5 Books to Finish Out the Year

As I sat down to write this last round-up post of the year, I was, frankly, at a loss for a theme. I think my creative energies have been channeled to the holidays and my brain power has been engaged with work. In the end, I decided to help myself: What I needed to do was get a clear vision of the December books I still had on my reading list. How many of these I'll actually get to next week with all the holiday craziness is anyone's guess, but I'm going to give it my best shot. Which one would you start with?

I was quickly drawn in by the idea behind of Dark Winds Rising by Mark Noce (St. Martin's Press, Dec. 5). Set at the turn of the seventh century, the novel is based on a mix of contemporary records and Welsh mythology and tells the story of Queen Branwen who must save her kingdom from a double-headed threat: a Pict invasion from the sea and civil war within. Because this is the second book in the saga, I'll have to also commit to the first installment, Between Two Fires, in which the fictional queen Branwen protects Wales from the Saxons. Reviewers have commented on the good period details, though I'm a little concerned about the level of romance. At the same time, it's hard to resist a series touted as a combination of Mists of Avalon and Game of Thrones.

Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak (Bloomsbury, Dec. 5) is set Istanbul on an evening when a wealthy woman, Peri, attends a dinner party during which terrorist outbreaks occur throughout the city. On that same night, she is serendipitously reminded of her university years at Oxford. From what I was told at BookExpo last summer, the novel contrasts the protagonist's younger, freer self in the West with the realities of life in Turkey and addresses feminism, Islam, spirituality, and politics. As well, Peri begins to come to terms with an unresolved issue that's haunted her since she was student. I'm curious how Peri's perceptions of her marriage and lifestyle in Turkey are colored by her experiences in the UK and wonder about her secret.

I can't resist a good domestic thriller, so I said yes to a review copy of Close to Me by Amanda Reynolds (Quercus, Dec. 5). Here's the setup: Jo falls down the stairs and sustains a head injury. When she regains consciousness at the hospital, she realizes she's lost her memory of the entire past year. That would be distressing enough, but her family is deflecting her questions and not helping her remember. Is her husband protecting her from herself or is he the one who has something to hide? I love the kind of story in which it's not always clear who is the good guy and who is the bad one. I'm well aware that the reviews have been mixed--some saying the ending falls apart, others saying the suspense is tight--but I plan to make up my own mind.

I'm totally on the Scandinavian crime bandwagon. Roslund and Hellstrom's Penn 33 (Quercus, Dec. 5) is an award-winning first-in-series set in Sweden. The story itself, focusing on Detective Superintendent Ewert Gren's attempt to recapture an escaped child molester and serial killer, looks rough yet gripping. Besides the cat and mouse chase, I'm also intersted in the authors themselves. Anders Roslund is a former television crime reporter and editor-in-chief of two Swedish new programs. Borge Hellstrom is an ex-convict, who became involved in rehabilitation efforts and crime prevention for "young offenders and drug addicts." With their backgrounds in the darker sides of Sweden, I'm not surprised the DCI Grens novels have won critical acclaim. Most American reviewers have sung the book's praises.

Sticking to the thriller theme, I still have The Truth Beneath the Lies by Amanda Searcy (Delacorte Press, Dec. 12) on my reading list. This young adult novel is told through the alternating voices of two teens. Betsy lives in Texas and is simply trying to stay alive. She knows she's being watched, and she knows she has a target on her back. One false move, and she's history. Meanwhile, Kayla lives in Washington, trying desperately to escape her dead-end job and her drug-addicted mother. Despite a feeling of unease, she begins to trust the cute guy who seems to offer her a way out. Pretty much every reviewer has commented on the tight plotting, intense buildup of tension, and grittiness of the story. I want to know how the girls' lives intersect and who is left standing at the end.

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12 True Stories to Read in September

Hello fans of the true story. Whether you like history or biography, memoir or science, this month's new book releases include a host of great nonfiction titles. It's been difficult to narrow down the books I'm adding to my "hope to read it" list. Here are 12 I don't want to miss.

Memoir

In The Best of Us (Bloomsbury, Sept. 5), Joyce Maynard shares the joys of finally finding her true soul mate, the heartbreak of losing him before they had barely begun a life together, and the struggle to find her new place in the world after his death.

In Fire in the Heart (Arcade, Sept. 5), Mary Emerick tells us about her life as a forest-fire fighter, including the physical demands, the life-threatening dangers, and the friendships. After the death of a fellow firefighter, Emerick began to reassess her career path.

In Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies (Atria, Sept. 12), journalist Michael Ausiello uses humor to temper the darkness in this unforgettable tribute to his beloved late husband. Reviewers have commented on the emotional impact of Ausiello's story.

