Dazzeling Debuts

The Secret Life of Anna Blanc by Jennifer Kincheloe

If the police find out, she'll get fired; if her father finds out, he'll disown her; and if her fiance finds out, he'll cancel the wedding and stop pouring money into her father's collapsing bank. Midway into her investigation, the police chief's son, Joe Singer, learns her true identity. And shortly thereafter she learns about blackmail. Anna must choose—either hunt the villain and risk losing her father, fiance, and wealth, or abandon her dream and leave the killer on the loose. (Publisher Summary)

The Book of Lost and Found by Lucy Foley 

Kate Darling's enigmatic mother--a once-famous ballerina--has passed away, leaving Kate bereft. When her grandmother falls ill and bequeaths to Kate a small portrait of a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Kate's mother, Kate uncovers a mystery that may upend everything she thought she knew. Kate's journey to find the true identity of the woman in the portrait takes her to some of the world's most iconic and indulgent locales, revealing a love story that began in the wild 1920s and was disrupted by war and could now spark new love for Kate. Alternating between Kate's present-day hunt and voices from the past, the Book of Lost and Found casts light on family secrets and love-both lost and found.

 (Publisher Summary)

The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy

When Sarah Brown, daughter of abolitionist John Brown, realizes that her artistic talents may be able to help save the lives of slaves fleeing north, she becomes one of the Underground Railroad's leading mapmakers, taking her cues from the slave code quilts and hiding her maps within her paintings. She boldly embraces this calling after being told the shocking news that she can't bear children, but as the country steers toward bloody civil war, Sarah faces difficult sacrifices that could put all she loves in peril. Eden, a modern woman desperate to conceive a child with her husband, moves to an old house in the suburbs and discovers a porcelain head hidden in the root cellar--the remains of an Underground Railroad doll with an extraordinary past of secret messages, danger and deliverance. Ingeniously plotted to a riveting end, Sarah and Eden's woven lives connect the past to the present, forcing each of them to define courage, family, love, and legacy in a new way.

Debut Novel

In a riveting debut novel that reads like Prep meets Gone Girl, a young woman is determined to create the perfect life--husband, home, and career--until a violent incident from her past threatens to unravel everything and expose her most shocking secret of all. 

Twenty-eight-year-old New Yorker Ani FaNelli seems to have it all: she's a rising star at The Women's Magazine, impossibly fit, perfectly groomed, and about to marry Luke Harrison, a handsome blueblood. But behind that veneer of perfection lies a vulnerability that Ani holds close and buries deep--a very violent and public trauma from her past that has left her constantly trying to reinvent herself. 

And only she knows how far she would go to keep her secrets safe. (Publisher Summary)

A Redemption Story from Debut Author Gets a Lot of Buzz

Black River by debut author S.M. Hulse tells the story of a man marked by a prison riot as he returns to the town, and the convict, who shaped him.

When Wes Carver returns to Black River, he carries two things in the cab of his truck: his wife’s ashes and a letter from the prison parole board. The convict Bobby Williams,who held him hostage during a riot, twenty years ago, is being considered for release.

Wes has been away from Black River ever since the riot. He grew up in this small Montana town, and, like his father before him and most of the men there, he made his living as a Corrections Officer. A talented, natural fiddler, he found solace and joy in his music. But during that riot Williams changed everything for Wes — undermining his faith and taking away his ability to play.

How can a man who once embodied evil ever come to good? How can he pay for such crimes with anything but his life? As Wes considers his own choices and grieves for all he’s lost, he must decide what he believes and whether he can let Williams walk away.

"Heads up—Hulse is a smart writer, able to reveal her character's gut-level emotions and trickiest self manipulations. Comparing the author to Annie Proulx, Wallace Stegner, or Kent Haruf is no exaggeration. Her debut is bound to turn readers' hearts inside out and leave them yearning for some sweet, mournful fiddle music." (Library Journal Reviews)

A Woman's Quest to Find Her Husband a Wife

Twenty-seven-year-old Daisy already beat breast cancer three years ago. How can this be happening to her again? 

Confronting the final months of her life when her breast cancer returns, Daisy endeavors to find her husband another wife, an effort that forces her to make difficult choices.

Daisy scouts local parks, coffee shops and online dating sites looking for Jack’s perfect match. But the further she gets on her quest, the more she questions the sanity of her plan. As the thought of her husband with another woman becomes all too real, Daisy’s forced to decide what’s more important in the short amount of time she has left: her husband’s happiness—or her own?

In her debut novel Before I Go, "Oakley expertly tugs at the heartstrings with well-rounded characters and a liberal dose of gallows humor." (Publishers Weekly Reviews)

Goodreads Choice Awards: Winners Announced!

The winners of the 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards were announced yesterday! 

Goodreads readers cast 3,317,504 votes this year to decide the winners; these are the ONLY major awards that are decided by readers votes.

