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Big Books of the Week

​Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson (Tor) leads holds this week. 

Other titles in demand include:

Quicksilver by Callie Hart (Forever)

Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson (Berkley)

Tom Clancy Defense Protocol by Brian Andrews & Jeffrey Wilson (Putnam)​

PS: I Hate You by Lauren Connolly (Berkley)

*Two big releases this week also include the 13th Dogman book, Big Jim Begins, by Dav Pilkey and Keeper of the Lost Cities: Unraveled by Shannon Messenger (Aladdin). 

These books and others publishing the week of December 2, 2024, are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Six LibraryReads and eight Indie Next picks publish this week:

​Rental House by Weike Wang (Riverhead)

“Keru and Nate decide to rent a summer house, inviting their parents on different weekends of their vacation. She is the child of Chinese immigrants, and he is the son of working class Appalachians. The novel’s dry humor focuses on how each family views Keru and Nate’s marriage compared with their more traditional ideas, making this an interesting study of contemporary marriage.”—Michelle Morris, Fort Worth Public Library, TX

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Weike Wang’s sharp insights on marriage, family, and home shine on every page of this slim novel. A treat for anyone who’s ever silently (or not so silently) questioned the absurdities of in-laws. I dare you to read this on your family vacation!”—Sherri Puzey, Zibby’s Bookshop, Santa Monica, CA

​The Rivals by Jane Pek (Vintage)

“Claudia works for a company verifying information for online matchmaking programs. As she digs deeper into a possible AI conspiracy, danger rises. With the uncomfortable feeling that the people she’s investigating are being eliminated, Claudia races to solve the case and to manage her complicated personal life. Readers will enjoy the banter, multifaceted characters, and interesting storyline.”—Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library (Austin), TX

​Keep Me by Sara Cate (Sourcebooks Casablanca; LJ starred review)

“Killian is a brute who let his past dictate his life until he met Sylvie. She’s entitled and has a foul mouth according to Killian, but she is the only woman he’d consider entering into a fake marriage with. Sylvie agrees, knowing that $10 million awaits at the finish line. What neither of them expected was to actually fall in love.”—Erica Moses, Genesee Area Library, PA

​I Might Be In Trouble by Daniel Aleman (Grand Central)

“When struggling novelist David wakes up next to a dead body after a hookup with a stranger, he realizes inspiration for his next book may have finally struck. But he’ll need his agent’s help to move the body and avoid the blame first. This mystery thriller is funny, suspenseful, and surprisingly touching.”—Mara Bandy Fass, Champaign Public Library, IL

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Daniel Aleman nailed his adult debut. This book was funny, relatable, heart-wrenching, and heart-stopping. I’d recommend this book to damn near anyone—especially anyone who feels adrift and is looking for a book that will make them feel hopeful.”—Renee Becher, The Crowded Bookshelf, Fort Collins, CO

​Hall of Fame pick Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson (Berkley) is also an Indie Next pick:

“For fans of romantasy novels that feature tropes like grumpy meets sunshine and enemies to lovers. Even for those who may not read romance often, the Loch Ness monster may attract a whole new type of reader. Equally steamy and heartwarming.”—Stephanie Csaszar, Death by TBR Books, Bremerton, WA

​The Bonus pick is How To Steal a Galaxy by Beth Revis (DAW).

Five additional Indie Next picks publish this week:

​Havoc by Christopher Bollen (Harper; LJ starred review)

“This novel is laugh-out-loud funny as the absurd scenarios play out between an octogenarian and her 8-year-old nemesis. Set in a majestic Egyptian hotel that has seen better days, be prepared for a variety of twists and turns in this unexpected story.”—Sarah Badger, Bright Side Bookshop, Flagstaff, AZ

​Sister Snake by Amanda Lee Koe (Ecco)

“A unique book about two ancient sisters who are both human and snake. Su lives her life as humanly as possible; Emerald is very much herself. Though this novel was pitched as dark humor, it explored themes of identity, queerness, and family poignantly.”—Sara Landon, Paragraphs Bookstore, Mount Vernon, OH

​Woo Woo by Ella Baxter (Catapult)

“Surreal and chaotic. Take a wild ride with Sabine as she plunges her emotional depths prior to her art show opening. I enjoyed exploring the artists’ work that Baxter opens each chapter with. It’s fascinating to see who and what inspires creativity.”—Jennifer Wood, East City Bookshop, Washington, DC​

Cabin: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman by Patrick Hutchison (St. Martin’s)

