"Madeline McKnight Signs Off"

Coming November 3 from Atria Books: Madeline McKnight Signs Off: A Novel by Evan Brooke.

About the book, from the publisher:

It’s never too late to make amends in this hilarious and tender debut novel about intergenerational friendship, women’s ambition, and coming of age no matter what age you are.

Madeline McKnight is writing her final annual report. A former Wall Street power player, she uses a pie chart to rank her most hated rivals, a line graph to follow the trajectory of her net worth and reputation, and even a formula to predict when the metastasized cancer will kill her. But there’s no equation to solve for whether Bri Davis, Madeline’s ex-best friend’s daughter, will agree to take care of her at the end of her life.

Bri is a nursing student fresh off a breakup, ambivalent about her future, and drowning in debt. She accepts Madeline’s strange proposal, mostly for the obscene payday, only to find herself face-to-face with a force of nature rather than an ailing patient. Madeline McKnight has never gone away quietly, and soon she ropes Bri into teaming up with her to handle her unusual bucket list.

An unconventional relationship between women of two generations becomes something transcendent in this vulnerable, heartbreaking, and life-affirming debut novel that will stay with you “long after you turn the poignant last page” (Cat Shook, author of Humor Me).

Visit Evan Brooke's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"The Sea-King and the Sorceress"

New from Basic Books: The Sea-King and the Sorceress: Life and Death in the Viking Age by Neil Price.

About the book, from the publisher:

From the acclaimed author of Children of Ash and Elm, an intimate, continent-spanning human journey through the Viking world.

For centuries, Vikings have been stereotyped as brutish and violent pillagers. But now, based on the latest archaeological research, preeminent scholar Neil Price reveals the true diversity and individuality of the Viking Age.

From an arctic hunter to a woman of Persian ancestry; from a Sámi nomad to a bear endowed with personhood; from Viking raiders to Rus’ river traders; from sorceresses to shape-shifters; from immigrants to diplomats; from followers of many gods, to the worshippers of one; from settlers to farmers―as we meet all these and many more, Price enlists the full range of modern archaeological knowledge to reconstruct Norse lives in personal detail, presenting a new and complex image of the Viking Age. Taking the reader from Greenland to Greece and across three centuries, Price demonstrates that Vikings―in all of their heterogeneity―were both surprisingly similar to us today, and also thrillingly strange.

Densely peopled, beautifully rendered, and impressively wide-reaching, The Sea-King and the Sorceress sheds a light on the realities of life in the Viking diaspora.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Slap Shot"

Coming November 10 from Atria Books: Slap Shot: A Novel (Book #3 of D.C. Stars) by Chelsea Curto.

About the book, from the publisher:

A steamy forced-proximity hockey romance between an NHL defenseman and the private chef who moves into his home with her daughter from the USA TODAY bestselling DC Stars series.

Professional hockey player Hudson Hayes has spent months searching for a private chef, but with the NHL season about to begin, he’s running out of options—and patience.

Single mom Madeline Galloway needs a fresh start. After losing her executive chef position in Las Vegas, she’s desperate for a new job when an unexpected opportunity appears in Washington, DC. Cooking for a professional hockey player wasn’t part of the plan, but it’s exactly the lifeline she and her daughter need.

The arrangement is simple: Madeline will run Hudson’s kitchen, and Hudson will stay out of the way. No complications. No personal entanglements. And definitely no falling for the thoughtful hockey star who makes it feel dangerously easy to belong in his home.

But when one stolen kiss on New Year’s Eve changes everything, the boundaries between them start to blur. As their connection deepens—and Hudson goes out of his way to learn American Sign Language for Madeline’s daughter—they’ll have to decide if what they have is just another temporary arrangement or something worth risking their hearts for.

Visit Chelsea Curto's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"The Philosophy of Taylor Swift"

New from Oxford University Press: The Philosophy of Taylor Swift, edited by Lindsay Brainard, Ryan W. Davis, and Jessica Flanigan.

About the book, from the publisher:

She's much more than a showgirl. Taylor Swift has long been celebrated as a masterful storyteller, but her songwriting is also full of deep philosophical reflection. Hidden beneath the gleaming surfaces of cliffside pools and the shattered edges of mirror balls are philosophical insights for the ages. It's easy to get lost in the labyrinth of her lyrics, but our philosophical guides are here to take you by the hand and lead you through the secret philosophical gardens in Swift's mind. It's worth it. As she tells us, she's only cryptic and Machiavellian because she cares.

