Want to get the latest book news delivered to your inbox each day? Sign up for our daily Book Pulse newsletter.

Awards, Book Clubs & News

Megan Rapinoe launches an inclusive book club, The Call In, with Literati. The first selection is Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement by Tarana Burke (Flatiron; LJ starred review). People has the story.

The National Endowment for the Humanities announces new grants, NYT reports.

Hachette to buy Workman for $240 million. NYT reports. Publishing Perspectives has more.

The ceremony for the Dutch literary prize, Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren, has been cancelled after comments made by winner Astrid Roemer. The Guardian has coverage.

Reviews

USA Today reviews Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey: Ballantine; LJ starred review), giving it 3 out of 4 stars: “Moreno-Garcia’s writing style, which captivated audiences in her bestselling 2020 horror novel Mexican Gothic, is firing on all cylinders again despite the slightly slow start, showing off her flexibility and prowess as a crafter of engaging stories – even if you are not a fan of noirs.”

NYT reviews Two-Way Mirror: The Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning by Fiona Sampson (Norton; LJ starred review): “Sampson casts a much needed cold eye on the economic underpinnings of the celebrated Barretts of Wimpole Street.” The Washington Post also reviews: "Throughout this magical and compelling book, Sampson shows us that we, too, can speak to the dead, or, at the very least, we can listen to their words."  And, Don't Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantanamo by Mansoor Adayfi (Hachette): “The result is a starkly human dispatch from the messy and often unheard receiving end of the war on terror.”  And, paired reviews of The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War by Craig Whitlock & the Washington Post (S. & S), and The American War in Afghanistan: A History by Carter Malkasian (Oxford Univ. Pr.): “Both authors paint a picture of an American war effort that, after breathtaking early success, lost its way, never to recover.” Also, Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America by Eyal Press (Farrar; LJ starred review): “a disturbing and necessary new book by Eyal Press, describes with great empathy the lives of workers who do jobs that they themselves find morally horrifying.” And, Still Mad: American Women Writers and the Feminist Imagination by Sandra M. Gilbert & Susan Gubar (Norton; LJ starred review): “an excellent resource for anyone seeking a spirited guide through the past few decades of feminist history. One can feel the sensibilities of these two pioneering scholars — humane, fair, impassioned, well intentioned — hovering over the page.”  Also, Silent Winds, Dry Seas by Vinod Busjeet (Doubleday): “it’s satisfying to read such a vivid rendering of a world unfamiliar to many. For another, bearing witness to a migratory rise in status gives one a sense of optimism.” Plus, short reviews of 4 books on espionage, and three short story collections.

NPR reviews Against White Feminism: Notes on Disruption by Rafia Zakaria (Norton): “White feminism isn't confined to the Western world; it has been exported and embedded all over the world. If the ongoing effects and implications of that haven't made you want to bare your fangs yet, this steely, incisive critique deserves your attention.”

Briefly Noted

The September LibraryReads list arrives with Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (Tor) claiming the top spot.

Entertainment Weekly has a Q&A with Maurice Carlos Ruffin, The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You (One World: Random House), about New Orleans, writing, and what the new collection means to him.

USA Today talks with Mary L. Trump, The Reckoning: Our Nation's Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal (St. Martin’s), about her new book, trauma, and mental health.

NYT has a profile and interview with Eric Garcia, We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation (Mariner), about public policy and journalism.

Lamda Literary has a Q&A with Jim Duggins Prize Winner Sarah Gerard, True Love (Harper).

Electric Lit talks with Brenda Peynado, The Rock Eaters (Penguin Pr.), about using “magical realism to explore what it means to be the other.”

Judy Blume’s Forever will finally get an audiobook release on September 14th, with Tony Award nominee Caitlin Kinnunen (hand-picked by Blume) narrating. Entertainment Weekly has the exclusive.

Bob Woodward’s third book about Donald Trump will be called Peril, completing a trilogy begun with Fear (S. & S.)and Rage (S. & S.). The Guardian has the news. 

USA Today shares critics’ picks for “The best books of 2021 so far.”

CBC offers “65 Canadian works of fiction to watch for in fall 2021.”

The Chicago Tribune previews “a whole shelf-load of promising new fiction” for September.

AARP suggests “5 Gripping New Thrillers.”

ElectricLit has “7 Thrillers About the Dark Side of Academia.”

The NYPL recommends “Nine New Debut Novels That Dazzle.”

Jezebel has “The Best Fantasy Books for the Waning Days of Summer.”

Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish reveal the cover art for Clanlands Almanac: Season Stories from Scotland (Mobius) on Twitter. Parade has a writeup.

Authors on Air

Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn by Daniel Gordis (Ecco: HarperCollins) will be adapted as a docuseries for television, Deadline reports.

Sparking Joy With Marie Kondo returns to Netflix for a three-episode series on August 31st. AV Club has the story. Watch the new trailer.

Emma Cline reads her story The Iceman, from the current issue of The New Yorker.

Want to get the latest book news delivered to your inbox each day? Sign up for our daily Book Pulse newsletter.