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Thinking Ahead to Fall/Winter
We have lots of news in this late spring newsletter; forgive us for rushing the seasons a bit by getting excited about some fall/winter books, as well as those that are now in stores.
Earlier this month, we held one of our favorite events of the year, our 7th Annual Book Group Speed Dating event at BookExpo. Twenty-four publishers presented fall/winter titles of interest to book group leaders, booksellers and librarians. Publishers moved from table to table discussing their books (there were eight rotations in all), and I loved seeing the excitement building in the room as the books were discussed. You can see some photos from the crowd above. Advance copies were given away, and we look forward to reading what attendees had to say about the books that were shared. If you were there and picked up galleys, please post your comments on Word of Mouth, as well as on other websites where you share commentary about books. Three of the books above are ones that readers were buzzing about; more than 130 were presented.
While this is an amazing event to experience in person, we wanted to be sure that all of our readers have the information that was shared that day. You can see PDFs of the presentation here, as well as an Excel document with all of the featured books. We would love to do this event again next year, and will share details when they are available in early 2019.
Thanks to Rebecca Munro and Nicole Sherman on our staff; Rebecca proofread every page of the presentation, and Nicole was “boots on the ground” the day of the event. We had more than a dozen volunteers, many of whom have been with us year after year to ensure that Speed Dating is a success. I added two things to my notes for next year: 1) Take a photo with the volunteers, and 2) Take a photo with the participating publishers.
This month, we are excited to tell you about THREE contests that are currently running on the site, all of which would make for brilliant book group discussions.
You may know Jennifer Egan as the author of A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2011. She has followed up that triumph with her first historical novel, MANHATTAN BEACH, which is June’s “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest book.
Now available in paperback, Egan’s latest bestseller was awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and is this year’s “One Book, One New York” pick. Here, we are introduced to Anna Kerrigan, who accompanies her father to visit Dexter Styles, a man who she believes is crucial to the survival of her father and her family. Years later, her father has disappeared and the country is at war. Anna works at the Brooklyn Naval Yard, where women are allowed to hold jobs that once belonged to men, who are now soldiers abroad. Anna becomes the first female diver, repairing the ships that will help America win the war. One evening at a nightclub, she reunites with Dexter Styles and begins to understand the complexity of her father’s life and the reasons he might have vanished.
We are giving three groups the chance to win 12 copies of the book; all you have to do is fill out the form on this page by Tuesday, July 10th at noon ET. In the meantime, please check out the guide here and our review on Bookreporter.com here. Egan did a deep dive (pun intended) into research for MANHATTAN BEACH, and as a result it's very atmospheric.
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: BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate, THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah, A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles, SMALL GREAT THINGS by Jodi Picoult, and THE IMMORTALISTS by Chloe Benjamin. Scroll further down the newsletter to see the Top 15.
In March, it was announced that Celeste Ng’s instant bestseller, LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, would be adapted for the small screen as an eight-episode limited series on Hulu starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, who also will serve as executive producers. In anticipation of its release (a date has yet to be determined), three readers will be awarded 12 copies of the book for their group. To enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, July 10th at noon ET.
For those who are not familiar with the book, here’s a brief synopsis: Everything is planned in Shaker Heights, a progressive suburb of Cleveland, and no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson. Mia Warren comes to town 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. When family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that divides the town. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at a shocking and devastating price.
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE was a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick when it released in September; click here to find out why I loved it so much. You also can see the discussion questions here and our Bookreporter.com review here.
Our final contest of the month is for TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN, another runaway bestseller from John Green that is currently being adapted into a major motion picture. (While few details have been announced thus far, you can click here for John’s thoughts on the film and his expectations for it.) Although published as YA and written primarily for teens, the novel has major crossover appeal for adults and has generated some lively discussions among book groups since its publication in October.
Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a massive reward at stake and her best friend, Daisy, is determined to investigate. So they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis. Aza --- who suffers from multiple personality disorders --- is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.
We are giving three groups an opportunity to win 12 copies of TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN. To enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, July 10th at noon ET. You can click here for the guide and here for our review on Bookreporter.com.
To learn more about LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE and TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN, may we suggest you visit the John Green & Celeste Ng Book Club page? Here, you will find a downloadable book club kit featuring paired discussion questions, a Q&A with John and Celeste (where they interview each other about their books), and much more.
