Books Publishing this Week
Books Publishing this Week: January 21 - 27
I want to note that I do not get paid to do these posts, I just love authors and the book industry. However, they do take time and energy to create. If you want to donate a few dollars to my coffee fund, which keeps this blog going, you can do so here: https://venmo.com/AshleyHasty or here: http://paypal.me/hastybooklist.
Imagine this:
As the chilly winds of January whistle outside your window, you find solace in the warmth of your cozy reading nook. The weekend stretches ahead, a canvas waiting to be painted with the hues of literary adventures. Armed with a steaming cup of your favorite tea, you eagerly unwrap the pristine pages of a brand new book, its cover promising a journey into uncharted worlds.
The anticipation is palpable as you settle into the cushions, the embrace of your favorite blanket enveloping you like a cocoon. The scent of freshly printed pages wafts through the air, a subtle fragrance that signals the beginning of a literary escape. The weight of the book in your hands feels just right, promising hours of immersive storytelling.
As you turn the first page, you step into a world created by the author's imagination. The characters come to life, their personalities unfolding with every sentence. The setting is vividly painted, transporting you to distant landscapes and intriguing locales. The author's words are a symphony, weaving a tapestry of emotions that resonate with your own experiences.
Outside, the world may be covered in a blanket of snow, but within the pages of your book, a different kind of magic unfolds. The January weekend becomes a portal to other dimensions, and you become a silent spectator to the characters' triumphs, struggles, and heartfelt moments. The ticking of the clock fades into the background as you lose yourself in the rhythm of the narrative.
The characters become your companions, their victories and defeats tugging at the strings of your own emotions. You find yourself cheering for the underdog, empathizing with the protagonist's dilemmas, and marveling at the unexpected plot twists. The book becomes a mirror reflecting your own hopes, fears, and aspirations, creating a connection that transcends the physical boundaries of the pages.
Outside, the world may be covered in a blanket of snow, but within the pages of your book, a different kind of magic unfolds.
The gentle glow of your reading lamp casts a warm glow over the pages, creating a cocoon of soft light that shields you from the darkness outside. The sound of turning pages is like a soothing melody, a quiet rhythm that accompanies the narrative. The ambiance is serene, allowing you to immerse yourself fully in the world within the book.
As the story unfolds, you find yourself savoring each chapter, reluctant to rush through the pages. The January weekend becomes a sanctuary of literary indulgence, a time when the demands of the outside world can be momentarily set aside. The characters become your confidants, their stories a source of inspiration and introspection.
The tea in your cup gradually cools, forgotten in the midst of the captivating narrative. The world outside your window may be cold and still, but within the confines of your reading nook, there is a vibrancy, a pulsating energy fueled by the words on the page. Time seems to stretch and contract, a fluid concept that bends to the whims of the fictional universe you inhabit.
As the final chapters approach, a bittersweet feeling settles in. The journey is coming to an end, and you can't help but feel a twinge of sadness at the thought of parting ways with the characters who have become your temporary companions. Yet, there is also a sense of fulfillment, a deep satisfaction derived from the rich literary experience that has unfolded over the January weekend.
As you close the book, a contented sigh escapes your lips. The January weekend may be drawing to a close, but the memories of the literary voyage linger. The world outside your window may still be cold and wintry, but within the pages of that brand new book, you discovered a warmth that transcended the boundaries of the season. The weekend may end, but the magic of reading endures, a timeless refuge that awaits your return whenever the need for escape arises.
Scroll down to find out what book you could be reading this weekend…
Picasso's Lovers by Jeanne Mackin
A tangled and vivid portrait of the women caught in Picasso’s charismatic orbit through the affairs, the scandals, and the art—only this time, they hold the brush.
The women of Picasso’s life are glamorous and elusive, existing in the shadow of his fame—until 1950s aspiring journalist Alana Olson determines to bring one into the light. Unsure of what to expect but bent on uncovering what really lies beneath the canvas, Alana steps into Sara Murphy’s well-guarded home to discover a past complicated by secrets and intrigue.
Sara paints a luxurious picture of the French Riviera in 1923, but also a tragic one. The more Sara reveals, the more cracks emerge in Picasso’s once-vibrant social circle—and the more Alana feels a disturbing convergence with her own life. Who are these other muses? What became of them? What will become of her?
Desperate to trace the threads, Alana dives into the glittering lives of the past. But to do so she must contend with her own reality, including a strained engagement, the male-dominated world of art journalism, and the rising threat to civil rights in America. With hard truths peeling apart around her, it turns out that the most extraordinary portrait Alana encounters is her own.
The Bullet Swallower: A Novel by Elizabeth Gonzalez James
The Bullet Swallower (January 23rd, 2024; Simon & Schuster) by multi-Pushcart-nominated Elizabeth Gonzalez James is a literary magical realist Western in the vein of Gabriel García Márquez and Larry McMurtry—imagine Blood Meridian as written by Carmen Maria Machado. The story follows a Mexican bandido as he sets off for Texas to save his family, only to encounter a mysterious figure who has come, finally, to collect a cosmic debt generations in the making.
The novel is inspired by the true story of Elizabeth’s great-grandfather who was a bandido in the 1800s. He was chased down by the Texas Rangers, shot in the face, and left for dead, but he lived and was afterwards known as El Tragabalas, or, the Bullet Swallower. Elizabeth was also fascinated by the story of her cousin, Lalo “El Piporro” Gonzalez, who was a movie star in Mexico in the 1950s and 1960s, and who made a film loosely based on her great-grandfather’s story in 1964. The character of Jaime Sonoro is inspired by him.
Elizabeth was impacted by the divisive political environment and hateful rhetoric aimed at migrants. Coming from the Texas/Mexico border herself, she wanted to share a story about the border as she understood it—a complicated, fluid, and beautiful place. The book begs the question who pays for the sins of our ancestors, and whether it is possible to be better than our forebears.
“An utterly original, wild ride rendered by Elizabeth Gonzalez James’ masterful hand that turns the traditional redemption narrative on its head. In cracking open her own family legends, The Bullet Swallower brings to vibrant, three-dimensional life the people and history of the Mexican and Texas border. Full of heart and humor, the magic in this book is not what is invented, but that it makes you wonder what it is, in all our histories, we may have forgotten?”—Xochitl Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming
In addition to her personal motivations for the novel, Elizabeth has a unique publishing story and background. An opera singer with an MBA, she first published a novel (titled Mona at Sea) with the Santa Fe Writer’s project, after being named a finalist in their annual contest. That publication was well received, but had a very limited print run, so in many ways this is her first major release. The dramatic rights for The Bullet Swallower were sold in a competitive bidding war shortly after S&S acquired the book. Her stories and essays have appeared in The Idaho Review, Southern Humanities Review, The Rumpus, StorySouth, PANK, and elsewhere, and have received numerous Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations. She was Interviews Editor at The Rumpus, and a former contributor to Ploughshares Blog. Originally from South Texas, Elizabeth now lives with her family in Massachusetts.
With polished, vivid prose and visceral violence reflective of the arid, cut-throat setting and time period, The Bullet Swallower is an epic intergenerational family saga that scorches into your memory long after reading. If you’re a fan of Outlawed by Anna North, The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin, or Inland by Téa Obreht, you’ll be spellbound by The Bullet Swallower.
The Clinic by Cate Quinn
From the critically acclaimed author of Black Widows comes a thriller set in a remote rehab clinic on the Pacific Northwest coast, in which the death of a woman inside prompts her sister to enter the clinic as a patient in order to find the truth. Perfect for fans of Stacy Willingham and Tarryn Fisher!
Meg works for a casino in LA, catching cheaters and popping a few too many pain pills to cope, following a far different path than her sister Haley, a famous actress. But suddenly reports surface of Haley dying at the remote rehab facility where she had been forced to go to get her addictions under control.
There are whispers of suicide, but Meg can't believe it. She decides that the best way to find out what happened to her sister is to check in herself – to investigate what really happened from the inside.
Battling her own addictions and figuring out the truth will be much more difficult than she imagined, far away from friends, family – and anyone who could help her.
No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall
Emma hasn't told her husband much about her past. He knows her parents are dead and she hasn't spoken to her sisters in years. Then they lose their apartment, her husband gets laid off, and Emma discovers she's pregnant―right as the bank account slips into the red.
That's when Emma confesses that she has one more asset: her parents' house, which she owns jointly with her estranged sisters. They can't sell it, but they can live in it. But returning home means that Emma is forced to reveal her secrets to her husband: that the house is not a run-down farmhouse but a stately mansion, and that her parents died there.
Were murdered.
And that some people say Emma did it.
Emma and her sisters have never spoken about what really happened that night. Now, her return to the house may lure her sisters back, but it will also crack open family and small-town secrets lots of people don’t want revealed. As Emma struggles to reconnect with her old family and hold together her new one, she begins to realize that the things they have left unspoken all these years have put them in danger again.
Radiant Heat by Sarah-Jane Collins
When a catastrophic wildfire suddenly rips through a woman’s hometown, she thinks she is lucky to have survived...until she finds a dead woman in her driveway, clutching a piece of paper with her name on it....
