December 2020

This week, we wish you a happy holiday break with our last episode of 2020! The library team is joined by Andrew Kaberline, Senior Marketing Associate from HarperAudio. We talk all about recent audiobooks that will make your holiday drives fly by and a few audio egalleys that are available on Edelweiss+ and NetGalley. We also play a few clips from the audios that Andrew brought. We hope you enjoy this discussion and have a wonderful, safe holiday season! 

Listen to the episode:

Titles discussed:

• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz, read by Patton Oswalt, Melissa McBride, and Alex Brightman
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.

• Pirate Stew by Neil Gaiman, read by Neil Gaiman
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.

• Mistletoe in Paradise by Jill Shalvis, read by Erin Mallon
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.

• Dearly by Margaret Atwood, read by Margaret Atwood
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.

• Talking to GOATS by Jim Gray, read by Tom Brady and Jim Gray, featuring appearances by Bob Costas, Vin Scully, Carol Burnett, and Snoop Dogg. 
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.

• The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy, read by Charlie Mackesy
  –Watch Charlie's interview on CBS This Morning
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.
  

• Alright, Alright, Alright by Melissa Maerz, read by Brittany Pressley and George Newbern
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.

• The Killer’s Shadow by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker, read by Holt McCallany
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.

• Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, read by Marin Ireland
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.

• Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy, read by Val Toomey, George Newbern, Marin Ireland, and Joel Froomkin
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.

• Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam, read by Marin Ireland
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.

Audio Egalleys:

• The Light of Days by Judy Batalion, read by Mozhan Marno (on-sale April 6, 2021)
  –Request the audio egalley on Edelweiss+
  –Request the audio egalley on NetGalley
  –Listen to our podcast episode with Judy Batalion, in conversation with her editor.

• The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett, read by Jane Copland (on-sale March 9, 2021)
  –Request the audio egalley on Edelweiss+
  –Request the audio egalley on NetGalley
  –Watch our Door to Door with SJ Bennett

• Good Company by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, read by Marin Ireland (on-sale April 6, 2021)
  –Request the audio egalley on Edelweiss+

Check out of all our audio egalleys available on Edelweiss+ and NetGalley.

-Lainey

Download the egalley on Edelweiss+
Download the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: January 1, 2021

Hello friends! Happy holidays!

Nancy Johnson’s stunning debut novel, The Kindest Lie, is a powerful story set in 2008 as Obama takes office and Black communities are filled with a sense of hope and promise. We meet Ruth, an Ivy League-educated Black engineer searching for the son she walked away from and Midnight, a poor, young white boy who finds himself adrift in a dying Indiana factory town. This unlikely connection sets the scene for The Kindest Lie: a prescient, beautiful inspection of motherhood, race, class, and the pursuit of the American Dream. If you haven’t read this novel yet, we urge you to dip in. (And good luck finding a place in this book to stop reading for the night!)  Librarians and authors who have read The Kindest Lie have, well, the kindest words to say about this unforgettable debut. Check out some of the praise below!

"Nancy Johnson leads her readers into a story about race and family, weaving her characters in nuanced ways that are relevant today. It will be a long time before I stop thinking daily about Ruth and Midnight. Their emotional and very human stories will leave readers breathless and wanting to talk about every scene of this stunning and important book."
—Ron Block, Cuyahoga County Public Library (OH)

"Johnson’s sharp debut takes a deep dive into the life of a Black Chicago woman after the 2008 presidential election…. Powerful insights emerge on the plurality of Black American experience and the divisions between rural and urban life, and the wealthy and the working class. Johnson’s clear-eyed saga hits hard."
—Publishers Weekly STARRED review

"The Kindest Lie is a deep dive into how we define family, what it means to be a mother, what secrets we owe to those we love, and what it means to grow up Black. This beautifully crafted debut will keep you asking these questions and more."
—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Two Ways and Small Great Things

"The Kindest Lie is the story of one family that reveals the larger story of America itself. Taut and surprising, Nancy Johnson’s debut novel tackles complex issues—ambition, romance, class—with the lightest of touches."
—Rumaan Alam, New York Times bestselling author of Leave the World Behind

"A gloriously written, stunning heart scorcher about who we are and what we could be."
—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Cruel Beautiful World

We were thrilled to welcome Nancy Johnson on our recent Door to Door episode, which also featured renowned poet Nikki Giovanni. These two incredible writers had a wonderful conversation to open the episode. You can watch the replay below!

Watch on  : https://youtu.be/EGM23kdcX0Q

The Kindest Lie is an important, all-encompassing debut novel that will appeal to a wide range of readers. We hope you will give it a read and submit your votes for LibraryReads. As a reminder, votes are due January 1, 2021.

