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WHO Says Summer is a Quiet Time for Book Groups?
We Are NOT Seeing That!
From my calendar these past few weeks and for the upcoming ones, you would never know that summer means that life slows down. It’s been jam-packed with author and book group events. And there’s been a lot humming from publishers as well.
This week, Simon & Schuster announced the launch of Book Club Favorites, a new initiative that features and promotes noteworthy book club titles, which will debut in July. THE RULES OF MAGIC by Alice Hoffman, now available in paperback, is the program’s inaugural title. Once a month, Simon & Schuster will select a new book, primarily paperback fiction, and invite readers to join the club. Throughout the month, discussion questions and exclusive content will be available on the dedicated Book Club Favorites website and Facebook group. At the end of the month, readers will be invited to participate in the Book Club Favorites Facebook Live discussion, at which time the following month’s pick will be revealed. Click here for more info on this wonderful new program and how you and your group can get involved! You can see a guide for THE RULES OF MAGIC here.
Two weeks ago, I went to a first book club event presented by Book Club Girl at the HarperCollins offices. It was a really fun evening with their author guests: Kate Quinn, author of THE ALICE NETWORK, and Jennifer Robson, author of GOODNIGHT FROM LONDON. Both Kate and Jennifer talked about their sheer pleasure of researching; Jennifer put it so well by saying that readers only see the tip of the iceberg in a book, and below it lies a whole lot more. In addition to discussing their upcoming titles, attendees were given early pre-publication galleys of each of these books. These are the copies produced even before there is a cover; they are one step up from bound manuscripts, and still are awaiting final edits.
Kate’s upcoming book is THE HUNTRESS (coming February 26, 2019), and again it’s based on a true story. An English journalist who has survived war reporting and a Russian woman who was a bomber pilot in the war join together to track a Nazi war criminal who is somewhere in America. Jennifer’s THE GOWN (coming December 31st) is the story of the creation of Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown. Again, there are three women at the heart of the story; two of them worked on the embroidery for the gown, and one is in modern day who is wondering about a piece of embroidery from her grandmother. As part of her research, Jennifer went to England and created a piece of embroidery, which you can see above. The room was packed with enthusiastic book lovers, and I was happy to see so many of our readers there. Above you can see a photo of me with Jennifer Hart, who is "Book Club Girl" (on the left), and Shelby Meizlik, who planned the details for this event (on the right). Next to it is a photo of Jennifer with Kate Quinn (on the left) and Jennifer Robson (on the right).
Over on Bookreporter.com, we’re featuring a very special contest that’s being sponsored by Talbots, the nationally renowned womenswear retailer. They’re hosting a summer-long book club event to get shoppers (and readers!) to share books they love and discover new ones. In partnership with Talbots, we're giving away a $250 Talbots gift card and a bundle of books! You only have until this Friday, June 29th at noon ET to enter, so be sure to fill out this form before it’s too late. And to learn more about the Talbots Summer Book Club, scroll further down the newsletter for all the details.
We have a new ReadingGroupGuides.com contest to tell you about. Our latest prize book is RAINY DAY FRIENDS, the second full-length entry in Jill Shalvis’ Wildstone series following her women’s fiction debut, LOST AND FOUND SISTERS.
Six months after her husband’s death, Lanie Jacobs is still trying to cope with her extraordinary loss. But upon learning that her beloved husband had left behind several other women who, like Lanie, each believe she was his legally wedded wife, Lanie knows she needs to make a fresh start. So she impulsively takes a job at the family-run Capriotti Winery, where she seems to fit right in. Everything is finally going well for her, but the arrival of 21-year-old River Green changes all that. Because River’s dark secrets could destroy the new life Lanie has only just begun to build.
Three readers will win 12 copies of the book for their group. To enter, all you have to do is fill out this form by Wednesday, July 25th at noon ET.
Please keep in mind our three other contests that are currently running on the site for MANHATTAN BEACH, LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE and TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN, which we announced in the last newsletter. We’re giving three groups the chance to win 12 copies of each of these books, and the entry deadline for each of the contests is Tuesday, July 10th at noon ET. Read on for details.
Our “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest book is the paperback edition of MANHATTAN BEACH by Jennifer Egan, which received the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and is this year's "One Book, One New York" pick.
We also have a contest for LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, the instant New York Times bestseller from Celeste Ng that will be adapted into an eight-episode series on Hulu starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, and another giveaway for TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN by John Green, a runaway bestseller that is currently being developed for the big screen.
