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Week of September 4, 2023

New in Paperback

Week of September 4, 2023

Paperback releases for the week of September 4th include MAD HONEY by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves; Marie Benedict's THE MITFORD AFFAIR, an explosive novel of history's most notorious sisters, one of whom will have to choose: her country or her sisters?; THE MATCHMAKER'S GIFT, Lynda Cohen Loigman's heartwarming story of two extraordinary women from two different eras who defy expectations to realize their unique talent of seeing soulmates in the most unexpected places; BURNING QUESTIONS, a brilliant selection of essays --- including three new pieces --- from Margaret Atwood, who offers her funny, erudite, endlessly curious and uncannily prescient take on everything from whether or not THE HANDMAID'S TALE is a dystopia to the importance of how to define granola; and THE QUEEN by Andrew Morton, the definitive, most comprehensive account of Queen Elizabeth II's legendary reign.

An Affair of Spies by Ronald H. Balson - Historical Thriller

September 5, 2023

Nathan Silverman’s idyllic childhood in Berlin is soon marred by increasing levels of bigotry against his family and the rest of the Jewish community. After his uncle is arrested on Kristallnacht, he leaves Germany for New York City with only his mother’s wedding ring to sell for survival. While attending an evening course at Columbia in 1942, Nathan notices a recruitment poster on a university wall and decides to enlist in the military and help fight the Nazi regime. The Allies are racing to develop a nuclear weapon before the Nazis, and a German theoretical physicist is hoping to defect. The physicist was a friend of his father's, and Nathan's mission is to return to Berlin via France and smuggle him out of Europe.

Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah - Historical Fiction

September 5, 2023

When he was just a boy, Ilyas was stolen from his parents on the coast of east Africa by German colonial troops. After years away, fighting against his own people, he returns home to find his parents gone and his sister, Afiya, abandoned into de facto slavery. Hamza, too, returns home from the war, scarred in body and soul and with nothing but the clothes on his back --- until he meets the beautiful, undaunted Afiya. As these young people live and work and fall in love, their fates knotted ever more tightly together, the shadow of a new war on another continent falls over them, threatening once again to carry them away.

A Beautiful Rival: A Novel of Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden by Gill Paul - Historical Ficton

September 5, 2023

Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein each founded empires built on grit and determination. Yet they became locked in a feud spanning three continents, two world wars and the Great Depression. Brought up in poverty, Canadian-born Elizabeth Arden changed popular opinion, persuading women from all walks of life to buy skincare products that promised them youth and beauty. Helena Rubinstein left her native Poland, and launched her company with scientific claims about her miracle creams made with anti-aging herbs. And when it came to business, nothing was off-limits: poaching each other’s employees, copying each other’s products, planting spies, hiring ex-husbands, and one-upping each other every chance they had.

Beneath the Surface by Kaira Rouda - Psychological Thriller

September 5, 2023

You are cordially invited to an overnight voyage on the Splendid Seas. An invitation to Catalina Island from billionaire CEO Richard Kingsley. For his sons, Ted and John, and their wives, it’s an opportunity to curry favor, gain control of a real estate empire, and secure their family’s futures. For the controlling patriarch, succession is a contest. He and his newest wife won’t make it an easy win. Then Richard’s estranged live-wire daughter, Sibley, crashes the party. She’s the least of the night’s surprises. As the stakes for the inheritance of the Kingsley legacy are raised, the beautiful waters of the Pacific look more like a menacing illusion. Let the games begin for a family who has everything money can buy, and has used lies, deception and more to keep it.

The Book of Gothel: Memoir of a Witch by Mary McMyne - Historical Fantasy

September 5, 2023

Germany, 1156. Shunned by her village for her unusual fainting spells and black eyes, young Haelewise's only solace lies in her mother's stories of witches, magic wolf-skins and ancient mist-cloaked towers. When her mother dies, she sets off through the woods for the mysterious tower of fable: Gothel. There, Haelewise discovers a haven, a safe refuge for women like her and those who have lost their way in the harsh world of men. A place where magic lives and where fairy tales of her mother's stories have more truth than she'd ever imagined.

Burning Questions: Essays and Occasional Pieces, 2004 to 2022 by Margaret Atwood - Essays

September 5, 2023

In more than 50 pieces, Margaret Atwood aims her prodigious intellect and impish humor at the world, and reports back to us on what she finds. This rollercoaster period brought the end of history, a financial crash, the rise of Trump and a pandemic. From when to dispense advice to the young (answer: only when asked) to Atwood’s views on the climate crisis, we have no better guide to the many and varied mysteries of our universe.

