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Big Books of the Week

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Harper) leads holds this week. NYT reviews: “Domestic contentment is its North Star, generational continuity its reliable moon. Only a cynic could resist lying down on a nice soft blanket to marvel at Patchett’s twinkling planetarium.”  Patchett discusses the “moral core” of her latest book with LA Times. 

Other titles in demand include:

Out of Nowhere by Sandra Brown (Grand Central)

The Bone Hacker by Kathy Reichs (Scribner)

Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister (Morrow)

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo (Ecco)

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen (St. Martin’s)

These books and others publishing the week of July 31, 2023, are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Three LibraryReads and four Indie Next picks publish this week. Note that LibraryReads now annotates titles with additional notes. We mark those annotations with an asterisk, followed by the note. They no longer annotate hall of fame titles.

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo (Ecco) *good for book clubs

“Woven with magical realism, this novel uncovers the buried secrets of Flor and her sisters as this Dominican-American family tries to find out why Flor is throwing herself a living wake. Acevedo is a poet and she successfully translates that skill into fiction. Readers of her previous works will recognize her heart and style, displayed here in alternating narratives. Beautifully told with all the complexities that make up families, fans and new readers alike will love this book.”—Becky Phillips, Brown County Library, WI

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Reminiscent of Isabel Allende, Julia Alvarez, and Elena Ferrante, Family Lore is a gorgeous multigenerational saga that follows the powerful, magical women in a Dominican-American family over the course of three days, but spans lifetimes.”—Olivia Marchese, Author’s Note, Medina, NY

Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova (Hyperion Avenue) *debut

“This modern retelling of The Little Mermaid has pop sensation Ariel figuring out the next step in her life, away from her controlling father. Eric and his band are trying to get their big break. When Eric meets Ariel, he doesn’t recognize her and offers her a job on his tour. Ariel accepts, seizing the chance to live in the real world. A story of life, love, and family—and making the choices that make you happy.”—Christine Markley, Kingsport Public Library, TN

Hall of Fame pick Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Harper) is also an Indie next pick:

“This is a story of love for family, of past passions and people once loved, and their continuing influence on the present. With Ann Patchett’s wit and wryness finely tuned, Tom Lake is the perfect book for a summer weekend read.”—Jenny Stroyeck, The Homer Bookstore, Homer, AK

Two additional Indie Next picks publish this week:

Time’s Mouth by Edan Lepucki (Counterpoint)

“The premise of Time’s Mouth—what would you do if you could travel back in time to revisit old memories?—may be speculative, but the characters are beautifully, frustratingly real as they struggle to be good and create lives of their own.”—Lizzy Rolando, Salmonberry Books, Port Orchard, WA

The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange (Celadon)

“Do yourself a favor and meet The Connellys of County Down. Beautifully written, smartly plotted, and populated with fascinating characters, Tracey Lange’s sophomore novel proves that she is a master of the family drama.”—Pamela Klinger-Horn, Valley Bookseller, Stillwater, MN

In the Media

People’s book of the week is Time’s Mouth by Edan Lepucki (Counterpoint). Also getting attention are My Name Is Iris by Brando Skyhorse (Avid Reader Pr.: S & S), and Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Harper). A “New in Nonfiction” section highlights Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II by Lena S. Andrews (Mariner; LJ starred review), The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean by Susan Casey (Doubleday), and The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight by Andrew Leland (Penguin Pr.). 

The “Picks” section spotlights Netflix’s Heartstopper, based on the graphic novels by Alice Oseman. Jamie Lee Curtis’s new graphic novel, Mother Nature, written with Russell Goldman, illus. by Karl Stevens (Titan Comics), is featured as well. Plus, Abra Berens, Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit (Chronicle), and Nasim Alikhani, Sofreh: A Contemporary Approach to Classic Persian Cuisine (Knopf), share recipes. 

Reviews

NYT reviews Whalefall by Daniel Kraus (MTV Bks; LJ starred review): “It’s lovely, and in keeping with the majesty of the species, that in death a whale bestows life. Daniel Kraus’s thrilling new novel…spins the concept into a crazy, and crazily enjoyable, beat-the-clock adventure story about fathers, sons, guilt and the mysteries of the sea”; and Witness: Stories by Jamel Brinkley (Farrar): “Brinkley is a writer whose versatility knows no boundaries. He can make you laugh, cry, contemplate life’s deepest questions, remember what it was like to be a child, and feel the warmth, or chill, of your own family history.”

The Washington Post reviews Kala by Colin Walsh (Doubleday): “With revelation upon revelation, their ordinariness seems all the more mysterious, and this first-time novelist all the more masterly at writing in such an original voice.”

Briefly Noted

Jen Rewell wins the 2023 Furphy Literary Award.

The 2023 Nib Literary Award longlist is announced.

A federal judge in Arkansas has temporarily blocked a state law that would have made it a crime for librarians to give minors materials deemed “harmful” to them. The Washington Post reports.

Richard E. Grant discusses his new memoir, A Pocketful of Happiness (S. & S.), with LA Times.

Datebook has an interview with Edan Lepucki about parenting, time travel, and her “page-turning” new novel, Time’s Mouth (Counterpoint).

The Rumpus has a conversation with Elizabeth Acevedo about her new book, Family Lore (Ecco), “the importance of creating space for absence, and her uncanny ability to lift magic off the page."

Shondaland considers how Goodreads is changing the reading culture.

With new editions forthcoming from Soho Press, The Washington Post shines a light on mystery writer Joseph Hansen’s detective novels, featuring gay inspector Dave Brandstetter.

Parade puts Daniel Silva's books in order.

The Atlantic's “Books Briefing” highlights books for learning something new.

USA Today shares 5 books for the week. 

NYT offers 14 books for August.

LitHub notes 23 paperback releases for August.

CrimeReads has 10 books for the week, and 30 more horror books to look out for this year.

BookRiot shares 9 nonfiction books publishing in August.

The Root's It's Lit recommends “Books by Black Authors We Can’t Wait To Read in August.”

ElectricLit highlights “7 books that use fairy tales to reveal the strangeness of our world.”

NYT reflects on the relevance of D. H. Lawrence’s Studies in Classic American Literature one hundred years after its publication.

Authors On Air

NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday talks with Elizabeth Acevedo about her new book for adults, Family Lore (Ecco). 

NPR’s Morning Edition chats with Leslie A. Rasmussen about the inspiration behind her new book, The Stories We Cannot Tell (Touchpoint). 

PBS News Weekend talks with actor and writer Vanessa Schneider and translator Molly Ringwald about My Cousin Maria Schneider: A Memoir (Scribner).

LitHub has “The Literary Film and TV You Need to Stream in August.”

LitHub shares the trailer for a new documentary, Joyce Carol Oates: A Body in the Service of Mind. Deadline also has coverage. 

The Emmy Awards has been postponed due to the SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America strikes. No new date has been set. Variety reports.

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