BREAKING NEWS: Books (2)

National Book Awards: Two poetry collections aim to give a voice to Palestinians

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 23:00:59 +0000

Two collections that deal with the war in Gaza are competing at the National Book Awards. The poets discuss poetry's power in times of great suffering and what the awards mean for Palestinian voices.

The 75th US National Book Awards, in a Time of Worry

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 22:08:02 +0000

This year's National Book Awards ceremony comes amid Trumpian hreats of legal action against authors and journalists in the United States.

The post The 75th US National Book Awards, in a Time of Worry appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.

A New Leaf

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 20:25:12 +0000

The month our office spent working on the November 21 and December 5 issues was marked by the strange New York weather—a drought, temperatures in the seventies—and the anxious drama of the election. During the weekend between issues, I launched a new edition of The Native Trees of Canada, a book of my paintings of trees, at the McNally Jackson […]

Plaudits from the Post

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:49:00 +0000

As someone who strives to read the finest, most interesting crime, mystery, and thriller fiction in any given year—partly in anticipation of recommending books around the holiday season—it’s a frustration, indeed, to realize that you’ve neglected any that rank highly with other readers. A case in point: Elizabeth Heider’s May the Wolf Die, which was published this last July. Kirkus Reviews called that story of murders in Naples, Italy, “offbeat and entertaining,” and “a lively procedural with a high-powered heroine.” Criminal Element described it as “a thriller infused with insider knowledge—of complicated quasi-governmental machinations that underlay the plot as well as detailed descriptions of Naples.” Yet I never quite got around to adding Heider’s debut novel to my teetering bedside pile.

And now, wouldn’t you know it? May the Wolf Die turns up on The Washington Post’s “10 best mystery novels of 2024” list. Sigh … I can only hope to find time for that work in the near future, and will watch for the sequel Heider says she’s penning.

Meanwhile, here are all 10 of critic Karen MacPherson’s Post picks:

• Circle in the Water, by Marcia Muller (Grand Central)
• Echo, by Tracy Clark (Thomas & Mercer)
• The Grey Wolf, by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
• May the Wolf Die, by Elizabeth Heider (Penguin)
• The Princess of Las Vegas, by Chris Bohjalian (Doubleday)
• A Refiner’s Fire, by Donna Leon (Atlantic Monthly Press)
• We Solve Murders, by Richard Osman (Pamela Dorman)
• The Rivals, by Jane Pek (Vintage)
• What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust, by Alan Bradley (Bantam)
• Where They Last Saw Her, by Marcie R. Rendon (Bantam)

Two other novels that also belong in this category instead figure into Post reviewer Carol Memmott’s list of “the 10 best works of historical fiction in 2024”: The Comfort of Ghosts, by Jacqueline Winspear (Soho Crime); and Precipice, by Robert Harris (Harper).

At the insistence of its owner, Jeff Bezos, The Washington Post may have chickened out from endorsing Kamala Harris for president over convicted felon and adjudicated rapist Donald Trump earlier this month. But I’m pleased to see that paper still allows its literary critics freedom to voice their opinions of what deserves reading.

The Big Idea: Maurice Broaddus

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:25:33 +0000

Writing can take you places you never expected. For author Maurice Broaddus, that includes the offices of some higher ups in his community. Read on to see where else his newest novel, Breath of Oblivion, has taken him.

MAURICE BROADDUS:
I get called into the principal’s office a lot over my writing.*

By “principal’s office,” I mean local city leaders, officials, or politicians. Usually it involves a story or article I’ve written. Lately it’s been my books getting me in … conversations.

My current trilogy, ASTRA BLACK, is about an independent, self-sufficient, self-determining Pan-African community. Breath of Oblivion is book two (Sweep of Stars is book one. Book three will be called A City Dreaming, all three titles taken from the Langston Hughes poem, “Stars.”) The central challenge faced in Breath of Oblivion is that of a community’s struggle to survive against the forces of (intergalactic) gentrification by Original Earth (O.E.). Systematic forces. Political forces. Economic forces. All leveraged to fracture the community from within (stirring dissent via infiltrators) and without (the weight of everything from those same oppressive forces to O.E.’s military might).

