It’s that time of year again where the weather can’t quite make up it’s mind. One day it’s warm and spring-like and the next day it’s cold and snowy. One thing that remains unchanged though is that Tuesday brings with it a lot of great new books. This week features stories about everything from teens with special powers to the drug war to the Irish potato famine. And if you don’t want to wait for Spring to arrive before you start enjoying flowers, there’s even a well-reviewed guide to floral arranging all year long. So let’s get to it! These are this weeks best new books:
FICTION
Goulash by Brian Kimberling
Eager to escape stifling small-town Indiana, Elliott moves to Prague, where he gets a job teaching English. It’s 1998, and the Czech Republic is moving with increasing rapidity out of the shadow of communism and into the wilds of twenty-first-century capitalism. Elliott meets his students in a variety of pubs and conducts his lessons over pints of local Radegast beer. He gets his shoes stolen by an experimental artist who engages Elliott in a number of eccentric schemes. And he meets Amanda, an English teacher from the UK, with whom he falls in love.
Together, they try to make a place for themselves as strangers in this strange land. They explore the dark history and surprising wonders of their adopted city, touring the twisting ancient streets and encountering expats, movie stars, tobacco executives, a former Soviet informant, and the president of Poland. But the forces that are reshaping the city are also at work on them, and eventually it becomes evident that their idyll must end–that change is the only reality one can’t outrun.
Description from Goodreads.
“A vivid picture of a city creaking and shuddering as it settles into a new dispensation . . . This novel is quick to read, but its compelling pictures and insights will linger in the mind.” – The Washington Times
“A winning, offbeat yarn about life and love after communism.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Kimberling . . . is an exacting wordsmith capable of elegantly simple sentences, and his narrator’s observations are often dryly hilarious . . . A remarkable evocation of time and place.” – Booklist
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Vacuum in the Dark by Jen Beagin
Mona is twenty-six and cleans houses for a living in Taos, New Mexico. She moved there mostly because of a bad boyfriend—a junkie named Mr. Disgusting, long story—and her efforts to restart her life since haven’t exactly gone as planned. For one thing, she’s got another bad boyfriend. This one she calls Dark, and he happens to be married to one of Mona’s clients. He also might be a little unstable.
Dark and his wife aren’t the only complicated clients on Mona’s roster, either. There’s also the Hungarian artist couple who—with her addiction to painkillers and his lingering stares—reminds Mona of troubling aspects of her childhood, and some of the underlying reasons her life had to be restarted in the first place. As she tries to get over the heartache of her affair and the older pains of her youth, Mona winds up on an eccentric, moving journey of self-discovery that takes her back to her beginnings where she attempts to unlock the key to having a sense of home in the future.
The only problems are Dark and her past. Neither is so easy to get rid of.
A constantly surprising, laugh-out-loud funny novel about an utterly unique woman dealing with some of the most universal issues in America today, Vacuum in the Dark is an unforgettable, astonishing read from one of the freshest voices in fiction today.
Description from Goodreads.
“A follow-up to the riotous Pretend I’m Dead, this is what a sequel should be: darker, sexier, funnier. By turns nutty and forlorn… Brash, deadpan, and achingly troubled, Mona emerges as that problematic friend you’re nonetheless always thrilled to see.” – O, The Oprah Magazine
“Sharp and superb… Beagin pulls no punches–this novel is viciously smart and morbidly funny.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Inventing situations and conversations that are off-the-charts in both weirdness and relatability, Beagin fashions an enchantingly intriguing main character in unfiltered, warmhearted Mona. This story of a woman embracing life’s what-ifs and her own darkness is a great read.” – Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
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SUSPENSE
The Border by Don Winslow
What do you do when there are no borders? When the lines you thought existed simply vanish? How do you plant your feet to make a stand when you no longer know what side you’re on?
The war has come home.
For over forty years, Art Keller has been on the front lines of America’s longest conflict: The War On Drugs. His obsession to defeat the world’s most powerful, wealthy, and lethal kingpin—the godfather of the Sinaloa Cartel, Adán Barrera—has left him bloody and scarred, cost him people he loves, even taken a piece of his soul.
Now Keller is elevated to the highest ranks of the DEA, only to find that in destroying one monster he has created thirty more that are wreaking even more chaos and suffering in his beloved Mexico. But not just there.
Barrera’s final legacy is the heroin epidemic scourging America. Throwing himself into the gap to stem the deadly flow, Keller finds himself surrounded by enemies—men that want to kill him, politicians that want to destroy him, and worse, the unimaginable—an incoming administration that’s in bed with the very drug traffickers that Keller is trying to bring down.
