Happy New Books!
There are so many great books scheduled to be published this year. Here is a partial list of titles that we are particularly looking forward to in the next few months:
“Sam” by Allegra Goodman. This unforgettable portrait of coming-of-age offers subtle yet powerful reflections on class, parenthood, addiction, lust, and the irrepressible power of dreams.
Staff recommended: Told through Sam’s prospective from age 7 to early adulthood, you get all of her confusing, honest perspectives — and her earnest attempts at navigating this complex [though really quite straightforward] world — just be who you are. ~Michelle. January 3, 2023.
“The Villa” by Rachel Hawkins. As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls’ trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend. January 3, 2023.
“Age of Vice” by Deepti Kapoor. Five people are dead in the surreal aftermath of a violent 3 a.m. incident in New Delhi. From here, author Deepti Kapoor’s sprawling crime fiction epic only gets deeper and darker. A profile of the feared Wadia crime family set in the shadowy corners of contemporary India. Great review here. New York Times recommended title for January. January 3, 2023.
“Spare” by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex. With its raw, unflinching honesty, Spare is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief. NYT recommended title for January. January 10, 2023.
“Hell Bent: Alex Stern #2” by Leigh Bardugo. Wealth. Power. Murder. Magic. The Ivy League is going straight to hell in the sequel to the smash bestseller “Ninth House.” Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if Alex is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls. NYT recommended title for January. January 10, 2023
“The Shards” by Bret Easton Ellis. A sensational new novel from the bestselling author of “Less Than Zero” tracks a group of privileged Los Angeles high school friends as a serial killer strikes across the city. January 17, 2023.
“The Bandit Queens: A Novel” by Parini Shroff. A young Indian woman finds the false rumors that she killed her husband surprisingly useful–until other women in the village start asking for her help getting rid of their own husbands–in this razor-sharp debut. Washington Post recommend for January. January 3, 2023.
“The Creative Act: A Way of Being” by Rick Rubin. From the legendary music producer, a master at helping people connect with the wellsprings of their creativity, comes a beautifully crafted book many years in the making that offers that same deep wisdom to all of us. January 17, 2023.
“The Chinese Groove” by Kathryn Ma. Shelley Zheng doesn’t have much to his name other than his eternal optimism. An 18-year-old immigrant from China’s Yunnan province, he was sent to stay with a purportedly successful uncle in the United States, only to find no riches and not even an uncle — just an underemployed cousin and a basement couch for a bed. Things turn from bad to worse when Shelley learns that he is welcome to stay for only two weeks. Undeterred, his unbridled enthusiasm ingratiates him with his hosts, which could have a chain reaction resulting in everyone’s happiness. Ma’s uplifting tale of the good-hearted dreamer will appeal to those wanting to boost their spirits. NYT recommended title for January. and Washington Post January recommends. January 24, 2023.
“How to Be a (Young) Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone. The latest version of the groundbreaking book serves as a guide for teens seeking a way forward in acknowledging, identifying, and dismantling racism and injustice. January 31, 2023.
“Maame” by Jessica George. Born and raised in London to Ghanaian parents, Jessica George writes with wisdom and wit in this debut novel about the liminal space between cultures. Lovable heroine Maddie Wright has a dead-end office job and a dad ill with Parkinson’s disease. When her mom returns from Ghana for a year, Maddie takes a break, finds a flat and starts living her life. January 31, 2023.
“Victory City” by Salman Rushdie. The epic tale of a woman who breathes a fantastical empire into existence, only to be consumed by it over the centuries — from the transcendent imagination of Booker Prize-winning, internationally bestselling author. February 7, 2023.
“Someone Else’s Shoes” by Jojo Moyes. A story of mix-ups, mess-ups and making the most of second chances, this is the new novel from the bestselling author. February 07, 2023.