Much of the book is inspired by the obstacles faced while doing community organizing work and reimagining those situations through a science fiction lens. There is a level of reading of my work that could be seen as a thinly veiled critique of Indianapolis politics (admittedly, not that thinly veiled because while I’m many things, subtle is not one of them.) I love writing about my home town because I see it as two things: 1) America in microcosm (its history, how it operates, a cross-section of its people); and 2) an interrogation of my identity (I am in this place, in this time, in this context).

But also, I’m hyper-specific in that criticism because, given my conceit, there’s a high likelihood that that what we’re going through here in Indianapolis is an experience playing out in cities across the country; and history teaches us that the same playbook is still being used.

One of the best pieces of writing advice was given to me by fellow author, Daniel Jose Older: Do that $#!+. I was feeling anxious about a project I was working on, as it plunged headlong into territories of race, class, and politics (at the time a departure from the ways that I had been writing). I called up Daniel and those were the words he gave me. Writers have to be bold and take risks. That what we’re supposed to do, and keep doing, as creatives. Speak truth to power. Be fearless. Keep pushing. It can be scary sometimes (which is why it’s good to have friends who can encourage and support you). In the end, taking those risks, accepting those challenges, only makes you a better artist.

Breath of Oblivion is a book two–with its share of an ongoing murder mystery, assassinations, military action, political intrigue, ancient magic, and starships powered by jazz music—it’s also built for folks to be able to jump into. Despite the calls to the principal’s office, I’m not complaining. It’s a reminder of two things: 1) you never know who’s reading you; and 2) at least I’m being read!

*Not to be confused with a local leader being killed off BY REQUEST, constituting one of My Favorite Bit about the book.

Breath of Oblivion: Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Bookshop|Powell’s

Author socials: Website|Twitter|Facebook

With 365 New Books Published Daily, Can Authors Still Buck Lottery Odds

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:33:00 +0000

The odds of winning the lottery are one in 292 million fir Powerball and a slightly worse one in 302 billion for Mega Millions. But that does not stop millions of people from spending over 100 billion dollars this year for a slim shot at a pipe dream. Writers should be able to relate, for the odds of getting a book published and getting it to become a sales success are quite slim as well.

Over three million books were published last year, according to a recent Publishers Weekly article. That equates to roughly 8,767 new books released into the marketplace every day. This includes weekends, holidays, and snow days. That is 365 books per hour – or one new book every 10 seconds. If it took you a minute to get this far into my blog post, six books just got added to the competition.

It breaks down to 563,000 books coming from traditional publishers and 2.637 million from the self-published class, which includes hybrid publishers. That is a ton of books. Don’t forget, the year before that saw three million books produced. And the decades prior to that saw tens of millions of more books published. In the digital era, nothing goes out of print.

However, just because getting an ISBN and making a book available for sale on Amazon as a print-on-demand product, an e-book, or an audiobook technically qualifies you to say your book is published, it is another thing to say it is marketed. The number of books actively marketed shrinks that three million number to well below one million. Still, that is a lot of books.

Now, to what degree one markets — for how long, spending how much effort or money, and how smartly one does it, further cuts down the number of active books by probably another two-thirds. Still, that lives you competing with 350,000 books, or almost 1,000 new titles a day.

Of those 350,000 books that are marketed effectively, there still may be deficiencies plaguing them. One could be the book’s price. It might be too high. Or maybe the title stinks or the cover is ugly. Or worse, the book is mediocre or even bad. Yes, books can be marketed effectively, even if they have warts, but eventually word-of-mouth catches on to sink a book if the criticisms are rampant.

So, what is the take-away here? The marketplace is flooded with books, many of which do not get marketed much or effectively. Of those that get the time and money to be marketed properly, many of those books aren’t that good. The great book with a great marketing campaign still has a chance to breakthrough.

I have said it across many of my 5000 blog posts over 13.5 years: For a book to have a chance at success, it must be marketed. Your book could have a cure for cancer, but it won’t get discovered without marketing it intentionally and forcefully. A so-so book outsells a great book if it is marketed better, but a very good book marketed aggressively and wisely will have the best chance to succeed.