Art Keller is at war with not only the cartels, but with his own government. And the long fight has taught him more than he ever imagined. Now, he learns the final lesson—there are no borders.
In a story that moves from deserts south of the border to Wall Street, from the slums of Guatemala to the marbled corridors of Washington, D.C., Winslow follows a new generation of narcos, the cops that fight them, the street traffickers, the addicts, the politicians, money-launderers, real-estate moguls and mere children fleeing the violence for the chance of a life in a new country.
A shattering tale of vengeance, violence, corruption and justice, this last novel in Don Winslow’s magnificent, award-winning, internationally bestselling trilogy is packed with unforgettable, drawn-from-the-headlines scenes. Shocking in its brutality, raw in its humanity, The Border is an unflinching portrait of modern America, a story of—and for—our time.
Description from Goodreads.
“A stunning and timely conclusion to Don Winslow’s drug-war trilogy. . . This is a book for dark, rudderless times, an immersion into fear and chaos. . . You don’t read these books; you live in them.” – New York Times
“Mr. Winslow writes gripping action sequences and wields statistics like a crusading journalist. Grand in scope, audacious in its political portraits, convincing in its socio-economic arguments and humane to the core, The Border is not only a formidable thriller but an important and provocative work.” – Wall Street Journal
“If Dostoevsky slung dope, he might have written the fierce morality tale that Winslow began with The Power of the Dog . . . Truth compacted into narrative by way of meticulous research. . . Eerily prescient and scathing. . . quite simply the most important crime saga in modern literature.” – Arizona Republic
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After She’s Gone by Camilla Grebe
In the two years that have passed since psychological profiler Hanne Lagerlind-Schön survived an attempted murder, she and investigator Peter Lindgren have rekindled their love, and a recent extended vacation in Greenland seems to have eased the symptoms of her early onset dementia. But when the pair is called back to Sweden to investigate a cold case involving the murder of a young girl whose remains were found in a cairn ten years earlier, the icy winter conditions and stress of the job take their toll, and she feels her mind beginning to slip. Desperate not to lose her job–or worse, Peter–Hanne begins keeping a diary, meticulously chronicling everything she’s worried about forgetting.
As Hanne and Peter get closer to solving the case of the murdered girl, they both suddenly go missing. The local police have no leads. The only witness is a teenage boy who sees a woman get into a strange car in the middle of the night but, guarding a secret of his own, he is unable to come forward. The boy, Jake, discovers the notebook Hanne left behind, and reads her notes, fascinated by the unfolding murder case until he makes a shocking realization: his own father was a key suspect in the investigation. Jake becomes determined to uncover the truth on his own.
Hanne reappears days later, with no memory of where she’s been–or who she is. Without her notebook, she is lost and terrified, driven by a single thought: find Peter.
Description from Goodreads.
“This atmospheric mystery is masterfully constructed. . . . Nordic noir at its best.” – Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] stellar crime novel . . . Grebe delivers an unflinching, heart-wrenching message about the plight of refugees in this scorching thriller.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
Available Formats:
HISTORICAL FICTION
We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet
One woman. One little girl. The war that changed everything.
December 1940. In the disorderly evacuation of Southampton, England, newly married Ellen Parr finds a small child asleep on the backseat of an empty bus. No one knows who little Pamela is.
Ellen professed not to want children with her older husband, and when she takes Pamela into her home and rapidly into her heart, she discovers that this is true: Ellen doesn’t want children. She wants only Pamela. Three golden years pass as the Second World War rages on. Then one day Pamela is taken away, screaming. Ellen is no stranger to sorrow, but when she returns to the quiet village life she’s long lived, she finds herself asking: In a world changed by war, is it fair to wish for an unchanged heart?
In the spirit of We Were the Lucky Ones and The Nightingale, here is a novel about courage and kindness, hardship and friendship, and the astonishing power of love.
Description from Goodreads.