Alison is alive. She rode out the fire on the damp tiles of her bathroom, her entire body swaddled in a wet woolen blanket. The flames crackled around her, the bitter char of eucalyptus settling in the back of her throat. The wildfire devastated the Victoria countryside she calls home, and when Alison creeps out of her hiding place, she spots a soot-covered cherry red car in her driveway, and in it, a woman. She finds the woman’s bag. An ID: Simone Arnold. A piece of paper: Alison’s full name and address. But why?
As Alison searches for answers across Australia’s harsh landscape, she soon learns that the fire isn’t the only threat she’s facing....
The Missing Witness by Allison Brennan
A fast-paced, race-against-time thriller to wrap-up Kara Quinn’s back story…
Kara Quinn is ordered back to Los Angeles to testify in the case against David Chen & his illegal businesses. Chen is out on bail, and there is still a threat to Kara because of it. The FBI doesn’t want to provide federal protection for Kara (they believe that the LAPD should be responsible for her safety) but Matt Costa and Michael Harris accompany her to LA, knowing that Chen’s got people inside the LAPD on his payroll.
Shortly after Kara gives her deposition, someone tries to kill her. When that fails, Kara is then framed for the murder of an FBI agent—which means, if it’s discovered Matt is protecting her, it’ll be the end of his FBI career (he could be accused of harboring a fugitive). Knowing this, Kara flees, determined to cure the mess herself, but she puts her life in jeopardy. Ultimately the book reveals layers of conspiracy and corruption in Los Angeles that enabled David Chen, and others, to operate their illegal sweat shops. This book will resolve the murder of Kara’s former partner—and will leave Kara at a critical crossroads: return to her old life, or sign on officially with the MRT.
Light of the Fire by Sarahlyn Bruck
In this heartrending story about healing from past mistakes, two estranged friends face the twenty-year-old accident that forced them apart—and the consequences of the secret that still haunts them.
Twenty years ago, an out-of-control prank ended in an accident that destroyed the high school gym and threatened the futures of star athletes Beth and Ally. They move on with their lives carrying their secret while someone else is blamed, but the years reveal that no one truly comes out unscathed.
Now, both women are at a crossroads: Beth returns to her hometown after a concussion ends her professional soccer career, and a surprise pregnancy disrupts Ally’s idyllic family. The only thing either of them are sure of is their desire to mend their estranged relationship.
But the old friends aren’t just battling new problems when their former classmate Jordan begins to investigate the crime for which his father was convicted. As their secret comes back around to threaten their futures once more, Beth and Ally will have to decide whether to run away from the truth again or face it once and for all.
Daughters of Green Mountain Gap by Teri M Brown
An Appalachian granny woman. A daughter on a crusade. A granddaughter caught between the two.
Maggie McCoury, a generational healer woman, relies on family traditions, folklore, and beliefs gleaned from a local Cherokee tribe. Her daughter, Carrie Ann, believes her university training holds the answers. As they clash over the use of roots, herbs, and a dash of mountain magic versus the medicine available in the town’s apothecary, Josie Mae doesn’t know whom to follow. But what happens when neither family traditions nor science can save the ones you love most?
Daughters of Green Mountain Gap weaves a compelling tale of Maggie, Carrie Ann, and Josie Mae, three generations of remarkable North Carolina women living at the turn of the twentieth century, shedding light on racism, fear of change, loss of traditions, and the intricate dynamics within a family. Author Teri M. Brown skillfully navigates the complexities of their lives, revealing that some questions are not as easy to answer as one might think.
Diva by Daisy Goodwin
New York Times bestselling author Daisy Goodwin returns with a story of the scandalous love affair between the most celebrated opera singer of all time and one of the richest men in the world.
In the glittering and ruthlessly competitive world of opera, Maria Callas was known simply as la divina: the divine one. With her glorious voice, instinctive flair for the dramatic and striking beauty, she was the toast of the grandest opera houses in the world. But her fame was hard won: raised in Nazi-occupied Greece by a mother who mercilessly exploited her golden voice, she learned early in life to protect herself from those who would use her for their own ends.
When she met the fabulously rich Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, for the first time in her life, she believed she’d found someone who saw the woman within the legendary soprano. She fell desperately in love. He introduced her to a life of unbelievable luxury, showering her with jewels and sojourns in the most fashionable international watering holes with celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
And then suddenly, it was over. The international press announced that Aristotle Onassis would marry the most famous woman in the world, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, leaving Maria to pick up the pieces.
