Meg's Picks: September 2017, part 2

I've saved the best for last!

Caroline: Little House, Revisited, by Sarah Miller. In a new novel authorized by the Little House Heritage Trust, Sarah Miller brings to life one of the most beloved characters from Laura Ingalls Wilder's series, Caroline "Ma" Ingalls, as never seen before. In February 1870, the Ingalls family packs up, leaving Big Woods, Wisconsin behind for a new life in the Kansas Indian Territory. The pioneer life is a hard one without the benefit of friends or kin nearby, the work shouldered alone, illness managed without aid of doctors, babies birthed without mothers and sisters to assist. And yet their new life is also full of the tender joys of family and of turning their new cabin into a home. A cherished tale for decades now retold for an adult audience, I think this will be a new favorite for those looking to feel again the magic of the original tale.

Sourdough, by Robin Sloan. Sloan's debut novel, 2012's Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, has been a favorite of bibliophiles everywhere. Here, she does for food what her debut did for the world of books. A software engineer in San Francisco is dedicated to her job at a cutting-edge robotics firm: she codes all day, only to come home and collapse each evening. Her most meaningful human contact is with the two brothers who run the neighborhood hole-in-the-wall where she gets her dinner every night. Until disaster strikes, the brothers close up shop and make one last delivery to Lois: their sourdough starter, complete with care and feeding instructions. Soon she's feeding everyone she knows with her homemade bread, providing it to the cafeteria at work, and when she seeks to take her product to the local farmers market, she finally meets resistance. But why? And who is this secret, underground marketplace that would bring her in instead? Sloan's work is absolutely, delightfully unique and I can't wait to read this latest work.

Two on Tuesday: Fall into Reading

Chilly nights and the first changes of color on the trees are just a few of the hints that autumn is upon us.  The opportunity for catching up with some great fiction titles is another!  Just think of a cozy evening with a warm drink and a good book.  Here in New England, those are upon us.  If you're looking for a title to inspire you to stay up past your bedtime and indulge, I've got you covered. 


Looking to get a jump on being scared silly this fall?  Stephen King's Doctor Sleep comes out next week, chock full of paranormal spookiness as he brings readers back to The Shining's Dan Torrance, now middle-aged and protecting another child from some very nasty paranormal phenomenon.  My advice?  Give The Shining a quick re-read while you wait for Doctor Sleep.

If creepy isn't your taste and you'd prefer something historical, I'd highly recommend Jamie Ford's Songs of Willow Frost.  (He also wrote Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, fyi.)  A young Chinese American orphan feels an instant connection when he first sees actress Willow Song on the silver screen.  With his friend Charlotte, he escapes the orphanage to navigate the streets of Depression-era Seattle and try to resolve the mystery of his own history.  I really, really recommend this one.  Really.


I have delicious surprises in store for you Thursday.  In the meantime, happy reading!