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Big Books of the Week

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center (St. Martin’s), leads holds this week.

Other titles in demand include:

Obsessed by James Patterson and James O. Born (Little, Brown)

Must Love Flowers by Debbie Macomber (Ballantine)

An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo (Minotaur: St. Martin’s; LJ starred review)

The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden (Mobius)

The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey (Gallery)

These books and others publishing the week of July 10, 2023 are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Awards, Book Clubs & Buzzy Booklists

The CWA Dagger Award Winners are announced.

The 2023 Hugo Award Finalists are announced.

The August 2023 Indie Next List preview is out, featuring #1 pick Shark Heart by Emily Habeck (S. & S.: Marysue Rucci Books). 

The Millions releases its “Most Anticipated: The Great 2023B Book Preview.”

LitHub previews its “Most Anticipated Books of 2023, Part Two.”

Audiofile announces the July 2023 Earphones Award Winners. 

Publishers Weekly rounds up July’s Book Club Picks. 

Amazon Editors pick the best books of July.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Seven LibraryReads and seven Indie Next picks publish this week:

Thief Liar Lady by D. L. Soria (Del Rey; LJ starred review)

“A reimagined Cinderella tale with the political intrigue and violence of Game of Thrones. Lady Aislinn is a revolutionary hiding behind the cover of the meek beautiful girl the prince fell in love with at the ball. Her plan might work except for the bandit that is now on the loose, the captive prince who gets under her skin, and her conniving stepmother.”—Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, TX

A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin (Penguin)

“At 28, widow Eliza Balfour is the dowager Lady Somerset, and plans to enjoy her wealth and title. How Eliza relates to the people around her and how she changes are wonderfully nuanced and satisfying. Irwin's story forges its own path with liveliness and an attention to a wider scope of high society. Highly recommended to fans of historical romance.”—Allison Smith, Minuteman Library Network, MA

A Rulebook for Restless Rogues by Jess Everlee (Carina Adores)

“In 1885 London, Noah is a confident, talented tailor. His best friend David runs The Curious Fox, an underground queer club. When the club’s future is threatened, the two team up to save it amid miscommunication, withheld secrets, and mutual pining. This delightful romp is swoony and sweet.”—Dabney Kinser, Middle Georgia Regional Library, GA

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates (Poisoned Pen Pr.)

“Ten strangers are trapped in a cabin during a blizzard. None will be lucky enough to die of hypothermia, though, since a murderer is methodically decapitating the stranded travelers. Short chapters and constant cliffhangers keep the action moving propulsively in this gore-filled thriller.”—Sarah Walker, Indianapolis Public Library

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center (St. Martin’s) is this week’s Hall of Fame Title.

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Katherine Center has once again blown my mind with Hello Stranger. It’s uplifting, yet serious. It’s got heart, yet still manages to be funny. I have no doubt it’ll be one of my top recommended reads this summer!”—Preet Singh, Eagle Eye Book Shop, Decatur, GA

July’s Bonus Pick is Excavations by Hannah Michell (One World), and the Notable Nonfiction Pick is The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial by David Lipsky (Norton). 

Six additional Indie Next picks publish this week:

All-Night Pharmacy by Ruth Madievsky (Catapult)

“A spiraling look into a toxic sisterhood and an exploration of addiction, All-Night Pharmacy captivated me. The author deftly pulls the reader to root for the unnamed narrator as she tumbles in and out of addiction and relationships.”—Mallory Melton, BookPeople, Austin, TX

The Militia House by John Milas (Holt)

“The Militia House ensnares the reader in its unsettling atmosphere. The commentary around the military industrial complex and PTSD is subtle, casting a critical eye that never fully dives into polemic. A wild, immersive ride.”—Wesley Minter, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, WA

The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey (Gallery)

“Three best friends are in the midst of life when their beloved summer camp faces closure due to severe financial hardships. This page-turning story is filled with friendship, humor, and romance — put this on your summer reading list!”—Mary Patterson, The Little Bookshop, Midlothian, VA

Forget Me Not by Julie Soto (Forever)

“Two years ago Ama, a wedding planner, and Elliot, a florist, broke each other’s hearts. Now they’re on an event that could alter their careers. Can love after a disaster really work? A smart and hilarious ‘opposites attract’ rom-com.”—Scott Lange, The Bookman, Grand Haven, MI

Do Tell by Lindsay Lynch (Doubleday)

