The Bitter Lemon

I have always wanted to read certain types of books during particular times of the year, and I’m sure to some degree, we all do it without realizing it: reading light, marshmellow books in the summer, and heaver, darker books in the winter. But I’ve never paid attention to reading guides or actually planned to read certain books ahead of time. But this year, I’m on my game!

I’ve found 15 books that looks awesomely interesting – many of which are new releases – so when it’s raining outside (here in Texas), or it’s too chilly outside to even bother (for my Midwest and Northern readers), you’ve got a good reason to stay indoors.

“Darling Days” by iO Tillett Wright – You guys. My jaw dropped when I saw this book was coming out. I have a bit of an obsession with activist iO Tillett Wright, and I cannot wait to see what she’s got to say in her memoir. From Amazon.com:

Born into the beautiful bedlam of downtown New York in the eighties, iO Tillett Wright came of age at the intersection of punk, poverty, heroin, and art. This was a world of self-invented characters, glamorous superstars, and strung-out sufferers, ground zero of drag and performance art. Still, no personality was more vibrant and formidable than iO’s mother’s. Rhonna, a showgirl and young widow, was a mercurial, erratic glamazon. She was iO’s fiercest defender and only authority in a world with few boundaries and even fewer indicators of normal life. At the center of Darling Days is the remarkable relationship between a fiery kid and a domineering ma—a bond defined by freedom and control, excess and sacrifice; by heartbreaking deprivation, agonizing rupture, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

Darling Days is also a provocative examination of culture and identity, of the instincts that shape us and the norms that deform us, and of the courage and resilience it takes to listen closely to your deepest self. When a group of boys refuse to let six-year-old, female-born iO play ball, iO instantly adopts a new persona, becoming a boy named Ricky—a choice iO’s parents support and celebrate. It is the start of a profound exploration of gender and identity through the tenderest years, and the beginning of a life invented and reinvented at every step. Alternating between the harrowing and the hilarious, Darling Days is the candid, tough, and stirring memoir of a young person in search of an authentic self as family and home life devolve into chaos.

This book will be released on September 27, 2016 (Pre-Order here).

“Leave Me” by Gayle Forman – I’ve never heard of this author, but the description made it sound so different, that I had to add it to the list. From Amazon.com:

Every woman who has ever fantasized about driving past her exit on the highway instead of going home to make dinner, and every woman who has ever dreamed of boarding a train to a place where no one needs constant attention–meet Maribeth Klein. A harried working mother who’s so busy taking care of her husband and twins, she doesn’t even realize she’s had a heart attack.

Surprised to discover that her recuperation seems to be an imposition on those who rely on her, Maribeth does the unthinkable: she packs a bag and leaves. But, as is often the case, once we get where we’re going we see our lives from a different perspective. Far from the demands of family and career and with the help of liberating new friendships, Maribeth is able to own up to secrets she has been keeping from herself and those she loves.

With bighearted characters–husbands, wives, friends, and lovers–who stumble and trip, grow and forgive, Leave Me is about facing the fears we’re all running from. Gayle Forman is a dazzling observer of human nature. She has written an irresistible novel that confronts the ambivalence of modern motherhood head on and asks, what happens when a grown woman runs away from home?

This book was released YESTERDAY, so it’s hot off the press!

“Today Will be Different” by Maria Semple – I picked this book mostly because of its author. Maria Semple wrote “Where’d You Go, Bernadette“, which I absolutely loved, and I am always keeping my eyes open for her next book… and it’s finally here! From Amazon.com:

Eleanor knows she’s a mess. But today, she will tackle the little things. She will shower and get dressed. She will have her poetry and yoga lessons after dropping off her son, Timby. She won’t swear. She will initiate sex with her husband, Joe. But before she can put her modest plan into action-life happens. Today, it turns out, is the day Timby has decided to fake sick to weasel his way into his mother’s company. It’s also the day Joe has chosen to tell his office-but not Eleanor-that he’s on vacation. Just when it seems like things can’t go more awry, an encounter with a former colleague produces a graphic memoir whose dramatic tale threatens to reveal a buried family secret.

TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENT is a hilarious, heart-filled story about reinvention, sisterhood, and how sometimes it takes facing up to our former selves to truly begin living.

