Falling into Bookish Conversation
One of my favorite things is meeting our readers. Thus I am happy that I have a couple of events lined up where I can do just that.
First up is the Morristown Festival of Books. The schedule for Saturday, October 14th has been posted. I am moderating two panels: one with thriller authors Megan Miranda and Riley Sager, and the second called ”Following the Heart in Faraway Lands" with Min Jin Lee (whose PACHINKO was just longlisted for the National Book Award), Katie Kitamura and Chinelo Okparanta. And their keynote on Friday, October 13th is sold out; it will be featuring Ron Chernow, who wrote ALEXANDER HAMILTON (the one that inspired the hit musical) and whose new book is GRANT (releasing October 10th).
Then in November, I am headed back to the Miami Book Fair for the weekend of November 18th-19th. Like last year, I will be doing a book group event, with the date and time to be determined. They are a tad behind with their scheduling after Irma turned out the lights for many of these folks for a week --- or more. I will post that as soon as I have it! One of our readers from Portland, OR is contemplating attending. If any of you are planning on going as well, please let me know. This Fair has more than 500 authors participating!
Years ago, Lisa See wrote a book called ON GOLD MOUNTAIN, where she wrote about the history of her family, including her father’s best friend, Tyrus Wong, who was a brilliant artist and kite designer. Tyrus died last year at the age of 106. A documentary about him is airing on PBS and is streaming on the PBS website this month. Lisa commentates part of it; she also did one of the eulogies for Tyrus at his funeral last year. It’s well worth watching! By the way, Lisa has a contest running on her Facebook page right now, offering readers a chance to win a copy of ON GOLD MOUNTAIN. For those who have explored her novels, this is a nonfiction title worth checking out. Click here for more info and to enter.
For those who enjoy watching movies with their group, I suggest an indie film called Rebel in the Rye, which looks at the rebellious life of J.D. Salinger (I confess that I never knew his real name was Jerry). I really enjoyed it and recommend it to booklovers. At the start we see Salinger challenging his professor and that same professor later shepherding his career. His father thinks the idea of his becoming an author is absurd. Salinger is called to war and is scarred by what he sees on D-Day. This movie will make you want to re-read THE CATCHER IN THE RYE and his other works. At a time in our world when becoming a celebrity is a career, it’s interesting to see a well-published author who walked away and said he would not publish any more. Yes, I know there is a lot of controversy about Salinger and young women, and that is not explored here, but it’s full of great insight. Stars Nicholas Hoult and Kevin Spacey are brilliant as the professor and editor.
We always love to hear from readers about the books that they enjoy. Carol from Salem, Oregon, wrote, “My book group just finished reading HOMEGOING by Yaa Gyasi, which we won in a contest sponsored by you. All of those who finished the book overwhelmingly had good things to say about it. It was an emotional read for everyone and brought a better understanding of black history starting in Africa to the present day. To do this in a short novel that carries through all the generations and shows the trials and tribulations of each in such a way that draws you in as a reader is remarkable. Following the family tree down both sides, Africa and America/USA, deepened that understanding. Yaa Gyasi's writing kept you engaged throughout the entire book. The discussion we had was one of the best our group has had, as it left us open to discuss our own prejudices pretty openly. I originally wanted to donate the copies to our public library for their own Book Club kit, but all the members wanted to keep their copies with people already in mind to whom they wanted to gift the book. Thank you for the opportunity to have a great book to read and discuss.”
Nancy wrote with both a holiday- and a charity-inspired idea: ”I'm in two book clubs --- one is Lit After Lunch, a group of eight women, now in its second year. For December, we pick something lighthearted to read, not necessarily Christmas-y, and have a luncheon party at one of the members' house. The book for this year is Alan King's ANYONE WHO OWNS HIS OWN HOME DESERVES IT. The book is long since out-of-print. Thank goodness for Amazon --- we've all been able to get used copies, in various states of disrepair. For charity, my other book club, Those of Prose, is a community-based club. We have about 50 members, and usually get 20 or so at any given meeting. Each November, for eight years, the club hosts a book drive benefiting three children’s organizations in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. After the November meeting, the group sets up Christmas trees and hangs bookmarks designating specific children's books on them. People select one and donate that specific book. As bookmarks are taken, volunteers put more on. Last year, the group collected more than 200 books, from both club members and the community at large.”
