2013 National Book Critics Awards Finalists

2013 National Book Critics Awards Finalists

The National Book Critics Circle has named the finalists for its best books of 2013 and Macmillan is thrilled to have nine nominees from Farrar, Straus & Giroux and Bloomsbury!  

FICTION
SOMEONE by Alice McDermott

NONFICTION
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE by David Finkel
THE UNWINDING: An Inner History of the New America by George Packer

POETRY
METAPHYSICAL DOG by Frank Bidart

AUTOBIOGRAPHY
THE BOOK OF MY LIVES by Aleksandar Hemon
MEN WE REAPED by Jesmyn Ward

BIOGRAPHY
HOLDING ON UPSIDE DOWN: The Life and Work of Marianne Moore by Linda Leavell

CRITICISM
THE KRAUS PROJECT: Essays by Karl Kraus, translated and annotated by Jonathan Franzen
FORTY-ONE FALSE STARTS: Essays on Artists and Writers by Janet Malcolm

Click here to view the full list of nominees. Winners will be announced in a ceremony on Thursday, March 13, at 6:00 pm EST. Congratulations to all nominees! 

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Best Books of 2013!

Best Books of 2013!

We've had an amazing year in books and are thrilled to be represented on so many Best of 2013 lists. Here's a look at the highlights:
BOOKLIST

Arts & Literature
     IN THE BODY OF THE WORLD by Eve Ensler

Biography
     JACK LONDON by Earle Labor

Health & Medicine
     IN THE KINGDOM OF THE SICK by Laurie Edwards

History
     THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE by David Finkel 

Social Sciences
     EBONY AND IVY by Craig Steven Wilder
     GOSPEL OF FREEDOM by Jonathan Rieder
     HOPE AGAINST HOPE by Sarah Carr
     IN THE NAME OF GOD by Cameron Stauth
     THE UNWINDING by George Packer

Adult Books for Young Adults
  
     A CHANCE TO WIN by Jonathan Schuppe
     THE GAMAL by Ciarán Collins

Books for Youth 
     ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell
     IF YOU FIND ME by Emily Murdoch

Audio for Adults
 
     HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN by Louise Penny

 

KIRKUS REVIEWS 

Best Fiction
     LOOKAWAY, LOOKAWAY by Wilton Barnhardt
     BOX OFFICE POISON by Phillipa Bornikova
     GHOSTS OF BUNGO SUIDO by P.T. Deutermann
     MIDNIGHT by Kevin Egan
     JEEVES AND THE WEDDING BELLS by Sebastian Faulks
     HAVISHAM by Ronald Frame
     TRANSCENDENTAL by James Gunn
     GOOD PEOPLE by Ewart Hutton
     SOMEONE by Alice McDermott  
     THE NIGHT GUEST by Fiona McFarlane
     SOMETHING MORE THAN NIGHT by Ian Tregillis
     THE LAND ACROSS by Gene Wolfe
     QUEEN VICTORIA’S BOOK OF SPELLS by Ellen Datlow 

Best Teen 
     ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell 

Best Nonfiction  
     THE GUNS AT LAST LIGHT by Rick Atkinson
     REPORT FROM THE INTERIOR by Paul Auster
     SHOUTING WON'T HELP by Katherine Bouton
     MORTAL SINS by Michael D'Antonio
     THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE by David Finkel
     THE SEARCHERS by Glenn Frankel
     THE GREAT DISSENT by Thomas Healy
     THE BOOK OF MY LIVES by Aleksandar Hemon
     THE BROTHERS by Stephen Kinzer
     A FORT OF NINE TOWERS by Qais Akbar Omar
     THE UNWINDING by George Packer
     MEN WE REAPED by Jesmyn Ward
     EBONY AND IVY by Craig Steven Wilder

 

LIBRARY JOURNAL

Top 10 Best Books of 2013   
     THE SEARCHERS by Glenn Frankel 

More of the Best 
     JACK LONDON by Earle Labor
     OWNING THE EARTH by Andro Linklater

Best Books 2013: Memoir 
     HER by Christa Parravani

Best Books 2013: Consumer Health 
     MIDLIFE EATING DISORDERS by Cynthia M. Bulik 

Best Books 2013: Sci-Tech  
     BUG MUSIC by David Rothenberg

Best Books 2013: Audio  
     LOOKAWAY, LOOKAWAY by Wilton Barnhardt
     HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN by Louise Penny

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Top 10 Best Books of 2013  
     MEN WE REAPED by Jesmyn Ward  

Best Fiction  
     PERCIVAL EVERETT BY VIRGINIA RUSSELL by Virgil Russell
     SOMEONE by Alice McDermott

Best Mystery  
     HOUR OF THE RED GOD by Richard Crompton
     HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN by Louise Penny
     ENIGMA OF CHINA by Qiu Xiaolong

Best Poetry  
     METAPHYSICAL DOG by Frank Bidart
     INCARNADINE by Mary Szybist

Best SF/Fantasy/Horror  
     TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY SCIENCE FICTION, edited by David G. Hartwell and Patrick Nielsen Hayden
     VICIOUS by V.E. Schwab

Best Comics
     THE PROPERTY by Rutu Modan

Best Nonfiction  
     MEN WE REAPED by Jesmyn Ward
     MORTAL SINS by Michael D'Antonio
     THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE by David Finkel
     FORTY-ONE FALSE STARTS by Janet Malcolm
     SCARCITY by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir
     THE UNWINDING by George Packer

Best Children's Fiction  
     ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell

Best Religion  
     MY BRIGHT ABYSS by Christian Wiman


SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL  

Best Fiction
     ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell
     FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell

LibraryReads logoAnd here are all of our LibraryReads’ selections from 2013:

September list 
     #1: FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell
     #2: HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN by Louise Penny

November list
     #2: THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS by Julia Spencer-Fleming
     #8: THE RAVEN'S EYE by Barry Maitland

December list 
     #7: DANGEROUS WOMEN, edited by George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois
     #9: THE TRIP TO ECHO SPRING by Olivia Laing

While it's not technically a "Best of 2013" list, NPR's Book Concierge is definitely a collection of favorites throughout the year. 

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Books for Teens 2014: WE [heart] YA Griffin Teen!

Books for Teens 2014: WE [heart] YA Griffin Teen!

Books for Teens 2014 posterCue the confetti cannons and cheerleaders: it's time for our annual list of Young Adult books from St. Martin’s Griffin! 

Before the celebrations begin, make sure that you’re whitelisted on Edelweiss to download all of our available e-galleys. Click here to find out how to be whitelisted. 

If you're already whitelisted, you can find all available Macmillan e-galleys here (please note: you must be logged in and set your search preference to "View titles I may Download or Request." Otherwise, the page will say "No titles met this criteria").

You can also view our Edelweiss collection of Books for Teens titles here.  

Read on for the books!

 

FangirlFANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell

A coming-of-age tale of family, first love, and fan fiction from the talented author of ELEANOR & PARK

"Absolutely captivating." Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"A funny and tender coming-of-age story that’s also the story of a writer finding her voice. [...] Touching and utterly real." Publishers Weekly, starred review

"This book will find a wide audience, especially among older fans of Harry Potter." School Library Journal, starred review

"This is an epic writ small; the magic here is cast not with wands but with Rowell's incredible ability to build complex, vivid, troubling, and triumphant relationships."Booklist, starred review

#1 LibraryReads September 2013 Selection
New York Times Notable Children's Books of 2013 
Goodreads Best Books of 2013 
School Library Journal Best Books of 2013 
2014 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection 

TrapTHE TRAP by Andrew Fukuda (The Hunt #3)

In the explosive finale to The Hunt trilogy, Gene and Sissy must protect each other and their only hope: the cure that will turn the blood-thirsty creatures around them into humans again.

