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.

We have a new name among holds leaders for books arriving this week, Ruth Ware for her second novel, The Woman in Cabin 10 (S&S; S&S Audio; OverDrive Sample). Refreshingly, this psychological thriller does not have a girl in the title. Ware’s first book, last year’s In A Dark, Dark Wood, was a LibraryReads pick, as is this one (see Peer Picks, below). Her debut also appeared on the NYT Hardcover Best Seller list for a week and has since developed a larger audience in trade paperback, currently on that NYT list at #6 after 7 weeks.

Ware follows authors with much longer track records, each of whom is releasing her seventeenth novel. The top title in holds for the week is Iris Johansen’s crime novel, Night and Day (Macmillan/St. Martin’s; Recorded Books; OverDrive Sample), followed by Jane Green’s romance, Falling (Penguin/Berkley; Penguin Audio; BOT; 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 July 18, 2016

Consumer Media Picks

Not Pretty Enough, Gerri Hershey, (Macmillan/FSG).

People magazine’s “Book of the Week” — “This rollicking, Masterful biography celebrates a woman who had the audacity to tell us something we secretly knew already: Sex matters.” It is also reviewed in both the daily NYT and in the NYT Sunday Review, under the headline “Was She a Feminist? The Complicated Legacy of Helen Gurley Brown,” along with Enter Helen: The Invention of Helen Gurley Brown and the Rise of the Modern Single Woman by Brooke Hauser (HarperCollins/Harper; April). As the story points out much more will be coming on Brown, including a possible movie based on Enter Helen.

People also picks Delia Ephron’s Siracusa (PRH/Blue Rider Press; Penguin Audio/BOT; OverDrive Sample), a LibraryReads pick that we covered last week as well as Nina Stibbe’s Paradise Lodge (Hachette/Little Brown). Of the latter, People comments, “You won’t find a funnier, more original confidante than Lizzie Vogel, a teen who’s taken a job in a nursing home.” Stibbe is the author of Love, Nina, an early LibraryReads pick and Man at the Helm, in which Lizzie first appears.

Peer Picks

Two July LibraryReads titles hit shelves this week.

The Hopefuls, Jennifer Close (PRH/Knopf; RH Audio; OverDrive Sample).

“When Beth and Matt, an aspiring politician, move from NYC to DC, Beth initially hates it. But things start to turn around for her when they befriend another “transplant” couple, Ashleigh and Jimmy. Beth’s loyalty is tested when she is forced to admit to herself that Matt is just not quite as attractive, magnetic or charismatic as his rival-friend, Jimmy…..who harbors similar political aspirations. The Hopefuls is on point in its descriptions of young marriage, career ambition, and complicated friendships. The characters are completely compelling. I was overdue for a great read and this was it!” — Amy Lapointe, Amherst Town Library, Amherst, NH

It is a summer reading favorite from Entertainment Weekly, Elle, Glamour, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The Woman in Cabin 10, Ruth Ware (S&S/Gallery/Scout Press; S&S Audio; OverDrive Sample).

“An intruder in the middle of the night leaves Lo Blacklock feeling vulnerable. Trying to shake off her fears, she hopes her big break of covering the maiden voyage of the luxury cruise ship, the Aurora, will help. The first night of the voyage changes everything. What did she really see in the water and who was the woman in the cabin next door? The claustrophobic feeling of being on a ship and the twists and turns of who, and what, to believe keep you on the edge of your seat. Count on this being one of the hot reads this summer!” — Joseph Jones, Cuyahoga County Public Library, OH

It is also an August Indie Next pick as well as a summer reading selection by Entertainment Weekly and Amazon. EW said, “Call it THE GIRL ON THE BOAT.”

Another Indie Next pick out this week is The Secret Language of Stones, M. J. Rose (S&S/Atria Books), part of the Daughters of La Lune series.

“World War I Paris is a dangerous place for the young witch Opaline Duplessi. Still in denial about the true extent of her powers and hopelessly in love with a man she can never have, Opaline becomes caught up in a Russian émigré’s plan to save a Romanov from Bolshevik spies on the windswept English coast. Magic and intrigue collide in this captivating follow-up to The Witch of Painted Sorrows.” —Paula Longhurst, The King’s English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, UT

Tie-ins

Two tie-ins come out this week, both connecting to revamps of older projects.

Suicide Squad Vol. 4: The Janus Directive, John Ostrander (PRH/DC Comics) is the next collected edition featuring the super villain strike team who serve as covert agents on specialized black op missions.

The comic series was originally created by Ross Andru and Robert Kanigher in 1959. The movie adaptation is based on the newer 1987 series by John Ostrander.

There have been three previous collections:

Vol 1: Trial by Fire (Sept. 2015 — 9781401258313)

Vol. 2: The Nightshade Odyssey (Dec, 2015– 9781401258337)

Vol. 3: Rouges (April, 2016 — 9781401260910)

The movie was featured on the cover of the July 15 issue of Entertainment Weekly and boasts a large ensemble cast including Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood, and Cara Delevingne. It opens on Aug. 5.

Also pubbing is Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, Carol Wallace (Tyndale House; also in trade paperback and in Spanish).

It is an adaptation of the 1880 novel, which has already served as the basis of several movies, including the Charlton Heston film from the late 50s.

This new version of the text is not the 1880’s edition but, as the publisher says, an update by “Lew’s great-great-granddaughter [who] has taken the old-fashioned prose of this classic novel and breathed new life into it for today’s audience.”

The film stars Jack Huston and Morgan Freeman and opens Aug. 19.

For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins.

It’s a week with a cornucopia of titles recommended by peers (see below).

Fans need no recommendations for Daniel Silva’s latest, The Black Widow, (HarperCollins/ Harper; HarperAudio; HarperLuxe) the 16th novel featuring Gabriel Allon the Israeli art restorer/assassin/spy. In a starred review, Kirkus notes that this one  “is marked by a subtle shift in emphasis. Allon remains as compelling as ever, but Silva is clearly preparing readers for a world in which his hero takes a supporting role.”

If holds are any indication, and we think they are, Linda Castillo is headed for a higher spot on best seller lists with the eighth outing of her Amish-county mystery series, Among the Wicked, (Macmillan/Minotaur; Macmillan Audio; OverDrive sample), also a LibraryReads pick (see below). In 2013,  Lifetime adapted the first novel in the series, Sworn to Silence as the TV movie An Amish Murder. Her book tour includes several libraries.

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 11, 2016

Advance Attention

Freedom: My Book of Firsts, Jaycee Dugard, (S&S; S&S Audio)

This follows Dugard’s 2011 memoir about being kidnapped at 11 and held for 18 years,  A Stolen Life. Propelled by media attention, including an overview by Diane Sawyer on 20/20, the first book was #1 on the NYT Hardcover Nonfiction list for four weeks. She will again be interviewed by Sawyer on 20/20 tonight.

The Voyeur’s Motel, Gay Talese, (Grove Press; OverDrive Sample)

Talese’s new book was embroiled in
controversy last week after the Washington Post questioned its accuracy. In a review in the daily NYT, Dwight Garner says the author, who at first said he could no longer support the book, then changed his mind, ‘is right to stand by his book.”

Consumer Media Picks

People Book of the Week:

 You’ll Grow Out of It, Jessi Klein, (Hachette/Grand Central; Hachette Audio; OverDrive Sample)

The head writer for Inside Amy Schemer, says People, “will make you laugh out loud, but she exhibits a vulnerability and self-deprecating sweetness too.”

Also picked:

  
The House at the Edge of Night, Catherine Banner, (Random House; OverDrive Sample)

People — this “four-generation saga is set on an island near Sicily … The island is fictional, but consider this dreamy summer read your passport.”

Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North, Blair Braverman, (HarperCollins/Ecco; HarperAudio; OverDrive Sample)

An Indie Next pick, we covered this title  last week. In addition to being a People pick in the new issue, this memoir gets an A- from Entertainment Weekly’s top book critic, Tina Jordan, saying it “a remarkable … coming-of-age tale set largely on the Norwegian tundra — where she trained sled dogs — and in Alaska. … It’s amazing to watch as she develops backbone and grit, determined not to let anyone or anything stand between her and the icy landscape she loves so much.”

Peer Picks

A number of librarian picks arrive this week, all featured on the July LibraryReads list.

Among the Wicked: A Kate Burkholder Novel, Linda Castillo (Macmillan/Minotaur; OverDrive Sample).

“In the small Amish locale of Painters Mill, police chief Kate Burkholder decides to take an undercover assignment in a community where the death of a young girl was reported. Her long time love, Agent John Tomasetti, is reluctant with her decision because of the lack of communication he will have with her. Burkholder begins to unfold the true horrors on the local farm and unearths the dangers the town officials suspected. She finds herself trapped in a life threatening cat and mouse game. This ongoing series is a true gem and a personal favorite.” — KC Davis, Fairfield Woods Branch Library, Fairfield, CT

The Last One, Alexandra Oliva (PRH/Ballantine Books; RH Audio/BOT).

“The Last One tells the story of twelve contestants who are sent to the wilderness in a Survivor-like reality show. But while they’re away, the world changes completely and what is real and what is not begins to blur. It’s post-apocalyptic literary fiction at it’s best. With a fast pace and a wry sense of humor, this is the kind of book that will appeal to readers of literary fiction and genre fiction alike. It points out the absurdity of reality television without feeling condescending. As the readers wake up to the realities of a new world, it becomes difficult to put down.” — Leah White, Ela Area Public Library, Lake Zurich, IL

Nine Women, One Dress, Jane L. Rosen (PRH/Doubleday; RH Audio/BOT; OverDrive Sample).

“Nine Women, One Dress sends the reader on a journey with many characters and the little black dress of the season. From the soon-retiring dress designer and the first-time runway model, to the retail salespeople and an actor, this book relates how the dress touches and, often profoundly, changes the lives of all. Even though there were many characters in this book, the author immersed the reader into their lives. Romance, humor, and irony spark the plot as the dress travels from one life to another. A charming read!” — Kristin Fields, Farnhamville Public Library, Farnhamville, IA

Siracusa, Delia Ephron (PRH/Blue Rider Press; Penguin Audio/BOT; OverDrive Sample).

“Michael and Lizzie are vacationing with another couple and their daughter, named Snow. As the story unfolds, the reader is introduced to infidelities. Ephron does a tremendous job in exposing the frailties of relationships and it feels like being intimate with other people’s problems but without the guilt. Engaging and tough to put down. Great summer read!” — Andrienne Cruz, Azusa City Library, Azusa, CA

Deadline Hollywood reports a film adaptation is in the works.

All Is Not Forgotten, Wendy Walker (Macmillan/St. Martin’s Press; Macmillan Audio).

“A dark, twisty, intricately-plotted psychological thriller about a teen girl, assaulted after a party, as she tries to regain her memories of the event after taking a controversial drug that erases traumatic memories. Walker’s many plot and character threads are carefully placed, and she weaves them all together into a satisfying, shattering conclusion. I’m betting we’ll be seeing this title in a LOT of beach bags over the summer.” — Gregg Winsor, Johnson County Library, Roeland Park, KS

It is also an Indie Next pick for July.

The other bookseller picks coming out this are:

The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, Joanna Cannon (S&S/Scribner; S&S Audio; OverDrive Sample)

“Best friends Grace and Tilly spend England’s sweltering summer of 1976 sleuthing for clues to uncover the reason for their neighbor’s disappearance. They go from house to house, neighbor to neighbor, investigating as only guileless little girls can do. While they’re at it, they also look for god in the most unusual places. As the mystery of the neighborhood is slowly revealed, so are the many secrets behind every door on the avenue. If you loved A Man Called Ove, you will love The Trouble With Goats and Sheep. Funny, quirky and profound!” —Cathy Langer, Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver, CO

Pond, Claire-Louise Bennett (PRH/Riverhead Books; OverDrive Sample)

“A brilliant and captivating debut, Bennett’s Pond is a strange, beautifully layered work of fiction, from its quirky and contemplative narrator’s interior life to the vivid and charming descriptions of rural Irish life. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this book is its warm invitation to celebrate solitude. Bennett writes as if in a lush, landscaped dream, each story chapter going forward, circling back, and ending in the middle of the protagonist’s musings upon her everyday experiences. Pond is utterly original, by turns hilarious and poignant, a refreshing and simply delightful read.” —Angela Spring, Politics & Prose, Washington, DC

Miss Jane, Brad Watson (Norton).

