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Book Group --- Summer Style
On Monday night, we had the best-laid plans to enjoy book group outside at my house. But we are currently stuck in an evening rain pattern that is anything but fun. That said, we had a really lovely night as Jean Hanff Korelitz joined us to talk about THE PLOT, which we all enjoyed. It was special to have Jean virtually at our table engaging with us --- and one of our group members was on vacation with her family, so she logged on as well. There are so many positive things that happen from tuning in virtually. Jean shared background on her writing, and our group members asked some really sharp questions. I cannot tell you more about our discussion without giving something away, except to say that if you can have an author join your group, do it!
It was just announced last night that THE PLOT is one of the picks in Jimmy Fallon's Summer Reading Book Club. The others are CRYING IN H MART: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner, THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL & NEV by Dawnie Walton, ONE LAST STOP by Casey McQuiston, PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION by Emily Henry, and RAZORBLADE TEARS by S. A. Cosby. You can cast your vote here for the book you’d like to read together with Jimmy by Sunday, July 18th, and the next night on "The Tonight Show," Jimmy will announce which of these six books will be their official Summer Read.
For August, my book group is reading THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, July's “Good Morning America” Book Club pick and an upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On selection, which we featured in the last newsletter. I am going to be interviewing Marie and Victoria on Tuesday. Once again next month, my group will meet at my house, hopefully on floats in the pool.
Our Latest Monthly Contest is Live!
Our current “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest title is THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline, which is this month’s Target Book Club pick and was a Bets On selection when it released in hardcover last August.
The book is set in Australia in the early 19th century when the country was known for being a penal colony. Three young women are brought together to tell this story. When Evangeline, a young governess in London, is discovered to be pregnant, she is first sent to a notorious prison and then is given a 14-year sentence in Australia. On the ship sailing to this remote land, she meets Hazel, who is sentenced for stealing a silver spoon. The third woman, Mathinna, is native to Tasmania and is seen as a pet project for a wealthy couple. The novel’s structure gives light to multiple perspectives and brings this piece of history to readers who may know little about it.
Three groups will win up to 12 copies of THE EXILES. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, August 4th at noon ET. I had the pleasure of interviewing Christina about the book shortly before its hardcover publication. I mentioned one of the most interesting turns that I have ever seen in a novel, and we discussed it in very guarded terms so we wouldn’t give anything away. The book is multilayered, and I hope that our conversation gives it even more dimension for readers as they hear about the inspiration that led to the writing of it. If you haven’t done so yet, you can watch the interview here and listen to the podcast here.
In our previous “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest, here are the five books mentioned most frequently as titles that our book groups read: THE FOUR WINDS by Kristin Hannah, WE BEGIN AT THE END by Chris Whitaker, THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM by Marie Benedict, THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Krueger, and THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK by Kim Michele Richardson. Scroll further down the newsletter to see the Top 15.
We have added four new discussion guides to this update, along with THE EXILES:
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THE PAPER PALACE: Miranda Cowley Heller’s debut novel, a #1 New York Times bestseller, is both the Barnes & Noble and Reese’s Book Club picks for July. According to Reese, “This novel is an unbelievably absorbing read that’s raw, emotional and worth spending some quality time with. Come for the beachy Cape Cod setting, stay for the love triangle and gripping story of a family surrounded by secrets. Put up an out of office message and call us back when you’ve finished, so we can chat all the secrets, love and lies.”
On Tuesday, August 3rd at 3pm ET, Miranda will be discussing THE PAPER PALACE live on B&N’s Facebook page with blogger Mackenzie Newcomb. This week, Zakiya Dalila Harris talked to the aforementioned Dawnie Walton about THE OTHER BLACK GIRL, which was June’s B&N selection. If you missed their conversation, you can watch it here.
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THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS: Kristin Harmel’s latest novel is inspired by incredible true stories of survival against staggering odds. Marie Benedict calls the book “inspiring and gripping” and explains what it’s all about: “Set against the backdrop of Eastern Europe during World War II, the resourceful Yona, forced to become expert in the ways of the forest when a sage, prescient elderly woman takes Yona from her German family, must decide whether she'll rise up to claim the destiny foretold about her when faced with a band of Jewish refugees hiding in her beloved woods.”
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THE STRANGER IN THE MIRROR: Sisters Lynne and Valerie Constantine, aka Liv Constantine, hook readers once again with riveting drama, told with their hallmark blend of glamour, tense psychological thrills and jaw-dropping twists. According to our Bookreporter reviewer Kate Ayers, the book “races along like a rocket on steroids. Once you’ve opened the book, figuring out who Addison Hope is and how she got to Philadelphia will become your reason for waking up in the morning. Just give into it, set aside a day or two, and immerse yourself. But prepare for spine-tingling thrills.”
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HELL OF A BOOK: In the last newsletter, we mentioned that Jason Mott’s latest novel is this month’s "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club pick. Our Bookreporter reviewer Norah Piehl calls it “an intensely moving and thoughtful novel, and it’s also a love story, though perhaps not in the way that you (or the narrator) might be expecting.” Mott adds, “It is a book that I tried to make very serious but also very lighthearted. I hope that people are able to laugh as much they're able to think.”
We also continue to feature the guide for THE CAPE DOCTOR by debut novelist E. J. Levy, which recounts the story of Jonathan Mirandus Perry’s journey from a penniless Irish girl to one of the most celebrated and accomplished figures of his time.
I had such fun chatting with T. J. Newman, whose first novel, FALLING, is July's #1 Indie Next pick, a New York Times bestseller, and a Bets On selection. T. J., a former flight attendant, got the idea for this standout thriller when she was on a flight and asked the captain, “Hey, what would you do if your family was taken, and you were told that if you didn’t crash the plane, they would be killed?” His reaction, and where her imagination took her next, became FALLING. The book was written on many a cross-country red-eye flight --- often with scribbles on napkins and random notes stuffed into her pockets.
This is one of the tightest and most haunting thrillers of the year --- from the title, jacket cover and premise, right through to the prose. T. J. talked to me about how it all came together and what she's working on next. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.
I have been following T. J.’s tour, watching her do other interviews and appearances. She is just a lovely person and very down to earth; I regret not being able to meet her in person. For a debut novelist, she is poised, spot-on interesting and gracious. I already look forward to what she writes next --- and I will plan to meet her on that tour! Oh, and please note that my shawl matches the book cover; I mean, where else would fashion be paired with books like this?
Another recent Bets On pick is THE FIANCÉE, a new stand-alone thriller from Kate White. Summer, her husband Gabe, her nine-year-old stepson Henry, and other relatives have gathered at her in-laws’ 60-acre estate for their annual family get-together. Enter Hannah, Summer's brother-in-law's new girlfriend. Although she seems familiar to Summer, Hannah claims they've never met. When a member of the family dies, Summer starts an investigation of her own to prove it couldn't have been natural causes, thinking that Hannah must've been involved and needs to be exposed.
Kate and I worked together many moons ago at Mademoiselle before she became Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan, so it was a real pleasure to catch up with her. She talked about how she became a published author and the lessons she learned in the process, explained how she pursues her craft, and gave us an insider look at her next book. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.
Earlier this week, I talked to Scott Shepherd, whose first mystery novel, THE LAST COMMANDMENT, is now in stores and will be a Bets On pick. In it, a Scotland Yard detective tracks a serial killer from London to New York City. Scott had the idea for this book for a while and talked about how he played around with it in his head for a long time (decades, actually) before writing it. He spoke in-depth about the characters, explained why he chose London and New York for its settings, and alluded to where they are going in future books without giving too much away.
A longtime writer and producer with years of experience running network television series, Scott discussed the challenges of writing for the screen versus what happens in a novel. Our conversation about television writers’ rooms will give you a better idea of how things come together on the small screen. His family has a rich Hollywood history; his great-grandfather was Louis B. Mayer from MGM, so he shares some fun stories of growing up when celebrities were just the friends of your family. Wait until you hear who read him bedtime stories! Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast. My Bets On commentary will appear in the next newsletter.
Next month’s "Bookaccino Live" afternoon event will take place on Wednesday, August 11th at 2pm ET. I will present titles releasing between August 10th and September 7th, along with a few from October, that I think will appeal to you. Click here to sign up. Those attending the live event will be asked to answer a survey about the books from the presentation that they are most interested in reading and will be eligible to win a prize.
