We all had to “spring forward” this past weekend. I hate that. I love “falling back,” but springing forward just seems to make me grumpy.
So, what’s the cure for grumpiness?
New books!
We have some new books out at McClintic featuring new authors, and some old favorites. Come on in and welcome spring with a great read. Did I also mention that March is National Reading Month? An even better reason to check out a few books.
Anne Tyler is back with her 20th novel in 50 years of writing. It’s titled A Spool of Blue Thread, and tells the story of an ordinary middle-class family in Baltimore. The Whitshanks – Abby and Red – fell in love in 1959; now, with four grown children and grandchildren in the picture, Tyler makes us step back and look at the bigger picture of four generations of the Whitshank family, with all their loves, disappointments and secrets.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah opens in France in 1939, and tells the story of two sisters: Vianne Mauriac, who sees her husband off to the front only to endure the Nazi invasion alone, and Isabelle, 18 years old, who lets her passions lead her to joining the Resistance. Hannah focuses on the women in the war, stories that are not often told. This one is getting rave reviews.
Alex Shearer went through the heartbreaking ordeal of losing his brother, and so his new novel, This is the Life, is based on true experiences. It’s the story of two brothers who are estranged, until one of them is diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor and the other brother becomes his caregiver. “This is the life: Not the one you thought you had yesterday – just this one. Here and now.” If you enjoyed The Fault in our Stars, you should check this one out.
Not long ago, I received an email message from a friend, another library director. All she said was, “I’m reading the next Hunger Games. It’s called Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. You have to read this.”
A message like this from a fellow librarian is like catnip to a cat.
I ordered a copy, and I’m putting it out on the shelf before reading it myself, but if it’s still there by the end of the week, I’m taking it home. Fair warning.
Mare Barrow is a 17-year-old who has common Red blood, and like all Reds in the village, is expected to serve the Silvers, the royals who have super-human abilities. But when her life as a thief brings her before the Silver Court, she discovers that she has unique abilities of her own. Can she play the most dangerous game of her life, to help with a Red rebellion while impersonating a “lost” Silver princess in the court? This is a first novel, but if it’s as good as I’ve heard, I’m sure there will be more from this author.