“At first, I was uncomfortable reading about the life Jane Chisolm has to lead due to a genital birth defect and assumed that I would be sad for her throughout the book, but this is so beautifully written and unsentimental in its depiction of Jane’s quiet strength and courageous acceptance of her life that I fell in love with her quite quickly. While all the supporting characters have their own peculiarities, they are tender and endearing to Jane and that helped me to understand how she endured and was loved so fully. Everyone should read this extraordinary book and feel, as I did, the joy of this remarkable woman.” —Nancy Banks, City Stacks Books and Coffee, Denver, CO

The Heavenly Table, Donald Ray Pollock (PRH/Doubleday; RH Audio/BOT).

“After murdering the tyrannical owner of the land they farmed on the Georgia/Alabama border, three brothers make a desperate run for Canada and manage, along the way, to acquire national reputations as the kind of ruthless outlaws who are immortalized in dime store novels. This is a rollicking and ribald adventure story, populated with shady characters and told in vivid, sparkling prose reminiscent of Patrick DeWitt’s The Sisters Brothers — and there is hardly a higher compliment.” —Alden Graves, Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT

Selecting it for their summer reading list, the Chicago Tribune said, it “has been likened to the work of Flannery O’Connor, Cormac McCarthy and the Coen Brothers.”

Tie-ins

The big tie-in news comes a bit late in the day as a key tie-in for The Secret Life of Pets is hitting shelves after the movie opens on July 9 (others came out in May).

The Secret Life of Pets: The Deluxe Junior Novelization (Secret Life of Pets), David Lewman (PRH/Random House – also in a paperback, non-deluxe version) pubs this week.

The animated film is getting flat reviews, as we wrote, with the Den of Geek offering a typical reaction, “I’m sure it’ll make lots and lots of money … I’m less sure that lots and lots of people will love it.”

Nerve Movie Tie-In, Jeanne Ryan (PRH/Speak; Blackstone Audio; OverDrive Sample).

The debut YA SF thriller, about an online, voyeuristic, version of truth or dare was called a page-turner by  Kirkus, if beholden to books like The Hunger Games.

The film adaptation stars Emma Roberts, Dave Franco and Juliette Lewis and opens July 27.

Florence Foster Jenkins: The Inspiring True Story of the World’s Worst Singer, Nicholas Martin and Jasper Rees (Macmillan/St. Martin’s Griffin).

Starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant, this bio-pic about a real life socialite who could not sing a note opens in the US on Aug. 12.

It has already aired in the UK where it got strong reviews. The Guardian gave it 4 out of 5 stars, saying it is a “very likable, frequently hilarious, yet still poignant tragi-comedy.” The Telegraph (pre-Brexit) agrees, giving it the same star rating and saying, it feels like “a classic postwar studio comedy – a pillowy paean to silliness, and the perfect antidote for sobering times.”

Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism, Ron Suskind (Hachette/Kingswell) is also out behind its movie release date.

As we reported in an earlier Hitting Screens round-up, the Sundance award-winning documentary following the life of Owen Suskind (son of author Ron Suskind) opened over the July 4th holiday.

It got great early reviews with Variety calling it “captivating” and The Hollywood Reporter saying it is “radiant.” Later reviews were still strongly positive but less glowing.

For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins.

It may be a record-breaking week for the record-breaking James Patterson. Five new titles arrive with his name on them. Four are from his new series of short original paperbacks, BookShots (at least two are published the first of each month. July is one of the bonanza months), plus a YA title, Treasure Hunters: Peril at the Top of the World. In addition, the paperback version of NYPD Red 4 is being released.

The first two titles in the BookShots were published last month. Both are still on the NYT Mass Market list after 3 weeks. Both are readily identifiable as Patterson products.  Cross Kill extends his most popular series, the one he writes solo, Alex Cross, and Zoo 2 arrived as the second season of the TV adaptation of Zoo launched.

This month’s titles may not fare as well. Only one is from an established Patterson series, Women’s Murder Club. The other three are romances, with one of them being, as Patterson tells Al Roker on the Today Show, “A kind of Fifty Shades of Grey, but maybe a little better story.”

He doesn’t reveal the title, but we’re guessing Little Black Dress, (Hachette/Bookshots; Hachette Audio) is his Fifty Shades readalike. A cover blurb reads, “Slip into something … irresistibly sexy” and the plot description reads, “Magazine editor Jane Avery spends her nights alone with Netflix and Oreos — until the Dress turns her loose. Suddenly she’s surrendering to dark desires, and New York City has become her erotic playground. But what began as a fantasy will go too far . . . and her next conquest could be her last.”

It is co-written by Emily Raymond, who has written two YA titles with Patterson, First Love and The Lost.

The other two romance titles are in the sub-series BookShots Flames. Holds are light on these two (and Patterson’s name is not a prominent on the covers).

The McCullagh Inn in Maine, Jen McLaughlin, James Patterson (Foreword by), (Hachette/Bookshots; Hachette Audio)

McLaughlin is a best selling self-pubbed author. This is her first with Patterson and it will be followed by A Wedding in Maine: A McCullagh Inn Story in January (9780316501170).

Learning to Ride, Erin Knightley, James Patterson (Foreword by), (Hachette/Bookshots; Hachette Audio). Kingsley has written seven historical romance novels. This is her first with Patterson.

The title with the most holds, is, unsurprisingly more identifiable as a Patterson title, an extension of the Women’s Muder Club hardcover series. Still, holds are just 20% of those you’d see for a hardcover release in the series.

The Trial: A BookShot: A Women’s Murder Club Story, James Patterson, Maxine Paetro, (Hachette/Bookshots; Hachette Audio)

Below are more titles that will draw attention this week. All are listed, along with and several other notable titles arriving next week, in  our downloadable spreadsheet, EarlyWord New Title Radar, Week of July 4, 2016

Advance Attention

Julian Fellowes’s Belgravia,  (Hachette/Grand Central; Hachette Audio; OverDrive Sample)

This is the hardcover compilation of a book published as an ebook serial earlier this spring. It was launched to some excitement from the media, both because Fellowes is the creator of  Downton Abbey and because of the format. The Atlantic declared that it represented,  “The Triumph of the Serial,” but it seems the public did not share that view.

The UK trade publication, The Bookseller, explores where Belgravia went wrong, blaming it on mishandling of the medium, but perhaps the fault lies with the content. The Seattle Times damns it as “rather dull.” Comparing it to Downton Abbey, the reviewer says it “feels like a respectable but socially inferior cousin; it might get invited to dinner, but only out of obligation.”

The audio is read by the great Juliet Stevenson (OverDrive Sample here) delivering a line worthy of Maggie Smith as the dowager Countess of Grantham,

“She was at that period of her life that almost everyone must pass through, when childhood is done wth and a faux maturity untrammeled by experience gives one a sense that anything is possible, until the arrival of real adulthood proves conclusively that it is not.” seem to have either captured the public’s imagination or had the commercial success that it might have done.”

Fellowes is scheduled to appear on NPR’s Diane Rehm Show on Thursday, Jul 07 2016.

Here Comes the Sun, Nicole Dennis-Benn. (Norton/Liveright; Highbridge Audio; OverDrive Sample)

If you attended the AAP/LibraryReads Librarian Author lunch at BEA, you will remember the author’s becoming overwhelmed as she said she wrote this book for family and friends she left behind in Jamaica. The NYT interviews the author and also reviews the book, saying. “This lithe, artfully-plotted debut concerns itself with the lives of those for whom tourists can barely be bothered to remove their Ray-Bans, and the issues it tackles — the oppressive dynamics of race, sexuality and class in post-colonial Jamaica — have little to do with the rum-and-reggae island of Sandals commercials.” The Miami Herald agrees, “Here Comes the Sun arrives in the season of the beach read, but with eloquent prose and unsentimental clarity, Dennis-Benn offers an excellent reason to look beyond the surface beauty of paradise. This novel is as bracing as a cold shower on a hot day, a reminder that sometimes we need to see things as they are, not as we wish they would be.”

Trump and Me: Donald Trump and the Art of Delusion by Mark Singer, (PRH/Tim Duggan Books)

An updated version of an essay published in the New Yorker 20 years ago. Despite its age, writes the Telegraph, it “offers clearer insight into the mind of the presumptive Republican nominee than any of the detailed biographies written over the years.”

Holds Leaders

The Games, James Patterson, Mark Sullivan, (Hachette/Little, Brown; Hachette Audio; Hachette Large Print; OverDrive Sample)

Currently, Patterson has only 4 books on NYT Best seller lists — the first two titles in his new trade paperback original series BookShots, which debuted last week on the combined list, 15th Affair at #14 on the hardcover fiction list after 7 weeks  and Jacky Ha-Ha on the Childrens Middle Grade list after 13 weeks. So it’s high time to publish a new title.

Next week’s title is the next in the Private series about a private security agency cleverly named Private. Head of the agency Jack Morgan heads to Rio to provide security for the Summer Olympics, as he did  the 2012 Olympics in London in Private Games.

First Comes Love, Emily Giffin, (PRH/Ballantine; RH Audio; BOT; OverDrive Sample)

Griffin comes off her #1 NYT best seller of last year with a new title told from the perspective of two very different sisters, one who has a traditional family, but envies her sister’s single life. Of course, the single sister is desperate for a child. This one is described by PW as “Giffin at her finest, a fantastic, memorable story.” Kirkus agrees, “Giffin’s fans will be pleased with this fast-paced, witty, and thoughtful new offering.”

The titles covered 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 June 27, 2016

Advance Attention

Crisis of Character: A White House Secret Service Officer Discloses His Firsthand Experience with Hillary, Bill, and How They Operate, Gary J. Byrne, (Hachette/Center Street; Hachette Audio)

As we wrote earlier this month, this embargoed title, the latest in a line of books aimed at discrediting Hillary Clinton, has topped Amazon’s sales rankings for weeks. Byrne is a  former Secret Service officer who was assigned to the White House when Bill Clinton was in office. Politico reports that Secret Service veterans “blast writer Gary Byrne for having ‘underlying motives.'”

Consumer Media Picks

We Are Not Such Things: The Murder of a Young American, a South African Township, and the Search for Truth and Reconciliation, Justine van der Leun (PRH/Spiegel & Grau; OverDrive Sample)

Free-lance journalist van der Leun discovers some uncomfortable truths about  a story that made headlines in its day. During the Clinton administration, a young American activist was murdered in South Africa. Her parents, in an amazing act of grace, forgave the killers.The only book reviewed in the current issue of Entertainment Weekly, which gives it and A- and says, it is  “a story steeped in extraordinary characters and circumstances …a dense and nuanced portrait of a country whose confounding, convoluted past is never quite history”

Peer Picks

Two June LibraryReads titles come to the shelves this week.

 We Could Be Beautiful, Swan Huntley (RH/Doubleday; RH Audio/BOT; OverDrive Sample), has already appeared on several summer book previews and is this week’s People magazine’s “Book of the Week,” which calls it a “riveting psychological thriller [that] takes you inside the world of Manhattan’s elite — and keeps you on tenterhooks.”

“Wealthy art collector Catherine spends her time fussing over her tiny boutique card shoppe so that she can feel like a productive member of society. She meets the handsome and refined William Stockton, yet something seems just a little too good to be true. The plot thickens as long hidden family secrets emerge. Huntley certainly knows how to build up the suspense. This debut novel includes some nice plot twists and Catherine’s character evolves favorably. Recommended for fans of psychological fiction.” — Mary Vernau, Tyler Public Library, Tyler, TX

Missing, Presumed, Susie Steiner (PRH/Random House; RH Audio/BOT; OverDrive Sample).