We hosted this month's “Bookaccino Live” event on Wednesday afternoon. I presented 35 books releasing between now and August 3rd, along with nine from September, that I wanted to get on your radar. The presentation will be up on our YouTube channel tomorrow, and we will share the link to the video in the next newsletter. In the meantime, you can see a list of all the titles that I talked about here.
On Thursday, July 29th at 12pm ET, members of the Simon & Schuster team will discuss this month’s Book Club Favorites pick, ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman, which is now available in paperback. You can RSVP for the event here.
For more July selections, including the Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, see our “Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks” feature here.
And a reminder that Oprah’s conversation with Nathan Harris --- the author of her latest book club pick, THE SWEETNESS OF WATER --- will air Friday, July 23rd on Apple TV+.
Enjoy your next book group discussion. I have heard that many groups are back to meeting in person, just like ours.
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, ReadingGroupGuides.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Enter to Win Up to 12 Paperback Copies of
THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline for Your Group
Each month, we ask book groups to share the titles they are reading that month and rate them. From all entries, three winners will be selected, and each will win up to 12 copies of that month’s prize book for their group. Note: To be eligible to win, let us know the title of the book that YOUR book group is CURRENTLY reading, NOT the title we are giving away.
Our latest prize book is THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline, July's Target Book Club pick and a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection that is now available in paperback. This ambitious, emotionally resonant historical novel captures the hardship, oppression, opportunity and hope of a trio of women’s lives --- two English convicts and an orphaned Aboriginal girl --- in 19th-century Australia. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, August 4th at noon ET.
THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline (Historical Fiction)
Seduced by her employer’s son, Evangeline, a naïve young governess in early 19th-century London, is discharged when her pregnancy is discovered and sent to the notorious Newgate Prison. Months later, she is sentenced to Van Diemen’s Land, a penal colony in Australia. During the journey on a repurposed slave ship, the Medea, Evangeline strikes up a friendship with Hazel, who was sentenced to seven years transport for stealing a silver spoon. Though Australia has been home to Aboriginal people for more than 50,000 years, the British government considers its fledgling colony uninhabited and unsettled. By the time the Medea arrives, many of them have been forcibly relocated, including Mathinna, who has been adopted by the new governor of Van Diemen’s Land.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Christina Baker Kline.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Guide:
THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller
July’s Barnes & Noble and Reese’s Book Club Picks
THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller (Fiction)
Elle, a 50-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at “The Paper Palace” --- the family summer place that she has visited every summer of her life. But this morning is different: Last night, Elle and her oldest friend, Jonas, crept out the back door into the darkness and had sex with each other for the first time, all while their spouses chatted away inside. Now, over the next 24 hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn’t forever changed the course of their lives. As Miranda Cowley Heller colors in the experiences that have led Elle to this day, we arrive at her ultimate decision with all its complexity.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to visit the Reese's Book Club website.
- Click here for details on Barnes & Noble's virtual Book Club event on Tuesday, August 3rd at 3pm ET.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS
by Kristin Harmel
THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS by Kristin Harmel (Historical Fiction)
After being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest --- and in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart after years of isolation. But when she is betrayed and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change everything.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE STRANGER IN THE MIRROR
by Liv Constantine
THE STRANGER IN THE MIRROR by Liv Constantine (Psychological Thriller)
Addison is about to get married but is not looking forward to the big day. She doesn't know who she really is. A few years ago, a kind driver found her bleeding next to a New Jersey highway and rescued her. While her physical wounds healed, Addison’s memory never returned. She doesn’t know her real name. Or how she ended up injured on the side of a road. Or why she can’t shake the notion that she may have done something very, very bad. In a posh home in the Boston suburbs, Julian tries to figure out what happened to his loving, caring wife, Cassandra, who disappeared without a trace two years ago. She never would have left him and their seven-year-old daughter Valentina of her own free will. Or would she?
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: HELL OF A BOOK by Jason Mott
July’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club Pick
HELL OF A BOOK by Jason Mott (Fiction)
A Black author sets out on a cross-country publicity tour to promote his bestselling novel. That storyline drives HELL OF A BOOK and is the scaffolding of something much larger and urgent. Jason Mott’s novel also tells the story of Soot, a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past, and The Kid, a possibly imaginary child who appears to the author on his tour. While this book entertains and is at once about family, love of parents and children, art and money, it’s also about the nation’s reckoning with a tragic police shooting playing over and over again on the news. And with what it can mean to be Black in America. Who has been killed? Who is The Kid? Will the author finish his book tour, and what kind of world will he leave behind?
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to see why the book is July's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club pick.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Featured Guide: THE CAPE DOCTOR by E. J. Levy
THE CAPE DOCTOR by E. J. Levy (Historical Fiction)
Beginning in Cork, Ireland, THE CAPE DOCTOR recounts Jonathan Mirandus Perry’s journey from daughter to son in order to enter medical school and provide for family, but Perry soon embraced the new-found freedom of living life as a man. From brilliant medical student in Edinburgh and London to eligible bachelor and quick-tempered physician in Cape Town, Dr. Perry thrived. When he befriended the aristocratic Cape Governor, the doctor rose to the pinnacle of society, before the two were publicly accused of a homosexual affair that scandalized the colonies and nearly cost them their lives.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read critical praise.
Click here for the featured guide.
Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks for July
Each month, we share top book picks from Indie Next and LibraryReads, as well as the Target Book Club title and Costco's "Buyer's Pick." We also feature a number of other prominent picks, including Oprah’s Book Club, the Barnes & Noble Book Club, Reese's Book Club, Jenna Bush Hager's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club, the "Good Morning America" Book Club, and Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites.
Below is a preview of July's "Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks." For the complete Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, as well as additional links pertaining to this month's selections, please click here.
Indie Next
#1 Pick: FALLING by T. J. Newman
A PSALM FOR THE WILD-BUILT: A Monk and Robot Book by Becky Chambers
FOX AND I: An Uncommon Friendship by Catherine Raven
SEEK YOU: A Journey Through American Loneliness, by Kristen Radtke
EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WILL SOMEDAY BE DEAD by Emily Austin
LibraryReads
Top Pick: SUCH A QUIET PLACE by Megan Miranda
ALL THE LITTLE HOPES by Leah Weiss
THE BONE CODE: A Temperance Brennan Novel by Kathy Reichs
DEVIL IN DISGUISE by Lisa Kleypas
EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WILL SOMEDAY BE DEAD by Emily Austin
Target Book Club
THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline
Costco's "Buyer's Pick"
THE PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER by Bill Clinton and James Patterson
Barnes & Noble Book Club
THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller
Reese's Book Club
THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller
Jenna Bush Hager's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club
HELL OF A BOOK by Jason Mott
"Good Morning America" Book Club
THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites
ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman
Our Most Popular Book Group Selections for June’s
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest
ReadingGroupGuides.com’s 10th Annual
Book Group Speed Dating Event:
Great Books for Book Groups
On May 14th, we hosted our 10th Annual Book Group Speed Dating event for booksellers, librarians and book club leaders. More than 75 books that would make great book group selections for Summer/Fall 2021 were presented by 21 publishers.
You can take a look at the video of the entire presentation here, or watch individual publisher presentations by clicking on the links below.
Bloomsbury • Consortium (And Other Stories, Blair, Deep Vellum, Feminist Press, Haymarket Books, World Editions) • Hachette Book Group • Harlequin Trade Publishing Houghton Mifflin Harcourt • Ingram (Godine, Keylight Books, Spiegel & Grau, Two Dollar Radio) • Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group • Random House Publishing Group
Simon & Schuster • Soho Press • Sourcebooks • William Morrow • W. W. Norton
If you would like to know more about these books, here is a link to a page with the PowerPoint presentation of the featured titles, as well as an Excel spreadsheet that lists the books both by publisher and alphabetically by title. Included in the video is a retrospective of the last 10 years of Speed Dating, where we spotlight 12 books from each year that have been popular with readers over the past decade. A spreadsheet of these titles also can be found here.
Click here to watch our 10th Annual Book Group Speed Dating event.
Bookreporter.com Bets On: FALLING by T. J. Newman
and THE FIANCÉE by Kate White
FALLING by T. J. Newman (Thriller)
FALLING by T. J. Newman is a great ride. I had seen T. J. (Torri) present twice at publisher previews, and both times that I heard her talk about it, I knew this book was going to be something special. The promo copy is so spot on that I am going to share it here: “You just boarded a flight to New York. There are 143 other passengers onboard. What you don’t know is that 30 minutes before the flight, your pilot’s family was kidnapped. For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die. The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane. Enjoy the flight.” And from there, the book takes off; it is so well done and lands so beautifully.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with T. J. Newman.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on FALLING.
THE FIANCÉE by Kate White (Psychological Thriller)
THE FIANCÉE is a locked-room thriller set on a 60-acre estate in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Kate White had me with the setting, and then ramped it up with the plot! Summer is looking forward to her annual vacation at her in-laws’ estate. She’s headed there with her husband, Gabe, and her precocious nine-year-old stepson. As the family gathers, she recognizes her brother-in-law’s girlfriend, Hannah, who was in an acting showcase with her a few years ago. But when questioned about this, Hannah says she could not recall it. Summer just does not trust her --- and her suspicions only amp up when her brother-in-law announces that they are engaged; they only had been dating for a short time. The weekend rolls along with a number of family bonding moments until someone is found dead. What happened, and just who is the fiancée?
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Kate White.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE FIANCÉE.
Bookreporter.com's 17th Annual
Summer Reading Contests and Feature
Summer is here! At Bookreporter.com, this means it's time for us to share some great summer book picks with our Summer Reading Contests and Feature. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through the end of August, so you will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter to win. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
This year’s prize books include:
Click here to read all the contest details and learn more about our prize books.
From left to right: Megan Miranda, Liv Constantine, Francesca Serritella
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
As so many book and author events are happening online these days, we are highlighting a number of them that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links below for more info and to register.
Friday, July 16th at 7pm ET: Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Liv Constantine will discuss THE STRANGER IN THE MIRROR with Kate White, whose new novel is THE FIANCÉE.
Monday, July 19th at 6pm ET: Square Books: Join Square Books for a conversation between Thriller Queens Megan Miranda and Wendy Walker in celebration of Megan's latest novel, SUCH A QUIET PLACE.
Monday, July 19th at 7pm ET: BookTowne: Join BookTowne with Liv Constantine in conversation with Wendy Walker about THE STRANGER IN THE MIRROR.
Monday, July 19th at 9pm ET: Book Soup: Book Soup presents screenwriter and showrunner Scott Shepherd, who will be in conversation with Julie Clark about his new book, THE LAST COMMANDMENT.
Tuesday, July 20th at 6pm ET: "Adriana Ink": Carol Fitzgerald will appear on the latest episode of Adriana Trigiani's weekly Facebook Live show, "Adriana Ink."
Wednesday, July 21st at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors --- Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry and Mary Alice Monroe --- will talk to Vanessa Riley, whose latest novel is ISLAND QUEEN.
Wednesday, July 21st at 8:30pm ET: Book Passage: Book Passage presents a virtual event featuring Megan Miranda, who will talk to Hank Phillippi Ryan about her new psychological thriller, SUCH A QUIET PLACE.
Thursday, July 22nd at 7pm ET: National Writers Series: The National Writers Series will host Megan Miranda, author of SUCH A QUIET PLACE, in conversation with journalist Riley Sager.
Thursday, July 22nd at 8pm ET: Titcomb's Bookshop: Join Titcomb's in welcoming Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray to talk about their new novel, THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN.
Thursday, July 22nd at 8:30pm ET: Warwick's: Warwick's will host Francesca Serritella as she discusses the new paperback edition of her book, GHOSTS OF HARVARD, with Jeniffer Thompson.
Monday, July 26th at 8pm ET: Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Megan Miranda will discuss SUCH A QUIET PLACE with Samantha Downing, whose new book is FOR YOUR OWN GOOD.
Tuesday, July 27th at 6pm ET: Bethany Beach Books: Join Bethany Beach Books for a virtual author event with Shari Lapena in conversation with Linwood Barclay about her new thriller, NOT A HAPPY FAMILY.
Tuesday, July 27th at 7pm ET: Poughkeepsie Public Library District: Lisa Scottoline, the New York Times bestselling author and Edgar Award-winning author of 33 novels, will talk about her first-ever work of historical fiction, ETERNAL.
Tuesday, July 27th at 8pm ET: Warwick's: This Couch Surfing Book Tour event features Megan Miranda as she discusses her new book, SUCH A QUIET PLACE, with Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke.
