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The Joy of Meeting Readers
On Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending the Simon & Schuster Book Club Matinee, their first event for book groups where it was such fun to meet many of our readers --- and catch up with others. Set in the iconic and historic Ed Sullivan Theater, just blocks from our office, there was a very cool vibe to the event. While plans for the program have been in the works for months, there always is a complete rush when the show gets underway and the authors begin talking. Lisa See did a brilliant job of sharing background on the inspiration and research for her novel, THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE, which will be in stores next Tuesday, March 21st, while Lisa Genova talked about her three bestselling titles, and gave us a glimpse into her next book, which looks at ALS in the narrative (her past topics have been Alzheimer’s, left neglect and Huntington’s disease).
I had a wonderful time interviewing Isabel Allende (pictured with me above), who I had not met in person until that day, but once we started chatting on stage, the conversation rolled from topic to topic, as she shared background on her personal life, as well as her writing. Her upcoming book, IN THE MIDST OF WINTER (coming in November), had been announced on Friday. While I could not get her to share much about it on stage, here’s the plot: “[A] simple car accident is the catalyst for an unexpected and moving love story between two people who thought they were deep into the winter of their lives. Richard Bowmaster, a 60-year-old human rights scholar, hits the car of Evelyn Ortega, a young, undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, in the middle of a snowstorm in Brooklyn. What at first seems just a minor incident takes an unforeseen and far more serious turn when Evelyn turns up at the professor’s house seeking help. At a loss, the professor asks his tenant Lucia Maraz, a 62-year-old lecturer from Chile, for her advice.” Sounds timely, and given Isabel’s love of passion, note that romance is kindled between Richard and Lucia!
Ruth Ware and Megan Miranda shared background on their thrillers, which would make for great conversation for groups who want to discuss thrillers. It was nice to catch up with Ruth, who I had first met when I interviewed her before IN A DARK, DARK WOOD was published, as it was a Buzz Book at Book Expo. I read Megan’s book two weeks ago and was fascinated by how she wrote it backwards from Day 15 to Day 1; that technique alone would be interesting to discuss. Anthony Doerr wrapped up the day. Based on his book, I was expecting him to be stodgy and serious, but instead he was extremely affable, and I truly wish that I had had more time to talk to him.
Above you can see a photo of the authors from the event, with Carolyn Reidy, the president of Simon & Schuster, seated in the center. Sadly, Lisa See had to leave early to get to the Tucson Book Festival, which is why she is not pictured here. Rebecca Munro from our staff shares much more about the day here in a blog piece that captures the spirit of the event.
LILAC GIRLS came out in hardcover last year and became a hit with book clubs across the country. When I saw Martha Hall Kelly at a Random House Open House event, it was evident that her book had struck a chord with many readers and her enthusiasm for her story galvanized even more to want to read it. Now available in paperback, it should be in even more demand for book groups. In it, Caroline Ferriday is a New York socialite with a huge social conscience. Her mission is to rescue Polish Jews who have had their lives upended when Hitler invaded Poland. Based on a true story of a New York socialite who championed a group of concentration camp survivors known as the Rabbits, this debut novel reveals a story of love, redemption and terrible secrets that were hidden for decades. We are celebrating its paperback release by giving three groups the chance to win 12 copies of the book. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, April 6th at noon ET.
I loved this book, still think about it, and hope at some point to get up to see the lilac gardens at Caroline’s home, the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden, located in the center of Bethlehem, Connecticut, that drew Martha to first write this book. It would be a great outing for your book group! You can see my Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary about LILAC GIRLS here and a review on Bookreporter.com here, along with the discussion guide here.
This month's “What’s Your Book Group Reading?" contest title is THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS by Rebecca Skloot, the #1 New York Times bestseller that captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences. We chose to share this title as a prize book as HBO will premiere the movie adaptation starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne on April 22nd at 8pm on HBO. You can see the trailer for it here and a wonderful video of Rebecca talking about the book here. We know that this book will make for a wonderful discussion. As usual, we’re giving three groups the opportunity to win 12 copies of the book; enter here by Thursday, April 6th at noon ET for your chance to win.
