We Are Pirates
by Daniel Handler

If you have children or grandchildren in your life who gobbled up The Series of Unfortunate Events books by Lemony Snicket, you are familiar with Daniel Handler, who used the pseudonym Lemony Snicket for his children’s books. We Are Pirates is all adult, but it has the same dry, dark, witty humor that I so loved in the Unfortunate Events books. In We Are Pirates, a boat has gone missing. Goods have been stolen. There is blood in the water. It is the twenty-first century and a crew of pirates is terrorizing the San Francisco Bay. Phil is a husband, a father, a struggling radio producer, and the owner of a large condo with a view of the water. But he'd like to be a rebel and a fortune hunter. Gwen is his daughter. She's fourteen. She's a student, a swimmer, and a best friend. But she'd like to be an adventurer and an outlaw. Phil teams up with his young, attractive assistant and they head for the open road, attending a conference to seal a deal. Gwen teams up with a new, fierce friend and some restless souls. They head for the open sea, stealing a boat to hunt for treasure. We Are Pirates is a novel about our desperate searches for happiness and freedom, about our wild journeys beyond the boundaries of our ordinary lives. Also, it's about a teenage girl who pulls together a ragtag crew to commit mayhem in the San Francisco Bay, while her hapless father tries to get her home.

We are Pirates will be released on February 3, and we will have it in stock then.

The Interestings
by Meg Wolitzer

I’m re-reading The Interestings for the women’s book group discussion this month. After I finished the book the first time,  I was tempted to start over again and now I get the chance to do just that! In The Interestings, six teenagers meet at a camp for the artistically talented. One is a dancer, one a graphic designer, one an actor, and so on. The six form a tight-knit group and call themselves The Interestings. From there, we follow this group over the next 30 or so years. One of the memorable/outstanding strengths of this book is that the author is able to capture a believable voice for every age of each character—very impressive! Each character enjoys/sustains varying degrees of success in work, marriage, life in general. I’m looking forward to a dynamic discussion!

The Overhaul: Poems
by Kathleen Jamie

This Scottish poet is new to me, though well-known in Scotland. I’m enjoying her short, prose poems which often refer to the sea. For a sample of her work, see poetryfoundation.org/bio/kathleen-jamie

The Overhaul will be out February 17.

A Spool of Blue Thread
by Anne Tyler

Tyler is one of my favorite authors and I always treasure a new book from her. Her latest is Spool of Blue Thread, and it will be released on February 10. This is familiar Tyler territory—the story of an ordinary but somewhat quirky family living in Baltimore. This family consists of Red and Abby Whitshank, their two sons and two daughters, and their grandchildren. Red and Abby live in a house lovingly built by his father, and Abby continues to share the family stories as she always has. Change is coming to their lives, though. Abby and Red are aging, and their children are attempting to help them deal with the inevitable changes ahead. As they do so, secrets are revealed, resentments within the family create turmoil, and changes are challenging. Tyler has great insight into the human condition. She treats her characters with respect, compassion, and also with humor. This is one of her best books! She also says it’s her last. I hope she changes her mind. Don’t you?

In Reach
by Pam Carter Joern

In Reach is one of the books which I recommended at Night-In. Pam Carter Joern is a favorite author of Sister Wolf books group members. The book is a collection of linked short stories, set in the fictional small town of Reach Nebraska. (And every pun you can think of making with that title is probably apt.) Each character is dealing in some way with loneliness: a woman after the death of a spouse, a couple ostracized after their shady financial dealings become public knowledge, a gay man afraid to reveal his sexual orientation, two young brothers. The book has been short-listed for this year’s Minnesota Book Award in fiction.

A Burnable Book
by Bruce Holsinger

Another Night-In recommendation was A Burnable Book. This book reminded me how much I enjoy historical fiction, a genre I’ve neglected lately. The story is set in London in 1385 and the action is set into motion when Geoffrey Chaucer (yes, THAT Chaucer) persuades a fellow poet and collector of information to track down a book. The book contains prophecies about the murder of English monarchs, including the current ruler. Speaking or writing of regicide is considered treasonous; thus the title of the book. Sometimes when reading historical fiction, I struggle to keep track of all the characters and twists of plot, but that didn’t happen for me with this book. In addition, there’s a great deal of very interesting information about life in the 1300s. A very enjoyable read!

Editor’s note: Last summer, we received a request from the publisher to read and review a very early copy of Kristin Hannah’s new book, The Nightingale. Hannah is one of Emily’s favorite authors, so we asked her to do it. Emily loved the book, and excerpts from her review were used several times in advance publicity. The book will be released on February 3, and here is her review.

The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah

My favorite genre, historical fiction; my favorite author, Kristin Hannah; and  my favorite time period, World War II—I was instantly intrigued.

I’ve never been so moved by a novel! The Nightingale is an epic novel of love and war, spanning from the 1940s to the present day, and the secret lives of those who live in a small French town. I have read many novels about the monstrosities of the Holocaust from the German and Jewish perspectives but had never read about the French Resistance experience.

The story follows two sisters, Isabelle and Viann, who had an on and off relationship throughout the novel. Each woman battles her own war as life in France was overturned by the Nazi occupation. Jewish neighbors and colleagues were herded into cattle cars, daily life was shaped by waiting in line for the meager food available even when one had ration cards, and were families ripped apart during this horrific time.

I found myself holding my breath, gasping, shaking my head and crying countless times throughout the novel. Hannah captured the humanity and strength of individuals in the worst conditions possible, and I was simply left with a feeling of wonder, long after I turned the last page. Although we know the tragic events of WWII and the Holocaust ended in mass extermination and devastation all over the world, Hannah leaves the reader feeling a sense of closure with characters reuniting with family and coming home to start rebuilding broken relationship one piece at a time.

Kristin Hannah is one of those rare authors who can put both heart and thought into her novels. The Nightingale will stretch readers in ways they never thought possible. I think it will be read by many book clubs, talked about at local bookstores and coffee shops, and the reflection will continue long afterwards.

The Nightingale will be released on February 3.