New Fiction

Take a look at some of the latest additions to our New and Featured Fiction collections! We check in new books nearly every day -- check out the First Floor's LibraryThing account where we log all of our newest arrivals!

New Fiction - Week of December 21, 2008

	Freud, Esther Love Falls
From the author of Hideous Kinky comes a charming, surprising, and utterly irresistible tale of adolescent love and self-discovery. When seventeen-year-old Lara accepts her father's invitation to accompany him to a Tuscan villa for the summer, she's both thrilled and nervous for the exotic holiday. To her delight, she soon discovers that the villa's closest neighbors are the glamorous Willoughbys, the teenaged brood of a British millionaire. Caught up in their torrential thirst for amusement and snared by Kip Willoughby's dark, flirtatious eyes, Lara sets off on a summer adventure full of danger, first love, and untold consequences that will irrevocably change her life.
	Guttfreund, Amir The World a Moment Later
The World a Moment Later is the shadow book of the offical Zionist lexicon. It is the book of those forgotten by the national narrative of Israel, collected here to be remembered. These are the people who did not enter the encyclopedias, but still, their lives contributed anger, wisdom, despair, frustration, bitterness, malice and endless love to the country. This is a fully-fledged humanistic novel which respects the myths of Theodore Herzl and Ze'ev Jabotinsky, but nonetheless is dedicated to the anonymous masses. It stems simultaneously from realism and fantasy, and provides an in depth exploration of the question: what are we doing here?
	Mahajan, Karan Family Planning
Rakesh Ahuja, a Government Minister in New Delhi, is beset by problems: thirteen children and another on the way; a wife who mourns the loss of her favorite TV star; and a teenaged son with some really strong opinions about family planning. To make matters worse, looming over this comical farrago are secrets-both personal and political-that threaten to push the Ahuja household into disastrous turmoil. Following father and son as they blunder their way across the troubled landscape of New Delhi, Karan Mahajan brilliantly captures the frenetic pace of India's capital city to create a searing portrait of modern family life.

New Science Fiction and Fantasy - Week of December 21, 2008

	Lloyd, Tom The Stormcaller
In a land ruled by prophecy and the whims of gods, a young man finds himself at the heart of a war he barely understands, wielding powers he may never be able to control. Isak is a white-eye, born bigger, more charismatic, and more powerful than normal men. But with that power comes an unpredictable temper and an inner rage he cannot always hide. Brought up as a wagon-brat, feared and despised by those around him, he dreams of a place in the army and a chance to live his own life. But when the call comes, it isn't to be a soldier, for the gods have other plans for the intemperate teenager: Isak has been chosen as heir-elect to the brooding Lord Bahl, the white-eye Lord of the Farlan. The white-eyes were created by the gods to bring order out of chaos, for their magnetic charm and formidable strength makes them natural leaders of men. Lord Bahl is typical of the breed: he inspires and oppresses those around him in equal measure. He can be brusque and impatient, a difficult mentor for a boy every bit as volatile as he is. But now is the time for the forging of empires. With mounting envy and malice, the men who would themselves be kings watch Isak, chosen by gods as flawed as the humans who serve them, as he is shaped and moulded to fulfill the prophecies that circle him like scavenger birds. Divine fury and mortal strife is about to spill over and paint the world with blood. This is the first book in a powerful new series that combines inspired world-building, epoch-shattering battles, and high emotion to dazzling effect.
	Moorcock, Michael Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress
Elric of Melniboné. Traitor. Savior. Lover. Thief. Last king of a fallen empire whose cruelty was surpassed only by its beauty. Sustained by drugs and the vampiric powers of his black sword, Stormbringer, haunted by visions of a tragic past and a doomed future, Elric wanders the world in quest of oblivion. But the great lords of Law and Chaos have other plans for this tormented adventurer. This volume is the third of Del Rey’s definitive collections featuring the tales of Elric and other aspects of Michael Moorcock’s Eternal Champion, along with essays, a selection of classic artwork, and new material never seen in book form. Gorgeously illustrated by Steve Ellis, and featuring a foreword by Holly Black, The Sleeping Sorceress is a must-have for all lovers of fantasy.