“This is a thoughtful police procedural about a missing person case and the secrets that come to the surface when a feisty detective becomes relentless in finding the truth. Edith is a successful college student from a well-known family, but all is not what it seems. Detective Manon Bradshaw is feeling the pressure to quickly resolve the case. What sets this apart from other detective stories is how the lead character is brought to life; she exposes her melancholy and it adds a satisfying mix to the thrills. Recommended for fans of Tana French.” — Andrienne Cruz, Azusa City Library, Azusa, CA

Three titles booksellers enjoyed also publish this week:

A Certain Age, Beatriz Williams (HC/William Morrow; HarperAudio).

“Open the pages of A Certain Age and be drawn into Williams’ rich, atmospheric world of Manhattan in the 1920s — a world where society pages hint at gossip, speakeasies tease with gin, and secrets and hidden desires lie just below the polished veneer of the fashionably dressed and well-bred families of the city. This deft retelling of Richard Strauss’ comic opera Der Rosenkavalier is simply exquisite.” —Dawn Rennert, The Concord Bookshop, Concord, MA

A Hundred Thousand Worlds, Bob Proehl (PRH/Viking; Penguin Audio/BOT).

“Nine-year-old Alex and his mom, Valerie — the ex-star of a superhero TV show — make their way across the country, Comic-Con by Comic-Con, toward a future of inevitable loss. They visit the fallen heroes, wise women, and wizards of pen-and-ink who have all shaped the story of their lives. Pushed and pulled by so many other people’s stories, can Alex and Valerie learn to write their own?” —Cat Nichols, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA

Soft in the Head, Marie-Sabine Roger, translated by Frank Wynne (PRH/Pushkin Press; OverDrive Sample).

“Two disparate individuals pass the time counting pigeons in the town park and finally make each other’s acquaintance: Marguerite, a retired and lonely 80-something plant scientist, and Germain, an unemployed, undereducated, dim-witted 45-year-old who lives in a trailer behind his mother’s house. Soon, Marguerite is reading to Germain, who eventually overcomes his childhood aversion and begins to read himself. This is a lovely story of the redeeming qualities of civil conversation, the possibility of friendship bridging many years and inquiring minds, and the worlds opened up through reading.” —Darwin Ellis, Books on the Common

Tie-ins

Pete’s Dragon Junior Novel: With 8 Pages of Photos From The Movie!, Disney Book Group (Hachette/Disney Press) ties in to the new Disney re-vamp of their 1977 musical film of the same name,  about a young boy and his friendly (and often invisible) dragon.

The new film changes the story and stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, and Karl Urban. It opens Aug. 12.

For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins.

Several marquee authors return with new books next week, but only one has significant holds, The Pursuit  by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, (PRH/Bantam; RH Audio), the fifth book featuring con man Nicolas Fox and FBI agent Kate O’Hare.

Other well-known names are showing far fewer holds, including the latest in the series Robert Ludlum made famous, now continued by Eric Van Lustbader, The Bourne Enigma, (Hachette/Grand Central; Hachette Audio), coming in advance of the latest Bourne movie Jason Bourne  opening 7/29/16. It stars Matt Damon and Alicia Vikander.

Also showing few holds is Bill O’Reilly’s young readers version of his best seller about the attempt on the life of the Republican icon, The Day the President Was Shot: The Secret Service, the FBI, a Would-Be Killer, and the Attempted Assassination of Ronald Reagan, (Macmillan/Holt; Holt)

The titles covered 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 June 20, 2016

Peer Picks

Only one LibraryReads selection arrives this week, but it is the #1 librarian pick for June, Vinegar Girl, Anne Tyler (PRH/Hogarth; RH Audio; BOT; OverDrive Sample).

“The newest entry in the Hogarth Shakespeare series brings The Taming of the Shrew into the modern world. Kate is stuck in a life taking care of her absent minded professor father and her sister, Bunny. When her father suggests a marriage of convenience in order to secure a green card for his lab assistant Pyotr, Kate is shocked. This is a sweet and humorous story about two people, who don’t quite fit in, finding each other. Tyler’s wonderful writing updates and improves on the original.” — Catherine Coyne, Mansfield Public Library, Mansfield, MA

It is a summer reading pick from B&N and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as well as an Indie Next pick for July.

Tyler’s latest is part of an ongoing series transforming Shakespeare’s plays. Margaret Atwood will take on The Tempest in October in a new novel entitled Hag-Seed. Jo Nesbø, Gillian Flynn, and Tracey Chevalier are also part of the project, which extends through 2021.

Booksellers suggest four titles this week:

As Good as Gone, Larry Watson (Workman/Algonquin).

“After the death of his wife, Cal Sidey abandoned his children for the life of a solitary ranch hand in Montana. Years later, in 1963, his son Bill asks his father to return home to look after his grandchildren, while Bill tends to a family emergency. The powerful story of Cal’s visit is a tragedy of narrowly missed moments as he attempts reentry into a world that no longer has any place for his old-fashioned and violent ways. The prose is clear and lovely, every character is strongly drawn, and Cal Sidey captured my heart while breaking it. Watson has given us a grand Western tragedy, spare and harrowing.” —Kathi Kirby, Powell’s Books, Portland, OR

So Much for That Winter: Novellas, Dorthe Nors and translated by Misha Hoekstra (Macmillan/Graywolf Press; OverDrive Sample).

“Inventive and emotionally charged, the two novellas in So Much for That Winter bridge the gap between melancholy and humor. Told in a series of lists and headlines, these stories of the aftermath of two relationships are witty examinations of love and heartbreak in an age of technological detachment and shortened attention spans. Nors’ relentlessly paced vision of modern life should not be missed.” —Emily Ballaine, Green Apple Books, San Francisco, CA

It is also a summer reads pick by B&N.

My Last Continent, Midge Raymond (S&S/Scribner; S&S Audio).

“Suspense and love intertwine against the starkly beautiful backdrop of Antarctica in this wonderful debut. Deb is a researcher devoting her life to the magnificent penguins that populate this remote corner of the world, where the ice-choked waters set the stage for the tragic collision of a supersized cruise liner and mountainous iceberg. When Deb discovers the man she loves is aboard the doomed ship, the poles of her world shift, as she must now focus on rescuing the one person who has saved her from her self-inflicted solitude. Raymond does a masterful job building the tension while the dramas of both the past and present unfold.” —Luisa Smith, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA

Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, Paul Tremblay (HC/William Morrow; HarperAudio; OverDrive Sample).

“When a young boy goes missing, his mother and sister begin finding pages from his diary revealing secrets they had never suspected. Where did he go, and why won’t his friends tell anyone the truth? Tremblay peels back the layers of a quaint New England town to expose the ugly underbelly of family life in the U.S. Disappearance at Devil’s Rock is a shocking, scary, and disturbing read, the result of a powerful storyteller at work, and it solidifies Tremblay’s reputation as a master of psychological suspense.” —William Carl, Wellesley Books, Wellesley, MA

Tie-ins

Tie-ins this week get off to an explosive start with two editions marking the upcoming summer blockbuster, the sequel to the 1996 film Independence Day, one for adults and one for young readers.

Independence Day: Resurgence: The Official Movie Novelization, Alex Irvine (PRH/Titan Books)
Independence Day Resurgence Movie Novelization: Young Readers Edition, Tracey West (S&S/Simon Spotlight).

20 years after humans turned back the alien invasion, an even larger force is descending on Earth. The film stars Liam Hemsworth along with returning favorites from the first film: Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, and Vivica A. Fox. Will Smith is not returning. The movie opens June 24.

Another long-in-the making film is Cell, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. A new tie-in edition with fresh cover art is being released (S&S/Pocket Books; OverDrive Sample).

King’s 2006 horror tale follows a band of survivors trying to locate a mysterious signal that, sent over the cell phone network, turns humans into raging killers. It stars John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, and Isabelle Fuhrman. It came out last weekend on VOD and will open in a limited number of theaters on July 8.

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates: And a Thousand Cocktails, Mike Stangle, Dave Stangle (S&S/Gallery Books; OverDrive Sample; S&S Audio; also in mass market). A comic collection of essays and stories becomes the basis for the next Zac Efron romp. He and Adam DeVine star opposite Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza in this tale of two brothers, who, in an effort to keep a low profile at their sister’s wedding, search for dates – only to discover the women they take to the ceremony are beyond even their definition of wild. The film opens July 8.

The Infiltrator: My Secret Life Inside the Dirty Banks Behind Pablo Escobar’s Medellín Cartel, Robert Mazur (Hachette/Back Bay). The nonfiction account ties to the July 13 film starring Bryan Cranston, Diane Kruger, Benjamin Bratt, John Leguizamo and Amy Ryan. It tells the story of a US Customs special agent who takes out the international financial systems that supplied money-laundering services to the drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.

For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins.

Next week, fans of Terry Pratchett will have the bittersweet pleasure of reading the novel which was completed in 2013, before his death last year. The Long Cosmos. Terry Pratchett, with Stephen Baxter (Harper; HarperLuxe) is the final title in the Long Earth series.

Below are highlights of other titles coming out next week. They are listed, along with several other notable titles arriving next week, with ordering information and alternate formats, on our downloadable spreadsheet, EarlyWord New Title Radar, Week of June 13, 2016.

Holds Leaders

Among the holds leaders this week are three authors who long ago achieved marquee status (i.e., their names are in larger type than the titles on their book jackets) and a rarity among holds leaders, a debut novel.

Foreign Agent, Brad Thor, (S&S/Atria; S&S Audio)

Thor, a favorite of conservative talk shows, was interviewed on the Glenn Beck Show on Sirius Radio at the end of May. Discussing Donald Trump’s candidacy, which neither support (Beck has said that, although he doesn’t disagree with many of Trump’s policies, he feels he is “deeply flawed and dangerous as a human being“), Thor made a comment that, according to a Sirius Radio statement, “may be reasonably construed by some to have been advocating harm against an individual currently running for office, which we cannot and will not condone.” As a result, the show was suspended for a week. Thor will have plenty of opportunities to talk about that story next week as he is scheduled for interviews on several Fox-TV shows as well as on Beck’s radio show to promote his new book, the 15th in his Scott Harvath series

Bay of Sighs: Book Two of the Guardians Trilogy, Nora Roberts, (PRH/Berkley; Brilliance Audio)

The second in Roberts’ original trade paperback paranormal romance trilogy, following Stars of Fortune.

Here’s to Us, Elin Hildebrand, (Hachette/Little, Brown: Hachette Audio

The next in her Nantucket-based series. Hilderbrand’s previous recent title, The Rumor, brought her to a new level on best seller lists;

Rivaling Hildebrand is a brand-new author, Emma Cline (see Peer Picks, below). Holds are strong everywhere, but sky high at to Hennepin Public Library, which will host an appearance by the author next week.

Advance Attention

I’m Just a Person, Tig Notary, (HarperCollins/Ecco)

The memoir by the comic who appears on Transparent and on radio in This American Life, was featured in last week’s People magazine. Upcoming is an Amazon series about her life.

In the Darkroom, Susan Faludi,(Macmillan/Metropolitan Books)

People magazine, listing it as one of their summer reading picks, calls this a “A fascinating memoir” by the feminist author (Backlash) about her efforts to come to terms with her estranged father, after he has goes through a late-life sex-reassignment surgery. Definitely not a feminist, her father, now a woman, tells her, “Men have to help me. It’s one of the great advantages to being a woman. You write about the disadvantages of being a woman, but I’ve only found advantages!”

Appearing on several summer reading lists, it will be covered widely. In one of the first reviews, Laura Miller in Slate says that the book’s “complexity fascinates.” Entertainment Weekly gives it an A- and says, “It’s a gripping and honest personal journey—bolstered by reams of research—that ultimately transcends family and addresses much bigger questions of identity and reinvention.”

Consumer Media Picks

Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty, Ramona Ausubel, (PRH/Riverhead)

People magazine’s “Book of the Week” is also on several summer reading previews. Set in the “60’s and ’70’s, it’s about couple with two children, who suddenly faces the fact that their fairly luxurious lifestyle will not longer be funded by the largess of their parents.

Peer Picks

Librarians and booksellers offer readers ten titles this week. The LibraryReads selections include the return of several series as well as two debuts, while the Indie Next picks highlight a buzzy summer reading favorite.

