[Manabi]

This month's Amazon First Reads selections are out, they are:

Feast: True Love in and out of the Kitchen by Hannah Howard [Genre: Memoir]

The compulsively readable memoir of a woman at war—with herself, with her body, and with food—while working her way through the underbelly of New York City’s glamorous culinary scene.

Hannah Howard is a Columbia University freshman when she lands a hostess job at Picholine, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Manhattan. Eighteen years old and eager to learn, she’s invigorated by the manic energy and knife-sharp focus of the crew. By day Hannah explores the Columbia arts scene, struggling to find her place. By night she’s intoxicated by boxes of heady truffles and intrigued by the food industry’s insiders. She’s hungry for knowledge, success, and love, but she’s also ravenous because she hasn’t eaten more than yogurt and coffee in days.

Hannah is hiding an eating disorder. The excruciatingly late nights, demanding chefs, bad boyfriends, and destructive obsessions have left a void inside her that she can’t fill. To reconcile her relationships with the food she worships and a body she struggles to accept, Hannah’s going to have to learn to nourish her soul.

Editor Notes:

Spoiler:

From the very first scene, Hannah Howard’s outsize hunger and zeal for experience leap off the page, but beneath her uninhibited enthusiasm lurks a complicated current of shame, perfectionism, and self-doubt. This book is rife with luscious descriptions of food, and it provides a thrilling, unvarnished peek into the back rooms of New York’s elite restaurants. But it’s Hannah’s willingness to shine a light into those darker corners of her solitary struggle—the exhilaration of an ill-advised love, the insidious desire for control and perfection, and the way that our deepest, most hallowed passions often contain a dangerous edge of obsession—that has stayed with me long after my first read.

Though my own struggles and devotions are different from Hannah’s, reading her truthful account, which strips away all the judgments and justifications that are so often enmeshed in memories, made me realize how important it is to be honest, forgiving, and proud of the journeys each of our lives take. Undoubtedly, you will see parts of yourself and those close to you in Hannah’s lyrical and candid account of her struggle and transcendence. — Laura Van der Veer, Editor

True Fiction (Ian Ludlow Thrillers Book 1) by Lee Goldberg [Genre: Thriller]

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg hits the ground running in a breakneck thriller where truth and fiction collide for the unluckiest writer alive.

When a passenger jet crashes onto the beaches of Waikiki, bestselling thriller writer Ian Ludlow knows the horrific tragedy wasn’t an accident.

Years before, the CIA enlisted Ian to dream up terrorism scenarios to prepare the government for nightmares they couldn’t imagine. Now one of those schemes has come true, and Ian is the only person alive who knows how it was done…and who is behind the plot. That makes him too dangerous to live.

Ian goes on the run, sweeping up an innocent bystander in his plight—Margo French, a dog walker and aspiring singer. They are pursued by assassins and an all-seeing global-intelligence network that won’t stop until Ian and Margo are dead. Ian has written thrillers like this before, but this time he doesn’t know how it’s going to end—or if he will be alive to find out.

Editor Notes:

Spoiler:

Imagine you’re a famous author, known the world over for your action-packed stories and impossibly cool hero—even though the closest you’ve come to adventure is raiding the minibar in your book-tour hotel room. What would you do if one of your terrifying fictional plots came to life?

I’d probably react similarly to Ian Ludlow, mild-mannered creator of the megahit Clint Straker series (think Jack Reacher meets James Bond). When Ludlow finds himself in this situation in the opening pages of this rollicking new thriller, he takes off running for his life.

Reluctantly accompanied by Margo, a young woman who happens to be at his side when the bad guys show up, Ian soon finds that he must put himself in his character’s shoes and become a real-life star to uncover a sinister plot, save himself and Margo, and come up with his next great book idea.

Goldberg, a bestselling thriller writer whose credits include coauthoring the Fox and O’Hare series with Janet Evanovich, has given us a fun, fast-paced adventure with moments that are both pulse-racingly exciting and laugh-out-loud hilarious. I might not want to find myself in an Ian Ludlow thriller, but I sure did love reading this one. — Gracie Doyle, Editor

Tresspassing by Brandi Reeds [Genre: Suspense]

In a novel of mounting psychological suspense, a young mother follows a dangerous path to find her missing husband.

