Soon to be Released!
December 31, 2020
If your Christmas stocking featured a book shop gift card and you’re looking for spending inspiration or you want to get your name in early at the library, take a peek at these titles releasing in the next few weeks. 2021 is already shaping up to be a stellar book year! You will see some favourite writers in the midst along with a few new names (to me anyway). I have a burgeoning bedside table but know that I’ll be keeping an eye out for these too.
Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson – Canadian Jennifer Robson has written several acclaimed novels based on historical events and eras. (The Gown, Somewhere in France, Moonlight Over Paris …) Her thorough research and ability to craft characters who capture our hearts leads me to believe this will be another winner. Set in Italy during the Second World War, and based on a true story, Our Darkest Night is “a compelling tale of bravery, perseverance, and the immeasurable power of love in the face of adversity.” (Kristin Beck) January 5/21
The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves – Kind of cheating as this was actually first published in April 2019 but is about to be released in paperback. “… a compelling novel with beautifully rendered characters, an extraordinary tale filled with sensitivity and empathy that gives readers a peek into the world of autism through the eyes of a woman who proves to be as audacious as she is charming. Readers, don’t you dare miss this love story.” Descriptions make me think of a bit of a Queen’s Gambit vibe. Without the darkness and drinks! January 7/21
Better Luck Next Time by Julia Claiborne Johnson – “Better Luck Next Time crackles with wit and wisdom. This delightful novel of love and loss on a divorce ranch in Nevada during the Great Depression is poignant, hilarious, and, at times, achingly sad. I love this glorious book!” (Mary Pauline Lowry) Until the 1970s, Divorce ranches in Reno were destinations for those seeking a “quickie” divorce, granted after 6 weeks as a resident. Also known as getting Reno-vated! January 5/21
The Children’s Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin – The Children’s Blizzard was an actual epic storm that took place in January 1888 across the Midwest US. It came up suddenly and caught many school children, most of homesteading immigrant families, making their way home. “In this atmospheric novel, as relentlessly paced as a thriller, you experience the encroaching storm from many perspectives and, in the process, understand something important about the tenacity of the human spirit.” (Christina Baker Kline) January 12/21
The Last Garden of England by Julia Kelly – “Kelly’s novel encompasses everything I love in historical fiction: a dramatic setting depicted so vividly I could’ve sworn I was strolling through the gardens of Highbury House as I turned the pages, and a series of stories that intertwine each other effortlessly, echoing the theme of love lost and found. A delight.” (Fiona Davis) If that review doesn’t have you on your way to putting this on the shelf … grand English Manors and luscious gardens … done! Julia Kelly has also recently written the well reviewed, The Light Over London and The Whispers of War. January 12/21
That Old Country Music by Kevin Barry – Barry is an accomplished novelist and short-story writer with an exquisite gift for language. This is a collection of eleven short stories set among the characters and landscape of his native Ireland. This interview in the Paris Review (here) may give us a sense of the humour he is capable of incorporating into even sometimes darker tales. “I had to quit reading this book the first day I had it in my hands, just so I could have it to read the next day. It’s that good.” (Richard Ford) January 12/21
How the One Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones – Set in a Barbados resort community where conflicts among the beach dwellers and the well-off mansion owners simmer and a botched robbery has dramatic repercussions. “How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House is simply brilliant. By the first chapter, it burned into my heart. Ambitious, poetic, and layered with the rich voices of its many stunning characters, this terrific debut novel by Cherie Jones opened my eyes to the many ways that her young Barbadian protagonist must fight for her life.” (Lawrence Hill) January 26/21
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah – The Nightingale and The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah are two of the most compelling reads I’ve experienced in recent years. This new novel is set in the 1930s Depression era and follows a woman making difficult decisions for her family while draught and despair surround her. I have no doubt that it will be at least as engaging as the earlier reads. “Hannah brings Dust Bowl migration to life in this riveting story of love, courage, and sacrifice…combines gritty realism with emotionally rich characters and lyrical prose that rings brightly and true from the first line“ – (Publishers Weekly) February 2/21
Red Island House by Andrea Lee – Another one with an intriguing location and social challenges. “From National Book Award–nominated writer Andrea Lee, an epic, gorgeously evocative novel about love and identity, following two decades in the marriage between an African American professor and her wealthy Italian husband as it unfolds on the remote and mysterious island of Madagascar.” (Publisher) March 23/21
