That's me, with this particular part of June's list of new titles. (Hur-ray! Get it? Right, moving on...)
My point is, sometimes, there are so many great books I can't wait to read, I get a little giddy. Okay, maybe a lot giddy. Can't take the suspense? Me, either. On to the list!
The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman
The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, by Anton Disclafani
The Silver Star, by Jeannette Walls
The Blood of Heaven, by Kent Wascom
The Engagements, by J. Courtney Sullivan
Sisterland, by Curtis Sittenfeld
What's got me all a-twitter? Well, let's start at the top. I am a huge Neil Gaiman fan. He's funny, he's brilliant, he's a big fan of libraries. What's not to love?! Mr. Gaiman has, however, given us one more reason to love him--his first new novel for adults since 2005's Anansi Boys. Gaiman has a love of mythology and ancient religions, and sprinkles them liberally throughout much of his work. (My personal favorite would be American Gods, by the way. It's one of the few books I make time to reread regularly.) In that vein, this newest novel finds a middle-aged man who returns to his childhood home and is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where as a child he encountered an extraordinary girl, her mother and her grandmother. As he sits by that ramshackle house, he's overcome with memories of a past that couldn't possibly be his own. Could it? Lots and lots of anticipation surrounding this new work!
The next on my list is, I predict, going to be one of the sleeper hits this summer. (Psst--The Wall Street Journal and Publisher's Weekly have my back on this.) Part scandalous love-story, part family drama, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls brings readers teenager Thea Atwell, cast out of her wealthy Florida family after a tragedy that Thea is, at least partially, responsible for. She has been sent to an equestrienne boarding school for Southern debutantes, located high in the Blue Ridge Mountains. And even as Thea mulls over the true story behind her expulsion from her family, she also must determine how her past will shape her future. Looks like powerful stuff, and if the critics are already this excited, it is definitely worth checking out.
The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls ought to be a no-brainer for the avid reader. If the name seems familiar, that's because she also wrote Half-Broke Horses and her memoir The Glass Castle, both of which won critical acclaim.
For fans of historical fiction, Kent Wascom's debut, The Blood of Heaven, is one you should not miss. Set in the American frontier in the early 19th century, the story follows Angel Woolsack, a preacher's son, as he flees his humble beginnings, finds friendship and brotherhood in Western Florida, falls in love in Natchez, and plots rebellion in New Orleans.
Still looking for your one true love out of June's list? I have a few things that might make you smile, but I'm saving those for Thursday. See you then!
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