Editor’s Note: Each month our “GalleyChatter” Robin Beerbower wrangles the many titles librarians buzzed during GalleyChat down to a select few that are candidates for nearly everyone’s TBR lists.

GalleyChats are held on Twitter the first Tuesday of each month. The next one, May 6, 4 to 5 p.m. EDT will focus on the titles librarians are hoping to find at BEA. Please join us (details here).

Take it away, Robin!

April’s GalleyChat yielded a nice variety of forthcoming books with something for everyone.

If you couldn’t keep up with the over 400 tweets, check out the complete listing of titles on Edelweiss.

Suspense Thrillers

 

Two suspense thrillers were at the forefront of our discussion starting with the second in the Jack White series, Vanishing Games (RH/Knopf, July). In 2013 Roger Hobbs had a hit with the first Jack White title, Ghostman, (even Michiko liked it!) and the second one is—if possible—even more intense. Set in the fascinating location of Macau, “Jack” reunites with his mentor, Angela, to find a missing treasure while trying to stay one step ahead of multiple bad guys. Stephanie Chase, Hillsboro Public Library (OR), said this is “a fast-paced and thrilling high-stakes caper that is enjoyable from start to finish.”

Patrick Lee introduced the intriguing ex-Special Forces operative Sam Dryden in his smart thriller Runner and Dryden is again featured in the follow-up, Signal (Macmillan/Minotaur, July). In her Edelweiss review, Janet Lockhart (Wake County Public Libraries) said “Think Lee Child with a sci-fi twist. Main character who is sympathetic despite the alarmingly large number of people he has to kill, great pacing, and mind blowing plot twists make this a great read.”

Book About Books

“A book is both doctor and medicine. It makes diagnoses and provides therapy. Bringing the right novels together with the appropriate people is the way I sell books.” Combine that quote from Little Paris Bookshop, Nina George (RH/Crown, June) with the setting of a floating bookshop on the Seine and no readers’ advisory librarian will be able to resist reading (and recommending) it. Joe Jones (Cuyahoga County Public Library, Ohio) said, “Lost loves, a search for forgiveness, and one memorable road trip featuring some unique companions and characters along the way. For anyone who loves books and how they affect us. A perfect book discussion title.”

Psychological Suspense at Its Best

“Eerie” and “unsettling” best describes Paul Tremblay’s Head Full of Ghosts (HarperCollins/ Morrow, June), the story of an 8-year-old grappling with her 14-year-old sister’s mental illness (real? fake? activated by paranormal activity?) and their family’s decision to have an exorcism filmed by a television crew. This was so intense I could hardly keep reading and recommend to readers who liked John Searles’ Help for the Haunted, especially for the sisterly bond.

Best of 2015 Contender

Every GalleyChat has at least one book deemed a “favorite of the year” and the heartbreaking debut by Bill Clegg, Did You Ever Have a Family (S&S/Gallery/Scout Press, September) is a definite contender. Discerning reader and devoted participant Cynthia Baskin loved this saying, “The author combines beautiful, empathetic writing with fully drawn realistic characters dealing with a horrible tragedy.” Janet Lockhart also agrees, saying this will appeal to fans of Elizabeth Strout and Ann Patchett and is a perfect title for all book groups.

Feverish for Gothics

    

The fever never wanes among GalleyChat participants; we just can’t get enough of these novels filled with nail-biting atmospheric suspense. The announcement that Kate Morton’s next book, The Lake House, is due next October (S&S/Atria), sparked discussion about two titles that can be read now. Both Kimberly Freeman’s Evergreen Falls (S&S/Touchstone, August) and Lucinda Riley’s The Seven Sisters S&S/Touchstone, May) have dual timeline stories in exotic settings. Freeman’s book is set in a spa hotel in Australia and features a story fraught with scandalous secrets and love affairs; it’s a perfect match for fans of the departed Victoria Holt. New Rochelle (NY) Public Library’s Beth Mills reported that the Riley book “is the first in a linked series of seven novels focused on the mysteries surrounding six girls adopted by an enigmatic billionaire and each book features one of the sisters. I can hardly wait for the second novel, promised for November 2015.”

Memoir to Remember

Bastards: A Memoir, Mary Anna King (WW Norton, June), mentioned a couple of months ago, now has a hold on Jennifer Dayton (Darien, CT, Library) who calls it a memoir to watch.  As a child King’s mother had multiple babies but gave them all up for adoption, then sent King to live with her grandparents. As an adult, King was haunted by the family she never knew and was determined to bring everyone back together. Janet Lockhart remarked that this is a “moving bio of girl trying to find a way to make sense of her fractured family life.”

I check Edelweiss for forthcoming books daily so you don’t have to, so “friend me” to see what I’m excited to read.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 23rd, 2015 at 6:11 pm and is filed under GalleyChat. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.