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I always am on the hunt for great book- and author-themed stories to share with you.
A few weeks ago, Fiona Davis, author of THE DOLLHOUSE and THE ADDRESS (both of which were Bookreporter.com Bets On picks), posted photos on her Facebook page of a book group that had traveled to New York to meet her in person.
I immediately reached out to ask her to write a piece for us about the Boston book club named Club RED (which is short for “Read, Eat, Drink"), who spoke with her last fall and had a lively discussion of her work. They reunited in January when the group, led by Christine Powers, took a day trip to New York City to tour various locations from Fiona’s books. These sites included the Barbizon Hotel (from THE DOLLHOUSE), the Dakota (from THE ADDRESS), and Grand Central Terminal, the setting for her third novel, THE MASTERPIECE, which releases in August. According to Fiona, “We had an absolute blast and I’m honored by their enthusiasm and support. I don’t think I stopped laughing the entire time!” Read much more about their experiences and see photos from the tour in Fiona’s blog post. Many thanks to Fiona for taking the time to share these fun memories with us.
We also love when readers share stories about attending author events, and we have one of those this month from four readers who went to the Savannah Book Festival and wrote a piece about it. If you are going to be attending a book festival or book group-related event, let us know as we would love to see your coverage.
I am not in a book club, but a group of young moms in the town next to mine has invited me to attend their first discussion on Monday, April 9th. At my suggestion, they will be reading SMALL GREAT THINGS by Jodi Picoult. You all have been great about crowdsourcing ideas for readers, so I am seeking advice from you again. What would you suggest that they read? Here’s the criteria of the group: “We are a group of working moms of young kids (mostly). We have a love of reading, but not a lot of time to do it (and we’re tired most of the time!). So it needs to be something that isn’t too heavy, but has some depth to it for discussion. I am all ears for your ideas. Email me at [email protected] with the subject line “Books for the Young Moms Book Club.” And in our next update we will share suggestions.
Also, we have had a number of requests for great nonfiction titles for discussion. So with that in mind, please share nonfiction titles that you have read in the last year that sparked a good discussion. Email me at [email protected] with the subject line “Nonfiction Titles for Book Groups.” I love when our readers come together like this.
We have a new contest to share with you. The prize book is ISLAND OF SWEET PIES AND SOLDIERS, Sara Ackerman's debut novel, and we have 12 copies to give away to three book groups. Violet Iverson and her young daughter, Ella, are piecing their lives together one year after the disappearance of her husband. As rumors swirl and questions about his loyalties surface, Violet believes Ella knows something, but she is stubbornly silent. And with the island overrun by troops training for a secret mission, tension and suspicion between neighbors is rising. Violet bands together with her close friends to open a pie stand, offering the soldiers a little homemade comfort. Try as she might, Violet can’t ignore her attraction to the brash marine who comes to her aid when the women are accused of spying. To enter the giveaway, please fill out this form by Thursday, March 22nd at noon ET.
Don’t forget our BIG contest for THE GREAT ALONE, Kristin Hannah’s latest #1 New York Times bestseller. Ten book groups will win up to six digital or physical copies of the audiobook, which is read by Julia Whelan, and share their comments on it. We also are awarding 40 listeners a physical copy of the audiobook. Be sure to enter here by Thursday, March 8th at noon ET, and check out these links in the meantime: the discussion guide, an audiobook clip, our review on Bookreporter.com, and my Bets On commentary.
Also continuing is our “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest, where the prize book is A PIECE OF THE WORLD by Christina Baker Kline, which is now available in paperback. The paperback edition includes a color reproduction of Christina’s World, Andrew Wyeth’s mysterious and iconic painting that serves as the inspiration for the novel, along with a Q&A with the aforementioned Kristin Hannah and a bonus short story, “Stranded in Ice.” If you’d like to be one of three book groups who will receive 12 copies of the book, all you have to do is fill out the form on this page by Thursday, March 8th at noon ET. Click here for the discussion guide, here for our Bookreporter.com review, and here for my Bets On commentary.