THE DEVIL’S REWARD by Emmanuelle de Villepin, which we reviewed on Bookreporter.com when it released in May, is our latest featured guide. Eighty-six-year-old Christiane lives alone in a large apartment in the heart of Paris. Apparently her vibrant sense of humor doesn’t run in her immediate family, as her daughter, Catherine, is sullen and uptight, full of resentment toward her unfaithful Milanese husband. After discovering yet another affair, Catherine takes refuge in Paris at her mother’s home, accompanied by her own daughter, Luna. Christiane uses all of her freethinking charm in an effort to change Catherine’s rigid, self-pitying attitude.
Click here for the discussion guide and here for our Bookreporter.com review. You also can read more about Emmanuelle on her website, EmmanuelleDeVillepin.com. Emmanuelle, who lives in Milan, was in town last week, and I had a chance to catch up with her at her event at Albertine Books. You can see a photo of me with her above, as well as one of her signing; I loved her stylish reading glasses!
Other guides we’ve added as part of this update include two new releases --- LEFT by Mary Hogan, the story of a woman who retreats into a fantasy world on New York City’s Upper West Side as she slowly loses her once whip-smart husband to dementia; and MIDNIGHT BLUE, Simone van der Vlught’s fictional account of a young woman's rise as a painter in Holland's Golden Age --- along with the paperback release of THE LOST ONES, Sheena Kamal’s psychological suspense debut and the first in a series featuring the brilliant, fearless, chaotic and deeply flawed Nora Watts (the second installment, IT ALL FALLS DOWN, releases on July 3rd).
Help us out. People always ask me if book groups meet during the summer. Answer our poll here, and let us know if your group does this and, if so, which months you get together. My mom’s group meets from September to May; they are a group of retired women. But she then joins a book group at the beach for the summer.
Speaking of summer, may we remind you of our Summer Reading contests on Bookreporter.com? These are a series of 24-hour giveaways taking place between now and the end of August where five readers are awarded a copy of the book that is being featured that day.
And don’t forget our Beach Bag of Books contest on 20SomethingReads.com. Enter by Monday, July 9th at noon ET for your chance to win seven wonderful reads, including DIETLAND by Sarai Walker (the show based on this book is airing on AMC), THE FAVORITE SISTER by Jessica Knoll, and THIS IS JUST MY FACE: Try Not to Stare by Gabourey Sidibe.
In between author and publisher events, I have done two other programs. One was a Reader’s Advisory Program (RASD) for the librarians of Nassau County, where I did a two-hour presentation about upcoming titles. The second was a Summer Reading Kickoff program for patrons of the Rockville Centre Library. For each, it was the third time that I have spoken at their events, and I loved seeing familiar faces in the crowd. I have two more Summer Reading Library events coming up. One is on August 1st at 6pm at the Avalon Public Library in Avalon, New Jersey, and the second is on August 15th at 7pm at the Levittown Public Library on Long Island. I hope to see some of our readers there.
Here's to a firecracker 4th! It's tough when the holiday falls in the middle of the week to make it a big celebration. Celebrate by getting some reading done wherever you are!
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!
A Talbots Summer Book Club Special Contest:
Enter to Win a $250 Talbots Gift Card
and a Bundle of Books!
Our readers know that we're all about spreading a love of reading, and we're always eager to introduce you to reading programs across the country that catch our eye. Talbots, the nationally renowned womenswear retailer, is hosting a summer-long book club event to get shoppers (and readers!) to share books they love and discover new ones. In partnership with Talbots, we're giving away a fabulous grand prize --- a $250 Talbots gift card and a bundle of books! To enter this very special contest, please fill out this form by Friday, June 29th at noon ET.
More about the Talbots Summer Book Club:
Summer is the time to get lost in a good book and transcend into another place, time or story. We love the sense of community that books create --- a diverse circle of women with a common thread.
Now through Labor Day, Talbots invites you to stop by your local store for their “Give A Book. Get A Book” program and browse their lending library, share your favorite book and get one in return.
This year, together with some incredible women, Talbots is also creating the ULTIMATE SUMMER READING LIST! The list includes a Talbots recommended featured book of the week in partnership with Random House, influencer picks and customer submissions. Make sure to share what you are reading for a chance to win a curated gift box and a chance to be featured on our website!
