Publishing This Week: Luis Alberto Urrea, Megan Abbott and half a dozen debuts.

Publishing This Week

Hello,

It's a quiet week for new books (relatively speaking), so I've included all 12 of this week's notables below, including new works from Luis Alberto Urrea, Megan Abbott and half a dozen debuts. If you want more information, just click on any book to go to BookBrowse; or go to our New This Week section where you'll find all the week's books.

And then get ready for a veritable flood next week with the start of the summer season. We've got almost 40 books on next week's list! If you'd like to peak ahead to see what's coming, visit our Publishing by Month section, where you can look forward and back by month (debuts are indicated by a yellow highlight, and you can sort by genre using the drop down menu at the top right of the book list).

Enjoy!

Davina, BookBrowse Publisher

This Week's New and Notable Books

There are too many books published each week for you to read about them all, let alone read them all. So we do the legwork for you, scouring the publishers' catalogs and the pre-publication reviews to pick out what we believe to be among the best and most interesting. You can see them all in our “What’s New” section.

More about how we pick and rate books.

Good Night, Irene: A Novel
by Luis Alberto Urrea

On sale May 30 from Little Brown & Company
Genre: Literary Fiction. 416 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

In the tradition of The Nightingale and Transcription, an exhilarating World War II epic that chronicles an extraordinary young woman's heroic frontline service in the Red Cross

The Wishing Game: A Novel
by Meg Shaffer

Debut Author
On sale May 30 from Ballantine Books
Genre: Literary Fiction. 304 pages
Critics' Opinion: 4/5

Years ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children's author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner's life in this absorbing and whimsical novel

The House on Via Gemito
by Domenico Starnone

On sale May 30 from Europa Editions
Genre: Historical Fiction. 480 pages
Critics' Opinion: 4/5

This extraordinary Strega Prize-winning novel confirms Domenico Starnone's reputation as one of Italy's greatest living writers. Told against the backdrop of Naples in the 1960s, a city that itself becomes a vivid character in this lush, atmospheric novel, The House on Via Gemito is a masterpiece of Italian fiction, one that is steeped in Neapolitan lore.

Threads That Bind
by Kika Hatzopoulou

Debut Author
On sale May 30 from Razorbill
Genre: Mysteries (Young Adult). 352 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

In a world where the children of the gods inherit their powers, a descendant of the Greek Fates must solve a series of impossible murders to save her sisters, her soulmate, and her city, for fans of Song of Achilles.

Beware the Woman
by Megan Abbott

On sale May 30 from G.P. Putnam's Sons
Genre: Thrillers. 304 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

By the "master of thinly veiled secrets often kept by women who rage underneath their delicate exteriors" (Kirkus Reviews), Beware the Woman is Megan Abbott at the height of her game.

The Peacock and the Sparrow: A Novel
by I.S. Berry

Debut Author
On sale May 30 from Atria Books
Genre: Thrillers. 320 pages
Critics' Opinion:

During the Arab Spring, an American spy's final mission goes dangerously awry in this explosive and eerily realistic espionage debut from a former CIA officer that is perfect for fans of Daniel Silva, Alan Furst, and John LeCarre.

When the Vibe Is Right
by Sarah Dass

On sale May 30 from Balzer + Bray
Genre: Romance (Young Adult). 336 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

From the author of Where the Rhythm Takes You comes a delightful enemies-to-lovers, contemporary romance set during Trinidad's Carnival celebration.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe: A Novel
by Emma Törzs

Debut Author
On sale May 30 from William Morrow
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Alt. History. 416 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

In this spellbinding debut novel, two estranged half-sisters tasked with guarding their family's library of magical books must work together to unravel a deadly secret at the heart of their collection - a tale of familial loyalty and betrayal, and the pursuit of magic and power.

Lesbian Love Story: A Memoir In Archives
by Amelia Possanza

Debut Author
On sale May 30 from Catapult
Genre: Biography/Memoir. 288 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

For readers of Saidiya Hartman and Jeanette Winterson, Lesbian Love Story is an intimate journey into the archives - uncovering the romances and role models written out of history and what their stories can teach us all about how to love

The Forgotten Girls: A Memoir of Friendship and Lost Promise in Rural America
by Monica Potts

Debut Author
On sale May 30 from Random House
Genre: Biography/Memoir. 272 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

Talented and ambitious, Monica Potts and her best friend, Darci, were both determined to make something of themselves. How did their lives turn out so different?

Genealogy of a Murder: Four Generations, Three Families, One Fateful Night
by Lisa Belkin

On sale May 30 from W.W. Norton & Company
Genre: History, Current Affairs and Religion. 432 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

The multigenerational tale of three families whose paths collide one summer night in 1960 with the murder of a police officer.

Gays on Broadway
by Ethan Mordden

On sale Jun 1 from Oxford University Press
Genre: History, Current Affairs and Religion. 240 pages
Critics' Opinion: 5/5

A fascinating look at the gay and lesbian influence on the American stage by an internationally-recognized authority on the topic.

View all 12 new and notable books publishing this week

Publishing This Week is one of BookBrowse's four free newsletters. We also publish BookBrowse Highlights every Thursday; and Book Club News and Librarian News monthly.

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