The Philosophy of Taylor Swift gathers twenty-two original essays that illuminate the philosophical richness of Swift's catalogue. Written by philosophers with various areas of expertise--including ethics, political philosophy, epistemology, the philosophy of religion, and the philosophy of science--and bringing to bear the passion of a fan for an obsessive deep-dive into Swift's music and lyrics, this book of friendly but rigorous essays treats Swift not merely as a pop icon but as a serious intellectual interlocutor. Contributors use philosophy's unique toolkit to analyze her songwriting, showing that she can play ball with Aristotle and that her words are worth much more than meets the cynical eye.

For philosophers, the volume offers a methodologically innovative approach to popular culture, demonstrating how an artist's lyrics can sustain substantive philosophical inquiry. For Swifties, it offers new lenses through which to understand the themes that animate Swift's music: accountability and forgiveness, ambition and vulnerability, moral injury and revenge, love in its many registers, and the search for meaning in a complicated world. The result is a vibrant, interdisciplinary exploration of one of the most distinctive and thought-provoking voices of the twenty-first century.

--Marshal Zeringue

"The Art of Living Forever"

Coming November 3 from Orbit Books: The Art of Living Forever (The Sundered Gods, 1) by A. T. Rainach.

About the novel, from the publisher:

A centuries-old rivalry is reignited in A.T. Rainach’s dark romantasy debut, which follows the ancient God of War as he discovers the reincarnated soul of the woman he once loved.

He could never forget her. Not in any lifetime. Not even after a thousand years.

Grace is desperate to escape the future planned for her―a forced engagement to a vile English lord an ocean away―when a mysterious stranger who looks at her like he's known her for lifetimes catches her eye.

Aris is bound by a past he cannot escape. Haunted by a woman with eyes the same gray-blue as a raging sea, he is determined to have her back. No matter the cost.

But in the shadows of Napoleonic Europe, Grace finds herself caught between a love she is only beginning to understand and a darkness that has been waiting for her, setting off a millennia-old conflict between two powerful gods.

Visit A. T. Rainach's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"War in Pieces"

New from Rutgers University Press: War in Pieces: "War on Terror" Media and the Fracturing of American Identity by Renée Laurel Pastel.

About the book, from the publisher:

War in Pieces considers media representations of the first phase of the “War on Terror,” set between 2001 and 2013. The book argues that the central figures around which narratives of the conflicts cohered―the war journalist, the active-duty service member, the veteran, and the military family―served to mask the loss of the myth of a unified American national identity and embodied the negotiation of cultural anxieties. Offering a theory of narrative figuration that draws into conversation repetitions and differences across media forms (fiction and nonfiction films, television shows, and online videos), this book breaks down how these figures contributed to a continued sense of unified national identity even as different audiences came away with divergent understandings. This book frames these questions in terms of how US media packaged the “War on Terror” for future cultural memory even as the conflicts continued.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Thief of Hearts"

Coming November 1 from Montlake: Thief of Hearts (The Heart of the Goddess) by Sariah Wilson.

About the novel, from the publisher:

A battle-hardened warrior must ally with the cunning king of thieves to save innocent lives―even though trusting him could cost her everything in this thrilling fantasy romance by USA Today bestselling author Sariah Wilson.

Basileia has never lost a fight. Goddess-blessed and battle-hardened, she’s trained her whole life to lead her Thracian clan―until her mother names her sister as heir instead.

Desperate to change her mind, Basileia enters a deadly tournament in a hidden desert city. The prize: a diviner stone that can answer any question. But to claim it, she must survive brutal races, bloody combat, and fellow competitor Zain―the devastatingly roguish king of thieves, who’s far too willing to help.

Basileia doesn’t trust easily. And she definitely shouldn’t trust a thief whose every word might be a lie. But as the tournament’s dangers escalate and the attraction between them ignites, she begins to wonder if he might be the one person she can rely on.

Until he betrays her.

Furious but not broken, Basileia finds herself deep in the deadly Wastelands, where gods meddle with mortal lives and monsters guard a weapon that could save―or destroy―everything. To survive, she must give Zain what he doesn’t deserve: a second chance.

Visit Sariah Wilson's website.

The Page 69 Test: A Tribute of Fire.

My Book, The Movie: A Tribute of Fire.

Q&A with Sariah Wilson.

--Marshal Zeringue

"St. Joseph’s Day in New Orleans"

New from LSU Press: St. Joseph’s Day in New Orleans by Laura Guccione.

About the book, from the publisher:

St. Joseph’s Day in New Orleans investigates the origins and evolution of the St. Joseph’s Day holiday, revealing its deep connection to the mid-Lent celebration known as Mi-Carême. Initially conceived as a welcome break from Lent’s austerity, mid-Lent featured masked balls, dancing, and exuberant public revelry―traditions later associated solely with Mardi Gras. Through a meticulous review of historic newspaper accounts, archival resources, and city records, Laura Guccione shows that, in New Orleans, St. Joseph’s Day and mid-Lent were not separate observances but two names for the same festive occasion. In the city’s early and antebellum years, this holiday was a communitywide, inclusive event open to a broad cross section of residents.

