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2018 Blew in with Snow and Wind --- and a Supermoon
Whew! The start to this year has had some firsts already. Earlier this week, we had a supermoon, and there will be another one at the end of January, which will be a super blue moon, as there are two moons in this month. Beyond this, we in the East experienced a bombogenesis, which is supposedly some kind of a snow apocalypse since it seems we cannot just have blizzards anymore. One friend blamed the 24-hour news cycle for all the hype, saying they need to make news as bodacious as it can be, to keep us glued to the television.
Thus we were back in the office on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then all worked from home on Thursday and Friday as the snow flew around and the wind howled. Now frigid temperatures have arrived for the weekend. Can I do 10,000 or even 7,500 steps in this house? The extent of my movement these last days has been from my desk to the kitchen. I almost am finished with the Christmas cookies!
Funny story. Tom and I quite naively drove into the city late in the morning on New Year’s Eve to do a quick errand. Times Square that day may have been the safest place to be. The police presence was HUGE. We had to talk to a couple of officers to get to my parking garage (they literally moved barricades and a sanitation truck blocking the street), and then another few to get back to the west side to get to the tunnel (again moving barricades). Picture the look on my face and Tom's when we were in my office and realized there was going to be a total vehicular lockdown at 1:30 and it was 1:15. Yes, we moved fast. Phew!
I am reading HELLBENT by Gregg Hurwitz. I have a huge crush on his protagonist, Evan Smoak. And once again, there is sharp action and a great story. Right now this is my favorite of the three in this series, and it will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.
Last week, I got two notes about the audiobook of SOMETIMES I LIE that I was listening to. Nancy told me, “I'd almost encourage you to read the last quarter of the book; so much happens so quickly and with such surprise that your head will spin. I don't want you to miss any of it. Of course, you can finish the audio and then pick up the book later.” Then Donna wrote, “I just had to write and tell you how captivated I was by the audio of SOMETIMES I LIE. I haven’t listened to audiobooks in years, but I have a long drive to work now and started this audio advance copy on a lark. I cannot wait to read the print copy to see where I missed hints at what was to happen. I’m telling everyone to put this on their TBR. Thought it was marvelous, absolutely loved the narrator. Cannot wait to hear your thoughts.” I was halfway through the audio, read the second half, and they are right. So much happened so fast that I now am listening on audio to see the clues that I missed. I am glad I am not alone in this! I THINK I have it figured out. This book WILL be talked about.
I was shocked and saddened to hear of Sue Grafton’s passing last Friday from cancer. We have covered many of the books in her Alphabet series of mysteries starring PI Kinsey Millhone, including the 25th and (what turns out to be) final installment, Y IS FOR YESTERDAY. Sue’s daughter, Jamie Clark, had this to say when announcing the news of her mother’s death: “Many of you also know that she was adamant that her books would never be turned into movies or TV shows, and in that same vein, she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of all of those things, and out of the deep abiding love and respect for our dear sweet Sue, as far as we in the family are concerned, the alphabet now ends at Y.” My son Greg, a huge fan of Sue’s work, has written a wonderful tribute to one of his favorite writers, which you can read here. Also, you can see a photo of him with Sue above, which was taken in 2009. Though she was ill, her passing was very sudden, as I had just read this post of Sue’s on December 19th where someone had tracked her down with some family heirlooms and she was looking for some help from readers in working on them.
I realized something. While author signatures are not something that I seek out, I love photos with them. Like the one above of Sue with Greg, they are very special.
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW by A. J. Finn has been one of the most anticipated novels of the year since it was announced as a BookExpo Buzz title. It has received ringing endorsements from the likes of Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, Louise Penny and Ruth Ware, and already is in development as a feature film from Fox. This twisty debut psychological thriller is about an agoraphobic woman who believes she witnessed a crime in a neighboring house.
Our reviewer Bronwyn Miller has this to say in her rave review: “The tricky part about writing a review for a novel like THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW is trying not to reveal too much, in order to let the reader enjoy all the twists and turns themselves, with no spoilers. Finn captures his audience from the first sentence and doesn’t let go until he’s finished his winding tale of suspense that will ensnare avid readers of Patricia Highsmith, Tana French and Gillian Flynn, and, most certainly, Alfred Hitchcock fans. But in addition to the carefully plotted suspense, Finn makes you genuinely feel for the characters.” I loved it. THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW will be a Bets On pick; you can read my commentary in next week’s newsletter.
James Lee Burke is back with his first Dave Robicheaux novel since 2013’s LIGHT OF THE WORLD. Simply titled ROBICHEAUX, this 21st installment in the series finds our protagonist grappling with recurrent nightmares about Vietnam, his battle with alcoholism, and the sudden loss of his beloved wife, Molly. During a murder investigation, Dave discovers he may have committed the homicide he’s investigating, which involved the death of the man who took Molly’s life.