History

In Alone (Liveright, Sept. 19), Michael Korda turns his careful attention to the story of Dunkirk, both the horrors and death and the amazing British spirit that ultimately let to victory in Europe. His own childhood memories inform this well-researched account.

In Bloodlines (Ecco, Sept. 12), Melissa del Bosque tells the fast-faced story of how two FBI agents took on a major Mexican drug lord by going after his money-laundering scheme, which was set in the world of American Quarter Horse racing.

In The Templars (Viking, Sept. 19), Dan Jones explores the spectacular rise of a band of crusading knights to a position of wealth and power, until a king of France plotted to bring them down in a single day: Friday the 13th in October 1307. The legacy of the Templars is still felt today in the West's relationship with the Mideast and Islam.

Biography

In Darwin's Backyard (Norton, Sept. 5), James T. Costa reveals the personal side of the father of natural selection, who had a lifelong curiosity about the natural world. The book includes experiments you can conduct in your own backyard.

In The Disappearance of Emile Zola (Pegasus, Sept. 19), Michael Rosen explores the novelist's life, politics, and passions while in exile from France in the aftermath of the Dreyfus Affair. Zola's story is relevant in  light of today's sociopolitical climate.

In The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Timber Press, Sept. 20), Marta McDowell anchors the Little House books in the natural world of Laura's life and travels through the open prairies. Illustrations, photographs, maps, and botanical information round out this unique biography.

Other True Stories

In Clockwork Futures (Pegasus, Sept. 5), Brandy Schillace looks at the roots of Steampunk technology--from flying machines to automatons--including the impact the inventions and inventors had on the greater society.

In Koh-i-Noor (Bloomsbury, Sept 12), William Dalrymple and Anita Anand trace the history of one of the world's most celebrated diamonds. From the East India Company's acquisition of the jewel, the Koh-i-Noor has been steeped in controversy and myth and for some has symbolized the worst of colonialism.

In The Last Castle (Touchstone, Sept. 26), Denise Kiernan takes us inside the walls of Biltmore House to show us the world of the rich and famous who built the mansion and graced its halls. At 175,00 square feet, the chateau is the nation's largest single-family dwelling.

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8 Books from Smaller Presses (BookExpo 2017: Part 2)

One of the things I look forward to when I plan my annual trip to Book Expo (formally BEA), is getting a chance to learn about books from some of the smaller presses. Although the publishers featured today are hardly obscure, they are independent from the giant houses that seem to get all the buzz.

Instead of featuring the big-name authors and titles you'll hear about everywhere (including here on Beth Fish Reads), today I want to introduce you to a handful of books that may have slipped by your radar. All but one is fiction, and most take us outside the United States and/or to different times, providing a broad perspective on life and humanity.

• Solar Bones by Mike McCormack (Soho, September): Set in rural Ireland, this novel is told by a spirit who returns to his home and recalls his life in all his roles, from son to father and everything in between and beyond. This award-winning novel gives us a feel for a generation of changes and challenges.
• The Widows of Malabar Hill (Soho Crime, January 2018): The protagonist of this first in a new series is loosely based on India's first woman lawyer. Set about 100 years ago in Bombay, this crime novel concerns a case of potential fraud against three traditional, sheltered widows of the same man. The case also involves lost inheritances and the threat of murder.
• The Extra Woman by Joanna Scutts (Liveright, November): For most of history, Western culture has pitied or scorned the woman who chooses to remain single. Yet almost 90 years ago, Marjorie Hillis, who wrote for Vogue magazine, helped make the "Live-Aloners" fashionable. This book explores the rise and fall of the glory days of the independent woman over the course of the twentieth century and into our own times.
• Across the China Sea by Gaute Heivoll (Graywolf Press, September): In the post-World War II years, a Norwegian family opens their home to the lost and broken, forging bonds that hold an unlikely group of adults and children together to face a changing world. The novel is told in retrospect as the son cleans out the house after his parents' deaths.

