First, a few housekeeping items:
If you’d like your library to participate in BPL Central’s
Veterans’ Day Remembrance display, contact Heather McWilliams (heather [dot] mcwilliams
[at] cobpl [dot] org) to receive a supply packet and instructions for making
paper poppies. The deadline to turn them
back in is October 25th. Reach out to
her for additional information!
Save the date for the JCPLA Holiday Luncheon on Tuesday,
December 5th 11am-1pm. Registration and
Library Champion Award nominations will open soon!
In attendance:
Holley – O’Neal
Brooke – Springville Road
Tamara – Irondale
Samm – Hoover
Melanie – Hoover
Madison – Five Points West
Stephanie – Hoover
Lora – Vestavia
Gelenda – Southside
Olivia – North Avondale
Madalyn – Hoover
Lawana –
Cara – Center Point
Emily – Center Point
Romellia –
The next meeting is at the O’Neal Library on Wednesday, December 13th at 9:30am
and the topic up for discussion is gender representation. A Zoom option will be available. Voting took place and I am delighted to
moderate the group next year! We also
voted on topics for 2024, so mark your calendars for these meetings:
2024 – a participant requested LP recs in particular, so
keep that in mind as you select what you’d like to share with the group 😊
February 14 – clean romance
April 10 – historical mysteries
June 12 – westerns
August 14 – large print for book clubs (enough copies
available)
October 9 – mythology retellings
December 11 – local/Southern authors
If you would like the pdf file for next year’s meeting schedule,
let me know! (hwesley [at] oneallibrary [dot] org)
Today, we met to chat about debut and emerging authors!
A feminist gothic tale perfectly suited for the current
moment, A Good House for Children combines an atmospheric mystery with
resonant themes of motherhood, madness, and the value of a woman’s work.
The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer
For readers of Margaret Atwood and Hilary Mantel, an
immersive literary debut inspired by historical events—a deadly witch hunt in
17th-century England—that claimed many innocent lives.
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep
“Compelling . . . at once a true-crime thriller, courtroom
drama, and miniature biography of Harper Lee. If To Kill a Mockingbird was
one of your favorite books growing up, you should add Furious Hours to
your reading list today.” —Southern Living
Who is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht
An exhilarating page-turner and perceptive coming-of-age
story, Who Is Vera Kelly? introduces an original, wry, and whip-smart
female spy for the twenty-first century.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett
A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far
north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and
love in the start of a heartwarming and enchanting new
fantasy series.
Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia
The start of an exciting new historical mystery series set
during the Harlem Renaissance
Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu
Sixth Sense meets Stranger Things in T. L.
Huchu's The Library of the Dead, a sharp contemporary fantasy following a
precocious and cynical teen as she explores the shadowy magical underside of
modern Edinburgh.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller
of a woman’s act of violence against her husband - and of the therapist
obsessed with uncovering her motive.
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
From the number one New York Times best-selling
author of The Silent Patient comes a spellbinding tale of
psychological suspense, weaving together Greek mythology, murder, and
obsession, that further cements “Michaelides as a major player in the field” (Publishers
Weekly).
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Davies
The instant #1 New York Times bestselling mystery
and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick that’s captivated more than a million
readers about a woman searching for the truth about her husband’s
disappearance…at any cost.
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician on the
rise—undeterred by the pressure and prejudice of the classical music world—when
a shocking theft sends him on a desperate quest to recover his
great-great-grandfather’s heirloom violin on the eve of the most prestigious
musical competition in the world.
Chlorine by Jade Song
In the vein of The Pisces and The Vegetarian, Chlorine is
a debut novel that blurs the line between a literary coming-of-age narrative
and a dark unsettling horror tale, told from an adult perspective on the trials
and tribulations of growing up in a society that puts pressure on young women
and their bodies… a powerful, relevant novel of immigration, sapphic longing,
and fierce, defiant becoming.
The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
From Cassandra Khaw, USA Today bestselling author
of Nothing But Blackened Teeth, comes The Salt Grows Heavy, a
razor-sharp and bewitching fairy tale of discovering the darkness in the world,
and the darkness within oneself.
