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Big Books of the Week

One by One by Ruth Ware (Gallery/Scout: Macmillan; LJ starred review) leads holds this week.

Other titles in demand include:

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (Atria Books: S. & S.; LJ starred review)

Shadows in Death by J. D. Robb (St. Martin's Press: Macmillan)

Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump by Michael Cohen (Skyhorse: S. & S.)

These books and others publishing the week of Sept. 7, 2020, are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet. 

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

There are four LibraryReads titles coming out this week.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (Atria Books: S. & S.; LJ starred review)

"What happens when a group of house hunters is taken hostage by an incompetent bank robber? Not what you expect. Filled with quirky, troubled characters, Backman's latest shows us what most people need is kindness, understanding and one another." —Janine Walsh, East Meadow Public Library, East Meadow, NY

It is also the No. 1 pick of the month for Indie Next:

"This book made me feel all the feels! It was sad, it was funny, it was hopeful, it was everything. The character development is incredible at revealing what’s inside each of the characters, and the way their stories link and interconnect is genius. It’s a story about sadness and hope and human connections. I couldn't put it down and barreled to the end, but now I am sad it’s over. Anxious People is truly the best thing I’ve read in a long time!" —Lisa Driban, Hockessin Book Shelf, Hockessin, DE

One by One by Ruth Ware (Gallery/Scout: Macmillan; LJ starred review)

"This delicious locked-room thriller is set amid a group of wealthy tech startup entrepreneurs snowbound at a ski chalet in the French Alps. It's And Then There Were None updated for our tech era. Highly recommended for suspense fans." —Ann-Marie Anderson, Tigard Public Library, Tigard, OR

It is also an Indie Next selection:

"Erin and Danny are the in-house help that run a French chalet rental, and they enjoy it. But when ten people come for the week from the tech company Snoop, they get a little more than they signed up for. I've said it many times: Ruth Ware just gets better and better. I’ve loved all her books, but each one is better than the last. One by One is no exception." —Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser, Roswell, GA

Monogamy by Sue Miller (Harper)

"Annie and Graham have been married for 30 years. When Graham unexpectedly dies, Annie finds out he had a recent affair. As she reevaluates her relationship and deals with feelings of anger and betrayal, a few secrets in her own past are revealed. This story of grief, sadness, and acceptance is perfect for fans of Hausfrau and Unsheltered.” —Laura Fowler, J.V. Fletcher Library, Westford, MA

It is also an Indie Next selection:

"Bookstore owner Graham is a friend to all and larger than life in every way. His first wife, Frieda, and current wife, Annie, both know and love him for it. But after Graham's unexpected death, secrets emerge that bring everything Annie thought she knew into question. Daughter Sarah and stepson Lucas help her through her grief, but anger is harder to leave behind. Fans of The Most Fun We Ever Had will love this beautifully written, honest look at the deep but fragile bond of love." —Beth Mynhier, Lake Forest Book Store, Lake Forest, IL

The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives by Nancy Pearl, Jeff Schwager (Harper)

"As someone who loves reading, books, and talking about books this was perfect for me. I found it fascinating to get a glimpse of what books influenced such an eclectic group of writers. It made me look at my own reading history and at books and reading in a different way. For fans of My Life with Bob (Paul)." —Joseph Jones, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cuyahoga, OH

There are four additional Indie Next picks coming out this week:

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil, illustrated by Fumi Nakamura (Milkweed Editions)

“Aimee didn’t know it at the time (or maybe she did in her mystical way), but this book was written for me and all the other brown-skinned, nature-loving, quiet-questers in the world. This beautiful package asks the reader to pick it up and go for a walk down memory lane, where you will find essays on a diversity of flora and fauna, from the dragon fruit to the narwhal, and from the corpse flower to the axolotl — all of which are gorgeously illustrated inside. Her writing asks everyone to find beauty and connection to the wonders that are nature’s stories.” —Jessica Palacios, Once Upon a Time, Montrose, CA

The Big Door Prize by M. O. Walsh (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

"M.O. Walsh weaves quintessential Southern charm into a quirky scenario to produce The Big Door Prize, a novel that left me curious about the parts of myself I have yet to discover. You’ll recognize the characters as your own next-door neighbors while being challenged to imagine the possibilities lying just past the periphery of a comfortably crafted trajectory. The novel questions what measures a life well-lived and answers with an entertaining tale of a grand machine in a modest town. Maybe potential is immeasurable. Perhaps that is exactly what gives us all hope." —Mary Garner Rees, Lemuria Bookstore, Jackson, MS

Just Us: An American Conversation by Claudia Rankine (Graywolf Press: Macmillan; LJ starred review)

"Claudia Rankine continues to break ground and pierce our souls with her latest offering, Just Us. Always creating compelling innovative forms, she seamlessly weaves poetry, memoir, and cultural/racial research and criticism through the deeply personal lens of her cancer and biracial marriage, probing the larger questions of how Black and white Americans can both occupy the same spaces in such disparate circumstances. Just Us is brilliant, moving, deeply human, and honest. Rankine shines brighter with each book." —Angela Spring, Duende District, Washington, DC

Eat a Peach: A Memoir by David Chang, Gabe Ulla (Clarkson Potter: Random House)

"This memoir by renowned chef David Chang is less a traditional memoir and more about the trials and tribulations of opening your own business, how to build and maintain a team of people, and the ups and downs of what it feels like to have all the weight on your shoulders. I relate to his story, and anyone who’s ever tried to build something from nothing will feel like Chang is speaking directly to them. I loved this book." —Michael Fusco-Straub, Books Are Magic, Brooklyn, NY

In the Media

People's replaces its "Book of the Week" feature for “Must-Reads for Fall. There is also a piece on Born to Fly: A Memoir by Sara Evans (Howard Books: S. & S.). On the "Picks" List are The Right Stuff on Disney+, based on The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe (Picador: Macmillan) and The Undoing on HBO, adapting the book You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz (Grand Central: Hachette). There is also a mention of The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix, based on The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (Penguin). The recipe is from Danny Seo, Naturally, Delicious Desserts (Gibbs Smith).

Reviews

The NYT reviews Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson (Nancy Paulsen Books: Penguin; SLJ starred review): "It's an elegiac meditation on loss and longing told, like Woodson's seminal memoir, "Brown Girl Dreaming," mostly in verse." Also, Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It by Tom Philpott (Bloomsbury: Macmillan): "will line up many new recruits." Why I Don't Write: And Other Stories by Susan Minot (Knopf): "a quiet collection, but it is not a halting or timid one. Minot still has a poet’s instinct for the surprising volta, the striking image, the bracing final line." Time of the Magicians: Wittgenstein, Benjamin, Cassirer, Heidegger, and the Decade That Reinvented Philosophy by Wolfram Eilenberger (Penguin; LJ starred review): "Eilenberger's latest is not an easy read. It is, however, worth the difficulty." The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg (Scholastic): "at its heart, is about finding a way through the worst moments, with treatment and support systems. The plot itself could be seen as a model for readers who are struggling: Characters witness suicide, then decide to live." Monogamy by Sue Miller (Harper): "It's a rich, complex book — but in the end it's the story of a marriage, a remarkably good one considering how mismatched this fictional husband and wife appear to be." What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez (Riverhead: Penguin; LJ starred review): "Reading Sigrid Nunez’s absorbing new novel is somewhat akin to having a long conversation with someone who is telling you something very important, but is telling it in a very quiet voice." Republic of Wrath: How American Politics Turned Tribal, From George Washington to Donald Trump by James A. Morone (Basic Books: Hachette): "offers a fresh theory to an already sizable pile of explanations for the dismal state of our politics." Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing by Jacob Goldstein (Hachette): "a sweeping new history." The Memory Monster by Yishai Sarid, translated by Yardenne Greenspan (Restless Books): "a brilliant short novel that serves as a brave, sharp-toothed brief against letting the past devour the present." JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956 by Fredrik Logevall (Random House): “none has told the tale of the 35th president’s formative years better or more thoroughly than the Harvard history professor Fredrik Logevall in “JFK,” the first of two projected volumes." Breaking Bread with the Dead: A Reader's Guide to a More Tranquil Mind by Alan Jacobs (Penguin): "By championing our connection to writers of the past, Jacobs aims to make us better able to withstand the stressful and distracting demands of the present — and surely we can all use help on that front. But his own writing style, which mixes efforts at casual friendliness with a sense of undisguised self-importance, partially undermines his argument." Inside the NRA: A Tell-All Account of Corruption, Greed, and Paranoia within the Most Powerful Political Group in America by Joshua L. Powell (Twelve: Hachette): "This is a sad book, and a bad one, and you shouldn't buy it. The thinking in it is poor; the writing is worse." The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket by Benjamin Lorr (Avery: Penguin): "a deeply curious and evenhanded report on our national appetites." There is a collected column of assorted kinds of horror titles and one on Thrillers. The Crime column is out. "The Shortlist" is on "Novels From Around the World Examine Kinship and Conflict."

