Featuring: Jean Becker & Tom Collamore, Kit Chellel, Mahmud el Sayed, Jill Lepore, Megan Kate Nelson, Keith O’Brien, Stephan Talty, Molly Tanzer, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Craig Thomas, Martha Wells

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Jean Becker & Tom Collamore, DON’T TELL THE PRESIDENT (Harper)

Two former staffers to President George H. W. Bush bring together the most harrowing and hilarious stories behind presidential events over the past sixty years — from the Rose Garden to Air Force One, foreign trips to the campaign trail — detailing the art of preparation that goes into these delicate, high stress operations and revealing how they have often been one step away from disaster.

Featuring a foreword by Jon Meacham

Don’t Tell the President is a collection of the greatest tales of triumph and near-crisis in presidential advance. Behind every seamless campaign appearance and presidential affair lies the meticulous work of event planners and advance teams — the little-known professionals who transform political logistics into carefully choreographed performances.

Here are illuminating first-hand accounts from dedicated employees who worked for every modern-day president from Lyndon Johnson to Barack Obama, a few First Ladies, a few vice presidents, and a few wannabes.

Experience some of the most searing events from behind the scenes, including: 

• • Memorable moments from the campaign trail, including Lyndon Johnson’s 1960 trip to Boston as John Kennedy’s newly minted running mate and Barack Obama’s first rally appearance with Oprah.
  • Riveting accounts from the advance team with President Reagan on the day he was shot to the terrible hours on 9/11 from someone who was on Air Force One with President Bush.
  • Those hectic and often historic foreign trips including Vice President George Bush’s cloak-and-dagger trip in Communist Poland; President Reagan’s “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” speech in Berlin; and President George W. Bush’s secret trip to Iraq on Thanksgiving Day.
  • And a few stories when the foreign dignitaries came to visit us, including Queen Elizabeth’s famous “talking purple hat” speech on the South Lawn of the White House.
  • And an all-star team of advance contributors — many who went on to be political figures themselves including former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; radio host and CNN contributor Michael Smerconish; and former Senator Rob Portman. Also, a first-hand account from former Secret Service agent Barbara Riggs who had to deal with inappropriate advances of Manuel Noreiga.
  • And yes, the regrettable and now infamous gaffes, when Bob Dole’s campaign event turned into a photo op with Woody Woodpecker, Frankenstein, Charlie Chaplin, and Mae West; and when a pig relieved himself on Vice President George Bush on a farm in Iowa.

Thought this sounded interesting; and a perhaps refreshing, lighter look at US politics. Don’t Tell the President is due to be published by Harper in North America and in the UK, on February 3rd, 2026.

Follow the Author (Becker): Goodreads
Review copy received via Edelweiss

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Kit Chellel, LUCKY DEVILS (Atria)

The secret history of a trio of gamblers who used homemade technology and their own ingenuity to outplay the house, raking in hundreds of millions of dollars and transforming the way games are played.

In the late 1970s, three men declared war on the casino. They arrived in Las Vegas just as the personal computer was beginning its boom. If the power of computers could be applied to gambling, they reasoned, a player could make a mint. There was only one problem: How do you smuggle a computer, typically, the size of a suitcase, onto a casino floor without getting noticed?

Using cutting-edge strategies and technology that was decades ahead of its time, they did just that. They became pioneers of what’s known as advantage playing, applying their intellects and creativity to everything from poker and blackjack to horseracing and roulette. For more than thirty years they faced down angry pit bosses, violent Mafiosos, bankruptcies, nights in foreign jails, lawsuits, and personal betrayals. They learned that the only thing harder than reaching the pinnacle of gambling achievement was staying there.

Drawing from exclusive interviews with all three players and their associates, award-winning Bloomberg journalist Kit Chellel delivers a cinematic and often uproarious account of fortunes gained, lost, and gained again. Scrupulously reported and irresistibly told, Lucky Devils reveals how these players did more than simply amass wealth; they revolutionized the game itself.

They gave the lie to the old adage — the house doesn’t always win.

There were a few years when there were a whole bunch of new books and movies about Las Vegas and gambling (maybe the early aughts?). I read quite a few of them, and enjoyed them, so when I saw this available for review I thought I’d take a chance on it. Sounds interesting. Lucky Devils is due to be published by Atria Books in North America (April 14th, 2026) and Monoray in the UK (April 16th).

Follow the Author: Goodreads
Review copy received via Edelweiss

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Mahmud el Sayed, THE REPUBLIC OF MEMORY (Saga Press)

An Arabfuturist debut set on a generation ship on the brink of revolution as its crew begin to ask why they should toil for a people, and an empire, none of them remember.