This book will be released on October 4, 2016 (Pre-Order here).

“The Casual Vacancy” by J.K. Rowling – I know this one isn’t new, but I got it for my birthday and knew it was just going to be too serious of a read for summer, so I’ve saved it for the chilly months. From Amazon.com:

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity, and unexpected revelations? A big novel about a small town, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults. It is the work of a storyteller like no other.

“Dear Mr. M” by Herman Koch –  I chose this one purely based on the description, and it makes me want to check out the other books by Herman Koch. From Amazon.com:

Once a celebrated writer, M had his greatest success with a suspense novel based on a real-life disappearance. It told the story of a history teacher who went missing one winter after having a brief affair with a beautiful student of his. The teacher was never found. Upon publication, M’s novel was a runaway bestseller, one that marked his international breakthrough. That was years ago, and now M’s career is fading. But not when it comes to his bizarre, seemingly timid neighbor who keeps a close eye on him and his wife. Why?
 
From alternating points of view, where no one is to be trusted, Herman Koch weaves together an intricate tale of a writer in decline, a teenage couple in love, a missing teacher, and a single book that entwines all of their fates. Thanks to M’s novel, supposedly a work of fiction, everyone seems to be linked forever, until something unexpected spins the “story” off its rails. With ever increasing tension, his signature sardonic wit and world-renowned sharp eye for human failings, Herman Koch once again spares nothing and no one in his gripping new novel, a barbed performance that suspends readers in the mysterious space between fact and fiction. 

This books was released YESTERDAY, so maybe you’ll be one of the first ones to read it!

“99: Stories of the Game” by Wayne Gretzky – Hockey season hits in October, and I am pretty pumped for it to get here. So, why not celebrate by reading a book from one of the best? From Amazon.com:

From minor-hockey phenomenon to Hall of Fame sensation, Wayne Gretzky rewrote the record books, his accomplishments becoming the stuff of legend. Dubbed “The Great One,” he is considered by many to be the greatest hockey player who ever lived. No one has seen more of the game than he has—but he has never discussed in depth just what it was he saw.

For the first time, Gretzky discusses candidly what the game looks like to him and introduces us to the people who inspired and motivated him: mentors, teammates, rivals, the famous and the lesser known. Weaving together lives and moments from an extraordinary career, he reflects on the players who inflamed his imagination when he was a kid, the way he himself figured in the dreams of so many who came after; takes us onto the ice and into the dressing rooms to meet the friends who stood by him and the rivals who spurred him to greater heights; shows us some of the famous moments in hockey history through the eyes of someone who regularly made that history. Warm, direct, and revelatory, it is a book that gives us number 99, the man and the player, like never before.

This book will be released on October 18, 2016 (Pre-Order here).

“The Regulars” by Georgia Clark – While the cover of this book is cute,  the description reminds me a little bit of a modern-day “Heathers”, “Mean Girls”, or even “Jawbreaker”… see for yourself! From Amazon.com:

Best friends Evie, Krista, and Willow are just trying to make it through their mid-twenties in New York. They’re regular girls, with average looks and typical quarter-life crises: making it up the corporate ladder, making sense of online dating, and making rent. Until they come across Pretty, a magic tincture that makes them, well…gorgeous. Like, supermodel gorgeous. And it’s certainly not their fault if the sudden gift of beauty causes unexpected doors to open for them.

But there’s a dark side to Pretty, too, and as the gloss fades for these modern-day Cinderellas, there’s just one question left: What would you sacrifice to be Pretty? Wildly irreverent, blatantly sexy, and observed with pitch-perfect wit, The Regulars is fresh “compulsive reading from a bright new voice” (Brenda Bowen, author of Enchanted August) in fiction, perfect for fans of Jennifer Close and Kevin Kwan.

“Swear on This Life” by Renee Carlino – As a writer, I am definitely drawn to books about writing and writers, but this one sounds good for the masses, too. From Amazon.com:

From USA TODAY bestselling author Renée Carlino (Before We Were Strangers), a warm and witty novel about a struggling writer who must come to grips with her past, present, and future after she discovers that she’s the inspiration for a pseudonymously published bestselling novel. When a bestselling debut novel from mysterious author J. Colby becomes the literary event of the year, Emiline reads it reluctantly. As an adjunct writing instructor at UC San Diego with her own stalled literary career and a bumpy long-term relationship, Emiline isn’t thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of a young and gifted writer.