USA Today reviews What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez (Riverhead: Penguin; LJ starred review), giving it 3.5 stars, writing "Cultivating care for others is the crowning achievement of the novel."

NPR reviews Kind of a Big Deal by Shannon Hale (Roaring Brook Press: Macmillan): "a ton of fun, and I wish I could give it a 100% glowing review, but I'm afraid I can't. It has to do with Josie's Greekness, or lack thereof." Also, Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger, illustrated by Rovina Cai (Levine Querido: Chronicle): "walks a zig-zagging line between humor and horror, braiding them into each other … There's so much love in Elatsoe, such deep grief held in the stronger arms of family and community. I'm so excited for all the young people who get to read this book and find themselves in it."

The Washington Post reviews One by One by Ruth Ware (Gallery/Scout: Macmillan; LJ starred review): "follows the snow tracks of Dame Agatha’s classic but cunningly swerves off-road at crucial moments with the aid of techie updates." Also, Daddy: Stories by Emma Cline (Random House): "So, will my Campari-swilling friend like “Daddy”? I think it has less to do with whether she enjoyed "The Girls" than with her enthusiasm for stories about unlikable people.”

Briefly Noted

The October Indie Next List is out. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab (Tor: Macmillan; LJ starred review) is the No. 1 pick.

USA Today picks five books for the week. CrimeReads picks ten.

Bustle selects "The Books Everyone Will Be Talking About All September Long." Also, a list of the best books this week.

Popsugar gathers “The 25 New Books Everyone Will Be Talking About in September," as well as more Thrillers, Romances, and Sci-Fi pandemic novels.

The Millions offers poetry for the month.

Entertainment Weekly gathers "The best new comics to read in September: Stories of swords and magic."

The Washington Post has "12 books to keep you occupied for the rest of 2020."

BookPage writes "The best nature books of the year were written by women."

Tor.com offers "Jo Walton's Reading List: August 2020."

The Washington Post suggests some “wine-centric novels."

Vulture’s "Read Like the Wind" column is out.

The 2020 Dragon Awards are announced.

The NYT reports on two of the big Trump books of the season, out today. Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump by Michael Cohen (Skyhorse: S. & S.): "paints the president as a sordid, moblike figure willing to engage in underhanded tactics against anyone opposing him." Also, Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump by Peter Strzok (HMH): "provides a detailed account of navigating the two politically toxic investigations and a forceful apologia of the bureau’s acts." Vanity Fair also has coverage of Michael Cohen's book. The Washington Post reviews Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump: Strzok delivers a compelling tale, though at times a frustrating one, layered with excessive restraint and insufficient self-awareness." NPR does as well: “Many of the biggest questions about this chapter in U.S. history still don't have answers — from Strzok or anyone else on the outside.”

Vulture shines a spotlight on the translation work of Ann Goldstein, showcased this month in The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante (Europa Editions).

