News in June 2020

News in June 2020

THE KRAKEN’S TOOTH by Anthony Ryan
12th June, 2020

Book two of Anthony Ryan’s Seven Swords Series, THE KRAKEN’S TOOTH, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. They write: “Ryan masterfully combines vivid characterization and understated worldbuilding . . . Readers will eagerly await the next in the series.” Subterranean will publish the book on September 30, 2020.

EXHALATION by Ted Chiang
12th June, 2020

Ted Chiang is a finalist for four 2020 Locus Awards, nominated in the Best Collection category for EXHALATION, the Best Novella category for “Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom,” the Best Novelette category for “Omphalos,” and the Best Short Story category for “It’s 2059, and the Rich Kids are Still Winning.” Knofp published his short story collection, EXHALATION, on May 7, 2019.

BUNKER by Bradley Garrett
12th June, 2020

Kirkus calls Bradley Garrett’s BUNKER an “[i]ntriguing and often entertaining reading on a phenomenon that seems timeless,” praising Garrett as “a capable writer with a crisp, detailed, visual quality to his work.” The book provides an inside look at “prepper” communities around the world that are building bunkers for a possible apocalypse. Scribner will publish the book on August 4th, 2020.

FEEL BETTER IN 5 by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee
12th June, 2020

FEEL BETTER IN 5 by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee sold more than 10,000 copies in 24 hours in the UK—the largest Kindle Daily Deal sale ever for Penguin Random House UK. BenBella Books will publish the U.S. edition on September 1, 2020.

THE LIVES OF EDIE PRITCHARD by Larry Watson
12th June, 2020

Larry Watson’s THE LIVES OF EDIE PRITCHARD is one of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s “71 Books for Summer Reading in 2020”. Algonquin Books will publish the book on July 21, 2020.

FIGURE IT OUT by Wayne Koestenbaum
12th June, 2020

Wayne Koestenbaum was interviewed by Sasha Frere-Jones for Bookforum. He describes Koestenbaum’s FIGURE IT OUT as “a manual for maintaining curiosity and highlighting ‘scrutinized acts,’” adding that “[t]asting a word, inhaling a disagreement, melting syntax – these are skills you can learn from Wayne.” Soft Skull Press published the book on May 5, 2020.

RED DRESS IN BLACK AND WHITE by Elliot Ackerman
12th June, 2020

The Washington Post describes Elliot Ackerman’s RED DRESS IN BLACK AND WHITE as “shrewd [and] intricately plotted,” while the Associated Press calls it “a tense tale from Turkey . . . [that] is taut, balanced between order and chaos, just like Istanbul in that summer of 2013.” Additionally, the novel is a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice selection this week. They write: “Ackerman’s fourth novel abandons his customary war narratives for a different sort of drama, an entirely absorbing territory of intrigue and tricks.” Knopf published the book on May 26, 2020.

EVERYONE KNOWS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU by Kyle McCarthy
12th June, 2020

Amazon chose EVERYONE KNOWS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU by Kyle McCarthy as one of its top ten books of the month. In a rave review, they write: “This twisted coming of age tale, taut as a thriller, written with glittering, precise prose, holds you in its spell right up to the surprising but perfect ending.” Ballantine Books published the book on June 23, 2020.

IN WEST MILLS by De’Shawn Charles Winslow
12th June, 2020

IN WEST MILLS by De’Shawn Charles Winslow has made the 2020 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing shortlist for fiction. The prize is “intended to encourage new or emerging writers and honor the Saroyan literary legacy of originality, vitality and stylistic innovation.” Winners and finalists will be announced in late summer/early fall. Bloomsbury published the book on June 4, 2019.

HUMANKIND by Rutger Bregman
5th June, 2020

Rutger Bregman sat down for a virtual lunch with Simon Kuper of the Financial Times. Kuper writes: “[Bregman’s] new book, HUMANKIND, displays his gift for synthesizing libraries full of academic research into spellbinding reads.” NPR also interviewed Bregman for their Weekend Edition Saturday program. During the discussion, Bregman weighs in on the timing of his book release, saying, “More than 700 case studies that show that, especially in times of crisis, we show our best selves . . . This happens again and again after natural disasters, after earthquakes and after floodings. And I think that, if you zoom out a little bit during this pandemic, you see the same phenomenon.” Little, Brown and Company published the book on June 2, 2020.

BEASTIE BOYS BOOK by Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz
5th June, 2020

The New York Times praised “Beastie Boys Story" as one of the best films of 2020. Additionally, The New Yorker published an interview with Adam Horovitz as part of their “The New Yorker Interview” series, noting “one of [the documentary's] most moving moments comes when Horovitz recalls what turned out to be their final performance together as a band, in 2009, right before Yauch’s diagnosis. It’s a rare moment of candor from someone who’s kept a relatively low profile in his post-Beastie Boys life." Diamond and Horovitz’ memoir BEASTIE BOYS BOOK, which served as inspiration for the documentary, was published by Random House on October 30, 2018.

THE MUTANT PROJECT by Eben Kirksey
5th June, 2020

THE MUTANT PROJECT by Eben Kirksey is a Publishers Marketplace “Buzz Book” for Fall 2020. St. Martin’s Press will publish the book on October 20, 2020.