After the Civil War and Reconstruction, these holidays changed, with celebrations shifting from public gatherings to private, exclusive balls. As Mardi Gras grew larger and more spectacular, gained cultural importance, and changed shape in response to an increasing Anglo-American influence, St. Joseph’s Day lost some of its prominence. Still, the holiday persisted as a more scattered, ethnically rooted tradition, gaining new meaning for groups whose histories have often been overlooked in mainstream narratives of New Orleans culture.

The participation of Black masking Indians, who have long taken to the streets on St. Joseph’s Night, can be traced to the holiday’s mid-Lent origins. Their celebrations are a form of cultural resistance, emphasizing visibility and pride in a city where Black contributions are often overlooked. The Baby Dolls and other culture bearers also contributed to this intricate mix of street performance and celebration over the long history of St. Joseph’s Day.

Sicilian immigrants in New Orleans, who connected the holiday to the feast day of Sicily’s patron saint, also played a major role in adapting and reshaping St. Joseph’s Day. Through the building of elaborate St. Joseph’s altars―traditions brought from Sicily to New Orleans―they found a meaningful way to place themselves within the city’s cultural scene. Although St. Joseph’s Day is often seen as a shared celebration between Black masking Indians and Sicilian Americans, Guccione argues that the two groups interpret the day differently: One sees it as part of mid-Lent, while the other views it as a sacred feast day. Despite these differences, both groups have historically used St. Joseph’s Day as a platform to assert identity, cultural resistance, and community pride.

Visit Laura Guccione's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Clear Water"

Coming November 3 from Flatiron Books: Clear Water: A Novel by Gabrielle Lucille Fuentes.

About the novel, from the publisher:

An atmospheric, mesmerizing novel following one woman’s return to her small town, and the secrets of its haunted past, perfect for fans of Liz Moore and Samantha Schweblin

Alma Figueroa is the first person to see a girl in white. Later, more people will claim to have seen the girls: in the snow, in the woods, in the middle of roads. The girls don’t speak, and they don’t match any of the files for the young women who have been disappearing from Brewer, Wisconsin, for years. Rumors quickly spread that these girls aren’t entirely real, that they are dangerous. But Alma knows what she saw, and she begins investigating.

Back in high school, Alma’s sister, Kayla, was a girl who disappeared, into an addiction that claimed her life. After that, Alma vowed she would never return to Brewer, but the town has always pulled her back. She fell in love with her husband here, until the darkness of their shared history overwhelmed them. As Alma’s investigation deepens, she begins to uncover secrets the community has been ignoring for too long. These secrets might be able to explain Kayla’s death and Alma’s heartbreak―if Alma can figure out what the girls are trying to tell her in time.

Shatteringly beautiful and bracing, raw with grief and love, Clear Water is the story of a woman undone, who is still determined to avenge her losses. Seamlessly interweaving mystery, noir, myth, and horror, this singular novel is a tour de force and a warning: the lost girls of Brewer will not be forgotten.

Visit Gabrielle Lucille Fuentes's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Undersea War"

New from PublicAffairs: Undersea War: The Battle to Control the Cables and Pipelines That Connect Our World by Elisabeth Braw.

About the book, from the publisher:

How sabotage and disorder threaten the fragile network of undersea cables and pipelines that makes modern life possible—and how it may already be drawing the world into an all-out underwater war.

The world depends on a tangle of underwater tubes on the ocean floor. Every day undersea cables transmit nearly all the world’s data, while intercontinental pipelines convey two-thirds of the world’s oil and gas. They do their jobs so reliably that few would guess that “the cloud” is actually underwater, or that global economic stability relies on pipelines on the seafloor. But as award-winning security expert Elisabeth Braw reveals, an invisible battle over those cables and pipelines is ramping up.

Undersea War tells the story of the underwater infrastructure that supports everyday life. In 2022, after decades of seeming undersea harmony, two pipelines in the Baltic Sea mysteriously exploded. Within months, the cutting of the data links between Taiwan’s Matsu Islands’ and the world along with the the subsequent destruction of additional Baltic cables and a pipeline signaled that the harmony in the ocean depths was over. Superpowers are now racing to protect themselves as the seabed itself becomes a battlefield.

Blending engrossing historical narrative with acute strategic analysis, Undersea War shows that the next battle for global supremacy may unfold on the ocean floor.

--Marshal Zeringue