According to reviewer Joe Hartlaub, “The vitality of the book, and each and every one of its predecessors, is grand enough to leap off the page and into this world, where not everything --- very little, in fact --- is fully resolved. Burke could end the series right here, as he could have (and more neatly) with LIGHT OF THE WORLD. But this latest volume could be thought of as the first independent half of a much longer work. Either way, ROBICHEAUX stands among Burke’s best.”
Other books we’re reviewing this week include THE WANTED by Robert Crais, in which investigator Elvis Cole and his partner, Joe Pike, take on the deadliest case of their lives; THE SABOTEUR, Paul Kix’s biography of Robert de La Rochefoucauld, an aristocrat turned anti-Nazi saboteur, which recounts his daring exploits as a résistant trained by Britain’s Special Operations Executive; and GREEN, a debut coming-of-age novel from Sam Graham-Felsen about race, privilege and the struggle to rise in America.
We’re happy to announce the return of our Sneak Peek contest, where we let readers preview an early copy of a book months before its release and share their feedback on it with us. This time it’s THE DEVIL’S REWARD by Emmanuelle de Villepin, in which three generations of women untangle a complex family story that encompasses the First and Second World Wars, revealing unexpected lessons about marriage and fidelity. We have 35 advance copies to give away to readers who can commit to previewing the book, which releases on May 1st, and sharing their comments on it by Wednesday, March 14th. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, January 18th at noon ET. I read this book a few weeks ago, and the characters in it have stayed with me. Emmanuelle beautifully captures family tension and secrets, as well as some thoughts to ponder about love and marriage. I just loved Christiane’s voice. It's a smart literary fiction translation, originally written in French.
You only have until this Monday, January 8th at noon ET to enter our very special contest featuring my Bets On picks from 2017. One Grand Prize winner will be awarded all 40 books, while eight other winners will receive a selection of five of these titles. So be sure to click here and fill out the contest form before it’s too late!
One of the Bets On books you can win is GINNY MOON, which we’re featuring in this week’s Paperback Spotlight. This debut novel from Benjamin Ludwig introduces readers to the exceptional Ginny Moon, an autistic teenager who has found her birth mother on Facebook and is determined to see her. Ginny left something behind and is desperate to get it back, to make things right. But no one listens to her or understands how important this potential meeting is for her. So Ginny decides to take matters into her own hands.
To celebrate its recent paperback release, I had the opportunity to ask Benjamin some questions about the book and how readers have responded to it. Click here for the interview, and be sure to check out these other links: our review, my Bets On commentary and a discussion guide. We will be posting a special contest on ReadingGroupGuides.com next week, where readers will be able to win copies of GINNY MOON for their book group, so please be on the lookout for that!
Our second Paperback Spotlight title this week is NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT by Kristan Higgins, a paperback original that is now in stores. Nora Stuart felt like she was on top of the world when she received a Tufts scholarship that put her on the path to becoming a Boston medical specialist. But being hit by a car and then overhearing her boyfriend hit on another doctor when she thought she was dying erased all those positive feelings. She has decided that the only thing to do at this point is to go back home to her tiny Maine community, which she left 15 years ago. At every turn, though, someone holds the prodigal daughter of Scupper Island responsible for small-town drama and big-time disappointments, leaving Nora to balance loss and opportunity, dark events from her past with hope for the future.
For more recently published and upcoming paperbacks, be sure to check out our New in Paperback roundups for January. And don't miss our Books on Screen feature, which we've also updated for this month.
Our first poll of the year asks if you’ll be keeping track of your reading in 2018. Click here to let us know.
In our previous poll, we asked how many books you read in 2017. 24% of you read more than 100 print or e-books; in fact, 57% of you read 51 books or more, while 37% listened to audiobooks (11 of you listened to more than 100 audiobooks, and 71 would like to start listening to audiobooks in 2018). Click here for the complete results.
Audiobook listeners will want to take note of this month’s Sounding Off on Audio contest, where the prize books are the audio versions of Lauren Willig's THE ENGLISH WIFE, read by Nicola Barber, and Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen's THE WIFE BETWEEN US, read by Julia Whelan; the latter will be a Bets On selection. Let us know the audiobooks you’ve finished listening to, and you’ll have a chance to win both these audio titles. Be sure to enter by Thursday, February 1st at noon ET.
We also have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Submit your comments about the books you’ve read, and you’ll be in the running to win CARNEGIE’S MAID by Marie Benedict and THE IMMORTALISTS by Chloe Benjamin, both of which will be Bets On picks. The deadline for your entries is Friday, January 19th at noon ET.
