Titles to Know and Recommend, Week of July 25, 2016
Anticipation is particularly high, as indicated by holds, for two titles arriving next week.
Releasing on Sunday, July 31st, the day after the play debuts in London, is the script, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine). No news yet on when it will hit Broadway, but the NY Post reports it may arrive as early as next season. Holds are heavy, and libraries have ordered enough copies to keep pace with demand.
After her major success with Big Little Lies (an HBO series adaptation is set to premiere next year), Liane Moriarty’s latest arrives Tuesday, Truly Madly Guilty (Macmillan/Flatiron; Macmillan Audio; OverDrive Sample). Holds are outstripping orders in many places by ratios as high as 8:1. A LibraryReads pick, it is reviewed in advance by the NYT‘s now retired maven of popular fiction, Janet Maslin, who occasionally steps in to write about major releases. However, she finds it not as compelling as Moriarty’s previous three novels.
Nonetheless, it is a People pick for the week, described as “a vivid tale” and on the LibraryReads list for the month:
“A typical afternoon barbecue among friends becomes something much bigger when one pivotal moment of inattention leads to repercussions for all in attendance. In trademark Moriarty style, the story flashes back and forth between the day of the barbecue and two months later, slowly revealing the events of the day and its consequences, creating a delicious momentum for the reader as the tension builds and the pieces fall into place. Moriarty has another sure-fire winner with this look at the complexities of friendship, marriage, and familial relationships.” — Halle Eisenman, Beaufort County Library, Hilton Head, SC
The major literary event of the week is the publication of a new novel by Dave Eggers, Heroes of the Frontier (PRH/Knopf; BOT; OverDrive Sample), reviewed by Barbara Kingsolver on the cover of the upcoming NYT Sunday Review and by Michiko Kakutani in the daily NYT. The author is set to be interviewed by Scott Simon tomorrow on NPR’s Weekend Edition.
The titles covered in this post, and several other notable titles arriving next week, are listed with ordering information and alternate formats, on our downloadable spreadsheet, EarlyWord New Title Radar, Week of July 25, 2016.
Media Attention
Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond, Marc Lamont Hill (S&S/Atria).
Hill, who recently began hosting the weekly late-night talk show, VH1 Live!, is profiled in this week’s NYT Magazine as “Your Friendly Neighborhood Marxist.” On August 1, he is scheduled to appear on CNN’s Anderson 360 and CNN Tonight.
Consumer Media Picks
The Inseparables, Stuart Nadler (Hachette/Little, Brown; OverDrive Sample).
Published last week, this is People magazine’s “Book of the Week” — “In this beguiling novel, three generations of articulate, self-aware women fall to pieces … With a fine understanding of women and a delicate wit, Nadler shepherds all three through grief and humiliation and out the other side.”
In addition to Truly Madly Guilty, listed above, People also picks the following:
Losing It, Emma Rathbone (PRH/Riverhead; Penguin Audio; BOT; OverDrive Sample).
A novel about young woman’s quest to lose her virginity at 26. People calls it, “Sweet, funny and unexpectedly poignant, the book is a Bridget Jones’ s Diary for the millennial generation.”
Peer Picks
The #1 LibraryReads pick for July hits shelves this week, Dark Matter, Blake Crouch (PRH/Crown; RH Audio/BOT; OverDrive Sample).
“Once on the fast-track to academic stardom, Jason Dessen finds his quiet family life and career upended when a stranger kidnaps him. Suddenly Jason’s idle “what-ifs” become panicked “what-nows,” as the humble quantum physics professor from a small Chicago college gets to explore the roads not taken with a mind-bending invention that opens doors to other worlds. This fun science fiction thriller is also a thoughtful page-turner with heart that should appeal to fans of Harlan Coben.” — Elizabeth Eastin, Rogers Memorial Library, Southampton, NY
Crouch is the author of the Wayward Pines series, adapted as a Fox TV series.
In addition to the #1 pick and Truly Madly Guilty, noted above, a third LibraryReads pick arrives this week.
The Unseen World, Liz Moore (Norton; Blackstone Audio; OverDrive Sample).
“The Unseen World is a compelling read with vibrant, finely constructed characters. Moore intertwines a complex coming of age story with the science of cryptology and the history of artificial intelligence, while simultaneously exploring the meaning of love, loss and belonging. The core of the novel explores the relationship between Ada and her scientist father David. When a tragedy upends their routine lives, Ada embarks on a journey of self-discovery that will eventually lead her to new truths. Elements of mystery and suspense keep you turning the pages in this multi-layered gem of a book.” — Janie Hermann, Princeton Public Library, Princeton, NJ
Two additional Indie Next titles also arrive.
The Muse, Jessie Burton (HC/Ecco; HarperAudio; OverDrive Sample).
“Burton’s follow-up to The Miniaturist also takes place in the art world, but this time the settings alternate between London in the 1960s and pre-Civil War Spain in the 1930s. In 1967, a long-lost work by a dead Spanish painter turns up in London. Is it really an original Isaac Robles? Or is there a more complicated story behind the intriguing painting? A fun read with interesting meditations on the purpose and making of art.” —Susan Taylor, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, NY
The Summer That Melted Everything, Tiffany McDaniel (Macmillan/St. Martin’s; Blackstone Audio; OverDrive Sample).
“There are hundreds of coming-of-age stories, but the one told in The Summer That Melted Everything is unique. In the summer of 1984, a series of disturbing events in Breathed, Ohio, are attributed to the arrival of a 13-year-old boy named Sal who claims to be the devil. Gossip and superstitions, exacerbated by the sweltering heat, turn the villagers against Sal. Only the family of the local prosecutor welcomes the boy, who is befriended by their son, Fielding. Through beautiful imagery and rich characters, McDaniel offers an original meditation on what is right and wrong, good and evil, in a magical, heart-wrenching, and unforgettable novel.” —Pierre Camy, Schuler Books & Music, Grand Rapids, MI
Tie-ins
Fans of Hallmark adaptations have a new series to look forward. The cable channel is developing Sherryl Woods’s ten book series, Chesapeake Shores. The opener details events from The Inn at Eagle Point, Sherryl Woods (HC/MIRA; OverDrive Sample).
Deadline outlines the plot, “It centers on the O’Brien clan—a large Irish-American family living on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in a town designed and founded by three O’Brien brothers. The television series focuses on the drama that ensues when the O’Brien family reunites after years apart to face the memories from their past and learn the importance of reconciliation.”
It premieres on August 14 and stars Meghan Ory, Jesse Metcalfe, and Diane Ladd. Several sneak peeks are available on Hallmark’s show site.
War Dogs: The True Story of How Three Stoners From Miami Beach Became the Most Unlikely Gunrunners in History, Guy Lawson (S&S; OverDrive Sample; also in mass market) will open on August 19 and stars Miles Teller, Jonah Hill, Bradley Cooper, Ana de Armas and J. B. Blanc.
It is based on nonfiction account by Lawson, originally titled Arms and the Dudes, and tells the unlikely story about winning a $300 million US government contract to supply weapons for the war in Afghanistan.
USA Today offered a sneak peek in March. Below is the trailer.
For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins.