Thousands of books get published every year, let alone every season. Local book lovers recently got the scoop about upcoming fall and winter releases, as recommended by a passionate librarian and self-proclaimed bibliophile.

Dozens of people filled Marygold’s on Main on September 15 when they had the opportunity to meet and listen to Wallingford Public Library Reading Advisory Librarian Cindy Haiken talk about books.

Haiken’s fervent love of reading led to her creating Book Buzz, a program for avid readers to learn more about books that generate “serious pre-publication buzz.” Haiken extensively researches myriad genres for each presentation, from thrillers and mysteries to popular fiction and short stories and essays.

C.H. Booth Library Director Jenn Nash, who used to work at Wallingford Public Library, invited Haiken to bring her program to Newtown. When Haiken gave a resounding “yes,” it was only a matter of time before Book Buzz made its way to Marygold’s on Main.

Guests excitedly filled Marygold’s tavern cocktail lounge on Monday night. As they settled in, they snacked on hors d’oeuvres such as meat, cheese, crackers, and cookies. Every ticket also included one beer or wine, so some visited the bar for the drink of their choosing. In additional to helping local readers build their personal reading lists, proceeds from the event’s ticket sales benefitted C.H. Booth Library.

Everyone chatted amongst themselves before eventually getting called into the venue’s Gladiolus Room. People quickly took their seats, but not before getting handouts made by Haiken for the event.

The presenter had prepared nine different pamphlets categorized by genre, covering books that release between September 2 and February 24. Each one features several dozen books in order of release date. Every listing shows the book’s title, author, and cover, alongside a brief description.

Between all nine pamphlets, Haiken compiled nearly 600 books for people to look forward to. She called this collection “a tiny little sliver of what’s actually coming out.”

Haiken did not stop there, however. She had also compiled a list of 20 Notables — books that are particularly noteworthy, getting rave reviews, and are significant for one reason or another, she explained.

Over the years of doing Book Buzz, Haiken said she learned the reading interests of Wallingford. For this event, she skewed the 20 Notables to Newtown residents.

Nash said Haiken’s passion for books knows no bounds. She shared that Haiken once flew to London with nothing but an empty suitcase just to bring books back to the United States that had not yet been published in the states.

“That’s the kind of dedication and love for stories that makes her such a remarkable voice in the world of reader’s advisor,” Nash said.

Haiken said organizing Book Buzz is easier said than done, as books do not always neatly tie into one specific genre. She added that history and biography are really hard to define, and asked the audience if a book about Abraham Lincoln would be history or biography.

“And so these genre handouts are a little bit more of an art than a science,” Haiken said.

She continued by saying there is a rhythm to every publishing season: beach reads that tide people over in summer, big books that readers hunker down with in winter, and the best publishing season of the year — fall.

Haiken said books are really popular holiday gifts, and that fall is when publishers want big releases to come out.

“So this is always my favorite Book Buzz to do,” Haiken said.

A Few Upcoming Releases

Then came the main event: Haiken breaking down her list of 20 Notables curated for Newtown. The selection spanned genres, from self-help memoirs and short story collections to gripping thrillers and sci-fi dystopias.

Haiken spent a few minutes on each of the 20 Notables, with the audience invited to ask questions at any point.

One of the books on the list was The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman, the fifth installment in the #1 bestselling Thursday Murder Club series. It features an affluent retirement community in England where four retirees meet once weekly to solve cold cases.

The series has blown up in popularity, with the first book becoming a feature film streaming on Netflix. Osman has released a Thursday Murder Club book every year since 2020, except for last year, Haiken noted.

Now the fan-favorite mystery series is back, she said, with The Impossible Fortune out September 30. According to Haiken, reviewers are saying this is the best book of the five.

The book Haiken is personally most excited for, she said, is Vigil by George Saunders. She called Saunders the “finest writer of short stories working today,” adding that it is not a comment she makes flippantly. His only other novel, 2017’s release Lincoln in the Bardo, Haiken called one of the most extraordinary novels of the 21st Century.

Vigil, due January 27, takes place on the last night in the life of a CEO of an oil company. The man is taken to the afterlife by a woman named Jill, who has been doing this since the 1970s when she died. He is visited by callers both alive and dead who are clamoring for a reckoning.

Another book Haiken highlighted is a special case. It is one where the ISBN number — the unique 13-digit number assigned to every book that specifies its format, edition, and publisher — is the only thing booksellers and librarians know about it.

“It just says, coming soon, no title, no author, no description,” Haiken explained.

She said this indicates to booksellers and librarians that it must be a big book of some kind. One of these two books in the 20 Notables list is Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, which releases on October 21.

Haiken called Giuffre the most outspoken victim of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s predatory behavior. She is the one whose decision to speak directly led to their trial and jail sentence, the one whose photograph with Prince Andrew led to his fall from grace.

In April of this year, Giuffre took her own life. She had been working on this memoir for several years, and left explicit instructions that she wanted it published, Haiken shared. The book details what it was like to be one of the victims, and how Giuffre came out of it and tried to pull herself together.

Once Haiken went over the whole list, the room was abuzz with conversation. Haiken had everyone do a little thought exercise, asking her guests to tell her, if they walked into the adjacent room and the 20 Notables were on the bar, which they would take.

The crowd excitedly called out their responses. All the while, Haiken had a big smile on her face. At one point, she said people have attended Book Buzz events just to make their reading list for the upcoming season.

Seeing people share that same passion for books, Haiken said, is part of why she loves what she does.

C.H. Booth Library has copies of all nine pamphlets and the 20 Notables list available for readers who missed last week’s program. They are downstairs in the meeting room in the lower level, where all the library services are taking place during the ongoing HVAC construction.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.