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail:
Lory from Miami wrote, “I must've missed the earlier dialogue about getting Virginia from Ventura set back up with books. I would love to participate as well if you are moving forward with arranging that. Additionally, if there are other ways that I can provide monetary support all the way from Florida, I'd be willing to do so as well, so please do share. It's situations like these, and at this time of year, that remind us how blessed we truly are and how items that we may take for granted, like housing and stability, can be pulled right from under us in the blink of an eye. On a bit more selfish end, I'm very excited about your End-of-the-Year contest. Thank you for providing that very cool opportunity to all of us. It's so exciting to get books in the mail! Looking forward to another year of reading good books and of Bookreporter in my literary life. Enjoy your family and some time relaxing this weekend. Happy New Year.”
Muriel wrote, “Maybe this idea is coming too late, but I'm wondering how you and Bookreporter readers would feel about awarding the 40 books in your End-of-the-Year Contest to Virginia in Ventura. If this doesn't seem like a very workable or good idea at this point, I'll just mention I am another person who would be glad to send a book to Virginia once she gets settled. I feel like we are all one big family of people who appreciate books. They have a wonderful way of bringing people together.”
I am keeping in touch with Virginia, and once she is settled, I will share how we can help her rebuild her library after the Ventura fire. I so appreciate our readers who have been so generous in their offers to reach out and share books with her.
Fiona wrote, “Wonderful newsletter! I laughed out loud when you mentioned looking up Dunkirk online while watching the movie. Exactly. I also couldn't keep track of who was who --- too many dark-haired men in uniforms and helmets. Have a Happy New Year, and thank you for giving me something to look forward to every Friday afternoon.”
Nancy wrote, “Just wanted to drop in while it's still 2017 and wish you a Happy New Year. I'm sure your 2018 will be crammed with books, authors, presentations, READING! And that's as it should be. Thank you so much for investigating and locating the sax player. I'm sure your compliments made his day, probably his entire month! I always try to support street musicians when I'm in your city.”
Rosalie wrote, "Happy New Year, Carol, to your family and your staff. I thank you for another great year of reading, especially audiobooks. I was so happy to see the newsletter in my inbox today --- really missed it over the holidays. Stay warm, and thank you again."
Lovely story: Many of you know WHEN BREATH BECOMES AIR, Paul Kalanithi’s memoir of his final years before he passed away from lung cancer at age 37, which was published posthumously, in 2016. Last year, THE BRIGHT HOUR, Nina Riggs’ memoir of her final years as she faced breast cancer at age 39, also was published posthumously. In a very touching way, the late authors’ spouses have fallen in love, and you can read their story in the Washington Post here.
New National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature: Jacqueline Woodson has been named to this prestigious role, and she will be inducted at the Library of Congress next week. Her platform is Reading = Hope X Change. You can read more about this here.
For those in book clubs, or who want to be in book clubs: The New York Times and "PBS NewsHour" are partnering to launch a collaborative monthly book club, "Now Read This." Their first book will be SING, UNBURIED, SING. Find out more here.
Forgot to share this factoid last week: New Year's Eve (2017) was the only day when every adult was born in the 1900s, and every minor was born in the 2000s.
"Game of Thrones" Fans: We got word this week that "Game of Thrones" will return for its six-episode, eighth and final season in 2019, so there is more time for reading in 2018!
Phantom Thread: Daniel Day-Lewis was brilliant in what he has called his last movie. And the fashionista in me loved the couture. I did not love the ending.
The Shape of Water: While this movie is not for everyone, it’s one of the most original films that I have seen this year. There are strong character stories, as well as an interesting look at the Cold War. The entire film is awash with green; it was very cool the way it was shot.
I, Tonya: I forgot the details of the Tonya Harding story. It was even crazier than I remembered.
The Post: This is the kind of movie I wanted to like, but it just did not work for me. There were so many under-written scenes and other over-written moments. What I did love were the scenes where they were setting type in the pressroom and when the presses were rolling. It reminded me of the five summers that I spent working at a newspaper. The behind-the-scenes at the paper always fascinated me.
Molly’s Game: Loved this movie from the opening scenes of skiing to the courtroom at the end, even the poker scenes, most of which went over my head as I have never played the game. It could have been shorter, but there was something fun about it.
I am so happy that Cory has been home these past few weeks. Last night he was downstairs playing Minecraft; he was talking away, and I was hearing other voices as well. As the storm was raging outside, I was trying to figure out WHO he was talking to. Ends up it was a group of friends who were online playing the game!
This season, though I gave a lot of amaryllis plants, I also planted a number of them for myself, including one that will flower in the office. You can see one of the more unusual ones that I have at the house above.
I FINALLY finished the hat I was knitting; you can see it above. I just need to sew the pom-pom on. Shockingly winter is still around; the second one that I am working on may take me longer as it is on size 2 needles (but it’s reversible)!
