New & Upcoming Books from North Carolina Authors
Perpetual West by Mesha Maren
When Alex and Elana move to El Paso, they are just a young married couple, intent on a new beginning. Mexican by birth but adopted by white American parents, Alex is hungry to learn about the place where he was born. Meanwhile Elana, busy fighting her own demons, feels disillusioned by academia and has stopped going to class. And though they are best friends, Elana has no idea that Alex has fallen in love with Mateo, a lucha libre fighter. A sweeping novel that tells us as much about our perceptions of the United States and Mexico as it does about our own natures and desires, Perpetual West is a fiercely intelligent and engaging look at the false divide between high and low culture, and a suspenseful story of how harrowing events can bring our true selves to the surface.
The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain
From tee: "This book has everything: mystery, romance, suspense, strong female protagonists, and social justice. In 1965, Ellie is spending her summer canvassing rural North Carolina to help Black people register to vote and, against her better judgment, falling in love with her Black coworker. In 2010, Kayla is recovering from the sudden accidental death of her husband and moving into the dream house they built together -- the house he died in, and the house someone is determined to scare her away from. These two stories weave together to create a compelling and heartfelt narrative that kept me reading late into the night."
Devil House by John Darnielle
Gage Chandler is descended from kings. That’s what his mother always told him. Years later, he is a true crime writer, with one grisly success—and a movie adaptation—to his name, along with a series of subsequent less notable efforts. But now he is being offered the chance for the big break: to move into the house where a pair of briefly notorious murders occurred, apparently the work of disaffected teens during the Satanic Panic of the 1980s. Chandler finds himself in Milpitas, California, a small town whose name rings a bell––his closest childhood friend lived there, once upon a time. He begins his research with diligence and enthusiasm, but soon the story leads him into a puzzle he never expected—back into his own work and what it means, back to the very core of what he does and who he is.
Through My Window by Ariana Godoy
Raquel Álvarez is hardworking and serious about her future. She’s only got one goal—to become a psychologist. Well, that and to get Ares Hildago to notice her. After a chance encounter reveals her crush is anything but unrequited, their steamy attraction grows into what can only be described as hands-down hot. They fall hard and fast for one another. Raquel is all in with Ares. But Ares can’t, or won’t, commit. His life has been spelled out for him from the beginning. Once he’s done with school, he’ll join the family business. For now? Stay cool. Stay unconnected. And don’t fall in love. What burns bright burns fast, but for Ares and Raquel, can it last? For fans of After and The Impact of You comes an addictive story about a young woman who fantasized about her neighbor from afar only to find that he’s equally obsessed with her.
The Saints of Swallow Hill by Donna Everhart
In the forests of North Carolina, turpentiners labor, hacking into tree trunks to draw out the sticky sap, and hauling the resin to stills to be refined. Among them is Rae Lynn Cobb and her husband, Warren, who run a small turpentine farm together. Though the work is hard and often dangerous, Rae Lynn is thankful for it. When Warren falls victim to his own negligence, Rae Lynn undertakes a desperate act of mercy. To keep herself from jail, she disguises herself as a man named "Ray" and heads to the only place she can think of that might offer anonymity--a turpentine camp in Georgia named Swallow Hill. Where the Crawdads Sing meets The Four Winds as award-winning author Donna Everhart immerses readers in a unique setting for a captivating story of friendship, survival, and three vagabonds' intersecting lives.
Letters to the Universe: 50 Guided Letters to Help You Script and Manifest the Life You Want by Kelsey Aida Roualdes
If you ask, the universe will listen! Writing down your manifestation goal is an easy way to raise your vibration and focus your energy on making it happen. This collection of fifty templates can help you figure out what it is you want, why you want it, when you want it, and what your life will look like when you’ve found it. Asking the universe for help is a powerful tool that can amplify your manifestation energy. All you need is a pen, Letters to the Universe, and your deepest desires!
