Cautionary tales abound this week, dear readers. Consider yourselves warned.
We begin with We Don't Lose Our Class Goldfish by Ryan T. Higgins. Higgins's ongoing series of illustrated children's books tell the tale of Penelope Rex as she navigates the complicated waters of grade school. The first lesson (and probably the hardest) was that it is difficult to make friends when you eat them, and with some practice, Penelope managed to make it through the day. And now that we've learned some self-control, it's time to learn how to care for another—in this case, the classroom's pet goldfish, Walter. The problem is that Penelope knows that Walter is carnivorous. Given the opportunity, that fish will eat her. Can Penelope manage an overnight with the fish bowl on her dresser? Or will Walter—in a shocking turn of events—disappear?
Jeannette Walls is back this week as well with Hang the Moon, a historical novel about a spirited woman who returns to the family fold after a decade of being an outcast. She's come to claim her place at the table, and she'll weather all manner of secrets and scandals to take what is owed her.
Of course, you get all this from the clever cover image which totally says: "Hey, you know what says 'spunky heroine'? Having her crawl under a Prohibition-era car and change the oil."
Anyway, speaking of indomitable female characters, here is Victor Lavalle's Lone Women. It's the story of Adelaide Henry and her steamer trunk. It's 1914, and Adelaide is on her way to homestead in Montana, fleeing some unfortunate events in California. Now, Montana's a bit rough for a young woman on her own, especially in these pioneer days, but Adelaide is going to be just fine. She's got her trunk, you see, and when that trunk opens . . . For all his evocative language and tightly-wrought narratives, Lavalle is a horror writer at heart, and that means he's going to terrify you as readily as he can charm you. Recommended.
And speaking of horror writers we love, T. Kingfisher is back with A House With Good Bones. This one is the story of a young woman who returns home to visit her mom. Everything seems just fine, except her brother's cryptic warning: "Mom seems off." And when our protagonist arrives . . . well, things are definitely off. And they get worse from there. Oh, this is one of those twisty gothic novels that is equal parts Shirley Jackson and Daphne du Maurier. The screws get tightened every time you turn the page . . .
On a cozier note, Rita Mae Brown returns with another book about murder and cats. Mysterious deaths in Crozet, Virginia are spoiling the holidays, and it's up to Mary Minor "Harry" Harristeen and her four-legged friends to catch a killer before folks wake up on Christmas morning and find a dead body in bed with them.
We have a question about this bit in the marketing copy for Hiss & Tell: "With help from her feline sidekicks, Mrs. Murhpy and Pewter, as well as Tee Tucker the corgi and Pirate . . ." Is Pirate actually a pirate? Or are they just a cat with one leg and an eyepatch? And why isn't Tee Tucker a parrot?
Okay, that's three questions. Whatever.
And speaking of animal sidekicks, there's a new Dog Man book this week. The eleventh. Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea. No, the title doesn't make any sense. That's beside the point. It's just a literary allusion, because that's what Dog Man is all about, right? Riffing on those classics.
Meanwhile, Robert Dugoni is back this week with Her Deadly Game, a thriller about failed chess prodigies, failing criminal defense firms, and failed romances. Of course, the plucky protagonist of Dugoni's courtroom drama is made of stern stuff who will weather all sorts of adversity to save herself, her family, and her family's law practice. No matter how complicated and deadly this court case becomes.
And here's a new collection of short stories from Kelly Link. White Cat, Black Dog finds inspiration in the Brothers Grimm, 17th century French lore, and Scottish ballads. Probably not all at once, though you can never be sure with Link. These stories will confound, delight, and astound in equal measure. Recommended.
And speaking of fables and fairy tales, Katherine Applegate's Wishtree is out in paperback this week. Applegate knows how to reach in and squeeze our hearts just so. You just have to look at her backlist. Odder. The One and Only Ivan. Crenshaw.
Anyway, with Wishtree, Applegate is here to tell the story of Red, the old oak who bears witness to all the wishes in the neighborhood, and Bongo, a crow who lives in Red's branches. Together, they watch as a new family moves into the neighborhood, and this change isn't eagerly accepted by all the residents on the street . . .
And finally, here is Shelby El Otmani's The Book of Superstitions: Black Cats, Yellow Flowers, Broken Mirrors, Cracked Sidewalks, and More Cultural Behaviors & Myths Explained. In case you were wondering if this week was going to go sideways on you . . .
Plan accordingly.
