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Big Books of the Week

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Harper; LJ starred review) leads holds this week.

Other titles in demand include:

A Curse Carved in Bone by Danielle L. Jensen (Del Rey)

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (Penguin Pr.)

Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf)

Mark Twain by Ron Chernow (Penguin Pr.; LJ starred review)

These books and others publishing the week of May 12, 2025, are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Seven LibraryReads and six Indie Next picks publish this week.

Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake (Berkley; LJ starred review) is a Hall of Fame pick.

The AI Con: How To Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want by Emily M. Bender & Alex Hanna (Harper; LJ starred review) *Good for Book Clubs

“It feels like it might not be possible to go a day without a news story about artificial intelligence, and most of the news is, frankly, a bit frightening. Bender and Hanna offer a practical yet witty take-down of ‘AI hype,’ reassuring readers that no, the end is not nigh, and no, there won’t be a robot takeover of the earth. The book informs readers about the real-world implications of AI and gives insights on how to critically assess AI claims. Seeing as though the AI issue is here to stay, this book will find an audience among even the most casual of tech readers.”—Shayera Tangri, LibraryReads Board

The bonus pick is A Showgirl’s Rules for Falling in Love by Alice Murphy (Union Sq & Co.) *Debut

“Murphy’s debut offers readers two romances for the price of one, as this book features an excellent historical romance wrapped inside a compelling contemporary, both a bit unconventional for the genre. Back in 1897, we follow the story of plus-size vaudeville performer Evelyn and the vibrantly diverse NYC theater scene she reigns over; in the present day, we learn from historian Phoebe, drawn to Evelyn’s story for many reasons, including her self-adoration despite increasing pressure from the powers that be. Saucy, clever, and full of fabulous historical detail, both real and imagined.”—Stephanie Anderson, LibraryReads Board

Hall of Fame pick Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson (Ecco) is also an Indie Next pick:

“Kevin Wilson is a much needed literary voice. His books are always delightfully zany while not feeling slight. Mad is one of Wilson’s best central characters yet, and each episode in her journey is a joy to read.”—James Harrod, West Side Books, Denver, CO

Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan (Forever; LJ starred review)

“Hendrix, a strong, intelligent Black woman, has big goals and no time for love. Then she meets billionaire Maverick, and everything changes. The characters are compelling and have strong chemistry. A great final installment to the ‘Skyland’ trilogy of interconnected novels. Kennedy Ryan continues to excel at bringing big topics—in this case Alzheimer’s and racism—to her romances.”—Laura, West Bloomfield Public Library, MI

Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein (Dutton) *Good for Book Clubs

“Two half-sisters meet for the first time at their father’s lake house after his passing. Lucy and Vivian have led very different lives and knew very different versions of their dad. Readers will enjoy the characters, setting, and the twists and turns this story delivers.”—Shelby, Thomas B. Norton Public Library, AL

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie (Tor)

“In an alternative medieval Europe, a young monk is tasked to lead a disparate group of supernatural beings on a holy quest using very unholy methods. Abercrombie’s endlessly quotable wit, deft character work, crackling dialog, and large cinematic action set pieces are on full display. This novel about found families will absolutely draw in new readers.”—Gregg Winsor, Johnson County Library, KS

Five additional Indie Next picks publish this week:

State Champ by Hilary Plum (Bloomsbury)

“When a doctor at a women’s health clinic is arrested for providing abortions post-Dobbs, Angela, the receptionist, goes on hunger strike in an attempt to free her. The angry, darkly funny prose hits like shards of shattered glass.”—Grace Harper, Mac’s Backs, Cleveland Heights, OH

No One Was Supposed To Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack (Minotaur)

“Catherine Mack is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and this book series is quickly climbing to one of my favorite reads! Another 10/10 read for Mack in this hilarious wedding vacation romp.”—Tammy Klawitter, Lykke Books, New Ulm, MN

The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North (Celadon)

“Highly suspenseful, dark, and gritty, The Man Made of Smoke is a mystery and true crime must read. This explores how trauma informs and affects our present, and makes for a truly twisted, dark read.”—Mirna Villeda, Timbre Books, Ventura, CA

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (Penguin Pr.)

