One of the best things about being a librarian is hearing about books way before they are published. Since I work in Collection Development (librarian-speak for book purchasing) I have the good fortune to buy the books that I think will appeal to the people of Princeton. Below are a few books we either just acquired or are on their way to our shelves very soon. Please feel free to place holds for any or all of them!
First, let’s start with five forthcoming bestersellers:
“Die Again: A Rizzoli & Isle Novel” by Tess Gerritsen
Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles are back–and they’re going into the wild to find a killer. When Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles are summoned to a crime scene, they find a killing worthy of the most ferocious beast, right down to the claw marks on the corpse. But only the most sinister human hands could have left big-game hunter and taxidermist Leon Gott gruesomely displayed like the animals whose heads adorn his walls. Did Gott unwittingly awaken a predator more dangerous than any he’s ever hunted?
“The Wolf in Winter: A Charlie Parker Thriller” by John Connolly
The next pulse-pounding thriller in Connolly’s internationally bestselling Charlie Parker series. The death of a homeless man and the disappearance of his daughter draw the haunted, lethal private investigator Charlie Parker to wealthy town of Prosperous, Maine. In him the town and its protectors sense a threat graver than any they have ever faced. In the comfortable, sheltered inhabitants of this town Parker will encounter his most vicious opponents yet.
“Private India: City on Fire” by James Patterson
When Jack Morgan opens the Mumbai branch of Private, the world’s most elite detective agency, he hands the reins to top agent Santosh Wagh. Now, in this metropolis of over thirteen million people where the guilty have everywhere to hide, Santosh goes on the hunt for one elusive serial killer.
“Moriarity” by Anthony Horowitz
The game is once again afoot in this thrilling mystery from the bestselling author of “The House of Silk,” sanctioned by the Conan Doyle estate, which explores what really happened when Sherlock Holmes and his arch nemesis Professor Moriarty tumbled to their doom at the Reichenbach Falls.
“A New York Christmas” by Anne Perry
Perry’s new Christmas novel is an irresistible tale of love, betrayal, greed, murder, and selfless devotion. For the first time, Perry’s annual yuletide offering is set in New York City–a sparkling young metropolis bursting with life, promise, and subtle menace.
Below are five “sleeper” titles. These might not end up on the bestseller list but I don’t want anyone to miss out on them.
“History of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Ten Songs” by Greil Marcus
One of rock’s finest critics gives us an original history of the music genre.
“Live from New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests (Revised)” by James A. Miller
An updated edition to the hilarious, gossipy, and revealing oral history of the landmark NBC show.
“How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise” by Chris Taylor
In 1973, a young filmmaker named George Lucas scribbled some notes for a far-fetched space-fantasy epic. Some forty years and $37 billion later, Star Wars-related products outnumber human beings, a growing stormtrooper army spans the globe, and “Jediism” has become a religion in its own right. Lucas’s creation has grown into far more than a cinematic classic. It is, quite simply, one of the most lucrative, influential, and interactive franchises of all time. In this book, veteran journalist Chris Taylor traces the series from the difficult birth of the original film through its sequels, the franchise’s death and rebirth, the prequels, and the preparations for a new trilogy.
“Sugar Skull” by Charles Burns
The long, strange trip that began in the graphic novels “X’ed Out” and continued in “The Hive” reaches its mind-bending, heartbreaking end, but not before Doug is forced to deal with the lie he’s been telling himself since the beginning. In this concluding volume, nightmarish dreams evolve into an even more dreadful reality.
“All My Puny Sorrows” by Miriam Toews
Elf and Yoli are sisters. While on the surface Elfrieda’s life is enviable (she’s a world-renowned pianist, glamorous, wealthy, and happily married) and Yolandi’s a mess (she’s divorced and broke, with two teenagers growing up too quickly), they are fiercely close – raised in a Mennonite household and sharing the hardship of Elf’s desire to end her life. After Elf’s latest attempt, Yoli must quickly determine how to keep her family from falling apart, how to keep her own heart from breaking, and what it means to love someone who wants to die.
Happy reading, everyone, and see you at the library!
Image from flckr user Thomas Hawk, Creative Commons license.