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Latest Update on Our GoFundMe Campaign
to Expand The Book Report Network:
We Are More Than Halfway to Our Goal!
Thank you to those of you who already have donated to our GoFundMe campaign. So far, with online donations and checks that have been sent to our office, we have raised $27,565 of our $50,000 goal. Any level of donation helps get us to our goal!
Maybe your group can make a group donation. We would call you out by name in the next newsletter! We are loving the comments that have been shared with donations about how you enjoy this newsletter and ReadingGroupGuides.com. Here are a couple of them:
Jacqueline: "I love Reading Group Guides and frequently access it to get book ideas and discussion questions for my book club. Thank you for all of your work!"
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You can read more about our plans and donate here. If you would rather donate via check, our address is:
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Thank you again for your consideration and your donation.
Melanie Benjamin stopped by the office to tape our first "Bookreporter Talks To" interview.
She chatted with Carol about her newly released novel, MISTRESS OF THE RITZ.
Carol will be moderating the next Book Club Girl "Night Out" event
on Wednesday, June 19th at 6:30pm at the HarperCollins offices in New York City.
Her guests will be Joshilyn Jackson, author of NEVER HAVE I EVER (on sale July 30th),
and Meg Mitchell Moore, author of THE ISLANDERS (on sale June 11th).
Doing Some New Things to Expand The Network!
It’s been a busy few weeks of prepping for our 8th Annual Book Expo Book Group Speed Dating event that is happening on Friday. There are sooooo many details that have to come together for this event. The PowerPoint presentation is ready, and the leave behinds are at the printer. We just seated the 22 tables that publishers will be presenting at and got notes out to our amazing volunteers. Close to 300 people signed up to attend! We will have photos to share in our next newsletter, as well as the slide presentation and an Excel document with all the titles. There are brilliant books in this presentation; 2019 has been a great year for reading thus far, and it definitely is going to continue to be!
We’re excited to tell you about a very special contest for Jennifer Egan’s 2017 bestseller, MANHATTAN BEACH, which released in paperback last summer, was awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and was 2018’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 have 12 copies of MANHATTAN BEACH to give away to five groups, who then will have an opportunity to chat with Jennifer via phone, Skype or FaceTime. Ten additional winners will receive a single copy of the book. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, June 27th at noon ET. You can see the discussion guide here and our Bookreporter.com review here.
There’s still time to enter our contest for Sarah Blake’s THE GUEST BOOK, which is her first book since THE POSTMISTRESS in 2010 and is this month’s Barnes & Noble Book Club selection. Moving through three generations and back and forth in time, this highly anticipated new novel tells the story of a family and a country that buries its past in quiet, until the present calls forth a reckoning. We’re giving three groups the chance to win 12 copies of THE GUEST BOOK; to enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, June 6th at noon ET. In the meantime, don’t miss the discussion guide, our review on Bookreporter.com, my Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary and our interview with Sarah.
A reminder that on Tuesday, June 11th at 7pm local time, Barnes & Noble will be hosting a free Book Club Night in stores across the country for THE GUEST BOOK. If you’d like to attend, all you have to do is sign up here.
You also have until Thursday, June 6th at noon ET to enter our What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month? contest, where three readers will win 12 copies of LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE for their group. Newly released in paperback, Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestseller traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. Be sure to fill out the form on this page, and then check out the discussion guide, our Bookreporter.com review and my Bets On commentary. And please keep in mind that LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE is soon to be a Hulu limited series starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. We will let you know as soon as a release date is announced!
I have been enjoying shooting promo videos for the content on our websites, but last week I channeled video in a new direction by interviewing Melanie Benjamin about her latest novel, MISTRESS OF THE RITZ, on its publication day last Tuesday. We’re calling this interview series “Bookreporter Talks To,” and the plan is to do more of these going forward. I love interviewing authors, and we’ve created a set right in my office for filming. We have some plans to sleek up our video filming, and layer these into being podcasts as well. It’s all part of our plan to expand The Book Report Network. So many authors make their way through the city when on tour. And our office is easy to get to for a shoot, so look for many more of these interviews to come.
We are happy to be featuring the guide for MISTRESS OF THE RITZ in this late-month update, along with our review on Bookreporter.com and my Bets On commentary.
We also have the guide for THE PARIS DIVERSION, which marks the return of American expat Kate Moore (from Chris Pavone’s debut novel, THE EXPATS), who discovers that a massive terror attack across Paris is not what it seems --- and that it involves her family. Click here for our Bookreporter.com review.
Our poll continues to ask: In what year was the book that you’re currently reading with your book group published? Click here to let us know.
The 10th Annual Gaithersburg Book Festival took place on Saturday, May 18th in Gaithersburg, MD. Our reader Denise Neary was there, and she shares her thoughts on what was a wonderful afternoon of books and authors in this report.
Over on Bookreporter.com, we have lots of opportunities for you to win books. Our series of 24-hour Summer Reading contests have only just begun, along with our Father’s Day contest, where five readers will win five fiction and nonfiction titles for themselves or the fathers in their lives. And, as always, we have our Word of Mouth and Sounding Off on Audio contests, where you can win some fabulous hardcovers and audiobooks.
Last week, three members of the Simon & Schuster team hosted a Facebook Live Book Club chat to talk about DEAR MRS. BIRD by AJ Pearce, May’s pick for their Book Club Favorites program, which you can see here. At the end of their discussion, it was revealed that next month’s pick will be THE LOST QUEEN by Signe Pike, which releases in paperback on June 4th.
I am doing three events in June that are open to the public.The first will be a Book Club Girl "Night Out" event on Wednesday, June 19th at 6:30pm at the HarperCollins offices in New York City, where I will be interviewing Joshilyn Jackson, author of NEVER HAVE I EVER (on sale July 30th), and Meg Mitchell Moore, author of THE ISLANDERS (on sale June 11th). Click here for more info and to purchase tickets.
Also, I will be at the Rockville Centre Public Library in Rockville Centre, NY, at 7pm on Thursday, June 20th, and at the Avalon Free Public Library in Avalon, NJ, on Friday, June 28th at 6pm. You can see details here.
Here’s to a great discussion with your book group!
Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, ReadingGroupGuides.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
New Special Contest:
Enter to Win 12 Copies of MANHATTAN BEACH for
Your Group and an Opportunity to Chat with Jennifer Egan
Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, MANHATTAN BEACH 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. We are giving five groups the chance to win 12 copies of this New York Times bestselling novel, plus the opportunity to chat with its author, Jennifer Egan. Ten additional readers will be awarded a copy of the book, which was last year's "One Book, One New York" pick. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, June 27th 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.
“A magnificent achievement, at once a suspenseful noir intrigue and a transporting work of lyrical beauty and emotional heft” (The Boston Globe), “Egan’s first foray into historical fiction makes you forget you’re reading historical fiction at all” (Elle). MANHATTAN BEACH takes us into a world populated by gangsters, sailors, divers, bankers and union men in a dazzling, propulsive exploration of a transformative moment in the lives and identities of women and men, of America and the world.
- 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
THE GUEST BOOK by Sarah Blake for Your Group
This Month's Barnes & Noble Book Club Selection
and a Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
Moving through three generations and back and forth in time, THE GUEST BOOK tells the story of a family and a country that buries its past in quiet, until the present calls forth a reckoning. We are celebrating the release of Sarah Blake's triumphant new novel --- following 2010's THE POSTMISTRESS --- with a special contest that will give three groups the chance to win 12 copies of the book. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, June 6th at noon ET.
THE GUEST BOOK by Sarah Blake (Fiction)
No. It is a simple word, uttered on a summer porch in 1936. And it will haunt Kitty Milton for the rest of her life. Kitty and her husband, Ogden, are both from families considered the backbone of the country. But this refusal will come to be Kitty’s defining moment, and its consequences will ripple through the Milton family for generations. For while they summer on their island in Maine, anchored as they are to the way things have always been, the winds of change are beginning to stir.
In 1959 New York City, two strangers enter the Miltons’ circle. One captures the attention of Kitty’s daughter, while the other makes each of them question what the family stands for. This new generation insists the times are changing. And in one night, everything does.
So much so that in the present day, the third generation of Miltons doesn’t have enough money to keep the island in Maine. Evie Milton’s mother has just died, and as Evie digs into her mother’s and grandparents’ history, what she finds is a story as unsettling as it is inescapable, the story that threatens the foundation of the Milton family myth.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read our interview with Sarah Blake.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Visit the Barnes & Noble Book Club page and sign up for their free Book Club Night to discuss THE GUEST BOOK.
Click here to enter the contest.
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE
by Celeste Ng 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.
Our latest prize book is LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng, which is now available in paperback and is soon to be a limited series on Hulu starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. This riveting novel traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Thursday, June 6th 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 enter the contest.
New Guide: MISTRESS OF THE RITZ by Melanie Benjamin
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
MISTRESS OF THE RITZ by Melanie Benjamin (Historical Fiction)
Nothing bad can happen at the Ritz; inside its gilded walls every woman looks beautiful, every man appears witty. Favored guests like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Coco Chanel and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor walk through its famous doors to be welcomed and pampered by Blanche Auzello and her husband, Claude, the hotel’s director. The Auzellos are the mistress and master of the Ritz, allowing the glamour and glitz to take their minds off their troubled marriage, and off the secrets that they keep from their guests --- and each other.
Until June 1940, when the German army sweeps into Paris, setting up headquarters at the Ritz. Suddenly, with the likes of Hermann Goëring moving into suites once occupied by royalty, Blanche and Claude must navigate a terrifying new reality. One that entails even more secrets. One that may destroy the tempestuous marriage between this beautiful, reckless American and her very proper Frenchman. For the falsehoods they tell to survive, and to strike a blow against their Nazi “guests,” spin a web of deceit that ensnares everything and everyone they cherish.
But one secret is shared between Blanche and Claude alone --- the secret that, in the end, threatens to imperil both of their lives, and to bring down the legendary Ritz itself.
Based on true events, MISTRESS OF THE RITZ is a taut tale of suspense wrapped up in a love story for the ages, the inspiring story of a woman and a man who discover the best in each other amid the turbulence of war.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Click here to watch Carol's interview with Melanie Benjamin.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE PARIS DIVERSION by Chris Pavone
THE PARIS DIVERSION by Chris Pavone (Thriller)
American expat Kate Moore drops her kids at the international school, makes her shopping rounds, and meets her husband Dexter at their regular café: a leisurely start to a normal day, St-Germain-des-Prés.
Across the Seine, tech CEO Hunter Forsyth stands on his balcony, perplexed that his police escort just departed, and frustrated that his cell service has cut out; Hunter has important calls to make, not all of them technically legal.
And on the nearby rue de Rivoli, Mahmoud Khalid climbs out of an electrician’s van, and elbows his way into the crowded courtyard of the world’s largest museum, in the epicenter of Western civilization. He sets down his metal briefcase and removes his windbreaker.
That’s when people start to scream.
Everyone has big plans for the day. Dexter is going to make a small fortune, finally digging himself out of a deep financial hole, via an extremely risky investment. Hunter is going to make a huge fortune, with a major corporate acquisition that will send his company’s stock soaring. Kate has less ambitious plans: preparations for tonight’s dinner party --- one of those homemaker obligations she still hasn’t embraced, even after a half-decade of this life --- and an uneventful workday at the Paris Substation, the clandestine cadre of operatives that she’s been running, not entirely successfully, increasingly convinced that every day could be the last of her career. But every day is also a fresh chance to prove her own relevance, never more so than during today’s momentous events.
And Mahmoud? He is planning to die today. And he won’t be the only one.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: CAPE MAY by Chip Cheek
CAPE MAY by Chip Cheek (Historical Fiction)
Late September 1957. Henry and Effie, very young newlyweds from Georgia, arrive in Cape May, New Jersey, for their honeymoon only to find the town is deserted. Feeling shy of each other and isolated, they decide to cut the trip short. But before they leave, they meet a glamorous set of people who sweep them up into their drama. Clara, a beautiful socialite who feels her youth slipping away; Max, a wealthy playboy and Clara’s lover; and Alma, Max’s aloof and mysterious half-sister, to whom Henry is irresistibly drawn.
The empty beach town becomes their playground, and as they sneak into abandoned summer homes, go sailing, walk naked under the stars, make love and drink a great deal of gin, Henry and Effie slip from innocence into betrayal, with irrevocable consequences.
Erotic and moving, this is a novel about marriage, love and sexuality, and the lifelong repercussions that meeting a group of debauched cosmopolitans has on a new marriage.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Featured Guide:
THE WONDER OF LOST CAUSES by Nick Trout
THE WONDER OF LOST CAUSES by Nick Trout (Fiction)
Dr. Kate Blunt will do anything for her son, Jasper. Well, almost anything. Since Jasper has the incurable lung disease cystic fibrosis, Kate’s always told him he couldn’t get a dog. It’s a tough call, but she’s a single mom taking care of a kid who fights for every breath he takes. The daily medical routine that keeps Jasper alive is complicated enough. Worse still, Kate’s personal resolve runs contrary to her work as the veterinarian in charge of a Cape Cod animal shelter, where she is on a mission to find forever homes for dogs in desperate need.
The scarred, mistreated wreck of a dog that turns up doesn’t stand a chance. Named Whistler, he’s too old, too ugly. But the dog forms an instantaneous bond with Jasper. Whistler never makes a sound, yet he speaks to Jasper in a myriad of mysterious ways. The clock’s ticking, the dog’s future hangs in the balance, and Jasper would do anything to find him a home. But Whistler has chosen them --- for a reason.
Click here for the featured guide.
New May Releases of Interest to Book Groups
Below are a number of books releasing in May for the first time (which we aren't currently featuring on the site) that we think will be of interest to book groups.
ASK AGAIN, YES by Mary Beth Keane (Fiction)
ASK AGAIN, YES is a profoundly moving novel about two neighboring families in a suburban town, the friendship between their children, a tragedy that reverberates over four decades, and the power of forgiveness.
THE DAUGHTER'S TALE by Armando Lucas Correa (Historical Fiction)
From the internationally bestselling author of THE GERMAN GIRL comes an unforgettable family saga exploring a hidden piece of World War II history and the lengths a mother will go to protect her children.
DISAPPEARING EARTH by Julia Phillips (Literary Thriller)
One August afternoon, on the shoreline of the Kamchatka peninsula at the northeastern edge of Russia, two young sisters go missing. While the police investigation turns up nothing, echoes of the disappearance reverberate across a tightly woven community, with the fear and loss felt most deeply among its women.
THE FARM by Joanne Ramos (Fiction)
Joanne Ramos’ debut novel pushes to the extremes our thinking on motherhood, money and merit, and raises crucial questions about the trade-offs women will make to fortify their futures and the futures of those they love.
THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER by Kaira Rouda (Psychological Thriller)
From the author of BEST DAY EVER comes another gripping novel of psychological suspense set in an upscale Southern California community, for fans of B.A. Paris and Shari Lapena.
KEEP YOU CLOSE by Karen Cleveland (Thriller)
A woman must confront her sense of right and wrong when the one person she loves most is accused of an unimaginable crime.
MY EX-BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING by Wendy Wax (Fiction)
A wedding dress passed down through generations unravels the tangled threads of three women's lives in a novel of friendship, family and forgiveness.
THE NIGHT BEFORE by Wendy Walker (Psychological Thriller)
Riveting and compulsive, national bestselling author Wendy Walker’s THE NIGHT BEFORE “takes you to deep, dark places few thrillers dare to go” as two sisters uncover long-buried secrets when an internet date spirals out of control.
QUEEN BEE by Dorothea Benton Frank (Fiction)
Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank’s Carolina Lowcountry in this evocative tale that returns at long last to her beloved Sullivan’s Island.
RESISTANCE WOMEN by Jennifer Chiaverini (Historical Fiction)
RESISTANCE WOMEN recreates the danger, romance and sacrifice of an era and brings to life one courageous, passionate American --- Mildred Fish Harnack --- and her circle of women friends who waged a clandestine battle against Hitler in Nazi Berlin.
THE ROAD HOME by Richard Paul Evans (Fiction)
THE ROAD HOME is the dramatic conclusion to the riveting Broken Road trilogy --- a powerful redemption story about finding happiness on a pilgrimage across iconic Route 66.
SUNSET BEACH by Mary Kay Andrews (Fiction)
Out of a job and down on her luck, Drue Campbell’s life doesn’t seem to be getting any better when her estranged father, a flamboyant personal injury attorney, shows up at her mother’s funeral after a 20-year absence. Worse, he’s remarried --- to Drue’s eighth grade frenemy, Wendy, now his office manager. And they’re offering her a job.
Recent Bookreporter.com Bets On Selections:
MISTRESS OF THE RITZ, THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER,
THE NIGHT BEFORE, THE GUEST BOOK
and MY EX-BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING
MISTRESS OF THE RITZ by Melanie Benjamin (Historical Fiction)
MISTRESS OF THE RITZ by Melanie Benjamin is set in Paris during World War II. There, Blanche Auzello and her husband, Claude, are the mistress and master of the Hôtel Ritz, one of the city's best-known hotels. Blanche is American and is hiding a secret from the Nazis who are encamped at the Ritz. She’s also a member of the Resistance, going to all lengths to try to outwit the Germans, who she feels are causing blight on a place she loves so much. Claude is trying to balance the demands of the Germans with those of the other hotel guests who have been decamped to the drearier part of the building.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to watch Carol's interview with Melanie Benjamin.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on MISTRESS OF THE RITZ.
THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER by Kaira Rouda (Psychological Thriller)
There are authors who write with a really distinctive voice. Kaira Rouda is one of them. I loved her last book, BEST DAY EVER, and opening THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER, I saw that once again she had nailed a super edgy tone in her writing. I am not sure what it says about me that I love her narcissist protagonists, but she gives them such strong personalities that I have to read more and not look away. THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER is edgy much the same as BEST DAY EVER. It is a complete page-turner of a train-wrecked life that consumed my day when I read it --- and I loved every minute of being totally drawn into it.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read our interview with Kaira Rouda.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER.
