Looking Ahead to Summer: Mockingbirds, Cuckoos, and More

Every few days, it seems, we get just a taste of spring—and then the cold and the wet and the winds pick up again, so that it’s back to winter coats, hats, and gloves.  Still, that little bit of warmth gives us hope for the summer, when the livin’ is easy and there’s a boatload of new books from the publishers for beach reading.  All the usual names are there—Janet Evanovich, James Patterson, Stephen King, Nora Roberts, James Patterson, Dorthea Benton Frank, and James Patterson-- but here are some titles which caught my eye:

The Mockingbird Next Door by Marja Mills is due out in July.  Did everybody automatically think of Harper Lee when you saw the title?  Since her iconic book To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee virtually owns the word in a literary sense, and yes, this is about Harper Lee.  Mills was a journalist for the Chicago Tribune who wanted to get the interview of a lifetime:  to talk to the reclusive author.  Many journalists have tried and failed; Marja claims to have befriended Lee and her sister and promises to reveal why Harper Lee never wrote another book. There was a bit of controversy when the book was first announced, with a statement being issued that the Lee sisters did NOT cooperate with any book.  This was followed by a statement disavowing the denial.  I have to admit, this makes me very curious about this book—and I would love to know what Harper Lee thinks of it, too.

Thriller fans have a new Brad Thor book to look forward to this summer, but I can’t tell you the title.  Apparently, it’s really hush-hush.  It’s still listed as Untitled Thriller #13.  Unless, of course, that really IS the title…

Opinion was divided about The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith.  Some thought it was a perfectly adequate mystery, others thought it good, and another faction found it rather dull.  Then it was revealed that “Robert Galbraith” was really J.K. Rowling and opinions immediately polarized.  It was dreadful, it was wonderful, it was the best, it was the worst.  Some of the reviewers actually went to the trouble of reading the book, but I’m not sure how many.  Anyway, for those who honestly liked it no matter who wrote it, there is a second Cormoran Strike book due out in June. The title is The Silkworm.

We’ve had people on reserve for Greg Iles’ book The Bone Tree for well over a year now.  (Actually, I think it’s closer to two years, but let’s not quibble.) After the title was announced, Iles was badly injured in a traffic accident in 2011.  The publication date kept being pushed back.  Now comes word that Iles’ next book is Natchez Burning, the first book in a trilogy; The Bone Tree is listed as the second volume in the series, with Unwritten Laws as the final book.  The trilogy features Penn Cage, the prosecutor from several previous books, including The Devil’s Punchbowl.

Speaking of waiting, it’s been five years since Larry McMurtry’s last book, so fans are more than ready for The Last Kind Words Saloon. An English lord comes to the West to start a cattle ranch.  There are appearances by Wyatt Earp, the Clantons, and Doc Holliday, so it sounds as if it should be a lively convergence.

And I was not exaggerating about James Patterson:  he has books scheduled for March (NYPD Red 2), May (Unlucky 13), June (Invisible), and August (Private Down Under.)

Happy reading!

Hot August Books!

Summer always brings out a slew of highly anticipated books. Here’s a list of the most requested titles at Main & Avoca:

17. Zero Hour:  A Novel from the Numa Files by Clive Cussler has Austin and the team on the trail of a scientist who has invented a machine to tap into “zero point energy”—un unlimited energy supply.  There’s just one small problem:  it also causes massive earthquakes.

16. W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton is the newest entry in the Kinsey Milhorn series.

15. Unseen by Karin Slaughter follows Will Trent as he goes undercover to infiltrate a drug and prostitution ring, while girlfriend Sara Linton deals with the shooting of her stepson.

14. Tell Me is the latest romantic suspense novel by Lisa Jackson. True crime author Nikki Gilette finds a story close to home when the woman convicted of killing Nikki’s childhood friend is freed from prison after a witness recants his story.  Eager to know the truth, Nikki starts asking questions but soon finds that someone is keeping her from finding answers.

13. Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky tells the story of two former childhood friends who reunite to write a cookbook, but secrets from the past may come between them. Delinsky is known for her stories of romance, friendship, and vivid New England settings.

12. Second Watch by J.A. Jance is the newest entry in her J.P. Beaumont series. Beaumont is having knee replacement surgery and begins dreaming of a cold case and his time in Vietnam.

11.The Ocean at the End of the Lane is Neil Gaiman’s first book for adults in several years, even though I’d argue that Gaiman’s “children’s books” are books anyone can enjoy.  A middle-aged man returns to the place where he grew up, triggering a memory of an event that nearly destroyed his world.  The reviews are glowing!

10. Never Go Back is the title of the new Lee Child novel, and from the plot description it sounds as if it’s advice Jack Reacher should have taken.  Instead, he’s back at the HQ of his old unit where he finds his contact in the brig and Reacher is accused of a crime committed 16 years earlier.

 9. James Patterson and David Ellis have re-teamed for Mistress, a standalone novel about a man who becomes obsessed with finding the person who murdered a woman outside her apartment.

8. Hunting Eve, the second in Iris Johansen’s new trilogy, is on the August hot list.  The final book, Silencing Eve, is scheduled for October and will probably be on that month’s hot list as well!

7. The Highway, a thriller by C.J. Box, is described as both harrowing and riveting.  When two sisters go missing in a remote section of Montana, former policeman Cody Hoyt sets out to see if he can find them—and maybe find some redemption for himself.

6. Duck Dynasty fans are lining up to read Happy, Happy, Happy:  My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander by Phil Robertson.

5. First Sight by Danielle Steel has glamorous locales, high fashion, and romance, so no wonder it’s doing quite well on the list.

4. The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith jumped onto our lists after “Robert” was revealed to be J.K. Rowling.  Private investigator Cormoran Strike is asked to investigate the apparent suicide of a supermodel.

3. Bones of the Lost by Kathy Reichs has forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan investigating deaths in Afghanistan and in North Carolina.

2. Bone Tree by Greg Iles

And the most requested book is: 

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini, which is another stunning novel by the author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.This story is set in Afghanistan, where a father has to make a heartbreaking decision about one of his children.  The decision and its consequences plays out over the years, retold in a series of stories.