The final contest of this update is truly a unique one. In the spirit of Andrew Carnegie and his extensive philanthropic endeavors, the publisher Sourcebooks is celebrating the recent release of CARNEGIE'S MAID by Marie Benedict (which we reviewed in January on Bookreporter.com and was a Bets On selection) with a very special contest. Vote for your library so they can win $2,000 --- and you will have the chance to receive a $100 gift card! Click here for all the details.
In addition to ISLAND OF SWEET PIES AND SOLDIERS, we’re debuting the guide for LOOK FOR HER, a psychological thriller that continues Emily Winslow’s series featuring cold case detective Morris Keene and his former partner, Chloe Frohmann. In 1976, teenager Annalise Wood disappeared. Though her body was later discovered, the culprit was never found. Decades later, when DNA linked to the Annalise murder unexpectedly surfaces, Keene and Frohmann hope to finally bring closure to this traumatized community. But instead, the new evidence undoes the case's only certainty: the buried body that long ago had been confidently identified as Annalise may be someone else entirely. Click here for the discussion guide.
Our poll continues to ask how many books you read in a month, aside from the ones you read for your book group. Let us know by Thursday, March 8th at noon ET.
The film adaptation of FAHRENHEIT 451 is coming to HBO in May (the exact date is to come). See the book trailer above to get a first look.
And this afternoon, I moderated a panel about book groups for publishing colleagues that featured four women who run book groups, either online or in person. You can see a photo of me with my fellow panelists above. On the left is Karah Preiss, who co-founded Belletrist with Emma Roberts; Leigh Newman, who is the Books Editor of Oprah.com; yours truly; Glory Edim, the founder of Well-Read Black Girl; and Maddie Caldwell, who runs the romance book club at WORD bookstore in Brooklyn. We had one very lively conversation!
Here’s to a great book group discussion!
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 Special Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of
ISLAND OF SWEET PIES AND SOLDIERS
by Sara Ackerman for Your Group
In ISLAND OF SWEET PIES AND SOLDIERS, the Pacific battles of World War II continue to threaten American soil, and on the home front, the bonds of friendship and the strength of love are tested. We are celebrating the release of Sara Ackerman's debut novel with a special contest that will give three readers the chance to win 12 copies of the book for their group. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, March 22nd at noon ET.
ISLAND OF SWEET PIES AND SOLDIERS by Sara Ackerman (Historical Fiction)
Hawaii, 1944. The Pacific battles of World War II continue to threaten American soil, and on the home front, the bonds of friendship and the strength of love are tested.
Violet Iverson and her young daughter, Ella, are piecing their lives together one year after the disappearance of her husband. As rumors swirl and questions about his loyalties surface, Violet believes Ella knows something. But Ella is stubbornly silent. Something --- or someone --- has scared her. And with the island overrun by troops training for a secret mission, tension and suspicion between neighbors is rising.
Violet bands together with her close friends to get through the difficult days. To support themselves, they open a pie stand near the military base, offering the soldiers a little homemade comfort. Try as she might, Violet can’t ignore her attraction to the brash marine who comes to her aid when the women are accused of spying. Desperate to discover the truth behind what happened to her husband, while keeping her friends and daughter safe, Violet is torn by guilt, fear and longing as she faces losing everything. Again.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
Click here to enter the contest.
Special Contest: Enter to Win the Audiobook Edition of Kristin Hannah's THE GREAT ALONE
and Share Your Comments on It
ReadingGroupGuides.com is proud to host a very special audiobook contest for Kristin Hannah's latest novel, THE GREAT ALONE. Ten book groups will win up to six digital or physical copies of the audiobook, which is read by Julia Whelan. Additionally, we'll be giving 40 listeners a physical copy of the audiobook. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, March 8th at noon ET.
In order to qualify as a winning group, your group must be able to commit to listening to and discussing THE GREAT ALONE, and sharing your group's feedback with us, by Friday, May 18th. We strongly encourage all winners to share their experiences on social media, including reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Bookreporter.com’s “Sounding Off on Audio” feature.
THE GREAT ALONE Audiobook written by Kristin Hannah, read by Julia Whelan (Historical Fiction)
The newest audiobook sensation from Kristin Hannah, bestselling author of THE NIGHTINGALE.
This program is read by acclaimed narrator Julia Whelan, whose enchanting voice brought GONE GIRL and FATES AND FURIES to life. Kristin Hannah reads the acknowledgments.
Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: He will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America's last true frontier.
Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents' passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown.
At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the Allbrights' lack of preparation and dwindling resources.
But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt's fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in 18 hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: They are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.
THE GREAT ALONE will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. You can read Carol Fitzgerald's commentary in the February 16th Bookreporter.com Weekly Update newsletter.
- Click here to listen to a clip from the audiobook.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to enter the contest.
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of A PIECE OF THE WORLD
by Christina Baker Kline for Your Group
Each month, we ask book groups to share the titles they are reading that month and rate them. From all entries, three winners will be selected, and each will win 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 paperback edition of A PIECE OF THE WORLD by Christina Baker Kline, a stunning and atmospheric novel of friendship, passion and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s mysterious and iconic painting, Christina’s World. This edition includes a color reproduction of Christina’s World, along with a Q&A with bestselling author Kristin Hannah and a bonus short story, “Stranded in Ice.” To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Thursday, March 8th at noon ET.
A PIECE OF THE WORLD by Christina Baker Kline (Historical Fiction)
To Christina Olson, the entire world is her family farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. The only daughter in a family of sons, Christina is tied to her home by health and circumstance, and seems destined for a small life. Instead, she becomes Andrew Wyeth’s first great inspiration, and the subject of one of the best-known paintings of the 20th century, Christina’s World.
As she did in her beloved bestseller ORPHAN TRAIN, Christina Baker Kline interweaves fact and fiction to vividly reimagine a real moment in history. A PIECE OF THE WORLD is a powerful story of the flesh-and-blood woman behind the portrait, her complicated relationship to her family and inheritance, and how artist and muse can come together to forge a new and timeless legacy.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
Click here to enter the contest.
Love Your Library Like a Carnegie!
Your Library Can Win $2,000 --- and
YOU Can Win a $100 Gift Card!
From the author of the acclaimed THE OTHER EINSTEIN comes a mesmerizing story of love, power and the woman who inspired an American dynasty. In celebration of Marie Benedict’s highly anticipated new novel, CARNEGIE'S MAID, its publisher, Sourcebooks, is giving the library who receives the most votes $2,000, and one lucky voter will win a $100 gift card!
Click here to enter the contest by Monday, March 19th.
ReadingGroupGuides.com’s Latest Blog Post:
“A Boston Book Club Invades Historic New York”
by Fiona Davis
Last fall, author Fiona Davis met with the Club RED ("Read, Eat, Drink") book club, located just south of Boston, and had a lively discussion of her work. They reunited in January when the group, led by Christine Powers, took a day trip to New York City to tour various locations from Fiona’s books. These sites included the Barbizon Hotel (from THE DOLLHOUSE), the Dakota (from THE ADDRESS), and Grand Central Terminal, the setting for her third novel, THE MASTERPIECE, which releases in August. According to Fiona, “We had an absolute blast and I’m honored by their enthusiasm and support. I don’t think I stopped laughing the entire time!”
Click here to read Fiona Davis' blog post
about her experiences with Club RED in NYC.
New Guide: LOOK FOR HER by Emily Winslow
LOOK FOR HER by Emily Winslow (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Lilling might seem like an idyllic English village, but it’s home to a dark history. In 1976, a teenage girl named Annalise Wood disappeared, and though her body was later discovered, the culprit was never found. Decades later, Annalise maintains a perverse kind of celebrity, and is still the focus of grief, speculation, and for one young woman, a disturbing, escalating jealousy.
When DNA linked to the Annalise murder unexpectedly surfaces, cold case detective Morris Keene and his former partner, Chloe Frohmann, hope to finally bring closure to this traumatized community. But the new evidence instead undoes the case's only certainty: the buried body that had long ago been confidently identified as Annalise may be someone else entirely, and instead of answers, the investigators face only new puzzles.