The Safina is a city ship halfway through its four-hundred-year voyage from the ruins of Earth to a new colony world. Its crew maintain the ship, generation after generation, while protecting their ancestors in cryostasis so that one day they will be able to enjoy a fresh start under clear blue skies.

But when blackouts start, unrest follows.

The ship can only continue running smoothly with the cooperation of the crew. And the crew has had enough. As coordinated acts of resistance coincide with a much more complex conspiracy, a chain of events is set into motion that will change life on the Safina forever.

Inspired by the real-world events of the Arab Spring, The Republic of Memory is a bold interrogation of empire and an energizing portrait of revolution.

This novel has been generating a good bit of pre-publication buzz, and it does indeed sound interesting. (An aside: the North American cover is much better than the UK cover…) The Republic of Memory is due to be published by Saga Press in North America (May 5th, 2026) and Gollancz in the UK (May 14th).

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky
Review copy received via Edelweiss

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Jill Lepore, WE THE PEOPLE (Liveright)

A new history of the U.S. Constitution, for a troubling new era.

The U.S. Constitution is among the oldest constitutions in the world but also one of the most difficult to amend. Jill Lepore, Harvard professor of history and law, explains why in We the People, the most original history of the Constitution in decades — and an essential companion to her landmark history of the United States, These Truths.

Published on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding — the anniversary, too, of the first state constitutions — We the People offers a wholly new history of the Constitution. “One of the Constitution’s founding purposes was to prevent change,” Lepore writes. “Another was to allow for change without violence.” Relying on the extraordinary database she has assembled at the Amendments Project, Lepore recounts centuries of attempts, mostly by ordinary Americans, to realize the promise of the Constitution. Yet nearly all those efforts have failed. Although nearly twelve thousand amendments have been introduced in Congress since 1789, and thousands more have been proposed outside its doors, only twenty-seven have ever been ratified. More troubling, the Constitution has not been meaningfully amended since 1971. Without recourse to amendment, she argues, the risk of political violence rises. So does the risk of constitutional change by presidential or judicial fiat.

Challenging both the Supreme Court’s monopoly on constitutional interpretation and the flawed theory of “originalism,” Lepore contends in this “gripping and unfamiliar story of our own past” that the philosophy of amendment is foundational to American constitutionalism. The framers never intended for the Constitution to be preserved, like a butterfly, under glass, Lepore argues, but expected that future generations would be forever tinkering with it, hoping to mend America by amending its Constitution through an orderly deliberative and democratic process.

Lepore’s remarkable history seeks, too, to rekindle a sense of constitutional possibility. Congressman Jamie Raskin writes that Lepore “has thrown us a lifeline, a way of seeing the Constitution neither as an authoritarian straitjacket nor a foolproof magic amulet but as the arena of fierce, logical, passionate, and often deadly struggle for a more perfect union.” At a time when the Constitution’s vulnerability is all too evident, and the risk of political violence all too real, We the People, with its shimmering prose and pioneering research, hints at the prospects for a better constitutional future, an amended America.

I’ve long been a fan of Jill Lepore’s work: whether a new, short piece in the New Yorker magazine or a longer work (academic or “popular” history), Lepore’s name is pretty much guaranteed to catch my interest. This latest book is a bit of a doorstopper, which I’m sure will give some potential readers pause, but I nevertheless recommend Lepore’s histories to everyone with an interest in American history and politics. Really looking forward to reading this over the winter break. We the People is out now, published by Liveright in North America and John Murray in the UK.

Follow the Author: Goodreads

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Megan Kate Nelson, THE WESTERNER (Scribner)

An epic account of the creation of the American West in the 19th century, shattering the traditional frontier myth that has dominated popular American culture.

The Westerners tells two richly detailed and interwoven stories. The first reveals the captivating lives of women and men moving through the American West — Indigenous peoples, Black Americans, Mexican Americans, and Canadian and Asian immigrants — in the 19th century. The second tracks the attempts of many Americans to erase these westerners from history, through a frontier myth that lionized individualism and conquest and celebrated white settlers traveling west in search of prosperity.

Nelson’s vivid, eye-opening account centers on seven extraordinary individuals whose lives capture the true history of the frontier: Sacajawea, not just Lewis and Clark’s guide but an explorer who forged her own path; Jim Beckwourth, a biracial fur trader whose sharp cultural insight made him indispensable; María Gertrudis Barceló, a Hispana gambling saloon owner who broke every stereotype to become the wealthiest woman in Santa Fe; Ovando Hollister, a gold miner, soldier, and newspaper man who championed Western expansion; Little Wolf, a Northern Cheyenne chief whose courageous leadership secured his people’s future; Canadian immigrant Ella Watson, who strove to become a ranch woman in a male-dominated world; and the defiant Polly Bemis, a Chinese immigrant who carved out a life in Idaho despite federal expulsion efforts.

