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This week we think you should check out Nick
Hornby's thoughtful new romance, a biting political satire featuring humanoid
bunnies, and a buzzed about new fantasy novel set at an otherworldly boarding
school where only the savviest young magicians graduate...or survive.
Just
Like You
Nick Hornby (Riverhead)
One of the Independent's Books of the
Month, Hornby's new novel follows the May-December romance between
Lucy, a white, nearly-divorced schoolteacher and Joseph, a Black part-time
butcher and soccer coach who dreams of becoming a DJ. We said that the
"thoughtful romance crosses lines of race, age, and class," while
cementing its bestselling author as a "bard of the everyday."
·
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The
Constant Rabbit
Jasper Fforde (Viking)
This keen political satire, about injustice
and corruption, is set in a near future England where the population includes
over 1 million human-like (and size) rabbits. Peter Knox, who lives in a
village in the middle of the country and works as a spotter for the
Anti-Rabbit party, finds himself in uncharted waters when his former crush, a
rabbit, moves in next door. Named one of the Philadelpia Inquirer's 10 Big Books
for Fall, the novel, we said, "invokes John le Carré, George
Orwell, and Beatrix Potter" and is a "must-read."
·
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The
Daughters of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of
Love and War
Catherine Grace Katz (HMH)
This nonfiction account brings the roles of
three women in the 1945 Yalta Peace Conference to the fore. Katz, a
historian, documents how the daughters of Franklin Roosevelt, Winston
Churchill, W. Averell Harriman (then the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union)
were integral, behind the scenes, to their fathers' work at the event. We
said the "vivid" work "offers a fresh take on a decisive
moment in the history of WWII and the Cold War."
·
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A
Deadly Education
Naomi Novik (Del Rey)
Already optioned by Universal
Pictures, this buzzed-about new fantasy is set in a brutal,
otherworldly boarding school called Scholomance. Here, the students must fend
off encroaching monsters in Darwinian fashion; the unlucky ones get eaten,
while the lucky ones are allowed to graduate. In a bid for survival,
sorceress El and monster slayer Orion strike up an alliance. The book, which
is the first in a planned trilogy, has been named one of BuzzFeed's 18 Excellent
Fantasy Books Coming Out this Fall, as well as an October 2020
Indie Next Pick. And we said that "readers will delight in
the push-and-pull of El and Orion’s relationship, the fantastically detailed
world, the clever magic system, and the matter-of-fact diversity of the
student body."
·
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The
End of the Day
Bill Clegg (Scout)
An uppercrust East Coast family and their
Mexican servants are the subject of this thoughtful new novel from
author-literary agent Clegg. Dana Goss, heir to her family's Connecticut
estate, is showing early signs of Alzhemier's. Alternating between past and
present, the novel delves into Dana's early years, as well as those of her
equally privileged best friend Jackie, and Lupita Lopez, the daughter of the
Goss's house manager. We said the novel, which we starred, features
"splendid prose" and "will keep readers turning the pages and
send them back to the beginning, to read it all over again."
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The
Loop
Jeremy Robert Johnson (Saga)
Named one of the A.V. Club's 5 New Books to
Read in September, this thriller follows Lucy and her friend
Bucket, who are the only students of color at their high school. Although
accustomed to being bullied, Lucy and Bucket see things reach another level
after a nefarious corporation tests one of its new technologies on the town's
teenagers. As the town's kids begin brutalizing one another, the duo must
survive...and save their classmates in the process. A mashup, we said, of The
X-Files and Stranger Things, we think this coming-of-age tale is
"unputdownable."
·
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Video of the Day
The Epic Saga Continues…
NYT bestselling
author Larry Correia comes out with the third book in the epic fantasy series
Saga of the Forgotten Warrior this month. Watch the interview and enter to
win a copy! (Sponsored)
Watch Now!
 The Big Indie Books of Fall 2020
A roundup of some of the best books from small presses and university presses
due out this season. more
 PW Picks: Books of the Week
The books we love coming out this week include new titles from Dave Chisholm,
Ruth Stone, and Jon Butler. more
Send
editorial questions about this e-newsletter to: rdeahl@publishersweekly.com
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Phone 212-377-5500
Copyright 2020, PWxyz LLC
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Jodi Picoult's dual narrative novel, British
TV personality Richard Osman's delightful cozy (and debut), and master
mixologist Dale DeGroff's new cocktail guide are among the books to check out
this week.
