10 Picks to pack for the beach
Summer books preview
1END OF WATCH
by Stephen King (Scribner, fiction, on sale June 7)
Brady WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Hartsfield, aka the Mr. Mercedes killer, is back in the concluding volume of King ’s best-selling noir trilogy starring gumshoe Bill Hodges. USA TODAY’s WHY IT’S HOT: Brian Truitt called Mr. Mercedes, the first book in the trilogy, a “masterpiece,” and gave its sequel, Finders Keepers, eeee out of four.
2I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT YOU
by Terry McMillan (Crown, fiction, on sale June 7) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: The author of Waiting to Exhale and other hit books tells the story of Georgia Young, a San Francisco optometrist who decides to make amends with the men she’s loved.
“McMillan’s WHY IT’S HOT: trademark style in full, feisty effect ... a heartwarming story that reminds us of the pure joy of believing in love,” says Kirkus Reviews.
3THE GIRLS
by Emma Cline (Random House, fiction, on sale June 14)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: In 1969, a teenage girl is seduced into a dangerous cult by an older girl; fictionalized version of the Manson family. WHY IT’S HOT: This debut novel from a young author is among the most hyped titles of the season, and a jacket blurb from Lena Dunham (HBO’s Girls) won’t hurt: “Emma Cline has an unparalleled eye for the intricacies of girlhood. ... This book will break your heart and blow your mind.”
4BARKSKINS by Annie Proulx (Scribner, fiction, on sale June 14)
WHAT IT’S
At 736 ABOUT: pages, this centuries- and generationsspanning epic about the timber trade literally is one of the BIG literary events of the summer; by the author of The Shipping News.
“Exhilarating … WHY IT’S HOT: a monumental achievement, one that will perhaps be remembered as her finest work,” says Publishers Weekly in a starred review.
5 BEFORE YOU JUDGE ME: THE TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY OF MICHAEL JACKSON’S LAST DAYS
by Tavis Smiley and David Ritz (Little, Brown, non-fiction, on sale June 21) Described WHAT IT’S ABOUT: by the publisher as a “deeply humanizing ” look at the weeks leading up to Michael Jackson’s shocking death at age 50 in 2009. WHY IT’S HOT: The book is timed to the seventh anniversary of the controversial superstar’s death on June 25, during a year that already has seen several major losses in
the music world.
6 THE LAND OF STORIES: AN AUTHOR’S ODYSSEY
by Chris Colfer (Little, Brown, fiction, on sale July 12)
In the WHAT IT’S ABOUT: fifth book in a series for young readers, Alex and Conner race to put an end to the Masked Man’s reign of terror.
The young WHY IT’S HOT: actor’s tales about twins who are teleported into the world of fairy tales all have been best sellers, and Beyond the Kingdoms hit No. 10 on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list last year.
7 TRULY MADLY GUILTY
by Liane Moriarty (Flatiron, fiction, on sale July 26) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: A barbecue in Sydney goes horribly wrong in this novel that may have readers reassessing their summer cookout plans. WHY IT’S HOT: Moriarty’s witty best seller Big Little Lies is being filmed for HBO with Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman co-producing and starring as “helicopter” kindergarten moms. Chris Colfer
8 HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD – PARTS ONE & TWO
by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne (Arthur A. Levine Books, fiction, on sale July 31)
In what’s being WHAT IT’S ABOUT: called the “eighth” Harry Potter tale, the boy wizard is now all grown up and has a young son, Albus, who struggles with the family legacy; this is the script for the two-part Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, which opens in London’s West End on July 30. Harry Potter WHY IT’S HOT: returns!
9 THE GIRL WITH THE LOWER BACK TATTOO
by Amy Schumer (Gallery Books, non-fiction, on sale Aug. 16) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: In a book that sounds both funny and serious, the no-holdsbarred star of Trainwreck and Inside Amy Schum
er reflects on her “complicated relationships with her family and with men.” WHY IT’S HOT: Schumer received a reported $8 million paycheck for
Girl; her publisher has high hopes she’ll join fellow female comedian/ authors such as Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling and Chelsea Handler high on best-seller lists.
10TRUMP REVEALED
by Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher (Scribner, non-fiction, on sale Aug. 23) Washington WHAT IT’S ABOUT:
Post investigative and political reporters take an in-depth look at Donald Trump in this biography, a late addition to the summer lineup.
What will be WHY IT’S HOT: “revealed” about the presumptive Republican presidential nominee that we don’t already know? Stay tuned.