We are celebrating Christmas with my mother-in-law on Saturday, which we are looking forward to. Thus the house is still decorated and will be until next weekend. I got a late start decorating, so no regrets about this. Of course, my style of decorating is to hold up each thing I am thinking of bringing down from the attic and asking myself, “Will I want to put this away in January?” Lots stay in the attic when you employ that strategy.
On Sunday afternoon, I may go out to an author event at the Clinton Book Shop in Clinton, NJ. Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, the aforementioned authors of THE WIFE BETWEEN US, are going to be there. I enjoyed their book enormously. It’s a ticketed event, and you can learn more about it here.
Sunday night will be the Golden Globe Awards; it will be interesting to see how the films that I have seen stack up.
The rest of the weekend will be quiet. I will be reading, and maybe FINALLY I will get a fire going in the fireplace. I cannot believe we have not done that so far.
Read on, and have a great week.
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
P.S. 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!
Featured Review:
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW by A. J. Finn
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW by A. J. Finn (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Ann Marie Lee
Anna Fox lives alone --- a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times...and spying on her neighbors. Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, mother and their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble --- and its shocking secrets are laid bare. What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, no one --- and nothing --- is what it seems. Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. You can read Carol’s commentary in next week’s newsletter.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: ROBICHEAUX by James Lee Burke
ROBICHEAUX by James Lee Burke (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Will Patton
Between his recurrent nightmares about Vietnam, his battle with alcoholism, and the sudden loss of his beloved wife, Molly, Dave Robicheaux’s thoughts drift from one irreconcilable memory to the next. Images of ghosts at Spanish Lake live on the edge of his vision. During a murder investigation, Robicheaux discovers he may have committed the homicide he’s investigating, one that involved the death of the man who took the life of Robicheaux’s beloved wife. As he works to clear his name and make sense of the murder, Robicheaux encounters a cast of characters and a resurgence of dark social forces that threaten to destroy all of those whom he loves. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Remembering Sue Grafton: The Alphabet Now Ends at "Y"
We at Bookreporter.com mourn the loss of Sue Grafton, who has died at the age of 77 following a two-year battle with cancer.
Grafton first introduced Kinsey Millhone in the Alphabet series in 1982, and was a writer who consistently broke the bonds of genre while never writing the same book twice. Named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, her awards and honors include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award from Britain’s Crime Writers’ Association, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Malice Domestic, a Lifetime Achievement Award from Bouchercon, three Shamus Awards, and three Anthony Awards --- including the first two ever awarded.
Bookreporter.com's Greg Fitzgerald reflects on Grafton’s remarkable career and legacy in this lovely tribute.
Click here to read our tribute to Sue Grafton.
New Sneak Peek Contest: Enter to Win an Advance Copy of THE DEVIL’S REWARD by Emmanuelle de Villepin
and Share Your Comments on It
Our latest Sneak Peek Feature spotlights THE DEVIL'S REWARD by Emmanuelle de Villepin, in which three generations of women untangle a complex family story that encompasses the First and Second World Wars, revealing unexpected lessons about marriage and fidelity. The book doesn’t release until May 1st, but we have 35 advance copies to give away to readers who can commit to previewing it and sharing their comments on it by Wednesday, March 14th. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, January 18th at noon ET.
For our Sneak Peek program, your commitment to participate is critical, so please only enter this contest if you truly will have time to read THE DEVIL'S REWARD and give us your feedback by the March 14th deadline.
THE DEVIL'S REWARD written by Emmanuelle de Villepin, translated by C. Jon Delogu (Fiction)
Christiane, 86 years old with a vibrant sense of humor, lives alone in a large apartment in the heart of Paris. Her daughter, Catherine, is her total opposite: sullen and uptight, filled with resentment toward her unfaithful Milanese husband. After discovering yet another affair, Catherine takes refuge in Paris at her mother’s home, accompanied by her own daughter, Luna. Christiane --- who, in spite of occasional dalliances on both sides, lived a beautiful love story with her late husband --- uses all of her freethinking charm in an effort to change Catherine’s rigid, self-pitying attitude.
As the women air their opposing views, Luna discovers by chance that her great-grandfather had met the philosopher Rudolf Steiner, the subject of the thesis she is in the middle of writing. Seeing Luna’s avid curiosity, Christiane takes the opportunity to tell the story of her family, which spans the 20th century. Memories resurface, and past events are reconstructed, shedding a new light on the present.
With a keen, lighthearted wit, THE DEVIL'S REWARD shows that life is complicated and often painful, but when conventional morals are imperative, it becomes unbearable.
- Click here to read Emmanuelle de Villepin’s bio.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Paperback Spotlight: GINNY MOON
by Benjamin Ludwig
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
GINNY MOON by Benjamin Ludwig (Fiction)
Audiobook available, performed by Em Eldridge
Meet Ginny Moon.
