Titles to Know and Recommend, Week of November 14, 2016
It’s a week filled with marquee names as several best seller list regulars release new titles, including,
Turbo Twenty-Three (Stephanie Plum Novels #23), Janet Evanovich, (PRH/Bantam; RH Large Print; RH/BOT Audio)
No Man’s Land (John Puller), David Baldacci, (Hachette/Grand Central; Hachette Large Print; Hachette Audio; OverDrive Sample)
Chaos, Patricia Cornwell, (HarperCollins/Morrow; HarperLuxe; HarperAudio; OverDrive Sample)
The Sleeping Beauty Killer (Under Suspicion Novels), Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke, (S&S; S&S Audio; OverDrive Sample)
The Mistletoe Secret (Mistletoe Collection), Richard PaulEvans, (S&S; S&S Audio; Center Point Large Print; OverDrive Sample)
In childrens, the popular middle-grade series returns, Dork Diaries 11: Tales from a Not-So-Friendly Frenemy by Rachel Ren Russell, (S&S/Aladdin; S&S Audio; OverDrive Sample) and adult author Linda Fairstein begins a series for kids with Into the Lion’s Den (Devlin Quick Mysteries), ( PRH/Dial Books; Listening Library; OverDrive Sample).
The titles covered here, and several more notable titles arriving next week, are listed with ordering information and alternate formats, on our downloadable spreadsheet, EarlyWord New Title Radar, Week of Nov. 14, 2016,
Media Attention
Settle for More, Megyn Kelly, (HarperCollins/Harper; HarperAudio; HarperLuxe)
Fox news anchor Megyn Kelly has been making news of her own, even being called an “unlikely feminist icon.” Media sources have been eager to get their hands on her memoir to see if she spills any dirt on her interactions with Trump and on her recently fired boss at Fox, Roger Ailes. The NYT was the first to break the embargo on the book. Kelly immediately disputed elements of the review via Twitter, reports USA Today. The AP also got their hands on a copy, reporting that Kelly says Trump tried to bribe her, as well as other journalists, in their pre-election coverage by offering them gifts. Vanity Fair‘s headline on the story asserts, that, by holding this information until after the election, Kelly “Blew The Goodwill She’s Built,”
Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In, Bernard Sanders, (Macmillan Thomas Dunne Books; Macmillan Audio; OverDrive Sample)
Having lost his bid to be the Democrat’s candidate for President, and then his effort to keep Trump from being elected, Sanders is continuing his fight and even sees some common ground with Trump. On Sunday’s Face the Nation, he says they both appealed to voters who criticize the establishment, adding, “If Mr. Trump in fact has the courage to take on Wall Street, to take on the drug companies, to try to go forward to create a better life for working people we will work with him on issue by issue. But if his presidency is going to be about discrimination, if it’s going to be about scapegoating immigrants or scapegoating African Americans or Muslims, we will oppose him vigorously.” Among other media appearances, Sanders is scheduled to appear on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday.
Awards
Two of the ten titles selected as the New York Times Book Review‘s Best Illustrated Books of the year arrive this week:
The Cat From Hunger Mountain, Ed Young, (Penguin/Philomel; OverDrive Sample)
The NYT BR annotation reads, “The wealthy, selfish Lord Cat lives in wasteful luxury high on a mountain and treats his servants with contempt, until a drought brings hunger and he is forced to change his ways. With complex collages that mix photographs, torn paper, string and other materials, Young creates a stunning visual symphony with a surprising and unsettling emotional power.”
The Polar Bear, Jenni Desmond, (Enchanted Lion Books)
The NYT BR annotation reads, “This factual account of polar bears’ biology and habitat also features the story of a curious little girl who gets lost in reading a book about polar bears and visits one in her imagination. Desmond’s varied illustrations combine watercolors, acrylic paint, pencil, crayon and printmaking techniques to create ever-changing moods and spectacular scenes of Arctic life.”
