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Big Books of the Week

Now or Never by Janet Evanovich (Atria) leads holds this week. 

Other titles in demand include:

The Mirror by Nora Roberts (St. Martin’s)

Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens (Putnam; LJ starred review)

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer, illus. by John Burgoyne (Scribner)

Trial by Fire by Danielle Steel (Delacorte)

Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher (Dey Street)

These books and others publishing the week of November 18, 2024, are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Six LibraryReads and eight Indie Next picks publish this week:

Hall of Fame picks include The Mirror by Nora Roberts (St.Martin’s) and Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens (Putnam; LJ starred review)

Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation by Jim O’Heir (Morrow)

“Are you a passionate fan of the show Parks and Rec? Then this book by Jim O’Heir, the show's beloved Jerry, Gary, Terry, Larry will absolutely delight you. O’Heir shares stories from fellow members of the cast and crew to bring us behind the scenes of the beloved show. The reader will find stories from the initial concept of the show all the way to the series finale. O’Heir’s gentle humor shines throughout the book. His love for his fellow cast members is evident across every page. Behind the scene pictures are included in every chapter. O’Heir delivers a loving look back on a show dear to many people's hearts. This punkass book jockey read it with a great deal of enjoyment.”—Shayera Tangri, LibraryReads Board

The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami, tr. by Philip Gabriel (Knopf; LJ starred review) *Good for Book Clubs

“In this reworking of a Murakami short story, the narrator grieves the loss of his teenage love. Through mysterious circumstances, he finds himself in a fantastical town, while his shadow self toils in an unfulfilled existence in Tokyo. An absolute treat for Murakami fans.”—Magan Szwarek, LibraryReads Ambassador, IL

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“The City and Its Uncertain Walls is precisely what you would expect from Haruki Murakami. A perfect chimerical blend of fable, love story, and coming-of-age carefully overlaid by a blanket of magical realism. A wondrous and satisfying tale.”—Shane Grebel, Watermark Books & Café, Wichita, KS

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer, illus. by John Burgoyne (Scribner) *Good for Book Clubs

“A lovely and powerful essay on reciprocity and the potential of a gift economy in the face of our unsustainable current models—illustrated by the analogous natural systems that create the serviceberry and its ecosystem. This illustrated gem brings a timely message, thought-provoking and inspiring.”—Jessica Trotter, Capital Area District Libraries, MI 

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Don’t let the size of this book fool you! It’s brimming with nuggets of wisdom regarding our relationship to the natural world and pleas for reciprocity in all aspects of living. A wonderful reference for a more equitable, meaningful existence.”—Debra Horan, Booklovers’ Gourmet, Webster, MA

The Songbird & the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent (Bramble)

“Mische, once the chosen girl by the Sun God, is now disgraced and awaits her fate in prison. Asar, the bastard son of the Shadowborn King, needs her magic for his mission. Together they navigate the five realms of the underworld to find relics that have been scattered, and face their past, fears, and their worst secrets during their travels.”—Melissa Turner, Maricopa Library & Cultural Center, AZ

Six additional Indie Next picks publish this week:

Sundown in San Ojuela by M.M. Olivas (Lanternfish)

“Wow! It’s been so long since I read a book that got this deep into me and did not let go. I loved all the complicated, messy, dark characters that populated this scary and grotesque debut. Snatch this book up and let it devour you!”—Katelyn Phillips, Books Are Magic, Brooklyn, NY

An Earthquake Is a Shaking of the Surface of the Earth by Anna Moschovakis (Soft Skull)

“A glimpse into the fractured psyche of a former actress living in a city where the Earth shakes. The dystopian otherworldliness takes a backseat to the obsessive unwellness of our unnamed narrator. Part sci-fi, part mystery, deeply literary.”—Andrew Preston, CoffeeTree Books, Morehead, KY

The Serpent and the Wolf by Rebecca Robinson (Saga/S. & S.)