Nelson roots this bold new history of the American West in the deep research and gripping storytelling that have garnered her critical acclaim. Highlighting the perseverance and ingenuity of the communities that have otherwise been forgotten or erased from history, The Westerners challenges us to reimagine who we are and where we came from.

The synopsis caught my attention — a new look at westward expansion. Really looking forward to reading this — hopefully soon, but we’ll see. The Westerners is due to be published by Scribner in North America and in the UK, on March 31st, 2026.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky
Review copy received via Edelweiss

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Keith O’Brien, HEARTLAND (Atria)

One of America’s greatest sports stories: the improbable rise of Larry Bird and the Indiana State Sycamores.

In the fall 1974, Larry Bird — one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball — was lost, and in danger of slipping away.

He had dropped out of Indiana University, spurning legendary Hoosiers head coach Bobby Knight. He returned home to French Lick, a tiny town in the second poorest county in Indiana, and he got a job hauling trash.

It could have ended right there for Bird, were it not for two men: Bob King, an old coach with bad knees, and Bill Hodges, a man who knew what it was like to be poor and overlooked. In the spring of 1975, during one of the darkest chapters of Bird’s life, King and Hodges convinced Bird to leave French Lick and play basketball at Indiana State University, a college that couldn’t even fill its arena, much less compete with Bobby Knight. Then, while no one was watching, King and Hodges built a team of players around Bird who were just like him: they were castoffs and leftovers, ready to work.

Four years later, in March 1979, this unheralded team would put together one of the greatest seasons in American sports history. By the time it was over, more than 50 million people would tune in to watch the Indiana State Sycamores play in the NCAA finals against Magic Johnson and Michigan State.

What happened that night would change college basketball and the NBA. Perhaps more importantly, it would change the members of this hardscrabble team, binding them together forever. In some ways, their one shining moment would never end.

Drawing on exclusive, in-depth interviews with players, coaches, and staffers, New York Times bestselling author and PEN American award–winning biographer Keith O’Brien offers a stirring account of the mighty Indiana State Sycamores. With its unforgettable ensemble cast, Heartland is more than just a sports book. It’s the story of a group of young men who achieved the greatest feat of all: immortality.

I am very much enjoying the fact that basketball publishing is having a bit of a renaissance at the moment. So many new books (and yet, so little time to keep on top of them all!). I’ll be reading this soon. Heartland is due to be published by Atria Books in North America

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky
Review copy received via Edelweiss

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Stephan Talty, THE AMERICAN SCHOOL OF SPIES (Dutton)

The incredible true story of the American archaeologists and classicists who went undercover as OSS spies during World War II to fight the Nazis and protect the world’s most precious relics

In 1942, as head of the newly formed OSS, Wild Bill Donovan deployed spies across Europe and around the world to try to thwart the Nazis. In Greece, Nazis weren’t just taking over territory; they were seizing and threatening to destroy some of the world’s most important and valuable historical monuments and artifacts. So, Donovan tapped a young Ivy League-trained archaeologist named Rodney Young to assemble and lead a team of spies to collect intel.

Young set about recruiting the most unlikely of spies — academics, classicists, epigraphers, and other specialists and scholars — who would come to be kown as “the Greek Desk.” These men and women, along with their Greek allies, went undercover and tried desperately to protect some of the world’s most significant treasures. The archaeologists hid priceless artifacts in ancient caves, bank vaults, and even underneath the city of Athens itself. They created fakes to give over to the Nazis to appease their lust for these remarkable works. Ultimately, when it became clear the cat-and- mouse game on its own wasn’t going to save Athens, they brought in an army of Greek American soldiers to beat back the Nazi regime and save their homeland.

Always interested in reading more about espionage history, so the synopsis for Talty’s new book caught my attention. (It also reminded me that I still have Fragile Cargo by Adam Brookes to read — similar premise, but focused on efforts in China to protect their antiquities from the ravages of war). The American School of Spies is due to be published by Dutton in North America, on June 9th, 2026.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads
Review copy received via Edelweiss

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A. S. Tamaki, THE BOOK OF FALLEN LEAVES (Orbit)

Sen Hoshiakari is an exiled prince of a clan that lost everything in his father’s failed rebellion. Deprived of his birthright, Sen is determined to restore his family’s lands and honor at any cost.

Rui is a peasant girl who saved Sen’s life on the night his family were put to the sword. But now, she is adrift and unsure of her place in the world, not knowing that the gods themselves have plans for her…

As civil war throws the empire into chaos, and demons seek vengeance on the living, Sen and Rui must fight for both their clan and their shared future…

But vengeance demands a bloody price.

