It’s time for another post on some upcoming new releases. Some of these are already out and some will be coming out soon but here’s what is on my radar. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the review copies.

Carry the Dog by Stephanie Gangi. Bea Seger has spent a lifetime running from her childhood. The daughter of a famous photographer, she and her brothers were the subjects of an explosive series of images in the 1960s. Now it’s time to confront the past. I find the art world fascinating so I think this will be a good one.

New Year by Juli Zeh, translated by Alta L. Price. Lanzarote on New Year’s Day: Henning is cycling up the steep path to Femés. As he struggles against the wind and the gradient he takes stock of his life. He has a job, a wife, two children—yet hardly recognizes himself anymore. Might be a good selection for German Literature Month!

Final Spin by Jocko Willink. Stocking warehouse store shelves by day, drinking too much whiskey and beer by night. In between, Johnny lives in his childhood home, making sure his alcoholic mother hasn’t drunk herself to death, and looking after his idiosyncratic older brother Arty, whose world revolves around his laundromat job. Then Johnny’s monotonous life takes a tumble. Let’s see what shakes up this characters’ lives.

A Little Hope by Ethan Joella. In the small city of Wharton, Connecticut, lives are beginning to unravel. A husband betrays his wife. A son struggles with addiction. A widow misses her late spouse. At the heart of these interlinking stories is one couple: Freddie and Greg Tyler. A novel about community and life. Recommend for readers of Olive Kitteridge, which I loved, I’m exited about this one.

The Mirror Dance by Catriona McPherson. Something sinister is afoot in the streets of Dundee, when a puppeteer is found murdered behind his striped Punch and Judy stand, as children sit cross-legged drinking ginger beer. I read the first Dandy Gliver mystery back in 2005 and I sadly didn’t follow up with the series but I’m excited to return. And, yes, I think I’ve finally given up on reading a series in order.

Hello, Transcriber by Hannah Morrissey. A captivating mystery suspense debut featuring a female police transcriber who goes beyond the limits to solve a harrowing case. This sounds like a promising thriller.

What do you think? Is there a title that interests you the most? Have a wonderful weekend and more bookish talk soon.

As I mentioned in a recent post, I have big reading plans for November what with joining so many reading events and this past weekend I did start four new books for these events so I wanted to tell you a bit about them.

For Novellas in November, I selected Henrietta’s War by Joyce Dennys. This epistolary novel, chronicles Henrietta’s life in small village in Devon via letters to her best friend, Robert. The timeframe is WWII so Henrietta often talks about shortages, taking in refuges and many of the other aspects of war but despite the grim situation, Henrietta manages to infuse her letters with warmth and joy. My copy also has some charming drawings. I’m really glad I chose this one and should be able to finish this week.

Next for #MARM, I had several options to chose from by I decided to start The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. This picks up Offred’s story from The Handmaid’s Tale but it’s set 15 years later. It’s still too early for me to tell but I am hooked.

For German Literature Month I’ve chosen Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Susan Bernofsky. The protagonist, Richard, is recently retired from his career as a university professor. He is contemplating his life now but one day comes across a demonstration by African refugees in Alexanderplatz and that captures his attention. Soon he isn’t just seeing the Berlin of his youth and after the Wall came down but how it continues to change and grapple with new arrivals.

Moving on to Nonfiction November and what may be the hardest book to read is The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea. This is the tragic story of a group of undocumented immigrants who crossed the Mexican border into the southern Arizona desert in 2001. I’m only 30 pages in and already feel so much despair for the people. To think that there are still many people worldwide who flee their countries to provide food and safety for their family and expose themselves to so much risk.

These aren’t the only books I’m reading. I still have a couple of others I’ve carried over from October. How is your reading month going so far?