- The Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winawer (Touchstone; May
2017): This time-travel novel transports a contemporary woman surgeon to
fourteenth-century Italy, where she finds herself in the middle of
political conspiracies, the plague, and the art world. Mystery,
well-researched historical details, and romance make for top-notch
reading.
I enjoyed I Found You quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteI have just finished I Found You and am still deciding whether to post about it - it was enjoyable but a bit predictable from about the middle of the book so I lost the suspense. Cheers from Carole's Chatter
ReplyDeleteoooh time travel ... oooh ... just finished listening to The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis - i had read it twice before but listening to it was so very different and made it seem almost brand new .. so of course i need to check out The Scribe of Siena .. thanks!
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