Our contest for GLORY OVER EVERYTHING, Kathleen Grissom’s follow-up to her bestseller, THE KITCHEN HOUSE, is still up and running. This is a heart-racing story about a man’s treacherous journey through the twists and turns of the Underground Railroad on a mission to save the boy he swore to protect. Grissom writes beautifully and knows how to ratchet up the suspense. We are celebrating its paperback release by giving three groups the chance to win 12 copies of the book. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, March 23rd at noon ET. Click here for the discussion guide, here for our review on Bookreporter.com, and here for my Bets On commentary. By the way, this book is perfect for groups who would like to experiment with reading two books by the same author and have a meaty discussion about both the content and the author's writing style.
Margaret George’s latest book, THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NERO, came out last week. Margaret typically researches her books for two years and then takes another two years to write them. Thus we are very happy to share her latest work, which our Bookreporter.com reviewer, Amy Gwiazdowski, reviewed and said, “There’s something wonderful about George’s Nero, and I’m looking forward to her continued treatment of him in her planned follow-up to THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NERO, which I’m already eagerly anticipating.” Margaret is at work on part two of Nero’s life, which we look forward to sharing with you when it is published, guessing a couple of years from now. She is meticulous about her research, and we have some videos here where you can get a look at her travels in Rome for research. I know…travels to Rome; sign me up! You can check out the discussion guide here.
As I write this newsletter, the wind is whipping around, and thus Dorothea Benton Frank’s ALL SUMMER LONG, which is just out in paperback, sounds like an idyllic escape. Can money buy happiness? From Sullivans Island to Necker Island to Nantucket to the beaches of Southern Spain, readers will come to recognize the many faces of true love, love that deepens and endures but only because one woman makes a tremendous leap of faith. And that leap changes everything. You can find the guide here and our Bookreporter.com review here.
Christina Baker Kline’s latest novel, A PIECE OF THE WORLD, became an instant New York Times bestseller when it was published a few weeks ago. We still are waiting for a discussion guide for it, which we will share as soon as it comes in. Christina is on an extensive tour; try to catch her if you can as she shares some wonderful background on what inspired her to write this book. You also can read my Bets On commentary about it here and our Bookreporter.com review here --- plus we have many more links for you later in this newsletter.
Continuing with our audiobook coverage, we have a report from three groups who listened to THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Colson Whitehead. The groups were asked to listen to the audiobook and answer some questions about their experience. Click here take a look at their feedback and here for more info on the audiobook. If your group has tried audio, let me know what you have enjoyed listening to.
We have four additional guides to tell you about.
A few weeks ago, we ran a review of THIS CLOSE TO HAPPY: A Reckoning with Depression by Daphne Merkin on Bookreporter.com. We quickly realized this was an important book on an important topic that definitely deserves more attention, and thus are glad to be sharing this guide with you, as it would be great for a book group discussion. Millions of people struggle with depression, and in this memoir Merkin “describes the sorrow that has invaded her world and the three times that she was hospitalized for it; first, in grade school, for childhood depression; years later, after her daughter was born, for severe postpartum depression; and later still, after her mother died, for obsessive suicidal thinking.” It’s a brisk book, just 288 pages, but it’s packed with emotion and lots to discuss on a topic that we need to talk more about. Over on Bookreporter.com, we're giving five readers the chance to win a copy of the book and share their comments on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, March 21st at noon ET.
Please also check out the guides for LOVER by Anna Raverat, an observation of love, work and life as seen through the lens of a troubled marriage; THE MERMAID'S DAUGHTER by Ann Claycomb, a modern-day expansion of Hans Christian Andersen’s THE LITTLE MERMAID; and THE LAST DAYS OF MAGIC by Mark Tompkins, a historical fantasy that sweeps readers back to a world where humans and magical beings co-exist as they had for centuries.
In this month's poll, we pulled together a list of new and upcoming books by book group-favorite authors. Which are you looking forward to reading with your group? Let us know here!
We’ve updated our New in Paperback and Reading Roundup features for March, both chock full of reading suggestions. Beware the Ides of March tomorrow!
Washington, DC's Shakespeare Theatre has launched the Shakespeare Theatre Book Club. Denise Neary, our longtime and intrepid reporter, recently attended one of their meetings, where they discussed GAME OF CROWNS by Christopher Andersen. You can read all about it in Denise's blog post here.
Here's to planning, and having a great next discussion with your book group. We’ll be back again with another update in two weeks!
Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
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!
Special Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of
LILAC GIRLS by Martha Hall Kelly for Your Group
Based on a true story of a New York socialite who championed a group of concentration camp survivors known as the Rabbits, LILAC GIRLS, Martha Hall Kelly's acclaimed debut novel, reveals a story of love, redemption and terrible secrets that were hidden for decades. We are celebrating its recent paperback release by giving three groups the chance to win 12 copies of the book. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, April 6th at noon ET.
LILAC GIRLS by Martha Hall Kelly (Historical Fiction)
Based on a true story of a New York socialite who championed a group of concentration camp survivors known as the Rabbits, this acclaimed debut novel reveals a story of love, redemption and terrible secrets that were hidden for decades.
Caroline Ferriday is a former Broadway actress and liaison to the French consulate whose life is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939 --- and then sets its sights on France. An ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, sinks deeper into her role as a courier for the underground resistance movement. In Germany, Herta Oberheuser, a young doctor, answers an ad for a government medical position --- only to find herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power.
The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. Their stories cross continents, as Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten.
- Click here for the reading group guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here for Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
Click here to enter the contest.
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest:
Enter to Win 12 Copies of the Movie Tie-In Edition of
THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS
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 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 movie tie-in edition of THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS, Rebecca Skloot's #1 New York Times bestseller that captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Thursday, April 6th at noon ET. The film adaptation, starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne, will premiere on April 22nd at 8pm on HBO.
THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS by Rebecca Skloot (Science/Biography)
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells --- taken without her knowledge --- became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than 60 years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons --- as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.
Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.
Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia --- a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings and voodoo --- to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the reading group guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to enter the contest.
Special Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of
GLORY OVER EVERYTHING by Kathleen Grissom
for Your Group
GLORY OVER EVERYTHING by Kathleen Grissom, the author of the beloved book club favorite THE KITCHEN HOUSE, is a heart-racing story about a man’s treacherous journey through the twists and turns of the Underground Railroad on a mission to save the boy he swore to protect. We are celebrating its recent paperback release by giving three groups the chance to win 12 copies of the book. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, March 23rd at noon ET.
GLORY OVER EVERYTHING by Kathleen Grissom (Historical Fiction)
The year is 1830, and Jamie Pyke, a celebrated silversmith and notorious ladies’ man, is keeping a deadly secret. Passing as a wealthy white aristocrat in Philadelphian society, Jamie is now living a life he never could have imagined years before when he was a runaway slave, son of a southern black slave and her master. But Jamie’s carefully constructed world is threatened when he discovers that his married socialite lover, Caroline, is pregnant and his beloved servant Pan, to whose father Jamie owes his own freedom, has been captured and sold into slavery in the South.
Fleeing the consequences of his deceptions, Jamie embarks on a trip to a North Carolina plantation to save Pan from the life he himself barely escaped as a boy. With the help of a fearless slave, Sukey, who has taken the terrified young boy under her wing, Jamie navigates their way, racing against time and their ruthless pursuers through the Virginia backwoods, the Underground Railroad, and the treacherous Great Dismal Swamp.
