A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore...

I don’t normally write about books to be published here, but I got super-excited when I found out about this one. I read the author’s other book, The Aviary Gate , last summer, and enjoyed it. The Pindar Diamond will be coming out on August 17, 2010 (BTW, the publisher's catalogue has a different cover, which I think is better, but I can't find a way to copy and paste it into here). A tale of lust, greed, and danger set in seventeenth-century Venice, The Pindar Diamond is a gripping and superbly told historical novel. In a small town on the Italian coast, a mysterious woman washes ashore. She is crippled, mute, and clutches a bundle to her chest—a baby the townspeople insist is a real-life mermaid. It can only bring bad luck; they pay a troupe of acrobats to carry mother and child away. In the bustling trade center of Venice, merchant Paul Pindar is the subject of his colleagues’ concern. Since his return from Constantinople, they have found him changed; raging over the loss...

Apparently, I missed this news the first time it was announced, but I recently found out that SKP is going to be doing a book tour in the US this summer! According to her e-mail newsletter, the paperback edition of Devil's Brood is coming out at the end of July (August for UK), as well as reissues of the other books in the "Eleanor of Aquitaine" series. What's most exciting about this is that SKP will be in MY neighborhood for a signing/talk! (actually, 30 minutes away, but come hell or high water, I'll be there). It's a short tour, so I'm all the more excited for it. Here's the list of where she'll be... OK, now I need to go and crawl out of the cave I've been living in...

Once again, the people at Berkely/ NAL have come up with a great cover for the newest book of one of my favorite authors. Jen Lancaster's next book will be out in May, and Pretty in Plaid is apparently a prequel to Bitter is a New Black . On the other hand, here's the cover of Silent on the Moor , by Deanna Raybourn, another one of my favorite authors. It's to be published in March. Boy, does that look like the cover of a romance novel, or what? If I wasn't already a fan, I'd walk right on by this cover in a bookstore!

In April, 2009, Kate Morton, author of The House at Riverton , is coming out with a new novel, called The Forgotten Garden . It's already out in the UK, and I loved its predecessor so much that I went right on over to Amazon UK to purchase a copy of it (so you'll probably see a review of this book sometime soon). Set just before WWI, its the story of a lost child who mistakenly winds up on a ship going to Australia. The novel covers the time period from 1913 to 2005, and it's gotten altogether good reviews on Amazon UK so far.

In September, Emma Donoghue, author of Slammerkin and Life Mask , is coming out with a new novel called The Sealed Letter . Its based on a scandalous divorce case that took place in 1864, and features stained dresses (sound familiar?), accusations of rape, and more. The book has been published in Canada, and its gotten good reviews on Amazon.ca. I love Donoghue's novels, especially because her characters are so well developed and her research is always so meticulate.

Recently, The Powers That Be over at ABC.com have created a “book club” of books that have appeared or been referred to on Lost —ie, in one episode, Sawyer is seen reading a copy of Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret ; in another, an orientation film is hidden behind a copy of The Turn of the Screw . Apparently there are more than 40 of them—so far. Each book is accompanied by a short synopsis, plus a short description of the book’s relevance to the show. There’s also a discussion forum for the books. Its basically the book club for Lost junkies. It’s a cute idea. See for yourself .

From Publisher's Lunch: Author of the bestselling Marley & Me John Grogan's new memoir, THE LONGEST TRIP HOME, has been announced for publication on October 21 by William Morrow. "From his troublemaking childhood to his courtship of a fiery blond named Jenny, Grogan writes about how he came to terms with who he is and what he believes." It's called the "story of a son in the making, and of growing up in a loving, but comically old-school Catholic family." Grogan says in the announcement, "Even before Marley & Me was published, I knew this was the story I wanted to tell next. The Longest Trip Home is a story very close to my heart." He'll promote his children's book A Very Marley Christmas, releasing September 30, while touring for the new memoir, and the film version of Marley (starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) is set for release on Christmas day.

Love the One You're With , by Emily Giffin--May 13 Chasing Harry Winston , by Lauren Weisberger--May 27th. The Beach House , by Jane Green--June 17th This Charming Man , by Marian Keyes--June 17th Queen of Babble Gets Hitched , by Meg Cabot--June 24th. The people at my local library must be tired of me, what with all the holds I've placed on books recently!

Jack With a Twist , by Brenda Janowitz. My TBR pile keeps getting bigger and bigger! Last summer, I had the good fortune to take a writing course with Brenda Janowitz, author of Scot on the Rocks: Or, How I Survived My Ex-Boyfriend’s Wedding With My Dignity Ever So Slightly Intact . In Scot on the Rocks , the main character, Brooke, attended her ex boyfriend’s wedding, only a short while after being dumped by her perfect Scottish boyfriend. She then takes her friend Jack along to pose as the Scottish boyfriend, with hilariously funny results. Janowitz’s new book, Jack With a Twist , is coming out in July, and, from what I learned of from the author, it’s a continuation of Scot. It looks like its going to be another fun summer read.

Any casual reader of my reviews knows that I love historical fiction. One of my favorite authors in this genre is Sharon Kay Penman , whose When Christ and His Saints Slept I’m reading right now. It’s the first book in a trilogy that includes Time and Chance (2002) and Devil’s Brood (to be published in October 2008). Of course, I’m going to be first in line when the new book comes out. The trilogy focuses on the lives of royalty in the twelfth century, specifically the Empress Maude and Eleanor of Aquitaine. In addition, the covers of some of Penman’s books are undergoing a facelift; here’s the cover of Here Be Dragons , a novel of thirteenth century Wales:

Another one of my favorite authors is Laurie Notaro. Like Jen Lancaster, she’s a memoirist, writing about her life in short, sweet chunks of funny. Notaro’s had six books published, beginning with The Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club . She has a new book coming out on June 24th, called The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death : Reflections on Revenge, Germophobia and Laser Hair Removal . Although I’ve been unable to find out anything about the book, I believe it’s going to be another collection of essays. Laurie Notaro’s books are pure brain candy, perfect for hot summer days.

Two years ago, Jen Lancaster made her non-fiction debut with Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office . The book is a howlingly funny account of how the author all of a sudden found herself unemployed—and how she coped with it. Her follow up, Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly Ex-Sorority Girl’s Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who Are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? is all about Life in the Big City. What I love about her books—really, two collections of essays—is that she never hesitates to make fun of herself—and everyone around her. She’s so funny you can forgive her for her meanness. In May, Jen Lancaster returns with a third dose of humor and bitingly sharp wit: the title of her new book is Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist’s Quest to Discover if Her Ass Looks Big, Or Why Pie Is Not the Answer (gotta love those ...

I’ve just discovered that Philippa Gregory, author of the bestselling The Other Boleyn Girl, is coming out with a new novel in September. The book is called The Other Queen (it’s tough to keep Gregory’s book titles straight, considering they’re all very similar), and it’s about Mary, Queen of Scots and her imprisonment in England. Mary's quite an interesting historical figure, and one of the most misunderstood (she was implicated in the death of her second husband, Henry, Lord Darnley, and was eventually thought to be unfit to rule. Actually, she was a good person who made an appalling number of bad decisions, as evidenced in Alison Weir's excellent book about the murder of Lord Darnley). The cover not withstanding (it looks as though it could be the cover for a science fiction/fantasy novel)., I always love Philippa Gregory’s books because of the way she expertly takes the lives of well-known historical figures and makes them into "real" people. The Other Queen wi...

This time the book in question is Holly Would Dream , by Karen Quinn (author of The Ivy Chronicles , about the cut-throat world of prep school admissions in New York City), another chick lit book coming out in paperback in June. Again, another book that looks like it will be a fun summer read, whose Audrey Hepburn-esque cover I fell in love with immediately (Unfortunately, I can't seem to find this book on Shelfari.com; when I went to add it to my list of books to be read, my search turned up every edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream ever printed in the last fifty years, plus a novel called Do Andriods Dream of Electric Sheep? ). Here's what the novel seems to be about, according to Karen Quinn's website, Karenquinn.net: Not a day goes by that Holly Ross doesn’t regret missing out on her big Hollywood break. But, having abandoned dreams of movie stardom, her new career as a fashion historian is beginning to reap rewards. About to be married and with a big promotion pro...

It's called Dorothy On the Rocks , and the author is Barbara Suter. From the book description (the book is set for release at the end of June, in paperback): "In Maggie Barlow's world, reality is overrated. So what if her singing career has hit a sour note or she's no longer the ingénue that she used to be? So what if she drinks and smokes a bit too much or likes to chat with a fairy godperson who appears to her from time to time? She's the queen of denial and an actress to boot—she can just take on the role of someone she likes better than her sorry self. Regrettably, that role is currently Dorothy in the Little Britches Theater Company's production of The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy on the Rocks is the story of a funny, lovable, totally self-destructive woman who, after a night of one-drink-too-many, wakes up with a strange man in her bed: confident, handsome, sexy, twenty-eight-year-old Jack. What happens next is what makes Barbara Suter's coming-of-middle-a...