Book Buzz

Spotlight on: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Adult Fiction, Family Life, India, Literary Fiction, Medical, World Literature

I think titles, by their very nature, should be a bit mysterious. Every reader takes away what they think the title means. For me, the final interpretation of a book is never my interpretation. It’s a collaborative act between reader and writer that should create a movie playing out in the reader’s head. If you write a novel set in Kerala, water is inescapable; it is the prevailing metaphor for everything. We’re talking about a land with forty-four rivers, countless lagoons, lakes, streams, back waters, fingerlike projections into the sea. Water is the great beating heart of the state. It affects the commerce, the industry, their metaphors, their way of being. ― Abraham Verghese, Interview, Poets & Writers Magazine

What booksellers are saying about The Covenant of Water

We’ve waited a long time for a new novel from the incredibly talented Abraham Verghese and this was worth the wait! The Covenant of Water is a captivating, sweeping epic that follows three generations of a family in coastal India. In his stunning prose, Verghese weaves a tapestry of secrets and sacrifices these remarkable characters make throughout their lives, all in an effort to understand and escape the inexplicable affliction that has plagued their family tree – mysterious drownings. Lyrical, moving and unforgettable!
― Anderson McKean from Page & Palette in Fairhope, AL | Buy from Page & Palette
Do not be daunted by the size of this book! It’s such a great read and you will learn, very quickly, to care about the people in the generations of this story. From the accepted caste system; the emotional crises that families experience; the phenomenal progression of science and medicine; the abiding love that continues to hold these generations together…all are beautifully intertwined in this amazing book!
―Karen Solar from Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, FL | Buy from Copperfish Books
Abraham Verghese has done it again with an epic story that takes the reader from 1990 through the 1970’s in rural India. It’s the tale of one woman, Big Ammachi, her family’s curse, and the doctor that comes to India to learn medicine, but finds himself. Lovable characters who create a family and a deep sense of community make this book a must read. .
―Monie Henderson from Square Books in Oxford, MS | Buy Square Books
Fans of Cutting For Stone (and there are many, including me), will be thrilled with Dr. Verghese’s first novel in 10 years. The Covenant of Water is a sweeping family saga with Verghese’s beautiful prose. The story of Big Ammachi and her children and grandchildren will captivate and enthrall. Despite it’s length (700 pages), I devoured this book! Both heartbreaking and uplifting, the story has unexpected twists and turns and is not to be missed!
―Lynne Phillips from Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, AR | Buy from Wordsworth Books

About Abraham Verghese

Abraham Verghese is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the author of the NBCC Award finalist My Own Country and the New York Times Notable Book The Tennis Partner. His most recent book, Cutting for Stone, spent 107 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and sold more than 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. It was translated into more than twenty languages and is being adapted for film by Anonymous Content. Verghese was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2016, has received five honorary degrees, and is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He lives and practices medicine in Stanford, California where he is the Linda R. Meier and Joan F. Lane Provostial Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine. A decade in the making, The Covenant of Water is his first book since Cutting for Stone.

Spotlight on: The Postcard by Anne Berest

20th Century, Adult Fiction, Biographical, Family Life, France, Historical, Jewish, World Literature, World War II

Before I wrote this book, I knew nothing about my ancestors. And while working on my family tree, I discovered a lot of things, a lot of some strange coincidences that I explain in the book. And I will not spoil it, but these coincidences are, for me, invisible transmissions. You see the things that your ancestors give to you and you don’t know. And this idea of invisible transmission is one of the main theme of my book. And I have read articles on cellular memory – you see, how our cells have a memory of the emotions. It’s a scientific way to explain that our ancestors still live within us and that we still communicate and connect with our ghosts. It seems that in my case and with my Jewish family, they are not totally dead. They were not totally murdered because something still live in me.―Anne Berest, Interview, NPR

What booksellers are saying about The Postcard

This is absolutely the best WWII story I’ve read in a long time! Berest offers a fresh perspective on her family’s tragedy during the German occupation in France. Her personal journey is what makes this book so special. I learned new things and experienced an intimate view of what it felt like to be Jewish. It was overwhelming at times but the story has lingered in my thoughts long after I finished. A must read!
― Stephanie Crowe from Page & Palette in Fairhope, AL | Buy from Page & Palette
Brilliantly written and moving story of the holocaust, family and storytelling. I was truly hooked on Anne’s writing from the first sentence.
―Kelley Barnes from Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, NC | Buy from Page 158 Books
Epic, sweeping story about a family fractured by the horrors of WWII. Gripping from beginning to jaw dropping end! Literary historical fiction at its best. Perfect for fans of All The Light We Cannot See or We Were The Lucky Ones, but I promise you’ve never read anything like The Postcard.
―Jessica Nock from Main Street Books in Davidson, NC | Buy from Main Street Books
This magnificent novel captured me from page one and never let me go. Over the holidays, a family receives an old postcard with four names printed on the back: all of the names belonged to real relatives of the author who were murdered in Auschwitz. The author’s fictionalized search for the origins of the message (a tribute? a threat? a warning?) drives the urgent narrative. I have read a lot of novels and nonfiction about the Holocaust and also a great deal of fiction that features generational trauma and reflections on Jewish identity. I have never read anything that incorporates all of these elements so sensitively. Tina Kover’s translation from the French is invisible in the striking, seamless prose. Devastating. Original. Perfect.
―Kelly Justice from Fountain Books in Richmond, VA | Buy from Fountain Bookstore

