December 2016

Before I jump into the news…newsletter news! We are changing the newsletter company that sends this newsletter for us at the beginning of January. The company that we worked with for 15 years is closing down this part of their business. But don't worry --- we found another company that we love. To be sure you get this newsletter IN your inbox instead of going to SPAM, please save [email protected] in your address book. Thanks in advance!

This is the time of year when everyone is posting “Best Books of the Year” lists. We would like you and your book group to help us compile ours for ReadingGroupGuides.com! Click here to share both your favorite book that you read with your group this year and your favorite book that you read outside your group by Tuesday, January 31st at noon ET, and you will be eligible to win a collection of SIX fantastic titles: A PIECE OF THE WORLD by Christina Baker Kline, THE HOPE CHEST by Viola Shipman, THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE by Lisa See, THE WOMEN IN THE CASTLE by Jessica Shattuck, MUSIC OF THE GHOSTS by Vaddey Ratner and THE CHILBURY LADIES' CHOIR by Jennifer Ryan.

Please note: Your favorite book you discussed with your group CAN be the same as your favorite book of the year! And they don't have to have been published in 2016. And please be careful with the spelling of book titles and authors’ first and last names to save us editing time.

My last formal reader event of the year at the Miami Book Fair was such fun! This was the first time that we put together a program specifically for book groups at the Miami Book Fair, and I was so pleased to see 60(!) people in the audience at 10am on a Saturday morning. As the fair has more than 600 authors in attendance, I went through the schedule and created a list of the sessions that I thought would be of interest to book groups. I also was lucky enough to have Gayle Forman as my author guest at this event, and we had a wonderful chat about her book, LEAVE ME, which we reviewed here.

As you all know by now, I am crazy about audiobooks and have been trying to get readers --- especially those in book groups --- to share the love! In October, we ran our Get Listening with Your Book Group! contest, where we gave nine readers the chance to win audiobook copies of BEHOLD THE DREAMERS, SMALL GREAT THINGS and THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD for their groups. We want to send a big congrats to our lucky winners; we hope you’re already enjoying your prizes! Click here to read more about the books and to see the winners. We'll hear more about their reading experience in the months to come.

We love hearing from readers. This month we got very interesting intel from Valerie at Audio Journal about “Speaking Volumes,” an extraordinary book group that broadcasts its discussions live each month on a radio reading service for people who are blind or vision-impaired. They invite their listening audience to call in, and occasionally even an author calls in to participate in the discussion. They usually have one moderator who researches the book that’s being read and pulls together tons of information about the title and the author, so their hour-long meetings end up being pretty intensive. As Valerie says, “I think what keeps our group lively and loving what we do is knowing we are serving an audience of book lovers who cannot get out easily to a book group at night and we love taking the group into their homes.” We love that! If you’re interested in their show, or if you know someone who might be, click here to learn more.

So have you told us what your book group is reading this month? We continue with our two-month-long “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest where the prize is THE BOOK THAT MATTERS MOST by Ann Hood, which I’ve been raving about since I read it this past summer --- I chose it as a Bets On title in August. It’s an enthralling novel about love, loss, secrets, friendship and the healing power of literature, not to mention the story of how joining a book group forever changes one woman’s life. Because the book celebrates book groups, Ann’s publisher challenged her to visit 60 book clubs before her 60th birthday, which is today, December 9th! She met that challenge and, in fact, she spoke with 65(!) groups.

In the book, Ava is invited to join a book group that has just 12 members (a member had passed away, opening up a slot; yes, it was THAT kind of a book group). The group has decided that their goal for the year is for each member to present the book that matters most to them. (For groups that want to try something different for the upcoming year, this may be a nice suggestion for a theme!) We know that many groups have alternate plans for November and/or December, thus we are running our contest for two months. If you discuss a book each month, you can enter the contest twice and have two chances to win! As usual, we’re giving three groups the chance to win 12 copies; enter here by Wednesday, January 4th at noon ET for your chance to win.

Ann was in the audience for the book group panel in Miami, which was lovely. She loves to knit as much as I do, and she was knitting away in between taking notes. So nice to have her there; I loved seeing her knitting needles clicking away. Ann and I are working as co-conspirators to do some more events together going forward, so stay tuned for more about that!

