Sometimes, as readers, we find ourselves with a lack of books we are enthusiastic about. Sometimes it's because what we just finished reading was so good that it's as if we're still living in that world, unable to launch fully into something new. Sometimes, however, there are so many good books to read, it feels like an embarrassment of riches. And that's the category I've been in lately!
Heading Out to Wonderful, by Robert Goolrick. This was my book club's pick for our January meeting, and it produced some excellent discussion! It's 1948 when Charlie Beale arrives in Brownsburg, Virginia, looking for someplace to put down roots. His suitcase of money buys him land, his skill as a butcher finds him a job, and his charisma earns him a place in the community. But it's the one thing that he cannot buy or earn or find that eludes him, and it's what he wants most: the love of the most fascinating woman he's ever set eyes on. The problem, of course, is that she is married to another man, a marriage of arrangement that would cripple her family should she leave him. Longing turns the good Charlie has going for him sour, bit by bit--their star-crossed match is doomed from the beginning. Bittersweet and compelling.
Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell. Cath and her twin sister Wren grew up with a single dad and immersed themselves in the fandom of the Simon Snow books and movies. They had Simon and they had their dad and they always have each other. Until they start to grow up, and apart. It has never been more stark for Cath how different they've become until they go to college, and suddenly, Wren is elsewhere, choosing to room with a stranger, leaving Cath to do the same. Wren is a natural extrovert, making friends and attending parties. Cath, however, is painfully shy, writing Simon Snow fanfiction to ease her anxiety, even as she worries about how their dad is getting along by himself. Can Cath do this? Can she navigate the world without Wren there to hold her hand? Can she forge her own life, write her own stories? For everyone who has ever felt like the odd person out. It's billed as young adult fiction, but I found it deeply touching and relatable. I adore Rowell's work.
The Woman in the Window, by A.J. Finn. If you find yourself in need of a twisty psychological thriller that you won't be able to put down, this is my recommendation right now. Anna Fox lives alone in New York City, unable to leave her home. She drinks wine, she watches classic movies, she spies on the neighbors across the way, and this has been her life for the last ten months. Only slowly do we learn how she has found herself in this situation. And only slowly do we learn the darker truths, both about Anna herself and about the neighbors across the way, and what Anna sees may force her to get out...if only to save herself. Absolutely gripping, I read it in two days.
The Late Show, by Michael Connelly. Renee Ballard works the overnight shift in Hollywood, known as the late show. She and her partner catch many cases, but rarely have the opportunity to follow through, instead forced to turn their cases over to the morning shift. The shift is frustrating, and it's considered punishment after Ballard filed a complaint against her previous supervisor. And yet, one night Ballard catches two cases and she cannot bear to leave either of them. One is a prostitute, battered and left for dead, the crime showing signs of premeditation. Ballard is sure the unsub will strike again, and she can't let that happen. The other case is a nightclub shooting where Ballard watches a victim breathe her last. Ballard chooses to continue to work both cases by day, even as she works the late show shifts and battles her own demons. This is a new series for Connelly, and I've got to say I found Renee Ballard a great breath of fresh air in the genre.
Dark in Death, by J.D. Robb. When a young woman is murdered during the screening of a classic Hitchcock film, Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her partner, Detective Delia Peabody, are called to the scene. By the next morning, they're only beginning their investigation when a lead comes in--an author has recognized the crime...from one of her own novels. In fact, she has details about the crime that the police haven't released to the public yet. It's the second in a series, and the killer has plenty of material to work with. So now it's up to Dallas to outwit, out-think and out-read the killer, to anticipate the next crime and save the potential next victim. A solid entry into Robb's (aka Nora Roberts) long-running series.
The Widow's House, by Carol Goodman. This incredible new novel (I listened to the audiobook, and I've bought a replacement hardcover for the library's collection) by the author of The Lake of Dead Languages, etc. is a gripping psychological thriller with gothic overtones (think Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca). Clare and Jess Martin met in college, married, moved to Brooklyn. Jess's first novel was a huge success. They were on top of the world. That was a decade ago. Jess's second novel has been a struggle, and he's still not done. They decide to go back to their old college town. Perhaps it will inspire Jess to write. Perhaps Clare will write again. But when Clare's past comes back to haunt her, she finds herself losing her grip on reality. Or is she? A completely fascinating story, I loved it!
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