“Kathleen Grissom is a first-rate storyteller…she observes with an unwavering but kind eye, and she bestows upon the reader, amid terrible secrets and sin, a gift of mercy: the belief that hope can triumph over hell” (Richmond Times Dispatch). GLORY OVER EVERYTHING is an emotionally rewarding and epic novel “filled with romance, villains, violence, courage, compassion…and suspense” (Florida Courier).
- Click here for the reading group guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here for Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
Click here to enter the contest.
Now Available: A PIECE OF THE WORLD
by Christina Baker Kline
Discussion Guide Coming Soon!
A PIECE OF THE WORLD by Christina Baker Kline (Historical Fiction)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash bestseller ORPHAN TRAIN, a stunning and atmospheric novel of friendship, passion and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s mysterious and iconic painting Christina’s World.
"Later he told me that he’d been afraid to show me the painting. He thought I wouldn’t like the way he portrayed me: dragging myself across the field, fingers clutching dirt, my legs twisted behind. The arid moonscape of wheatgrass and timothy. That dilapidated house in the distance, looming up like a secret that won’t stay hidden."
To Christina Olson, the entire world was her family’s remote farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. Born in the home her family had lived in for generations, and increasingly incapacitated by illness, Christina seemed destined for a small life. Instead, for more than 20 years, she was host and inspiration for the artist Andrew Wyeth, and became the subject of one of the best known American paintings of the 20th century.
As she did in her beloved smash bestseller ORPHAN TRAIN, Christina Baker Kline interweaves fact and fiction in a powerful novel that illuminates a little-known part of America’s history. Bringing into focus the flesh-and-blood woman behind the portrait, she vividly imagines the life of a woman with a complicated relationship to her family and her past, and a special bond with one of our greatest modern artists.
Told in evocative and lucid prose, A PIECE OF THE WORLD is a story about the burdens and blessings of family history, and how artist and muse can come together to forge a new and timeless legacy.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Click here for the story behind the book.
- Click here to listen to Christina Baker Kline talk about the book.
- Click here to see a Facebook Live video with Christina Baker Kline.
Please check back for the discussion guide. It will be available shortly!
Featured Guide:
ALL SUMMER LONG by Dorothea Benton Frank
Now Available in Paperback
ALL SUMMER LONG by Dorothea Benton Frank (Fiction)
ALL SUMMER LONG follows one charming New York couple --- prominent interior designer Olivia Ritchie and her husband Nicholas Seymour, an English professor and true southern gentleman. They are seemingly polar opposites, yet magnetically drawn together and in love for more than 14 years.
As they prepare to relocate to Charleston, S.C., Olivia, the ultimate New Yorker, has reservations about the promise she made to retire in the Lowcountry, where Nick wants to return home and lead a more peaceful life. They are moving north to south, fast pace versus slow pace and downsizing. Nick is ecstatic. Olivia is not. She can’t let Nick know that their finances are not what he thought. Her client list is evaporating, their monetary reserves are dwindling and maybe that house she picked out on Sullivans Island needs too much work. Thank God, for her assistant, Roni Larini, her right (and sometimes left) hand.
As they find themselves pondering the next step of their lives, Olivia and Nick travel with her billionaire clients and their friends and are swept up into the world of the ultra-rich and explore the globe with a cast of zany eccentrics over one tumultuous, hot summer. All as Olivia grapples with what lies ahead for her and Nick.
This is a story of how plans evolve and lives change in unexpected ways, how even those who have everything are still looking for something more. Even the most successful people can often struggle to keep things together. ALL SUMMER LONG asks the ultimate question: can money buy happiness? From Sullivans Island to Necker Island to Nantucket to the beaches of Southern Spain, we’ll come to recognize the many faces of true love, love that deepens and endures but only because one woman makes a tremendous leap of faith. And that leap changes everything.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the featured guide.