She’s mostly your average teenager --- she plays flute in the school band, has weekly basketball practice, and reads Robert Frost poems for English class. But Ginny is autistic. So what’s important to her might seem a bit…different: starting every day with exactly nine grapes for breakfast, Michael Jackson, taking care of her baby doll…and crafting a secret plan of escape.
Ginny has been in foster care for years, and for the first time in her life she has found her “forever home.” After being traumatically taken from her abusive birth mother and moved around to different homes, she is finally in a place where she’ll be safe and protected, with a family who will love and nurture her.
This is exactly what all foster kids are hoping for. But Ginny has other plans. She’ll steal and lie and exploit the good intentions of those who love her --- anything it takes to get back what’s missing in her life. She’ll even try to get herself kidnapped.
Told in an extraordinary and original voice, GINNY MOON is at once quirky, charming, bighearted and poignant. It’s a story of a journey, about being an outsider trying to find a place to belong and about making sense of a world that just doesn’t seem to add up.
- Click here to read a review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read Carol’s Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Click here to read our interview with Benjamin Ludwig.
- Click here to read Benjamin Ludwig’s bio.
- Click here to visit Benjamin Ludwig’s website.
- Connect with Benjamin Ludwig on Facebook and Twitter.
Click here to read more in our Paperback Spotlight.
New Paperback Spotlight: NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT
by Kristan Higgins
NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT by Kristan Higgins (Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Xe Sands
One step forward. Two steps back. The Tufts scholarship that put Nora Stuart on the path to becoming a Boston medical specialist was a step forward. Being hit by a car and then overhearing her boyfriend hit on another doctor when she thought she was dying? Two major steps back.
Injured in more ways than one, Nora feels her carefully built life cracking at the edges. There’s only one place to land: home. But the tiny Maine community she left 15 years ago doesn’t necessarily want her. At every turn, someone holds the prodigal daughter of Scupper Island responsible for small-town drama and big-time disappointments.
With a tough islander mother who’s always been distant, a wild-child sister in jail and a withdrawn teenage niece as eager to ditch the island as Nora once was, Nora has her work cut out for her if she’s going to take what might be her last chance to mend the family. Balancing loss and opportunity, dark events from her past with hope for the future, Nora will discover that tackling old pain makes room for promise...and the chance to begin again.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read Kristan Higgins’ bio.
- Click here to visit Kristan Higgins’ website.
- Connect with Kristan Higgins on Facebook and Twitter.
Click here to read more in our Paperback Spotlight.
Now Available: INTO THE NIGHT by Cynthia Eden
INTO THE NIGHT: A Killer Instinct Novel by Cynthia Eden (Romantic Suspense)
Two FBI agents are caught in a merciless vigilante’s crosshairs.
Sheltered in the shadows of the Smoky Mountains is the suspect who’s summoned FBI agent Macey Night’s fears to the surface. Every day that the “Profiler,” a vigilante serial killer, escapes justice is another day she’s reminded of what it is to be a ruthless predator’s prey. Capturing him is a craving deeper than anything she’s felt in a long time. But Agent Bowen Murphy, equal parts sexy and volatile, seems hell-bent on changing that. Working together --- needing, living and breathing each other --- they’re entwined to distraction.
Bowen’s used to operating on impulse: act, don’t feel. Now Macey and the controlled terror behind her beautiful eyes have him rethinking everything, including his rule to never get close to a colleague. He’s willing to fight for a future with Macey, but the consequences of love could be deadly.
Click here to read more about the book.
January’s New in Paperback Roundups
January’s roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Colson Whitehead, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, which chronicles a young slave's adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South; THE GIRL BEFORE, an enthralling psychological thriller from JP Delaney that spins one woman’s seemingly good fortune, and another woman’s mysterious fate, through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, death and deception; A PIECE OF THE WORLD, Christina Baker Kline's novel of friendship, passion and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s mysterious and iconic painting Christina’s World; and Jessica Shattuck's THE WOMEN IN THE CASTLE, a powerful and propulsive story of three widows whose lives and fates become intertwined, set at the end of World War II, in a crumbling Bavarian castle that once played host to all of German high society.
Among our nonfiction highlights are THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS by Michael Finkel, the remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years --- not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own; INSOMNIAC CITY, a moving celebration of what Bill Hayes calls "the evanescent, the eavesdropped, the unexpected" of life in New York City, and an intimate glimpse of his relationship with the late Oliver Sacks; Stephen Kinzer’s THE TRUE FLAG, which brings to life the forgotten political debate that set America’s interventionist course in the world for the 20th century and beyond; and MRS. SHERLOCK HOLMES by Brad Ricca, the shocking and amazing true story of the first female U.S. District Attorney and traveling detective who found missing 18-year-old Ruth Cruger when the entire NYPD had given up.