So far, it looks like once again A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman and THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah are dominating your choices, with Jodi Picoult’s SMALL GREAT THINGS and M. L. Stedman’s THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS pulling notable numbers, too. Be sure to tell us what you are reading so we can include your group in our reporting.

Speaking of the holidays, our poll asks, “Is your group doing anything special for the holidays?” Click here and let us know! We love hearing what you are doing! And we love sharing your ideas with others.

The holidays are most certainly here, and that means friends, family, and more time to curl up with a good book --- and eat! We’re excited to bring you our Fall/Winter Cookbooks 2016 bookshelf, curated by our very own Nicole Sherman. We have a wide variety of cookbook selections here, from the biggest names in the industry to the coziest recipes, food histories and everything in between. So whether you’re a pastry pro, a Noel novice, a kitchen klutz, or the most experienced holiday host, ’tis the season for cookbooks! I have been cooking from Ina Garten’s COOKING FOR JEFFREY book, and it’s really fabulous!

The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred 75 years ago on December 7, 1941. The history of Pearl Harbor is multifaceted, and though it’s a well-worn subject, new research continues to emerge. In honor of the 75th anniversary, we’ve collected a broad selection of books that inform and pay tribute. Each of the titles in our bookshelf brings a unique perspective to the narrative, so whether you’re a longtime devotee or just beginning to delve into this pivotal point in our history, you’ll find a powerful read on this shelf.

And speaking of the holidays, in this week’s Holiday Cheer contests, we gave away CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE by Ronie Kendig, LIKE FAMILY by Paolo Giordano, SPEAKING AMERICAN by Josh Katz, and TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by Debbie Macomber. Next week’s prize books will be THE CHRISTMAS TOWN by Donna VanLiere, THE GERMAN GIRL by Armando Lucas Correa, THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG: A Memoir by Carole Bayer Sager, and all three titles in the Promise Falls trilogy (BROKEN PROMISE, FAR FROM TRUE and THE TWENTY-THREE). The first contest of the week will be up on Monday, December 12th at noon ET.

We have one featured guide to share with you this month. From Shilpi Somaya Gowda, the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of SECRET DAUGHTER, comes THE GOLDEN SON, an unforgettable story of family, responsibility, love, honor, tradition and identity, in which two childhood friends --- a young doctor and a newly married bride --- must balance the expectations of their culture and their families with the desires of their own hearts. Tender and bittersweet, it's a story that illuminates the ambivalence of people caught between past and present, tradition and modernity, duty and choice; the push and pull of living in two cultures, and the painful decisions we must make to find our true selves. Click here for the featured guide.

We’ve been hearing some great feedback from readers about our Book Group Checkup feature. All month we’ve been interested in the ways longtime book groups can refresh their meetings and discussions, and we’re continually updating our feature as our readers share stories and tips. Sue M. wrote, “Thanks for the checklist --- that is something after 10 years we should definitely consider. And thanks for the years of book choices we probably would never have picked up.” And Allison R. told us, ”The ‘check-in’ concept is a great idea and we should always evaluate if what we are doing is working and what can we do to improve --- in all parts of our lives!” We can definitely agree with that! A number of people have been writing in asking for our original roundup of questions; you can click here to find all those. If you have thoughts of your own you’d like to share, send me a note with the subject line “Book Group Checkup.” If you’d prefer we publish your comments anonymously, just let us know.

We've updated our New in Paperback and Reading Roundup features for December. December’s roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes SWEET TOMORROWS, the conclusion to Debbie Macomber’s beloved Rose Harbor series, set in the picturesque town of Cedar Cove; BEYOND THE ICE LIMIT, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's latest thriller featuring Gideon Crew, who embarks on his most dangerous and high-stakes assignment yet...because failure will mean nothing short of the end of humankind on earth; and GONE AGAIN by James Grippando, in which Miami criminal defense lawyer Jack Swyteck takes on his first death-row client since THE PARDON in a case as twisty as it is shocking.