Veronica Cavanaugh’s grasp on the world is slipping. Her latest round of fertility treatments not only failed but left her on edge and unbalanced. And her three-year-old daughter, Elizabella, has a new imaginary friend, who seems much more devilish than playful. So when Veronica’s husband fails to return home from a business trip, what’s left of her stability begins to crumble.

Given her family’s history of mental illness, and Elizabella’s insistence that her daddy is dead, Veronica starts questioning herself. Every move she makes is now suspect. Worse still, Veronica is positive that someone wants her and her daughter dead, too—unless it’s all in her mind…

Somewhere beneath her paranoia is the answer to her husband’s vanishing. To find it, she’s led to a house in the Florida Keys. But once there, she isn’t sure she wants to know the truth.

Editor Notes:

Spoiler:

“It’s all in your mind.” These are not the most comforting of words. When I’m scared, the last thing I want to hear is that I’m making it up—that I’m crazy, not the situation itself. But “it’s all in your mind” is exactly what Veronica, the panic-stricken wife and mother in Trespassing, keeps hearing from everyone—her psychiatrist, those closest to her, and the police.

Veronica is already worried about her stability when her husband goes missing. She’s off-kilter from her most recent round of fertility drugs. She has a family history of mental illness—she lost her mother to it in a violent delusional episode. And now her daughter has become overly involved with an imaginary friend who somehow knows things she shouldn’t. It’s no wonder she’s questioning her sanity—it has become impossible for her to tell friend from foe. Has she become completely deranged? Or is there something more at play here? Should she sit tight or trust her instincts and run?

At every twist and turn, Brandi Reeds makes Veronica’s fear and self-doubt absolutely palpable. I could feel her deepening dread, the prickles of doubt, and, worst of all, her terror of potentially losing both her daughter and her mind. As I whipped through the pages, I kept wanting to grab Veronica and insist over and over, “It’s not all in your mind, Veronica. Run!” — Jodi Warshaw, Editor

Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter [Genre: Historical True Crime]

In the pantheon of serial killers, Belle Gunness stands alone. She was the rarest of female psychopaths, a woman who engaged in wholesale slaughter, partly out of greed but mostly for the sheer joy of it. Between 1902 and 1908, she lured a succession of unsuspecting victims to her Indiana “murder farm.” Some were hired hands. Others were well-to-do bachelors. All of them vanished without a trace. When their bodies were dug up, they hadn’t merely been poisoned, like victims of other female killers. They’d been butchered.

Hell’s Princess is a riveting account of one of the most sensational killing sprees in the annals of American crime: the shocking series of murders committed by the woman who came to be known as Lady Bluebeard. The only definitive book on this notorious case and the first to reveal previously unknown information about its subject, Harold Schechter’s gripping, suspenseful narrative has all the elements of a classic mystery—and all the gruesome twists of a nightmare.

Editor Notes:

Spoiler:

Belle Gunness was known as many things: the “Female Bluebeard,” the “High-Priestess of Murder,” the “Mistress of the Castle of Death,” the “Queen of Crime,” and “Hell’s Princess.” But none of these names really describe the true horror of who she was—the rarest of female psychopaths, who lured lonely men to her “murder farm” and butchered them partially for their insurance money but mostly for sheer pleasure.

The story of Belle is gripping, thanks to true-crime master Harold Schechter, who gives us a riveting account of how she mysteriously got the money to buy her farm—the future graveyard of many unfortunate souls—and reveals the lurid newspaper stories that sprung up once people inquired about their missing loved ones.

Hell’s Princess includes never-before-published information about this notorious case—and in the Kindle in Motion edition, photographs, newspaper clippings, and original art—and Harold’s informative yet suspenseful narrative will hold you until the very end. Belle’s story may sound like a tall tale, but in all her gruesome glory, this nightmare of a woman did once walk the earth. — Vivian Lee, Editor

Digging In by Loretta Nyhan [Genre: Contemporary Fiction]

In author Loretta Nyhan’s warm, witty, and wonderful novel, a widow discovers an unexpected chance to start over—right in her own backyard.

