Paperback Paris | May 1, 2020

“Biblios, feast your eyes! At the top of every month, we scour the biblio corners of the web to find you new and interesting fiction and nonfiction books — those for the impulse reader with empty shopping carts waiting to be filled to the stacks-obsessed bookworms whose to-be-read shelves always seem to be toppling over.

Our latest Book Bag features an affable and amusing tale of adulting and sibling struggles in Emma Straub’s All Adults Here, Samanta Schweblin’s eerie, engrossing novel of intimacy and isolation in a new era of technology, a stirring and unforgettable collection of new poetry from the ever-indelible Jenny Zhang, and many more.”

My Mother’s House by Francesca Momplaisir was included in this fabulous round-up! Follow the link to see the full list.

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Amazon | May 1, 2020

The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine is an Amazon Best Book of the Month in the Mystery, Thriller and Suspense category! Follow the link above to see the full list.

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The Big Thrill | April 30, 2020

“Pinpointing the exact moment sisters Val and Lynne Constantine began finishing each other’s sentences might be difficult—but determining when that skill would manifest into a lucrative career is a little easier to gauge: October 17, 2017.

That’s when The Last Mrs. Parrish, the first novel under the pseudonym Liv Constantine, hit shelves—a story that caught the attention of critics, readers…and Reese Witherspoon. To say that Liv Constantine then became an overnight success would be misleading, but it’s no exaggeration that being selected for Witherspoon’s book club created a frenzy that led to multiple foreign rights deals, an Amazon Studios option, and a lucrative contract with HarperCollins.

Their sophomore thriller, 2019’s The Last Time I Saw Her, continued to rack up the accolades, while earning coveted spots on dozens of Most Anticipated lists across the globe, and—yes—was also optioned for film. So far so good, right?

They’re far from done.

This year’s THE WIFE STALKER finds itself on many of those same Most Anticipated lists, and the sisters are once again poised to rock the genre with a novel of psychological suspense that chills with its compelling tagline: All she wants is the perfect family….yours.”

Follow the link above to read the full interview with Liv Constantine!

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Los Angeles Times | April 30, 2020

“This is an excellent time to have some absorbing cookbooks on hand. Not only because many of us could use inspiration figuring out what to cook while we shelter but also because we’re craving connection.

A parallel has emerged between restaurants and cookbooks in recent years: In the same way that chefs are expressing autobiography through their menus, hazarding to reveal themselves and where they come from, the best cookbook authors have also become willing to risk exposing their truest selves on the page.

It’s a daunting feat, being equal at recipe mastery and storytelling. Some of the recent books that achieve this remind us about what we’re missing while restaurant dining rooms remain closed; others shed light on home traditions around the country and the world. Each offers us a chance to disappear into finely wrought words and worlds and, if we’re up to it, into our kitchens.”

Meals, Music, and Muses by Alexander Smalls was included in this fabulous round-up. Please follow the link above to read the full article.

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Publishers Weekly | April 28, 2020

“In bestseller Slaughter’s macabre 10th thriller featuring Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Will Trent (after 2019’s The Last Widow), Will and his partner, Faith Mitchell, are investigating a prison murder when inmate Daryl Nesbitt extends an offer. Nesbitt will tell them who the killer is if the GBI will look into eight incidents—one recent—that he believes are connected to the rape of Beckey Caterino eight years earlier. Nesbitt is serving time for child pornography discovered on his computer during the cops’ investigation of the Caterino case, but Nesbitt maintains that Chief Jeffrey Tolliver—the now-deceased husband of Will’s girlfriend, medical examiner Sara Linton—framed him, and that a sadistic serial attacker remains at large. Will’s scrutiny of Jeffrey’s detective work sends Sara on a wistful trip down memory lane, leaving Will uncertain of their future. Will and Jeffrey’s inquiries, unfolding through frequent flashbacks, add nuance and complexity to an already intricate plot. Slaughter delivers an unflinching, deeply empathetic exploration of the stigma surrounding rape and the enduring trauma suffered by its survivors.”

Follow the link above to read the review on the Publishers Weekly website.

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Library Journal | April 28, 2020

“La La Fine is an animal empath extraordinaire finally enjoying a stable life. She is in veterinary school and lives with her devoted fiancé, Clem, a chiropractor, and their loving animals, Black and Blue. But her complicated childhood catches up with her, derailing all she holds dear. Long abandoned by a cold mother who walked away while La La was drowning in an icy pond and raised by Zev, the locksmith/thief father who taught her his trades, she is drawn back into his drama when he is arrested for breaking into a home, which causes the elderly owner to tumble down the stairs—a fall he may not survive. La La takes on Zev’s attorney’s fees, using her empathic gifts and her housebreaking skills to steal from homes that also house animals in distress. No good can come from this plan.”

