November 16, 2021

November 16, 2021

In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of November 15th and November 22nd that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers, along with Bonus News, where we call out a contest, feature or review that we want to let you know about so you have it on your radar.

This week, we are calling attention to our 24-hour Holiday Cheer contests, which are taking place on select days this month and next. Enter for your chance to win books that are perfect for holiday giving and that you may want to include on your "to me/from me" list.

For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events

As so many book and author events are happening online these days, we are highlighting a number of them that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links below for more info and to register.

Wednesday, November 17th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": For their special Thanksgiving show, the "Friends and Fiction" authors --- Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey and Patti Callahan Henry --- will talk to chef, restaurateur, author and television host Vivian Howard.

Wednesday, November 17th at 7:30pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Richard Paul Evans will discuss his new novel, THE CHRISTMAS PROMISE, another heartwarming story of secrets, heartbreak, forgiveness and the true meaning of Christmas.

Thursday, November 18th at 9pm ET: Warwick's: Warwick's will host Susan Orlean as she discusses her new book, ON ANIMALS, with Sarah Z. Sleeper.

Friday, November 19th at 8pm ET: Murder By The Book: Novel Suspects presents Kathleen Kent in conversation with Hank Phillippi Ryan about her new thriller, THE PLEDGE, in which Detective Betty Rhyzyk has only two weeks to take down her deadliest rival --- this time for good.

Monday, November 22nd at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome David Baldacci for a live, virtual event to celebrate the release of MERCY as part of their B&N Midday Mystery Virtual Event series. Baldacci will be in conversation with fellow bestselling author Kathy Reichs.

Monday, November 22nd at 7pm ET: Random House: Join Diana Gabaldon for a special virtual event celebrating all things Outlander and launching her new novel, GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE. At her one and only book event, Diana will be in conversation with Maureen Lee Lenker from Entertainment Weekly.

Tuesday, November 23rd at 1pm ET: National Archives Foundation: Pulitzer Prize finalist H. W. Brands will talk about his latest book, OUR FIRST CIVIL WAR, a gripping, page-turning narrative of the American Revolution that shows it to be more than a fight against the British.

Tuesday, November 23rd at 6:30pm ET: Harvard Book Store: Harvard Book Store joins HarperCollins and bookstores across the country to welcome Ann Patchett for a discussion of her new essay collection, THESE PRECIOUS DAYS. She will be joined in conversation by Scott Simon, host of NPR's "Weekend Edition Saturday."

This Week's Bonus News: Bookreporter.com's
Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature

On Sale the Week of November 15th in Hardcover

November 16th

AMERICAN COMICS: A History by Jeremy Dauber (Popular Culture/History)
From our multiplexes, where Marvel and DC movies reign supreme, to our television screens, where comics-based shows like "The Walking Dead" have become among the most popular in cable history, to convention halls and bestseller lists, comics shape American culture, in ways high and low, superficial and deeply profound. In AMERICAN COMICS, Columbia professor Jeremy Dauber takes readers through their incredible but little-known history. His story shows not only how comics have changed over the decades but how American politics and culture have changed them. Throughout, he describes the origins of beloved comics, champions neglected masterpieces, and argues that we can understand how America sees itself through whose stories comics tell.
W. W. Norton & Company | 9780393635607

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BOOKS by David Damrosch (Literary Criticism/Travel)
Inspired by Jules Verne’s hero, Phileas Fogg, David Damrosch --- chair of Harvard University’s department of comparative literature and founder of Harvard’s Institute for World Literature --- set out to counter a pandemic’s restrictions on travel by exploring 80 exceptional books from around the globe. Following a literary itinerary from London to Venice, Tehran and points beyond, and via authors from Woolf and Dante to Nobel Prize winners Orhan Pamuk, Wole Soyinka, Mo Yan and Olga Tokarczuk, Damrosch explores how these works have shaped our idea of the world, and the ways in which the world bleeds into literature.
Penguin Press | 9780593299883

BROTHERS IN ARMS: One Legendary Tank Regiment's Bloody War from D-Day to VE-Day by James Holland (History)
In the annals of World War II, certain groups of soldiers stand out, and among the most notable were the Sherwood Rangers. Originally a cavalry unit in the last days of horses in combat, whose officers were landed gentry leading men who largely worked for them, they were switched to the “mechanized cavalry” of tanks in 1942. Winning acclaim in the North African campaign, the Sherwood Rangers then spearheaded one of the D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944, led the way across France, were the first British troops to cross into Germany, and contributed mightily to Germany’s surrender in May 1945. Acclaimed WWII historian James Holland memorably profiles an extraordinary group of citizen soldiers constantly in harm’s way.
Atlantic Monthly Press | 9780802159083