“Every Man a King” by Walter Mosley. Another must-read novel from the bestselling mystery author. In this second novel following former NYPD investigator Joe King Oliver, Joe is approached by a friend of the family with a tough assignment. White nationalist Alfred Xavier Quiller has been accused of murder and selling sensitive information to the Russians. As Joe gets closer to uncovering the truth, he finds himself and everyone he loves directly in the line of danger. February 21, 2023.
“I Have Some Questions for You” by Rebecca Makkai. From the author of “The Great Believers,” this follows a 40-something mom as she returns to teach at her childhood boarding school, site of a terrible tragedy. Part murder mystery, part character study, Makkai’s book is one of the season’s most anticipated. February 21, 2023.
“Never Never” by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher. From these bestselling authors comes a gripping New Adult romance. Charlie and Silas have been in love since they were 14 years old — so why can’t they remember it? With every memory — their first kiss, their first fight, the moment they fell in love — suddenly gone, the childhood sweethearts try desperately to uncover who they used to be, and why they grew apart. But some secrets are better off forgotten, and a danger neither of them can recall for long threatens to tear them apart for good. A suspense-filled romantic thriller that will leave readers breathless and believing in the power of love. February 28, 2023.
“Enchantment” by Katherine May. From the bestselling author of “Wintering,” an invitation to rediscover the feelings of awe and wonder available to us all. February 28, 2023.
“Your Driver Is Waiting” by Priya Guns. In this electrifyingly fierce and funny social satire — a gender-flipped reboot of the iconic 1970s film “Taxi Driver” — a ride-share driver is barely holding it together on the hunt for love, dignity, and financial security … until she decides she’s done waiting. February 28, 2023.
“Old Babes in the Wood” by Margaret Atwood. A dazzling collection of short stories from the internationally acclaimed, award-winning author, stories that look deeply into the heart of family relationships, marriage, loss and memory, and what it means to spend a life together. March 7, 2023.
“Pineapple Street” by Jenny Jackson. Rife with the indulgent pleasures of life among New York’s one-percenters, this is an escapist novel that sparkles with wit. Full of recognizable, loveable — if fallible — characters, it’s about the peculiar unknowability of someone else’s family, the miles between the haves and have-nots, and the insanity of first love — all wrapped in a story that is a sheer delight. March 7, 2023.
“Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano. A poignant and engrossing family story that asks: Can love make a broken person whole? An exquisite homage to Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic, “Little Women,” this is a profoundly moving portrait of what is possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it. March 14, 2023.
“The White Lady” by Jacqueline Winspear. Yet another extraordinary heroine from Jacqueline Winspear, creator of the best-selling Maisie Dobbs series. This heart-stopping novel, set in post-WWII Britain in 1947, follows the coming of age and maturity of former wartime operative Elinor White — veteran of two wars, trained killer, protective of her anonymity — when she is drawn back into the world of menace she has been desperate to leave behind. March 21, 2023.
“American Mermaid” by Julia Langbein A brilliantly funny debut novel that follows a writer lured to Los Angeles to adapt her feminist mermaid novel into a big-budget action film, who believes her heroine, has come to life to take revenge for Hollywood’s violations. March 21, 2023.
“The London Séance Society” by Sarah Penner. World-famous spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire can conjure the spirits of murder victims, it’s said. Can she help desperate Londoner Lenna Wickes find her sister’s killer? It’s good clean occult fun from the author of the “The Lost Apothecary.” March 21, 2023.
“Above Ground” by Clint Smith. A remarkable poetry collection from the National Book Critics Circle award-winning author of “How the Word Is Passed.” His vibrant and compelling new collection traverses the vast emotional terrain of fatherhood, and explores how becoming a parent has recalibrated his sense of the world. March 28, 2023.
“The Trackers” by Charles Frazier. He specializes in a thrilling, literary approach to American historical fiction. His latest novel concerns a small town in Depression-era Wyoming, a missing painting, a runaway wife, and a spirited chase that rumbles from San Francisco to Florida. Expect finely drawn characters, state-of-the-art storytelling, and maybe some contemporary relevance. April 11, 2023.
