USA Today Previews Summer Books
The nifty USA Today Summer Book Calendar is now available: CALENDAR: See when your favorites hit bookstores. It’s a quick way to get up to speed on what your customers will be looking for in the coming months.
USA Today also asked booksellers what books they are particularly looking forward to; of course, there are several titles from favorite authors, such as Clive Cussler, Dean Koonts, Elin Hilderbrand, Luanne Rice and Pat Conroy, who returns after a long absence, with South of Broad, (Aug 11, Doubleday, Nan A. Talese).
And a couple of first novels make the list:
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (June 9); “…about a contemporary woman whose ancestor was arrested during the Salem witch trials.”
Libraries show light to moderate ordering, with few reserves so far.
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The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (released last week); “a mystery starring a precocious 11-year-old.” This title was chose by independent booksellers as their top title for May on the Indie Next list. Entertainment Weekly reviews it in the upcoming issue (May 15), giving it an A-, and saying of this mystery set in the English countryside in the 1950’s,
For all of the [its] cleverness (the title alone threatens a storm of cuteness)… never loses touch with the darker realities of this rustic English paradise… It’s a rare pleasure to follow [main character] Flavia as she investigates her limited but boundless-feeling world. And it’s nice to know she’ll be back
It also gets a celebrity author endorsement; Charlaine Harris, tells USA Today that it is on her summer reading list.
Libraries are showing heavy reserves on light to moderate ordering.
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In addition to Larry King’s autobiography (My Remarkable Journey, Weinstein Books, May 19), booksellers say they’re backing the following non-fiction titles:
Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of U.S. Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan by Doug Stanton (out now); “about a secret mission undertaken against the Taliban by Special Forces soldiers.”
Libraries are showing very light ordering, with few reserves so far.
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Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal by Julie Metz (June 9); “about a young widow who discovers her husband’s adultery.”
Who could resist that cover?
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