"The Hunt trilogy has lived up to the promise of the first book and delivered shocks and drama with every turn of the page." — Booklist

THE PREY by Andrew Fukuda (The Hunt #2) is now available in Trade Paperback

Social CodeTHE SOCIAL CODE by Sadie Hayes (The Start-Up #1)

The drama of Gossip Girl comes to Silicon Valley when eighteen-year-old twins Adam and Amelia Dory launch their new company and find fame and fortune seemingly overnight. But no amount of prestige can prepare them for the envy, backstabbing and cool calculation of their new powerful peers.

"Readers will be both engrossed with and appalled by the shifty universe and deliciously soapy momentum created in this thrilling series opener." — Booklist

Next Big ThingTHE NEXT BIG THING by Sadie Hayes (The Start-Up #2)

In the second installment in the Start Up series, Amelia and Adam are riding high on the successful launch of their new company–until they start to disagree about how to sustain the momentum to keep making it in the competitive world of Silicon Valley.

 

 

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Stars for THE WIVES OF LOS ALAMOS

Stars for THE WIVES OF LOS ALAMOS

Remember when we told you about Tarashea Nesbit's THE WIVES OF LOS ALAMOS? You know, the one told in the collective voices of the wives of the men who created the atom bomb (think THE GIRLS OF ATOMIC CITY meets THE ASTRONAUT WIVES' CLUB, only fiction)? Well, it turns out there's even more great news about this incredible debut novel:

Barnes & Noble named it one of their Spring 2014 Discover Great New Writers Selections!

The ABA selected it for their Spring 2014 Indies Introduce program (meaning, they think it's one of the ten best Adult titles of the season)!

It's a March 2014 Indie Next selection!

It's received two starred reviews with more glowing praise to come:

"The author’s writing—by turns touching, confiding, and matter-of-fact—perfectly captures the commonalities of the hive mind while also emphasizing the little things that make each wife dissimilar from the pack. Engrossing, dense, and believable." Publishers Weekly, starred review

"That this novel about the lives of women whose husbands worked at Los Alamos during WWII achieves with no real plot and no real main character is astounding. Through their lives and, eventually, their varied reactions to the dropping of the first atomic bombs on Japan, Nesbit brings alive questions of war and power that dog us to this day." Booklist, starred review

"Recommended both for its important subject matter and for the author’s vivid storytelling.” Library Journal

Keep an eye out for reviews to come in O Magazine, More Magazine, Glamour, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe and many more!  

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Sneak Peek: The December 2013 Indie Next list

Sneak Peek: The December 2013 Indie Next list

Indie Next logoThe December Indie Next list was recently announced and we're thrilled that it includes so many wonderful Macmillan titles! 

THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS by Julia Spencer-Fleming
The eighth book in the Clare Fergusson and Russ van Alstyne series is also #2 on the November LibraryReads list and is celebrating a very special #BookBday today!

JEEVES AND THE WEDDING BELLS by Sebastian Faulks
Bertie and Jeeves are back and in fine fettle, courtesy of Sebastian Faulks's homage to P.G. Wodehouse. Faulksie's done him proud: four outstanding starred pre-pub reviews. Well done, old chap!

THE HOUSEMAID'S DAUGHTER by Barbara Mutch
The great praise keeps coming in for this debut novel: "Rich in detail and subtle in its politics, this affecting novel tells a poignant, inspiring story." –Booklist, starred review

REPORT FROM THE INTERIOR by Paul Auster
In the bestselling author's most intimate autobiographical work to date, Auster describes his journey into adulthood through the postwar 1950s into the turbulent 1960s.

