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Big Books of the Week

Spare by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex (Random House), leads library holds this week. Coverage is everywhere, including NYT, USA Today, Vulture, THR, and Variety. Prince Harry has interviews on CBS’s 60 Minutes and on ABC. NYT provides a recap. Plus, he will visit with Steven Colbert tomorrow night. 

Other titles in demand include:

The House of Wolves by James Patterson and Mike Lupica (Little, Brown)

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham (Minotaur)

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo (Flatiron; LJ starred review)

Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica (Park Row)

The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz (S. & S.)

These books and others publishing the week of Jan. 9, 2023, are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Remembering Russell Banks

“Russell Banks, author of The Sweet Hereafter and Affliction, dies at 82,” LA Times reports. NYT has an obituary. The Washington Post has a remembrance. PBS Canvas reflects on Banks’s legacy. Plus, LA Times recommends five essential Russell Banks novels.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Six LibraryReads picks and 15 Indie Next picks publish this week:

Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com; LJ starred review)

“This newest novella in the ‘Wayward Children’ series packs a huge emotional punch. After Antsy’s father dies, she becomes the target of a groomer. She runs away through a magical door to another world where lost things appear and magpies talk. Readers will root for this character who has lost so much yet still cares deeply for others. Hand this to fans of Roshani Choksior Alix E. Harrow.”—Laura Eckert, Clermont County Public Library, Milford, OH

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Emotionally resonant, thoughtfully complex, and endlessly creative, Lost in the Moment and Found is an excellent addition to the ‘Wayward Children’ books. If you cracked my heart open, you’d find this series there.”—Jodi Laidlaw, Blue Cypress Books, New Orleans, LA

Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica (Park Row)

“Nina and Lily work together as teachers who socialize outside of work with their husbands, Jake and Christian. However, both marriages are less than perfect, and when Jake goes missing, his disappearance changes things for all of them. This is a fast and intriguing read, great for the beach or a lazy day in bed.”— Rachelle Kuzyk, Chandler Public Library, Chandler, AZ

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Is Lily just an innocent high school teacher who is in the wrong place at the wrong time? Can she keep her secret hidden from her best friend? Just the Nicest Couple gains steam throughout and keeps you guessing until the final pages.”—Kelli McDonald, The Novel Neighbor, Webster Groves, MO

Exes and O's by Amy Lea (Berkley)

“Tara Chen believes one of her 10 exes must be her true love, so she enlists new roommate Trevor to help her reconnect with all of them. Cleverly written with all the tropes found in romance novels, but especially second-chance romance. Recommended for anyone wanting a feel-good story with a delightful heroine and handsome love interest! For Jayci Lee and Jackie Lau fans.”—Elizabeth Qualls, Blackwater Regional Library, Courtland, VA

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (Del Rey; LJ starred review)

"Grumpy professor Emily Wilde wishes that she did not have to ‘people’ while researching the first complete encyclopedia of faeries. However, a handsome rival and some quirky townsfolk conspire to crack open Emily’s well-guarded heart. Readers will be enchanted with the Fae and cantankerous narrator found in this fantasy tale, like a cozy version of the ‘Lady Trent’ series."—Jenna Zarzycki, King County Library System, Covington, WA

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Featuring a savvy and brutally practical heroine on a mission to create a thorough compendium of all known faerie species, this historical fantasy is rife with magical mischief and bewitching bargains that might cost Emily everything.”—Heather Herbaugh, Mitzi’s Books, Rapid City, SD

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns (Doubleday)

“When Mackenzie’s nightmares start to bleed into her waking hours, she knows that she'll need to return to family to get the help she needs. First Nations author Johns creates a unique combination of cryptid terror and family strength in the face of horror and trauma. For readers of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Eden Robinson.”—Erin Downey Howerton, Wichita Public Library, Wichita, KS

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Bad Cree uses the importance of dreams in Cree culture to cover corporate greed, trauma, and familial grief. Johns’ symbolism makes for an ethereal experience, and highlights the strength that can come from sisterhood and motherhood.”—Stuart McCommon, Novel, Memphis, TN

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham (Minotaur)

“One year after Isabelle’s son was taken from his bedroom in the middle of the night, the police still have no suspects or any idea of what became of her boy. The only thing Izzy knows for certain haunts her: because she’s a chronic sleepwalker, did she have something to do with her child’s disappearance? For fans of Gilly Macmillan and Lisa Jewell.”—KC Davis, Fairfield Woods Library, Fairfield, CT

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“All the Dangerous Things is such a twisty story and I couldn’t get enough! The characters in this novel overlapped well and the way it all came together was impossible to see coming. The setting is so vivid and captivating.”—Addy Bowman, Wild Geese Bookshop, Franklin, IN

Ten additional Indie Next picks publish this week:

The Dream Builders by Oindrila Mukherjee (Tin House)

“A fascinating look at modern Indian culture through an imaginary city, a homage to consumerism, capitalism, and globalization. The creative structure pulls back the curtain and shows what it means to live in this glittery, modern place.”—Cori Cusker, Bright Side Bookshop, Flagstaff, AZ

City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita (Berkley; LJ starred review)

“I couldn’t help feeling claustrophobic with the closed in atmosphere of the setting and being cut off from the outside world. It’s sinister as almost everyone is hiding from something, but you don’t know what, or who, to trust. Loved it!”—Eileen McGervey, One More Page Books, Arlington, VA

Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper (Mulholland)

“What Don Winslow’s The Force did with the NYPD and New York, Everybody Knows does with Hollywood and Los Angeles. A wonderful yet wretched exploration of human nature, you will struggle to put this book down or ever forget it.”—Hilary Kotecki, The Doylestown & Lahaska Bookshops, Doylestown, PA

Reef Road by Deborah Goodrich Royce (Post Hill Pr.)