THE NIGHT BEFORE by Wendy Walker (Psychological Thriller)
THE NIGHT BEFORE by Wendy Walker has a striking cover, a tension-filled plot and some great twists. Two sisters, Rosie and Laura, live very different lives. Rosie is settled, whereas Laura lives life more on the edge, running from some things in her past. Laura recently has moved back in with Rosie after going through a relationship breakup. One night, she goes on a blind date with someone she met on a dating website and does not come home. What happened the night before? While Laura is fearful, she also is reckless and is nothing like her suburbanite sister, Rosie, who knows just how much trouble Laura can get into.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE NIGHT BEFORE.
THE GUEST BOOK by Sarah Blake (Fiction)
Sarah Blake’s THE GUEST BOOK is one of my favorite books of 2019. I feel like this is going to be one of the most talked-about books this summer. I read it, and once I closed it, I could not wait to share it with people. This is a novel that looks at class, culture and race in America framed against the purview of three generations of the Milton family, a well-bred family that has summered for three generations on Crockett’s Island, an island that they own off the coast of Maine. The island has been the place where many of the family’s memories have been made, but now the third generation finds itself unable to afford the upkeep on the island and is at a crossroads.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read our interview with Sarah Blake.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE GUEST BOOK.
MY EX-BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING by Wendy Wax (Fiction)
MY EX-BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING by Wendy Wax was such a fun read for me. Most of the book is set on the Outer Banks, which was where our family vacationed for summers from 2001 to 2013, as well as for Christmas holidays and spring breaks. I loved the way that Wendy latched on to all the details that make the area so special. She layered in so many of the great places to visit --- and dine --- and captured its spirit so well. Just for that, the novel got high marks from me.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on
MY EX-BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING.
Announcing Bookreporter.com's 14th 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 14th 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 Wednesday, June 12th 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 23rd, so you will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter to win. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
This year’s 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:
THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK by Kim Michele Richardson (Historical Fiction)
A young outcast braves the hardships of Kentucky’s Great Depression and brings truly magical objects to her people: books. Kim Michele Richardson's fourth novel is inspired by the brave women of the Pack Horse Library Project.
CAPE MAY by Chip Cheek (Historical Fiction)
A mesmerizing debut novel by Chip Cheek, CAPE MAY explores the social and sexual mores of 1950s America through the eyes of a newly married couple from the genteel south corrupted by sophisticated New England urbanites.
THE GUEST BOOK by Sarah Blake (Fiction)
Moving through three generations and back and forth in time, THE GUEST BOOK asks how we remember and what we choose to forget. It shows the untold secrets we inherit and pass on, unknowingly echoing our parents and grandparents. Sarah Blake’s triumphant novel tells the story of a family and a country that buries its past in quiet, until the present calls forth a reckoning.
MANHATTAN BEACH by Jennifer Egan (Historical Fiction)
A daring and magnificent novel from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan, MANHATTAN BEACH is a dazzling and propulsive exploration of a transformative moment in the lives and identities of women and men, of America and the world.
MISTRESS OF THE RITZ by Melanie Benjamin (Historical Fiction)
Melanie Benjamin's captivating novel is based on the story of the extraordinary real-life American woman who secretly worked for the French Resistance during World War II --- while playing hostess to the invading Germans at the iconic Hôtel Ritz in Paris.
THE PARIS DIVERSION by Chris Pavone (Thriller)
Kate Moore, who was introduced to readers in THE EXPATS, is back in a pulse-pounding thriller to discover that a massive terror attack across Paris is not what it seems --- and that it involves her family.
THE WONDER OF LOST CAUSES by Nick Trout (Fiction)
In this unforgettable novel, perfect for fans of AN UNEXPECTED GRACE and A DOG'S WAY HOME, a single mom and her chronically ill child receive a valuable lesson from an unlikely source --- a very special dog who unexpectedly enters their lives and shows them that one person’s lost cause can be another's greatest gift.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate (Fiction)
Based on one of America's most notorious real-life scandals --- in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country --- Lisa Wingate's riveting, wrenching and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.
THE CLOCKMAKER'S DAUGHTER by Kate Morton (Historical Fiction)
Told by multiple voices across time, THE CLOCKMAKER'S DAUGHTER is an intricately layered, richly atmospheric novel about art and passion, forgiveness and loss, that shows us that sometimes the way forward is through the past.
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.
Our Latest Poll: When Was the Book That You Are Currently Reading with Your Group Published?
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2019
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2017
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