This update features EIGHT more guides. The newest releases include KUDOS, the final installment in Rachel Cusk’s Outline trilogy; THE REMOVES, a historical novel from Tatjana Soli in which two women discover their inner strength when their lives are irrevocably changed by the hardship of the wild west; AMITY AND PROSPERITY by Eliza Griswold, which tells the story of the energy boom’s impact on a small town at the edge of Appalachia and one woman’s transformation from a struggling single parent to an unlikely activist; THE BAR HARBOR RETIREMENT HOME FOR FAMOUS WRITERS (AND THEIR MUSES), Terri-Lynne DeFino’s novel about a retirement home for literary legends who spar, conjure up new stories, and almost magically change the lives of the people around them; and HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE, John Leland’s heartening guide to well-being that weaves together the stories and wisdom of six New Yorkers who number among the “oldest old” --- those 85 and up.
Among the newly released paperbacks are THE LAST BALLAD, Wiley Cash’s chronicle of an ordinary woman’s struggle for dignity and her rights in a textile mill, set in the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina in 1929 and inspired by actual events; CAROLINE by Sarah Miller, in which Caroline Ingalls takes center stage in a novel authorized by the Little House Heritage Trust; and KEEP HER SAFE, a psychological thriller from Sophie Hannah with the intriguing tagline “She's the most famous murder victim in America. What if she's not dead?”
Here’s something we would love to know. With the official start of summer right around the corner, we’re curious about your book group’s schedule. Do you meet during the summer? If so, which months do you usually get together? That’s our latest poll question. Click here to let us know what your group does! People ALWAYS ask us if book groups meet over the summer.
In our previous poll, we asked if you’re planning to watch PBS’s “The Great American Read” and vote for your favorites among the 100 best-loved novels in America. A whopping 70% of you plan to watch the series and vote, 11% plan to watch but probably will not vote, and 7% plan to vote but probably will not watch the entire series. Only 2% do not plan to watch the series or vote, while 10% aren’t sure what they’re going to do.
We have plenty of chances for you to win some wonderful books over on Bookreporter.com. Our Father’s Day contest is in its last days (the deadline for entries is Monday, June 18th at noon ET); our 24-hour Summer Reading giveaways are still going strong; 30 readers will win a copy of THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS by Amy Meyerson and give us their feedback on it in our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight (we plan to feature a guide for this book in our early July newsletter); and, of course, we have our ongoing Word of Mouth and Sounding Off on Audio contests. Scroll further down the newsletter for more info on all of these giveaways.
It was announced last week that THE SUN DOES SHINE: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton is Oprah’s latest Book Club Pick. According to Oprah, "This story reads like an epic novel and it is all true. You will, throughout the book, try to imagine yourself --- falsely accused, and in a 5-by-7 cell for 30 years. He is a remarkable storyteller and when you read it you'll be swept away."
This week, we learned that Anne Tyler’s upcoming novel, CLOCK DANCE (releasing July 10th), will be the second selection for the Barnes & Noble Book Club. Barnes & Noble will be selling a special Exclusive Book Club Edition of CLOCK DANCE, in addition to hosting a free Book Club Night to discuss the novel, in stores across the country on Wednesday, August 8th from 7pm-8pm. If you are going, let us know. We would love a report on the discussion! Remember, if you are on vacation, you can see if you can participate at a Barnes & Noble store near your vacation location.
I am ready for summer reading. The pool is warm enough to float in in a large tube --- you know, the kind where you never touch the water! And soon I will be kicking away in my pool chair.
We’ll be back with another newsletter in two weeks. Here’s to your having a great book group discussion this month.
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!
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of MANHATTAN BEACH
by Jennifer Egan 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 MANHATTAN BEACH by Jennifer Egan, which tells the haunting story of Anna Kerrigan, who becomes the Brooklyn Naval Yard's first female diver during World War II, and her search for her missing father. Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, this is Egan's first novel since her Pulitzer Prize-winning A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD and is this year's "One Book, One New York" pick. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Tuesday, July 10th at noon ET.
MANHATTAN BEACH by Jennifer Egan (Historical Fiction)
Anna Kerrigan, nearly 12 years old, accompanies her father to visit Dexter Styles, a man who, she gleans, is crucial to the survival of her father and her family. She is mesmerized by the sea beyond the house and by some charged mystery between the two men.
Years later, her father has disappeared and the country is at war. Anna works at the Brooklyn Naval Yard, where women are allowed to hold jobs that once belonged to men, now soldiers abroad. She becomes the first female diver, the most dangerous and exclusive of occupations, repairing the ships that will help America win the war. One evening at a nightclub, she meets Dexter Styles again, and begins to understand the complexity of her father’s life, the reasons he might have vanished.
With the atmosphere of a noir thriller, MANHATTAN BEACH is a deft, dazzling, propulsive exploration of a transformative moment in America history from one of the great writers of our time.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Special Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng
for Your Group
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, the runaway New York Times bestseller from Celeste Ng that released last September and will be an eight-episode limited series on Hulu starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, is a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. We are celebrating the book's continued success with a special contest that will give three readers the chance to win 12 copies for their group. To enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, July 10th at noon ET.
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng (Fiction)
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned --- from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.
Enter Mia Warren --- an enigmatic artist and single mother --- who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.
When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town --- and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood --- and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.
- 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 visit the John Green & Celeste Ng Book Club page, which includes a downloadable book club kit featuring a Q&A with John & Celeste.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Special Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of
TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN by John Green
for Your Group
TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN, John Green's widely acclaimed and instant #1 New York Times bestseller, tells the story of 16-year-old Aza Holmes, a high school student with multiple anxiety disorders, and her search for fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett. We are giving three groups the opportunity to win 12 copies of the novel, which released last October and is currently being adapted into a major motion picture. To enter this special contest, all you have to do is fill out this form by Tuesday, July 10th at noon ET.
TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN by John Green (Fiction)
Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.
Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to visit the John Green & Celeste Ng Book Club page, which includes a downloadable book club kit featuring a Q&A with John & Celeste.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Featured Guide: CAROLINE by Sarah Miller
Now Available in Paperback
CAROLINE: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller (Historical Fiction)
In this novel authorized by the Little House Heritage Trust, Sarah Miller vividly recreates the beauty, hardship and joys of the frontier in a dazzling work of historical fiction, a captivating story that illuminates one courageous, resilient and loving pioneer woman as never before --- Caroline Ingalls, "Ma" in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved Little House books.
In the frigid days of February 1870, Caroline Ingalls and her family leave the familiar comforts of the Big Woods of Wisconsin and the warm bosom of her family for a new life in Kansas Indian Territory. Packing what they can carry in their wagon, Caroline, her husband Charles, and their little girls, Mary and Laura, head west to settle in a beautiful, unpredictable land full of promise and peril.
The pioneer life is a hard one, especially for a pregnant woman with no friends or kin to turn to for comfort or help. The burden of work must be shouldered alone, sickness tended without the aid of doctors, and babies birthed without the accustomed hands of mothers or sisters. But Caroline’s new world is also full of tender joys. In adapting to this strange new place and transforming a rough log house built by Charles’ hands into a home, Caroline must draw on untapped wells of strength she does not know she possesses.
For more than 80 years, generations of readers have been enchanted by the adventures of the American frontier’s most famous child, Laura Ingalls Wilder, in the Little House books. Now, that familiar story is retold in this captivating tale of family, fidelity, hardship, love and survival that vividly reimagines our past.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the featured guide.
Now Available in Paperback:
THE LAST BALLAD by Wiley Cash
THE LAST BALLAD by Wiley Cash (Historical Fiction)
Twelve times a week, 28-year-old Ella May Wiggins makes the two-mile trek to and from her job on the night shift at American Mill No. 2 in Bessemer City, North Carolina. The insular community considers the mill’s owners --- the newly arrived Goldberg brothers --- white but not American and expects them to pay Ella May and other workers less because they toil alongside African Americans like Violet, Ella May’s best friend. While the dirty, hazardous job at the mill earns Ella May a paltry nine dollars for 72 hours of work each week, it’s the only opportunity she has. Her no-good husband, John, has run off again, and she must keep her four young children alive with whatever work she can find.
When the union leaflets begin circulating, Ella May has a taste of hope, a yearning for the better life the organizers promise. But the mill owners, backed by other nefarious forces, claim the union is nothing but a front for the Bolshevik menace sweeping across Europe. To maintain their control, the owners will use every means in their power, including bloodshed, to prevent workers from banding together. On the night of the county’s biggest rally, Ella May, weighing the costs of her choice, makes up her mind to join the movement. It's a decision that will have lasting consequences for her children, her friends, her town --- indeed all that she loves.
Seventy-five years later, Ella May’s daughter Lilly, now an elderly woman, tells her nephew about his grandmother and the events that transformed their family. Illuminating the most painful corners of their history, she reveals, for the first time, the tragedy that befell Ella May after that fateful union meeting in 1929.
Intertwining myriad voices, Wiley Cash brings to life the heartbreak and bravery of the now-forgotten struggle of the labor movement in early 20th-century America --- and pays tribute to the thousands of heroic women and men who risked their lives to win basic rights for all workers. Lyrical, heartbreaking and haunting, this eloquent novel confirms Wiley Cash’s place among our nation’s finest writers.
