Ages 18+.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction First #601 Spotlight on Australian Fiction
by muffy
In Antonia Hayes' debut novel Relativity, nerdy, bookish and a ready target for bullies, 12 year-old Ethan Forsythe is obsessed with physics and astronomy. Raise by Claire, a single-mother who gave up her career as a ballerina, Ethan is increasing curious about his father whose identity Claire refuses to disclose.
When a seizure sends Ethan to the hospital, they discover his remarkable abilities might be related to a previous brain injury suffered as an infant that sent his father, Mark to prison. Meanwhile, Mark, who tries to rebuild his life in the far-reaches of Western Australia, is back in Sydney, to attend to his dying father who is asking to see Ethan, his only grandson. When Ethan secretly intercepts a letter from Mark to Claire, he unleashes long-suppressed forces that—like gravity—pull the three together again, testing the limits of love and forgiveness.
"With a heart-wrenching plot and a style reminiscent of Jodi Picoult, this is an excellent novel with deep characterization and powerful imagery.” ~ Library Journal
2014 winner of the Colin Roderick Award, and set in the remote coastal town of Thirroul at the end of WWII, The Railwayman's Wife by Ashley Hay is the story of Anikka "Ani" Lachlan, a transplant from Scotland who is trying desperately to make a home for herself and her 11 year-old daughter Isabelle.
After her husband, the railway-man Mac(kenzie) was killed in an accident while on the job, Ani was given the job as the librarian in the railway's lending library. Returning to settle at Thirroul are Roy McKinnon and Dr. Frank Draper, childhood friends who for years, have vacationed at this idyllic spot with their families. McKinnon, a published poet has lost his words from his battlefield experience; while Draper who could not reconcile with his inability to save the 550 prisoners in one of Hitler's concentration camps, has turned bitter and sardonic. They soon find refuge in the library, and gradually a friend in Ani.
Over the course of a year, with Ani as his muse, Roy manages to write again. His first poem is an anonymous offering to Ani, who mistakes it for a hidden birthday gift from Mac. Despite the promise of a new publisher, Roy's despondency grows as Ani never acknowledges the gift. Frank fares better, being taken in hand by Roy's patient and take-charge sister, Iris.
"Multilayered, graceful, couched in poetry, supremely honest, gentle yet jarring, Hay’s thought-provoking novel pulls you along slowly, like a deep river that is deceptively calm but full of hidden rapids. Much to ponder." ~ Kirkus Reviews
Readers interested in the Australian setting might enjoy (the film adaptation of) Peter Carey's Oscar & Lucinda; the winner of the 2001 Orange Prize - The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville; The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (a soon-to-be released feature film); and Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living by Carrie Tiffany.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #600
by muffy
The word is getting out about The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper * by Phaedra Patrick.
It is a must-read for fans of A Man Called Ove; The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry; The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared; and Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand - another curiously charming debut about a lonesome widower's life-changing adventure.
Clinging to the simple daily routine established long before his beloved wife of 40 years, Miriam's death a year ago, Arthur Pepper finally feels strong enough to sort through her things. He comes across an exquisite gold charm bracelet hidden inside her winter boots. Puzzled and curious, he senses that Miriam has kept secret an extraordinary life lived before meeting him.
What follows is a surprising and unforgettable odyssey as Arthur traces the origin of each of the charms: The elephant charm with a valuable emerald takes him to Goa, India; the tiger sends him to a dilapidated estate near Bath; an engraved book brings him face to face with a renown poet. Paris is where he tracks down the lovely giver of the golden thimble...
Along the way he was robbed, mauled by a tiger, confronted by a nude portrait of his wife, but he also met kindness and friendship where it was least expected. More importantly, Arthur found strength within, a sense of adventure, and a new zest for life.
* = starred review
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #599 "Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not." ~ Oprah Winfrey
by muffy
The Assistants * * by Camille Perri "is addictive, hilarious, and smart. It’s 9 to 5 for the student loan generation.” ~ J. Courtney Sullivan
For six years, 30-year-old Tina Fontana has been executive assistant to Robert Barlow (think Rupert Murdoch, but with a Texas accent), the CEO of Titan Corp., a multinational media conglomerate. She is dedicated, resourceful, and invaluable to her famous boss. It is her routine on Fridays to submits his national debt-sized expense report for reimbursement. But a clerical error presents her with a chance to wipe clean her student loan, and for the first time since graduation (NYU), financial freedom.
While Tina suffers for her financial prestidigitation, the only person who notices the error is Emily Johnson in Accounts. Rather than turning Tina in, she wants her even-bigger student loan paid as well. Before long, other assistants with crushing debt and fewer scruples demand the same deal.
Complicating matters is blue-blooded, Kennedy-handsome corporate lawyer Kevin Hanson, Tina's lunch buddy (he has other ideas though) who wants to help by talking up her "nonprofit project for disadvantaged women" with a journalist friend...