In our Reading Roundup, Indie Next titles include MOONGLOW, a series of revelatory stories framed as the deathbed confessional of a man only referred to as "my grandfather" from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon; and journalist Julia Baird's VICTORIA: THE QUEEN, a stunning new portrait of the real woman behind the myth --- and a story of love and heartbreak, of devotion and grief, of strength and resilience. Library Reads is doing something a little different, spotlighting their top books of 2016, which include THE NEST, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney's warm, funny and acutely perceptive debut novel about four adult siblings and the fate of the shared inheritance that has shaped their choices and their lives; and Martha Hall Kelly's powerful debut, LILAC GIRLS, an incredible story of love, redemption and terrible secrets that were hidden for decades, inspired by the life of a real WWII heroine.

Please note that the first season of "Z," which is based on the book by Therese Fowler (read our review on Bookreporter here), is headed to Amazon Prime on January 27th. Here's a trailer. If you haven’t seen the pilot, you can watch it now on Amazon Prime before the rest of the series starts next year.

We’ll be back to you all with one more newsletter before the holidays…read on…

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])

P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping for books, if you use the store links below, ReadingGroupGuides.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!

 

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 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.

This month's prize book is THE BOOK THAT MATTERS MOST by Ann Hood, an enthralling novel about love, loss, secrets, friendship and the healing power of literature --- not to mention the story of how joining a book group forever changes one woman’s life. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, January 4th at noon ET.

THE BOOK THAT MATTERS MOST by Ann Hood (Fiction)
An enthralling novel about love, loss, secrets, friendship and the healing power of literature, by the bestselling author of THE KNITTING CIRCLE.

Ava’s 25-year marriage has fallen apart, and her two grown children are pursuing their own lives outside of the country. Ava joins a book group, not only for her love of reading but also out of sheer desperation for companionship. The group’s goal throughout the year is for each member to present the book that matters most to them. Ava rediscovers a mysterious book from her childhood --- one that helped her through the traumas of the untimely deaths of her sister and mother. Alternating with Ava’s story is that of her troubled daughter Maggie, who, living in Paris, descends into a destructive relationship with an older man.

Ava’s mission to find that book and its enigmatic author takes her on a quest that unravels the secrets of her past and offers her and Maggie the chance to remake their lives.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
-Click here to see why we're betting you'll love this book.
 

This is the time of year when everyone is posting “Best Books of the Year” lists. We would like you and your book group to help us compile ours! Click here to share both your favorite book that you read with your group this year and your favorite book that you read outside your group by Tuesday, January 31st at noon ET, and you will be eligible to win SIX fantastic titles:

• A PIECE OF THE WORLD by Christina Baker Kline
• THE HOPE CHEST by Viola Shipman
• THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE by Lisa See
• THE WOMEN IN THE CASTLE by Jessica Shattuck
• MUSIC OF THE GHOSTS by Vaddey Ratner
• THE CHILBURY LADIES' CHOIR by Jennifer Ryan

Please note: Your favorite book you discussed with your group CAN be the same as your favorite book of the year! And they don't have to have been published in 2016. And please be careful with the spelling of book titles and authors’ first and last names to save us editing time.

We will have our reader-compiled Best Of list to share with you in early February. We cannot wait to see what you select!
 

THE GOLDEN SON by Shilpi Somaya Gowda(Fiction)
The New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of SECRET DAUGHTER returns with an unforgettable story of family, responsibility, love, honor, tradition and identity, in which two childhood friends --- a young doctor and a newly married bride --- must balance the expectations of their culture and their families with the desires of their own hearts.

The first of his family to go to college, Anil Patel, the golden son, carries the weight of tradition and his family’s expectations when he leaves his tiny Indian village to begin a medical residency in Dallas, Texas, at one of the busiest and most competitive hospitals in America. When his father dies, Anil becomes the de facto head of the Patel household and inherits the mantle of arbiter for all of the village’s disputes. But he is uneasy with the custom, uncertain that he has the wisdom and courage demonstrated by his father and grandfather. His doubts are compounded by the difficulties he discovers in adjusting to a new culture and a new job, challenges that will shake his confidence in himself and his abilities.

Back home in India, Anil’s closest childhood friend, Leena, struggles to adapt to her demanding new husband and relatives. Arranged by her parents, the marriage shatters Leena’s romantic hopes, and eventually forces her to make a desperate choice that will hold drastic repercussions for herself and her family. Though Anil and Leena struggle to come to terms with their identities thousands of miles apart, their lives eventually intersect once more --- changing them both and the people they love forever.