CHOUETTE by Claire Oshetsky (Fiction)
Tiny is pregnant. Her husband is delighted. “You think this baby is going to be like you, but it’s not like you at all,” she warns him. “This baby is an owl-baby.” When Chouette is born small and broken-winged, Tiny works around the clock to meet her daughter’s needs. Left on her own to care for a child who seems more predatory bird than baby, Tiny vows to raise Chouette to be her authentic self. Even in those times when Chouette’s behaviors grow violent and strange, Tiny’s loving commitment to her daughter is unwavering. When she discovers that her husband is on an obsessive and increasingly dangerous quest to find a “cure” for their daughter, Tiny must decide if Chouette should be raised to fit in or to be herself --- and learn what it truly means to be a mother.
Ecco | 9780063066670

CLIVE CUSSLER'S THE DEVIL'S SEA: A Dirk Pitt Novel by Dirk Cussler (Thriller/Adventure)
In 1959 Tibet, a Buddhist artifact of immense importance was seemingly lost to history in the turmoil of the Communist takeover. But when National Underwater and Marine Agency Director Dirk Pitt discovers a forgotten plane crash in the Philippine Sea over 60 years later, new clues emerge to its hidden existence. But Pitt and his compatriot, Al Giordino, have larger worries when they are ordered to recover a failed hypersonic missile from Luzon Strait. Only someone else is after it, too: a rogue Chinese military team that makes their own earth-shattering discovery, hijacking a ship capable of stirring the waters of the deep into a veritable Devil’s Sea.
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780593419649

THE DEEPER THE ROOTS: A Memoir of Hope and Home by Michael Tubbs (Memoir)
“Don’t tell nobody our business,” Michael Tubbs’ mother often told him growing up. For Michael, that meant a lot of things: Don’t tell anyone about the day-to-day struggle of being Black and broke in Stockton, CA. Don’t tell anyone the pain of having a father incarcerated for 25 years to life. Don’t tell anyone about living two lives --- the brainy bookworm and the kid with the newest Jordans. But as he went on to a scholarship at Stanford and an internship in the Obama White House, he began to realize the power of his experience. By the time he returned to Stockton to become, in 2016 at age 26, its first Black mayor and the youngest-ever mayor of a major American city, he knew his story meant something.
Flatiron Books: An Oprah Book | 9781250173447

DOLPHIN JUNCTION: Stories by Mick Herron (Crime Fiction/Short Stories)
Mick Herron, author of the Slough House novels, is on his way to becoming one of the most critically acclaimed and culturally important crime fiction writers of the 21st century. He has been awarded both the Gold and Steel Daggers by the Crime Writers’ Association and has been called “the John le Carré of the future” (BBC). Now, for the first time, his short fiction has been collected into one volume. Five stand-alone nerve-rackingly thrilling crime fiction stories are complemented by four mystery stories featuring the Oxford wife-and-husband detective team of shrewd Zoë Boehm and hapless Joe Silvermann. The collection also includes a peek into the past of Jackson Lamb, the irascible top agent at Slough House.
Soho Crime | 9781641293020

EVEN GREATER MISTAKES: Stories by Charlie Jane Anders (Science Fiction/Short Stories)
The woman who can see all possible futures is dating the man who can see the one and only foreordained future. A wildly popular slapstick filmmaker is drawn, against his better judgment, into working with a fascist militia, against a background of social collapse. Two friends must embark on an Epic Quest To Capture The Weapon That Threatens The Galaxy, or else they’ll never achieve their dream of opening a restaurant. The stories in this collection, by their very outrageousness, achieve a heightened realism unlike any other.
Tor Books | 9781250766502

THE JOY AND LIGHT BUS COMPANY: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (22) by Alexander McCall Smith (Mystery)
Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni attends a course hosted by the local chamber of commerce entitled “Where Is Your Business Going?” But rather than feeling energized, he comes back in low spirits, unsure how to grow the already venerable and successful Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors. Then an old friend from school approaches him about a new business venture that could be just the ticket. When it turns out he will need to mortgage his property in order to pursue this endeavor, Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi wonder what this will mean for his current business --- as well as their own. Meanwhile, when a concerned son learns that his aging father’s nurse now stands to inherit the family home, he begins to doubt her intentions and takes his case to Botswana’s premier detective agency.
Pantheon | 9780593315736

THE LAST SHADOW by Orson Scott Card (Science Fiction)
THE LAST SHADOW is the long-awaited conclusion to both the original Ender series and the Ender's Shadow series, as the children of Ender and Bean solve the great problem of the Ender Universe --- the deadly virus they call the descolada, which is incurable and will kill all of humanity if it is allowed to escape from Lusitania.
Tor Books | 9780765304957

