Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: Books I Loved, Books I Didn't

For everyone who lives in Florida or the Caribbean, my thoughts are with you. I hope your homes, your family, and your pets are safe and sound. The photos and videos look so scary. I can't imagine what you all are going through.

Some of you know that I've been on a great organize my books project. My ultimate goal is to put all my unread books--print, e, and audio--into a single database. I've been keeping up with my print books for months now, and as of Sunday morning, I'm totally up to date with my audiobooks. My big stall is the eBooks. I'm not sure why, but I just haven't gotten a handle on them. I'll figure it out one of these days (I hope).

I had an "interesting" workweek getting used to my new computer and Windows 10, but I love my new machine and my productivity is speeding up.

What I Read Last Week

Leigh Bardugo's The Language of Thorns (Macmillan, Sept. 26) is a collection of three dark fairy tales or fables that involve trickery and magic. I loved the stories, the haunting world, and the beautiful illustrations that accompany the text. One story involves a clever fox, another a witch in the woods and a mystery, and the final story is about rich man and his daughter. As all good tales, each one teaches a life lesson. I read a review copy from the publicist and am a little confused because the back cover mentions six stories, although my advanced reader copy contains only three. Regardless, I always like Bardugo's work and can highly recommend this collection to her fans and fans of newly minted fairy tales.

Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere (Penguin Press, Sept. 12) is going to be on everyone's best of 2017 list. Set in the Cleveland-area community of Shaker Heights, the novel exposes the glossed-over underbelly of a small upper-middle-class neighborhood of privilege and expectations. Ng nails the dialogue, the sociocultural mores, and the consequences of meddling in other people's business. Race, class, education, family, dreams, life choices -- so many fires with such far-reaching destruction. A starkly truthful story that grabs you by the collar and pulls you in close. Run out tomorrow and buy this book. I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Penguin Audio, 11 hr, 27 min) read brilliantly by Jennifer Lim, who erased the wall between listener and earbuds. It was near-impossible for me to hit that stop button. (audio review copy from the publisher)

Marta McDowell's The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Timber Press, Sept. 20) should be on your holiday gift list for Little House fans of all ages. There is so much to love about McDowell's examination of Wilder's connection to the natural environment. Wilder fills her work with references to the flowers, wild fruits, garden produce, and cash crops that sustained her family on their journeys back and forth across the Great Plains. It's a delight to see the links between episodes in the beloved books with the realities of farming or buying seed or foraging that the Wilders and other families like them contended with. The style is down to earth and respectful and the full-color illustrations (some from various editions of Wilder's novels), maps, and photographs really bring the text to life. Biographical and historical details inform the botanical information, helping us see a fuller picture of Laura Ingalls Wilder's universe. The last part of the book includes information for visiting places where Laura lived, seeing period gardens, and for creating your own little prairie. Plant lists and resources round out the book. I picked up an advanced reader copy at BEA but have preordered a finished copy because this is a book to treasure.

Books I Broke Up With

I had high hopes for Solar Bones by Mike McCormick (Soho, Sept. 12), but the one long mostly unpunctuated sentence was just too much for my editor's brain. I may give it a second try, but I kind of doubt it. Everyone else seems to love this Irish story, and the novel was long-listed for the Booker Prize. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercombie (Orbit, Sept. 2015) has been on my audiobook list for a couple of years. It's billed as epic fantasy with plots of war, politics, and conspiracies. I wanted to love this, but I just didn't. I'm not sure if the issue was Steven Pacey's performance or the book. Or maybe it just suffered from being next after Little Fires Everywhere. I plan to try again in a few months. (both books were provided to me by the publishers)


What I'm Reading Now

I'm currently listening to Ken Follett's newest entry in his Kingsbridge series, A Column of Fire (Penguin Audio; 30 hr, 19 min). I adore this series, which is set in a cathedral town in England. This installment takes place during Mary Tudor's reign, and religious turmoil is coloring our favorite characters' everyday life. Thank goodness the wonderful John Lee has returned to perform the audiobook. I love his characterizations, accents, pacing, and level of expression. I can tell already that this long audio is going to be worth every minute of your time. It comes out tomorrow.

I'm in between print books as I write this post, and I'm not exactly sure what I'll read next. I think I'll pick either a contemporary thriller or a contemporary middle grade novel. I have several books in mind in each category, and I think either would provide a good contrast to Follett's historical fiction.

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12 True Stories to Read in September

Hello fans of the true story. Whether you like history or biography, memoir or science, this month's new book releases include a host of great nonfiction titles. It's been difficult to narrow down the books I'm adding to my "hope to read it" list. Here are 12 I don't want to miss.

Memoir

In The Best of Us (Bloomsbury, Sept. 5), Joyce Maynard shares the joys of finally finding her true soul mate, the heartbreak of losing him before they had barely begun a life together, and the struggle to find her new place in the world after his death.