Don’t be daunted by the number of books out there. Merely let the fact that you have competition provoke you to take marketing seriously and give it your all to find a path to your targeted readership.

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook. It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

IndieView with Mel Harrison, author of Crescent City Carnage

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 14:00:51 +0000

The murder story and manhunt for the killers could take place anywhere. It is the city that sets this book apart from others.

Mel Harrison – 20 November 2024

The Back Flap

Alex Boyd and Rachel Smith are only a day into their long-awaited vacation in New Orleans to join their good friend and colleague, Simone Ardoin, when she is brutally murdered. Simone’s well-connected parents, long-time residents of New Orleans, are devastated by the tragedy and implore both Alex and Rachel to work with the New Orleans Police Department to find her killer.

The city is infamous for its laissez-faire attitude, as well as its corruption. Nevertheless, Alex must work with the city’s cops to break the case. He draws immense support from the special agents in the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Office in New Orleans.

Identifying the killer is one thing but locating him proves more complicated than anticipated. Is the killer just lucky? Or does he have an inside source who is helping him stay one step ahead of the cops?

The more Alex and Rachel delve deeply into the case, the more they discover that New Orleans is a unique city full of its own traditions, family ties, and way of life. But the clock is ticking. They need to capture the killer before he disappears forever.

About the book

What is the book about?

Crescent City Carnage is a thriller set in New Orleans. My protagonist, Alex Boyd, and his wife, Rachel Smith, are on vacation visiting a friend and colleague called Simone Ardoin, who is a native New Orleanian. Simone is murdered by a Haitian gang lord. At the request of Simone’s parents, Alex and Rachel stay in the Crescent City to help the police find the killers. The book also explores the unique culture of New Orleans and the Creole ancestry of some of its population, as well as a city full of corruption and violence.

When did you start writing the book?

I started this book over a year ago, at the same time as I outlined another book entitled Spies Among Us.. After writing about ten chapters of each, I decided to pursue Spies Among Us first, and then returned to Crescent City Carnage for book number six in the Alex Boyd series.

How long did it take you to write it?

Actual writing time was about 3 months, but first I did a month of research, then I switched to writing a different book before getting back to Crescent City Carnage. Finally, there were about two months of professional editing and pre-release publicity that followed.

Where did you get the idea from?

My wife is from New Orleans and I also lived there on and off for a few years. I always view my locations as characters in themselves. New Orleans is unlike any other American city, therefore the setting is as special as the human characters in the book. The murder story and manhunt for the killers could take place anywhere. It is the city that sets this book apart from others.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Only in keeping the book from becoming a travelog. I had to focus on moving the plot forward and not entertaining readers with amazing tidbits about New Orleans.

What came easily?

Creating descriptions of the ambiance of the city, to include its architecture, food, steamy summer climate, and local colorful characters.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

They are mostly fictitious, although I used some quirks from real locals.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

James Patterson and his use of short chapters to move the story along. Vince Flynn for his protagonist description and development. Donna Leon for her description of the city and the cultural interaction of major players. And Stieg Larsson for plot development.

Do you have a target reader?

Those that like thrilling action, interesting locals, and developed characters.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

SInce I am retired and do not need to earn a living from writing, I write whenever I feel motivated rather than to an exacting schedule. Some days I may write after breakfast and continue until lunch. Then begin again in late afternoon. But I may skip a day of two if I am busy with other activities. Each day before I begin anew, I reread the last chapter that I wrote. This is to edit my work, but also to gain a feel for the flow of the story.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

My outlines are just a few sentences, which allows me to know where my story is going and which characters will be in that chapter. I give the chapter a heading after I have written it.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I always edit as I go. I simply cannot wait to correct or improve my work until the end of the book.

Did you hire a professional editor?

