In the world of publishing, Tuesdays are new release days. That’s why Tuesdays are the best day of the week! You’ll see the bookstores full of new releases and new displays each and every Tuesday. Sometimes, you may even see a sign touting a future release.
There are a lot of new releases scheduled for May, and I’ve decided to talk a bit about the ones I’m most excited to read.
Like most people, I have a go-to list of genres and authors that I love to read. Certain names appear again and again on my To Be Read list, and Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Literature, Biography, and Mystery are more often at the top of the list than any other type of story. If I can find a title that combines several of those, I’m in Bliss.
That aside, some of the titles I’ve listed below seem just a shade outside of my usual selections. I’m hoping some of these titles, if I manage to put them into my To Be Read pile and not just on the list, they might just snap me out of my strange inability to devour books as I’m accustomed to doing.
The five titles below intrigue me in some way either from a “gee, that’s an interesting idea” stage or from a “I have to read that” stage. Some are from authors I’ve read before but others I’ve never had the pleasure of reading.
All of this aside, let’s get right to the list.
1.
Book of Night by Holly Black
Holly Black is a well-known author of Children’s and Young Adult books. You may have read her
Spiderwick Chronicles or her
Magesterium series (
The Iron Trial, etc) or
Doll Bones. She’s got quite a list of previous publications, but
Book of Night is her first adult fantasy book. This is a dark fantasy—and while I’m not the biggest fan of dark fantasy, this one sounds so well-imagined that I’m captivated reading the description. It takes place in a world where shadows can be altered for entertainment or cosmetic reasons. The protagonist is trying to keep away from shadow trading by taking odd jobs. A figure from her past emerges forcing her to confront secrets, murder, shadow thieves, and so much more.
2.
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
Barnhill, author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon, tackles an intriguing concept. Her protagonist, Alex Green, attempts to deal with the consequences of what’s called The Mass Dragoning, when hundreds of thousands of literally turned into dragons and flew away leaving a trail of fiery destruction. What is Alex’s connection to the phenomenon? Why does the family insist that her beloved aunt, who flew off with the other dragons, never existed? The premise may seem odd, but it also seems fascinating, and I trust this author to have come up with something special.
3.
Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner
Set in 1950,
Bloomsbury Girls deals with the story of post-war London, a Century old bookstore, and three women who intend to make something of themselves. I love a story set in or near or around bookstores and publishing, and this one shows the lives of three women interacting with famous real-life literary figures as they negotiate a fast-changing world and try to create futures for themselves beyond what society decrees acceptable.
Each of the three women in the book are faced with challenges. One is dealing with the death of her fiancé, and another is trying to support her family as her husband suffers a breakdown because of the war, and the third is denied an academic position because a less-qualified man is given preference. Books dealing with London after World War II are a genre of their own, and there are plenty of good ones. Why does this one seem so intriguing? I suppose it's the literary aspect that captures my attention. Bookstores are the most perfect places on the planet, after all.
4.
Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton
How well do we know our own family history? How many of us learn surprising things about our parents or their parents and wonder how it could be that these things remained secret for so long? When we consider that, it's far more surprising that we know anything for certain since we only know the version of history that we are told.
Intertwining two protagonists at two different points in history, Chanel Cleeton weaves together a story about expectations and espionage, as past and present collide in a rich tapestry of choices, family-history, and secrets. This sounds like a great read on so many levels. Historical, yet personal, it tells a story that touches on personal history--that seems to be far more the center of the book as far as the protagonist is concerned--but uncovering unimagined links that shock and surprise her as she learns about a past she never expected.
5.
The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson
Alice Ogilve and Iris Adams unite to discover the whereabouts of missing student Brooke Donovan. Iris needs to disappear and Brooke’s grandmother’s reward for information on her granddaughter is just what she needs. Alice thinks Brooke’s boyfriend, Alice’s own ex, isn’t responsible, but the police are convinced he is. Alice believes she has just what they need to figure out the mystery—the complete works of Agatha Christie. It's the addition of the Agatha Christie angle that gets to me here. It's the perfect spin. I imagine I'm building this concept up in my head but the idea does make salivate in anticipation of how the author might use the Grand Dame of Mysteries in tackling this one.
Each of these books hold an appeal to me, though I admit it’s got a few titles in genres that don’t often appeal to me, these particular titles seem just different enough to lead me in a a new direction and break me out of my own reading blues.
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