Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
Michelle Obama Announces New Book Coming This Fall
I really didn’t know what to expect from Michelle Obama’s next book. Becoming was a sensation, but it didn’t seem like it left a lot of meat on the bone for more memoir/autobiography. And she doesn’t seem interested in a straight-forwardly political book, though I thought there was a slim chance (and maybe it is just my wishful thinking) that a “here’s-what-I-believe” style book could come as a precursor to a return to political life. That’s now what this book is. The Looks is essentially a coffee table book of her life in fashion. It is timed to prime gift book season (November 4th), and if you are going to do a fashion book, this is a pretty interesting version of it:
“Featuring the voices of Meredith Koop, Obama’s trusted stylist, as well as her makeup artist Carl Ray, hairstylists Yene Damtew, Johnny Wright, and Njeri Radway, and many of the designers who have dressed Obama for notable events, The Look brings readers behind the scenes not only to reveal how her most memorable looks came together but also to tell a powerful story about how we present ourselves.
Not something I myself care about, but I can see the appeal. Will be curious to see how it sells.
Amazon Names Its Best Books of the Year so Far
Headline here is that Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McGonaghy is the leader at the turn for their best book of the year, and I can confirm that it is quite good. She now has three very good novels under her belt, and has poured cement to make her very own corner: literary, climate novels featuring strong relationships and characters that book clubs can access. Among the other top 10 titles on the list, I can also vouch for Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks. There are a lot of grief memoirs, and it can be difficult to stand out. Here’s how Brooks does it: she is just a better writer than 95% of people writing. Simple, but not easy.