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Big Books of the Week

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (Viking) leads holds this week.

Other titles in demand include:

Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen (Farrar; LJ starred review)

The Butler by Danielle Steel (Delacorte Press)

2 Sisters Detective Agency by James Patterson and Candice Fox (Grand Central)

Foul Play by Stuart Woods (Putnam)

These books and others publishing the week of October 4th, 2021 are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Eight LibraryReads and eleven Indie Next selections arrive this week:

Cackle by Rachel Harrison (Berkley; LJ starred review)

“Annie is floundering after an unexpected breakup and a subsequent move to a small, quirky town. Her new friend Sophie is a little strange, but Annie is so happy to have someone who has chosen her that she ignores her concerns. This delightfully creepy fall story will work well for those who like paranormal fiction and light horror, and fans of The Year of the Witching and The Deep.”—Rebecca Swanson, Fitchburg Public Library, Fitchburg, WI

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling (St. Martin’s)

“Jane, a sensible young woman, decides that she must get married. Her first choice is Dr. Lawrence, but she soon discovers his dark, terrifying secrets and becomes engulfed in a tangled mystery of magic, ghosts, demons, and bizarre rituals. A well-written story for fans of gothic fantasy and horror like Gideon the Ninth and Mexican Gothic.”—Sandra Allen, South Community Library, St. Petersburg, FL

Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger (Park Row; LJ starred review)

“Wren meets Adam on a dating app, and they seem to hit it off. After she tells him a secret, though, he ghosts her. She refuses to let it go and starts searching for him. What she finds is shocking, but she can match him in the secret department. Chilling, twisty, and hard to put down. Give to fans of Ghosted and The Couple Next Door.”—Shari Suarez, Genesee District Library, Goodrich, MI

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (Viking)

“In 1952, castoffs from a Nebraska juvenile detention camp embark on a road trip that takes them in different directions than initially intended. There’s so much genuine sweetness and aching loss in this exuberant book full of characters you’ll care about deeply. For fans of John Irving and Ann Patchett.”—Diana Armstrong, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Fabulous storytelling, impeccable style, interesting and relatable characters, humor, mystery, and a tremendous understanding of humanity and its foibles. Lincoln Highway is a road trip not to be missed!”—Trish Brown, One More Page Books, Arlington, VA

Once More Upon a Time by Rohani Shokshi (Sourcebooks Casablanca)

“In this classic fairytale with a twist, a prince and princess who became a cursed king and queen are given a second chance at a future. The storyline and characters are engaging, but it’s the beautiful, flowing writing that really stands out. Recommended for readers of Stardust and Kill the Farmboy.”—Sandra Woodbury, Burlington Public Library, Burlington, MA

Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper (Berkley; LJ starred review)

“Emmy reluctantly returns to her hometown to serve as arbiter of a magical tournament. But the town now seemingly has much more to offer, including a gorgeous witch. Will she be enough incentive for Emmy to stay? Romance and a well- developed magical system make this perfect for fans of TJ Klune and Seanan McGuire.”—Alicia Ahlvers, Henrico County Public Library, Henrico, VA

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Queer witches plotting revenge against the rich boy that played them — need I say more? A laugh-out-loud funny story of heartbreak, nostalgia, and new beginnings wrapped up in spooky fall magic.”—Emma Reilly, A Likely Story, Sykesville, MD

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow (Tordotcom)

“Harrow delights with a queer fractured fairy tale novella. Zinnia Grey, forever obsessed with the Sleeping Beauty story, gets a spindle for her 21st birthday. When she pricks her finger, she’s transported to another dimension and finds a princess who'd rather not marry the dashing prince. For fans of Naomi Novik and Margaret Atwood.”—Jill Minor, Washington County Public Library, Abingdon, VA

It is also an Indie Next pick:

A refreshing and humorous feminist retelling of Sleeping Beauty, where the villains are not who you remember and the women are stronger than ever.”—Katie Harveson, Front Street Books, Alpine, TX

The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley (Sourcebooks Landmark)

“In 1707 Scotland, Adam is given the task of proving or disproving Lily’s claim that she should receive a widow's pension. Political unrest, strong women, a hint of romance and danger adds up to a sweeping historical saga. This is the book to read if you love Diana Gabaldon and the Sara Donati series.”—Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, Austin, TX

Eight additional Indie Next picks publish this week:

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten, trans. by Marlaine Delargy (Soho Crime)

