“I cannot remember a time when I was not in love with them—with the books themselves, cover and binding and the paper they were printed on, with their smell and their weight and with their possession in my arms, captured and carried off to myself.” —Eudora Welty
Came to the mountains carrying more books than I’ll have time to read. Just the heft of them reassures me. I’m wishing my days here could be as long as their pages. The universe knew I needed this time away where the only sounds are the aspens quaking and pages turning. And did it also know, I wonder, how much I needed a fall resplendent in new reads from some of the best to put pen to page? Because boy, did it deliver. In the biggest of ways. Here’s a sneak peak so you all can rejoice along with me.
Coming 9/28
Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See won the pulitzer and a permanent place in our Top 10 of all time. We are forever fans. Read Tracy’s review here. A new release from him brings with it all the magic of childhood Christmas eves. Here’s an advanced review:
“This is a glory of a book. As its cast of characters moves us across continents and ages from ancient Greece to the present and beyond, we fall in love with the best of them—and the worst. Cloud Cuckoo Land is impossible to put down and once finished, life-changing, the kind of book you hope will come your way but almost never does. An absolute masterpiece.”—Betsy Burton, The King’s English Bookshop
Coming 10/5
Mon Amour, Amor, is back just in time to save 2021. He had me at Rules of Civility and sealed the deal with A Gentleman in Moscow. You can read my review here. From the sounds of this Kirkus starred review, our relationship is destined to remain on solid ground.
“Towles’ third novel is even more entertaining than his much-acclaimed A Gentleman in Moscow . . . A remarkable blend of sweetness and doom, [The Lincoln Highway] is packed with revelations about the American myth, the art of storytelling, and the unrelenting pull of history. An exhilarating ride through Americana.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)
Already on Chapter 24
Were my life going according to plan, I’d have purchased this book from Myrna’s bookshop and be curled up in front of a roaring fire at the Bistro, reading its pages while snow quiets the already quiet village of Three Pines. Next to me, enjoying a licorice pipe and some hot cocoa, would be my dear friend Bonnie—who has celebrated every Penny release with me until this year. Oh how I miss her. I hope she’s in her version of heaven, one that includes the best food, the best books, and a never-ending supply of cupcakes.
Have yet to join the Penny fan club? Read my sales pitch here and here. And 24 chapters in of her latest, I already wholeheartedly agree with Amazon’s review: “Urgent, yet thoughtful, philosophical and suspenseful, The Madness of Crowds proves Penny just gets better with each novel.” —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor