Books always top my holiday wish list, and there’s a good chance that’s true for some of the people in your gift-giving circles, too. Better yet are books written by current or former Western New Yorkers; best of all when it’s a soon-to-be bestseller written by a longtime friend.
Caitlin Moran (pen name Caitriona Moran) graduated from Attica High School with me in 2007. We were close friends, sharing big dreams in our small town of making it as writers (fiction for her, journalism for me). Our paths forked after college, with Caitlin heading to New York City and me sticking close to home. But after all these years, we still cheer each other on from afar.
Her debut novel, “The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow,” hits bookshelves Nov. 10 to widespread acclaim and pre-release buzz. Bearing a tagline of “Scholar. Healer. Harlot,” it’s described by Library Journal as “a slow-burn romance in a historical fantasy setting, with modern political bite.” A little bit of all my favorite genres? I couldn’t have asked for more.
People are also reading…
How exciting to say, “I knew her when” and anticipate what she’ll write next. Cheers to you, Caitlin, and to everyone else: join me in snapping up “The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow” anywhere books are sold.
“The Devil Knows Her Name”
Author: C.N. Vair
Not to brag, but I know Carly too, from our days in community journalism at Neighbor-to-Neighbor News.
Her debut novel published in August and is described as a “feminist Appalachian folk-horror novel about survival, agency, and the dangerous line between justice and vengeance.” The UK version is titled “Fawn,” a nod toward the prey animal with a predator’s teeth that serves as a catalyst in our protagonist’s story.
This is another one I just can’t wait to read. Pick it up at any independent bookstore or national retailer near you.
“The Death Row Club”
Author: V. A. Vazquez
Another debut novel from a Buffalo resident, this psychological thriller tells the story about a woman invited to an annual weekend getaway for the adult children of serial killers. However, things go awry when one of the participants ends up dead.
Clémence Michallon, author of international best-seller “The Quiet Tenant,” called “The Death Row Club” “addictive, smart, and at times terrifying—in the very best way.”
Find it wherever books are sold.
“Sha La La, Man”
Author: Kevin Klipfel
Now for a non-fiction turn by a Buffalonian turned Los Angeles resident. This fine art photography book is a love letter to Klipfel’s childhood hometown of Buffalo and New York City, where he spent the next chapter. It contains a mix of old family snapshots and recent photos taken by the author on a visit back to New York after a decade away.
“The book unfolds as a visual reckoning with inherited identity, loss, and the people and places that shape us,” writes Kellye Eisworth in LENSCRATCH magazine. “Moving fluidly between past and present, professional practice and amateur gesture, the work resists polish in favor of intimacy, embracing imperfection as a way of staying human in an increasingly artificial world.”
Purchase “Sha La La, Man” at tiredeyespublishing.com.
Come meet the author
What: Caitriona Moran on “The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow,” in conversation with Buffalo Magazine editor Kristy Holfoth
When: Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m.
Where: Hosted by Talking Leaves…Books at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center
