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We saw a crocus the other morning. We thought about getting some plastic and building a little crocus house around it, but after contemplating the tiny flower for a bit, we decided it was like us—hardy and determined to persevere. We are happy to report it is taller today, and birds are serenading it, though they may be in the yard for the bird seed more than the imminent spring festival that is about to happen. 

We won't dwell on having made it through the winter because <gestures wildly> it's still all this

Anyway, flowers are blooming, books are arriving, and the seasons continue. Let's look at some Spring books, shall we? 

First up: James Patterson. 
 


No, hold on. This isn't like every other time we've mentioned him as a pivot. We're earnest about him leading off the newsletter because this time around his co-writer is equally awesome. Run, Rose, Run, this week's Patterson release is co-written by Dolly Parton. That's right. While she was making a half-dozen holiday specials, recording a couple of albums, donating a not-insignificant amount of money to Vanderbilt University (which helped fund the Moderna vaccine), Dolly was writing a thriller about a young singer-songwriter who comes to Nashville to find herself. 

We know. We know. We barely got the trash out to the curb last week. 

Anyway, Run, Rose, Run is exactly what you'd expect from That Guy Who Writes All the Thrillers and That Gal Who Wrote "Jolene." There's even a full album of songs that accompany the book. It's an audio-visual multimedia extravaganza! 

(Full disclosure: We got to participate in a little video conference with the pair a few weeks back as part of their marketing tour for the book, and we may have been won over by their evident joy at what they do, their disarming approachability, and the fact that they can't Zoom any better than the rest of us. Aww. They are real people!)
 


And speaking of everyday people, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen are back this week with The Golden Couple. Hendricks and Pekkanen have been crafting nail-biting, all-night reads these last few years, and The Golden Couple focuses on Avery Chambers, an in-demand Washington DC-based therapist whose latest clients may be a murderous power couple. Everyone in The Golden Couple is hiding something, and the only way to find out the truth is to read it all the way through. Tonight. With a pot of coffee. 
 


And speaking of untrustworthy characters, Karen Joy Fowler has a new novel out. Her first novel in a decade is called Booth, and it's about a 19th century family with ONE member who upstaged everyone else. Now, that thing John Wilkes did that one night at the theater is an indelible part of Fowler's novel, but she's also interested in exploring the family dynamics that can cause such a dramatic turn in one child, as well as what happens to a family after a life-changing event. It's not hard to see echoes of divisive life in the 21st century in Fowler's exploration of Civil War-era American life. Recommended. 
 


And speaking of turbulent family affairs, here is Max Gladstone's Last Exit. Once upon a time, a band of five college students discovered they could manipulate reality, and it was a real sweet deal for awhile. Then, things got weird between them and one of them got lost to the rot. Now, ten years on, the last remaining rot-fixer discovers that her lover—the one who was lost—isn't entirely lost. They're something else now, and that something means to destroy all of existence. Our protagonist must get the band back together for one last show at the Crossroads, the nexus of all existence, before rot ruins it all. 
 


And speaking of rot, how about a close-up tour of the Body Farm, that legendary forensic lab where they leave bodies out and take COPIOUS notes about what happens over time? 

We always recall the chapter in Mary Roach's Stiff where she goes for a tour of said farm. Afterward, they go to Denny's for lunch, and when asked by the hostess if they have a preference for where they sit, Mary—very much aware of where her shoes have been for the last hour—says: "How about far away from everyone else?" 

Anyway, in Death's Acre, Jon Jefferson and Dr. Bill Bass are our tour guides to the farm. It's definitely a place to take the whole family. 
 


And speaking of pickling, here is William Woys Weaver's The Roughwood Book of Pickling: Homestyle Recipes for Chutney, Pickles, Relishes, Salsas, and Vinegar Infusions. 

We solemnly attest that Dr. Bill Bass does NOT have an endorsement on The Roughwood Book of Pickling
 


All right, let's get back on track. Here is a new Thomas Keneally book, The Dickens Boy. This one is about young Edward, the tenth child of world-famous author Charles Dickens. In an effort to give the boy a bit of a goose in regards to finding his way in life, Charles sends 16-year old Edward off to Australia, where the locals quickly learn that Edward has not read any of his father's novels. Naturally, this makes him somewhat of an oddity, and there's nothing folks like better than a fish very far from water. Keneally, who knows a thing or two about bringing historical figures to life, delivers another engaging read with The Dickens Boy
 


And speaking of worldly adventures, here is Lillie Lainoff's One for All, the story of 16-year-old Tania de Batz, who suffers from constant dizziness and a murdered father. One of these things has an evident solution, and young Tania whisks herself off to Paris where she discovers that the finishing school her father wished her to attend is actually a secret Musketeer training school. Huzzah! She can sword-fight her way to justice! 