Wednesday, July 28th at 3pm ET: Poisoned Pen Bookstore: B. A. Paris will discuss her new novel, THE THERAPIST, with special guest host Gilly Macmillan.
Wednesday, July 28th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will talk to Christina Baker Kline, whose most recent novel, THE EXILES, is now in paperback.
Thursday, July 29th at 12pm ET: Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites: Members of the Simon & Schuster team will host a Facebook Live Book Club chat about ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman, which is July's pick for S&S's Book Club Favorites.
"Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts
“Bookreporter Talks To” is a video and podcast series that delivers a long-form, in-depth author interview every week. For years, Carol has moderated book festivals and author events around the country. But we know that readers often do not live where they can attend an author event. Our goal is to bring these author interviews to readers, wherever they may be. Watch on video, or listen as a podcast. (The podcasts include audio excerpts.)
Here are our latest interviews:
Other authors we've interviewed include:
Upcoming interviews include:
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Megan Abbott (THE TURNOUT)
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Chandler Baker (THE HUSBANDS)
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Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN)
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Elizabeth Brundage (THE VANISHING POINT)
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Megan Miranda (SUCH A QUIET PLACE)
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Taylor Jenkins Reid (MALIBU RISING)
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Dianna Rostad (YOU BELONG HERE NOW)
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Jonathan Santlofer (THE LAST MONA LISA)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
THE CAPE DOCTOR by E. J. Levy (Historical Fiction)
THE CAPE DOCTOR is the story of one man’s journey from penniless Irish girl to one of most celebrated and accomplished figures of his time.
THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline (Historical Fiction)
The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller ORPHAN TRAIN returns with an ambitious, emotionally resonant historical novel that captures the hardship, oppression, opportunity and hope of a trio of women’s lives --- two English convicts and an orphaned Aboriginal girl --- in 19th-century Australia.
THE FIANCÉE by Kate White (Psychological Thriller)
New York Times bestselling author Kate White returns with a riveting thriller about a captivating but cunning woman who joins a family and threatens to upend their picture-perfect lives.
THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS by Kristin Harmel (Historical Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling author of THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES returns with an evocative coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis --- until a secret from her past threatens everything.
HELL OF A BOOK by Jason Mott (Fiction)
This astounding work of fiction from New York Times bestselling author Jason Mott --- always deeply honest, at times electrically funny --- goes to the heart of racism, police violence and the hidden costs exacted upon Black Americans, and America as a whole.
MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS by Joshua Henkin (Fiction)
MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS is a sweeping and compassionate novel about a marriage surviving hardship. It’s about the love between women and men, and children and parents; about the things we give up in the face of adversity; and about how to survive when life turns out differently from what we thought we signed up for.
OUR WOMAN IN MOSCOW by Beatriz Williams (Historical Thriller)
The New York Times bestselling author of HER LAST FLIGHT returns with a gripping and profoundly human story of Cold War espionage and family devotion.
THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller (Fiction)
In the course of a singular day on Cape Cod, one woman must make a life-changing decision that has been brewing for decades.
THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (Historical Fiction)
Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray have penned the remarkable story of J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, the Black American woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white to leave a lasting legacy that enriched our nation.
THE STRANGER IN THE MIRROR by Liv Constantine (Psychological Thriller)
THE STRANGER IN THE MIRROR is a diabolically twisty, psychologically unsettling novel about a woman with no recollection of her past from the authors of the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick THE LAST MRS. PARRISH and THE WIFE STALKER.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman (Fiction)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A MAN CALLED OVE comes a poignant, charming novel about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.
THE COMEBACK by Ella Berman (Fiction)
THE COMEBACK is a deep dive into the psyche of a young actress raised in the spotlight under the influence of a charming, manipulative film director and the moment when she decides his time is up.
TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM by Yaa Gyasi (Fiction)
Yaa Gyasi's stunning follow-up to her acclaimed national bestseller HOMEGOING is a powerful, raw, intimate and deeply layered novel about a Ghanaian family in Alabama.
YALE NEEDS WOMEN: How the First Group of Girls Rewrote the Rules of an Ivy League Giant by Anne Gardiner Perkins (History)
Admittance was the battle, equality was the war. YALE NEEDS WOMEN is Anne Gardiner Perkins' unflinching account of how the first group of girls rewrote the rules of an Ivy League giant.
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