Whose body was unearthed all those years ago, and what happened to the real Annalise? Is someone interfering with the investigation? And is there a link to a present-day drowning with eerie connections? With piercing insight and shocking twists, Emily Winslow explores the dark side of sensationalized crime in this haunting psychological thriller.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Featured Guide: HERE WE LIE by Paula Treick DeBoard
HERE WE LIE by Paula Treick DeBoard (Fiction)
Megan Mazeros and Lauren Mabrey are complete opposites on paper. Megan is a girl from a modest Midwest background, and Lauren is the daughter of a senator from an esteemed New England family. When they become roommates at a private women’s college, they forge a strong, albeit unlikely, friendship, sharing clothes, advice and their most intimate secrets.
The summer before senior year, Megan joins Lauren and her family on their private island off the coast of Maine. It should be a summer of relaxation, a last hurrah before graduation and the pressures of post-college life. Then late one night, something unspeakable happens, searing through the framework of their friendship and tearing them apart. Many years later, Megan publicly comes forward about what happened that fateful night, revealing a horrible truth and threatening to expose long-buried secrets.
In this captivating and moving novel, Paula Treick DeBoard explores the power of friendship and secrets, and shows how hiding from the truth can lead to devastating consequences.
Click here for the featured guide.
Now Available: THE ATOMIC CITY GIRLS by Janet Beard
THE ATOMIC CITY GIRLS by Janet Beard (Historical Fiction)
In November 1944, 18-year-old June Walker boards an unmarked bus, destined for a city that doesn’t officially exist. Oak Ridge, Tennessee has sprung up in a matter of months --- a town of trailers and segregated houses, 24-hour cafeterias and constant security checks. There, June joins hundreds of other young girls operating massive machines whose purpose is never explained. They know they are helping to win the war, but must ask no questions and reveal nothing to outsiders.
The girls spend their evenings socializing and flirting with soldiers, scientists and workmen at dances and movies, bowling alleys and canteens. June longs to know more about their top-secret assignment and begins an affair with Sam Cantor, the young Jewish physicist from New York who oversees the lab where she works and understands the end goal only too well, while her beautiful roommate Cici is on her own mission: to find a wealthy husband and escape her sharecropper roots. Across town, African-American construction worker Joe Brewer knows nothing of the government’s plans, only that his new job pays enough to make it worth leaving his family behind, at least for now. But a breach in security will intertwine his fate with June’s search for answers.
When the bombing of Hiroshima brings the truth about Oak Ridge into devastating focus, June must confront her ideals about loyalty, patriotism and war itself.
While no guide is available for THE ATOMIC CITY GIRLS, be sure to check out our historical fiction discussion questions, which may help you in your group's discussion of the book.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to read more about the book.
Now Available: BY THE BOOK by Julia Sonneborn
BY THE BOOK by Julia Sonneborn (Fiction)
An English professor struggling for tenure discovers that her ex-fiancé has just become the president of her college --- and her new boss --- in this modern retelling of Jane Austen’s PERSUASION.
An English professor in California, Anne Corey is determined to score a position on the coveted tenure track at her college. All she has to do is get a book deal, snag a promotion, and boom! She’s in. But then Adam Martinez --- her first love and ex-fiancé --- shows up as the college’s new president.
Anne should be able to keep herself distracted. After all, she has a book to write, an aging father to take care of, and a new romance developing with the college’s insanely hot writer-in-residence. But no matter where she turns, there’s Adam, as smart and sexy as ever. As the school year advances and her long-buried feelings begin to resurface, Anne begins to wonder whether she just might get a second chance at love.
Click here to read more about the book and see the discussion guide.
February Releases of Interest to Book Groups
AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones (Fiction)
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined.
THE ATOMIC CITY GIRLS by Janet Beard (Historical Fiction)
In November 1944, 18-year-old June Walker boards an unmarked bus, destined for Oak Ridge, Tennessee. There, June joins hundreds of other young girls operating massive machines whose purpose is never explained. She longs to know more about their top-secret assignment and begins an affair with Sam Cantor, a young Jewish physicist who oversees the lab where she works and understands the end goal only too well.
