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Big Books of the Week

The Goodbye Man by Jeffery Deaver (G.P. Putnam’s Sons: Penguin) leads holds this week.

Other titles in demand include:

The Last Trial by Scott Turow (Grand Central: Hachette)

Shakespeare for Squirrels by Christopher Moore (William Morrow: Harper; LJ starred review)

These books and others publishing the week of May 11, 2020, are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

There are a number books coming out this week on the Indie Next list. No LibraryReads publish this week, but four are on the horizon for the week after.

A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet (W.W. Norton; LJ starred review)

“In A Children’s Bible, the age-old war between kids and their parents, children and adults, is reimagined through the lens of Biblical devastation. The result is harrowing and, in unexpected moments, hilarious. Millet has created a story that feels both folkloric and brand new, a tale as much about environmental cataclysm as it is about fighting for the people, things, and ideas that remain right and true, no matter how high the water gets. I love Millet’s perfectly tuned sentences as much as the ambition of this novel, which I’ll continue thinking about for a long time.” —Kristen Iskandrian, Thank You Books, Birmingham, AL

On Lighthouses by Jazmina Barrera, translated by Christina MacSweeney (Two Lines Press)

“Jazmina Barrera’s On Lighthouses is a thoughtful, lovely meditation on isolation and connection. She travels the world, meeting friends, kin, strangers, and historical figures, all while seeking out lonely lighthouses and digging deep into her solitary ‘collecting’ process. The book is as liminal as its subject — separate from others, but in service to them; not urgent, but just possibly the single slight thing needed to keep a reader from the rocks.” —Helen Zuckerman, Community Bookstore, Brooklyn, NY

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas (Custom House: Harper)

“Getting into Catherine House is the key to success. Spend three years here completely removed from the outside world, separate yourself from your life before Catherine House, and when the three years are over, you’ll be unstoppable. That’s the premise for this evocative and gripping gothic novel. Elisabeth Thomas’ ability to create at once an elusive yet highly practical world makes her a stunning new literary voice. Inspired by secret societies, scientific experimentation, and the mysteriousness of finding ourselves, Catherine House is sure to haunt readers.” —Stephanie Skees, The Novel Neighbor, Webster Groves, MO (on the June list).

I'd Give Anything by Marisa de los Santos (William Morrow: Harper)

“A beautifully written story of identity lost and found, friendship, the love of a mother for her child, and what happens when decades-old secrets are brought to light. Ginny is married with a teenage daughter when her husband’s scandal threatens to bring her world crashing down around her. Strong female relationships take the lead as Ginny strives to protect her daughter and reckons with her past. Highly recommend.” —Jessica Nock, Main Street Books, Davidson, NC

Shakespeare for Squirrels by Christopher Moore (William Morrow: Harper; LJ starred review)

“This is a crazy funny new take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream that will have you laughing out loud and getting goofy looks from the other people in the coffee shop. Christopher Moore is always entertaining, and this book is no exception — you will enjoy it from the first sentence to the very last. And, yes, there are squirrels in the story!” —Julie Cameron, Beach Books, Seaside, OR

Reproduction by Ian Williams (Europa; LJ starred review)

“I hardly know where to start with my need to talk about this book! Reproduction is a love story spanning three decades, from the early ’80s to the 2000s, starting in Toronto, a city of vast differences in wealth and cultures. The unlikely couple (Edgar, a rich, idle German, and Felicia, a poor 19-year-old immigrant from the West Indies) meet and start an unconventional relationship, with lifelong consequences for them both. Don’t let the 550-page count fool you: The writing style is the opposite of weighty and dense — it is mischievous, funny, moving, and full of stunning revelations about how strangers become family. Simply breathtaking!” —Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA (Note: the title is on the June list, but published on April 21.)