Mary wrote about reading two books together: “Although my book club hasn't done two books together and compared them, I'd love to see this done. A few years ago, I read two back-to-back books that happened to be on the same subject --- NINETEEN MINUTES by Jodi Picoult and WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN by Lionel Shriver. I think a discussion of the different styles of each author and different approaches to the same subject would be fascinating. Thanks for all the great suggestions over the years.”
Share smart ideas from your book group so I can pass them along to others!
Now to this latest update, which features four new guides. For the first one, I got a request for the guide before we had it here. I love knowing we are bringing you the books you want to read.
THE NINTH HOUR is a new novel from Alice McDermott, author of the National Book Award winner CHARMING BILLY and several other books. One afternoon, a young Irish immigrant opens the gas taps in his Brooklyn tenement. He is determined to prove --- to the subway bosses who have recently fired him and to his badgering, pregnant wife --- that “the hours of his life belonged to himself alone.” In the aftermath of the fire that follows, Sister St. Saviour directs the way forward for his widow and his unborn child. In Catholic Brooklyn in the early part of the 20th century, decorum, superstition and shame collude to erase the man’s brief existence, and yet his suicide, though never spoken of, reverberates through many lives. Click here for the guide.
Next up is THE WAY TO LONDON, a World War II novel written by Alix Rickloff, whose previous book SECRETS OF NANREATH HALL we featured on the site. On the eve of Pearl Harbor, Lucy Stanhope, the granddaughter of an earl, is living a life of pampered luxury in Singapore until one reckless act will change her life forever. Exiled to England to stay with an aunt she barely remembers, Lucy never dreamed that she would be one of the last people to escape Singapore before war engulfs the entire island. Then she meets Bill, a young evacuee, and in a moment of weakness, Lucy agrees to help him find his mother in London. But Lucy’s world becomes even more complicated when she is reunited with an invalided soldier she knew in Singapore. Click here for the guide.
Our third new guide is for THE VENGEANCE OF MOTHERS: The Journals of Margaret Kelly & Molly McGill, the long-awaited sequel to Jim Fergus’ award-winning 1998 novel, ONE THOUSAND WHITE WOMEN. In 1873, Margaret Kelly participated in the U.S. government's "Brides for Indians" program, in which One Thousand White Women were to be given as brides in exchange for 300 horses. The goal was to achieve peace between the United States and the Cheyenne Nation. These "brides" were mostly women in prison, prostitutes, the occasional adventurer, and those incarcerated in asylums. No one expected this initiative to work, and the brides themselves thought of it simply as a chance at freedom. But many of them fell in love with their Cheyenne spouses and had children with them...and became Cheyenne themselves. Click here for the guide and here for our review on Bookreporter.com.
Finally, we have the guide for THE BATTLE FOR HOME: The Vision of a Young Architect in Syria, which is now available in paperback. What caused the war in Syria? How did a once beautiful country turn from its tolerant past, with churches and mosques built side by side, to its current state of violence and displacement? Marwa al-Sabouni, who has a Ph.D. in Islamic architecture and runs a private architectural studio in Homs, Syria, shares her personal experience of how the built environment directly affects the community that inhabits it, how the stage for civil war was long set in Syria, and how architecture might play a role in reversing the damage. Click here for the guide.
There’s still time to enter our “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month” contest, where three groups will win 12 copies of THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US, the suspenseful and gripping story of two people who find love while fighting to survive. First published in 2010, this bestselling novel by Charles Martin has been made into a major motion picture starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, and will be in theaters on October 6th. Please fill out the form on this page by Tuesday, October 10th at noon ET for your chance to win copies of the book for your group.