Download the egalley on Edelweiss+
Download the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: January 1, 2021

-The LLF Team (Virginia, Chris, and Lainey)

This week, we welcome romance author Alisha Rai to the podcast! We talk about her latest, and final, book in her Modern Love series, First Comes Like. The first book in the series, The Right Swipe, was the #1 LibraryReads selection for August 2019, and the second book, Girl Gone Viral, was selected for the April 2020 LibraryReads list.

Listen to the episode below:

A few mentions from the episode:

• Find Alisha's TikTok feed here.
• Read the HuffPost article Alisha wrote here.
• Alisha mentioned Big Bad Wolf by Suleikha Snyder as well as author Nalini Singh

Download an egalley of First Comes Like on NetGalley and Edelweiss+ now.

The book publishes on February 16th, 2021. LibraryReads votes are due January 1st!

-Lainey

Watch the official trailer for Bridgerton, a new series created by Shonda Rhimes for Netflix, based in the Regency-set world of New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn's charming, powerful Bridgerton family.

You can read the first book now before the series comes out on December 25th. Find the TV tie-in edition here. This novel includes the 2nd epilogue, a peek at the story after the story.

Listen to an interview with author Julia Quinn on the Book Club Girl Podcast.

The Skimm also created an interactive "scandal sheet" written from the perspective of the fictional Lady Whistledown in the series. Check it out here.

We can't wait for the series—and to hear more scandals from Lady Whistledown. Watch on Netflix starting December 25th.

-Lainey

In The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, British illustrator, artist, and author Charlie Mackesy has created an insightful story that takes us on an exploration of life’s universal lessons, featuring 100 color and black-and-white drawings. It is the perfect book for readers of all ages. It is a #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller. This story is a complete delight to read and we hope you will pick up a copy for yourself and anyone else who might need a pick-me-up this holiday season.

Listen to an audio excerpt from the book:

Check out Charlie's Instagram feed.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is available now.

-Lainey

Hello librarians! 

We've all been eagerly anticipating the movie adaptation of Paulette Jiles's beloved novel News of the World starring Tom Hanks. Well, the wait is almost over: it will officially premiere in theaters nationwide on December 25th! You can watch the trailer below and keep reading for the early RAVE reviews! We also recommend you read a recent Wall Street Journal holiday film roundup where Paulette Jiles shares her thoughts on the film adaptation.

"Every day it seems this story becomes more urgently vital in shining a light on contemporary America, perhaps much more than the filmmakers ever could have imagined while they were making it. In so doing, this is a tale of another time in America that couldn’t be more important for these times. Journalistically, I shouldn’t be burying the headline, but News of the World is a towering piece of moviemaking." —Deadline review 12/11/2020 (read the full review here)

"The touching story of these two refugees of a divided country is entirely different in mood and tempo from anything Greengrass has done up to now. With its painstakingly detailed production and costume design and stirring sense of time and place, this is a lovingly crafted drama that conveys a gentle message about examining the pain of our past to find a place of peace, belonging and even joy in our future." —Hollywood Reporter review 12/11/2020 (read the full review here)

You can stay up-to-date with additional clips and news via the News of the World movie Instagram page. The trade paperback edition of News of the World is available now and the movie tie-in edition goes on sale December 29th!

-Chris

We have a new interview from Carol Fitzgerald, President of the Book Report Network! She recently interviewed Sue Miller, author of Monogamy—on sale now. Monogamy has been named a New York Times Notable Book of 2020, NPR Best Book of 2020, and O, the Oprah Magazine called it: “A sensual and perceptive novel…. With humor and humanity, Miller resists the simple scorned-wife story and instead crafts a revelatory tale of the complexities—and the absurdities—of love, infidelity, and grief.” Don't miss this great conversation!

You can watch Carol's video interview or listen to the audio on Carol’s podcast!

Be sure to visit The Book Report Network and Bookreporter.com for more great content! 

-Lainey

This week, we welcome Harper Executive Editor Emily Griffin back to the podcast. Emily interviewed Meg Mason, author of the debut novel Sorrow and Bliss. There have been so many amazing quotes for this book. Ann Patchett said: "Sorrow and Bliss is a brilliantly faceted and extremely funny book about depression that engulfed me in the way I'm always hoping to be engulfed by novels. While I was reading it, I was making a list of all the people I wanted to send it to, until I realized that I wanted to send it to everyone I know." Wow! Check out some of the other great reviews:

"Brutal, tender, funny, this novel—a portrait of love in all of its many incarnations—came alive for me from the very first page. I saw myself here. I saw the people I love. I am changed by this book."
—Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes

—Publishers Weekly review

Hello librarians! 