In this remarkable novel, Daisy Goodwin brings to life a woman whose extraordinary talent, unremitting drive and natural chic made her a legend. But it was only in confronting the heartbreak of losing the man she loved that Maria Callas found her true voice and went on to triumph.
Take Two, Birdie Maxwell by Allison Winn Scotch
Hollywood’s biggest rom-com star tries to recover from her damaged reputation by staging her own rom-com and following a lead on a lost love in the new romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Allison Winn Scotch.
Birdie Robinson thought she’d gotten everything she wanted out of life: fame, adoration, and an A-list Hollywood career. But after an on-set feud goes viral, she leaves L.A. for the one place where no one would think to find her: her hometown. She’s startled to stumble upon a love letter from a former boyfriend asking for a second chance. And there’s just one issue: the letter was unsigned and she’s not sure which ex sent it. Still, a public reunion with an ex-boyfriend could turn the wave of public opinion back in her favor. Life imitating art. What could go wrong?
Elliot O’Brien, star reporter, knows that life isn’t an actual rom-com. Case in point, he’s spent two decades repressing his long-simmering feelings for his twin sister’s best friend, Birdie. But with his journalism career cratering and Birdie back in their hometown at the same time he is, he realizes that chronicling her search for her long-ago ex may be his opportunity to right some wrongs.
As they hit the road in an ancient RV, Birdie and Elliot retrace her romantic history for clues to who wrote the letter and come face to face with their own romantic missteps, all while grappling with whether happy endings are found only on the big screen—or whether their own happier ever after could be closer than they both ever imagined.
Murder, She Wrote: Fit for Murder by Jessica Fletcher & Terrie Farley Moran
Former editor of the Cabot Cove Gazette, Evelyn Phillips is back in Cabot Cove. Evelyn tells Jessica and Seth that she got a couple of really weird notes from Bertha Mae Cormier so she’s come back to town to check on her old friend. She demands that Jessica come with her to see Bertha Mae, who is a bit dithery but no more so than Jessica remembers her being in recent years.
Jessica does become somewhat concerned when Bertha Mae starts to talk about her new neighbor, Martin Terranova. He is quite charming and very health conscious and he teaches yoga and meditation in his pool house. Maureen Metzger says that she and Bertha Mae became friends in Terranova’s class and mentions how solicitous he is to his older clients.
Jessica attends one of his classes and does notice that Terranova is flirtatious with several elderly clients, especially Bertha Mae. Evelyn is becoming convinced that Bertha Mae is being mesmerized by Terranova and that he is after Bertha Mae’s money. A short while late, Martin turns up dead in his weight room. What at first blush seems to be an accident, soon proves to be murder and Jessica must put her investigative skills to the test when Evelyn becomes the prime suspect.
Never Blow a Kiss by Lindsay Lovise
In this delightfully witty Victorian romance, a governess spy running away from her past falls for an ex-soldier turned railroad magnate—perfect for fans of Manda Collins and Bridgerton!
The utterly charming Emily Leverton has a dark past and is determined to leave it behind in her respectable new role as a governess. But when she is recruited by a secret network of governesses who spy on the ton, it may just be a way to redeem the dark secrets of her past.
Straddling the worlds of the ton and the working class, as an ex-solider turned railroad magnate, Zach hunts killers for the Metropolitan Police by day and dutifully attends balls at night. In neither world has he met a woman with the brazenness to mock him. So when a saucy governess blows him a kiss he is determined to catch her, never expecting that when he does he will find an intelligent, quirky woman hiding more than her true name. As Zach peels back the layers of Emily’s lies, he falls for the street-wise woman who handles a dagger like a pro and kisses like a mistress. But when his affair with Emily intertwines with his hunt for a killer, he discovers Emily is hiding an explosive secret—one that could destroy them both.
Random in Death: An Eve Dallas Novel by J. D. Robb
In the new crime thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling J.D. Robb, a small and easily concealed weapon wreaks havoc, and the killer is just a face in the crowd.
Jenna’s parents had finally given in, and there she was, at a New York club with her best friends, watching the legendary band Avenue A, carrying her demo in hopes of slipping it to the guitarist, Jake Kincade. Then, from the stage, Jake catches her eye, and smiles. It’s the best night of her life.
It’s the last night of her life.
Minutes later, Jake’s in the alley getting some fresh air, and the girl from the dance floor comes stumbling out, sick and confused and deathly pale. He tries to help, but it’s no use. He doesn’t know that someone in the crowd has jabbed her with a needle—and when his girlfriend Nadine arrives, she knows the only thing left to do for the girl is call her friend, Lieutenant Eve Dallas.