THE LEFT-HANDED TWIN: A Jane Whitefield Novel by Thomas Perry (Thriller)
Jane Whitefield helps people disappear. Fearing for their lives, fleeing dangerous situations, her clients come to her when they need to vanish completely. And when people are desperate enough to need her services, they come to the old house in rural western New York where Jane was raised to begin their escape. It’s there that, one spring night, Jane finds a young woman fresh from LA. After she cheated on her boyfriend, he dragged her to the home of the offending man and made her watch as he killed him. She testified against the boyfriend, but a bribed jury acquitted him, and now he’s free and trying to find and kill her. Jane agrees to help, but the boyfriend has some new friends: members of a Russian organized crime brotherhood.
Mysterious Press | 9781613162590

A LITTLE HOPE by Ethan Joella (Fiction)
In the small city of Wharton, Connecticut, lives are beginning to unravel. A husband betrays his wife. A son struggles with addiction. A widow misses her late spouse. At the heart of these interlinking stories is one couple: Freddie and Greg Tyler. Greg has just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a brutal form of cancer. He intends to handle this the way he has faced everything else: through grit and determination. But can Greg successfully overcome his illness? How will Freddie and their daughter cope if he doesn’t? How do the other residents of Wharton learn to live with loss and find happiness again?
Scribner | 9781982171193

LOVE IN THE BIG CITY written by Sang Young Park, translated by Anton Hur (Fiction)
Young is a cynical yet fun-loving Korean student who pinballs from home to class to the beds of recent Tinder matches. He and Jaehee, his female best friend and roommate, frequent nearby bars where they push away their anxieties about their love lives, families and money with rounds of soju and ice-cold Marlboro Reds that they keep in their freezer. Yet over time, even Jaehee leaves Young to settle down, leaving him alone to care for his ailing mother and to find companionship in his relationships with a series of men, including one whose handsomeness is matched by his coldness, and another who might end up being the great love of his life.
Grove Press | 9780802158789

MERCY: An Atlee Pine Thriller by David Baldacci (Thriller)
For her entire life, FBI agent Atlee Pine has been searching for her twin sister, Mercy, who was abducted at the age of six and never seen again. Mercy’s disappearance left behind a damaged family that later shattered beyond repair when Atlee’s parents inexplicably abandoned her. Now, after a perilous investigation that nearly proved fatal, Atlee has finally discovered not only the reason behind her parents’ abandonment and Mercy’s kidnapping, but also the most promising breakthrough yet: proof that Mercy survived her abduction and then escaped her captors many years ago. Though Atlee is tantalizingly close to her family at last, the final leg of her long road to Mercy will be the most treacherous yet.
Grand Central Publishing | 9781538719725

A NET FOR SMALL FISHES by Lucy Jago (Historical Fiction)
When Frances Howard, the beautiful but unhappy wife of the Earl of Essex, meets the talented Anne Turner, the two strike up an unlikely yet powerful friendship. Frances makes Anne her confidante, sweeping her into a glamorous and extravagant world, riven with bitter rivalry. As the women grow closer, each hopes to change her circumstances. Frances is trapped in a miserable marriage while loving another, and newly widowed Anne struggles to keep herself and her six children alive as she waits for a promised proposal. A desperate plan to change their fortunes is hatched. But navigating the Jacobean court is a dangerous game, and one misstep could cost them everything.
Flatiron Books | 9781250261953

THE PLEDGE by Kathleen Kent (Mystery/Thriller)
Detective Betty Rhyzyk has settled into a happy marriage and has been promoted to Sergeant in the Dallas Police Department. But when a hostage stand-off puts her on the phone with legendary cartel leader The Knife, things take a turn. The Knife has heard that Evangeline Roy is making a play for the streets of Dallas. The matriarch of a ruthless cult, Evangeline also happens to hold a personal vendetta against Betty. Betty has two weeks to catch her. Or else. With Betty’s young charge Mary Grace already missing --- having left her seven-month-old baby behind in Betty’s care --- and the drug dealers of Dallas donning strange red wigs and delivering cryptic messages, Betty is in a race for answers.
Mulholland Books | 9780316280457

RAISE A FIST, TAKE A KNEE: Race and the Illusion of Progress in Modern Sports by John Feinstein (Sports/Sociology)
Commentators, coaches and fans alike have long touted the diverse rosters of leagues like the NFL and MLB as sterling examples of a post-racial America. Yet decades after Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in a display of Black power and pride, and years after Colin Kaepernick shocked the world by kneeling for the national anthem, the role Black athletes and coaches are expected to perform --- both on and off the field --- still can be determined as much by stereotype and old-fashion ideology as ability and performance. John Feinstein crisscrossed the country to secure personal interviews with quarterbacks, coaches and more, revealing the stories none of us have heard (but all of us should know).
Little, Brown and Company | 9780316540933

TERMINATION SHOCK by Neal Stephenson (Science Fiction/Technothriller)
One man --- visionary billionaire restaurant chain magnate T. R. Schmidt, Ph.D. --- has a Big Idea for reversing global warming, a master plan perhaps best described as “elemental.” But will it work? And just as important, what are the consequences for the planet and all of humanity should it be applied? Ranging from the Texas heartland to the Dutch royal palace in the Hague, from the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the sunbaked Chihuahuan Desert, TERMINATION SHOCK brings together a disparate group of characters from different cultures and continents who grapple with the real-life repercussions of global warming. Ultimately, it asks the question: Might the cure be worse than the disease?
William Morrow | 9780063028050

THESE SILENT WOODS by Kimi Cunningham Grant (Thriller)
For eight years, Cooper and his young daughter, Finch, have lived in isolation in a remote cabin in the northern Appalachian woods. Finch has been raised on the books filling the cabin’s shelves and the beautiful but brutal code of life in the wilderness. But she’s starting to push back against the sheltered life Cooper has created for her --- and he’s still haunted by the painful truth of what it took to get them there. The only people who know they exist are a mysterious local hermit named Scotland, and Cooper's old friend, Jake, who visits each winter to bring them food and supplies. But this year, Jake doesn't show up, setting off an irreversible chain of events that reveals just how precarious their situation really is.
Minotaur Books | 9781250793393

TOM CLANCY CHAIN OF COMMAND: A Jack Ryan Novel by Marc Cameron (Thriller/Adventure)
A shadowy billionaire uses his fortune to further his corrupt ambitions. Along the way, he’s toppled democratically elected governments and exacerbated divisions within stable nations. Now, he’s ready to implement his most ambitious plan of all. There’s only one force standing in his way --- President Jack Ryan. How do you compel a man like Jack Ryan to bend? It will take more than political headwinds or media disfavor to cause him to turn from his duty to the American people, but every man has an Achilles heel. Jack Ryan’s is his family. The answer is as simple as it is shocking. The billionaire has assembled an international team of the most ruthless mercenaries alive. Their mission --- kidnap the First Lady.
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780593188163

WAR WOMEN: A Sueño and Bascom Investigation Set in South Korea by Martin Limón (Mystery)
South Korea, 1970s: Sergeant First Class Cecil B. Harvey has long been a friend (willing or unwilling) to Sergeants George Sueño and Ernie Bascom. So when he goes missing with a top-secret document that even a glance at could get an officer court-martialed, Sueño and Bascom take it upon themselves to find him. Meanwhile, Overseas Observer reporter Katie Byrd Worthington is back to make life difficult for top Army brass. When she lands in a Korean jail cell, Sueño and Bascom are sent to get her out --- and negotiate against the publication of an incriminating story about the mistreatment of women in the military that could land important officials in hot water. But what they learn will make it hard for them to stay silent.
Soho Crime | 9781641292795

On Sale the Week of November 15th in Paperback

November 16th

ALL THE FEELS by Olivia Dade (Romantic Comedy)
Paperback Original
Alexander Woodroe has it all, including a starring role as Cupid on TV’s biggest show, “Gods of the Gates.” But the showrunners have wrecked his character, he's dogged by old demons, and his post-show future remains uncertain. When all that reckless emotion explodes into a bar fight, former ER therapist Lauren Clegg is hired to keep him in line. However, the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to keep her professional remove and her heart intact, especially when she discovers the reasons behind his recklessness. When another scandal lands Alex in major hot water and costs Lauren her job, she’ll have to choose between protecting him and offering him what he really wants --- her.
Avon | 9780063005587

THE BUTCHERS’ BLESSING by Ruth Gilligan (Literary Thriller)
Every year, Úna prepares for her father to leave her. He will wave goodbye early one morning, then disappear with seven other men to traverse the Irish countryside. Together, these men form the Butchers, a group that roams from farm to farm, enacting ancient methods of cattle slaughter. THE BUTCHERS' BLESSING moves between the events of 1996 and the present, offering a simmering glimpse into the modern tensions that surround these eight fabled men.
Tin House Books | 9781951142742

