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Big Books of the Week

Mercy by David Baldacci (Grand Central) leads holds this week.

Other titles in demand include:

The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan (Morrow Paperbacks; LJ starred review)

The Joy and Light Bus Company (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Bk. 22) by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon)

Guild Boss (Ghost Hunters, Bk. 14) by Jayne Castle (Berkley) 

Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show by Jonathan Karl (Dutton)

These books and others publishing the week of November 15th, 2021 are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Four LibraryReads and eight Indie Next titles publish this week:

The Singles Table by Sara Desai (Berkley)

“Desai provides so much warmth, humor and heat as Zara, free-spirited lawyer with commitment issues, promises to help driven, entrepreneurial CEO Jake find the woman of his dreams. This opposites-attract romcom is perfect for fans of Farah Heron, Farrah Rochon, and Alisha Rai.”—Laura Eckert, Clermont Library, Cincinnati, OH

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor (DAW)

“What’s the price of harnessing the wind? Who really benefits from "clean" energy? Okorafor explores these themes and more in her tale of a woman who discovers she’s much more than her cybernetic implants. Masterfully written, this is a thoughtful, accessible page turner for fans of Octavia Butler and Martha Wells.”—Jennifer Ohzourk, West Des Moines Public Library, Des Moines, IA

Guild Boss by Jayne Castle (Berkley)

“In this wonderful return to the Harmony paranormal romance series, Gabriel finds a kidnapped Lucy sitting on a crystal throne with a dust bunny feeding her pizza. Adventure and sexual tension ensue. For readers who enjoy Christine Feehan and Gena Showalter.”—Angely Jibaja, Queens Library, Rockaway Park, NY

All the Feels by Olivia Dade (Avon; LJ starred review)

“Alex is an actor on a Game of Thrones-type TV show entering its final season. Lauren’s job is to keep him out of trouble. Their relationship develops over forced proximity, a road trip, and tons of fanfic tropes (only one bed!). This steamy romance, with flawed, genuine characters and sensitive treatment of mental health and body issues, is a delight from start to finish. For fans of Spoiler Alert, Girl Gone Viral, and One To Watch.”—Lauren Mitchell, Neenah Public Library, Neenah, WI

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“A famous ‘troublesome’ actor is saddled by his showrunners with a minder to keep him out of trouble. But the more time they spend together, they less they want to be apart. This slow-burn romance will especially appeal to fans of nerdy pop culture.”—Stefani Kelley, The Book Nook, Brenham, TX

Seven additional Indie Next arrive this week:

Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park, tr. by Anton Hur (Grove Press)

“I’ve never read a book with a voice like Sang Young Park brings to this novel — young, queer, Korean — unafraid to tackle important issues while remaining funny, edgy, and approachable. I can’t wait to read whatever he writes next.”—Adam Possehl, Powell’s Books, Portland, OR

These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant (Minotaur Books)

“A father-daughter tale of survival at its core, These Silent Woods explores the themes of sacrifice, love, and grace with incredible expertise. I completely and absolutely loved it.”—Shelby Roth, Naughty Dog Books, Nashville, IN

The Teller of Secrets by Bisi Adjapon (HarperVia)

“An absolute page-turner of a book, a fiercely feminist coming-of-age tale about a young Ghanaian girl questioning what is expected of her and what she is owed. A mesmerizing and powerful read from a fresh literary talent.”—Meghana Kandlur, Seminary Co-Op Bookstores, Chicago, IL

You Feel It Just Below the Ribs by Jeffrey Cranor and Janina Matthewson (Harper Perennial)

“You Feel It Just Below the Ribs is a very interesting take on the dystopian alternate future trope. I highly recommend it for fans who like post-societal reads that focus more on the psychological impacts rather than any gore or horror.”—Kaycee Arrowood, Country Bookshelf, Bozeman, MT

Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tordotcom)

“This smart and snappy novella stitches together a slew of tropes — technology-as-magic, traditional D&D-esque fantasy, alien anthropology — interrogating each element. A rollicking read with intriguing little nuggets of insight.”—Jake Casella Brookins, City Lit Books, Chicago, IL

Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson (Morrow)

“Stephenson turns his considerable talent for world-building to our near future. His mix of wit, science, and suspense creates a story of queens, cowboys, and soldiers entangled in the last-ditch effort to save humanity or doom it.”—Greg Cass, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA

Chouette by Claire Oshetsky (Ecco)

“From the beginning I was rapt, unable to look away from what is exactly the definition of awe: terrible and beautiful all at once. Absolutely one of the best reads of my year.”—Chelsia Rice, Montana Book Company, Helena, MT

In the Media

The December Issue of Entertainment Weekly is out with a “Must List” that includes: Leviathan Falls by James S. A. Corey (Orbit), Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim (Ecco), and The Beatles: Get Back edited by John Harris (Callaway Arts & Entertainment). Featured adaptations include The Tender Bar, based on the book by J.R. Moehringer and The Power of the Dog, based on the book by Thomas Savage on Netflix. Plus, a look at “the quest for TV’s next big fantasy hit”, post-GoT. 

“The Closeup” features interviews with Emily Ratajkowski about her buzzy book, My Body (Metropolitan: Macmillan), and actress Rosamund Pike about the Amazon adaptation Wheel of Time, based on Robert Jordan’s novels. The Pop Culture Gift Guide includes Nailed It!: Baking Challenges for the Rest of Us (Harry N. Abrams).  Review coverage includes The Sentence by Louise Erdrich (Harper), which earns a B. White on White by Aysegül Savas (Riverhead), gets an A-, while Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King (Grove; LJ starred review), gets a B+. Plus, there is an “Outlander-series-sex-and-violence-o-meter” in honor of Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon (Delacorte), due out next week. 

