"Upstate"

New from William Morrow Paperbacks: Upstate: A Novel by Kim van Alkemade.

About the novel, from the publisher:

A grieving writer. An abandoned bookshop. A secret love story hidden in letters.

From New York Times bestselling author Kim van Alkemade comes an unforgettable novel about found family, healing, and the power of the past to reshape the present.

Thirty-four-year-old writer Audrey Beacon is grieving alone during lockdown when a post about a bookshop for sale in upstate New York pops into her social media feed like a lifeline. Enthralled by the historic house and the massive barn bursting with books, Audrey impulsively makes an offer. Soon, she’s cashing out her savings, loading her possessions into her dead husband’s van, and fleeing Manhattan for the village of Schuywich, determined to outrun the ghosts of her past.

In 1956, it’s love at first sight when Schuywich librarian Hazel McIntyre meets dashing magazine writer Evelyn Cabot at a summer camp in Maine that discreetly promises a “different vacation for professional women.” By summer’s end, Evelyn has left Greenwich Village to move into an old farmhouse she’s bought in Hazel’s hometown. In her new column, “A Woman’s Place,” Evelyn writes about her adventures renovating a house, tending to sheep, and opening a bookshop in her barn with help from the woman readers know only as her “roommate.” Privately, Hazel chronicles their six-decade love story in a series of letters that abruptly end when they’re forced to abandon the bookshop in 2015.

Reopening the bookshop in the summer of 2020 attracts a quirky community of villagers who continuously interrupt Audrey’s solitude: An unemployed Broadway set designer. An ambitious teenage entrepreneur. A story-telling Adirondack grandmother. Then there’s Sam Rensselaer, the distractingly handsome representative of the agriculture extension. Past and present begin to converge when Audrey finds “A Woman’s Place,” in a stack of old magazines, but it’s the discovery of Hazel’s letters that brings hidden love and long-buried family secrets to light. Will Audrey find the courage to heal the wounds of the past—including her own?

Visit Kim van Alkemade's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Data Are Made, Not Found"

New from the University of Chicago Press: Data Are Made, Not Found: A Story of Politics, Power, and the Civil Servants Who Saved the US Census by danah boyd.

About the book, from the publisher:

An eye-opening story of the people who make the census, the United States’ largest and most consequential dataset, and the growing threats to their crucial work.

By many measures, the US census is the government’s largest non-wartime operation, and one of the world’s oldest and biggest data-making endeavors. The 2020 census required more than a decade of planning and technical work―not to mention managing nearly a quarter of a million temporary workers simultaneously―to collect data about the American public. That data was then processed to count each of 331,449,281 residents once―and only once―and in the right place. The operation is also one of the country’s most consequential. Census data determine how political power and federal funding are allocated. Census data make politics, and consequently, politics make census data. In this urgent book, danah boyd explores what it took for the Census Bureau to make the 2020 census, amidst a global pandemic and natural disasters, and while navigating political forces that constrained the budget, micro-managed the schedule, and attacked statisticians’ methods.

With rare insider access to the Census Bureau, boyd observed and interviewed hundreds of government civil servants who made the 2020 census. By documenting the perspectives of government workers, Data Are Made, Not Found provides a rare glimpse into what it takes to make democracy’s data. Each chapter reveals a different challenge―ranging from the last-minute fights about a citizenship question to the not-so-helpful help of well-intended stakeholders to avoid undercounts―and shows how civil servants responded to each problem, controversy, and hurdle. Boyd shows how many of the challenges that the Census Bureau faced in 2020 resulted from decades of political operatives, data users, and various stakeholders playing what boyd calls “Jenga politics,” weakening the administrative state for short-term political gains by removing support and adding more requirements.

Civil servants saved the 2020 census, but future censuses―and other data-making efforts related to elections, health, and the economy―are precarious. Boyd’s message is clear and compelling: protecting democracy means protecting the people and institutions that produce this data.

Visit danah boyd's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"The Cold Read"

Coming November 10 from Park Row Books: The Cold Read: A Novel by Tara Laskowski.

About the novel, from the publisher:

They're there to make a sequel. But someone came for revenge.

A decade ago, the release of the horror film No One Can Hear You Scream catapulted a young no-name cast into Hollywood fame. But below the surface, they were dealing with the fallout of their friend’s tragic death on set.

