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Week of May 18, 2020

New in Paperback

Week of May 18, 2020

Paperback releases for the week of May 18th include Daniel H. Wilson's THE ANDROMEDA EVOLUTION, a gripping sequel to Michael Crichton's THE ANDROMEDIA STRAIN that is terrifyingly realistic and resonant; HOW TO FORGET, actress Kate Mulgrew's profoundly honest and examined memoir about returning to Iowa to care for her ailing parents; DOXOLOGY by Nell Zink, a moving and original novel about two generations of an American family that come of age --- one before 9/11, one after; Daniel Okrent's THE GUARDED GATE, the powerful, definitive and timely account of how the rise of eugenics helped America close the immigration door to “inferiors” in the 1920s; THE BODY LIES, a work of riveting psychological suspense from Jo Baker that grapples with how to live as a woman in the world --- or in the pages of a book --- when the stakes are dangerously high; and THE YANKEE WIDOW by Linda Lael Miller, a richly layered, emotional novel about one woman’s courage and the choices she must make in the face of a dangerous war.

The Andromeda Evolution by Michael Crichton and Daniel H. Wilson - Science Fiction/Technothriller

May 19, 2020

Deep inside Fairchild Air Force Base, Project Eternal Vigilance has continued to watch and wait for the Andromeda Strain to reappear. On the verge of being shut down, the project has registered no activity --- until now. A Brazilian terrain-mapping drone has detected a bizarre anomaly of otherworldly matter in the middle of the jungle and, worse yet, the tell-tale chemical signature of the deadly microparticle. With this shocking discovery, the next-generation Project Wildfire is activated, and a diverse team of experts hailing from all over the world is dispatched to investigate the potentially apocalyptic threat. If they can’t reach the quarantine zone, enter the anomaly and figure out how to stop it, this new Andromeda Evolution will annihilate all life as we know it.

Beach Read by Emily Henry - Romantic Comedy

May 19, 2020

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast. They're polar opposites. In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke and bogged down with writer's block. Until, one hazy evening, they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book, and no one will fall in love. Really.

The Body Lies by Jo Baker - Psychological Thriller

May 19, 2020

When a young writer accepts a job at a university in the remote English countryside, it's meant to be a fresh start, away from the bustle of London and the scene of a violent assault she is desperate to forget. But despite the distractions of her new life and the demands of single motherhood, her nerves continue to jangle. To make matters worse, a vicious debate about violence against women inflames the tensions and mounting rivalries in her creative-writing class. When a troubled student starts turning in chapters that blur the lines between fiction and reality, the professor recognizes herself as the main character in his book --- and he has written her a horrific fate. Will she be able to stop life imitating art before it's too late?

Brave Girl, Quiet Girl by Catherine Ryan Hyde - Fiction

May 19, 2020

Brooke is a divorced single mom who holds tight to the one thing that matters most: her two-year-old daughter, Etta. Then, in a matter of seconds, Brooke’s life is shattered when she’s carjacked. Helpless and terrified, all she can do is watch as Etta, still strapped in her seat, disappears into the Los Angeles night. Miles away, Etta is found by Molly, a homeless teen who is all too used to darkness. As unpredictable as her life is, she’s stunned to find Etta, abandoned and alone. Shielding the little girl from more than the elements, Molly must put herself in harm’s way to protect a child as lost as she is. Out of one terrible moment, Brooke’s and Molly’s desperate paths converge, and an unlikely friendship across generations and circumstances is formed.

Doxology by Nell Zink - Fiction

May 19, 2020

Struggling to scrape together enough cash and musical talent to make it as a punk rock band on the Lower East Side, Pam, Daniel and Joe are waylaid by surprising arrivals --- a daughter for Pam and Daniel, and a solo hit single for Joe. As the ’90s wane, they work together to elevate Joe’s superstardom and raise baby Flora. On September 11, 2001, the city’s unfathomable devastation coincides with a shattering personal loss for the trio. In the aftermath, Flora comes of age, navigating a charged political landscape and discovering a love of the natural world. But when the country faces an astonishing new threat, Flora’s family will have no choice but to look to the past --- both to examine wounds that have never healed, and to rediscover strengths they have long forgotten.

Dual Citizens by Alix Ohlin - Fiction

May 19, 2020

Raised in Montreal by their disinterested single mother, half-sisters Lark and Robin form a fierce team in spite of their differences. When Lark flees to America to attend college, her sister soon joins her. But even as Lark discovers a calling working in documentary film, she struggles with self-doubt, and Robin chafes against the demands of studying piano at Juilliard. Their bond strains under increasing pressure until it breaks. Years later, Lark’s life is in tatters and Robin’s is wilder than ever. As Lark tries to take charge of her destiny, she discovers that despite the difficulties of their relationship, there is only one person she can truly rely on: her sister.

Gather the Fortunes: A Crescent City Novel by Bryan Camp - Supernatural Fantasy/Mystery

May 19, 2020

Renaissance Raines has found her place among the psychopomps --- the guides who lead the souls of the recently departed through the Seven Gates of the Underworld --- and done her best to avoid the notice of gods and mortals alike. But when a young boy named Ramses St. Cyr manages to escape his foretold death, Renai finds herself at the center of a deity-thick plot unfolding in New Orleans. Someone helped Ramses slip free of his destined end --- someone willing to risk everything to steal a little slice of power for themselves. Is it one of the storm gods that’s descended on the city? The death god who’s locked the Gates of the Underworld? Or the manipulative sorcerer who also cheated Death?