See what's New in Paperback for the weeks of
January 1st, January 8th, January 15th, January 22nd and January 29th.
January’s Books on Screen Feature
Here is a preview of this month's movies, TV shows and DVDs that are based on books. For a complete list of January’s offerings, please click here.
In Theaters
12 Strong
Release Date: January 19th (wide)
Based on: HORSE SOLDIERS: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan, by Doug Stanton
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Release Date: January 26th (wide)
Based on: THE DEATH CURE: The Maze Runner, Book 3 by James Dashner
On TV
“The Magicians”
Air Dates: Wednesdays at 9pm ET/PT on Syfy; Season Three Premiere on January 10th
Based on: THE MAGICIANS by Lev Grossman
"Victoria"
Air Dates: Sundays at 9pm ET/PT on "Masterpiece" on PBS; Season Two Premiere on January 14th
Based on: VICTORIA by Daisy Goodwin
"The Alienist" (10-episode series)
Air Dates: Mondays at 9pm ET/PT on TNT; Series Premiere on January 22nd
Based on: THE ALIENIST by Caleb Carr
On DVD
IT
DVD Release Date: January 9th
Based on: IT by Stephen King
The Snowman
DVD Release Date: January 16th
Based on: THE SNOWMAN by Jo Nesbø
THE WANTED: An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel by Robert Crais (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Luke Daniels
When single mother Devon Connor hires Elvis Cole, it’s because her troubled teenage son Tyson is flashing cash and she’s afraid he’s dealing drugs. But the truth is devastatingly different. With two others, he’s been responsible for a string of high-end burglaries, a crime spree that takes a deadly turn when one of them is murdered and Tyson and his girlfriend disappear. They stole the wrong thing from the wrong man, and, determined to get it back, he has hired two men who are smart and brutal and the best at what they do. To even the odds, Cole brings in his friend, Joe Pike, but even the two of them together may be overmatched. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE BOMB MAKER by Thomas Perry (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Joe Barrett
A threat is called into the LAPD Bomb Squad, and when tragedy ensues, the fragmented unit turns to Dick Stahl, a former Bomb Squad commander who now operates his own private security company. Just returned from a tough job in Mexico, Stahl is at first reluctant to accept the offer, but his sense of duty to the technicians he trained is too strong to turn it down. On his first day back at the head of the squad, Stahl’s three-person team is dispatched to a suspected car bomb. And it quickly becomes clear to him that they are dealing with an unusual mastermind --- one whose intended target seems to be the Bomb Squad itself. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE SABOTEUR: The Aristocrat Who Became France's Most Daring Anti-Nazi Commando by Paul Kix (Biography)
Audiobook available, read by Malcolm Hillgartner
Robert de La Rochefoucald was a scion of one of the most storied families in France. When the Nazis invaded and imprisoned his father, La Rochefoucald escaped to England and learned the dark arts of anarchy and combat from the officers of Special Operations Executive, the collection of British spies who altered the war in Europe with tactics that earned it notoriety as the “Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” With his newfound skills, La Rochefoucauld returned to France and organized Resistance cells, blew up fortified compounds and munitions factories, interfered with Germans’ war-time missions, and executed Nazi officers. THE SABOTEUR recounts La Rochefoucauld’s enthralling adventures. Reviewed by Lorraine W. Shanley.
GREEN by Sam Graham-Felsen (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Prentice Onayemi
David Greenfeld is one of the few white kids at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Middle School. Everybody clowns him, girls ignore him, and his hippie parents won’t even buy him a pair of Nikes, let alone transfer him to a private school. Nobody is more surprised than Dave when Marlon Wellings sticks up for him in the school cafeteria. Mar is a loner from the public housing project on the corner of Dave’s own gentrifying block, and he confounds Dave’s assumptions about black culture. But as Dave welcomes his new best friend into his world, he realizes how little he knows about Mar’s. Cracks gradually form in their relationship, and Dave starts to become aware of the breaks he’s been given --- and that Mar has not. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
HANK AND JIM: The Fifty-Year Friendship of Henry Fonda and James Stewart by Scott Eyman (Biography/Entertainment)
Audiobook available, read by David Colacci
Henry Fonda and James Stewart were two of the biggest stars in Hollywood for 40 years. They got along famously, with a shared interest in elaborate practical jokes and model airplanes, among other things. Fonda was a liberal Democrat, Stewart a conservative Republican, but after one memorable blow-up over politics, they agreed never to discuss that subject again. For HANK AND JIM, biographer and film historian Scott Eyman spoke with Fonda’s widow and children as well as three of Stewart’s children, plus actors and directors who had worked with the men --- in addition to doing extensive archival research to get the full details of their time together. Reviewed by Ron Kaplan.