The
Book of Two Ways
Jodi Picoult (Ballantine)
One of CNN's New Books
You'll Want to Read in September, the new novel from bestseller
Picoult follows two different narratives built around a character named Dawn
McDowell. In the first narrative, Dawn is a death doula dealing with problems
in her marriage to her quantum mechanics professor husband. In the second
narrative, which takes place earlier in her life, Dawn is a single woman
pursuing a PhD in Egyptology. The novel delves into a wide array of subjects,
from quantum mechanics to Egyptian history, and, we said, is a
"multifaceted, high-concept work" that "Picoult’s fans will
appreciate."
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Hench
Natalie Zina Walschots (Morrow)
This comic novel, named one of Buzzfeed's 38 Great Books
to Read This Fall, Recommended By Our Favorite Indie Booksellers,
follows a millennial named Anna Tromedlov who pays the bills through
"hench" gigs via a temp agency which does data entry for
lesser-known supervillains. After an assignment gone awry leaves Anna in the
hospital and fired, she becomes disenchanted with a world dominated by
reckless superheroes and takes a job working directly for a supervillain. We
said the book, which we starred, "gleefully blurs the line between
heroes and villains" and features an "inventive premise, accessible
heroine, and biting wit."
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The
New Craft of the Cocktail
Dale DeGroff (Clarkson Potter)
Anyone interested in upping their living room
bar can turn to this new book from DeGroff, a follow-up to his seminal 2002
guide, The Craft of the Cocktail. DeGroff, who formerly slung drinks
at the Rainbow Room, is a James Beard award-winner and one of the country's
foremost mixologists. Here, he presents a history of imbibing alongside a
whopping 500 cocktail recipes. We think that "home bartenders will be
thrilled by this authoritative and satisfying reference."
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The
Thursday Murder Club
Richard Osman (Viking/Dorman)
This book, already a bestseller in the
author's native U.K., is one of the Financial Times's Best New Crime
Novels. The mystery, which is the debut (and first in a planned
series) by Osman, a TV celebrity across the pond, follows four members of the
titular quartet. All are residents of a retirement community in the English
countryside, and all are amateur detectives. We said the novel features
"witty prose" and will be a delight for "fans of Lynne Truss’s
Constable Twitten mysteries."
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And
Now She’s Gone
Rachel Howzell Hall (Forge)
Thriller Award finalist Hall delivers what we
called a "razor-sharp" mystery here. She follows newly minted L.A.
private investigator Gray Sykes, who has just accepted her first assignment.
Her boss is her old friend, and longtime crush, Nick Rader, and he's asked
her to track down a doctor's missing girlfriend, Isabel Lincoln. As Gray
looks for Isabel, she begins discovering strange parallels between herself,
and the woman she is supposed to find. We called the novel a "nuanced
tale of two extraordinary women" that is "un-put-downable."
·
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To
Tell You the Truth
Gilly Macmillan (Morrow)
In this work of suspense from Edgar finalist
Macmillan, a mystery writer named Lucy Harper has built her career around the
character of Det. Sgt Eliza Gray. This character happens to be Harper's
imaginary childhood friend, created in the wake of the death of her
3-year-old brother. When Lucy decides to write a new novel that doesn't feature
her popular detective, her publisher passes, enraging her husband, Dan. Then,
when Dan goes missing, Lucy becomes the prime suspect. Named one of Bustle's Best Books of
Fall 2020, we think this "eliciously multilayered tale
provides genuine, shocking surprises that culminate in a satisfying and
unexpected conclusion."
·
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Video of the Day
Engage Kids’ Innate
Love of Science
Valerie Tripp’s love of science and middle graders combine to form what’s
certain to be a series of beloved books. Watch the interview and enter to win
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 Nasty Women: New Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020
New witchy fantasy embraces feminism and social justice—no broomstick or
feline familiar required. more
PW
Picks: Books of the Week
The books we love coming out this week include new titles from Alex Ross,
Natasha Lester, and David Nasaw. more
Send
editorial questions about this e-newsletter to: rdeahl@publishersweekly.com
Send advertising questions about this e-newsletter to: cbryerman@publishersweekly.com
For additional assistance,
contact us by email or at the address below.