Tender and bittersweet, THE GOLDEN SON illuminates the ambivalence of people caught between past and present, tradition and modernity, duty and choice; the push and pull of living in two cultures, and the painful decisions we must make to find our true selves.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
 

HIDDEN FIGURES by Margot Lee Shetterly (History)
The phenomenal true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America’s greatest achievements in space. Soon to be a major motion picture starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kirsten Dunst and Kevin Costner.

Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as “human computers” used pencils, slide rules and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space.

Among these problem-solvers were a group of exceptionally talented African American women, some of the brightest minds of their generation. Originally relegated to teaching math in the South’s segregated public schools, they were called into service during the labor shortages of World War II, when America’s aeronautics industry was in dire need of anyone who had the right stuff. Suddenly, these overlooked math whizzes had a shot at jobs worthy of their skills, and they answered Uncle Sam’s call, moving to Hampton, Virginia and the fascinating, high-energy world of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory.

Even as Virginia’s Jim Crow laws required them to be segregated from their white counterparts, the women of Langley’s all-black “West Computing” group helped America achieve one of the things it desired most: a decisive victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War, and complete domination of the heavens.

Starting in World War II and moving through to the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement and the Space Race, HIDDEN FIGURES follows the interwoven accounts of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden, four African American women who participated in some of NASA’s greatest successes. It chronicles their careers over nearly three decades they faced challenges, forged alliances and used their intellect to change their own lives, and their country’s future.

Check out Hidden Figures in theaters on December 25th.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to watch the trailer.

SILENCE by Shūsaku Endō (Historical Fiction)
"One of the finest historical novels written by anyone, anywhere.... Flawless." (David Mitchell)

Father Rodrigues is an idealistic Portuguese Jesuit priest who, in the 1640s, sets sail for Japan on a determined mission to help the brutally oppressed Japanese Christians and to discover the truth behind unthinkable rumours that his famous teacher Ferreira has renounced his faith. Once faced with the realities of religious persecution Rodrigues himself is forced to make an impossible choice: whether to abandon his flock or his God.

Winner of the 1966 Tanizaki Prize, SILENCE is Shūsaku Endō's most highly acclaimed novel and a classic of its genre. It caused major controversy in Japan following its publication in 1967.

SILENCE will soon be a major film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here for the trailer.

 

December 7th marked 75 years since Japan's 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and six other military bases. The annual commemoration of Pearl Harbor fosters reflection, remembrance and ever-growing understanding. This particular anniversary is a unique opportunity to honor the dedication and sacrifices of those who fought and endured. Today, the legacy speaks to peace, cooperation and a commitment to freedom. The history of Pearl Harbor is layered and complex, as new accounts and research continue to surface today.

In honor of this milestone anniversary, we’ve curated a wide array of books to enlighten and pay tribute. Each of these titles brings a unique perspective to the narrative, so whether you’re a longtime scholar or just beginning to delve into this pivotal point in our history, you’ll find a powerful read on our bookshelf.
 

THE TWENTY-THREE: A Promise Falls Novel by Linwood Barclay (Thriller)
THE TWENTY-THREE is the final book in Linwood Barclay’s Promise Falls trilogy, following BROKEN PROMISE and FAR FROM TRUE. I love that this is a contained series where you can binge the three books and grab a very satisfying and complete story. I recommend reading them in order to allow the story to build for you, so you can pick up on the nuances of the many characters, each of whom is fully fleshed out and has a great back story.

-Click here to read more of Carol's thoughts on the book.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
-Click here for advance readers' comments.


THE GERMAN GIRL by Armando Lucas Correa (Historical Fiction)
While Cuba is in the news these days, and many of my friends have put it on a bucket list of places to visit, I confess to not being aware that during World War II Cuba was a desired safe haven for Jewish refugees trying to escape the wrath of Hitler and Nazi Germany. In his novel, THE GERMAN GIRL, Armando Lucas Correa tells their story and brings this little-discussed account to light.

-Click here to read more of Carol's thoughts on the book.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.

