New Release Books

Today’s first Featured New Release is Kitchens of the Great Midwest: A Novel ($9.99 Kindle), by J. Ryan Stradal [Pamela Dorman Books / Penguin]. Library Journal Starred Review

Book Description
Kitchens of the Great Midwest, about a young woman with a once-in-a-generation palate who becomes the iconic chef behind the country’s most coveted dinner reservation, is the summer’s most hotly-anticipated debut.

When Lars Thorvald’s wife, Cynthia, falls in love with wine—and a dashing sommelier—he’s left to raise their baby, Eva, on his own. He’s determined to pass on his love of food to his daughter—starting with puréed pork shoulder. As Eva grows, she finds her solace and salvation in the flavors of her native Minnesota. From Scandinavian lutefisk to hydroponic chocolate habaneros, each ingredient represents one part of Eva’s journey as she becomes the star chef behind a legendary and secretive pop-up supper club, culminating in an opulent and emotional feast that’s a testament to her spirit and resilience.

Each chapter in J. Ryan Stradal’s startlingly original debut tells the story of a single dish and character, at once capturing the zeitgeist of the Midwest, the rise of foodie culture, and delving into the ways food creates community and a sense of identity. By turns quirky, hilarious, and vividly sensory, Kitchens of the Great Midwest is an unexpected mother-daughter story about the bittersweet nature of life—its missed opportunities and its joyful surprises. It marks the entry of a brilliant new talent.

“Foodies and those who love contemporary literature will devour this novel that is being compared to Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge. A standout.” —Library Journal

About the Author
J. Ryan Stradal’s writing has appeared in The Rumpus, Los Angeles Review of Books, Rattling Wall, McSweeney’s: The Goods, and Hobart, among other places, and he edits the fiction section of The Nervous Breakdown. Born and raised in Minnesota, he now lives in Los Angeles, where he co-hosts a literary-culinary events series called Hot Dish and has worked as a TV producer, notably for Ice Road Truckers and Deadliest Catch. He does not own a gun and a motorcycle, which makes him unique among the men in his extended family.

Today’s second Featured New Release is The Maloneys’ Magical Weatherbox ($9.99 Kindle), by Nigel Quinlan [Roaring Brook Press / Macmillan]. Kirkus Starred Review

Book Description
Neil and Liz Maloney have a secret: Their father is the keeper of the Weatherbox, a magical phone booth that rings four times a year, signaling the changing of the seasons. But this summer when the family gathers to send off the season, the phone doesn’t ring and autumn does not arrive. Instead a mysterious tourist of magic shows up at their doorstep, along with two nonsensical hags and one cat-shaped bog beast. The only one not taken by surprise is their neighbor Mrs. Fitzgerald, who seems to be able to make the elements of weather itself do her bidding.

Now it’s up to Neil and Liz to discover the source of Mrs. Fitzgerald’s power and before all weather breaks loose.

Age Level: 9 – 12 / Grade Level: 4 – 7

Today’s third Featured New Release is Going Home: A Novel of the Civil War ($3.99 Kindle; $1.99 companion audiobook), by James Shipman [Lake Union Publishing].

Book Description
Brought to the New World from Ireland, young Joseph Forsyth is soon betrayed by his alcoholic father and separated from his beloved family. As he grows older, he finds his kind nature exploited by others—including an alluring young woman named Lucy—until he gets swept away by the conflict that divides a nation.

After the bloody siege of Petersburg, Joseph floats in and out of consciousness at a Union army hospital. Keeping vigil at his side is Rebecca Walker, a nurse and widow all too familiar with the horrors of war. As Joseph fights for his life and Rebecca struggles to follow her heart, both face a devastating choice: whether to hang on to the wounds of the past or move on to an uncertain future.

From the fields of Ireland to the metropolis of Quebec to the battlefields of Virginia, Going Home follows one man’s quest for his place in a world still healing from the wreckage of war.

About the Author
James D. Shipman was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. While earning a degree in history from the University of Washington and a law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law, he began publishing short stories and poems; he also completed his first novel during that time. He opened his own law firm in 2004 and is still a practicing attorney. He has served as a superior court judge and commissioner pro tem as well as an arbitrator in hundreds of legal cases. Constantinopolis, his first published novel, blends his love of history and writing. An avid reader, especially of historical nonfiction, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his family.

May be price matched at B&N, eBooks.com, iTunes or Kobo for those needing EPUB.

All prices current at the time the post is written. Most books remain at their listed price until “midnight” (each store operates on it’s own timezone and schedule), but prices can change at any moment. I have seen prices change within the hour or even minutes after posting.

from Books on the Knob http://ift.tt/1U6RAC2