Posted by Anne M on Saturday, Oct 3, 2015
This October is shaping up to be an exciting month for books. Not only are we currently celebrating the Iowa City Book Festival this weekend, but the list of authors who have new books this month is impressive. Want proof? Here is a selection of what's coming out this month:
October 6
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
The Clasp by Sloane Crosley
M Train by Patti Smith
The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks
October 13
Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann
October 15
Autobiography of Mark Twain, v. 3
October 20
A Strangeness in My Mind by Orhan Pamuk
October 27
After Alice by Gregory Maguire
Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein
My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
Slade House by David Mitchell
However, it is these books that are on my holds list:
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States—Sarah Vowell (October 20)
Yay, Sarah Vowell has a new book! Vowell writes for the curious American history lovers and is incredibly funny. Her books, ranging from the colonial history of Hawaii to presidential assassinations, are detailed, packed with interesting connections, and sometimes leave me a little unsettled. Her next subject: the Marquis de Lafayette.
The Witches: Salem, 1692—Stacy Schiff (October 27)
Two people have asked me if we really need another book about the Salem Witch Trials and my answer is an emphatic “yes.” It is an ever fascinating, speculative, shameful event perpetrated by a people who declared themselves “a city on a hill.” Schiff always brings the best of both worlds to writing: solid research and beautiful prose. For a preview of the upcoming book, The New Yorker published some selections.
Career of Evil—Robert Galbraith (October 20)
I will read anything that J.K. Rowling writes. Well, I never finished a Casual Vacancy, but that’s only because I didn’t like any of the characters. But, I’m enjoying the Cormoran Strike mysteries. Sure, I wish Robin was a little more flushed out as a character and the plots wrap up a little too neatly, but they’re fun.
What will November bring?
About the Author
Anne Mangano has worked for the Iowa City Public Library since 2008, serving as the Collection Services Coordinator since 2013. In this position, she oversees ICPL's collection, including the selection, cataloging, processing, repair, and removal of materials, including the library's digital collections. Anne holds a Bachelor of...
I read a lot of fiction set during World War II. If you like historical fiction, the period is pretty unavoidable. I have never read anything quite like this take on the Blitz. Normally the Brits muddle through this experience in novels (stiff upper lip and all that). They go to work. They meet with friends. They put up their black out curtains. But Jo Baker tosses this narrative right out with this novel. Yes, the main character Charlotte goes to work, meets with friends, and puts up her black out curtains. But she experiences significant psychological distress. She isn't sleeping (who could when the neighborhood is bombed every night?). Her friends and neighbors are dying. And she isn't quite sure her ministry typing job is amounting to any help at all. She starts questioning a great deal and also believes she is being followed--catching the eye of her estranged family. Is it madness or is the Blitz covering for something menacing out there? -Anne M