by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books)
Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read!
Cherie Dimaline's Hunting by Stars (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
Description from Publisher:
"Years ago, when plagues and natural disasters killed millions of people, much of the world stopped dreaming. Without dreams, people are haunted, sick, mad, unable to rebuild. The government soon finds that the Indigenous people of North America have retained their dreams, an ability rumored to be housed in the very marrow of their bones. Soon, residential schools pop up—or are re-opened—across the land to bring in the dreamers and harvest their dreams.
"Seventeen-year-old French lost his family to these schools and has spent the years since heading north with his new found family: a group of other dreamers, who, like him, are trying to build and thrive as a community. But then French wakes up in a pitch-black room, locked in and alone for the first time in years, and he knows immediately where he is—and what it will take to escape.
"Meanwhile, out in the world, his found family searches for him and dodges new dangers—school Recruiters, a blood cult, even the land itself. When their paths finally collide, French must decide how far he is willing to go—and how many loved ones is he willing to betray—in order to survive. This engrossing, action-packed, deftly-drawn novel expands on the world of Cherie Dimaline’s award-winning The Marrow Thieves, and it will haunt readers long after they’ve turned the final page."
Why I want to read it:
We talked about The Marrow Thieves (Amazon | Bookshop.org) as part of our Global Read Aloud discussion, back in episode 144, and I absolutely loved it. I'm so excited, therefore, to read another book set in that world, a continuation of the story that so captured me. This book is both timely and relevant, and I look forward to seeing the continuation of these characters' stories.
Cassandra Khaw's Nothing but Blackened Teeth (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
Description from Publisher:
"Cassandra Khaw's Nothing But Blackened Teeth is a gorgeously creepy haunted house tale, steeped in Japanese folklore and full of devastating twists.
"A Heian-era mansion stands abandoned, its foundations resting on the bones of a bride and its walls packed with the remains of the girls sacrificed to keep her company.
"It’s the perfect venue for a group of thrill-seeking friends, brought back together to celebrate a wedding.
"A night of food, drinks, and games quickly spirals into a nightmare as secrets get dragged out and relationships are tested.
"But the house has secrets too. Lurking in the shadows is the ghost bride with a black smile and a hungry heart.
"And she gets lonely down there in the dirt.
"Effortlessly turning the classic haunted house story on its head, Nothing but Blackened Teeth is a sharp and devastating exploration of grief, the parasitic nature of relationships, and the consequences of our actions."
Why I want to read it:
This looks like such a perfect October read! And that cover?! Seriously, it is SO creepy and evocative. (I'm definitely trying to keep my younger son from seeing it, though, because I know he'll be completely creeped out.)
Elizabeth Strout's Oh William! (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
Description from Publisher:
"I would like to say a few things about my first husband, William.
"Lucy Barton is a writer, but her ex-husband, William, remains a hard man to read. William, she confesses, has always been a mystery to me. Another mystery is why the two have remained connected after all these years. They just are.
"So Lucy is both surprised and not surprised when William asks her to join him on a trip to investigate a recently uncovered family secret—one of those secrets that rearrange everything we think we know about the people closest to us. What happens next is nothing less than another example of what Hilary Mantel has called Elizabeth Strout’s 'perfect attunement to the human condition.' There are fears and insecurities, simple joys and acts of tenderness, and revelations about affairs and other spouses, parents and their children. On every page of this exquisite novel we learn more about the quiet forces that hold us together—even after we’ve grown apart.
"At the heart of this story is the indomitable voice of Lucy Barton, who offers a profound, lasting reflection on the very nature of existence. 'This is the way of life,' Lucy says: 'the many things we do not know until it is too late.'"
Why I want to read it:
I gave five stars to books 1 and 2 of the Amgash series—My Name Is Lucy Barton (Amazon | Bookshop.org) and Anything Is Possible (Amazon | Bookshop.org)—so there is no doubt in my mind that I'll love Oh William, too. I adore Strout's sense of character and her positively gorgeous, spare writing.
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