Want to get the latest book news delivered to your inbox each day? Sign up for our daily Book Pulse newsletter.

Big Books of the Week

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill (Poisoned Pen Pr.; LJ starred review) leads holds this week.

Other titles in demand include:

Out of the Clear Blue Sky by Kristan Higgins (Berkley)

The Omega Factor by Steve Berry (Grand Central)

Tracy Flick Can't Win by Tom Perrotta (Scribner)

Tom Clancy Zero Hour by Don Bentley (Putnam)

These books and others publishing the week of June 6th, 2022 are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Six LibraryReads and ten Indie Next picks publish this week:

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill (Poisoned Pen Pr.; LJ starred review)

“Freddie is at the Boston Public Library when a murder occurs. While waiting for the police, she strikes up a conversation with others at her table. The four become friends, but could one of them be the murderer? Much misdirection and an unreliable narrator make for a tight little thriller that will have you sure you know whodunnit until you don't. For fans of The Body in the Library, Magpie Murders, and The Hunting Party.”—Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, Austin, TX

Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley (Pamela Dorman Books)

“Iona is a bold woman of a certain age who navigates life without hesitation. When she breaks one of her rules, and speaks with her fellow train passengers, it leads to all sorts of wonderful connections. Iona strives to fix the lives of others, never suspecting that she might be the one in need of friendship, support, and advice. For fans of Oona Out of Order and Anxious People.”—Sharon Layburn, South Huntington Public Library, Huntington Station, NY

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Everyone knows that you keep to yourself on a train. But Iona draws people like moths to a flame; suddenly she has the interest of her entire train car. A nice pocket of reality with vivid characters that you’ll root for and want to take home.”—Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser, Roswell, GA

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan (Putnam)

“Nora Hamilton is a TV writer who pens a script based on her disaster of a broken marriage. Next thing she knows, a film crew arrives at her country home with two famous actors in tow. What follows is one of the funniest, heartbreaking-ist and most endearing stories you will read. For fans of Jasmine Guillory and Emily Henry.”—Stephanie Piro, Rochester Public Library, Rochester, NH

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“This breezy, well-written novel found me at a time when I really, really needed it. It’s hard to get the tone right with kids in books, but Annabel Monaghan nailed it. I was rooting for Nora and thoroughly enjoyed my time with her!”—Chelsea Bauer, Union Avenue Books, Knoxville, TN

The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian (Avon)

“Marian, Duchess of Clare, just shot her husband. (He deserved it.) The only person who can help her now is highwayman, con artist, and all-around cheerful villain, Rob Brooks. Rob and Marian have madcap escapades and hijinks as they flee London in this Georgian romance that’s absolute perfection. For readers of KJ Charles and Evie Dunmore.”— Lindsey Bray, Omaha Public Library, Omaha, NE

Tracy Flick Can't Win by Tom Perrotta (Scribner)

“Tracy Flick is back and better than ever. Or, at least, she WOULD be if she could just nab that job as high school principal. With wry commentary on the education scene and the politics of "having it all,” this sequel to Election will entrance Gen X readers and a whole new generation, too. For fans of Gary Shteyngart and Curtis Sittenfeld.”—Erin Downey Howerton, Wichita Public Library, Wichita, KS

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“A welcome return to a delightful character! Perrotta gives Tracy Flick the mic and allows her — and us — to reinterpret the events of Election. Deeply moving and incredibly funny, I never knew how much I needed this standalone sequel.”—Shaun Manning, Booksweet, Ann Arbor, MI

Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert (Sourcebooks Casablanca)

“In this spicy, triad-romance set in modern-day Olympus, warriors battle for the coveted role of Ares in a gladiator style competition. Will Helen, Achilles, and Patroclus be able to put their feelings aside to defeat the competition and each other? For fans of Greek mythology retellings and enemies to lovers.”—Kari Bingham-Gutierrez, Olathe Public Library, Olathe, KS

Seven additional Indie Next picks arrive this week:

Nuclear Family by Joseph Han (Counterpoint)

“This stunning debut follows a young man who, possessed by his grandfather’s ghost, attempts to cross the Demilitarized Zone in North Korea. A remarkable — and at turns hilarious — story of family, grief, and intergenerational trauma.”—Lindsay Lynch, Parnassus Books, Nashville, TN

Three by Valérie Perrin, trans. by Hildegarde Serle (Europa Editions)

“Spectacular! Perrin has written a masterpiece of friendship, love, loss and life, weaving the lives of three friends — Adrien, Etienne, and Nina — into a magnificent novel. There are no words to really describe; it’s a must read! Love it!”—Stephanie Crowe, Page and Palette, Fairhope, AL

It All Comes Down to This by Therese Anne Fowler (St. Martin’s Pr.)

“Filled with family secrets, human frailties, and changes for the better, It All Comes Down to This is sure to resonate with anyone who has experienced the messiness of hurting those we care about while finding the way to our own true self.”—Betsy Von Kerens, The Bookworm of Omaha, Omaha, NE

Ordinary Monsters by J. M. Miro (Flatiron; LJ starred review)

“A grand historical fantasy in a unique world full of complex characters, including menacing and compelling villains. Anyone who appreciates a good Victorian setting or a swashbuckling thriller will enjoy this fresh take on the genre.”—Kristine Jelstrom-Hamill, Buttonwood Books and Toys, Cohasset, MA

Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley (MCD)

“Sloane Crosley threw A Christmas Carol, LCD Soundsystem’s New York, and millennial dating culture into a surrealist blender and created this heady, insightful, and darkly funny gem of a book. I can't wait to see what she writes next.”—Caroline Barbee, Friendly City Books, Columbus, MS

