Spot-Lit November 2012

General Fiction / Literary Fiction

The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg

When Richard Middlestein leaves his wife of thirty years due to her obsession with food and her ever-expanding waistline, the members of the extended, dysfunctional family take sides.

Magnificence by Lydia Millet

Susan Lindley is directionless after the death of her husband, until she inherits an uncle’s mansion and decides to restore his taxidermy collection. A stunning conclusion to the acclaimed trilogy that began with How the Dead Dream.

Dear Life by Alice Munro

Munro is one of the greatest short story writers of our time, and this new collection offers poignant and accessible stories with deeply drawn characters and compelling insights.

Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm by Philip Pullman

Upon the 200th anniversary of the publication of the first Grimm’s fairy tales, Philip Pullman retells and comments on 50 of his favorites in this excellent collection.

LoveStar by Andri Snaer Magnason

This young Icelandic author’s futuristic novel has been described as a unique hybrid of Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, George Orwell, Monty Python, and Richard Brautigan, with even a touch of Nicholas Sparks thrown in.

First Fiction

The Trial of Fallen Angels by James Kimmel

The publisher blurbs this one as “The Trial meets The Lovely Bones in this gripping novel about justice and forgiveness, both human and divine.”

The Dark Winter by David Mark

English detective and family man Aector McAvoy has to sacrifice home time when he finds a pattern in a number of suspicious deaths that had evaded other investigators.

Bad Glass by Richard Gropp

Something strange is going on in Spokane, Washington. Videos surface about unusual creatures and unexplained disappearances. A photographer sneaks past the military quarantine to see what he can discover – about the city and about himself.

The Colony by A.J. Colucci

Big, mutated ants have taken over Manhattan in this thriller that has a pair of divorced scientists trying to tackle the problem before the military takes more drastic measures.

Birds of a Lesser Paradise by Megan Mayhew Bergman

Human relationships and the natural world – in both its bucolic and menacing aspects – are at the center of this collection of stories that is being hailed as a spectacular debut.

Crime Fiction

Death in the Small Hours by Charles Finch

Charles Lenox’s quiet time off at his uncle’s Somerset estate turns into a busman’s holiday when a series of small crimes are discovered to have much higher stakes and pose a more personal threat.

The Boy in the Snow by M.J. McGrath

Edie Kiglatuk is in Alaska to help her ex-husband race in the Iditarod, but after discovering a dead baby in the woods she begins an investigation that uncovers human trafficking, political corruption, and a painful secret from her past.

Looking for Yesterday by Marcia Muller

Caro Warrick was acquitted of murdering her best friend but can’t shake the suspicious treatment she receives from everyone around her. Detective Sharon McCone thinks she can help – until Caro herself becomes a victim.

The Marseille Caper by Peter Mayle

Sleuth Sam Levitt finds himself between thuggish gangsters and ruthless real-estate developers on the coast of France, where he defends his client’s interest while enjoying the food, wine and sunshine of the region.

Fantasy

Crown of Vengeance by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

The story of Elven Queen Vielissiar Faricarnon – the first elf to ever bond with a dragon and to face the Endarkened in battle.

Krampus: the Yule Lord by Gerald Brom

Songwriter Jesse Walker comes into possession of Santa’s magic gift sack – and comes between Santa and Krampus, the demon trickster who was once betrayed by Santa and imprisoned some 500 years ago.

Romance

A Royal Pain by Megan Mulry

Strong characters and delicious timing mark this fairy tale romance between once-burned Bronte Talbott and Max Heyworth – the pauperish doctoral student who has proposed, though she doesn’t yet know he’s a duke.

‘Twas the Night After Christmas by Sabrina Jeffries

Pierce Waverly, the Earl of Devonmont, is estranged from his mother and is determined never to marry, but Camilla Stuart, his mother’s new companion, tricks him into an extended visit, where reconciliation begins – and romance too.

The Big Names

Spot-Lit focuses on new books that have received a consensus of positive advance reviews, but are by both established and emerging writers who may have eluded your attention. That’s to take nothing away from best-selling authors. Some of the better-known novelists with new releases in November are: Barbara Kingsolver, Vince Flynn, Ian McEwan, Colm T­óibín, Michael Connelly, Janet Evanovich, Clive Cussler, and Roberto Bolaño – click their names to read more about their new books or to put them on hold. All on-order titles can be found here.

Be sure to visit A Reading Life for more reviews and news of all things happening at the Everett Public Library

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