Titles to Know and Recommend, The Week of Nov 10
Friday, November 7th, 2014Dominating the media next week will be two quite different books about the current and former residents of the White House … librarians recommend three titles for fellow readers advisors … Stephen King returns to the horror genre while James Patterson explores India.
All the titles covered here, and several more notable titles arriving next week, with ordering information and alternate formats, are listed on our downloadable spreadsheet, EarlyWord New Title Radar, Week of 11/1014
Holds Leaders
Revival, Stephen King, (S&S/Scribner; S&S audio; Thorndike); OverDrive Sample; Rolling Stone book and audio excerpts
This is King’s second novel of the year, following Mr. Mercedes, which was called his first hard-boiled detective novel. The Guardian hails the new one with the headline, “Stephen King returns to the horror genre.” Interviewed in The Rolling Stone last week, King took a major swipe at the NYT critic, Michiko Kakutani. Any bets on whether she’ll review this one?
Private India: City on Fire, James Patterson, Ashwin Sanghi, (Hachette/Grand Central; Hachette Audio; Hachette Large Print); OverDrive Sample
In spinoffs from his Private series, Patterson’s character Jack Morgan has opened new offices in Europe (PrIvate London and Private Berlin) and Autstralia (Private Down Under). Now he adds another continent in a title written in collaboration with Ashwin Sanghi, known in his own country as “the Dan Brown of India.” In a Times of India interview Sanghi said Patterson’s publisher contacted him, because Patterson wanted to write a book set in India, but didn’t want to write it on his own, fearing “he would lose its flavour.” Like the others in the international Private series, Private India was published originally in the U.K, Random House, followed by a U.S. release by Hachette/Grand Central in trade paperback. In just a couple of weeks, Patterson’s next Alex Cross novel arrives, Hope to Die (Hachette/Little, Brown).
Readers Advisory
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, Marilyn Johnson, (Harper), OverDrive Sample
Johnson endeared herself to librarians with her 2010 title, This Books is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All. She shines a light on another profession in this LibraryReads pick for November,
“Johnson takes a fascinating look at the field of archeology, profiling a number of archaeologists at work. She visits sites as diverse as an army base, Rhode Island, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Peru, but the best part of this book is learning about the archaeologists and their passions. A fun, interesting read that may cause an uptick in field school applications.” — Jenna Persick, Chester County Library, Exton, PA
The Wild Truth,Carine McCandless, (HarperCollins; HarperAudio; HarperLuxe), OverDrive Sample
GalleyChatters have been enthusiastic about this book for months. Giving further insight into the story that John Krakauer told in the bestselling Into the Wild, about Christopher McCandless’s mysterious disappearance into the Alaskan wilderness, it is written by his sister.
The Heart Has Its Reasons, Maria Duenas, (S&S/Atria; S&S Audio), OverDrive Sample
Also popular on GalleyChat, this was selected by independent booksellers as a top pick for December:
“Blanca Perea is a college professor in Madrid. Her life seems perfect — she is successful and happy, with a husband and two grown sons. When her husband announces that he is in love with another woman and is leaving her, Blanca’s perfect world is shattered. Desperate, she flees Madrid and takes a position at a university near San Francisco. It is her job to probe into the history of a long-deceased writer and former professor, Andres Fontana. As Blanca immerses herself in Fontana’s life, she becomes captivated by the things that drove him — his ambitions, his relationships, and his ill-fated lost love. As she untangles hidden agendas and lies, Blanca finds a strength that enables her to pursue a new life with new possibilities.” — Nancy Nelson, Sunriver Books, Sunriver, OR
Media Attention
41: A Portrait of My Father, George W. Bush, (RH/Crown; RH Audio, read by George W. Bush; RH Large Print)
George W. Bush turns from painting to writing portraits. This one, undoubtedly in rosy tones, is titled simply 41: A Portrait of My Father (RH/Crown). Publicity includes a three-generational sit down on the Today Show as both author and subject are interviewed by correspondent Jenna Bush Hager.
The Stranger: Barack Obama in the White House, Chuck Todd, (Hachette/Little, Brown; Hachette Audio)
There’s no rosy glow in Chuck Todd’s sharply critical look at the current resident of the White House, as evidenced by Michiko Kakutani’s embargo-breaking review in yesterday’s New York Times
No Hero: The Evolution of a Navy SEAL, Mark Owen, Kevin Maurer, (Penguin/Dutton; Penguin Audio; Thorndike)
In his first book, the long-running 2012 best seller, No Easy Day, Mark Owen wrote about the killing of Osama bin Laden. He is still under investigation for allegations that the book disclosed classified information. Owen made sure that his second book, No Hero, was vetted by the Pentagon. He appeared on 60 Minutes last week. According to the story, a sections was cut, “but the reader can infer this is about [the rescue of] Captain Phillips – also the subject of a movie. And then there’s ‘SEAL team blank.’ Owen is not allowed to use the number ‘six.'” Holds in libraries are light, despite advance publicity.
Alan Turing: The Enigma: The Book That Inspired the Film “The Imitation Game,” Andrew Hodges, (Princeton University Press)
The 1983 book, rereleased as a tie-in with a new preface by Douglas Hofstadter. The movie, which opens on 11/28, stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley, has Oscar buzz.
ly Idol, (S&S/Touchstone)