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley (Knopf; LJ starred review)

“Leila Mottley’s brilliant debut blazes a path through a dark world, illuminating the dangers that young women of color experience daily and just how close to the precipice many find themselves — even in the daylight. Unforgettable!”—Aaron J. Cance, The Printed Garden, Sandy, UT

Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine (One World)

“Woman of Light is a beautifully written story of unity, adversity, and the struggles of the Lopez family in the 1920s and 1930s. Perfectly connecting the past and present up to a meeting point for the family. I 100% recommend this book!”—Syrena Arevalo-Trujillo, Barrio Books, Tucson, AZ

In the Media

The People "Picks" book of the week is The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz (Celadon). Also getting attention are The Foundling by Ann Leary (Scribner: Marysue Rucci Books), and On Gin Lane by Brooke Lea Foster (Gallery).There is also a Q&A with Margaret Atwood on book banning and her “unburnable book.”

There is an interview with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen about their Disney+ Obi-Wan reunion, with assoc. titles. There is also a feature on Kathleen Buhle and her new memoir, If We Break: A Memoir of Marriage, Addiction, and Healing (Crown). Plus, Frank Adrian Barron. Sweet Paris: Seasonal Recipes from an American Baker in France (Harper Design), shares a recipe.

Reviews

NYT reviews  Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley (MCD): “It’s a good thing Cult Classic is so funny, because otherwise it would be kind of bleak."  LA Times also reviews: “As in her essays, her fascinating conceits — entertaining and compelling in their own right — are the engines of the narrative, but her insights into contemporary life are the fuel.”

NYT also reviews The Summer Friend by Charles McGrath (Knopf): “McGrath’s book is an act of love, a fitting tribute to his old friend and a poignant reminder to all of us to squeeze every last drop out of the summers that remain.” And, The Midcoast by Adam White (Hogarth): “Brimming with keen observation, not just of the landscape but of dialect and class distinctions and all the tiny, vital particularities that make a place real in fiction, The Midcoast is an absorbing look at small-town Maine and the thwarted dreams of a family trying to transcend it.” Plus, Metaphysical Animals: How Four Women Brought Philosophy Back to Life by Clare Mac Cumhaill and Rachael Wiseman (Doubleday): “The biographical material in “Metaphysical Animals” is evocative and sparkling, sketching each woman’s character with a novelist’s mastery of detail.” 

The Washington Post reviews  James Patterson by James Patterson by James Patterson (Little, Brown): "is carefully processed, larded with thank-yous and aw-shucks demurrals when he comes close to expressing a firm opinion beyond anything involving writing and selling books." And, Out of the Corner by Jennifer Grey (Ballantine): "Out of the Corner is meant to be a tale of triumph, and it is, once Grey climbs out of career-crash hell."

The Guardian reviews With a Mind to Kill: A James Bond Novel by Anthony Horowitz (Harper): “There seems an inexhaustible public appetite for all things 007. One day, we might grow weary of him, but if his fictional incarnations remain as page-turningly entertaining as With a Mind to Kill, we will be hoping that Bond doesn’t hang up his Walther PPK for a while yet.”

Briefly Noted

Jenna Bush Hager picks These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany (Grand Central; LJ starred review) for her June book club. 

The New Yorker profiles “unapologetically rich” James Patterson, whose memoir, James Patterson by James Patterson (Little, Brown), publishes today.

The Millions talks with Katie Gutierrez about her new novel, More Than You'll Ever Know (Morrow), true crime, and “our innate pull toward darkness.”

Entertainment Weekly talks with Nabil Ayers about My Life in the Sunshine: Searching for My Father and Discovering My Family (Viking), and “music and books that inspire him.”

Tom Perrotta discusses why he “brought back Election's Tracy Flick after #MeToo,” in Tracy Flick Can’t Win (Scribner), with the LA Times. Slate also examines Perrotta's sequel, stating it might "change what you think of Tracy Flick."

NYT features the work of Andrew Holleran, including his latest book, The Kingdom of Sand (Farrar).

NYT Magazine asks Michelle Zauner: "What's Next?"

Raquel Gutiérrez, author of the new essay collection, Brown Neon (Coffee House Pr.) annotates what books are on her nightstand for LitHub.

Bustle explains “Why You're Seeing ‘Waif Girl’ All Over Your TikTok Feed.”

Locus reports back from StokerCon.

USA Today picks five books for the week.

CrimeReads suggests 10 books out this week.

NYT recommends 4 new books.

LitHub previews "35 Novels You Need to Read This Summer."

T&C shares summer beach reads in its Weekly Covet feature.

LitHub discovers the JP Morgan Summer Reading List 2022.

Authors On Air

NPR’s All Things Considered talks with Sulari Gentill about her buzzy new book, The Woman in the Library (Poisoned Pen Pr.; LJ starred review).

NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday has an interview with Leila Mottley about her book, Nightcrawling (Knopf; LJ starred review).

A conversation with David Sedaris, Happy-Go-Lucky (Little, Brown; LJ starred review), is highlighted on NPR’s Fresh Air Weekend.

Colton Haynes answers fan questions about his new book, Miss Memory Lane (Atria; LJ starred review), on GMA.

Netflix has five Dr. Seuss projects in development. Publishing Perspectives reports.

Leila Mottley, Nightcrawling (Knopf; LJ starred review), visits Seth Meyers tonight. James Patterson, James Patterson by James Patterson (Little, Brown), visits Live with Kelly and Ryan today and Late Night with Seth Meyers tomorrow.

Want to get the latest book news delivered to your inbox each day? Sign up for our daily Book Pulse newsletter.