“What a hoot! Maud might be almost 89 years old, but she’s no shrinking violet. She knows how to take care of herself and situations that need fixing. I loved this little treasure of a book!”—Annette Steinmetz, The Well-Read Moose, Coeur d’Alene, ID

As You Were by Elaine Feeney (Biblioasis)

“I challenge you to not get emotionally invested in the rich, raw, and devastating lives of the characters in this debut novel. I will be thinking about the patients in this hospital ward for a long time to come.”—Kelly Shrader, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, WA

We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza (Atria)

“Lifelong friends, one Black and one white, have their relationship tested after the tragic shooting of an unarmed Black teen. A thought-provoking and timely read.”—Mary Kay Burnett, Buttonwood Books and Toys, Cohasset, MA

What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J A Chancy (Tin House; LJ starred review)

“The 2010 Haitian earthquake and its aftermath is revealed to us through the stories of 10 intertwining lives, some who survive and others who perish. Stunning in its beauty, horror, and heartbreak.”—Alana Haley, Schuler Books, Grand Rapids, MI

Fight Night by Miriam Toews (Bloomsbury)

“Told from the perspective of a little girl named Swiv, who lives with her pregnant mother and eccentric grandmother, Fight Night is filled with laugh-out-loud, subtle, and smart observations of family dynamics and the human condition.”—Mia Wigmore, DIESEL, A Bookstore, Brentwood, CA

Sankofa by Chibundu Onuzo (Catapult)

“Onuzo is an incredibly talented author that you should be reading if you aren’t already. This book is certain to be on several awards lists and notable lists. It is definitely on mine!”—Shane Mullen, Left Bank Books, St. Louis, MO

Smile: The Story of a Face by Sarah Ruhl (S. & S.) 

“Sarah Ruhl’s memoir about motherhood and illness is wise and true and generous. This is such a beautiful and important book; I know it will be a tremendously helpful and profound reading experience for many.”—Keith Mosman, Powell’s Books, Portland, OR

My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson (Henry Holt: Macmillan)

“What Johnson does here is pure genius, allowing the reader to view the story through a lens of past, present, and uncertain future, giving the reader pause for reflection and a sliver of hope.”—Javier Ramirez, Exile in Bookville, Chicago, IL

In the Media

The People "Picks" book of the week is Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen (Farrar; LJ starred review). Also getting attention are We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza (Atria), and Three Sisters by Heather Morris (St. Martin’s). 

A “New in Nonfiction" section highlights Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters by Steven Pinker (Viking), Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey To End Gender Violence by Anita Hill (Viking), and Please Don't Sit On My Bed In Your Outside Clothes by Phoebe Robinson (Tiny Reparations: Random House; LJ starred review). The “Poetry Pick” is The Last Thing: New & Selected Poems by Patrick Rosal (Persea).

There is a cover feature on Prince William and how he is preparing to be King. The updated paperback edition of Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – the Inside Story of a Family in Tumult by Robert Lacey (Harper Paperbacks) arrives October 19th. There is also a feature on the social activism of Audrey Hepburn, highlighting the book, Warrior: Audrey Hepburn by Robert Matzen (GoodKnight Books), out now. Plus, Trisha Yearwood, Trisha's Kitchen: Easy Comfort Food for Friends and Family (Mariner Books), and Tia Mowry, The Quick Fix Kitchen: Easy Recipes and Time-Saving Tips for a Healthier, Stress-Free Life (Rodale), share recipes.

Reviews

USA Today reviews Fight Night by Miriam Toews (Bloomsbury), giving it 4 out of 4 stars: “Moving back and forth in time through her characters’ fragmentary memories, Toews has written a big-hearted, briskly paced family saga about the extraordinary love that binds three generations of free-spirited women together, and the tools and techniques that they’ve had to develop to survive.”

The NYT reviews My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson (Henry Holt: Macmillan): “Not only do we join along as Johnson’s characters journey to Monticello — Thomas Jefferson’s plantation in Virginia — but we also bear witness as they rifle through and reclaim what remains in that fraught, abandoned place, refashioning its legacy to their own liking.” And, Fight Night by Miriam Toews (Bloomsbury): “Toews is a master of dialogue, and she swirls the adults’ perspectives through Swiv’s imperfect ventriloquism as if she were mixing paints.” Also, Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters by Steven Pinker (Viking): “Pinker’s book does more than just lay out how we ought to reason. It also seeks to explain why our efforts often seem to fall short.” Plus, There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century by Fiona Hill (Mariner): “When recounting her life, Hill is a lucid writer, delivering her reminiscences in a vivid and wry style. As much as I wanted more of Hill the memoirist and less of Hill the expert, I began to sense that giving voice to both was the only way she could feel comfortable writing a book about herself.”

NPR reviews The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward (Tor Nightfire; LJ starred review): “the experience is unlike anything else out there, and that makes it a must-read for those who like the kind of labyrinthine narratives that pull the rug out from under you, sending you tumbling into a dark, dark room.” And, Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth by Wole Soyinka (Pantheon): “Chronicles seems effortful; it reads like a novel with something to prove. And perhaps, after all these years maybe the incomparable author does. Nevertheless, though he's a great writer, this book does not reflect the brilliant canon of work Soyinka's known for.”

The Washington Post reviews Search History by Eugene Lim (Coffee House Press): “Fans of Haruki Murakami’s melancholy, oneiric tales will also delight in Lim’s assault upon consensus reality. He encourages the reader to “stop making sense,” in the Talking Heads manner, and experience the universe as a magical tapestry of events whose overall pattern is perceivable only by God — or maybe after one’s own death.” And, Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World's Economy by Adam Tooze (Viking): “Tooze’s book offers readers a comprehensive and smartly written summary of the economic impact of the coronavirus.”

The Guardian reviews The Survivors by Alex Schulman (Doubleday): “as a study of complex sibling relationships and the layers of guilt and resentment laid down over a lifetime of burying the past, The Survivors is an accomplished debut.”

Briefly Noted

The American Literary Translators Association releases its shortlist for the National Translation Awards. Publishing Perspectives has details.

The Christy Award shortlist is also announced. 

The buyer’s pick in the October issue of Costco Connection is The Beatles: Get Back by The Beatles (Callaway Arts & Entertainment) and the assistant buyer’s pick is The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (Viking). There is also a feature with recipes from Trisha's Kitchen: Easy Comfort Food for Friends and Family by Trisha Yearwood (Mariner Books). 

The Millions talks with Claire Vaye Watkins about her new book, I Love You but I've Chosen Darkness (Riverhead), and her unique upbringing.

NYT profiles Stanley Tucci and his new memoir, Taste: My Life Through Food (Gallery Books).

The Atlantic calls Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen (Farrar; LJ starred review), "his best book yet."

Joan Didion’s complete backlist is being re-issued next spring with new cover designs. Entertainment Weekly has a preview.

NYT warns of the “Beginning of the Snowball” and how supply-chain issues are affecting publishing.

The Atlantic’s “Books Briefing” considers “The Essential Qualities of a Book.”

NYT explores “How the History of Four Centuries Ago Still Shapes American Culture and Politics.”

Salon lists “5 things we learned” from I’ll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House by Stephanie Grisham (HarperCollins).

Eric Rickstad, I Am Not Who You Think I Am (Blackstone), finds “inspiration in Vermont’s ‘Shirley Jackson and Donna Tartt Country’,” at Crimereads. 

USA Today picks five books for the week. And, the best Winter rom-com reads.

Entertainment Weekly has 10 October must-reads.

CrimeReads suggests 10 books out this week. 

The Washington Post suggests “5 new thrillers and mysteries to read this fall.”

Time has “8 New Books You Should Read in October.”

Bitch has “13 Books Feminists Should Read in October.”

Bustle has "8 Books By, For, & About Muslim Women.”

PopSugar has “13 Chilling New Mystery and Thriller Books Coming Your Way in October.”

David Tennant and Michael Sheen return as narrators for the new Good Omens audiobook. Tordotcom has details.

Authors On Air

CBS’s Sunday Morning features Anthony Doerr and his new book, Cloud Cuckoo Land (Scribner; LJ starred review).

NPR’s Book of the Day has an interview with neuroscientist Nina Kraus about Of Sound Mind: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World (MIT Press).

NPR’s Code Switch has an interview with Michelle Zauner, Crying in H Mart (Knopf), about “what it means to ‘cook’ your feelings.”

Bustle takes a look at Jo Bloom’s debut novel, Ridley Road (WM), which has been adapted into a BBC series.

Anthony Doerr, Cloud Cuckoo Land (Scribner; LJ starred review), will visit The Late Show with Seth Meyers tomorrow night. Stanley Tucci, Taste: My Life Through Food (Gallery Books), will be on Kelly Clarkson and John Lithgow, A Confederacy of Dumptys: Portraits of American Scoundrels in Verse, will be on The View. 

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