The chief book critic for The New York Times, Michiko Kakutani, makes a rare departure from reviewing books to interview the President, in a front page, above-the-fold story titled “How Reading Nourished Obama During the White House Years.”

Kakutani writes “Not since Lincoln has there been a president as fundamentally shaped — in his life, convictions and outlook on the world — by reading and writing as Barack Obama.”

He says that reading gave him time to “slow down and get perspective” and provided “the ability to get in somebody else’s shoes … [both] have been invaluable to me.”

While in office he turned to the works by Martin Luther King Jr., Lincoln, Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela. He finds knowledge in Shakespeare, the tragedies proving “foundational for me in understanding how certain patterns repeat themselves and play themselves out between human beings.”

He reads biographies of past presidents as well as SF such as The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (Macmillan/Tor Books, 2014), saying “The scope of it was immense. So that was fun to read, partly because my day-to-day problems with Congress seem fairly petty — not something to worry about. Aliens are about to invade!”

It zoomed up to #32 on Amazon’s sales rankings as a result of the Presidential nod.

How did he find the time while in office? He read, says Kakutani, “for an hour or so late at night — reading that was deep and ecumenical, ranging from contemporary literary fiction (the last novel he read was Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad) to classic novels to groundbreaking works of nonfiction like Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow and Elizabeth Kolbert’s The Sixth Extinction.”

Kakutani writes that he is hoping to eventually use his presidential center website “to widen the audience for good books,” something he’s already done with regular lists of book recommendations, and then encourage a public “conversation about books.” She also hints that Obama plans to write more books himself.

A transcript is also available, with much more on his take on specific titles.

John le Carré’s beloved 1963 thriller, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (PRH/Penguin, reprint 2013; OverDrive Sample), is headed to TV as a limited-series adaptation created by AMC and the BBC.

It follows on the success of The Night Manager adaptation, which just won three Golden Globes (stars Hugh Laurie, Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman each took home awards) and racked up a great deal of critical praise during its run.

New York Magazine reports that “Oscar winner Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) will write the entire series.” The Hollywood Reporter quotes le Carré as saying “I’m very excited by the project, and have great confidence in the team.” As well he might, many of the figures behind Night‘s success are back at the helm.

Nearly fifty years after the novel’s original publication, author William Boyd summarized its enduring power, for The Guardian, calling the story,

“a complicated act of deadly triple-bluff perpetrated by the British Secret Service against its enemies in the German Democratic Republic … At its centre is Alec Leamas, sent, he believes, on a clever under-cover mission of revenge but in fact the unwitting tool of even cleverer British brains with other motives”

Boyd goes on to praise its tone and skillful construction, writing “one of the sheer pleasures of the grade one espionage novel is in unravelling its multifarious complexities and le Carré handles the unspooling web of narrative and motive with exemplary poise … there is a clear sense in The Spy of a writer hitting his stride with resolute confidence.”

The book was adapted into a movie, the 1965 Oscar nominated film starring Richard Burton and directed by Martin Ritt (Hombre, Norma Rae).

The TV project is just getting underway so there is no word yet on its stars or air date.

The film adaptation of Hidden Figures continued to do well at the box office in its second week of wide release, boosting sales of both the original hardcover and the tie-in (now at #5 on USA Today‘s list). On TV, Netflix’s major launch of the adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events is flying high, with strong reviews (example, the New York Times) and the expectation that there will be a season two.

Unfortunately, the news was not good for the wide release of Ben Affleck’s adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s Live by Night, which failed to do well with critics as well as audiences.

This week, Lifetime brings back Beaches, as a TV movie on Jan. 21. Idina Menzel (Frozen) and Nia Long (The Best Man Holiday) star in the revival of the 1988 Garry Marshall film that Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey made famous. The weepy is based on the Iris Rainer Dart novel of the same name, published in 1985. There is no tie-in but the book is still in print (HaperCollins/Morrow Paperbacks, 2004).

For those that do not know the story, E! News offers a summary: “Beaches follows the serendipitous meeting of two young girls … who, despite vastly different lifestyles, maintain an unexpected, yet lifelong friendship. CC (Menzel) is an aspiring singer trying to make it work in Los Angeles until she’s discovered by a director who gives her big break, while Hillary (Long) is the daughter of a prominent civil rights lawyer who struggles to find her own destiny.”

