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Week of December 6, 2021

New in Paperback

Week of December 6, 2021

Paperback releases for the week of December 6th include NO TIME LIKE THE FUTURE, actor and advocate Michael J. Fox's moving account of resilience, hope, fear and mortality, and how these things resonate in our lives; Alexander McCall Smith's PIANOS AND FLOWERS, a delightful collection of stories and photographs from the bestselling author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, imagining the lives and loves of everyday people in the 20th century; MOZART, acclaimed composer and biographer Jan Swafford's definitive biography of one of the most lauded musical geniuses in history, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; and DEATH AND THE MAIDEN, the much-anticipated final installment in the popular Mistress of the Art of Death historical mystery series, finished by Ariana Franklin’s daughter, Samantha Norman, after her death.

Boy Underground by Catherine Ryan Hyde - Historical Fiction

December 7, 2021

Steven Katz is the son of prosperous landowners in rural California. Although his parents don’t approve, he has found true friends in Nick, Suki and Ollie, sons of field workers, and is beginning to acknowledge that his feelings for Nick amount to more than friendship. When the bombing of Pearl Harbor draws the US into World War II, Suki and his family are forced to leave their home for the internment camp at Manzanar. Ollie enlists in the army and ships out. And Nick must flee. Betrayed by his own father and accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he turns to Steven for help. Hiding Nick in a root cellar on his family’s farm, Steven acts as Nick’s protector and lifeline to the outside world. After Nick unexpectedly disappears one day, Steven’s life focus is to find him.

Death and the Maiden by Ariana Franklin and Samantha Norman - Historical Mystery

December 7, 2021

England, 1191. After the death of her friend and patron, King Henry II, Adelia Aguilar, England’s vaunted Mistress of the Art of Death, is living comfortably in retirement and training her daughter, Allie, to carry on her craft. Allie is already a skilled healer, with a particular gift for treating animals. When a friend in Cambridgeshire falls ill, Allie is sent to Ely, where her path will cross with Lord Peverill, a young aristocrat who would be a most suitable match for her. A village girl has disappeared --- and she’s not the first. Over the past few months, several girls from the villages surrounding Ely have vanished. When the body of one of the missing is discovered, Allie manages to examine the remains before burial. The results lead her to suspect that a monstrous predator is on the loose.

Eddie's Boy: A Butcher's Boy Novel by Thomas Perry - Thriller

December 7, 2021

Michael Shaeffer is a retired American businessman, living peacefully in England with his aristocratic wife. But her annual summer party brings strangers to their house, and with them, an attempt on Michael’s life. He is immediately thrust into action, luring his lethal pursuers to Australia before venturing into the lion’s den --- the States --- to figure out why the mafia is after him again, and how to stop them. EDDIE'S BOY jumps between Michael’s current predicament and the past, between the skill set he now ruthlessly and successfully employs and the training that made him what he is.

The Great Gatz by Lauren Baratz-Logsted and Jackie Logsted - Romantic Comedy

December 7, 2021

The Man is happy. The Woman is happy. That means Gatz is happy. He'd like to forget about the trouble he made to get them back together and focus on the future. The Woman and New Man are about to get married, after all. But when The Woman loses her job because of some bad press about the two of them, her confidence is broken and she can't help but feel resentful towards New Man when his own career stays intact. The Man is doing better, too, thanks to the New Woman in his life, who just so happens to be a writer as well. But two authors in the same relationship can sometimes be one too many, and they find themselves getting quite competitive with each other.

The Lies You Told by Harriet Tyce - Psychological Thriller

December 7, 2021

When Sadie Roper moves back to London, she's determined to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. First, she needs to get her daughter settled into a new school. Next, she's going to get back the high-flying criminal barrister career she sacrificed for marriage 10 years earlier. But nothing goes quite as planned. The school is not very welcoming to newcomers, her daughter hasn't made any friends yet, and the other mothers are as fiercely competitive as their children. However, the tide starts to turn as Sadie begins to work on a scandalous, high-profile case and is befriended by Liza, queen of the school moms. Soon Sadie and her family start to thrive…but does this close new friendship prevent her from seeing the truth?