“A brilliant thriller that taps into an unsolved true crime story. It is masterfully written through two points of view, which expose the impact of violence and family trauma. I can already say this is one of my favorite books for 2023.”—Lisa Valentino, Ink Fish Books, Warren, RI

Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks (Algonquin; LJ starred review)

“An absolutely breathtaking debut that celebrates Blackness in all of its triumphs. Both an in-depth exploration of all-Black towns and a love story all the same, Jamila Minnicks has written a stunning and poignant modern classic.”—Mary Louise Callaghan, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, NC

The Deluge by Stephen Markley (S. & S.; LJ starred review)

“Be prepared to get hooked on page one! Markley brings climate change, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and our democracy’s future to the fore. Anyone that loved Stephen King’s The Stand, get ready to be blown away by this epic.”—Jan Danielson Kaiser, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines, IA

The Night Travelers by Armando Lucas Correa (Atria)

“The Night Travelers is a stunning and original work of historical fiction, following several generations of women from Nazi Germany, to Cuba, and beyond. Brilliant writing and a novel that is screaming for book club discussion.”—Mary O'Malley, Skylark Bookshop, Columbia, MO

The Survivalists by Kashana Cauley (Soft Skull)

“The Survivalists tackles our divisive sociopolitical climate with dark humor, irony, absurdity, and understanding. A fun, thought-provoking, and revelatory novel about Doomsday prepping and our capacity for love and acceptance.”—Alyssa Raymond, Copper Dog Books, Beverly, MA

Better the Blood by Michael Bennett (Atlantic Monthly Pr.)

“Fast-paced and fascinating. Hana Westerman is a senior police detective, Māori, and a mother. It all comes into play in the chase for a serial killer intent on righting the wrongs of the colonial past. I hope this is the first of many!”—Anne Holman, The King’s English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, UT

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo (Flatiron; LJ starred review)

“Ninth House was a dark, explosive introduction and Hell Bent expands on the world with even more mystery and magic. This book is every bit as addicting as the first. If you need me, I’ll be waiting for another installment in the series.”—Becky Martone, RJ Julia Booksellers, Madison, CT

In The Media

People’s book of the week is Sam by Allegra Goodman (Dial). Also getting attention are Small World by Laura Zigman (Ecco) and The Survivalists by Kashana Cauley (Soft Skull). A “New in Nonfiction” section highlights The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin (Penguin Pr.), Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies by Marjorie Ingall and Susan McCarthy (Gallery), and The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz (S. & S.).

The “Picks” section spotlights The Pale Blue Eye, based on the book by Louis Bayard, on Netflix, and Mayfair Witches, based on the novel trilogy by Anne Rice, on AMC+. The cover feature reflects on the legacy of Barbara Walters, and there is a farewell to fashion icon Vivienne Westwood, with a list of related books. Plus a recipe from Dana Bowen and Sara Kate Gillingham, Dynamite Kids Cooking School: Delicious Recipes That Teach All the Skills You Need (Clarkson Potter).

Reviews

NYT reviews The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff (Ballantine; LJ starred review): “Covers a litany of grim realities in rural India: poverty, hunger, alcoholism, domestic violence, sexual assault and a caste system, to name a few. This might sound depressing, but Shroff manages to spin all of the above into a radically feel-good story about the murder of no-good husbands by a cast of unsinkable women”; and The Edge of the Plain: How Borders Make and Break Our World by James Crawford (Norton; LJ starred review): “The borders that mark our world are either ineffective, inhumane or both. The Edge of the Plain asks us to envision alternatives.”

The Washington Post reviews The Deluge by Stephen Markley (S. & S.; LJ starred review): “Markley is so gifted at imagining catastrophe that The Deluge generates the same kind of guilt you might feel watching a disaster movie, calmly witnessing hurricanes and famines destroy others’ lives.”

LA Times reviews The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music by Tom Breihan (Hachette): “Breihan has penned a work that resembles some of the indelible hits he spotlights: memorable, timeless and worth revisiting again and again”; and Still Pictures: On Photography and Memory by Janet Malcolm (FSG): “Malcolm was one of our greatest writers, which makes the lesson of Still Pictures only the more poignant. Her final volume proves that even the finest chroniclers can still be leveled by their own lives, and that the memories that make us human are the foggiest and most ephemeral.”

Briefly Noted

February’s Indie Next preview is out, featuring #1 pick How To Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (Berkley; LJ starred review), due out next week.

Anne Heche’s son opens up about his mother’s forthcoming posthumous memoir, Call Me Anne, due out from Start Publishing LLC: S. & S. on January 24. People has the story. 

OprahDaily revisits an interview with author Ayana Mathis in honor of the 10th anniversary of her novel The Twelve Tribes of Hattie (Vintage). 

DK will publish The Periodic Table of DC on September 12. 

Tor.com shares “Can’t-Miss Indie Press Speculative Fiction for January and February 2023.”

USA Today recommends 5 books for the week.

CrimeReads suggests 10 books for the week and 5 thrillers about spousal secrets. 

Authors on Air

NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday talks with Deena Mohamed about her graphic novel Shubeik Lubeik (Pantheon). 

NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour recommends “2022 Books We Love: Realistic Fiction.”

Stephen Markley, The Deluge (S. & S.; LJ starred review), will visit Late Night with Seth Meyers tomorrow. 

Jamie Oliver, One: Simple One-Pan Wonders (Flatiron), will be on The View tomorrow. 

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