New and noteworthy
USA TODAY’s Jocelyn McClurg scopes out the hottest books on sale each week.
1 Darker by E. L. James ( Vintage, fiction, on sale Tuesday) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Christian Grey retells Fifty Shades Darker from his point of view; the latest title in the wildly popular, kinky Fifty Shades of Grey saga. THE BUZZ: This is the second in the trilogy to be told from Christian’s perspective; the first, Grey ( 2015), was an instant No. 1 USA TODAY best seller.
2 Tom Clancy Power and Empire by Marc Cameron ( Putnam, fiction, on sale Tuesday) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Unlike our current president, President Jack Ryan is at serious odds with China’s ( fictional) leader. THE BUZZ: Cameron is the latest writer to take on this best- selling thriller franchise; Clancy died in 2013.
3 Past Perfect by Danielle Steel ( Delacorte, fiction, on sale Tuesday) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Past and present collide — literally — in this story about a modern family in San Francisco who meet the original 1917 inhabitants of their mansion after an earthquake shakes the rafters. THE BUZZ: The prolific Steel has had a remarkable 70 titles hit USA TODAY’s top 10.
4 The Man Who Made the Movies by Vanda Krefft ( Harper, nonfiction, on sale Tuesday) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Biography explores the “meteoric rise and tragic fall” of William Fox, a movie mogul of the silent era whose studio still bears his name. THE BUZZ: “Captivating … makes for gripping storytelling,” says Publishers Weekly.
5 A Hundred Small Lessons by Ashley Hay ( Atria, fiction, on sale Tuesday) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: The lives of several generations intersect when a young married couple with a new baby buy the Brisbane house of an older woman who moves into a senior living facility. THE BUZZ: It’s an Indie Next pick of independent booksellers. “Beautifully written, ( a) quiet gem of a novel,” says Sarajane Giddings of Blue Door Books in Cedarhurst, N. Y.