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 UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Colson Whitehead, A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman, HILLBILLY ELEGY: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance, SMALL GREAT THINGS by Jodi Picoult, and A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles. Rounding out the top 15 are LILAC GIRLS by Martha Hall Kelly, THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP by Nina George, THE ALICE NETWORK by Kate Quinn, THE GLASS CASTLE: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls, NEWS OF THE WORLD by Paulette Jiles, THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah, BEHOLD THE DREAMERS by Imbolo Mbue, COMMONWEALTH by Ann Patchett, OUR SOULS AT NIGHT by Kent Haruf, and THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE by Lisa See.
Our poll question continues to ask: If you don't like a book that you're reading for your book group, what do you typically do? We’ll share the results --- and announce a new poll --- in our next newsletter, which you can expect the week of October 9th.
Prominent New York realtor Joanne R. Douglas has a new book out called NEGOTIATING NEW YORK: Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Real Estate, which she wrote with her brother, Alfred Renna. Joanne has been in a book group for over 10 years, and there’s a very poignant chapter in the book where she talks about how her book group helped her get through her husband’s illness and death. In this piece that she wrote for our blog, Joanne shares some stories about what her book group has meant to her.
Scroll down this newsletter for much more, including a reminder about the Hachette Book Group's 6th Annual Book Club Brunch on October 21st; some September releases that we think will be of interest to book groups; details about our Fall Preview and Word of Mouth/Sounding Off on Audio contests on Bookreporter.com; and my latest Bookreporter.com Bets On selections.
Here's to a great next meeting and discussion with your group!
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!
New Guide: THE NINTH HOUR by Alice McDermott
THE NINTH HOUR by Alice McDermott (Fiction)
On a dim winter afternoon, a young Irish immigrant opens a gas tap in his Brooklyn tenement. He is determined to prove --- to the subway bosses who have recently fired him, to his badgering, pregnant wife --- that “the hours of his life...belonged to himself alone.” In the aftermath of the fire that follows, Sister St. Saviour, an aging nun, a Little Nursing Sister of the Sick Poor, appears, unbidden, to direct the way forward for his widow and his unborn child.
In Catholic Brooklyn in the early part of the 20th century, decorum, superstition and shame collude to erase the man’s brief existence, and yet his suicide, though never spoken of, reverberates through many lives --- testing the limits and the demands of love and sacrifice, of forgiveness and forgetfulness, even through multiple generations.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE WAY TO LONDON by Alix Rickloff
THE WAY TO LONDON: A Novel of World War II by Alix Rickloff (Historical Fiction)
On the eve of Pearl Harbor, impetuous and overindulged, Lucy Stanhope, the granddaughter of an earl, is living a life of pampered luxury in Singapore until one reckless act will change her life forever.
Exiled to England to stay with an aunt she barely remembers, Lucy never dreamed that she would be one of the last people to escape Singapore before war engulfs the entire island, and that her parents would disappear in the devastating aftermath. Now grief stricken and all alone, she must cope with the realities of a grim, battle-weary England.
Then she meets Bill, a young evacuee sent to the country to escape the Blitz, and in a moment of weakness, Lucy agrees to help him find his mother in London. The unlikely runaways take off on a seemingly simple journey across the country, but her world becomes even more complicated when she is reunited with an invalided soldier she knew in Singapore.
Now Lucy will be forced to finally confront the choices she has made if she ever hopes to have the future she yearns for.
Click here for the discussion guide.
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest:
Enter to Win 12 Copies of THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US by Charles Martin 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 MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US, an atmospheric, suspenseful and gripping story of two people finding love while fighting to survive. First published in 2010, this bestselling novel by Charles Martin has been made into a major motion picture starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, and is set to release on October 6th. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Tuesday, October 10th at noon ET.
THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US by Charles Martin (Romance)
When a blizzard strands them in Salt Lake City, two strangers agree to charter a plane together, hoping to return home. Ben Payne is a gifted surgeon returning from a conference, and Ashley Knox, a magazine writer, is en route to her wedding. But when unthinkable tragedy strikes, the pair find themselves stranded in Utah’s most remote wilderness in the dead of winter, badly injured and miles from civilization. Without food or shelter, and only Ben’s mountain climbing gear to protect themselves, Ashley and Ben’s chances for survival look bleak, but their reliance on each other sparks an immediate connection, which soon evolves into something more.
Days in the mountains become weeks, as their hope for rescue dwindles. How will they make it out of the wilderness? And if they do, how will this experience change them forever? Heart-wrenching and unputdownable, THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US will reaffirm your belief in the power of love to sustain us.
- Click here for the reading group guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Guide: THE VENGEANCE OF MOTHERS
by Jim Fergus
THE VENGEANCE OF MOTHERS: The Journals of Margaret Kelly & Molly McGill by Jim Fergus (Historical Fiction)
9 March 1876
My name is Meggie Kelly and I take up this pencil with my twin sister, Susie. We have nothing left, less than nothing. The village of our People has been destroyed, all our possessions burned, our friends butchered by the soldiers, our baby daughters gone, frozen to death on an ungodly trek across these rocky mountains. Empty of human feeling, half-dead ourselves, all that remains of us intact are hearts turned to stone. We curse the U.S. government, we curse the Army, we curse the savagery of mankind, white and Indian alike. We curse God in his heaven. Do not underestimate the power of a mother’s vengeance...
So begins the Journal of Margaret Kelly, a woman who participated in the U.S. government's "Brides for Indians" program in 1873, a program whose conceit was that the way to peace between the United States and the Cheyenne Nation was for One Thousand White Women to be given as brides in exchange for 300 horses. These "brides" were mostly fallen women; women in prison, prostitutes, the occasional adventurer, or those incarcerated in asylums. No one expected this program to work. And the brides themselves thought of it simply as a chance at freedom. But many of them fell in love with their Cheyenne spouses and had children with them...and became Cheyenne themselves.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE BATTLE FOR HOME by Marwa al-Sabouni Now Available in Paperback
THE BATTLE FOR HOME: The Vision of a Young Architect in Syria by Marwa al-Sabouni (Memoir)
“Everyone is Syria has lived this war,” writes Marwa al-Sabouni in her first book, THE BATTLE FOR HOME: The Vision of a Young Architect in Syria. “Every day people have fought for their lives, every day has brought a bid for survival, but it is not only bodies that suffer; souls, too, go through these battles, dying a thousand times in anticipation, only to rise up wearily to face another day.”
This gripping eyewitness account on the country’s bitter conflict is told through the revealing lens of architecture and depicted with clarity, conviction and deep intelligence. What caused the war in Syria? How did a once beautiful country turn from its tolerant past, with churches and mosques built side by side, to its current state of violence and displacement? Marwa al-Sabouni shares her personal experience of how the built environment directly affects the community that inhabits it, how the stage for civil war was long set in Syria, and how architecture might play a role in reversing the damage.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Featured Guide: THE OTHER ALCOTT
by Elise Hooper
THE OTHER ALCOTT by Elise Hooper (Historical Fiction)
Stylish, outgoing, creative, May Alcott grows up longing to experience the wide world beyond Concord, Massachusetts. While her sister Louisa crafts stories, May herself is a talented and dedicated artist, taking lessons in Boston, turning down a marriage proposal from a well-off suitor, and facing scorn for entering what is very much a man’s profession.
Life for the Alcott family has never been easy, so when Louisa’s LITTLE WOMEN is published, its success eases the financial burdens they’d faced for so many years. Everyone agrees the novel is charming, but May is struck to the core by the portrayal of selfish, spoiled “Amy March.” Is this what her beloved sister really thinks of her?
So May embarks on a quest to discover her own true identity, as an artist and a woman. From Boston to Rome, London and Paris, this brave, talented and determined woman forges an amazing life of her own, making her so much more than merely “The Other Alcott.”
Click here for the featured guide.