The Cabinet of Dr. Leng: A Pendergast Novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - Thriller

September 5, 2023

Astoundingly, Constance Greene has found a way back to the place of her origins, New York City in the late 1800s, leaping at the chance, although it means leaving the present forever. Constance sets off on a quest to prevent the events that lead to the deaths of her sister and brother. But along the road to redemption, Manhattan’s most infamous serial killer, Dr. Enoch Leng, lies in wait, ready to strike at the slightest provocation. Meanwhile, in contemporary New York, FBI Special Agent Pendergast feverishly searches for a way to reunite with Constance. But will he discover a way back to her before it’s too late?

Captive: An Eve Duncan Novel by Iris Johansen - Thriller

September 5, 2023

Jane MacGuire is enjoying a period of domestic bliss as she focuses on her art, and her partner, Seth Caleb, uses his unique abilities as an agent for the MI6 intelligence service. But when Seth crosses crime lord Hugh Bohdan, he incurs the wrath of one of the world’s most powerful criminal empires, and Jane is soon on the run. With that peril, though, comes an astonishing discovery: a 200-year-old secret on the brink of becoming lost to history. Jane and Seth must join forces to unlock the fascinating puzzle, even as they hurtle toward a lethal final confrontation in the Highlands. But before their adventure is over, they will encounter their biggest shock of all…and realize nothing can be the same for them ever again.

Dead Man's Hand: The Unorthodox Chronicles, Book 1 by James J. Butcher - Urban Fantasy

September 5, 2023

On the streets of Boston, the world is divided into the ordinary Usuals and the paranormal Unorthodox. And in the Department of Unorthodox Affairs, the Auditors are the magical elite, government-sanctioned witches with spells at their command. Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby is not one of those witches. After flunking out of the Auditor training program and being dismissed as “not Department material,” Grimsby tried to resign himself to life as a mediocre witch. But he can’t help hoping he’ll somehow get another chance to prove his skill. That opportunity comes with a price when his former mentor, aka the most dangerous witch alive, is murdered down the street from where he works, and Grimsby is the Auditors’ number one suspect.

Dearborn: Stories by Ghassan Zeineddine - Fiction/Short Stories

September 5, 2023

Ghassan Zeineddine’s debut collection examines the diverse range and complexities of the Arab American community in Dearborn, Michigan. In 10 tragicomic stories, Zeineddine explores themes of identity, generational conflicts, war trauma, migration, sexuality, queerness, home and belonging, and more. A father teaches his son how to cheat the IRS and hide their cash earnings inside of frozen chickens. Tensions heighten within a close-knit group of couples when a mysterious man begins to frequent the local gym pool, dressed in Speedos printed with nostalgic images of Lebanon. And a failed stage actor attempts to drive a young Lebanese man with ambitions of becoming a Hollywood action hero to LA, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have other plans.

The Deceptions by Jill Bialosky - Fiction

September 5, 2023

An unnamed narrator’s life is unraveling. Her only child has left home, and her 20-year marriage is strained. Anticipation about her soon-to-be-released book of poetry looms. She seeks answers to the paradoxes of love, desire and parenthood among the Greek and Roman gods at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As she passes her days teaching at a boys’ prep school, spending her off-hours sequestered in the museum's austere galleries, she is haunted by memories of a yearlong friendship with a colleague, a fellow poet struggling with his craft. As secret betrayals and deceptions come to light and rage threatens to overwhelm her, the pantheon of gods assume remarkably vivid lives of their own, forcing her to choose between reality and myth.

The Fervor by Alma Katsu - Supernatural/Historical Thriller

September 5, 2023

As World War II rages on, the threat has come to the home front. In a remote corner of Idaho, Meiko Briggs and her daughter, Aiko, are desperate to return home. Following Meiko's husband's enlistment as an air force pilot in the Pacific, Meiko and Aiko were taken from their home in Seattle and sent to one of the internment camps in the Midwest. Mother and daughter attempt to hold on to elements of their old life in the camp when a mysterious disease begins to spread among those interned. When a disconcerting team of doctors arrive, Meiko and Aiko team up with a newspaper reporter and widowed missionary to investigate. It becomes clear to them that something more sinister is afoot.

