The Books I'm Reading Now
I'm reading a Maine-set small-town story, Shannon Bowring's debut novel The Road to Dalton; I'm reading the first in Sebastian de Castell's series of the same name, Spellslinger; and I'm reading Elif Shafak's interconnected story told in three time periods, There Are Rivers in the Sky.
What are you reading, bookworms?
01 The Road to Dalton (Dalton, Maine #1) by Shannon Bowring
It's 1990 in small-town Dalton, Maine, and an interconnected group of neighbors, friends, spouses, and acquaintances support each other, sometimes struggle, and intersect with each other's lives.
Multiple families are affected by a tragic occurrence, and secrets come to light that affect the entire community.
In this debut novel, Shannon Bowring dives into the small town's complex, faulted characters as they make their way in northern Maine over the course of a difficult year.
Check out this link for more Bossy reviews of book set in Maine.
02 There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
In 1840 London, young Arthur lives near the sewage-filled River Thames, desperate to escape poverty and his abusive household.
In 2014 Turkey, ten-year-old Narin is living near the Tigris and is affected by a disorder that is causing her to go permanently deaf.
And in 2018 London, Zaleekah moves into a houseboat on the Thames to escape her husband, but she can't shake her thoughts of suicide.
There Are Rivers in the Sky traces the stories of these three characters living alongside rivers in three different times, interconnected by a single drop of water and the power of an ancient poem that may change each of their lives.
I received a prepublication edition of There Are Rivers in the Sky courtesy of Knopf and NetGalley.
Elif Shafak is also the author of The Island of Missing Trees.
03 Spellslinger (Spellslinger #1) by Sebastien De Castell
“I’m a woman, kid. You probably haven’t met one before, coming as you do from this backward place, but it’s like a man only smarter and with bigger balls.”
I am loving this book so far. Sebastian de Castell's worldbuilding is fascinating, the magic-school setting is a favorite, and the cast of characters is irresistible. The dark humor is fantastic.
Kellen is struggling in his mage's trials--which feels even worse because his younger sister is living up to the family's powerful name by demonstrating more powerful magic than any students in their school. But Kellen's magic hasn't come in--and he fears that it never will.
“First thing you learn wandering the long roads, kid. Everyone thinks they're the hero of their own story.”
But as he uses his smarts, his unlikely allies, and his loyalty to get by, he finds himself discovering uncomfortable truths about his family and his community--and questioning everything he thought he knew.
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