THE CARTOGRAPHER'S SECRET by Tea Cooper (Historical Mystery)
Paperback Original
1880: Evie Ludgrove grew up in the shadow of her father’s obsession with the great Australian explorer Dr. Ludwig Leichhardt. So when an advertisement appears offering a thousand-pound reward for proof of where Leichhardt met his fate, Evie is determined to unravel the secret. But when Evie sets out to prove her theory, she vanishes without a trace. 1911: Letitia Rawlings arrives at the family estate to inform her great-aunt Olivia of a loss in their family. But Letitia is also escaping her own problems. So when she discovers a beautifully illustrated map that might hold a clue to the fate of her missing aunt, Evie Ludgrove, she sets out to discover the truth. However, all is not as it seems, and Letitia begins to realize that solving the mystery of her family’s past could offer as much peril as redemption.
Harper Muse | 9780785267317

THE CHRISTMAS BOOKSHOP by Jenny Colgan (Fiction)
Paperback Original
Laid off from her department store job, Carmen has perilously little cash and few options. The prospect of spending Christmas with her perfect sister Sofia does not appeal. Frankly, Sofia doesn’t exactly want her prickly sister Carmen there either. But Sofia has yet another baby on the way, a mother desperate to see her daughters get along, and a client who needs help revitalizing his shabby old bookshop. So Carmen moves in and takes the job. Thrown rather suddenly into the inner workings of Mr. McCredie’s ancient bookshop on the picturesque streets of historic Edinburgh, Carmen is intrigued despite herself. The store is dusty and disorganized but undeniably charming. Can she breathe some new life into it in time for Christmas shopping?
William Morrow Paperbacks ‎| 9780063141674

THE EVERY by Dave Eggers (Dystopian Thriller)
Paperback Original
Delaney Wells is an unlikely new hire at the Every. A former forest ranger and unwavering tech skeptic, she charms her way into an entry-level job with one goal in mind: to take down the company from within. With her compatriot, the not-at-all-ambitious Wes Makazian, they look for the Every's weaknesses, hoping to free humanity from all-encompassing surveillance and the emoji-driven infantilization of the species. But does anyone want what Delaney is fighting to save? Does humanity truly want to be free?
Vintage | 9780593315347

A GALWAY EPIPHANY: A Jack Taylor Novel by Ken Bruen (Mystery/Thriller)
Jack Taylor has finally escaped the despair of his violent life in Galway in favor of a quiet retirement in the country with his friend Keefer, a former Rolling Stones roadie, and a falcon named Maeve. But on a day trip back into the city to sort out his affairs, Jack is hit by a truck in front of Galway's Famine Memorial, left in a coma but mysteriously without a scratch on him. When he awakens weeks later, he finds Ireland in a frenzy over the so-called "Miracle of Galway." People have become convinced that the two children spotted tending to him are saintly, and the site of the accident sacred. The Catholic Church isn't so sure, and Jack is commissioned to help find the children to verify the miracle or expose the stunt. But Jack isn't the only one looking for these children.
Mysterious Press | 9780802157041

THE LUCKIEST MAN: Life with John McCain by Mark Salter (Biography)
More so than almost anyone outside of John McCain’s immediate family, Mark Salter had unparalleled access to and served to influence the late Senator’s thoughts and actions, cowriting seven books with him and acting as a valued confidant. Now, in THE LUCKIEST MAN, Salter draws on the storied facets of McCain’s early biography as well as the later-in-life political philosophy for which the nation knew and loved him, delivering an intimate and comprehensive account of McCain’s life and philosophy. Salter covers all the major events of McCain’s life --- his peripatetic childhood, his naval service --- but also introduces aspects of the man that the public rarely saw and hardly knew.
Simon & Schuster | 9781982120948

NIGHTS WHEN NOTHING HAPPENED by Simon Han (Fiction)
From the outside, the Chengs seem like so-called model immigrants. Once Patty landed a tech job near Dallas, she and Liang grew secure enough to have a second child, and to send for their first from his grandparents back in China. Isn’t this what they sacrificed so much for? But then little Annabel begins to sleepwalk at night, putting into motion a string of misunderstandings that not only threaten to set their community against them but force to the surface the secrets that have made them fear one another. How can a man make peace with the terrors of his past? How can a child regain trust in unconditional love? How can a family stop burying its history and forge a way through it, to a more honest intimacy?
Riverhead Books | 9780593086063

QUEEN OF BONES: A Havana Mystery by Teresa Dovalpage (Mystery)
Juan, a Cuban construction worker who has settled in Albuquerque, returns to Havana for the first time since fleeing Cuba by raft 20 years ago. He is traveling with his American wife, Sharon, and hopes to reconnect with Victor, his best friend from college --- and, unbeknownst to Sharon, he also hopes to discover what has become of two ex-girlfriends, Elsa and Rosita. Juan is surprised to learn that Victor has become Victoria and runs a popular drag show. Elsa has married a wealthy foreigner, and Rosita, still single, works at the Havana cemetery. When one of these women turns up dead, it will cost Padrino, a Santería priest and former detective on the Havana police force, more than he expects to untangle the group’s lies and hunt down the killer.
Soho Crime | 9781641292092

SICILY '43: The First Assault on Fortress Europe by James Holland (History)
On July 10, 1943, the largest amphibious invasion ever mounted took place, larger even than the Normandy invasion 11 months later: 160,000 American, British and Canadian troops came ashore or were parachuted onto Sicily, signaling the start of the campaign to defeat Nazi Germany on European soil. Operation HUSKY, as it was known, was enormously complex, involving dramatic battles on land, in the air and at sea. Yet, despite its paramount importance to ultimate Allied victory, very little has been written about the 38-day Battle for Sicily. James Holland’s SICILY ’43 offers a vital new perspective on a major turning point in World War II and a chronicle of a multi-pronged campaign in a uniquely diverse and contained geographical location.
Grove Press | 9780802157195

WE HEAR VOICES by Evie Green (Supernatural Thriller/Horror)
Kids have imaginary friends. Rachel knows this. So when her young son, Billy, miraculously recovers from a horrible flu that has proven fatal for many, she thinks nothing of Delfy, his new invisible friend. After all, her family is healthy and that's all that matters. But soon Delfy is telling Billy what to do, and the boy is acting up and lashing out in ways he never has before. As Delfy's influence is growing stranger and more sinister by the day, and rising tensions threaten to tear Rachel's family apart, she clings to one purpose: to protect her children at any cost --- even from themselves.
Berkley | 9780593098318

THE WRITER’S LIBRARY: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives by Nancy Pearl and Jeff Schwager (Literary Criticism)
Before Jennifer Egan, Louise Erdrich, Luis Alberto Urrea and Jonathan Lethem became revered authors, they were readers. In this ebullient book, America’s favorite librarian, Nancy Pearl, and noted playwright Jeff Schwager interview a diverse range of America's most notable and influential writers about the books that shaped them and inspired them to leave their own literary mark. Illustrated with beautiful line drawings, THE WRITER’S LIBRARY is a revelatory exploration of the studies, libraries and bookstores of today’s favorite authors --- the creative artists whose imagination and sublime talent make America's literary scene the wonderful, dynamic world it is.
HarperOne | 9780062968494

On Sale the Week of November 22nd in Hardcover

November 22nd

FEAR NO EVIL: An Alex Cross Thriller by James Patterson (Thriller)
Dr. Alex Cross and Detective John Sampson venture into the rugged Montana wilderness --- where they will be the prey. They’re not on the job, but on a personal mission. Until they’re attacked by two rival teams of assassins, controlled by the same mastermind who has stalked Alex and his family for years. Darkness falls. The river churns into rapids. Shots ring out through the forest. No backup. No way out. Fear no evil.
Little, Brown and Company | 9780316499149

November 23rd

THE BECOMING: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book 2 by Nora Roberts (Paranormal Fantasy/Romance)
The world of magick and the world of man have long been estranged from one another. But some can walk between the two, including Breen Siobhan Kelly. She has just returned to Talamh with her friend, Marco, who is dazzled and disoriented by this realm --- a place filled with dragons, faeries and mermaids. He is welcomed kindly by her people, and by Keegan, leader of the Fey. Keegan has trained Breen as a warrior, and his yearning for her has grown along with his admiration of her strength and skills. But one member of Breen’s bloodline is not there to embrace her. Her grandfather, the outcast god Odran, plots to destroy Talamh --- and now all must unite to defeat his dark forces.
St. Martin's Press | 9781250272706

THE BONE SHARD EMPEROR by Andrea Stewart (Fantasy)
Lin Sukai finally sits on the throne she won at so much cost, but her struggles are only just beginning. Her people don’t trust her. Her political alliances are weak. And in the north-east of the Empire, a rebel army of constructs is gathering, its leader determined to take the throne by force. Yet an even greater threat is on the horizon, for the Alanga --- the powerful magicians of legend --- have returned to the Empire. They claim they come in peace, and Lin will need their help in order to defeat the rebels and restore peace. But can she trust them?
Orbit | 9780316541503

THE CHRISTMAS PROMISE by Richard Paul Evans (Fiction)
Richelle Bach and her identical twin sister, Michelle, couldn’t be more different, and their paths diverge as they embark on adulthood. Years pass, until --- at their father’s behest --- they both come home for Christmas. What happens then forever damages their relationship, and Richelle vows never to see or speak to her sister again. In their father’s last days, he asks Richelle to forgive Michelle, a deathbed promise she never fulfills as her twin is killed in an accident. Now, painfully alone and broken, Richelle has one last dream: to be an author. The plot of her book, The Prodigal Daughter, is a story based on her sister’s life. It’s not until she meets Justin Ek, a man who harbors his own loss, that a secret promise is revealed.
Gallery Books | 9781982177423

