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Big Books of the Week

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (William Morrow: HarperCollins; LJ starred review) leads holds this week.

Other titles in demand include:

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (Avon: HarperCollins; LJ starred review)

Fast Ice by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown (G.P. Putnam's Sons: Penguin)

The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson (S. & S.)

Transient Desires: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery by Donna Leon (Atlantic Monthly)

These books and others publishing the week of March 8, 2021 are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

There are three LibraryReads selections arriving this week: 

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (Avon: HarperCollins; LJ starred review)

"Eve Brown thinks she’s a failure, constantly flitting from one job to another. When her parents ask her to commit to something, she runs--and ends up in a charming B&B, where the uptight owner desperately needs her help. This is a sweet, funny love story about learning to appreciate yourself." —Beth DeGeer, Bartlesville Public Library, Bartlesville, OK

It is also an Indie Next choice:

"A satisfying conclusion to an absolutely delightful series! In the final installment of the trilogy, we follow the youngest Brown sister, Eve, a lovable hot mess who is looking to prove to her parents that she can get her life together. Her attempts to turn things around lead her to accidentally interview for as job as a chef at a bed and breakfast. The owner of the B&B, Jacob, is Eve’s polar opposite on paper, so they naturally get off to a bad start. It doesn’t help that Eve also hits him with her car! As the pair begin to learn more about each other, the sweetest romance blooms. Talia Hibbert proves once again that she knows how to write a romantic comedy!" —Tyrinne Lewis, Cafe Con Libros, Brooklyn, NY

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (William Morrow: HarperCollins; LJ starred review)

"Sophisticated Osla, ambitious Mab, and timid Beth become friends while working as codebreakers at Bletchley Park during World War II. The secrecy of their work has lasting effects on their lives. Years later, they are forced to forgive one another to unmask a traitor." —Nanette Donohue, Champaign Public Library, Champaign, IL

It is also an Indie Next choice:

"While many WWII stories have been told in triplicate, Kate Quinn presents a new angle on the Bletchley Park/code breaker part of the war. She gives us three magnificent main characters who must navigate the turbulent waters not only of the war, but of a new puzzle to solve shortly before the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) and Prince Philip." —Sarah Danforth, Towne Book Center and Wine Bar, Collegeville, PA

The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett (William Morrow: HarperCollins)

"When a mysterious death occurs at Windsor Castle, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and Private Secretary Rozie must solve the case when MI5 and the police head in the wrong direction. A great cast of characters and a wonderful sense of setting make a fun and entertaining read. For readers who loved Hope Never Dies and Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts." —Jennifer Williams, Normal Public Library, Normal, IL

It is also an Indie Next choice:

"I love the idea of Queen Elizabeth sleuthing behind the scenes! As charmingly and convincingly portrayed by SJ Bennett, the Queen is an astute observer whose decades of experience serve her well in this role. When a Russian pianist is found dead at Windsor Castle, the new head of MI5 muddles the case and makes the mistake of treating the Queen like his doddering granny. It’s up to the Queen to secretly and skillfully line up the pieces of the puzzle for MI5 to solve." —Margo Grimm Eule, East City Bookshop, Washington, DC

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

Brood by Jackie Polzin (Doubleday: Random House)

"Over the course of a year, told in a collection of snapshots, Brood shows the life of a woman grieving by doing anything but. She gives herself purpose by taking care of a small flock of chickens, as well as finding small but kind, funny, or wry ways of interacting with her neighbors, eccentric mother-in-law, and caring husband, Percy. There are plenty of clever and funny moments from scene to scene (not to mention the odd and interesting analyses of a chicken’s life and point of view), but the beauty in this book lies in the narrator’s acceptance of the everyday, and of all the things — bad, good, but mostly in-between — that come therein." —Cat Chapman, The Oxford Exchange, Tampa, FL

Cosmogony: Stories by Lucy Ives (Soft Skull: Penguin)

"Ives writes boldly; her stories are strong and wild, as if she left the door open to the dream world and let all that magic saturate. Her writings are grounded in the real world, but there’s a shimmering rind to them, magical realism at its toughest. She’s also mastered that tricky art of creating beautiful content while offering an intimate and substantial reflection on very human happenings and feelings. Perfect for those who love the minds of women who are unafraid to blast boundaries apart." —Aimee Keeble, Main Street Books, Davidson, NC

The Girls Are All So Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn (S. & S.)

