“Sweet Valley High” creator passes away at 92 (This week in books)

This week! Books!

If you’re a Gen Xer or Cusp Millennial chances are you either binged on the Sweet Valley High books or know someone who did. The creator of the series, Francince Pascal, passed away at 92.

Congrats to the Booker Prize finalists!

• Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
• Wild Houses by Colin Barrett
• Held by Anne Michaels
• Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
• This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud
• Playground by Richard Powers
• Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
• Orbital by Samantha Harvey
• James by Percival Everett
• The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
• My Friends by Hisham Matar
• Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
• Headshot by Rita Bulwinkel

New allegations have emerged against author Neil Gaiman, which he denies.

It’s so crucial to understand the contracts you’re signing as an author. At Writer Beware, Victoria Strauss has six ways you may be sabotaging yourself.

Book sales of J.D. Vance’s controversial memoir Hillbilly Elegy have surged since he became a Vice Presidential candidate.

Don’t take your eyes off this. Book banning efforts across the country are still continuing.

Really loved this feature of picture book author Loren Long and the extreme lengths he went to in order to prepare for his story The Yellow Bus.

This week in bestsellers

Here are the top five NY Times bestsellers in a few key categories. (All links are affiliate links):

Adult print and e-book fiction:

1. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
2. The Women by Kristin Hannah
3. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
4. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
5. The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

1. Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
2. Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum
3. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
4. The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson
5. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Young adult hardcover:

1. The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
2. The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller
3. The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
4. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
5. Nightbane by Alex Aster

Middle grade hardcover:

1. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
2. Heroes by Alan Gratz
3. Refugee by Alan Gratz
4. The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro
5. Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World by Tui T. Sutherland

This week on the blog

In case you missed them, here are this week’s posts:

• All about creating mysteries in a novel
• Summer ’24 book recommendations?

And keep up with the discussion in all the places!

• Follow me on Threads and Bluesky
• Follow my page on Facebook
• Join the Facebook Group
• Check out the Bransforums

And finally, it’s simply incredible how well The Matrix has aged in the last twenty-five years. Alissa Wilkinson has an awesome deep dive into the symbolism of a pivotal scene and how the themes remain relevant.

Have a great weekend!

Need help with your book? I’m available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching!

For my best advice, check out my online classes, my guide to writing a novel and my guide to publishing a book.

And if you like this post: subscribe to my newsletter!

Photo: The Huntington, San Marino, CA. Follow me on Instagram!