Books librarians recommend include:

The Invisible Library, Genevieve Cogman (PRH/Roc; OverDrive Sample).

“Directed by powerful librarians, agents roam alternate realities searching out special volumes for their mysterious library’s collections. Irene is a spy for the library but something is a little off about her current mission; there’s something strange about her new assistant that she can’t quite put her finger on and worse, the requested volume has already been stolen. Cogman’s engaging characters and a most intriguing imagined world are sure to delight readers, especially bibliophiles.” – Beth Mills, New Rochelle Public Library, New Rochelle, NY

Read our online chat with the author here.

Under the Harrow, Flynn Berry (PRH/Penguin; Blackstone Audio; OverDrive Sample).

“Nora leaves London to visit her sister, Rachel, in the countryside often. But this trip is different – a silent house, a dead dog hanging from the railing and so much blood. Nora stays, trying to help the police solve the case. She thinks it might have something to do with the unsolved attack on Rachel when she was just a teen but it could be someone new. This story is thrilling and quietly gripping. We become as obsessed as Nora in finding her sister’s killer and what if he strikes again?” – Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, Austin, TX

Stiletto, Daniel O’Malley (Hachette/Little, Brown; Hachette Audio; OverDrive Sample).

“In the long-awaited sequel to The Rook, negotiations between two highly secret organizations, one based on science and reason and the other on the supernatural, are continuing. Odette and Pawn both come to the forefront of the story as we get more of the history of the groups and why mortal enemies would want to join forces. With its blend of intricate world-building and fantastical situations, Stiletto both surprised me and made me laugh.” – Mary Bell, Wilbraham Public Library, Wilbraham, MA

It is a summer reading pick, selected by the Amazon Editors.

Widowmaker, Paul Doiron (Macmillan/Minotaur; OverDrive Sample).

“Doiron delivers a novel of intensifying suspense. The brooding and flawed Bowditch deals with a newly revealed family secret that sets him off on a search for the truth. His personal mission leads him into danger as he chases a vigilante through the wintry Maine woods. Doiron perfects his storytelling with a richly detailed setting and admirable sense of timing. You’ll want to go back to the previous Bowditch adventures while awaiting the next installment. Highly recommended for fans of Nevada Barr and C.J. Box.” – Mamie Ney, Auburn Public Library, Auburn, ME

Booksellers offer suggestions this week for books coming out in June and July:

The #1 June pick is The Girls, Emma Cline (PRH/Random House; Random House Audio; OverDrive Sample).

“Evie Boyd is a lonely 14-year-old adjusting to her parents’ recent divorce and an emotional break with her childhood best friend. She encounters a wild and enchanting group of girls and is immediately drawn into their world of reckless abandon. Seduced by their thrilling, cult-like family hidden in the California hills, Evie finds herself pulled into events that will lead to unspeakable violence. Cline’s captivating prose strips bare the deep desires and vulnerability of teenage Evie as she struggles for acceptance. The Girls is an enthralling and haunting novel that will linger with readers long after the last page.” —Tarah Jennings, Mitzi’s Books, Rapid City, SD

The consensus top summer read title, selected by Entertainment Weekly, People, NYT, WSJ, USA Today, Amazon Editors, Buzzfeed, and the syndicated St. Louis Post-Dispatch list. Entertainment Weekly writes it “is so accomplished that it’s hard to believe it’s a debut.” Reviewers have been mostly positive about the book, with the exception of the NYT‘s Dwight Garner, under the headline, “The Girls Has a Great Start. Too Bad About the Rest.”

Brighton, Michael Harvey (HC/Ecco; HarperAudio; OverDrive Sample).

“Gritty, thrilling, and full of twists, Harvey’s first novel to be set in his hometown of Boston is cause for celebration. Its namesake neighborhood is as richly textured as the characters in this deeply moving crime story about two friends haunted by their shared past of violence. While it will certainly appeal to fans of Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River, Brighton sings with a fresh Bostonian voice that is all its own.” —Thomas Wickersham, Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, MA

Barkskins, Annie Proulx (S&S/Scribner; S&S Audio).

“This multigenerational saga follows the fortunes of the Sel and Duke families from early Colonial days to the present, spanning centuries and continents as they make their living not only from the bounty of the land but also from the ravaging and destruction of it. As always, Proulx is brilliant at creating a story that flows impeccably, and her nature writing is some of the most beautiful and evocative to be found in modern literature. This novel is an epic work, a fictional Silent Spring that will linger with readers long after completion.” —Bill Cusumano, Square Books, Oxford, MS

It also, of course, was featured in many summer reading previews, selected by the Amazon Editors, B&N, Buzzfeed, USA Today, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The author is scheduled to appear on NPR’s All Things Considered today, June 10 and is profiled in today’s Wall Street Journal.

If I Forget You, Thomas Christopher Greene (Macmillan/Thomas Dunne; OverDrive Sample).

“Twenty years ago, Margo and Henry fell in love, lost each other to a fierce misunderstanding, and went their separate ways — to marriages, children, and a second-best kind of happiness. Now, a chance encounter holds out hope for reconciliation and the joy of true love. Greene tells this story by jumping back and forth in time and between narrators, while readers wonder ‘will they or won’t they?’ Read this one for the story and the superb style. One of the best books I have read this year.” —Linda Bond, Auntie’s Bookstore, Spokane, WA

I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Iain Reid (S&S/Gallery/Scout Press; S&S Audio; OverDrive Sample).

“With his debut novel, Reid sets an extremely high bar for all future psychological thrillers. The entire story takes place in little over 24 hours as Jake and his girlfriend travel to meet and have dinner with his parents. In the narration by the unnamed girlfriend, something unsettling surfaces early and builds with the passage of every page. Readers will become riveted, reading faster and faster as the ‘unsettling’ becomes frightening, and then terrifying. Recommended for all who enjoy a good mind-twisting scare!” —Nancy Simpson-Brice, The Book Vault, Oskaloosa, IA

Another summer reading pick, selected by the Amazon Editors.

The Insides, Jeremy P. Bushnell (PRH/Melville House; OverDrive Sample).

“With wildly inventive ideas, compelling suspense, and surprising emotional depth, The Insides captured my attention and imagination right from the start. Bushnell is a playful and adventurous writer, coloring outside the lines of genre, breaking the real world open and building his own between the cracks. In a feat of literary street magic, he blends the ordinary and the surreal together into a harmony that feels perfectly right and true even as it disorients the senses The result is a quirky paradox of a novel: fierce yet tender, lighthearted yet severe, weird yet natural.” —Jason Foose, Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, AZ

Tie-ins

The reboot of Ghostbusters dominates the tie-ins with five titles forthcoming.

There are two novelizations. Out this week is the version written for ages 8-12, Ghostbusters Movie Novelization, Stacia Deutsch (S&S/Simon Spotlight). Following that, on June 28th, is the full novelization, issued by a different publisher, Ghostbusters, Nancy Holder (Macmillan/Tor; OverDrive Sample).

The supernatural comedy opens July 15th and stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. So high are expectations that action figures are forthcoming as well from a range of producers including Lego and Mattel.

Additional tie-ins include the Ghostbuster’s Handbook, Daphne Pendergrass (S&S/Simon Spotlight) and two leveled readers Proud to Be a Ghostbuster (S&S/Simon Spotlight; OverDrive Sample; also in pbk.) and Who You Gonna Call? (S&S/Simon Spotlight; OverDrive Sample; also in pbk.) both by David Lewman.

For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins.

The holds leaders arriving this week are:

End of Watch, Stephen King, (S&S/Scribner; S&S Audio)

Stephen King is poised to join his son on best seller lists. Joe Hill’s The Fireman, arrived at #1 on the NYT list last week and is currently at #8. King’s new title completes the trilogy that began with Mr. Mercedes and continued in Finders Keepers.

Dishonorable Intentions, Stuart Woods, (PRH/Putnam; Penguin Audio; BOT)

The House of Secrets, Brad Meltzer, Tod Goldberg, (Hachette/Grand Central; Hachette Audio; Hachette Large Print)

With co-author Tod Goldberg Meltzer introduces a new series that will appeal to the conspiracy-minded.

The is also the week when James Patterson ups his output with the first two titles in his new trade paperback original series, BookShots (see earlier story).

The titles covered 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 June 6, 2016

Peer Picks

Three LibraryReads titles come out this week,

 Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War, Mary Roach (Norton; Brilliance Audio; OverDrive Sample), a quirky, funny, nonfiction foray that looks at science and warfare. Expect a wave of publicity with excerpts, interviews, and reviews in major sources.

“With courageous curiosity, journalistic persistence, and a wry empathetic sense of humor, Roach once again delves into a fascinating topic few of us would openly explore. She writes about the issues confronting the military in its attempt to protect and enable combat troops. Roach brings to our attention the amazing efforts of science to tackle all the challenges of modern warfare. Grunt is another triumph of sometimes uncomfortable but fascinating revelation.” — Darren Nelson, Sno-Isle Libraries, Marysville, WA

It is a summer reading pick by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a list widely syndicated in regional newspapers.

Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi (RH/Knopf; RH Audio; BOT; OverDrive Sample).

“An engaging family saga following two half-sisters – one who marries into privilege and one sold into slavery – and their descendants as they navigate the politics of their separate countries and their heritage. Each is directly affected in some way by the choices of the past, and finding the parallels in the triumphs and heartbreak makes for an engrossing read.” — Amanda Monson, Bartow County Library System, Cartersville, GA

Gyasi earned a $1 million advance for her debut, which gives it a publicity hook, but it is also appealing to reviewers. It addition to being a LibraryReads pick, it is an Indie Next selection and is on four summer reading lists: The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly‘s top 10 choices, B&N, and  Buzzed. It is reviewed today on the NYT site (in print, it will appear in the upcoming NYT Sunday Review)

Lily and the Octopus, Steven Rowley (S&S; S&S Audio; OverDrive Sample)

“Rowley has lovingly captured what it is like to be totally invested in caring for another life, another heart. This book is a true gift for anyone who has experienced the loss of a dog, but especially for those of us who have nursed a beloved dog through an illness even though you both knew it was going to be a losing battle. A special bond is formed there, and the story of Lily and Ted illustrates it so perfectly.” — Mary Coe, Fairfield Woods Branch Library, Fairfield, CT

It is also an Indie Next pick and a B&N summer reading list selection.

Four additional Indie Next picks hit the shelves as well, two of which are also on the widely-syndicated  St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s summer reading list, Marrow Island and Wintering.

Marrow Island, Alexis M. Smith (HMH; RH Audio; BOT; OverDrive Sample).

“After an earthquake destroyed the oil refinery on Marrow Island and killed her father, Lucie Bowen left. Twenty years later, she returns to the Puget Sound and discovers her friend Kate is now living on this toxic island with members of ‘The Colony.’ Set in the Pacific Northwest, Marrow Island is a mystery/thriller that encompasses communal living, natural and man-made disasters, and what can happen when we tinker with the ecosystem and try to play a larger role.” —Tracy Taylor, The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA

Wintering, Peter Geye (RH/Knopf; Blackstone Audio; OverDrive Sample).

“It is tempting to inhale Wintering in a great rush because it is such a suspenseful, wild, and dangerous survival story. That would be a mistake. Geye magically conveys the starkness, beauty, and despair of the northern Minnesota borderlands in prose that deserves to be savored. He gives us characters with deep, complex interior lives who struggle with secrets, love, and damaged relationships. A powerful father-son story and a landscape revealed in breathtaking detail make this a novel to read with care and wonder.” —Tripp Ryder, Content Bookstore, Northfield, MN

Goodnight, Beautiful Women, Anna Noyes (Perseus/PGW/Legato/Grove Press/Recorded Books; OverDrive Sample).

“These interconnected stories set in Maine and around the Northeast coast announce a startling new writer of strong literary fiction. Noyes’ women yearn, stumble, get back up, make terrible mistakes, strive, keep dark secrets, take off, come back again, and fumble toward love. An extraordinarily raw voice that will remind readers of Rebecca Lee and Elizabeth Strout.” —Melanie Fleischman, Arcadia Books, Spring Green, WI

Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, Max Porter (Macmillan/Graywolf Press; OverDrive Sample).