Menzel, known for her award-winning voice, admitted to E! News she was worried about stepping into Midler’s shoes, saying if “I’m being completely honest, I was terrified to do it at first because I love the movie, it’s a beautiful, beautiful movie and both of those women—especially Bette Midler, for me—were idol[s] my whole life.”

TNT’s upcoming adaptation of Caleb Carr’s 1994 long-running best seller,  The Alienist (PRH/Random House) is moving along. Entertainment Weekly announces that Dakota Fanning (the Twilight films, War of the Worlds) has been cast as the female lead, “Sara Howard, a headstrong secretary on [Police commissioner Theodore] Roosevelt’s staff who is determined to become the first female police detective in New York City.”

She joins Daniel Brühl (Rush, Inglorious Bastards, The Zookeeper’s Wife) who plays criminal psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler and Luke Evans (The Girl on The Train, The Hobbit trilogy) who stars as newspaper reporter John Moore.

The 8-part series, set during NYC’s Gilded Age, is expected to premiere in late 2017. No tie-in has been announced.

Shanthi Sekaran’s second novel, Lucky Boy (PRH/Putnam; Penguin Audio/BOT; OverDrive Sample) is a hit with reviewers.

About a young Mexican mother placed in detention in the US and the Silicon Valley couple who foster her baby, it is People magazine’s “Book of the Week,” calling it “a page-turner that’s touching and all too real.”

USA Today offers strong praise for both Sekaran’s writing style and characterizations, saying her “prose is swift and engaging, her storytelling confident enough to justify the scenic route” and one character’s “relationship with her mother … could sustain a novel on its own.”

The Dallas News writes it is “engrossing” and “cuts to the human heart of the immigration crisis and the bonds of motherhood.”

Additional Buzz: It is an Indie Next pick for January and tops Flavorwire‘s list of “15 Must-Read Books in January.” InStyle numbers it among the “7 Books You Need to Read in January 2017” while Bustle includes it in their 17 picks of the month, writing it is “a clear-eyed exploration of complex motherly love.”

NPR’s All Things Considered interviews Skkaran. In a profile, PW delves into the book’s origins. Booklist, Kirkus, and Library Journal give it starred reviews.

Holds are strong across most libraries we checked with some systems showing waiting lists ratios as high as 10:1.

In a twist, James Patterson publishes a hardcover next week featuring a character first introduced in one of his paperback original BookShots series rather than the other way around. Never Never (Hachette/Little, Brown; Hachette Large Print; Hachette Audio; OverDrive Sample) features detective Harriet Blue of the Sydney Police Department. She appeared in the December BookShots title, Black & Blue, written in collaboration with a new Patterson co-author, Candice Fox, a crime writer who lives in Sydney. In addition, Patterson publishes a new  middle grade title next week, the third in a series, House of Robots: Robot Revolution (Hachette/ jimmy patterson; Hachette Audio; OverDrive Sample) with co-author Chris Grabenstein.

In YA, Veronica Roth, author of the popular dystopian Divergent series, begins a new space opera series with Carve the Mark, (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen; HarperAudio). Booklist notes that, despite the change in genre, her themes are familiar, “Roth offers a richly imagined, often-brutal world of political intrigue and adventure, with a slow-burning romance at its core,” but SLJ warns,
fans of the earlier series “will find that this book has less romance and more violence.”

Arriving with three starred reviews is the second in Gregg Hurwitz’s thriller series, The Nowhere Man: An Orphan X Novel (Macmillan/Minotaur; Brilliance Audio). The first book garnered praise as well as a film deal prior to publication. Last year, it was announced that Bradley Cooper was in talks to star, but there’s been no news since. However, Hurwitz is working on another project with Cooper, as screen writer for a TV series based on the Pulitzer Prize winner, Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS, by Joby Warrick. Of this second book Booklist, writes “As good as Orphan X was, this is an even better novel, mostly because of its more claustrophobic setting… its captivating villain, and the way the author keeps ratcheting up the danger.” Hurwitz has signed for three more books in the series.

The titles highlighted in this column, and several other notable titles arriving next week, are listed with ordering information and alternate formats, on our downloadable spreadsheet, earlyword-new-title-radar-week-of-jan-16-2017.

Media Attention

My Life, My Love, My Legacy, Coretta Scott King, Rev. Dr. Barbara Reynolds,  (Macmillan/Holt; Macmillan Audio; OverDrive Sample)

Reviewed in this week’s New York Time Book Review, this is Martin Luther King’s widow’s memoir as told in an oral history to her friend, Reynolds, over 30 years. It is scheduled to be featured on Good Morning America as well as Nightline on Monday, Martin Luther King Day.

How America Lost Its Secrets: Edward Snowden, the Man and the Theft, Edward Jay Epstein, (PRH/Knopf)

Epstein argues that Snowden is not a whistle blower but a spy for the Russians or the Chinese. It is reviewed skeptically on the cover of the New York Times Book Review this week by Nicholas Lemann, who is interviewed on this week’s “Book Review” podcast. He says that although Epstein never really substantiates his claims, that the book can be fun if you treat it “like reading a John LeCarre novel.”

Peer Picks

One LibraryReads pick hits shelves this week, Heartstone, Elle Katharine White (Harper Voyager; OverDrive Sample).

“A fun take on Pride and Prejudice in a fantasy setting. Merrybourne Manor has a gryphon infestation and has contracted with a band of Riders to kill them. As you can imagine, the main Rider is a little haughty and our heroine has a long memory. Familiar trials and tribulations occur with some detailed world-building, laying the groundwork for a sequel. Good for readers who don’t mind literary re-imaginings, love P&P, and Anne McCaffery’s Pern novels.” — Jenna Persick, Chester County Library, Exton, PA

Four Indie Next titles publish this week, from the January and February lists:

Little Deaths, Emma Flint (Hachette; Hachette Audio; OverDrive Sample).

“In 1965, Ruth Malone, recently separated from her husband, wakes to find her children gone. Both are found dead and Ruth finds herself the prime suspect, tried and convicted by the court of public opinion because she is a single parent and rumors abound about her drinking and dating habits. Flint has created a compelling whodunit based on true events, and I was riveted from page one. This is a literary thriller that will have you parked in your reading chair until you turn the last page!” —Sarah Harmuth Letke, Redbery Books, Cable, WI

Additional Buzz: It is one of Entertainment Weekly Most Anticipated Books of 2017:”‘Flint’s debut, set in 1965 Queens, follows a mother accused of killing her two children.”

The Guardian writes “Little Deaths is a strong and confident addition to the growing trend of domestic dystopias – novels about flawed, angry, hurt women navigating hostile social and intimate milieus that turn viciously punitive when those women rebel.”

It earned starred reviews from Booklist, LJ, and PW.

Homesick for Another World: Stories, Ottessa Moshfegh (PRH/Penguin; OverDrive Sample).

“This phenomenal collection of short stories has ruined me forever. Ottessa Moshfegh is brilliant when it comes to showing off the uglier, twisted side of humanity, the part that we would never share on Facebook or Instagram. Her characters are often desperate, hungry for something they might be able to obtain if only they could name it. Their bitterness often leads to grotesque, yet honest, reactions to the world around them. I can’t wait to recommend this dark little oddity to as many readers as possible.” —Becca Chavez, Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver, CO

Additional Buzz: Time reviews it, saying it “showcases her mastery with tales of a range of creeps and weirdos in despair, looking for something that will make this world more palatable to them (or vice versa).”

New Republic subheads its review with “The twisted fairy tales of Ottessa Moshfegh” and writes it is “a compendium of 14 compulsive little tales.”

The collection tops GQ‘s list of “Books You Should Read in January” and BuzzFeed counts it as one of the “27 Brilliant New Books You Need To Read This Winter.”

It earned starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and PW.

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, Kathleen Rooney (Macmillan/St. Martin’s Press; Macmillan Audio; OverDrive Sample).