After everyone on the scene is interviewed, lab results show a toxic mix of substances in the victim’s body—and for an extra touch of viciousness, the needle was teeming with infectious agents. Dallas searches for a pattern: Had any boys been harassing Jenna? Was she engaging in risky behavior or caught up in something shady? But there are no obvious clues why this levelheaded sixteen-year-old, passionate about her music, would be targeted.
And that worries Dallas. Because if Jenna wasn’t targeted, if she was just the random, unlucky victim of a madman consumed by hatred, there are likely more deaths to come.
The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Riley Wynn went from a promising singer-songwriter to a superstar overnight, thanks to her breakup song concept album and its unforgettable lead single. When Riley’s ex-husband claims the hit song is about him, she does something she hasn’t in ten years and calls Max Harcourt, her college boyfriend and the real inspiration for the song of the summer.
Max hasn’t spoken to Riley since their relationship ended. He’s content with managing the retirement home his family owns, but it’s not the life he dreamed of filled with music. When Riley asks him to go public as her songwriting muse, he agrees on one condition: he’ll join her in her band on tour.
As they perform across the country, Max and Riley start to realize that while they hit some wrong notes in the past, their future could hold incredible things. And their rekindled relationship will either last forever or go down in flames.
All That We Are Together by Alice Kellen
Three years without seeing him. Three years without Axel.
How do you move on from a broken heart?
Three years have passed since Axel Nguyen shattered Leah Jones' heart into a million pieces, and Leah has spent every moment of those three years distracting herself from the devastation. She tries to move on with Landon, a guy she meets in college, but she can only truly escape thoughts of Axel when she's painting. At least one good thing has come out of all of it: her dream of exhibiting her work is finally coming true.
Axel is achingly aware every day of how much he misses Leah. The moment he learns about Leah's exhibit, Axel can't think about anything else but to go see her. Being in the same room with Leah, as beautiful and magnetic as he remembers, leaves Axel desperate and Leah breathless in his presence. He offers to be her agent; she accepts. One work trip to Paris later leaves Leah and Axel full of pent-up attraction and wondering if their whirlwind romance is a forever kind of love or if it's better off left in the past.
International bestselling author Alice Kellen concludes her emotional new adult duology with an evocative and passionate love story for readers of Colleen Hoover, Anna Todd, and books to make you ugly cry.
Midnight Climax by Peter Kageyama
Kats Takemoto investigates the murder of a young Chinese girl, killed in a covert CIA brothel in the heart of San Francisco. Her family, members of a Tong, a powerful Chinatown gang, demand vengeance that threatens to start an all-out war in Chinatown unless Kats can discover the truth behind the slaying. Along the way, he will discover a personal connection to the suspected killer, a fellow veteran who was tortured and experimented on, turning him into a lethal weapon and a ticking bomb. Kats and his friends race to find this soldier before the government and the rival Tong gangs spiral into more bloodshed.
Kinning by Nisi Shawl
Kinning, the sequel to Nisi Shawl’s acclaimed debut novel Everfair, continues the stunning alternate history where barkcloth airships soar through the sky, varied peoples build a new society together, and colonies claim their freedom from imperialist tyrants.
The Great War is over. Everfair has found peace within its borders. But our heroes’ stories are far from done.
Tink and his sister Bee-Lung are traveling the world via aircanoe, spreading the spores of a mysterious empathy-generating fungus. Through these spores, they seek to build bonds between people and help spread revolutionary sentiments of socialism and equality—the very ideals that led to Everfair’s founding.
Meanwhile, Everfair’s Princess Mwadi and Prince Ilunga return home from a sojourn in Egypt to vie for their country’s rule following the abdication of their father King Mwenda. But their mother, Queen Josina, manipulates them both from behind the scenes, while also pitting Europe’s influenza-weakened political powers against one another as these countries fight to regain control of their rebellious colonies.
Will Everfair continue to serve as a symbol of hope, freedom, and equality to anticolonial movements around the world, or will it fall to forces inside and out?
The Me List by Julee Balko
Ziplining despite being scared of heights. Learning yoga when you're afraid of downward anything. Facing your strained relationship with your mother.
When Olivia writes a ME List, she picks 10 things to get her out of her suburban mom funk. But what she really needs is to figure out how to deal with her next-door neighbor, nemesis, and new boss-Patricia. Patricia is the top realtor in their town and has the perfect life. But when Olivia agrees to be Patricia's assistant, she discovers Patricia's life isn't as perfect as she thought.
The Me List is a touching tale about the complexity of friendship, the importance of reserving judgment, and the rocky path that life takes as we get older. Julee Balko brings snark and heart to this journey of self-improvement with a keen eye for flawed characters.
Can a list change a life?
