Already receiving high praise, even before its release, is the new historical novel by Emily Barton, “Brookland.” In nonfiction, look for “The Oracle: The Lost Secrets and Hidden Message of Ancient Delphi.” In paperback is Claire Davis’ sophomore effort, “Season of the Snake.” Coming in May, “Strange Piece of Paradise: A Return to the American West to Investigate My Attempted Murder – and Solve the Riddle of Myself.”
FICTION
Brookland, by Emily Barton, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 512 pages, $25|A woman in 18th-century New York is consumed by her plans to build a bridge across the East River in New York. Rich in period detail, according to Kirkus.
The Ethical Assassin, by David Liss, Random House, 336 pages, $24.95|From the author of “A Conspiracy of Paper” comes a quirky novel of an innocent hero too involved with drug deals and a wad of missing money.
The Rug Merchant, by Meg Mullins, Viking, 272 pages, $23.95|When the wife of an Iranian national selling rugs in America tells him she won’t join him, the man starts a new life and romance with a young American college student.
NONFICTION
The Oracle: The Lost Secrets and Hidden Message of Ancient Delphi, by William J. Broad, Penguin, 336 pages, $25.95|New York Times staff writer Broad draws on geology, archaeology and ancient history in an attempt to solve the mystery of the Oracle of Delphi.
My Father Is a Book: A Memoir of Bernard Malamud, by Janna Malamud Smith, Houghton Mifflin, 304 pages, $24|No one has written a biography of author Bernard Malamud since his death in 1986, so this memoir by his daughter is our first look inside his life.
The Rock From Mars: A Detective Story on Two Planets, by Kathy Sawyer, Random House, 416 pages, $25.95|After a small meteorite from Mars is found in the Antarctic in 1984, it sets in motion a tale of bureaucratic rivalry, human jealousie and unbridled ambition.
PAPERBACKS
Season of the Snake, by Claire Davis, Picador, 276 pages, $14|Davis’ second book, after “Winter Range,” is the story of a woman who starts life anew after the death of her young husband only to find that husband No. 2 is no catch.
Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood, by Koren Zailckas , Penguin, 368 pages, $14|The story of a young woman who began drinking heavily at age 14 and continued right through college and what it took to get her to admit she had to quit drinking.
Busted Flush, by Brad Smith, Picador, 308 pages, $14|Aimless Doc Bass inherits a run-down farm house in Gettysburg, Pa., and what he finds there – a recording of the voice of Abraham Lincoln – leads to all kinds of problems in this delightful farce.
COMING UP
Strange Piece of Paradise: A Return to the American West to Investigate My Attempted Murder – and Solve the Riddle of Myself, by Terri Jentz, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 560 pages, $27, May|In 1977, Jentz and her roommate were in a tent when a man ran over them with his truck then attacked them with an ax. They both survive, and the author returns to the scene of the attack.
The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs, by Madeleine Albright, HarperCollins, 352 pages, $25.95, May |Albright was secretary of state under Bill Clinton, and here she takes a look at how religion can be a force for tolerance and liberty.
There Will Never Be Another You, by Carolyn See, Random House, 256 pages, $24.95, May|Set in the near future, See’s novel centers on three generations of a Southern California family and the crises they face.