“Dazzling . . . As a testament to parental love and its relationship to the heartbreaking, healing, almost ungraspable passage of time, We Must Be Brave is a great success: richly observed, lovingly drawn, and determinedly clear-eyed to the last.” – Guardian
“Deeply moving…A stunningly accurate portrayal of the all-encompassing depth of a mother’s love (whether she’s the biological mother or not). Read it and weep.” – AARP Magazine
“Intense passion is concealed behind a facade of British modesty in this…blazing story of hearts wounded and restored.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
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The Irishman’s Daughter by V.S. Alexander
Ireland, 1845. To Briana Walsh, no place on earth is more beautiful than Carrowteige, County Mayo, with its sloping fields and rocky cliffs perched above the wild Atlantic. The small farms that surround the centuries-old Lear House are managed by her father, agent to the wealthy, reckless Sir Thomas Blakely. Tenant farmers sell the oats and rye they grow to pay rent to Sir Thomas, surviving on the potatoes that flourish in the remaining scraps of land. But when the potato crop falls prey to a devastating blight, families Briana has known all her life are left with no food, no resources, and no mercy from the English landowner, who seems indifferent to everything except profit.
Rory Caulfield, the hard-working young farmer Briana hopes to marry, shares the locals’ despair–and their anger. There’s talk of violent reprisals against the callous gentry and their agents. Briana’s studious older sister, Lucinda, dreams of a future far beyond Mayo. But even as hunger and disease settle over the country, killing and displacing millions, Briana knows she must find a way to guide her family through one of Ireland’s darkest hours–toward hope, love, and a new beginning.
Description from Goodreads.
“In this powerful historical saga, Alexander explores how Ireland’s Great Potato Famine of 1845 changes lives forever, and how love can blossom against even the greatest of odds…Alexander’s research lends unquestionable weight to the story…Accompanied by an expertly rendered plot, bold and empathetic characters, and prose the jumps off the page, this tale will particularly satisfy fans of historicals and those looking for stories about the redeeming grace of faith and hard work.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“…an impactful and moving story.” – Historical Novel Society
“…a powerful story of strength and resilience during one of the darkest times in [Ireland’s] history. … With compassion and vivid detail, Alexander casts a hopeful light on remarkable and complex characters faced with seemingly insurmountable odds.” – Southern Lady Magazine
Available Formats:
ROMANCE
California Girls by Susan Mallery
The California sunshine’s not quite so bright for three sisters who get dumped in the same week…
Finola, a popular LA morning show host, is famously upbeat until she’s blindsided on live TV by news that her husband is sleeping with a young pop sensation who has set their affair to music. While avoiding the tabloids and pretending she’s just fine, she’s crumbling inside, desperate for him to come to his senses and for life to go back to normal.
Zennie’s breakup is no big loss. Although the world insists she pair up, she’d rather be surfing. So agreeing to be the surrogate for her best friend is a no-brainer—after all, she has an available womb and no other attachments to worry about. Except…when everyone else, including her big sister, thinks she’s making a huge mistake, being pregnant is a lot lonelier—and more complicated—than she imagined.
Never the tallest, thinnest or prettiest sister, Ali is used to being overlooked, but when her fiancé sends his disapproving brother to call off the wedding, it’s a new low. And yet Daniel continues to turn up “for support,” making Ali wonder if maybe—for once—someone sees her in a way no one ever has.
But side by side by side, these sisters will start over and rebuild their lives with all the affection, charm and laugh-out-loud humor that is classic Susan Mallery.
Description from Goodreads.
“…heartwarming… believable and real. Mallery fans and newcomers alike will adore this tale about the bonds of sisterhood and friendship tested by life’s ups and downs.” – Publishers Weekly
“My go-to author for heartfelt stories with the perfect amount of humor and humility woven in, Susan Mallery’s carefully crafted novels are sure to please. Whether you’re already a fan or not, I think California Girls has the type of storyline that will stick with you long after you finish reading.” – Harlequin Junkie
“In just a few pages Susan Mallory has you absolutely hooked… Be prepared to be very angry, sad, and happy almost simultaneously.” – Fresh Fiction
Available Formats:
SCI-FI & FANTASY
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
For centuries, the kingdom of Iraden has been protected by the god known as the Raven. He watches over his territory from atop a tower in the powerful port of Vastai. His will is enacted through the Raven’s Lease, a human ruler chosen by the god himself. His magic is sustained via the blood sacrifice that every Lease must offer. And under the Raven’s watch, the city flourishes.
But the power of the Raven is weakening. A usurper has claimed the throne. The kingdom borders are tested by invaders who long for the prosperity that Vastai boasts. And they have made their own alliances with other gods.
It is into this unrest that the warrior Eolo–aide to Mawat, the true Lease–arrives. And in seeking to help Mawat reclaim his city, Eolo discovers that the Raven’s Tower holds a secret. Its foundations conceal a dark history that has been waiting to reveal itself…and to set in motion a chain of events that could destroy Iraden forever.
Description from Goodreads.
