Better watch out

Linda Sappenfield — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 19:16:00 GMT

A certain approaching event conjures up a vivid image: busy workers frantically readying shipments of delightful items for wide, eagerly received distribution.

Santa's elves are probably working overtime, too. But I was thinking of forthcoming books; yesterday I read a review for Cathy Marie Buchanan's The Painted Girls, due out in early January. I loved this author's The Day the Falls Stood Still so am anxious to get my hands on this new novel about two sisters in Belle Époque Paris.

Since we cherish the notion of handmade toys and gingerbread men lovingly manufactuerd on a holly-wreathed assembly line, it's not hard to imagine all that affection and energy in a production model for writing. True, this couldn't be contained in one venue; writers all over the country--sometimes even in other countries--labor over laptops or typewriters (that likely are not adorned with twinkles, ribbon, or greenery) crafting our next favorite reads. Scattered though these industrious creators may be, the end results prove just as celebratory. Boxes and digital downloads, materializing when promised, are joyously accepted.

Anticipation is half the fun; watch the library for these upcoming deliveries:

December
If you've already seen Kevin J. Anderson's Death Warmed Over, you know that it features Zombie P.I. Dan Shamble, who is busy solving his own murder. Dan's next adventure, Unnatural Acts, is lurching toward its publication date. Readers fond of small-town characters, Scotland, and cozy mysteries will applaud A.D. Scott's Beneath the Abbey Wall. While you're waiting, check out A Small Death in the Great Glen and A Double Death on the Black Isle. Austinite and award-winning romantic suspense author Laura Griffin continues her Tracers series with Scorched. Round Rock Public Library has all of the earlier Tracer entries.

January
I read an advance copy of debut author Elizabeth Black's The Drowning House so can attest to its being atmospheric and memorable. Given its setting in Galveston; Erik Larsons's Isaac's Storm would be the ideal companion read. Tracy Chevalier, highly successful with European historical fiction titles (e.g., Girl with a Pearl Earring) will offer a tale based on American history (Underground Railroad), The Last Runaway. Another Austin resident, Manuel Gonzales, has published in some notable magazines and currently is receiving enviable notices (including a starred review from Publishers Weekly) for his short story collection, The Miniature Wife & Other Stories.

March
Fans of Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Award-winning author Harlan Coben will rejoice to hear that Six Years is due out this spring.

April
Alan Brennert, whose Moloka'i proved such a book group favorite that it won a "Bookies" Award in 2006 as Book Club Book of the Year, now brings us the decades-spanning Palisades Park. And fans of Edward Rutherfurd's epic historical sagas (Sarum, London, New York: The Novel) will cheer the publication of Paris: The Novel in April--and should go ahead and clear a couple of days on their calendars. Fellow readers will understand.

Reader's Exchange : Paris: The Novel

Better watch out