HuffPost  EDITION US Michael Giltz , Contributor BookFilter creator BookFilter: Vikings! Princesses! Potter! And Paper Folding! 08/03/2017 04:06 pm ET Hey Book Lovers! Welcome to our latest Top Picks Of The Week ! Our top pick is a thrilling tale of Vikings called "The Half-Drowned King" and to be honest we feel like we’re half-drowning in books! But what a way to go.</p><p> Are you like us? You've got a lovely pile of books-to-read at home but that doesn't stop you either, does it? So whether you're about to go to your favorite bookstore, library or online retailer, head first to BookFilter and you'll discover all the best new releases in every genre.</p><p> Let us know what you think about the newsletter.</p><p> And stay cool! What we're reading: THE HALF-DROWNED KING by Linnea Hartsuyker (fiction) REMEMBERING DIANA by Tina Brown (art & photography) THE BEDLAM STACKS by Natasha Pulley (fiction) A RUMOR OF WAR by Philip Caputo (history, memoir) ON HER MAJESTY'S FRIGHTFULLY SECRET SERVICE by Rhys Bowen (mystery) FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT PAPER MODELS by Marc Haigen-Guirey (art, crafts) A MAN OF SHADOWS by Jeff Noon (sci-fi) BookFilter: Vikings! Princesses! Potter! And Paper Folding!THE HALF-DROWNED KING by Linnea Hartsuyker Debut author Linnea Hartsuyker launches the first of a trilogy with this tale of Vikings.</p><p> What better compliment than to say we're eagerly awaiting book two? Set in an era when Vikings roamed the seas for plunder and their land was split into countless little "kingdoms," the story focuses on two siblings.</p><p> Rangvald is a strong warrior betrayed by his step-father.</p><p> Another leader -- Solvi -- wounds Rangvald and tosses him in the sea.</p><p> But our hero survives -- becoming the half-drowned king -- and vows revenge.</p><p> Meanwhile, his proud sister Svanhild -- bereft of father and now seemingly her brother-protector -- flees to avoid a forced marriage only to find herself dependent on Solvi...and liking it.</p><p> You'll find heroes and villains aplenty but they're filled with satisfying contradictions.</p><p> Mostly, this story -- very loosely based on scraps of history -- is a lot of fun.</p><p> Hartsuyker is off to a very good start.....</p><p> Read More.</p><p> Discover 34 New Fiction Titles Here! *************** REMEMBERING DIANA by Tina Brown Has it been 20 years already? This picture book is for you if you still feel a twinge of sadness upon seeing a picture of Diana, Princess of Wales. (My mother insists I get her title right -- no "Princess Di" in our royalist household, thank you very much.) Many photographs, plus some personal remembrances from editor Tina Brown, who hobnobbed with Diana back in the day when marrying a prince seemed -- for one last time -- like a fairy tale come true....</p><p> Read More.</p><p> Discover 11 New Coffee Table Books Out This Week! *************** HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY POTTER! As everyone knows, Harry Potter was born on July 31, 1980.</p><p> In a remarkable coincidence, that's also the same day author J.K.</p><p> Rowling was born! What should you do to celebrate? Listen again to the audio books and debate Jim Dale vs.</p><p> Stephen Fry? Watch the movies? Read the books? Visit a theme park? If you live in the US, might we suggest marking your calendar? The Harry Potter play is coming to Broadway in 2018.</p><p> Tickets go on sale this October but BEFORE they go on sale you need to sign up for access to the sale.</p><p> And that begins October 1. *************** THE BEDLAM STACKS by Natasha Pulley If they're wise, the dream of a writer is simply to see their first book get published.</p><p> But author Natasha Pulley pulled off the trifecta: her debut work The Watchmaker of Filigree Street was published, got great reviews ANDhit the bestseller list.</p><p> She's returned with another work of fiction sprinkled with "magic realism" (that's what they call fantasy if you're getting fancy) and it looks set to do the same....</p><p> Read More.Discover 34 Fiction Titles Out This Week! *************** A RUMOR OF WAR by Philip Caputo All we need is an excuse to tackle a classic book we haven't read yet.</p><p> That excuse arrives September 17 when director Ken Burns and Lynn Novick deliver a monumental 18 hour look at the Vietnam War.</p><p> When it comes to that devastating conflict, a number of books loom large: Tim O'Brien's brilliant 1990 short story collection The Things They Carried and journalist Neil Sheehan's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography and chronicle from 1988 called A Bright And Shining Lie among them.