Fresh Lit! Rosalind Reisner www.areadersplace.net [e-mail]

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Fresh Lit!Rosalind Reisnerwww.areadersplace.n
etroz_at_thereisners.net

• LibraryLinkNJ Webinar
• December 10, 2014

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Books well talk about todayliterary fiction

• Recent and forthcoming
• Well-reviewed publicized
• First novels
• New novels by favorite authors
• Titles for reading groups

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Trends

• Western settings, especially Montana and Wyoming
• Returning soldiers the trauma of war, both
  historical and contemporary
• Gone Girl is the go-to readalike book everyone
  wants to capture that market!

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Trends

• Family secrets, kidnappings, and more family
  secrets, ghosts too!
• Historical fiction continues to be huge
• World War I time period
• Fiction about well known writers and literary
  characters

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Readers who like family and domestic
drama(psychological insightgood character
developmentcontemporary settings)
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What I Had Before I Had You by Sarah Cornwell
August, 2014 HarperCollins First novel Appeal
NJ setting, characters Themes family secrets,
coming of age, mental illness
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Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper
January, 2014 SS First novel Appeal gentle
read, lovable characters Themes love, aging,
searching
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Everything I Never Told Youby Celeste Ng
June, 2014 Penguin First novel Appeal
character, plot, writing Themes immigrants,
racial prejudice parents and children
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The Story Hourby Thrity Umrigar
August, 2014 HarperCollins Previous The Space
Between Us, The World We Found, First Darling of
the Morning Appeal characters, writing Themes
immigrants, marriage, mental illness
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Issue-driven fiction(great for book clubs)
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An Untamed Stateby Roxane Gay
May, 2014 Grove/Atlantic First novel Appeal
plot, character, pacing Themes womens lives,
psychological thrillers
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Be Safe I Love Youby Cara Hoffman
April, 2014 SS Previous So Much
Pretty Appeal character, setting Themes
returning women soldiers, family dynamics, mental
illness
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Driving the Kingby Ravi Howard
Jan., 2015 HarperCollins First novel Appeal
character setting, plot Themes race relations
South
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Accidents of Marriageby Randy Susan Meyers
Sept., 2014 Atria Books Previous The Comfort of
Lies The Murderers Daughter Appeal character,
plot Themes marriage, anger management, parents
and children
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Edgy, suspenseful, noirish novelsliterary
mysterieswar stories
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Keep Your Friends Closeby Paula Daly
Sept., 2014 Grove Press Previous Just What
Kind of Mother Are You? Appeal plot Themes
marriage, friendship, mental illness
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Black Riverby S.M. Hulse
Jan., 2015 Houghton Mifflin First
novel Appeal character, plot, Western
setting Themes guilt, redemption, good and evil
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Barracudaby Chris Tsiolkas
Sept., 2014 Crown Previous The Slap Appeal
character, Australian setting Themes coming of
age, Australian setting, athletic competition,
class differences
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The Magicians Lieby Greer Macallister
Jan., 2015 Sourcebooks First novel Appeal
plot, setting, unreliable narrator Themes
magic, early 20th century, womens lives
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Heavy Hitters in literary fictionambitious in
scope and styleusually reviewed in the literary
press
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Lucky Usby Amy Bloom

• July, 2014 Random House
• Previous Away, Love Invents Us, others
• Appeal historical setting, plot, character,
  writing
• Themes family relationships, sisters, love,
  social issues

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Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena
Ferrante
Sept., 2014 Europa Previous book My Brilliant
Friend, Story of a New Name, others Appeal
character, Naples setting, writing Themes
friendship, social issues, crime, marriage
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The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee
Oct., 2014 W.W. Norton Previous A Life
Apart Appeal Indian setting, character.
plot Themes family relationships, politics
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The Dog by Joseph ONeill
Sept., 2014 Doubleday Previous
Netherland Appeal setting, writing,
character Themes existential dilemmas,
loneliness, morality
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We Are Not Ourselvesby Matthew Thomas
August, 2014 SsS First novel Appeal
character, plot Themesimmigrants, marriage,
Brooklyn, mental illness
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HISTORICAL FICTION
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The Boston Girlby Anita Diamant
Dec., 2014 Scribner Previous The Red Tent,
others Appeal character, plot, setting Themes
immigrant women, Jewish interest
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Henna Houseby Nomi Eve
Aug., 2014 Scribner Previous The Family
Orchard Appeal Middle Eastern setting, Jewish
interest, coming of age Themes marriage, family
sagas
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Neverhomeby Laird Hunt
Sept, 2014 Little, Brown Previous Kind One,
Ray of the Star, others Appeal plot, character,
setting Themes Civil War, women disguised as
men
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A Star for Mrs. Blakeby April Smith
Sept., 2014 Knopf/Doubleday Previous Ana Grey
thriller series Appeal character, plot,
setting Themes World War I, mothers and sons,
class differences
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The Paying Guestsby Sarah Waters
Sept., 2014 Penguin Previous book The Little
Stranger, others Appeal plot, setting,
pacing Themes marriage, sexual relationships,
1920s London
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The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline
Winspear
July, 2014 HarperCollins Previous book Maisie
Dobbs mysteries Appeal character,
setting Themes World War I, love and marriage,
soldiers
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Historical FictionReal Characters/Literary
characters
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Gutenbergs Apprentice by Alix Christie
September, 2014 HarperCollins First
novel Appeal detailed historical setting,
plot Themes history of printing, life in the
1400s
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The Bridal Chairby Gloria Goldreich
March, 2015 Sourcebooks Previous Leahs
Journey, Leahs Children, others Appeal story,
character, setting Themes fathers and
daughters, Holocaust, artists
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The Fortune Hunterby Daisy Goodwin
July, 2014 St. Martins Press Previous The
American Heiress Appeal story, character, 1920s
setting Themes class differences, love and
marriage
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Euphoriaby Lily King
June, 2014 Atlantic Monthly Press Previous The
Pleasing Hour Appeal setting, plot Themes
anthropology, cultural clashes, relationships
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Juliets Nurseby Lois Leveen
Sept., 2014 Atria/Emily Bestler Previous The
Secrets of Mary Bowser Appeal setting, plot,
Shakespearean interest
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Mrs. Hemingwayby Naomi Wood
May, 2014 Viking/Penguin First novel (published
in US) Appeal character, structure Themes
love and marriage, literary celebrities
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Some hints for keeping up

• First line of defense PW, LJ Prepub Alert,
  Early Word, The Book Reporter
• www.earlyword.com
• www.bookreporter.com
• Reading Group Choices
• www.readinggroupchoices.com
• http//www.nationalreadinggroupmonth.org/

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Some hints for keeping up

• End of year best lists New York Times, Amazon,
  Washington Post, Kirkus, LJ, PW
• Book Expo and AAP Sneak Peek
• Review copies from publishers
• Speed dating with publishers (BEA)
• Edelweiss
• http//edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com/

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Some hints for keeping up

• Small/independent publishers to watch Europa,
  Greywolf, Coffee House, Milkweed, Sourcebooks,
  Other, Akashic, Norton, Grove/Atlantic
• Imprints from the big publishers Algonquin,
  Twelve (Hachette), Riverhead, Hogarth, Ecco