BY THE BOOK by Julia Sonneborn (Fiction)
An English professor in California, Anne Corey is determined to score a position on the coveted tenure track at her college. All she has to do is get a book deal, snag a promotion, and boom! She’s in. But then Adam Martinez --- her first love and ex-fiancé --- shows up as the college’s new president. As the school year advances and her long-buried feelings begin to resurface, Anne begins to wonder whether she just might get a second chance at love.
EDUCATED: A Memoir by Tara Westover (Memoir)
Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho and isolated from mainstream society, she lacked any formal education. So she began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement.
FEEL FREE: Essays by Zadie Smith (Essays)
Arranged into five sections --- In the World, In the Audience, In the Gallery, On the Bookshelf, and Feel Free --- Zadie Smith’s new collection poses questions we immediately recognize. What is The Social Network --- and Facebook itself --- really about? Why do we love libraries? What will we tell our granddaughters about our collective failure to address global warming?
THE FRENCH GIRL by Lexie Elliott (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
They were six university students from Oxford spending an idyllic week together in a French farmhouse. It was supposed to be the perfect summer getaway...until they met Severine, the girl next door. Now, a decade later, Severine's body is found in the well behind the farmhouse. Questioned along with her friends, Kate Channing stands to lose everything she's worked so hard to achieve as suspicion mounts around her.
THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)
Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier. At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. But as winter approaches, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture.
ISLAND OF SWEET PIES AND SOLDIERS by Sara Ackerman (Historical Fiction)
Violet Iverson and her young daughter, Ella, are piecing their lives together one year after the disappearance of her husband. As rumors swirl and questions about his loyalties surface, Violet believes Ella knows something. But Ella is stubbornly silent. Something --- or someone --- has scared her. And with the island overrun by troops training for a secret mission, tension and suspicion between neighbors is rising.
LOOK FOR HER by Emily Winslow (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
In 1976, a teenage girl named Annalise Wood disappeared, and though her body was later discovered, the culprit was never found. Decades later, when DNA linked to the Annalise murder unexpectedly surfaces, cold case detective Morris Keene and his former partner, Chloe Frohmann, hope to finally bring closure to this traumatized community. But the new evidence instead undoes the case's only certainty: the buried body that long ago had been confidently identified as Annalise may be someone else entirely.
SURPRISE ME by Sophie Kinsella (Fiction)
After 10 years together, Sylvie and Dan decide to bring surprises into their marriage to keep it fresh and fun. But in their pursuit of Project Surprise Me, mishaps arise, with disastrous and comical results. Gradually, surprises turn to shocking truths. And when a scandal from the past is uncovered, they begin to wonder if they ever really knew each other at all.
THINGS TO DO WHEN IT’S RAINING by Marissa Stapley (Fiction)
Mae Summers has it all: a loving fiancé, Peter, a job at the flourishing company he owns, and a beautiful New York City apartment. But Mae’s life shatters when she wakes up one morning to discover Peter gone and the company in shambles. There’s only one place for Mae to go: home to Alexandria Bay, where she was raised by her grandparents. And not all is right in Alex Bay, either.
WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?: Essays by Marilynne Robinson (Essays)
In her new essay collection, Marilynne Robinson trains her incisive mind on our modern political climate and the mysteries of faith. Whether she is investigating how the work of great thinkers about America like Emerson and Tocqueville inform our political consciousness, or discussing the way that beauty informs and disciplines daily life, Robinson’s peerless prose and boundless humanity are on full display.
WHITE HOUSES by Amy Bloom (Historical Fiction)
Lorena Hickok meets Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932 while reporting on Franklin Roosevelt’s first presidential campaign. Having grown up worse than poor in South Dakota and reinvented herself as the most prominent woman reporter in America, “Hick” is not quite instantly charmed by the idealistic, patrician Eleanor. But then, as her connection with the future first lady deepens into intimacy, what begins as a powerful passion matures into a lasting love.
