This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash
On Sale 1/28/14
We had the pleasure of hosting a conversation between Wiley Cash and Ben Fountain earlier this year where Cash discussed his previous novel, A Land More Kind Than Home, a bestseller which was also named a New York Times Notable Book (and appeared on many Best of 2012 lists, among other accolades). We’ve been very much looking forward to his latest literary endeavor, the story of a pair of sisters stolen from foster care in the middle of the night by an unstable father. Jess Walters of Beautiful Ruins calls it, “…a terrific, moving and propulsive novel: Harper Lee by way of Elmore Leonard.”
One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B. J. Novak
On Sale 2/4/14
This is, indeed, THE B. J. Novak, the actor known for The Office and Inglorious Basterds. The Harvard grad is showing his chops as a fiction writer with stories that range from a boy finding $100,000 prize in a box of Frosted Flakes to a new post-race telling of the tortoise and the hare. Quirky, entertaining storytelling.
Meet B. J. Novak here at BookPeople Wednesday, March 12. More info & to order signed copies.
The Free by Willy Vlautin
On Sale 2/4/14
Willy Vlautin, author of Lean on Pete and The Motel Life, is back, and Carolyn, one of our managers, is ready to shout about it from the rooftops: “It’s no secret around here that I’m a huge fan of Willy Vlautin. I’d placed my pre-order for The Free back in September and was ecstatic to receive an ARC from Harper Perennial soon after. I was almost nervous to start reading The Free because I consider each of his previous novels perfect. I gotta say, Willy does not disappoint. The Free is a story about a handful of characters whose lives intersect in sometimes brief moments, but always in meaningful, life affirming ways. Willy speaks plainly about hard truths and you can always trust him to take you to the brink of humanity and reel you back in just in time.”
Bonus props from Julie: “Vlautin nails the character of Pauline’s pet bunny. Every time that rabbit hops around, I can’t help but shout, “Yes! That’s so true!” Which invariably scares my rabbit into hiding under the futon.”
The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore
On Sale 4/22/14
There’s little that will make us jump up and down and clap our little hands quite the way a new Christopher Moore novel will. Fans of Fool will be happy to know that Fool’s hero, the Pocket of Dog Snogging, returns in a tale that sends him to Venice. Moore calls upon the spirits of Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe to create another unique, Mooreian tale of hilarity.
Can’t and Won’t: Stories by Lydia Davis
On Sale 4/8/14
A collection of brand new short stories from Lydia Davis. Do we really need to say anything else? No.
An Untamed State by Roxanne Gay
On Sale 5/6/14
Roxane Gay’s (must-read) nonfiction pops up on Salon, The Rumpus, NPR and many other corners of the internet. She’s known for her sharp, thoughtful commentary on pretty much everything that makes us alive and members of a society. Her forthcoming novel (technically a debut, as her previous book is a collection of stories and poetry) takes on government corruption, crushing poverty and redemption as it tells the story of a wealthy daughter kidnapped by heavily armed forces. Mat Johnson, author of Pym, says: “Awesome, powerful, impossible to ignore, Roxane Gay is a literary force of nature. An Untamed State arrives like a hurricane.”
Lucky Us by Amy Bloom
On Sale 8/5/14
Teenage half sisters Eva and Ira travel across 1940s America in search of fame and fortune. Brooklyn, Long Island, London’s West End – these girls encounter failure, success and a roster of memorable characters. Bloom’s story collections and her novel Away are staff favorites. A warm, funny, smart writer, this will be a perfect way to finish off the summer.
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
On Sale 8/12/14
New Murakami. We probably don’t really need to say more, but okay: when published in Japan, this novel sold over one million copies in just one week. According to The Guardian, it’s about, “an isolated 36-year-old man struggling to overcome the trauma of rejection by his high-school friends years earlier.” There doesn’t appear to be a US cover yet, but there is a date, so go ahead and mark those calendars.
_____________________________________________________
All of this books are available to pre-order via bookpeople.com.
BookPeople 