THE REVOLUTION OF MARINA M. by Janet Fitch (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Yelena Shmulenson
St. Petersburg, New Year's Eve, 1916. Marina Makarova is a young woman of privilege who aches to break free of the constraints of her genteel life, a life about to be violently upended by the vast forces of history. Swept up on these tides, Marina will join the marches for workers' rights, fall in love with a radical young poet, and betray everything she holds dear, before being betrayed in turn. As her country goes through almost unimaginable upheaval, Marina's own coming-of-age unfolds, marked by deep passion and devastating loss, and the private heroism of an ordinary woman living through extraordinary times. Reviewed by Melanie Reynolds.
THE RUNNING GIRL by Sara Blaedel (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Christine Lakin
Detective Louise Rick gets a call from her son, Jonas. It's every parent's worst nightmare: A school party has ended in terrifying chaos after a group of violent teenagers forced their way into the building in search of alcohol and valuables. Dashing to the scene, Louise discovers one of the students gravely injured --- struck by a car while attempting to run for help. Now the girl's distraught mother, pushed to her emotional breaking point, will do anything to make those who hurt her daughter pay. So when someone targets the gang members with a vicious attack, the girl's mother is the obvious suspect. But Louise can't shake the feeling that the case might not be as cut-and-dried as it first appears. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
VINDICATION: A Matt Royal Mystery by H. Terrell Griffin (Mystery)
Matt Royal, the retired lawyer-turned-beach-bum, is called back into the courtroom to defend his girlfriend J.D. Duncan's Aunt Esther. A bestselling author has been murdered after a book signing, and Aunt Esther has been arrested. Matt reluctantly suits up for the courtroom, and J.D. takes a leave from the police department to go undercover. A bizarre specter from the past haunts their investigation every step of the way. As they delve further into the case, the pieces of the puzzle refuse to fall into any kind of coherent pattern. Jock Algren arrives with his special skill set to expose the real murderer and free Aunt Esther, but to no avail. Not until the case goes to trial and the evidence is revealed does the truth emerge --- and a strange kind of justice prevails. Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy.
THE ICE HOUSE by Laura Lee Smith (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Aaron Abano
Johnny MacKinnon might be on the verge of losing it all. The ice factory he married into, which he’s run for decades, is facing devastating OSHA fines following a mysterious accident and may have to close. The only hope for Johnny’s livelihood is that someone in the community saw something, but no one seems to be coming forward. He hasn’t spoken to his son Corran back in Scotland since Corran’s heroin addiction finally drove Johnny to the breaking point. And now, after a collapse on the factory floor, it appears Johnny may have a brain tumor. But this may be his last chance to bridge the gap with Corran --- and to have any sort of relationship with the baby granddaughter he’s never met. Reviewed by Dunja Bonacci Skenderović.
CHARLES DARWIN: Victorian Mythmaker by A. N. Wilson (Biography)
Audiobook available, read by Richard Burnip
With the publication of ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES, Charles Darwin --- hailed as the man who "discovered evolution" --- was propelled into the pantheon of great scientific thinkers, alongside Galileo, Copernicus and Newton. A. N. Wilson challenges this long-held assumption. He argues that Darwin was not an original scientific thinker, but a ruthless and determined self-promoter who did not credit the many great sages whose ideas he advanced in his book. Furthermore, Wilson contends that religion and Darwinism have much more in common than it would seem, for the acceptance of Darwin's theory involves a pretty significant leap of faith. Reviewed by Pauline Finch.
SIGNAL LOSS: A Hal Challis Investigation by Garry Disher (Mystery)
Audiobook available, narrated by Colin McPhillamy
A pair of hit men working a job for a meth kingpin have a very bad day, and the resulting bushfire draws attention to a drug lab and two burned bodies in a Mercedes. Sergeant Ellen Destry --- newly minted head of her department’s sex crime unit --- and Inspector Hal Challis return in this seventh installment of Garry Disher’s Peninsula-based crimes series. With meth-related crime on the rise, interdepartmental tensions mount, and Challis soon finds himself fighting to keep control of his case. Meanwhile, Destry is hunting for a serial rapist who is extremely adept at not leaving clues. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
MY BROTHER’S KEEPER by Donna Malane (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Saskia Maarleveld
Diane Rowe is a missing persons expert. Ex-con Karen needs Diane's help to track down her 14-year-old daughter, Sunny, with whom she's lost contact while she's been in prison. To Diane, this appears at first glance to be a simple case of a mother wanting to reunite with a beloved daughter. Tracking the girl down is easy. However, convincing her to meet her mother is no easy task. And at the back of Diane's mind is a nagging thought --- that guilt and innocence aren't straightforward and nothing is quite what it seems. Does Karen really want to fix the wrongs of the past, or is there something darker at play here that will take all of Diane's skills to uncover? Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on January 9th
Below are some notable titles releasing on January 9th that we would like to make you aware of. We will have more on many of these books in the weeks to come. For a list of additional hardcovers and paperbacks releasing the week of January 8th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
THE ENGLISH WIFE by Lauren Willig (Historical Mystery)
Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil live a charmed life in New York. Yes, there are rumors that she's having an affair with the architect, but rumors are rumors and people will gossip. But then Bayard is found dead with a knife in his chest on the night of their Twelfth Night Ball, and Annabelle goes missing, presumed drowned. Bay's sister, Janie, forms an unlikely alliance with a reporter to uncover the truth.