“In the Lives of Puppets” by T.J. Klune. From the author of “The House in the Cerulean Sea,” this intriguing cross-genre tale plays in the waters of fantasy and sci-fi both, with damaged humans and conflicted androids questing through otherworldly domains to the City of Electric Dreams. Klune’s standalone story is inspired in part by Pinocchio. April 25, 2023.
“Happy Place” by Emily Henry. A couple who broke up months ago pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel. April 25, 2023.
“The Covenant of Water” by Abraham Verghese. A stunning and magisterial epic of love, faith, and medicine, set in Kerala, South India, and following three generations of a family seeking the answers to a strange secret. May 2, 2023.
“Yellowface” by R.F. Kuang. The 20-something author’s newest is a story of a white writer who steals the manuscript of a recently deceased Asian American author, then passes it off as her own. Widely praised for her fantasy novels, Kuang takes on real-world themes like cultural appropriation with this highly anticipated novel. May 16, 2023.
”All the Sinners Bleed” by S.A. Cosby. The southern noir specialist is back with his unique brand of high-octane crime fiction. Titus Crowne is a former FBI agent recently elected sheriff of a small town. When a school shooting shatters the community, Titus must endure the trials of being a Black man in a police uniform in the American South. June 6, 2023.
Order any of these titles, and more! on our website here.
Edmonds Bookshop Events
Edmonds Bookshop Book Club: January!
Wednesday morning Jan. 18: 9-10 a.m. We are planning to be hybrid again in January. We are still doing Zoom meetings, but also – welcoming back some to join us in person. Send us an email here to inquire about attending in person.
Our January book is “Cloud Cuckoo Land” by Anthony Doerr.
A masterpiece spanning multiple characters, time periods, and places. Readers will be drawn into this clever literary puzzle and repeatedly satisfied every time one piece is revealed to relate to another. “Cloud Cuckoo Land” celebrates the power of stories and how they connect us as well as comfort us during difficult times.
National Book Award Finalist
2022 PNBA Award Winner
More information about the book and our book club is here.
Send us an email here to register your email for book club membership. We will send you an invitation with a Zoom Meeting link as each book club meeting is scheduled. Once you accept the invitation it will show up in your calendar.
Third Thursday Art Walk. Jan. 19. 6 p.m. Join us to welcome Priscilla Long and her newest book, “Dancing with the Muse in Old Age.” A book about thriving in old age. While focusing on creative engagement, it is for everyone who is aging. It reflects the new ways of looking at old age as a potentially dynamic, happy, and productive time. It reviews the science on aging that shows that negative views of aging can actually cause decline.
Priscilla Long will be in conversation with Bethany Reid, poet, writer, editor, and writing coach. And friend of The Bookshop. There will also be a special guest: John L. Wright, local Edmonds poet.
All the information on our Event Page here.
Jan. 26, 2023. Thursday, 6 p.m. Join us to welcome local author Hank Landau and his new book “Misadventures of a Cross-America Kayaker.”
This is the story of an old man on what would probably be his final adventure. Over a span of seven years, Hank Landau paddled and portaged over 4,700 miles on 19 waterways and rivers, six of them going upstream. He touched 17 states and traversed 31 dams along a route that started at the Pacific Ocean and ended at the Atlantic.
So much more information on our Event Page, here.
Feb. 4, 2023. Saturday, 11 a.m. Join us to celebrate the publication of Marilyn Morgan’s newest book, “Trailblazing Black Women of Washington State.”
Breaking glass ceilings, organizing clubs and making history as the first in their fields, these trailblazing Black women paved the way for new generations.
She will be joined in conversation by the multi-talented Alicia Crank: Executive Director, Seattle CityClub; owner of Crank’d Up Consulting; and columnist at The Everett Herald.
More information about all on our Event page, here.
Recent book releases of note:
“The World We Make: Great Cities #2” by N.K. Jemisin. A story of culture, identity, magic, and myths in contemporary New York City, in the final book of the Great Cities Duology. Lovely review, here.
