Historical Fiction
The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel March 2020
This is the final novel in Mantel’s trilogy of historical novels about the life of Thomas Cromwell, and will cover the final four years of Cromwell’s life, starting with Anne Boleyn’s execution in 1536, and (spoiler!) moving to his own execution for treason and heresy in 1540. And she'll be in Boston on March 20th! Unfortunately, I know from a family member that she is quite unpleasant.
The Land Beyond the Sea by Sharon Kay Penman March 2020
From the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Sharon Kay Penman comes the story of the reign of King Baldwin IV and the Kingdom of Jerusalem’s defense against Saladin’s famous army. I have been a huge Penman fan since the summer I spent in DC, poor and only allowed to check out two books at a time by the library. I bought The Sun in Splendor for $1 on the street and, entranced, made it last an entire week.
The year is 1911 when twenty-year-old heiress Peggy Batternberg is invited to spend the summer in America’s Playground; a historical thriller about corruption, class and dangerous obsession set in New York City and Coney Island.
Chawton was the final home of Jane Austen, one of England's finest novelists. Now it's home to a few distant relatives and their diminishing estate. With the last bit of Austen's legacy threatened, a group of disparate individuals come together to preserve both Jane Austen's home and her legacy. These people—a laborer, a young widow, the local doctor, and a movie star, among others—could not be more different and yet they are united in their love for the works and words of Austen.
Fiction
We Wish You Luck by by Caroline Zancan January 2020
In Zancan’s second novel, a group of students at a low-residence MFA program band together to take revenge on a professor who has wronged one of their classmates.
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano January 2020
The story follows Edward, a child who is the sole survivor of a terrible plane crash and returns to the final minutes of the crash.
Weather by Jenny Offill February 2020
I am strangely attuned to librarian stories now! This is about a librarian in New York assigned to answer the climate change mail and how it changes her life. The title also refers to the prevailing atmosphere in the country, after the election of Trump, which happens around halfway through the book.
Suspense
Hid from Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming April 2020
Russ and Clare find themselves investigating two mysteries from the past - 1952 and 1972 – that are connected to a present day 911 call. This is the ninth in one of my favorite series.
The Cutting Place by Jane Casey February 2020
In book 9 in the series, DS Maeve Kerrigan finds herself in an unfamiliar world of wealth, luxury and ruthless behavior when she and her partner Josh Derwent investigate the murder of a young journalist, Paige Hargreaves.
During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves. Soon one of them is dead.
I started this last night! After serving in the United States military, Hayley changes career paths and ends up working at the White House. When the president’s Chief of Staff dies unexpectedly, Hayley is the only one who finds this suspicious and uncovers a conspiracy.
Romance
Headliners by Lucy Parker January 2020
My copy has finally arrived! Sparks fly when two feuding TV presenters are thrown together to host a live morning show in Lucy Parker's latest enemies-to-lovers contemporary. Check out this EW mention!
The Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren March 2020
A romantic comedy about what happens when two assistants tasked with keeping their bosses’ rocky relationship from explosion start to feel sparks of their own. This book was in high demand at ALA Midwinter and the S&S minions at the show would not give me a copy! Having been a minion in my day, I could usually judge the real fans and would sneak them an ARC if they were nice to me.
YA
Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett April 2020 (delayed to November)
An ambitious teen returns to her hometown only to have her plans interrupted after falling for the town’s “bad boy”—a.k.a. her childhood best friend.
The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski March 2020
Nirrim lives in a restrictive world where people of her low status follow grim rules, so she hides her secret and stays out of trouble. But then she encounters Sid, a rakish traveler from far away, who whispers rumors that the High Kith possess magic. Sid tempts Nirrim to seek that magic for herself. I hope I like this as much as her Winner's trilogy.
When Pepper and Jack find their family restaurants in competition for ownership of a legendary grilled cheese recipe, they become locked in a Twitter war, filled with snarky memes, that goes viral. But tweeting with the enemy shouldn’t be this fun. Will their online battle move to an IRL romance neither of them expected?
More Than Maybe by Erin Hahn May 2020
Growing up under his punk rocker dad’s spotlight, eighteen-year-old Luke Greenly knows fame and wants nothing to do with it. He hides his musical talent but has another secret. He also has a major un-requited crush on music blogger, Vada Carsewell.
Children’s
A powerful novel that explodes the stigma around child sexual abuse and leavens an intense tale with compassion and humor. This was the book I most hoped to find at ALA Midwinter and I was rewarded!
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