NEW ON THE LIST AND IN PUBLISHING
Sparks flies: By now, landing at No. 1 on USA TODAY’s BestSelling list must seem old hat for Nicholas Sparks. The new See Me is the novelist’s fifth novel in a row to make its debut in the top spot. See Me, Sparks’ first book in two years, follows the No. 1 success of The Longest Ride (2013), The Best of Me
(2011), Safe
Haven (2010)
and The Last
Song (2009). ( See Me is his 18th book to land in USA TODAY’s top 5.) The new dramatic romance is the story of Colin Hancock, who’s trying to straighten out his life, and Maria Sanchez, a lawyer with troubles of her own. On his website, Sparks says that his latest characters “are among my favorites that I have ever created.” Of course Sparks is equally well-known for the hit movies spun off from his best sellers. According to publisher Grand Central, he has not yet sold the film rights for See Me. But an adaptation of The Choice, based on his 2007 novel (another No. 1 USA TODAY best seller), is due in theaters in February.
We’re only ‘Humans’:
In the era of selfies, there’s still room for photographers — especially for a guy named Brandon Stanton, the street photographer behind the popular blog Humans of New York. Stanton is back on the list with a book version of the blog,
Humans of
New York: Stories, which lands at No. 6. It’s a sequel to his surprise 2013 hit, Humans of New York, which landed at No. 5. Stanton is more of a “confessional” photographer than a professional photographer. He prowls the city to find interesting characters of all ages, strangers who tell him intimate details of their lives.