Books to Look For (May): Autobiography, Literary Fiction, & Mystery

Autobiography

Stand Up Straight and Sing! by Jessye Norman (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 336 pages, May 6)

You don't have to be an opera buff to love the sound of a beautiful voice, and Jessye Norman is known for hers, that's for sure. Descended from generations of enslaved and free Georgians, Norman developed her voice in her community church, launching into an opera career after being inspired by Marian Anderson. Spirituals, blues, and jazz also feature in Norman's repertoire. This is the story of a remarkable, inspiring life.






Literary Fiction

Wonderland by Stacey D'Erasmo (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 256 pages, May 6)

This is the story of a rock-star's life, from her point of view. After a meteoric rise and fall in her younger days, Anna Brundage decides to plunge back into the fray, using her powerful voice and road-tripping know-how to make the comeback of a lifetime. Ultimately, Anna is bent on creating her legend on her own terms.






Mystery

Fatal Enquiry by Will Thomas (Minotaur Books, 304 pages, May 13)

The latest story in Thomas's Barker & Llewelyn series (set in Victorian London), Fatal Enquiry is about a sociopathic aristocrat bent on revenge. After bookin' it out of London to escape Cyrus Barker and justice, Nightwine returns, apparently to assist the British government. But of course that's not really why he's back. Sounds all Holmes-Moriarty-ish, no? I like it.