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Week of January 20, 2020

Paperback releases for the week of January 20th include ONE GOOD DEED, a fast-paced historical thriller from David Baldacci, who introduces readers to Aloysius Archer, a WWII veteran forced to investigate a small-town murder --- or risk returning to prison; MAID, Stephanie Land's memoir about working as a maid, a beautiful and gritty exploration of poverty in America; OUTSIDE LOOKING IN, a provocative novel from T.C. Boyle that explores the first scientific and recreational forays into LSD and its mind-altering possibilities; CAMELOT'S END by Jon Ward, the captivating story of Ted Kennedy's 1980 campaign for president against the incumbent Jimmy Carter, told in full for the first time; and Joe Ide's WRECKED, in which the case of a young artist's missing mother sets Isaiah Quintabe (IQ for short) on a collision course with his own Moriarty.

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Week of January 13, 2020

Paperback releases for the week of January 13th include THE LAST ROMANTICS by Tara Conklin, an unforgettable exploration of the ties that bind us together, the responsibilities we embrace and the duties we resent, and how we can lose --- and sometimes rescue --- the ones we love; C. J. Box's WOLF PACK, which finds Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett encountering bad behavior on his own turf --- only to have the FBI and the DOJ ask him to stand down; THE SOURCE OF SELF-REGARD, a rich gathering of Toni Morrison's essays, speeches and meditations on society, culture and art, spanning four decades; and THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, a remarkably intimate and insightful memoir that chronicles what it’s like to live in today’s world as a fat man, from acclaimed journalist Tommy Tomlinson, who, as he neared the age of 50, weighed 460 pounds and decided he had to change his life.

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Week of January 6, 2020

Paperback releases for the week of January 6th include THE NEW IBERIA BLUES by James Lee Burke, in which the shocking death of a young woman leads Detective Dave Robicheaux into the dark corners of Hollywood, the mafia and the backwoods of Louisiana; Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch's THE FIRST CONSPIRACY, which tells a remarkable and previously untold piece of American history that not only reveals George Washington’s character, but also illuminates the origins of America’s counterintelligence movement that led to the modern-day CIA; WORKING, an unprecedented gathering of vivid, candid, deeply moving recollections about Robert Caro's experiences researching and writing his acclaimed books; and THE DAUGHTER'S TALE by Armando Lucas Correa, an unforgettable family saga that explores a hidden piece of World War II history and the lengths a mother will go to protect her children.

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Larry Brown

You have to do something in your life that is honorable and not cowardly if you are to live in peace with yourself, and for the firefighter it is fire.

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Larry Brown

January 2020

January's Books on Screen roundup includes the feature films Just Mercy, The Informer, The Turning and The Rhythm Section; the series premieres of “Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector” on NBC and "The Outsider" on HBO, along with the first season of "The Stranger" on Netflix, the season five premiere of "The Magicians" on Syfy, and the season one finale of "Truth Be Told" on Apple TV+; and the DVD releases of Britt-Marie Was Here, Motherless Brooklyn, Joker and The Addams Family.

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Lou Holtz

The problem with having a sense of humor is often that people you use it on aren't in a very good mood.

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Lou Holtz

January 3, 2020

I hope that thus far you all have had a great holiday season. We certainly have enjoyed it, with a lot of entertaining, plenty of new recipes made, and many cookies both baked and eaten.

As promised, this is our annual “lighter than usual” update. I have been collecting links to articles of interest, and weigh in on the films that we watched over the holidays, some of which are based on books. Consider this update a lot of "News & Pop Culture," and a chance to catch up on some of the features that you may have missed in the craziness of December. This is a quiet week for publishing, but we already are ramping up for next week's update. By the way, the Golden Globes are on Sunday night, a very early airing for this awards show.

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Erik Larson

Reading is such a personal thing to me. I'd much rather give someone a gift certificate to a bookstore, and let that person choose his or her own books.

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Erik Larson

Colleen Hoover, author of Regretting You

Morgan Grant is determined to prevent her 16-year-old daughter, Clara, from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris --- Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she’s been forbidden to see.

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Walt Whitman

The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.

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Walt Whitman