Camille Perri, former librarian/books editor for Cosmopolitan and Esquire magazine came up with the concept for the novel while working as the assistant to David Granger, then Esquire’s editor-in-chief, processing his expenses on the Hearst online portal. Read more of Kirkus' interview with Perri.
* * = 2 starred reviews
Blog Post
Tonight! Meet YA authors K. A. Barson & Cori McCarthy
by manz
Tonight is a special event at Nicola’s Books featuring Michigan YA authors K. A. Barson & Cori McCarthy offering a disucssion & signing of their new novels.
Kelly Barson is the author 45 Pounds (More or Less) and her newest: Charlotte Cuts It Out.
Cori McCarthy is the author of several books, including Breaking Sky and her newest: You Were Here.
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to meet authors of teen fiction and discuss their works with a like-minded crowd! The event takes place Thursday, May 19 at 7pm at Nicola’s Books.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction First #598 “A short story is a different thing all together - a short story is like a kiss in the dark from a stranger.” ~ Stephen King
by muffy
Two debut story collections, nothing short of stunning.
Beasts & Children * * by Amy Parker (Michener fellowship, University of Texas at Austin, and Iowa Writers Workshop) offers "an unrelenting examination of the loneliness, helplessness, and daily cruelties of our contemporary world."
These 10 linked stories pursue three families, from a sagging, grand porch in Texas to a gated community in steamy Thailand, to a lonely apartment in nondescript suburbia, as Parker follows Carline and Cissy Bowman, Jill and Maizie Foster, and Jerry and Danny Guzman over several decades, first as children and then reappear, later in the book, married and with children of their own. "Parker brings all six characters together in a zestfully inventive and satisfyingly organic way as they navigate their dark and imperiling childhoods to emerge as flawed, fragile yet fiercely resilient adults. An electrifying, daring, and magical debut collection sure to appeal to fans of Karen Russell and Lorrie Moore."
The 23 stories in The Bed Moved *, Rebecca Schiff's debut collection is "audacious, and savagely funny", that offers the reader a singular view of growing up (or not) and finding love (or not) in today’s ever-uncertain landscape.
The narrators are young women - brainy, underemployed, and thwarted in their search for intimacy. They sleep around and suffer consequences as in the titular story -“The Bed Moved”. A daughter learns about her recently deceased father through his cached Internet search history in “http://www.msjiz/boxx374/mpeg”. In “Rate Me,” a woman sends her actual body parts to a rating agency in order to improve herself, piece by piece.
"An observer extraordinaire, Schiff elucidates her characters’ thoughts and moments, sharing them like little, unassuming gems. Schiff’s stories are piercing and playful, witty and wise."
* * = 2 starred reviews
* = starred review
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction First #597
by muffy
If you are in the mood for a "funny, tender, and enchanting story about love, attraction, and friendship", then I suggest trying The Decent Proposal * - a high-concept rom-com set in LA.
First-time novelist Kemper Donovan "takes what might have been a derivative tale (think Indecent Proposal) and colors it with poignancy and self-discovery", where two strangers would split $1 million if they agree to spend 2 hours every week in each other's company for one year.
At 29, Richard Baumbach is delirious with the prospect of financial bail-out, being a struggling Hollywood film producer; while 33 year-old attorney Elizabeth Santiago is skeptical at best. Known as “La Máquina” (The Machine) around the office for her no-nonsense attitude and work ethics, she values above all else, her quiet, orderly life. Besides, she has nothing in common with this ridiculously handsome party-boy. Nevertheless, they agree to the proposal, settling on a movie and book discussion format for their weekly meetings.
As Richard and Elizabeth begin to look forward to their conversations, those closest to them have mixed feelings about this tentative relationship. Gorgeous Mike (Michaela) Kim, Richard ex-girlfriend/best buddy has unresolved feelings for Richard, and sees "dumpy" Elizabeth as a threat. Orpheus Washington, an elderly homeless man whom Elizabeth has befriended, fears the loss of her attention. Independently, they take it upon themselves to uncover the identity and motive of the mysterious benefactor.
"Peopled by appealing characters and filled with lush descriptions of the diverse L.A. landscape, Donovan’s winning first novel offers up a page-turning tale brimming with heart." Readers who delight in Donovan's LA setting might enjoy What I Did For Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips; Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid; and This One is Mine by Maria Semple.
* = starred review
Blog Post
Kaptara: Not your grandfather's sci-fi.
by gulickb
Imagine for a second that you are part of an interstellar crew, highly trained for the job that you've been chosen for. Except instead of landing on the planet you were expecting to, you crash-land on a world so different from everything you were expecting. A world teaming with life, some of which is trying to eat you.
This is where Kaptara begins, but don't take it too seriously for example one of the characters is a vegetarian, except when other people kill the animal. The creative mind behind this Chip Zdarsky is the same creative genius who brought Sex Criminals to the world last year.
The art is every bit as colorful and fascinating as you would expect from Zdarsky, and the content can be every bit as boundary pushing as his previous work.