New Mysteries - Week of December 21, 2008

	Gardner, John E. Moriarty
It is the turn of the century and, having survived the struggle with Sherlock Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls, Professor James Moriarty is alive and well and about to realize his plans to establish crime syndicates in the major cities of the United States. But suddenly he is called back to London, where his vast criminal society has been overrun by a rival concern led by the shadowy Sir Jordan Jack Idell-or Idle Jack-a supposed gentleman hoodlum acting on behalf of criminal elements in France, Italy, Spain, and Germany. As Moriarty fights back-against both the unruly crime families and the forces of law and order-readers are thrown in among the lurkers, punishers, dippers, cracksmen, and the professor's elite guard. Moriarty lives again and revolts against those who attempt to oust him from his rightful place as king of "Napoleon of Crime."
	Hill, Kaye C. Dead Woman's Shoes
"Lexy Lomax: has run away from her obnoxious husband, taking with her a cool half million of his ill-gotten gains and a homicidal chihuahua called Kinky. Holed up in a decrepit log cabin on the Suffolk coast, Lexy finds herself mistaken for the previous owner of the cabin, a private investigator, now deceased. Before she knows it she's embroiled in a cocktail of marital infidelity (possibly), missing cats (probably) and poison pen letters (definitely). Oh, yes - and a murder or two."--BOOK JACKET.

New Horror - Week of December 21, 2008

McNally, John Ghosts of Chicago

John Belushi, Walter Payton, Richard J. Daley, and Nelson Algren are some of the Chicagoans who inhabit and haunt this new collection of stories from a lauded American writer. In this first story collection since the award-winning Troublemakers, many of the stories deftly resurrect deceased Chicagoans or artifacts of Chicago pop culture, creating an impressionistic portrait of the city. Gene Siskel, impatient with the movie he's watching, taunts Roger Ebert; Miss Betsy, the host of Romper Room, experiences her own awakening during the sexual revolution; railroad mogul George Pullman remembers his greatest triumph as he draws his last breath. Other stories tell of everyday people who must confront their own private ghosts -- an accountant who falls in love with a woman who is in love with a man on death row; a boy whose fascination with movie monsters grows stronger as his mother's pregnancy comes to term; a memoirist whose dark night of the soul leads him on a journey from which he may not return. Praised by writers as diverse as Richard Russo, Irvine Welsh, Elizabeth McCracken, T. C. Boyle, and Mitch Albom, John McNally is a voice to be savoured.

New World Fiction - Week of December 21, 2008

	De Carlo, Andrea Sea of Truth
Two brothers, Fabio and Lorenzo Telmari—one a corrupt politician, the other an impassioned writer and the novel’s hero—inherit a secret upon the death of their father, an internationally renowned virologist. At his funeral, Lorenzo is approached by a mysterious redheaded woman who asks him a single question and then disappears: "Have you ever heard of Ndiogene?" From then on, Lorenzo’s life undergoes rapid changes involving political and religious intrigue, narrow escapes, and a life-altering love affair. He learns that at the time of his death his father had two documents written by Ndiogene, a Senegalese cardinal who had recently died of AIDS. These documents contain slander against the Catholic church and controversial opinions about population control, among other issues. De Carlo confronts these themes with poise, avoiding sensationalism and tempering rage with irony, emotion, and equilibrium. A grand chase for the documents ensues, pitting brother against brother, and results in a crescendo of disappearances and deaths. With Sea of Truth, De Carlo has executed an engaging and adventurous novel, writing with conviction about the modern world and the values of its citizens.
	Erpenbeck, Jenny The Book of Words
A searing novella about coming of age in a land of tyranny, by one of Germany's most brilliant young authors. In The Book of Words, Jenny Erpenbeck captures with amazing virtuosity the inner life of a young girl who survives the totalitarian regime of a curiously unnamed South American country. Raised by parents whose real identity ends up shocking her, the girl comes of age in a country where gunshots are mistaken for blown tires, innocent citizens are dragged off buses, and tortured and disappeared friends and family return to visit her from the dead.

New GLBT Fiction - Week of December 21, 2008

	Brad Nichols, editor Best Gay Love Stories 2009
People everywhere need romance in their lives, and this volume will have readers wishing they were the lovelorn characters who populate its stories. Brad Nichols is also the editor for the Tales of Travelrotica for Gay Men series.