Paige Moresco found her true love in eighth grade—and lost him two years ago. Since his death, she’s been sleepwalking through life, barely holding on for the sake of her teenage son. Her house is a wreck, the grass is overrun with weeds, and she’s at risk of losing her job. As Paige stares at her neglected lawn, she knows she’s hit rock bottom. So she does something entirely unexpected: she begins to dig.

As the hole gets bigger, Paige decides to turn her entire yard into a vegetable garden. The neighbors in her tidy gated community are more than a little alarmed. Paige knows nothing about gardening, and she’s boldly flouting neighborhood-association bylaws. But with the help of new friends, a charming local cop, and the transformative power of the soil, Paige starts to see potential in the chaos of her life. Something big is beginning to take root—both in her garden and in herself.

Editor Notes:

Spoiler:

When we first meet Paige, our irresistible heroine, she’s just going through the motions of life, trying to hold it together for the sake of her seventeen-year-old son. Each day she drags herself out of bed, forces herself into her least-wrinkled suit, and trudges off to work to put in her eight hours. Rinse and repeat. She’s two years into mourning the loss of her husband, and she doesn’t see any end in sight.

For author Loretta Nyhan, her own shattering loss came in the midst of writing Digging In. She had written a third of the book when her husband of nearly twenty years suddenly died. After the shock wore off, she had to manage not only her own anguish, but also the grief of her two teenage sons. Plus, she had a book under deadline. She could have scrapped the whole thing. I suspect I would have. But she took her devastating experience and poured it into Digging In, spinning a story that somehow manages to be heartbreaking, hopeful, and—like all of Loretta’s work—very, very funny.

I’m lucky to be able to say that I haven’t lost anyone close to me. I know it’s just a matter of time, though, and like everyone else, I will eventually experience loss. I can only hope that I handle it with the same sort of resilience that Paige does in the book and the same sort of grace that Loretta did in real life. — Jodi Warshaw, Editor

A Glimmer of Hope (The Avalon Chronicles Book 1) by Steve McHugh [Genre: Fantasy]

From Steve McHugh, the bestselling author of The Hellequin Chronicles, comes a new urban fantasy series packed with mystery, action, and, above all, magic.

Layla Cassidy has always wanted a normal life, and the chance to put her father’s brutal legacy behind her. And in her final year of university she’s finally found it. Or so she thinks.

But when Layla accidentally activates an ancient scroll, she is bestowed with an incredible, inhuman power. She plunges into a dangerous new world, full of mythical creatures and menace—all while a group of fanatics will stop at nothing to turn her abilities to their cause.

To protect those she loves most, Layla must take control of her new powers…before they destroy her. All is not yet lost—there is a light shining, but Layla must survive long enough to see it.

Editor Notes:

Spoiler:

You know a hero when you read one. The same holds true for authors when they meet their characters, and author Steve McHugh could not wait to introduce his latest hero, Layla Cassidy—or, rather, Layla could not wait. She arrived ready to star in her own urban fantasy trilogy before Steve finished his successful Hellequin series.

I’m happy Steve listened to her, because her story is an infectious one. When we meet Layla, she is leaving her past behind for a blank slate at college. Like any memorable hero, Layla possesses personal demons; the problem is that one such demon is real and bestows supernatural powers to Layla. Against the dark allure of her new strength, she must not only persevere but unravel the terrible history of her family. Also, she may have to save the world. Welcome to college, Layla.

Sure, this is fantasy, but the cast of characters around Layla feels real: Chloe and Jared are her two closest friends and yet they harbor secrets. Layla’s parents are out of the picture—but wait: to say more would be to incur Layla’s wrath, and in this book she must learn to control her anger and use her powers to battle mythical creatures like ogres and werewolves. It turns out there is another realm of magic beyond our world (so vast that it crosses over into Steve’s Hellequin Chronicles), and Layla is just the hero it needs. Now all you have to do is meet her. — Alex Carr, Editor