February 25, 2025, Day 5808

Join us Tuesday, March 25, 6:30 pm, when Wisconsinite Erica Ruth Neubauer triumphantly returns to Boswell to celebrate the release of the sixth installment in her beloved Jane Wunderly historical mystery series, Homicide in the Indian Hills.

Please click here to register for this event at ericaruthneubauermke.eventbrite.com. And be sure to preorder your copy of Homicide in the Indian Hills, too. Call the store, stop in and ask a bookseller to reserve you a copy, or click right here and order now on our website.

In this latest novel from Neubauer, intrepid American newlywed Jane Wunderly learns that tigers aren’t the only dangers lurking in 1920s India, when a murder in a popular resort town threatens to destabilize the local government and undermine the resistance movement for Indian self-rule. Jane’s suspicions that the death is more than a tragic accident are soon confirmed, but word of a murder could stoke Ootycamund’s simmering tensions into a full boil. Navigating corrupt local officials, festering personal vendettas, and a complicated network of bureaucratic entanglements that lead to the top tiers of government, Jane and Redvers edge closer to the truth and its deadly consequences.

Here are Boswell proprietor Daniel Goldin's notes on the book: "Jane Wunderly, newly married, has no time for a honeymoon with Redvers because she’s tagging along on another important mission, this time to the mountain city of Ooty, where the English retreat during the hot Indian summers. There’s a commission in place to look at the future of government of the colony, and while Redvers is working for the British, he’s also secretly meeting with a group supporting Indian autonomy. Negotiations are interrupted when a pro-independence Englishwoman is mauled by a tiger. Or was she? Jane and Redvers are on the case, hoping to set things in order before the bodies pile up. Neubauer mixes period 1920s detail with a modern sensibility to create another winning historical. And you get a bonus Christmas novella too, where Jane meets her new father-in-law."

Erica Ruth Neubauer is the Agatha Award-winning author of the Jane Wunderly Mysteries, as well as an Anthony Award and Lefty Award finalist. She has been a reviewer of mysteries and crime fiction for publications such as Publishers Weekly and Mystery Scene Magazine for several years, and she’s a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. Click here and register now for her event at Boswell on Tuesday, March 25, 6:30 pm central.

Wisconsin Fantasy Master Katherine Addison Is at Boswell on Tuesday, March 18, 6:30 pm

We’re pleased to welcome another Wisconsinite back to Boswell this month - Katherine Addison appears with the latest installment of her Cemeteries of Amalo trilogy, The Tomb of Dragons, which returns readers to the award-winning world of The Goblin Emperor.

Please click here to register for this event at katherineaddisonmke.eventbrite.com. And be sure to order your copy of The Tomb of Dragons now, too.

Amidst a backdrop of murder and a brewing political uprising, Thara Celehar, a Witness for the Dead, must seek justice for those who cannot find it themselves under a tense political system. The repercussions of his quest are never as simple as they seem, and Celehar’s own life and happiness hang in the balance.

The Tomb of Dragons is one of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, LitHub, and Screen Rant’s most anticipated books of 2025. T Kingfisher, author of What Moves the Dead, says: "This trilogy is as close to perfect as books can get… I come back to these books over and over again and visit the Cemeteries of Amalo like an old friend. These books have been a bright thread in dark times. I could not love them more." And from the starred Library Journal review: "Readers who are enthralled with the new cozy fantasy trend or love a cozy mystery will be delighted with Celehar and his latest investigation."

Katherine Addison’s short fiction has been selected by The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror and The Year’s Best Science Fiction. The Goblin Emperor won the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and was a finalist for the Hugo, the Nebula, and the World Fantasy Award. The Angel of the Crows was nominated for the Locus Award. As Sarah Monette, she is author of the Doctrine of Labyrinths series and co-author, with Elizabeth Bear, of the Iskryne series. Click here and register now for her event at Boswell on Tuesday, March 18, 6:30 pm central.

More Upcoming Events

Thursday, February 27, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - Shigehiro Oishi, author of Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life, in conversation with Sally Haldorson, Managing Director of Porchlight Book Company, our cohost. Click here to register at shigehirooishimke.eventbrite.com.

Thursday, March 6, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - Rob Osler visits with his charming new historical mystery, The Case of the Missing Maid. Chicago, 1898. Detective Harriet sets out in search of a servant missing from a grand household, but what she might just uncover is a fulfilled queer life, free to discover joy, friendship, love, and her own true potential. Author Allison Montclair says: "Osler brings vivid detail to Chicago’s Polish neighborhoods and its gay and lesbian underground. Like me, you’ll be rooting for Harriet from the first page to the last." Click here and register now at roboslermke.eventbrite.com.