Forsaken Country by Allen Eskens - Mystery/Thriller

September 5, 2023

Max Rupert has left his position as a Minneapolis homicide detective to live in solitude. Mourning the tragic death of his wife, he's also racked by guilt --- he alone knows what happened to her killer. But then the former local sheriff, Lyle Voight, arrives with a desperate plea: Lyle’s daughter, Sandy, and his six-year-old grandson, Pip, have disappeared. Lyle is certain that Sandy's ex-husband, Reed, is behind it, but the new sheriff is refusing to investigate. When Max reluctantly looks into their disappearance, he too becomes convinced something has gone very wrong. But the closer Max and Lyle get to finding proof, the more slippery Reed becomes, until he makes a break for the beautiful but formidable Boundary Waters wilderness with vulnerable Pip in tow.

From Dust to Stardust by Kathleen Rooney - Historical Fiction

September 5, 2023

Chicago, 1916. Doreen O’Dare is 14 years old when she hops a Hollywood-bound train with her beloved Irish grandmother. Within a decade, her trademark bob and insouciant charm make her the preeminent movie flapper of the Jazz Age. But her success story masks one of relentless ambition, tragedy and the secrets of a dangerous marriage. Her professional life in flux, Doreen trades one dream for another. She pours her wealth and creative energy into a singular achievement: the construction of a one-ton miniature Fairy Castle, the likes of which the world has never seen. So begins Doreen’s public tour to lift the nation’s spirits during the Great Depression --- and a personal journey worth remembering.

The Furies by John Connolly - Supernatural Thriller

September 5, 2023

John Connolly pits private investigator Charlie Parker against two separate --- but vitally connected --- investigations, which prove to be among the most complicated of his entire career. In “The Sisters Strange,” criminal Raum Buker arrives in Portland, only for a shocking act of theft to threaten not only his own existence but those of his former lovers --- the enigmatic sisters Strange. And in the title novel, “The Furies,” Parker must protect two women under threat as Portland shuts down in the face of a global pandemic. Unbeknownst to him, however, these clients are more capable of taking care of themselves than anyone could have imagined.

The Guest House by Robin Morgan-Bentley - Psychological Thriller

September 5, 2023

Jamie and Victoria are off for a last quick vacation before the arrival of their first baby. The remote country guesthouse Victoria chose seems like the perfect retreat --- miles away from the distractions of work and their regular life. And the older couple that run the establishment, Barry and Fiona, are more than accommodating. But when Jamie and Victoria awake on their first morning, they find the house deserted. Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be seen. All the doors are locked. And their cell phones and car keys have disappeared. They have no way out and no way to call for help, and the contractions are getting stronger.

Hell and Back: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson - Mystery

September 5, 2023

What if you woke up lying in the middle of the street in the infamous town of Fort Pratt, Montana, where 30 young Native boys perished in a tragic 1896 boarding-school fire? What if every person you encountered in that endless night was dead? What if you were covered in blood and missing a bullet from the gun holstered on your hip? What if there was something out there in the yellowed skies, along with the deceased and the smell of ash and dust, something the Northern Cheyenne refer to as the Éveohtsé-heómėse, the Wandering Without, the Taker of Souls? What if the only way you know who you are is because your name is printed in the leather sweatband of your cowboy hat. And what if it says your name is Walt Longmire…but you don’t remember him?

The House Beyond the Dunes by Mary Burton - Psychological Thriller

September 5, 2023

Lane McCord wakes up in a hospital having survived a near-fatal fall at a North Carolina beach cottage. Her boyfriend, Kyle, wasn’t so lucky. A senseless tragedy on their first romantic getaway. All Lane remembers is lying at the bottom of the stairs in Kyle’s pooling blood. Confused and grieving, Lane plans to return to the cottage, collect her personal belongings and get out. Until a winter rainstorm leaves her stranded and vulnerable, but not alone. A concerned neighbor, who claims he heard a violent argument before the accident, has come out of the storm. So has a suspicious detective on the trail of a missing woman, whose diary deepens the mystery --- and raises more questions that fill Lane with dread. How well did she know Kyle? How well does she know herself?

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz - Fiction

September 5, 2023

Cara Romero thought she would work at the factory of little lamps for the rest of her life. But when, in her mid-50s, she loses her job in the Great Recession, she is forced back into the job market for the first time in decades. Set up with a job counselor, Cara instead begins to narrate the story of her life. Over the course of 12 sessions, Cara recounts her tempestuous love affairs, her alternately biting and loving relationships with her neighbor Lulu and her sister Angela, her struggles with debt, gentrification and loss, and, eventually, what really happened between her and her estranged son, Fernando. As Cara confronts her darkest secrets and regrets, we see a woman buffeted by life but still full of fight.