• Reign the Earth by A. C. Gaughen (Bloomsbury, January 2018): This first in a four-part young adult fantasy series features a young woman who agrees to a marriage in return for the promise of peace between two rival lands. Her sacrifice is made all the harder when she must hide her elemental powers from her husband while trying to stay loyal to her own heritage. The novel promises battles, betrayal, politics, and magic.
• Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak (Bloomsbury, December): This novel takes place in the course of a single evening in modern-day Istanbul. A woman who survives a mugging on her way to an opulent dinner party tries to balance her present circumstances with her college years abroad. Meanwhile the city erupts in violence caused by a series of terrorist attacks. Literary fiction that examines feminism in the context of Islam.
• Leona: The Die Is Cast by Jenny Rogneby (Other Press, August): this gritty Scandinavian crime novel features a flawed female detective who is barely able to hold herself together long enough to solve a bizarre bank robbery, allegedly pulled off by a seven-year-old girl. The author is both a former Stockholm cop and a former pop singer.
• To the Back of Beyond by Peter Stamm (Other Press, October): One night after a women goes inside to check on her child, her husband leaves the back garden and starts walking through the Swiss countryside. This slip of a novel explores the couple's now separate lives--one seemingly aimless, the other tied to home--and how life can change in a single moment.

Next week I'll feature picks from the big publishing houses. In case you missed it, yesterday I featured 5 Book Expo picks, also from small publishers.

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8 Books to Look Forward To (BEA)

One thing I love about BookExpo American (BEA) is the look into my reading future. Publicists are naturally extra-excited about the books coming out over the summer, but they are also already talking about fall and even 2017.

Although I won't likely get to these books until the weather starts to turn again, I thought I share a handful of those that came home with me from Chicago. So what's on my list? A mix of familiar authors and new ones, literary fiction and fantasy, books in translation, and even some art history. Can't wait to hear which ones call to you.

Favorite Authors / New Novels

• Cruel Beautiful World by Caroline Levitt: Set around 1970, this novel captures an era as a young girl heads off to rural Pennsylvania on a journey of independence. A coming-of-age story with themes of first love, sisters, and loss of innocence all with an undercurrent of danger. "Lucy runs away with her high school teacher, William, on a Friday, the last day of school, a June morning shiny with heat." (Algonquin, October) • The Motion of Puppets by Keith Donohue: In Donohue's classic style of mixing reality with fantasy, this is a tale of a woman who is trapped in a magical world and of her husband who must first find her and then figure out how to rescue her. Set in the Old City of Quebec "She fell in love with a puppet." (Picador, October)

Stories about Writers: Translated

• Cabo de Gata by Eugen Ruge: A Berlin writer escapes his past to start over in small coastal Andalusian village, but settling in to a new home in his new country requires more than just trying to learn Spanish. Only after he befriends a ginger cat, does his life begin to truly change. Translated from the German. "I remember stopping short midmovement." (Graywolf Press, November) • Agnes by Peter Stamm: When Agnes asks her lover to write a story about her, he begins with their happy courtship, but he soon realizes he needs some tension or drama to bring life to his tale. Is he writing fiction or making plans? Translated from the German. "Agnes is dead. Killed by a story." (Other Press, October)

Mysterious Doings

• The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz: This story within stories, set in France in 1242, is about a peasant girl, a young monk, and a mysterious boy healer. Travelers at an inn begin to relate what they know about the magical trio, allowing us to piece together a tale of danger, dragons, clashing religions, and kingly courts. Middle grade fantasy with a Chaucer foundation & beautiful illuminated illustrations. "The king is ready for war." (Dutton, September) • The Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders: Laetitia Rodd, a middle-aged widow puts her inquiring mind to work as a private investigator, often helping her barrister brother. When she goes undercover as a governess at a country estate, she unearths much more than the details of the young master's love life. Set in Victorian England and the first of a new series. "It was a bright, windy October morning, and Mrs. Bentley and I were down in the basement kitchen making a rabbit pudding." (Bloomsbury, September)

Artists in History

• A Revolution in Color by Jane Kamensky: John Singleton Copley counted many of the Boston patriots as his clients and patrons in the years before the Revolution. The artist, however, did not share their political views. This well-researched history/biography looks at Copley's life, ambitions, and paintings both in the colonies and in London and sets all in the context of contemporary politics and sociocultural ideas. "John Singleton Copley grew up facing the sea, heaving heart of Britain's growing blue-water empire." (Norton, October) • Mad Enchantment by Ross King: When you hear the name Claude Monet, you're likely to immediately think of his famous water lily paintings, but you might not know story behind how he came to create that series. This thoroughly researched biography looks at Monet's late-in-life work against the bigger picture of his personal losses, World War I, and the rising generation of new artists with their bold, experimental styles. "Where was Georges Clemenceau?" (Bloomsbury, September)

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BEA 2015: Book Group Speed Dating Session Part 1

As many of you know, last week I was in New York to attend Book Expo America, the major annual publishing industry conference. Every year I remind you that my favorite panel is the one geared to book clubs: Book Group Speed Dating, presented by Reading Group Guides.