Publishers Weekly,
71 West 23 St. #1608
New York, NY 10010
Phone 212-377-5500
Copyright 2020, PWxyz LLC
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A new horror tale from the creator of Jonathan
Strange & Mr. Norrell, a memoir on fatherhood from a Hollywood comic,
and the latest from a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, are among the new
books we recommend this week.
Piranesi
Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury)
Bestseller Clarke delivers a twisty mystery
set in a labrythine and vast structure called, simply, the House. The titular
narrator of the novel, which is Clarke's first since her 2004 smash hit Jonathan
Strange & Mr. Norrell, inhabits the House with the Other. We said the
book is a "superbly told tale" that builds "to a crescendo of
genuine horror." With a host of strong reviews from other outlets, the
novel was also named, by the Houston Chronicle, as one of 10 Great
Fiction and Nonfiction Books to Read in September.
·
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A
Better Man: A (Mostly Serious) Letter to My Son
Michael Ian Black (Algonquin)
Comedian and author (You're Not Doing It
Right) Black pens a letter to his college-bound son in this hybrid memoir
and parenting guide. Intending to offer tips on how to be a better man--and
avoid a path towards toxic masculinity--Black outlines his own childhood in
this book dedicated to his son, Elijah. We said Black's advice is "never
maudlin but worldly and self-effacing." We continued: "He
convincingly writes to Elijah, 'your generation of men can become pioneers,
reinventing masculinity.' Parents will be moved and enlightened by Black’s
thoughtful advice."
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Once
I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America
Maria Hinojosa (Atria)
One of the AV Club's 5 New Books to
Read in September, Hinosa's memoir tackles immigration from the
perspective of someone who's lived it, and covered it. A broadcast journalist
whose family immigrated to the States from Mexico when she was a baby,
Hinojosa went on to help launch NPR's Weekend Edition. In the book,
she discusses U.S. immigration policy under previous administrations, as well
as her own experiences; we said that "the result is a powerful memoir
that doubles as an essential immigration primer.
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The
Roommate
Rosie Danan (Berkley)
This debut, which is one of Popsugar's 11 New Romance
Books to Fall in Love With This September, follows an East Coast
socialite who moves to L.A. after being offered a spare room in the apartment
of her longtime crush. When they fall into a no-strings-attached situation,
things get, well, complicated. We said the book is a "delectable
rom-com" that is "both red-hot and fiercely feminist."
·
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Sponsored
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An
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The
Killings at Kingfisher Hill: The New Hercule Poirot Mystery
Sophie Hannah (Morrow)
In this, Hannah's fourth authorized entry in
Agatha Christie's famous Hercule Poirot mysteries, the titular detective find
himself investigating a mysterious death at a Surrey estate. We believe that
"fans of classic fair-play puzzle mysteries will clamor for more."
·
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Jack
Marilynne Robinson (FSG)
Robinson's fourth entry in her Gilead
cycle--which follows a collection of characters from the fictional Iowa
town--focuses on Jack Boughton, the son of a local minister. Returning home
to Gilead after dodging the draft in World War II, Jack's downward spiral is
interrupted when he meets a teacher from a prominent Black family named Delia
Miles. Despite facing disapproval from family members and friends, the lovers
are drawn to each other. We said the book, named one of Oprah Magazine's
Best Books of
Fall 2020--So Far is "a beautiful, superbly crafted
meditation on the redemption and transcendence that love affords."
·
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Video of the Day
Think You
Know Coco Chanel?
Judithe Little joined Books on Tap Live
to discuss the little known facts uncovered in her book on the legendary yet
intensely guarded icon. Watch the interview and enter to win The Chanel Sisters! (Sponsored) Watch Now!
 Going Viral: New Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020
In each of these books, a pandemic is a major plot point, but the focus is on
people as much as the plague. more
PW
Picks: Books of the Week
The books we love coming out this week include new titles from Alex Ross,
Natasha Lester, and David Nasaw. more
Send
editorial questions about this e-newsletter to: rdeahl@publishersweekly.com
Send advertising questions about this e-newsletter to: cbryerman@publishersweekly.com
For additional assistance,
contact us by email or at the address below.
