February brings us a bevy of new fiction, including multiple genre mashups such as fantasy mystery and historical fantasy, and an especially strong slate of historical fiction, among many other excellent titles.
2/6: The Adversary by Michael Crummey
In 1800s Newfoundland, two siblings fight a cutthroat battle to control the coastal shipping trade. As the brother and sister escalate their power battle and outside forces of storms and illness come calling, the townsfolk are called upon to take sides. (historical fiction)
2/6: Dixon, Descending by Karen Outen
Dixon is living a sedate life as a middle school psychologist when his brother Nate convinces Dixon to join him in an effort to become the first Black Americans to reach the summit of Mount Everest. A decision to push to the summit has disastrous results that reverberate through Dixon's life. (general fiction)
2/6: Fourteen Days: A Collaborative Novel edited by Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston
A who's who of authors - from Celeste Ng and Emma Donoghue to Tommy Orange and John Grisham – imagine tenants living in a New York City apartment building during the height of the COVID lockdown. (general fiction) A Peak Pick!
2/6: A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
Ricki Wilde jumps at the promise of the possible, leaving Atlanta for Harlem, where she finds herself connecting to the Harlem Renaissance history alive under her feet – and with the handsome stranger she meets one jasmine-blooming night. By the author of Seven Days in June. (romance) A Peak Pick!
2/6: Redwood Court by DéLana R.A. Dameron
Growing up in the 1990s surrounded by family in an all-Black suburb of Columbia, South Carolina, Mika Tabor pays witness to the stories and struggles of multiple generations. (general fiction)
2/6: Smoke Kings by Jahmal Mayfield
When his teenage cousin in murdered, young Black political activist Nate and three friends decide to exact reparations by kidnapping people who have committed hate crimes and forcing them to pay. But the pursuers are also pursued. (crime fiction)
2/6: The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
When one of the Empire's high imperial officers is murdered in a shocking manner, brilliant yet eccentric Ana Dolabra takes the case with the help of her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din, magically altered for perfect recall, worries that Ana will discover his secrets at the same time she solves a puzzle that gets at the heart of the Empire. (fantasy mystery)
2/6: The Women by Kristin Hannah
In 1965 with the world changing around her, nursing student Frankie signs up for the Army Nurse Corps and ships out to Vietnam. Amid the chaos of war, Frankie makes friendships, but another battle awaits when she returns home to a divided America. (historical fiction)
2/13: The Book of Love by Kelly Link
Three teens are returned from death after a year by their music teacher, and agree to master a series of magical tasks in hopes that one of them will permanently return to life. But they must also each solve the mystery of their death if they are to outwit supernatural figures and save what they love. The debut novel from acclaimed short story writer Kelly Link. (fantasy mystery)
2/13: The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
In 1908 Manchuria, detective Bao investigates the freezing death of an unidentified woman; a woman named Snow seeks to find the man who killed her daughter, joining the household staff of a family whose sons seem cursed to die before age 24; infused through both stories are the myth and folklore of fox spirits. (historical fiction)
2/13: The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood
Father-daughter duo Nagare and Koishi Kamogawa run a special diner, where they dig into diners' memories to recreated meaningful meals – food that might unlock long ago pasts and future happiness. (general fiction) A Peak Pick!
2/13: The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
In January 1918 Laura Iven is home in Halifax after being discharged from the field nurse medical corps. Notified of her brother Freddie's death in combat, Laura returns to Belgium in disbelief and hears rumors of a wine that makes soldiers forget. Meanwhile in November 1917, Freddie and a German soldier crawl their way to a mysterious refuge. (historical fantasy)
2/20: End of Story by A.J. Finn
Detective fiction expert Nicky Hunter agrees to stay with Sebastian Trapp to write his biography, but once there Nicky is intrigued by the mysterious death of Sebastian's first wife and son 20 years prior … and Sebastian's potential implication. (mystery/thriller) From the author of The Woman in the Window.
2/20: Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa
"Set in 19th century Sri Lanka and inspired by local folklore, the daughter of a traditional demon-priest—relentlessly bullied by peers and accused of witchcraft herself—tries to solve the mysterious attacks that have been terrorizing her coastal village." -publisher description (historical thriller)
2/20: Ours by Phillip B. Williams
In the 1830s, a mysterious woman sweeps through southern plantations, rescuing the enslaved, and takes them to a safe enclave outside St. Louis called Ours – a town magically hidden from the outside. But as the community grows and time passes, their freedoms risk imperiling the town. (historical fiction)
2/20: Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares
In this reimagining of the Zorro legend set in 1550s Mexico and incorporating Mesoamerican myths and Mexican history, Lady Lenora moonlights as Pantera, fighting the injustices of colonial soldiers. (historical fantasy) A Peak Pick!
2/27: After Annie by Anna Quindlen
In this novel that examines the transcendence of love even in coexistence with grief, the sudden death of Annie Brown leaves her husband, children, and friends to find a way forward. (general fiction)
2/27: The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Enslaved in New Orleans's French Quarter, Ady and her mom Sanite tell family stories and dream of a better future. When the two are separated, Ady finds friendship and purpose with Lenore, a free Black woman who works with a group undermining the Confederacy. (historical fiction)
2/27: In Ascension by Martin MacInnes
The discovery of a trench deep in the Atlantic Ocean leads scientist Leigh to an agency in the Mojave desert investigating potentially linked phenomena, and further catapults her into the cosmos as she seeks a pattern. Shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize. (general/science fiction)
2/27: Piglet by Lottie Hazell
Life is going just the way Piglet hoped (unfortunate nickname aside): she's a successful cookbook editor, about to marry her handsome fiancé Kit. But when Kit makes a confession two weeks before their wedding, Piglet is overcome by an insatiable hunger. (general fiction)
2/27: Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
In a novel both prequel and sequel to his acclaimed debut There There, Orange tells the stories of Orvil Red Feather's ancestors, from the 1864 Sand Creek massacre through the Carlisle Indian School to present day Oakland. (fiction) A Peak Pick!
~Posted by Andrea G.
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