VICTORIA by Daisy Goodwin (Historical Fiction)
When I hear that there is a new Daisy Goodwin book out, I am an eager reader. Her two previous novels, THE AMERICAN HEIRESS and THE FORTUNE HUNTER, were both Bookreporter.com Bets On selections. Her latest, VICTORIA, is a brilliantly juicy novel about Queen Victoria, who ascended to the throne at the young age of 18 and held that position for 64 years. I confess to little study of British Monarch history, I suppose in part due to the fact that Queen Elizabeth has reigned longer than I have lived. But by the time I had finished this book, I was sorting out the Edwards (VII and VIII) and Georges (V and VI) who reigned after Victoria and before Elizabeth.

-Click here to read more of Carol's thoughts on the book.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
 

THE ASSOCIATION OF SMALL BOMBS by Karan Mahajan (Fiction)
These days, fears of terrorism are always lurking in the shadows. THE ASSOCIATION OF SMALL BOMBS, a novel by Karan Mahajan, takes readers inside the world of terrorists and terrorism, giving a 360-degree view to the subject in a tightly woven story that unfolds brilliantly. As the book opens in 1996, two brothers, Tushar and Nakul Khurana, pick up their family’s television set at a repair shop in a Dehli marketplace. They have been accompanied by their friend, Mansoor Ahmed. Alas, a bomb has been planted in the marketplace. As it detonates, it claims the lives of the brothers, but spares Mansoor, who races from the scene leaving his friends behind.

-Click here to read more of Carol's thoughts on the book.
-Click here to read more about the book.
 

At Bookreporter.com, we kick off the holiday season in style with our Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature. As our gift to you, on select days in November and December, we are spotlighting a book and giving five lucky readers the chance to win it. You have to visit the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter the 24-hour contest. As always, we are sending our special Holiday Cheer newsletter on the days when there are contests. Click here to sign up for these email alerts.

This year's featured titles include:

• THE ANGEL OF FOREST HILL: An Amish Christmas Romance by Cindy Woodsmall
• BROKEN PROMISE: Book One of the Promise Falls Trilogy by Linwood Barclay
• FAR FROM TRUE: A Promise Falls Novel by Linwood Barclay
• THE TWENTY-THREE: A Promise Falls Novel by Linwood Barclay
• THE CHRISTMAS TOWN by Donna VanLiere
• CITY ON EDGE by Stefanie Pintoff
• CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE: The Tox Files, Book 1 by Ronie Kendig
• THE EXPATRIATES by Janice Y. K. Lee
• THE GERMAN GIRL by Armando Lucas Correa
• THE HEART OF HENRY QUANTUM by Pepper Harding
• JOHANNA’S CHRISTMAS: A Festive Coloring Book for Adults by Johanna Basford
• LIKE FAMILY written by Paolo Giordano, translated by Anne Milano Appel
• MARRY ME AT CHRISTMAS: A Fool's Gold Romance by Susan Mallery
• THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT by Alexander Chee
• SNOWFALL ON HAVEN POINT: A Haven Point Novel by RaeAnne Thayne
• SPEAKING AMERICAN: How Y’all, Youse, and You Guys Talk: A Visual Guide by Josh Katz
• THE SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE by Melanie Benjamin
• THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG: A Memoir by Carole Bayer Sager
• TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by Debbie Macomber
• THE WIDOWER'S WIFE by Cate Holahan

Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What You're Reading --- and You Can Win Two Books!

Tell us about the books you’ve finished reading with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from December 2nd to December 16th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE GERMAN GIRL by Armando Lucas Correa and THE SEVENTH PLAGUE: A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins.

To make sure other readers will be able to find the books you write about, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For rules and guidelines, click here.

-Click here to enter the contest.
-To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.


Sounding Off on Audio Contest: Tell Us What You're Listening to --- and You Can Win Two Audiobooks!

Tell us about the audiobooks you’ve finished listening to with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for both the performance and the content. During the contest period from December 1st to January 3rd at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Alice Hoffman's FAITHFUL, read by Amber Tamblyn, and Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke's THE SLEEPING BEAUTY KILLER, read by Jan Maxwell.

To make sure other readers will be able to find the audiobook, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For complete rules and guidelines, click here.

-Click here to enter the contest.
-To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.

 

Each month, we share top book picks from Indie Next and LibraryReads, as well as the Target Book Club title and Pennie's Pick for Costco.