Other People’s Pets by R.L. Maizes received a fabulous starred review from Library Journal! Follow the link above to read the full review.

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Publishers Weekly | April 27, 2020

“Maizes’s quirky debut novel (after the collection We Love Anderson Cooper) traces the belated coming of age of La La, a 20-something veterinary student whose empathy toward animals doesn’t quite extend to her human counterparts. La La has been able to feel intensely what the animals around her experience ever since a mysterious black dog rescued her from drowning when she was eight. La La has had good reason to distrust people: her mother took off shortly after the near-drowning, and then her locksmith father, Zev, took her out of school and began training her to assist him in home burglaries, which she did until she was a teenager. When Zev is arrested in the present, she returns to burglary to raise money to pay his lawyer, justifying the crimes to herself by choosing houses where she senses pets are in trouble—until Zev wiggles his way out of house arrest and La La, who has dropped out of veterinary school, notices that her life is falling apart and resolves to form connections with humans. Despite the novel’s farfetched premise, Maizes keeps the narrative anchored in reality, with believable details about the mechanics of a burglar’s life and a large cast of well-rounded characters. This is a beguiling twist on the familiar formula of breaking unhealthy bonds with the past.”

Follow the link above to read the full review on Publishers Weekly!

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Times | April 24, 2020

“The national emergency and consequent economic crisis triggered by COVID-19 has exposed one of America’s greatest needs: adequate and safe housing. After a period of decline, in the past three years homelessness has climbed — to 567,715 people as of 2019— and these numbers don’t even capture those who live in substandard or inadequate housing. But with unemployment insurance claims reaching 22 million in the month ending April 16, and even eviction moratoriums not fully protecting renters, the housing crisis in America is likely about to get far worse.”

Jill Watts, author of the forthcoming The Black Cabinet, has a fascinating op-ed published on Time.com. Follow the link above to read the full piece.

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LibraryReads | April 22, 2020

The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine is a LibraryReads pick for May 2020! Follow the link above to see the full list.

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The New York Times | April 20, 2020

“These days, an uncommonly large number of people are cooking every meal, and while recipes are not in short supply, inspiration might be. Cookbooks are still one of the best ways to pull yourself out of meal-planning fatigue and find an idea — a pasta sauce, a flavor combination, a technique — that can change your cooking forever.

Book publishing, like so many other businesses, has been upended by the coronavirus pandemic. But now, when we truly need them, some wonderful new cookbooks are queued up and ready for order. Our staff made these selections with the limits of quarantine in mind, but also knowing that some people read cookbooks for the same reasons they would any other literature: learning, exploration, escape.”

Meals, Music, and Muses by Alexander Smalls was included in this fabulous round-up. Follow the link above to see the full list!

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April 14, 2020

The Black Cabinet: The Untold Story of African Americans and Politics during the Age of Roosevelt by Jill Watts will be published by Grove/Atlantic May 12, 2020. Click the link above to see the fabulous book trailer!

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Kirkus Reviews | April 13, 2020

“When helping dad means quitting school and committing felonies.

‘La La has crime in her blood as surely as the Flying Wallendas have acrobatics, and the Kennedys, politics. Maybe it’s pointless to resist it. Especially now that Zev needs her.’ The protagonist of Maizes’ first novel—after We Love Anderson Cooper (2019), a collection of short stories—is the daughter of an ill-starred family. Her mother, Elissa, who never wanted children and preferred animals to people, disappeared without a trace after a nearly fatal parenting error went large in the media. Her father, Zev, left on his own with 8-year-old La La, withdrew her from school and made her his partner in a combination locksmith/burglary operation. Like her mother, La La is passionate about animals, but with her, it goes a step farther. She is an animal empath who can actually read animals’ minds and feel their aches and pains. Both parents’ legacies play a positive role in early adulthood—La La’s a star in veterinary school, and she meets her fiance, Clem, when she helps him break into his locked chiropractic office. But when Zev leaves his phone at the scene of a bungled job, the darker side of the family history takes hold: ‘It’s Sunday, a good day to rob churchgoing families.’ Rationalizing her crimes by tending to the pets she finds locked inside the homes she breaks into, La La sacrifices almost everything in the attempt to raise legal fees for her father—and what’s left gets tossed into the flames of the torch she carries for her missing mother. While its quirky combination of fictional elements and adroit, deadpan writing give the novel a wryly comedic atmosphere, La La’s story is melancholy and moving.

