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- 14 February 2012
'The House I Loved' by Tatiana de Rosnay
The author of 'Sarah's Key' takes on Haussman-era Paris, where one woman fights to preserve her home—and the history of her city. Rosnay is exceptional when it comes to writing about French history, and 1860s Paris is a fascinating world that doesn't get much page time in historical fiction.
- 1 March 2012
'The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin'
Journalist Masha Gessen fearlessly takes on the life of Vladimir Putin, the autocratic Russian leader who has hijacked his country and its nominal democracy. Big hit at the Frankfurt Book Fair; there are concerns about Gessen's safety once the book has been published. (Riverhead)
- 13 March 2012
'Arcadia' by Lauren Groff
Groff's playful debut, THE MONSTERS OF TEMPLETON, marked her as an author to watch, and we've been waiting to see what she'll do next. Answer: write a coming-of-age story set in a 1960s commune. Might sound trite, but Groff is one of the most imaginative young writers working these days, and we think her spin on this will be something special. (HMH)
- 27 March 2012
'The Unruly Passions of Eugénie R.' by Carole DeSanti
DeSanti is an editor for Viking who has worked with authors like Tracy Chevalier, Beverly Swerling and Deborah Harkness; now she's taking on the novel directly in this sweeping historical saga set during France's Second Empire, just before the Franco-Prussian war.
'The New Republic' by Lionel Shriver
I'm something of a Shriver evangelist, so I couldn't be more pleased to hear that while she's putting the finishing touches on her current project*, a novel she wrote in 1998 will finally see the light of day. Seems that publishing three bestsellers in a row gives you a little more leeway when it comes to choosing difficult material as your subject.
Shriver says The New Republic deals with terrorism "on a peninsula in Portugal which doesn’t exist—I drew it onto the map. I wrote it in 1998 and at that time I had trouble getting American publishers interested in the manuscript. . . . Now in some ways the US cares too much about terrorism and for a long time I felt it would be wrong to publish something that has a sense of humour about the issue. Enough time has gone by for a droll novel to be well received."
- 3 April 2012
'The Beginner's Goodbye' by Anne Tyler
The Beginner's Goodbye is the story of Aaron, a man who loses his wife suddenly when a tree falls on their house.
Aaron and Dorothy's marriage had been affectionate but not particularly passionate, yet once she is gone he finds himself surprisingly adrift—and continues to see his dead wife everywhere he goes. . Can he figure out a way to say goodbye? (Knopf)
- 10 April 2012
'The Cove' by Ron Rash
Ecco's lead title for spring "captures the wondrous beauty of nature and love and the darkness of superstition and fear in this atmospheric and exquisitely rendered novel set in Appalachia during World War I." (Another for my WWI list!) The catalog also promises that it is "as mesmerizing as the brilliant Serena," which is saying something—if you like memorable heroines, 2008's Serena is a novel that is not to be missed. As reviewer Kristy Kiernan put it in BookPage, Serena "has all the markings of a career-making novel, and should firmly establish poet and novelist Rash as a literary star."
- 24 April 2012
'Farther Away: Essays' by Jonathan Franzen
This is a collection of Franzen's essays and speeches over the past five years, exploring themes of literary rivalry, environmental concern and more. (FSG)
- 1 May 2012
'The Newlyweds' by Nell Freudenberger
No, it's not based on the show starring Nick & Jessica. Literary luminary Freudenberger (she was one of the New Yorker's best 20 under 40) follows her impressive debut novel THE DISSIDENTS with a story of a couple who meet online, marry, and then uncover each other's secrets. A modern take on star-crossed romance.
'Are You My Mother?' by Alison Bechdel
This second graphic memoir from Bechdel—whose FUN HOME was a bestseller that made it onto countless best books lists upon its release in 2006—focuses on her brilliant but distant mother, whose life was both an inspiration and a cautionary tale to her equally talented daughter.
'Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake' by Anna Quindlen
Recently, Anna Quindlen has been focusing on fiction—but readers are sure to rejoice when they hear that the former Newsweek and New York Times columnist will be contemplating life once again this May in Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake (Random House).
- 8 May 2012
'In One Person' by John Irving
This new novel explores the life of a 60-year-old bisexual man and is told in the first person—Irving’s first novel from that point of view since A Prayer for Owen Meany. It's also his first with S&S after leaving longtime publisher Random House.
'Home' by Toni Morrison
The works of Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison go beyond thought-provoking to what could better be called thought-demanding, with their lush prose, deep themes and occasional touches of magic or mysticism. But that's just what readers and critics appreciate about Morrison, who is one of America's most treasured writers. Her next novel, Home, will be published by Knopf on May 8. It's the story of a Korean War veteran who returns to small-town Georgia, disappointed in its racist culture and trying to help his emotionally unstable sister while still recovering from the physical and emotional aftereffects of war.
- 15 May 2012
'The Chemistry of Tears' by Peter Carey
This “portrait of love and loss” from the two-time Booker Prize winner is told from the point of view of a museum curator who throws herself into her job when her secret lover dies suddenly. She finds a 19th-century automaton in a box along with its creator’s diary, and becomes obsessed with uncovering its secrets and its history. (Knopf)
- 22 May 2012
'Canada' by Richard Ford
The first novel in more than five years from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Ford is narrated by 15-year-old Dell Parsons, who flees his Montana home after his parents are arrested for robbing a bank. He ends up on the plains of southern Saskatchewan, taken in by a “charismatic” American who is more sinister than he appears. (Harper)
- 12 June 2012
'Heading Out to Wonderful' by Robert Goolrick
(Algonquin) The author of the smash hit A RELIABLE WIFE returns. This time, the setting is 1948 Virginia, and a mysterious man rolls into town with only two suitcases to his name. But it's when he becomes involved with the wife of the richest man in town that things really get complicated.