New African-American Fiction - Week of December 21, 2008

	Dulaney, Kim L. Where I've Been: A Collection of Short Stories
Contemporary urban America comes alive in this eclectic compilation of short and flash fiction with an inner-city aesthetic filtered through the brevity of hip-hop culture. A wide variety of strong voices and unforgettable characters are united by the humorous and unusual predicaments in which they find themselves, and many of the stories tackle contemporary psychological and sociological issues. Stories like "Simple," "The Faucet," and "Getting to Know Him" demonstrate a wonderful ear for the lilt of the spoken language while portraying everyday drama. Other engaging tales like "Men at Work," "Chicken," and "Cleaving to the Man" prove how thought-provoking entertainment can be. These quick slices of life and easily consumable vignettes aim for a sophistication not common in most urban fiction.
	Perrin, Kayla Obsession
After her husband confesses to a racy but ultimately unfulfilling affair, Sophie Gibson's rage leaves her raw, unable to process his attempt to repair the damage by suggesting she have her own tryst. Soon, though, the idea of sex as retaliation begins to intrigue her— a no-strings-attached, sexually subversive liaison may be just what she needs before she can forgive Andrew. Hooking up with Peter, a dark and dangerous artist willing to push the limits of Sophie's lustful, quivering need, fits the bill perfectly. Sophie's covetousness for Peter was always about experiencing intensity in the moment, but soon the affair runs its course and now it's time for her to focus on her future…with Andrew. Except, Peter is convinced he can't live without her. Then come the cards, the presents, the calls…the hint of a threat. One way or another he will have Sophie. Even if that means exacting revenge of his own.

New Historical Fiction - Week of December 21, 2008

Sargent, Colin Museum of Human Beings

A Shoshone woman, Sacagawea, leads Lewis and Clark to the Pacific at the turn of the nineteenth century. On her back is a tiny infant. He is her son, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, the youngest member of the Expedition—a child caught between two worlds who is later raised by Clark as his foster son. When the teenage Baptiste attracts the notice of the visiting Duke Paul, Prince of Württemberg, Clark approves of the duke’s “experiment” to educate the boy at court. A gleeful Duke Paul has Baptiste trained as a concert pianist and exhibits him throughout Europe as a “half gentleman–half animal.” Eventually Baptiste turns his back on the Old World and returns to the New, determined to find his true place there. He travels into the heart of the American wilderness, and into the depths of his mother’s soul, on an epic quest for identity that brings sacrifice, loss, and the distant promise of redemption.

New Short Stories - Week of December 21, 2008

	Abeysekara, Tissa Bringing Tony Home
Set in the 1940s and 1960s, Bringing Tony Home is a masterful modern example of a timeless genre, the bildungsroman. In the title novella, a boy returns to his old home to find Tony, his beloved dog who was abandoned when economic circumstances forced the family to leave. “Bringing Tony Home” recounts this perilous journey in detail, movingly tracing the boy’s rescue attempts and his spiraling emotions as he endures changes occurring in his family. In “Elsewhere: Something Like a Love Story,” a young boy finds forbidden love with a schoolmate scorned for her poverty. “Elsewhere” continues their saga, touching on the bittersweet memories they share as adults, and on the woman’s increasingly precarious place in a society concerned only with status. The other stories, “Poor Young Man: A Requiem” and “Hark, The Moaning Pond: A Grandmother’s Tale,” delve into a young man’s relationship with his father as the latter’s fortunes fade, and into the now-mature man’s attempts to come to grips with the death of his grandmother and what she symbolized. Abeysekara’s ability to evoke the sights and sounds of another time and place, and his skill in rendering the inner lives of his characters, make Bringing Tony Home a remarkable read.
	Aurélian Masson, editor Paris Noir
Paris Noir takes you on a ride through the old medieval center of town with its winding streets, its ghosts, and its secrets buried in history. This is more than an homage to the crime genre, to Melville and Godard, it's also a lush introduction to the very best in French fiction. Brand-new stories from: Marc Villard, Didier Daeninckx, Jean-Bernard Pouy, Salim Bachi, Christophe Mercier, Jerome Leroy, DOA, Laurent Martin, Herve Prudon, Patrick Pecherot, Dominique Mainard, and Chantal Pelletier.