“This novel in verse begins with the death of a wife and mother told through the eyes of her husband, her two sons, and, unexpectedly, a crow. Crow — one part trickster-god, one part guardian, and wholly unpredictable — descends upon this fractured family to watch over them in their grief and guide them back to the land of the living. Porter’s phrases and descriptions startled me with their clarity, and undid me with their simple and unexpected poignancy.” —Emily Crowe, Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, MA

Tie-ins

Star Trek Beyond opens on July 22, 2016, marking the 50th anniversary of the first Star Trek TV broadcast. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto return as Captain Kirk and Commander Spock and Idris Elba comes aboard as well.

Two tie-ins are available thus far, both supporting the franchise rather than serving as direct adaptations of the movie.

Star Trek The Official Guide to Our Universe: The True Science Behind the Starship Voyages, Andrew Fazekas (PRH/National Geographic)

The Star Trek Book, Paul Ruditis (PRH/DK; OverDrive Sample).

It is a busy year for le Carré adaptations. After the success of The Night Manager comes the feature film Our Kind of Traitor. Starring Ewan McGregor, Damian Lewis, Stellan Skarsgård, it opens July 1.

The tie-in is Our Kind of Traitor: A Novel (Movie Tie-In), John le Carré (PRH/Penguin Books; OverDrive Sample).

Thus far the movie is getting mixed reviews. The Hollywood Reporter says it is “High-toned but ho-hum,” The Independent calls it “entertaining but very lightweight,” but the UK version of Den of Geek says it is “a breath of fresh air. Warmly recommended.”

For those who want to know more about the author, PRH/Viking will publish le Carre’s memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life, in Sept.

The next Ice Age animated film, opening July 22, brings three tie-ins starting with Ice Age: Collision Course: The Junior Novel, J.E. Bright (S&S/little bee books).

The fifth movie in the series features all the usual characters, plus a few more, as they try to save the world from an asteroid collision. Also out is the storybook Volcano to the Rescue!, Mike Teitelbaum (S&S/little bee books) and two leveled readers by Suzy Capozzi: Scrat’s Space Adventure (S&S/little bee books; also in paperback) and Welcome to Geotopia (S&S/little bee books; also in paperback).

Finally, there is a new Warcraft, tie-in, Warcraft Official Movie Novelization, Christie Golden (PRH/Titan Books; OverDrive Sample).

This is in addition to Warcraft: Durotan: The Official Movie Prequel, Christie Golden (PRH/Titan Books), which we wrote about in early May.

For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins.

Among the repeat authors returning with new books this week are two co-authors whose book always has the same title, the new edition of the book that revolutionized pregnancy guides.
 
What to Expect When You’re Expecting (5th Edition), Heidi Murkoff, Sharon Mazel, (Workman; also trade pbk)

New editions of this book remind us of changes in the culture since the previous one. Information on how a changing body may affect piercings and tattoos, covered earlier, is now old hat. This time, according to the publisher, the new edition incorporates current lifestyle trends such as “juice bars, raw diets, e-cigarettes, push presents, baby bump posting …”

The media is already giving attention to memoirs by two very different people. Among bookseller picks are titles that have shown up on many consumer summer reading previews.

The titles covered 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 May 30, 2016

Advance Attention

The Long Game: A Memoir, Mitch McConnell, (PRH/Sentinel; Penguin Audio)

The Senate Majority Leader began promotion for his memoir with an appearance on yesterday’s CBS This Morning There were no prepub reviews, indicating this book is embargoed. As a result, many libraries have not ordered it.

Double Cup Love: On the Trail of Family, Food, and Broken Hearts in China, Eddie Huang, (PRH/Spiegel & Grau)

Celebrity bad boy chef Huang’s previous memoir was the basis for the ABC TV series Fresh off the Boat. The ground-breaking show just aired its second season final episode and has been renewed for a third, making this a good moment for the author to release his second book (even though he has complained openly that TV sanitized his book). He is profiled in the New York Times and on NPR.

Peer Picks

Four June Indie Next selections arrive this week, two fiction and two nonfiction.

Modern Lovers, Emma Straub (PRH/Riverhead Books; Penguin Audio; BOT; OverDrive Sample).

“Set in trendy Brooklyn, Straub’s latest novel follows the lives of former bandmates Zoe, Elizabeth, and Andrew and their teenage children, Ruby and Harry. When Ruby and Harry begin a relationship, their parents are forced to face and reveal long-buried tensions and secrets. Straub’s spot-on depictions of middle-age suburban life and teenage angst are alternatively searing and hilarious. This book is the ultimate literary beach read!” —Alexis Jason-Mathews, Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse, Washington, DC

Entertainment Weekly picked Straub’s newest as one of the Hottest Fiction titles of the year, saying “The author of 2014’s summer hit The Vacationers focuses on a tight-knit set of college pals who now have college-age kids themselves.”

Before the Fall, Noah Hawley (Hachette/Grand Central Publishing; Hachette Audio; OverDrive Sample).

This is the author’s fifth novel, but in between he’s done a few other things, like create the  TV series Fargo, becoming, as  Vanity Fair claims. “the future of Hollywood.”

“When a private plane plunges into the ocean off Martha’s Vineyard, the media and the government want answers. The two survivors — a middle-aged artist along for the ride and the four-year-old son of a prominent and powerful family — have little to say. Before the Fall takes the reader on a thrilling ride through the past lives of the other passengers and the aftermath of the crash. As the deepest secrets of the wealthy and those who surround them surface, no one is safe. A brilliant and relentless thriller.” —Geoffrey Jennings, Rainy Day Books, Fairway, KS

The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction, Neil Gaiman (HC/William Morrow; Harper Audio).

“I must be one of the few people to love Neil Gaiman most for his nonfiction. Over the years, I’ve scoured the shelves and online for his speeches, his introductions, his forewords, even his tweets and blog posts, so this book is a thing of wonder. Filled to bursting with his humor, wisdom, and hope, all articulated in the thoughtful, generous prose we know and love, The View From the Cheap Seats will keep you company, give you solace, and help you think deeper, smile harder, and breathe easier.” —Serena Longo, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA

The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America’s National Parks, Terry Tempest Williams (Macmillan/Sarah Crichton Books; OverDrive Sample).

“Terry Tempest Williams’ latest book, published for the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, is personal, political, and profound. Her examination of 12 national parks is much more than a guide to the history and landscape of those places. It is a guide to the heart and soul of the entire National Park system, whose depth is exceeded only by its beauty.” —Chuck Robinson, Village Books, Bellingham, WA

Tie-ins

Typically a UK show running on ITV lands in the US on Masterpiece Theater but Amazon nabbed Doctor Thorne, the newest Julian Fellowes uppercrust drama, and will start airing the 3-part mini series this Friday. In something of a bid to out do Masterpiece, or at least evoke its Alistair Cooke heyday, Fellowes introduces each episode, sitting in an arm chair, as Slate puts it very “cozy highbrow … that velvet! That fireplace!”

The Guardian was not impressed when it aired in the UK in March, writing, “let’s take a memory drug to forget this disgrace … Pointless to the point of excruciating.”

The tie in, Doctor Thorne: The Chronicles of Barsetshire, Anthony Trollope (Oxford University Press), comes out June 1.

The Secret Life of Pets is an animated film from Universal detailing the adventures of pets. It stars Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, and Kevin Hart and opens July 8.

Two titles support its release thus far: the storybook The Secret Life of Pets Big Golden Book (Secret Life of Pets), David Lewman, illustrated by Craig Kellman (PRH/Golden Books) and the level reader Meet the Pets (Secret Life of Pets), Random House (PRH/Random House Books for Young Readers).

Coming out on May 31st is The Bye Bye Man: And Other Strange-but-True Tales, Robert Damon Schneck (PRH/TarcherPerigee). It is the tie-in for the horror movie of the same name, based on Schneck’s short story “The Bridge to Body Island.”

The film has been moved from its expected June 3rd opening to December release, but it appears the tie-in date has not been changed.

For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins.

Title output slows down next week, in anticipation of the Memorial Day weekend, traditionally a busy time in stores.

Two best-selling series wrap on Tuesday. The final book in Rick Yancey’s 5th Wave series, The Last Star  (Penguin/Putnam Books for Young Readers) and on the adult side, Justin Cronin’s The City of Mirrors (PRH/Ballantine).

Several consumer media and peer picks offer fodder for readers advisors (see below).

The titles covered 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 May 24, 2016

Consumer Media Pick

This Too Shall Pass , Milena Busquets, (PRH/Hogarth)

People magazine’s “Book of the Week,” described as, “Adrift after dementia and then death have stolen her mother, 40-year-old Blanca heads to … a Spanish coastal village … As she tries to ease her grief with sex and drugs, she turns the lives of those around her upside down … both poignant and funny.”

It is also picked as one of the more literary-minded Lit Hub‘s “Five Summer Reads,” — “Somehow she mixes a heady aperitif of a book that combines quirky, sexy, and gloomy in perfect measures as protagonist Blanca faces losing her mother and her mojo on a Spanish beach.”

Media Magnet

Tribe : On Homecoming and Belonging, Sebastian Junger, (Hachette/Twelve; Hachette Audio; Hachette Large Type)

The author of The Perfect Storm, is sure to get major media attention for his book about our returning troops. In an early review in the daily NYT, Jennifer Senior say Junger “writes, simply … After months of combat, during which ‘soldiers all but ignore differences of race, religion and politics within their platoon,’ they return to the United States to find ‘a society that is basically at war with itself. People speak with incredible contempt about — depending on their views — the rich, the poor, the educated, the foreign-born'” and therefor  has ” accidentally written one of  [the Presidential campaign’s]  most intriguing political books. All without mentioning a single candidate, or even the president, by name.”

Peer Picks

Food and lies are the topics of this week’s peer picks.

Sweetbitter, Stephanie Danler (PRH/Knopf; Random House Audio; BOT)

One of the season’s highly anticipated fiction debuts (the author was profiled in the NYT  back when the book was signed) arrives to much media attention, with an admiring early review by Dwight Garner in the NYT, a profile in the Wall Street Journal  [may require subscription] and coverage in Vogue, and a near-rave from Entertainment Weekly.Holds in bellwether libraries indicate this is capturing riders attention. The author is also scheduled for an appearance on the Charlie Rose show. A hit with GalleyChatters, it is also a LibraryReads selection:y

“At her new job at one of NYC’s posh restaurants, Tess falls for a mysterious bartender and negotiates the politics of the service industry while building a social life. Danler drew from her own experience and the writing is vivid and stimulating. I’m always interested in a story about a girl trying to find her place in the world and her adventures, but anyone who appreciates writing that pulses with life will drink this down.” — Sonia Reppe, Stickney-Forest View Public Library, Stickney, IL

The second LibraryReads pick coming next week is Smoke, Dan Vyleta (PRH/Doubleday; Random House Audio; BOT; OverDrive Sample).

“In an alternate historical London, people who lie reveal themselves by giving off smoke but the rules of how this works are complicated. There are some people who can lie and not trigger any smoke and this lends an interesting element to the story. The rules we are given are changeable. The setting lends itself well to the story. The writing is descriptive, and the tone is atmospheric. Similar authors that come to my mind were Neil Gaiman and China Mieville. This is a dark, delicious tale.” — Jennifer Ohzourk, St. Louis Public Library, St. Louis, MO

Smoke is also getting media attention. It’s featured in the Wall Street Journal [may require subscriptio]. The author will be interviewed on NPR’s All Things Considered on Tuesday. Reviews are scheduled for upcoming issues of the Washington Post, the daily New York Times and the
New York Times Book Review.

It is also a June Indie Next pick.

Wrapping up the week is another Indie Next pick, Dinner with Edward: A Story of an Unexpected Friendship, Isabel Vincent (Workman/Algonquin).