'The Red House' by Mark Haddon
An dazzlingly inventive novel about modern family, from the author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. (Doubleday)
'Beautiful Ruins' by Jess Walter
Jess Walter's latest is a little lighter than his last two novels—it deals with Hollywood and unrequited love rather than the aftermath of 9/11 or the implications of our financial crisis. The action begins on the coast of Italy in 1962, where a young man glimpses a beautiful actress and falls in love. Fifty years later, he heads to Hollywood to find her. (Harper)
- 19 June 2012
'Mrs Robinson's Disgrace' by Kate Summerscale
From the author of the bestseller THE SUSPICIONS OF MR WHICHER comes another investigation of a famous case that shook the foundations of middle-class Victorian life. This time, it's a divorce scandal. (Walker)
- 10 July 2012
'Gold' by Chris Cleave
We can't wait for Chris Cleave's take on the friendship between two female athletes who, on the eve of the Olympics, must make a choice between their personal and professional goals. (S&S)
- 24 July 2012
'Broken Harbor' by Tana French
From the publisher: In Broken Harbour, a ghost estate outside Dublin - half-built, half-inhabited, half-abandoned - two children and their father are dead. The mother is on her way to intensive care. Scorcher Kennedy is given the case because he is the Murder squad's star detective. At first he and his rookie partner, Richie, think this is a simple one: Pat Spain was a casualty of the recession, so he killed his children, tried to kill his wife Jenny, and finished off with himself. But there are too many inexplicable details and the evidence is pointing in two directions at once. (Viking)
- 31 July 2012
'Where We Belong' by Emily Giffin
A successful TV producer in her 30s sees her life come crashing down when the child she gave up for adoption 18 years ago comes knocking on her door.
- 21 August 2012
'The Devil in Silver' by Victor LaValle
The author of BookPage favorite 'Big Machine' returns with a gripping haunted house story.
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Category Archives: contests
Monday contest: ‘Dating the Undead’
Do you wish your valentine were a little bit . . . immortal? Readers who simply cannot deny themselves the forbidden fruit of vamps, werewolves, angels, demons (of all types) and even a zombie or two get the dish on … Continue reading
Monday Contest: ‘Cuckoo’ turns 50
In this month’s Well Read column, Robert Weibezahl sang the praises of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel about the goings on in one very unusual mental hospital. Sold for a $1500 advance, One Flew Over … Continue reading
Monday contest: Win a modern take on ‘Jane Eyre’
Do we have any Jane Eyre fans in the house? (I think I already know the answer to that question.) Well . . . happy day! Margot Livesey provides a modern take on the enduring classic in The Flight of … Continue reading
Monday contest: Fiction and friendship
Thrity Umrigar’s new novel, The World We Found, is above all else a character-driven narrative, the story of friendship that transcends politics and religion. Though some aspects of the novel are uniquely Indian, many others are universal—the intimacies between couples, … Continue reading
Monday contest: Win the Child 44 trilogy!
Tom Rob Smith’s Agent 6—the finale in the Child 44 trilogy—came out last week, and we’re pretty excited about it. (You might remember the “Trailer Tuesday” post from January 3.) The books are about Leo Demidov, a former Soviet secret … Continue reading
Monday Contest: New Year, New You!
We’re all been there: We started to slide on our goals toward the end of the year, then made ambitious New Year’s resolutions. That’s all well and good . . . but how are you going to stick with them? … Continue reading
Monday contest: Top Pick in Fiction giveaway!
Today’s contest is the perfect fit for the last week of the year. We’re giving away our three most recent Top Picks in Fiction—novels we thought deserved special attention from readers. They include our November pick, White Truffles in Winter … Continue reading
Monday Contest: ‘Tis the season for red-hot romance
Christmas-themed romance novels are as plentiful as shopping mall Santas, so we’ve picked a few of this year’s best and brightest for your enjoyment. Relax, put your feet up, pour a hot cup of Earl Grey and be swept away … Continue reading
Monday contest: Death Comes to Pemberley
“Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted?” Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s famous line from Pride & Prejudice has echoed over the last 200 years in the ears of readers who have picked up, and been disappointed by, one … Continue reading
Monday contest: Critter books for kids
There’s something about Christmas that makes me reminisce about being a kid–or even doing my best to recreate favorite holiday moments (read: lots and lots of paper crafts). In honor of that childlike wonder inspired by the season (and all … Continue reading
Monday contest: ‘Micro’ by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston
When Pirate Latitudes was published in 2009, everyone thought it would be the last book from Michael Crichton, who had died of cancer in 2008. But while going through his notes and papers, an unfinished manuscript was found. Crichton’s agent … Continue reading
Monday contest: A First Lady and the Queen of Crime
It’s not too late to vote for your favorite book published in 2011 (and enter to win 10 free books)! Even though that contest is still going strong, we’re going to give away two more books on the blog this … Continue reading
Monday contest: Legal suspense from Erin Brockovich
Yes, we’re talking about that Erin Brockovich—the one who helped put together the landmark case against PG&E that inspired an Oscar-winning film. She’s since hosted TV shows and become a much-requested public speaker—and, with the publication of Rock Bottom last year, … Continue reading
Monday Contest: Best American Collection
The end of the year is approaching. Have you made your “Best of” lists yet? Geraldine Brooks was working on hers early this year, as the editor of Best American Short Stories 2011. Here’s what she told me about assembling … Continue reading
Monday contest: Cookies, candies and cakes, oh my!
Happy Halloween! Had enough candy and sweet treats yet? We sure hope not—because this week we’re turning to holiday baking. BookPage cooking columnist Sybil Pratt has found seven of the best baking books of the season, and you can read … Continue reading