This is a week on contemporary cuddles and steamy scenes. The best selling Surrender and Taking Chances and Forgiving Lies Series have new installments this week. Or, if you're looking for the sweetest of the sweet, check out Married 'till Monday by Denise Hunter.
Sign up for our email and we'll send you the best new books in your favorite genres weekly.
Obsessed with the Body Farm novels? Jefferson bass just released the newest installment: The Breaking Point. Or, take a step back in time to Victorian England with The Dead Assassin, by Vaughn Entwistle.
Sign up for our email and we'll send you the best new books in your favorite genres weekly.
Shopaholics, rejoice! Sophie Kinsella has a new book, Finding Audrey. While it may be geared towards Young Adult readers, readers of all ages will love the return of Kinsella's quirky wit and humor. Like your stories more spooky than sassy? Garth Nix's new collection of short stories, To Hold the Bridge, fits the bill!
Sign up for our email and we'll send you the best new books in your favorite genres weekly.
This is a week of GORGEOUS covers. Not that we judge a book by it's cover or anything, but it never hurts to have a fantastic story on your shelf that does double duty as poignant entertainment and art. With that in mind, be sure to pick up Book of Numbers, by Joshua Cohen, The Truth According to Us, by NYT best selling author Annie Barrows, and Language Arts, by Stephanie Kallos.
Sign up for our email and we'll send you the best new books in your favorite genres weekly.
This week's Biographies and Memoirs are heavy in Rockstars and Larger Than Life stories. Get a little historical with Kristen Green's Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County, giggle at comedy and misadventures in Ali Wentworth's Happily Ali After, and follow the life of a child genius in The Boy Who Played With Fusion.
Sign up for our email and we'll send you the best new books in your favorite genres weekly.
Rachel Howzell Hall writes gritty, captivating mysteries starring Elouise "Lou" Norton, the only African American, and only Female, LA homicide detective in her detail. An LA native, Rachel decided to write the hero that she felt her hometown needs. Her new release, Skies of Ash (May 2015, Macmillan) delves deep into the darkness of the human heart as Lou investigates a fatal house fire, while navigating an unraveling marriage. Intrigued by Rachel's plots and protagonists, we reached out to learn more:
Skies of Ash is the second in my LAPD Homicide Detective Elouise Norton. In this story, she's investigating a tragic house fire. A mom and her two children die in the fire. The man of the house tried to rescue his family but couldn't. She's trying to figure out who started the fire while trying to figure out her own marriage.
Unfortunately, horrible things happen to people every day. Fortunately, it doesn't take much to dig for a story, for a crime for Lou to solve -- and to avenge for the victims. And those readers who enjoy my stories and Lou -- they inspire me and remind me that my writing is resonating with some. In those down times, I remember that and pick up the pen again.
I love rainy days -- when I'm not driving in it. Living in L.A., you don't wanna drive in the rain. So, if I'm home and it's a Sunday, I like playing video-games. RPGs are my favorites -- I like finding treasure chests and making potions and weapons. Right now, I'm playing the new Witcher game. If I have to do laundry on a rainy day, then I catch up on all my DVRed shows. I don't read because I'll fall asleep.
Hmm... well... Let me think about that and come back.... I'm back. So... it's hard to answer knowing that my station in life in many of the worlds I escape to in my reading are often misogynistic and racist, and being a black woman... It's hard. BUT! Eliminate those things (at least to today's level) and I'd say Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles back in the 40s and 50s. The style, the cynicism and men in hats and the women in great dresses and Hepburn-esque pantsuits. Big cars. Good music.
Two Cuties, a cup of coffee, tissue, three pens, pictures of my daughter and husband (editor's note: does that mean there are four cuties on your desk?), and the legal pad filled with the fourth in the series CITY OF SAVIORS.
Finding joy in as much as I can. Love and acceptance from my family. Good pens, smooth paper, and great books.
Eat the elephant one bite at a time.
As intrigued by Elouise "Lou" Norton as we were? Buy Skies of Ash today!
Read more about Rachel's inspiration for the Lou Norton Novels, and her additional pursuits, in this fantastic NPR Code Switch Segment.
Connect with Rachel on her Website, Facebook, and Twitter!
Sign up for our email and we’ll send you the best new books in your favorite genres weekly.