Publishers Weekly,
71 West 23 St. #1608
New York, NY 10010
Phone 212-377-5500
Copyright 2020, PWxyz LLC
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Ayad Akhtar's anticipated new work of
autofiction, Sue Miller's nuptials novel, and Chuck Palahnkuik's return to
fiction are among the new books we recommend this week.
Monogamy
Sue Miller (Harper)
One of the novels that the New York Post
thinks everyone will
be buzzing about this fall, Miller’s take on the inner-workings of
a lengthy marriage earned a star from us. In it, a photographer learns some
unpleasant truths about her late husband while trying to come to grips with
losing him after 30 years together. We said the book is “robust" and
"character-driven,” and that it's ultimately a winning take on “the resiliency
of everlasting love.”
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Homeland
Elegies
Ayad Akhtar (Little, Brown)
The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright’s
buzzed-about new novel, which B&N named one of it Most
Anticipated New Book Releases of September, is, we said, a
“wrenching work of autofiction.” Its narrator, Ayad, is, like the author, a
son of Pakistani immigrants who is born in Staten Island and raised in
Wisconsin. Over the course of eight chapters Ayad grapples with his American
identity, and his constant feeling of other-ness. We called the novel “a
provocative and urgent examination of the political and economic conditions
that shape personal identity, especially for immigrants and communities of
color.”
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What
Are You Going Through
Sigrid Nunez (Riverhead)
Nunez’s new cat-featuring novel, which follows
her National Book Award-winning dog-featuring work, has already gotten a
strong seal of approval from the New York Times, with Dwight Garner
calling it a ”wise novel.”
The unnamed narrator, who is visiting a cancer-stricken friend in the
hospital, begins with a story about attending a boring lecture hosted by her
journalist ex-boyfriend. (Said trip involves the cat, and a stay at an
Airbnb.) We starred the novel, saying readers will “be tantalized by the
provocative questions she raises.”
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Just
Us: An American Conversation
Claudia Rankine (Graywolf)
A book that Oprah magazine's says is The Best Books
of Fall 2020—So Far, MacArthur Fellow Rankine offers a meditation
on the racial divide in America in this book, that combines imagery, poetry,
and prose. We said the book, which we starred, “is an incisive, anguished,
and very frank call for Americans of all races to cultivate their ‘empathetic
imagination’ in order to build a better future.”
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The
Invention of Sound
Chuck Palahniuk (Grand Central)
A woman named Mitzi Ives who runs a sounds
effects company that packages and sells her screams to the film industry is
the subject of Palahniuk’s new novel, which we said “puts a wickedly playful
spin on the mechanics of horror filmmaking.” The genre-bending title, which
the A.V. Club listed as one of its 5 new books to
read in September, follows Mitzi as her life becomes intertwined
with a father whose been searching for his missing daughter for 17 years. We
think the book is a “wry, devilish delight.”
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The
Big Door Prize
M.O. Walsh (Putnam)
One of the ABA’s picks for its September
Indie Next List, this new one from the author My Sunshine Away
is set in Deerfield, La. The small town becomes rife with gossip after a
machine that has supposed special powers—it’s called the DNAMIX—suddenly
appears at the local grocery store. The DNAMIX, which offers details on what
your “body and mind are capable of doing” if you give it a swab from inside
your cheek, begins to sow unrest among the townspeople. We think the book
“transcends its quirky premise” and offers “many insights on the mysteries of
the human heart.”
·
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review
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Video of the Day
Think You
Know Coco Chanel?
Judithe Little joined Books on Tap Live
to discuss the little known facts uncovered in her book on the legendary yet
intensely guarded icon. Watch the interview and enter to win The Chanel Sisters! (Sponsored) Watch Now!
 A New Moment for Black Bookstores
Four Black booksellers discuss how they navigate today’s turbulent social,
political, and economic currents. more
 PW Picks: Books of the Week
The books we love coming out this week include new titles from Ann Cleeves,
Nancy Pearl, and J.D. Robb. more
Send
editorial questions about this e-newsletter to: rdeahl@publishersweekly.com
Send advertising questions about this e-newsletter to: cbryerman@publishersweekly.com
For additional assistance,
contact us by email or at the address below.
Publishers Weekly,
71 West 23 St. #1608
New York, NY 10010
Phone 212-377-5500
Copyright 2020, PWxyz LLC
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