Upcoming

Upcoming: WHY SO SERIOUS? by Mike Singer (Harper)

Civilian Reader Upcoming , , , , , , , , ,

SingerM-WhySoSeriousUSHCNikola Jokic is one of the most fascinating NBA superstars, and certainly one of the best players (maybe ever). He was an unexpected phenomenon (much has been made of the fact that the now three-time League MVP was drafted during a Taco Bell commercial, as the 41st pick), and watching him play is quite awe-inspiring. After last year’s overall win, many — myself included, albeit more hopefully than based on special knowledge or information — confidently proclaimed that they were going to repeat this year. (The Minnesota Timberwolves had different ideas.) Later this year, Harper is due to publish Why So Serious? by Mike Singer, and this is very much one of my most-anticipated books of the year. Here’s the synopsis:

A revealing, intimate biography of basketball savant and enigmatic NBA superstar Nikola Jokic, filled with news-breaking interviews and deep reporting from Mike Singer, the Nuggets’ former beat writer for the Denver Post.

Why So Serious? takes readers on Nikola Jokic’s long, strange, and incredibly unlikely journey to becoming the heartbeat of the champion Denver Nuggets and the best basketball player on the planet. As he traces Jokic’s transformation from his humble beginnings in Sombor, Serbia, sports journalist Mike Singer captures the witty irreverence, unparalleled competitiveness, and slight mischievousness of the MVP fondly known as “The Joker.”

Behind his veiled public persona, who really is Nikola Jokic? Filled with exclusive, sure-to-be-headline-making interviews, including unique insights from Jokic himself, Why So Serious? delves deep into the soul of the mysterious center and reveals how the big man developed his relentless work ethic, exceptional court vision, and magical playing style that has redefined dominance in the NBA.

Mike Singer’s Why So Serious? is due to be published by Harper in North America and in the UK, on December 3rd.

Follow the Author: Twitter

Upcoming: DREAM by Mirin Fader (Hachette)

Civilian Reader Upcoming , , , , , , , , , ,

FaderM-DreamUSHCMirin Fader‘s Giannis was probably the best-timed book of 2021, published as it was just a couple of months after the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee Bucks won their first NBA championship since 1971 (that team led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/Lew Alcindor). I was lucky enough to get a review of that book before the championship run, and it is a superb biography. Later this year, Hachette is due to published Fader’s next book, Dream: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwan. This is great news for two reasons: First, because I’ve been looking forward to Fader’s next book ever since finishing Giannis; and second, because I don’t know very much about Olajuwon and that era of the NBA. Here’s the synopsis:

The life and legacy of pioneering international basketball superstar Hakeem Olajuwon, a two‑time NBA champion whose Hall of Fame career forever changed the game, both in the United States and around the globe…

It’s now the norm for NBA and collegiate teams to have international players dotting their rosters. The Olympics are no longer a gimme for Team USA. Both via fans streaming from all over the globe and leagues starting in countries throughout the world, the international presence of the game of basketball is a force to be reckoned with.

That all started with Hakeem “the Dream” Olajuwon. He was the first international player to win the MVP, which is hard to believe now considering the last time an American‑born player won it was four years ago. Award-winning hoops journalist Mirin Fader explores this phenomenal shift through the lens of what Olajuwon accomplished throughout the 1980s and ‘90s. Dream ignites nostalgia for Phi Slama Jama and “the Dream Shake,” while also exploring the profound influence of Olajuwon’s Muslim faith on his approach to life and basketball, and how his devotion to his faith inspired generations of Muslim people around the world.

Olajuwon’s ongoing work with NBA Africa, his status as an international ambassador for the game, and his consultations with today’s brightest stars, from LeBron James to Giannis Antetokounmpo, brings the story right up to the present moment, and beyond. Synthesizing hundreds of interviews and in-depth research, Fader provides the definitive biography of Olajuwon as well as a crucial understanding of his pivotal impact on the ever-shifting game.

I’m really looking forward to this.

Mirin Fader’s Dream is due to be published by Hachette Books in North America and in the UK, on October 14th.

Also on CR: Review of Giannis

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Twitter

Upcoming: THE CITY IN GLASS by Nghi Vo (TorDotCom)

Civilian Reader Upcoming , , , ,

VoN-CityInGlassUSHCOn October 1st, TorDotCom are due to publish The City in Glass, the latest novel by Nghi Vo: a “beguiling” fantasy stand-alone, set in a “city in the tradition of Calvino, Mieville, and Le Guin.” I’ve enjoyed some of Vo’s previous books, and really must get caught up on her Singing Hills Cycle (also published by TorDotCom). Described as “an epic love story, of death and resurrection, memory and transformation, redemption and desire”, it sounds great. The synopsis caught my attention a while before the publisher unveiled the great cover artwork — check it out below:

A demon. An angel. A city.