“Leckie’s tale takes on a mythic, metafictional quality…and the story’s elements weave into a stunning conclusion. This impressive piece of craftsmanship cements Leckie’s place as a powerful voice in both SF and fantasy.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Sharp, many layered, and, as always for Leckie, deeply intelligent.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Leckie has created an enthralling and well-realized fantasy world, full of not only magic and gods but also characters representing a broad spectrum of gender and sexuality. Highly recommended for…anyone looking for exciting and boundary-pushing fantasy.” – Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
Available Formats:
NONFICTION
Don’t Label Me: An Incredible Conversation for Divided Times by Irshad Manji
In these United States, discord has hit emergency levels. Civility isn’t the reason to repair our caustic chasms. Diversity is.
Don’t Label Me shows that America’s founding genius is diversity of thought. Which is why social justice activists won’t win by labeling those who disagree with them. At a time when minorities are fast becoming the majority, a truly new America requires a new way to tribe out.
Enter Irshad Manji and her dog, Lily. Raised to believe that dogs are evil, Manji overcame her fear of the “other” to adopt Lily. She got more than she bargained for. Defying her labels as an old, blind dog, Lily engages Manji in a taboo-busting conversation about identity, power, and politics. They’re feisty. They’re funny. And in working through their challenges to one another, they reveal how to open the hearts of opponents for the sake of enduring progress. Readers who crave concrete tips will be delighted.
Studded with insights from epigenetics and epistemology, layered with the lessons of Bruce Lee, Ben Franklin, and Audre Lorde, punctuated with stories about Manji’s own experiences as a refugee from Africa, a Muslim immigrant to the U.S., and a professor of moral courage, Don’t Label Me makes diversity great again.
Description from Goodreads.
“Manji’s plea for unity is laudable and well-articulated. Those seeking a level-headed approach to reaching common ground will find Manji and Lily’s conversation instructive.” – Publishers Weekly
“…the ability to rethink and re-address long-held ideas and assumptions, is at the heart of this jubilantly intelligent and quintessentially human and optimistic book, one that is fundamentally important in a dangerously polarized and divided time.” – The Star
“Manji ponders deeply divisive subjects such as Black Lives Matter and homophobia…in the hope that society can evolve to bridge its divides and abandon its labels.” – Booklist
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Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
In December 1972, Jean McConville, a thirty-eight-year-old mother of ten, was dragged from her Belfast home by masked intruders, her children clinging to her legs. They never saw her again. Her abduction was one of the most notorious episodes of the vicious conflict known as The Troubles. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the I.R.A. was responsible. But in a climate of fear and paranoia, no one would speak of it. In 2003, five years after an accord brought an uneasy peace to Northern Ireland, a set of human bones was discovered on a beach. McConville’s children knew it was their mother when they were told a blue safety pin was attached to the dress–with so many kids, McConville always kept it handy for diapers or ripped clothes.
Patrick Radden Keefe’s mesmerizing book on the bitter conflict in Northern Ireland and its aftermath uses the McConville case as a starting point for the tale of a society wracked by a violent guerrilla war, a war whose consequences have never been reckoned with. The brutal violence seared not only people like the McConville children, but also I.R.A. members embittered by a peace that fell far short of the goal of a united Ireland, and left them wondering whether the killings they committed were not justified acts of war, but simple murders. From radical and impetuous I.R.A. terrorists–or volunteers, depending on which side one was on–such as Dolours Price, who, when she was barely out of her teens, was already planting bombs in London and targeting informers for execution, to the ferocious I.R.A. mastermind known as The Dark, to the spy games and dirty schemes of the British Army, to Gerry Adams, who negotiated the peace and denied his I.R.A. past, betraying his hardcore comrades–Say Nothing conjures a world of passion, betrayal, vengeance, and anguish.
Description from Goodreads.
“Keefe’s narrative is an architectural feat, expertly constructed out of complex and contentious material, arranged and balanced just so. … This sensitive and judicious book raises some troubling, and perhaps unanswerable, questions.” – New York Times
“[Keefe] incorporates a real-life whodunit into a moving, accessible account of the violence that has afflicted Northern Ireland… Tinged with immense sadness, this work never loses sight of the humanity of even those who committed horrible acts in support of what they believed in.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“A searing reflection on the Troubles and their aftermath… Masterly.” – The Economist
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I.M.: A Memoir by Isaac Mizrahi
Isaac Mizrahi is sui generis: designer, cabaret performer, talk-show host, a TV celebrity. Yet ever since he shot to fame in the late 1980s, the private Isaac Mizrahi has remained under wraps. Until now.
