Hello to everyone during the warmest February I can remember in New England. We had a little snow earlier this week at our little store that’s bigger on the inside. IT didn’t even last a day! Today, on the other hand…. We shall see.
This week’s New Arrivals really are mostly about relationships between people, it seems, and the plots of the stories seem to come second. The first fiction book which is also somewhat of a fantasy, BLACK CANDLE WOMEN by Diane Marie Brown is a warm and wry family drama with a magical twist about four generations of Black women, a family curse, and one very complicated year of heartache, miscommunication, and learning to let go.
Our second novel is THE THEORY OF (NOT QUITE) EVERYTHING by Kara Gnodde, in which siblings and mathematics are at odds when it comes to romance. The sister of a mathematician brother is dating a mathematician, which causes many issues for the brother. A serious accident occurs, and Mimi (the sister) is caught between the two men. Can she trust her heart to guide her to the truth? In this delightful, bittersweet novel, Kara Gnodde explores how the answers to life’s questions—the bonds of family, and the calculations of the heart—follow a logic of their own.
THINGS WE HIDE FROM THE LIGHT by Lucy Score is a romantic comedy. This is a story between a brooding ex-cop and his sexy new neighbor with a burning-hot secret who has no intention of staying in town once her business is done…especially not for love.
In the enthralling follow-up to The Night and Its Moon, THE SUN AND ITS SHADE, bestselling author CJ Piper redefines love and trust through an authentic fantastical portrayal of queer experiences, found family, and the gray areas that define us all.
In the fantasy, A DAY OF FALLEN NIGHT: A ROOTS OF CHAOS NOVEL, Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the universe of Priory of the Orange Tree and into the lives of four women, showing us a course of events that shaped their world for generations to come.
Melanie Golding’s newest folkloric suspense novel, THE HIDDEN is a spine-tingling twist on Celtic mythology. A man, Gregor, was bludgeoned to death. Every night, Ruby, a woman, gazes into Gregor’s apartment, leading to the discovery of his secret family: his unusually silent daughter and his mentally unstable wife, Constance, who insists that she is descended from the mythological Selkies. She begs Ruby to aid in finding the sealskin that Gregor has hidden from her, making it impossible to return to her people. And there’s more about Ruby…
Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett investigates a mysterious death at a secret remote high-tech facility in STORM WATCH (JOE PICKETT BOOK 23) by C. J. Box.
In our only non-fiction selection this week, PLANT FORWARD: 100 BOLD RECIPES FOR A MOSTLY HEALTHY LIFESTYLE by Richard Blais, Next Level Chef co-star and Bravo’s Top Chef All-Stars winner Richard Blais and his wife, Jazmin, deliver 100 bold & stylish recipes that cast veggies in the starring role on your plate.
For more details on each of the books, please see the full descriptions below the covers.
As always, thank you for making our shelves your destination.
FICTION:
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN’S FICTION: (ALSO FANTASY)
BLACK CANDLE WOMEN: A NOVEL by Diane Marie Brown Fiction / African American & Black / Women
Practical Magic meets The Mothers in this warm and wry family drama with a magical twist about four generations of Black women, a family curse, and one very complicated year of heartache, miscommunication, and learning to let go.
Generations of Montrose women—Augusta, Victoria, Willow—have lived together in their quaint two-story bungalow in California for years. They keep to themselves, never venture far from home, and their collection of tinctures and spells is an unspoken bond between them.
But when seventeen-year-old Nickie Montrose brings home a boy for the first time, their quiet lives are thrown into disarray. For the other women have been withholding a secret from Nickie that will end her relationship before it’s even begun: the decades-old family curse that any person they fall in love with dies.
Their surprise guest forces each woman to reckon with her own past choices and mistakes. And as new truths about the curse emerge, the family is set on a collision course dating back to a Voodoo shop in 1950s New Orleans’s French Quarter—where a hidden story in a mysterious book may just hold the answers they seek in life and in love…
Told from four irresistible perspectives, Black Candle Women is a family drama with a magical twist.
FAMILY LIFE FICTION: (ALSO ROMANCE)
THE THEORY OF (NOT QUITE) EVERYTHING by Kara Gnodde (Fiction) Fiction / Family Life / Siblings
With the offbeat charm of The Rosie Project and generous warmth of The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, a wry, moving debut novel about a pair of unforgettable siblings and a love triangle of sorts—one with math as its beating heart.