“We Are the Light” by Matthew Quick. From the bestselling author comes a poignant and hopeful novel about a widower who takes in a grieving teenager and inspires a magical revival in their small town. Staff recommended. Chosen for IndieBound.
“Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story” by Bono. A memoir: honest and irreverent, intimate and profound, this is the story of the remarkable life he’s lived, the challenges he’s faced, and the friends and family who have shaped and sustained him. Review in The New York Times here. And in The Washington Post here.
“Friends, Lovers and the Terrible Thing: A Memoir” by Matthew Perry. In this memoir, he returns again to discussions of fame and addiction, but also reaches back to his childhood.
“The King: The Life of Charles III” by Christopher Andersen. A vivid and unsparing, yet sympathetic portrait of one of the most complex and enigmatic figures of our time.
“Now Is Not the Time to Panic” by Kevin Wilson. A bold coming-of-age story, written with wit and blazing prose, this is a nuanced exploration of young love, identity, and the power of art. It’s also about the secrets that haunt us—and, ultimately, what the truth will set free. Chosen for IndieBound. New York Times review, here.
“The Queen: Her Life” by Andrew Morton. The bestselling biographer provides the definitive, most comprehensive account of Queen Elizabeth II’s legendary reign.
“The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times” by Michelle Obama. In an inspiring follow-up to her critically acclaimed memoir “Becoming,” former First Lady Michelle Obama shares practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today’s highly uncertain world.
“A Book of Days” by Patti Smith. A deeply moving and brilliantly idiosyncratic visual book of days by the National Book Award-winning author, featuring more than 365 images and reflections that chart Smith’s singular aesthetic — inspired by her wildly popular Instagram. Check out her Instagram here.
“A World of Curiosities: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel #18” by Louise Penny. It’s spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge. But something has.
#1 IndieBound December Pick: “The Light Pirate: A Novel” by Lily Brooks-Dalton. “A survivor of a book. In the not-too-distant future, Florida is hurricane central, and Wanda (a hurricane namesake) is in the eye of this story that wraps around you; you’ll hold on for dear life, with everybody else.” -Michelle Bear, Edmonds Bookshop.
“Stella Maris” by Cormac McCarthy. “Cormac McCarthy’s coda to “The Passenger” feels refreshingly different from, yet fully in-step with its predecessor. “Stella Maris” certainly makes “The Passenger” all the more tragic. If you read “The Passenger,” don’t skip dessert.” -Mary Wahlmeier, Raven Book Store, Lawrence, KS.
“A Dangerous Business” by Jane Smiley. From the award-winning author comes a rollicking murder mystery set in Gold Rush California, as two young prostitutes follow a trail of missing girls.
More books of note being released in January:
“The Maid” by Nita Prose. In paperback. January 3, 2023.
For Young Adults. “The Stolen Heir” by Holly Black. The wildly prolific Holly Black—winner of a Nebula Award and a Newbery Honor—returns to the world of Elfhame in this first book of a new duology. January 3, 2023.
“Blaze Me a Sun” by Christoffer Carlsson; Rachel Willson-Broyles (Translator). “…the first great crime novel of 2023” (The New York Times Book Review), a serial killer in a small Swedish town commits his first murder the same night the prime minister is assassinated — a “thrilling and profoundly poignant” (Angie Kim) novel by one of the country’s top criminologists. January 3, 2023.
“All the Dangerous Things” by Stacy Willingham. Isabelle Drake hasn’t slept in a year. Aside from strange blackouts, she’s been in a state of severe insomnia since her toddler was stolen from his crib in the middle of the night. As the case turns cold, Isabelle turns to a shady true-crime podcaster for help. That’s when things really get dark in this tense thriller from Stacy Willingham. January 10, 2023.
“Just the Nicest Couple” by Mary Kubica. Jake Hayes is missing. This much is certain. At first, his wife, Nina, thinks he is blowing off steam at a friend’s house after their heated fight the night before. But then a day goes by. Two days. Five. And Jake is still nowhere to be found. January 10, 2023.