About Anne Berest

Anne Berest is the bestselling co-author of How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are (Doubleday, 2014) and the author of a novel based on the life of French writer Françoise Sagan. With her sister Claire, she is also the author of Gabriële, a critically acclaimed biography of her great-grandmother, Gabriële Buffet-Picabia, Marcel Duchamp’s lover and muse. She is the great-granddaughter of the painter Francis Picabia. For her work as a writer and prize-winning showrunner, she has been profiled in publications such as French Vogue and Haaretz newspaper. The recipient of numerous literary awards, The Postcard was a finalist for the Goncourt Prize and has been a long-selling bestseller in France.

Tina Kover‘s translations for Europa Editions include Antoine Compagnon’s A Summer with Montaigne and Négar Djavadi’s Disoriental, winner of the Albertine Prize and the Lambda Literary Award, and a finalist for both the 2020 National Book Award for Translated Literature and the PEN Translation Prize.

Spotlight on: George, A Magpie Memoir by Frieda Hughes

Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Birds, Personal Memoirs

Frieda Hughes, photo credit Frieda Hughes

I had this huge bird-shaped hole in my life. I had my painting and my poetry, but my third marriage was crumbling and all the attention I had paid to George really had nowhere else to go. I also had this vast aviary I had built, so I set about determinedly trying to find occupants for it. You can go and buy a bird but that wasn’t what I wanted to do. The birds had to be unwanted and they had to need care – birds that could not otherwise fly free. ―Frieda Hughes, Interview, The Guardian

What booksellers are saying about George, A Magpie Memoir

This captivating memoir of life with an unruly magpie had me hooked from the very first page. The eponymous corvid is rescued by Hughes – poet, painter, and daughter of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes – and quickly becomes a much-loved (albeit very naughty) member of the household. Hughes recounts his impish antics – which include daily games of hide-and-seek with multiple household objects – with affection and wry, exasperated humor.
― Jude Burke-Lewis from Square Books in Oxford, MS | Buy from Square Books
I want her to write a hundred memoirs. I’ll take twenty more about her animals. This – her first – memoir takes place after the death of her father, during the early stages of a divorce, and prior to the suicide of her brother; Ms. Hughes experienced multiple health issues during the same time frame. She’s lived a life, man, and she keeps on living it, and she’s not immune to describing the beauty of nature and animals in tremendous detail. Fabulous.
―Alissa Redmond from South Main Book Company in Salisbury, NC | Buy from South Main Book Company
While It is no surprise that deep encounters with nature, including wild animals can be life-transforming, it is always a new delight to encounter a writer with the skill make the experience come alive. Hughes captures the wonder, the mess, the wisdom gained, and the joy in her time spent with rescued birds. Her magpie story is a welcome addition to shelves with Marc Hamer, Helen MacDonald, Lyanda Lynn Haupt, and Sy Montgomery.
―Jan Blodgett from Main Street Books in Davidson, NC | Buy from Main Street Books

Reading the memoir George will make some readers desperately want a baby magpie of their own in their life and kitchen…until the reality of what damages and chaos a tiny bird can do to one’s house and heart sets in. Frieda Hughes, the daughter of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath and an established artist and author herself, decides to move to an acre of land in the Welsh countryside. While gardening and landscaping, she finds a magpie from a destroyed nest that she decides to rescue and George quickly grows and attaches deeply into her heart. Frieda Hughes writes with such vivid clarity all readers will be in her kitchen with her having tea and lovingly watching George as he plays with the dogs and messes every inch of the house. This very personal story will reveal a deep love of all of the wild nature and how it touches and changes our life. Readers will laugh and cry with the writings as we hold out breath every time George flies out our kitchen window and we tensely await his return. With drawings and poetry the author reveals all about the losses and joys of her life and we find her happily at the end with her many rescued animals and enjoying her motorbikes.
―Nancy Pierce from Bookmiser, Inc. in Marietta, GA | Buy from Bookmiser

About Frieda Hughes

Born in London in 1960, Frieda Hughes, the daughter of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath, is an established painter and poet. She has written several children’s books, eight collections of poetry, articles for magazines and newspapers, and was The Times (London) poetry columnist. As a painter, Frieda regularly exhibits in London and has a permanent exhibition at her private gallery in Wales, where she resides with fourteen owls, two rescue huskies, an ancient Maltese terrier, five chinchillas, a ferret called Socks, a royal python, and her motorbikes.

Spotlight on: Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance, Young Adult Fiction

Becky Albertalli, photo credit Becky Albertalli

[This story] was incredibly cathartic to write—though it’s equally terrifying to release it into the world. All my books are personal, but this one’s personal in ways that are unnervingly public. So much of Imogen’s internal monologue mirrors my own questioning process. And even though Imogen isn’t a public figure, she’s internalized the same discourse that kept me tied in knots. For me—and for Imogen—even the idea of questioning felt like a step out of bounds. ―Becky Albertalli, Interview, Nerd Daily

What booksellers are saying about Imogen, Obviously

Imogen’s friends are all queer. As well as her sister. She’s made it her job to be the best ally she can be. Because she’s straight. Right? When Imogen finally goes to visit her best friend Lili at college, she finds herself right in the middle of Lili’s lie: Lili has told her friends that Imogen is her bi ex, but now they’re really good friends. So when Imogen visits, her people pleasing personality has her trying on that identity. And she may find that it fits a lot better than she thought it would.
― Jennifer Jones from Bookmiser, Inc. in Marietta, GA | Buy from Bookmiser
Tender and hopeful, this is a charming YA about friendship, first queer crushes, and sitting in the discomfort of ambiguity. Imogen is a loving and gentle protagonist who explores the more nebulous parts of coming out as a young adult: how do you know if the flutters in your stomach when you talk to a cute, obviously gay new girl means you’re queer, questioning, or just a really strong ally? (spoiler: you might be queer). What does it even mean to be “queer enough?” (spoiler: it means nothing). Albertalli draws on a lot of her own experiences as a public-facing person whose identity was scrutinized and dissected, and it results in a personal and vulnerable story about growing up and coming out.
―Gaby Iori from Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, NC | Buy from Epilogue Books
While Imogen is straight, she is definitely an ally. She has a queer little sister and queer best friends. But since one of her friends, Lili, went to college and acquired a circle of queer friends (who all seem amazing on social media), Imogen isn’t sure where she fits anymore. And things get even more confusing when Imogen visits Lili and meets Tessa…who, along with all of Lili’s other friends, thinks Imogen is bi. And now, with possible crush feelings for Tessa, Imogen doesn’t know what to think. More of a questioning story than a coming out story, this will resonate with anyone who might have realized that they’ve been put in the wrong box — by society, by friends and family, by themselves. And Albertalli has a true gift for character’s voices that make them really come off the page.
―Melissa Oates from Fiction Addiction in Greenville, SC | Buy from Fiction Addiction

About Becky Albertalli

Becky Albertalli is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including William C. Morris Award winner and National Book Award longlist title Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (now a major motion picture, Love, Simon); The Upside of Unrequited; Leah on the Offbeat; Love, Creekwood; What If It’s Us and Here’s to Us (cowritten with Adam Silvera); Yes No Maybe So (cowritten with Aisha Saeed); and Kate in Waiting. Becky lives with her family in Atlanta, and she’s still not tired of Oreos. You can visit her online at beckyalbertalli.com.

Spotlight on: Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst

Adult Fiction, African American & Black, Women

Tembe Denton-Hurst, photo credit Emma Trimm

I went from believing I was an undisciplined person to writing every single morning before work for an hour and eventually finishing a manuscript. I had to start telling a different story about myself because it took some level of consistency and commitment to be able to achieve that. It was also incredibly vulnerable. There was no magazine to hide behind that people already loved and trusted. It was just me and my words. ―Tembe Denton-Hurst, Interview, Morning Person

What booksellers are saying about Homebodies

A searing yet quiet novel that succeeds as a commentary on the racism ingrained within media content, as a relationship drama, and as a story of protagonist Mickey’s path to self-discovery and self-respect. Mickey is a completely believable and sympathetic character whose depression and every insecurity Denton-Hurst represented convincingly. And Lex and Mickey’s relationship troubles were handled so maturely and with such detail, I never really knew whose side to take, which is just what I wanted. A very full novel, but one that executes its various intentions very well.
― Sam Edge from Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, NC | Buy from Epilogue Books
Homebodies is a fresh, relatable debut about Mickey, a writer whose glamorous position at a media outlet is taken from her with little warning, prompting her to express her feelings about racism in the industry on Twitter–to little response. In the wake of her “failure”, Mickey struggles to keep up with her life in New York, feeling like a burden to her partner and a disappointment to her community. Seeking a break, Mickey returns home to Maryland to recalibrate and ends up questioning the life she’s created for herself, especially after running into an old flame. Funny, vibrant, and real!
―Julia Lewis from Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA | Buy from Fountain Bookstore
Tremendous! Mickey’s coming-of-age story is equal parts career decisions and relationship choices. She’s a Black woman in the publishing industry, a writer, who is also a queer woman. Mickey’s story will truly speak to those two populations but will be so relatable to many. And she touches on body image things. You’ll nod along, get teary-eyed, and oh … not to be forgotten, prepare to be heavily entertained with the intimate details! She checks all the boxes of a great book. I’m an official fan of Tembe!
―Andrea Jasmin from Main Street Books in Davidson, NC | Buy from Main Street Books
I absolutely loved this book! The attention to detail was immaculate. I loved the raw and touching emotion that Tembe Denton-Hurst portrayed. I was rooting for Mickey the entire time through her ups and downs. Denton-Hurst is a beautiful writer and cannot wait for more!
―Brooke Parrish from Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, NC | Buy from Page 158 Books
This debut novel is AMAZING and I want to put it on everyone’s radar. Tembe Denton-Hurst is a young talent to watch. A smart and incisive examination of being a young Black woman in the workplace, but also a story of returning home, growing apart from childhood friends, and family expectations and first loves. It is so clever and self-aware and I enjoyed every page.
―Kate Storhoff from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC | Buy from Bookmarks

About Tembe Denton-Hurst

Tembe Denton-Hurst is a staff writer at New York magazine’s The Strategist and has written for Nylon magazine, them, and Elle. When she’s not writing, Tembe can be found on her couch in Queens, New York, where she lives with her partner and their two cats, Stella and Dakota.