Super Host by Kate Russo (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9780593187708, $27)
“What a delightful surprise! Instead of the usual woe-is-me, angsty, life’s-got-me-down book, we have a fusty, recently divorced, middle-aged British artist who’s forced to rent his house out on an Airbnb equivalent to make ends meet. But instead of feeling sorry for himself, he takes time to reassess things and slowly turns his life around. Told with great empathy and nice, droll humor, this is one we need for these crazy times.” —Pete Mock, McIntyre’s Fine Books, Pittsboro, NC (Note: the title is on the June list, but has been moved to Feb. 2021.)

In the Media

People’s Book of the week is All Adults Here by Emma Straub (Riverhead: Penguin). Also getting attention are If It Bleeds by Stephen King (Scribner: S. & S.; LJ starred review) and the The Hilarious World of Depression by John Moe (St. Martin’s: Macmillan). There is a feature on summer books, including Summer Longing by Jamie Brenner (Little, Brown), Summer Darlings by Brooke Lea Foster (Gallery: S. & S.), and Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner (Atria: S. & S.; LJ starred review). On the “Picks List” are I Know This Much Is True and Becoming. There are features on Deborah Feldman, Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots (Media tie-in) (S. & S.), Gabrielle Union, Welcome to the Party (HarperCollins), 50 Cents, Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter (Amistad: Harper), Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue, What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life (HarperOne), Brie and Nikki Bella, Incomparable (Gallery Books: S. & S.), and Sam Talbot, 100% Real: 100 Insanely Good Recipes for Clean Food Made Fresh (Oxmoor House). Author and entertainer Jimmy Fallon gets the cover and a feature. Monisha Bharadwaj, Indian in 7 (Kyle Books: Hachette) shares a recipe.

Reviews

NPR reviews Network Effect: A Murderbot Novel by Martha Wells (Tor.com: Macmillan): “Murderbot and the world it inhabits constantly leave you wanting more, in the best possible way.” Also, Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin (Riverhead: Penguin): “as Little Eyes reaches its absolutely gutting, absolutely haunting conclusions — you just can't look away.” Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking by Bill Buford (Knopf; LJ starred review): “If you aren't interested in France or Europe or food, this book may not be for you, as it is incredibly detailed and focused on these topics. But if you are, it's a feast.”

The Washington Post reviews Sea Wife by Amity Gaige (Knopf): “a moody and compelling literary novel about the hidden depths of a marriage.” Also, The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. by Peniel E. Joseph (Basic Books: Hachette): “excellent.” Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life by John Kaag (Princeton): “James would have liked this book. Kaag ties James’s ideas directly to the challenges and puzzles of his own life — and his readers’ lives.” Pelosi by Molly Ball (Holt: Macmillan; LJ starred review): “a smart, solid biography with a lesson.” Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World by Olga Khazan (Hachette Go): “at its strongest when Khazan allows herself to explore, with bracing candor and unexpected humor, what it feels like to be weird.” Strange Situation: A Mother's Journey into the Science of Attachment by Bethany Saltman (Ballantine Books: Random House): “at her best in her chapters on Ainsworth and the development of attachment theory.”

The NYT reviews My Mother’s House by Francesca Momplaisir (Knopf; LJ starred review): “an ambitious attempt to tell a story of despotism and terror, toxic masculinity and survival, and is a needed contribution to this difficult conversation.” Also, Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli, Aisha Saeed (Balzer + Bray: Harper; SLJ starred review): “about speaking up, showing up and being an effective ally. But at its core it’s a reminder that the Greta Thunbergs, Malala Yousafzais and Autumn Peltiers of today were once Jamies and Mayas: everyday teenagers who saw their house was on fire and worked tirelessly to extinguish the blaze." Miss You Love You Hate You Bye by Abby Sher (FSG: Macmillan): “a funny, witty writer, and her prose feels emotionally true.”

The L.A. Times reviews Man of Tomorrow: The Relentless Life of Jerry Brown by Jim Newton (Little, Brown: Hachette): “graceful … Newton calls Brown “a gift to history.” So is his book.”

Briefly Noted

USA Today picks books for the week.

Town & Country names its picks for May.

Publishers Weekly issues its Summer Reads 2020 feature.

Bustle gathers “The Best Books of 2020.”