“Dinner With Edward is the charming story of the author’s friendship with her friend’s widower father. Vincent does a wonderful job evoking the sensuous details of the meals they shared, but this is more than just a foodie memoir: it is an exploration of the nature of friendship, aging, loss, and how we define our identities as the world changes around us. Despite the sadness of some of its topics, Dinner With Edward is ultimately a warm, feel-good story.” — Carol Schneck Varner, Schuler Books & Music, Okemos, MI

Tie-ins

The big tie-in news this week is, well, giant, as in BFG. There is both a book version and an audio version in anticipation of Steven Spielberg’s film, opening on July 1,  The BFG Movie Tie-In, Roald Dahl (Penguin/Puffin Books; Paperback; $7.99; Audio tie-in, Listening Library; OverDrive Sample).

As we wrote earlier, a new trailer was recently released, as well as the news that the film got a 4-1/2 minute standing ovation at the Cannes film festival when it premiered last Saturday.

For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins.

Women lead in holds this week. Nevada Barr is in first place with Boar Island (Macmillan/Minotaur; Macmillan Audio), the 19th in her Anna Pigeon mystery series, That is followed by Mary Kay Andrews’s The Weekenders, (Macmillan/St. Martin’s) with an appropriate cover to welcome in the summer. It is also an Indie Next pick (see below).

The titles covered 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 May 17, 2916

Media Attention

The Gene: An Intimate History, Siddhartha Mukherjee (S&S/Scribner; S&S Audio)

As we wrote earlier, in anticipation of an onslaught of coverage, the daily NYT published an early review of the Pulitzer Prize winner’s second book. The coverage ranges from the expected, an excerpt in the upcoming New York Times Magazine, to the less expected, Vogue features a piece about the author and his wife titled, “Meet the Most Brilliant Couple in Town.”  Also scheduled are:

• NPR Fresh Air, May 16
• CBS This Morning, May 17
• PRI-Radio, Science Friday, May 20
• New York Times Book Review, May 22

The Vegas Diaries: Romance, Rolling the Dice, and the Road to Reinvention, Holly Madison, (HarperCollins/Dey Street Books)

Former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner and one of the stars of the 2005 to 2010 E! reality show, The Girls Next Door, already spilled the beans on life in the Playboy Mansion in her memoir, Down the Rabbit Hole. The followup is excerpted in the current issue of People magazine and featured on the cover.

Peer Picks

Four Peer Picks hit shelves this week. One is a big name from the May LibraryReads list (which also made the June Indie Next List). The other three, all Indie Next selections, include the return of a reader and librarian favorite.

Both a LibraryReads(and Indie Next title is The Fireman, Joe Hill (HC/William Morrow; HarperAudio).

Heralded by daily NYT‘s reviewer Janet Maslin a week ahead of publication, it is also in development as a film.

Mary Vernau, of Tyler Public Library, Tyler, TX offers an introduction:

“The Fireman is a novel that will keep you up reading all night. No one really knows where the deadly Dragonscale spore originated but many theories abound. The most likely is that as the planet heats up, the spore is released into the atmosphere. Harper Willowes is a young, pregnant nurse who risks her own health to tend to others. This is her story and I loved it! This is one of the most creative takes on apocalyptic literature that I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended for all Hill and King fans.”

The following are Indie Next picks:

Anton DiSclafani returns with The After Party (PRH/Riverhead Books; Penguin Audio; BOT; OverDrive Sample).

The Indie Next pick is DiSclafani’s sophomore outing after 2013’s The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls. That novel was one of our Penguin First Flights titles.

“The real star of The After Party is the novel’s setting: 1950s Texas, where wealthy housewives and Junior League debutantes rule the social landscape. At the center is Joan Fortier, an unconventional bachelorette who is not content to sit on the sidelines — or to stay in Houston. Joan’s attitude causes conflict with her childhood best friend, CeCe Buchanan, and their relationship falters, exposing insecurities in both women. Fans of DiSclafani’s first novel, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, will not be disappointed by this well-written, engaging new work.” —Annie B. Jones, The Bookshelf, Thomasville, GA

The Weekenders, Mary Kay Andrews (Macmillan/St. Martin’s Press; Macmillan Audio; OverDrive Sample) .

“This book is perfectly named. The title describes the characters in the story and also recommends it be read during a relaxing weekend on the beach, by the pool, or curled up on the couch at home. True to her roots, Andrews serves up a mystery complete with a dead body and lots of secrets, many of which don’t get revealed until the very end. And to add a touch of urgency, there’s a hurricane. What could be better?” —Rona Brinlee, The BookMark, Neptune Beach, FL

My Best Friend’s Exorcism, Grady Hendrix (RH/Quirk Books; Blackstone Audio; OverDrive Sample).

“Abby and Gretchen are the best of friends. They have navigated through all the adolescent pros and cons that came with growing up in the late ’80s: zits, big hair, getting the nod from senior class heartthrob Tommy Cox, and — demonic possession? Written in Hendrix’s unique, darkly comedic, and slightly twisted voice, My Best Friend’s Exorcism is that quirky and satiating page-turner that fans of Horrorstör, have been salivating for.” —Angelo Santini, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey, MI

Tie-ins

There are no tie-ins arriving this week. For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins).

The upcoming week’s arrivals may seem meager, after the onslaught of new titles last week.

Two marque authors have new books coming, and both are children’s titles.

Sherman Alexie is getting kudos for his first foray into picture books, Thunder Boy Jr. illustrated by Yuyi Morales, whose Viva Frida, was both a Caldecott Honor Book and the winner of the Pura Belpré Illustrator Award last year.

The Washington Post‘s Ron Charles, in a rare departure from covering adult titles, calls this book about a child who, as a “Jr.” wants his own name, “ebullient.” He adds that it not only fulfills Alexie’s goal “to help correct an ongoing problem: the lack of brown-skinned kids in literature,” but also captures “a child’s desire to establish his own special quality.”

John Grisham publishes the sixth title in his 13-year-old lawyer-in-training series for middle-graders, Theodore Boone: The Scandal, (PRH/Dutton Young Readers).

The titles covered 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 May 9, 2016

Peer Picks

You’re probably still working your way through the bounty of peer picks from last week. Here’s three more Indie Next titles to add to your list

LaRose, Louise Erdrich (HC/Harper; Harper Audio).

“When a hunting accident results in the death of his neighbor’s son, Landreaux Iron follows native tradition and offers his own son, LaRose, to the bereaved family. Thus begins a powerful story of anger, love, hurt, and joy among a group of families and neighbors living in a small community in the North Dakota hinterland. Erdrich’s luminous prose captures each character’s struggle to overcome their worst impulses – whether it’s a handicapped man’s long-nurtured quest for revenge, or the pain of a mother withholding her love from her daughter – and reaches into the distant past to reveal the story of the young boy’s namesake, the original LaRose. Muted on the surface, but with a heart that beats strong, Erdrich’s latest novel is a book to be treasured.” —Peter Sherman, Wellesley Books, Wellesley, MA

It is also this month’s Pennie Pick, selected by Costco’s book buyer, Pennie Clark Ianniciello. It made Entertainment Weekly‘s “Hottest Fiction” list and The Washington Post‘s “Best Books to Read in 2016” selections. The Millions and Flavorwire picked it at the start of the year.

Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution, Nathaniel Philbrick (PRH/Viking; Penguin Audio; BOT; OverDrive Sample).

“History buffs will welcome this serious and interesting salvaging of the American Revolution from the mists of legend and folklore. Reading this book also is a reminder that the messy, often disturbing politics of our own time are not unique, that idealism conflicts with power struggles, that both war and building a nation can have destructive consequences, and that revolutionaries and traitors both galvanize a movement. Complex, controversial, and important.” —Susan Thurin, Bookends on Main, Menomonie, WI

The Wall Street Journal also named it one of ‘The Hottest Spring Nonfiction Books’ [subscription might be required].

The Mirror Thief, Martin Seay (PRH/Melville House; OverDrive Sample).

“Three stories are linked in this outstanding debut by criminal pursuits and Venice — not so much the actual place, but the idea of that place: in the late 1500s Venice, Italy, a man schemes to steal the most guarded technology of the day — a mirror; in 1950s Venice Beach, California, a thief discovers a mysterious text that seems to have unusual insights about that stolen mirror; and in 2015, a soldier purses the thief in The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas to retrieve the book about the mirror. As the stories draw together, Seay’s thrilling novel dazzles at every turn. Unexpected and amazing, The Mirror Thief will leave readers breathless.” —Jeremy Ellis, Brazos Bookstore, Houston, TX

Tie-ins

There are no tie-ins arriving this week. For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins.

Publishing’s summer season begins next week and marquee authors are appearing in every category. Librarians and booksellers also have a slew of recommendations.

Marquee Names

Adult Fiction, Holds Leaders

James Patterson (with Maxine Paetro), 15th Affair (Hachette/Little, Brown; Hachette Audio; Hachette Large Type; OverDrive Sample). At 464 pages, it is NOT one of the new shorter Patterson’s announced earlier this year.

Danielle Steel, The Apartment (PRH/Delacorte; Random House Large Print).

Middle Grade and YA

The Trials of Apollo Book One The Hidden Oracle, Rick Riordan (Hachette/ Disney-Hyperion; Listening Library; OverDrive Sample) — kicks off a new five-book series.

A Court of Mist and Fury, Sara Maas, (Macmillan/Bloomsbury; Recorded Books) — the sequel to A Court of Thorns and Roses.

The Crown, Kiera Cass, (HarperTeen) — The finale to The Selection series in which dystopia meets The Bachelor. An effort to launch it as a TV series on the CW didn’t get past the pilot stage, but there are still hopes for a Warner Bros. movie.

Literary

Zero K, Don DeLillo, (S&S/Scribner; S&S Audio) — All the country’s critics want to have their say on this book. Michiko Kakutani jumped ahead in the daily NYT this week, calling it the author’s “most persuasive since his astonishing 1997 masterpiece, Underworld.”

Hollywood also gave its review this week, in the form of it being optioned for a film by Scott Rudin.

DeLillo is scheduled to appear on NPR’s Weekend Edition tomorrow.

The titles covered 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 May 2, 2016

Revised Edition

 Get What’s Yours, Revised & Updated, Laurence J. Kotlikoff,  (S&S)

It’s such a big week that there’s even a hot title in the usually quiet category of revised editions. The best seller on getting the most from Social Security has been updated to reflect new regulations that took effect on April 29, 2016. Ironically, as reported by Bloomberg, those changes in Social Security rules  were brought about by the book itself, which revealed some loopholes. Time to weed those first editions (if you can get them out of readers’ hands).

Media Magnets

Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me, Ron Miscavige (Macmillan/St. Martin’s; Macmillan Audio; OverDrive Sample).

As we wrote earlier this week, the Church of Scientology has tried to prevent this book’s publication, only adding to the interest. Miscavige will appear on ABC’s “20/20” today.

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth, (S&S/Scribner; S&S Audio).

Earlier this month, the NYT profiled the author, whose TED talk has been viewed nearly eight million times. She is scheduled to appear on NPR’s Weekend Edition, this Saturday, followed by CBS Sunday Morning, and the week after by PBS NewsHour.”

Peer Picks

It is a banner week for books librarians love with seven LibraryReads selections hitting shelves, including the #1 pick for May:

Britt-Marie Was Here, Fredrik Backman (S&S/Atria Books; S&S Audio; OverDrive Sample).

“Britt-Marie is a woman who is used to her life being organized. But when she leaves her cheating spouse and takes a temporary job as caretaker of the recreation center in the tiny town of Borg, her life changes in unpredictable ways. With its wonderful cast of oddball characters and sly sense of humor, this novel is sure to capture readers’ hearts. Highly recommended.” — Vicki Nesting, St. Charles Parish Library, Destrehan, LA

It is also a May Indie Next pick.

Our latest Penguin Debut Authors Chat title comes out as well, Clare Mackintosh’s I Let You Go (PRH/Penguin/Berkley; Penguin Audio; BOT; OverDrive Sample).

“Five-year-old Jacob is killed in a hit and run, an event that sends the police in search of the driver. Jenna Gray flees to Wales to mourn the loss of her son and recover from her past. As the anniversary of Jacob’s still unsolved death approaches, a tip to police results in an arrest and a very different picture emerges. This self-assured debut combines jaw-dropping moments with complex, believable characters and an ending that is hard to see coming.” — Jennifer Winberry, Hunterdon County Library, Flemington, NJ

Everyone Brave is Forgiven, Chris Cleave (S&S; S&S Audio; OverDrive Sample).

