By Heidi Simmons
It’s wonderful to read by natural light. And now that the clocks have been moved forward, when you get home from work, there’s still time to read before the darkness invites television viewing.
Spring is the season for new books. What’s more engaging than a great read!? Below is an eclectic list of fiction that’s coming soon. Plan on finding something fun. Here are some ideas:
This week Harlan Coben’s The Stranger is in bookstores. This looks to be an exciting suspense-thriller about a man whose perfect world suddenly changes after a stranger whispers a secret in his ear. In over his head, can the protagonist survive the very world he created?
Cotton Malone returns in The Patriot Threat by Steve Berry. This globetrotting mystery unfolds around the question: Is Federal income tax legal? More history than fiction, this should be an exciting and informative read. You can pick it up today at Barnes and Noble.
If a good heroic fantasy sounds fun, Peter Brett’s fourth book of the “Demon Cycle” series The Skull Throne is out this week. These meaty, multi-volume books explore a dark and mysterious world filled with good and evil characters. Better finish The Daylight War because The Skull Throne is on sale Tuesday.
In April, Nora Roberts’ The Liar will be in bookstores. This is a romance gone bad story where the heroine must protect herself and her little daughter after she discovers the “truth” about the man she loved: He’s not just dead, he never existed!
David Baldacci’s Memory Man introduces Amos Decker who, after a head injury, now has a perfect memory. He becomes a police detective but after he discovers the horrific murder of his own family, the memories are an unbearable curse. To heal, Decker must confront the memory as well as the murderer.
Gathering Prey by Pulitzer Prize winner John Sandford in on bookshelves at the end of April. A father goes on a road trip with his daughter to help her friend and finds a subculture of Travelers — harmless panhandlers — who are being murdered.
Toni Morrison’s God Help the Child is her first novel set in contemporary times. A young woman comes to realize that what happens to a child affects the adult. This is certain to have the same rich characters and poetic style we expect from Morrison.
In May, James Patterson’s (with Maxine Paetro) 14th Deadly Sin sets the “Deadly Women’s Murder Club” back in business. The 14th in the series, this murder investigation might lead to one of their members being a killer.
Kate Atkinson’s A God In Ruins is available the first week of May. This is a companion to her bestseller Life After Life. The character in her new book is the little brother of her last protagonist. Returning back to normal life after being in the war, he must endure a world that is more complicated and complex than he ever imagined.
A thought provoking science fiction epic, Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves, begins with the impending end of the world. Expect big ideas, social dilemmas and geo-political debates. This book is over 800 pages and spans thousands of years. What will become of humankind? Find out in mid May.
In late May, find Clive Cussler’s Piranha which brings back character Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon. Count on covert operations, conspiracies and traitors. Can Cabrillo stop the villain and keep evil from ruling an empire? No doubt plenty of action and machismo will fill the pages.
Spring means it’s time to enjoy being outside. Whether a mystery, suspense, sci-fi, fantasy, romance or drama, find a new book (or old), that entertains you and read it in the sunshine.
For great books at an incredible deal, check out the “Friends of the College of the Desert Library” Spring Book Sale. It’s this Friday, March 27 through Sunday March 29, 9:00am to 3:00pm. Friends of the COD Library “Members” get first dibs on books March 26 from 4:00 to 6:00pm. The location is the Cravens Student Services Center, 43500 Monterey Avenue, Palm Desert.
This Spring Book Sale is free to attend and has all genres with thousands of hardcover and paperback books. On Sunday, you can stuff a big bag of books for only five bucks! All proceeds benefit the COD Library. This sale is a great opportunity to find the perfect spring read without a huge investment.