Mental Floss selects “25 Amazing Books by Asian American and Pacific Islander Authors You Need to Read.”

Entertainment Weekly suggests “3 comics to read in May.”

Book Riot suggests “20 Must-Read Adult Books for YA Readers.”

Refinery29 lists “Motherhood Noir: 9 Writers Share The Maternal Fears That Inspired Their Dark and Thrilling Books.”

Lit Hub gathers “The 50 Best Contemporary Novels Under 200 Pages.”

Rick Barot wins the Poetry Society of America's Shelley Memorial Award.

Entertainment Weekly offers “The Hunger Games binge-read: Revisiting how the original trilogy began ahead of the prequel.” Also, “The essential Curtis Sittenfeld: A guide to the author's most important books.”

Time excerpts Nobody Will Tell You This But Me: A True (as Told to Me) Story by Bess Kalb (Knopf; LJ starred review).

Vulture runs its “Read Like The Wind” column: “A Children’s Bible and 9 Other Reads I Can’t Get Out of My Head.”

The Guardian excerpts Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman, translated by Elizabeth Manton and Erica Moore (Little, Brown: Hachette).

The NYT features Mieko Kawakami, Breasts and Eggs (Europa Editions). There is also a look at Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld (Random House).

Parade interviews Emma Straub, All Adults Here (Riverhead: Penguin) . There is also an interview with Brad Meltzer, The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot To Kill America’s 16th President—and Why It Failed (Flatiron: Macmillan).

The Guardian interviews Linda Boström Knausgård, Welcome to America (World Editions). Also, an interview with Richard Ford, Sorry for Your Trouble (Ecco: Harper) and an interview with Juno Dawson, with a new book out in the UK.

Library Journal interviews Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Brown, The Tradition (Copper Canyon; LJ starred review).

Vox’s book club about The Secret History by Donna Tartt (Vintage: Random House) enters week one.

The NYT has an essay on Hans J. Morgenthau’s Politics Among Nations, “one of the most influential books of the 20th century.”

The NYT asks authors “What Is the Best Book a Teacher Ever Recommended to You?”

Lit Hub reports on the “insanely cool” Shakespeare and Company Project.

COVID-19 Reading and RA/Collection Development Resources

Actress Noma Dumezweni reads chapter two of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on the Wizarding World website. She played Hermione in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

San Diego Comic-Con will offer an “at-home version.” Deadline reports.

PBS NewsHour explores “How two poets are nurturing support networks disrupted by the pandemic.” Also, a report on an “anthology collects dozens of poems about pandemic.” It is to be called Together in a Sudden Strangeness: America's Poets Respond to the Pandemic edited by Alice Quinn (Knopf) and arrive in November in hardcover but in June as an ebook.

Electric Lit collects “8 Novels About the Masks We Wear.”

Eater writes “MFK Fisher’s How to Cook a Wolf Is Essential Reading Right Now.”

British Vogue has a look at Emma Watson’s “completely unmissable essentials from quarantine reading.”

The Washington Post writes “Forget all those reading lists. During a quarantine, any book will do.” Also, “For your quarantine stroll, three great new audiobooks.”

The Guardian reports on UK indies, but also the current state of the literary environment and some possible futures.

Authors on Air

A trailer is out for Shirley, about author Shirley Jackson. It is based on Shirley by Susan Scarf Merrell (Blue Rider Press: Penguin) and debuts "everywhere" on June 5.

The Baby-Sitters Club gets a teaser. It debuts on July 3 on Netflix.

Stephen King’s Revival is headed to the movies, to be directed by Mike Flanagan who also made Doctor Sleep. Deadline reports.

NPR’s All Things Considered interviews Judith Warner, And Then They Stopped Talking to Me: Making Sense of Middle School (Crown: Random House). NPR’s Morning Edition interviews Vivek H. Murthy, Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World (Harper Wave).

The Today show features Gabrielle Union’s Welcome to the Party (HarperCollins).

Book Marks posts episode four of “This Week in Books.”

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