March is that special part of year when Winter is (theoretically) on the way out, Spring is on the way, and the promise of Spring Break and St. Patrick’s Day are exciting distractions to get through. We have some books that we are looking forward to during this transitional month!
Serena’s Picks
Book: “The House in the Cerulean Sea” by TJ Klune
Publication Date: March 17, 2020
Why I’m Interested: The beautiful cover! Look at all those colors and that children’s-storybook-like artwork. Yes, this was the actual thought in my head when I clicked through to read more about what the book is actually, you know, about. But the story itself, of a middle-aged, quiet man who suddenly finds himself charged with the care of a bunch of bizarre orphans, sounded right up my alley. And when I say bizarre, I mean “Umbrella Academy” but on acid, bizarre. We have a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Pretty excited to check this one out! And all because I thought it was so pretty…
Book: “A Murderous Relation” by Deanna Raybourn
Publication Date: March 10, 2020
Why I’m Interested: Obviously, I’m very excited for the next installment in the Veronica Speedwell mysteries. Particularly due to the events of the last book and wanting to see how that would play out in this book. I think it was also written as a potential last book in the series, though after some author stalking, it seems like there may be more to come. Which I’m totally on board with. Yet again, Veronica and Stoker are called upon for their excellent sleuthing skills. But this time, there is less a mystery to be solved than a scandal to be warded off. The story seems to also be incorporating some connection to “Jack the Ripper,” a seeming requirement for any mystery sent around this time period. I’m curious to see what angle this book will use to approach this much-used portion of history.
Book: “The City We Became” by N.K. Jemisin
Publication Date: March 24, 2020
Why I’m Interested: I’ve loved everything I’ve ever read from N. K. Jemisin. She not only amazing, original worlds, but she excels at peopling those worlds with nuanced and complicated characters. She is also an excellent example of an author using science fiction and fantasy to shine harsh lights on very tricky subjects without dumbing anything down or spoon-feeding the reader. The book description for this one is pretty vague. Something about cities, in this case New York City, having souls and five people having to come together to protect it. But, like I said, I’ve loved everything of hers that I’ve read (and the two series I have read are very, very different), so you can bet that I don’t need more details in the description to have me on board and ready to go.
Kate’s Picks
Book: “The Return” by Rachel Harrison
Publication Date: March 24, 2020
Why I’m Interested: I come for the haunted hotel and the missing girl, and then I stay for the disintegrating friendships and the interpersonal drama. “The Return” has been hyped up as “Girls” meets “The Shining”, and if that doesn’t pique my interest I don’t know what will. After Julie goes missing in a national park, her friends, including her best friend Elise, can’t believe that she’s gone. So when she suddenly returns two years later, Elise is elated, and their friend group plans a weekend away as a reunion. But Julie seems… different. Strange things begin happening when the weekend gets underway, and Elise doesn’t know who, or what, Julie is anymore. Creepy and soapy is a combination that I can get behind, so “The Return” is high on my highlights list!
Book: “The Deep” by Alma Katsu
Publication Date: March 10, 2020
Why I’m Interested: I loved, LOVED Alma Katsu’s Donner Party re-imagining horror novel “The Hunger”, so when I heard that she had another historical horror novel coming out, this time involving the sinking of The Titanic, I was very excited. Annie is a stewardess turned hospital attendant who survived the sinking of the Titanic and is now on its sister ship The Britannic as it transports patients wounded in WWI. She can’t forget what happened on the Titanic as much as she tries, especially since something unnatural seemed to be going on. So when one of her patients is a man who was also on Titanic, things start getting strange again. As if whatever was haunting the Titanic has followed to the sister ship. With historical characters and a lot of focus being on the doomed ‘unsinkable’ liner, “The Deep” is sure to be another eerie and beautifully written horror novel.
Book: “Darling Rose Gold” by Stephanie Wrobel
Publication Date: March 17, 2020
Why I’m Interested: Like many other true crime freaks/weirdos drawn to the morbid, I was totally taken in by the case of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, whose mother Deedee scammed people into believing that her daughter was afflicted with a multitude of medical problems. As it turned out, Deedee was making Gypsy Rose ill, and Gypsy Rose ended up killing her. “Darling Rose Gold” is clearly inspired by this story. Patty was a single mother to Rose Gold, a girl who seemed to have chronic illnesses that made living a normal life impossible. But as it turns out, it was Patty who was making Rose Gold ill, and conning everyone about her condition. After Patty was convicted of abuse, she went to prison. After she is released, she reaches out to Rose Gold to ask if she can come live with her. Rose Gold says yes. But she may have plans for her mother and abuser. This has been getting some buzz, so I’m VERY excited to jump into it!
What books are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments!
The Library Ladies 