While no guide is available at this time, 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 more about the book.
June’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 THERE THERE by debut novelist Tommy Orange, a multigenerational story about violence and recovery, memory and identity, and the beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation and its people; LYING IN WAIT, a new psychological thriller from Liz Nugent (UNRAVELING OLIVER) about a Dublin family whose dark secrets and twisted relationships are suddenly revealed; and A PLACE FOR US by Fatima Farheen Mirza, which is the first novel from Sarah Jessica Parker’s new imprint, SJP for Hogarth, and is a deeply moving and resonant story of love, identity and belonging.
LibraryReads is spotlighting BRING ME BACK, B.A. Paris’ latest novel of psychological suspense that will have you questioning everything and everyone until its stunning climax; ALL WE EVER WANTED by Emily Giffin, in which three very different people must choose between their families and their most deeply held values; and DREAMS OF FALLING, a new novel from New York Times bestselling author Karen White --- set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina --- about lifelong friends who share a devastating secret
ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE by Gail Honeyman is both June's Target Book Club title and Pennie's Pick for Costco.
Click here for the reading roundup.
Our Most Popular Book Group Selections for May’s "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest
June’s New in Paperback Roundups on Bookreporter.com
June's roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes THE ROOSTER BAR, John Grisham’s newest legal thriller that takes readers inside a law firm that’s on shaky ground; THE CUBAN AFFAIR, which marks the debut of Nelson DeMille's newest character --- U.S. Army combat veteran Daniel “Mac” MacCormick, a charter boat captain setting sail on his most dangerous cruise yet; SURPRISE ME, Sophie Kinsella's latest novel that delves into the heart of a marriage, and how those we love and think we know best can sometimes surprise us the most; and Claire Messud's THE BURNING GIRL, the story of two childhood friends whose paths diverge as they enter adolescence --- one of these girls sets out on a journey that will put her life in danger and shatter her oldest friendship.
Among our nonfiction highlights are HUNGER, Roxane Gay's searingly honest memoir of food, weight, self-image, and learning how to feed your hunger while taking care of yourself; Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella's I NEED A LIFEGUARD EVERYWHERE BUT THE POOL, the mother-daughter team's eighth collection of stories from their real lives, guaranteed to make you laugh out loud; and RETURN TO GLORY, in which journalist Matthew DeBord, who has been covering the auto industry for years, tells the story of Ford’s revival as a company as exemplified by the new GT.
Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of
June 4th, June 11th, June 18th and June 25th.
Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight & Contest on Bookreporter.com: Enter to Win a Copy of
THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS by Amy Meyerson
and Share Your Comments on It
A woman inherits a beloved bookstore and sets forth on a journey of self-discovery in THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS, Amy Meyerson's poignant debut novel about family, forgiveness and a love of reading. We have 30 copies to give away to readers who would like to read the book and share their comments on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, June 21st at noon ET.
THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS by Amy Meyerson (Fiction)
Miranda Brooks grew up in the stacks of her eccentric Uncle Billy’s bookstore, solving the inventive scavenger hunts he created just for her. But on Miranda’s 12th birthday, Billy has a mysterious falling-out with her mother and suddenly disappears from Miranda’s life. She doesn’t hear from him again until 16 years later when she receives unexpected news: Billy has died and left her Prospero Books, which is teetering on bankruptcy --- and one final scavenger hunt.
When Miranda returns home to Los Angeles and to Prospero Books --- now as its owner --- she finds clues that Billy has hidden for her inside novels on the store’s shelves, in locked drawers of his apartment upstairs, in the name of the store itself. Miranda becomes determined to save Prospero Books and to solve Billy’s last scavenger hunt. She soon finds herself drawn into a journey where she meets people from Billy’s past, people whose stories reveal a history that Miranda’s mother has kept hidden --- and the terrible secret that tore her family apart.
Bighearted and trenchantly observant, THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS is a lyrical story of family, love and the healing power of community. It’s a love letter to reading and bookstores, and a testament to how our histories shape who we become.
Click here to read more in our Women's Fiction Author Spotlight
and enter the contest.
Bookreporter.com's 13th Annual
Father's Day Contest: Best Books for Dad
Father’s Day is a time to celebrate the men in our lives who have raised and loved us. Why not show him your appreciation by inspiring him with a great book? In our 13th annual "Best Books for Dad" contest, we have a selection of books that are perfect gift-giving suggestions for Dad, keeping him busy through the rest of the year. Five readers will be awarded a copy of each of our featured titles. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, June 18th at noon ET.
