Prior to the publication of Robert Hilburn’s A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY, The New York Times ran a Sunday feature about Randy Newman. Bob Mehr writes: “[Newman’s] movie songs are filled with memorable melodies; his own albums with unsavory characters. One of the most astute cultural observers is the subject of a new book…While Hilburn’s book functions as a conventional, often penetrating, biography, it’s ‘also a personal, critical argument on Randy’s behalf,’ Hilburn said in an interview. ‘It’s fine to enjoy ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me,’ but the greatness of Randy Newman, his real legacy, are all the brilliant songs he’s written about the shortcomings of the American character.’” Hachette Books published A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY on October 22, 2024.

We have become aware that scammers are impersonating some of our literary agents and our authors and contacting writers, even speaking to them by telephone. Please be aware that we do not charge a reading fee and our authors do not charge fees to refer writers to us or to publishers, and we only send emails from our own domain @janklow.com.

BROTHERS by Alex Van Halen received fantastic writeups from Gary Graff of Billboard and Brian Hiatt of Rolling Stone. Graff writes: “Throughout BROTHERS’ 231 pages, Van Halen discloses the tight bond between him and Eddie, personally and musically – and presents the connection between those two as one and the same thing…The passion for music came early and was a constant, of course, and one can read in BROTHERS the kind of mission on Van Halen’s part to offer a more expansive and sophisticated view of his brother’s talents.” Harper published BROTHERS on October 22, 2024.

The New York Times published a guest essay by Padma Lakshmi: “As a Cook, Here’s What I see in Kamala Harris.” Lakshmi writes: “I see what everyone else sees on Kamala Harris’s résumé: a history of public service that qualifies her for the presidency. But I would argue that the qualities she shows as a cook might say even more about her success as a leader. What qualities make for a good cook? Which make for a good president? In a lot of cases, they overlap. Cooking well requires organization, attention to detail, patience — and the impulse to bring people together. In a divided country, these qualities can help Ms. Harris be a good, even a great, president…In cooking, Ms. Harris displays the very qualities this country sorely needs — her care and her ability to tell a new kind of story about what it means to be American.” Mariner Books published THE BEST AMERICAN FOOD AND TRAVEL WRITING 2024 on October 22, 2024.

GOD BLESS YOU, OTIS SPUNKMEYER by Joseph Earl Thomas has been longlisted for the 2025 ALA Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. It joins 21 other fiction titles that “showcase truly exceptional writing reflective of powerful experiences, histories, and humanity.” The shortlist will be announced November 12, 2024. Grand Central Publishing published the book on June 18, 2024.

Alex Van Halen’s memoir, BROTHERS, was the subject of a fantastic New York Times piece. Richard Bienstock writes: “Why did [Alex] write [BROTHERS]? ‘To add a little more depth to the understanding of what Ed was all about…When you’re in the spotlight, people tend to speak for you. I wanted to remind people that Ed was not a commodity. He was a complex human being.’… BROTHERS is not a story of regret. It’s a tale of understanding, of acceptance, of love. Mostly, of humanness. ‘If you’re going to tell the story, you should give equal space to the good and the bad,’ Alex said. ‘Because the good doesn’t make any sense without having the bad.’” Harper will publish BROTHERS on October 22, 2024.

Mason Coile’s WILLIAM continues to receive rave reviews. In The Guardian, Lisa Tuttle writes: “The tension mounts in a brilliantly plotted story combining horror tropes, suspense and metaphysical speculation about the nature of the soul: a terrifying, thought-provoking read.” Meanwhile, Criminal Element reviewer Doreen Sheridan praises WILLIAM as “a cinematic, cautionary tale of bleeding edge robotics gone terribly awry.” In The Hippo’s Oct. 10 issue, Jennifer Graham writes: “It is the sort of book you have to read twice…I don’t like horror, but I loved this absorbing, disturbing little book.” Lastly, for The Toronto Star, Alex Good writes: “WILLIAM is a short, sharp shock of a book…Mason Coile keeps the human rats running through the maze at a brisk, entertaining pace and wraps things up with a great ending.” WILLIAM was published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons on September 10, 2024.

THE FOURTH CONSORT by Edward Ashton received a starred review from Library Journal. Marlene Harris writes: “This is a deep surprise of a story as it contemplates the perils and pitfalls of communication and the difficulty of reaching anything like understanding with a species with which one shares few if any frames of reference…Readers who found the struggle to communicate in Ray Nayler’s THE MOUNTAIN IN THE SEA will enjoy the equally fraught miscommunications between the minarchs, the ‘stickmen,’ and the humans, while fans of the classic STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION episode ‘Darmok’ will find this to be a familiar and similarly complex and heartbreaking tale.” St. Martin’s Press will publish the book on February 25, 2025.

Ahead of its release, THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES by Julie Leong has received two starred reviews. For Library Journal, Marlene Harris writes: “Leong’s debut is a delightful cozy fantasy that will appeal to fans of LEGENDS & LATTES by Travis Baldree and A PIRATE’S LIFE FOR TEA by Rebecca Thorne.” Meanwhile, Bookpage writes: “In this sweet-natured and therapeutic fantasy, Leong homes in on small moments, carefully calibrating each step toward trust and companionship.” THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES will be published by Ace on November 5, 2024.

REVENGE OF THE TIPPING POINT by Malcolm Gladwell is #3 on The New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction and #2 on the Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction Bestsellers lists. Little, Brown and Company published the book on October 1, 2024.

We have become aware that scammers are impersonating some of our literary agents and our authors and contacting writers, even speaking to them by telephone. Please be aware that we do not charge a reading fee and our authors do not charge fees to refer writers to us or to publishers, and we only send emails from our own domain @janklow.com.

TRIANGLE by Danielle Steel is #8 on The New York Times Hardcover Fiction and Combined Print and E-book Fiction Bestsellers lists for the week of October 20, 2024. Delacorte Press published the book on October 1, 2024.