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Big Books of the Week

To Die For by David Baldacci (Grand Central) leads holds this week. 

Other titles in demand include:

Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Little Brown for Young Readers)

Clive Cussler Desolation Code by Graham Brown (Putnam)

A Bloom in Winter by J.R. Ward (Gallery)

Lazarus Man by Richard Price (Farrar)

These books and others publishing the week of November 11, 2024, are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Two LibraryReads and six Indie Next picks publish this week:

Ingenious: A Biography of Benjamin Franklin, Scientist by Richard Munson (Norton) *Good for Book Clubs

“Most American schoolchildren know basic facts about Benjamin Franklin, but we are taught mainly about his political prowess and not enough about the vast body of scientific work Franklin conducted during his lifetime. In this engaging narrative, Munson details how Franklin was involved in cutting-edge research on electricity, weather patterns, chemical bonds, and plants—and used his knowledge to further the promise of a fledgling country. This will appeal to history buffs, biography fans, and book clubs.”—Rebecca Vnuk, LibraryReads

The Co-op by Tarah DeWitt (St. Martin’s Griffin)

“LaRynn has inherited her grandmother's beachside home, but there’s a catch: her ex Deacon inherited half of it. With funds running low, they marry in order to access her trust fund, leading them to fall in love again. This atmospheric tale is set against a stunning backdrop and will appeal to fans of slow-burn, emotionally charged romances.”—Migdalia Jimenez, Chicago Public Library, IL

Six Indie Next picks publish this week:

Lowest Common Denominator by Pirkko Saisio, tr. by Mia Spangenberg (Two Lines)

“Lowest Common Denominator refuses to be neatly categorized. As the narrator deals with grief over losing her father, she tries to reconcile the realities of middle age. A surreal read full of linguistic magic that makes the world feel alive with possibility.”—David Vogel, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI

Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures by Katherine Rundell (Doubleday)

“Charming, poignant, and sometimes very funny, Vanishing Treasures is equal parts love story, beacon, and manifesto. Come for the eponymous and often imperiled treasures of the title, stay for the urgent call to action.”—Rafe Posey, Third Place Books Ravenna, Seattle, WA

Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley (Ace)

“In a sea of faerie romances, this one stands out! I love how the labyrinthine underground Fae world felt so foreign compared to Kenna’s human world. The writing was clear and fun. The ending has me counting down the days until book two!”—Amber Talbot, pages: a bookstore, Manhattan Beach, CA

Didion and Babitz by Lili Anolik (Scribner)

“Anolik tells a great tale of two fascinating women. Didion and Babitz not only tells of the lives of Eve and Joan, but also gives a social studies glimpse of the time: celebrities, places, clothes, parties, and events all included.”—Suzy Takacs, The Book Cellar, Chicago, IL

Only Here, Only Now by Tom Newlands (HarperVia)

“This debut is the thunderous announcement of a brilliant novelist with a keen wit. Like Derry Girls done by Dave Eggers, Only Here, Only Now is fiercely original, unabashedly Scottish, heartrendingly poignant, and hilarious to the point of tears.”—Steve Iwanski, Charter Books, Newport, RI

Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers (Mariner)

“An inventive and satisfying novel. Not just a story you’ll look forward to cozying up with, but a brilliant affirmation of non-conformity, self-determination, and the power of art. For fans of Elizabeth McCracken, Tessa Hadley, and Ann Patchett!”—Kristen Iskandrian, Thank You Books, Birmingham, AL

In the Media

People’s book of the week is The Magnificent Ruins by Nayantara Roy (Algonquin). Also getting attention are Lazarus Man by Richard Price (Farrar) and Pictures of You by Emma Grey (Zibby). A “New in Nonfiction” section includes Nora Ephron at the Movies: A Visual Celebration of the Writer and Director Behind When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, and More by Ilana Kaplan (Abrams), What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World’s Most Familiar Bird by Sy Montgomery (Atria) and Still Life at Eighty: The Next Interesting Thing by Abigail Thomas (Scribner). 

