Get new books to read by top names like Lisa Scottoline, Elizabeth George, Faye Kellerman, and Patricia Cornwell. Their new books are guaranteed to be among the best mystery books 2015!
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Gritty and dark this week in romance new books to read is Rachel Van Dyken's Rip. On the lighter side, welcome a new Shopaholic book to your shelves!
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Fans of Wicked are sure to queue up this week to get Gregory Maguire's new book, After Alice. Another sure to be good fantasy book this week is The Paladin Caper, the newest installment of the humorous Rogues of the Republic series.
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Best Non Fiction Books of 2015 are sure to include Notorious RBG by and Wildflower by Drew Barrymore, our favorite celebrity memoirs.
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Not long after September 11, 2001, I began having Armageddon-like nightmares in which I was ten years old and living with my parents again in central Florida. It took me awhile to realize that my subconscious had somehow melded the very scary Cuban Missile Crisis of my childhood with the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. Nearly four decades apart, my response to 9/11—shock and outrage, anxiety and fear—sent me back to the inexorable dread we Floridians felt in October 1962. That aching sense of déjà vu inspired the story of Wes Avery, local businessman, loving husband and doting father, trying desperately to hold his family together while, in 13 historic days, the world around them falls apart.
What's rocking your world this month?
A friend sent me this quote by Salman Rushdie: “Sometimes writing a novel is not unlike having a baby. You'd have to ask a female novelist to compare the pain.” The gestation period for A Place We Knew Well was closer to nine years than nine months. And though birthing a book and birthing a baby are worlds apart, pain wise, I would say that the mix of emotions, when I recently opened my editor’s package and held the “first books off-press” in my arms, was surprisingly similar: shock, pride, utter relief and joy, followed by tears, lack of sleep, and a not inconsiderable sense of “now what?”
If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?
If I could, I’d invite Mrs. Gladys Wilson and my mousy-haired fifth grade self. To that shy, insecure little girl hiding behind her ugly cat-eye glasses, I’d say, “You know those feelings that you’re lousy at math and science, that you’re too uncoordinated to ever earn a certificate for President Kennedy’s Physical Fitness, that you truly are a fifth-grade nothing who will never amount to anything? Lighten up. And listen up!” Then I’d turn to Mrs. Wilson and add, “Remember the day you told me you’d entered my poem in a state contest, and it won? Remember how, after that, you stated firmly, unequivocally ‘YOU can WRITE!’ Those three words were alchemy, transforming my little nothing self here from straw into gold. They gave me an identity—I am a WRITER—and created a path that led to a long career of writing many things for many people, plus one nonfiction book and three novels, so far, for myself. They—you—made all the difference. And this little girl and I are forever grateful.”
What's on your writing desk?
What is the one movie that you can quote the most?
On their first date, my parents went to see Casablanca. Throughout my childhood, my Dad—an incurable romantic--used the film’s dialog as family shorthand. When dinner was ready, he’d stand at the bottom of the steps and call upstairs, “Major Strasser’s been shot!” meaning “round up the usual suspects” and let’s eat! When one of my four brothers appeared to be telling a tall tale, he’d look around the room and ask, “Do you hear the sound of a tinny piano?” Or if we kids were bugging him to do something the following weekend, he’d tease, “I never make plans that far ahead.” When we were bugging our mom, he’d wink at her and say, “We’ll always have The Dells.” (They couldn’t afford a Parisian honeymoon.) My favorite Casablanca quote is also a wedding day memory. Dad, tearing up at the back of the church, took my arm and whispered, “Here’s looking at you, kid. Don’t ever forget how quickly ‘time goes by’.”
If you had to pick one place to vacation for the rest of your life, where would you choose?
Tricky question. The root word for vacation is the Latin vacatio, meaning “leisure, freedom, exemption, free from duty, immunity earned by service.” Sounds terrific. I’ll take two weeks practically anywhere. However, when you toss in “the rest of your life,” that sounds more like retirement, which is not yet on my radar. If you insist I choose “one place” “for the rest of my life,” it would be where I live now in North San Diego County, near the beach, an easy drive to the mountains or the desert, and close to my son and longtime friends.
What's your favorite quote or scene from A Place We Knew Well?
“How in the world have we come to this? Why now? And why here, on Florida’s front porch?”
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” ~ Dorothy Parker
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Edgar Allan Poe books are like none other. His works of poetry are amazing, and his short stories are nothing short of captivating. The Cask of Amontillado is my personal favorite Poe story, but other NewInBooks team members are partial to The Telltale Heart. We put together of modern books to read (all new for 2015) if you love Edgar Allan Poe - no matter which of the Edgar Allan Poe books you choose as your favorite.