Featured Guide: SWING TIME by Zadie Smith
Now Available in Paperback
SWING TIME by Zadie Smith (Fiction)
Two brown girls dream of being dancers --- but only one, Tracey, has talent. The other has ideas: about rhythm and time, about black bodies and black music, what constitutes a tribe, or makes a person truly free. It’s a close but complicated childhood friendship that ends abruptly in their early 20s, never to be revisited, but never quite forgotten, either.
Tracey makes it to the chorus line but struggles with adult life, while her friend leaves the old neighborhood behind, traveling the world as an assistant to a famous singer, Aimee, observing close up how the one percent live.
But when Aimee develops grand philanthropic ambitions, the story moves from London to West Africa, where diaspora tourists travel back in time to find their roots, young men risk their lives to escape into a different future, the women dance just like Tracey --- the same twists, the same shakes --- and the origins of a profound inequality are not a matter of distant history, but a present dance to the music of time.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the featured guide.
September Releases of Interest to Book Groups
BEST DAY EVER by Kaira Rouda (Psychological Thriller)
Paul Strom has the perfect life, and he’s the perfect husband. That’s why he’s planned a romantic weekend for his wife, Mia, at their lake house. And he's promised today will be the best day ever. But as Paul and Mia drive out of the city and toward the countryside, a spike of tension begins to wedge itself between them and doubts start to arise.
THE BEST OF US: A Memoir by Joyce Maynard (Memoir)
In 2011, Joyce Maynard met the first true partner she had ever known. Jim was not the husband she imagined, but he quickly became the partner she had always dreamed of. Then, just after their one-year wedding anniversary, Jim was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. During the 19 months that followed, Joyce discovered for the first time what it really meant to be a couple.
GEORGE AND LIZZIE by Nancy Pearl (Fiction)
George and Lizzie have radically different understandings of what love and marriage should be. Over the course of their marriage, George is happy, while Lizzie remains unfulfilled. When a shameful secret from Lizzie’s past resurfaces, she’ll need to face her fears in order to accept the true nature of the relationship she and George have built over a decade together.
KEEP HER SAFE by Sophie Hannah (Psychological Thriller)
Pushed to the breaking point, Cara Burrows flees her home and family and escapes to a five-star spa resort she can't afford. Late at night, exhausted and desperate, she lets herself into her hotel room and is shocked to find it already occupied --- by a man and a teenage girl. Soon Cara realizes that the girl she saw alive and well in the hotel room is someone she can't possibly have seen: the most famous murder victim in the country.
LIE TO ME by J.T. Ellison (Psychological Thriller)
Sutton and Ethan Montclair's idyllic life is not as it appears. Consumed by professional and personal betrayals and financial woes, the two both love and hate each other. As tensions mount, Sutton disappears, leaving behind a note saying not to look for her. As the police investigate, the lies the couple have been spinning for years quickly unravel.
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng (Fiction)
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson. Enter Mia Warren, who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter and rents a house from the Richardsons. But Mia carries a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this community.
LOVE AND OTHER CONSOLATION PRIZES by Jamie Ford (Historical Fiction)
Twelve-year-old Ernest Young, a half-Chinese orphan, is raffled off at the 1909 World’s Fair. The winning ticket belongs to the flamboyant madam of a high-class brothel, famous for educating her girls. There, Ernest befriends Maisie, the madam’s precocious daughter, and a bold scullery maid named Fahn. But as the grande dame succumbs to an occupational hazard and their world of finery begins to crumble, all three must grapple with hope, ambition and first love.
THE NINTH HOUR by Alice McDermott (Fiction)
On a dim winter afternoon, a young Irish immigrant opens the gas taps in his Brooklyn tenement. He is determined to prove --- to the subway bosses who have recently fired him and to his badgering, pregnant wife --- that “the hours of his life belonged to himself alone.” In the aftermath of the fire that follows, Sister St. Saviour appears, unbidden, to direct the way forward for his widow and his unborn child.