Peer Picks
There are six titles publishing this week earning votes from librarians and booksellers:
Swing Time, Zadie Smith (PRH/Penguin Press; Penguin Audio; OverDrive Sample).
“Spanning over twenty years and two continents, Smith’s new novel is a charming account of one woman’s coming-of-age. Smith’s unnamed narrator, a mixed-race child lives in one of London’s many low-end housing units. She meets Tracey and the two are bonded over the shared experience of being poor and “brown” in a class that is predominantly white. As the two stumble towards womanhood, the differences become more stark and divisive, and their friendship is fractured by Tracey’s final, unforgivable act. This book will appeal to lovers of character-driven fiction.” — Jennifer Wilson, Delphi Public Library, Delphi, IN
Additional Buzz: One of the hot books of the season, Smith’s newest earns all-star status, getting starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. It is also an Indie Next December selection and on the Carnegie Medal shortlist. USA Today calls the novel “wise and illuminating. ” It is on the cover of this week’s NYT Book Review, As we reported earlier, NYT‘s Style Magazine T features an interview with the author by fellow novelist Jeffrey Eugenides.
Absolutely on Music: Conversations, Haruki Murakami and Seiji Ozawa, translated by Jay Rubin (PRH/Knopf; OverDrive Sample).
“To sit down with Absolutely on Music is to sit down with two maestros — acclaimed writer Haruki Murakami, in a way you’ve never experienced him before, and famed conductor Seiji Ozawa who lives and breathes classical music. This book is the result of several conversations over two years between the two friends that focused on the music they both love, on writing, and on how the two connect. Written by Murakami in a question-and-answer format, Absolutely on Music offers note-by-note talks about classical music and about Ozawa’s and Murakami’s lives and the intricacies of both. Readers will hear the music!” —Terry Tazioli, University Book Store, Seattle, WA
Additional Buzz: The arts desk.com offers a review, saying it adds up “to a sprawling feast of Mahler-style “polytonality” – or, alternatively, the sort of protean jam-session that Monk and Parker relished.”
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, Trevor Noah (PRH/Spiegel & Grau; Brilliance Audio; OverDrive Sample).
“Noah’s perspective of growing up as the son of a black woman and white man in South Africa during apartheid, mixed with his trademark humor, is both insightful and poignant. We in the U.S. are often presented with what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has termed ‘the danger of the single story,’ which depicts history only from the point of view of the oppressors. It is refreshing and enlightening to learn history from someone directly affected by the heinousness of the apartheid laws.” —Karena Fagan, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
Additional Buzz: Entertainment Weekly gives it a B+, writing “this isn’t one of those comedian-penned essay collections where the yuks jump out at sitcom speeds. Yet there’s still plenty of humor; Noah proves to be a gifted storyteller, able to deftly lace his poignant tales with amusing irony. ” The NYT gives it multiple coverage, an excerpt in their Television section, By the Book, and in the Magazine Talk column. The Seattle Times raves “It’s no surprise that Trevor Noah … should write a smart book. But “smart” doesn’t begin to cover what he pulls off … Noah’s memoir is extraordinary in its observations of South Africa in the years when apartheid crumbled. It’s equally unusual in the troubling personal story it tells. Throw in Noah’s sharp, droll prose style, and you have a book that feels like essential reading on every level.” The Wall Street Journal also has a story (subscription may be required). Noah will also make media appearances:
CBS Sunday Morning – 11/13
CBS This Morning – 11/14
NPR – Morning Edition – 11/14
NPR – Fresh Air – 11/18
The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 1: 1920-1963, Ed Ward (Macmillan/Flatiron Books; OverDrive Sample).
“This is a great, fun book by Ward, a correspondent for NPR’s All Things Considered and one of the founders of the South by Southwest Conference and Festivals (SXSW). Covering the period of 1920 to 1963, almost every chapter in the book is devoted to a single year and the songs that were recorded and/or released during that year. This is a broad overview that substitutes breadth for depth but doesn’t spare the entertainment factor. Ward’s sweeping survey reads like the 400-plus page liner notes for a 1,000-song box set and, as a music nerd, that is one of the best compliments I can give!” —Joe Turner, BookPeople, Austin, TX
Additional Buzz: The Austin Chronicle says “Huge in scope, this is Ed Ward’s masterpiece.”