An uncanny, appealing blend of suspense, irony, tragedy, and how-to for lock-picking, burgling, and ankle monitor removal.”

Follow the link above to read the review!

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Cookery by the Book | April 13, 2020

The #1 cookbook podcast, Cookery by the Book, interviewed Alexander Smalls about his new cookbook, Meals, Music, and Muses. Follow the link above to listen to the full podcast.

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Everett Herald | April 12, 2020

“Reading books, writing books, talking about books.

And walking the talk about books.

Seattle’s favorite librarian, Nancy Pearl, is known the world over for the shushing-librarian action figure bearing her likeness.

‘I’m one of those people, I think, who just has trouble sitting still,’ Pearl, 75, said in an interview following her annual ‘Nancy Pearl’s Picks’ book talk to a packed auditorium in Langley on Whidbey Island. ‘I need something to think about and keep myself mentally active.’

She’s no slouch in the physical department, either.

Last year, Pearl started combining her two greatest pleasures — reading and walking. Her love of books dates back to her childhood in Detroit, where she found words and refuge at the local library.

About seven years ago, Pearl took up walking. The loop route from her Seattle home gradually increased to about 5 miles.

Then, she added a good book between her ears and racked up even more miles.”

Follow the link above to read more about America’s librarian!

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Kirkus Reviews | April 12, 2020

“Two roommates become friends at a prestigious boarding school.

Juniper, who goes by Jun, leaves her public school after winning a scholarship to the elite Ellsmere Academy. After scaring away her roommate, Cassie, during their first meeting, Jun later redeems herself when she stands up to Emily, queen bee and bully, for calling Cassie an orphan. Jun’s confrontation with Emily is the beginning of their rivalry, each vying to be the best student for her own reasons. Jun’s sarcasm and wit serve her well when dealing with Emily, but as the school year goes on, the bullying gets more and more severe. Driven by her desire to become a doctor, Jun finds her life at Ellsmere is constantly at risk due to Emily’s scheming. All the while Jun and Cassie’s friendship blossoms as the two get to know each other. A fantastical element involving the Ellsmere family and the dark forest next to the academy is woven into the story but lacks development. Fans of Hicks’ visually appealing artwork in Rainbow Rowell’s Pumpkinheads (2019) will enjoy the familiar art style and bold lines. Characters are expressive and cleanly drawn, complementing the straightforward text and accessible storytelling. Jun is illustrated with beige skin, dark hair, and dark eyes while her roommate, Cassie, has pale skin, light-brown hair, and green eyes. Several pages of notes on the illustrations are appended.

Kindness and friendship prevail in this charming story.”

Follow the link above to see the full review! One Year at Ellsmere will be published July 14, 2020.

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BookPage | April 9, 2020

“It’s not often a contemporary novel is narrated by an inanimate object. In the 18th century, this convention was quite a bit more popular, referred to as ‘it-narratives’ or ‘object narratives.’ Francesca Momplaisir takes this classic form and combines it with contemporary issues in My Mother’s House, narrated by the titular dwelling.

[…]

In Momplaisir’s novel, cracks of light are always there to penetrate the dark.”

Follow the link above to read the full review!

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Why Food? | April 9, 2020

Episode 119 Alexander Smalls: From Opera Singer to Restaurateur

“Alexander Smalls is a James Beard Award winning chef, author, and raconteur, and the visionary co-owner of renowned restaurants Minton’s and The Cecil, which was named ‘Best New Restaurant in America’ by Esquire in 2014. His new book, Meals, Music and Muses: Recipes From My African American Kitchen was published in February 2020 from Flatiron Books. Smalls is also a world-renowned opera singer and the winner of both a Grammy Award and a Tony Award for the cast recording of Porgy and Bess, by George Gershwin, with the Houston Grand Opera.”

Follow the link above to hear the full interview!

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BuzzFeed | April 9, 2020

“This week, Goodreads is highlighting mysteries and thrillers — and they've rounded up the 40 most popular mysteries and thrillers of the past five years, based on reader ratings and reviews. Here are some of the best.”

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter, The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine, and The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen were all included in this fabulous round-up! Follow the link above to read more!

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