Although I self-publish, I do have a professional editor who has worked with me on all six books in the Alex Byrd series.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I never listen to music. Too distracting.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I don’t submit my work at this time.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I spoke to a few agents for the first book in the series. It was clear that before a publisher would consider your manuscript, they wanted an agent to look at it first. This makes sense from their perspective. However, the major agent firms use young English majors to screen the manuscripts. They have no real world experience and know nothing about the environment in my thrillers. Therefore, I self-publish.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

As I said, it was based upon conversions with agents.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Professionally done after I suggested material for the cover.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

At first I just winged it. Now I use Books Forward as my publicist. Write what you know about. Tie the readers emotionally to your characters. And move the story along at a good clip. Never bore your readers with too much detail.

About You

Where did you grow up?

The Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC.

Where do you live now?

Florida.

What would you like readers to know about you?

That my stories are all based upon my career in the Foreign Service; specifically as a special agent with the US State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. Also, every restaurant scene in all the books are meals that my wife and I have eaten at that restaurant.

What are you working on now?

Two possible stories. The first is a follow-up in the series and will be set in London. It will involve a major terrorist attack on the city. Alternatively, I am considering a new protagonist in a book to be set in Sicily involving a rekindled love affair and the mafia.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of Crescent City Carnage from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

The post IndieView with Mel Harrison, author of Crescent City Carnage first appeared on The IndieView.

“Great Game On” by Geoff Raby

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 06:33:27 +0000

At a time when much of what passes for international commentary has the depth and nuance of a tweet, Geoff Raby’s Great Game On is something of a relief. The former Australian Ambassador to China keeps his politics largely to himself, but doesn’t have much time for mainstream Western (read “American” for the most part) views, which he finds simplistic.

Raby suggests one not take conventional narratives, past or present, at face value. The title, Great Game On, is, obviously, a reference to the last “Great Game” of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in which Great Britain and Russia contested Central Asia, or at least thought that’s what they were doing. Raby notes that despite the narratives of the time, the British Empire’s fears that Russia might make a play for India—or even Australia!—were largely figments of the imagination (although paranoia, then and now, can serve some people quite well).

Britain’s imperial strategists, politicians and the popular media believed it posed an existential challenge to British rule in India. That Russia sought to acquire British India was deemed to be true by definition. It was a revealed truth… Demonstration that this was in fact Russia’s intention was not required. Never mind if a yawning gap existed between whatever the tsar’s real intentions may have been towards India and Russia’s actual capacity to achieve them.

Both Russia eyed up Western China, so Britain did as well; both and vied for consulates in Kashgar. But even with the great instability in China at the time, neither was able to make anything stick for very long.

Moving on, Raby presents the Cold War as it manifested itself in Central Asia as a sort of Great Game redux; his account is a reminder (although far from the first: Raby cites Philip Snow’s China and Russia: Four Centuries of Conflict and Concord on several occasions) that when China is added into the story, it looks like a series of continually moving pieces rather than the Manichean struggle it has usually been portrayed as.

Britain, the other participant in the original Great Game, is now out of the picture, as is Britain’s geopolitical successor, the US, at least since the “shambolic” retreat from Afghanistan:

this was the Western powers’ last hurrah in Central Asia. The long-contested field had suddenly been left to Russia and China.

Great Game On: The contest for Central Asia and Global Supremacy, Geoff Raby (Melbourne University Press, November 2024)

While Raby, of course, is not the first to make reference to the Great Game in relation to the present day, as he applies the lessons of historical hindsight to more recent events, he sees the repetition of framing errors in which policies were promulgated. In particular, despite the current surface amity of Sino-Russian relations, he sees interests, especially in Central Asia, that are more competitive than complementary. That China’s star in relation to Russia in general and in Central Asia in particular seems to be rising is hardly contentious, but Raby provides dollops of context: most of independent Central Asia where Chinese is now exerting influence was part of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union for a century or so while Russia also has large amounts of territory that were, until the mid-19th century, part of the Qing Empire.

For those of an International Relations theory bent, he discusses both Mackinder and Spykman, and their respective “heartland” and “rimland” models:

China’s rise to pre-eminence in Eurasia conjures the ghosts of Mackinder and Spykman, who themselves sound like participants in the Great Game. In the contemporary setting, some analysts view the strong parallels between China’s BRI and Mackinder’s theory as ‘proof’ that China is pursuing a global strategy of world domination …

Raby however questions whether purely geographic models still apply (if they ever did):

competition for global primacy has become increasingly centred on technology and the cyber world.