SING, UNBURIED, UNSING by Jesmyn Ward (Fiction)
Jojo and his toddler sister, Kayla, live with their grandparents, Mam and Pop, and the occasional presence of their drug-addicted mother, Leonie, on a farm on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. When the white father of Leonie’s children is released from prison, she packs her kids and a friend into her car and sets out across the state for Parchman farm, the Mississippi State Penitentiary, on a journey rife with danger and promise.
SOMETHING LIKE HAPPY by Eva Woods (Fiction)
Deep down, Annie Hebden is still mourning the terrible loss that tore a hole through the perfect existence she had once taken for granted --- and hiding away is safer than remembering what used to be. Until she meets the eccentric Polly Leonard, who is determined to finally wake Annie up to life. The mission: One hundred days. One hundred new ways to be happy.
THE VENGEANCE OF MOTHERS: The Journals of Margaret Kelly & Molly McGill by Jim Fergus (Historical Fiction)
In 1873, Margaret Kelly participated in the U.S. government's "Brides for Indians" program, the conceit of which was that the way to peace between the United States and the Cheyenne Nation was for One Thousand White Women to be given as brides in exchange for 300 horses. These "brides" were mostly fallen women, but many of them fell in love with their Cheyenne spouses and had children with them...and became Cheyenne themselves.
THE WAY TO LONDON: A Novel of World War II by Alix Rickloff (Historical Fiction)
On the eve of Pearl Harbor, Lucy Stanhope, the granddaughter of an earl, is living a life of pampered luxury in Singapore until one reckless act will change her life forever. Exiled to England to stay with an aunt she barely remembers, Lucy never dreamed that she would be one of the last people to escape Singapore before war engulfs the entire island. Then she meets Bill, a young evacuee sent to the country to escape the Blitz, and in a moment of weakness, Lucy agrees to help him find his mother in London.
Hachette Book Group's 6th Annual Book Club Brunch
The official lineup has been confirmed for this year’s Hachette Book Club Brunch, a fabulous day of literary programming for book clubs and booklovers in the New York City area. It is returning for its sixth year on Saturday, October 21st at the New York Society for Ethical Culture.
Readers will hear from a panel of narrative nonfiction authors (including Liza Mundy, author of CODE GIRLS), a panel of fiction authors (including Betsy Carter, author of WE WERE STRANGERS ONCE), and award-winning author Emma Donoghue, who will be discussing her book, THE WONDER, which is now available in paperback. The event will cap off with a special book club discussion with Madeline Miller, author of the forthcoming novel, CIRCE.
All attendees will receive an advance copy of the novel to prepare for this very exciting discussion, as well as lunch and a tote bag full of books at the time of the event.
Click here for more info and to purchase your tickets.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
LOVE AND OTHER CONSOLATION PRIZES,
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE and GENUINE FRAUD
LOVE AND OTHER CONSOLATION PRIZES by Jamie Ford (Historical Fiction)
Those who loved HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jamie Ford (a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection) are going to be happy to read his new book, LOVE AND OTHER CONSOLATION PRIZES. It’s a beautifully told story, framed against the backdrop of two Seattle World’s Fairs --- the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909 and the Century 21 Exposition in 1962. In the course of Jamie’s research for a new story to tell, he learned that there was a child named Ernest who was raffled off by the Washington Children’s Home Society in 1909. From there, he knew that a fictionalized story of Ernest was the one he wanted to write.
- Click here to read more of Carol's commentary.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read a review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our interview with Jamie Ford.
- Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight.
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng (Fiction)
Celeste Ng is someone who I have wanted to read for a while. Her debut novel, EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU, has been on my shelf since it was published, and I am kicking myself that I did not read it sooner; colleagues and readers love her. Thus, when LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE came across my desk, I was eager not to let this one pass me by. It’s set in the planned community of Shaker Heights, Ohio, a place Celeste knows well, as she grew up there.
- Click here to read more of Carol's commentary.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read a review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
GENUINE FRAUD by E. Lockhart (Psychological Thriller)
Our readers may remember E. Lockhart from her last book, WE WERE LIARS, which was a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. She’s now back with GENUINE FRAUD, a brisk, sharp thriller written backwards, so you are peeling back the layers of the story as you read. Again and again, it’s not what you thought at the start. Imogen is an heiress who reinvents herself as the story unfolds. Jule has her own ways of adapting to circumstances; she’s an orphan who “plays the game” to survive. What is real, and what is imagined?