Click here to view the winners and nominees in all categories. How many of the books have you read?

Congratulations to all the winners!

Fiction
Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Recognizing that her marriage is in deep trouble in spite of her abiding and mutual love for her husband, television writer Georgie excludes herself from a Christmas family visit before discovering a way to reconnect with the man her husband used to be. By the award-winning author of Fangirl. (Publisher Summary)

Mystery and Thriller
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
Months after a crazed hit-and-run driver kills several attendees at a Midwestern job fair, a depressed retired cop and two unlikely allies join forces to find and stop the killer, who has sent a letter threatening another attack. (Publisher Summary)

Historical Fiction

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

A blind French girl on the run from the German occupation and a German orphan-turned-Resistance tracker struggle with their respective beliefs after meeting on the Brittany coast. By the award-winning author of About Grace. (Publisher Summary)

Fantasy
Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

Historian and witch Diana Bishop and her vampire scientist husband Matthew Clairmont return from a trip to the past still searching for the elusive alchemy tome Ashmole 782 in the final installment of the best-selling trilogy following Shadow of Night. (Publisher Summary)

Romance
Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon
After being presumed dead, Jamie Fraser returns to find that his best friend has married his wife, his illegitimate son has discovered who is father is, and his nephew has decided to marry a Quaker. (Publisher Summary)

Science Fiction
The Martian by Andy Weir
Stranded on Mars by a dust storm that compromised his space suit and forced his crew to leave him behind, astronaut Watney struggles to survive in spite of minimal supplies and harsh environmental challenges that test his ingenuity in unique ways. (Publisher Summary)

Horror

Prince Lestat by Anne Rice

A tale spanning periods from the ancient to the modern world reunites fans with beloved characters, from Louis de Pointe Lac and the eternally young Armand to David Talbot and Marius, who hear a mysterious voice urging ancients to destroy increasing populations of maverick vampires. (Publisher Summary)

Humor

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

A first-person account by the Golden Globe-winning actress best known for her work on Parks and Recreation and Saturday Night Live includes coverage of such topics as her relationships with caregivers and her friendship with Tina Fey. (Publisher Summary)

Nonfiction

Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan

This hope-filled posthumous collection of essays and stories from the talented young Yale graduate who died tragically five days after graduation details the struggle that we all face as we figure out what we want to be and how we can positively impact the world. (Publisher Summary)

History and Biography

The Romanov Sisters: the Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra by Helen Rappaport

Draws on personal writings and private sources to illuminate the daily lives of the four Russian Grand Duchesses from their own perspectives, revealing their awareness of family turmoil and the approach of the Russian Revolution. (Publisher Summary)

Business

#Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso

The founder of "Nasty Gal" fashion shares a manifesto for ambitious young women that explains how to channel personal passion and energy while overcoming insecurities, outlining advice on doing work and garnering recognition. (Publisher Summary)

Food and Cookbooks

Make it Ahead: a Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

The Emmy Award-winning celebrity chef shares favorite make-ahead recipes and meal-planning tips for a variety of occasions, suggesting preparation options for low-stress dishes that improve if prepared in advance. By the #1 best-selling author of Barefoot Contessa Foolproof. (Publisher Summary)

Best Debut Goodreads Author

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

A tale set in a bleak future society torn by class divisions follows the experiences of secret revolutionary Darrow, who after witnessing his wife's execution by an oppressive government joins a revolutionary cell and attempts to infiltrate an elite military academy. (Publisher Summary)

Debut SF Book by X-Files Alum

Actress Gillian Anderson, best known for her role as Dana Scully on the popular sci-fi TV show The X-Files, along with science fiction author Jeff Rovin, pens a new scientific thriller A Vision of Fire, book one of the Eartend Saga.

Juggling her career and parenting responsibilities, child psychologist Caitlin O'Hara begins treating an ambassador's daughter, who starts having violent visions and speaking in tongues right before children throughout the world demonstrate similar mystical symptoms. Caitlin begins to think that there’s a more sinister force at work.

With Asia on the cusp of nuclear war, Caitlin must race across the globe to uncover the mystical links among these seemingly unrelated incidents in order to save her patient - and perhaps the world.

Thrilling Debut Novel

Lauren Owen's strong debut novel, The Quick, takes place in late 19th century London. James Norby, fresh out of Oxford, moves to the City to try to fulfill his dream of becoming a poet. Norby ends up rooming with a young aristocrat who introduces him to high society. Totally immersed in his new culture and surroundings, it isn't long before Norby falls in love...and then abruptly disappears. Norby's loyal sister, Charlotte, sets out from their county estate in Yorkshire to hunt down her brother.  Her search leads her to a secret club, whose members are among the richest and most ambitious men in England.

"A book that seems to begin as a children's story ends in blood-soaked mayhem; the journey from one genre to another is satisfying and surprisingly fresh considering that it's set in a familiar version of gothic London among equally familiar monsters." (Kirkus Reviews)