“Join 85-year-old Lillian on a New Year’s Eve stroll through Manhattan, a city as changed by time as Lillian herself. As with Joyce’s Ulysses, the reader is privy to a life told in snapshots of memory within a single day. Based loosely on the life of Margaret Fishback, Lillian is a former Depression-era advertising copywriter for R.H. Macy’s and a poet of light verse. She is also a mother and an ex-wife. Rooney’s work has a light touch, but she is never frivolous. Rooney has the capacity to portray depth within brevity, pain within humor. Here is a novel that both entertains and enlightens, a balance rarely achieved.” —Sarah Sorensen, Bookbug, Kalamazoo, MI

Additional Buzz: It is one of Real Simple‘s picks of “The Best New Books to Read This Month,” writing “Inspired by the life of Margaret Fishback, a poet and Macy’s star ad writer of the 1930s, this novel beautifully depicts the evolution of a woman and the city she loves.”

It is also on Bustle’s  list of “17 Of January 2017’s Best Fiction Books To Bring An Electrifying Start to Your New Year.” They say: ” This lovely novel has been compared to the writings of Dorothy Parker, and once you pick it up you’ll want to soak in it forever.”

It is one of Amazon’s Best Books of the Month.

Another pre-pub star winner, it got rave reviews from Booklist, LJ, and PW.

Indelible, Adelia Saunders (Macmillan/Bloomsbury USA; OverDrive Sample).

“In her remarkable debut, Adelia Saunders develops an intriguing idea into an extraordinary book. When Magdalena looks at other people, she sees words describing their lives written on their skin. The impact is so disturbing that she often leaves her glasses off and walks through the world in a blur, almost missing an encounter with Neil, the American student upon whose face her own name is written. Would fate have demanded that they meet? The interwoven stories of Magdalena, Neil, and their families raise thought-provoking questions of destiny and freewill. Well done, Ms. Saunders!” —Gillian Kohli, Wellesley Books, Wellesley, MA

Additional Buzz: It is picked by Canadian librarians as a Loan Stars pick for January (as is Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk).

Tie-ins

There are no tie-ins this week. For our full list of upcoming adaptations, download our Books to Movies and TV and link to our listing of tie-ins.

The many librarian fans of Chris Bohjalian will be happy to learn that critics are raving over his latest and recommend it as a good starting point for readers who are new to his books.

The Seattle Times writes The Sleepwalker (PRH/ Doubleday; RH Audio/BOT; OverDrive Sample) is “both literary and compelling, a combination so rare I’m tempted to apply for federal intervention … This is Bohjalian at his very best.”

USA Today says “Great mystery writers, like great magicians, have the ability to hide the truth that’s right before your eyes. Best-selling novelist Chris Bohjalian is at the full power of his literary legerdemain in his newest book.”

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says “Scary, limiting and downright dangerous, sleepwalking inspires a hard-to-put-down story that also mixes sex and a mystery in a polished package … Bohjalian is on top of his already stellar game.”

As we noted in Titles to Know, it is an Indie Next pick and The Washington Post, in an early rave, calls it a “spooky thriller … a dark, Hitchcockian novel.”

Below is the creepy trailer:

Rick Riordan’s fantasy/adventure mixed with Greek mythology kids title, The Lightning Thief  is heading to New York, in an off-Broadway musical adaptation titled The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.

Playbill reports that it is a new version of  “the show, which has been touring the country, [and] now features an updated score, expanded script, a larger cast, and a live band.”

Chris McCarrell will star. He debuted in Les Miserables and has acted in Pippin, Sweeney Todd, Next to Normal, and Summer of ’42 says the site. He is also in Netflix’s The OA.

The adaptation is written by Joe Tracz (Netflix’s Series of Unfortunate Events) and Rob Rokicki (Strange Tails).

McCarrell told The Washington Post that the production is:

“… really going to push the envelope of (the) magic of theater. The world is so epic and it is so grand and it doesn’t seem like you could portray that onstage, but that’s really where the magic of theater comes in … This story has so much gunpowder in it. If we hit it right, I think it could make some explosions happen.”

Below McCarrell sings one of the songs from the show:

Riordan’s series has already been adapted into two successful films, although the author has publicly stated he is not a fan of either of them. He seems fully behind the musical, however, posting about it on his website.

