I hope this article finds you snuggled by a fire with a good book in hand, a loving pet nearby, and a steaming cup to warm you. As another winter blankets Rhode Island, there’s nothing as comforting as a book. Here I bring you some new releases that will keep you happily ensconced all season. Look for some of these authors at this year’s Ocean House Author Series, with a schedule soon be announced at OceanHouseEvents.com.
Westerly’s own Christa Carmen is taking the world by storm with her gripping psychological thrillers, and Beneath the Poet’s House (out December 10) is no exception! Saoirse White – a grieving writer unmoored by her husband’s death – moves into the historic Providence home of 19th century spiritualist Sarah Helen Whitman. With the arrival of a trio of transcendentalists, a potential new love, and a resurgence of old fears, Saoirse uncovers much more than her own long-buried secrets.
January 7 sees the much-anticipated release of The Stolen Queen by New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis. What connects the glamorous Met Gala in 1978 and a tragically ill-fated anthropological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings in 1936? When curator Charlotte Cross discovers one of the museum’s Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts has gone missing the night of the gala, there are signs that the curse of Hathorkare, a rare female pharaoh, might just be reawakening.
One of my favorite writers, Markus Zusak (who didn’t love The Book Thief?), releases Three Wild Dogs (and the Truth): A Memoir on January 21. When his family adopts three troublesome rescue dogs – Reuben, more wolf than hound; Archer, blond, beautiful and destructive; and rancorously smiling Frosty – pandemonium ensues. From street fights to injury, the chaos and connection that comes from these unexpected sources reminds us that animals cut straight to our hearts and our funny bones.
I am both a fan and a friend of Victoria Christopher Murray. Her historical fiction novel, Harlem Rhapsody, comes out February 4, exploring the Harlem Renaissance through the eyes of Jessie Redmon Fauset. Fauset, editor of legendary W.E.B. DuBois’s literary magazine, The Crisis, and a writer herself, was a complicated woman; her years-long affair with married DuBois may have kept her out of focus for historians of that seminal era. Murray brings her to a full and worthy life on these pages.
March 11 sees the publication of Counting Backwards by Jacqueline Friedland. When Jessa Gidney, a modern-day immigration lawyer digs deep into the case of a detained immigrant fighting to stay with her child, she inadvertently exhumes the 100-year-old case of Carrie Buck, a poor Black woman at the center of the American discussion on eugenics at that time. Alternating between the past and the present, this novel deftly tackles the timeless issues of reproductive rights and society’s expectations of women.
On April 1, with the tantalizing hint of spring comes New York Times bestselling author Julia Bartz’ (The Writing Retreat) newest release, The Last Session. When social worker Thea meets a catatonic woman in a New York psych ward, she realizes she knows her from somewhere. When the woman regains lucidity, she suddenly disappears. Following her trail to a mysterious wellness center in the deserts of New Mexico, Thea inches closer to the patient and secrets from her own past.
Deborah Goodrich Royce’s Reef Road, a national bestseller, was named one of the best books of 2023 by Kirkus Reviews and an Indie Next pick by the ABA. With fellow authors, Luanne Rice and Amy Scheibe, she created the Deer Mountain Writers’ Retreat in the Catskills. Her Ocean House Author Series, in partnership with Martin House Books and WCRI, brings world-class authors like Sarah Ferguson, Chris Bohjalian, and Katie Couric to Watch Hill.
Royce began as an actress on All My Children and in multiple films, before transitioning to the role of story editor at Miramax Films, developing Emma and early versions of Chicago and A Wrinkle in Time. She holds a bachelor’s degree and two honorary doctorates, from both Lake Erie College and the University of Rhode Island. With her husband, Chuck, she has restored the Ocean House Hotel, United Theatre, Martin House Books, and numerous Main Street revitalization projects in Rhode Island and the Catskills. She serves on multiple governing and advisory boards.
Winter gives the gift of time. My wish is that we all take that time to restore ourselves in whatever ways we need. As I take this season to write, stay tuned for news of the upcoming Ocean House Author Series in Watch Hill. Our new bookstore partner is Martin House Books in downtown Westerly. Pop in this winter and meet its incredible team of booksellers. Grab some hot soup or coffee while you’re there and cozy up with a good book.
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