Harare, Zimbabwe (News of the South)-USA TODAY’s Jocelyn McClurg scopes out the hottest books on sale each week.
1. The Midnight Line by Lee Child (Delacorte, fiction, on sale Nov. 7)
What it’s about: The discovery of a West Point 2005 ring in a pawn stop leads Jack Reacher on a hunt for the female cadet who left it and onto a larger conspiracy.
The buzz: Last November, Child’s Reacher novel Night School made its debut on USA Today’s bestselling book list at No. 1.
2. What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism by Dan Rather (Algonquin, non-fiction, on sale Nov. 7)
What it’s about: Essays by the journalist (written with Elliot Kirschner) about the values we share as Americans.
The buzz: “A full-throated celebration of the national spirit,” says Kirkus Reviews.
3. You Can’t Spell America Without Me by Alec Baldwin and Kurt Andersen (Penguin Press, fiction, on sale Nov. 7)
What it’s about: This “So-Called Parody” is “written” by President Trump reflecting on his “really tremendous” first year in office; Baldwin channels his Saturday Night Live impersonation.
The buzz: Baldwin will do a #BookmarkThis Facebook Live chat with USA TODAY on Nov. 8 at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT.
4. The Revolution of Marina M. by Janet Fitch (Little, Brown, fiction, on sale Nov. 7)
What it’s about: This epic (some 800 pages) saga begins in St. Petersburg in 1916 as a genteel young woman with a rebel spirit is about to be caught up in the Russian Revolution.
The buzz: Fitch’s best-selling 1999 novel White Oleander was a selection of Oprah’s Book Club.
5. Bonfire by Krysten Ritter (Crown Archetype, fiction, on sale Nov. 7)
What it’s about: Abby Williams, an associate at a Chicago environmental law firm, returns to her hometown to investigate Optimal Plastics and to confront troubling questions from her childhood.
The buzz: Ritter (who stars in Netflix’s Marvel series, Jessica Jobes), “makes a triumphant fiction debut with this pulse-pounding thriller,” says Publishers Weekly in a starred review.
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