New year, new books

ROSEBURG – Roseburg Public Library Director Kris Wiley invites patrons to start the new year off by checking out what’s new at the library, where books and other materials are regularly added to the collection.

To find the latest acquisitions, visit the online catalog at roseburg.biblionix.com, click on “What’s New” under the green “What’s Hot” tab and then click “Search.” By default, items purchased in the past week will display. However, users can change the timeframe to another period, such as two weeks, one month or two months. Users also can refine the search to display a particular type of item, such as books or DVDs.

A new year means a clean reading slate to Wiley. January historically is a great month for new books, and this January is no different.

Wiley says she’s always excited when Jami Attenberg publishes a new book because no one captures family dynamics better. Wiley’s favorite books by Attenberg are “The Middlesteins” and “All This Could Be Yours,” which explore dysfunction between married people and their grown children. No one is the hero in these stories, but Attenberg brilliantly illustrates their humanity, according to Wiley.

Attenberg turns the lens inward with her newest book, “I Came All This Way to Meet You: Writing Myself Home.” The author shares her long path to literary prominence -- from sleeping on friends’ couches to driving cross-country alone for publicity tours -- all because she felt the calling of her artistry so strongly.

Two themes in the book resonated with Wiley: writing as craft and finding a place to call home. Those themes often intertwined, as when Attenberg shares her life in New York City. She has a large contingent of friends, some of whom are quite famous, and Wiley said she enjoyed the glimpses into their literary world. However, it is New Orleans, where Attenberg now lives, that shines as a place for inspiration and hope.

If historical romance is your genre, Wiley highly recommends “The Siren of Sussex,” the first book in the Belles of London series by Mimi Matthews – a series that’s perfect for readers looking for a wholesome alternative to the streaming-TV period-drama “Bridgerton” but that doesn’t sacrifice the fashion and gossip. Matthews includes real-life characters and details about the Spiritualism movement that add authenticity to the story.

It is 1862, and Evelyn Maltravers has arrived at her uncle’s home in London for the season. She is determined to land a husband and secure futures for her younger sisters and horse, and she figures the best way to do so is by accentuating her equestrian skills on said horse in a striking riding habit.

Evelyn presents herself at a noted tailor’s shop and discovers the talented Ahmad Malik, whose mother was Indian and whose father was British, which has left him feeling outside both cultures. What Ahmad really wants is to design women’s fashion, and when he lays eyes on Evelyn, he discovers his muse.

Sparks fly, but will their race and class differences be too much for Evelyn and Ahmad to overcome?