Lucky by Marissa Stapley - Fiction

December 7, 2021

Before Jodie Rattler became a star, she was a girl growing up in St. Louis. One day in 1955, when she was just six years old, her uncle Drew took her to the racetrack, where she got lucky --- and that roll of two-dollar bills she won has never since left her side. Jodie thrived in the warmth of her extended family, and then --- through a combination of hard work and serendipity --- she started a singing career, which catapulted her from St. Louis to New York City, from the English countryside to the tropical beaches of St. Thomas, from Cleveland to Los Angeles, and back again. Jodie comes of age in recording studios, backstage, and on tour, and she tries to hold her own in the wake of Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, and Joni Mitchell. Yet it feels like something is missing. 

Mozart: The Reign of Love by Jan Swafford - Biography

December 7, 2021

At the earliest ages, it was apparent that Wolfgang Mozart’s singular imagination was at work in every direction. He hated to be bored or idle, and through his life he responded to these threats with a repertoire of antidotes mental and physical. Whether in his rabidly obscene mode or not, Mozart was always hilarious. He went at every piece of his life, and perhaps most notably his social life, with tremendous gusto. His circle of friends and patrons was wide, encompassing anyone who appealed to his boundless appetites for music and all things pleasurable and fun. MOZART is the complete exhumation of a genius in his life and ours: a man who would enrich the world with his talent for centuries to come and who would immeasurably shape classical music.

No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality by Michael J. Fox - Memoir

December 7, 2021

The entire world knows Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, the teenage sidekick of Doc Brown in Back to the Future; as Alex P. Keaton in “Family Ties”; as Mike Flaherty in “Spin City”; and through numerous other movie roles and guest appearances on shows such as “The Good Wife” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Diagnosed at age 29, Fox is equally engaged in Parkinson’s advocacy work, raising global awareness of the disease and helping find a cure through The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. In NO TIME LIKE THE FUTURE, Michael shares personal stories and observations about illness and health, aging, the strength of family and friends, and how our perceptions about time affect the way we approach mortality.

Oppo by Tom Rosenstiel - Political Thriller

December 7, 2021

It’s presidential primary season in Washington, DC, and both parties are on edge. At campaign rallies for all the candidates around the country, there are disturbing incidents of violence and protest and shocking acts of civil disobedience. When Wendy Upton, the highly respected centrist senator, receives an anonymous threat that could destroy her promising career, she hires Peter Rena to investigate her past and figure out which side is threatening her and what they are threatening her with. As Rena digs through the senator’s seemingly squeaky-clean past, he must walk the tightrope between two parties at war with each other and with themselves, an electorate that is as restive as it has ever been, and a political culture that is as much driven by money as it is by ideology.

Pianos and Flowers: Brief Encounters of the Romantic Kind by Alexander McCall Smith - Historical Fiction/Short Stories

December 7, 2021

Pictures capture moments in time, presenting the viewer with a window into another life. But a picture can go only so far. Who are the people in the image? What are their fears? What are their dreams? The 14 captivating tales in Alexander McCall Smith's collection are all inspired by photos from the Times of London archive. A young woman finds unexpected love while perusing Egyptian antiquities. A family is forever fractured when war comes to Penang, in colonial Malaysia. Iron Jelloid tablets help to reveal a young man’s inner strength. And twin sisters discover that it’s never too late to forge a new path --- even when standing at the altar.

Rhapsody by Mitchell James Kaplan - Historical Fiction

December 7, 2021

When Katharine “Kay” Swift --- the restless but loyal society wife of wealthy banker James Warburg and a serious pianist who longs for recognition --- attends a performance of Rhapsody in Blue by a brilliant, elusive young musical genius named George Gershwin, her world is turned upside down. Transfixed, she’s helpless to resist the magnetic pull of George’s talent, charm and swagger. Their 10-year love affair, complicated by her conflicted loyalty to her husband and the twists and turns of her own musical career, ends only with George’s death from a brain tumor at the age of 38.

Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen - Historical Romance/Mystery

December 7, 2021

When Miss Rebecca Lane returns to her home village after a few years away, her brother begs for a favor: go to nearby Swanford Abbey and deliver his manuscript to an author staying there who could help him get published. Once there, Rebecca begins noticing strange things, including a figure in a hooded black gown gliding silently through the abbey's cloisters. She then encounters Sir Frederick, who long ago broke her heart. When the famous author is found murdered in the abbey, Sir Frederick quickly discovers that several people held grudges against the man, including Miss Lane and her brother. Haunted by a painful betrayal in his past, Sir Frederick is torn between his growing feelings for Rebecca and his pursuit of the truth. For Miss Lane is clearly hiding something.

Sophomores by Sean Desmond - Fiction

December 7, 2021

With their sterile Dallas community a far cry from the Irish-American Bronx of their youth, Pat and Anne Malone have reached a breaking point. Pat has fallen into his drinking, using the burn of alcohol to hide the mental and physical toll of his recent MS diagnosis. Meanwhlie, Anne, his devoutly Catholic wife, has been selected as a juror for a highly publicized attempted murder trial. For the first time, the questions she's buried her entire life --- about God and about men in power --- begin to break through. Together, Pat and Anne try to raise their only son, Daniel, a bright but unmotivated college sophomore who is shocked into actual learning by his enigmatic teacher, Mr. Oglesby. For once, Dan is unable to fly under the radar and must ask himself what he might want to make of his life.

The System by Ryan Gattis - Thriller

December 7, 2021

On December 6, 1993, a drug dealer called Scrappy is shot and left for dead on the lawn outside her mother’s house. Augie, a heroin addict, witnesses the whole thing --- before he steals all the drugs on her person, as well as the gun that was dropped at the scene. When Augie gets busted, he names local gang members Wizard and Dreamer the shooters. But only one of them is guilty. A search of Wizard and Dreamer’s premises uncovers the gun that was used in the shooting, and a warrant goes out for their arrest. They know it’s a frame-up, but the word from the gang is to keep their mouths shut and face the charges. With these two off the streets, Dreamer’s friend Little is given one job: discover how the gun got moved, and why.

True Crime Story by Joseph Knox - Mystery/Thriller

December 7, 2021

In 2011, Zoe Nolan walked out of her dormitory in Manchester and was never seen or heard from again. Her case went cold. Her story was sad, certainly, but hardly sensational, crime writer Joseph Knox thought. He wouldn't have given her any more thought were it not for his friend, Evelyn Mitchell. Another writer struggling to come up with a new idea, Evelyn was wondering just what happened to all the girls who go missing. What happened to the Zoe Nolans of the world? Evelyn began investigating herself, interviewing Zoe's family and friends, and emailing Joseph with chapters of the book she was writing with her findings. Uneasy with the corkscrew twists and turns, Joseph Knox embedded himself in the case, ultimately discovering a truth more tragic and shocking than he could have possibly imagined.

Where You Come From written by Saša Stanišic, translated by Damion Searls - Fiction

December 7, 2021

In August 1992, a boy and his mother flee the war in Yugoslavia and arrive in Germany. Six months later, the boy’s father joins them, bringing a brown suitcase, insomnia and a scar on his thigh. Saša Stanišic’s WHERE YOU COME FROM is a novel about this family, whose world is uprooted and remade by war: their history, their life before the conflict, and the years that followed their escape as they created a new life in a new country.

The Women of Pearl Island by Polly Crosby - Fiction

December 7, 2021

When Tartelin answers an ad for a personal assistant, she doesn't know what to expect from her new employer, Marianne, an eccentric elderly woman. Marianne lives on a remote island that her family has owned for generations, and for decades her only companions have been butterflies and tightly held memories of her family. But there are some memories Marianne would rather forget, such as when the island was commandeered by the British government during WWII. Now, if Marianne can trust Tartelin with her family's story, she finally might be able to face the long-buried secrets of her past that have kept her isolated for far too long.