There's something awry with the cover of Virginia Feito's debut novel, Mrs. March. Maybe it's the single red letter. Is this a clue? Is it a homage? Or perhaps it is the gloves. That green is such a striking color. Are we supposed to have an emotional reaction to this color? What emotion is typically assigned to green? Hmmm.
Good cover design is all about suggestion and manipulation. We are meant to be drawn to books by their covers. We are meant to be curious. To wonder what might be inside. To reach out. To pick up. To start reading . . .
Hello and welcome to A Good Book's general newsletter, where we tease you about the new books that are on the shelves. The books you didn't know you wanted to read until just now. It's okay. We understand the joy that a solid piece of writing can bring.
Anyway, Mrs. March is here, and hooboy, nothing is as it seems in that book. You should come find out for yourself.
If, however, you are looking for something that is more akin to a warm piece of toast, covered with honey and a hug, we've got something for you too. It's the latest Nicholas Sparks novel, now in paperback. The most exciting thing we can say about this book's cover is that it is advertising Mr. Sparks's next hardback novel, which will be out in a few weeks.
Plan accordingly, in both cases.
Meanwhile, here is Lyndsay Faye's latest, The King of Infinite Space. It's about a boy, whose father has recently died. Suicide, perhaps, but maybe not. The son investigates, discovers a number of odd circumstances (like three witches, a mischief-maker named Robin Goodfellow, and an uncle that moved in all too quickly on the bereaved widow. Is this . . . art? Is this . . . a stage play? Is this, perchance, a dream? Ay, there's the rub, as they say.
Faye, who has pastiched her way through the Holmes canon, as well as nearly convincing us that Jane Eyre was a serial killer, is definitely toying with us in The King of Infinite Space. To which we say: Huzzah! If we can mangle one more Shakespearean riff, all the world's a stage, and Faye's players mean to make the most of their hour on stage.
That's *ahem* Jane Steele that you are wondering about now. You're welcome.
Meanwhile, Kevin Hearne returns with Paper & Blood, his second novel in a new series, featuring Scottish siglist Al MacBharrais. This time around, Al (and his delightfully foul-mouthed sidekick Buck Foi) travel to Australia where they must solve a mystery. Naturally, monsters show up, as does Hearne's fan favorites: the Iron Druid and his awesome dog, Oberon. It's as entertaining as you'd expect. Thank goodness.
And speaking of entertaining things, here's a delightful coffee table book about LEGOS. More specifically, the Lego House, an official home of The Brick, located near LEGO HQ in Billund, Denmark. The house is structured to highlight the thematic zones of the bricks, which—what? You didn't know that the color choices weren't random? Yeah, neither did we. Anyway, it's all about emotional connections, problem solving, social interactions, and the creative spark. Which brick are you?
Meanwhile, here's Deliah S. Dawson's Mine, the story of a young girl who thinks she knows something about the world. When her family ends up in Florida—in a super creepy, swampy home, no less—our protagonist discovers that she knows very little about real drama. There is something in the shadows out past the pool, and that thing wants to play . . .
Oooh! Tony Sandoval has a new book out this week. We adore his art, and the marketing copy for 1000 Storms says that it is the story of a lonely girl who likes to wander about in nature, collecting stones and the odd bone or two. Kids think she's a witch, and maybe she is. One day, she discovers a magic tree that lets her visit a parallel dimension where things are definitely not as they seem. Now our lonely little girl has to decide if she's going to be that witch everyone ridicules her about or let a monstrous army devour her world. Hmmm. Tough choice.
You may recognize Sandoval's work from Watersnakes and Doomboy, two graphic novels that were absolutely delightful.
And finally, here's a book we may have neglected to mention a few weeks ago. S. A. Cosby's Razorblade Tears is a bruiser of a crime novel about two men—the oddest of odd couples—who are bound together by violence and a lost sons. Neither man is really prepared to deal with the fact that their sons were married to each other, but they are in agreement that the boys deserved more than being gunned down outside a fancy wine store. Together, flexing all the worst sorts of muscle memory that one gets from a lifetime of violence, these two try to atone for past sins, but boy, their methods—well, let's focus on the tender parts where these two examine their own prejudices and grow a little bit. Riveting and relentless.
That's our list this week, dear readers. Don't leave the house without a pocket full of ice cubes (even though they won't last past the curb). Fan yourselves with an extra book while you're reading, and stay hydrated!