Lainoff's invigorated retelling of Dumas's classic tale of sword-wielding scene-stealers is a charming read, made all the more delightful by the presence of Tania, who must overcome years of self-doubt and her own physical handicap in order to become a Musketeer. One for All strives to really embody the core truth of that rallying cry. Recommended. 
 


Meanwhile, here is Allison Saft's A Far Wilder Magic, which is about a young sharpshooter, an alchemical apprentice, and a ghost fox. When the fox appears, the Half-moon Hunt is not far behind, and if young Margaret Welty is going to find her mother (who has gone missing while researching this mystical creature), then she's going to need the assistance of this charming, yet somewhat daft, apprentice. Wes, whose daftness has more to do with his undiagnosed dyslexia than the normal awkwardness men have around fiercely independent young ladies, has been fired from every apprenticeship he's gotten, and he really needs a win if he's going to become the man he hopes to be. Naturally, these two discover the ole 'solve et coagula' rule applies to feelings as well as alchemical reagents. Charming! 
 


And finally, here is Matt Bell's Refuse to be Done, a guide to writing and revising a novel in three drafts. We're always keen on books on craft, and Bell gives us grace to muddle a bit and stir the pot once or twice before we get down to the hard business of savaging all the extra words. Recommended if you've got a half-finished manuscript in a drawer. 

(Oh, and don't look at us like that. We know! We know!)



Overheard At The Store »»
 

PODGE: SHARK!

HODGE: SHARK!

PODGE: IT'S A SHARK!

HODGE: THE SHARKS ARE COMING! THE SHARKS ARE COMING!

PODGE: IT'S JUST ONE SHARK, BUT IT'S SO BIG! IT'S A BIG SHARK!

HODGE: BIG SHARK!

COLBY: What in the—

PODGE: SHARK!

HODGE: SHARK!

COLBY: Would you just—stop it. Stop it. Stop all that screaming. 

PODGE: SHAR—

HODGE: KKKKKKKKK!

COLBY: STOP!

PODGE: . . . 

HODGE: . . . 

COLBY: Okay. Let's calm down. Deep breaths. 

PODGE: shark

HODGE: shark

PODGE: shark shark shark

HODGE: This is the last straw, Podge. The very last straw. This is the stone that breaks the back of the—

PODGE: It's all coming to an end, Hodge. This is how we go, devoured by—

COLBY: No, no. Stop. Oh my god, you two. Stop!

PODGE: . . . 

HODGE: . . . 

PODGE: Are you bolding your ellipses? 

HODGE: Am I? I don't mean—well, I guess I was. 

PODGE: Are you breathing with your diaphragm? 

HODGE: No, no. I'm just screaming on the inside. 

PODGE: Ooooh, is that the trick? 

COLBY: Look, part of your whole crisis these last few weeks is because you aren't embracing your jobs. You're not engaging with your core responsibilities. 

HODGE: What? 

PODGE: I thought . . . I thought we were . . . 

HODGE: What were we doing? 

PODGE: We were—OMG! LOOK! IT'S A SHARK!

COLBY: No, Podge. Stop. Slow down. Take a breath. 

PODGE: it's a shark!

HODGE: i know, podge. i know. 

COLBY: Annabel is a new hire. And isn't it your jobs to help the new hires find their place in the store? 

HODGE: It is? 

PODGE: We have jobs? 

COLBY: Yes. You two are the joy keepers around here. 

PODGE: We are?

HODGE: Did you . . . ? Oh, I suppose—

COLBY: And these last few weeks, well, you two have been so busy trying to circumnavigate the equinox that you've forgotten your core duties. That's why things are out of sorts. That's why cracks are forming. 

PODGE: We lost the joy? 

HODGE: Did we ever have it? 

COLBY: I think you need to welcome her. You need to embrace the shark. 

COLBY: You have to embrace the shark. 

PODGE: Is that . . . ? 

HODGE: A metaphor? 

COLBY: No, seriously. Go give her a hug. Welcome her to the family. It's cold out there. She's might be lonely. 

PODGE: Awww . . . 

HODGE: She has no fur, Podge. Not like we do. 

PODGE: <sniff> She has a hat. 

HODGE: She does. It covers her breathing hole. 

COLBY: Sharks don't have blowholes. They breathe through their gills.

PODGE: I thought . . . but—but sharks don't breathe. 

HODGE: Haven't we seen that hat? 

PODGE: Oh, yes. It belongs to that cat. 

HODGE: Which cat? 

PODGE: The seussical one. 

HODGE: The musical one? Like Macavity? Or Mungojerrie. 

PODGE: No, no—oh my god!

HODGE: What? What? 

PODGE: THE SHARK ATE THE CAT! THAT'S WHY SHE HAS THE HAT! SHE ATE THE CAT! She's bibliovoracious! 

COLBY: That's not—no, that's—

HODGE: What? She reads across genres? 


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