Relax in your comfiest chair, find that perfect spot on the porch or curl up in bed this season with one of these releases from authors around the Main Line. From thrillers to romance to sports stories, there’s something for everybody by writers in the region. Sit back and get lost in another world with these spring reads you won’t want to put down.
Last Seen by Judith Giesberg
Release Date: February 4
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Villanova history professor Judy Giesberg is an expert on the U.S. Civil War, and her latest book covers a heavy topic. Using extensive archival material, Giesberg explores the search of the “Freedom Generation.” When the war ended in 1865, many families were still left separated after their husbands, wives, mothers, fathers and siblings had been sold over the previous decades and centuries. Last Seen catalogs the often decades-long search of many of these families to find their lost relatives. Heart-wrenching and illuminating, Giesberg’s book gives readers insight into one of the lesser-considered aspects of slavery in our nation’s past.
Magic in the Air by Mike Sielski
Release date: February 11
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Mike Sielski has been covering sports for the Philadelphia Inquirer for over a decade, and his latest book Magic in the Air tracks the history of basketball’s most exciting play: the slam dunk. Examining societal change in sports through the dunk, this narrative explores how the play became an expression of black culture and a tool for players like Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russel to express themselves in a sport that was then led by white men. From Dr. J to Michael Jordan, Magic in the Air analyzes everyone’s favorite play through the decades.
The Night House by Danielle Dulsky
Release Date: March 25
Book Signing: April 14 at Reads and Co.
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Phoenixville resident and founder of The Hag School Danielle Dulsky believes in the power of curious dreamers, cunning witches and rebellious artists. Her upcoming spring read, The Night House, is a collection of timeless narratives passed down orally by women and distinguished from other folk tales by supernatural elements. Dulsky’s novel shows how just one fairytale can contain a trove of useful knowledge and magical practice that’s preserved into the modern era for inquisitive minds to discover.
Tomorrow Will Bring Sunday’s News by Beth Kephart
Release date: April 1
Book signing: April 1 at Main Point Books
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Devon-based Beth Kephart worked closely with local publisher Tursulowe Press to bring this story set in Philadelphia during the Great War to life. The tale follows 16-year-old Peggy Finley, who, when the boy she loves falls victim to the draft and her German-American friend is attacked for her culture, must seize independence to avoid being swallowed up by the tumultuous times in which she lives. Ultimately, the novel asks the question, “How do the stories we imagine become the truths we won’t forget?”
The Price of Everything by Jon McGoran
Release date: April 8
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Drexel University professor and Montgomery County local John McGoran’s spring read is an action-packed cyberpunk thriller. After the internet went dark, main character Armand Pierce took a job with the powerful Couriers Guild, an organization that guaranteed your package will reach its destination upon pain of death. When Pierce realizes the payload is missing at his latest destination, with three couriers already dead upon the same mission, he knows he must investigate further before the Guild catches up.
Related: 12 Independent Bookstores for Readers Around the Main Line