I Am the Light of This World by Michael Parker - Fiction

September 5, 2023

In the early 1970s, in Stovall, Texas, 17-year-old Earl meets Tina, the new girl in town. Tina convinces Earl to drive her to see her mother in Austin, where Earl and Tina are quickly separated. Two days later, Earl is being questioned by the police about Tina’s disappearance and the blood in the trunk of his car. But Earl can’t remember what happened in Austin, and with little financial support from his working-class family, he is sentenced for a crime he did not commit. Forty years later, Earl is released into a world he can barely navigate. Settling in a small town on the Oregon coast, he attempts to establish a sense of freedom. But just as Earl finds the rhythm he’s always sought, his past returns to endanger the new life he’s built.

If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery - Fiction/Short Stories

September 5, 2023

In the 1970s, Topper and Sanya flee to Miami as political violence consumes their native Kingston. But America, as the couple and their two children learn, is far from the promised land. Excluded from society as Black immigrants, the family pushes on through Hurricane Andrew and later the 2008 recession, living in a house so cursed that the pet fish launches itself out of its own tank rather than stay. But even as things fall apart, the family remains motivated, often to its own detriment, by what their younger son, Trelawny, calls “the exquisite, racking compulsion to survive.” The linked stories in IF I SURVIVE YOU center on Trelawny as he struggles to carve out a place for himself amid financial disaster, racism and flat-out bad luck.

Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah - Historical Fiction

September 5, 2023

In September 1949, Jacqueline Bouvier arrives in postwar Paris to begin her junior year abroad. She’s 20 years old, socially poised but financially precarious, and all too aware of her mother’s expectations that she make a brilliant match. Before relenting to family pressure, she has a year to explore and absorb the luminous beauty of the City of Light. But beneath the glitter and rush, France is a fragile place still haunted by the Occupation. In the aftermath of World War II, Paris has become a nest of spies, and suspicion, deception and betrayal lurk around every corner. Jacqueline is stunned to watch the rise of communism, never guessing she is witnessing the beginning of the political environment that will shape the rest of her life --- and that of her future husband.

Killing the Killers: The Secret War Against Terrorists by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard - History

September 5, 2023

As the World Trade Center buildings collapsed, the Pentagon burned, and a small group of passengers fought desperately to stop a third plane from completing its deadly flight plan, America went on war footing. KILLING THE KILLERS narrates America's intense global war against extremists who planned and executed not only the 9/11 attacks, but hundreds of others in America and around the world, and who eventually destroyed entire nations in their relentless quest for power. The book moves from Afghanistan to Iraq, Iran to Yemen, Syria, Libya and elsewhere, as the United States fought Al Qaeda, ISIS and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, as well as individually targeting the most notorious leaders of these groups.

The Long Game by Elena Armas - Romantic Comedy

September 5, 2023

Adalyn Reyes has spent years perfecting her daily routine: wake up at dawn, drive to the Miami Flames FC offices, try her hardest to leave a mark, go home and repeat. But her routine is disrupted when a video of her in an altercation with the team’s mascot goes viral. Rather than fire her, the team’s owner --- who happens to be her father --- sends Adalyn to middle-of-nowhere North Carolina, where she’s tasked with turning around the struggling local soccer team. Her plans crumble upon discovering that the players wear tutus to practice, keep pet goats, are terrified of her, and are nine-year-old kids. To make things worse, also in town is goalkeeping prodigy Cameron Caldani. Cam is the perfect candidate to help Adalyn, but after one very unfortunate first encounter, he’s also set on running her out of town.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan - Fiction

September 5, 2023

Olivia McAfee’s picture-perfect life was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined that she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown with her son, Asher. Meanwhile, Lily Campanello and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school for what they hope will be a fresh start. For just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.

Marple: Twelve New Mysteries by Agatha Christie and various authors - Mystery/Short Stories

September 5, 2023

Agatha Christie’s legendary sleuth, Jane Marple, returns to solve 12 baffling cases in this brand-new collection, penned by a host of acclaimed authors skilled in the fine art of mystery and murder. Join Marple as she travels through her sleepy English village and around the world. In St Mary Mead, a Christmas dinner is interrupted by unexpected guests; the Broadway stage in New York City is set for a dangerous improvisation; bad omens surround an untimely death aboard a cruise ship to Hong Kong; and a bestselling writer on holiday in Italy is caught in a nefarious plot. These and other crimes committed in the name of love, jealousy, blackmail and revenge are ones that only the indomitable Jane Marple can solve.