“Set during World War II and loosely based on the author’s own grandparents, this was a strikingly honest look at the changes that war creates on a country’s landscape and its people. These changes were so strongly shown by the progressive style of this novel. Bit by bit, we are privy to each character’s transformation. What a great tribute to what they endured. War gives birth to many endings, also to many beginnings. Bittersweet.” — Lori Elliott, Kershaw County Library, SC

Cleave’s novel is also People magazine’s “Book of the Week,” an Indie Next selection, and a favorite on GalleyChat.

Wilde Lake, Laura Lippman (HC/William Morrow; Harper Audio).

“As Lu, the newly elected state’s attorney in Howard County, prepares for a trial of a woman found murdered in her apartment, she begins to uncover secrets from her past. Bringing her back to the night her brother saved a life at the cost of another, Lu begins to question everything she’s known about the events and her childhood. Lippman’s newest standalone is sure to be another hit, perfect for mystery fans.” — Annice Sevett, New Hanover County Library, Wilmington, NC

Sweet Lamb of Heaven, Lydia Millet (Norton; Dreamscape).

“An arresting story about a wife manipulated and what she goes through to escape her husband’s desperate means to keep her. When her daughter is born, Anna starts hearing a voice in her head that may suggest the supernatural or the divine. She and her daughter hole up in a motel where all the guests seem to hear a similar voice in their heads. The author jolts the reader into reading something unexpected and the effect is eerie and memorable. Highly recommended for a book discussions.” — Andrienne Cruz, Azusa City Library, Azusa, CA

City of the Lost, Kelley Armstrong (Macmillan/Minotaur Books).

“When Casey Duncan and her friend are invited to Rockton, a town for people who need to disappear, she’s skeptical. Could it really be the haven it promises? She soon finds that Rockton has its own particular set of problems, including a designer drug and a murderer. As the town’s new detective, Casey is soon plunged into the hunting of a killer in a town built on secrets. Armstrong introduces a fascinating setting and an intriguing cast of characters. Readers will find themselves hooked.” — Elena Gleason, Coos Bay Public Library, Coos Bay, OR

Redemption Road, John Hart (Macmillan/Thomas Dunne Books; Macmillan Audio; OverDrive Sample).

“In Hart’s new suspense novel, we meet veteran detective Elizabeth Black, who is facing possible suspension for a suspicious shooting. At the same time, former police officer Adrian Wall is released from prison after serving time for the murder of Julia Stange. Stange’s son wants Adrian dead. Adrian has always claimed his innocence, but after his release, a couple of new bodies turn up at the church. This is a thrilling page-turner that starts at a rapid-fire pace and doesn’t let up. Great book for literary and thriller lovers alike.” — Kelly Currie, Delphi Public Library, Delphi, IN

It is also a May Indie Next title and a GalleyChat hit.

Seven other Indie Next picks hit shelves this week.

The Atomic Weight of Love, Elizabeth J. Church (Workman/Algonquin; OverDrive Sample) is the #1 pick for May.

“Church deftly traces the life of Meridian Wallace, an intelligent young woman who is searching for who she is and what she wants to become. As America braces for entrance into WWII, Meri falls for the ambitious Alden Whetstone, a much older but brilliant scientist. Aspiring to be a ‘good wife,’ Meri abandons her own academic pursuits in ornithology to follow Alden to Los Alamos, but the years that follow are filled with dashed hopes and compromises. Over the decades of her marriage, Meri attempts to fill the void of unrealized dreams by making a home and reclaiming her sense of self. Filled with sharp, poignant prose, the novel mimics the birds Meri studies, following her as she struggles to find her wings, let go, and take flight. Church gives readers a thoughtful and thought-provoking examination of the sacrifices women make in life and the courage needed for them to soar on their own.” —Anderson McKean, Page & Palette, Fairhope, AL

Heat and Light, Jennifer Haigh (HC/Ecco; HarperAudio; OverDrive Sample).

“Haigh has been building a body of work around Bakerton, Pennsylvania, for more than a decade. In this new Bakerton novel, Haigh once again unleashes the sweep of historical forces as out-of-state companies look to drill for natural gas deposits. There is hope among the residents that the future will be brighter, but there is also the risk that they will just be victims of greed and further environmental ruin. This is a big, issue-oriented book, but its success is found in the brilliance with which Haigh crafts her characters and makes their lives a vehicle for looking at the moral, political, environmental, and economic questions about fracking. A timely book and perhaps one even worthy of the title ‘Great American Novel.’” —Anmiryam Budner, Main Point Books, Bryn Mawr, PA

Also reviewed by Janet Maslin in the New York Times today. Galley chatters are also fans.

Everybody’s Fool, Richard Russo (PRH/RH/Knopf; Random House Audio; BOT; OverDrive Sample).

“While any new book from Richard Russo is a cause for celebration, to have one that revisits the characters from a beloved classic feels like a gift from the literary gods. Everybody’s Fool returns to North Bath, New York, the setting for Russo’s breakout novel from 1993, Nobody’s Fool. No one writes better about the quirks, petty jealousies, hard times, humor, and heartbreak of small town America. Everybody’s Fool is good old fashioned storytelling at its finest!” —Shawn Donley, Powell’s Books, Portland, OR

Imagine Me Gone, Adam Haslett (Hachette/Little, Brown; OverDrive Sample).

“Imagine Me Gone is a deeply moving portrayal of a family’s complex love for one another as they manage and respond to the shape-shifting undercurrent of mental illness experienced by both father and son. A compelling read on every level, this novel is crafted with impressive emotional sensitivity, providing a direct feed into the inner lives and secrets of each character. Writing of this caliber is a rare thing. Haslett has created a gem of a novel that I will recommend over and over again.” —Nancy Scheemaker, Northshire Bookstore, Saratoga Springs, NY

Entertainment Weekly lists it as one of their Hottest Fiction picks: “Haslett’s latest — one of spring’s biggest books — is a heartbreaking, hilarious chronicle of one family struggling to love one another amid anxiety and depression.”

The Sport of Kings, C. E. Morgan (Macmillan/Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Macmillan Audio; OverDrive Sample).

“Horse racing and breeding, evolution, race, love, family dynamics and America’s historical past are a few of the subjects and issues that Morgan bravely, confidently, and intelligently explores with a poetic and lyrical sensibility. The result is a gorgeous and engaging novel that is sobering, important, and unforgettable. In addition to her singular vision and style, Morgan combines some of the intense power of the landscape as mindscape of Thomas Wolfe, the dramaturgy and myth-mining of Eugene O’Neill, the deep focus and rigor of Richard Powers, the transcendent beauty of Vollmann’s best prose, and the strong spiritual commitment of Marilynne Robinson. The Sport of Kings unfolds dramatically into an exquisite work of classic American literature.” —Ed Conklin, Chaucer’s Books, Santa Barbara, CA

The Versions of Us, Laura Barnett (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; OverDrive Sample).

“A lovely debut that swept me along with the story of two people destined to be together. One chance meeting in college then takes three different roads and readers see the next decades played out through the couple’s eyes. Each story is different, yet with the same players, and each does not turn out as expected. This is a thoughtful and touching novel about love, expectations, and forgiveness.” —Kelly Estes, Carmichael’s Bookstore, Louisville, KY

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, Phaedra Patrick (Harlequin/MIRA; Harlequin Audio; OverDrive Sample) makes the newly announced June Indie Next list.

“Arthur Pepper has finally gotten around to cleaning out his deceased wife’s clothes when he comes across her charm bracelet. He doesn’t remember seeing it before, and the charms pique his curiosity about the life his wife led before they met. Thus begins an adventure that will have Arthur learning to embrace life more fully and becoming more present in the lives of those he cares about. Grab a seat and get lost in this charming read with characters you will cheer on, laugh with, and perhaps shed a tear for.” —Lisa Fabiano, An Unlikely Story, Plainville, MA

Tie-ins

Several titles coming out this week tie in to the upcoming Disney movie Finding Dory, set to open June 17.

Finding Dory: The Junior Novelization (RH Disney (PRH/Disney) is aimed at kids aged 7 to 10. Also available in paperback, the hardcover edition is called the “Deluxe” version.

There’s also a picture book, Finding Dory (Picture Book): Three Little Words, Amy Novesky (Hachette/Disney Press) and the image-rich Disney Pixar Finding Dory: The Essential Guide, DK (PRH/Penguin/DK Children).

The two leveled readers are Ocean of Color (Disney/Pixar Finding Dory), Bill Scollon (RH/Disney) and Dory’s Story (Disney/Pixar Finding Dory), RH Disney (RH/Disney).

The film, which recounts the continued adventures of the fish Dory following Finding Nemo, features the voices of Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, and Idris Elba.

As we have previously posted, a remake of Roots is on the way, scheduled to air on the History Chanel, and simulcast on A&E and Lifetime, over four consecutive nights beginning May 30.

A tie-in edition is now available, Roots [miniseries tie-in]: The Saga of an American Family, Alex Haley, (Perseus/Da Capo Press).

The new version seeks to make the seminal TV event, based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Alex Haley, relevant to a new generation of viewers, many of whom were not alive when the first adaptation aired.

Set to premiere on June 10th is Warcraft, a fantasy film adaptation of the video game of the same name. It stars Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, and Ben Foster.

The tie-in Warcraft: Durotan: The Official Movie Prequel, Christie Golden (PRH/Titan Books) comes out this week.

The game has been adapted into novels for over a decade, the most recent is Illidan: World of Warcraft, William King (PRH/Del Rey). There are also comics based on the game. The film opens June 10.

For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins.

Eager fans have been placing holds for marquee authors appearing next week, John Sandford (Extreme Prey, PRH/Putnam) and Iris Johansen, Hide Away (Macmillan/St. Martin’s).

Harlequin’s Mira imprint is betting on Meghann Foye’s debut, Meternity with a 100,000 copy first printing. By an editor at Redbook, it is about an editor at a NYC magazine who thinks faking a pregnancy might be a great way to get perks, only to learn the truth of Shakespeare’s adage about weaving deceitful webs. Prepub reviews are all positive, with LJ enthusing, “Full of moments that will leave readers in suspense, gasping at consequences, and rooting for the heroine … perfect for fans of Candace Bushnell.”

The titles covered 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 April 25, 2016

People Picks 

    
Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep, Michael Schulman (Harper; HarperLuxe).

People Book of the Week.

Streep is featured on the cover of the new issue of Vanity Fair, with an excerpt from the book, “How Meryl Streep Battled Dustin Hoffman, Retooled Her Role, and Won Her First Oscar.” If you read that, you’re guaranteed to want to read the book.

Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?, Frans de Waal (Norton).

People pick — “an astonishing study of animal intelligence has the makings of a classic — and is one fascinating read.”

Catastrophic Happiness : Finding Joy in Childhood’s Messy Years, Catherine Newman (Hachette/Little, Brown; Hachette Audio).

People pick — ‘The exhaustion, tenderness and terror of parenthood are captured by blogger Newman in a front-line report — she’s the mother of two — that’s both winsome and funny. Topics include tantrums, playing with food and (because she take us to the joyous-disastrous brink of adolescence) the sex talk.’

Media Magnets

Alter Egos: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and the Twilight Struggle Over American Power, Mark Landler (PRH/Random House; Recorded Books).

Landler’s book gets double coverage, an except in the upcoming New York Times Magazine, “How Hillary Clinton Became a Hawk” plus coverage of the excerpt in the New Yorker. The author is also scheduled for an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air on Monday.

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, Phil Knight (S&S/Scribner; S&S Audio).

The founder of Nike will appear on CBS Sunday Morning this weekend. Next week, he is scheduled for Good Morning America, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and the Charlie Rose show on PBS.

Peer Picks

One April LibraryReads selection comes out this week, the next in the long running Fools Gold series by the ever popular Susan Mallery, Best of My Love (Harlequin/HQN; Brilliance Audio; OverDrive Sample).