The Silent Shore : The Lynching of Matthew Williams and the Politics of Racism in the Free State by Charles L. Chavis Jr.
On December 4, 1931, a mob of white men in Salisbury, Maryland, lynched and set ablaze a twenty-three-year-old Black man named Matthew Williams. His gruesome murder was part of a wave of silent white terrorism in the wake of the stock market crash of 1929, which exposed Black laborers to white rage in response to economic anxieties. For nearly a century, the lynching of Matthew Williams has lived in the shadows of the more well-known incidents of racial terror in the deep South, haunting both the Eastern Shore and the state of Maryland as a whole. In The Silent Shore, author Charles L. Chavis Jr. draws on his discovery of previously unreleased investigative documents to meticulously reconstruct the full story of one of the last lynchings in Maryland.
Old Breed General: How Marine Corps General William H. Rupertus Broke the Back of the Japanese in World War II from Guadalcanal to Peleli by Amy Rupertus Peacock and Don Brown
Rupertus was one of the outstanding Marines of the twentieth century, standing alongside men such as Smedley Butler, Chesty Puller, and Arthur Vandegrift, but he died in 1945, so his story has never been told. Rupertus "made his bones" in the USMC's "savage wars of peace" before World War II: Haiti for three years after World War I, China in 1929 (where he lost his wife and children to the scarlet fever epidemic) and again in 1937 (where he witnessed the beginning of Japan's war against China that turned into the Pacific War of World War II). In World War II, Rupertus commanded during four important battles: Tulagi and Henderson Field during the Guadalcanal campaign; the Battle of Cape Gloucester; and Peleliu. It was a series of blistering battles--and ultimately victories--that helped break the back of the Japanese and pave the way for American victory. Old Breed General is the biography of Rupertus and the story of the Marines at war in the Pacific. This is an American story of love, loss, shock, horror, tragedy, and triumph that focuses on Rupertus and the 1st Marine Division in World War II, but which resonates through the 1st, to Chosin in Korea and James Mattis's command in Iraq.
Baking Science: Foolproof Formulas to Create the Best Cakes, Pies, Cookies, Breads and More by Dikla Levy Frances
For every flawless cake you bake, are there three that come out of the oven dry, deflated or dense? Do your cookies crumble and cheesecakes crack? You’re not alone! A lot of bakers struggle with selecting the right ingredients or choosing the right method and temperature to yield flawless end results. With this book, One Sarcastic Baker creator Dikla Levy Frances is here to help you recognize your baking mistakes and learn how to get the best results—the scientific way. She teaches you the chemistry behind successfully baking everything from cakes to cookies to breads with approachable explanations and simple formulas so easy that anyone can create these sweet experiments. Improve your technique tenfold with simple, science-based tips that’ll have your baked goodies looking like masterpieces every time. Whether you’re a kitchen amateur or baking pro, you’re guaranteed to perfect your craft with Dikla’s approachable methodology and mouth-watering recipes.
You Are Divine: A Search for the Goddess in All of Us by Dawn Reno Langley
You Are Divine is a celebration of all women, sharing inspiring stories of divine female archetypes from different cultures across the globe. It features powerful examples of mythological, historical, and contemporary women who represent the best qualities in all of us. With this book, you can discover your unique way of taking back power, calling for justice, connecting with your creativity, exploring ecofeminism, and so much more.
McMullen Circle by Heather Newton
The twelve linked stories in McMullen Circle explore the intertwined lives of faculty families at the McMullen Boarding School in Tonola Falls, Georgia in 1969–70. The school community is isolated and idyllic, yet issues of race and the Vietnam War still intrude. Does heroism require physical prowess, or is there valor in a cafeteria worker enduring a cluttered, needy life with her four young sons, or an elderly librarian caring for her disabled lesbian partner? What does it take for a young African American girl to find the courage to assert her right to attend the all-white private school? The stories in this collection ask what, and who, are the real heroes.