What's the News in Books this week? Well let us tell you:
We have all heard of the Bechdel Test thank to this nifty TED talk. We know that we need more entertainment featuring female characters who aren't dependent on their male counterparts, but apparently that memo hasn't reached the ears of the judges for most of the most sought after literary awards. Read More ↦
Libraries, like Bookstores, have needed to change to adapt to the new world of instant gratification brought on by eBooks and Amazon. What country was the first to completely overhaul their approach to libraries, in an attempt to keep patrons coming and keep these majestic institutions alive? Why, those wily German's of course! With greater access to eBooks, and extended hours, Germans have been reminded that libraries are truly magical places. Read More ↦
Jealous of sports fans as they rattle off the stats of their favorite players and teams, knowing that stats like that don't exist for books? Never fear, readinglength.com is here! Just search for your favorite book, or the one you've been meaning to read, and it will tell you length in both page numbers and words! You can even take a test to see how fast you read, and calculate how long it will take you to read a given novel! Read More ↦
A little confused by book trailers? Typically, us too. But not today! Aziz Ansari just released his book trailer for Modern Romance, and let us tell you, it's comedic genius. Watch it ↦
Amazon has enjoyed barging into markets and making a fuss from the get-go. Their next book/eBook related plan? KiddieKindle! A Kindle wrapped in plastic with a 2 year warranty that covers things like spilled milk! Read More ↦
We love things that mix old, classic media with the new/ popular. This week's gem: Drunk Texts from Famous Authors. Read More ↦
Sign up for our email and we’ll send you the best new books in your favorite genres weekly.
My experience with online dating has been frenetic and problematic, to put it lightly (this post is book-related, I promise - stick with me). Okay, to be fair, online dating is sometimes fun. It's the little fun moments that keep me coming back. Those moments of sophomoric joy force me to set limits on myself for how often I open Tinder (when I have it downloaded, I limit myself to twice a day) or how many months I will go without dating and focus on more important and interesting endeavors. I have to forbid myself from doing something I dislike (meeting a stranger for a drink) in order to open up my time for things I actually love (like yoga and climbing mountains and reading books). It sounds backwards because it is. That's why I don't do it anymore.
I was on OKCupid for approximately one hour, during which I received countless messages from would-be suitors, many of them lewd or predatory. I was freaked out and overwhelmed. I talked to one interesting person, but one hour was more than enough for me. I promptly deleted my account.
Tinder is slightly better. On Tinder, at least, two people must mutually swipe right (the action for 'yes I want to match with this person') before any conversation can take place. One can therefore be discerning and minimize the risk of a truly uncomfortable situation. Notice I said 'minimize' - not 'eliminate.' Discerning or not, I still got a message or two like this (WARNING - linked screenshot is mean and contains swear words, don't click on it kiddos. It's a real message I got in response to asking if one of this gentleman's pictures was taken on a farm).
Aziz Ansari talks about the total shift in the culture of finding love in his new book, Modern Romance (which comes out on June 16th). Ansari and Eric Klinenberg, one of the nation's leading sociologists, conducted a massive international research project to analyze how people today interact in the pursuit of love. The book trailer is worth a watch - it's hilarious.
It's described as irreverent (which, I think, is the only way to approach the topic) and is backed by cutting-edge social science. I can't wait to read it. I saw Aziz Ansari live a year or so ago, and he approached the same topic in comedy. Aziz took an audience member's phone (with consent obviously, always get consent) and read off the entirety of her conversation with a man she met on Tinder. The conversation, as expected was defined by nebulous plans and noncommittal nuances. Fickleness and freneticism.
The last time I deleted Tinder, I had 350 matches and active conversations with 30 people. 30 PEOPLE. I don't want to date 30 people! I don't think I talk to 30 unique people on a daily basis. I am an introvert. Talking to 30 people at once does bad things for my mood, not to mention my personality.
Emelie Samuelson of PageBreak wrote a piece for Hellogiggles which makes a brilliant point:
I was becoming the type of girl that my ideal guy wouldn’t want to date. I don’t want to date a guy who is interested in girls who spend hours on the Internet, looking for their potential mate. I want to date a guy who spends his time reading books and pursuing his passions, and I would expect him to be interested in a girl who does the same thing.
I was becoming that girl, too. One night, my best friend and I spent 5 hours talking on the phone, texting each other screenshots of Tinder profiles and scrutinizing them together. I don't want to be a woman who does that. I don't want to date a man who is attracted to people who are constantly scrutinizing others. But the ethos of the online dating world lends itself to constant scrutiny because there is such an incredible abundance of choice. Choice paralysis leads to a disregard for all choices. Fine when you're deciding on type of pasta sauce, less fine when you're talking about real humans with real emotions. Fickleness is the lifeblood of Tinder.
I don't want to be fickle. I don't want to spend my time scrutinizing. If you need me, I'll be on a mountain or behind a book. Until I give in and inevitably download Tinder again. Probably. Maybe. Who knows.
Until I figure that out, I'll preorder Modern Romance and impatiently wait for June 18th to arrive.
Want to chat about the problematic world of online dating (or books or Aziz or... um... the weather)? Find us on Twitter at @NewInBooks. And tell me: do I pull off the hearty-eyed emoji look as well as Aziz? No? Then maybe don't tell me.
Sign up for our email and we’ll send you the best new books in your favorite genres weekly.
We have a soft spot for edgy YA fiction. The Tenderness of Thieves is a page- turning mix of psychological thriller and summer love story. Likened to Gone Girl, this story is now, definitely, sitting on our bookshelf. We reached out to the author, Donna Freitas, to learn more about her writing and what rocks her world.