Share the book you are “adding” to our Ultimate Summer Reading List with #shareyoursummerstory and visit Talbots.com/summerbookclub to learn more.
Join the Talbots community: shop, grab a book, drop one off, join the conversation!
- Click here to learn more about the Talbots Summer Book Club, and see details about their own contest where you have another opportunity to enter to win a curated Talbots gift box and a $250 Talbots gift card.
Click here to enter our Talbots Summer Book Club contest.
New Special Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of
RAINY DAY FRIENDS by Jill Shalvis for Your Group
We are celebrating the release of RAINY DAY FRIENDS by Jill Shalvis --- a moving story of heart, loss, betrayal and friendship --- with a special contest that will give three groups the opportunity to win 12 copies of the book, which is the stand-alone second novel in the Wildstone series. To enter, please fill out this form by Wednesday, July 25th at noon ET.
RAINY DAY FRIENDS by Jill Shalvis (Romance)
Six months after Lanie Jacobs’ husband’s death, it’s hard to imagine anything could deepen her sense of pain and loss. But then Lanie discovers she isn’t the only one grieving his sudden passing. A serial adulterer, he left behind several other women who, like Lanie, each believe she was his legally wedded wife.
Rocked by the infidelity, Lanie is left to grapple with searing questions. How could she be so wrong about a man she thought she knew better than anyone? Will she ever be able to trust another person? Can she even trust herself?
Desperate to make a fresh start, Lanie impulsively takes a job at the family-run Capriotti Winery. At first, she feels like an outsider among the boisterous Capriottis. With no real family of her own, she’s bewildered by how quickly they all take her under their wing and make her feel like she belongs. Especially Mark Capriotti, a gruffly handsome Air Force veteran turned deputy sheriff who manages to wind his way into Lanie’s cold, broken heart --- along with the rest of the clan.
Everything is finally going well for her, but the arrival of River Green changes all that. The fresh-faced 21-year-old seems as sweet as they come…until her dark secrets come to light --- secrets that could destroy the new life Lanie has only just begun to build.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
Click here to enter the contest.
"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.
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.
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: THE DEVIL’S REWARD
by Emmanuelle de Villepin
THE DEVIL'S REWARD written by Emmanuelle de Villepin, translated by C. Jon Delogu (Fiction)
Christiane, 86 years old with a vibrant sense of humor, lives alone in a large apartment in the heart of Paris. Her daughter, Catherine, is her total opposite: sullen and uptight, filled with resentment toward her unfaithful Milanese husband. After discovering yet another affair, Catherine takes refuge in Paris at her mother’s home, accompanied by her own daughter, Luna. Christiane --- who, in spite of occasional dalliances on both sides, lived a beautiful love story with her late husband --- uses all of her freethinking charm in an effort to change Catherine’s rigid, self-pitying attitude.
As the women air their opposing views, Luna discovers by chance that her great-grandfather had met the philosopher Rudolf Steiner, the subject of the thesis she is in the middle of writing. Seeing Luna’s avid curiosity, Christiane takes the opportunity to tell the story of her family, which spans the 20th century. Memories resurface, and past events are reconstructed, shedding a new light on the present.
With a keen, lighthearted wit, THE DEVIL'S REWARD shows that life is complicated and often painful, but when conventional morals are imperative, it becomes unbearable.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to visit Emmanuelle de Villepin's website.
Click here for the featured guide.
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.
New June Releases of Interest to Book Groups
Below are a number of books releasing in June for the first time (which we aren't currently featuring on the site) that we think will be of interest to book groups.
ALL WE EVER WANTED by Emily Giffin (Fiction)
Nina Browning is living the good life after marrying into Nashville’s elite. Yet sometimes she wonders if she has strayed from the person she once was. Tom Volpe is a single dad working multiple jobs while struggling to raise his headstrong daughter, Lyla, who earns a scholarship to Windsor Academy, Nashville’s most prestigious private school. Then one photograph, snapped in a drunken moment at a party, changes everything.
BEFORE AND AGAIN by Barbara Delinsky (Fiction)
Mackenzie Cooper took her eyes off the road for just a moment, but the resulting collision was enough to rob her not only of her beloved daughter but ultimately of her marriage, family and friends. Now she lives in Vermont under the name Maggie Reid. When a friend’s teenage son is accused of hacking a powerful man’s Twitter account, Maggie is torn between pulling away and protecting herself --- or stepping into the glare to be at their side.
