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Big Books of the Week

The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown: Hachette) leads holds this week.

Other titles in high demand include:

Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Harper)

Marauder by Clive Cussler and Boyd Morrison (G.P. Putnam's Sons: Penguin)

The Kingdom by Jo Nesbo (Knopf: Random House)

Leopard's Rage by Christine Feehan (Berkley: Penguin)

This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing by Jacqueline Winspear (Soho)

The Truth About Dukes by Grace Burrowes (Forever: Hachette)

These books and others publishing the week of Nov. 9, 2020, are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

There are five LibraryReads selections arriving this week.

Murder in Old Bombay: A Mystery by Nev March (Minotaur: Macmillan)

"James Agnihotri has recovered from a war injury when he reads about the “suicide” of two ladies. His first interview as a new journalist is with the husband of one of the women, who wants to know who murdered his wife and sister. Jim follows clues, interviews observers of the tragedy, and travels through India. For readers who like intrigue, other cultures, and romance, along with fans of Kate Atkinson and Laurie R. King." —Gail Christensen, Kitsap Regional Library, Bremerton, WA

The Office of Historical Corrections: A Novella and Stories by Danielle Evans (Riverhead: Penguin; LJ starred review)

"A novella about the first African-Americans in Wisconsin and the lives of their descendants today along with several other haunting short stories. Recommended for fans of Jodi Picoult." —Heather McIntosh, Botetourt County Libraries, VA

It is also an Indie Next choice:

"I have been holding my breath for Danielle Evans’ next book of short stories since Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, and The Office of Historical Corrections was worth the wait. She delivers the same great storytelling, insight, and sharp cultural commentary. Her touch on themes usually associated with older people, such as redemption, reconciliation, and propitiation, moved me. I read the whole collection in two days." —Miesha Headen, Loganberry Books, Shaker Heights, OH

This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing by Jacqueline Winspear (Soho)

"The author of the beloved Masie Dobbs novels shares both madcap and poignant stories of her nuclear and extended family, giving insight into the humor and hardships that shaped her imagination and work. For readers who enjoyed Where the Past Begins: A Writer’s Memoir and How To Write an Autobiographical Novel." —Joy Robinson, Piscataway Public Library, Piscataway, NJ

It is also an Indie Next choice:

"As a fan of her Maisie Dobbs novels, I couldn’t wait to learn more about Jacqueline Winspear herself. This memoir takes the reader through the early and adolescent years of the author’s life as well as the history of her parents. Winspear’s memoir of an English country childhood is also a love letter to her parents, whose choices and outlook shaped her life. She paints a vivid picture of postwar England, and her story is engaging, vivid, and hopeful." —Scott Lange, The Bookman, Grand Haven, MI

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur (Avon: Harper)

"Darcy, a buttoned-up actuary, convinces quirky astrologer Elle to fake a relationship for a couple of months to get her brother (and Elle's new business partner) off her back. For fans of The Kiss Quotient and You Had me at Hola." —Elizabeth Gabriel, Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, WI

It is also an Indie Next choice:

“This fake-dating, opposites-attract romance is simply perfect. A social media astrologer is set up with her new business partner’s actuary sister. While the date goes terribly, how helpful it would be for both of them to have a date for certain upcoming events. The two leads are wonderful, flawed women with their own baggage and hang-ups (hello, family drama!), and it’s a joy to watch them fall in love with each other in spite of everything." —Lexi Beach, The Astoria Bookshop, Astoria, NY

Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Harper)

"Retired publisher Susan Ryeland returns to London to shed light on a woman’s recent disappearance, which may be connected to a novel written by Susan’s former client. Agatha Christie fans will devour this story within a story, brimming with red herrings and deliciously devious suspects." —KC Davis, Fairfield Woods Branch Library, Fairfield, CT

It is also an Indie Next choice:

"Anthony Horowitz has done it again! With Moonflower Murders, he has crafted another superlative, page-turning, cunning, book-within-a-book mystery chock full of clues (and red herrings), featuring the appealing former editor Susan Ryeland from Magpie Murders. Terrifically engaging, smart, and fun, this book is practically impossible to put down. Don’t miss it!" —Tova Beiser, Brown University Bookstore, Providence, RI

There are three additional titles on the Indie Next list coming out this week:

We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence by Becky Cooper (Grand Central: Hachette)