“Ocean Vuong’s sophomore novel is a societal epic as seen beneath a microscope. A lonely young man meets a lonely older woman, and after that? Everything. This book is a quiet marvel.”—Laurel Rhame, Phoenix Books, Essex Junction, VT

Make Me Famous by Maud Ventura, tr. by Gretchen Schmid (HarperVia)

“Ventura offers a hilarious yet harrowing story of a young French American musician’s rise to fame. A flawless depiction of the pressures of being young, beautiful, maintaining a fan base, and staying on top.”—Melanie Fleishman, Center for Fiction Bookstore, Brooklyn, NY

In the Media

People’s book of the week is The Red House by Mary Morris (Doubleday). Also getting attention are The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr (Knopf) and Make Me Famous by Maud Ventura, tr. by Gretchen Schmid (HarperVia). There is a Q&A with Diego Boneta, author of the debut novel The Undoing of Alejandro Velasco (Amazon Crossing).

The “Picks” section spotlights Sherlock & Daughter, based on characters by Arthur Conan Doyle. There is a feature on comedian Nate Bargatze and his new book, Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind (Grand Central). Plus, recipes from Roy Choi, The Choi of Cooking: Flavor-Packed, Rule-Breaking Recipes for a Delicious Life (Clarkson Potter), and Meera Sodha, Dinner: 120 Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes for the Most Important Meal of the Day (Flatiron).

Reviews

NYT reviews The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (Penguin Pr.): “There is a terrific ripeness to the pages of The Emperor of Gladness that sometimes edges into bruising. The reader is forever being dragged along, metaphorically speaking, as someone slips slow motion on a banana peel.” LA Times also reviews: “In writing this book, Vuong may have joined the ranks of an elite few great novelists, but his perspective remains rooted in that Connecticut town where he got his start.”

NYT also reviews Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf): “Heavily plotted but peppily paced, bursting with quips and blazing with anger, Fever Beach is indeed both feverish and beachy: a bottomless margarita served in a Mueller, She Wrote mug”; How To Be Well: Navigating Our Self-Care Epidemic, One Dubious Cure at a Time by Amy Larocca (Knopf; LJ starred review): “Blame social media, political turmoil or the pandemic—no matter how you slice it, the view is dispiriting. But Larocca’s tour is a lively one, full of information and humor”; State Champ by Hilary Plum (Bloomsbury): “But the pleasure of this book lies not in its plot or even in its characters (Angela is more voice than character), but in the intimacy of its setting: the clinic that increasingly becomes the estranged Angela’s entire world”; and four new crime novels.

Washington Post reviews Play Harder: The Triumph of Black Baseball in America by Gerald Early (Ten Speed): “Play Harder can’t tell the whole story, but it tells one that needs to be shared, not silenced. The story of Black baseball must be understood within the context of the Black struggle for freedom and equality in America, in the same way that the centuries-old Black struggle is an inescapable part of American history writ large”; Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange by Katie Goh (Tin House): “Fruit as a stand-in for the self? Asian diaspora identity as a clash between east and west? We’ve been here before. Often”; Six Minutes to Winter: Nuclear War and How To Avoid It by Mark Lynas (Bloomsbury Sigma): “Lynas’s methods are traditional to the anti-Bomb genre: the horror sketch of a potential future—melted eyeballs, vanished monuments, a panicked president, the cannibal gangs who become kings of the wasteland—and the sustained, declamatory outrage at the people who delivered us to this precipice”; and Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass; How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up by Dave Barry (S. & S.): “The passages about his parents, who both met tragic ends, comprise the strongest portions of the book, which raises the question: Why doesn’t Barry write more serious pieces?”

Briefly Noted

June’s Indie Next preview is out now, featuring #1 pick Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab (Tor; LJ starred review).

CrimeReads suggests 10 new books for the week and explores “The Enduring Influence of James M. Cain.”

Entertainment Weekly has a reader’s guide to Colleen Hoover.

The Guardian has an interview with Ocean Vuong, author of The Emperor of Gladness (Penguin Pr.).

James Patterson talks with USA Today about his newest and “most important” book, The #1 Dad Book: Be the Best Dad You Can Be in 1 Hour (Little, Brown).

Vogue looks at moms reading romantasy.

WSJ notes “How World War II Became the Hottest Book Craze…for Kids.”

ElectricLit shares 10 books about the healthcare system.

Authors on Air

NYT's Book Review Podcast previews books for summer.

Kennedy Ryan, author of Can’t Get Enough (Forever; LJ starred review), visits CBS Mornings.

Emily Henry, author of Great Big Beautiful Life (Berkley; LJ starred review), will be on Today.

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