New Guide: THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NERO
by Margaret George
THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NERO by Margaret George (Historical Fiction)
Built on the backs of those who fell before it, Julius Caesar’s imperial dynasty is only as strong as the next person who seeks to control it. In the Roman Empire no one is safe from the sting of betrayal: man, woman --- or child.
As a boy, Nero’s royal heritage becomes a threat to his very life, first when the mad emperor Caligula tries to drown him, then when his great aunt attempts to secure her own son’s inheritance. Faced with shocking acts of treachery, young Nero is dealt a harsh lesson: it is better to be cruel than dead.
While Nero idealizes the artistic and athletic principles of Greece, his very survival rests on his ability to navigate the sea of vipers that is Rome. The most lethal of all is his own mother, a cold-blooded woman whose singular goal is to control the empire. With cunning and poison, the obstacles fall one by one. But as Agrippina’s machinations earn her son a title he is both tempted and terrified to assume, Nero’s determination to escape her thrall will shape him into the man he was fated to become --- an Emperor who became legendary.
With impeccable research and captivating prose, THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NERO is the story of a boy’s ruthless ascension to the throne. Detailing his journey from innocent youth to infamous ruler, it is an epic tale of the lengths to which man will go in the ultimate quest for power and survival.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to visit Margaret George’s website.
- Click here to watch Margaret George talk about the book.
- Click here to watch videos from Margaret George's research for the book.
Click here for the reading group guide.
Get Listening with Your Book Group!
Our Listeners' Comments on
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Colson Whitehead
In October, we hosted a very special contest in which we gave away audiobooks to nine book groups. Three groups won BEHOLD THE DREAMERS, written by Imbolo Mbue and read by Prentice Onayemi; three were awarded SMALL GREAT THINGS, written by Jodi Picoult and read by Audra McDonald (with Cassandra Campbell and Ari Fliakos); and three received THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, written by Colson Whitehead and read by Bahni Turpin.
We asked these winning groups to listen to the audiobook they won and answer some questions about the experience.
We are pleased to share with you feedback from the three groups that won THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD.
Click here to see their comments.
March's Reading Roundup: Top Picks from
Indie Next, LibraryReads, Target and Costco
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.
This month's Indie Next titles include EXIT WEST by Mohsin Hamid, an astonishingly visionary love story that imagines the forces that drive ordinary people from their homes into the uncertain embrace of new lands; Hari Kunzru's WHITE TEARS, a ghost story, a terrifying murder mystery, a timely meditation on race, and a love letter to all the forgotten geniuses of American music; and THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS by Michael Finkel, a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded.
Library Reads is spotlighting THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE, in which Lisa See explores the lives of a Chinese mother and her daughter who has been adopted by an American couple; THE WOMEN IN THE CASTLE by Jessica Shattuck, a powerful and propulsive story of three widows whose lives and fates become intertwined at the end of World War II; and Hannah Tinti's THE TWELVE LIVES OF SAMUEL HAWLEY, a coming-of-age novel and a literary thrill ride about the price we pay to protect the people we love most.
Click here for the complete roundup.
March's New in Paperback Roundups
on Bookreporter.com
March’s roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes END OF WATCH, the spectacular finale to Stephen King's trilogy that began with MR. MERCEDES (winner of the Edgar Award) and FINDERS KEEPERS; NO MAN'S LAND by David Baldacci, which marks the return of Special Agent John Puller, a combat veteran and the army's most tenacious investigator; and EVERYONE BRAVE IS FORGIVEN by Chris Cleave, in which three unforgettable individuals are thrown together by war, love and their search for belonging in the ever-changing landscape of World War II London.
Among this month’s nonfiction offerings are the hilariously frank memoir LUST & WONDER, Augusten Burroughs' intimate look at the driving forces in his life; RIGHTFUL HERITAGE, historian Douglas Brinkley's chronicle of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's essential yet under-sung legacy as the founder of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and premier protector of America’s public lands; and SPAIN IN OUR HEARTS by Adam Hochschild, a sweeping history of the Spanish Civil War, told through a dozen characters, including Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell.
Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of
March 6th, March 13th, March 20th and March 27th.
Recent Bookreporter.com Bets On Selections:
THE MOTHER'S PROMISE and I SEE YOU
THE MOTHER'S PROMISE by Sally Hepworth (Fiction)
Sally Hepworth writes books with characters that push you outside of your emotional comfort zone. In THE MOTHER’S PROMISE, Alice Stanhope has spent her life protecting and raising her daughter, Zoe. Without a dad on the scene, they have made themselves a family à deux. Zoe is troubled by social anxiety, but with Alice by her side, she has an anchor.
Suddenly Alice is taken ill, and as it becomes clear that the situation is turning dire, the pair needs to find others to bring stability to Zoe’s life. Two people emerge as caretakers for the young girl: a nurse and a social worker. Together with Alice, they mold their lives into new roles with Zoe as their focus. All three older women have secrets and fears to overcome, but their single-minded goal of caring for a young girl and keeping her safe and happy drives them to each confront their personal challenges.
There’s a lot here for book groups. It might be interesting to take the discussion in the direction of each of the four characters, noting what is a challenge in each of their lives and how they overcome it, and then talking about Zoe’s fears in relation to those of the three older women. Hepworth never disappoints; her last book, THE THINGS WE KEEP, was a 2016 Bets On selection. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does next!
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
I SEE YOU by Clare Mackintosh (Psychological Thriller)
Clare Mackintosh’s last book, I LET YOU GO, was a 2016 Bets On selection and one of my go-to recommends as it had one of the best twists in a thriller that I have read. Thus I was anxious to get my hands on I SEE YOU, to see what she would do this time around. Once again she has written a twist into her tale, and again it is brilliant.
In I SEE YOU, Zoe Walker commutes the same way each day with the same route to the train station, standing in the same place on the platform to wait for the train and stands in her favorite place once in the car. One night as she commutes home, she sees her own face staring back at her from her newspaper with a phone number and a listing for a website called FindTheOne.com. Other women in those ads have become the victims of violent crimes, including rape and murder. Enlisting the help of a determined female investigator, who has some baggage of her own, they race to find who is behind this site before the perpetrators act again.
Clare has developed unique strong characters, and the story is well-paced. And she has perfected the art of the twist. I look forward to seeing what she does next. I highly recommend both books.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Announcing Bookreporter.com's Sixth Annual
Spring Preview Contests and Feature
Spring is in the air (or will be very soon)! We’ve already caught the fever --- and it’s being fueled by some wonderful new and upcoming releases. Our sixth annual Spring Preview Contests and Feature spotlights many of these picks, which we know people will be talking about over the next few months. We will be hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through April 20th. You will need to check the site to see the featured book and enter to win. We also will be sending a special newsletter to announce each title, which you can sign up for here.
This year's featured titles are:
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AFTER THE DARK: A Killer Instinct Novel by Cynthia Eden
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ALL GROWN UP by Jami Attenberg
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ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE by Elizabeth Strout
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BECOMING BONNIE by Jenni L. Walsh
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BEFORE THE FALL by Noah Hawley
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CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH by Colleen Oakley
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DIMESTORE: A Writer's Life by Lee Smith
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THE DISTANCE HOME by Orly Konig
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THE EXCELLENT LOMBARDS by Jane Hamilton
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FIRST COMES LOVE by Emily Giffin
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FOLLOW ME DOWN by Sherri Smith
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GONE WITHOUT A TRACE by Mary Torjussen
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THE HALF WIVES by Stacia Pelletier
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HARD-HEARTED HIGHLANDER: The Highland Grooms, Book 3 by Julia London
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THE HOPE CHEST by Viola Shipman
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THE HORSE DANCER by Jojo Moyes
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IF NOT FOR YOU by Debbie Macomber
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MY LAST LAMENT by James William Brown
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NEVER LET YOU GO by Chevy Stevens
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THE ONE-IN-A-MILLION BOY by Monica Wood
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THE SECRETS YOU KEEP by Kate White
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THE STORY OF ARTHUR TRULUV by Elizabeth Berg
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THE THING ABOUT LOVE by Julie James
Click here to read all the contest details.