"As much a journey for the writer as it is for the reader, this book solves a murder but leaves us with many unanswered questions. We Keep the Dead Close challenges us to question our assumptions as well as the paths we use to arrive at those assumptions. Delving into the academic culture of Harvard, the misogyny of the 1960s, and the burgeoning women’s rights movement, the story follows several threads, all of which have a significant impact on the life of Jane Britton, whose story is told with empathy, compassion, and five decades of curiosity." —Camille Kovach, Completely Booked, Murrysville, PA

Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten (St. Martin’s: Macmillan)

"Ellen Alpsten’s debut is a riveting, delicious escape into the world of Catherine the I, Tsarina of Russia. My head is swimming with the sights and sounds of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Alpsten’s fascinating account reveals the unforgettable woman who went toe to toe with her husband, Peter the Great. Exactly the kind of book I needed to read right now!” —Anderson McKean, Page and Palette, Fairhope, AL

The Butchers' Blessing by Ruth Gilligan (Tin House: W. W. Norton)

"An extraordinary novel of quiet turmoil, filled with the clash of generations, beliefs, and realities. A beautiful tale of the strife of traditions in a changing Ireland, woven together with the threads of a modern-day mystery. Perhaps the most elegant bit is the underlying story of a girl trying desperately to hold together the traditions of men. Impossible to put down and harder to forget, this novel lingers and feels like fog." —Carrie Koepke, Skylark Bookshop, Columbia, MO

In the Media

People’s "Book of the Week" is The Best of Me by David Sedaris (Little, Brown: Hachette). Other books highlighted include Lightning Flowers: My Journey to Uncover the Cost of Saving a Life by Katherine E. Standefer (Little, Brown: Hachette) and Cobble Hill by Cecily von Ziegesar (Atria: S. & S.). The "New Thrillers" picks are Double Agent by Tom Bradby (Atlantic), Elsewhere by Dean Koontz (Thomas & Mercer: Amazon), and Dear Child by Romy Hausmann (Flatiron: Macmillan; LJ starred review). People “Picks” include The Mandalorian, Let Him Go, and Dash & Lily. Michael J. Fox, No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality (Flatiron: Macmillan), is the subject of the cover story, and there's a profile on Megan Rapinoe, One Life (Penguin). A special Thanksgiving recipes section includes dishes from Tara Teaspoon Bench, Live Life Deliciously (Shadow Mountain), Nik Sharma, The Flavor Equation: The Science of Great Cooking Explained in More Than 100 Essential Recipes (Chronicle), and Ree Drummond, Frontier Follies: Adventures in Marriage and Motherhood in the Middle of Nowhere (William Morrow: HarperCollins).

Reviews

The NYT reviews The Kingdom by Jo Nesbo (Knopf: Random House): "At least some fans of the series will be disappointed, therefore, to learn that Harry [Hole] is absent from the newest, much tamer Nesbo… And although it’s set in a mountain village in rural Norway, 'The Kingdom' in some ways seems more American in tone than Scandinavian." Also, Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art by Rebecca Wragg Sykes (Bloomsbury Sigma: Macmillan): "...important reading not just for anyone interested in these ancient cousins of ours, but also for anyone interested in humanity." The Power of Adrienne Rich by Hilary Holladay (Nan A. Talese: Random House): "This is a good story well-told." The Arrest by Jonathan Lethem (Ecco: Harper): "'The Arrest' may not show Lethem at the height of his powers, but as with so much of his work, it is challenging, entertaining and superbly written." A piece on new crime releases looks at The Suicide House by Charlie Donlea (Kensington: Random House), Head Wounds: A Kevin Kerney Novel by Michael McGarrity (W. W. Norton), and The Hidden Hours by Sara Foster (Blackstone).

USA Today reviews The Office of Historical Corrections: A Novella and Stories by Danielle Evans (Riverhead: Penguin; LJ starred review), which earns four stars: "...a new collection that is so smart and self-assured it’s certain to thrust her into the top tier of American short story writers." Also, First Principles: What America’s Founders Learned From the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country by Thomas E. Ricks (Harper; LJ starred review) which earns three stars: "To find the answers, Ricks embarked on a four-year intellectual odyssey to determine whether the current state of our nation is what George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison had in mind some 240 years ago."

Time reviews Nights When Nothing Happened by Simon Han (Riverhead: Penguin): "To describe the event that causes things to unravel would do a disservice to Han’s expert pacing."

