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Editorial Content for The Upstairs House

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Margaret Rothfus

In THE UPSTAIRS HOUSE, sophomore novelist Julia Fine personifies postpartum depression through the apparitions of Margaret Wise Brown and Michael Strange. If you’re not sure who these women are, you might remember Brown as the author of GOODNIGHT MOON. Strange was a poetess, and she took Brown on as a mentee and eventually as a lover. She is seen as the villain in Brown’s life, a theme that is explored here. Fine’s protagonist, Megan, struggles to adjust to being a mother. Read More

Teaser

Megan is mostly raising her newborn alone while her husband travels for work. She is wracked with guilt over her unfinished dissertation --- a thesis on mid-century children’s literature. Enter a new upstairs neighbor: the ghost of Margaret Wise Brown --- author of the beloved classic GOODNIGHT MOON --- whose existence no one else will acknowledge. It seems Margaret has unfinished business with her former lover, the once-famous socialite and actress Michael Strange, and is determined to draw Megan into the fray. As Michael joins the haunting, Megan finds herself caught in the wake of a supernatural power struggle --- and until she can find a way to quiet these spirits, she and her newborn daughter are in terrible danger.

Promo

Megan is mostly raising her newborn alone while her husband travels for work. She is wracked with guilt over her unfinished dissertation --- a thesis on mid-century children’s literature. Enter a new upstairs neighbor: the ghost of Margaret Wise Brown --- author of the beloved classic GOODNIGHT MOON --- whose existence no one else will acknowledge. It seems Margaret has unfinished business with her former lover, the once-famous socialite and actress Michael Strange, and is determined to draw Megan into the fray. As Michael joins the haunting, Megan finds herself caught in the wake of a supernatural power struggle --- and until she can find a way to quiet these spirits, she and her newborn daughter are in terrible danger.

About the Book

In this provocative meditation on new motherhood --- Shirley Jackson meets The Awakening --- a postpartum woman’s psychological unraveling becomes intertwined with the ghostly appearance of children’s book writer Margaret Wise Brown. 

There’s a madwoman upstairs, and only Megan Weiler can see her.

Ravaged and sore from giving birth to her first child, Megan is mostly raising her newborn alone while her husband travels for work. Physically exhausted and mentally drained, she’s also wracked with guilt over her unfinished dissertation --- a thesis on mid-century children’s literature.

Enter a new upstairs neighbor: the ghost of quixotic children’s book writer Margaret Wise Brown—author of the beloved classic GOODNIGHT MOON --- whose existence no one else will acknowledge. It seems Margaret has unfinished business with her former lover, the once-famous socialite and actress Michael Strange, and is determined to draw Megan into the fray. As Michael joins the haunting, Megan finds herself caught in the wake of a supernatural power struggle --- and until she can find a way to quiet these spirits, she and her newborn daughter are in terrible danger.

Using Megan’s postpartum haunting as a powerful metaphor for a woman’s fraught relationship with her body and mind, Julia Fine once again delivers an imaginative and “barely restrained, careful musing on female desire, loneliness, and hereditary inheritances” (Washington Post).

Audiobook available, read by Courtney Patterson

Editorial Content for Landslide

Book

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Norah Piehl

Late last fall, when I was a little burned out on work and pandemic schooling, I took my dog and reserved a long weekend at a cottage along the shore in Downeast Maine. Beyond Kennebunkport, Portland, Freeport, and the other coastal towns in southern and mid-coast Maine, I encountered fascinating coastal villages, where summer people and transplants from New York and Boston enjoyed picturesque views and relatively inexpensive real estate, alongside families who have lived in Maine for generations and still earn their living on the water. Read More

Teaser

After a fishing accident leaves her husband hospitalized across the border in Canada, Jill is left to look after her teenage boys --- "the wolves" --- alone. Nothing comes easy in their remote corner of Maine: money is tight; her son, Sam, is getting into more trouble by the day; her eldest, Charlie, is preoccupied with a new girlfriend; and Jill begins to suspect her marriage isn't as stable as she once believed. As one disaster gives way to the next, she begins to think that it's not enough to be a caring wife and mother anymore --- not enough to show up when needed, to nudge her boys in the right direction, to believe everything will be okay. But how to protect this life she loves, this household, this family?

Promo

After a fishing accident leaves her husband hospitalized across the border in Canada, Jill is left to look after her teenage boys --- "the wolves" --- alone. Nothing comes easy in their remote corner of Maine: money is tight; her son, Sam, is getting into more trouble by the day; her eldest, Charlie, is preoccupied with a new girlfriend; and Jill begins to suspect her marriage isn't as stable as she once believed. As one disaster gives way to the next, she begins to think that it's not enough to be a caring wife and mother anymore --- not enough to show up when needed, to nudge her boys in the right direction, to believe everything will be okay. But how to protect this life she loves, this household, this family?

About the Book

This beautiful portrait of a family in a fishing village in Maine is "a fresh look at marriage, motherhood, and the wondrous inner lives of teenagers. A truly beautiful and unforgettable love story of a family on the brink” (Lily King, author of WRITERS & LOVERS). A must-read from the critically acclaimed author of ELSEY COMES HOME.

