Let’s welcome in the new year with a few of the most notable adult fiction debut titles for January 2023, according to library journals. Oddly enough, this list ended up a bit on the dark side. But if you’re in the mood for a different kind of chill than the one in the air, or need something to counteract the sweetness of the holidays, give one of these a try. If you’re in the mood for something a little cheerier, there are a few happier options on this month’s list of debuts in our catalog.
“Better the Blood” by Michael Bennett
A tenacious Māori detective, Hana Westerman juggles single motherhood, endemic prejudice, and the pressures of her career in Auckland CIB. Led to a crime scene by a mysterious video, she discovers a man ritualistically hanging in a secret room and a puzzling inward-curving inscription. Delving into the investigation after a second, apparently unrelated, death, she uncovers a chilling connection to an historic crime: 160 years before, during the brutal and bloody British colonization of New Zealand, a troop of colonial soldiers unjustly executed a Māori Chief.
Hana realizes that the murders are utu — the Māori tradition of rebalancing for the crime committed eight generations ago. There were six soldiers in the British troop, and since descendants of two of the soldiers have been killed, four more potential murders remain. Hana is thus hunting New Zealand’s first serial killer.
The pursuit soon becomes frighteningly personal, recalling the painful event, two decades before, when Hana, then a new cop, was part of a police team sent to end by force a land rights occupation by indigenous peoples on the same ancestral mountain where the Chief was killed, calling once more into question her loyalty to her roots. Worse still, a genealogical link to the British soldiers brings the case terrifyingly close to Hana’s own family.
Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: January 2023”
New Year, new books! Below I’m highlighting some nonfiction books coming out in January. All of the mentioned titles are available to put on hold in our catalog and will also be made available via the library’s Overdrive website on the day of publication in eBook and downloadable audiobook format (as available). For a more extensive list of new nonfiction books coming out this month, check our online catalog.
Top Picks
“Koala: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future” by Danielle Clode (Jan 17)
Koalas regularly appeared in Australian biologist Danielle Clode’s backyard, but it was only when a bushfire threatened that she truly paid them attention. She soon realized how much she had to learn about these complex and mysterious animals. In vivid, descriptive prose, Clode embarks on a delightful and surprising journey through evolutionary biology, natural history and ecology to understand where these enigmatic animals came from and what their future may hold. She begins her search with the fossils of ancient giant koalas, delving into why the modern koala has become the lone survivor of a once-diverse family of uniquely Australian marsupials. “Koala” investigates the remarkable physiology of these charismatic creatures. Born the size of tiny “jellybeans,” joeys face an uphill battle, from crawling into their mother’s pouch to being weaned onto a toxic diet of gum-tree leaves, the koalas’ single source of food. Clode explores the complex relationship and unexpected connections between this endearing species and humans. She explains how koalas are simultaneously threatened with extinction in some areas due to disease, climate change, and increasing wildfires, while overpopulating forests in other parts of the country. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: January 2023”
As someone who has attempted both novel writing and earning a spot on survival-based reality shows, a novel about a survival-based reality show gone wrong is certainly something a fiction writing AI would’ve eventually generated for me. Fortunately for literature, me, and the real human that wrote it, a real human wrote a novel about a survival-based reality show gone wrong. While I am inevitably rejected during the audition process as apparently everyone that hosts auditions finds it at best distasteful when the auditioner weeps upon being denied a snack break or a quick nap, and my novel submissions are generally returned with little more than a note asking how I managed to get so much marinara sauce on it, I am still pleased when other people succeed in these endeavors.
I’m currently pleased because I’m thinking about how successful Blair Braverman’s first novel, “Small Game,” is. Mara, an instructor for a school intended to let the wealthy cosplay as competent survivalists for a weekend, is approached to take part in a reality game show in which the winner gets a cash prize. The cash is enough to change her life, so she agrees. Another contestant is there to get famous, one to get the attention of an estranged daughter, another to get enough cash to follow his dreams, and one other is there to leave almost immediately once sensing that things are maybe not up to snuff with this production. Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Blair Braverman”
When I saw this book, “Parks and Recreation, The Official Cookbook,” I knew I had to read and review it.
