Amy Kay
Hooked on Books
Are you ready for high season in the publishing world? Inspired by the rise in holiday shopping, a wave of new titles are released in November every year. There are too many great new books to list, but here are five titles I’m adding to my TBR list ASAP.
Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson. This one sounds pretty great: In the dead-end town of Coalfield, Tennessee, two misfit teens find solace in each other. Frances is an aspiring writer. Zeke is a talented artist. On a whim, the two collaborate on an anonymous art-making project that results in the Coalfield Panic of 1996. Fast-forward 20 years and Frances is a famous author, but her connection to Coalfield threatens everything. Author Kevin Wilson delivers a coming-of-age story about young love and the power of art.
We Are the Light by Matthew Quick. Another investigation of big happenings in small towns, We Are The Light takes place in the quiet suburb of Majestic, Pennsylvania. Lucas Goodgame, lost in grief, is convinced that his deceased wife visits him every night in the form of an angel. When Lucas makes an unlikely alliance with a troubled local teen, they make some awe-inspiring discoveries about the nature of guardian angels. Author Matthew Quick brought us the fabulous Silver Linings Playbook, and you can expect a similar vibe.
Going Rogue by Janet Evanovich. The latest in author Janet Evanovich’s epic Stephanie Plum series (No. 29, if you’re counting at home) finds the redoubtable Ms. Plum on the hunt for a valuable missing coin. It seems Connie Rosolli, office manager at Vinnie’s Bail Bonds, has been kidnapped—and her abductor really wants that coin. Bonus trivia: Evanovich’s original inspiration for the Stephanie Plum series is the classic 1988 comedy Midnight Run, with Charles Grodin and Robert De Niro.
The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama. Here’s some news we can use. The Light We Carry—the follow-up to Michelle Obama’s acclaimed memoir Becoming—is specifically aimed at bringing some hope and sanity into our current, turbulent times. Obama shares her personal strategies for dealing with stress and uncertainty, focusing in on the good stuff: community, compassion, connection, and humor. The stories and reflections are drawn from Obama’s experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady.
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry. Celebrity memoirs can be a hit-or-miss affair, but all indications are that this one is going to be a winner. Matthew Perry—star of stage, screen, and Friends—delivers behind-the-scenes showbiz stories along with candid discussion of his trials, travails, and addiction struggles. Advance word suggests that Perry is a natural storyteller and that Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is packed with plenty of his trademark humor.
These new titles can be reserved at your local County of Lennox and Addington Library or online at www.countylibrary.ca.