If you love sci-fi, light on the science heavy on the fiction, and want characters who are not your typical sci-fi heroes then you should check our Kaptara.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction First #596 “The(y)... hadn't been close as children, but they were as thick as thieves now, the way adult siblings often are, the moment they realize that family is actually a choice.” ~ Sarah Addison Allen
by muffy
In Keep Me Posted by Lisa Beazley, her debut novel, sisters Cassie and Sid Sunday living worlds apart meet over Christmas at their family home. Cassie, a young mother of twin toddlers is struggling to find meaning and fulfillment in Manhattan while Sid, lives an ex-pat’s life of leisure in far-off Singapore with a teenage son and a new infant, is dealing with marital issues. The sisters vow to better reconnect through the old-fashioned way - by letter writing, and soon they are sharing secrets and offering the emotional support they need.
That is... until Cassie's lapse in judgment (in scanning Sid's letters and uploading them to a private blog) sends all their most guarded secrets to the one place you never, ever want to see them: the Internet!
"In her satisfying debut in the field of women’s fiction, Beazley creates some real moments of concern for Cassie and her relationships with her loved ones. Offer this to fans of Anna Maxted, Sophie Kinsella, and Meg Cabot."
As Close to Us As Breathing * by Elizabeth Poliner is a multi-generational family saga about grief, guilt, and the boundaries of identity and love.
Woodmont (CT), 1948. For the three Syrkin sisters - Ada, Vivie, and Bec, and their children, freedom reigns at the family beach house until the Sabbath meal when the weekend-only husbands arrive. Ada, the family beauty, grows playful when unimpeded by her rule-driven, religious husband. Vivie, the family diplomat is becoming a skilled chef, while the unmarried Bec is forced to keep secret her long-time affair with a married man among those closest to her.
But when a terrible accident occurs on the sisters' watch, the carefree days come to an end. The family is paralyzed by blame and guilt. As the years go by, each member of the family faces his own measure of grief and regret, and none is left untouched by the far-reaching heartbreak of such a devastating loss.
"Beautifully written, stringently unsentimental, and yet tender in its empathy for the perennial human conflict between service and self." Will appeal to fans of Allegra Goodman, Jami Attenberg, and Liza Klaussmann.
* = starred review
Blog Post
Pain Medication Take-Back Event - May 7
by iralax
A prescription drug take-back event will happen on Saturday, May 7th from 10AM-2PM at the Pioneer High School Parking Lot, hosted by the Ann Arbor Police Department and the University of Michigan Division of Pain Research. They previously held events in August (collecting 25,000 pills) and October (collecting 42,000 pills).
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction First #595 “Because the greatest part of a road trip isn’t arriving at your destination. It’s all the wild stuff that happens along the way.” ~ Emma Chase
by muffy
Picked as one of the top 10 crime novels of the year by Booklist, Dodgers * * a debut by Bill Beverly (a Kalamazoo native) is "a dazzling crime novel that’s equal parts coming-of-age tale à la Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and travelogue à la Kerouac, that is sure to appeal to fans of Richard Price or The Wire."
15 year-old East(on) runs a crew of look-outs for a drug gang in LA. He is quiet, watchful and respected until an innocent by-stander is killed in a police raid. In the aftermath, he is sent, with three other young men (one of them his younger brother Ty), to kill a witness set to testify against the big boss.
Dressed in LA Dodgers' gear to better fit in with the surroundings, they head to Wisconsin where the witness is hiding. The journey takes East out of a city he has never left and into an America that is entirely alien to him, while calling on his cool resolve to handle problems and personalities both inside and outside the van. Eventually, this bloody journey becomes one of self-discovery and, ultimately, salvation for East.
"...a searing novel about crime, race, and coming-of-age, with characters who live, breathe, and bleed" that is surprisingly, utterly engaging. Check out the New York Times book review.
Daredevils * * by Shawn Vestal, the winner of 2014’s PEN Robert W. Bingham Prize is an unforgettable story of desire and escape.
Set against the backdrop of Evel Knievel's famous Snake River Canyon Jump, 15 year-old Loretta, brought up in a strict Mormon household in Short Creek (AZ), is caught on one of her nocturnal trips slipping out of her bedroom window for boys and booze. Promptly married off as a "sister wife" to Dean Harder, a feed-store owner, she catches the eye of Jason, Dean’s 17 year-old nephew, a Knievel-worshiper, who longs to leave his close-minded community.
Together, they make a break for it, with Boyd, Jason's friend tagging along. Dizzy from a burst of teenage freedom, things take a decidedly dicey turn when they meet someone that might be the Daredevil himself. But greed - Loretta's for Dean's cache of “Mormon gold” might prove to be their ultimate undoing.
"(A) fascinating, wide-angle portrait of a time and place that’s both a classic coming of age tale and a plunge into the myths of America, sacred and profane."
"Vestal's narrative is punctuated with imagined monologs from Knievel, raucous addresses that at first seem random but come by the thrilling conclusion to enrich the scope of this heartfelt and finely observed debut." For those who enjoyed The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff and The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall.
* * = 2 starred reviews