Staff Recommendations, Week of January 3, 2023

 

New Year, New Books, New Recommendations!

Happy new year, all. Here are a couple of recent books the Boswellians recommend you begin your year with.

First, Kay Wosewick for The Blackhouse, a novel by Carole Johnstone. Kay says: "Tightly bound Scottish island inhabitants are very unhappy when Maggie McKay returns. She arrived with her mother as a six-year-old decades earlier, convinced she was Andrew MacNeil (reincarnated), and someone named Robert had been murdered. Run off the island then, she's back to find the truth. Twists come as quickly and unexpectedly as the fierce storms that engulf the island."

Daniel recommends Ms. Demeanor, the new novel from beloved author Elinor Lipman, which technically came out last week, but since we didn't post a rec blog last week, let's celebrate it today. Daniel says: "When is a COVID novel not a COVID novel? When it’s about a lawyer under house arrest for having sex on a private rooftop, only to be spotted by a snoopy neighbor. Yes, it’s all the claustrophobia and sourdough starter with none of the public health panic - probably best for a romantic comedy. Fortunately, Jane Morgan finds something to keep her busy, or rather two things - a series of TikTok cooking segments featuring vintage-and-probably-left-that-way recipe demos that are both confessional and meant to subtly promote her sister’s dermatology practice. Oh, and as long as Jane’s making all this food, she might as well feed her neighbor, also under house arrest for his own private Teapot Dome scandal. Plus, there also might be a murder. I love that Lipman has taken the classic English drawing room novel and morphed it onto the modern Manhattanite. I laughed out loud while I was reading Ms. Demeanor and sighed when it was over."

Meet Lipman at Boswell! Elinor Lipman will be at Boswell in support of this book on Tuesday, January 17, 6:30 pm, in conversation with Daniel and former Schwatz bookseller (and current book enthusiast) Nancy Quinn. Click here to register and get more info.

Kay also has a paperback pick for us this week: The Boy With a Bird in His Chest by Emme Lund. Kay says: "Owen, the boy, and Gail, the bird in Owen's chest, are a remarkably lovable pair. At Owen's mother's behest, they endure isolation until they are fourteen, when all hell breaks loose. Their journey is fraught with more danger than delight, but eventually Owen and Gail find a place to call home. Lund has penned a stunning debut."

That's it! We'll see you next week with many more recommendations. Until then, enjoy kicking off this new year of reading, may all your book dreams come true, and read on.