Night Music
John Connolly
Release Date: October 6, 2015
Why fans of Edgar Allan Poe books will like it: creepy short stories with a literary tilt
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams
Stephen King
Release Date: November 3, 2015
Why fans of Edgar Allan Poe books will like it: scary short stories, compelling prose
nEvermore!
Various Bestselling Authors
Release Date: July 1, 2015
Why fans of Edgar Allan Poe books will like it: anthology of stories as an homage to Edgar Allan Poe
Murder by Candlelight
Michael Knox Beran
Release Date: August 8, 2015
Why fans of Edgar Allan Poe books will like it: nonfiction discussion of the macabre crime of the Romantic era
A Slanting of the Sun
Donal Ryan
Release Date: September 29, 2015
Why fans of Edgar Allan Poe books will like it: haunting stories, beautiful prose
The Murder of Halland
Pia Juul
Release Date: June 22, 2015
Why fans of Edgar Allan Poe books will like it: chilling novel written by an author of poetry and short stories
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Science Fiction readers, get ready to have your mind blown. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff hit shelves this week and it's a whole new world. Entering new dimensions of science fiction, Illuminae is structured as a collection of documents. Emails, correspondences, heavily crossed out texts, complete with obvious exclusionary edits, fill the pages of this 599 page novel. When we unboxed this lovely book this week we were surprised and amazed to find that the jacket is a printed, opaque plastic, with select text printed on it, and a whole mass of text printed on the cover of the book itself. If there is ever a book that you MUST buy in hardcopy, it's this one. Play the video to see what we mean.
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Those are the first words of a truly epic story.
It's 2575 and a tiny ice speck of a planet on the edge of the universe is being fought over by two megacorporations, much to the surprise of it's inhabitants, when antagonistic members of both parties show up on the surface. Our protagonists are Katy and Ezra, who, until they ended their relationship mere hours before the unforeseen invasion, are stuck together on a desperate quest for survival. Being stuck on a fleeing spaceship with your ex is bad enough, but they must face the weapons of the enemy warship that's hot in pursuit, a mischievous AI, a rapidly mutating plague, and potentially corrupt hierarchy. Illuminae is just the first of an anticipated trilogy, and you can bet your bottom dollar that we will be anxiously awaiting the next installment... just as soon as we spend our entire weekend reading this one.
Get The Book
The internet is an incredible service, especially when it comes to purchasing items you'd like and having them reach you at top speeds. When you know you can have something nearly instantaneously it's hard not to go with the fastest option. That's especially true if there's a book you're extremely excited to read. But if you haven't been to your local indie bookstore you've been missing out on rewarding experience. Why go buy a book in person when you can have it shipped to your front door? We have five reasons.
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Events and Book Signings: Music can be fun to listen to anywhere, but there's something particularly energizing about live performances. The same can be said for author readings. There's something compelling about listening to the person who wrote a good story read it to a roomful of listeners. One could argue that we should schedule more story time into our lives. An easy way to do that is by attending your local indie stores events. Do you own a book that has room for a few more words from it's author? Specifically, their signature? You can get that extra personal touch at a local bookstore when your beloved writer stops in for a book signing event!
Hire Local People: Chances are, when you order a book online you don't know who you're getting it from. When you go into a local book store you are more likely to see a recognizable face. Maybe you won't know them the first time you come in, but your subsequent visits will make them more and more familiar. Not only will you be supporting a local business and local jobs, these workers will also get to know you, which leads to our next point.
Personal Recommendations: There's a good chance that if these people are working in book stores that they like books, and not just the smell of them, or the way they hold words goodly. Some websites may offer suggestions of books you might like, but bookstore employees are capable of delivering better recommendations based on more personal information. Ask them when you stop in, and they may lead you to your next great read.
Make New Friends: So maybe you won't find love at your local bookstore. But you share enough time and interest in reading material, you're sure to find a friend. You might find someone you can finally talk about your favorite books with, someone you can look forward to sharing plot points and reactions with. Favorite character killed off? Maybe now you'll have a shoulder to cry on.
Support the Local Economy: Without getting into the scary, hairy details of taxes, when you contribute to your local area commerce, your local area's economy does better. When you ship a book to yourself, you are depriving your local economy the profit, both in revenue and taxes, that comes from the transaction. Sometimes it's nice to spread the love (and moolah!) a little closer to home.
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Private-eye-turned-security-specialist Jamie Sinclair returns in The Kill Box, and this time, she tackles a cold case that could cost her the one person who means the most to her. When the consequences of an unsolved crime catch up with Jamie and military police officer Adam Barrett, a late-night phone call sends her racing to his hometown in upstate New York. In a tinderbox of shattered trust and long-buried secrets, Jamie must fight to uncover the truth about what really happened one terrible night twenty years ago. And the secrets she discovers deep in Barrett's past not only threaten their future together--they just might get her killed.
