Titles to Know and Recommend, Week of Nov. 30, 2015
Among the old reliables hitting shelves next week, is Daniel Steel’s latest, Precious Gifts (PRH/Delacorte). Tom Clancy returns, in name only, with a new Jack Ryan novel, written by Mark Greaney, Tom Clancy Commander in Chief. (PRH/Putnam). Martha Stewart Weddings may seem to be arriving in the wrong season, but it many will consider it the perfect gift for those in the throes of planning their events.
The titles highlighted here, 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 Nov. 30, 2015.
Peer Picks
The #1 December 2015 Indie Next pick is a poetry collection. The first time, as we previously reported, that poetry has topped the list.
The Selected Poems of Donald Hall by Donald Hall (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; OverDrive Sample)
“This is a gift of honesty, intimacy, and the pure genius that is Donald Hall, as he hand-picks what he considers to be the best of his poetry from more than 70 years of published works. From this former U.S. Poet Laureate comes one essential volume of his works, where ‘Ox-Cart Man’ sits alongside ‘Kicking the Leaves’ and ‘Without.’ As he is no longer writing poetry, this ‘concise gathering of my life’s work’ is the perfect introduction to Hall’s literary contributions, as well as closure for his many ardent followers.” —Katharine Nevins, MainStreet BookEnds of Warner, Warner, NH
A number of other Indie Next Picks come out this week as well:
What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan (HarperCollins/William Morrow Paperbacks; OverDrive Sample) — also a People Pick of the Week.
“This is the story of a mother’s anguish and desperation when her eight-year-old son runs ahead on an ordinary Sunday afternoon walk in a park and vanishes. It is the story of the lead detective, told partly in sessions he has with a psychologist because of the toll the case is taking on his personal life. It is the story of family and friends and the secrets they have been keeping that are slowly revealed. And it is the story of how the media and the public are quick to point fingers and assign blame. But, most of all, it is the story of a mother’s love and her strength and will to push everything aside and do anything to bring her son home.” —Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction, Greenville, SC
A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding by Jackie Copleton (Penguin; Blackstone Audio; OverDrive Sample)
NOTE: See our recent chat with the author as part of the Penguin Debut Author series.
“An intimate look at the devastating effect of the bombing of Nagasaki on one family, this is a story of love — parental and sexual, selfless and selfish, and, in the end, healing. Amaterasu Takahashi opens the door of her home in the U.S. to a badly scarred man claiming to be her grandson, who supposedly perished along with her daughter during the bombing nearly 40 years earlier. The man carries a cache of letters that forces Ama to confront her past and the love affair that tore her apart from her daughter.” —Sandi Torkildson, A Room of One’s Own, Madison, WI
First Bite: How We Learn to Eat by Bee Wilson (Perseus/Basic Books)
“Food scholar Wilson explores not only how our food habits are shaped and the origins of our tastes, but also the problems we have with our present diet and how we can change our palates to lead healthier lives. Entertaining, informative, and packed with food wisdom, First Bite belongs on the shelves of food lovers, history buffs, and all fans of good writing.” —Linda Bond, Auntie’s Bookstore, Spokane, WA
Like Family by Paolo Giordano, Translated by Anne Milano Appel (Penguin/Pamela Dorman Books; Dreamscape Media; OverDrive Sample)
“This short, spare, beautifully evocative novel becomes a major meditation on the mystery of life, with all of its attendant joy and sorrow. The story of Anna — caretaker, nanny, and confidant — becomes the tale of all families with the extremes of happiness and sadness inherent in every situation. Like Family is poignant, sure to stir emotions in any reader and, in the end, a paean to living the life that is given.” —Bill Cusumano, Square Books, Oxford, MS
Time of Departure by Douglas Schofield (Macmillian/Minotaur; OverDrive Sample)
“Claire Talbot has a lot to prove in the misogynistic legal world in which she has immersed herself, but she puts it all on the line when Marcus Hastings enters her life with an old case that stirs an ominous feeling in the pit of Claire’s stomach. Though the string of missing girls occurred before she was born, Claire senses a familiarity with the case, and with Marcus, that she can’t explain. What begins with an ambitious young female prosecutor, a mysterious cold case, and an intriguing ex-cop who knows too much about both ends in a series of twists that readers won’t see coming.” —Rachel Kelley, Sunriver Books, Sunriver, OR
His Right Hand by Mette Ivie Harrison (Soho Crime; OverDrive Sample)
“In this riveting and compassionate mystery, beloved counselor Carl Ashby is found dead at church, leaving the Mormon community devastated. But when Linda and Kurt Wallheim learn that Carl was originally a female the news turns their world inside out, directing their focus away from the bigger issues at hand. In a community that is so set with its gender roles, can the Wallheims look past that to discover who killed Carl and why?” —Rachael Drummond, Saturn Booksellers, Gaylord, MI
Tie-ins
The most anticipated Oscary-buzzy film opening today is The Danish Girl, based on David Ebershoff’s debut novel.
The film stars Eddie Redmayne, who has already won an Oscar for his startling physical transformation as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. As we wrote earlier, many expect Redmayne to do it again in for his portrayal of a man who, in the 1930’s, had one of the earliest transgender surgeries.
The movie-tie in edition came out in late October.
Victor Frankenstein opened in wide release on Wednesday. The film is based very loosely on the classic SF/Horror tale by Mary Shelley. It stars James McAvoy as Victor and Daniel Radcliffe as Igor.
No specific tie-in edition has been released and it is iffy whether the film will send fans racing towards the classic. For those who do, there’s a wide range of editions to suggest, including the Penguin edition with cover art by Daniel Clowes (PRH/Penguin Classics).
For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our catalog of tie-ins.
Tie-ins scheduled for publication next week:
The Elfstones of Shannara (The Shannara Chronicles) (TV Tie-in Edition) by Terry Brooks (PRH/Del Rey), released in both a trade edition and a mass market version. The Wishsong of Shannara (The Shannara Chronicles) (TV Tie-in Edition) by Terry Brooks (PRH/Del Rey) also appear this week.
Both titles tie in to MTV’s adaptation Terry Brooks’s modern classic fantasy series which is scheduled to begin airing on Jan. 5, 2016.
As we wrote earlier, MTV is trying to position the series as the heir to Game of Thrones. Based on Terry Brooks’ Shannara series, the first in the book series is Sword Of Shannara, but the first in the TV series will be based on the second book Elfstones Of Shannara.
For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our catalog of tie-ins.