Spotlight on: With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson

Adult Fiction, Suspense, Thrillers

Joshilyn Jackson, photo credit Scott Winn

I think it is my theater background. I went to school for that and I have been trained to get into other heads and trying to inhabit other spaces and to fully imagine those experiences in empathetic ways. There are all kinds of work that you do as an actor for that. Oddly enough, if I’m writing a play or an essay, those come from a very different part of my brain than a novel. The piece of my brain that heats up when I’m working on a novel is the same piece that heats up when I’m acting. ―Joshilyn Jackson, Interview, Wraparound South

What booksellers are saying about With My Little Eye

Joshilyn Jackson has long been one of the leading novelists of the 21st Century South, but her recent turn towards well-plotted thrillers that pivot on the interpersonal politics of well to do Southerners and the love of parents for their children (however their family came to be) continues in what might be her best novel yet. Jackson mercilessly exploits the rapid gentrification of Atlanta and the explosion of the film industry here to create a familiar yet fresh setting for her story. She also uses our constant nostalgia for the pop culture of our past to weave her tale of a former teen (well, maybe not so much) second-tier star with a stalker who follows her across the country. Huge props to Jackson in her work crafting Honor, an incredibly realistic tween on the spectrum. Honor all but leaps off the page.
― Tracie Harris from The Book House in Smyrna, Georgia | Buy from The Book House
Jackson’s newest thriller tells us about Meribel Mills, an actress that has moved as far away from home as she can get to avoid a stalker. She thinks she and her daughter are safe in their new home but when the letters – with their distinguished scented markers – arrive at her new place, she can’t believe it. Who can Meribel trust and how far will she have to go to escape the stalker forever and ensure the safety of her family? Fans of her thrillers will eat this one up!
―Andrea Richardson from Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia | Buy from Fountain Bookstore
With her newest novel, Jackson gets even twistier with her plots as we read about an actress who moves across the country to escape a creepy stalker who seems to be escalating. Meribel Mills had a popular part in a 90s sitcom and has had steady, though not high profile, work since then. But now she’s got a stalker sending her scary mail and she has a child to protect. So, even though she said she’d never set foot back in Georgia, she moves there from LA for a new TV show. But will that be enough to escape her tormenter?
―Jennifer Jones from Bookmiser, Inc. in Marietta, Georgia | Buy from Bookmiser

About Joshilyn Jackson

Joshilyn Jackson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of ten other novels, including gods in Alabama and Never Have I Ever. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. A former actor, Jackson is also an award-winning audiobook narrator. She lives in Decatur, Georgia, with her husband and their two children.

Spotlight on: Salvage This World by Michael Farris Smith

Adult Fiction, Literary Fiction, Small Town & Rura

Michael Farris Smith, photo credit Philippe Matsas

What you see in the opening pages is the thing that kind of just sticks in my head that I can’t get rid of….this image of a woman standing staring at thunder clouds, with a kid on her hip and the wind blowing and dust in her hair. Something just grabbed hold of me about that image: who she was, what she was doing, what kind of trouble they might be in.” ―Michael Farris Smith, Interview, Poisoned Pen Bookstore

What booksellers are saying about Salvage the World

Phenomenal! I read this book in one day. Could not put it down, Very gritty, realistic portrayal of a young woman who ran away with the bad boy, leaving her Dad. Now alone with a young child to protect she must flee her home. With bullets blazing and a dead body in the back of the car she stole she must go back and have her Dad help. Can she repair her relationship with her Dad? Can she escape the men after her.
― Suzanne Lucey from Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina | Buy from Page 158 Books
A gripping tale that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go until the end.
―Rae Ann Parker from Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee | Buy from Parnassus Books
Salvage This World presents an apocalyptic vision of a hurricane ravaged south. A perfect setting to test the mettle of an estranged family forced to reconcile all the pain and anger they’ve accumulated over the years in order to escape the coming storm, both literal and metaphorical. Brutal, unforgiving, and utterly compelling to the very end!
―Todd Mullins, Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina | Buy from Quail Ridge Books

About Michael Farris Smith

Michael Farris Smith is an award-winning writer whose novels have appeared on Best of the Year lists with Esquire, NPR, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Book Riot, and numerous other outlets. He has also written the feature-film adaptations of his novels Desperation Road and The Fighter, titled for the screen as Rumble Through the Dark. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife and daughters.

