Three Northwest authors just happen to have written some of the hottest new books of the season, but we’re also including a British novel (with a Northwest connection!) and an Australian novelist for some international flair.
Blasphemy by Sherman Alexie
Alexie, one of Seattle’s most enigmatic and daring writers, combines 15 previous and 15 new stories in this volume. Perfect for the reader who enjoys literary fiction with a sharp wit.
The Woman Who Died a Lot by Jasper Fforde
While this is the seventh in the Thursday Next series, there is lots to love here for readers new to Fforde’s humorous and unique mash-up of mystery and fantasy tropes. Oh, and Seattle’s own Nancy Pearl makes an appearance as “librarian Nancy P.”
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
When she was 16, Laurel witnessed her mother killing an intruder. Fifty years later and now a successful stage and screen actress, Laurel seeks the truth, exploring her mother’s life in World War II and her connection to the man she murdered. Australian writer Morton is a master telling engrossing stories about unraveling secrets of the past.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
A writer for the television series “Arrested Development,” Semple’s no-holds-barred satiric novel about Seattle has become a smash hit nation-wide. Bernadette goes missing after some truly uproarious incidents and it’s up to her daughter Bee to piece together the mystery of her whereabouts.
Wilderness by Lance Weller
This historical fiction debut is already garnering lots of attention as it looks at the aftermath of the Civil War from a Northwest perspective. An elderly Civil War veteran revisits the past as he takes one final hike through the Olympic Mountains.
Shelf Talk 