Yet from the very first page, Emiline is entranced by the story of Emerson and Jackson, two childhood best friends who fall in love and dream of a better life beyond the long dirt road that winds through their impoverished town in rural Ohio. That’s because the novel is patterned on Emiline’s own dark and desperate childhood, which means that “J. Colby” must be Jase: the best friend and first love she hasn’t seen in over a decade. Far from being flattered that he wrote the novel from her perspective, Emiline is furious that he co-opted her painful past and took some dramatic creative liberties with the ending. The only way she can put her mind at ease is to find and confront “J. Colby,” but is she prepared to learn the truth behind the fiction?

“Still Life” by Louise Penny – This is the first book in a series of many, that is often recommended on one of the podcasts I listen to: “What Should I Read Next?” I have this one on my shelf already, but was waiting for a rainy day to start it, as it is a mystery series said to be very similar to the Cormoran Strike novels by Robert Galbrath. From Amazon.com:

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.

Still Life introduces not only an engaging series hero in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces–and this series–with integrity and quiet courage, but also a winning and talented new writer of traditional mysteries in the person of Louise Penny.

“Everything We Keep” by Kerry Lonsdale – This book was on the Wall Street Journal’s Bestseller List, and it sounds so good! From Amazon.com:

A luminous debut with unexpected twists, Everything We Keep explores the devastation of loss, the euphoria of finding love again, and the pulse-racing repercussions of discovering the truth about the ones we hold dear and the lengths they will go to protect us.

Sous chef Aimee Tierney has the perfect recipe for the perfect life: marry her childhood sweetheart, raise a family, and buy out her parents’ restaurant. But when her fiancé, James Donato, vanishes in a boating accident, her well-baked future is swept out to sea. Instead of walking down the aisle on their wedding day, Aimee is at James’s funeral—a funeral that leaves her more unsettled than at peace.

As Aimee struggles to reconstruct her life, she delves deeper into James’s disappearance. What she uncovers is an ocean of secrets that make her question everything about the life they built together. And just below the surface is a truth that may set Aimee free…or shatter her forever.

“American Dreamer: My Life in Fashion & Business” by Tommy Hilfiger – When I think of Tommy Hilfiger, I think of 90’s fashion. But truth be told, he is one of the best American designers of our time, and has been able to capture the spirit of our country in his classic lines of clothing. And his book finally tells his life’s story, and I am pretty excited for it. From Amazon.com:

Few designers have stayed on top of changing trends the way Tommy Hilfiger has. Fewer still have left such an indelible mark on global culture. Since designing his first collection of “classics with a twist” three decades ago, Tommy Hilfiger has been synonymous with all-American style—but his destiny wasn’t always so clear. Growing up one of nine children in a working-class family in Elmira, New York, Tommy suffered from dyslexia, flunked sophomore year of high school, and found himself constantly at odds with his father. Nevertheless, this self-described dreamer had a vision and the relentless will to make it a reality. At eighteen he opened his own clothing store, parlaying his uncanny instinct for style into a budding career as a fashion designer. Through decades of triumph and turmoil, Tommy remained doggedly optimistic. To this day, his approach to commerce is rooted in his positive view of the world.

American Dreamer brims with anecdotes that cover Tommy’s years as a club kid and scrappy entrepreneur in 1970s New York as well as unique insights into the exclusive A-list personalities with whom he’s collaborated and interacted, from Mick Jagger and David Bowie to Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. But this is more than just a fashion icon’s memoir—it’s a road map for building a brand, both professionally and personally. Tommy takes us behind the scenes of every decision—and every mistake—he’s ever made, offering advice on leadership, business, team-building, and creativity. This is the story of a true American original, told for the first time in his own words, with honesty, humor, and the insatiable appetite for life and style that proves that sometimes you have to dream big to make it big.

This book will be released on November 1, 2016 (Pre-Order here).