Spotlight on: Above Ground by Clint Smith

African American & Black, African American & Black Studies, American, Ethnic Studies, Marriage & Family, Poetry, Social Science, Sociology

Clint Smith, photo credit Carletta Girma

Most of these poems were written as the things were happening, because for me, poetry is the act of paying attention. It is both the creation of art and the mechanism through which I do my best thinking. For me, the poems are time capsules, little archives that allow me to capture a moment or a feeling. And excavating the granularity of those moments makes me more appreciative of those moments as a whole, so the next time a version of that happens, I’m able to more fully be there with it. The period of time during which your kids are both physically able and emotionally willing to have a dance party with you in the kitchen is pretty brief. I think writing poetry helps me hold onto those moments in the same way that a photograph does.” ―Clint Smith, Interview, Esquire

What booksellers are saying about Above Ground

Above Ground is a poetry collection that is a heartfelt ode to fatherhood. These poems are imbued with the love, joy, wonder, and uncertainties that accompany being a parent. They also delve into family and ancestry, history and race, turmoil, and above all, hope. This is an important collection that I will highly recommend.
― Damita Nocton, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina | Buy from The Country Bookshop
These poems swing wide between specific moments from early fatherhood to indictments of America’s reluctance to make good on its promises. Smith is candid, earnest, and plain in his odes to his wife, children, parents, in-laws, and grandparents. He is artful, searing, and bold. These seemingly simple poems speak volumes.
―Adah Fitzgerald, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina | Buy from Main Street Books
I don’t think of myself as someone who’s good at reading poetry, but Clint Smith makes me think I might be. His poetry is so easy to read but still forces me to slow down and think about each line. I loved that the poems in this book are mainly reflections and observations on fatherhood. It is a gift to see his love for his children on the page. A lovely book that I’m sure will be treasured by many for years and decades to come.
―Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Buy from Bookmarks

About Clint Smith

Clint Smith is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He is the author of the narrative nonfiction book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the Hillman Prize for Book Journalism, and selected by the New York Times as one of the 10 best books of 2021. He is also the author of the poetry collection Counting Descent, which won the 2017 Literary Award for Best Poetry Book from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award. His writing has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Poetry Magazine, The Paris Review. and elsewhere. Clint received his B.A. in English from Davidson College and a Ph.D. in Education from Harvard University.

Spotlight on: The Wager by David Grann

Europe, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Great Britain, History, Maritime History & Piracy, Mass Murder, Murder, True Crime

“I came across an 18th-century eyewitness account of the expedition by John Byron, who had been a 16-year-old midshipman on the Wager when the voyage began. Though the account was written in archaic English, and the lettering was faded and hard to decipher, it instantly sparked my curiosity. Here was one of the most extraordinary sagas I had ever heard of: a crew battling typhoons, tidal waves and scurvy; a shipwreck on a desolate island off the Chilean coast of Patagonia, where the castaways slowly descended into a real-life Lord of the Flies, with warring factions, murders, mutiny and cannibalism.

And that was only part of the saga.” ―David Grann, Interview, BookPage

What booksellers are saying about The Wager

Grann is a wonderful history storyteller. This little known story of The Wager, a warship in in the late 1700’s, shipwrecked around Cape Horn. This most unusual story of mutiny and survival is mesmerizing. And the surprising twist at the end kept me enthralled. A must read!
―Stephanie Crowe from Page & Palette in Fairhope, Alabama | Buy from Page and Palette
Few authors are able to write nonfiction history that reads like a page turning adventure novel, but David Grann is one of them. The gripping story of The Wager’s shipwreck and the survivors’ divergent tales of the events that followed kept me on the edge of my seat as I devoured this book. And Martin Scorsese has already acquired the film rights!
―Josh Niesse from Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia | Buy from Underground Books
The Wager is a tense historic tale that was forgotten until recently thanks to David Grann. It’s filled with the most questionable aspects of human nature when order breaks down, but it’s also a nod to the strength of spirit as it pertains to survival. Additionally, Grann delves into the casualties of British colonialism and the dangers that come along with ego. This book is dramatic, well-researched, and it is perfect for history buffs looking for nonfiction that reads like fiction.
―Stuart McCommon from Novel in Memphis, Tennessee | Buy from Novel
When The Wager, a British warship, wrecked off the coast of Chile in 1741, death seemed certain for all on board. But, astonishingly, a small number survived. David Grann’s account of The Wager’s ill-fated voyage and its aftermath – including murder and mutiny – is rich with vivid detail and utterly compelling.
―Jude Burke-Lewis from Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi | Buy from Square Books

About David Grann

David Grann is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Killers of the Flower Moon and The Lost City of Z. Killers of the Flower Moon was a finalist for the National Book Award and won an Edgar Allan Poe Award. He is also the author of The White Darkness and the collection The Devil and Sherlock Holmes. Grann’s investigative reporting has garnered several honors, including a George Polk Award. He lives with his wife and children in New York.

