Fiction:
Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths
When the body of a girl is found, cut into three, Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens is reminded of a magic trick, the Zig Zag Girl. The inventor of the trick, Max Mephisto, is an old friend of Edgar’s. They served together in the war as part of a shadowy unit called the Magic Men. Max is still on the circuit, touring seaside towns in the company of ventriloquists, sword-swallowers and dancing girls.
Another death, another magic trick: Edgar and Max become convinced that the answer to the murders lies in their army days. When Edgar receives a letter warning of another ‘trick,’ the Wolf Trap, he knows that they are all in danger.
A Pattern of Lies by Charles Todd
An explosion and fire at the Ashton Gunpowder Mill in Kent has killed over 100 men. It’s called an appalling tragedy until suspicion and rumor raise the specter of murder. While visiting the Ashton family, Bess Crawford finds herself caught up in a venomous show of hostility that doesn’t stop with Philip Ashton’s arrest. Indeed, someone is out for blood, and the household is all but under siege. From the New York Times bestselling author of A Question of Honor and An Unwilling Accomplice.
The Sound of Our Steps by Ronit Matalon
Gorgeously observed and emotionally powerful, The Sound of Our Steps is an inventive novel of immigration and exile from Ronit Matalon, a major voice in contemporary Israeli fiction. In the beginning there was Lucette, who is the mother to three children, Sammy, a gentle giant, almost blind, but a genius with locks; Corinne, a flighty beauty who cannot keep a job; and “the child,” an afterthought, who strives to make sense of her fractured Egyptian-Jewish immigrant family, living on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. In a masterful accumulation of short, dense scenes, by turns sensual, violent, and darkly humorous, The Sound of Our Steps questions the virtue of a family bound only by necessity, and suggests that displacement may not lead to a better life, but perhaps to art.
Nonfiction:
Washington: A History of Our National City by Tom Lewis
On January 24, 1791, President George Washington chose the site for the young nation’s capital: 10 miles square, it stretched from the highest point of navigation on the Potomac River and encompassed the ports of Georgetown and Alexandria. From the moment the federal government moved to the District of Columbia in December 1800, Washington has been central to American identity and life. Shaped by politics and intrigue, poverty and largess, contradictions and compromises, Washington has been, from its beginnings, the stage on which our national dramas have played out.
The Wit and Wisdom of Downton Abbey by Jessica Fellowes
Downton Abbey is loved the world over for its fabulous costumes, beautiful scenery, wonderful characters and intricate plot lines, but what keeps millions of us coming back time after time is the stellar quality of the writing. With each stroke of his pen Julian Fellowes seems to gift us with a cuttingly dry quip from the Dowager Countess, a perfectly timed word of wisdom from Mrs. Patmore or a touchingly nostalgic pronouncement from Carson. Here in The Wit and Wisdom of Downton Abbey, Jessica Fellowes has gathered together her favorite quotes from the complete Downton Abbey oeuvre to take each of us back to the most memorable moments from the show and ensure we are armed with the very best ripostes should we ever need to chastise an impertinent lady’s maid.
Shift for Good: Simple Changes for Lasting Joy Inside and Out by Tory Johnson
Good Morning America contributor Tory Johnson truly believed that she would live happily ever after if only she could lose weight. She seemed to be well on her way to that everlasting joy after losing 62 pounds in a year – a journey she detailed in her inspirational No. 1 New York Times bestseller, The Shift. But as her initial euphoria began to subside, Tory realized that other areas in her life could use improvement as well. Buoyed by her success in weight loss, Tory began to apply the principles she had learned through The Shift to these other areas – work, relationships, money and more with the same patient tenacity. To her joy she soon saw that her Shift had only begun! In Shift for Good Tory delivers her remarkable results: how doors opened, relationships deepened, opportunity abounded in every direction – and all through taking small, simple, persistent actions. Tory’s practical and intimate new book filled with specific tips and encouragement will inspire readers to Shift every day, in every way!