“The Serpent and the Wolf is a spellbinding debut that deftly blends high-stakes political intrigue with a steamy, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance. There’s much to admire in this tale of power, passion, and peril.”—Jessie Fischer, The Book Nook, Saranac Lake, NY

The Collaborators by Michael Idov (Scribner)

“A dynamite spy thriller full of pulsating suspense, dead bodies, and vivid characters. Why did the billionaire’s daughter and rogue CIA sleeper agent team up to comb the world to find dangerous answers? This will keep you page-turning to find out.”—Maureen Palacios, Once Upon a Time, Montrose, CA

Brightly Shining by Ingvild Rishøi, tr. by Caroline Waight (Grove)

“This has everything you could want in a Christmas story: the abiding love of siblings, the kindness of neighbors, the magic of life through a child’s eyes, and a massive emotional wallop. I can’t wait to give this warm, delightful gem to everyone!”—Michaela Carter, Peregrine Book Company, Prescott, AZ

Time of the Child by Niall Williams (Bloomsbury; LJ starred review)

“Time of the Child is beautifully written, and Williams’s subtle sense of humor surprises and delights. Doctor Jack Troy and his daughter Ronnie are perfectly drawn, as is the small Irish town of Faha. A perfect gift for every literary fiction lover!”—Sue Kowalski, The Bookstore of Glen Ellyn, Glen Ellyn, IL

In the Media

People’s book of the week is Time of the Child by Niall Williams (Bloomsbury; LJ starred review). Also getting attention are The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami, tr. by Philip Gabriel (Knopf; LJ starred review) and Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens (Putnam; LJ starred review). A “New Memoirs” section highlights Citizen: My Life After the White House by Bill Clinton (Knopf), Stay: A Story of Family, Love, and Other Traumas by Julie Fingersh (Rowman & Littlefield), and Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher (Dey Street). 

The “Picks” section spotlights Emilia Pérez, based on the novel by Boris Razon, Peacock’s The Day of the Jackal, based on the novel by Frederick Forsyth, and Small Things Like These based on the LJ-starred novel by Claire Keegan. There is a feature on the “Wonderful World of Wicked.” Plus a recipes from Prue Leith, Life’s Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom: Really Good Food without the Fuss (Carnival). 

Reviews

NYT reviews The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami, tr. by Philip Gabriel (Knopf; LJ starred review): “In a novel obsessed with hauntings—whether it be the lost girl or the affable ghost that appears later in the novel—it is perhaps fitting that the book itself is haunted by its earlier iterations.” Washington Post also reviews: “Devoted readers of Murakami know these obsessions all too well and might feel a staleness take hold of them here.”

NYT reviews The Children of the Ghetto II: Star of the Sea by Elias Khoury, tr. by Humphrey Davies (Archipelago): “I have the feeling that when the concluding volume of Children of the Ghetto appears in English, we’ll have in our hands one of the most indelible epics in 21st-century literature, a Palestinian story no reader will be able to forget.”

Washington Post reviews Didion and Babitz by Lili Anolik (Scribner): “It is both enormously informative and openly prurient, deliciously greedy for the details of Babitz’s and Didion’s private lives. At times, it is even gossipy”; and Selected Amazon Reviews by Kevin Killian (Semiotext(e)): “In mapping its own marvelously peculiar terrain, Killian’s work is proof just how deeply fearlessness matters. I’m giving Selected Amazon Reviews five stars. It’s the most they let you give.”

Briefly Noted

Percival Everett’s James (Doubleday; LJ starred review) is named the 2024 Barnes & Noble Book of the Year.

The 2024 National Outdoor Book Awards winners are announced.

Earlyword announced that its GalleyChat will change platforms from X to BlueSky, starting December 5. 

People shares its best books of November 2024 and gives fall book recommendations.

WSJ has a feature on Martha Stewart, who published her 100th book this month.

The Miami Book Fair kicked off a week’s worth of festivities on Sunday. 

Esquire writes that “Taylor Swift Is Coming for Book Publishing” and unpacks the implications.

NYT features Cher: The Memoir, Part One (Dey Street). 

CrimeReads suggests 10 new books for the week.

Authors on Air

CBS Sunday Morning talks with former President Bill Clinton about his new memoir, Citizen: My Life After the White House (Knopf), and shares an excerpt. CBS Sunday Morning also talks with Peggy Noonan about her new book, A Certain Idea of America: Selected Writings (Portfolio), and shares an excerpt. Plus, Cher, author of Cher: The Memoir, Part One (Dey Street), reflects on her life with Sonny Bono.

At Deadline, Wicked filmmaker Jon M. Chu reflects on “How Oz Adaptations Reflect ‘America In Transition.’”

Hoopla Digital announced a new BingePass in partnership with Impactful Group to bring mental health literacy to libraries.

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