Spotlight on: What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez

Adult Fiction, Cultural Heritage, Family Life, Hispanic & Latino, Literary, Siblings, Women

Claire Jiménez, photo credit Damion Meyer

“This novel was originally a short story that I began writing ten years ago. So, it is difficult to pinpoint its exact beginnings, but I know that I was thinking a lot about loss, family, the violence of migration, and identity. I watched a lot of reality tv in my twenties and the short story began with the premise: what if you recognized somebody from your past on tv, somebody who you lost? I’m interested too in the way that women disappear every day in real life and how representations of Black and Brown women are often missing or distorted in pop culture.” ―Claire Jiménez, Interview, She Reads

What booksellers are saying about What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez

For fans of Angie Cruz, What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is at times laugh out loud hilarious while also delivering an poignant account of a young woman searching for herself as she searches for her sister. The first page left me breathless! Jimenez delivers a sophisticated, plainspoken account of a Latina teen grappling with the urge and opportunity to escape her Staten Island family while also recognizing the value of the intense, turbulent bond she has with her mother and sister.
―Adah Fitzgerald from Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina | Buy from Main Street Books
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is the story of a missing Puerto Rican teenage girl living in New York, and the heartbreak that has amplified over the years since her discovery. When her sisters think they spotted their sister as an adult on a reality show, they begin a hopeful plan to find and bring Ruthy home. Jimenez is a talented storyteller, weaving in humor and letting each character shine while exploring a very real, very heartbreaking story. Highly recommended for book clubs and readers who enjoy books like Olga Dies Dreaming.
―Beth Seufer Buss from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Buy from Bookmarks
Two things are true about the Ramirez family: 1. Family is important 2. Family sticks together (right?) For over a decade, the Ramirez family has been struggling with the disappearance of Ruthy (oldest daughter, big sister). With no new information in years, the search feels over, that is until her sister’s see someone who looks remarkably like her on a reality TV show. Hijinks ensue as they attempt to get in contact with “Ruby” aka Ruthy without their mother finding out. But hey, sometimes family is you, your older sister, her baby, your mother, and your mother’s best friend who still dresses in powersuits. Funny, moving, and fast-paced, this is one book I’d recommend for literally anyone.
―Jamie Kovacs from Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Buy from Flyleaf Books

About Claire Jiménez

Claire Jiménez is a Puerto Rican writer who grew up in Brooklyn and Staten Island. She is the author of the short story collection Staten Island Stories, which received the 2019 Hornblower Award for a first book from the New York Society Library and was named a finalist for the International Latino Book Awards, a New York Public Library Favorite Book about New York, and Best Latino Book of 2019 by NBC News. She received her MFA from Vanderbilt University and her PhD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In 2020, she cofounded the Puerto Rican Literature Project, a digital archive. Currently she is an Assistant Professor of English and African American Studies at the University of South Carolina. Her fiction, essays, and reviews have appeared in Remezcla, AfroHispanic Review, PANK, The Rumpus, and Eater, among other publications. What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is her debut novel.

Spotlight on: Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef

Fairy Tales & Folklore, Juvenile Fiction, Young Adult

Kiyash Monsef, photo credit Jane McGonigal

“If I had a dollar for every writer who told me of their childhood love for the d’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths…what is it about that book?

Everyone has an illustration that’s stuck with them. For me, it’s the kraken rising up out of the ocean. And for a lot of people it was one of our first exposures to really old stories and a deep, continuous mythology. They’re unapologetically complex, internally referential, and ask a lot of young readers, visually and narratively. When you work hard to enjoy something at a young age, it leaves an impression.” ―Kiyash Monsef, Interview, Horn Book

What booksellers are saying about Once There Was

When Marjan’s father is mysteriously murdered, she discovers he was a veterinarian to the kinds of mythic creatures in the stories he once told her…and she inherited his power to care for beasts like griffons and gnomes herself. Once There Was is an emotionally rich, beautifully told story, full of adventure, mystery, and magical realism, with great Iranian-American representation, about the paradox of living—wonder and responsibility, grief and connection—that I’d love for readers of all ages to enjoy and engage with.
―Megan Bell, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia | Buy from Underground Books
I absolutely loved the writing in this book. Not overly stylized fantasy– well-grounded in relatable language and situations, not “high fantasy”. The relationships are tender and sweet and cover everything from friendships, to parent/caregiver, to romantic. The plot develops well, the ending is satisfying without being twee. The character development is spot on and I’ve never met a unicorn more fascinating! Monsef’s gentle treatment of the traumatic effects of grief and loss are beautiful.
―Elisa Forshey, Givens Books & Little Dickens in Lynchburg, Virginia | Buy from Givens Books & Little Dickens
Marjan is having to deal with a lot for a teenager — her mom died years ago, leaving her with a strained relationship with her dad…but now her dad’s died suddenly, too, and Marjan has to keep his veterinary practice up and running in addition to her schoolwork and basic necessities. Then Marjan finds out that her dad wasn’t just a vet, that the mythical animals from the stories he told her are real, and he would treat them when needed — and now Marjan has inherited that responsibility, as well. It’s a responsibility that Marjan isn’t sure she wants, but she decides to at least see what it’s all about. And her life changes, sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better, but ultimately in the ways she needs. A story that will appeal to both middle-grade and young adult readers who love myths, about discovering the missing parts of yourself — whether you know they’re missing or not, and whether or not you want them.
― Melissa Oates, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina | Buy from Fiction Addiction

About Kiyash Monsef

Kiyash Monsef is an Emmy Award–nominated producer and director; a writer of short stories, videos, comic books, and games; and a designer of innovative conversational and voice interface experiences. Once There Was is his first novel.

