A couple of these books have just been released this month while the rest are forthcoming over the course of the next couple months. They’re all receiving that little extra attention from their publishing houses’ marketing efforts which often serves as a sign that these may be the next bestselling reads, especially considering the comparisons made with existing titles.
Under the Harrow
By Flynn Berry
Nora takes the train from London to visit her sister, but instead of finding Rachel at the train station as expected, she finds her sister dead, brutally murdered at home. Having suffered her own unsolved assault in the past, Nora is compelled to investigate the murder herself. She’ll become “under the harrow: distressed and in danger” in her pursuit of the truth. This debut thriller may appeal to fans of Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” and Paula Hawkins’ “The Girl on the Train.” Releases on June 14.
Dawn at Emberwilde
By Sarah E. Ladd
The plot of this new novel sounds a bit like Jane Eyre. Isabel Creston teaches at the school where she was once a student until she learns of unknown relatives at Emberwilde, “a sprawling estate adjacent to a vast, mysterious wood rife with mysterious rumors and ominous folklore.” Her uncle’s invitation to live at Emberwilde brings her into contact with two men who will vie for her affections. But not everything is as it may seem, of course. “Isabel will discover that the key to unlocking the mystery of her past may also open the door to her future and security.” Available now.
Happy People Read and Drink Coffee
By Agnes Martin-Lugand
The title alone may be reason to read this novel! The owner of a cozy literary café in Paris, Diane’s perfect world vanishes in an instant when her husband and daughter are killed in a car accident. One year later, after withdrawing from friends and family, Diane abruptly decides to move to the Irish coast. There she’ll meet and fall in love with photographer Edward. But when she’s ready to face what she’s left behind in Paris, will this new relationship last? The book has been described as “Under the Tuscan Sun set in Ireland.”
Available now.
Lily and the Octopus
By Steven Rowley
“It’s Thursday the first time I see it. I know it’s Thursday because Thursday nights are the nights my dog, Lily and I set aside to talk about boys we think are cute.” Forty-two-year-old Ted converses with his best friend, Lily, the dachshund in this poignant, funny and odd book about love and companionship. But just what is the octopus a metaphor for? Is it real or imagined? Rowley’s debut book — it sold for nearly seven-figures!—is being marketed to fans of the magical realism genre and books like Garth Stein’s “The Art of Racing in the Rain” and Yann Martel’s “The Life of Pi.” Due out in June 2016.
Miss Jane
By Brad Watson
Watson draws on his great aunt’s life as inspiration for his second novel, following the 2002 National Book Award finalist, “The Heaven of Mercury.” Jane Chisholm was born with a genital birth defect. One that the family doctor hoped to cure by providing reconstructive surgery. Set in rural Mississippi in the early 1900s, “Miss Jane is a vivid portrait of the hardships and challenges Jane Chisholm faced as a woman with a disability trying to fit in to society and also a woman not afraid to stand alone as an individual.” (Linda Arrington, Reviewer) Watson’s first chapter introduces Jane as a strong character. “She did not like vexation of her incontinence, and wished she would outgrow it, but eventually accepted it as part of who she was, no matter how unsavory. She determines that she would live like any other girl as best she could, and when she could no longer do that, she would adjust her life to its terms accordingly.”
Due out in July of this year.
These books and more by these authors are available through the DeWitt Community Library’s catalog in either print or ebook format. Stop by the library to reserve a copy or discover other reading suggestions. Books may be reserved by phone (446-3578) or by visiting the library’s website at dewlib.org.
