“‘Lieutenant Joe Howard Wilson of Revere was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for leading Negro troops to a decisive victory last April at the Battle of Castel Aghinolfi in Italy’ . . . ‘Lieutenant Wilson demonstrated exceptional bravery in helping to clear Italy from the Fascists and the Nazis when he did not and does not have the right to vote here in Mississippi, his native state. Lieutenant Wilson is the son of Mr. Willie Willie Wilson of Revere.'” — Joe’s father told his son what a Jackson, Mississippi, newspaper said about him when Joe called to say he was almost home from the war. The bus had taken a small detour over to Aliceville, Alabama, but he was only about an hour away from home. As he hung up the phone, Willie Willie told his son to be careful because he was on “an unknown way. You know how those folks in Alabama are.”

Two weeks later Lieutenant Joe Howard Wilson’s battered body was found.

Regina Robichard has the job of her dreams — working for Thurgood Marshall at the New York City NAACP. While working on another project Regina comes across a letter asking Thurgood Marshall to come to Mississippi and investigate the murder of a soldier returning from World War II. She is intrigued by a photograph of Joe Howard and Willie Willie, when she realizes the letter is signed by M. P. Calhoun, the author of The Secret of Magic, Regina’s favorite childhood book. Why is this reclusive, white author — the most famous in the country — asking for Thurgood Marshall’s help?

Regina soon finds herself in Mississippi; nothing is really how it seems.

Deborah Johnson is from Columbus, MS. She received the Mississippi Library Association Award for Fiction for her first novel, The Air Between Us. She will be at Lemuria on Thursday, January 23rd, presenting her new novel, The Secret of Magic. Signing at 5:00 pm, reading to follow at 5:30 pm.

This year is shaping up to be one of the best years to be a reader. It’s only been a few weeks, and I already have a backlist starting to accumulate. To help you sift through the ocean of new releases, here are a few books scheduled to release very soon that you should have on your bookshelf.

Quesadillas, Juan Pablo Villalobos (FSG Originals, February 11th)

This is one of the tersest novels I’ve read in years, but don’t let the brevity fool you. Juan Pablo Villalobos has created a Mexico full of wonder, adventure, and satire. This compendium is absolutely hilarious from start to finish.

The plot centers on a large family constantly on the brink of starvation, each competing for his or her own precious quesadillas. Our narrator, named Orestes after the Greek hero but lovingly called Oreo, is a schemer in every sense of the word. I should mention now (because you are obviously wondering why a Mexican boy would be named Orestes) that the father of this family has chosen to name all of his children after mythical Greek figures. When the youngest two siblings, Castor and Pollux, go missing, Orestes finds opportunity where most would find grief. Two less mouths to feed means the quesadilla rations are more generous. It’s a dog eat quesadilla world.

Villalobos uses this family as the perfect conduit for his satirical assault on 1980s Mexico. It is a period of time that is rampant with corruption, revolution, and poverty. He tells the story in hindsight, which gives the reader the contrasting viewpoints of an insightful adult and the natural bias of a child who experienced the events firsthand. This approach provides the reader with lines that are instantly quotable. The literary reader will not be disappointed. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to have more people read it so we can talk about those last fifteen pages.

Those last fifteen pages … sheesh.

The Martian, Andy Weir (Crown, February 11th)

They say not to judge a book by its cover, and then they go and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars investing in the psychology of readers and why we pick books up in the first place. I love judging covers, and you should too! I judged the crap out of The Martian’s cover, and that is because it is absolutely terrifying.

As is the book.

In The Martian, Andy Weir takes us to the believable future in which space travel has advanced enough for human missions to Mars. The problem with progress though, is that all the kinks have not been worked out and the latest crew sort of left someone behind during an emergency evacuation. That someone is our protagonist, Mark Watney.

I have found that science fiction writers often fail to write truly compelling characters, but Andy Weir has found himself a winner in Mark Watney. Although his situation is dire and the odds of his survival are fractal, he just sort of takes everything in stride. It’s easy to feel yourself there with him, figuring things out and making progress regardless of the limitations. We find our character comfortable with who he is and accepting of his situation without trudging through 200 pages of self discovery.

With no communication with NASA, a hole in his space suit, and his ride home a couple of light seconds away, Mark Watney is the loneliest person in the solar system. Fans of mysteries should really look out for this book. Slow revelations aplenty, this book is chock-full of suspense.

The Orenda, Joseph Boyden (Knopf, May 13th)

Oh, and finally, the obligatory The Orenda push. This book is absolutely amazing. If you don’t read anything else this year, do yourself a favor and read this book. My good friend Hannah already blogged about it. You should read her write-up if you haven’t. Go ahead, I’ll wait…

And now that you’re sold, come into Lemuria and pre-order your copy now. You’re going to want it as soon as it releases, trust me.

2014 is full of debut authors, old faves, and some whom we have all been asking, “When in the hell are they going to publish another book?”!  Here are a few that I think y’all should keep in mind when building your to-read list!

Under the Wide and Starry Sky, Nancy Horan (Ballantine Books, January 21st)

I know many of you remember the novel Loving Frank, about the romance between Frank Lloyd Wright and the married woman for whom he designed a house, from way back in 2007. Well, Nancy Horan has finally written a second novel, this time about Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne, the California woman he fell in love with. Being older than Robert, Fanny does not take to him immediately, but after a bit of pursuit she finally succumbs to Robert’s charm. Then the adventure begins.

The Winter People, Jennifer McMahon (Doubleday, February 11th)

I discovered Jennifer McMahon after reading a WSJ review of her 2011 novel, Don’t Breathe a Word. I took it home, read it, and immediately ordered all of her other books. Her stories are very creepy; if you like a dark, literary ghost story then The Winter People will not disappoint you. I finished the book last night and I am already wishing for the next one. West Hall, Vermont has always had its share of secrets, but the most mysterious is the story of Sara Harrison Shea. In 1908, just a few weeks after the tragic death of her daughter, Sara’s body was found behind her house. Now, in the present day, Ruthie and her family live in what used to be Sara’s farmhouse. After Ruthie’s mother disappears, she discovers Sara’s diary hidden in the floorboards while looking for clues. As she reads it, she realizes that the mysterious events in town may be connected and that she could be the one with the key to solving them all.

The Weight of Blood, Laura McHugh (Spiegel & Grau, March 11th)

Deep in the Ozarks, Lucy Dane continues to put up with rumors about her mother, Lila, who disappeared when Lucy was a small child. Now her friend, Cheri, is found murdered and the stories have started again. These events haunt Lucy and, with the help of a friend, she begins a quest to find out what happened to Cheri and whether it could be connected to her mother’s disappearance. She soon learns that it’s not only people who can keep a secret; the landscape itself can hold the key to many mysteries.

Natchez Burning, Greg Iles (William Morrow, April 29th)

I’m sure y’all have figured out that this is the “When in the hell is another one coming out?” book! Yes, the rumors are true — Greg Iles has a new book coming in April, and I promise it will not disappoint. We are very excited about it — especially when we found out that it is the first of three Penn Cage novels!!! I am not telling you any more  about the book because I really want to keep you in suspense. Trust me,  Natchez Burning is completely worth the wait!

And finally, a little teaser for a book that is coming out this summer. I am sure that a lot of y’all have heard that Lemuria is publishing a photography book by Ken Murphy on our fair city, Jackson, Mississippi. I have had the best time helping brainstorm locations to include and the great pleasure of getting a sneak peek at all the photographs. I have lived here all my life, yet some of what I have seen has been new to me. I am very proud of this book and I am very proud of my city.

One of the greatest perks of working at Lemuria is that we not only get to plunge ourselves daily into books that have been written, but we also get to peek into books that haven’t even made it to the shelves yet. This year, I am so excited about several books that will be released in the next few months.

The Orenda, Joseph Boyden (novel, Knopf, May 13th)

To say that this book might already be my favorite for 2014 might sound a bit like I’m jumping the gun, but I cannot sing its praises enough. Joseph Boyden — an author who I recently learned was a Lemuria First Editions Club pick back in 2005 for his book Three Day Road –– has created a narrative in The Orenda that is both moving and exhilarating.

Alternating between the perspective of three different characters, Boyden ushers us into the tumultuous world of early America, when the relationships between the French, Huron and Iroquois were fragile at best, and quickly fraying around the edges. The story follows Bird, a revered Huron warrior still reeling from the loss of his family in an Iroquois attack, Snow Falls, a frightened Iroquois girl who has been taken captive by Bird’s tribe, and the Crow, a French missionary bent on delivering the gospel to the savages who have taken him in.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been so invested in three such seemingly opposite characters, nor do I believe I have ever read a historical novel where the author’s extensive research actually lent itself to the plot, rather than bulking the story up and getting in the way. Boyden’s mastery of character development and pacing make for a novel you won’t soon forget.

We Were Liars, E. Lockhart (young adult, Delacorte Press, May 13th)

When it comes to young adult literature, I am the greatest of the naysayers. I will say nay to almost every dystopian, leader of the rebellion, one-in-a-million teenage girl with a fighter’s will to survive and a heart that almost doesn’t have room for true love — but only almost.

However, in E. Lockhart’s new book We Were Liars, it is vulnerability, not a hardened will to live that makes our protagonist stand out. Surrounded by her wealthy family on their summer island, Cadence is advised never to be vulnerable, always to seem normal, and to look impenetrable to anyone on the outside, including the rest of her family. But a mysterious accident, an outsider, and the voracious desire to love and be loved will change not only Cadence, but everyone else in her family. After finishing this book, I was left reeling, and I would recommend it not only to young adult readers, but full-fledged grownups as well.

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing, Shelia Turnage (middle grade, Kathy Dawson Books, February 4th)

Mo LeBeau is back, and I’ve never been happier to see her. In this new adventure, Sheila Turnage brings back to life all of the characters that we grew to love in Three Times Lucky, and introduces us to some thrilling new faces.

The news is all over Tupelo Landing: Miss Lana has accidentally purchased an old inn, and discovered that a real live (or not so alive) ghost comes with it! Mo and Dale are determined to get to the bottom of this whole ghost business, and along the way they make several alarming discoveries about Tupelo Landing and its inhabitants. The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing is just as good — if not better — than Turnage’s last Mo LeBeau adventure, and I’m so glad that we have it to look forward to next month! (And signed copies to boot!)

It was during a summer season Patricia and Boyd were spending together in the North Carolina mountains that Edward reappeared.

A perfect first sentence. There is so much between the lines. You can tell Patricia and Boyd are together, but who is Edward? What does he mean to Patricia and Boyd? Where has he been and why? The story is just full of this subtle suspense — almost dread. A family that can’t really talk about their history, their problems? How Southern is that.

Not only Southern, but specifically “Mississippi Fiction.” Elizabeth Spencer’s new collection Starting Over makes her our hometown girl. Her resume: born in Carrollton, graduated from Belhaven, taught at Ole Miss, and the perfect cover of Starting Over — a painting by Jackson artist William Hollingsworth.

The beloved author of Light in the Piazza and many novels and story collections is back after more than a decade, and oh boy, this will surely be one of the best of the year.

Elizabeth Spencer will be signing her new book Starting Over on Tuesday, February 4th at 5:00, with a reading at 5:30.

New York Times: A Southern landscape

Los Angeles Times: In ‘Starting Over,’ Elizabeth Spencer’s insight endures