Disclaimer:
I absolutely LOVE the show “Parks and Recreation,” so take my impending gushing with a grain of salgur.
First, a bit about the author, Jenn Fujikawa. She is “an author and content creator specializing in lifestyle and pop culture.” She has her own cooking blog and her recipes have been featured in numerous places, including Food & Wine magazine. Currently, we have one other of her cookbooks. Continue reading “Read the Recipe! Literally My New Favorite Cookbook”
This holiday season marks the first time since Covid that I have returned home to see my family: my mother, my siblings and their families, and my son and his family. I love them dearly but I’m not going to lie — there’s a small amount of anxiety from having been gone so long. My mother is 86 and not in the greatest of health, which is one of the reasons we have stayed away. But, as much as I long to be there, it’s always difficult to go home again; there are always so many changes and the altered terrain unbalances me. And whether it’s parenting styles, religion, politics or good old-fashioned sibling rivalry and the fact that I moved away, there’s always a potential for friction. As usual, I seek comfort and support from books.
I have gathered a short stack of books with the theme of going home. Many of these have lingered on my to-read list for quite some time. Continue reading “Going Home”
Mythology has always held a certain fascination for me. It began with tales of the Greek gods, and, then, as I got older, I discovered a wealth of world mythologies and folklore. In the past few years, retellings have become increasingly popular. Some authors retell a particular tale and others craft worlds based on characters or creatures pulled from myth. And I am here for it!
In my experience, retellings are more enjoyable if I understand the winks and nods given to the original stories they’re pulling from. So in addition to retellings, I’ve offered a few recommendations for reading up on the original myths, too.
To start us off with Greek mythology, Edith Hamilton’s “Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes” is a classic when it comes to revealing the foibles of the gods and the humans and heroes who tangled with them. I highly recommend the 75th anniversary edition, which is illustrated by Jim Tierney. The book was originally published in 1942. A more modern retelling of these same myths can be found in Stephen Fry’s “Mythos,” which is followed by other books in the series focusing on different aspects of Greek mythology.
Continue reading “Literary Links: Myths Retold”
Stephen Paul Sayers is a Columbia, MO author whose latest book is “.” The book explores the city’s hidden treasures with seasonal and themed itineraries for music, art, and history lovers, shoppers, and outdoor enthusiasts. Sayers is a professor at the University of Missouri and has also published three best-selling horror/supernatural thriller novels. He was kind enough to take the time to be interviewed via email. Continue reading “Q&A With Stephen Paul Sayers, Author of “100 Things To Do in Columbia, MO Before You Die””
Below I’m highlighting some nonfiction books coming out in December. All of the mentioned titles are available to put on hold in our catalog and will also be made available via the library’s Overdrive website on the day of publication in eBook and downloadable audiobook format (as available). For a more extensive list of new nonfiction books coming out this month, check our online catalog. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: December 2022”
Hey, there, true believers! Welcome back to another installment! For this “issue” of Quintessential Comics, we’re going to take a look at a few of the series that are currently trending due to either current or upcoming project releases! If you’re a fan of “She-Hulk,” “Sandman,” or “House of the Dragon,” stay tuned! Continue reading “Quintessential Comics: What’s Trending?”
Nina Mukerjee Furstenau is a Columbia, MO author whose latest book is “Green Chili and Other Impostors.” The book focuses on food stories within the Indian subcontinent, but also mixes in memoir, travelogue, and history, with several recipes included throughout. Furstenau is a journalist, author, and editor of the FoodStory book series for the University of Iowa Press. Other published works include “Biting Through the Skin,” “Tasty! Mozambique,” “Savor Missouri” and numerous stories and essays for newspapers and magazines. Nina was kind enough to take the time to be interviewed via email. Continue reading “Q&A With Nina Mukerjee Furstenau, Author of “Green Chili & Other Impostors””
