Publishing This Week: Marie Benedict, Colm Toibin, Tracy Kidder and 16 Others

Publishing This Week

Hello,

This week brings 19 new and notable books including Wade in the Water by debut novelist Nyani Nkrumah which our members reviewed for our First Impressions Program, rating it a resounding 4.7-stars; and I can personally attest that it is a stunner.

There's also a new novel from Marie Benedict in which she takes on the topic of the six Mitford sisters in the lead up to World War II, focusing mainly on Nancy (the author); Diana, the socialite mistress of Oswald Mosley, leader of Britain’s fascist movement; and Unity who became obsessed with Hitler and moved in his inner circle. Fifty BookBrowse members received a copy of The Mitford Affair so as to discuss it in our Book Club, and you are most welcome to join us.

Other notables this week include a novel from Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, a collection of essays by Colm Toibin, and nonfiction from Tracy Kidder and Henry Marsh. You'll find 10 books below and full details on all in our New This Week section.

Enjoy!

Davina, BookBrowse Publisher

This Week's New and Notable Books

There are too many books published each week for you to read about them all, let alone read them all. So we do the legwork for you, scouring the publishers' catalogs and the pre-publication reviews to pick out what we believe to be among the best and most interesting. You can see them all in our “What’s New” section.

More about how we pick and rate books.

Wade in the Water: A Novel
by Nyani Nkrumah

Debut Author
On sale Jan 17 from Amistad
Genre: Literary Fiction. 320 pages
Critics' Opinion:
Members' Rating: 4.7/5

Resonant with the emotional urgency of Alice Walker's classic Meridian and the poignant charm of Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, a gripping debut novel of female power and vulnerability, race, and class that explores the unlikely friendship between a precocious black girl and a mysterious white woman in a small Mississippi town in the early 1980s.

Read More
Reader Reviews

What Lies in the Woods: A Novel
by Kate Alice Marshall

On sale Jan 17 from Flatiron Books
Genre: Literary Fiction. 336 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

Kate Alice Marshall's What Lies in the Woods is a thrilling novel about friendship, secrets, betrayal, and lies - and having the courage to face the past.

Independence: A Novel
by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

On sale Jan 17 from William Morrow
Genre: Historical Fiction. 288 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

Set during the partition of British India in 1947, a time when neighbor was pitted against neighbor and families were torn apart, award-winning author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's novel brings to life the sweeping story of three sisters caught up in events beyond their control, their unbreakable bond, and their incredible struggle against powerful odds.

A Guest at the Feast: Essays
by Colm Toibin

On sale Jan 17 from Scribner
Genre: Essays. 336 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

From one of the most engaging and brilliant writers of our time comes a collection of essays about growing up in Ireland during radical change; about cancer, priests, popes, homosexuality, and literature.

And Finally: Matters of Life and Death
by Henry Marsh

On sale Jan 17 from St. Martin's Press
Genre: Biography/Memoir. 240 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

From the bestselling neurosurgeon and author of Do No Harm, comes Henry Marsh's And Finally, an unflinching and deeply personal exploration of death, life and neuroscience.

Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom
by Ilyon Woo

On sale Jan 17 from Simon & Schuster
Genre: History, Current Affairs and Religion. 416 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

The remarkable true story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped slavery through daring, determination, and disguise, with Ellen passing as a wealthy, disabled White man and William posing as "his" slave.

Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O'Connell's urgent mission to bring healing to homeless people
by Tracy Kidder

On sale Jan 17 from Random House
Genre: History, Current Affairs and Religion. 320 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

The powerful story of an inspiring doctor who made a difference, by helping to create a program to care for Boston's homeless community—by the Pulitzer Prize–winning, New York Times bestselling author of Mountains Beyond Mountains

Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature's Secrets to Longevity
by Nicklas Brendborg

Debut Author
On sale Jan 17 from Little Brown & Company
Genre: Science, Health and the Environment. 288 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

A Sunday Times (UK) Best Book of the Year • This eye-opening book offers a "clear and captivating" (Dr. Kris Verburgh) scientific deep dive into how plants and animals have already unlocked the secrets to immortality–and the lessons they hold for us all.

Sundressed: Natural Fabrics and the Future of Clothing
by Lucianne Tonti

On sale Jan 19 from Island Press
Genre: Science, Health and the Environment. 216 pages
Critics' Opinion: 4/5

Sundressed is an exploration of a revolution taking place in fashion. And it is a love letter to clothing that embodies beauty and value, from farm to closet.

View all 19 new and notable books publishing this week

Publishing This Week is one of BookBrowse's four free newsletters. We also publish BookBrowse Highlights every Thursday; and Book Club News and Librarian News monthly.

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