We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! It's hard to believe winter is almost here, but alas, Jack Frost waits for no one. But not to worry! We're here to help prepare for his arrival with a fresh round of reading suggestions for LibraryReads. Enjoy!

Remember: Votes for the February LibraryReads List are due January 1st.

***

The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson
For fans of: The Leavers by Lisa Ko and
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
A thought-provoking, page-turning debut about race, class, identity, and the pursuit of the American dream.

"The Kindest Lie is a deep dive into how we define family, what it means to be a mother, what secrets we owe to those we love, and what it means to grow up Black. This beautifully crafted debut will keep you asking these questions and more."
—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Two Ways

"Taut and surprising, Nancy Johnson’s debut novel tackles complex issues—ambition, romance, class—with the lightest of touches."
—Rumaan Alam, New York Times bestselling author of Leave the World Behind

Request the egalley from Edelweiss+
Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: January 1, 2020

We Run the Tides by Vendela Vida
For fans of: Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
An achingly beautiful and wickedly funny story of female friendship, betrayal, and a mysterious disappearance, set in the changing landscape of San Francisco.

"A nimble and arresting drama about the spell cast by beauty, the compulsion to lie, the valor of forthrightness, and the inevitability of the inexplicable." 
—Donna Seaman, Booklist STARRED review

Request the egalley from Edelweiss+
Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: January 1, 2020

Watch Vendela Vida on Door to Door!

The Removed by Brandon Hobson
For fans of: Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
Steeped in Cherokee myths and history, a novel about a fractured family reckoning with the tragic death of their son long ago—from National Book Award finalist Brandon Hobson.

"Brandon Hobson has given us a haunted work, full of voices old and new. It is about a family’s reckoning with loss and injustice, and it is about a people trying for the same. The journey of this family’s way home is full—in equal measure—of melancholy and love. The Removed is spirited, droll, and as quietly devastating as rain lifting from earth to sky."
—Tommy Orange, New York Times bestselling author of There There

Request the egalley from Edelweiss+
Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: January 1, 2020

Raceless by Georgina Lawton
For fans of: This Will Be My Undoing by Morgan Jerkins
From The Guardian’s Georgina Lawton, a moving examination of how racial identity is constructed—through the author’s own journey grappling with secrets and stereotypes, having been raised by white parents with no explanation as to why she looked black.

"Lawton’s examination of identity and family is a compelling account that will resonate with many readers."
—Booklist

Request the egalley from Edelweiss+
Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: January 1, 2020

Watch Georgina Lawton on Door to Door!

The Upstairs House by Julia Fine
For fans of: The Need by Helen Phillips and
Red Clocks by Leni Zumas
The author of What Should Be Wild returns with a provocative meditation on new motherhood—Shirley Jackson meets
The Awakening—in which a postpartum woman’s psychological unraveling becomes intertwined with the ghostly appearance of children’s book writer Margaret Wise Brown.

"Macabre and funny, spooky and soulful, Julia Fine's 
The Upstairs House lets the reader inhabit a massively entertaining and slyly enlightening story nestled inside another story like a ghost within its host. Love and resentment, madness and clarity compete and comingle in this unforgettable tale of literature and legacy."
—Kathleen Rooney, author of Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey and Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

Request the egalley from Edelweiss+
Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: January 1, 2020

Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins
Also from the author: On the Corner of Hope and Main 
and Rebel
USA Today bestselling author Beverly Jenkins continues her captivating Women Who Dare series with a female rancher who forges her own path in the wake of the Civil War.

"Memorable characters and fun, if fraught, dialogue make the highly anticipated second book in romance star Jenkins' Women Who Dare series a refreshing and keenly innovative historical romance. Readers will be clamoring for more well-researched and inclusive love stories featuring strong women in the American West." 
—Booklist STARRED review

Request the egalley from Edelweiss+
Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: January 1, 2020

Watch Beverly Jenkins on Door to Door!

First Comes Like by Alisha Rai
For fans of: Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey
Alisha Rai, author of The Right Swipe and Girl Gone Viral, returns with a story about finding love in all the wrong inboxes.

"Another win from this rising romance star."
—Booklist

Let's make Alisha Rai a LibraryReads Hall of Fame author!

Previous LibraryReads selections:
The Right Swipe (Top Pick – August 2019)
Girl Gone Viral (April 2020)

Request the egalley from Edelweiss+
Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: January 1, 2020

Lola on Fire by Rio Youers
For fans of: If She Wakes by Michael Koryta and No Exit by Taylor Adams
British Fantasy Award nominee Rio Youers combines vengeance and deceit, love and bullets, secrets, and twists in this high-octane action thriller with a vibrant emotional core.

