Thanksgiving has passed and the rest and most jovial part of the holiday season is upon us! As we prepare for Christmas and Hanukkah we look forward to time with family and friends, and time with some good books. Here are the ones we are most looking forward to this month!
Serena’s Picks
Book: “Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance” by Jennieke Cohen
Publication Date: December 3, 2o19
Why I’m Interested: There are a million and one retellings of Austen’s stories, most especially “Pride and Prejudice” and “Emma” (there’s another “Emma” movie coming out in only a few months, even!). But what sold me on this book was the concept of Vicky, a young woman living in Regency England who just so happens to love the novels of this brand new author, a lady named Austen. When Vicky’s own life begins to take a sudden turn with mysterious accidents, nefarious gentleman, and suitors with their own secrets, Vicky begins to ask her self “What would Austen’s ladies do in such circumstances?”
Book: “Reverie” by Ryan La Sala
Publication Date: December 3, 2019
Why I’m Interested: The cover? Well, at least that was what first inspired me to do a bit more digging into what this book was about. The story is compared to “Inception” and reading through the description, I can definitely see that. Kane is discovered half dead on the banks of a river with very few memories only a general sense of “wrongness” in both himself and the world around him. From there it’s all portal jumping into strange and mysterious worlds that weave in and out of each other. In some ways, this sounds a lot like “The Starless Sea” which I absolutely adored. So I have high hopes for this!
Book: “The Weight of a Soul” by Elizabeth Tammi
Publication Date: December 3, 2019
Why I’m Interested: Another book for which I have cover lust! Seriously, it’s just gorgeous. Props to whoever designed it! Set in a Viking village, Lena and Fressa are two sisters who are as close as can be. But when Fressa is found suddenly dead, while the village as a whole mourns, Lena cannot rest until she discovers the truth. From there the story jumps into deals with Norse gods and adventures that somehow become connected to Ragnarok, the Norse myth of the end of the world. Can Lena bring her sister back? And is it worth the steep cost? I’m really excited by the premise for this book and am especially curious to see who the Norse gods and Ragnarok are depicted. Sadly, likely not like this:
Kate’s Picks
Book: “Trace of Evil” by Alice Blanchard
Publication Date: December 3, 2019
Why I’m Interested: I’m always on the lookout for a new mystery series to follow, as the Tempe Brennan books have taken a break, and one that has some tense thrills is just a bonus. So when I heard about “Trace of Evil” by Alice Blanchard, it seemed to hit the points I was looking for. It has a determined but haunted rookie detective, a central mystery that has high stakes (the murder of a cop’s wife, who’s pregnant to boot, is bound to be high priority), and a history of missing girls in a small town that may have some secrets. And on top of that, our detective, Natalie, has her own demons and traumas that she hopes to work through, involving herself and the murder of her older sister Willow. I would love it if this book kicked off a new series obsession for me, and I have high hopes that Detective Natalie Lockhart is going to be a new favorite of mine.
Book: “The Dead Girls Club” by Damien Angelica Walters
Publication Date: December 10, 2019
Why I’m Interested: Give me a good urban legend any day and I will probably become obsessed with it. I’ve long touted stories that have elements of scary urban legends to the plots, but also lamented that there have been so few and far between of this niche genre that I am a total sucker for. When I heard about “The Dead Girls Club”, I was given hope that a new book was going to give focus to an urban legend that is, excitingly, about a witch! In 1991 Heather’s and her best friend Becca are part of The Dead Girls Club, where friends share stories of the ghastly and macabre. Becca’s new story is about The Red Lady, a woman executed for witchcraft centuries ago. But then Becca was murdered. In the modern day Heather has moved on with her life, until she starts getting messages about Becca. Messages that may not only be from The Red Lady, but imply they know that Heather was responsible for Becca’s death. Spooky, I say!
Book: “Good Girls Lie” by J.T. Ellison
Publication Date: December 31, 2019
Why I’m Interested: A boarding school thriller!! With overachieving and bitchy girls, an outsider who may have secrets of her own, and murder most foul! Was this book written specfically for me? Because it checks so many guilty pleasure boxes! Recently orphaned Ash has left England for the U.S. to attend the prestigious Goode School, a boarding school that produces powerful and talented women. Ash has secrets of her own, but hopes to go under the radar at her new home. But she soon gets pulled into the life of friendship, secret societies, and the high expectations of her reputation. Things only get worse when someone ends up dead, and Ash may or may not have a hand in it. Guilty pleasure or not, “Good Girls Lie” sounds like a sudsy and gripping thriller!
What books are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments!
The Library Ladies 