Books: New and noteworthy
Paste BN’s Jocelyn McClurg scopes out the hottest books on sale each week.
1. The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer (Gallery, non-fiction, on sale Aug. 16)
What it's about: The no-holds-barred star of Trainwreck and Inside Amy Schumer writes a collection of "candid" personal essays.
The buzz: Will Schumer be the latest funny girl to join the best-seller list, along with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling and Chelsea Handler? Call it a safe bet.
2 . Damaged by Lisa Scottoline (St. Martin’s Press, fiction, on sale Aug. 16)
What it’s about: In the latest in the Rosato & DiNunzio series about an all-female law firm, Mary DiNunzio takes on the case of a bullied 10-year-old boy accused of attacking a school aide.
The buzz: The prolific Scottoline has had 25 Paste BN best sellers, including last year’s Every Fifteen Minutes, which hit No. 4.
3. Altamont by Joel Selvin (Dey Street, non-fiction, on sale Aug. 16)
What it’s about: Billed as the "inside story" of the infamous 1969 concert featuring the Rolling Stones and security by the Hells Angels at which a man was murdered; a concert captured in the documentary Gimme Shelter.
The buzz: “Brings events nearly a half-century past as close as yesterday,” says Publishers Weekly.
4. The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore (Random House, fiction, on sale Aug. 16)
What it’s about: Moore, Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game, has penned a novel about young lawyer Paul Cravath and the role he played in the battle to bring electricity to New York City in the 1880s.
The buzz: Eddie Redmayne will star as Cravath in the screen adaptation of Night; meanwhile, Moore will do a Paste BN Live Facebook chat Aug. 30 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT; go to Paste BN’s Life Facebook page, or books.usatoday.com.
5. A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression by Jane Ziegelman and Andrew Coe (Harper, non-fiction, on sale Aug. 16)
What it’s about: A look at how the government tackled breadlines to feed the hungry during the Depression, and how homemakers were taught new methods of food preparation that changed the way America eats.
The buzz: “Highly readable, illuminating,” says Kirkus Reviews.