Several new authors are making their debuts this August. These books are sure to be a hit, so place your holds now!
“See What I Have Done” by Sarah Schmidt
On August 4, 1892 Lizzie Borden’s father and stepmother were found brutally murdered. Lizzie was tried for the crime and acquitted, but although her guilt was widely assumed, there remains the possibility that she was innocent.
Focusing on the immediate time before and after the crime, “See What I Have Done” takes us into the heads of Lizzie, her sister Emma, their maid Bridget and a mysterious stranger named Benjamin. The dysfunctional relationships that existed within the Borden family spawned violence and hatred, and any of them may have had motive for murder. Schmidt takes the facts of the Borden case and re-imagines the infamous murder, casting doubt on the long held assumption that Lizzie Borden “took an ax and gave her father forty whacks.”
“Yesterday” by Felicia Yap
In a world where only short term memory exists how do you find a murderer?
In “Yesterday,” society is divided into classes based on how much memory a person has. The elite are the Duos, who are able to hold on to two days worth of memories, while the Monos — limited to a mere day’s worth of memories — form the lowly working class. People rely on digital journals to keep track of their lives and relationships. When a woman is found dead in a river, the detective on the case must work to solve a murder before the memories of those involved reset and any evidence locked in those memories disappears permanently.
“If the Creek Don’t Rise” by Leah Weiss
In 1970s Appalachia, Sadie Blue finds herself pregnant and married at age 16 to her baby’s father. Illiterate and tied to her abusive husband Roy, Sadie feels her child deserves better and contemplates how to free herself from Roy.
With the arrival of a new teacher who befriends and nurtures Sadie, life seems to brighten until one day Roy batters Sadie so badly that the life of their unborn child is put in danger. Told through a variety of perspectives — some sympathetic and others less so — Weiss layers characterization to craft a powerful story of isolation, heartbreak and hope.
Other titles by debut authors for August:
- “The Hidden Light of Northern Fires” by Daren Wang
- “The Driver” by Hart Hanson
- “Freedom’s Ring” by Heidi Chiavaroli
- “The History of Bees” by Maja Lunde
- “Hollywood Homicide” by Kellye Garrett
- “Rebellion” by Molly Patterson
- “My Absolute Darling” by Gabriel Tallent
- “Gone to Dust” by Matt Goldman
