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Library Marketing Staff Picks
Our favorite new and forthcoming books!
Jennifer Parmelee Childs Recommends:
French Lessons by Ellen Sussman
When I first picked up this galley, I thought it was simply a light piece of fluff that would make a good weekend read. Once dipping in, I was pleased to discover that, not only was it a good weekend read, but it delivered more than just a superficial story. The novel follows three French tutors and the Americans they each escort around Paris during the same 24-hour period. I felt honestly moved and connected to each of their stories which lingered with me long after I closed the book. A great selection for book groups (and it is a trade paperback original!) I would recommend it for anyone looking for an engaging and thoughtful offering. To sum up: French lessons is a delightful and sexy read--with more depth than you might think--that will have you booking the next flight to Paris. Merci, Ellen Sussman!
978-0-345-52277-1 | $15.00/NCR | Ballantine | TR | July
Erica Melnichok Recommends:
Beatrice and Tess couldn’t be more different and yet have always shared the closest of sisterly bonds. As the details surrounding Tess’s shocking death don’t add up to the sister she knew, Beatrice abandons her job and fiancé in New York to move back to London to discover the truth. A mysterious death, numerous suspects, and a heartbreaking medical condition all lead Beatrice along a path through layers of truths and misdirection. She may not have known her sister as intimately as she assumed. I couldn’t put this gripping story down with its tragic twists and your heart will break right alongside Beatrice’s all the way through. And yet in the end, right down to the shocking outcome, I left the story feeling reaffirmed by sisterly devotion and love. I couldn’t agree more with the starred review from Booklist, “A chilling, gripping, tragic, heart-warming, life-affirming enigma of a story.”
978-0-307-71651-4 | $24.00/$27.00C | Crown | HC | June
Marcia Purcell Recommends:
Remember Ben Clayton by Stephen Harrigan
One thing you can count on even before you start a Stephen Harrigan book: you know it will be extremely well-researched and beautifully written. His book are a delight to read because they give not only entertainment in the usual sense, but also because they provide a grounding in the subject that frames the novel. In this case you learn a lot about sculpting and what goes into the making of a large impressive statue. Set in west Texas immediately following WWI, we follow the intersection of Gil Gilheaney (relatively famous sculptor), his daughter Maureen (aspiring sculptor), and Lamar Clayton (enigmatic, taciturn rancher). Ben Clayton, Lamar’s only son has been killed and he wants a statue to remember him by. There’s a lot more here than meets the eye in this brief overview –an up-close view of WWI through the eyes of Ben’s horribly injured best friend – the relationship between father and daughter – the relationship between father and son – the scarring left by Indian abductions – all skillfully interwoven in a moving story that will leave you thinking about these characters long after you close the book. As my brother, Randy, put it – “I found it to be a delightful, very well written book…a great book for me…” You’ll find it to be a great book for you too.
978-0-307-26581-4 | $26.95 | Knopf | HC | May
Kelly Coyle-Crivelli Recommends:
Your Voice in My Head by Emma Forrest
A dazzling and devastating memoir--Girl Interrupted for the Juno generation.
Talented, prolific and charming, Emma Forrest was settled in Manhattan
at twenty-two and on contract to the Guardian when she realized that
her quirks had gone beyond eccentricity, past the warm waters of weird
and into those cold, deep patches of the sea where people lose their
lives. Lonely, in a dangerous cycle of cutting and bulimia, she found
herself in the chair of an effortlessly optimistic psychiatrist--a man
whose wisdom and humanity would help her to recover when she tried to
end her life. It explores the crashing weight of depression, mania and
suffering, the beauty of love and the heartbreak of loss. A behind-the-scenes
look at a Hollywood breakup, but also fundamentally, about our relationship
with ourselves and how we deal with life and disillusionment.
978-1-59051-446-7
| $22.95 | Other Press | HC | May
David Eicke Recommends:
Fame: A Novel in Nine Episodes by Daniel Kehlmann
I picked this one up when I heard it had drawn comparisons to George Saunders and Donald Barthelme, two of my all-time favorites (according to my Facebook page, which I always consult to remember what books I like). I also understand that, in Germany, those two are likely to draw comparisons to Kehlmann. Yes: he’s really famous there. But I wouldn’t want a fate similar to those of his characters to befall him. The characters of this book, famous or not, deserving or not, all fall in some way or another. The novel is written in vignettes, much like Rachman’s “Imperfectionists,” and each of these stories is written from a different point of view. The first is a man whose phone number seems to have been switched with a very famous actor’s. At first, he just says “wrong number” repeatedly, but it just keeps ringing until he starts amusing himself by answering with things like, “Cancel it!” and “I love you too. I just need some time.” and “Meet me at [some restaurant] tonight.” Then, later, we get the story of the actor whose life has been ruined, the philandering director of the phone company who caused the mix-up, the idiotic Internet addict who actually caused things to go wrong, and so on. Extremely funny, original, and easy to digest, Fame lives up to its aforementioned lofty (at least in my eyes) comparisons. Be sure you didn’t overlook this one last year.
978-0-307-37871-2 | $24.00/$27.00C | Pantheon | HC | Available Now
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