Now the cast is reuniting at the remote ski resort where the movie was filmed to announce the sequel and get a first glimpse of the screenplay. Cassidy, Jake, Ben, and Ruby—they’ve all followed different paths over the years, and each has their own reason for agreeing to return to a place they had sworn to leave behind.

At first everyone works hard to ignore the shadows of the past and focus on the opportunity ahead. But the reunion takes a dark turn during the midnight announcement to fans when a disturbing incident stirs up a long-buried secret.

Each of them has something to lose. Each of them has something to hide. And if they want to survive the weekend, they'll have to deliver the performance of a lifetime…

Visit Tara Laskowski's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Mother Next Door.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Persecuted: Why We Need Scapegoats"

New from Johns Hopkins University Press: Persecuted: Why We Need Scapegoats by Jack Lule.

About the book, from the publisher:

The making of the modern scapegoat.

Who gets blamed when societies feel under threat and why? In Persecuted, journalism scholar Jack Lule examines the deep roots of scapegoating as essential to human society. Scapegoating helps explain how and why people unite, shaping the ways groups define belonging, exclusion, and collective identity.

Drawing on the work of Kenneth Burke and René Girard, Lule argues that scapegoating is not a social malfunction but a core mechanism through which communities are formed. Nations rely on scapegoating to draw boundaries between "us" and "them." What makes the modern era especially volatile, he contends, is the role of media―from early messengers and newspapers to contemporary social platforms―in manufacturing crises, amplifying accusations, identifying targets, and accelerating cycles of blame. Moving fluidly across history, theory, and contemporary politics, the book shows how media systems have increased the reach, speed, and intensity of scapegoating, often transforming local resentments into global networks of hate and hostility. Lule presents a sober analysis of how scapegoating persists precisely because it feels natural, justified, and invisible to those participating in it.

Persecuted is a concise, unsettling exploration of a process that underlies nationalism, moral panics, and political polarization. Its hope―tentative but urgent―is that recognizing the recurring power of scapegoating may help readers identify it in real time and resist its most destructive consequences.

Visit Jack Lule's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Him & I"

Coming November 10 from Montlake: Him & I by Helena Hunting.

About the novel, from the publisher:

In a searing, dark love story steeped in grit, obsession, and secrets, two broken souls keep coming back together―no matter how much they tear each other apart.

Birdie Fast is thriving, with two degrees, a stable fiancé, and her dream job. Her mistakes are in the past, and she’s determined to keep them there.

Jarrod Storm, Birdie’s new CEO, is the man who destroyed her life and stole everything from her. Grown rich and powerful, he’s spent years waiting for her in the shadows.

Now, he wants her back.

Birdie loathes him, but she can’t deny how he makes her feel: safe. He’s the only one who’s ever truly seen her.

If there’s anything Birdie has learned, it’s to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Because you’re never truly safe with a past like hers.

Visit Helena Hunting's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Everything Is Broken"

New from the University of California Press: Everything Is Broken: Childcare and Inequality in the United States by Jennifer Woltil Bouek.

About the book, from the publisher:

In the United States, childcare is presented in law and policy as a matter of "parental choice." Mothers, however, experience it differently. Instead of empowering families, childcare today often functions as an "invisible system" or a missing market―and one in which mothers find few good options. Yet because most mothers are also employed, they must still find a way to make do.

Based on years of ethnographic and administrative research, sociologist Jennifer Woltil Bouek explores how mothers search for, secure, and maintain care for their children within this complex organizational field―and the heavy costs they bear in the process. Her work illustrates just how the American childcare system sorts and stratifies, leading to disparate (and sometimes surprising) outcomes. Grounded in personal narratives drawn from a diverse sample of mothers, childcare providers, bureaucrats, and policy advocates, Everything Is Broken tells a striking story of access and exclusion from the inside out.

Visit Jennifer Bouek's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"You, Me, & the Conspiracy"

Coming November 10 from Atria Books: You, Me, & the Conspiracy: A Novel by Emma Barry.

About the novel, from the publisher:

Perfect for fans of Jo Segura and Rachel Grant, You, Me, & the Conspiracy is an academic adventure romance that finds two history professors trying to unmask a deadly secret society.