"The Girls Are All So Nice Here is the first, but not the last, lie you will read when you devour this dark and disturbing novel about college girls and how they treat each other in order to be popular or important. The writing is chilling and so authentic, I felt like I was back in high school or college with a group of toxic girls who would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. The more I read, the more I wondered how Flynn could possibly come up with an ending that would be both satisfying and as deliciously evil as the rest of the book. She managed to deliver, and then some." —Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction, Greenville, SC

In the Media 

The People "Picks" book of the week is Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (Knopf: Random House; LJ starred review). Also getting attention are Infinite Country by Patricia Engel (Avid Reader: S. & S.) and Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am by Julia Cooke (HMH; LJ starred review). A "New in Nonfiction" section highlights The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon (Penguin; LJ starred review), Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It by Ethan Kross (Crown: Random House), and A Boob’s Life by Leslie Lehr (Pegasus: S. & S.). The "Women Changing the World" feature includes Amanda Gorman, The Hill We Climb (Viking: Penguin), and Stacey Abrams, While Justice Sleeps (Doubleday: Random House). An interview with actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson includes a recipe from his new cookbook, Food Between Friends (Clarkson Potter: Random House; LJ starred review). There's also a recipe from Jew-ish: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch by Jake Cohen (HMH; LJ starred review).

Reviews

The Washington Post reviews Two Truths and a Lie: A Murder, a Private Investigator, and Her Search for Justice by Ellen McGarrahan (Random House): "This is a powerful, unsettling story, told with bracing honesty and skill." Also, Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher: A Monkey's Head, the Pope's Neuroscientist, and the Quest to Transplant the Soul by Brandy Schillace (S. & S.; LJ starred review): "...spirited and breezily provocative." Unsung: Unheralded Narratives of American Slavery & Abolition edited by the Schomburg Center, Michelle D. Commander, and Kevin Young (Penguin Classics: Random House): "The song sung in these pages is not solely an aria to agency or a tragic chorus about limits; it is both."The Women’s History of the Modern World: How Radicals, Rebels, and Everywomen Revolutionized the Last 200 Years by Rosalind Miles (William Morrow: Harper Collins): "Alongside their brief biographies are frequent asides about the lack of recognition these ladies endured, or something about how if men had to menstruate it would become a sacred act. In other words, Miles is pissed off." The Eagles of Heart Mountain: A True Story of Football, Incarceration, and Resistance in World War II America by Bradford Pearson (Atria: S. & S.; LJ starred review): "Bradford Pearson has uncovered an absolutely stirring story in his rigorous and important, though flawed, new book."  Vera by Carol Edgarian (Scribner: S. & S.): "Vera doesn’t quite fit the usual parameters for a heroine of historical fiction, but perhaps that’s why she makes such an arresting narrator." Halfway Home: Race, Punishment, and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration by Reuben Jonathan Miller (Little, Brown: Hachette.; LJ starred review): "Miller writes about criminal justice with the expertise of a legal scholar, but his life experiences and training as a social worker endow his analysis with a vividness and empathy that elude some other critiques of mass incarceration."

The NYT reviews Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York by Elon Green (Celadon: Macmillan): "...terrific, harrowing, true-crime account of an elusive serial killer." Plus, a new crime column offers brief reviews of four recent releases. Also, The Shadows of Empire: How Imperial History Shapes Our World by Samir Puri (Pegasus: S. & S.): "Much of this is well written, comprehensive and judicious, but it is still potted history." The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson (S. & S.): "Isaacson keeps a firm, experienced hand on the scientific explanations, which he mastered through extensive readings and interviews, all of which are footnoted." How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue (Random House): "...what starts as a David-and-Goliath story slowly transforms into a nuanced exploration of self-interest, of what it means to want in the age of capitalism and colonialism — these machines of malicious, insatiable wanting."

NPR reviews Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi (William Morrow: HarperCollins): "She puts her medical background (she's a pediatrician) and her lived experience as a daughter of Afghan immigrants to good use, blending history, heritage, culture and traditions within a narrative that's as suspenseful as it is emotionally compelling." Also, The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson (S. & S.): "Coming in at nearly 500 pages, the book dives into the essence of life and the heady world of genomes and genetic coding." Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira (Harper Teen): "Fans of the television show Jane the Virgin really will feel right at home here."

USA Today reviews The Girls Are All So Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn (S. & S.), which earns 4 stars: "...a plot that features women quite literally ripping each other apart over jealousy, pettiness and revenge. The girls are not so nice." Also, How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue (Random House), which earns 2.5 stars: "Her voice is singular and confident, focused and downright arresting at times."

