Thursday, March 30, 2017

Meg's Picks: April 2017, part 2

I'll be back next week to share what I've been reading this month. In the meantime, here are a few last suggestions for some great new novels coming out next month!



Burntown, by Jennifer McMahon. McMahon is the author of several excellent novels, including my favorite, 2014's The Winter People. She's known for creepy novels that take place in small New England towns, full of foreboding and suspense--her latest is no exception. Ashford, Vermont, might look like your typical sleepy New England college town, but to the shadowy residents who live among the remains of its abandoned mills and factories, it’s known as “Burntown.” Eva Sandeski, known as Necco, has been a part of this underworld since the night her father drowned in a flood that left Necco and her mother homeless. Her mother likes to tell stories of her father's wild inventions, claiming that his last machine got her father killed. Necco has written these off as delusions caused by grief, until her mother dies under mysterious circumstances and Necco's boyfriend is murdered. Now she must rely on the other outsiders to survive, even as she must unravel her family's past. If you're in the mood for suspense that is full of twists and surprises, this might be just what you need.


I Found You, by Lisa Jewell. If you're looking for an author like Liane Moriarty or Ruth Ware to sink your teeth into, full of page-turning intrigue and believable characters, look no further than Lisa Jewell. Two decades of secrets, a missing man who may have never existed, and a man with no mystery are the center of this tale, which moves between London and a small British seaside town.
I've been a fan for some time (I highly recommend The Third Wife, 2015) and this new novel should be a great addition to your beach reading this summer.


The Forever Summer, by Jamie Brenner. Marin Bishop is a stickler for following the rules and it has always served her well--she's gotten everything she wanted. Until, that is, one careless mistake at work leaves her unemployed, alone, and dreading having to confront her parents with the news. Then a stranger claiming to be her half-sister invites her to meet family in Cape Cod, and Marin finds herself ensconced in her grandmother's beachside B&B for the summer. But the existence of a half-sister is only the first of many revelations Marin will encounter this summer. Equal parts page-turner and delicious escape, this is a title I expect many will be reading in the months to come.


Beartown, by Fredrik Backman. Does this author's name look familiar? It should--he's the bestselling author of A Man Called Ove. So I have to make sure you're aware that his new novel is due out at the end of April. People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.
Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

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