Friday, March 7, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - The UWM Graduate Creative Writing Program’s student-faculty reading series United We Read features student and faculty readers. No registration required.

Tuesday, March 11, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - Milwaukee author and filmmaker Alice Austen appears for an event featuring her debut novel, 33 Place Brugmann. Daniel says: "Suspense, espionage, romance, and lots of historical detail; Austen’s debut will leave you breathless." Click here and visit aliceaustenmke.eventbrite.com.

Friday, March 14, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - W Bruce Cameron, bestselling author of A Dog’s Purpose, appears with Piper’s Story: A Puppy Tale, the latest installment in his series for middle grade readers. Kirkus Reviews says: "Twists and turns make this catnip for animal-loving readers." Cohosted by Pets Helping People. Click here to register at wbrucecameronmke.eventbrite.com.

Thursday, March 20, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - Original Onion staff writer Christine Wenc appears with her new book, Funny Because It’s True: How the Onion Created Modern American News Satire. In conversation with Milwaukee Record founder and former A/V Club editor Matt Wild. Wenc delivers the real truth behind the beloved original fake newspaper. Register now at christinewencmke.eventbrite.com.

Wednesday, March 26, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - Award-winning Midwestern artist Anders Nilsen visits with his new graphic novel, Tongues: Volume 1. Author Mark Haddon says: "Mind-bendingly good. It’s up there with Maus, Fun Home, Persepolis, Jimmy Corrigan." This event is cohosted by Lion's Tooth. Register for this event at andersnilsenmke.eventbrite.com.

Thursday, March 27, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - Poet Susan Aizenberg, author of A Walk with Frank O’Hara, in conversation with Mary Helen Stefaniak. Poet Erin Belieu says: "Aizenberg is a poet with a wonderfully distinct voice." Click here and register now at susanaizenbergmke.eventbrite.com.

Friday, March 28, 4 pm, at Boswell - A ticketed book signing with Molly Yeh, the Emmy and James Beard Award-nominated star of Food Network’s Girl Meets Farm and author of Sweet Farm!: More Than 100 Cookies, Cakes, Salads (!), and Other Delights from My Kitchen on a Sugar Beet Farm. Tickets for this signing cost $32.50 plus tax and ticket fee. Each ticket includes one copy of Sweet Farm! and admission for one or two people to the signing line. Do note, this is a signing only, and not a talk or presentation. Click here to purchase tickets now at mollyyehmke.eventbrite.com.

Monday, March 31, 6:30 pm, at CelticMKE, 1532 Wauwatosa Ave in Wauwatosa - Acclaimed Irish author Emma Donoghue appears for a ticketed event with her new novel, The Paris Express, a propulsive book based on the infamous Montparnasse train station disaster. In conversation with Pulitzer finalist Rebecca Makkai. Cohosted by Alliance Française de Milwaukee. Tickets for this event cost $35 and each includes a copy of the book. Purchase tickets at etix.com/ticket/p/54148715/emma-donoghue-the-paris-express-conversation-with-author-and-book-signing-milwaukee-celticmke-center.

New Listing! Wednesday, April 2, 6:30 pm, at Franklin Public Library, 9151 W Loomis Rd - Beloved Wisconsin author Jennifer Chiaverini appears with her brand new Elm Creek Quilts novel, The World’s Fair Quilt, a timely celebration of quilting, family, community, and history. Here's Booklist on Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilts books: "Like a strong cup of tea - cozy yet hard-hitting - and will appeal to current fans and new readers alike." Registration is required - click here to visit the Franklin Public Library website and register now.

New Listing! Friday, April 4, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - Milwaukeean, acclaimed poet-philosopher, and UWM Distinguished Professor Emeritus John Koethe appears with his new collection, Cemeteries and Galaxies: Poems, a mesmerizing book in which he unravels timeless questions of death, math, and meaning. Ron Charles writes of Koethe’s work: "Koethe’s verse is enticingly accessible even as it plumbs the most fundamental conundrums of human life with wit and humility." Click here and register now at johnkoethemke.eventbrite.com.