“Love Her Madly” by Elizabeth Lee – Okay, we all do it, right? I totally judged this book by its cover, and then I read the back of it, and thought it sounded eerily good! From Amazon.com:

Fans of Kimberly McCreight’s Reconstructing Amelia and Mary Kubica’s The Good Girl will devour this stunning debut novel about two college girls whose friendship implodes right before one of them disappears. Told in first person by the girl left behind, Love Her Madly is a fascinating exploration of the twists and turns of an intense female friendship gone awry.

Glo never expected to become best friends with a girl like Cyn. Blonde, blue-eyed, and a little wicked, Cyn is the kind of girl other girls naturally envy—yet, surprisingly, she embraces Glo like a sister after they transfer to the same tiny college in Florida. With a fresh start at a new school and Cyn as her best friend, Glo finds what she has been waiting for her whole life: excitement, acceptance, and the joys of female friendship.

Until she and Cyn fall for the same guy. It’s Cyn who talks Glo into sharing Raj. Half the time he’ll be Cyn’s boyfriend, the other half he’ll be Glo’s. Glo reluctantly accepts the proposition—how can she say no without jeopardizing her friendship?—and for a while, everything goes smoothly. Until Glo realizes that she doesn’t know her BFF as well as she thinks. Until the simmering tension between Glo and Cyn boils over during a study abroad trip to Costa Rica. Until Cyn disappears into the jungle of a secluded island, leaving Glo searching for answers.

Until, seven years later, Glo spots a familiar pair of blue eyes behind a sweep of blonde hair in the streets of New York City. Is it really Cyn, or is the guilt of survival catching up with Glo? And has Glo told us everything we need to know?

“We Know it Was You” by Maggie Thrash – I love a good mystery series, and this is the first book that kicks things off. From Amazon.com:

Twin Peaks meets Pretty Little Liars in acclaimed author Maggie Thrash’s new Strange Truth series. It’s better to know the truth. At least sometimes.

Halfway through Friday night’s football game, beautiful cheerleader Brittany Montague—dressed as the giant Winship Wildcat mascot—hurls herself off a bridge into Atlanta’s surging Chattahoochee River. Just like that, she’s gone. Eight days later, Benny Flax and Virginia Leeds will be the only ones who know why.

This book will be released on October 4, 2016 (Pre-Order here).

“Don’t I know You” by Marni Jackson – It’s been a long time since I’ve read fan fiction, but this book takes it to a new level, and with a twist. From Amazon.com:

What if some of the artists we feel as if we know―Meryl Streep, Neil Young, Bill Murray―turned up in the course of our daily lives?

This is what happens to Rose McEwan, an ordinary woman who keeps having strange encounters with famous people. In this engrossing, original novel-in-stories, we follow her life from age 17, when she takes a summer writing course led by a young John Updike, through her first heartbreak (witnessed by Joni Mitchell) on the island of Crete, through her marriage, divorce, and a canoe trip with Taylor Swift, Leonard Cohen and Karl Ove Knausgaard. (Yes, read on.)

With wit and insight, Marni Jackson takes a world obsessed with celebrity and turns it on its head. In Don’t I Know You?, she shows us how fame is just another form of fiction, and how, in the end, the daily dramas of an ordinary woman’s life can be as captivating and poignant as any luminary tell-all.

This book will be released on September 27, 2016 (Pre-Order here).

“What Light” by Jay Asher – Given that this book takes place around the holidays, you should time it just right, as in, just before Blanche releases her Winter Reading Guide. From Amazon.com:

Sierra’s family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon—it’s a bucolic setting for a girl to grow up in, except that every year, they pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other. 

Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other.

By reputation, Caleb is not your perfect guy: years ago, he made an enormous mistake and has been paying for it ever since. But Sierra sees beyond Caleb’s past and becomes determined to help him find forgiveness and, maybe, redemption. As disapproval, misconceptions, and suspicions swirl around them, Caleb and Sierra discover the one thing that transcends all else: true love. What Light is a love story that’s moving and life-affirming and completely unforgettable.

This book will be released on October 18, 2016 (Pre-Order here).

…And there you have it, Blanche’s Book Club’s official fall reading guide. Don’t worry, we’ll be throwing in some surprises along the way. Think there’s something we need to read? Leave it in the comments!