The Matchmaker's Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman - Historical Fiction

September 5, 2023

Even as a child in 1910, Sara Glikman knows her gift: she is a maker of matches and a seeker of soulmates. But among the pushcart-crowded streets of New York’s Lower East Side, Sara’s vocation is dominated by devout older men --- men who see a talented female matchmaker as a dangerous threat to their traditions and livelihood. After making matches in secret for more than a decade, Sara must fight to take her rightful place among her peers. Two generations later, Sara’s granddaughter, Abby, is a successful Manhattan divorce attorney. When her beloved Grandma Sara dies, Abby inherits her collection of handwritten journals recording the details of Sara’s matches. But among the faded volumes, Abby finds more questions than answers.

The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict - Historical Fiction

September 5, 2023

Between the World Wars, the six Mitford sisters dominate the English scenes. Though they've weathered scandals before, the family falls into disarray when Diana divorces her wealthy husband to marry a fascist leader and Unity follows her sister's lead all the way to Munich, inciting rumors that she's become Hitler's mistress. As the Nazis rise in power, novelist Nancy Mitford grows suspicious of her sisters' constant visits to Germany and the high-ranking fascist company they keep. When she overhears alarming conversations and uncovers disquieting documents, Nancy must make excruciating choices as Great Britain goes to war with Germany.

Natural History: Stories by Andrea Barrett - Fiction/Short Stories

September 5, 2023

The six exquisite stories in NATURAL HISTORY are set largely in a small community in central New York State and portray some of Andrea Barrett’s most beloved characters, spanning the decades between the Civil War to the present day. In “Henrietta and Her Moths,” a woman tends to an insect nursery as her sister’s life follows a different path. In “Open House,” a young man grapples with a choice between a thrilling life spent discovering fossils and a desire to remain close to home. And in the magnificent title novella, “Natural History,” Barrett deepens the connection between her characters, bringing us through to the present day and providing an unforgettable capstone.

On Java Road by Lawrence Osborne - Literary Thriller/Mystery

September 5, 2023

After two decades as a journalist in Hong Kong, ex-pat Englishman Adrian Gyle is ready to turn his back on the city he knew so well. But as Hong Kong erupts in violence with pro-democracy demonstrations hitting ever closer to home, could this be the final assignment Gyle was looking for? Watching from the skyrises is his old friend, Jimmy Tang, the scion of one of Hong Kong’s wealthiest families. Through him, Gyle uncovers an intriguing lead: the mysterious Rebecca, a student involved in the protests and the latest of Jimmy’s reckless dalliances. But when Rebecca goes missing and Jimmy hides, it rekindles in Gyle an old urge to investigate. Piecing together Rebecca’s final days and hours, Gyle must tread carefully through a volatile world of friendship and betrayal.

On the Rooftop by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton - Fiction

September 5, 2023

At home they are just sisters, but on stage they are The Salvations. Ruth, Esther and Chloe have been singing and dancing in harmony since they could speak. Thanks to the rigorous direction of their mother, Vivian, they’ve become a bona fide girl group whose shows are the talk of the Jazz-era Fillmore. Now Vivian has scored a once-in-a-lifetime offer from a talent manager, who promises to catapult The Salvations into the national spotlight. Vivian knows this is the big break she’s been praying for. But sometime between the hours of rehearsal on their rooftop and the weekly gigs at the Champagne Supper Club, the girls have become women --- women with dreams that their mother cannot imagine.

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen - Fiction/Magical Realism

September 5, 2023

Down a narrow alley in the small coastal town of Mallow Island, South Carolina, lies a stunning cobblestone building comprised of five apartments. It’s called The Dellawisp, and it is named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy. When Zoey Hennessey comes to claim her deceased mother’s apartment at The Dellawisp, she meets her quirky, enigmatic neighbors. Each with their own story. Each with their own longings. Each whose ending isn’t yet written. When one of them dies under odd circumstances the night Zoey arrives, she is thrust into the mystery of The Dellawisp, which involves missing pages from a legendary writer whose work might be hidden there.