The People "Picks" book of the week is Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King (Grove; LJ starred review). Also getting attention are Doctors and Friends by Kimmery Martin (Berkley; LJ starred review), and Tenderness by Alison Macleod (Bloomsbury). A “New in Thrillers” section features The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown, & Co.), These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant (Minotaur Books), and Damascus Station by David McCloskey (Norton).

The “Picks” section highlights Clifford the Big Red Dog, with assoc. titles. The Sexiest Man Alive edition features authors Stanley Tucci, Taste: My Life Through Food (Gallery Books), Will Smith Will (Penguin Random House, Antoni Porowski, Antoni: Let’s Do Dinner (Houghton Harcourt), Billy Porter, Unprotected (Abrams; LJ starred review), and Matthew McConaughey, Greenlights (Crown: Random House).

Reviews

The NYT reviews The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story ed. by Nikole Hannah-Jones & the New York Times Magazine (One World; LJ starred review): “on the whole it is a wide-ranging, landmark summary of the Black experience in America: searing, rich in unfamiliar detail, exploring every aspect of slavery and its continuing legacy, in which being white or Black affects everything from how you fare in courts and hospitals and schools to the odds that your neighborhood will be bulldozed for a freeway.”  And, Chouette by Claire Oshetsky (Ecco): "Human and owl meet in equal measure on the page in a crescendo of stunning lines. Just as Tiny longs for the world to meet her daughter where she is instead of forcing her into societal norms, Chouette is best met where it resides: as a harrowing and magnificent fable."

The Washington Post reviews Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19 by Matt Ridley and Alina Chan (Harper): “Part of the art of popular science writing is to boil complicated ideas down to digestible nuggets that leave the reader informed. In contrast, much of Viral will leave most readers exhausted.” Plus, reviews of three new audiobooks. 

The Guardian reviews The Sinner and the Saint: Dostoevsky and the Gentleman Murderer Who Inspired a Masterpiece by Kevin Birmingham (Penguin Pr.): “A model of luminous exposition and literary detection, The Sinner and the Saint can be recommended to anyone interested in the dark twisted genius of ‘Dusty’, as Nabokov (with a touch of mockery) nicknamed the ill-fated Russian maestro.”

Slate reviews Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson (Morrow): “The threat confronting the planet is irredeemably political, a job for diplomats every bit as much as for engineers. Stephenson seems more bemused by this than anything else. This makes Termination Shock, despite the thrilling action sequence involving drones, eagles, and rattlesnakes that serves as its climax, feel a bit inconclusive.”

Briefly Noted

The NYT has a feature on Hanif Abdurraqib, National Book Award finalist for A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance (Random; LJ starred review).

The LA Times talks with Nikole Hannah-Jones, editor of The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, with the New York Times Magazine (One World; LJ starred review), on what she’s learned from being a political target.

Shondaland talks with Mayukh Sen about his new book, Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America (Norton; LJ starred review).

The Rumpus has an interview with author Peter Ho Davies, whose latest book is The Art of Revision: The Last Word (Graywolf Pr.), about writing into the unknown. 

The Washington Post has a Q&A with Brian Baumgartner, co-author of Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office (Custom House), and why The Office was so successful.

FoxNews talks with Karen Knotts, Tied Up in Knotts: My Dad and Me (Chicago Review Pr.), about growing up with her famous father.

Bustle talks with Noor Murad & Yotam Ottolenghi about their latest cookbook, Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love: Recipes to Unlock the Secrets of Your Pantry, Fridge, and Freezer (Clarkson Potter), comfort meals, and all things cooking.

P.J. Harvey will publish a book-length narrative poem, Orlam (Picador) in April, 2022 in the UK. LitHub has the story. 

The San Francisco Chronicle reflects on returning to the books you've stopped reading.  

The Minneapolis Star Tribune discusses a contrary view of book clubs.

The New York Times & NYPL releases its 2021 Best Illustrated Children’s Books list.

USA Today picks five books for the week.

CrimeReads suggests 10 books out this week.

Parade shares the 101 Best Mystery Books of All Time. Plus, suggestions for "The Best 2021 Books to Gift This Holiday Season."

Electric Lit suggests “11 Books With Millennial Narrators Who Are Children of Immigrants.”

NPR looks at fresh calls from Republican leaders to ban certain books in schools.

Lee Maracle, Combative Indigenous Author, Dies at 71. NYT has an obituary. CBC also remembers Maracle.

NPR books editor Petra Mayer has died. NPR reports. The NYT has an obituary and USA Today has a remembrance. 

Authors On Air

NPR’s Morning Edition talks with Elif Shafak about her new novel, The Island of Missing Trees (Bloomsbury).

NPR’s Book of the Day features Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League by Britni de la Cretaz and Lyndsey D’Arcangelo (Bold Type), and the “homophobia and sexism that undermined the league's success.”

NPR’s It’s Been A Minute With Sam Sanders talks with Jamal Jordan, Queer Love in Color (Ten Speed Press), about documenting queer intimacy. 

Chris Christie, Republican Rescue: Saving the Party from Truth Deniers, Conspiracy Theorists, and the Dangerous Policies of Joe Biden (Threshold Editions), will be on The View and The Daily Show today. Nikole Hannah-Jones, editor of The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, (One World; LJ starred review), will be on The View tomorrow. Dwyane Wade, Dwyane (Morrow) visits Live with Kelly and Ryan and also with Stephen Colbert.

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Correction Notice: The title of Dwyane Wade's new memoir, Dwyane (Morrow), was originally misspelled in this post. We apologize for the error.