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
For readers of Gillian Flynn and Tana French comes one of
the decade’s most anticipated debuts: a twisty, powerful Hitchcockian thriller
about an agoraphobic woman who believes she witnessed a crime in a neighboring
house.
Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne
A woman goes head-to-head with the CEO of a corporation
threatening to destroy her neighborhood in this fresh and modern retelling
of Pride and Prejudice by debut author Nikki Payne.
Sex, Lies, and Sensibility by Nikki Payne (due out Feburary 13, 2024)
Two sisters roll up their sleeves to run a dilapidated inn
but must learn to work with the locals in this deliciously spicy novel inspired
by Sense and Sensibility.
Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
Few works of literature are as universally beloved as Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland. Now, in this spellbinding historical novel, we meet
the young girl whose bright spirit sent her on an unforgettable trip down the
rabbit hole - and the grown woman whose story is no less enthralling.
Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix
A traditional haunted house story in a contemporary setting,
and full of current fears, Horrorstör delivers a high-concept premise
in a unique style.
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author,
"a magnificent, compulsively readable thriller...Rice begins where
Bram Stoker and the Hollywood versions leave off and penetrates directly to the
true fascination of the myth—the education of the vampire” (Chicago Tribune).
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Thirteenth Tale is a return to that rich vein of
storytelling that our parents loved and we loved as children. Diane Setterfield
will keep you guessing, make you wonder, move you to tears and laughter, and in
the end, deposit you breathless yet satisfied back upon the shore of your
everyday life.
The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James
A woman of limited means and even less experience must
confront a vengeful spirit in this haunting novel from the New York Times bestselling
author of The Broken Girls and The Sun Down Motel.
Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
Scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love—witness
what the gods do after dark in this stylish and contemporary reimagining of one
of the best-known stories in Greek mythology.
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Breathtakingly suspenseful and beautifully written, The
Historian is the story of a young woman plunged into a labyrinth where the
secrets of her family’s past connect to an inconceivable evil: the dark
fifteenth-century reign of Vlad the Impaler and a time-defying pact that may
have kept his awful work alive through the ages.
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
Dexter meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this
wildly compulsive debut thriller about a couple whose fifteen-year marriage has
finally gotten too interesting...
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
Nan King, an oyster girl, is captivated by the music hall
phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards
in Canterbury. Through a friend at the box office, Nan manages to visit all her
shows and finally meet her heroine. Soon after, she becomes Kitty's dresser and
the two head for the bright lights of Leicester Square where they begin a
glittering career as music-hall stars in an all-singing and dancing double act.
At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each
other and their affair begins.
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochtil Gonzalez
A blazing new talent debuts with the story of a
status-driven wedding planner grappling with her absent mother, her glittering
career amongst New York’s elite, and her Puerto Rican roots in the wake of
Hurricane Maria.
The Verifiers by Jane Pek
Introducing Claudia Lin: a sharp-witted amateur
sleuth for the 21st century. This debut novel follows Claudia as she verifies
people's online lives, and lies, for a dating detective agency in New York
City. Until a client with an unusual request goes missing....
Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong
A gripping page-turner, as well as a sensitive exploration
of mental health, Liar, Dreamer, Thief is an intimate portrayal of
life in all its complexities—and the dangers inherent in unveiling people’s
most closely guarded secrets.
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a
depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America’s own in this
explosive, hotly-anticipated debut novel.
__________________________________
Seeking out debut novels/authors provides excellent potential
to discover new voices, fresh takes, and groundbreaking creativity. Here are a few award lists serving to
pile more on your TBR!
The Center For Fiction First Novel Prize Longlist
https://centerforfiction.org/book-recs/2023-first-novel-prize/
The Center For Fiction First Novel Prize Shortlist
https://centerforfiction.org/book-recs/2023-first-novel-prize-shortlist/
The Costa Book Award for First Novel (discontinued)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Book_Award_for_First_Novel
PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel
https://pen.org/pen-hemingway-award/
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