The demon Vitrine — immortal, powerful, and capricious — loves the dazzling city of Azril. She has mothered, married, and maddened the city and its people for generations, and built it into a place of joy and desire, revelry and riot.

And then the angels come, and the city falls.

Vitrine is left with nothing but memories and a book containing the names of those she has lost — and an angel, now bound by her mad, grief-stricken curse to haunt the city he burned.

She mourns her dead and rages against the angel she longs to destroy. Made to be each other’s devastation, angel and demon are destined for eternal battle. Instead, they find themselves locked in a devouring fascination that will change them both forever.

Together, they unearth the past of the lost city and begin to shape its future. But when war threatens Azril and everything they have built, Vitrine and her angel must decide whether they will let the city fall again.

Nghi Vo’s The City in Glass is due to be published by TorDotCom in North America and in the UK, on October 1st.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter

Upcoming: GRAVEYARD SHIFT by M. L. Rio (Flatiron)

Civilian Reader Upcoming , , , , , , ,

RioML-GraveyardShiftUSHCBack in 2017, I read an ARC of M. L. Rio‘s excellent If We Were Villains (which seems to get a new edition every few months). Ever since finishing it, I have been periodically checking to see if the author has a new book on the way. And the wait if almost over! Flatiron Books recently announced the author’s hotly-anticipated next book, a novella: Graveyard Shift. Due out in September, here’s the synopsis:

A story about a ragtag group of night shift workers who meet in the local cemetery to unearth the secrets lurking in an open grave.

Every night, in the college’s ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story.

One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn’t there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom?

Before they go their separate ways, the gravedigger returns. As they trail him through the night, they realize he may be the key to a string of strange happenings around town that have made headlines for the last few weeks — and that they may be closer to the mystery than they thought.

M. L. Rio’s Graveyard Shift is due to be published by Flatiron Books in North America and Wildfire in the UK, on September 24th.

Also on CR: Review of If We Were Villains

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter

Upcoming: WHAT’S NEXT by Melissa Fitzgerald & Mary McCormack (Dutton)

Civilian Reader Upcoming , , , , , , , , ,

FitzgeraldMcCormack-WhatsNextUSHCLong-time readers of CR will know that I’m a bit fan of Hollywood/Television oral histories, and I’ve been rather enjoying the recent publishing boomlet in the sub-genre — I’ve very much enjoyed recent books about The Office, The Big Bang Theory, The O.C. and others. I discovered TWW in 2001, and I re-watched the show every year (or, at least, all that was available) up until 2016. (I had to take a pause during the Trump years…) When I saw that two cast members from The West Wing had collaborated on a behind-the-scenes history of the show, it became a must-read of the year for me. Melissa Fitzgerald (who played CJ’s assistant Carol) and Mary McCormack (who played Kate Harper) have teamed up for What’s Next. Here’s the synopsis:

A behind-the-scenes look into the creation and legacy of The West Wing as told by cast members Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, with compelling insights from cast and crew exploring what made the show what it was and how its impassioned commitment to service has made the series and relationships behind it endure.

Step back inside the world of President Jed Bartlet’s Oval Office with Fitzgerald and McCormack as they reunite the West Wing cast and crew in a lively and colorful “backstage pass” to the timeless series. This intimate, in-depth reflection reveals how The West Wing was conceived, and spotlights the army of people it took to produce it, the lifelong friendships it forged, and the service it inspired.

From cast member origin stories to the collective cathartic farewell on the show’s final night of filming, What’s Next will delight readers with on-set and off-camera anecdotes that even West Wing superfans have never heard. Meanwhile, a deeper analysis of the show’s legacy through American culture, service, government, and civic life underscores how the series envisaged an American politics of decency and honor, creating an aspirational White House beyond the bounds of fictional television.

What’s Next revisits beloved episodes with fresh, untold commentary; compiles poignant and hilarious stories from the show’s production; highlights initiatives supported by the cast, crew, and creators; and makes a powerful case for competent, empathetic leadership, hope, and optimism for whatever lies ahead.

For those who want even more TWW content, I’d strongly recommend The West Wing Weekly podcast, in which Josh Malina (Will Bailey on the show) and Hrishikesh Hirway do a re-watch of each episode, invite various guests (including plenty of other cast and crew from the show) to discuss the episode and the show in general.