“This is a deeply moving and incredibly fun story of the golden age of Hollywood, where gossip can make or break you. This book is smartly written and captures a wealth of social issues in Hollywood that are as prevalent now as they were then.”—Blaes Green, The Book & Cover, Chattanooga, TN

Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter (Scribner)

“Ripe is a delicious book — the Persephone myth retold amidst swirling anxieties in a Silicon Valley tech startup. Our lonely narrator is accompanied by a black hole. A literal one. Visceral and smart, Etter carefully chose every word.”—Skylar Miklus, Still North Books & Bar, Hanover, NH

In The Media

People’s book of the week is Fireworks Every Night by Beth Raymer (Random). Also getting attention are High Time by Hannah Rothschild (Knopf) and It Happened One Fight by Maureen Lee Lenker (Sourcebooks Casablanca; LJ starred review). A “New in Nonfiction” section highlights Letting Magic In: A Memoir of Becoming by Maia Toll (Running Press Adult), Thinning Blood: A Memoir of Family, Myth, and Identity by Leah Myers (Norton), and Women We Buried, Women We Burned: A Memoir by Rachel Louise Snyder (Bloomsbury). Plus, People Travel goes on location in North Carolina, as featured in Season 2 of Prime’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, based on the book by Jenny Han. 

July’s Costco Connection is out, featuring the new paperback edition of Maggie O’Farrell’s The Marriage Portrait (Vintage), which publishes this week. The book club pick is The Block Party by Jamie Day (St. Martin’s). 

Reviews

NYT reviews The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial by David Lipsky (Norton): “Lipsky’s book is a project of maximum ambition. He retells the entire climate story, from the dawn of electricity to the dire straits of our present day. It’s well-trod ground, but Lipsky, a newcomer to the climate field…makes it page turning and appropriately infuriating”; Hope by Andrew Ridker (Viking): “If Ridker gently satirizes the world and those in it, his take is more generous than bitter. His characters are guileless and (mostly) real (a few verge on caricature), pathetic and sympathetic”; The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi (Gillian Flynn Books): “This is a book whose many delights and horrors are unlikely to be lost in translation”; Thunderclap : A Memoir of Art and Life and Sudden Death by Laura Cumming (Scribner): “Like all good elegists, Cumming, too, brings the dead to life in the very act of mourning them”; Counterweight by Djuna, trans. by Anton Hur (Pantheon): “Counterweight brings a particular tone to its tale of corporate skulduggery”; Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter (Scribner): “Ripe can feel repetitive…but Etter’s exquisite prose powers the book”; and Nothing Special by Nicole Flattery (Bloomsbury): “The novel captures, in gorgeous prose, the happy and unhappy coincidences that allow us to fall into knowing, those unexpected snags that trip us into ourselves, whether we’re knocked to the ground or take advantage of the awareness this new vantage point brings.”

The Washington Post reviews The Brightest Star by Gail Tsukiyama (HarperVia): “Instead of bringing Anna May Wong to life, The Brightest Star reinforces her objectification as an ornament and affixes her to the glass menagerie of liberal multiculturalism”; and After the Funeral and Other Stories by Tessa Hadley (Knopf): “After the Funeral is a revelation for aficionados of the form, as vibrant and knowing as the best of Hadley’s celebrated career.” The Guardian also reviews: “Hadley is superb at catching an atmosphere—the character of a moment.”

Briefly Noted

USA Today shares 5 books for the week. 

CrimeReads suggests 10 books for the week. 

FoxNews previews a forthcoming memoir from Crystal Hefner, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself (Grand Central), due out in January 2024. 

Esquire asks: “What Happened to All the Sports Books?”

NYT explores the art and craft of translation. 

Authors On Air

NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday talks with Donovan X. Ramsey about his new book, When Crack Was King: A People’s History of a Misunderstood Era (One World). 

CBS Sunday Morning talks with Carl Sferrazza Anthony about his new book, Camera Girl: The Coming of Age of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy (Gallery; LJ starred review). Also, Rose Styron discusses her new memoir, Beyond This Harbor: Adventurous Tales of the Heart (Knopf). Plus, Neil King Jr., American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal (Mariner: Houghton Harcourt; LJ starred review), retraces his walk from D.C. to New York.

NPR shares a story about an overdue library book that was returned 119 years later.

It Ends With Us sets a 2024 release date. THR reports.

Gene Luen Yang discusses bringing his graphic novel, American Born Chinese (First Second), to TV with PBS Canvas.

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