“Shogun meets Game of Thrones” in a “fantasy retelling of an ancient Samurai saga”. Certainly an intriguing pitch, and the novel has been getting some buzz recently. Looking forward to giving it a try. The Book of Fallen Leaves is due to be published by Orbit Books in North America and the UK, on March 17th, 2026.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky
Review copy received via NetGalley

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Molly Tanzer, AND SIDE BY SIDE THEY WANDER (TorDotCom)

An intergalactic art heist by a ragtag group of underqualified misfits. What could go wrong?

For three hundred years, humanity’s greatest works of art have been on loan at the Greenwood Museum. It was finally time for them to come home…but the alien curators were disinclined to return them.

Force was out of the question. Earth’s government was clear: they were not going to press the issue. So, all we had was guile and hubris to fuel our little intergalactic art heist.

My old friend Tarquin was our leader, but not the captain. That was Tchik-tchik, though whether Tchik-tchik was our insectoid pilot’s name or species is still unclear to me. Misora, with her extremely illegal biotech mods, was our muscle.

Jack was there to hack the security systems of the biggest museum in the galaxy. He was a sensynth, a sentient synthetic being, and the most powerful machine intelligence on Earth uncorrupted by alien technology.

My name is Fennel Tycho. I’d like to tell you I was there because of my expertise in Art History. Truth is, I was there because without me, Jack would not have agreed to go. He was notorious for being difficult to work with — but it was a mistake to think I could make things any easier.

I’ve read some of Tanzer’s short fiction, which I enjoyed, so when I saw this new novel available for review I jumped at the chance to read it. And Side By Side They Wander is due to be published by TorDotCom in North America and in the UK, on May 19th, 2026.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky
Review copy received via NetGalley

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Adrian Tchaikovsky, CHILDREN OF STRIFE (Orbit)

After Earth fell, ark ships hunted for a new home. They sought lost worlds terraformed in Earth’s forgotten past. A ship crewed by maverick humans, spiders and a spectacularly punchy mantis shrimp captain is about to rediscover one such world, and an ark.

Then human crewmate Alis wakes to discover that she, her captain and the ship’s intelligence are the only ones left on their ship. But what happened to those who left to explore the ark… and the world below?

This is the fourth novel in Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time series. I’ve read the first two, both of which are superb. I’ll try to get to Children of Memory ASAP, so I can read this next book before it’s published. Children of Strife is due to be published by Orbit Books in North America (March 17th, 2026) and Tor Books in the UK (March 26th).

Also on CR: Review of Children of Ruin

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, BlueSky
Review copy received via NetGalley

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Craig Thomas, THAT’S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED (Hanover Square Press)

A family turned upside down after Hollywood decides to make a movie version of their lives.

Paige didn’t set out to be a stay-at-home mom, but when her husband’s screenwriting career took off right before they had a son with Down syndrome, the decision was made for her. Now, with their children nearly grown and unsure what’s next, Paige writes a memoir about the challenges of raising a child with a disability. When a major actress-turned-producer shows up at her door eager to make her “inspiring” story into a movie, she’s shocked, excited, and a little terrified.

This movie just might be the comeback opportunity her husband, Rob, desperately needs. His career has fizzled in recent years. But the movie is going to need a screenwriter, and who better to adapt his wife’s memoir than him? … Meanwhile, their son, Emmett, doesn’t understand why people think his Down syndrome is the most important thing in his life (that’s definitely his girlfriend, Amy) — but he hopes his newfound fame might somehow get him closer to meeting his idol, Eddie Vedder. Their daughter, Darcy, couldn’t care less about the whole thing because she’s hardly even in their mom’s book. The “normal” child who nobody ever worries about is feeling more forgotten than ever as her love life implodes and college decisions loom.

As their lives are chewed up and spit out by the Hollywood machine, triggering old resentments and launching new betrayals, will any of them even recognize the “inspiring” family in this film? Or will this “feel-good” movie be the end of them?

The debut novel by one of the creators of How I Met Your Mother. Looking forward to reading this soon. That’s Not How it Happened is due to be published by Hanover Square Press in North America and in the UK.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky

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Martha Wells, PLATFORM DECAY (TorDotCom)

Everyone’s favorite lethal SecUnit is back…

Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good.

Having volunteered to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realises that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn’t know.

Including human children. Ugh.

This may well call for… eye contact!

(Emotion check: Oh, for f—)

Murderbot returns in the eighth book in the series! Like many (many) people, I am a big fan of the series so any new book is a must-read. (Also highly recommend the TV adaptation.) Platform Decay is due to be published by TorDotCom in North America and in the UK, on May 5th, 2026.

Also on CR: Reviews of All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy, Network Effect, and Fugitive Telemetry

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky
Review copy received via NetGalley