“A charming story of a young man swimming upstream against what’s expected of him. His impulsive purchase of a $7,500 cabin outside a small mountain town changes his life; and his self-deprecating tale of ​all the steps along the way is funny and moving.”—Georgiana Blomberg, Magnolia’s Bookstore, Seattle, WA

Private Rites by Julia Armfield (Flatiron)

“No one does atmosphere like Julia Armfield: vivid and utterly engrossing. Private Rites is a haunting story about family, grief, and love in a slow-burn apocalypse. You won’t be able to come up for air—or want to.”—Evan Fornicola, Left Bank Books, St. Louis, MO

In the Media

​People’s book of the week is Trial by Ambush: Murder, Injustice, and the Truth About the Case of Barbara Graham by Marcia Clark (Thomas & Mercer). Also getting attention are Havoc by Christopher Bollen (Harper; LJ starred review) and Untethered by Angela Jackson-Brown (Harper Muse). Highlighted ​new LGBTQIA+ fiction includes The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso (Orbit; LJ starred review), Roland Rogers Isn’t Dead Yet by Samantha Allen (Zando), and The Shutouts by Gabrielle Korn (St. Martin’s). 

The “Picks” section spotlights HBO’s Get Millie Black, created by and inspired by a short story by Marlon James. 

Reviews

NYT reviews Apartment Women by Gu Byeong-mo, tr. by Chi-Young Kim (Hanover Square): "A valuable look into the culture of communal living that has earned South Korea the nickname 'the republic of apartments,' this novel wisely invites readers into these spaces, to move through the design and derive its purpose for themselves"; and Cabin: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman by Patrick Hutchison (St. Martin’s): “You feel his desire to be back in the woods, working with his hands. Don’t we all? So why do we so rarely have the courage to act on that impulse, to push back against a culture we know is not conducive to human thriving?”

Washington Post reviews Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd (Atlantic Monthly): “Boyd routinely impresses with his portrait of an individual who is in too deep emotionally and in the dark as to what is going on around him”; Freedom by Anglea Merkel (St. Martin’s): “The book’s recollection of how a woman from East Germany climbed to the top of German politics and the international stage is inspiring as well as frustrating”; The Story of the Forest by Linda Grant (Zando: SJP Lit): “Grant borrows from folklore and romance novels to tell the story of the fate of Jews before, during and after World War II, blending an unusual set of influences into a mostly satisfying whole”; and Kelly Slater: A Life of Waves by Kelly Slater & Todd Glaser (Rizzoli): “This book is an intimate portrait. (Slater is constantly on the go, and Glaser’s lens manages to keep up with him while also making any observer seemingly disappear.)”

Briefly Noted

LJ's Best Books 2024 arrives.

NYT names 100 Notable Books of 2024. 

NPR releases its 2024 Books We Love (formerly Book Concierge). 

Jon Ransom wins the Polari Book Prize for The Gallopers (Muswell), The Bookseller reports.

Audiofile announces the December Earphones Award winners.

Amazon editors select the best books of December. 

CrimeReads suggests 10 new books for the week. 

LitHub previews 24 December paperback releases. 

LA Times recommends “10 books to add to your reading list in December.”

LitHub shares December’s best sci-fi and fantasy books. 

December’s Costco Connection features Mark Harmon & Leon Carroll’s Ghosts of Panama: A Strongman Out of Control, a Murdered Marine, and the Special Agents Caught in the Middle of an Invasion (Harper Select). 

Costco announces it will no longer sell books in certain stores, starting in January. More cuts could follow depending on remaining in-store book sales, USA Today reports.

The Atlantic’s “Books Briefing” considers: “How Gen Z Came to See Books as a Waste of Time.”

Scott Huver talks about his new book, Beverly Hills Noir: Crime, Sin & Scandal in 90210 (Post Hill), with Fox News Digital. 

People highlights The Last Kilo: Willy Falcon and the Cocaine Empire That Seduced America by T.J. English (Morrow).

Authors on Air

CBS Sunday Mornings has an interview with former German Chancellor Anglea Merkel about her new memoir, Freedom (St. Martin’s), and shares an excerpt. Also, Wright Thompson discusses the lynching of Emmett Till and his new book, The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi (Penguin Pr.). Plus, a chat with Tom Colicchio about his new book, Why I Cook (Artisan).

Marcia Clark, Trial by Ambush: Murder, Injustice, and the Truth about the Case of Barbara Graham (Thomas & Mercer), visits Today.

Jennifer Love Hewitt, Inheriting Magic: My Journey Through Grief, Joy, Celebration, and Making Every Day Magical (BenBella), will appear on the Kelly Clarkson Show.

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