Look away. It is here. The Netflix adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket (HarperCollins, 1999 – 2006), begins streaming today.

Reviews are generally glowing. Entertainment Weekly gives it an A-, writing it is “an entertaining screwball fable for these topsy-turvy, post-truth times … Harris, absolutely marvelous as Olaf, [is] having a blast, and we share in his delight.”

The L.A. Times reviewer says “I have no complaints, and only praise.”

To promote the show, star Neil Patrick Harris has made the TV rounds, including the Today show and The Late Late Show with James Corden:

All sorts of media are on board, NPR even offers recipes inspired by the novels, perfect for a watch party.

Oprah’s first cookbook and the first book under her new imprint with Flatiron, Food, Health and Happiness: 115 On-Point Recipes for Great Meals and a Better Life (Macmillan/Flatiron; OverDrive Sample) debuts on the new USA Today best seller list at #4.

USA Today says it is “not an official Weight Watchers cookbook” although Winfrey is “a Weight Watchers investor and spokesperson who has been appearing in the program’s commercials.”

Winfrey has been made appearances on several shows to promote the book, including CBS This Morning, Rachel Ray, Dr. Oz, and Stephen Colbert. Many media outlets, such as Parade, are featuring recipes. Eater features it as well, linking it to other celebrity cookbooks.

UPDATE: Oprah is featured on the cover of the new issue of People magazine. The story (not currently available online) focuses on Weight Watchers, but also features her cookbook.

Libraries generally bought in large numbers and holds are hovering at 3:1 ratios or below.

Librarians might remember that the first cookbook associated with Oprah did very well. USA Today points out that In the Kitchen with Rosie: Oprah’s Favorite Recipes, by her personal chef Rosie Daley, “was No. 1 on USA TODAY’s list for a remarkable 16 straight weeks.”

Librarian Nancy Pearl appeared on NPR’s Morning Edition today to offer six “under-the-radar” reading suggestions.

She recommends one of her “all-time favorite novels,” Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie (HMH/Mariner Books; OverDrive Sample, 2005), a story of mothers and daughters and of political persecution in Pakistan, adding “More people need to read this remarkable Pakistani author,” who lives in England, and has written six novels and one book of nonfiction.

Pearl also suggests the first in a spy series that she says gets better with each book in the run: Slow Horses, Mick Herron (PRH/Soho Crime; Blackstone Audio; OverDrive Sample), saying she loves the characters and that “It’s just great fun.”

She also mentions two titles which are recent discoveries:

Revolver, Duane Swierczynski (Hachette/Mulholland Books; Hachette Audio; OverDrive Sample) –“This is the first novel I’ve read by [him] and as soon as I finished it I went back and read three more.”

A Twist of the Knife, Becky Masterman (Macmillan/ Minotaur) — This one is set to be published in March. “The main character is a woman named Brigid Quinn, who is a former FBI agent now retired. Brigid is 60. I love that. When have we last seen the hero of a thriller age 60?”

The final two suggestions, not included in the on air discussion, are:

Please Do Not Disturb, Robert Glancy Bloomsbury USA (Macmillan/ Bloomsbury USA; OverDrive Sample)

The Turner House, Angela Flournoy (HMH/Mariner Books; Blackstone Audio; OverDrive Sample).

A book about the toxic effects of sugar is taking off in libraries, The Case Against Sugar, Gary Taubes (PRH/Knopf; RH Audio/BOT; OverDrive Sample). Holds queues top 5:1 ratios in most libraries we checked.

In addition to examining scientific studies that show sugar increases many health risks, the book also makes the case that powerful lobbies try to obscure that growing evidence, making sugar, as the publisher puts it, “the tobacco of the new millennium.”

Calling the book “hard-charging” and “game-changing,” NYT, in a review featured on last week’s cover, writes “Here is a book on sugar that sugarcoats nothing. The stuff kills. … [Taubes] implicates scientists, nutritionists and especially the sugar industry in what he claims amounts to a major cover-up.”

The Atlantic says it is “a prosecutor’s brief … fleshed out with four decades’ worth of extra science” and that “Taubes is a clear-eyed zealot for his cause, acknowledging his bias and pressing on for better science.”

