On the Bookshelf: Lots of New Arrivals

Here's peek at some of our shop's favorite books of the moment. We love a good mystery series and there's several new releases of old favorites! Most titles mentioned in newsletters are found on our website Bookshelf. 

Tip: All newsletters are pulled from our blog. Sometimes the time-vortex has a wee wibble-wobble hiccup. Posts are on our blog for weeks before they get sent out to emails via our mailchimp. Oopsie Daisy! Feel free to bookmark our blog to see most current shop content. Or if you wonder "hmmmm how's maisieblue doing?" Or you just can't wait until we (Kim) gets it together enough to finally send a newsletter out! ;) 

Ruth Galloway (Elly Griffiths)

Rare that we order new hardcover fiction. When we do it's very specific and books we absolutely can't wait another year to read. For example. There's a new Ruth: #15 Last Remains!! She's my literary BFF and can't wait to catch up with her over tea and biscuits as we sit on her marsh beach and listen to the wild Norfolk ocean waves. 

For those who have restraint (and can resist the siren call of a brand new hardcover....) there's a new paperback of #14 Locked Room.  Find all of Ruth's series here on our website if you can't visit shop. 

Lane Winslow (Iona Wishaw)

Another shop favorite cozy mystery is the Lane Winslow Mysteries by Iona Wishaw. Set in post-war Canada it features a woman seeking quiet solitude in wilds of British Columbia after her treacherous stint as British spy behind Allied lines in WW2. Each installment improves, carries forth multiple character story lines and creates a wonderfully vivid escape to shores of King's Cove. It deftly weaves back and forth in time, unfolding the mystery bit by bit while gradually pulling in Lane's neighbors to create a lovely cast of characters. The latest #10 To Track a Traitor sheds light on Lane's difficult sister Diana and her grandparents. When an early morning crisis phone call pulls Lane back to her family, Darling is left adrift in the back and beyond of Western Canada.....or is he? You'll have to read to find out! Series available on our website

Bruno Chief of Police (Martin Walker)

A perennial shop favorite mystery series. Features Bruno, a retired French Police Chief. He loves his quiet life in rural Provencal village. Loves wine and good food. Has a knack for solving local mysteries. A perfect binge read series that will have you cooking French food, drinking wine and hopefully not finding dead bodies like Bruno! You might suddenly decide to book trip to France though. 

Brittany Mysteries (Jean Banneluc)

Another French mystery series but now we head to Brittany. Cranky Parisian Commissar Dupin transferred to the rural Breton Coast where plenty keeps him busy in the sleepy little fishing villages. If you like Bruno then this is another great series.  

Thursday Murder Club (Richard Osman)

One to watch. Richard Osman's new mystery series is a runaway hit. There's now three books: Thursday Murder Club, Man Who Died Twice and Bullet That Missed. Customers are loving this fun, witty, hilarious series about four friends in village retirement community with a knack for solving crimes. 

Not a New Maisie (Jacqueline Winspear) 

No new Maisie this year. Instead we have a standalone novel (possibly an introduction of a new character?) Already hearing customers say they love it. I suspect this character may eventually intersect with Maisie in future books. That's just my two cents! Still only in hardcover but usually see paperback a year later (March 2024) You can find all the Maisie Dobbs here. 

Louise Penny's Latest Paperback 

Just out in paperback is #18 Inspector Gamache. Originally published in Nov 2022 hardcover. This is a really fast push to paperback! Great news for Louise Penny fans. 

Wonderful French Translations (Valerie Perrin)

Many customers loved Fresh Water for Flowers and now we have Valerie Perrin's eagerly anticipated next novel, Three. Perfect for a summer beach or vacation read, with a bit of je ne sais quoi! Both books bestsellers in France. For those who loved her previous book, you'll like this one too. These both lean "literary" on the reading scale of "easy/beachy - cozy/mysteries - historical sagas - literary/thoughtprovoking" 

This European publisher, Europa editions has a knack for picking best of European fiction and publishing here in the US. One of their first runaway handbell-favorites was The Elegance of a Hedgehog. Years later they really made their mark with the highly successful My Brilliant Friend (# 1 in Neapolitan Series) by Elena Ferrante. Granted Ferrante's massive status enhanced by her anonymous status that led to an almost rock-star level fascination (here, here ). Despite who she is...her writing is remarkable. Intense and not for everyone, but enduring and captivating. She's now a global literary phenom and her subsequent books are much heralded publishing events. 

For those who love foreign literary works, his summer Europa's hot-hot-hot indie booksellers favorite is The Postcard by Anne Berest. Still in hardcover but huge buzz leading up to its publication. An author to watch and next summer I expect we'll see this paperback hit our little shop's shelves. 

Two other potential Europa editions gems on our shelves: Lesser Islands (Italy) and Barbara Isn't Dying (Germany). Both are slim reads but sound promising for a thoughtful vacation read. 

I'm so intrigued by Lesser Islands since described as a "historical family saga" yet only less than 1/2" thick!? This is on my to-read-bookshelf for that reason alone! 

New Historical Fiction Series (Chanel Cleeton)

Chanel Cleeton Cuban Saga perfect for fans of historical fiction  Great beach reads if you like engrossing, dramatic, emotional family saga's that carry you along the tide of history. Latest is Cuban Heiress. Set in 1934 on a luxury cruise from New York to Havana. Two women's pasts collide as they struggle to survive. Based on the true story of the SS Morro Castle disaster. Find her books here. 

Seven Sisters Saga (Lucinda Riley) 

Finally! The much anticipated final 8th book the Lucinda Riley's Seven Sister Saga. Huge favorite series in the shop. It's in the family saga/historical fiction/romancey/magically mysterious mythology genre. Sadly the author died last year but had left a fully formed final book roughed out, with certain key passages fully finished. Her son and literary collaborator, Harry Whittaker did final drafts so her fans could all find out the true story of Pa Salt! Books #7 Missing Sister and #8 Atlas both still hardcovers (and hefty super sized door stops) but books rest of series available in paperback. 

You can find them here. 

Sweetly Poignant 

The Patron Saint of Second Chances is a charming novel about a small town Italian Mayor trying to boost his towns tourist profile but things don't go as he envisioned. Entertaining, heartfelt and poignant. A gem with cast of memorable characters. 

Beach Read Time! 

The Darlings by Hannah McKinnon a perfect family saga/wedding/cape cod/secrets come tumbling out type of novel that's perfect for a relaxing beach read! Megan took this on a recent vacation and loved it! McKinnon author of several backlist titles: Summer House, Lake House, Mystic Summer. If we can't spend summer at an east coast beach house then next best thing is a book that takes us there. 

Beach Read Times Three!

Trio collaboration by three best-selling authors. Each tackles a different era at the same summer Newport enclave. This screams "summer beach read"! 

Potenial Gem

Narrowboat Summer is a charming "life-long girlfriends to the rescue" novel set on a longboat (English houseboat) over course of few weeks on a heavenly English summer. Perfect for when you want a heart-tugging, satisfying, feel-good book. Nothing like the power of girlfriends at any age. 

Just unpacked another order of beach reads too late to include here. You'll have to come see us in person! Several titles by Emily Henry and Annabel Monaghan. Megan loving these right now. More from both authors to be added to online shop next week. 

You have successfully reached the end of this very long overdue (and long winded) book chat! 

One more thing: Want to walk around the shop? Our google map page now has virtual tours!