News in March 2021
News in March 2021
2034 by Elliot Ackerman and James Stavridis will make its debut on the New York Times Bestseller list for the week of March 28th, at number 6 on both the Combined Print & E-book Fiction and Hardcover Fiction lists. Penguin Press published the book on March 9, 2021.
BBC History praises THE IRISH DIASPORA by Turtle Bunbury, writing: “This fascinating assortment of case histories, spread across 1,400 years and six continents, is an impressive feat of research. All of the chapters are based on a solid body of up-to-date historical writing. The summaries of often-complex historical background to the lives explored are models of lucid compression. The short biographies themselves are lively yet judicious, packed with vivid detail but willing, where necessary, to question or dismiss colourful legend. And the reader will come away with a new sense of the many ways in which Ireland has interacted with the world beyond its shores, and of some of the extraordinary careers that have resulted.” Thames & Hudson will publish the book on April 6, 2021.
THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL & NEV by Dawnie Walton is Black Girl Magic Wine's first ever book club pick. The novel is also featured on Library Journal’s list of “The Best Debut Novels of Spring and Summer 2021.” 37 Ink will publish the novel on March 30, 2021.
The AU Review praises Jamie Figueroa’s BROTHER, SISTER, MOTHER, EXPLORER as "exquisite…filled with rich imagery and lyrical prose. Figueroa packs plenty into the novel’s modest page count, with characters both tangible and all-but magical bursting off the page…Brimming with elegant, poetic writing, Figueroa has offered us a truly original debut. An absolute must read." Library Journal also features the novel on their list of “The Best Debut Novels of Spring and Summer 2021,” praising it as "[g]orgeously rendered.” Catapult published the book on March 2, 2021.
Gabriela Garcia’s debut novel OF WOMEN AND SALT has received two new glowing reviews. The San Francisco Chronicle calls Garcia’s work “a deeply American story about the pieces of self people leave behind on their journeys to become 'Americans,’” and the Seattle Times deems it “a captivating and harrowing debut that will undoubtedly put Garcia on the literary map for years to come. It is a prime example of why diverse voices and stories need to be told, to shatter the one-sided narrative typically seen about immigrants, the Latino communities and beyond." The Los Angeles Times also profiled Garcia for its Books section, and the novel hit more must-read lists from USA Today, HipLatina, Romper, BuzzFeed, and Success Magazine. Flatiron Books will publish the novel on March 30, 2021.
Hermione Hoby penned the cover story for Vanity Fair’s April issue, a profile of THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT star Anya Taylor-Joy. Riverhead books will publish Hoby’s next novel, VIRTUE, on July 20, 2021.
The Strategist skincare expert Rio Viera-Newton’s LET’S FACE IT launched this week, to the delight of skincare enthusiasts everywhere. Newton held a virtual launch event via Urban Fitters on March 25 with her sister Harley to bust skincare myths and recommend their favorite products. Voracious published the book on March 23, 2021.
Danielle Steel appeared on Good Morning America to discuss her new book, THE AFFAIR. LVMH’s Loewe also featured an excerpt of the novel – translated into 20 languages – as part of their special newspaper debuting their Fall/Winter 2021 collection titled “The Loewe Show Has Been Cancelled.” Vogue interviewed Steel about the collaboration, and Steel expressed her excitement: “It just really worked, and the timing was so perfect. I think everybody needs a boost creatively and spirit-wise. It’s so fun to do something exciting and happy and different, and I was really thrilled to be included in it.” Loewe’s creative director, Jonathan Anderson, also interviewed Steel for the Casa Loewe Conversations podcast. Delacorte Press published THE AFFAIR on March 2, 2021.
The paperback edition of Cathy Park Hong’s MINOR FEELINGS is on the LA Times and Indie Bound’s bestsellers lists this week. The book is also featured on Business Insider’s and Electric Literature’s lists of books to understand and combat Asian-American racism. Business Insider writes: “Reading this collection of essays felt like scratching an itch that I didn't know I had. Hong's voice is a resounding one in the world of Asian-American creative nonfiction, one that seeks to break out of the mold completely and resists the categorization of Asian American authorship altogether as it relates to the fetishization of otherness and trauma." Lastly, Hong was interviewed by Alexander Chee of Medium about the essay collection, and to discuss “how the pandemic has cracked open discrimination against Asian American communities.” One World published the hardcover edition of MINOR FEELINGS on February 25, 2020, and published the paperback on March 2, 2021.
Jakob Guanzon was interviewed on NPR’s All Things Considered about his debut novel, ABUNDANCE. Guanzon says: “I knew I wanted to explore wealth inequality and the experience of poverty, yet that's not necessarily anything new to literature, right? But one aspect that I really did want to hone in on was the ever present and really inescapable knowledge of your budget, your spending power…[a]nd how that kind of weighs down on you, on a person who's living in poverty, and even in a situation that's less dire than Henry's, the protagonist of ABUNDANCE.” Graywolf Press published the book on March 2, 2021.
Alex McElroy’s debut novel THE ATMOSPHERIANS received a starred review from Kirkus. They write: “The world of the novel is hyperreal, presenting a familiar reality studded with uncanny details...McElroy’s debut is as uncomfortable as it is thought-provoking…Edgy, addictive, gruesome, and smart.” Atria Books will publish the novel on May 18, 2021.
Gabriela Garcia’s debut novel OF WOMEN AND SALT has been chosen by BuzzFeed as its April Book Club Pick. They write: “In breathtaking prose and evocative imagery, Garcia allows the reader to travel through history alongside these complicated, resilient women as they navigate a legacy of trauma.” BuzzFeed also featured an excerpt from the novel’s first two chapters, and coordinated with Libro.fm and Lucky No. Candles to sponsor a giveaway of a signed copy. Garcia also sat down for interviews with People en Español and Elle.com, and the book received an excellent review from Bitch, who called it “a testament to the urgency of rendering migrant mothers who are more than we think they are—more than self-sacrificial heroes; more than humble workers; more than ghostly figures stuck in a nostalgic past; more than broken women who leave us with an inheritance of loss.” Flatiron Books will publish OF WOMEN AND SALT on March 30, 2021.