CITY OF TIME AND MAGIC by Paula Brackston (Historical Fantasy)
CITY OF TIME AND MAGIC sees Xanthe face her greatest challenges yet. She must choose from three treasures that sing to her: a beautiful writing slope, a mourning brooch of heartbreaking detail, and a gorgeous gem-set hat pin. All call her, but the wrong one could take her on a mission other than that which she must address first, and the stakes could not be higher. While her earlier mission to Regency England had been a success, the journey home resulted in Liam being taken from her, spirited away to another time and place. Xanthe must follow the treasure that will take her to him if he is not to be lost forever.
St. Martin's Press | 9781250260697

THE DAYS TO COME by Tom Rosenstiel (Political Thriller)
Billionaire entrepreneur David Traynor has big dreams for fixing a broken government in his first term as president of the United States. Everyone in the capital is scrambling to adapt to the new disruptor in chief’s bold agenda, though many also want to see him fail. Unsure of whom he can trust, Traynor intends to turn to an unusual group of people to advise him, including the savvy and sometimes ruthless DC fixers Peter Rena and Randi Brooks. Though he is at the height of his career, Rena finds his world in chaos. When malicious, untraceable cyberattacks related to his past start seeping from the dark corners of the internet, his doubts overwhelm him. Then an unpredictable tragedy throws the country into crisis, and he must come out of his stupor.
Ecco | 9780062892645

THE DEATHWATCH BEETLE by Kjell Eriksson (Mystery)
Four years have passed since Cecilia Karlsson disappeared from the island of Gräsö in Roslagen. When Ann Lindell receives a tip that she has been seen alive, she cannot help getting involved, even though she is no longer with the police. The black sheep of the island, Nils Lindberg, has never forgotten Cecilia Karlsson, with whom he was in love as a teenager. He may not be completely sober all the time, but he has no doubt of what he saw out on the bay just before Cecilia disappeared. While Ann struggles to put the jigsaw puzzle together, she is trying to establish herself in her new life together with her lover, Edvard. At the same time, someone is hiding in a cottage in a remote part of the island. Someone who is looking for revenge.
Minotaur Books | 9781250766168

FLYING ANGELS by Danielle Steel (Historical Fiction)
Audrey Parker’s life changes forever when Pearl Harbor is attacked on December 7, 1941. Her brother, a talented young Navy pilot, had been stationed there, poised to fulfill their late father’s distinguished legacy. Fresh out of nursing school with a passion and a born gift for helping others, both Audrey and her friend, Lizzie, suddenly find their nation on the brink of war. Driven to do whatever they can to serve, they enlist in the Army and embark on a new adventure as flight nurses. Risking their lives on perilous missions, they join the elite Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron and fly into enemy territory almost daily to rescue wounded soldiers from the battlefield. Audrey and Lizzie make enormous sacrifices to save lives alongside an extraordinary group of nurses.
Delacorte Press | 9781984821553

GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE by Diana Gabaldon (Historical Fantasy/Romance)
Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall were torn apart by the Jacobite Rising in 1746, and it took them 20 years to find each other again. Now the American Revolution threatens to do the same. It is 1779, and Claire and Jamie are at last reunited with their daughter, Brianna; her husband, Roger; and their children on Fraser’s Ridge. Yet even in the North Carolina backcountry, the effects of war are being felt. Tensions in the Colonies are great, and local feelings run hot enough to boil Hell’s teakettle. Jamie knows loyalties among his tenants are split, and it won’t be long until the war is on his doorstep.
Delacorte Press | 9781101885680

HARSH TIMES written by Mario Vargas Llosa, translated by Adrian Nathan West (Historical Fiction)
Guatemala, 1954. The military coup perpetrated by Carlos Castillo Armas and supported by the CIA topples the government of Jacobo Árbenz. Behind this violent act is a lie passed off as truth, which forever changes the development of Latin America: the accusation by the Eisenhower administration that Árbenz encouraged the spread of Soviet Communism in the Americas. HARSH TIMES is a story of international conspiracies and conflicting interests in the time of the Cold War, the echoes of which are still felt today.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux | 9780374601232

THESE PRECIOUS DAYS: Essays by Ann Patchett (Essays)
“Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of THESE PRECIOUS DAYS is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship. When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life-changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman --- Tom’s assistant, Sooki --- with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both.
Harper | 9780063092785

On Sale the Week of November 22nd in Paperback

November 23rd

THE ANOMALY written by Hervé Le Tellier, translated by Adriana Hunter (Science Fiction/Thriller)
Paperback Original
In their own way, they were all living double lives when they boarded Air France 006: Blake, a respectable family man who works as a contract killer. Slimboy, a Nigerian pop star who uses his womanizing image to hide that he’s gay. Joanna, a Black American lawyer pressured to play the good old boys’ game to succeed with her Big Pharma client. Victor Miesel, a critically acclaimed yet largely obscure writer suddenly on the precipice of global fame. About to start their descent to JFK, they hit a shockingly violent patch of turbulence, emerging on the other side to a reality both perfectly familiar and utterly strange. As it charts the fallout of this logic-defying event, THE ANOMALY takes us on a journey from Lagos and Mumbai to the White House and a top-secret hangar.
Other Press | 9781635421699

THE CITY OF MIST: Stories by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (Fiction/Short Stories)
Paperback Original
A boy decides to become a writer when he discovers that his creative gifts capture the attentions of an aloof young beauty who has stolen his heart. A labyrinth maker flees Constantinople to a plague-ridden Barcelona, with plans for building a library impervious to the destruction of time. A strange gentleman tempts Cervantes to write a book like no other, each page of which could prolong the life of the woman he loves. And a brilliant Catalan architect named Antoni Gaudí reluctantly agrees to cross the ocean to New York, a voyage that will determine the fate of an unfinished masterpiece. Carlos Ruiz Zafón conceived of this collection of stories as an appreciation to the countless readers who joined him on the extraordinary journey that began with THE SHADOW OF THE WIND.
Harper Perennial | 9780063118096

LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND by Rumaan Alam (Fiction)
Amanda and Clay head out to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a vacation: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter, and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they’ve rented for the week. But a late-night knock on the door breaks the spell. Ruth and G.H. are an older couple --- it’s their house, and they’ve arrived in a panic. They bring the news that a sudden blackout has swept the city. But in this rural area --- with the TV and internet now down, and no cell phone service --- it’s hard to know what to believe. Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple, and vice versa? What happened back in New York? Is the vacation home a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one another?
Ecco | 9780062667649

THE MITFORD TRIAL: A Mitford Murders Mystery by Jessica Fellowes (Historical Mystery)
It's lady's maid Louisa Cannon's wedding day, but the fantasy is shattered shortly after when she is approached by a secretive man asking her to spy on Diana Mitford --- who is having an affair with the infamous Oswald Mosley --- and her sister, Unity. Thus, as summer 1933 dawns, Louisa finds herself accompanying the Mitfords on a glitzy cruise, full of the starriest members of Society. But the waters run red when a man is found attacked. Back in London, the case is taken by lawyer Tom Mitford, and Louisa finds herself caught between worlds: of a love lost, a family divided and a country caught in conflict.
Minotaur Books | 9781250316844

SHELTER IN PLACE by David Leavitt (Fiction/Humor)
It is the Saturday after the 2016 presidential election, and in a plush weekend house in Connecticut, an intimate group of friends has gathered to recover from what they consider the greatest political catastrophe of their lives. They have just sat down to tea when their hostess, Eva Lindquist, proposes a dare. Who among them would be willing to ask Siri how to assassinate Donald Trump? Liberal and like-minded --- editors, writers, a decorator, a theater producer, and one financial guy, Eva's husband, Bruce --- the friends have come to the countryside in the hope of restoring the bubble in which they have grown used to living. Yet, with the exception of one brash and obnoxious book editor, none is willing to accept Eva's challenge.
Bloomsbury Publishing | 9781620404881

TWENTY: A Jack Swyteck Novel by James Grippando (Legal Thriller)
Jack Swyteck receives an emergency text from Riverside Day School. Both his daughter, Righley, and his wife, FBI agent Andie Henning, are in danger. Andie hears the fire alarms, then loud popping noises and screams coming from the hallway. The police find a handgun on the school grounds registered to a Muslim man named Amir Khoury. Within minutes Al Qaeda claims responsibility. Amir is married to Andie’s friend, Lilly, a WASP whose bloodline goes back to the American Revolution. When Xavier, Amir and Lilly’s oldest child, confesses to the crime, the local community’s anti-Muslim fervor explodes to levels unseen since 9/11. Jack must unearth the Khourys’ family secrets in order to expose the shocking truth and save his client from certain death.
Harper Paperbacks | 9780063087699

WAR LORD by Bernard Cornwell (Historical Fiction)
In this final installment of Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Tales series, England is under attack. Chaos reigns. Northumbria, the last kingdom, is threatened by armies from all sides, by land and sea --- and only one man stands in their way. Torn between loyalty and sworn oaths, the warrior king Lord Uhtred of Bebbanburg faces his greatest ever battle --- and prepares for his ultimate fate.
Harper Paperbacks | 9780062563248

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