Enter Our Ongoing Bookreporter.com Contests:
"Word of Mouth" and "Sounding Off on Audio"
The following guides are now available on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NERO by Margaret George (Historical Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling and legendary author of HELEN OF TROY and ELIZABETH I now turns her gaze on Emperor Nero, one of the most notorious and misunderstood figures in history.
THE GIRL BEFORE by JP Delaney (Psychological Thriller)
In the tradition of THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, THE SILENT WIFE and GONE GIRL comes an enthralling psychological thriller that spins one woman’s seemingly good fortune, and another woman’s mysterious fate, through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, death and deception.
THE LAST DAYS OF MAGIC by Mark Tompkins (Historical Fantasy)
What became of magic in the world? Who needed to do away with it, and for what reasons? Drawing on myth, legend, fairy tales and Biblical mysteries, THE LAST DAYS OF MAGIC brilliantly imagines answers to these questions, sweeping us back to a world where humans and magical beings co-exist as they had for centuries.
LOVER by Anna Raverat (Fiction)
You can learn a lot about a husband by reading his email --- sometimes, too much. LOVER, the British writer Anna Raverat’s U.S. debut, is an observation of love, work and life as seen through the lens of a troubled marriage.
THE MERMAID'S DAUGHTER by Ann Claycomb (Fiction)
A modern-day expansion of Hans Christian Andersen’s THE LITTLE MERMAID, this unforgettable debut novel weaves a spellbinding tale of magic and the power of love as a descendent of the original mermaid fights the terrible price of saving herself from a curse that has affected generations of women in her family.
A PIECE OF THE WORLD by Christina Baker Kline (Historical Fiction)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash bestseller ORPHAN TRAIN comes a stunning and atmospheric novel of friendship, passion and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s mysterious and iconic painting Christina’s World.
THIS CLOSE TO HAPPY: A Reckoning with Depression by Daphne Merkin (Memoir)
THIS CLOSE TO HAPPY is the rare, vividly personal account of what it feels like to suffer from clinical depression, written from a woman’s perspective and informed by an acute understanding of the implications of this disease over a lifetime.
Please note that this title, for which we already had the guide when it released in hardcover, is now available in paperback:
ALL SUMMER LONG by Dorothea Benton Frank (Fiction)
The story of how plans evolve and lives change in unexpected ways, how even those who have everything are still looking for something more, Dorothea Benton Frank’s latest novel asks the ultimate question: Can money buy happiness?
This Month's Poll: Which New and Upcoming Releases
are You Anticipating?
We pulled together a list of new and upcoming books by book group-favorite authors. Which are you looking forward to reading with your group? Please check all that apply.
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ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr (coming in paperback on April 4th)
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ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE by Elizabeth Strout (April 25th)
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BEARTOWN by Fredrik Backman (April 25th)
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GLORY OVER EVERYTHING by Kathleen Grissom (in stores now in paperback)
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IF NOT FOR YOU by Debbie Macomber (March 21st)
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INTO THE WATER by Paula Hawkins (May 2nd)
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KISS CARLO by Adriana Trigiani (June 20th)
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THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah (coming in paperback on April 25th)
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THE ORPHAN’S TALE by Pam Jenoff (in stores now)
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PACHINKO by Min Jin Lee (in stores now)
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A PIECE OF THE WORLD by Christina Baker Kline (in stores now)
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THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE by Lisa See (March 21st)
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None of the above
Click here to vote in the poll by Thursday, April 6th at noon ET.
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