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Big Books of the Week

Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes (Pamela Dorman Books), leads holds this week.

Other titles in demand include:

Encore in Death by J. D. Robb (St. Martin’s Griffin)

Unnatural History by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine)

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey (Avon; LJ starred review)

A Killing of Innocents by Deborah Crombie (Morrow; LJ starred review)

Code Name Sapphire by Pam Jenoff (Park Row)

These books and others publishing the week of Feb. 6, 2023, are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Five LibraryReads and eleven Indie Next picks publish this week:

Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes (Pamela Dorman Books)

“A mix up at a gym forces two very different women to literally walk in each other's shoes, leading to a complete breakdown and reinvention of their current lives and world views. Sisterhood, mental health, a risky heist, romance, regret…this book has everything in perfect proportion and is a true page-turner to boot. Readers will love every page of this fantastic book.”—Sharon Layburn, South Huntington Public Library, Huntington Station, New York

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey (Avon; LJ starred review)

“Bailey’s latest series starter is a grumpy/sunshine romance a bit different from her others. Julian is a buttoned-up professor prone to panic attacks from suppressed trauma. Hallie is a free-spirited gardener who has had an unrequited crush on him since high school and is dealing (or rather, not dealing) with her own traumatic past in a completely opposite way. When he comes back to their Napa hometown on sabbatical, she manufactures a run-in that doesn't go as she had hoped. Likable and believable characters make this a winner.”—Kaitlin Booth, Cuyahoga County Public Library, OH

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Charming, with great small-town vibes. Our main characters have two distinct, largely opposing personalities that provide most of the tension; watching those personalities begin to flourish together is a delight.”—Joanna Szabo, Annie Bloom’s Books, Portland, OR

Radiant Sin by Katee Robert (Sourcebooks Casablanca)

“Apollo, keeper of secrets for The Thirteen, enlists his assistant Cassandra to join him on a getaway weekend party at a suspicious newcomer’s house to uncover what he’s hiding. But they must pretend to be a couple for the plan to work. Will their fake relationship lead to something real or will secrets destroy everything they've worked for? For fans of Greek retellings.”—Kari Bingham-Gutierrez, Olathe Public Library, Olathe, KS

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“The Dark Olympus series is a must read! I loved every moment of Radiant Sin, and read until the wee hours because I NEEDED to know how it would end; what an ending it was. High romance, intrigue, and fun—this is one of my favorites in the series!”—Alexis Sky, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, NY

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones (Gallery: Saga Pr.; LJ starred review)

“Jade just wants to go home and get back to her life after four years in prison, but Proofrock is not done with her as another serial killer has come to town. This sequel to My Heart is a Chainsaw amps up the action while giving slasher fans everything they could want—and then giving them even more!”—Joseph Jones, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cuyahoga, OH

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Not just a worthy sequel to My Heart is a Chainsaw, but one that, after you’ve read it, you can’t imagine the first book without. Jones has a true gift—he can make you shudder in horror and tear up in the same sentence.”—Olivia Morris, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson (S. & S.)

“Johnson’s latest historical features dialogue that snaps and settings that perfectly evoke 1950s Philadelphia and Washington, DC. Readers will be captivated by this story of two young women who struggle to overcome racism and misogyny to have a family and a meaningful future.”—Jodi Prather, Bartholomew Cty Public Library, Columbus, IN

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“The House of Eve follows two young Black women in the 1950s as they struggle with racism, colorism, and the many paths to motherhood. It will break your heart and make you realize everyone is fighting their own battle. Incredible.”—Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA

Seven additional Indie Next picks publish this week:

Eastbound by Maylis De Kerangal, trans. by Jessica Moore (Archipelago)

“An emotional thriller in miniature, this slim, brisk book had me on the edge of my seat and emotionally invested in these characters until the very end. The poetic language is the work of a singular and transfixing talent.”—David Vogel, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez, tr. by Megan McDowell, illus. by Pablo Gerardo Camacho (Hogarth)

“A vibrantly translated epic of family and mystery, friendship and sexual awakenings, history and monsters, full of images I won’t forget: golden nails on a clawed hand, a boy watching two men embrace, and the scariest door-close ever.”—Drew Broussard, The Golden Notebook, Woodstock, NY

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes (Harper)

“Stone Blind offers Medusa deserved sympathy, and asks: What makes a monster, and on whose authority? What does it mean to to have your authority stripped? And what does it look like when old stories get reclaimed through a little empathy?”—Ebony Purks, Nowhere Bookshop, San Antonio, TX

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall (Atria; LJ starred review)

“The life-changing choices faced by the women in Looking for Jane could not be more relevant. Stretching across five decades and three generations, this powerful novel is for anyone who cares about a woman’s right to decide her future.”—Beth Stroh, Viewpoint Books, Columbus, IN

B.F.F.: A Memoir of Friendship Lost and Found by Christie Tate (Avid Reader Pr: S. & S.)