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Head over heels for HAVISHAM

Head over heels for HAVISHAM

Everyone loves Ronald Frame's HAVISHAM, and for good reason. The story is creative (it's a prelude to Charles Dickens's classic GREAT EXPECTATIONS), the package is gorgeous, and the reviews are glowing:

“Before she took to pacing about her cobwebbed London manse in a tattered wedding gown, literature’s most famous jilted bride, Miss Havisham, ran the family brewery.  Expectations are great for this engaging ‘prequel’ to Dickens’ classic.” Good Housekeeping, New Book Picks

“In HAVISHAM, his prequel to Great Expectations, Ronald Frame colorfully imagines the traumas that doomed the tortured Miss Havisham.” Vanity Fair, Hot Type column

“If you love Great Expectations, you'll bask in the light of Frame's detailed and atmospheric prequel focusing on the dark and tragic Miss Havisham.” Shelf Awareness

“An excellent example of a present-day writer taking on a classic, HAVISHAM gives the reader food for thought while reviving one of the great characters of Victorian literature.” BookPage

"An intelligently imagined Dickens prequel." Kirkus Reviews, starred review and Best Book of the Year selection

More reviews are still to come from USA Today and the New York Times Book Review. Film and TV rights have been acquired for adaptation by BBC producer Christopher Aird (Call the Midwife), but until then, you can watch the lovely book trailer.

 Havisham trailer

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For Your Consideration… December LibraryReads suggestions

For Your Consideration… December LibraryReads suggestions

Friends, thank you again for choosing Julia Spencer-Fleming's THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS and Barry Maitland's THE RAVEN'S EYE for the November LibraryReads list. 

We're already halfway through the month, which means only two more weeks to nominate titles for the December list (due Nov. 1). Never fear! We're happy to help you whittle down the "To Read" pile with our favorite December books:

THE HOUSEMAID'S DAUGHTER by Barbara Mutch
This moving debut novel is a December Indie Next selection! Set in the arid plains of Apartheid-era South Africa, THE HOUSEMAID'S DAUGHTER tells the story of Cathleen, an estranged young woman whose only true companions are her diary and her housemaid's daughter. But one night changes everything and Cathleen must choose between conforming to society or finding the girl she has come to love as her own daughter. "Rich in detail and subtle in its politics, this affecting novel tells a poignant, inspiring story." – Booklist, starred review

NetGalley logoAvailable on NetGalley. Email library@macmillanusa.com (subject line: HOUSEMAID'S DAUGHTER) to get pre-approved for a galley.


ONCE UPON A LIE
by Maggie Barbieri
In a dramatic departure from her Murder 101 series, Maggie Barbieri has written a gripping novel about one burnt out mother's desperate determination to protect her family's future by facing down her past. What starts out as a standard suburban mystery evolves into an unexpectedly riveting tale of ordinary cruelty and complicated heroism. "...Barbieri skillfully avoids tipping her hand until the last possible moment, leaving readers both breathless and unnerved by the novel’s conclusion." – Publishers Weekly, starred & boxed review

NetGalley logoAvailable on NetGalley. Email library@macmillanusa.com (subject line: ONCE UPON A LIE) to get pre-approved for a galley.


THE TRIP TO ECHO SPRING: On Writers and Drinking
by Olivia Laing
“The tortured relationship between literary lions and their liquor illuminates the obscure terrain of psychology and art in this searching biographical meditation…. Laing explores this rich topic through an unusual mix of biographical research, astute literary interpretation, and wonderfully atmospheric travelogue... The result is a fine study of a human frailty through the eyes of its most perceptive victims.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review. If that's not enough of an endorsement, Library Journal's Barbara Hoffert made it one of her picks saying, “Perennially astonishing authors framed by a perennially popular theme.”

Email library@macmillanusa.com (subject line: TRIP TO ECHO SPRING) to get request an e-galley.


THE RED POLE OF MACAU
by Ian Hamilton
Booklist called the exotic Ava Lee mystery series, “Slick, fast-moving escapism reminiscent of Ian Fleming,” and the third entry shows no sign of flagging. In THE RED POLE OF MACAU, Ava must rescue her half-brother Michael and his business partner Simon from a disastrous multi-million-dollar real-estate deal in Macau that could bankrupt them. When the developers turn out to be gangsters and kidnap Simon, Ava must use all her skills to outwit the gangsters, rescue Simon, and save her family’s future.