It takes place in a close knit, working class community sitting on the beach in New England. It’s a fishing village, really, and most of the kids grow up to either work on the docks and the boats, or somewhere else locally in the town.
My protagonist is Jane Calvetti, a smart girl with a future, likely outside of the town, with three great best friends and a mother (a seamstress) who loves her dearly. She’s just gone through a trauma: she was held hostage during a robbery in February, and her father (a police officer) was killed that night. No matter how hard she tries, Jane can’t remember much about the men (or boys) who held her captive.
The novel starts at the very beginning of summer, when all Jane wants to do is forget the terrible events of the past winter. Enter Handel Davies into her life, the town bad boy, and Jane falls for him, thinking romance will be the best thing to help her move on and have a great summer with her friends. The story alternates between the present and flashbacks about the night of the robbery.
That’s such a difficult question! There are so many. Let’s see…
In Brooklyn (as far as restaurants go):
Rucola, Henry Public, Buttermilk Chanel, Frankie’s, Prime Meats, James, and shopping for food at Brooklyn Larder.
I also love going down to Brooklyn Bridge Park, seeing the view, and hanging out by the gorgeous restored merry go round.
In Barcelona (as far as restaurants go):
El Xampanyet in the Born neighborhood (for tapas), El Sutidor in Poble Sec (for pizza believe it or not), Hoffman’s (for pastries—best croissant you’ve ever eaten, better than Paris—not kidding), eating paella at Pez Vela down on the beach, not because it’s the best paella you’ve ever eaten (it’s good, totally on par), but because of the spectacular setting and the fact that you feel like you’re on vacation. I love Quimet Quimet, also in Poble Sec. There are so many places! Too many to name.
I also love to go to all the gorgeous markets in Barcelona, and walk around in Ciutat Vella, which is the medieval neighborhoods of the city.
An Olympic gymnast.
Let’s see . . . I loved, loved, love The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary. I just loved Ralph, and I also loved that I was reading a full novel! I was so proud of myself. I also loved books like The Cricket in Times Square and Tucker’s Countryside. I read all of these again and again. Apparently I liked books featuring either bugs or animals.
Well, I don’t have a writing desk. I do all my writing on a chaise lounge. I like to have my feet up, I like to be surrounded by pillows, and in the winter I love being under a big pile of cozy blankets.
Essentials on the little side table next to my chair are a big mug of coffee and a pile of all the books I’m either reading or want to read.
Barcelona soccer. I love Messi and company. They are having an amazing year, they’ve shut Madrid out (sorry Madrid fans) and they are on the verge of taking home three huge titles in a single season. ¡Go Barça!
Philip Pullman of the His Dark Materials trilogy. He’s brilliant and I love him. We would talk about the meaning of Dust in his books, philosophy, theology, about Lyra and Will and their star-crossed love.
Be sure to buy The Tenderness of Thieves today!
Connect with Donna on Twitter, Facebook, and her website!
Sign up for our email and we’ll send you the best new books in your favorite genres weekly.
When we first heard about The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, we got so excited to feature it that we accidentally selected it twice. In two different genres (Literary Fiction and Mystery). Any book that uses the word 'iconoclastic' in the first sentence of the description sounds like a book that we want on our shelves at NewInBooks HQ. We're therefore thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with Anna North, author of The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, to learn about what inspires her.
The Life and Death of Sophie Stark is the story of a brilliant but troubled filmmaker, told by the people who loved her most in her life. Sophie uses the stories of people close to her to make her movies, and this ends up, not oddly, causing problems for her relationships. When I set out to write the book, I wanted to write about a great female artist and the legacy she leaves behind, and it ended up being a book about that, but also about all the other people who make up that legacy.
I've wanted to write ever since I was really little — before I could actually write myself, I dictated stories to my parents and tried to get them to write them down. The best one was probably one about a giant eyeball who solves crimes. It's hard to say what exactly inspired me since I can't remember a time before I wanted to write, but I think I've just always had a lot of stories in my head, and I've always had the urge to get them out.
I like sitting by the window in my apartment, in my green armchair, ideally with the cat and a cup of tea. This is also where I get most of my writing done.
I wanted to be a writer, but I also wanted to be an ornithologist. I loved bird-watching as a kid, and I thought maybe I could make it into a career. I didn't, but I still go birding a fair amount — my most recent sighting was actually a kestrel making a nest above a bagel store in Cobble Hill.
I like that I can get pretty much everything I need, including human interaction, without driving anywhere.
Probably either writing or sleeping. Maybe half and half? I get up early in the mornings to write before work, so I'm always a little sleep-deprived.
I can't listen to music while I write — it's too distracting. But music often inspires me to write. In the years I spent working on The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, I was listening to a lot of The Rosebuds and Sarah Dougher (just not while I was actually writing) — I wrote about some of the music that inspired the book at Largehearted Boy.
Buy The Life and Death of Sophie Stark today!
Connect with Anna online on Twitter and Facebook!
Sign up for our email and we’ll send you the best new books in your favorite genres weekly.