Scrappy Little Nobody, Anna Kendrick (S&S/Touchstone; S&S Audio; OverDrive Sample).
“Scrappy Little Nobody is less outsider-looking-in as it is insider-looking-out. Kendrick’s anecdotes, experiences, and her initiation as a working youth breaking into Hollywood reflect her social awkwardness and self-deprecation as the product of a blue-collar family and a dogged work ethic. Humble and hilarious, Kendrick’s lack of the knack for celebrity life allows for an unapologetic ‘so-it-goes,’ bluntness that makes her book relatable and heartwarmingly familiar. Never too funny to not be serious and never too serious to not be personable, Scrappy Little Nobody is filled with genuine thoughtfulness, a life’s worth of intelligence, and Kendrick’s impossible charm.” —Nolan Fellows, Rediscovered Books, Boise, ID
Additional Buzz: It is on the Fall Reading lists of the Amazon Editors, Entertainment Weekly, and USA Today. It is one of “5 Books You Need to Read in November 2016” according to InStyle. She is also scheduled for media appearances:
NBC-TV/”Today,” November 13 and 14
E!-TV/”E! News Daily,” November 14
“Extra!” November 14
CBS-TV/”Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” November 15
Writing to Save a Life: The Louis Till File, John Edgar Wideman (S&S/Scribner; S&S Audio; OverDrive Sample).
“This is a powerful meditation on the life of Louis Till, the father of Emmett Till whose brutal murder in 1955 spurred the Civil Rights Movement forward. It is not common knowledge today that Louis Till was convicted of a crime and executed in Italy while serving in the Army during World War II. Wideman was 14 years old — the same age as Emmett when he died — the year he saw pictures of Emmett Till’s body in Jet magazine. When he found out decades later about Louis Till’s fate, Wideman set out to investigate the tragic lives of both father and son. The result is a profound and moving exploration of race, manhood, violence, and injustice in our society.” —Cody Morrison, Square Books, Oxford, MS
Additional Buzz: It was on the Carnegie Medal Longlist (but not on the shortlist). Esquire calls it “deeply involving … at turns beautiful, painful, and complicated.” It is also one of the “16 Books You Should Read This November” according to Literary Hub (which also lists Swing Time).
Tie-ins
Catalyst (Star Wars): A Rogue One Novel, James Luceno (PRH/Del Rey; RH Audio).
The prequel novel to the next Star Wars movie, Rogue One (releasing Dec. 16. 2016), details the events just prior to those in the film, as the Galactic Empire works to create the Death Star. It is a Fall Reading pick from io9. USA Today offers an excerpt.
The tie-ins for the actual movie, as has been the case with past Star Wars titles, will not release until weeks after the film. Edelweiss currently lists adult and junior novelizations.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay: The Original Screenplay, J K Rowling (Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books). On November 18th Rowling will find out if readers are any happier reading a screenplay than they were with a playscript. USA Today already approves, listing it among their Fall Reading picks.
This edition is the second pass at the story. The original Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Scholastic; 9780545850568), a faux Hogwarts textbook, is currently out of print an only available from used book retailers. Expect even more spin offs for the film opening on Nov. 18. Three hit shelves this week:
Inside the Magic: The Making of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Ian Nathan (HC/Harper Design).
The Art of the Film: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Dermot Power (HC/Harper Design).
The Case of Beasts: Explore the Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Mark Salisbury (HC/Harper Design).
The Art of Moana, Jessica Julius and Maggie Malone (Chronicle Books; OverDrive Sample).
A tie-in to the next Disney animated movie, releasing November 23, 2016, this richly illustrated book features artwork, storyboards, and character designs.
For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins.