Hello friends! We don't know about you, but we've gotten out our comfy shoes and house coats. Where did we stash our favorite mug? Ah, yes, here it is. It's time to put away the gardening pants and find our reading loungies. The weather has turned, and it's definitely heading into reading season. Time for some projects, eh?
How about we start with Emily Wilson's translation of The Iliad? Excellent idea. Wilson became the first woman to translate Homer a few years back when she delivered a fascinating take on Odysseus's long boat ride home, and now, she's back to tackle that rousing campfire story of who fought and died outside the walls of Troy. Highly recommended.
And speaking of poetry, Amanda Gorman has a new book out this week. Something, Someday is an ode to hope and persistence. Gorman's clear-spoken poetry is accompanied by winsome illustrations by Caldecott Honor-winner Christian Robinson. It's a book for when the days are gloomy and it doesn't feel like anything matters. Well, as Gorman points out, how will you know if you don't try? It's easy to sulk under the blankets; it's much harder to find socks and go out and face the world. Good thing we have each other, right?
And speaking of communities banding together, Chuck Wendig is back this week with Black River Orchard. A stand-alone novel, Black River Orchard is about the sleepy town of Harrow, where nothing interesting ever happens, until it does. There's an orchard, you see, and in that orchard are seven special trees. These trees bear magic apples, and when you eat one, well, you want another. And another. And another. And what happens when there are no more apples? Well, the need doesn't go away, does it? Wendig, like Stephen King, knows how to ratchet tension and Black River Orchard gets very tense indeed.
Oh, and the next time someone in your house complains about having to source letters of recommendation for college, look at them and say, "Yeah, well, at least you aren't Percy Jackson." And they'll make that noise and say, "But Dad, Percy Jackson is a fictional character!" And you can say, "Yeah, and reality is an illusion, but we all have to suck it up together, so go make up some words about things you did these last four years. Don't make it look like we've been terrible parents."
Anyway, in The Chalice of the Gods, the newest book in Rick Riordan's series about high school kids having to save the world (again and again), Percy has to perform three tasks for Zeus in order to get letters of recommendation for college. Frankly, we thought "Uh, my Dad is Poseidon, so . . ." was probably enough to get the kid into any school he wanted, but hey, we get it, you gotta keep it somewhat realistic so audiences can relate, right?
And for those of you who have been pining for another Ken Follett brick to prop up that coffee table you can't live without, well, here you go. This is The Armor of Light, the fifth book in the historical series that began with The Pillars of the Earth. This time around, we've reached the late 18th century, wherein the invention of the spinning jenny revolutionized the textile industry. Naturally, there's a lot of class unrest as sewing becomes industrialized, and naturally, Follett uses this seismic change to chart a course through a kaleidoscope of characters. Dig in, friends. This one will steady you through the grey months.
And speaking of books hefty enough to be murder weapons, Robert Galbraith returns with The Running Grave, the seventh book wherein Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott do their best to not actually have a happy ending. This time around, Robin infiltrates a Norfolk religious organization that is definitely a cult. Naturally—because come on, it's a cult—things get dodgy for the female lead, and it's up to the one-legged male character to rescue her. Again. Because that's how—holy mother!—this thing is almost a thousand pages. Okay, whatever. We're sure every page is worth your time.
Meanwhile, V. E. Schwab is back with a new book. The Fragile Threads of Power tells the tale of two rival families who are warring over a fantastical London. A young woman with an unusual gift comes into possession of a strange device, and, well, all bets are off. It's been awhile since Schwab has given us a new book, and we're very excited to dive into this one. Highly recommended.
And speaking of diving, Peter Brown returns with The Wild Robot Protects. Life is good for Roz and her animal friends on their island, but when strange tides start to threaten the island, Roz must journey under the sea to find the source of the poison. Like the previous Wild Robot books, this one is equal parts naturalist's exploration and fantastic journey. We're ready for this adventure!
And speaking of adventures, Josiah Bancroft's The Hexologists is out this week. It's the story of Iz and Warren Wilby, who are just trying to get by in a city plagued by its share of magical ailments. One day, they are approached by the royal secretary who needs their help. The King, you see, wants to be baked into a cake, and has gone so far as to barricade himself in the oven. Clearly, something is amiss, and it's up to the duo who see the world differently to figure out what the heck is going on. Bancroft's previous series, Books of Babel, was filled with marvelous world-building and magical contortions, and we're looking forward to see where this vaguely Victorian fantasy novel goes.
And finally, what better way to embrace the encroaching darkness than to curl up with Lol Tolhurst's Goth: A History. That's right. One of the founding members of The Cure has written a book about the genre of Goth. It's one of those weird moments that illuminate the entire structure of the Universe. If this thing is, in fact, a thing, then who better to tell us stories about the thing than one of the people who was an indelible part of the thing? Revel in this, dear friends. This one is a gift, and not just because it does a half-wrap dust jacket the way it should be done.
And let that be our parting note: a good half-wrap does as good a job as a full wrap. Keep your snouts uncovered so you can breath fresh air. Only read as late as your booksellers would do so themselves. It's a full moon on Friday, a full Super Harvest Moon, in fact. Which means all your gourds have grown and soon they will be riding horses in the woods. Plan accordingly.