This year's featured titles are:
Click here to enter the contest.
Bookreporter.com's Summer Reading
Contests and Feature
Summer will be here before you know it! At Bookreporter.com, this means it's time for us to share some great summer book picks with our Summer Reading Contests and Feature. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through August 24th. You will need to check the site to see the featured prize book and enter to win. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce each title, which you can sign up for here.
This year’s prize books include:
Click here to read all the contest details
and see the prize books being awarded in May, June, July and August.
Enter Our Ongoing Bookreporter.com Contests:
"Word of Mouth" and "Sounding Off on Audio"
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
AMITY AND PROSPERITY: One Family and the Fracturing of America by Eliza Griswold (Current Affairs/Environment)
In AMITY AND PROSPERITY, the prize-winning poet and journalist Eliza Griswold tells the story of the energy boom’s impact on a small town at the edge of Appalachia and one woman’s transformation from a struggling single parent to an unlikely activist.
THE BAR HARBOR RETIREMENT HOME FOR FAMOUS WRITERS (AND THEIR MUSES) by Terri-Lynne DeFino (Fiction)
Here is a whimsical, moving novel about a retirement home for literary legends who spar, conjure up new stories, and almost magically change the lives of the people around them.
CAROLINE: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller (Historical Fiction)
CAROLINE is a retelling of the familiar story of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s journey from the Big Woods to the Great Plains, written for adults from Ma’s point of view and fully authorized by the Little House Heritage Trust.
HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE YOU MAKE: Lessons from a Year Among the Oldest Old by John Leland (Self-Help/Psychology)
An extraordinary look at what it means to grow old and a heartening guide to well-being, HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE YOU MAKE weaves together the stories and wisdom of six New Yorkers who number among the “oldest old” --- those 85 and up.
HOW FAR SHE'S COME by Holly Brown (Psychological Thriller)
From the highly acclaimed author of DON'T TRY TO FIND ME and THIS IS NOT OVER comes the unforgettable, harrowing story of a young broadcast journalist who discovers a mysterious diary from a female broadcaster in 1991 featuring startling --- and frightening --- parallels to her own life.
KEEP HER SAFE by Sophie Hannah (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Liane Moriarty says, “No one writes twisted, suspenseful novels quite like Sophie Hannah.” Packed with twists and clues, simmering with tension, this electrifying thriller shows why.
KUDOS by Rachel Cusk (Fiction)
Rachel Cusk, the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of OUTLINE and TRANSIT, completes the transcendent literary trilogy with KUDOS, a novel of unsettling power.
THE LAST BALLAD by Wiley Cash (Historical Fiction)
North Carolina, 1929. Ella May Wiggins, a sidelined cotton millworker, joins forces with union organizers, using her beautiful voice and talent for writing rousing lyrics to help the labor movement. THE LAST BALLAD is based on a true story.
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng (Fiction)
From the bestselling author of EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU comes a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.
THE REMOVES by Tatjana Soli (Historical Fiction)
Tatjani Soli’s THE REMOVES is a powerful, transporting novel about the addictive intensity and freedom of the American frontier.
TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN by John Green (Fiction)
In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of LOOKING FOR ALASKA and THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, shares Aza’s story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience and the power of lifelong friendship.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
THE ANSWERS by Catherine Lacey (Fiction)
In Catherine Lacey’s THE ANSWERS, an eccentric actor, Kurt Sky, is determined to find the perfect relationship --- even if it means paying women to fulfill distinctive roles in his Girlfriend Experiment. Mary is hired as the “Emotional Girlfriend,” which is certainly better than the “Anger Girlfriend” or the “Maternal Girlfriend,” and is pulled into Kurt’s ego-driven and messy attempt at human connection.
EVERY LAST LIE by Mary Kubica (Psychological Thriller)
Mary Kubica, the New York Times bestselling author of THE GOOD GIRL, is back with another exhilarating thriller as a widow's pursuit of the truth leads her to the darkest corners of the psyche.
MANHATTAN BEACH by Jennifer Egan (Historical Fiction)
MANHATTAN BEACH --- winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and this year's "One Book, One New York" pick --- is a deft, dazzling and propulsive exploration of a transformative moment in the lives and identities of women and men, of America and the world.
This Month's Poll: Summer Book Group Meetings
During what months does your book group typically meet in the summer? Please check all that apply.
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June
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July
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August
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We do not meet in the summer.
Click here to vote in the poll by Tuesday, July 10th at noon ET.
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