The “Picks” section spotlights the 25th anniversary of Fight Club, based on the book by Chuck Palahniuk. There is a feature on Josh Brolin and his new memoir, From Under the Truck (Harper). Travel guru Rick Steves shares his cancer journey and will publish On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer (Hachette) in February. Plus a recipe for Thanksgiving leftovers from Owen Han, Stacked: The Art of the Perfect Sandwich (Harvest). 

Reviews

NYT reviews Didion and Babitz by Lili Anolik (Scribner): “Throughout the book Anolik’s tone is self-conscious and conspiratorial, which at first feels like gossipy fun, as if she’s writing beyond the male gaze, the book both taking itself very seriously and not seriously at all”; Four Points of the Compass: The Unexpected History of Direction by Jerry Brotton (Atlantic Monthly Pr.): “But if some passages in Four Points can feel disorienting, that would appear to be the objective—and it’s one that gets its creator to places prior practitioners never did”; Every Arc Bends Its Radian by Sergio De La Pava (S. & S.; LJ starred review): “De La Pava’s commitment to ideas—their creation and their interrogation—is so fervid that it lights up his prose”; The Magnificent Ruins by Nayantara Roy (Algonquin): “So many of Roy’s pages are a love letter toKolkata, a city teeming with the vestiges of colonial culture and artistic sensibilities—a place where, even in the most privileged of neighborhoods, every move is watched and whispered about”; and Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music by Rob Sheffield (Dey Street): “It’s appropriate that the critic’s job description has expanded to require an understanding of the fan, as that symbiotic relationship is now a defining element of the work itself.”

Plus, there are more reviews in the NYT Book Review.

Washington Post reviews The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer, illus. by John Burgoyne (Scribner): “The Serviceberry is an optimistic book, one that trusts in the ability of people to do the right thing.”

The Guardian reviews Her Lotus Year: China, the Roaring Twenties, and the Making of Wallis Simpson by Paul French (St. Martin’s): “A new account of the months Simpson spent in China debunks the well-worn gossip about sexual adventures and opium addiction and even invites admiration for a ‘buccaneering’ woman.”

Briefly Noted

The Booker Prize will be awarded today. Watch here for the announcement. NYT and The Guardian pick favorites. LitHub shares bookies’ odds. 

Adam Shatz wins the American Library in Paris Book Award for The Rebel’s Clinic: The Revolutionary Lives of Frantz Fanon (Picador). LitHub has the story.

Staff at Hachette are protesting the new conservative imprint Basic Liberty, Publishers Weekly reports. 

Phaidon CEO Keith Fox will step down at the end of the year, ShelfAwareness reports.

Chef Jamie Oliver apologizes after his children’s book was pulled from shelves over criticism from Indigenous groups, Washington Post reports. NYT, Sydney Morning Herald, and People also have coverage. 

CrimeReads suggests 10 new books for the week. 

PW rounds up November’s book club picks.

LA Times has a feature on Keke Palmer and her new book, Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative (Flatiron). 

People previews Ally Carter’s forthcoming novel, The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold (Avon), due out in August 2025. 

Actress Bessie Carter will narrate the Marie Benedict’s forthcoming The Queens of Crime (Macmillan Audio), People reports.

“Dorothy Allison, Author of Bastard Out of Carolina, Dies at 75.” NYT has an obituary. 

Bruce Degan, illustrator of the “Magic School Bus” books, has died at the age of 79. NYT has an obituary.

Authors on Air

Haruki Murakami talks with NPR about his latest novel, The City and Its Uncertain Walls, tr. by Philip Gabriel (Knopf; LJ starred review), which publishes next week. 

Grammy nominations are announced. Nominees for Best Audiobook are All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words by various artists (Audible); …And Your Ass Will Follow, read by George Clinton (Audible); Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, read by Dolly Parton (Books on Tape); Sunday Mornings in Plains: Bringing Peace to a Changing World, read by Jimmy Carter (S. & S. Audio); and My Name Is Barbra, read by Barbra Streisand (Books on Tape). Variety has coverage.

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