In I.M., Isaac Mizrahi offers a poignant, candid, and touching look back on his life so far. Growing up gay in a sheltered Syrian Jewish Orthodox family, Isaac had unique talents that ultimately drew him into fashion and later into celebrity circles that read like a who’s who of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries: Richard Avedon, Audrey Hepburn, Anna Wintour, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Meryl Streep, and Oprah Winfrey, to name only a few.
In his elegant memoir, Isaac delves into his lifelong battles with weight, insomnia, and depression. He tells what it was like to be an out gay man in a homophobic age and to witness the ravaging effects of the AIDS epidemic. Brimming with intimate details and inimitable wit, Isaac’s narrative reveals not just the glamour of his years, but the grit beneath the glitz. Rich with memorable stories from in and out of the spotlight, I.M. illuminates deep emotional truths.
Description from Goodreads.
“Fashion designer Mizrahi reveals the many layers of his exceptional life in this witty, intelligent memoir….In luminous prose, Mizrahi chronicles not only the glamour…but also the low points of his life….This is a must-read for fashion fanatics.” – Publishers Weekly
“Honest, insightful, and thoroughly entertaining…Mizrahi comes off in writing just like his onscreen persona: warm, witty, humble―and ready to dish.” – Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“I.M. is a surprisingly literary work; he sharply describes his world…a playful read, yet there is a weight to it, a few heavy paillettes to keep the structure in place.” – BookForum
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Seasonal Flower Arranging: Fill Your Home with Blooms, Branches, and Foraged Materials All Year Round by Ariella Chezar
This lavishly photographed book from renowned floral designer Ariella Chezar provides step-by-step instructions for 39 seasonal floral arrangements and projects that celebrate the splendor of flowers, the bounty of the changing seasons, and the wild beauty of nature in your home.
Just as fruits and vegetables taste best when they are harvested locally and seasonally, flowers that are picked close to home and at their peak reflect a true connection to time and place. Nature does not deliver its harvest all at once–each season has its stars and Ariella Chezar, author of The Flower Workshop, shows you how to make the most of them.
Seasonal Flower Arranging follows Mother Nature’s lead to create dazzling arrangements from the distinctive gifts of the changing seasons, from a charming spring bouquet for Mother’s Day to a bold garland for a summer wedding, and from a bounteous Thanksgiving table to a wintery holiday wreath. There are arrangements for seasonal holidays, special occasions, or just everyday life featuring tulips, roses, peonies, dahlias, and other flowers that are easily found at farmers’ markets, local shops, or grown in your own backyard. The book includes detailed instructions on how to re-create 39 floral designs, plus the inspiration and techniques to allow you to create your own original art out of nature.
Description from Goodreads.
“An elegant walk through the seasons punctuated by her inspired creations….The combination of instructions, photographs, and elegant prose makes for a delightful companion for gardeners, florists, or armchair naturalists.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“The tome veritably explodes with color photographs of whimsy and imagination…A pioneer in the farm-to-vase movement, Chezar will get readers arranging for an Easter parade or garden arch, an Indian-summer tribute or a Hanukkah table.” – Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“[Ariella Chezar’s] new book, Seasonal Flower Arranging, provides valuable tips and how-to’s for creating her lush, artistic style.” – Flower Magazine
Available Formats:
YOUNG ADULT
The Dysasters by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Foster Stewart knows she’s different. Her life has never been “normal.” Talking to plants and controlling cloud formations aren’t things most seventeen year olds are into. Tate “Nighthawk” Taylor is perfect. Star quarterback and all around dreamy boy next door he never thought about his “extra” abilities. What quarterback wouldn’t want night vision? That’s not weird, right? It’s cool!
But on the night of their first meeting a deadly tornado brings them together and awakens their true abilities – the power to control the element air. Unbeknown to Tate and Foster, they are the first in a group of teens that were genetically manipulated before birth to bond with the elements. Which truly sucks for Foster, as she has to face the fact that Dr. Rick Stewart, her beloved scientist father, betrayed her and now wants to use her and the others for his own nefarious world domination plot.
Foster and Tate must stop Dr. Stewart and his minions before he destroys their lives and the world.
Description from Goodreads.
“This sci-fi romance offers a diverse cast and an action-packed plot; a great choice for both new adult and young adult readers. An engaging read.” – School Library Journal
“The mother-and-daughter authors have successfully created a fast-paced series opener.” – Publisher’s Weekly
“The mother-daughter writing team has a built-in audience from their phenomenally popular House of Night books; a must-buy for genre fans.” – Booklist
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