While sensible and well-reasoned, the structure of the book—Raby will take an issue or framing and follow it through to the present day—results in a certain amount of repetition. Raby might also have eschewed the current tendency for authors to insert their own personal travel vignettes into their analysis; his penchant for high-quality smokes probably qualifies as “too much information”.

Neither however detracts from the analysis or readability. Raby makes some predictions; these may or may not turn out to be accurate, but more important is the paradigm he lays out. For those who need to make educated guesses about what will actually happen in the region, Raby provides a game board that is likely more useful than relying on the all-too-common sound bites.

Peter Gordon is editor of the Asian Review of Books.

Bologna Book Plus 2025 Has Another ‘Audio Forum’ and ‘Ambassador’

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 06:24:46 +0000

The Bologna Book Plus program is announcing details of its 2025 audio programming and 'author ambassador' for the trade fair in April.

The post Bologna Book Plus 2025 Has Another ‘Audio Forum’ and ‘Ambassador’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.

4 books to help you ace your next (or first!) dinner party

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Whether you’re an accomplished or aspiring dinner party host, these books brim with ideas that will add sizzle to your soirees.

Richard Flanagan’s ‘Question 7’ Wins the Baillie Gifford Prize

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 04:14:53 +0000

Australia's Richard Flanagan becomes the first author to win both the Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction and the Booker Prize for Fiction.

The post Richard Flanagan’s ‘Question 7’ Wins the Baillie Gifford Prize appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.

Spain: Association Reports 211 Publishers at Frankfurt, Turnover Rising

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:04:51 +0000

The book market in Spain, the market’s publishers association reports, sees turnover growing by 5.1 percent, up 30.1 percent in 10 years. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson FGEE’s Stand at Frankfurt: 56 Publishers and Institutions aving covered the 2024 Guest of Honor Italy program at Frankfurter Buchmesse this year, of course, Publishing Perspectives has been in touch with Madrid’s ...

The post Spain: Association Reports 211 Publishers at Frankfurt, Turnover Rising appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.

A Lucky Number, After All

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 23:30:00 +0000

I shall never be able to keep up with Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine editor George Easter when it comes to cataloguing all of this year’s lists of “best” crime, mystery, and thriller fiction. Every so often, though, I do want to highlight selections that seem special, from sources or individual reviewers I trust.

Such a case is Daily Telegraph critic Jake Kerridge’s new register of what he contends are the 13 top crime thrillers of 2024:

• Midnight and Blue, by Ian Rankin (Orion)
• The Bad Seeds, by C.J. Skuse (HQ)
• Imposter Syndrome, by Joseph Knox (Doubleday)
• Vengeance, by Salma Mir (Point Blank)
• The Night of Baba Yaga, by Akira Otani (Faber & Faber)
• City in Ruins, by Don Winslow (Hemlock Press)
• Against the Grain, by Peter Lovesey (Sphere)
• Death at the Sign of the Rook, by Kate Atkinson (Doubleday)
• We Solve Murders, by Richard Osman (Viking)
• Guilt by Definition, by Susie Dent (Zaffre)
• Farewell Dinner for a Spy, by Edward Wilson (Arcadia)
• Karla’s Choice, by Nick Harkaway (Viking)
• The Peacock and the Sparrow, by I.S. Berry (No Exit)

Kerridge declares Berry’s debut novel “my thriller of the year,” but it actually came last year on this side of the Atlantic.

* * *

Speaking of thrillers, the Financial Times’ Adam Lebor has compiled his own top-five choices of 2024 works in that same category:

• Every Spy a Traitor, by Alex Gerlis (Canelo)
• Karla’s Choice, by Nick Harkaway (Viking)
• The Peacock and the Sparrow, by I.S. Berry (No Exit)
• Moscow X, by David McClockey (Swift Press; a 2023 U.S. release)
• Midnight in Vienna, by Jane Thynne (Quercus)

READ MORE: “Chicago Public Library Best Mystery & Thriller Fiction of 2024” (Deadly Pleasures).

