Want to get the latest book news delivered to your inbox each day? Sign up for our daily Book Pulse newsletter.

Big Books of the Week

Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage (Dial) leads holds this week. 

Other titles in demand include:

Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez (Wednesday Bks.)

An Insignificant Case by Phillip Margolin (Minotaur)

Carson the Magnificent by Bill Zehme, with Mike Thomas (S. & S.; LJ starred review)

The Author’s Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams & others (Morrow; LJ starred review)

These books and others publishing the week of November 4, 2024, are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Six LibraryReads and five Indie Next picks publish this week:

The Author’s Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams & others (Morrow; LJ starred review)

“What starts off as bawdy Scottish entertainment for three authors evolves into a sincere, deeply emotional story of women’s strength and survival, each woman experiences a complete story arc, and more than one double entendre. Equal parts fun and sincere.”—Tina Panik, Avon Free Public Library, CT

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Such a refreshing take on a mystery/thriller. Williams, Willig, and White have formed what feels like the ultimate ‘dream team.’ From page one, I was hooked—laughing out loud one minute and glued to the edge of my seat the next.”—Kate Seng, Poe & Company Bookstore, Milton, GA

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong (Ace: Berkley; LJ starred review)

“Tao lives a quiet and lonely life, traveling to villages telling fortunes, with her mule as sole companion. That all changes when an ex-mercenary asks for her help finding a child. Their not-so-merry band is complemented by a baker and a magical cat, creating an unusual family for Tao, but one she may have desperately needed. A lovely cozy fantasy debut.”—Jennifer Winberry, LibraryReads Ambassador, NJ

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Such a charming, cozy, found family fantasy. Tao, the teller of small fortunes, is a solo traveler who eventually links up with a strong man, a reformed thief, and a baker. This is a heartwarming feel-good story that is a balm for our times.”—Audrey I-Wei Huang, Belmont Books, Belmont, MA

Before We Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Hanover Square)

“Each story here follows an individual who wishes to go back in time at the magical cafe. As the individuals experience the past, they reflect on their life, which in turn serves to heal old wounds. Each tale tugs at the heartstrings and makes you want to wrap them up in a hug. This is another soft, gentle addition to the Before the Coffee Gets Cold universe.”—Arianna Van Dam, Brown County Library, WI

The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene (Crooked Lane)

“When Lindsey was six, her sister went outside to grab her birthday cake and disappeared. Three other girls from the college she attended also went missing. Now, twenty-five years later when a body is found, Lindsey must face the past. Readers who enjoy cold-case mysteries will devour this dual-timeline novel.”—Carly Hathaway, Salem Public Library, VA

Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier (Dutton)

“Based on actual events, this is a fascinating look at early medicine and the ways women worked to heal, even as they were persecuted as witches. Apprentice midwife Elea hides her talents, but as the Black Plague reaches France, she’s called on to heal the Pope and an exiled Italian queen. Fans of historical fiction will have a hard time putting this down.”—Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, TX

Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage (Dial)

“This romance has everything: a small town, cowboys, and an enemies-to-lovers plot, all packed in one little book. Sage’s books are quick reads with likable characters and relatable story arcs. This will be sure to tick all the boxes for romance novel fans.”—Kellie Gillespie, Olathe Public Library, KS

It is also the #1 Indie Next pick:

“This book was so much fun. This is the couple I’ve waited to read about ever since I picked up Done and Dusted! The tension, the banter, the spice, everything was exactly as I hoped it would be. I definitely recommend this book!”—Kaitlyn Craig, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH

Two additional Indie Next picks publish this week:

What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World’s Most Familiar Bird by Sy Montgomery (Atria)

“As the tender of a small flock of chickens, how could I rate this anything less than a 10? Smarter than we give them credit for and a source of endless amusement, chickens are given their due in this wonderful book.”—Mary O'Malley, Skylark Bookshop, Columbia, MO

Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch (Berkley; LJ starred review)

“A talking horse? Not only that, a talking horse with some real powers of deduction and a thirst for revenge! This mystery gallops along from one end of the US to the other; you’ll be bouncing in your seat until the very satisfying conclusion.”—Anne Holman, The King’s English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, UT

In the Media

People’s book of the week is The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins (Mariner). Also getting attention are The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (Minotaur; LJ starred review) and Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch (Berkley; LJ starred review). “Chilly Halloween Reads” include This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher (Avon), Memorials by Richard Chizmar (Gallery; LJ starred review), and Feast While You Can by Mikaella Clements & Onjuli Datta (Grand Central). 