In Fire in the Heart (Arcade, Sept. 5), Mary Emerick tells us about her life as a forest-fire fighter, including the physical demands, the life-threatening dangers, and the friendships. After the death of a fellow firefighter, Emerick began to reassess her career path.

In Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies (Atria, Sept. 12), journalist Michael Ausiello uses humor to temper the darkness in this unforgettable tribute to his beloved late husband. Reviewers have commented on the emotional impact of Ausiello's story.

History

In Alone (Liveright, Sept. 19), Michael Korda turns his careful attention to the story of Dunkirk, both the horrors and death and the amazing British spirit that ultimately let to victory in Europe. His own childhood memories inform this well-researched account.

In Bloodlines (Ecco, Sept. 12), Melissa del Bosque tells the fast-faced story of how two FBI agents took on a major Mexican drug lord by going after his money-laundering scheme, which was set in the world of American Quarter Horse racing.

In The Templars (Viking, Sept. 19), Dan Jones explores the spectacular rise of a band of crusading knights to a position of wealth and power, until a king of France plotted to bring them down in a single day: Friday the 13th in October 1307. The legacy of the Templars is still felt today in the West's relationship with the Mideast and Islam.

Biography

In Darwin's Backyard (Norton, Sept. 5), James T. Costa reveals the personal side of the father of natural selection, who had a lifelong curiosity about the natural world. The book includes experiments you can conduct in your own backyard.

In The Disappearance of Emile Zola (Pegasus, Sept. 19), Michael Rosen explores the novelist's life, politics, and passions while in exile from France in the aftermath of the Dreyfus Affair. Zola's story is relevant in  light of today's sociopolitical climate.

In The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Timber Press, Sept. 20), Marta McDowell anchors the Little House books in the natural world of Laura's life and travels through the open prairies. Illustrations, photographs, maps, and botanical information round out this unique biography.

Other True Stories

In Clockwork Futures (Pegasus, Sept. 5), Brandy Schillace looks at the roots of Steampunk technology--from flying machines to automatons--including the impact the inventions and inventors had on the greater society.

In Koh-i-Noor (Bloomsbury, Sept 12), William Dalrymple and Anita Anand trace the history of one of the world's most celebrated diamonds. From the East India Company's acquisition of the jewel, the Koh-i-Noor has been steeped in controversy and myth and for some has symbolized the worst of colonialism.

In The Last Castle (Touchstone, Sept. 26), Denise Kiernan takes us inside the walls of Biltmore House to show us the world of the rich and famous who built the mansion and graced its halls. At 175,00 square feet, the chateau is the nation's largest single-family dwelling.

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5 Books to Put on Your Wish List (BookExpo 2017: Part 1)

As many of you know, I was in New York last week to attend this year's Book Expo (formally known as BEA) to learn about all the new and exciting books that will soon be in the stores and libraries and in your hands and on your wish lists.

I walked the convention floor many times over looking for both the hot titles everyone wants as well as the lesser-know books that you might well miss. Instead of my usual coverage of panels and events, this year I'm going to write a series of three or four roundup posts that highlight some of the books I'm most excited about.

Pay attention to the publishers and the publishing dates: one of the following is available right now, but the others won't come out until fall. It's never too early to preorder or to get on that library waiting list, right?

• The End of the World Running Club by Adrian Walker (Sourcebooks, September): Who doesn't love a good dystopian novel, especially one that involves family and the burning need to find each other across a great distance in a world turned upside down. This story takes place in the UK, after an asteroid makes a direct hit with earth. Our hero is about to be tested both physically and mentally.
• The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken (Disney Hyperion, September): I kind of feel I need not say much more than urban fantasy, middle grade, and Alexandra Bracken! This start of a new series introduces us to demons and a troubled family. There are bad guys and good guys and few curses. The novel is set in Salem, MA, so can I expect witches too?
• As Lie Is to Grin by Simeon Marsalis (Catapult, October): I'm not really sure what to expect from this novel, but I think it is going to offer a mix of perspectives on modern-day life as a young (adult) black America. Old and new collide as history is rewritten, or at least filtered, by what one finds on the Internet. I met the author, who was warm and friendly; I wish him all the best with his debut novel. 
• The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Marta McDowell (Timber Press, September): There were several Laura Ingalls Wilder books and totes at BEA this year, and I was happy I was able to get a copy of this beautifully illustrated book that enriches the Little House world by focusing on the natural landscape that called to Pa and informed Laura's writing. I've already preordered a finished copy.
• Grocery by Michael Ruhlman (Abrams, May): I can't wait to start reading this well-researched (and well edited) look at the rise of the American grocery store, with its standardized layout, and how it reflects the country's culture, economics, and eating patterns. Ruhlman did more than an armchair investigation; he traveled the country, meeting people and even gaining firsthand experience as a supermarket bagger. 

Up next will be a few of the books I discovered from some smaller presses, and I'll finish with one or two posts from the big four publishers.

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