Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For September, we’re looking at a long-awaited follow-up, historical thrillers from a range of time periods, a new-ish contemporary romance series, and our very own Experimentals STEM and STEAM kits.
If you enjoy literary fiction:
David Wroblewski’s Familiaris (2024)*
About fifteen years ago, the book community was all abuzz about David Wroblewski’s debut novel, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. It was a retelling of Hamlet set on a rural Wisconsin dog farm in the 1970s. Years passed and Wroblewski didn’t release any more novels, related to Edgar Sawtelle or otherwise. That is, until now. In this long-awaited prequel, Edgar’s grandparents, the dreamer John and his more pragmatic wife Mary, are the stars of the show in post-WWI Wisconsin as they move to the Northwoods and start their own dog breeding business.
Recommended for those who enjoyed Daniel Mason’s North Woods.
*Ebook also available on Libby.
If you prefer historical thrillers:
Katherine Reay’s The Berlin Letters (2024)**
If you like your historical fiction to have an espionage bent, try this novel. In this dual storyline novel, Luisa has long loved cracking codes, but her work in cryptography at the CIA in the 1980s is less than inspiring. She’s stuck decoding old messages from WWII. Juxtaposed against Luisa’s story is that of the father she long presumed dead, who finds himself trapped in East Berlin when the Berlin Wall is built. Complications ensue.
Recommended for those who enjoy the work of Jennifer Ryan.
**Ebook and audiobook also available on Hoopla.
Chris Whitaker’s All the Colors of the Dark (2024)***
If you prefer your historical thrillers with more of a gritty, gothic crime vibe, then try this new novel. In rural 1970s Missouri, teenage girls are disappearing. A one-eyed local boy nicknamed Patch saves the day but inadvertently leaves heartache in his wake. From there, the novel unravels the decades-long ramifications of the events of that fateful year.
Recommended for those who enjoy the work of Liz Moore.
***Ebook and audiobook also available on Libby.
Joseph Kanon’s Shanghai (2024)****
If you want a crime drama twist to your thrillers and also prefer something a little more historical in your historical fiction, then check out Shanghai. Dan Lohr leaves his native Germany and, like many of his fellow German-Jewish refugees in the lead-up to WWII, flees to Shanghai, China. Once there, he gets drawn into the shadowy criminal underworld his uncle inhabits.
Recommended for those who enjoy the work of Martin Cruz Smith.
****Ebook and audiobook also available on Libby and physical copy available in our collection.
If you love contemporary romances:
Hannah Grace’s Icebreaker and Wildfire (2022-20223)*****
In these first two books of the Maple Hills series, the characters are all affiliated with the fictional University of California, Maple Hills. In Icebreaker, an ambitious competitive college figure skater finds her athletic dreams relying on the hockey player she can’t stand. Meanwhile, in Wildfire, two Maple Hills students with an awkward shared past find themselves stuck together as counselors at the same summer camp. You know where this is headed. . . .
Recommended for those who enjoy Elle Kennedy’s work.
*****Ebook and audiobook for Icebreaker and ebook for Wildfire on Libby.
If you like hands-on experiments:
Experimentals STEAM Kits
Usually, we’re highlighting new books in our Book Buzz posts, but I wanted to take time to draw your attention to our Experimentals STEM and STEAM kits for kids. They’re a wonderful resource that let you dabble in everything from forensics to chemistry to astronomy. Our newest ones are packaged in totes and focus on citizen science and computer science. Your family can be part of helping scientists understand more about pollinator populations and locations or spot and report potential mosquito breeding habitats to help scientists better predict when mosquito populations may spike in our area. Your kids can play the Turing Tumble game to see how simple switches, connected in clever ways, can do incredibly smart things—just like a computer works. These kits are designed for tweens, but the activities they contain are fun for anyone wanting to experiment with learning new things. Stop by the library and check them out!
What’s your favorite new-ish books? What books are you buzzing about? Have you read any of these books? Have you tried the Experimental STEM and STEAM kits? Tell us in the comments! As always, please follow this link to our online library catalog for more information on any of these items or to place them on hold.
Berryville Book Buzz 