There is a feature on Shirley MacLaine and her new memoir, The Wall of Life: Pictures and Stories from This Marvelous Lifetime (Crown; LJ starred review). Plus, Thanksgiving recipes from Martha Stewart, Martha: The Cookbook; 100 Favorite Recipes, with Lessons and Stories from My Kitchen (Clarkson Potter; LJ starred review), Al Roker, Al Roker’s Recipes To Live By: Easy, Memory-Making Family Dishes for Every Occasion (Legacy Lit), and Tom Colicchio, Why I Cook (Artisan).

Reviews

NYT reviews Carson the Magnificent by Bill Zehme, with Mike Thomas (S. & S.; LJ starred review): “There’s a kind of mirroring going on here. Carson’s work was to keep the show going, not to dwell on unpleasant topics (including politics), and Zehme follows suit”; The Interpretation of Cats: Understanding the Psychology of Our Feline Companions by Claude Béata, tr. by David Watson (Scribner): “If The Interpretation of Cats has one overarching refrain, it is the uselessness—the cruelty, but especially the uselessness—of trying to punish a cat”; and Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel’s Messiah by Charles King (Doubleday): “When he writes about Handel’s music it is from the point of view of an amateur, but ‘amateur’  in the best sense of the word; that is, he loves Messiah with a passion and sense of gratitude and awe that is rare even among professional musicians.”

Washington Post reviews Nationalism: A World History by Eric Storm (Princeton Univ.): “Storm’s book tells the long and dramatic story of how nations conquered the world and became the dominant form of political organization of our era. It also makes clear that this era is far from over.”

The Guardian reviews The Position of Spoons: And Other Intimacies by Deborah Levy (Farrar): “The first impression we get of Levy in The Position of Spoonsand Other Intimacies is as a great enthusiast—for everything.”

LA Times reviews Letters by Oliver Sacks, ed. by Kate Edgar (Knopf): “To read these letters is to be reminded of the deeply felt humanism and ebullience that Sacks brought to his prose: They include condolences, replies to fans and long scientific musings that read like dry runs for his books.”

Briefly Noted

The Southern Book Prize finalists are announced.

Waterstones announces its Book of the Year 2024 shortlist. 

Audiofile announces the November Earphones Award winners.

Amazon editors select the best books for November. 

T&C lists the best books of the month.

NYT suggests new fantasy books.

Publishers Weekly looks at "25 Books for 25 Years of NYRB Classics."

November’s Costco Connection features The Mirror by Nora Roberts (St.Martin’s). 

CrimeReads suggests 10 books for the week. 

LA Times recommends 10 books for November. 

Entertainment Weekly previews Chanel Cleeton’s forthcoming The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes (Berkley), due out in July. 

LitHub shares the “11 Best Book Covers of October.”

Reactor suggests “SFF Reading Recommendations for the Characters of Agatha All Along.”

The Atlantic has 5 books to read before an election. 

People highlights the new book, Moxie: The Daring Women of Classic Hollywood by Ira M. Resnick and Raissa Bretaña (Abbeville), lists the best books from October, and provides an excerpt from The Murder Show by Matt Goldman (Forge), due out in April. 

Music legend and author Quincy Jones has died at the age of 91; NYT has an obituary. People, Variety and NPR also have coverage.

Authors On Air

Glory Edim discusses Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me (Ballantine), on B&N’s Poured Over podcast.

Jeff VanderMeer discusses his new book, Absolution (MCD), with NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday.

Vulture shares “110 Book-to-Screen Adaptations to Add to Your 2024 Reading List.”

Want to get the latest book news delivered to your inbox each day? Sign up for our daily Book Pulse newsletter.