Newsletter 1

Quick Pick: February 5, 2016

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Liberty Hardy

Senior Contributing Editor

Liberty Hardy is an unrepentant velocireader, writer, bitey mad lady, and tattoo canvas. Turn-ons include books, books and books. Her favorite exclamation is “Holy cats!” Liberty reads more than should be legal, sleeps very little, frequently writes on her belly with Sharpie markers, and when she dies, she’s leaving her body to library science. Until then, she lives with her three cats, Millay, Farrokh, and Zevon, in Maine. She is also right behind you. Just kidding! She’s too busy reading. Twitter: @MissLiberty

queen of the nightThe Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this novel! It has been over a dozen years in the making, and it was worth the wait! The Queen of the Night is a dazzling historical drama, full of lush, sensual imagery and exquisite details. Lilliet Berne is the toast of the Paris Opera, but when she is offered a new libretto, one that tells secrets from her life known only to a few people, she must visit the ghosts of her past to uncover just who it was who shared her story. Chee deftly weaves Lilliet’s story back and forth through time, from when she was an orphan in America to her present struggle to uncover who revealed her secret past. An epic novel that will keep you riveted – and guessing – until the last page.

Backlist bump: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (Only similar in that they are both beautiful stories revolving around opera. And sooooooo good.)

Subscribe to the New Books! newsletter to get weekly updates about new releases:

* indicates required