- Click here to read more of Carol's commentary.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read a review.
Click here for more books we're betting you'll love.
Bookreporter.com's Fall Preview
Contests and Feature
Fall is known as the biggest season of the year for books. The titles that release during this latter part of the year often become holiday gifts, and many are blockbusters. To celebrate the arrival of fall, we are spotlighting a number of outstanding books that we know people will be talking about in the days and months to come.
We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days in September and October, 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 featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
Enter Our Ongoing Bookreporter.com Contests:
"Word of Mouth" and "Sounding Off on Audio"
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 September 22nd to October 6th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of DON'T LET GO by Harlan Coben and MANHATTAN BEACH by Jennifer Egan.
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.
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 September 6th to October 2nd at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Nelson DeMille's THE CUBAN AFFAIR, read by Scott Brick, and Stephen King and Owen King's SLEEPING BEAUTIES, read by Marin Ireland.
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.
The following guides are now available on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
THE BATTLE FOR HOME: The Vision of a Young Architect in Syria by Marwa al-Sabouni (Memoir)
The “absolutely compelling...perspective on the ongoing conflict in Syria” (Library Journal) written by a young architect in war-torn Homs who shares her personal experience, how the built environment helped set the stage for civil war, and how architecture might play a role in reversing the damage.
LOVE AND OTHER CONSOLATION PRIZES by Jamie Ford (Historical Fiction)
From the bestselling author of HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET comes a powerful novel, inspired by a true story, about a boy whose life is transformed at Seattle’s epic 1909 World’s Fair.
THE NINTH HOUR by Alice McDermott (Fiction)
THE NINTH HOUR is a magnificent new novel from one of America’s finest writers --- a powerfully affecting story spanning the 20th century of a widow and her daughter and the nuns who serve their Irish-American community in Brooklyn.
THE OTHER ALCOTT by Elise Hooper (Historical Fiction)
Elise Hooper’s debut novel conjures the fascinating, untold story of May Alcott --- Louisa’s youngest sister and an artist in her own right.
SING, UNBURIED, SING by Jesmyn Ward (Fiction)
Drawing on Morrison and Faulkner, THE ODYSSEY and the Old Testament, Jesmyn Ward gives us an epochal story, a journey through Mississippi’s past and present that is both an intimate portrait of a family and an epic tale of hope and struggle.
SWING TIME by Zadie Smith (Fiction)
A New York Times bestseller, finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, SWING TIME is an ambitious, exuberant novel moving from North West London to West Africa, from the multi-award-winning author of WHITE TEETH and ON BEAUTY.
THE VENGEANCE OF MOTHERS: The Journals of Margaret Kelly & Molly McGill by Jim Fergus (Historical Fiction)
This long-awaited sequel to ONE THOUSAND WHITE WOMEN explores what happens to the bonds between wives and husbands, children and mothers, when society sees them as "unspeakable." What does it mean to be white, to be Cheyenne, and how far will these women go to avenge the ones they love?
THE WAY TO LONDON: A Novel of World War II by Alix Rickloff (Historical Fiction)
From the author of SECRETS OF NANREATH HALL comes this gripping, beautifully written historical fiction novel set during World War II --- the unforgettable story of a young woman who must leave Singapore and forge a new life in England.
This Month's Poll: Not Liking Your
Book Group Read --- What Do You Do?
If you don't like a book that you're reading for your book group, what do you typically do?
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I finish the book so I can participate in the discussion.
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I skim the rest of the book so I can participate in the discussion.
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I stop reading the book, but try to participate in the discussion as much as I can.
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I stop reading the book and just listen in on the discussion.
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I stop reading the book and don't attend the discussion.
Click here to vote in the poll by Tuesday, October 10th at noon ET.
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