I loved writing this novel for many reasons, including the fact that so much of the countryside where I grew up ended up finding its way into the narrative. For instance, there's a very special apple tree in the book that's very much like an ancient tree at my grandmother's house. Five generations of my family have held celebrations in its shade.
What fictional literary world would you most like to visit?
Since high school, I've loved Robert Jordan's world in the Wheel of Time series. It's so rich with its upside-down weather and galloping, trans-continental adventure. I'd need a special skill to get along, though. Can doing the laundry be a special skill? If so, I'm all set.
Who was your childhood hero?
Hands down, I'd have to say my mom. No matter what troubles came our way, she always had a knack for making things work. If the lawnmower engine bit the dust, she'd find a way to fix it. If I had to craft a last-minute science project, she'd help me figure it out. She was capable and funny, compassionate and smart. That was the kind of person I wanted to be. It's the kind of person I hope I am.
What’s the best tip you give to your creative writing students?
Well, my students might disagree, but my best advice is: read, read, read, and ask why. Read things you don't like as often as you read things you love. Ask yourself why you react to those works the way you do.
What books do you find yourself returning to again and again?
Oh, goodness! So many books! I go back to Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep again and again. It's so twisty, yet the truth is looking at you and Marlowe the whole way through. I can't get over Robert Crais' L.A. Requiem. Because of that book, I think I'll love Joe Pike forever. I re-read William Gibson's Pattern Recognition about every other year. There's something so bittersweet about that story. It keeps me coming back. And I just want to cheer every time I finish Tami Hoag's Dark Horse. She's got a protagonist that never quits. I love that in a book.
You wouldn’t be caught dead, where?
Cabot Cove, Maine! With all due respect to Jessica Fletcher, visitors to her little burg have a habit of running into the Grim Reaper.
What's your favorite quote or scene from The Kill Box?
Well, Jamie learns some deeply personal things about Barrett--and about herself--that really knock her for a loop. She comes to an important realization in the dark, under a blanket of stars, and she has to hug herself to hold herself together. I think that may be my favorite scene because, sometimes, the truth can catch us unaware like that. And it always changes everything.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
Sometimes, things don't work out the way we hope. When I face a set-back, I remember Aesop's tortoise and hare. I try to remind myself, "Slow and steady wins the race."
Nichole Cristoff is the author of the new book The Kill Box.
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Since its beginning in 1936, the National Book Awards have harvested a selection of premium stories written by the best current authors. In four areas (Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People's Fiction) 5 panelists, made up of acclaimed writers, go through hundreds of books in the voting process. While these books are submitted by publishers, those on the judging panel can request certain books they deem worthy of the honor. With the longlist released in September, and the Shortlist released last week, it won't be long before the finalist is announced at the NBA Ceremony on November 18. Read on to see the books still in the running, as well as the Longlist runner-ups for each category. Happy Reading!
Refund: Stories by Karen E. Bender: A collection of stories that revolve around money, what people do to receive or lose it, and how it impacts perceptions of worth.
The Turner House by Angela Flournoy: The fate of a home in Detroit that has seen decades of family members and many fires is to be decided by generations of its previous tenants.
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff: Delve into the 24 year long marriage that lasted, not in spite of, but because of its secrets. Complex, intriguing, and emotionally binding.
Fortune Smiles: Stories by Adam Johnson: A collection of stories that offer a new look into the world with its new technologies, yet unshakable tendencies.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara: The story of four college friends who grow together to face obstacles that shake and shatter previous held conceptions of friendship, love, and life.
Longlist:
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates: A powerful contemporary voice writes to his son in this long letter regarding the conception of race, the way it shaped our nation, and what can be done to alter it.
Hold Still by Sally Mann: A personal history of a Southern family presented in an entirely unique manner with letters, photographs, and much more than she thought to find.
The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery: One woman's connection with an octopus inspired her to explore, investigate, and reveal the depths of the intelligent creatures we know so little about.
If the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran by Carla Power: A journalist and a Sheikh spend a year reading, interpreting, and arguing the content of the Quran in different cultural settings around the world.
Ordinary Light by Tracy K. Smith: The personal story of one woman's adaption of faith, life, and race in America as she encounters higher education and family grief.
Longlist:
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The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin: A youth shaken by the death of her best friend sets off on a journey to prove her own theory regarding the passing of her friend and jellyfish.
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby: This story follows the life of a young Midwestern girl who was kidnapped and the only witness to the event who could not identify the perpetrator of the crime.
Most Dangerous: Daniel Elisberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin: The story of the a government analyst who leaked the Pentagon papers to the NY Times in what would be known as one of the biggest expositions of US Government misdeeds to date.
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman: A youth troubled by his own odd behavior and mental health issues threads between life in school and life as an artist aboard a ship.
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson: Two villains team up to prove the heroes of the kingdom everyone praises aren't the good people everyone thinks them to be.
Longlist:
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