River City Reading: Looking ahead to 2014

Clear some space on your bookshelves for just a few of the titles we’ll be seeing in 2014.

January 27, 2014; 6:00 AM • by Shannon Nemer

This month, instead of reviewing new books, River City Reading is taking a long-range glance at books being published in the first half of 2014. With literary fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and horror, there’s something for everyone to look forward to this year.

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Shotgun Lovesongs

by Nickolas Butler; March 11, 2014

Nickolas Butler’s debut novel centers on a group of friends returning to their small Wisconsin hometown after years of separation and self-discovery.

Frog Music

by Emma Donoghue; April 1, 2014

Frog Music is the much anticipated follow up to Emma Donoghue’s Room, which was a New York Times Best Book in 2010. This time, Donoghue traces the murder of a young woman in 1876 San Francisco.

Ruby

by Cynthia Bond; April 29, 2014

An epic debut that spans decades and miles, Ruby follows Ephram Jennings and the woman he is determined to protect as she grows distant from their small East Texas town.

The Tale of Dueling Neurosurgeons: And Other True Stories of Trauma, Madness, Affliction and Recovery That Reveal the Surprising History of the Human Brain

by Sam Kean; May 6, 2014

Sam Kean’s previous books, The Disappearing Spoon and The Violinist’s Thumb, have taken readers on fascinating trips behind the closed doors of science. He continues his work as he peeks into the brain with The Tale of Dueling Neurosurgeons.

Bird Box

by Josh Malerman; May 13, 2014

Already optioned by Universal Pictures to be filmed by the director of Mama, Josh Malerman’s Bird Box is is an apocalyptic thriller sure to have people talking.

The Transcriptionist

by Amy Rowland; May 13, 2014

Set in the newsroom of a fictional paper, The Transcriptionist raises questions about the role of print media, journalism, and ethics as it follows an employee investigating the case of a woman mauled to death by a lion.

Fourth of July Creek

by Smith Henderson; June 3, 2014

In Smith Henderson’s dark, gritty debut, Montana social worker Pete Snow meets his match when he encounters Jeremiah, a father preparing for the End Times and waiting for conflict.

The Quick

by Lauren Owen; June 17, 2014

Already drawing comparisons to Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus and Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith, The Quick dives deep into the secret underworld of Victorian London.

California

by Edan Lepucki; July 8, 2014

In a fresh perspective on the post-apocalyptic genre, Edan Lepucki follows a couple who leaves the safety of the wilderness for the first time since urban society has crumbled after discovering they are pregnant.