Is it just me, or does it almost feel as though spring is in the air? I expect I'm getting ahead of myself, but with the nicer weather it's hard not to think about it. And with spring somewhere on the horizon, there are also new books to think about, too. I keep a little notebook handy for book lists and thought I'd share a few new titles that I'm looking forward to.
Naming the Bones, Louise Welsh - I've yet to read this author but I do have a couple of her earlier books on hand. I've heard good things about her so it is only a matter of time. She's been compared to Ruth Rendell, and I do love a good psychological thriller.
A Dark Dividing, Sarah Rayne - I tried one of Rayne's earlier novels and didn't get on as well with it as I would have liked, but as she is yet another author I've heard good things about I am very willing to give her another try. This one does sound appealing: "Rayne writes in a semiformal style that evokes turn-of-the-last-century England and lends the novel an appropriately gothic atmosphere."
You: A Novel, Joanna Briscoe - "Sensual, unnerving, and gripping, You is a novel about the lives we think we want, the choices we can't unmake, and the loves and losses we never forget."
Game of Secrets, Dawn Tripp - Tripp has written two earlier novels, both of which I loved. I never seem to see anything written about her, which is a pity (though maybe I'm looking in the wrong places?), so I was happy to discover she has a new book coming out this summer. This is a novel of "small town secrets". To be honest she is an author who I will read whatever she writes, so this one is already on my wish list.
The Dogs of Rome: A Commissario Alec Blume Novel, Conor Fitzgerald - I was eyeing this when it first came out and now that it'll soon be in paper I'll be buying a copy. Blume is an American expatriate living in Rome for over two decades and now a commissario with the police. It sounds like an interesting twist to the normal detective story and with an Italian setting, I have to give it a try. Fitzgerald's second book will be coming out soon, too, Fatal Touch.
When We Were Strangers, Pamela Schoenewalt - This is an immigrant tale of a young woman traveling from Italy to the American midwest in the 1880s. It seems to have gotten positive reviews and as the heroine is a needleworker it sounds right up my alley.
The Girl in the Blue Beret, Bobbie Ann Mason - "Inspired by the wartime experiences of her late father-in-law, award-winning author Bobbie Ann Mason has written an unforgettable novel about an American World War II pilot shot down in Occupied Europe." I know this is a story that has been done before, but it still appeals to me.
The Sea Captain's Wife, Beth Powning - "An exciting, adventurous story about a woman’s hidden strength." And a seafaring tale set in the mid-19th century!
Season of Light, Katharine McMahon - Yay. I love her books. I'm not sure when this one is actually due out, but I am watching her blog for information. I only know the story was inspired by the French Revolution. McMahon is another author whose books I'll just buy when they come out no matter the story!
A side note--you've probably already heard about Borders filing bankruptcy? To be honest Borders has never been my favorite bookstore, but to me it seems to bode ill for the bookselling (and publishing) industry that this has happened. Fewer bookstores mean fewer choices even with the internet. Their selection has always been slightly different (at least in my own experience) than their neighbor across the street (locally that is exactly how things are set up--I have both a Borders and B&N just down the street from my work). I've not heard that my local store is closing, but their shelves and tables did seem fairly spare the last time I was there after the holidays, so it makes me wonder. Maybe I should pull out the gift cards I was hoarding and use them now to be safe, though I've read that they will continue to honor them. It looks like the book industry is in for a shake up and it will be interesting to see how the "books" land.