NPR reviews Instant Karma, Marissa Meyer (Feiwel & Friends: Macmillan): "...a delightful book that will have you longing for the beach." Also, Exquisite Cadavers by Meena Kandasamy (Atlantic): "So, for Kandasamy, as a woman writer of color, taking on this avant-garde storytelling style is not simply a subversive statement. It is about laying claim to an intellectual space that is generally not allowed to writers like her." The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey (Andy Cohen Books: Macmillan): "The woman knows how to craft a narrative."

Briefly Noted

Infinite Cities: A Trilogy of Atlases—San Francisco, New Orleans, New York by Rebecca Solnit, Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, and Rebecca Snedeker (University of California) wins the 2020 Alice Award. Shelf Awareness reports.

USA Today picks five books for the week.

Publishers Weekly recommends nine books out this week.

CrimeReads picks 10 for the week.

The Millions names its top ten picks for October.

BookPage looks at four new art and design books.

Parade lists "10 New Books From the Biggest and Brightest Celebrities Will Be Holiday Must-Reads."

PopSugar anticipates "42 Books Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2021."

Guernica excerpts Nights When Nothing Happened by Simon Han (Riverhead: Penguin).

The L.A. Times excerpts Talking to GOATs : The Moments You Remember and the Stories You Never Heard by Jim Gray (William Morrow: HarperCollins).

The NYT talks short stories with Danielle Evans, The Office of Historical Corrections: A Novella and Stories (Riverhead: Penguin; LJ starred review). The paper's “By the Book” column features Fareed Zakaria, Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World (W.W. Norton).

Margaret Atwood, Dearly: New Poems (Ecco: Harper), shares a poem and an essay in The Guardian.

Salon seeks pie tips from Kelly Fields, The Good Book of Southern Baking : A Revival of Biscuits, Cakes, and Cornbread (Lorena Jones: Penguin; LJ starred review).

Michael Riedel, Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway (Avid Reader: S. & S.; LJ starred review), takes the stage with Kirkus.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia discusses Mexican Gothic (Del Rey: Random House) with Vox for its book club.

Electric Lit interviews Bryan Washington, Memorial (Riverhead: Penguin).

Vijay Seshadri, That Was Now, This Is Then (Graywolf: Macmillan), speaks with Lit Hub.

Kimiko Hahn tells The Rumpus how the Mütter Museum inspired Foreign Bodies (W. W. Norton).

Datebook interviews Michiko Kakutani, Ex Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Reread (Clarkson Potter: Random House).

Books by Kamala Harris got a sales boost this weekend, reports USA Today. Interest in Georgia's Stacey Abrams 8 romance novels is also up, with coverage in O: The Oprah Magazine and Elle.

Locus reports on a controversy over who is and is not eligible for the Women's Prize.

The Root interviews Monique Patterson, "the first African-American woman to be named vice president, editorial director, and executive editor at St. Martin’s Press," about diversity and inclusion in publishing.

The NYT takes a look at how the pandemic, and an increase in online shopping, is impacting open-air booksellers along the Seine in Paris. CBS Sunday Morning sees how independent books sellers are faring on this side of the pond.

Authors on Air

Five senators have written a letter to Netflix raising concerns over comments author Liu Cixin made last year about China's treatment of Uyghurs. Cixin's The Three-Body Problem trilogy is being adapted by the company.

Jason Priestley will star in the feature adaptation of Linwood Barclay's Fear The Worst. The Hollywood Reporter has more.

Essence says a follow-up to Waiting to Exhale, based on the book by Terry McMillan, might be on the way soon.

Deadline reports that Louise Candlish's Our House will be adapted by the UK's ITV as a four-part series.

Steve Martin and Harry Bliss discuss A Wealth of Pigeons: A Cartoon Collection (Bloomsbury: Macmillan) on CBS Sunday Morning. Also, an interview with Wright Thompson, Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last (Penguin).

NPR's Shots speaks with Benjamin Lorr, The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket (Avery: Penguin).

The CBC's The Next Chapter interviews Leslie Stein, I Know You Rider (Drawn and Quarterly: Macmillan).

The Bookable podcast interviews Karen Russell, Sleep Donation (Vintage: Random House).

Dalia Sofer, Man of My Time (FSG: Macmillan; LJ starred review) appears on the CBC's Writers & Company.

Ruby Bridges discusses This Is Your Time (Delacorte Books for Young Readers: Random House) on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday.

The NYT Book Review podcast talks with Ernest Freeberg, A Traitor to His Species: Henry Bergh and the Birth of the Animal Rights Movement (Basic Books: Hachette).

Megan Rapinoe, One Life (Penguin), will be on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon tonight.

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