"Lola on Fire serves up all the gonzo action, quotable lines, and unforgettable characters a reader could want, in a novel that rivals Killing Eve in intensity and atmosphere."
—Joe Hill, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fireman

Request the egalley from Edelweiss+
Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: January 1, 2020

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
For fans of: The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer
A compulsively readable debut novel—spiky, sharp, intriguingly dark, and tender—about a woman on the edge that combines the psychological insight of Sally Rooney with the sharp humor of Nina Stibbe and the emotional resonance of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.

"Sorrow and Bliss is a brilliantly faceted and extremely funny book about depression that engulfed me in the way I'm always hoping to be to be engulfed by novels. While I was reading it, I was making a list of all the people I wanted to send it to, until I realized that I wanted to send it to everyone I know."
—Ann Patchett

Request the egalley from Edelweiss+
Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: January 1, 2020

We Can Only Save Ourselves by Alison Wisdom
For fans of: The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
With echoes of The Virgin Suicides and The Fates Will Find Their Way, Alison Wisdom’s debut novel is the story of one teenage girl’s unlikely indoctrination and the reverberations in the tight-knit community she leaves behind.

"In this tense, complicated novel, the loss of a daughter is observed through the singular, haunting voice of the town’s mothers as they wage a daily battle for safety under the guise of conformity and belonging…. taut, steely prose reveals new complexities, questions, and dangers with each turn of the page."
—Elizabeth Wetmore, New York Times bestselling author of Valentine

Request the egalley from Edelweiss+
Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: January 1, 2020

City of a Thousand Gates by Rebecca Sacks
For fans of: Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok
A novel of great humanity, compassion, and astonishing immediacy, this inventive and unique debut captures the emotional reality of contemporary life in the West Bank and the irreconcilable Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a collage of narrative voices and different viewpoints centered on a particular set of events.

"A stunning first novel…imbued with foreboding at every turn…. Through her vibrant characters, Sacks paints a moving and powerful portrait of those who love the region passionately despite its many tensions and dangers."   
—Booklist STARRED review

Request the egalley from Edelweiss+
Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: January 1, 2020

Love and Other Lies by Ben McPherson
For fans of: The Wife by Alafair Burke and
Grace is Gone by Emily Elgar
A mother and father search for the truth behind their daughter’s disappearance in this stunning psychological suspense novel that takes Nordic noir to a level that is "emotional, painful, and utterly memorable" (Alex Marwood, Edgar Award-winning author of
The Poison Garden).

"[A] stunning psychological thriller…. McPherson dramatically highlights the tensions between Norway’s native and immigrant populations as the plot builds to a devastating conclusion. This powerful, thought-provoking novel deserves a wide readership."
—Publishers Weekly STARRED review

Request the egalley from Edelweiss+
Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: January 1, 2020

***

We hope you enjoy the books! For more information about LibraryReads, visit their website. Remember: Vote early! Vote often!

-Chris

"The ending of this book is one of the most beautifully written final chapters that I have ever worked on in my twenty-plus year career…. It's the most contemplative and gorgeously realized piece of writing about characters who you have really come to hold close to your heart."
—Rachel Kahan, editor of The Heiress

This week's podcast episode features a conversation between Molly Greeley, author of The Heiress, and her editor at William Morrow, Rachel Kahan. The Heiress is a spellbinding historical novel based on Pride and Prejudice that combines the knowing eye of Jane Austen with the eroticism and Gothic intrigue of Sarah Waters to reimagine the life of the mysterious Anne de Bourgh. This is the second book Molly has written with characters from Jane Austen's beloved novel Pride and Prejudice, the first being The Clergyman’s Wife. 

This novel is jam-packed with historical detail and unforgettable characters, sure to interest fans of Pride and Prejudice as well as general historical fiction readers.

Read a behind-the-book essay from Molly here.

A big thank you to Molly and Rachel for taking time to come on the podcast! 

The Heiress goes on sale January 5, 2021.

Download an egalley of The Heiress on Edelweiss+ and NetGalley now.

-Lainey

Our friend Carol Fitzgerald, President of the Book Report Network, recently interviewed the “master of clever misdirection” (Kirkus Reviews) Aimee Molloy, author of Goodnight Beautiful—on sale now. Carol had such insightful thoughts on this book as well as Aimee's first book, The Perfect Mother. They talk about plotting a suspenseful read and how Aimee decided to change the whole book in the middle of the publishing process. 

You can watch Carol's video interview or listen to the audio on Carol’s podcast!

Be sure to visit The Book Report Network and Bookreporter.com for more great content! 

-Lainey