BETWEEN YOU AND ME by Susan Wiggs (Fiction)
Caleb Stoltz is bound by a deathbed promise to raise his orphaned niece and nephew in Middle Grove. When disaster strikes, Caleb is thrust into an urban environment of high-tech medicine and the relentless rush of modern life. Dr. Reese Powell lives for the addictive rush of saving lives. But when a shocking accident brings Caleb into her life, Reese is forced to deal with a situation that challenges everything she thinks she knows.
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 about 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.
BRING ME BACK by B.A. Paris (Psychological Thriller)
Finn and Layla are driving along the highway when Finn decides to stop at a service station to use the restroom. When he returns, Layla is gone. That is the story Finn told to the police. But it is not the whole story. Ten years later, Finn is engaged to Layla’s sister, Ellen. Not long before he and Ellen are to be married, Finn gets a phone call. Someone from his past has seen Layla --- hiding in plain sight.
HOW HARD CAN IT BE? by Allison Pearson (Fiction/Humor)
On the cusp of her 50th birthday, Kate Reddy is facing a host of questions. Will she reclaim her rightful place at the very hedge fund she founded, or will she strangle in her new “shaping” underwear? Will she rekindle an old flame, or will her house burn to the ground when a rowdy mob shows up for her daughter’s surprise (to her parents) Christmas party? Surely it will all work out in the end. After all, how hard can it be?
LYING IN WAIT by Liz Nugent (Psychological Thriller)
On the surface, Lydia Fitzsimons has the perfect life --- wife of a respected, successful judge, mother to a beloved son, mistress of a beautiful house in Dublin. That beautiful house, however, holds a secret. And when Lydia’s son, Laurence, discovers its secret, wheels are set in motion that lead to an increasingly claustrophobic and devastatingly dark climax.
NEVER ANYONE BUT YOU by Rupert Thomson (Historical Fiction)
In the years preceding World War I, two young women meet in a provincial town in France. They embark on a clandestine love affair and move to Paris at a moment when art, literature and politics blend in an explosive cocktail. In the 1930s, with the rise of anti-Semitism and threat of fascism, they leave Paris for Jersey, creating a campaign of propaganda against Hitler’s occupying forces that will put their lives in jeopardy.
THE PATCHWORK BRIDE by Sandra Dallas (Historical Fiction)
Ellen is putting the finishing touches on a wedding quilt made from scraps of old dresses when the bride-to-be --- her granddaughter June --- unexpectedly arrives and announces she’s calling off the marriage. With the tending of June’s uncertain heart in mind, Ellen tells her the story of Nell, a Kansas-born woman who goes to the High Plains of New Mexico Territory in 1898 in search of a husband.
THE PERFECT COUPLE by Elin Hilderbrand (Fiction)
The Otis-Winbury wedding promises to be an event to remember: the groom's wealthy parents have spared no expense to host a lavish ceremony at their oceanfront estate. But it's going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons after tragedy strikes: a body is discovered in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony --- and everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect.
A PLACE FOR US by Fatima Farheen Mirza (Fiction)
As an Indian wedding gathers a family back together, parents Rafiq and Layla must reckon with the choices their children have made. There is Hadia: their headstrong, eldest daughter, whose marriage is a match of love and not tradition. Huda, the middle child, determined to follow in her sister’s footsteps. And lastly, their estranged son, Amar, who returns to the family fold for the first time in three years to take his place as brother of the bride.
THE SECRETS BETWEEN US by Thrity Umrigar (Fiction)
Poor and illiterate, Bhima had faithfully worked for the Dubash family, an upper-middle-class Parsi household, for more than 20 years. Yet after courageously speaking the truth about a heinous crime perpetrated against her own family, the devoted servant was cruelly fired. Bhima’s fortunes take an unexpected turn when her path intersects with Parvati, a bitter, taciturn older woman.
THERE THERE by Tommy Orange (Fiction)
THERE THERE tells the story of 12 characters, each of whom has private reasons for traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow. Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame. Dene Oxendene has come to work at the powwow to honor his uncle’s memory. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil, who has come to the powwow to dance in public for the very first time.