“Tate’s honesty leaves me in awe of her. In B.F.F., she writes about her struggle to form and maintain close female friendships and the work she does to fix it. In this memoir, she brings the reader in to see all the darkest parts of herself.”—Mallory Melton, BookPeople, Austin, TX

Brutes by Dizz Tate (Catapult)

“In her outstanding debut, Dizz Tate has created a searing look at a group of young friends, the Brutes, who move as one and disrupt as they go. Set in Florida and traveling across time, Brutes illustrates childhood devoid of innocence.”—Caitlin Baker, Island Books, Mercer Island, WA

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin (Scribner)

“Big Swiss is an I-can’t-stop-thinking-about-this kind of book. When I first read the concept, I was shocked, but intrigued. Now that I’ve read the book, I want everyone else to share in my cringing, laughing, and heart palpitations.”—Lily Sadighmehr, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, WA

In The Media

People’s book of the week is Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes (Pamela Dorman Books). Also getting attention are Big Swiss by Jen Beagin (Scribner), and Central Places by Delia Cai (Ballantine). A “New in Nonfiction” section highlights The Wise Hours: A Journey into the Wild and Secret World of Owls by Miriam Darlington (Tin House), Feral: Losing Myself and Finding My Way in America’s National Parks by Emily Pennington (Little A), and The Critic’s Daughter: A Memoir by Priscilla Gilman (Norton). 

The “Picks” section spotlights Dear Edward, based on the book by Ann Napolitano on Apple TV+, and You, based on the book series by Caroline Kepnes on Netflix. There is a Black History Month feature, highlighting living legends of tomorrow, including the first Black two-time Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner, Colson Whitehead. Plus, Esteban Castillo, Chicano Bakes: Recipes for Mexican Pan Dulce, Tamales, and My Favorite Desserts (Harper Design), and Claire Saffitz, What’s for Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People; A Baking Book (Clarkson Potter), share Valentine’s Day recipes.

Reviews

NYT reviews A Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo (Knopf): “Adébáyò humanizes those sucked into the vortex of that power with a striking compassion—the characters’ misjudgments and delusions are deeply and empathetically imagined, wholly alive”; Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes (Pamela Dorman Books): “This is a novel about women of a certain age who suddenly find themselves invisible—to their spouses, to their colleagues, to the world —and find pleasure in being ‘seen’ by each other”; B.F.F.: A Memoir of Friendship Lost and Found by Christie Tate (Avid Reader: S. & S.): “I think this book will be well received in book clubs, inspiring discussions among women about the friendships that fell away, and whether or not—and how—to reclaim them” The Struggle for a Decent Politics: On "Liberal" as an Adjective by Michael Walzer (Yale Univ. Pr.): “That’s the idea, anyway, but we live in a world in which the illiberal right—and increasingly the left—no longer accept difference as legitimate.” And, Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes (Harper): “By the time poor Medusa is decapitated by yet another toxic male—the clueless and naïve yet violent and callous Perseus—readers may feel compelled to decry the patriarchy, while crying along with Medusa’s brokenhearted sisters.” Also, The Critic's Daughter: A Memoir by Priscilla Gilman (Norton): “Her father was left undone and adrift, sleeping on friend’s couches, bedeviled by depression and darker urges that caused him shame. The book, out Feb. 7, is Priscilla Gilman’s attempt to make sense of his fall from grace”; The Incredible Events in Women’s Cell Number 3 by Kira Yarmysh, tr. by Arch Tait (Grove): “From nearly the start, it’s as if Yarmysh is trying to light a green log. If only the most impressively brave among us were the best writers! The world seldom works that way”; and An Assassin in Utopia: The True Story of a Nineteenth-Century Sex Cult and a President’s Murder by Susan Wels (Pegasus): “Wels’s kaleidoscopic romp is an undeniable thrill."

The Washington Post reviews Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez, tr. by Megan McDowell (Hogarth): “Our Share of Night is not only a bloody valentine to the bonds between parent and child, but also an inspired evisceration of how the powerful prey on the powerless, often beneath the guise of democracy and freedom.”

Briefly Noted

The March Indie Next list is out featuring #1 pick I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (Viking).

Viola Davis achieves EGOT status, after Finding Me (Harper Audio) wins the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album. Shadow+Act reports. People has coverage and USA Today has more about the book. The Best Spoken Word Poetry Album winner is The Poet Who Sat by the Door by J. Ivy (Word & Soul). Variety has the full list of winners.

Publishers Weekly reports on Penguin Random House’s plans to reorganize. 

NYT writes about how a Kenyan nonprofit is restoring public libraries.

The Washington Post talks with Tony Tetro about his memoir, Con/Artist: The Life and Crimes of the World’s Greatest Art Forger, written with Giampiero Ambrosi (Hachette), and day-to-day life as an art forger. 

NYT features Mariana Enriquez and her new book, Our Share of Night, tr. by Megan McDowell (Hogarth), and “Finding ‘True Horror’ in Real Life.”

NYT Magazine publishes an interview with Walter Mosely, who “thinks America is getting dumber.”

USA Today shares five books for the week. 

CrimeReads suggests 10 books out this week. 

Authors on Air

NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday talks with Marion Turner about her book The Wife of Bath (Princeton Univ.). 

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