Whether you’re a book lover looking for something with Oklahoma ties or you want to support Oklahoma authors, there are plenty of options available. Here are some of the newest releases with Oklahoma authors and/or other Oklahoma ties.
FICTION
“The Kennedy Girl: A Novel” by Julia Bryan Thomas (Sourcebooks Landmark, 432 pages, on sale Jan. 14, available for pre-order now)
It’s the 1960s, and Jackie Kennedy’s effortless style leads the nation, although Mia’s bakery job doesn’t often give her the money to craft a stylish closet. So when a stranger offers her a modeling job in Paris, she takes the chance. But the job of a model runs deeper than photoshoots. She is soon drawn into the Cold War by the very fashion house she works for. And as she finds herself falling further into national crimes and politics, Mia will soon have to decide which side of history she’s really on.
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“Low April Sun: A Novel” by Constance E. Squires (University of Oklahoma Press, 262 pages, on sale Feb. 11, available for pre-order now)
On the morning of April 19, 1995, Delaney Travis steps into the Social Security office in Oklahoma City to obtain an ID for her new job. Moments later, an explosion shatters the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building into rubble. Her boyfriend Keith and half-sister Edie assume that Delaney perished in the bombing, despite lack of definitive proof. Twenty years later, now married and bonded by the tragedy, Edie and Keith’s lives are upended when they begin to receive mysterious Facebook messages from someone claiming to be Delaney. Desperate for closure, the couple embarks on separate journeys, each aiming for an artists’ community in New Mexico that may hold answers.
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“Brothers” by Vincent Orza (MindStir Media, 396 pages, in stores)
Speaker of the House of Representatives Gianni Simonelli is a second-generation New York Italian-American hell-bent on not being associated with the mafia. The problem is that his brother is a member of a New York crime family. When the president is assassinated, Gianni is called upon to help stabilize the administration. As events spiral out of control, Gianni is left with no alternative but to seek help from his estranged brother.
“Disappearing Act” by William C. Wertz (Independently published, 295 pages, in stores)
In the new book by Wertz, who is deputy Viewpoints editor at The Oklahoman, Jay Chang has always struggled to fit in and treasures his friends. He jumped in to help an old Navy buddy in trouble over the kidnapping of missing scientists from New Mexico’s famous Los Alamos nuclear laboratory. Chang never expected to get involved with a beautiful Israeli spy and discover an astounding secret concealed from the public by the government and military contractors for more than 75 years. What Chang has found is something the Pentagon is determined to keep hidden at all costs.
“Double Barrel Bluff” by Lou Berney (William Morrow Paperbacks, 320 pages, in stores)
Berney returns to his critically acclaimed thriller series starring former mob wheelman Shake Bouchon, who finds himself reluctantly involved in a high-stakes hostage rescue, among the mighty temples and shadowy underground of Cambodia.
NONFICTION
“Red Dirt Unplugged: Singers, Songs and Stories Shining a Spotlight on Heartland Roots Music” by Josh Crutchmer (Back Lounge Publishing, 294 pages, in stores)
Author Crutchmer gives a front row seat view to the Red Dirt music scene and shares his perspective through artist interviews, side-stage musings and concert reviews. The book also includes the first interview with Cross Canadian Ragweed in more than 15 years. Structured around The Great Divide’s 2023 homecoming concert at the Tumbleweed Dancehall in Stillwater, the book connects the popular young artists to the tradition that built Red Dirt.
“Last One Walking: The Life of Cherokee Community Leader Charlie Soap” by Greg Shaw (author), Charlie Soap (afterword), Wilma Mankiller (contributor) (University of Oklahoma Press, 216 pages, in stores)
Combining memoir, history and current affairs, the book charts for the first time the life and work of influential Cherokee Charlie Soap. Author Shaw, a longtime colleague and friend of the family, draws on his travels and interviews with Soap and on previously unpublished writings, including a Soap family history penned by Mankiller, included as the book’s prologue. Shaw offers a profile of Soap’s singular career — particularly as a champion of water rights.
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