Books: "Speculative Los Angeles"

Speculative Los Angeles

Edited by Denise Hamilton

Akashic Books, Brooklyn, NY; paperback, $16.95; 272 pages; available Tuesday, February 2nd 

Denise Hamilton is an Edgar Award finalist, author of seven crime novels, and the editor of the best-selling anthology Los Angeles Noir, which includes Susan Straight's Edgar Award-winning short story "The Golden Gopher," and Los Angeles Noir 2: The Classics. Hamilton is a Los Angeles native who refuses to speak only in English, a former Los Angeles Times journalist, a Fulbright Scholar, a noir and sci-fi/fantasy geek.

Books: "Prayer For The Living," A Collection Of Shorty Stories From Ben Okri

Prayer For The Living: Stories

By Ben Okri

Akashic Books, Brooklyn, NY; hardcover, $24.95; E-book, $24.95; available February 2

Ben Okri was born in Minna, Nigeria. His childhood was divided between Nigeria, where he saw the consequences of war firsthand, and London. Okri won the Booker Prize in 1991 for the Famished Road, and his novel Assmbling the Gods was selected as one of the BBC's "100 Novels That Shaped Our World." 

Books: New Books For The New Month Of February

Morgan Library. Photo by Jason Schott.

As we enter February, there are plenty of new novels to check out and enjoy while still spending time at home in the heart of winter. These books will be perfect to curl up with on cold nights and escape. In this review, we will look at Water Memory, by Daniel Pyne; We Can Only Save Ourselves, by Alison Wisdom; Hadley & Grace, by Suzanne Redfearn; Gerta, by Katerina Tuckova; The Ardent Swarm, by Yamen Manai; and Until We Are Lost by Leslie Archer.

Mets Roundup: Loup Signed, Cohen Silent on Twitter, Murphy Says Goodbye

Citi Field in the summer of 2019. Photo by Jason Schott.

There was a lot of news from the New York Mets on Saturday, as they signed a solid relief pitcher, their owner pulled back from Twitter, and one of the most consequential Mets in history announced his retirement.

Mets Send Matz To Toronto

Citi Field. Photo by Jason Schott.

Five years ago, when the Mets made their magical run to the World Series, it was thought that the four young anchors of that rotation - Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz - would lead the team into a glorious new era.

Yankees Officially Re-Sign LeMahieu & Add Ace Kluber

Yankee Stadium. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Yankees announced last week that they would be re-signing their top hitter, infielder DJ LeMahieu, and that they were signing free agent pitcher Corey Kluber, winner of multiple Cy Young Awards. Both deals were made official on Wednesday afternoon, just days after the Yankees acquired starting pitcher Jameson Taillon from the Pirates.

Great Scott! Mets Have New General Manager

 

Tools of the trade in the Mets dugout. Photo by Jason Schott.

Just one week after the Mets had to unexpectedly dismiss Jared Porter as their general manager, they have named his replacement, and didn't have to go too far to find him.

Books: "A Thousand Ships" By Natalie Haines

A Thousand Ships

By Natalie Haynes

HarperCollins Publishers/Harper; hardcover, 368 pages; $27.99; available Tuesday, January 26th

Natalie Haynes is the author of six books and is the creator of six series of the BBC's "Natalie Haynes Stands Up For the Classics." She became the first woman ever nominated for the Perrier Best Newcomer Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which she appeared at from 2002-06, and has been on tour with the Stand-Up Classics since 2010.

Books: "Forgive Me" By Susan Lewis

 

Forgive Me: The Past Doesn't Stay Hidden Forever

By Susan Lewis

William Morrow; paperback, $16.99; available Tuesday, January 26th

Susan Lewis is the internationally bestselling author of more than forty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense, and crime. She is the author of My Lies, Your Lies; Just One More Day, and One Day at a Time, and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s.

Yankes Bite The Bullet On Ottavino, Ship Him Up To Boston

Yankee Stadium's famous facade. Photo by Jason Schott.

When the Yankees signed Adam Ottavino, the thinking was that they were getting one of the best relievers in baseball, where he was key part of a couple of playoff teams with the Colorado Rockies.

Books: Cousin Sal On Kimmel, Sports Betting, & Some Parenting Advice

You Can't Lose Them All: Tales of a Degenerate Gambler and his Ridiculous Friends

By Sal Iacono; foreword by Jimmy Kimmel

Twelve; hardcover, $28; eBook, $17; 256 pages; available Tuesday, January 26th

Cousin Sal is one of the most ubiquitous television personalities, as you can see him do hidden camera pranks on his real life cousin's show, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," as one of the panelists on the daily sports gambling show "Lock It In" on Fox Sports, and doing a comedy bit on Fox's Thursday Night Football pregame show.

Yankees Continue To Bolster Rotation As They Trade For Taillon

@Yankees.

The Yankees entered this offseason like they have most of them lately, searching for more pitching, and it feels like this time they will be entering the 2021 season with one of the deepest rotations they have had in years. 