The Good Stranger: A Kate Bradley Mystery by Dete Meserve - Mystery

May 19, 2020

TV reporter Kate Bradley arrives in Manhattan ready to take on a challenging new position as a national news correspondent. When a massive power outage plunges New York City into darkness, the disaster she expected to cover takes an unexpected turn. Someone is leaving thousands of mysterious gifts throughout the city, and the only clue to the giver’s identity is the occasional note from “A Stranger.” Together with handsome TV series host Scott Jameson, Kate must make sense of these random generous acts, which quickly escalate in scale and capture the attention of viewers across the country. Menacing letters and videos addressed to Kate threaten to derail the investigation, but she’s determined to uncover the identity of the benefactor.

The Guarded Gate: Bigotry, Eugenics, and the Law That Kept Two Generations of Jews, Italians, and Other European Immigrants Out of America by Daniel Okrent - History

May 19, 2020

A forgotten, dark chapter of American history with implications for the current day, THE GUARDED GATE tells the story of the scientists who argued that certain nationalities were inherently inferior, providing the intellectual justification for the harshest immigration law in American history. Brandished by the upper class Bostonians and New Yorkers --- many of them progressives --- who led the anti-immigration movement, the eugenic arguments helped keep hundreds of thousands of Jews, Italians and other unwanted groups out of the US for more than 40 years.

How to Forget: A Daughter's Memoir by Kate Mulgrew - Memoir

May 19, 2020

They say you can’t go home again. But when her father is diagnosed with aggressive lung cancer and her mother with atypical Alzheimer’s, New York-based actress Kate Mulgrew returns to her hometown in Iowa to spend time with her parents and care for them in the time they have left. The months Kate spends with her parents in Dubuque --- by turns turbulent, tragic and joyful --- lead her to reflect on each of their lives and how they shaped her own. Those ruminations are transformed when, in the wake of their deaths, Kate uncovers long-kept secrets that challenge her understanding of the unconventional Irish Catholic household in which she was raised.

Necessary People by Anna Pitoniak - Fiction

May 19, 2020

Stella and Violet are best friends in college. After graduation, Violet lands a job in cable news, where she works her way up from intern to assistant to producer, and to a life where she's finally free from Stella's shadow. In this fast-paced world, Violet thrives, and her ambitions grow. But everything is jeopardized when Stella uses her connections, beauty and charisma to get hired at the same network. Stella soon moves in front of the camera, becoming the public face of the stories that Violet has worked tirelessly to produce --- and taking all the credit. As they strive for success, each reveals just how far she'll go to get what she wants --- even if it means destroying the other person along the way.

Normandy '44: D-Day and the Epic 77-Day Battle for France by James Holland - History

May 19, 2020

Drawing freshly on widespread archives and on the testimonies of eyewitnesses, James Holland relates the extraordinary planning that made Allied victory in France possible during World War II. The brutal landings on the five beaches and subsequent battles across the plains and through the lanes and hedgerows of Normandy come vividly to life in conferences where the strategic decisions of Eisenhower, Rommel, Montgomery and other commanders were made, and through the memories of paratrooper Lieutenant Dick Winters of Easy Company, British corporal and tanker Reg Spittles, Thunderbolt pilot Archie Maltbie, German ordnance officer Hans Heinze, French resistance leader Robert Leblanc, and many others.

The Queen's Secret: A Novel of England's World War II Queen by Karen Harper - Historical Fiction

May 19, 2020

1939. As the wife of King George VI and the mother of the future queen, Elizabeth --- “the queen mother” --- shows a warm, smiling face to the world. But it’s no surprise that Hitler himself calls her the “Most Dangerous Woman in Europe.” Two years earlier, George was thrust onto the throne when his brother Edward abdicated, determined to marry his divorced, American mistress Mrs. Simpson. Vowing to do whatever it takes to make her husband’s reign a success, Elizabeth endears herself to the British people, and prevents the former king and his brazen bride from ever again setting foot in Buckingham Palace. Elizabeth holds many powerful cards, but she’s also hiding damaging secrets about her past and her provenance that could prove to be her undoing.

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig - Apocalyptic Thriller/Science Fiction

May 19, 2020

Shana wakes up one morning to discover her little sister in the grip of a strange malady. She appears to be sleepwalking and is heading with inexorable determination to a destination that only she knows. Soon Shana and her sister are joined by a flock of sleepwalkers from across America. Like Shana, there are other “shepherds” who follow the flock to protect their friends and family on the long dark road ahead. For as the sleepwalking phenomenon awakens terror and violence in America, the real danger may not be the epidemic but the fear of it. With society collapsing all around them --- and an ultraviolent militia threatening to exterminate them --- the fate of the sleepwalkers depends on unraveling the mystery behind the epidemic.

The Yankee Widow by Linda Lael Miller - Historical Fiction

May 19, 2020

THE YANKEE WIDOW is the story of Caroline, the young wife and childhood sweetheart of Jacob, who together live on a farm raising their daughter, Rachel, just outside of Gettysburg. When Jacob joins the Northern army to do his duty and help save the Union, no one anticipates he will not return. Caroline gets news that he is wounded and has been taken to Washington, DC, with his regiment, and so she must find her way there and navigate the thousands of other wounded soldiers to find him. Thus begins this novel that focuses on the strong women and men of both sides and both races who sacrificed so much and loved so well during this critical juncture in American history.