December 15, 2023

New Fiction

Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan - Christmas comes early—far too early—to McCredie’s little Old Town bookshop in Edinburgh. It’s summer, but an American production company has decided that McCredie’s is the perfect location to film a very cheesy Christmas movie. After all, who can resist the charmingly narrow historic street with its Victorian grey stone buildings and warmly lit shop windows? Carmen Hogan, the bookshop’s manager, is amused and a bit horrified by the goings-on, but the money the studio is paying is too good to pass up. She uses the little windfall from filming to create new displays and fend off a buyout offer from an obnoxious millionaire who wants to turn McCredie’s into a souvenir shop selling kilts made in China and plastic Nessies. Still reeling slightly from a breakup, Carmen’s not particularly looking forward to the holidays. But just as snow begins to fall and the lights of Christmas blink on, all sorts of lovely new possibilities present themselves…for McCredie’s bookstore, and for Carmen herself. 

The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos by Kelly Irvin – Dr. Kristen Tremaine prides herself on being one of the best oncologists in the business.  She knows her husband and children have had to make sacrifices for her career, but she comforts herself with the knowledge that saving lives is her calling.  That calling becomes all the more urgent when her sister, Sherri, is diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer.  Determined to save Sherri’s life, Kristen drops everything to guide her sister on the harrowing cancer treatment journey.  When she’s unable to balance the strain of caring for her patients, being a wife and mother, and her frantic efforts to save her sister, Kristen’s carefully balanced life crumbles, starting with her marriage.  Desperate to regain her footing, she vows to rebuild her broken relationships…as soon as she’s sure Sherri will beat the odds stacked against her.  Unlike her sister, Sherri Reynolds has worked to cultivate balance in her life.  Her children, her job as a teacher, and her strong faith keep her grounded-until her diagnosis sends her spiraling into the scary world of what-is and unknown outcomes.  Sherri faces the agonizing realization that family history may be about to repeat itself.  With the clock ticking, she’s determined to use whatever time she has left to heal old wounds and restore relationships.  Together, the sisters are forced to reexamine their priorities, address the still tender wounds of their childhood, and delve more deeply to discover what it means to live each day to its fullest.

The Last Restaurant in Paris by Lily Graham – In enemy-occupied Paris, music and laughter spill through the door of a little restaurant crowded with German soldiers.  The owner, Marianne, moves on weary feet between its packed tables, carrying plates of food for the enemy officers.  Her smile is bright and sparkling, her welcome cordial.  Nobody would guess the hatred she hides in her heart.  One night the restaurant closes its doors for the final time.  In the morning, the windows are scratched with the words traitor and murderer.  And Marianne has disappeared without a trace…  Years later, Marianne’s granddaughter, Sabine, stands under the faded green awning of the restaurant left to her.  When Sabine discovers the locals blamed her grandmother for the terrible tragedy that haunts the restaurant, she is ready to abandon her dark legacy.  Then she finds a hidden passport with a picture of a woman who looks like her grandmother but has a different name, and she knows there must be more to Marianne’s story.  Digging into the past, Sabine starts to wonder if her grandmother was a heroine, not a traitor.  What happened to her after the tragic night when she fled from her restaurant?  And will the answer change Sabine’s own life forever?

The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor – The once-rising literary star Olivia Fitzgerald is down on her luck.  Her most recent novel – a retelling of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca – was a flop, and now she’s battling a bad case of writer’s block.  When her agent calls with a high-paying ghostwriting opportunity, Olivia is all too willing to sign the NDA.  As first, the write-for-hire job seems too good to be true.  All she has to do is interview Henry “Ash” Asherwood, a reclusive megabillionaire twice named People’s Sexiest Man Alive, who wants her to write a book about his late grandmother’s surprising connection to Daphne du Maurier.  But when Olivia arrives at this Malibu estate, nothing is as it seems.  The more Olivia digs into Ash’s family history, the more questions she has.  Before long, she’s caught in a tangled web of obsession, marital secrets and stolen manuscripts.