After a bruising book rejection, tenure-track history professor Jessica Wilson is scrambling for something new to publish to secure her spot at the top of the academic food chain. While researching in the archives, she discovers a coded message written by one of the founding fathers with the power to change her—and the world’s—understanding of American history forever. But first, she’s got to prove it’s real.

Desperate for answers, Jess searches out Calloway Morgan, a Harvard PhD student turned adjunct professor. Cal was forced to leave graduate school after presenting theories about a shadowy revolutionary organization. Jess heard his conference presentation and thought his findings were absurd, but now, she believes he was onto something.

With their fates intertwined by their discoveries, the two begin to work together, but danger lurks around every corner. The clandestine fraternity that they’ve uncovered still exists and is ready to kill. With it hot on their heels, the embers of Jess and Cal’s attraction grow. But unless they can make their findings public in this “perfect blend of chemistry, spice, and a historical mystery” (Adriana Anders, author of Whiteout), they’ll soon become the conspiracy’s latest victims...

Visit Emma Barry's website.

My Book, The Movie: Bad Reputation.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Penelope and Her Maids"

New from Cornell University Press: Penelope and Her Maids by Emily G. Shanahan.

About the book, from the publisher:

Penelope and Her Maids reconsiders the Odyssey from Penelope's point of view. Her decisions have long been considered to be the product of a fractured characterization, with no coherent human psychology possibly explaining everything she says and does. Emily Shanahan investigates this characterization, and all of Penelope's decisions, in context, reading each one of her scenes diachronically. In doing so, Penelope and Her Maids reveals how the pervasive threat of gendered violence in homeric society―a rape culture―constrains what Penelope may say and do openly.

The suitors attempt to fill a power vacuum in Odysseus's absence―by either marrying his wife, Penelope, or alternatively, diminishing his honor, geras, which includes the value of his possessions. As Penelope is an asset in his ledger, the only way to stay safe is to lead the suitors to believe she may become theirs at any moment. Penelope ultimately survives the Odyssey's violence. However, twelve young, enslaved girls in her home do not and ultimately demonstrate the inherent danger that men pose to women in Homer's world.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Dark Accords"

Coming November 3 from Severn House: Dark Accords (A Bloody Mackenzie Mystery, 1) by Morgan Cry.

About the novel, from the publisher:

SOMETHING EVIL IS AFOOT . . .

A COUNTRY ABLAZE WITH FEAR

Scotland, 1662. Accused of witchcraft, Jonet and her lover Malcolm flee across a land ruled by fear and superstition. Their path through the Scottish mainland holds peril and an unexpected rescue mission.

A WOMAN IN DANGER

Reaching Dundee they’re granted sanctuary by Sir George Mackenzie, a smart advocate who has defended witches, only to find him facing a crisis of his own. His secret lover Margaret has been abducted by his nemeses, the unscrupulous Blair brothers, and they are claiming she’s a witch!

A MURDEROUS PLOT IN THE MAKING

Is this personal revenge on Sir George or are darker machinations at play? With time running out, Sir George and his loyal allies set out to uncover the chilling truth – a truth that could alter the course of history in its entirety . . .

An intricately plotted and twisty historical thriller based on the real-life seventeenth-century lawyer Sir George Mackenzie – perfect for fans of S. J. PARRIS, ANDREW TAYLOR and JOHN PILKINGTON.

Visit Morgan Cry / Gordon J. Brown's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Future Build"

New from Bloomsbury Sigma: Future Build: How Construction Can Heal Our Planet by Will Arnold.

About the book, from the publisher:

Future Build exposes the devastating environmental impact of modern construction while offering a bold vision for change.

Construction shapes the world we live in, but also leaves one of the heaviest footprints on our planet. From the relentless heat of cement kilns to the towering steel and concrete skeletons of our cities, Future Build reveals how our dependence on five key materials has led to soaring carbon emissions, waste and ecological destruction.

But it doesn't have to be this way. Structural engineer Will Arnold offers a bold vision for change, revealing how every stage of construction - from design to demolition - can be transformed for the better. Through a global journey of pioneering projects and groundbreaking innovations, he showcases buildings that do more than just minimize harm: they actively heal the planet. From schools built of bamboo, to concrete floors designed with plant-like efficiency and houses made from waste, a better future is not only possible, it is already being built.

--Marshal Zeringue