Today’s New York Times “Newly Released” list mentions six notable fiction titles. One that appears to be low on librarians’ radars is Vestal McIntyre’s debut novel, Lake Overturn, about a small Idaho town grappling with sinister effects of global warming. Libraries we checked had five or fewer copies and small reserves.
Lake Overturn was recently praised by the Washington Post for its “vast, intricate lattice of relationships, reminiscent of the novels of Richard Russo.” Although noting “rookie mistakes” like repetitive scenes and extraneous characters, the reviewer declared that McIntyre has “a real talent for characterization and an ability to capture the dramas lurking beneath Eula [Idaho]’s deceptively still waters.” The Bay Area Reporter also gave it a rave review: “McIntyre confronts homosexuality, class distinctions, racial/ethnic prejudice, religious values, challenges faced by single mothers, death, and erotic desires.”
| |
 |
| Lake Overturn: A Novel |
| Vestal Mcintyre |
| Price: |
$24.99 |
| Hardcover: |
448 pages |
| Publisher: |
Harper – (2009-05-01) |
| ISBN-10: |
0061671169 |
| ISBN-13: |
9780061671166 |
|
|
Gillian Flynn’s second novel Dark Places, about the survivor of a famous mass murder who is paid to reinvestigate it by group of true crime enthusiasts, also got a mention. It has been getting strong review coverage as we noted on Tuesday, and is shaping up to be an early summer reading favorite. Libraries we checked have quantities of 12-42 copies, and between 15-83 reserves.
| |
 |
| Dark Places: A Novel |
| Gillian Flynn |
| Price: |
$24.00 |
| Hardcover: |
368 pages |
| Publisher: |
Shaye Areheart Books – (2009-05-05) |
| ISBN-10: |
0307341569 |
| ISBN-13: |
9780307341563 |
|
|
The four other new releases mentioned on the Times list are all stocked by the libraries we checked, in quantites of 3 to 40, with reserves in the 50 to 185-copy range.
Sarah Waters’ The Little Stranger, a period story set in 1940’s Britaiin about a doctor called to visit a haunted house, has the highest number of reserves. That probably reflects the strong following for her previous books, including The Night Watch and Fingersmith, both of which were shortlisted for the Orange Prize and the Man Booker Prize.
| |
 |
| The Little Stranger |
| Sarah Waters |
| Price: |
$26.95 |
| Hardcover: |
480 pages |
| Publisher: |
Riverhead Hardcover – (2009-04-30) |
| ISBN-10: |
1594488800 |
| ISBN-13: |
9781594488801 |
|
|
Avaiilable from Penguin Audiobooks (May, 2009)
Tom Rob Smith’s The Secret Speech comes on the heels of last year’s Child 44, up for TWO Anthony nominations (announced yesterday), one for best book and one for first novel.
 |
| The Secret Speech |
| Tom Rob Smith |
| Price: |
$24.99 |
| Hardcover: |
416 pages |
| Publisher: |
Grand Central Publishing – (2009-05-19) |
| ISBN-10: |
0446402400 |
| ISBN-13: |
9780446402408 |
|
Available from Hachette Audio (May, 2009)
Other titles on the list include Colm Toibin’s Brooklyn
 |
| Brooklyn: A Novel |
| Colm Toibin |
| Price: |
$25.00 |
| Hardcover: |
272 pages |
| Publisher: |
Scribner – (2009-05-05) |
| ISBN-10: |
1439138311 |
| ISBN-13: |
9781439138311 |
|
Available from Blackstone Audiobooks 05/2009
- CD; Unabridged; $100; 1433291886
- MP3; $29.95;1433291916
Ian Pears’ Stone’s Fall
| |
 |
| Stone’s Fall: A Novel |
| Iain Pears |
| Price: |
$27.95 |
| Hardcover: |
608 pages |
| Publisher: |
Spiegel & Grau – (2009-05-05) |
| ISBN-10: |
0385522843 |
| ISBN-13: |
9780385522847 |
|
|
Available from Random House Audio (May, 2009)
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