This week’s new arrivals are actually pretty great. There are some memoirs that could prove to be pretty funny, what with Steve Martin’s Number One Is Walking: My Life in The Movies, cartoons and Lauren Graham’s anecdotes and laugh-out-loud observations about life as an actor in Hollywood, in Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want To Forget To Remember. Michelle Obama’s The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times is more of an inspiring book (with humor), written to try and help people stay hopeful and balanced in today’s world.
The speculative fiction book by Brandon Sanderson, The Lost Metal (Mistborn Series #7) is the epic conclusion to the Wax and Wayne Mistborn series arc, and Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse is a dark fantasy, a tale of the mythical West which includes murder, Demons and The Fallen. (The pariahs of society).
If you’re looking for romance, albeit a paranormal one, you can try A Light in The Flame by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This is book 2 in her Flesh and Fire series. Armentrout has built a world in which Sera, the main character would like to stop Kolis, a false King of Gods who has a tyrannical rule over Iliseeum from posing a threat to the mortal realm. There is also scorching passion between Sera and another character, one of whom spent their life planning to kill the other.
Ah, the mysteries – The Twist of a Knife: A Novel by Anthony Horowitz is his fourth in the series, and it places the main character, Anthony Horowitz (and no, that is not a typo, that is the character’s name, and he is an author) in jail for murder! The second is a thriller by James Patterson, The Perfect Assassin: A Doc Savage Thriller, in which Prof. Brandt Savage—grandson of the legendary action hero—is forced into a top-secret training program where he discovers his true calling…as the perfect assassin.
MEMOIRS:
Movie Related:
HAVE I TOLD YOU THIS ALREADY?: STORIES I DON’T WANT TO FORGET TO REMEMBER by Lauren Graham
From the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and the New York Times bestselling author of Talking as Fast as I Can comes a candid, insightful, and wildly entertaining essay collection.
Lauren Graham has graced countless television screens with her quick-witted characters and hilarious talk show appearances, earning a reputation as a pop culture icon who always has something to say. In her latest book, Have I Told You This Already?, Graham combines her signature sense of humor with down-to-earth storytelling. She shares personal stories about her life and career—from her early days spent pounding the pavement while waitressing in New York City, to living on her aunt’s couch during her first Los Angeles pilot season, to thoughts on aging gracefully in Hollywood.
In “R.I.P. Barneys New York” Graham writes about an early job as a salesperson at the legendary department store (and the time she inadvertently shoplifted from it); in “Ryan Gosling Cannot Confirm,” she attempts to navigate the unspoken rules of Hollywood hierarchies; in “Boobs of the ’90s” she worries her bras haven’t kept up with the times; and in “Actor-y Factory” she recounts what a day in the life of an actor looks like (unless you’re Brad Pitt).
Filled with surprising anecdotes, sage advice, and laugh-out-loud observations, these all-new, original essays showcase the winning charm and wry humor that have delighted Graham’s millions of fans.
NUMBER ONE IS WALKING: MY LIFE IN THE MOVIES by Steve Martin, illustrated by Harry Bliss
Number One Is Walking is Steve Martin’s cinematic legacy—an illustrated memoir of his legendary acting career with stories from his most popular films and artwork by New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss.
Steve Martin has never written about his career in the movies before. In Number One is Walking, he shares anecdotes from the sets of his beloved films—from Father of the Bride to Roxanne, The Jerk to Three Amigos, and many more, bringing readers directly into his world. In it, he shares charming tales of antics, moments of inspiration, and exploits with the likes of Paul McCartney and Diane Keaton, Robin Williams and Chevy Chase. Martin details his forty years in the movie biz, as well as his stand-up comedy, banjo playing, writing, and cartooning, all with his unparalleled wit.
With gorgeously illustrated cartoons and single-panel “diversions” in Steve and Harry’s signature style, Number One Is Walking is full of the everyday moments that make up a movie star’s life, capturing Steve Martin’s singular humor and acclaimed career in film. The perfect gift from the team who brought you the #1 New York Times bestseller A Wealth of Pigeons.
Politically Related Biography:
THE LIGHT WE CARRY: OVERCOMING IN UNCERTAIN TIMES by Michelle Obama
In an inspiring follow-up to her critically acclaimed, #1 bestselling memoir Becoming, former First Lady Michelle Obama shares practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today’s highly uncertain world.
Michelle Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power. She details her most valuable practices, like “starting kind,” “going high,” and assembling a “kitchen table” of trusted friends and mentors. With trademark humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness.
“When we are able to recognize our own light, we become empowered to use it,” writes Michelle Obama. A rewarding blend of powerful stories and profound advice that will ignite conversation, The Light We Carry inspires readers to examine their own lives, identify their sources of gladness, and connect meaningfully in a turbulent world.
