3 Books for Wintry Weekends (Plus, a Few Other Favorites)
Grab
your fluffiest throw and settle in with these captivating new novels.
3 of 6
The Swan Gondola
By Timothy Schaffert
464 pages;
Riverhead
Set during the 1898 Omaha World's Fair, this novel recreates
the few months that Nebraska served as an international capital, complete with
lavish temporary palaces and a cast of cynical hucksters, pickpockets and
performers who earn their living on the midway. Though the historical details
about the fair's construction delight (imagine: "buildings shaped like
foreign shrines," "cupolas with candy-striped shingles" and
"a greenhouse full of humming birds that buzzed so close you could almost
feel their wings flutter your lashes"), it's the love story of a certain
ventriloquist named Ferret Skerritt and an actress named Cecily that
captivates, most especially when a wealthy rival to Ferret threatens to separate
the two. Be prepared for a romantic finish—and some unexpected twists
in the plot that prove magic is possible, even for magicians.
— Leigh Newman
Published 02/06/2014