Book Chat: Katharyn Blair, Author of "Unchosen"

Unchosen

By Katharyn Blair

Kaherine Tegan Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; hardcover, 416 pages, $17.99; Ages 14 and up; Available Tuesday, January 26th

Katharyn Blair is a novelist and screenwriter, and Unchosen is her second novel for young adults. Her debut novel, The Beckoning Shadow, received two starred reviews and was the book of the month club for Book Box Club, Shelf Love Crate, and Beacon Box. 

Books: "The Wife Stalker" By Liv Constantine

The Wife Stalker: A Novel

By Liv Constantine

Harper Paperbacks; 320 pages, $16.99; available January 26th

Liv Constantine is the pen name of the sisters and best friend writing partners Lynne and Valerie Constantine. Together, they are the bestselling authors of The Last Mrs. Parrish, their debut thriller in 2017 that was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection and is currently under development for a TV series; The Last Time I Saw You, which has been optioned for a feature film; and The Stranger in the Mirror, which is coming out in July 2021.

Books: "How I Learned To Hate In Ohio" By David Stuart MacLean

How I Learned To Hate In Ohio: A Novel

By David Stuart MacLean

The Overlook Press; hardcover, 256 pages; $26.00

David Stuart MacLean published his award-winning memoir, The Answer to the Riddle, in 2014, and he told the story of his frightening bout with mefloquine-induced delirium and amnesia. His work has appeared in outlets such as the New York Times, Ploughshares, and Guernica, and on This American Life.

Books: "Bone Canyon" By Lee Goldberg

Bone Canyon

By Lee Goldberg

Thomas & Mercer; hardcover; $24.95

Lee Goldberg is a two-time Edgar Award, two-time Shamus Award nominee and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over 30 novels, including Washington Post bestsellers Killer Thriller and True Fiction, as well as King City, The Walk, fifteen Monk mysteries, and the internationally bestselling Fox & O'Hare books.

Archie Manning & National Football Foundation Salute College Football On Completing Season

The college football season ended on Monday night in Miami with Alabama beating Ohio State, 52-24. Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban won his seventh national championship, a new record, eclipsing Bear Bryant. 

Books: "Surrender The Dead" By John Burley

Surrender The Dead

By John Burley

William Morrow; paperback, $17.99; available today, Tuesday, January 12th

John Burley is the author of The Absence of Mercy, which was honored with the National Black Ribbon Award; The Forgetting Place; and The Quiet Child. He attended medical school in Chicago and completed his emergency medicine residency at University of Maryland Medical Center and the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. He continues to serve as an emergency medicine physician in Northern California.

Books: "A Stranger At The Door" By Jason Pinter

A Stranger At The Door

By Jason Pinter

Thomas & Mercer; paperback, 358 pages; $11.99; available today, Tuesday, January 12th

In this Book Two of the Rachel Marin series, the single mother is finally in a good place. After many tough years, she has found both s stable, loving relationship and a new purpose in life, putting her investigative skills to work solving crimes for the local police department.

College Football Hall of Fame Class Of 2021 Includes Romo, Sproles, & Tippett

 

The National Football Foundation revealed the illustrious 2021 class of the College Football Hall of Fame on Monday afternoon, which features 11 All-Americans and two coaches.

Books: "The Historians," Set In World War II Sweden

 

The Historians: A Novel Of WWII

By Cecilia Ekback

Harper Perennial; paperback, $16.99; available tomorrow, Tuesday, January 12th

Cecilia Ekback was born in Sweden in a northern fishing town. Her first novel, Wolf Winter, won a High Plains Award and an HWA Goldsboro Debut Crown. Her second novel, The Midnight Sun, was published to wide acclaim. She lives in Canmore, Alberta, Canada with her husband and twin daughter.

Books: "Spin," The Latest Captain Chase Novel From Patricia Cornwell

 

Spin: A Captain Chase Novel

By Patricia Cornwell

Thomas & Mercer; hardcover, $28.99; available tomorrow, Tuesday, January 12th

If you enjoyed the first installment of the Captain Chase thriller series, Quantum, this one picks up right where that one left off.

Spin opens at the finale of that landmark work, during the aftermath of a NASA rocket launch gone terribly wrong. While dealing with a deadly storm, Captain Calli Chase comes face-to-face with her missing twin sister Carme. She also faces the startling truth of who they really are.

Mets Make A Major Statement With Deal For Lindor

@Mets.

When Steve Cohen purchased the Mets last fall, he promised things would be different, with one way being that they would be in the conversation for top free agents and be open to major trades.

Books: "A Crooked Tree" By Una Mannion

 

A Crooked Tree: A Novel

By Una Mannion

Harper; hardcover; $27.99

Una Mannion is a Philadelphia native who left the United States for Ireland in her early twenties, and she has won numerous prizes in that country for her work.