Welcome to the early March edition of the bookstore newsletter, wherein we shall be arranging books on the shelves in specific patterns meant to emulate the migratory routes of passerines. Trust us. It makes sense when you stand near the fireplace and look to your left with one eye covered.
The first book you'll spot is Sarah Penner's The London Séance Society. Penner, who delighted us a while back with The Lost Apothecary, has written a book about Victorian secret societies, mediums, and strange occult mysteries. There are whiffs of the paranormal, hints of whodunits, and the marvelous powers found in unexpected friendships. Recommended.
And speaking of Victorian-era investigators, Deanna Raybourn is back this week with a new Veronica Speedwell novel. In A Sinister Revenge, Speedwell and her natural-historian handy-man Stoker must investigate the mysterious deaths of several members of a group of dinner party friends. As the Seven Sinners gather (well, five) for one last dinner party, the pair must figure out who the killer is before dessert. We'll anticipate that you'll read this one just as quickly.
And speaking of whiplash style plotting, Cara Black returns with Night Flight to Paris, her second Kate Rees WWII novel. Rees, a one-time spy who left the service to teach sharpshooting to Scots, is yanked back into the game when she is tasked with assassinating a high-ranking German operative who could spoil the Allies' plans for invading Europe. Along the way, she encounters sheiks and spies, poets and partisans, as she attempts to complete a daring three-part mission.
And here's a debut that's caught our eye. Jacqueline Holland's The God of Endings is a book about the gift of immortality, the curse of immortality, and how to navigate the two extremes. It's not a vampire novel, per se, but, well, you don't live forever without, you know, extraordinary circumstances. In The God of Endings, lonely Collette LeSange finds her solitary life as a teacher at an elite art school upset by the arrival of a gifted child from a troubled home. There's a little bit of Anne Rice here, a little bit of V. E. Schwab, and a little bit of Maggie O'Farrell. Those are some good comps.
Groovy cover too.
And speaking of books that sink their booky fangs into your arm, Jennifer Egan's The Candy House is out in paperback this week. Egan's latest novel is a kaleidoscopically splintered view of our modern era, all shivered into bytes, bits, and breakbeats. It's about reality, the persistence of our identities, and how uploading our consciousnesses into the cloud is a bit like everyone peeing in the swimming pool at the same time. It's nice to be part of something bigger than you, but at the same time, maybe you shouldn't have jumped in so quickly, you know?
Meanwhile, all of Day Pilkey's Captain Underpants books are out in full color this week. In case you were waiting expectantly for another Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space or to revisit The Big Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy (Parts 1 and 2!).
And speaking of older things in new formats, Leigh Bardugo's Rule of Wolves is out in paperback this week, completing the second duology following the original Grishaverse trilogy. Probably not the best place to start, but hey! There are seven books to read now if you're looking for something to fill the days through summer. Plus you can totally check that "Read the final book in a series" box on your book club challenge.
The second book in Rebecca Roanhorse's Between Earth and Sky series is out this week as well. In Fevered Star, we have approaching comets, wily sea captains, and living avatars. This is widescreen, Technicolor-scope fantasy.
Now, if you're dismayed by not knowing where to start with all of these, might we suggest Max Gladstone's Dead Country. Yes, it's a Craft novel, and yes, it's like the sixth or eighth in the series, but Gladstone has positioned Dead Country as an entry point. Ease yourself into the sprawling world of dead gods, corporate Concerns, and rapacious capital with the story of Tara Abernathy, who resurrects gods, averts wars, and saves cities. And that's just last weekend. Wait until you see what she accomplishes this week.
And speaking of accomplishing things, Eleanor Catton has a new book out this week. Unlike the sprawling The Luminaries, Birnam Wood is a taut little eco-thriller of a book. Whittled down to a fine point, this book is about what happens in a town that is cut off from the rest of the world after a tragic landslide. Naturally, everyone's culpability and intentions are distorted, falsified, and twisted back on themselves over the course of 432 pages, all of which lead up to an ending that will knock your slippers clean off your feet. You might want to position yourself accordingly on the couch as you finish.
Meanwhile, with The Curator, Owen King starts with a familiar setup well established by his dad—the everyday city, populated by everyday sorts, one of whom has a secret that is putting them at odds with everyone else. But then he quickly shows you a tab you didn't see earlier, and when you peel it back, you find nothing is true and everything is transformed into a dazzling configuration that is equal parts Victorian gothic thriller and Bulgakovesque government satire. It's like Needful Things meets Brazil by way of Time Bandits.
And speaking of extraordinary spaces and the characters that inhabit them, here is Emilia Hart's Weyward, which is the story of three witches, in three different time periods, and how their stories are an integral and interconnected aspect of the natural world. This one will put out runners and shoots while you read it, and before you know it, you'll find yourself woven into the landscape of Hart's novel. Plan accordingly.
And speaking of pacing yourself, here is Eric LaRocca's latest collection of darkly disturbing horror stories. The Trees Grew Because I Bled There is a collection of eight tales that will alternately horrify, fascinate, and repulse. You know you want it.
And finally, here's something a little lighter. Kristen Lopez has put together a smart list that combines the best in books and movies. But Have You Read the Book? 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favorite Films. Test your knowledge of classic literature and classic cinema. Discover the inspiration behind your favorite films. Marvel at the manner in which some stories have been radically transformed as they were made into movies. This one is great fun to have on the shelf with Michael Schulman's Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears.