During the session, representatives from the major publishing companies and imprints present their top recommendations for readers looking for the perfect book club selection. Here are just some of the books I learned about (with my summary) and my top pick from each presentation (with the publisher's summary). Stop back tomorrow for book club suggestions from four more publishers.

Bloomsbury USA

• The Blue between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa: four generations of Palestinian woman who were separated in exodus and then reunited; political, women's issues, Mideast

Sweet Caress by William Boyd: 1920s–1940s, war, a woman photographer; women's issues, sexuality, choices:

Born into Edwardian England, Amory's first memory is of her father standing on his head. She has memories of him returning on leave during the First World War. But his absences, both actual and emotional, are what she chiefly remembers. It is her photographer uncle Greville who supplies the emotional bond she needs, who, when he gives her a camera and some rudimentary lessons in photography, unleashes a passion that will irrevocably shape her future.A spell at boarding school ends abruptly and Amory begins an apprenticeship with Greville in London, photographing socialites for the magazine "Beau Monde." But Amory is hungry for more and her search for life, love, and artistic expression will take her to the "demi monde" of Berlin of the late '20s, to New York of the '30s, to the blackshirt riots in London, and to France in the Second World War where she becomes one of the first women war photographers. Her desire for experience will lead Amory to further wars, to lovers, husbands, and children as she continues to pursue her dreams and battle her demons.

In this enthralling story of a life fully lived, illustrated with "found" period photographs, William Boyd has created a sweeping panorama of some of the most defining moments of modern history, told through the camera lens of one unforgettable woman, Amory Clay. It is his greatest achievement to date.

Grove / Atlantic

• The Mistake I Made by Paula Daly: British domestic thriller, murder; would you really do anything to get out debt and provide for your children?
• Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer: gritty, thriller; medical student with Asperger's taking gross anatomy thinks he's uncovered a murder

Coming of Age at the End of Days by Alice LaPlante: suspense; psychology of teen depression; what happens when a young girl finds solace in a questionable place:

Alice LaPlante's acclaimed psychological thrillers are distinguished by their stunning synthesis of family drama and engrossing suspense. Her new novel is an affecting foray deeper into the creases of family life and the light-and-dark battle of faith as LaPlante delves into the barbed psyche of a teenager whose misguided convictions bear irrevocable consequences.

Never one to conform, Anna always had trouble fitting in. Earnest and willful, as a young girl she quickly learned how to hide her quirks from her parents and friends. But when, at sixteen, a sudden melancholia takes hold of her life, she loses her sense of self and purpose. Then the Goldschmidts move in next door. They're active members of a religious cult, and Anna is awestruck by both their son, Lars, and their fervent violent prophecies for the Tribulation at the End of Days. Within months, Anna's life her family, her home, her very identity will undergo profound changes. But when her newfound beliefs threaten to push her over the edge, she must find her way back to center with the help of unlikely friends. An intimate story of destruction and renewal, New York Times bestselling author LaPlante delivers a haunting exploration of family legacies, devotion, and tangled relationships.

Ingram Publisher Services

• Married Sex by Jessie Kornbluth: a divorce lawyer, who has seen marriage at its worst, makes a decision to change up his own marriage, with broad-reaching consequences
• Red Eggs and Good Luck by Angela Lam: memoir that explores the author's dual identity as half German and half Chinese; poetic prose

Wendy Darling by Colleen Oakes: a reimagining of Peter Pan; Wendy's story told as a modern urban fantasy; start of a series:

Wendy Darling takes readers far beyond the second star to the right and straight on till morning. It is the story of a girl loved by two men the steady and handsome bookseller's son from London and Peter Pan, dashing, charming, and dangerous. From the cobblestone streets of London to the fantastical world of Neverland's many secrets, readers will love watching Wendy's journey as she grows from a girl into a woman, and realizes that Neverland, like her heart, is a wild place, teaming with dark secrets and dangerous obsessions.

Harlequin Mira

• Come Away with Me by Karma Brown: debut novel about a woman who loses her baby in a car accident and must find a way to once again embrace life
• The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine by Alex Brunkhorst: contemporary story with a Gatsby-like feel; Hollywood, forbidden love

Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman: debut epic fantasy based on Alexander the Great at age sixteen; this is young adult and the start of a series:

Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains, and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn and in their ashes, empires rise.

Alexander, Macedon's sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world, but finds himself drawn to a newcomer. Katerina must navigate the dark secrets of court life, while keeping hidden her own mission: kill the queen. But she doesn't account for her first love. Jacob will go to unthinkable lengths to win Katerina, even if it means competing with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince. And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander's unmet fiancee, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters.