US AGAINST YOU by Fredrik Backman (Fiction)
Beartown is home to tough, hardworking people who don’t expect life to be easy or fair. No matter how difficult times get, they’ve always been able to take pride in their local ice hockey team. So it’s a cruel blow when they hear that Beartown ice hockey might soon be disbanded. But then a newcomer arrives who gives their team a surprising new coach and a chance at a comeback. By the time the last goal is scored, a resident of Beartown will be dead.
THE VERDUN AFFAIR by Nick Dybek (Historical Fiction)
In 1921, two young Americans meet in Verdun, the city in France where one of the most devastating battles of World War I was waged. Quickly, they fall into a complicated affair against the ghostly backdrop of the ruined city. Months later, Tom and Sarah meet again at the psychiatric ward of an Italian hospital, drawn there by the appearance of a mysterious patient the doctors call Douglas Fairbanks (after the silent film actor) --- a shell-shocked soldier with no memory of who he is.
WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LULULEMONS by Lauren Weisberger (Fiction)
Welcome to Greenwich, Connecticut, where everyone has something to say about the infamous new neighbor. After leaving Miranda Priestly, Emily Charlton has been working as an image consultant to the stars, but recently has lost a few clients. When Karolina Hartwell, a gorgeous former supermodel, is arrested for a DUI, her fall from grace is merciless. In Karolina, Emily finds her comeback opportunity. But she quickly learns that Greenwich is a world apart and this comeback needs a team approach.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
HOW HARD CAN IT BE? by Allison Pearson
HOW HARD CAN IT BE? by Allison Pearson (Fiction/Humor)
For a while, I have been looking for a book that would make me laugh; it’s been a real challenge. I found that in HOW HARD CAN IT BE? by Allison Pearson. Many remember her protagonist, Kate Reddy, from I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT. Kate is now a stay-at-home mother who is eager to return to the workforce, but she is 49 and companies are not exactly opening their doors to her. Her children are teenagers who test her nerves, and her husband has left his job to plot a new career as a therapist, but he seems to be spending a lot more time on his high-end bike than he is plotting his future. Layer in aging parents, and Kate is at her wit’s end.
So what to do? She decides to shave a few years off her ego, hire a trainer to get her back into shape, and join a Women Returners group to plot her re-entry into the workforce. What happens from there is one really fun ride. I found myself laughing out loud, a lot, and her line “How hard can it be?” is one that many women will understand all too well. By the way, I both read it and listened to it on audio, the latter of which is narrated by Poppy Miller. I highly recommend both formats.
HOW HARD CAN IT BE? would be a great book for a book group discussion.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for more books we're betting you'll love.
Bookreporter.com's Summer Reading
Contests and Feature
Summer is here! 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.
THE DEVIL'S REWARD written by Emmanuelle de Villepin, translated by C. Jon Delogu (Fiction)
Three generations of women untangle a complex family story that encompasses the First and Second World Wars, revealing unexpected lessons about marriage and fidelity.
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.
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.
LEFT: A Love Story by Mary Hogan (Fiction)
In this beautifully crafted novel from the author of the critically acclaimed TWO SISTERS comes the story of a woman who retreats into a fantasy world on New York City’s Upper West Side as she slowly loses her once whip-smart husband to dementia --- perfect for fans of STILL ALICE.
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 LOST ONES by Sheena Kamal (Psychological Thriller)
THE LOST ONES is a dark, compulsively readable psychological suspense debut, the first in a series featuring the brilliant, fearless, chaotic and deeply flawed Nora Watts --- a character as heartbreakingly troubled, emotionally complex and irresistibly compelling as Stieg Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander and Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole.
MIDNIGHT BLUE by Simone van der Vlugt (Historical Fiction)
From Simone Van Der Vlugt comes her European bestselling novel of a young woman's rise as a painter in Holland's Golden Age --- perfect for readers of THE MINIATURIST, TULIP FEVER and GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING.
RAINY DAY FRIENDS by Jill Shalvis (Fiction)
Following the USA Today bestseller LOST AND FOUND SISTERS comes RAINY DAY FRIENDS, Jill Shalvis’ moving story of heart, loss, betrayal and friendship.
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:
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.
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.
THE RULES OF MAGIC by Alice Hoffman (Historical Fiction)
Thrilling and exquisite, real and fantastical, THE RULES OF MAGIC --- the spellbinding prequel to PRACTICAL MAGIC and the inaugural pick for Simon & Schuster's new Book Club Favorites program --- is a story about the power of love, reminding us that the only remedy for being human is to be true to yourself.
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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