Mimi Brotherton, younger sister of a mathematical genius, believes in truth. And, most of the time, in telling it. Her brother Art believes in facts.
Bound together by their parents’ tragic deaths, the siblings share their family home and have a strong, if unequal, relationship. Art has everything he needs (math and a devoted sister). Now, Mimi’s ready for a life of her own.
That might include love. At first, Art is cautiously enthusiastic, keen to demonstrate that love, like everything, is subject to rules. Then Mimi meets Frank, who is affable enough, but another mathematician, and Art bristles. Art is on the cusp of solving a notoriously intractable equation and success promises fame and fortune—he fears that this new man may be after his sister for the wrong reasons.
After a serious accident involves both men, Mimi is caught between them. Can she trust her heart to guide her to the truth?
In this delightful, bittersweet novel, Kara Gnodde explores how the answers to life’s questions—the bonds of family, and the calculations of the heart—follow a logic of their own.
ROMANCE:
THINGS WE HIDE FROM THE LIGHT by Lucy Score (Romance) Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lucy Score brings readers back to Knockemout, Virginia for another small-town rom-com between a brooding ex-cop and his sexy new neighbor with a burning-hot secret who has no intention of staying in town once her business is done…especially not for love.
Welcome back to Knockemout, Virginia, where the heroes are broody, the heroines are sassy, and everyone’s got a secret.
Nash Morgan was always known as the good Morgan brother, with a smile and a wink for everyone. But now, this chief of police is recovering from being shot and his Southern charm has been overshadowed by panic attacks and nightmares. He feels like a broody shell of the man he once was. Nash isn’t about to let anyone in his life know he’s struggling. But his new next-door neighbor, smart and sexy Lina, sees his shadows. As a rule, she’s not a fan of physical contact unless she initiates it, but for some reason Nash’s touch is different. He feels it too. The physical connection between them is incendiary, grounding him and making her wonder if exploring it is worth the risk.
Too bad Lina’s got secrets of her own, and if Nash finds out the real reason she’s in town, he’ll never forgive her. Besides, she doesn’t do relationships. Ever. A hot, short-term fling with a local cop? Absolutely. Sign her up. A relationship with a man who expects her to plant roots? No freaking way. Once she gets what she’s after, she has no intention of sticking around. But Knockemout has a way of getting under people’s skin. And once Nash decides to make Lina his, he’s not about to be dissuaded…even if it means facing the danger that nearly killed him.
ROMANCE – LGBTQ+
THE SUN AND ITS SHADE by CJ Piper (Romance) Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ+ / Bisexual
In the enthralling follow-up to The Night and Its Moon, bestselling author CJ Piper redefines love and trust through an authentic fantastical portrayal of queer experiences, found family, and the gray areas that define us all.
I love you…
Nox’s tear-filled words echo across the sand as she and Amaris are torn apart. They’ve battled fiercely to find each other again, and have barely reunited when Amaris is taken away by the queen’s dragon.
Injured and desperate, Amaris is forced to navigate her new surroundings with the help of Raascot’s enigmatic general if she hopes to stay alive. At the same time, across the land and running out of options, Nox forms a partnership with the continent’s league of peacekeeping assassins, begging their help to find Amaris and forge some stability between the kingdoms.
As wounds heal and new relationships blossom, Nox and Amaris must confront impossible obstacles and stretch their magic to its limits if they are ever to create a world that might finally reunite them for good. The odds are narrow, the stakes are high, and one question remains: Is it fate, love, or something else entirely that binds these two women together?
SPECULATIVE FICTION:
FANTASY:
A DAY OF FALLEN NIGHT: A ROOTS OF CHAOS NOVEL by Samantha Shannon Fiction / Fantasy
The stunning, standalone prequel to the New York Times bestselling The Priory of the Orange Tree.
“A magnificent, sweeping epic. Shannon has created a world rich in intricate mythology, beautifully realized and complex.” Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne
In A Day of Fallen Night, Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the universe of Priory of the Orange Tree and into the lives of four women, showing us a course of events that shaped their world for generations to come.
Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory’s purpose.
To the north, in the Queendom of Inys, Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth, narrowly saving both realms from ruin. Their daughter, Glorian, trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be.
The dragons of the East have slept for centuries. Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, trying to wake the gods from their long slumber. Now someone from her mother’s past is coming to upend her fate.
When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat.