Edelweiss DRC button
Available for download on Edelweiss.

For more December LibraryReads title suggestions, view our collection on Edelweiss.

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Maximum Shelf: WHERE THE MOON ISN’T

Maximum Shelf: WHERE THE MOON ISN’T

MaxShelf-WhereTheMoonIsnt
"'I'll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother,' Matthew says, 'His name's Simon. I think you'll like him. I really do. But in a couple of pages he'll be dead. And he was never the same after that.'"  

Where the Moon Isn'tToday's Maximum Shelf features one of our favorite debut novels of the season: WHERE THE MOON ISN'T by Nathan Filer. Recently named a November Indie Next selection, this story about two brothers—one who goes missing and the other who doesn't quite come back—is inspired by the author's experience as a psychiatric nurse.

"Equal parts family drama, mystery, coming-of-age and meditation on mental illness, Nathan Filer's unusual and haunting novel, WHERE THE MOON ISN'T, defies easy categorization. Whereas many genre-bending novels tend to overreach, this one succeeds on every level, most notably with its affecting protagonist. Though unnerving, this unique window into a mental illness that is so often misunderstood and misrepresented is both interesting and enlightening." — Shelf Awareness

See the full summary, review and interview with Nathan Filer on Shelf-Awareness.com.

NetGalley logoStart reading now! Email library@macmillanusa.com (subject line: WHERE THE MOON ISN'T) to get pre-approved to download a review copy from NetGalley.


Praise for
WHERE THE MOON ISN'T:

"VERDICT: In this very assured debut, performance poet and mental-health nurse Filer shows that he knows what he's writing about. It should prove catnip to book group participants (especially those who loved Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) and will appeal to anyone looking for a serious (but not ponderous) story that's impossible to put down." Library Journal, starred review

"A haunting story about how to mourn when the source of your grief will never go away” — Kirkus Reviews

“...deeply affecting and insightful in its account of mental illness." — Booklist


WHERE THE MOON ISN'T
will be available from St. Martin's Press on November 5. 

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Happy #BookBday (10/8/13 Edition)

Happy #BookBday (10/8/13 Edition)

After several months of labor, we're proud to announce the birth of these fine books on today's #BookBday

 

MR. LYNCH'S HOLIDAY by Catherine O'Flynn
Catherine O’Flynn’s debut novel WHAT WAS LOST received a Costa First Book Award and was long-listed for the Booker Prize and the Orange Prize. In MR. LYNCH’S HOLIDAY, O’Flynn creates a moving and memorable portrait of reconciliation between a father and son. "Like her characters, O’Flynn has an eye for the beauty to be found amid squalor and chaos." –Publishers Weekly

JACOB'S OATH by Martin Fletcher
A Holocaust survivor must choose between keeping the woman he loves and seeking revenge against the camp guard who beat his younger brother to death in this "expressive...story of love and hatred, revenge and recovery." (Kirkus Reviews) "Fletcher has crafted a moving love story, a vivid portrait of a devastated and chaotic Germany immediately after the war’s end, and a remarkably insightful look into the minds of two survivors of the Holocaust. Fletcher’s style is spare and graceful, and it enhances the power of this small gem of a novel." –Booklist

TUDORS: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I by Peter Ackroyd
The Tudor era was pivotal in English history and is still of great interest to many (just think of the dashing Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the TV show "The Tudors"). Ackroylishers Weekly) and rich in detail thanks to interesting anecdotes about key players.

FEAR OF FLYING by Erica Jong (the 40th Anniversary reissue edition with an introduction by Jennifer Weiner)
Originally published in 1973, Jong's internationally bestselling story of Isadora Wing launched a new way of thinking about gender, sexuality, and liberty in our society. This reissue edition comes of this seminal work comes just in time for the 40th anniversary, complete with a new introduction by New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner.

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