Taubes was interviewed yesterday on NPR’s On Point.

The number one pick by librarians for February is
I See You, by Clare Mackintosh (PRH/Berkley; Penguin Audio/BOT; OverDrive Sample).

The sophomore thriller tops the just released LibraryReads list of monthly favorites.

“Zoe Walker sees her picture in a personal ad for a dating website. At first she thinks there must be a mistake. She soon learns that other women whose pictures have appeared in these ads have been subjected to violent crimes. Zoe contacts the police. PC Kelly Smith, a disgraced former detective, works to find the mastermind behind the website and redeem herself. As each day passes Zoe becomes more and more paranoid and suspicious of everyone she meets. Told from three different viewpoints, the tension builds and kept me on the edge of my seat.” — Karen Zeibak, Wilton Library Association, Wilton, CT

Additional Buzz: Entertainment Weekly offers a sneak peek at the first three chapters. Librarians chatted with the author about her first book, I Let You Go.

Neil Gaiman’s newest, a spry retelling of the Norse tales, also makes the list, Norse Mythology (Norton; Harper Audio).

“After reading Gaiman’s account of Norse mythology, I doubt that I will ever forget how the gods of Asgard acquired their treasures. Thor’s hammer that never misses its mark, Freya’s incredible ship that shrinks to the size of a pocketable silk scarf, Odin’s powerful spear, all came to be because of Loki’s mischief. Above all, I will not forget the ill-gotten and ill-treated children of Loki who bring about Ragnarok, the end of earth and heaven and the death of the gods. Everything feels very real and very now when told by someone who has obviously drunk of the ‘mead of the poets.’” — Catherine Stanton, Madison Library District, Rexburg, IL

Additional Buzz: The NYT featured the book back in June, quoting Gaiman as saying “I hope the scholarship is good, but much more than that, I hope that I have retold stories that read like the real thing: sometimes profound, sometimes funny, sometimes heroic, sometimes dark, and always inevitable … [the] tales have accompanied me through pretty much everything I’ve done … They ran like a vein of silver through Sandman, they were the bedrock of American Gods.”

The hot debut, All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai (PRH/Dutton; Penguin Audio; OverDrive Sample) is also on the list.

“Mastai’s debut is a clever and funny time travel romp which turns into an, action-packed science fiction thriller. Tom Barren stumbles through life and accidentally ruins the glittering jetpack and flying car future of 2016, replacing it with the one you and I know. The world may be worse off, but Tom’s life is better than ever. That is, until his mind starts splitting between the two realities and he must track down the genius who invented the other future. Tom’s journey through the past, across realities, and inside his mind make for a thrilling conclusion.” — Dan Brooks, Wake County Public Libraries, Cary, NC

Additional Buzz: It is the #1 Indie Next selection for February and is among Entertainment Weekly‘s top picks for 2017 reads. We featured Mastai in an author chat yesterday and GalleyChatters spotted him back in September.

This chat has now ended. Read the transcript, below.

Join us for the next live chat on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 4 to 5 p.m., ET with Eleanor Wasserberg, to discuss her upcoming book, Foxlowe.

To join the program, sign up here

George R.R. Martin just  offered fans a bit of hope on the progress of Winds of Winter, the tenth and final book [as a reader points out in the comments section, Winds of Winter is actually the sixth volume and not the last. One more is planned after that] in his Game of Thrones series, in an exchange on the blogs comment section of his blog.

“Not done yet, but I’ve made progress. But not as much as I hoped a year ago, when I thought to be done by now.

I think it will be out this year. (But hey, I thought the same thing last year).”

This is his first official statement, according to Entertainment Weekly, since the author’s post over a year ago when he announced he would not finish in 2016 [correction: that post was about not finishing in 2015 before the 2016 premiere].

EW says “It’s still possible Winds could be out by the time [the HBO series] Thrones returns for season 7, which isn’t expected until this summer.”

That’s probably wishful thinking. In December Martin said he has “missed several deadlines” and “Sometimes I look back and say, ‘Did it really have to be Seven Kingdoms?’ The Five Kingdoms of Westeros, that would have been good, right?’