MYSTERIES/THRILLERS/CRIME:
THE HIDDEN: A NOVEL by Melanie Golding Fiction / Thrillers / Psychologica
Following her acclaimed debut Little Darlings, Melanie Golding’s newest folkloric suspense is a spine-tingling twist on Celtic mythology.
One dark December night, in a small seaside town, a little girl is found abandoned. When her mother finally arrives, authorities release the pair, believing it to be an innocent case of a toddler running off.
Gregor, a seemingly single man, is found bludgeoned and left for dead in his apartment, but the discovery of children’s toys raises more questions than answers.
Every night, Ruby gazes into Gregor’s apartment, leading to the discovery of his secret family: his unusually silent daughter and his mentally unstable wife, Constance, who insists that she is descended from the mythological Selkies. She begs Ruby to aid in finding the sealskin that Gregor has hidden from her, making it impossible to return to her people.
DS Joanna Harper’s investigation into Gregor’s assault leads her to CCTV footage of the mother-daughter pair from town. Harper realizes she knows the woman almost as well as she knows herself: it’s her estranged daughter, Ruby. No matter the depth of Ruby’s involvement, she knows she will choose her daughter over her career.
Steeped in local legend and exploring the depths of what it means to be a mother, Melanie Golding’s newest novel is “a lyrical and atmospheric folktale for the modern age.” (Bustle, on Little Darlings)
STORM WATCH (JOE PICKETT BOOK 23) by C. J. Box Fiction / Crime
Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett investigates a mysterious death at a secret remote high-tech facility in this riveting new novel from #1 New York Times bestseller C.J. Box.
While tracking a wounded elk in the midst of an epic Rocky Mountain spring snowstorm, Joe Pickett makes a startling and gruesome discovery: the frozen and mutilated body of a man who has obviously trespassed on a private ranch and was killed near the location of a mysterious high-tech structure. Joe also finds the man’s vehicle on a remote mountainside—the victim’s ID indicates that he is a prominent University of Wyoming professor. When Joe attempts to learn more, his investigation is obstructed by federal agents, extremists, and Governor Colter Allen.
Nate Romanowski is rebuilding his falconry company—and financing this through crypto mining with the assistance of Geronimo Jones. Nate is then approached by a shadowy group of local militant activists that is gaining in power and influence, and demanding that Wyoming join other western states and secede from the union—by force, if necessary. They ask Nate to throw in with them, but he’s wary. Should he trust them, or is he being set up?
As a storm of peril gathers around them, Joe and Nate confront it in different ways—and maybe, for the first time, on opposite sides.
NON-FICTION:
COOKBOOKS:
PLANT FORWARD: 100 BOLD RECIPES FOR A MOSTLY HEALTHY LIFESTYLE by Richard Blais (cookbook) Cooking / Health & Healing / Weight Control
Next Level Chef co-star and Bravo’s Top Chef All-Stars winner Richard Blais and his wife, Jazmin, deliver 100 bold & stylish recipes that cast veggies in the starring role on your plate.
In their new book, Plant Forward, the Blaises open their kitchen to show you how they eat and maintain healthy habits when the TV cameras are off. Using humor and heart, Richard details how he found his path to health by moving meat to the side in favor of a more plant-centric diet. He teams up with Jazmin to show you how to have fun with cooking, taking produce to an entirely new level without having to abandon meat or dairy entirely—think Zucchini Al Pastor and Carrot Hotdogs!
Each chapter focuses on a particular veggie or category of plant foods, from cauliflower to greens to tomatoes to whole grains, showcasing many of the diverse ways in which it can be prepared. The recipes feature Blais’s creative signature style but remain approachable for time-strapped individuals and families. With this array of innovative flavor combinations and flexibility, get ready to embark on the ultimate cooking and eating adventure.
Sample Recipes:
Tomato and Watermelon Poke
Jerk Cauliflower Steaks
Potatostones
Broccoli Top Pesto with Kale and Whole Wheat Spaghetti
Zucchini Fritters with Parmesan
Carrot Osso Bucco with Polenta
The Blended Mushroom Burger
Eggplant and Chickpea Samosas
Anytime Almond Biscuits
Plant Forward is complete with full-color photos, pantry upgrades, and the Blais cheat sheet—a weekly guide to staying on track.
Learn how to achieve balance and fall in love with cooking again with the Blaises. Whether you are a seasoned chef yourself or a humble home cook, Plant Forward will help you achieve your healthy eating goals and challenge culinary norms with one of America’s most dynamic and inspiring foodie couples.
Annie's Book Stop of Worcester 