Melissa Fitzgerald & Mary McCormack’s What’s Next is due to be published by Dutton in North America, on August 13th.

Follow the Authors (Fitzgerald): Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter
Follow the Authors (McCormack): Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter

Upcoming: ASSASSINS ANONYMOUS by Rob Hart (G. P. Putnam’s Sons)

Civilian Reader Upcoming , , ,

HartR-AssassinsAnonymousUSHCThis summer, Rob Hart returns with Assassins Anonymous, a novel S. A. Cosby has described as “The best kind of thriller… Suspenseful, sentimental, and ultimately redemptive.” I haven’t had the chance to read any of Hart’s other novels, yet (despite thinking they all sound very interesting), but I think this one sounds especially interesting. It’s due out in June, to be published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons. Check out the synopsis:

In this clever, surprising, page-turner, the world’s most lethal assassin gives up the violent life only to find himself under siege by mysterious assailants. It’s a kill-or-be-killed situation, but the first option is off the table. What’s a reformed hit man to do?

Mark was the most dangerous killer-for-hire in the world. But after learning the hard way that his life’s work made him more monster than man, he left all of that behind, and joined a twelve-step group for reformed killers.

When Mark is viciously attacked by an unknown assailant, he is forced on the run. From New York to Singapore to London, he chases after clues while dodging attacks and trying to solve the puzzle of who’s after him. All without killing anyone. Or getting killed himself. For an assassin, Mark learns, nonviolence is a real hassle.

Rob Hart’s Assassins Anonymous is due to be published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons in North America on June 11th.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter

Upcoming: WHAT WE’LL BURN LAST by Heather Chavez (Mulholland)

Civilian Reader Upcoming , , , , ,

ChavezH-WhatWellBurnLastUSHCI very much enjoyed Heather Chavez‘s 2023 novel, Before She Finds Me — it was a fast-paced thriller, with well-drawn and engaging characters. This summer, Mulholland Books are due to publish the author’s next novel, What We’ll Burn Last. When I spotted it in a catalogue, it went right onto my (metaphorical) Must Read/Most Anticipated list for the year. Here’s the synopsis:

Two entangled families in a California neighborhood must race to find answers about a missing teenage girl as a wildfire crackles to life nearby…

Three women.

When she was twelve, Leyna Clarke watched her older sister, Grace, walk away from their Sierra Nevada foothills home with her boyfriend, Adam Duran. Neither was ever seen again. Sixteen years later, a stranger who looks like Grace shows up at the restaurant where Leyna works — and vanishes soon after. When it comes out that Leyna was one of the last people to have talked with the young woman, Leyna’s childhood crush Dominic, who is also Adam’s brother, pleads with her to do the last thing she wants to do: come home.

Three secrets.

But Leyna isn’t the only one who hasn’t been able to leave that fateful night behind. Her mother, Meredith, still lives in the family’s old home — even if she claims to believe the police’s theory that Grace and Adam were willing runaways. Down the street, Adam and Dominic’s mother Olivia has also stayed, determined to be there when her son finally returns… and to prove that Meredith and Leyna have been hiding something all these years. But the past isn’t the only threat to the two families, or the missing girl. As a wildfire sparks, tempers flare and intentions turn deadly. Because someone in the neighborhood knows what really happened that night — and just how good the forest is at keeping its secrets.

Who will you trust?

Heather Chavez’s What We’ll Burn Last is due to be published by Mulholland Books in North America and in the UK, on July 23rd.

Also on CR: Review of Before She Finds Me

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram

Upcoming: GLASS HOUSES by Madeline Ashby (Tor)

Civilian Reader Upcoming , , , , , ,

AshbyM-GlassHousesUSHCThe next novel from Madeline Ashby is Glass Houses. Pitched as a “near future whodunit for fans of Glass Onion and Black Mirror“, it certainly sounds intriguing. Due to be published in August, by Tor Books, I imagine there are a lot of people who will be interested in reading this. Here’s what it’s about:

Join a stranded start-up team led by a terrifyingly realistic charismatic billionaire, a deserted tropical island, and a mysterious AI-driven mansion — as the remaining members disappear one by one.

A group of employees and their CEO, celebrating the sale of their remarkable emotion-mapping-AI-algorithm, crash onto a not-quite-deserted tropical island.

Luckily, those who survived have found a beautiful, fully-stocked private palace, with all the latest technological updates (though one without connection to the outside world). The house, however, has more secrets than anyone might have guessed, and a much darker reason for having been built and left behind.

Kristen, the hyper-competent “chief emotional manager” (i.e., the eccentric boyish billionaire-CEO Sumter’s idea of an HR department) is trying to keep her colleagues stable throughout this new challenge, but staying sane seems to be as much of a challenge as staying alive. Being a woman in technology has always meant having to be smarter than anyone expects… and Kristen’s survival skills are more impressive than anyone knows.

Madeline Ashby’s Glass Houses is due to be published by Tor Books in North America and in the UK, on August 13th.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter

Upcoming: THERE WAS NOTHING YOU COULD DO by Steven Hyden (Hachette)

Civilian Reader Upcoming , , , , , , ,

HydenS-ThereWasNothingYouCouldDoUSHCIn his follow-up to Long Road, which examined how Pearl Jam “shaped the times, and how their legacy and longevity have transcended generations”, Steven Hyden turns his attention to Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA. This album was the first album that I ever loved, so this book was immediately added to my Must Read Non-Fiction of the Year. (It’s not an actual list, but you know what I mean.) There Was Nothing You Could Do is scheduled to come out in May, via Hachette Books. Here’s the synopsis:

A thought-provoking exploration of Bruce Springsteen’s iconic album, Born in the U.S.A. — a record that both chronicled and foreshadowed the changing tides of modern America

On June 4, 1984, Columbia Records issued what would become one of the best-selling and most impactful rock albums of all time. An instant classic, Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. would prove itself to be a landmark not only for the man who made it, but rock music in general and even the larger American culture over the next 40 years.

In There Was Nothing You Could Do, veteran rock critic Steven Hyden shows exactly how this record became such a pivotal part of the American tapestry. Alternating between insightful criticism, meticulous journalism, and personal anecdotes, Hyden delves into the songs that made — and didn’t make — the final cut, including the tracks that wound up on its sister album, 1982’s Nebraska. He also investigates the myriad reasons why Springsteen ran from and then embraced the success of his most popular (and most misunderstood) LP, as he carefully toed the line between balancing his commercial ambitions and being co-opted by the machine.

But the book doesn’t stop there. Beyond Springsteen’s own career, Hyden explores the role the album played in a greater historical context, documenting not just where the country was in the tumultuous aftermath of Vietnam and Watergate, but offering a dream of what it might become — and a perceptive forecast of what it turned into decades later. As Springsteen himself reluctantly conceded, many of the working-class middle American progressives Springsteen wrote about in 1984 had turned into resentful and scorned Trump voters by the 2010s. And though it wasn’t the future he dreamed of, the cautionary warnings tucked within Springsteen’s heartfelt lyrics prove that the chaotic turmoil of our current moment has been a long time coming.

How did we lose Springsteen’s heartland? And what can listening to this prescient album teach us about the decline of our country? In There Was Nothing You Could Do, Hyden takes readers on a journey to find out.

Steven Hyden’s There Was Nothing You Could Do is due to be published by Hachette Books in North America and in the UK, on May 28th.

Also on CR: Review of Twilight of the Gods

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter

Upcoming: THE BANG-BANG SISTERS by Rio Youers (William Morrow)

Civilian Reader Upcoming , , , , ,

YouersR-BangBangSistersUSHCThe next novel from Rio Youers sounds like a lot of fun. The new novel from the acclaimed author of No Second Chances, The Bang-Bang Sisters is described as “an action-packed crime novel featuring three kick-ass heroines—bandmates who moonlight as vigilantes.” Due to be published by William Morrow this summer, I can’t wait to read it. Here’s the synopsis:

Blood. Bullets. Rock and roll.

Meet the Bang-Bang Sisters: Brea, Jessie, and Flo. Together, they’re a kick-ass rock band with an unbreakable bond.

But that’s only half the story. Offstage, they’re highly skilled vigilantes, traveling the country in their beaten-up tour van to exact justice on criminals who have slipped through the system. Part rock stars, part assassins, they’re a force to be reckoned with.

Drawn by a tantalizing lead, the sisters head to Reedsville, Alabama — a city crawling with destitution and corruption — where they close in on a notorious serial killer known as “the wren.” But they soon discover that they have walked straight into a trap set by Chance Kotter, a ruthless mobster with a personal vendetta.

Bruised and beaten, the sisters find themselves at the mercy of Chance and a sadistic game of survival that will pit them against each other: Forty-eight hours. One city. Three sisters. Only one of them can survive.

Full of gripping action and shocking twists that come at a breakneck pace, The Bang-Bang Sisters is a relentless, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that will leave you breathless.

Rio Youers’s The Bang-Bang Sisters is due to be published by William Morrow in North America and in the UK, on July 16th.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, Threads, Twitter