Frankfurter Buchmesse’s Peter Weidhaas, Dead at 86

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 22:08:45 +0000

A former 26-year director of Frankfurter Buchmesse, Peter Weidhaas is recalled for his dedication to the trade show and to internationalism.

The post Frankfurter Buchmesse’s Peter Weidhaas, Dead at 86 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Adult Reads of 2024

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 21:49:00 +0000

Today's TTT prompt is: Top Ten Oldest (earliest published) Books On My TBR List, but I don't have many older titles on mine, so I went rogue. Since we're getting to the end of the year (2024 has whizzed by!), I thought I'd look at my favorite reads of the year. So far, I've read 195 books. I marked about 35 of them as favorites. Because there are so many, I'm going to make two lists, actually. This week, I'll look at adult titles; next week I'll talk about children's books. (To keep things simple, I'm not going to include rereads on either list.)

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Favorite Adult Reads of 2024

- in no particular order -

1. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman—I loved this hilarious murder mystery, the first in a planned series. It's funny, energetic, engrossing, and all sorts of entertaining.

2. I Know Who You Are: How An Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever by Barbara Rae-Venter—I'm a genealogist, so these types of books always appeal to me. In it, Rae-Venter discusses how she went from digging into her own family history to taking down a notorious serial killer with her mad research and analytical skills.

3. The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose—I adored The Maid and I really enjoyed this sequel as well. It's not quite as good as its predecessor, but it's still a fun mystery starring a quirky, lovable heroine with a unique view on life. Its bookish themes make it even more appealing.

4. The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King—This is a warm, uplifting biography of a wonderful man. I enjoyed learning about his life, his career, his philosophy, and especially the kind, compassionate way he treated everyone around him. Very inspiring.

5. Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson—Another quirky murder mystery, this series opener is clever, funny, and twisty. It's also got a surprising amount of depth and poignancy.

6. Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James—Historical mysteries with gothic undertones are my jam, so I enjoyed this older novel by one of my favorite mystery/thriller authors. It's about a young woman in need of a fresh start who poses as a nurse to get a job at a remote asylum for World War I veterans dealing with shell shock. It's a strange place where eerie things happen and secrets abound...

7. Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda—After being disappointed by Miranda's last book (The Only Survivors), I was thrilled by her newest which is tense, twisty, and compelling. It's about a woman who returns to her hometown when she inherits her childhood home after her father's death. A drought has dried up the area, exposing secrets about the town and her family that refuse to stay hidden.

8. A Stranger in the Family by Jane Casey—I love the Maeve Kerrigan series, which just keeps getting better. This newest book is the 11th in the series. It has DS Kerrigan and her partner (and almost lover) DI Josh Derwent investigating the murders of a couple whose young daughter disappeared from her bedroom sixteen years ago. Are the two cases linked? As the duo work the case, they're also forced to confront their complicated feelings for one another.

9. Homecoming by Kate Morton—Morton is one of my favorite all-time authors, so it's no surprise that her newest is one of my favorite reads of the year (although I actually didn't love her last book, The Clockmaker's Daughter). This one features a London journalist who returns to her native Australia after her beloved grandmother falls down her attic steps. The tumble leaves the elderly woman confused. Her granddaughter is likewise puzzled. What was her frail grandmother doing in the forbidden attic? When the reporter discovers a true crime book in her grandmother's bedroom, it leads her on a journey into the depths of her own family history.

10. Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong—Armstrong writes some great mystery/thriller books. I especially enjoy her Rip Through Time series, which stars Mallory Atkinson, a modern-day homicide detective who wakes up in Victorian Edinburgh after she is assaulted in her own time. Although she remembers everything about herself, Mallory is now inhabiting the body of a scrappy young housemaid who works in the home of a handsome surgeon who moonlights as a medical examiner. While Mallory tries to figure out how to get home, she can't keep herself from using her knowledge and expertise to help her employer solve the murder cases that come into his home. By this third book, Dr. Gray knows who Mallory really is. Together, they look into a murder that occurred during the unwrapping of an ancient Egyptian mummy.