Briefly Noted

In an effort to create a more inclusive membership, the American Academy of Arts and Letters has added 33 new members to it roster of what's described as the "highest form of recognition of artistic merit in the United States." Some of the writers honored include Ta-Nehisi Coates, Joy Harjo, and Sigrid Nunez.

The Unpassing by Chia-Chia Lin (FSG: Macmillan) wins the 2020 L.D. and LaVerne Harrell Clark Fiction Prize.

USA Today picks five books for the week.

CrimeReads suggests 10 books out this week. 

Book Riot looks at the most popular books in public libraries at the end of 2020. Also, a list of "The Best Books You’ve Never Heard Of (Winter 2021)."

The Rumpus suggests "What To Read When You Want To Celebrate Women’s History."

The Asian American Writers' Workshop offers "A Reading List for Abolitionist Imagination and Practice."

Sister Souljah shares her favorite recent reads with Amazon.

Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, The Girls Are All So Nice Here (S. & S.), shares "7 Novels About Women Who Reject Expectations" with Electric Lit.

The next installment of Fifty Shades Trilogy as Told by Christian by E L James is titled Freed (Sourcebooks) and will be out June 1. Cosmopolitan has an excerpt.

The Hollywood Reporter has an excerpt from Bad Girls Never Say Die by Jennifer Mathieu (Roaring Brook: Macmillan), which is due out Oct. 19.

Pauline Vaeluaga Smith talks about Dawn Raid (Levine Querido: Chronicle) with Kirkus. 

Ben Macintyre discusses Agent Sonya: Moscow's Most Daring Wartime Spy (Crown: Random House; LJ starred review) with the CBC's Writers and Company. 

Parade interviews Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Julie Tanous, Food Between Friends (Clarkson Potter: Random House; LJ starred review).

Talia Hibbert discusses Act Your Age, Eve Brown (Avon: HarperCollins; LJ starred review) with Shondaland.

The Guardian interviews Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Committed (Grove). He also does the Book Marks "Questionnaire."

The Rumpus interviews poet Shin Yu Pai, ENSŌ (Entre Rios).

Lit Hub has a conversation with Betina González, American Delirium (Henry Holt: Macmillan).

Elizabeth Kolbert discusses Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future (Crown: Random House; LJ starred review) with The Guardian.

"With writing, I feel the same way. It’s a mess, until it’s done," says Raven Leilani, Luster (FSG: Macmillan), in a discussion for Vox's book club.

The Star Tribune talks with poet Reginald Dwayne Betts about Felon (W. W. Norton).

"You don’t have to keep something for it to be yours." A reflection on libraries during the pandemic at Lit Hub.

Poet Amanda Gorman, The Hill We Climb (Viking: Penguin), reported on Twitter that she'd been racially profiled by a security guard as she walked to her home.

Naomi Rosenblum, author of the renowned A World History of Photography, has died. The NYT has an obituary.

Authors on Air

More than 35 years have passed since Steven Spielberg acquired the rights to adapt The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub, and it's finally in the works as a series. The Hollywood Reporter has details.

The Wire’s David Simon and George Pelecanos are producing a limited series based adaptation of We Own This City: A True Story of Crime, Cops and Corruption by Justin Fenton for HBO. Ray Liotta will star in the Apple limited series In With The Devil, adapted from With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption by James Keene and Hillel Levin. Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch will be adapted by the screenwriter of Freaky Friday. Deadline reports on all.

See a preview for The Runaway Bunny, based on the book by Margaret Wise Brown. It premiers on HBO Max March 25.

CBS Sunday Morning features The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson (S. & S.). Also, an interview with Bob Hope's daughter, Linda Hope, and Martha Bolton about Dear Bob...: Bob Hope's Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War II (Univ. Press of Miss.).

Annabelle Gurwitch discusses You're Leaving When?: Adventures in Downward Mobility (Counterpoint: Penguin) with NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday.

NPR's The Picture Show interviews photographer Tara Wray, Year of the Beast (Too Tired).

Dr. Bonnie Henry and Lynn Henry reflect on Be Kind, Be Calm, Be Safe: Four Weeks that Shaped a Pandemic (Allen Lane: Random House) with The Next Chapter podcast at the CBC.

The Keen On podcast speaks with William J. Bernstein, The Delusions of Crowds: Why People Go Mad in Groups (Atlantic Monthly).

The First Draft podcast interviews George Saunders, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life (Random House).

Cal Newport, A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload (Portfolio: Penguin), appears on The Ezra Klein Show.

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