Recent Bookreporter.com Bets On Selections:
THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah
and AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones
THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)
I was lucky enough to read THE GREAT ALONE in manuscript. When you read a book like that, there is no setup, no flap copy, no intro to the story. It’s just you and the words on the page, with no one telling you what you are going to see. Immediately I was caught up in the beauty and grandeur of Alaska that Kristin Hannah describes on the pages, as much as I was by the story. Alaska is a place that I have wanted to visit for a long time.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for more of Carol's commentary on THE GREAT ALONE.
AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones (Fiction)
I loved Tayari Jones’ 2011 book, SILVER SPARROW, which was a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection, and I have been looking forward to seeing what she would write next. Patiently. It’s been seven years, something she is all too aware of! When I opened my advance copy of AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE, I was reminded again why I love her work. She captures people and emotions so well. Her characters get messy, get confused, get undone, and then put themselves back together again.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for more of Carol's commentary on AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE.
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 February 16th to March 2nd at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE HUSH by John Hart and SUNBURN by Laura Lippman.
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.
Please note: A new Word of Mouth contest will be up
on Friday, March 2nd at noon ET.
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 February 1st to March 1st at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Tara Westover's EDUCATED: A Memoir, read by Julia Whelan, and Sophie Kinsella's SURPRISE ME, read by Fiona Hardingham.
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.
Please note: A new Sounding Off on Audio contest will be up
on Thursday, March 1st at noon ET.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL by Sarah Vaughan (Thriller)
Part courtroom suspense, part portrait of a marriage, ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL is a riveting portrayal of privilege, power and the perception of truth in a novel where everyone’s motives are suspect.
THE ATOMIC CITY GIRLS by Janet Beard (Historical Fiction)
In the bestselling tradition of HIDDEN FIGURES and THE WIVES OF LOS ALAMOS comes this riveting novel of the everyday people who worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II.
THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)
THE GREAT ALONE is a daring, beautiful, stay-up-all-night story about love and loss, the fight for survival, and the wildness that lives in both man and nature.
HERE WE LIE by Paula Treick DeBoard (Fiction)
HERE WE LIE is a riveting novel about how the past never stays in the past, from the critically acclaimed author of THE DROWNING GIRLS and THE MOURNING HOURS.
ISLAND OF SWEET PIES AND SOLDIERS by Sara Ackerman (Historical Fiction)
Hawaii, 1944. The Pacific battles of World War II continue to threaten American soil, and on the home front, the bonds of friendship and the strength of love are tested. With war on their doorstep, friendship will sustain them.
LOOK FOR HER by Emily Winslow (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Everyone loves a beautiful missing girl… With piercing insight and shocking twists, Emily Winslow explores the dark side of sensationalized crime in this haunting psychological thriller.
THINGS TO DO WHEN IT'S RAINING by Marissa Stapley (Fiction)
A lifetime of secrets stands in the way of Mae Summers and her family’s happiness. Home may be where the heart is, but sometimes it takes equal parts love, forgiveness and will to mend that heart.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
BEARTOWN by Fredrik Backman (Fiction)
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A MAN CALLED OVE returns with BEARTOWN --- an instant New York Times bestseller --- about a forgotten town fractured by scandal, and the amateur hockey team that might just change everything.
EXIT WEST by Mohsin Hamid (Fiction)
A New York Times bestseller, EXIT WEST is the astonishingly visionary love story that imagines the forces that drive ordinary people from their homes into the uncertain embrace of new lands.
THE LAST TUDOR by Philippa Gregory (Historical Fiction)
The latest novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory features one of the most famous girls in history, Lady Jane Grey, and her two sisters, each of whom dared to defy her queen.
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.
SMALL GREAT THINGS by Jodi Picoult (Fiction)
With richly layered characters and a gripping moral dilemma that will lead readers to question everything they know about privilege, power, and race, SMALL GREAT THINGS is a stunning page-turner from Jodi Picoult.
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.
This Month's Poll: Reading Outside Your Group
Outside of the reading that you do for your book group, how many books do you read in a month?
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10 or more
Click here to vote in the poll by Thursday, March 8th at noon ET.
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