There you go, ten of my favorite books of 2024. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What are the books you've most enjoyed this year? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours. I also try to reply to comments left here (although I'm failing miserably at the moment).

Happy TTT!

Shanghai’s Children’s Book Fair Draws 41,263 Attendees

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 20:12:13 +0000

The 11th China Shanghai International Children's Book Fair saw 32 world markets represented among its 497 exhibitors this year.

The post Shanghai’s Children’s Book Fair Draws 41,263 Attendees appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.

Ex-Con Martha Stewart Releases 100th Book With Enduring Brand

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 18:10:00 +0000

I did not particularly care for Martha Stewart when she became famous for dictating to Americans how to prepare meals and entertain guests. Once she went to jail for essentially insider trading, I openly disliked her. But she refused to go away and is a great branding success story that no one can ignore.

She just released her 100th book and it hit No. 9 on the Amazon Best-Seller list. Her publisher pumped 200,000 copies out, hoping to capitalize on the holiday cooking and gift-giving period.

Now 83, she has been in the public eye with her books, TV show, and products for over four decades. Martha: The Cookbook is filled with classic American recipes. It is hard to believe people are still buying the octogenarian’s cookbooks but she has been around for so long that a new generation is discovering her.

Why aren’t there new talents out there to rival the former jailbird? Do people even cook anymore? And just how many versions of recipes for some vegan dish could there be?

Stewart is bucking a trend. According to data reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, cookbook sales declined by double digits in 2022 and again in 2023. So why are people going gaga over her $40 book for what they can already get for free on Instagram?

She has loyal fans, likely an older crowd with disposable income, and likely a woman who feels the beauty queen, Barnard College grad is a role model for women, sans her prison time.

As her amazon bio notes, it is an amazing career: “Martha Stewart is the author of dozens of bestselling books on cooking, entertaining, home keeping, gardening, weddings, and decorating. She is the host of The Martha Stewart Show, the Emmy-winning daily syndicated television program, and founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which publishes several magazines, including Martha Stewart Living; and produces Martha Stewart Living Radio.”

Maybe she is exceptional — and she is certainly enduring. She managed to rebuild and reinvent her career and somehow remains an iconic figure. Her branding story is one to be studied and marveled.

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Out Today: New Trade Paperback Editions of Old Man’s War and The Ghost Brigades

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 15:14:15 +0000

As you may know, 2025 is the 20th anniversary year of Old Man’s War, and to celebrate, there will be a new installment in the series, which will come out in September of 2025. Before then, however, we’re taking the previous six novels in the series and giving them a new look and feel, including new covers and a new introduction to each book from me.

Today marks the release of the first two books in the series: Old Man’s War and The Ghost Brigades. They look great, if I do say so myself, and in each case the introduction there are some previously unaired nuggets of trivia about the writing of each book, so there’s that to look forward to. The other four novels in the series will be coming out in 2025, culminating, as noted, with a new Old Man’s War series novel in September. So there’s a lot to look forward to. Collect them all!

A reminder also that I am currently doing a thing with Jay and Mary’s, my local bookseller, to sign and personalize books for the holidays, so if you want to get these snazzy new editions complete with my signature in them, for yourself or as a gift for others, here’s the link to do that.

Twenty years. Wow. I’ll have more to say about that on the actual anniversary (which is, as it happens, January 1st). For now, I’ll say: The time went fast.

— JS

Hachette acquires Sterling Publishing from Barnes & Noble

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0000

In another reworking of Barnes & Noble's business under the direction of CEO James Daunt, the company has sold its publishing division to Hachette Book Group. Under the agreement, all Sterling Publishing Co.'s staff, publishing assets, and trademarks will be transferred to HBG and the company take over distribution for all of Union Square's distribution clients. No sale price has been disclosed.

Agents, authors question HarperCollins AI deal

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0000

In a significant move, HarperCollins has become the first Big Five publisher to strike a licensing deal to provide access to select nonfiction books for AI training purposes. And so far, authors and agents appear to be approaching the deal with caution and skepticism—if also with a measure of hope.