I'm not a fan of Winter, and I live in a warm state! I can't imagine what it would be like to be snowbound, though there are some great books written about that very thing. I am ready for Spring and to welcome back the Sun!
One good thing about this time of year: there are some wonderful books coming out in the next few months. And what better way to spend a cold, dreary day than curled up with a good book!
Speaking of cold, one of my favorite reads recently, The Current, by Tim Johnston, was just published yesterday. The author does a great job with the setting in this novel, and it's shiver-inducing!
In the middle of winter, outside a small Minnesota town, two young women are pulled from a river. One survives, and in her grief over losing her friend and someone else close to her, she realizes that her accident is linked to an unsolved murder that happened 10 years before.
This book has a lot of characters, and the POV of the narrative switches frequently. That, along with the sentence structure makes this a challenging read, but I found it really hard to put down. The narrative is so propulsive and immersive that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I do like to be challenged as a reader and appreciate it when authors take risks that work. It will stay with me a long time. More than a mystery, it is also a meditation on love and loss and grief and memory. When I turned the last page, I felt I had been in the hands of a master. It has gotten really good reviews, and I hope that it reaches a wide audience. Not everyone will find it to be their kind of read, but it sure worked for me. Thanks to Algonquin and the library marketing division at Workman Publishing for the early galley of this excellent novel, which was also a January LibraryReads pick!
Another book celebrating a Book Birthday yesterday is The Woman Inside by E.G. Scott, the pen name for two long-time friends, one a publishing professional and the other a screenwriter. I would say this book has the feel of Gone Girl and The Woman in the Window in terms of characterization and narrative, so if you are a fan of those books, you will probably like this one. It has messed up characters and unreliable narrators, a trend that is still with us!
Deliciously twisty, with impeccable plotting, this one took me by complete surprise. The scenes with the detective characters were some of my favorites, and the authors have told me that another book is in the works with them in it! With its jaw-dropping ending that didn't turn out at all the way I expected, this one will linger - and maybe make me question what my own spouse has been getting up to. I would recommend this psychological thriller to those who enjoy complex thrillers that mess with your head! I appreciate Dutton and the library marketing division of Penguin Random House for early access to the galley!
Though not normally a big fan of historical fiction, I appreciated so much getting a print galley of Woman 99 from Sourcebooks. It will be published in early March. This novel ended being an interesting read, especially after researching the true historical figure of Nelly Bly, upon whom the book is based. (And I just saw recently that there is a Lifetime Movie coming out about the same subject matter).
When Charlotte Smith's wealthy parents send her beloved sister, Phoebe, to a private asylum for women, she cannot accept the fact that her sister is insane. Going undercover as a mental patient herself, Charlotte gradually comes to understand that some of the women really do need help, and others have been unfairly committed. But into which category does Phoebe belong?
The characters are distinct and well-developed, the descriptions of the settings in the novel are vivid, and the situations that are described are quite often harrowing. The ending was quite satisfying, always a big plus. I would recommend this one to fans of historical fiction with strong female characters.
Finally, there are a number of additional yet-to-be-published books I am working on right now, but haven't finished:
I will let you know what I think!
Happy Reading!