“Everybody Knows” by Jordan Harper. Welcome to Mae Pruett’s Los Angeles, where “Nobody talks. But everybody whispers.” As a “black-bag” publicist tasked not with letting the good news out but keeping the bad news in, they protect the rich and powerful and depraved by any means necessary. Washington Post recommended for January. January 10, 2023.
“Anthem” by Noah Hawley. In paperback. January 10, 2023.
“I’m No Philosopher, But I Got Thoughts: Mini-Meditations for Saints, Sinners, and the Rest of Us” by Kristin Chenoweth. January 17, 2023.
“Really Good, Actually” by Monica Heisey. The comedian, essayist, and screenwriter makes her novel-length debut with the tragicomic story of Maggie, the Surprisingly Young Divorcée. Her marriage lasted only 608 days, and her graduate work is a slow-motion train wreck, but Maggie is, you know, fine. Really good, actually. January 17, 2023.
“How to Sell a Haunted House” by Grady Hendrix. The scary story maestro broadcasts on a very specific frequency between horror and humor. His latest concerns a pair of estranged siblings forced to sell the family home when their parents die. But why did they cover all the mirrors? And why is the attic door nailed shut? NYT recommended title for January. January 17, 2023.
“The Cabinet of Dr. Leng” by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The latest exciting addition to their Pendergast series. In this book, FBI Special Agent Pendergast and Constance Greene face their most complicated case yet. As Constance sets off on a quest in the past to prevent the deaths of her brother and sister, Pendergast remains in contemporary New York, desperately searching for a way to reconnect with Constance. January 17, 2023.
“Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People” by Tracy Kidder. The powerful story of an inspiring doctor who made a difference, by helping to create a program to care for Boston’s homeless community. From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
“I couldn’t put Rough Sleepers down. I am left in awe of the human spirit and inspired to do better.”- Abraham Verghese, author of “Cutting for Stone.” January 17, 2023.
“Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun” by Elle Cosimano. The third book in the series might be the most hilarious and suspenseful one yet. In this book, Finlay has once again found herself in quite the predicament: she owes the Russian mob. Now mob boss Feliks is calling in a favor: find and identify a contract killer before the cops do. Simple enough, right? But what happens if the killer turns out to be an officer himself? January 31, 2023.
“Chain of Thorns” by Cassandra Clare. James and Cordelia must save London–and their marriage–in this thrilling and highly anticipated conclusion to the Last Hours series from the bestselling author. Chain of Thorns is a Shadowhunters novel. January 31, 2023.
Some great blog posts/lists:
The Washington Post recommends 10 books to read in January. On the blog here.
The New York Times recommends books coming in January. On our blog here.
The New York Times Book Review chooses 10 Best Books of 2022. The list on our blog here!
The Washington Post names their 10 Best Books of 2022. On our blog here.
Moira Macdonald chooses books she is looking forward to in 2023. Our blog to pre-order the books is here.
Have you seen our list of staff favorite books of 2022? It’s a really great list. Here.
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association [PNBA] bestseller list. Updated weekly. We do our best to have all of these books in stock. [there is a link on the home page – under the picture – directly to the current bestseller list!]
We will keep posting our favorite reads, along with links to all kinds of book-related interesting things! In all the places: on our website, Facebook and Instagram.
You may pre-order any forthcoming title by visiting our website.
Stay safe. Enjoy the little things. And as always: Happy reading!
— By Elaine Mattson
Edmonds native Elaine Mattson has worked at The Edmonds Bookshop off and on since she was 12 years old, and has also worked at a book wholesaler, a book publisher, and for the book publishing division of a large local software company (yes, that one). “I was raised a book lover [thanks, Mom!],” Mattson says. “We got book lights by our beds as soon as we were old enough to read. And then I probably got in trouble for reading too late the very next night. And I still read too late!”
