Sure signs of warmer weather:
1) Our four robin friends return to the TPL tree beside our staff room door.
2) Our coworker argues that they have actually been there all year long. We go, "Oh yes, I recall. Except before they were wearing little scarves and now it is tiny sunglasses" (sarcasm).
3) We compile a list of our most anticipated spring/summer adult fiction releases.
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
This is our ‘beach read’ of the list. Every warm(ish) weather list must include a beach read. This one actually sort of includes two. To be clear, we have absolutely no plans of reading either on a beach. Or near a beach. But it is what you might classify as light, irreverent, entertaining, and fun. Waxman is the author of The Garden of Small Beginnings and Other People’s Houses. Confirmed introvert Nina Hill, however, seems destined to become our favourite of the bunch. And not just because advanced reviews have promised we will both laugh AND cry (whether from additional, prolonged laughter or sadness is unclear). And not just because of the fun cover (which we know we’re not even supposed to consider). And certainly not because she works in a bookshop and considers her life – even with it turned completely upside-down – to pale in comparison to actual fiction.
Recursion by Blake Crouch
What if there was a way to not only relive, but actually remake your memories? Sounds intriguing. Fun. Redemptive? But it won’t be. Cause this is Blake Crouch. And he relishes in playing with the minds of his characters, fans, first-time readers in our book club that question every move we make in the aftermath of "whatever that was."
But it's in this very manipulation that lies his genius. Perhaps best known for Dark Matter and a wildly successful trilogy that would later become the TV series Wayward Pines, Crouch’s work is best described as raw, unpredictable, thriller, sci-fi, philosophical rant (?), oft alarmingly poignant amalgam. If that clears anything up. This one begins with the deeply unsettling last words, “My son has been erased” before a woman jumps off a Manhattan rooftop. Protagonist Barry begins to investigate the woman’s death only to discover there are many more cases just like hers.
Gravity is the Thing by Jaclyn Moriarty
You may never have heard of Jaclyn Moriarty if, unlike us, you have not remained immersed in the world of YA well into Medium A. We have to be. It’s part of our job. Also something we voluntarily did before having this job. So a chicken/egg sort of argument. Moriarty is perhaps best known for The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone, a story which does nothing for the reputation of pirates and reminds us that faery cross-stitch is serious business.
Her debut adult fiction has already been compared to Maria Semple (Where’d You Go, Bernadette) and Gail Honeyman (Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine), two favourites that we discovered this past year. But to anticipate the work on those merits would be doing a disservice to Moriarty’s own voice– also brilliant –here telling the tale of Abigail Sorenson and her 20-year quest to uncover the truth about her missing brother, Robert.
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
On the northern end of Russia, at the tip of the Kamchatka coastline, on an August afternoon, two girls – sisters – go missing without a trace. The proceeding police investigation reveals nothing. Each chapter, a short story unto itself, represents one month in the search, confusion and emotional aftermath as news/reaction to the crime reverberates through the community. If a warm(ish) weather book list also requires a suspenseful mystery (and it does), then this is our pick
Though we don’t particularly like the word “buzz,” this is getting a lot of it for a debut title. Phillips’ short work has appeared in publications such as Glimmer Train, Slate, and The Atlantic. As seems to be the general consensus, the entire novel is sure to be as haunting as its premise.
The Rosie Result (Don Tillman Book 3) by Graeme Simsion
Brief and completely unsolicited life lesson: don’t be afraid to like what you like. Loved Harry Potter. Got swept up in The Hunger Games excitement. Devoured The Rosie Project. And then, like the rest of the world, participated in a collective, “Heh” when The Rosie Effect came out. It was still cute. It was still readable. It was still Rosie (both spellings). But lacked a little something that seems to popularly be called the ‘wow factor’ when discussed in the context of reality TV dance hopefuls.
So it’s a testament to the story arc as a whole to admit we’re pretty excited to see how the whole thing plays out in this last chapter. Ten years into the future, Rosie and Don’s son Hudson begins to experience some of the same ‘awkwardness issues’ as his father. Do they attempt to diagnose him, interfere, or let the boy navigate life on his own? We’ll find out on June 7. Or rather, June 8, at 3 in the morning.
