Every holiday season, we round up the best new books from New Jersey authors. This year we enlisted the help of indie booksellers from across the state. They’ve suggested an eclectic list of titles for readers of all ages and tastes.
Piece of My Heart
By Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke
Simon & Schuster
The release of Mary Higgins Clark’s latest is bittersweet for the staff of Bookends. “Mary was a true friend of the store, and this will be the first time her fans won’t be able to meet her in person for her book launch,” say store owners Walter and Pat Boyer. Clark, who lived in Upper Saddle River, died in January at 92. Her final book features all the trademarks of her classic suspense novels.
Bookends, 211 E Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood
The Exiles
By Christina Baker Kline
HarperCollins
The Exiles is a sweeping, beautiful historical novel that follows the lives of three women: two English convicts and an orphaned Aboriginal girl in 19th-century Australia. Mary Ann Donaghy, owner of Bookworm in Bernardsville, is excited to recommend it. She’s been matching books to readers for more than 35 years at the store, and Kline, a longtime Jersey resident, is a perennial favorite.
Bookworm, 99 Claremont Road, Bernardsville
His Very Best: Jimmy Carter
By Jonathan Alter
Simon & Schuster
Montclair’s Jonathan Alter has written the first full-length biography of Jimmy Carter, and it’s a marvel. With access to never-before-seen archival material and the entire Carter family, Alter penned a fascinating and complex story about the man who went from Georgia peanut farmer to U.S. President and Nobel Prize-winning humanitarian. Vincent Onorati, co-owner of Word Bookstores, calls it “a great gift for readers of history.”
Black Futures
By Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham
One World, Random House
Orange native Kimberly Drew and co-author Jenna Wortham assembled this collection of art, photos, essays, memes, dialogues, recipes, tweets, poetry and more to tell the story of the radical, imaginative, provocative and gorgeous world that contemporary Black creators are bringing forth. The book is absolutely stunning, and Word staffers are expecting it to be a big holiday title.
Word, 123 Newark Ave., Jersey City
Punching the Air
By Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
Balzar + Bray, HarperCollins
Maplewood author Ibi Zoboi and prison-reform activist Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five have written a powerful YA novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated. It’s perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Elizabeth Acevedo. “Shopping local is always important, but this season it’s critical,” says Jonah Zimiles, owner of Words Bookstore in Maplewood. “Local stores support the community and our local authors—and we are lucky to have so many outstanding authors living and working in New Jersey.”
Our Last Season
By Harvey Araton
Penguin Press
Another Words pick is the new book by Harvey Araton, a nationally known sports journalist and Montclair resident who has covered thousands of Knicks games over the course of his distinguished career. In Our Last Season, Araton writes about his friendship with a die-hard Knicks fan, Michelle Musler, who held season tickets for 45 years. An extraordinary story of fandom, friendship and aging.
Words Bookstore, 179 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood
The Happy in a Hurry Cookbook
By Steve Doocy and Kathy Doocy
William Morrow Cookbooks, HarperCollins
How does Kenny Sarfin, owner of Books and Greetings in Northvale, make recommendations? “We sell books the old-fashioned way,” Sarfin says. “We read them.” One recent read? The latest cookbook from author and TV personality Steve Doocy and his wife, Kathy, longtime residents of Wyckoff. In The Happy in a Hurry Cookbook, the Doocys serve up time-saving recipes for home cooks, with lots of delicious food photos.
Books and Greetings, 271 Livingston St., Northvale
We Believe in You
By Beth Ferry
Illustrations by Molly Idle
Roaring Brook Press, Macmillan
The staff of Book Towne has an affinity for children’s-book author Beth Ferry, a longtime Jersey Shore resident. “We love our local authors, and we’re always excited to have events with Beth,” says Peter Albertelli, the store’s owner. Her latest title, We Believe in You, is a stunning new picture book about the power of joy and believing in yourself and one another.
Book Towne, 171 Main St., Manasquan