The Queen: Her Life by Andrew Morton - Biography

September 5, 2023

Painfully shy, Elizabeth Windsor’s personality was well suited to her youthful ambition of living quietly in the country, raising a family, and caring for her dogs and horses. But when her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated, she became heir to the throne --- embarking on a journey that would test her as a woman and queen. In THE QUEEN, renowned biographer Andrew Morton takes an in-depth look at Britain’s longest reigning monarch, exploring the influence that Queen Elizabeth had on both Britain and the rest of the world for much of the last century. From leading a nation struggling to restore itself after the devastation of the second World War to navigating the divisive political landscape of the present day, Queen Elizabeth was a reluctant but resolute queen.

Righteous Prey: A Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers Novel by John Sandford - Mystery/Thriller

September 5, 2023

“We’re going to murder people who need to be murdered.” So begins a press release from a mysterious group known only as “The Five” shortly after a vicious predator is murdered in San Francisco. The Five is believed to be made up of vigilante killers who are very bored…and very rich. They target the worst of society --- rapists, murderers and thieves --- and then use their unlimited resources to offset the damage done by those who they’ve killed, donating untraceable Bitcoin to charities and victims via the dark net. The Five soon become the most popular figures on social media, a modern-day Batman, though their motives may not be entirely pure. After a woman is murdered in the Twin Cities, Virgil Flowers and Lucas Davenport are sent in to investigate. And they soon have their hands full.

The Sight by Melanie Golding - Supernatural Thriller

September 5, 2023

As a child, Faith acquired the ability to see when and how people would die. After foreseeing a family tragedy and being ostracized, Faith learns to control her visions and returns to perform in her family’s traveling carnival. But when an unruly customer attacks her, she has a vision in full view of a crowd. She is banned from the carnival she loves --- and loses her only source of income to support her dying mother. Desperate to support her mother and with only one friend standing by her, she sees no reason to continue hiding her ability and goes to dangerous lengths to earn money. But when she sees herself in a man’s future death, Faith must face her own fears of her powers and tune into her gift to fight against a future that would ruin her life --- and end someone else’s.

The Singularities by John Banville - Fiction

September 5, 2023

A man with a borrowed name steps from a flashy red sports car --- also borrowed --- onto the estate of his youth. But all is not as it seems. There is a new family living in the drafty old house: the Godleys, descendants of the late, world-famous scientist Adam Godley, whose theory of existence threw the universe into chaos. And this mystery man, who has just completed a prison sentence, feels as if time has stopped, or was torn, or was opened in new and strange ways. He must now vie with the idiosyncratic Godley family, their harried housekeeper who becomes his landlady, his recently commissioned biographer of Godley Sr., and a wealthy and beautiful woman from his past who comes bearing an unusual request.

Sugar Street by Jonathan Dee - Fiction

September 5, 2023

An unnamed male narrator has hit the road. Rid of any possible identifiers, his possessions amount to $168,548 in cash stashed in an envelope under his car seat. Vigilantly avoiding security cameras, he drives until he hits a city where his past is unlikely to track him down, and finds a room to rent from a less-than-stable landlady whose need for money outweighs her desire to ask questions. He seems to have escaped his former self. But can he? In a story that moves with swift dark humor and insight, Jonathan Dee takes us through his narrator’s attempt to disavow his former life of privilege and enter a blameless new existence.

They're Going to Love You by Meg Howrey - Fiction

September 5, 2023

Throughout her childhood, Carlisle Martin got to see her father, Robert, for only a few precious weeks a year when she visited the brownstone apartment in Greenwich Village he shared with his partner, James. Brilliant but troubled, James gave Carlisle an education in all that he held dear in life. Seduced by the heady pull of mentorship and hoping to follow in the footsteps of her mother, Carlisle’s aspiration to become a professional ballet dancer bloomed. However, a passionate love affair created a rift between the family, with shattering consequences that reverberated for decades to come. Nineteen years later, when Carlisle receives a phone call that unravels the events of that fateful summer, she sees with new eyes how her younger self has informed the woman she’s become.

The Unfolding by A.M. Homes - Alternate History/Humor

September 5, 2023

The Big Guy loves his family, money and country. Undone by the results of the 2008 presidential election, he taps a group of like-minded men to reclaim their version of the American Dream. As they build a scheme to disturb and disrupt, the Big Guy also faces turbulence within his family. His wife, Charlotte, grieves a life not lived, while his 18-year-old daughter, Meghan, begins to realize that her favorite subject --- history --- is not exactly what her father taught her.