Hello friends. We hope you have not all melted. It was close for us; we had to rearrange the walls of our book fort to let the air waft in without bringing the walls down. Tricky, tricky. And in doing so, we made room to do some face out displays, which is perfect for the new titles this week. Like . . .
Daniel Silva's A Death in Cornwall, the latest in his Gabriel Allon "I'm no longer an intelligence officer; I'm just an art forger" series. These are an unabashedly guilty pleasure around here, and we like how Silva has gradually shifted Allon away from headline-snatching plots to more rarified stories about missing art and clever heists. We suspect A Death in Cornwall doesn't stray too far from what works, and given the heat dome torpor we're all going to be wrestling with this summer, that'll do just fine.
And here is Kate Quinn's The Briar Club, a story of powerful secrets, historical skullduggery, and the relentless paranoia of the McCarthy Era. The Briar Club takes place in the 1950s and is centered around the Briarwood House, a run-down all-female boarding house in Washington, DC. Women are finding new roles in postwar America, and Senator McCarthy's Red Scare is in full swing. For awhile, things are all dinner-parties and tea 'n' scones, but when an act of violence upsets the dynamic within the house, all manner of secrets start to be revealed. Recommended.
And here is Emily Giffin's The Summer Pact, which is the story of four friends who make a pact to always be there for each other. Now, ten years after said swearing ceremony, one of the foursome is in need of some friends, and when the quartet reunites, they discover they could all use some help finding themselves again. This one is big and boisterous and full of life-changing adventures.
And the latest fancy-edged book is Sarah Beth Durst's The Spellshop, which is a charming cottagecore romance with some sweet, sweet jams.
Oh, we've got to read this like we're the DJ of a late-night all-vinyl broadcast. "Up next is the sweet jam of Sarah B's 'Spellshop,' a cottagecore classic that'll put some zing in your zinger and some bougie in your cinna-bounce. Open up your recipe books and get ready to take some notes, dear friends, 'cause here we roll . . ."
Also, Tricia Levenseller is back this week with The Darkness Within Us, a companion to The Shadows Between Us. The Darkness Within Us has fancy edges, in contrast with the title, but don't let the lovely packaging fool you. Chrystantha Stathos is one villanous duchess who is going to stop at nothing to get all the power . . .
And Chuck Tingle is back this week too, with Bury Your Gays, an instant classic about tired tropes coming back to haunt you, the toxic power dynamics of Hollywood, and all the monsters from our yesterdays. We're continually delighted by Tingle's earnest claim that "love is real" while simaltaneously delivering some searing and terrifying horror. Bury Your Gays holds nothing back.
And Taffy Brodesser-Akner is back this week with Long Island Compromise, a book Oprah Daily calls "a big, juicy, wickedly funny social satire." Long Island Compromise is Brodesser-Akner's follow-up to Fleishman is in Trouble, and demonstrates that the author has her finger on the dying pulse of the American Dream. This one has evil eyes, psychological breakdowns, ambition and boredom (in unequal measure), dybbuks, pyramind schemes, beta-blockers, psychics, and the things we don't like to talk about publicly that hold families together. Recommended.
And Peng Shepherd returns with All This & More, which is the story of Marsha, who gets a chance to rewrite her life story when she is selected to star in All This And More, a global phenomenon that uses quantum technology to allow contestants to revisit their pasts and tweak things a bit. However, there's a catch . . .
There's always a catch, isn't there? Usually hidden on the eightieth page of a ninety-page contract. But in this case, the catch is more meta than that. Marsha's future (and past, if you will) are determined by you, the reader. OMG, friends. It's got multiple endings!
You know we have a soft spot for these sorts of things.
And speaking of wandering about in our dreams, here is Miye Lee's The Dallergut Dream Department Store, which is about that shopping emporium that exists in our subconscious, where we can get all sorts of dreams. It follows Penny, a new hire at Dallergut, as she explores the world beneath the world. This one is for fans of Matt Haig's Midnight Library and any of the books about coffee shops and cats and time travel. Charming!
And this week's surprise is a new book from Paulo Bacigalupi. This is Navola, a new fantasy novel that is equal parts The Godfather power-broking, Game of Thrones back-stabbing, and Renaissance-style Borgia excess. Bacigalupi is an adroit world-builder and tension-wrangler, and we know this one is going to be filled with all sorts of betrayal, debauchery, and narrative twists. Yes, please!
And finally, here is P. H. Low's These Deathless Shores, which revisits the classic tale of Peter Pan from the perspective of Jordan, a Lost Boy who forces their way back to the island with its magical pixie dust. Jordan is going to demand a showdown with Peter, and if that makes them the villain, well, so be it. These Deathless Shores is the origin story we didn't know we needed, and in being so, shows us another side of the perils of unending childhood.
And that's the list this week. Stay cool, dear friends. Find yourself a book that will read quickly enough that the turning pages will generate a breeze. That may be the secret to staying cool this month.
If you do venture outside, don't forget to come downtown and participate in our Where's Waldo activity. That bespectacled wanderer is lurking in many stores downtown. Can you find him in all his hidden locations? There are prizes to be won!
Many thanks to Candlewick Press, Toysmith, and the Sumner Main Street Association, who were all instrumental in making the event happen this year.
