New Releases: November 2013

Contributor: Allie

November New Releases

To me November marks the end of the harvest season and the approach of winter.  In other words, it’s starting to get very chilly!  So, I’m grateful that there are some wonderful (and in some cases long) books coming out this month that I can curl up with and savor after a big Thanksgiving dinner.

The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan – November 5, 2013.  This novel is the latest sweeping epic by the NYT bestselling author, Amy Tam.  It’s the story of a mother and daughter.  In 1897 Lucia is a young American who falls for a Chinese painter and abandons her home for the intriguing and mysterious world of old Shanghai.  At sixteen she makes some disastrous choices, which lead her to the life of a Madam.   Fifteen years later, during the fall of the Ching dynasty, she loses her daughter Violet in a cruel act of clever manipulation.  Violet is forced to become a “virgin courtesan.”   Both woman experience betrayal and heartbreak, but refuse to submit to society’s expectations.  Tan is expert at writing about the intricacies of the mother daughter relationship and this story, which spans forty years and two continents, will take the reader on an amazing journey.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Marie Landry – November 5, 2013.  Christmas isn’t always a wonderful time of year, especially for those who’ve lost a loved one.  In the first few years after her grandmother’s death, Ginny Bailey bravely went through the holiday motions.  When she finds out she’ll be alone this Christmas, she gives up the cheerful pretense.  To add to her bah humbug spirit, everything in her life starts to go wrong – until Dean comes back into her life.  Maybe Christmas can be wonderful again?

Wish Upon a Star by Trisha Ashley – November 7, 2013.  The theme of this holiday story is the miracle that Christmas can bring.  Cally is a young single mom, who doesn’t have time for love.  When her young daughter Stella gets sick, she must move in with her mother to save money for surgery.  All Cally wants for Christmas is a healthy child.  Then the charming Jago shows up offering her hope of a different kind.  Can Cally also look forward to the gift of love under her Christmas tree this year?

The Theory of Opposites by Allison Winn Scotch – November 12, 2013.  Allison Winn Scotch is one of my favorite authors, so I’m very excited about her new book, a story about fate and destiny.  Willa Chandler-Golden has what most would consider a good life – a great job, loving husband and a father who changed the world.  Her dad wrote a best-selling self-help book that sold the notion that everything happens for a reason.  Willa isn’t so sure about her dad’s theory, especially with her ever present negative pregnancy tests.  When things begin to really fall apart for Willa, she finds herself on a totally different path.  Can Willa tempt fate and be brave enough to change her life?

The Runaway Wife by Rowan Coleman – November 12, 2013.  This is the story of a Rose, a woman who escapes her abusive husband by running away to the Lake District in England, where she seeks shelter at a small bed & breakfast.  What led her there was the kindness of a stranger, whom she met long ago.  Will this connection, which has sustained her, still be there?  The beautiful surroundings, a nosy innkeeper and her charming son give Rose the hope to reach out to her estranged father.  Can she continue to chase a dream or will she decide to face the reality in her heart?

Merry & Bright – Chick Lit Holiday Anthology – November 15, 2013. Sip your eggnog, linger under the mistletoe, and make a Christmas wish. Merry & Bright brings you six tales of Christmas cheer, featuring stories of budding romances, Southern charm, lost loves, heaps of humor, and lots of pie by authors Isabella Louise Anderson, Cindy Arora, Laura Chapman, Lauren Clark, Libby Mercer, and Nancy Scrofano. From sunny Los Angeles to the Rocky Mountains to the Deep South, Merry & Bright will take you on a heartwarming adventure you’ll love to visit again and again. Wrap yourself in holiday mirth and prepare to be swept off your feet.

The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani – November 26, 2013.  We wrap up the month with another family saga that spans continents.  This is the third novel in Trigiani’s Valentine trilogy.  Designer shoemaker Valentine is about to marry her tanner, Giancarlo, a handsome Italian who is twenty years her senior.  He’s also the grandson of her grandmother’s new husband, which is complicated and probably a bit dysfunctional.  Valentine tries to balance her work and private life, all the while opening a shoe factory in Brooklyn, and preparing to give birth to her first child.  Giancarlo on the other hand, has very different ideas about their future – he envisions a quiet life in Tuscany.  Choices, choices!