Fredrik Backman continues to gain the recognition of both readers and critics in the US with his novel Anxious People. The title was announced as a nominee in the fifth annual Book of the Year Award in November, and it is now official that it has made it to the finals.
The ones who will decide the winning author and title are the members of the US based book club “Book of the Month.” The final winner will be revealed December 23.
Week 50’s (December 7-13) top placements are divided equally between Lars Kepler, Björn Natthiko Lindeblad and Stina Jackson. Lars Kepler is No. 1 in hardcover with The Mirror Man, also coming in at No. 2 in e-books. Björn Natthiko Lindeblad meanwhile occupies the No. 1 spot on the non-fiction list with I May Be Wrong, which is also No. 2 in audio. The last No. 1 spot, that of the paperback list, goes to Stina Jackson and The Last Snow.
Sweden’s leading newspaper Dagens Nyheter has chosen Stina Jackson’s The Last Snow, Jørn Lier Horst’s The Inner Darkness, and Kristina Ohlsson’s Storm Watch as three of their “Best Crime Novels of 2020.” Literary critic Lotta Olsson gives the following reviews:
“Stina Jackson debuted with The Silver Road two years ago: a brilliantly told story of rural villages, forests, and lonely girls. The Last Snow is at times even better.” (The Last Snow)
“Jørn Lier Horst raises the suspense level to horror proportions.” (The Inner Darkness)
“Kristina Ohlsson succeeds in combining suspense, feelgood and social realism.” (Storm Watch)
The psychological thriller Knocking will have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2021. The film is based on the short story Knocks by acclaimed Swedish author Johan Theorin, and the script is written by Emma Broström. Knocking is directed by Frida Kempff and is her feature debut. Kempff has previously directed the documentary Winter Buoy and shorts like Micky Bader, which among else won a Cannes Jury Prize in 2010.
Cecilia Milocco (Involuntary) stars as a woman who moves into a new apartment following a tragic accident. She soon begins to hear a disturbing knocking sound. Is it a call for help, or a message in Morse code? As the knocking grows more intense she confronts her neighbors, but they all claim to be unable to hear it.
Lars Kepler’s The Mirror Man is No. 1 on the Dutch bestseller list for thrillers and crime fiction. This marks the novel’s third consecutive week at the top.
For the second month in a row, Björn Natthiko Lindeblad’s I May Be Wrong comes in at No. 1 on the official Swedish bestseller list for non-fiction. The title is also No. 2 on the audio list. The No. 1 spots on the hardcover, e-book and audio lists meanwhile go to Lars Kepler and The Mirror Man.
The bestseller lists for the first week of December see Lars Kepler’s The Mirror Man claim the No.1 spots on the audio and e-book lists, and the No. 2 one on the hardcover list. The No. 5 placement goes to Hans Rosenfeldt’s When Crying Wolf.
The non-fiction list has the ever popular Björn Natthiko Lindeblad appear at No. 2 with his I May Be Wrong. He is also No. 2 in audio, where he’s joined by Ulf Lundell and Weekdays 3 at No. 4.
New on the paperback list is Stina Jackson, whose just published softcover of The Last Snow is No. 2.
A world covered in ruins and ash. An alien phenomenon has ravaged Earth’s atmosphere and forced its few survivors underground. But there are still secrets left to be uncovered. Matt, Sigrid and Charlie leave the safety of their enclave to go on an expedition into the wastelands of the surface world. During their journey, they will be forced to confront their hidden pasts from the time before civilization fell.
Simon Stålenhag is the internationally lauded artist and author of The Electric State, Tales from the Loop and Things from the Flood. Now, Stålenhag returns with a hauntingly chilling tale of the ultimate cost of survival: The Labyrinth.
Detective Agency No. 2’s seasonal booklet for 2020, The Search for the Gingerbread Man, sails to No. 2 on the official Norwegian bestseller list for children’s fiction. However, it isn’t the only title from the series that’s featured: Operation Red Ribbon appears at No. 4.
The pace is picking up in Iceland, where the official monthly lists are now divided into weekly ones. On the latest list for November 23-29, Yrsa Sigurdardóttir claims the No. 3 spot with The Prey, her latest stand-alone title.
Denmark, Modtryk
Closed by Tor Jonasson
Germany, Hoffman und Campe
Closed by Tor Jonasson
Norway, Gyldendal
Closed by Tor Jonasson
Finland, Johnny Kniga
Three-book deal closed by Federico Ambrosini
Brazil, Callis Editora
Two-book deal closed by Tassy Barham Associates on behalf of Linda Andersson
Türkiye, Dogan Egmont
Three-book deal closed by Emma Granberg
Brilliantly funny, poignant and timeless.
– Readings
A feel-good story with a fighting spirit, for every woman who is sick of biting her tongue.
– Amelia
[A] tender, deeply moving story about memory and making peace with the past. It’s the perfect holiday tearjerker, best enjoyed with a view of the beach and sunnies on (to hide your tears.)
– Daily Mail
[A] smashingly narrated quality feel-good.
– Dagens Nyheter
It’s no wonder she captivates her reader. /…/ [All is Well, Always] offers refreshing reading about ordinary and strikingly vivid characters, recognizable from real life.
– Västerbottens-Kuriren
Imagine the nicest person in the world. That’s Sandrine. A cheerful outlook will take you far, and Sandrine is niceness personified. Until one day, she isn’t. ‘All is Well, Always’ is a story about smiling widely and biting your tongue. And about what happens when you suddenly stop.