The NYT features Jenna Bush Hager, writing about her book club and her own newest book as an author, Everything Beautiful in Its Time: Seasons of Love and Loss (William Morrow: Harper). USA Today also has coverage.

The NYT showcases Gianni Rodari, the famous Italian children's book author who never found hold with U.S. readers. They write that a reissue of "his masterpiece" Telephone Tales (Enchanted Lion Books) might change that.

USA Today spotlights Jane Fonda, What Can I Do? My Path from Climate Despair to Action (Penguin).

The Atlantic features Just Us: An American Conversation by Claudia Rankine (Graywolf Press: Macmillan; LJ starred review). Also, a feature on The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich (FSG: Macmillan).

Amazon has a piece by Lev Grossman about his newest, The Silver Arrow (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers: Hachette).

Variety showcases No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings, Erin Meyer (Penguin). More here.

Salon highlights No Rules: A Memoir by Sharon Dukett (She Writes Press).

Electric Lit interviews Lindsay Ellis, Axiom's End (St. Martin’s Press). Also, an interview with Deesha Philyaw, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (West Virginia UP).

People interviews Terri Cheney, Modern Madness: An Owner's Manual (Hachette).

Lit Hub interviews Ayad Akhtar, Tobias Carroll, Emma Cline, Emily Gray Tedrowe, and M.O. Walsh.

BuzzFeed excerpts How We Go Home: Voices from Indigenous North America, edited by Sara Sinclair (Haymarket). The excerpt is by Jasilyn Charger.

The Cut excerpts What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez (Riverhead: Penguin; LJ starred review).

Electric Lit has a new short story by Karen E. Bender, The New Order: Stories (Counterpoint).

Publishing Perspectives has a report on the Aspen Institute's program on diversity in publishing.

The Guardian prints an essay by Frances Ryan entitled "Publishing must make room for disabled authors - for its own good."

Lit Hub offers "The Unexpected Politics of Book Cover Design."

The NYT reports on the boom of comic books on crowdfunding sites.

The Guardian has a piece by the co-founder of The Women’s prize on why it is necessary.

Author David Graeber has died. The NYT has an obituary.

Authors on Air

NPR’s It’s Been a Minute With Sam Sanders interviews Claudia Rankine, Just Us: An American Conversation (Graywolf Press: Macmillan; LJ starred review). NPR’s Morning Edition interviews Aimee Nezhukumatathil, World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments (Milkweed Editions). All Things Considered interviews Jason Stanley, How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them (Random House), also an interview with Julie Hall, Inheriting Clutter: How to Calm the Chaos Your Parents Leave Behind (Thomas Nelson: Harper). NPR’s All Things Considered interviews Katherine D. Kinzler, How You Say It: Why You Talk the Way You Do—And What It Says About You (HMH).

CBS Sunday Morning spotlights Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump by Peter Strzok (HMH) and has an excerpt of No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings, Erin Meyer (Penguin).

TED Radio Hour features Ebony Roberts, The Love Prison Made and Unmade: My Story (Amistad: Harper) and Shaka Senghor, Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison (Convergent Books: Penguin) talking abut co-parenting.

The NYT has a story on the new Netflix show Get Organized With the Home Edit. It is based on the Home Edit books by Clea Shearer, Joanna Teplin (Clarkson Potter: Random House).

Amazon casts its lead actor in the forthcoming Jack Reacher series. Liev Schreiber is will star in the film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s Across The River And Into The Trees. Deadline reports.

The NYT Book Review podcast features True Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Investigation of Donald Trump by Jeffrey Toobin (Doubleday: Random House; LJ starred review) and has a conversation about The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante (Europa Editions).

Jane Fonda, What Can I Do? My Path from Climate Despair to Action (Penguin), will be on with Seth Meyers tonight.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Speaking for Myself: Faith, Freedom, and the Fight of Our Lives Inside the Trump White House (St. Martin’s Press: Macmillan) will be on The View today.

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