New Listing! Sunday, April 6, 4 pm, at Boswell - The Holocaust Education Resource Center presents an afternoon event with Rebecca Brenner Graham, author of Dear Miss Perkins: A Story of Frances Perkins's Efforts to Aid Refugees from Nazi Germany. It is a fascinating portrait of the progressive female trailblazer and US Secretary for Labor who navigated the foreboding rise of Nazism in her battle to make America a safer place for refugees. Brenner Graham will be in conversation with Samantha Abramson. Click here and register at holocaustcentermilwaukee.org/missperkins/.

New Listing! Thursday, April 10, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - Theresa Okokon appears for an event featuring her debut memoir-in-essays, Who I Always Was. Okokon's book chronicles her challenges growing up as the child of African parents in suburban Wisconsin just outside of Milwaukee and tracks the unsolved mystery surrounding her father's disappearance and death on a trip to Nigeria. Click here and register now at theresaokokonmke.eventbrite.com.

Saturday, April 26, 12 pm, at Boswell - A ticketed book signing with food personality Alton Brown for his new book, Food for Thought: Essays & Ruminations. Tickets cost $23.19 plus tax and ticket fee and include one hardcover copy of Food for Thought and admission to the signing line for up to two people. Do note, this is a signing only, and Brown will not be giving a talk at this event. Get tickets now at altonbrownmke.eventbrite.com.

Staff Recommendations

Jason Kennedy kicks off this week's recommending with The Strange Case of Jane O., the new novel from The Age of Miracles author Karen Thompson Walker. Jason says: " Jane is a new mom who starts seeing a therapist after seeing a friend who had died 20 years ago show up and start talking to her on the street. Her therapist, Dr. Bryd, is someone she met around the same time. However, Dr. Bryd doesn't remember her at all, even though Jane can describe his office down to the tiniest details. Soon after rekindling this professional relationship, Jane has an episode where she blacks out and goes missing, time she can't recount at all later, when she is found. What happened to her during that time period? For someone who can remember their life in almost every tiny memory, this is driving Jane insane. Karen Thompson Walker has given us another mind-bending story that will have you pondering your own memories."

Now it's over to McKenna Moran-Jones who suggests you read the latest book in Samantha Shannon's popular Bone Season series, The Dark Mirror. McKenna says: "Paige and her squad of criminals-turned-spies are back in the fifth installment of The Bone Season series. I read the first four books in this series in one week because Samantha Shannon hooks you immediately in with each book, and The Dark Mirror was no different. Fantastic pacing throughout the novel; we watch Paige continue on her journey to take down Scion and uncover all its secrets. Samantha Shannon has done such a great job creating large story arcs for both major and minor characters that the payoff for the developments are seen in each and every book. I am as invested in this series as I was from the beginning, and I can't wait to see what these characters get into next."

Oli Schmitz is a fan, too! Here are their notes: "Book five in the futuristic fantasy Bone Season series is here, and The Dark Mirror does not disappoint. With dynamic characters, propulsive action, and utterly immersive scene writing that will leave you in awe, this is Samantha Shannon at her best. She makes full use of setting in every moment, charges nearly every line of dialogue with emotion and significance, and delivers huge payoffs on series-spanning plotlines and relationships, all while keeping readers invested in where the story will go next. The Bone Season is a series that keeps getting better and more complex with each thrilling installment, and I truly think that the release of this fifth novel is the perfect time to delve into Paige Mahoney's story."

Our last rec for this newsletter is Greta Borgealt's enthusiasm for Deep Cuts, the first novel by Holly Brickley. Greta says: "One could say that music has universal appeal. But not everyone feels as deeply about it as writer Holly Brickley. It is evident in her book Deep Cuts that she is very passionate about it. Many chapters are named after a song, which is then incorporated into the inner monologue of its protagonist, Percy. The novel follows Percy, a blossoming music writer, who comes of age in the early aughts after going to Berkeley, where the story begins. It is here she meets Joe, a musician, who is the thorn in her side as well as someone she loves. The text is an echo chamber for the chaos of youth. It could one day make an interesting tv show, having the drama and appeal that younger audiences would beg for."

Photo credits: Erica Ruth Neubauer by Rachel Neubauer, Katherine Addison by A Monette, Rob Osler by Jeff Singer, Molly Yeh by Chantell and Brett Quernemoen, Jennifer Chiaverini by Michael Chiaverini, and Alton Brown by Shayan Asgharnia. Newsletter compiled by Chris. As always, thank you for your patronage and apologies for the typos,

Daniel Goldin with Alex, Amie, Chris, Claire, Greta, Idalis, Ingrid, Jason, Jen, Jenny, Jeremy, Kathy, Kathryn, Kay, Keith, Kim, McKenna, Oli, Rachel, and Tim