Spotlight on: Weyward by Emilia Hart

Adult Fiction, Historical, Literary, Women

“I began writing Weyward during the early days of the pandemic, fuelled by anger about the increase of domestic violence during lockdown. At the same time, I was also reading about the 1612 Pendle Witch Trials. The two seemed horribly linked. I wondered: how far have we really come in the fight against misogyny? How can we keep going?

For me, the answer is by connecting with the women around us, and those who came before us. And story is connection. At the heart of the novel is a manuscript written by Altha Weyward, on trial for witchcraft in 1619. Her descendants, Violet in 1942 and Kate in 2019, both find and read Altha’s story. For Violet and Kate, the act of reading – of connecting with a woman who lived centuries before – is life changing.” ―Emilia Hart, Harper Reach

What booksellers are saying about Weyward

In this utterly captivating debut, Hart manages to weave an intricate, beautifully written novel about three women and their inextricable connection to nature. This intergenerational tale snared me from the first page and wouldn’t let go. If you enjoy complex conversations about legacy, gender and control, nature and witchy-ness, and female power, this should be next on your list.
―Hannah Kerbs, Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN | Buy from Parnassus
Eerily scandalous are the Wayward women! They are different and misunderstood but discover their strength when they need it! Mesmerizing tale! Couldn’t put it down!
―Stephanie Crowe from Page & Palette in Fairhope, AL | Buy from Parnassus
Weyward weaves a spellbinding tale empowering women through their supernatural connection to the natural world. Told in three different timelines across five centuries we get engrossed the lives of Altha, Violet and Kate as they discover the power and strength they never knew they had.
―Sharon Davis from Book Bound Bookstore in Blairsville, GA | Buy from Book Bound Bookstore
First-born women born into the Weyward family have a supernatural affinity with nature. This gift comes with a curse making them too attractive to abusive men. Hart’s novel interweaves the stories of 4 generations of Weyward women as they find their power and their way in a hostile world. Their stories hold just enough suspense to keep the pages turning and just enough hope to make the read satisfying. A worthwhile addition to witch shelves.
― Jan Blodgett from Main Street Books in Davidson, NC | Buy from Main Street Books

About Emilia Hart

Emilia Hart grew up in Australia and studied English Literature at university before training as a lawyer. Weyward is her debut and was Highly Commended by the Caledonia First Novel Prize. Emilia lives in London.

Spotlight on: Decent People by De’Shawn Charles Winslow

Adult Fiction, African American & Black, Historical, Literary, Mystery& Detective, Small Town & Rural, Southern

De'Shawn Charles Winslow, photo credit Julie R. Keresztes

“So many of the characters in Decent People are on a quest for respectability–– their own and/or that of their children. I wanted to show what lengths people would go to just to conceal truths: a child’s queerness, an addiction, hypocrisy. I don’t know that I was going for nuance, exactly. I think I was just portraying people the way I’ve often encountered them. ” ―De’Shawn Charles Winslow, interview, PEN America

What booksellers are saying about Decent People

A complex, engaging story of a small Southern town grappling with racial justice, human rights, religion and murder in the mid 1970’s. Family ties and long-buried secrets are tested as a woman fights to clear the name of her beloved. An absolute page-turner filled with colorful characters in a rich setting.
―Jamie Fiocco from Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC | Buy from Bookmarks
Decent People is a compelling mystery that also deftly contends with racism, homophobia, classism and corruption. Charles De’Shawn Winslow’s fluid writing and pacing combine with wonderfully drawn characters–including the glorious busybody Josephine Wright–to make a truly marvelous novel.
―Stephanie Jones-Byrne from Malaprop’s in Asheville, NC | Buy from Malaprops
The shooting deaths of two sisters and their brother, prominent members of the African-American community, set tongues wagging in West Mills, NC. Except for those holding their voice over secrets. Told from alternating perspectives, the mystery unfolds amid lives threatened by the racism and homophobia of the 1960s and 1970s. This is a great read on so many levels, can’t wait to hand sell this one.
―Jessica Nock from Main Street Books in Davidson, NC | Buy from Main Street Books

About De’Shawn Charles Winslow

De’Shawn Charles Winslow is the author of In West Mills, a Center for Fiction First Novel Prize winner and a Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Lambda Literary Award, and Publishing Triangle Awards finalist. He was born and raised in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, graduated from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and now lives in New York.

