IPG Staff’s Top Picks for 2017 – Fall

At IPG, the winding down of long, delightfully warm summer days and the arrival of a chilly Chicago fall means two things: 1)  at least we’ll have more time to read and 2) a new catalog season!

Here, our staff shares some of their favorite picks from the Fall 2017 season.

We hope you enjoy them as much as we do! Click here to view all our Fall 2017 catalogs

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The World’s Wife by Carol Ann Duffy (Pan Macmillan, October 2017)

“Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy is the UK’s Poet Laureate, and her work proves that she’s earned that position. The poems in The World’s Wife focus on the wives of well-known men—fictional or otherwise—who utterly dominate their own stories. Some of the wives examined include Mrs. Aesop, Queen Kong, The Devil’s Wife, and Frau Freud. Each poem has strong feminist roots that force the men to take a step back from these tales, letting their wives finally step out from the shadows to take center stage. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy!”

—Elizabeth Kepsel, List Development Supervisor, Trafalgar Square Publishing

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Fast Farm and Slow Farm by Min Jee Jung, Illustrated by Valeria Cis (TanTan Publishing, November 2017)

“Fast Farm and Slow Farm has a unique and super timely concept (plus a sweet narrative and bright illustrations). It introduces kids to the idea of responsible, organic farming—not only exploring the health and taste benefits of slow food, but the ethics of commercial food production—all in a way that little ones can grasp.”

—Emily Parenti, Marketing & Publicity Associate

 

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The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke (Albert Whitman & Company, September 2017)

“The reviews on this one sound sooo good! Magical realism and time travel meet YA romance against the backdrop of Cold War/World War II Berlin – it’s a really original story after many years of YA as a genre following the same rote storylines.”

—Lauren Klouda, Marketing Manager, Print + Digital

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Walls Come Tumbling Down by Daniel Rachel (Pan Macmillan, November 2017)

“I’m looking forward to Walls Come Tumbling Down: Rock Against Racism, 2 Tone, Red Wedge. Titled after a Style Council song, this account of 1970s-80s musicians who fought against racism and Thatcherism is an oral history in the style of Please Kill Me. I’m excited for the music history, the political strategy, and the gossip.”

—Pam Harcourt, Publishing Manager, Trafalgar Square Publishing

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Wakem the Rooster: Up All Night by David FitzSimmons, Illustrated by Richard Cowdrey (Wild Iris Publishing, September 2017)

Wolves & Roses by Christina Bauer (Monster House Books, October 2017)

“Wolves and Roses is a great distraction from the daily news cycle and a compelling read. Wakem is a fun romp through barnyard life. Who doesn’t love yelling cock-a-doodle-do and making other animal sounds when reading to your young ones?”

—Jeff Palicki, VP of Marketing

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El odio que das by Angela Thomas (Editorial Oceano de Mexico, September 2017)

“Went one stop too far on the train reading this, but I don’t regret it one bit. This powerful and necessary debut is not to be missed!”

—Kelsey Wayne, Spanish Sales Manager

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The Trees by Conrad Richter, Foreword by David McCullough (Chicago Review Press, November 2017)

“I am excited that this fall Chicago Review Press’ Rediscovered Classics Series brings back National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Conrad Richter’s The Trees. The first book of the Awakening Land trilogy, Richter’s writing has been lauded for its visceral retelling of a bygone era of American history—it makes sense David McCullough would write the foreword! I love reading revived past masterworks that weren’t previously on my radar, and I can’t wait to read it.”

—Aaron Howe, Trade Sales Manager

 

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The Twilight Zone Encyclopedia by Steven Jay Rubin (Chicago Review Press, November 2017)

A Tangled Web: Mata Hari by Mary W. Craig (The History Press, November 2017)

“Ok, I did it—here’s what I’m excited about!”

—Andrew Freels, Senior Marketing & Production Designer

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The Atheist in the Attic by Samuel R. Delany (PM Press, February 2017)

“The Outspoken Series from PM Press (now about 20 titles deep) has a great formula going – each book provides a short story or two (or sometimes poetry or non-fiction essays) from a progressive science fiction author and then follows up with an interview. I’ve definitely enjoyed the ones that I’ve read thus far, and so I am THRILLED that the newest in the series is focused on Samuel R. Delany – one of the first and best-known African-American authors in the genre. Not only is his work literary, revolutionary, and occasionally really weird, but I know that in person he is thoughtful, candid, and extremely sharp. I anticipate that this title will make it on the reading list of my SF discussion group.”

—Berianne Bramman, Publisher Development Coordinator

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Björk’s Homogenic (33 1/3) by Emily Mackay (Bloomsbury, via INscribe)

“This series has fantastic long-form music writing, which is refreshing after routinely reading the many half-baked, seemingly impulsive reviews and write-ups online. The collection is also due some additional non-dude rock’n’rollers, which makes Homogenic even more exciting! While I was nearly 20 years late to the game hearing the 1997 album in full, the hybridized electronic/orchestral arrangements Björk crafted for her album staked out wholly original territory across alternative and mainstream music, and influenced most of the artists I came to treasure in my teens and early twenties. I look forward to the stories, insights, and critiques of this work as an admirer of Björk’s captivating explorations of sound and song.”

—Caleb Neubauer, Digital Production Associate

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Russian Revolution Edited by Ekaterina Rogatchevskaia (British Library Publishing, September 2017)

“It’s the centennial and I’ve been on a Robert K. Massie kick all year. This book compiles all sorts of pamphlets, propaganda, artwork, letters, and literature from the British Library archives into one gorgeously packaged book.”

—Leanna Gruhn, Publicist, Trafalgar Square Publishing

 

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London Series (British Library Publishing, January 2018)

“I’m most excited for British Library Publishing’s new London series. Each book focuses on a specific London neighborhood and its history and culture. The three titles out in January are Bloomsbury, Camden Town, and Soho. I’m planning a trip to London in the spring and can’t wait to re-explore these areas after reading the books.”

—Bridget Costin, Marketing Manager, Trafalgar Square Publishing

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The Goblins of Bellwater by Molly Ringle (Central Avenue Publishing, October 2017)

“Besides the fact that the cover image is beautiful, it’s my pick because I’ve read the ARC and I can’t wait to get the final copy as well. It’s in my top 5 favorite reads from IPG. Plus, it’s about Celtic goblins and tales and my Irish heritage can’t resist that.”

—Niki Stuckmann, Marketing Coordinator