New Fiction – October 2008

American WifeCurtis Sittenfeld – Alice falls in love with boisterous Charlie Blackwell, a wealthy son of a prominent Republican family. Eventually her path takes them to the White House.

Everything Under the SkyMatilde Asensi – This literary thriller involves newly widowed Elvira De Poulain in a hunt for the lost treasure of China’s first emperor.

Fine Just the Way It Is: Wyoming Stories 3Annie Proulx – A new collection of stories by the noted short story author.

The Given DayDennis Lehane –At the end of World War I, America was a country torn by political and civil unrest. This large scale novel centers on the events surrounding the Boston Police Strike of 1919. Starred reviews.

GoldengroveFrancine Prose – The well-known author returns with a moving novel that centers on a young girl who faces the sudden loss of her sister.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows – A wonderful story about a unique book club that became an alibi to protect its members from arrest by the Germans during WWII.

The Heretic’s DaughterKathleen Kent – Martha Carrier and her daughter, Sarah, face the horrors of the witchcraft hysteria that enveloped Salem, Massachusetts.

HomeMarilynne Robinson – The author of Gilead, returns to the small Iowa town to tell the story of the Broughton family.

It’s a CrimeJacqueline Carey – Mystery reader, Pat Foy, is astonished when her husband, Frank is arrested for accounting fraud at LinkAge.

Just BreatheSusan Wiggs – Cartoonist Sarah Moon finds she has to tackle real life when her situation begins to mirror her comic strip alter ego.

The KeepsakeTess Gerritsen – When a preserved “mummy” is discovered in the basement of Boston’s Crispin Museum, an archeologist turns up missing as well.

Killer View Ridley Pearson – Sun Valley Sheriff Walt Fleming has a horrible situation to face when a skier is missing.

The King’s GoldArturo Pérez-Reverte – Captain Alatriste returns to Seville, Spain in 1626 following the bloody siege of Breda. More swashbuckling!

The Legal Limit Martin Clark – Legal intricacies and family secrets involve an attorney, Mason Hunt and his imprisoned brother, Gates.

Liberty Garrison Keillor – A spectacular Fourth of July in Lake Wobegon is only the beginning is this tale from the heartland.

The Little Book Selden Edwards – Wheeler Burden, 47, is living in San Francisco in 1988, and suddenly finds himself wandering in a city and time he knows mysteriously well: Vienna, 1897. Intriguing.

My Husband’s SweetheartsBridget Asher – When Lucy discovers that her cheating husband is dying, she decides to call the other women in his life to come help.

Night of Thunder Stephen Hunter – Bob Lee Swagger faces off the Dixie gangsters when his daughter’s life is at stake.

Off Season Anne Rivers Siddons – After her husband’s death, Lilly travels to the coast of Maine to try to deal with her loss.

The Other Queen Philippa Gregory – This little known story of Mary, Queen of Scots centers on her time as the “guest” of George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury and his new wife, Bess of Hardwick.

Pecking Order Omar Tyree – Ambitious Ivan Davis jumps into the high-stakes world of industry promotions and celebrity parties in Southern California.

The Road Home Rose Tremain – Following his wife’s death, Lev leaves Eastern Europe for London and finds work in a posh restaurant and a room in the home of an Irishman who has also lost his family.

Rough Justice Jack Higgins – There is intrigue in the halls of power and blood in the streets.

The Sealed LetterEmma Donoghue – Based on a scandalous divorce case that gripped England in 1864, the author blends fact and fiction to create a drama of friends, lovers, and divorce.

Sinner Ted Dekker – The author’s next installment in the Paradise series confronts a force of raw evil.

Supreme Courtship Christopher Buckley – The U.S. President, annoyed that the Senate has rejected his nominees for the Supreme Court, nominates a popular TV judge (think Judge Judy).

This Must Be the Place Anna Winger – Berlin is a strange city for a young American named Hope until she develops an unlikely friendship with a failed actor, Walter.

Tsar Ted Bell – Somewhere in Russia lives a man so powerful that no one even knows his name. Counterspy Alex Hawke faces a global nightmare of epic proportions.

Various Flavors of Coffee Anthony Capella – Robert Pinker, a struggling young artist, accepts a job as a coffee taster and a composer of a “vocabulary of coffee” to describe the many subtle flavors of the brew.