GalleyChat Roundup, Feb. 2022
The second chat of the new year was nearly as blazing as the first, with over 230 titles grabbing GalleyChatter’s interest. Roundups are below. To read the full chat, search Twitter by #ewgc.
— EarlyWord GalleyChat, Feb, 2022 — link to spreadsheet of the titles on Google Docs. Includes quotes from tweets, notes on debuts, diversity titles, those mentioned for the first time, LibraryReads deadlines and DRC availability. NOTE: If you have any trouble downloading the spreadsheet, please let us know
— Edelweiss catalog — includes covers, publisher marketing information, and links to Edelweiss DRCs.
Our next chat will be held on Thursday, March 3rd, 4 to 5 pm ET (3:30 for virtual cocktails). Click here for the schedule of upcoming chats.
The next LibraryReads deadline is March 1, for books publishing in April. Please give special attention to our list of diversity titles for LibraryReads consideration.
Meet the Authors
GalleyChatters were impressed by debut author Marytza K. Rubio during the online Preview of Spring 2022 Novels, organized by library marketers from several publishing houses and moderated by GalleyChatter Jennifer Winberry, Assistant Director, Hunterdon Public Library, NJ.
Rubio’s book of short stores, Maria Maria, is described as “a darkly funny and imaginative debut conjuring tales of Mexican American mystics and misfits”
Also included in the episode is Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den, praised by GalleyChatter Jill Minor @JillRhudy, “Desire is their business, but sex is the last thing they desire. Slavery, trafficking, power dynamics, ultimate sacrifices for survival and freedom. THE WOLF DEN brings the women in a brothel in Pompeii to life.” The title has been so hot on GalleyChat that we will be very surprised if it is not the #1 LibraryReads pick for March (sorry, the deadline for voting is over).
HarperCollins Library Love Fest introduced a new program called GalleyClub this month. The first title of the series, Remarkably Bright Creatures, the debut novel by Shelby Van Pelt coming in May, is described as being “about a widow’s unlikely friendship with a curmudgeonly giant Pacific octopus reluctantly residing at the local aquarium — and, when a mysterious grifter comes to town, the truths all three unlock about her son’s disappearance 30 years ago,”
It is already a hit with many GalleyChatters. The clip played on the show convinced even more to pick it up. In the second episode, on Tues., Feb. 8, the library marketing team talk with the book’s editors. In the third and final episode of this series, coming Tuesday, Feb. 15, they will interview the author. To learn about upcoming series, follow Library Love Fest on Facebook, or on the Library Love Fest web site.
GalleyChatters’ Favorite April Diversity Titles
Science Fiction / Cyberpunk
Monáe, Janelle
Memory Librarian
HarperCollins
This title has been hot on GalleyChat for several months — librarylovefest @librarylovefest, “Are you in the mood for something revolutionary? I can’t say enough about THE MEMORY LIBRARIAN by Janelle Monae! …the perfect mash-up of dystopian and utopian … a big one for any cyberpunk fans!” — JAN, Jenna Friebel @jenna_friebel, ” currently reading THE MEMORY LIBRARIAN by Janelle Monáe & others. First story was great- excited to dive into the others!…Dirty Computer is one of my most played CDs. Love love love her.”
Fiction / Women
Perkins-Valdez, Dolen
Take My Hand
PRH/Penguin/Berkley
HOT, Vicki Nesting @VNesting, “Started
TAKE MY HAND by Dolen Perkins-Valdez last night and could not put it down. Inspired by real events, a nurse in Alabama in 1973 blows the whistle on a terrible wrong done to her clients.”– JAN, Nanette Donohue @surferrosa, “…an engrossing, thought-provoking novel about the intersection of race, class, and women’s health. I’m still thinking about it three weeks after I finished it.” — Janet Lockhart @HartGami, “…let me join the chorus of praise. An important story that cannot be forgotten … Historical fiction at its finest and most relevant.”
Fiction / LGBTQ+ / Gay
Stuart, Douglas
Young Mungo
Grove Press
This title has multiple “Much Loves” on Edelweiss, mostly from booksellers and GalleyChatters are showing interest. — Publishers Summary, “A story of queer love and working-class families, YOUNG MUNGO is the brilliant second novel from the Booker Prize-winning author of SHUGGIE BAIN.’
Fiction / Literary
Zhang, Jenny Tinghui
Four Treasures of the Sky
Macmillan/Flatiron Books
DEBUT — Mara @mrlzbth, “I have to rave about Jenny Tinghui Zhang’s stunning debut novel FOUR TREASURES OF THE SKY, absorbing historical fiction with an unforgettable protagonist.” — Vicki Nesting @VNesting, “…Gorgeous cover and an intriguing historical plot featuring a young Chinese girl trying to make her way in the American West.”
Fiction / African American & Black / Historical
Bryce, Denny S.
In the Face of the Sun
Kensington
JenniferSchultz @Jennsreads, “If you loved WILD WOMAN & THE BLUES by Denny S. Bryce, don’t miss IN THE FACE OF THE SUN. This dual timeline historical novel (1920s and 1968) is rich with period details of Black American life during those eras and unforgettable characters.” — Kimberly Mcgee@kimsbookstack, “A great tale of a famous L.A. hotel catering to the Black elite in 1928. Old Hollywood, sisters, secrets and a crazy road trip in 1968 from Chicago back to L.A. with a wild carload of characters.” — JAN, LMR, Michelle Lauren Addo @MichelleAddo, “At the height of the Civil Rights Movement, a pregnant young woman & her aunt embark on an audacious road trip from Chicago to Los Angeles to confront a mystery from 1920’s Black Hollywood.”
Fiction / Historical / Ancient
Patel, Vaishnavi
Kaikeyi
Hachette/Redhook
DEBUT, Multiple “Much Loves” on Edelweiss — Mara @mrlzbth, “My favorite read this month was KAIKEYI by Vaishnavi Patel, a compelling reimagining of Indian mythology that completely held my interest from start to finish. The CIRCE comparisons are well-deserved with this one!” — Janet Lockhart @HartGami, “Three chapters in and I’m already captivated by this reimagining of the story of the queen in the Indian epic the Ramayana is perfect for fans of CIRCE.”
Hearing from the Deaf
Deaf Awareness month isn’t until September, but April brings several new books by deaf authors.
Biography & Autobiography / People With Disabilities
DiMarco, Nyle
Deaf Utopia
HarperCollins/William Morrow
Mara @mrlzbth, “I’m currently about halfway through Nyle DiMarco’s memoir DEAF UTOPIA and highly recommend it! I wasn’t familiar with him before this [he the first male and first deaf winner of “America’s Next Top Model”, followed by winning “Dancing with the Stars”] but it’s a really interesting and entertaining look at his life as a Deaf person and also at the history of Deaf education and culture.” — Jennifer Schultz @Jennsreads, “It’s a great read, I learned so much.”
Fiction / Coming Of Age
Fell, Blair
The Sign for Home
S&S Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Multiple “Much Loves” on Edelweiss — JenniferSchultz @Jennsreads, “THE SIGN FOR HOME by Bell Flair is an endearing, heartbreaking, funny, and eye-opening contemporary novel about a Blind-Deaf college student and his interpreter who embark on a journey to find freedom and lost love.” — S&S EducationLibrary @SSEdLib, “…when Arlo Dilly learns the girl he thought was lost forever might still be out there, he takes it as a sign and embarks on a life-changing journey to find his great love-and his freedom.”
Fiction / Coming Of Age
Novic, Sara
True Biz
PRH/Random House
Oprah Daily picked this as one of the “50 Most Anticipated Books of 2022“, saying, “As a follow-up to her piercing debut, GIRL AT WAR, Novic taps her own experiences as a hearing-impaired writer. …Novic strips away the platitudes associated with disability while weaving in images and idioms from American sign language. (The title alludes to ASL’s definition of ‘real talk.’) Her deft, textured prose reveals the lush interior landscapes of her characters.” — DEC. JenniferSchultz @Jennsreads, “My current read is TRUE BIZ by Sara Novic, set at a residential school for the deaf. Just started but I think this is a winner.”