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Bullet Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses (in bookstores next week), is the first in a new fantasy series featuring a world in which faeries and humans co-exist more or less peacefully under a shaky treaty.

The set up: After her father lost his money and social standing, nineteen-year-old Feyre does what she can to keep him and her older sisters fed and clothed. While out hunting deer one morning, she chances upon a gigantic wolf that is also stalking prey. Afraid for her life, Feyre kills the animal and then takes the pelt to sell at the market.

The consequences: Later that night, the door of Feyre's cottage is broken down and a horrible beast accuses her of killing a faery. Following the treaty between humans and fae, the beast gives her the choice of instant death or life among the faeries, never to return to human lands again. She picks life and finds herself a bird in a gilded cage: As long as she stays within the boundaries of the Court of Spring, she will come to no harm. Her abductor turns out to be Prince Tamlin, a shape-changing fae, who does indeed treat his human captive kindly.

The rest of the book: This first in series, introduces us to the deeper history and politics of the human and fae worlds. The high fae suffer from a condition that is draining their powers, the treaty that protects the humans from fae enslavement is getting weaker, and faeries from other lands are expanding their political ambitions. In the meantime, Feyre is beginning to bond with Prince Tamlin and the other members of his court, eventually seeing them as individuals instead of terrifying magical beings. As Feyre and Tamlin's relationship strengthens, they are each forced to make difficult decisions about their futures.

The characters: Feyre is a strong, well-rounded young woman who doesn't shy away from what must be done to protect those she loves. She is artistic, smart, and willing to learn. Tamlin, still a young man in fae terms, is struggling to help his people and to become his own person, separate and distinct from his violent father. I particularly liked the fact that Maas allows her characters to change and grow--even the minor characters learn from and adapt to changing circumstances. There are few cookie-cutter personalities.

More good: A Court of Thorns and Roses may be the first in a series, but it holds up well on its own. Maas gives us a lot of information about Feyre's world and hints at a deeper history and complex politics, yet the world building is interwoven among the action scenes or as part of Feyre's exploration of her new home in the fae lands. Thanks to the plot twists, many strong emotions, horrifying action scenes, and sweet romance, I read this novel all in one go.

The ending: My only real complaint has to do with the very end. An event takes place that I thought should have had much more impact. But this is a minor point, and I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series. Note that the novel doesn't end on a cliff-hanger, though it definitely points to several promising story arcs.

Recommendation: A Court of Thorns and Roses has more in common with epic fantasy than it does with the wizardy fantasies geared to younger readers. Although Maas doesn't exactly follow the line of reluctant hero, she draws on many elements of high fantasy, including a quest (of sorts), a long history, and an alternative world. I recommend the series to fans of adult fantasy. Note that Sarah J. Maas's work in this novel is more developed and stronger than her Throne of Glass books.

Published by Bloomsbury USA Children, 2015
ISBN-13: 9781619634442
Source: Review (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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Review: The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

The day the much-anticipated second book in Samantha Shannon's Bone Season series came out, I bought two copies. I own a pretty hardback of The Mime Order as well as a digital copy of the audio edition. I wanted a book for my shelves, but I knew I'd be listening to the novel instead of reading it.

This review assumes you've read the first installment of the series or at least know the premise (see my review of The Bone Season); there are no spoilers for book two. The Mime Order opens pretty much exactly where we last saw nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney: she and a group of fellow fugitives have managed to escape from bondage in the old city of Oxford and are now heading home to London.

Of course, this isn't the England of today. For Paige, it's 2059 and history has pushed the world in a different direction from ours. London is ruled by two factions: the Scion, who hunts down and kills any citizen who shows clairvoyant (psychic) ability, and the not-so-secret gangs of voyants, who have divided the city into territories, each with its own leader and enforcer.

Although Paige is now back in the bosom of her gang, she cannot relax. She is wanted by both the Scion and the Rephaim (the creatures who enslaved her in Oxford), neither of whom would mourn her death. In addition, she can't even trust her fellow voyants: there has been a rash of unexplained murders and disappearances, resulting in a major power struggle among London's voyant gangs. The focus of The Mime Order is on how Paige finds herself caught up in the city's sociopolitical upheaval.

Alana Kerr returns to narrate the second book in the Bone Season series. As with the first novel, Kerr is particularly good at helping listeners tap in to the pacing and emotions of the story. Her whispery soft tones are perfect for the more intimate moments of the book, and she is equally adept at the sharp, quick notes needed for the action scenes.

Samantha Shannon has created a complex world with a host of characters, which can be difficult for an audiobook performer. Kerr rises to the challenge by using distinct characterizations for the dialogue and a clear and expressive voice for the narrative. Paige's vocabulary includes quite a few unfamiliar words (chol-bird, mollisher, glossolalia), but Kerr proceeds stumble-free.

I was impressed with Kerr's handling of the range of needed accents, such as an Irish brogue and several specific London dialects. However, as I mentioned in my review of The Bone Season, Kerr is a little breathy, but I wasn't overly distracted by it and hope she returns for the rest of the series.

Recommendation: Whether you listen to or read The Mime Order, you're in for a treat. I liked the action (not for the squeamish), the overall political and social issues, and the general plot line. On top of this, Shannon adds excellent interpersonal relationships among her characters, who are allowed grow and change and make mistakes. There are enough plot twists and very real emotions to keep us invested in Paige's life.

If I have any complaint, it's the same one as I had for the first installment: Shannon spends a good deal of time on the world building. It's fascinating stuff but can slow down the pacing. On the other hand, thanks to Alana Kerr's expressive performance, listeners will breeze through the lulls in the action.

I bought a digital download of the audiobook and was pleased to discover that it came with a PDF of three maps of London and a genealogy-like chart of the seven orders of clairvoyance. These visuals are very helpful to the listener, and I encourage audiobook publishers to include such extras whenever possible. I was sorry that the glossary was not available as a PDF, but Shannon is such a good writer, I got by fine without it.

For a sample of the audiobook, hit the play button below.

Print: Bloomsbury USA, 2015
ISBN-13: 9781620408933
Audio: Audible Studios for Bloomsbury USA; 16 hr, 28 min
Source: Bought (audio & print) (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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BEA 2014 Book Group Speed Dating Session: Part 1

As many of you know, last week I was in New York to attend Book Expo America, the major annual publishing industry conference. Every year I remind you that my favorite panel is the one geared to book clubs: Book Group Speed Dating, presented by Reading Group Guides.

During the session, representatives from the major publishing companies and imprints present their top recommendations for readers looking for the perfect book club selection. Here are the books I learned about (with my summary) and my top pick from each presentation (with the publisher's summary).

Bloomsbury USA

• The Impulse Society by Paul Roberts: nonfiction; how corporate America is tapping into society's need for instant gratification to the detriment of country's future needs.

Fives and Twenty-Fives by Michael Pitre. A novel about Iraq and how veterans fare once they've returned home. From the publisher's summary:

Lieutenant Donavan leads the platoon, painfully aware of his shortcomings and isolated by his rank. Doc Pleasant, the medic, joined for opportunity, but finds his pride undone as he watches friends die. And there’s Kateb, known to the Americans as Dodge, an Iraqi interpreter whose love of American culture . . . is matched only by his disdain for what Americans are doing to his country.

Returning home, they exchange one set of decisions and repercussions for another, struggling to find a place in a world that no longer knows them. A debut both transcendent and rooted in the flesh, Fives and Twenty-Fives is a deeply necessary novel.

Grove Atlantic

• The Undertaking by Audrey Magee: historical fiction; about marriage and love in World War II; from an Irish author.
• Keep Your Friends Close by Paula Daly: thriller; takes place at a B&B in the English Lake District; when a friend gets just a little bit too close to a young couple.

Painted Horses by Malcolm Brooks. Set in 1950s Montana, a woman archaeologist meets a horseman with a dark past. Think Kent Haruf or Annie Proulx. From the publisher's summary:

Catherine Lemay is a young archaeologist on her way to Montana, with a huge task before her—a canyon “as deep as the devil’s own appetites.” Working ahead of a major dam project, she has one summer to prove nothing of historical value will be lost in the flood. From the moment she arrives, nothing is familiar—the vastness of the canyon itself mocks the contained, artifact-rich digs in post-Blitz London where she cut her teeth. And then there’s John H, a former mustanger and veteran of the U.S. Army’s last mounted cavalry campaign, living a fugitive life in the canyon. John H inspires Catherine to see beauty in the stark landscape, and her heart opens to more than just the vanished past. Painted Horses sends a dauntless young woman on a heroic quest, sings a love song to the horseman’s vanishing way of life, and reminds us that love and ambition, tradition and the future, often make strange bedfellows. It establishes Malcolm Brooks as an extraordinary new talent.

Hachette Book Group

• A Life Intercepted by Charles Martin: contemporary fiction; after being falsely accused of a crime, a man learns the true meaning of love and success; a literary Nicholas Sparks.
• The Moment of Everything by Shelly King: contemporary fiction set in California; the novel features a bookstore, a book club, and a woman on a journey of self-discovery
• Reunion by Hannah Pittard: contemporary fiction; a woman who is reunited with her many siblings and step-siblings after their father's suicide; themes involve family secrets, forgiveness, and acceptance
• Delicious Foods by James Hannahan: contemporary fiction; while grieving the death of her husband, a woman makes some questionable decisions and must struggle to find a way back to normalcy.

Neverhome by Laird Hunt: historical fiction; based on the true stories of women who disguised themselves as men to fight in the U.S. Civil War. From the publisher's summary:

She calls herself Ash, but that's not her real name. She is a farmer's faithful wife, but she has left her husband to don the uniform of a Union soldier in the Civil War. Neverhome tells the harrowing story of Ash Thompson during the [war]. Through bloodshed and hysteria and heartbreak, she becomes a hero, a folk legend, a madwoman and a traitor to the American cause.

Laird Hunt's dazzling new novel throws a light on the adventurous women who chose to fight instead of stay behind. It is also a mystery story: why did Ash leave and her husband stay? Why can she not return? What will she have to go through to make it back home?

Henry Holt

• The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel: contemporary short stories; themes include marriage, politics, British culture, and love.

The Ploughmen by Kim Zupan: contemporary fiction set in Montana; the unlikely friendship between an aging killer and a younger small-town deputy; good vs. evil and thin line that separates them; think Cormac McCarthy. From the publisher's summary:

At the center of this searing, fever dream of a novel are two men—a killer awaiting trial, and a troubled young deputy—sitting across from each other in the dark, talking through the bars of a county jail cell: John Gload, so brutally adept at his craft that only now, at the age of 77, has he faced the prospect of long-term incarceration and Valentine Millimaki, low man in the Copper County sheriff’s department, who draws the overnight shift after Gload’s arrest. With a disintegrating marriage further collapsing under the strain of his night duty, Millimaki finds himself seeking counsel from a man whose troubled past shares something essential with his own. Their uneasy friendship takes a startling turn with a brazen act of violence that yokes together two haunted souls by the secrets they share, and by the rugged country that keeps them.

Stop back tomorrow when I present the books from Penguin Group USA, Picador, and Simon & Schuster. On Monday, I'll talk about the HarperCollins imprints.

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Best Young Adult and Middle Grade Books from 2013

It's time for my best-of 2013 lists! I will post four this year. Thursday was all about audiobooks, Friday was adult books, Saturday was food and cookbooks, and today is middle grade and young adult. Enjoy!

A note on my selections: The books that appear on this list were read by me in 2013 but may have been published earlier. I picked the books that resonated with me, without regard for the target audience. Books are presented alphabetically by title; links lead to my reviews or thoughts.

• Mary E. Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Macmillan / Henry Holt), dystopian, young adult
• Rob Buyea's Because of Mr. Terupt (Random House / Delecorte), contemporary fiction, middle grade
• Samantha Shannon's The Bone Season (Bloomsbury USA), fantasy, dystopian, young adult

• Jennifer A. Nielsen's The False Prince (Scholastic), medieval, historical fiction, middle grade
• Catherynne M. Valente's The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Macmilian Childrens / Feiwel & Friends), fantasy, middle grade
• Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane (William Morrow), fantasy, for everyone, top children's book

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Bullet Review: Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

Way back in September 2008, I posted my first book review on Beth Fish Reads. In it, I failed mention the name of the book or the author (they were in the post title) and I also failed to mention anything about the audiobook production, though I labeled the post as an audiobook.

That review was of Shannon Hale's Austenland, a book I recommended as "perfect for a lazy Saturday or to read on the beach or in a airplane." I recently finished Hale's second Austenland book, Midnight in Austenland, and although its plot is little more complicated than the first book, it still counts as great escape reading, especially for Austen fans like me.

• General idea: Charlotte Kinder needs to restart her life and get over the fact that her husband, feeling threatened by her enormously successful online business, left her for a younger woman, but not before manipulating her into giving up some of her assets. Having just discovered Jane Austen, Charlotte decides a trip to Pembroke Park and a few weeks of Regency reenactment fun is just what she needs before regrouping. Despite the harmless flirting, all is not happy in Austenland. When people go missing and a cottage is burned down, Charlotte can't stop herself from investigating the mysteries.
• Thoughts: I loved this mix of woman's literature and cozy mystery. Hale weaves Austen references, Regency manners, and the characters' real and pretend lives into a fun, fun bundle that took my mind off the real world for the entire book. Although Charlotte was a capable woman, I liked that she still had room to grow and wasn't afraid to see where her adventure would take her. The love story in Midnight in Austenland is realistic too and had some similarities to the love story in one of Austen's big novels (I'm not telling which one!).
• Important to know: Although Hale wrote two books about Austenland, they are absolutely, completely standalone books. No need to read them in any particular order.
• Movie alert: Shannon Hale's Austenland is now a major motion picture! If you missed it this fall, no worries, the DVD will be coming out soon-ish.
• Audiobook: I listened to the unabridged audiobook edition (Recorded Books, 9 hr, 6 min), narrated by Stina Nielsen. I loved her accents, pacing, and ability to transmit Hale's humor. Recommended audiobook.

Bloomsbury USA, 2012
ISBN-13: 9781596912892
Source: Bought (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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Review: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The much-hyped The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon is a difficult book to summarize because there is so much going on in this first entry in a projected seven-book series. Shannon must tell us about 2059 alternate-history England; make us familiar with a new vocabulary (amaurotics, Shoels); introduce us to a large cast of characters of different species (races? variant beings?); and then set up the premise, conflicts, and mysteries that will hold our attention over the next few years.

Our hero, nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney, is living a secret life. She's a voyant (i.e., clairvoyant), and in her UK, that's a bad, bad thing. Scion rulers arrest or kill her kind, but Paige can't help who she is. Although her family thinks she's a waitress in an oxygen bar, she really works for the Seven Seals, a voyant group whose members use their powers in London's criminal underworld. When voyants are picked up by the authorities, they disappear forever.

When Paige is finally detected and arrested, she learns there are worse things than death. Voyants aren't executed; they are sent to the lost city of Oxford to serve the Rephaim--ancient beings who prey on voyants for their very existence. Every ten years, the Rephs gather new victims; the reaping time is called the bone season.

The bulk of the book is about what happens to Paige once she is taken to Oxford. The biggest plot points revolve around whether Paige will be able to escape the city and determining the true nature of her Reph keeper, who is known as the Warden. At the same time, flashbacks fill us in on the alternate history and the characters' backgrounds; contemporary passages tell us the rules of this strange world.

Shannon's The Bone Season is a mix of genres that bake up to something new yet familiar. You'll definitely be thinking Hunger Games when learning about the bone seasons; perhaps you'll be reminded of Harry Potter because Paige's world is divided by those who have psychic powers and those who don't. There is definitely a dystopian feel to the book as well as elements of urban fantasy.

On the other hand, the many different kinds of psychics and their reliance on reaching out to the aether is fresh. As are the Rephaim and Emim beings. In fact, from describing the city streets to setting up the rules of survival, Shannon does a great job with world-building, albeit with quite a bit of telling, not showing. The world is complicated enough that (so I understand) the book contains a glossary of new terms and a list of the types of beings.

This first in series is an ambitious novel that covers quite a bit of ground. The Bone Season, however, promises much action and intriguing personal interactions ahead. If you can forgive some bumpy debut / start-of-new-series issues, I think you'll like joining Samantha Shannon for an exciting and extended visit to Paige Mahoney's futuristic London.

I listened to the unabridged audiobook edition (Audible for Bloomsbury; 14 hr, 57 min) read by Alana Kerr, who did a fine job with accents, emotion, and characterizations. Her voice is sometimes  breathy, but I like the quality of her subtle Irish lilt for Paige and her ability to pull me into the story. While I was listening, I was unaware that the novel included addenda, but I didn't miss them.

Bloomsbury USA,, 2013
ISBN-13: 9781620401392
Source: Bought (audio) (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy).

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Review: Austenland, by Shannon Hale

The premise of this novel is that a modern, single woman, Jane Hayes, is looking for her own Mr. Darcy, as exemplified by Colin Firth in the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice. An elderly aunt arranges for Jane to visit Autenland in England. Austenland is a fantasy/reenactment vacation, which allows women to enter into the world of Jane Austen. After a brief introduction to Regency manners and a few dance lessons, clients are taken by carriage to the country manor. The manor house comes equipped with costumes and a cast of characters who play maids, gardeners, and gentlemen suitors. Jane Hayes takes the trip as a last hurrah before she gives up on men entirely and embraces her single life.

This is a very light novel with a fairly predictable plot. On the other hand, the references to Austen's characters and novels and Jane Hayes's attempts to shed her modern manners, behavior, and expectations made this worth the read. This is not deep literature or a critique of Austen's works. It's an escape novel, perfect for a lazy Saturday or to read on the beach or in a airplane.

Published by Bloomsbury USA, 2007
ISBN-13: 9781596912854
Rating: B

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