SPECULATIVE FICTION:
TREAD OF ANGELS BY Rebecca Roanhorse
Celeste, a card sharp with a need for justice, takes on the role of advocatus diaboli, to defend her sister Mariel, accused of murdering a Virtue, a member of the ruling class of this mining town, in a new world of dark fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse.
The year is 1883 and the mining town of Goetia is booming as prospectors from near and far come to mine the powerful new element Divinity from the high mountains of Colorado with the help of the pariahs of society known as the Fallen. The Fallen are the descendants of demonkind living amongst the Virtues, the winners in an ancient war, with the descendants of both sides choosing to live alongside Abaddon’s mountain in this tale of the mythological West from the bestselling mastermind Rebecca Roanhorse.
THE LOST METAL (MISTBORN SERIES #7) by Brandon Sanderson
A new Mistborn novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson.
In the epic conclusion to the Wax and Wayne Mistborn series arc, Waxillium, Marasi, and Wayne travel to the rebellious city of Bilming. What they find there is beyond their wildest expectations.
The city of Bilming is trying to break away from the central government in Elendel, but it soon becomes clear to Wax and Wayne that the city is under the influence of the god Trell.
The conflicts of the Cosmere at large have come to Scadrial, and Trell doesn’t particularly care if the planet survives.
PARANORMAL ROMANCE:
A LIGHT IN THE FLAME by Jennifer L. Armentrout
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes book two in her Flesh and Fire series.
The only one who can save Sera now is the one she spent her life planning to kill.
The truth about Sera’s plan is out, shattering the fragile trust forged between her and Nyktos. Surrounded by those distrustful of her, all Sera has is her duty. She will do anything to end Kolis, the false King of Gods, and his tyrannical rule of Iliseeum, thus stopping the threat he poses to the mortal realm.
Nyktos has a plan, though, and as they work together, the last thing they need is the undeniable, scorching passion that continues to ignite between them. Sera cannot afford to fall for the tortured Primal, not when a life no longer bound to a destiny she never wanted is more attainable than ever. But memories of their shared pleasure and unrivaled desire are a siren’s call impossible to resist.
And as Sera begins to realize that she wants to be more than a Consort in name only, the danger surrounding them intensifies. The attacks on the Shadowlands are increasing, and when Kolis summons them to Court, a whole new risk becomes apparent. The Primal power of Life is growing inside her, pushing her closer to the end of her Culling. And without Nyktos’s love—an emotion he’s incapable of feeling—she won’t survive her Ascension. That is if she even makes it to her Ascension and Kolis doesn’t get to her first. Because time is running out. For both her and the realms.
MYSTERIES/THRILLERS:
THE TWIST OF A KNIFE: A NOVEL by Anthony Horowitz
In New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz’s ingenious fourth literary whodunit following The Word is Murder, The Sentence Is Death, and A Line to Kill, Horowitz becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation—and only one man can prove his innocence: his newly estranged partner in solving crime, Detective Hawthorne.
“I’m sorry but the answer’s no.” Reluctant author, Anthony Horowitz, has had enough. He tells ex-detective Daniel Hawthorne that after three books he’s splitting and their deal is over.
The truth is that Anthony has other things on his mind.
His new play, a thriller called Mindgame, is about to open at the Vaudeville Theater in London’s West End. Not surprisingly, Hawthorne declines a ticket to the opening night.
The play is panned by the critics. In particular, Sunday Times critic Margaret Throsby gives it a savage review, focusing particularly on the writing. The next day, Throsby is stabbed in the heart with an ornamental dagger which turns out to belong to Anthony, and has his fingerprints all over it.
Anthony is arrested by an old enemy . . . Detective Inspector Cara Grunshaw. She still carries a grudge from her failure to solve the case described in the second Hawthorne adventure, The Sentence is Death, and blames Anthony. Now she’s out for revenge.
Thrown into prison and fearing for both his personal future and his writing career, Anthony is the prime suspect in Throsby’s murder and when a second theatre critic is found to have died in mysterious circumstances, the net closes in. Ever more desperate, he realizes that only one man can help him.
THE PERFECT ASSASSIN: A DOC SAVAGE THRILLER by James Patterson
Prof. Brandt Savage—grandson of the legendary action hero—is forced into a top-secret training program where he discovers his true calling…as the perfect assassin.
Dr. Brandt Savage is on sabbatical from the University of Chicago. Instead of doing solo fieldwork in anthropology, the gawky, bespectacled PhD finds himself enrolled in a school where he is the sole pupil. His professor, “Meed,” is demanding. She’s also his captor.
Savage emerges from their intensive training sessions physically and mentally transformed, but with no idea why he’s been chosen, and how he’ll use his fearsome abilities. Then his first mission with Meed takes them back to her own training ground, where Savage learns how deeply entwined their two lives have been. To prevent a new class of killers from escaping this harsh place where their ancestors first fought to make a better world, they must pledge anew : Do right to all, and wrong to no one.
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