After a fishing accident leaves her husband hospitalized across the border in Canada, Jill is left to look after her teenage boys --- "the wolves" --- alone. Nothing comes easy in their remote corner of Maine: money is tight; her son, Sam, is getting into more trouble by the day; her eldest, Charlie, is preoccupied with a new girlfriend; and Jill begins to suspect her marriage isn't as stable as she once believed. As one disaster gives way to the next, she begins to think that it's not enough to be a caring wife and mother anymore --- not enough to show up when needed, to nudge her boys in the right direction, to believe everything will be okay. But how to protect this life she loves, this household, this family?

With remarkable poise and startling beauty, LANDSLIDE ushers us into a modern household where, for a family at odds, Instagram posts, sex-positivity talks and old fishing tales mingle to become a kind of love language. It is a beautiful portrait of a family, as compelling as it is moving, and raises the question of how to remain devoted when the eye of the storm closes in.

Audiobook available, read by Rebecca Lowman

Editorial Content for Comes the War

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Curtis Edmonds

Historical fiction is as old as Gilgamesh, I suppose, and detective fiction is as old as Wilkie Collins. But historical detective fiction dates back to the era of shoulder pads and leg warmers, when some enterprising authors hit upon the idea that standard mystery plots could be superimposed on medieval abbeys and Roman villas. It continues to chug along, and COMES THE WAR is one of several recent historical mysteries that focus on the era of the Second World War. Read More

Teaser

April 1944, the 55th month of the war in Europe. The entire island of Britain fairly buzzes with the coiled energy of a million men poised to leap the Channel to France, the first, riskiest step in the Allies’ long slog to the heart of Germany and the end of the war. Lieutenant Eddie Harkins is tasked to investigate the murder of Helen Batcheller, an OSS analyst. Harkins is assigned a British driver, Private Pamela Lowell, to aid in his investigation. Soon a suspect is arrested, and Harkins is ordered to stop digging. Suspicious, he continues his investigation only to find himself trapped in a web of Soviet secrets. As bombs fall, Harkins must solve the murder and reveal the spies before it is too late.

Promo

April 1944, the 55th month of the war in Europe. The entire island of Britain fairly buzzes with the coiled energy of a million men poised to leap the Channel to France, the first, riskiest step in the Allies’ long slog to the heart of Germany and the end of the war. Lieutenant Eddie Harkins is tasked to investigate the murder of Helen Batcheller, an OSS analyst. Harkins is assigned a British driver, Private Pamela Lowell, to aid in his investigation. Soon a suspect is arrested, and Harkins is ordered to stop digging. Suspicious, he continues his investigation only to find himself trapped in a web of Soviet secrets. As bombs fall, Harkins must solve the murder and reveal the spies before it is too late.

About the Book

Set against the heroism and heartbreak of WWII, former Army officer Ed Ruggero's COMES THE WAR brilliantly captures the timeless stories of ordinary people swept up in extraordinary times.

April 1944, the 55th month of the war in Europe. The entire island of Britain fairly buzzes with the coiled energy of a million men poised to leap the Channel to France, the first, riskiest step in the Allies’ long slog to the heart of Germany and the end of the war.

Lieutenant Eddie Harkins is tasked to investigate the murder of Helen Batcheller, an OSS analyst. Harkins is assigned a British driver, Private Pamela Lowell, to aid in his investigation. Lowell is smart, brave and resourceful; like Harkins, she is prone to speak her mind even when it doesn’t help her.

Soon a suspect is arrested, and Harkins is ordered to stop digging. Suspicious, he continues his investigation only to find himself trapped in a web of Soviet secrets. As bombs fall, Harkins must solve the murder and reveal the spies before it is too late.

Audiobook available, read by Tim Campbell

February 26, 2021

One of my book groups has a Facebook group page, and we chat there about the books that we are reading --- and want to read. We are skipping this month and picking up in March to discuss THE FOUR WINDS by Kristin Hannah, which is a "Read with Jenna" pick for February and a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. I have to share the links to Kristin’s appearances this week on "Today with Hoda & Jenna" and their Instagram Live page.

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

February 2021

THE PARIS LIBRARY by Janet Skeslien Charles is such a delight. It spans 60 years and brings readers from the lights of Paris to a small town in Montana. In 1939, Odile Souchet is a librarian at the American Library in Paris, whose patrons hail from many countries. It’s a dream job for her as she delights in sharing books with readers --- and the joy of working with her colleagues. Then the Nazis invade the city. And her twin brother is taken prisoner by the Germans as he fights on foreign soil. Life changes quickly with new rules coming down every day. At one point, it is dictated that Jewish people cannot receive library materials anymore. The librarians take this as a challenge and begin ferreting out this information on the sly, which brings danger at every checkpoint.

Nancy Astor

The penalty for success is to be bored by the people who used to snub you.

Attribution

Nancy Astor

The Power Couple by Alex Berenson

February 2021

I enjoyed Alex Berenson’s earlier books, including his debut, THE FAITHFUL SPY, but had not read his work in a while. In THE POWER COUPLE, he moves beyond his John Wells series with a stand-alone thriller. The press materials describe it as Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets Taken, which is a great comp. It’s both a look at a marriage through the eyes of a couple and a brisk espionage story.

Spring Preview 2021

The arrival of spring signals the end of our Spring Preview contests. Many thanks to all who entered --- and a big congratulations to all our winners! You can see the winners here, and below are the books that we believe you’ll be talking about over the next few months.

James Earl Jones

One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can’t utter.

Attribution

James Earl Jones