FOOLS AND MORTALS by Bernard Cornwell (Historical Fiction)
In the heart of Elizabethan England, Richard Shakespeare dreams of a glittering career in one of the London playhouses, a world dominated by his older brother, William. As William’s star rises, Richard’s onetime gratitude is souring and he is sorely tempted to abandon family loyalty. So when a priceless manuscript goes missing, suspicion falls upon Richard, forcing him onto a perilous path through a bawdy and frequently brutal London.
THE IMMORTALISTS by Chloe Benjamin (Fiction)
It's 1969 in New York City's Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children --- four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness --- sneak out to hear their fortunes. Their prophecies inform their next five decades.
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: Timothy Leary, Richard Nixon and the Hunt for the Fugitive King of LSD by Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis (History)
Spanning 28 months, President Richard Nixon's careening, global manhunt for Dr. Timothy Leary (the High Priest of LSD) winds its way among homegrown radicals, European aristocrats, a Black Panther outpost in Algeria, an international arms dealer, hash-smuggling hippies from the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, and secret agents on four continents, culminating in one of the trippiest journeys through the American counterculture.
OPERATOR DOWN: A Pike Logan Thriller by Brad Taylor (Thriller/Adventure)
It was to be a simple mission. Nothing more than assessing whether a merchant in the fabled Israeli Diamond Exchange was involved in a scheme that could potentially embarrass the state of Israel. But nothing is ever simple in the world of intelligence, as Aaron Bergman --- a former leader of an elite direct action team under the Mossad --- should have known. Executing the operation as a contractor, he disappears without a trace.
SHROUD OF ETERNITY: Sister of Darkness: The Nicci Chronicles, Volume II by Terry Goodkind (Fantasy)
The formidable sorceress Nicci and her companions --- the newly powerless Nathan and the youthful Bannon --- set out on another quest after driving ruthless Norukai slavers out of Renda Bay. Their mission: restore Nathan’s magic and, for Nicci, save the world. Guided by the witch-woman Red's mysterious prophecy, the trio makes their way south of Kol Adair towards a wondrous city shrouded behind time, Ildakar.
SUNDAY SILENCE by Nicci French (Psychological Thriller)
A body has been discovered in the most unlikely and horrifying of places: beneath the floorboards of Frieda Klein's house. The corpse is only months old, but the chief suspect appears to have died more than seven years ago. Except as Frieda knows all too well, he's alive and well and living in secret. And it seems he's inspired a copycat.
TELL ME MORE: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I'm Learning to Say by Kelly Corrigan (Essays/Personal Growth)
It’s a crazy idea: trying to name the phrases that make love and connection possible. But that’s just what Kelly Corrigan has set out to do here. In her bestselling memoirs, Corrigan distilled our core relationships to their essences. Now, in TELL ME MORE, she’s back with a deeply personal and often hilarious examination of the essential phrases that turn the wheel of life.
THE WIFE BETWEEN US by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (Psychological Thriller)
When you read this book, you will make many assumptions. You will assume you are reading about a jealous ex-wife. You will assume she is obsessed with her replacement --- a beautiful, younger woman who is about to marry the man they both love. You will assume you know the anatomy of this tangled love triangle. Assume nothing.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
Our Latest Poll: Keeping Track of Your Reading in 2018
Are you planning to keep track of the books you read this year?
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Yes, I will keep track on paper.
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Yes, I will keep track via Goodreads.
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Yes, I will keep track online another way.
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Yes, but I am not sure yet how I will keep track of them.
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No
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No, but this is a good idea.
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, January 19th at noon ET.
Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What
You're Reading --- and You Can Win Two Books!
Tell us about the books you’ve finished reading with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from January 5th to January 19th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of CARNEGIE'S MAID by Marie Benedict and THE IMMORTALISTS by Chloe Benjamin.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the books you write about, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For rules and guidelines, click here.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
Sounding Off on Audio Contest: Tell Us What
You're Listening to --- and You Can Win Two Audiobooks!
Tell us about the audiobooks you’ve finished listening to with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for both the performance and the content. During the contest period from January 2nd to February 1st at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Lauren Willig's THE ENGLISH WIFE, read by Nicola Barber, and Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen's THE WIFE BETWEEN US, read by Julia Whelan.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the audiobook, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For complete rules and guidelines, click here.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
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