Spotlight on: I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

Adult Fiction, Literary Fiction, Psychological, Women

Rebecca Makkai, photo credit Brett Simison

“This is a book where if you read it, by the end, you’ll know what happened. But not everything is tied up in a neat bow. My job is not to give answers. My job is to ask questions. My job is to, in fact, take the questions that I already have and to complicate those even for myself. I should be confusing myself greatly as I write. I should be banging my head on the wall. I shouldn’t be coming in already knowing what I want to say.” ―Rebecca Makkai, Interview, NPR

What booksellers are saying about I Have Some Questions for You

Another brilliant book from Rebecca Makkai. I love the way she emotionally manipulates me as a reader — in the best possible way! She makes me feel so much by creating rich characters and drawing you in to their lives. This is so timely and the brilliance of the narration is complex and daring. You cannot read this book without stopping and reflecting on the moral dilemmas Bodie faces and asking yourself what you would have done. It’s a brilliant look at the stories we tell, how those change as we grow, and how we see the world from different perspective as society progresses. I will be thinking about this book for a long time!
―Jamie Southern from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC | Buy from Bookmarks
I should’ve known that Rebecca Makkai taking on a true-crime mystery would knock me off my feet, but I was not prepared for I Have Some Questions For You to hold me captive for days straight while I devoured every chapter. To put it mildly, I am obsessed with this book—it’s gripping, character-driven, and just ridiculously well-written.
―Lindsay Lynch from Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN | Buy from Parnassus
Man, do I have some questions after finishing this absorbing story. So. Many. Questions. If a high school friend was murdered long ago on the campus of your boarding school, how many years would you continue thinking about it? Would you get involved decades later if you believed the wrong person was convicted? What if it brought pain to the victim’s family and disrupted the lives of other former students? If you believed you knew who the real murderer was, would you expose him? And what if, in your quest for justice, you realize that your own perspective may be biased and your logic may be faulty? Get ready, because this novel asks you to reflect on so many questions, about power and privilege, media and the me too movement, sexual relationships and friendships. It’s the must-read of the season.
―Lady Smith from The Snail on the Wall in Huntsville, AL | Buy from Snail on the Wall
An immaculate feat of story-telling, I Have Some Questions for You takes on complicated contemporary issues and tropes with propulsive verve and moral clarity that gets buried in our Twitter-fied, new-as-infotainment world.
―Matt Nixon from A Cappella Books in Atlanta, GA | Buy from A Cappella Books

About Rebecca Makkai

Rebecca Makkai is the author of the novels I Have Some Questions for You, The Great Believers, The Hundred-Year House, and The Borrower, and the story collection Music for Wartime. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, The Great Believers received an American Library Association Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, among other honors, and was named one of the Ten Best Books of 2018 by The New York Times. A 202 Guggenheim fellow, Makkai is on the MFA faculties of the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe and Northwestern University, and is the artistic director of StoryStudio Chicago. She lives on the campus of the midwestern boarding school where her husband teaches, and in Vermont.

Spotlight on: Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

Adult Fiction, Family, Family Life, Literary Fiction, Siblings, Women

“In March 2020, when COVID-19 shut down New York City, my husband and I packed up our apartment on Pineapple Street, buckled our kids into their car seats, and drove to northwest Connecticut, where my in-laws live deep in the woods. We stayed with them for six months—six months that were scary, strange, and, at times, very, very funny.

Living in someone else’s house turns you into a bit of an amateur anthropologist, deriving meaning from the closets full of ski jackets, tennis rackets, and twenty years’ worth of Sky & Telescope magazines. I found a letter, sent home from summer camp, that read “Camp is good. They made me write you so I could get ice cream.”” ―Jenny Jackson, Letter to booksellers

What booksellers are saying about Pineapple Street

Pineapple Street is family drama at its finest – and its most decadent. Told through the eyes of three women in an elite Brooklyn family, the novel is witty and insightful and a thoughtful commentary on class, wealth, and society. These characters equally shocked me and endeared themselves to me; you can’t help but root for happy endings all around. This story will be a best of 2023 for me; I can’t wait to see what Jenny Jackson writes next!
―Beth Seufer Buss from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC | Buy from Bookmarks
I loved this juicy, complicated family drama! Pineapple Street tells the story of the Stockton family, part of the uber-rich one percenters living in New York City, through the perspectives of two of their daughters and one daughter-law. You won’t be able to help falling in love with each of these characters in spite of their first world problems. Touching and zany, Pineapple Street is perfect for fans of Amy Poeppel and Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney.
―Jessica Nock from Main Street Books in Davidson, NC | Buy from Main Street Books
I couldn’t put down this novel that explores loyalty, class, family and love. It was zippy and readable while also not shying away from important conversations on privilege.
―Lillian Kay from Novel in Memphis, TN | Buy from Novel.
Welcome to Pineapple Street, where the Stockton family reigns with old money and even older traditions. The three Stockton siblings, Darley, Cord and Georgiana, all face their monied background with varying degrees of guilt. Sasha, Cord’s wife, is the bohemian artist to the wealthy clan and always finds herself on the outside looking in. Jenny Jackson has created a funny and sharp behind the scenes look at New York’s elite. These characters remind us that what we see on the outside is never quite the same as what is happening on the inside.
―Mary Jane Michels from Fiction Addiction in Greenville, SC | Buy from Fiction Addiction

About Jenny Jackson

Jenny Jackson is a vice president and executive editor at Alfred A. Knopf. A graduate of Williams College and the Columbia Publishing Course, she lives in Brooklyn Heights with her family. Pineapple Street is her first novel.

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