Indie Next titles include MOONGLOW, a series of revelatory stories framed as the deathbed confessional of a man only referred to as "my grandfather" from Pulitzer-Prize winning author Michael Chabon; journalist Julia Baird's VICTORIA: THE QUEEN, a stunning new portrait of the real woman behind the myth --- and a story of love and heartbreak, of devotion and grief, of strength and resilience; and Trevor Noah's memoir BORN A CRIME, which recounts "The Daily Show" host's childhood in apartheid South Africa as the son of an interracial couple.

Library Reads is spotlighting their top books of 2016, which include THE NEST, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney's warm, funny and acutely perceptive debut novel about four adult siblings and the fate of the shared inheritance that has shaped their choices and their lives; THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10, bestselling author Ruth Ware's haunting follow-up to IN A DARK, DARK WOOD --- this time, set at sea; and Martha Hall Kelly's powerful debut, LILAC GIRLS, an incredible story of love, redemption and terrible secrets that were hidden for decades, inspired by the life of a real WWII heroine.
 

December’s roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes SWEET TOMORROWS, the conclusion to Debbie Macomber’s beloved Rose Harbor series, set in the picturesque town of Cedar Cove; BEYOND THE ICE LIMIT, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's latest thriller featuring Gideon Crew, who embarks on his most dangerous and high-stakes assignment yet...because failure will mean nothing short of the end of humankind on earth; and GONE AGAIN by James Grippando, in which Miami criminal defense lawyer Jack Swyteck takes on his first death-row client since THE PARDON in a case as twisty as it is shocking.

Among this month’s nonfiction offerings are STORIES I TELL MYSELF, Juan F. Thompson's personal account of his father, Hunter S. Thompson, and of their getting to know each other during their 41 fraught years together; BROWSINGS by Pulitzer Prize-winning book critic Michael Dirda, a collection of 50 of his witty and wide-ranging reflections on literary journalism, book collecting and the writers he loves; and THE LOVERS by Rod Nordland, the story of a young couple willing to risk everything for love that puts a human face on the ongoing debate about women’s rights in the Muslim world.

-Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of December 5th, December 12th, December 19th and December 26th.

 

The following guides are now available on ReadingGroupGuides.com:

THE BOOK THAT MATTERS MOST by Ann Hood (Fiction)
An enthralling novel about love, loss, secrets, friendship and the healing power of literature, by the bestselling author of THE KNITTING CIRCLE.

THE GOLDEN SON by Shilpi Somaya Gowda (Fiction)
The New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of SECRET DAUGHTER returns with an unforgettable story of family, responsibility, love, honor, tradition and identity, in which two childhood friends --- a young doctor and a newly married bride --- must balance the expectations of their culture and their families with the desires of their own hearts.

HIDDEN FIGURES: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly (History)
The untold true story of the African-American female mathematicians at NASA who provided the calculations that helped fuel some of America’s greatest achievements in space.

NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery by Charles Todd (Historical Mystery)
In this absorbing new entry in the acclaimed New York Times bestselling series, Scotland Yard’s Ian Rutledge is caught up in a twisted web of vengeance and murder.

THE OTHER WIDOW by Susan Crawford (Psychological Thriller)
The author of THE POCKET WIFE explores the dark side of love, marriage and infidelity in this sizzling novel of psychological suspense.

THE SELLOUT by Paul Beatty (Fiction)
The winner of the 2016 Man Booker Prize, THE SELLOUT is a biting, comic novel of a young black man's psychological upbringing and journey to the Supreme Court, satirizing race relations in the 21st century.

SILENCE by Shūsaku Endō (Fiction)
Shūsaku Endō's classic novel of enduring faith in dangerous times, soon to be a major motion picture directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson and Adam Driver.

UNDER THE INFLUENCE by Joyce Maynard (Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling author of LABOR DAY and AFTER HER returns with a poignant story about the true meaning --- and the true price --- of friendship.
 

Is your group doing anything special for the holidays? (Check as many as apply.)

Yes, we have holiday-themed meetings.
Yes, we read holiday-themed books.
Yes, we prepare special meals for our meetings.
Yes, we exchange gifts.
Yes, we do a charity-related project.
Yes, we do a cookie exchange.
Yes, we do a book swap.
No, we meet as usual.
No, we take a break from meeting during the holiday months.
Other...