To be honest I think these periodic new books lists are almost more for me than for you as I often refer back to them. Sometimes the books (as is the case for a few of these titles) are not due to be published for months and so have not yet been added to my library's online catalog yet. By sharing my list I can keep them all together under one tag and know the list is safe and sound for later perusal. So, with summer coming and fall (hard to think that far ahead) fast on its heels, here are a few more new and forthcoming books I am interested in reading, or at least taking a closer look at.
So, in no particular order ten (or so) books to look forward to:
I Love You More by Jennifer Murphy -- "One man, three wives, the perfect murder. A scintillating novel of betrayal and conspiracy. Cunningly paced and plotted, I Love You More is a riveting novel of misplaced loyalty, jealousy, and revenge." (June 17)
The Anatomy Lesson by Nina Siegal -- "Set in one day in 1632, The Anatomy Lesson is a stunning portrayal of Golden Age Amsterdam and a brilliantly imagined back-story to Rembrandt's first great work of art. Told from several points of view, ranging from a curio dealer who collects bodies for the city’s chief anatomist to philosopher Rene Descartes, the novel opens on the morning of the medical dissection that is to be recorded by the twenty-six-year-old artist from Leiden who has yet to attach his famous signature to a painting." As I am in a "Dutch" literature mood right now and this has been recently released I have to admit that I just ordered a used copy of this one.
Searching for Grace Kelly by Michael Callahan -- "For a small-town girl with a big dream in 1955, there is no address more glamorous than New York’s Barbizon Hotel. Laura, a patrician beauty from Smith, arrives in its vaunted halls to work at Mademoiselle for the summer. Her hopelessly romantic roommate Dolly comes from a working-class upstate town to attend secretarial school. Vivian, a brash, redheaded British bombshell with a disregard for the hotel’s rules, rounds out the unlikely trio of friends" (January 27, 2015!)
Nora Webster by Colm Toibin -- "From one of contemporary literature’s bestselling, critically acclaimed and beloved authors, a magnificent new novel set in Ireland, about a fiercely compelling young widow and mother of four, navigating grief and fear, struggling for hope." (October 7)
Gretel and the Dark by Eliza Granville -- "Gretel and the Dark explores good and evil, hope and despair, showing how the primal thrills and horrors of the stories we learn as children can illuminate the darkest moments in history, in two rich, intertwining narratives that come together to form one exhilarating, page-turning read. In 1899 Vienna, celebrated psychoanalyst Josef Breuer is about to encounter his strangest case yet: a mysterious, beautiful woman who claims to have no name, no feelings—to be, in fact, a machine. Intrigued, he tries to fathom the roots of her disturbance." (October 16)
Irene by Pierre Lemaitre -- A new Commandant Camille Verhoeven mystery. I read Alex last summer and can't pass up a new book by Lemaitre (I believe this is the second of a trilogy). This has been shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger. It is due out this coming December, but curiosity got the better of me and I have ordered a UK edition.
The Secret Place by Tana French -- "The photo on the card shows a boy who was found murdered, a year ago, on the grounds of a girls’ boarding school in the leafy suburbs of Dublin. The caption saysI KNOW WHO KILLED HIM. The Secret Place is a powerful, haunting exploration of friendship and loyalty, and a gripping addition to the Dublin Murder Squad series." (September 2) I've read all of Tana French's book and look forward to this one, too.
An Italian Wife by Ann Hood -- "Poignant, sensual, and deeply felt, An Italian Wife is a sweeping and evocative portrait of a family bound by love and heartbreak." (September 2)
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton -- "Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam—a city ruled by glittering wealth and oppressive religion—a masterful debut steeped in atmosphere and shimmering with mystery, in the tradition of Emma Donoghue, Sarah Waters, and Sarah Dunant." (August 26) I am eagerly awaiting this one, too!
When the World Was Young by Elizabeth Gaffney -- "Acclaimed author Elizabeth Gaffney’s irresistible novel captures postwar Brooklyn through Wally’s eyes, opening on V-J day, as she grows up with the rest of America. Reeling from her own unexpected wartime tragedy and navigating an increasingly fraught landscape, Wally is forced to confront painful truths about the world—its sorrows, its prejudices, its conflicts, its limitations. But Wally also finds hope and strength in the unlikeliest places."
It's good to have something nice (in this case new books) to look forward to, don't you think?