At B & N Reads Nicole Hill tagged
six "literary works that break barriers, combining genre tropes and standards to produce entirely unique, enthralling stories," including:
The Book of Speculation, by Erika Swyler
Is there anything more fulfilling than a book about books? Swyler’s savvy enough to know the answer is no, and thus centers her debut on Simon, a young librarian, with a, shall we say, dysfunctional family background involving a whole lot of circus folk. As so often happens, a mysterious book shows up on his doorstep one day. The book is a log from an 18th-century traveling carnival, which would be odd enough, but it also details strange reports of magic and misfortune, including the drowning of a circus mermaid. As it happens, Simon’s family tree is filled with women who’ve met watery ends, and all on the same date. Part historical thriller, part mystery, and part fantasy, The Book of Speculation traces this family curse and unravels a quandary generations in the making.
Read about
another entry on the list.
--Marshal Zeringue
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