</p><p> But hot on the heels of the war's collapse came this 1977 memoir, A Rumor Of War. ...</p><p> Read More.</p><p> Discover 14 New History Books Out This Week! *************** ON HER MAJESTY'S FRIGHTFULLY SECRET SERVICE by Rhys Bowen We're still recovering from the tense but moving WW II film Dunkirk .</p><p> Is it possible the movie was actually louder than the war itself? If it whetted your appetite for more stories about that conflict, you might enjoy the frothy pleasures of Lady Georgiana Rannoch as she does a bit of spying on the side for Queen and country.</p><p> If nothing else, we couldn't resist the title's amusing play on the best James Bond film of them all....</p><p> Read More.</p><p> Discover 32 New MysteryTitles Out This Week! *************** IF JAMES BALDWIN COULD TALK (AGAIN) James Baldwin was born on August 2, 1924, so it's stretching things to hope he'd still be among us at 93 years old.</p><p> Still, his work is very much alive.</p><p> Baldwin was the focus of the Oscar-nominated film I Am Not Your Negro.</p><p> His classic coming of age tale Go Tell It On The Mountain is a staple of schools.</p><p> And director Barry Jenkins is following up his path-breaking film Moonlight by adapting Baldwin's late nove l If Beale Street Could Talk.</p><p> It starts shooting in just a few weeks. *************** FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT PAPER MODELS by Marc Haigen-Guirey Ever dreamt of owning a home by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright? Well, unless you're Bill Gates and reading this newsletter, the closest you'll get is this book.</p><p> Haigen-Guirey is a kirigami paper artist. (Undoubtedly you're aware that kirigami is a variant on origami which involves some cutting rather than just folding in the creation of its art.) This kit includes 14 different Wright masterpieces you can cut and fold and then display or study to your heart's content.</p><p> It's certainly safer than rappelling down the Guggenheim's curved walls....</p><p> Read More.</p><p> Discover More New Craft/Hobby Titles Out This Week! Discover 11 New Art/Photo Books Out This Week! *************** A MAN OF SHADOWS by Jeff Noon A man named "Noon" should be the last person to talk about a man of shadows. (What would he know about shadows? Nothing.) But discerning fans of science fiction know that Noon is a writer's writer in the UK whose small but intriguing output is cherished by other authors, critics and the fans smart enough to seek him out. (Noon also works successfully on radio and in the theater.) Perhaps this noir-ish story of a private eye who lives in Dayzone but takes on a case that leads him into the blacked-out neighborhood known as Nocturna will prove the novel to bring Noon's talent into the sun once and for all....</p><p> Read More.</p><p> Discover 20 New Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books Out This Week! *************** Thanks for reading our latest BookFilter newsletter! Tell us what you think -- drop a line at newsletter@bookfilter.com .</p><p> Do you want more picks? Fewer? Did you click on any of the links like "More Fiction!" to find even more great new picks? Will you share it with a friend? Will we keep asking questions? If you love it, share it with your friends -- forward them the newsletter or just send them this link so they can sign up for themselves.</p><p> Michael Giltz is the founder and CEO of the forthcoming website BookFilter, a book lover’s best friend.</p><p> Trying to decide what to read next? Head to BookFilter! Need a smart and easy gift? Head to BookFilter? Wondering what new titles came out this week in your favorite categories, like cookbooks and mystery and more? Head to BookFilter! It’s a website that lets you browse for books online the way you do in a physical bookstore, provides comprehensive info on new releases every week in every category and offers passionate personal recommendations every step of the way.</p><p> It’s like a fall book preview or holiday gift guide — but every week in every category.</p><p> He’s also the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion makers as guests.</p><p> It’s available for free on iTunes.</p><p> Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.</p><p> Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and also available for free on iTunes.