Jenelle Klavenga, of Marshalltown Public Library, Marshalltown, IA writes this summary:

“Shelby has a plan to help herself overcome her relationship issues: asking Aiden to be her friend. Aiden agrees, because he realizes that he does not treat women very well and wants to learn how to treat them right, even though he doesn’t want to get married. The situation seems to work well for both Aiden and Shelby, until they realize they feel much more than friendship for each other. Mallery never fails to deliver a great story full of love and friendship. Another fantastic read.”

Four Indie Next picks from the May list arrive as well.

Father’s Day, Simon Van Booy (HC/Harper; HarperAudio; OverDrive Sample).

“Van Booy’s delicate touch is turned to the relationship between orphaned Harvey and her uncle, Jason, a man no one could expect to be the right choice as guardian. Van Booy uses the plot structure of a series of Father’s Day gifts given to Jason from the now adult Harvey to reveal more than either of them realized about the life they have shared as adoptive father and daughter, as well as the heartbreaking truth of how they came to be a part of each other’s lives. Father’s Day is Van Booy at his most poignant, showing how redemption can arise from heartbreaking circumstances.” —Don Luckham, The Toadstool Bookshop, Keene, NH

Julia Reed’s South: Spirited Entertaining and High-Style Fun All Year Long, Julia Reed (PRH/Rizzoli).

“Any time Julia Reed publishes a new book is a good excuse for a party. And now, with Julia Reed’s South, she even gives readers the blueprint for how to do it. What a gift to us all! This book is filled with wonderful ideas for entertaining, fabulous recipes, gorgeous photographs, a host of characters, and of course, killer cocktails. No one gets the South like Julia, and no matter where you live you’ll find inspiration in these pages to make your next gathering unforgettable.” —Cody Morrison, Square Books, Oxford, MS

Sleeping Giants, Sylvain Neuvel (PRH/Del Rey; Random House Audio; BOT; OverDrive Sample).

“Sleeping Giants reads like a military dossier, interview after interview given with the serious intent of laying out a scientific tale of discovered history that will change everyone’s lives forever. At the age of 10, Rose falls through a hole in the ground and lands in a large metal hand that had been buried. Seventeen years later, she is on the research team that seeks answers to the relic’s source and the meaning behind its existence. Is it a weapon? Is it a threat to humanity? Or is it simply a mystery that will remain unsolved? Whatever it is, readers will enjoy this Prometheus-like look into our distant past and the excitement of forecasting the potential future of the human race.” —Linda Bond, Auntie’s Bookstore, Spokane, WA

Media Coverage:  The Wall Street Journal writes that the movie rights for this originally self-published book were snapped up by Sony Pictures after a rave in Kirkus.

Over the Plain Houses, Franks, Julia (John F. Blair/Hub City Press).

“Tense and atmospheric, this novel is set in Depression-era North Carolina but confronts a number of issues that are relevant today. I consider it one of the best historical fiction titles I’ve read lately—what must have been intensive research blends seamlessly with unforgettable characters and vibrant depictions of mountain caves, mining towns, and struggling farms. The book brilliantly takes readers back to a bygone era while subtly showing that it is an era whose darkness could soon fall again. Fans of Claire Fuller and Ron Rash won’t want to miss it.” —Elizabeth Weber, The Book Table, Oak Park, IL

Tie-ins

The big tie-in news this week is the release of the adaptation of  Me Before You,by Jojo Moyes (PRH/Penguin; OverDrive Sample; also in Mass Market). The film comes out on 6/3/16 and already the previews have driven the book straight up Amazon’s sales rankings. First, the teaser trailer shot the book to #1 and then the full trailer sent both Me Before You and its sequel, After You, climbing again.

Here is the preview that is selling so many books:

Also releasing this week is The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan, Robert Kanigel (S&S/Washington Square Press; Blackstone Audio; OverDrive Sample). The movie arrives next week — see our coverage in Hitting Screens, Week of April 25.

For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins.

Two quite different titles arrive to remarkably similar fanfare next week. Each has been selected for Indie Next and/or LibraryReads, and has received advance media attention and great prepub reviews. Despite all this, both were excoriated by the daily NYT reviewers.

The titles covered 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 April 18, 2016

Of the two, Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld (PRH/Random House; BOT; OverDrive Sample) is receiving the most advance attention. An update of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, set in Cincinnati no less, it is the number one LibraryReads for April (see below), an Indie Next selection, People magazine’s “Book of the Week,” and is reviewed appreciatively by Entertainment Weekly. The author is featured on NPR’s  Weekend Edition Sunday and profiled in the New York Times, but the daily NYT‘s reviewer Michiko Kakutani rains all over it in an early and particularly savage review (“reads less like a homage or reimagining of Austen’s classic than a heavy-handed and deeply unfunny parody.”).

In terms of holds for books coming out next week, it’s currently neck and neck with Amanda Quick’s ‘Til Death Do Us Part (PRH/Berkley; OverDrive Sample), also a LibraryReads pick. Both are far behind the holds leader, David Baldacci’s Last Mile.(Hachette/Grand Central; Hachette Audio; Hachette Large Print), his next thriller featuring detective Amos Decker after Memory Man.

The NYT‘s Janet Maslin does a hatchet job on another heavily anticipated novel, Maestra, L.S. Hilton (PRH/Putnam; BOT; OverDrive Sample), an Indie Next pick for April (see below). Marlin calls it “a pornographic shopathon travelogue thriller.” Entertainment Weekly gives it a more positive spin, saying it’s “a sensual, sweat-suffused thriller … engaging throughout, but [main character] Judith remains frustratingly distant, and that mires the novel in the realm of macabre wish fulfillment.”

Booklist ‘s starred review calls it “a gift for readers who delight in vengeful female protagonists.”

It is currently being adapted for Sony Pictures by screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson, described in a profile in the Wall Street Journal this week as “the new go-to voice for female-driven movie thrillers.”

It’s showing about half the number of holds as those for Eligible on similar ordering.

For readers who like twisty dark psychological thrillers, but with a bit less edge, take them to the new books shelves in YA for The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas (PRH/Delacorte; Listening Library), Bustle recommends it, because it “explores the nature of truth, childhood friendships, and the unreliability of memory in shocking ways. Fans of authors like Gillian Flynn and books like The Girl On The Train and Luckiest Girl Alive won’t be able to resist this YA thriller.”

People Magazine Picks

People magazines “Book of the Week” is Sittenfeld’s Eligible. The other two recommendations are:

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos (Macmillan/ FSG; Macmillan Audio) —  “This beautiful mediation on love and loss and art is as luminous as a Vermeer.” Also an Indie Next pick.

Girl About Town (S&S; Atheneum Books for Young Readers) — a classic whodunit by Dancer-director Shankman (Hairspray). People calls it a “Nostalgic gun.”

Also in the magazine is an excerpt of the bio, Kick Kennedy: The Charmed Life and Tragic Death of the Favorite Kennedy Daughter by Barbara Leaming, (Macmillan; Macmillan Audio)

Peer Picks

Three of the ten April LibraryReads pick hits shelves this week.

The #1 pick is Eligible: A modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, Curtis Sittenfeld (PRH/Random House; BOT; OverDrive Sample).

Leslie DeLooze, of Richmond Memorial Library, Batavia, NYLibraryReads introduces this next re-telling in the Austen Project:

“Love, sex, and relationships in contemporary Cincinnati provide an incisive social commentary set in the framework of Pride and Prejudice. Sittenfeld’s inclusion of a Bachelor-like reality show is a brilliant parallel to the scrutiny placed on characters in the neighborhood balls of Jane Austen’s novel, and readers will have no question about the crass nature of the younger Bennets, or the pride—and prejudice—of the heroine.”

Entertainment Weekly listed it as one of the “10 books you have to read in April,” saying: “Clear your afternoon and finish it in one gulp.” It is also an Indie Next pick for May and a GalleyChat favorite.

Sharon Layburn, of South Huntington Public Library, Huntington Station, NY calls the newest Amanda Quick novel, ‘Til Death Do Us Part (PRH/Berkley; OverDrive Sample) a “tour de force” in her inviting annotation:

“Gothic atmosphere meets tender romance in Quick’s latest Victorian era tour de force. Calista Langley asks crime novelist Trent Hastings for assistance in unmasking a twisted secret admirer that seems to have singled her out, and the two become tangled up in more than just an investigation. Quick perfectly balances setting, characters, plot, and relationship development–the end result being a story that will delight her legion of fans, as well as earn her new ones.”

A title sure to warm any librarian’s heart, The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts, Joshua Hammer (Simon & Schuster; HighBridge Audio) also hits shelves.

Marika Zemke, of Commerce Township Public Library, Commerce Township, MI offers this introduction:

“For centuries, Arabic manuscripts were collected by private households in Mali, particularly Timbuktu: gilded manuscripts painted with real gold, showing vibrantly colored illustrations of nature. These highly valued manuscripts were handed down within families who acted as caretakers. As radicalized Muslim leaders came into power, the manuscripts were seen as corruptions of true Islam, requiring intervention. History and adventure at its best.”

Three Indie Next May selections also hit shelves.

Life Without a Recipe: A Memoir of Food and Family, Diana Abu-Jaber (W. W. Norton & Company).

“Is it any wonder that memoir is the richest genre? The stories we live are far more fanciful, heartbreaking, and ridiculous than the ones we create with our imagination. We have no control over them. They unfold in spite of our best efforts in a clumsy, unsettled mess that becomes our life. In Life Without a Recipe, Abu-Jaber stops along the way to consider the terrain. She can’t control the events, but she controls the words with tight, perfect sentences. There’s a beauty and elegance to the prose that elevates this story of the author’s search for identity that results in a warm and wise delicacy to be savored.” —Terry Nebeker, One More Page, Arlington, VA

Entertainment Weekly lists it as one of the “10 books you have to read in April.”

Maestra, L.S. Hilton (PRH/G.P. Putnam’s Sons; BOT; OverDrive Sample).

“Get ready to tear through this hedonistic and refreshingly sex-positive thriller that hits all the right notes. Hilton sets her amoral heroine, Judith, amidst the shallow elegance of the European art world. While Judith is deeply enamored with the lifestyles of the rich and famous, she is also a razor-sharp critic of bad taste and human softness, sniffing out and exploiting male weakness with gusto. She is utterly void of empathy, yet oddly sympathetic. I’ll be recommending this novel to everyone I know with a strong constitution and an appreciation for intensity!” —Seija Emerson, University Book Store, Seattle, WA

Mothering Sunday: A Romance, Graham Swift (PRH/Knopf; OverDrive Sample).

“A beautiful afternoon on Mothering Sunday — now known as Mother’s Day — in 1924 provides the backdrop for this exquisite tale of love, longing, and memory. Jane Fairchild, a house maid, has been the long-time lover to the heir-apparent at the estate next door. Their final cataclysmic afternoon together will alter the course of her destiny in ways that she never contemplated. Told in flashbacks by the nonagenarian Jane, this rare gem of a novella will haunt readers long after they turn the final pages. Superb!” —Pamela Klinger-Horn, Excelsior Bay Books, Excelsior, MN

It also made Entertainment Weekly‘s “10 books you have to read in April” listing: “‘Save some tissues for Graham Swift’s latest, an exquisite, emotionally resonant romance.”

Tie-ins

Two tie-ins come out this week, another in support of what Marvel hopes will be a blockbuster movie and a different kind of big film, the next starring Tom Hanks.

Last week we wrote about the Junior novel tie-in for the superhero film Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War. This week sees a re-print of the graphic novel itself: Civil War Movie Edition, Mark Millar and illustrated by Steve McNiven (Hachette/Marvel).

Captain America: Civil War opens 5/6/16.

A Hologram for the King (MTI), Dave Eggers (PRH/Vintage; OverDrive Sample) also comes out this week, tying in to the April 22nd opening of the new Tom Hanks movie directed by Tom Tykwer (Cloud Atlas), also starring Ben Whishaw, Tom Skerritt, and Sarita Choudhury.

Eggers’s 2012 novel was a finalist for the National Book Award and tells the story of a down-on-his-luck American salesman who hopes a deal made in Saudi Arabia will change his fortunes.

For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins.