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Book Club Girl's next "Night Out" event will take place on November 14th from 6:30 to 8:30pm
at the HarperCollins offices in New York City. Carol will be interviewing Susan Wiggs (whose latest novel is THE OYSTERVILLE SEWING CIRCLE) and Alena Dillon (her debut novel, MERCY HOUSE, releases on February 11th). Click on the image above to learn more about the event and to buy tickets.
Carol's latest "Bookreporter Talks To" interview and podcast is with Patti Callahan,
whose historical novel, BECOMING MRS. LEWIS, has been a huge success since its release
last October. Click on the photo above for the video and here for the podcast.
In August, we featured Carol's video interview with Fiona Davis, whose new novel is
THE CHELSEA GIRLS. We now have added a podcast of their discussion,
which you can listen to by clicking on the photo above.
Carol will be interviewing six authors at the Morristown Festival of Books on October 12th:
Marie Benedict, Pam Jenoff, Marjan Kamali, Jennifer Robson, Whitney Scharer and Beatriz Williams.
All of them have written books that would be perfect for book group discussions.
Carol talks about this month's ReadingGroupGuides update in her latest preview video.
On Thursday, October 24th at 5pm ET, members of the Simon & Schuster team will host a
Facebook Live Book Club chat to discuss THE LIBRARY BOOK by Susan Orlean,
October's pick for S&S's Book Club Favorites program.
We Want to Hear from You!
Last night, I finished writing interview questions for the Morristown Festival of Books, where I will be moderating three panels this Saturday. I hope to see some of you there. You can see the complete schedule for the Festival here. All of the authors who I will be interviewing --- Marie Benedict, Pam Jenoff, Marjan Kamali, Jennifer Robson, Whitney Scharer and Beatriz Williams --- have written books that would be great for book group discussions.
Then, next Sunday the 20th, I will be at the White Plains Public Library at 1:30pm for a presentation called “What Should I Read Next?" They are taking reservations here.
I just added an event to my calendar for Thursday, November 14th from 6:30-8:30pm at the HarperCollins offices, where Book Club Girl presents "A Night Out" with Susan Wiggs (whose latest novel is THE OYSTERVILLE SEWING CIRCLE) and Alena Dillon (whose debut novel, MERCY HOUSE, releases on February 11th). I am looking forward to interviewing them! Click here for all the details and to purchase your tickets.
I like hearing from book groups about what works for their discussions --- and then sharing that feedback with our readers. We plan to make this a monthly newsletter feature, where we ask a question in the first newsletter of the month (typically out the second week of the month), and then share your replies in that month's second newsletter (typically out the fourth week of the month).
With that plan in mind, this month’s question is: “Besides looking at discussion guides, what does your group do to prep for conversation about the book for your book group meeting?” Write me with the subject line “Book Group Prep,” and we will include your comments in our late October newsletter.
We also are sharing a video where I talk about the books that are being featured in this update. You can watch that preview here...and if you like what you see, share it with your book group. And remember, you can subscribe to get all of our YouTube videos!
Typically we like to have the author guests for our “Bookreporter Talks To” series be a surprise. But for an upcoming one, I am asking if you have questions you would like me to ask of Heather Morris, the author of THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ and the newly released CILKA'S JOURNEY. She is in from Australia doing a four-location tour in the U.S., and I am interviewing her on October 29th. Please send your question to me by Monday, October 21st with the subject line "Question for Heather."
Speaking of our "Bookreporter Talks To" interviews, since our last newsletter, we have added a video interview and podcast with Patti Callahan, author of BECOMING MRS. LEWIS, and a podcast with Fiona Davis, whose new novel is THE CHELSEA GIRLS.
Our latest “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest title is THE LIBRARY BOOK by award-winning journalist Susan Orlean, which recently came out in paperback and was a Bookreporter Bets On pick when it released in hardcover last year. On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual false alarm. The fire was disastrous: It reached 2,000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed 400,000 books and damaged 700,000 more. Investigators descended on the scene, but over 30 years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library --- and if so, who? Orlean investigates this legendary fire to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives.
Three groups will win 12 copies of THE LIBRARY BOOK; to enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, November 6th at noon ET. In the meantime, be sure to check out the discussion guide, our review on Bookreporter, an interview with Susan, and my Bets On commentary for the audiobook, which is narrated by Susan herself. I learned so much about libraries that I did not know after reading this book.
THE LIBRARY BOOK is October’s pick for Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites program. S&S will host a Facebook Live Book Club chat about the book on Thursday, October 24th at 5pm ET. We encourage you to join the conversation with your comments about the book and interact with your fellow readers. A couple of weeks ago, three members of the S&S team hosted a Facebook Live chat for THE LIGHT OVER LONDON by Julia Kelly, last month’s selection, which you can watch here.
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: WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens, LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng, EDUCATED: A Memoir by Tara Westover, A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles, and THE ALICE NETWORK by Kate Quinn. Scroll further down the newsletter to see the Top 15.
This is your last newsletter reminder to enter our special contest for Hannah Beckerman’s second novel, IF ONLY I COULD TELL YOU, which releases on October 15th. We’re giving 25 readers the chance to win a copy of this life-affirming work of fiction, which the publisher sums up in three intriguing lines: “A secret between two sisters. A lifetime of lies unraveling. Can one broken family find their way back to each other?” The deadline for your entries is Wednesday, October 23rd at noon ET.
It was announced this week that NINTH HOUSE is this month’s Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. YA superstar Leigh Bardugo’s first novel for adults is a tale of power, privilege, dark magic and murder set among the Ivy League elite. B&N will be selling a special Exclusive Book Club Edition of the book, along with hosting a free Book Club Night to discuss it, in stores across the country on Tuesday, November 5th at 7pm local time. Click here to sign up for the event.
We also found out this week that “Good Morning America” is launching their own book club, “Cover to Cover”, where they will be “showcasing diverse and compelling authors telling both fiction and nonfiction stories.” Their first pick is DOMINICANA by Angie Cruz, a coming-of-age story that released to rave reviews last month. Here’s what “GMA” has to say about the book: “Inspired by her own mother, Cruz tells the harrowing and poignant story of a 15-year-old girl who immigrates to New York City in the 1960s from the Dominican Republic, leaving her entire family behind in hopes of building a life for them here in the U.S. It's a story about strength, sacrifice and finding your voice, and it's the perfect novel to kick off our new series and to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month this October.” Learn much more about “Cover to Cover” and DOMINICANA here. You can also take a look at the discussion guide here and our review on Bookreporter here.
A WELL-BEHAVED WOMAN, Therese Anne Fowler’s novel of iron-willed Alva Vanderbilt and her illustrious family as they rule Gilded-Age New York, is newly available in paperback. It is this month’s Pennie’s Pick for Costco and is now a New York Times bestseller. I listened to the audiobook (narrated by Barrie Kreinik) when it released last October, and enjoyed the experience so much that it was a Bets On selection. We added the guide this week, which you can check out here --- and don’t miss our review of the print edition and my Bets On commentary for the audio version.
We have added four more guides to this early-month update: THE GIVER OF STARS, Jojo Moyes’ latest novel, which is set in Depression-era America and tells the story of five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond; A SINGLE THREAD, Tracy Chevalier’s fictional account of a woman coming into her own at the dawn of the Second World War; RIGHT AFTER THE WEATHER, the long-awaited new novel from Carol Anshaw (whose New York Times bestseller CARRY THE ONE released seven years ago), which explores what happens when untested people are put to a hard test and subsequently find themselves in a newly uncertain world; and THE SISTERS OF SUMMIT AVENUE by Lynn Cullen (you may know her as the author of MRS. POE and TWAIN’S END), which takes place in the Midwest during the Depression and is about two sisters bound together by love, duty and pain.
In the last newsletter, we featured the guide for Ann Patchett’s latest novel, THE DUTCH HOUSE. A few days later, we learned that the book is Jenna Bush Hager’s #ReadWithJenna book club selection for October. “There are moments of sadness,” says Jenna. "Danny and Maeve’s childhood is filled with disappointment, but the love they find in each other is beautiful and hopeful.” She goes on to say, “I read THE DUTCH HOUSE right after I had Hal, and even in the middle of the night when I was feeding him I reached for this beauty of a book.” Click here for more of Jenna’s thoughts on the book and here for our Bookreporter review.
This month’s Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club pick is FAIR PLAY: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live) by Eve Rodsky. Here’s what Reese has to say about it: “The book gives tools on how partners can learn to divvy up life’s workload more fairly, so we can step into the world more fully! FAIR PLAY explores your relationship, your time and your purpose to help you find balance. Because it’s all about balance, right? It’s definitely a conversation starter! I hope y’all love reading this book…and enjoy finding your UNICORN SPACE!”
October’s pick for the PBS NewsHour-New York Times “Now Read This” book club is Adam Winkler's WE ARE CORPORATIONS: How American Businesses Won Their Civil Rights, which was a National Book Award finalist last year.
Speaking of which, the finalists for this year’s National Book Awards have been announced. They include DISAPPEARING EARTH by Julia Phillips (Fiction), THE YELLOW HOUSE by Sarah M. Broom (Nonfiction), and LOOK BOTH WAYS: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, by Jason Reynolds (Young People’s Literature). Click here for all the nominees. The winners will be announced on November 20th.
Also, the winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature have been announced for both last year and this year. The 2018 prize (which had been postponed due to a scandal at the Swedish Academy, the institution responsible for choosing the Nobel Laureates in Literature) has been awarded to Olga Tokarczuk "for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life." The 2019 prize goes to Peter Handke "for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience."
I have commitments that are going to keep me from both of my book groups’ discussions this month. The Long Hill Book Group is reading HILLBILLY ELEGY: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance, and my neighborhood group will discuss THE BEEKEEPER OF ALEPPO by Christy Lefteri.
Here’s to a great discussion with your group 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
THE LIBRARY BOOK by Susan Orlean,
a Bookreporter.com Bets On Title, 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 THE LIBRARY BOOK by Susan Orlean, which is now available in paperback. This unique and utterly compelling book chronicles the 1986 fire that ravaged the Los Angeles Public Library and its aftermath, showcasing the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, November 6th at noon ET.
THE LIBRARY BOOK by Susan Orlean (Social History)
On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2,000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed 400,000 books and damaged 700,000 more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than 30 years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library --- and if so, who?
Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a “delightful...reflection on the past, present, and future of libraries in America” (New York magazine) that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.
In the “exquisitely written, consistently entertaining” (The New York Times) THE LIBRARY BOOK, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries; brings each department of the library to vivid life; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than 30 years ago.
“A book lover’s dream…an ambitiously researched, elegantly written book that serves as a portal into a place of history, drama, culture, and stories” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis), Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books --- and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind and soul of our country.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read an interview with Susan Orlean.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary for the audiobook.
Click here to enter the contest.
Special Contest: Enter to Win a Copy of
IF ONLY I COULD TELL YOU by Hannah Beckerman
We are celebrating the October 15th release of IF ONLY I COULD TELL YOU by Hannah Beckerman --- a life-affirming novel that tells the story of a family divided and the secret that can possibly unite them --- with a special contest that will give 25 readers the chance to win a copy of the book. To enter, please fill out this form by Wednesday, October 23rd at noon ET.
IF ONLY I COULD TELL YOU by Hannah Beckerman (Fiction)
A secret between two sisters.
A lifetime of lies unraveling.
Can one broken family find their way back to each other?
Audrey’s dream as a mother had been for her daughters, Jess and Lily, to be as close as only sisters can be. But now, as adults, they no longer speak to each other, and Audrey’s two teenage granddaughters have never met. Audrey just can’t help feeling like she’s been dealt more than her fair share as she’s watched her family come undone over the years, and she has no idea how to fix her family as she wonders if they will ever be whole again.
If only Audrey had known three decades ago that a secret could have the power to split her family in two, and yet also keep them linked. And when hostilities threaten to spiral out of control, a devastating choice that was made so many years ago is about to be revealed, testing this family once and for all.
Once the truth is revealed, will it be enough to put her family back together again or break them apart forever?
While no guide is available at this time, be sure to check out our fiction discussion questions, which may help you in your group's discussion of the book.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Guide: THE GIVER OF STARS by Jojo Moyes
THE GIVER OF STARS by Jojo Moyes (Historical Fiction)
Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve hoping to escape her stifling life in England. But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically.
The leader, and soon Alice's greatest ally, is Margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who's never asked a man's permission for anything. They will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the Horseback Librarians of Kentucky.
What happens to them --- and to the men they love --- becomes a classic drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. Though they face all kinds of dangers, they’re committed to their job --- bringing books to people who have never had any, sharing the gift of learning that will change their lives.
Based on a true story rooted in America’s past, THE GIVER OF STARS is unparalleled in its scope. At times funny, at others heartbreaking, this is a richly rewarding novel of women’s friendship, of true love, and of what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Now Available: NINTH HOUSE by Leigh Bardugo
October’s Barnes & Noble Book Club Selection
NINTH HOUSE by Leigh Bardugo (Supernatural Thriller/Dark Fantasy)
Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug-dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs and much, much worse. In fact, by age 20, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most prestigious universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?
Still searching for answers, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. Their eight windowless “tombs” are the well-known haunts of the rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street’s biggest players. But their occult activities are more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living.
Discussion questions will be included in Barnes & Noble's Exclusive Book Club Edition of NINTH HOUSE.
Visit the Barnes & Noble Book Club page and sign up
for their free Book Club Night to discuss NINTH HOUSE on November 5th.
New Guide: DOMINICANA by Angie Cruz
The First Pick in "Good Morning America's"
New Book Club, "Cover to Cover"
DOMINICANA by Angie Cruz (Historical Fiction)
Fifteen-year-old Ana Cancion never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she has to say yes. It doesn’t matter that he is twice her age, that there is no love between them. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate. So on New Year’s Day, 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and becomes Ana Ruiz, a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Lonely and miserable, Ana hatches a reckless plan to escape. But at the bus terminal, she is stopped by Cesar, Juan’s free-spirited younger brother, who convinces her to stay.
As the Dominican Republic slides into political turmoil, Juan returns to protect his family’s assets, leaving Cesar to take care of Ana. Suddenly, Ana is free to take English lessons at a local church, lie on the beach at Coney Island, see a movie at Radio City Music Hall, go dancing with Cesar, and imagine the possibility of a different kind of life in America. When Juan returns, Ana must decide once again between her heart and her duty to her family.
In bright, musical prose that reflects the energy of New York City, Angie Cruz's DOMINICANA is a vital portrait of the immigrant experience and the timeless coming-of-age story of a young woman finding her voice in the world.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to find out why DOMINICANA is the first pick in "Good Morning America's" new book club, "Cover to Cover."
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: A SINGLE THREAD by Tracy Chevalier
A SINGLE THREAD by Tracy Chevalier (Historical Fiction)
1932. After the Great War took both her beloved brother and her fiancé, Violet Speedwell has become a "surplus woman," one of a generation doomed to a life of spinsterhood after the war killed so many young men. Yet Violet cannot reconcile herself to a life spent caring for her grieving, embittered mother. After countless meals of boiled eggs and dry toast, she saves enough to move out of her mother's place and into the town of Winchester, home to one of England's grandest cathedrals. There, Violet is drawn into a society of broderers --- women who embroider kneelers for the Cathedral, carrying on a centuries-long tradition of bringing comfort to worshippers.
Violet finds support and community in the group, fulfillment in the work they create, and even a growing friendship with the vivacious Gilda. But when forces threaten her new independence and another war appears on the horizon, Violet must fight to put down roots in a place where women aren't expected to grow. Told in Chevalier's glorious prose, A SINGLE THREAD is a timeless story of friendship, love and a woman crafting her own life.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Now Available in Paperback:
A WELL-BEHAVED WOMAN by Therese Anne Fowler Costco’s Pennie’s Pick for October
and a Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
A WELL-BEHAVED WOMEN: A Novel of the Vanderbilts by Therese Anne Fowler (Historical Fiction)
Alva Smith, her southern family destitute after the Civil War, married into one of America’s great Gilded Age dynasties: the newly wealthy but socially shunned Vanderbilts. Ignored by New York’s old-money circles and determined to win respect, she designed and built nine mansions, hosted grand balls and arranged for her daughter to marry a duke. But Alva also defied convention for women of her time, asserting power within her marriage and becoming a leader in the women's suffrage movement.
With a nod to Jane Austen and Edith Wharton, in A WELL-BEHAVED WOMAN Therese Anne Fowler paints a glittering world of enormous wealth contrasted against desperate poverty, of social ambition and social scorn, of friendship and betrayal, and an unforgettable story of a remarkable woman. Meet Alva Smith Vanderbilt Belmont, living proof that history is made by those who know the rules --- and how to break them.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary for the audiobook.
- Click here to find out why the book is this month's Pennie's Pick for Costco.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: RIGHT AFTER THE WEATHER
by Carol Anshaw
RIGHT AFTER THE WEATHER by Carol Anshaw (Fiction)
It’s the fall of 2016. Cate, a set designer in her early 40s, lives and works in Chicago’s theater community. She has stayed too long at the fair, and knows it’s time to get past her prolonged adolescence and stop taking handouts from her parents. She has a firm plan to get solvent and settled in a serious relationship. She has tentatively started something new, even as she’s haunted by an old, going-nowhere affair. Her ex-husband, recently booted from his most recent marriage, is currently camped out in Cate’s spare bedroom, in thrall to online conspiracy theories, and she’s not sure how to help him. Her best friend Neale, a yoga instructor, lives nearby with her son and is Cate’s model for what serious adulthood looks like.
Only a few blocks away, but in a parallel universe, we find Nathan and Irene --- casual sociopaths, drug addicts and small-time criminals. Their world and Cate’s intersect the day she comes into Neale’s kitchen to find these strangers assaulting her friend. Forced to take fast, spontaneous action, Cate does something she’s never even considered. She now also knows the violence she is capable of, as does everyone else in her life, and overnight, their world has changed.
Anshaw’s flawed, sympathetic and uncannily familiar characters grapple with their altered relationships and identities against the backdrop of the new Trump presidency and a country waking to a different understanding of itself. Eloquent, moving and beautifully observed, RIGHT AFTER THE WEATHER is the work of a master of exquisite prose and a wry and compassionate student of the human condition writing at the height of her considerable powers.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE SISTERS OF SUMMIT AVENUE
by Lynn Cullen
THE SISTERS OF SUMMIT AVENUE by Lynn Cullen (Historical Fiction)
Ruth has been single-handedly raising four young daughters and running her family’s Indiana farm for eight long years, ever since her husband, John, fell into a comatose state, infected by the infamous “sleeping sickness” devastating families across the country. If only she could trade places with her older sister, June, who is the envy of everyone she meets: blonde and beautiful, married to a wealthy doctor, living in a mansion in St. Paul. And June has a coveted job, too, as one of “the Bettys,” the perky recipe developers who populate General Mills’ famous Betty Crocker test kitchens. But these gilded trappings hide sorrows: she has borne no children. And the man she used to love more than anything belongs to Ruth.
When the two sisters reluctantly reunite after a long estrangement, June’s bitterness about her sister’s betrayal sets into motion a confrontation that’s been years in the making. And their mother, Dorothy, who’s brought the two of them together, has her own dark secrets, which might blow up the fragile peace she hopes to restore between her daughters.
An emotional journey of redemption, inner strength and the ties that bind families together, for better or worse, THE SISTERS OF SUMMIT AVENUE is a heartfelt love letter to mothers, daughters and sisters everywhere.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks for October
Our Most Popular Book Group Selections for September’s "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest
October’s New in Paperback Roundups
on Bookreporter.com
October's roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles on Bookreporter.com includes THE NEXT PERSON YOU MEET IN HEAVEN, the enchanting sequel to THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN, in which Mitch Albom tells the story of Eddie’s heavenly reunion with Annie, the little girl he saved on earth; GONE SO LONG, Andre Dubus III's first novel in over a decade, a riveting family drama about an ex-con who did time for murder, the estranged daughter he hasn’t seen in 40 years, and the grandmother angry enough to kill him; Kathy Wang's debut novel, FAMILY TRUST, a compelling tale of cultural expectations, career ambitions and our relationships with the people who know us best; and NOVEMBER ROAD by Lou Berney, a poignant and evocative crime novel that centers on a desperate cat-and-mouse chase across 1960s America --- a story of unexpected connections, daring possibilities and the hope of second chances --- set against the assassination of JFK.
Among our nonfiction highlights are IN PIECES, an intimate, haunting memoir from beloved actress Sally Field, who tells her own story for the first time --- about a challenging and lonely childhood, the craft that helped her find her voice, and a powerful emotional legacy that shaped her journey as a daughter and a mother; WITNESS, in which Ariel Burger, a devoted protégé and friend of one of the world’s great thinkers, takes us into the sacred space of the classroom, showing Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel not only as an extraordinary human being, but as a master teacher; and WHAT IS IT ALL BUT LUMINOUS, Art Garfunkel's memoir (of sorts) that shows readers the evolution of a man, a portrait of a lifelong friendship, and a collaboration that became the most successful singing duo in the roiling age that embraced, and was defined by, their pathfinding folk-rock music.
Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of
September 30th, October 7th, October 14th, October 21st and October 28th.
Bookreporter.com's
Fall Preview Contests and Feature
Fall is known as the biggest season of the year for books. The titles that release during this latter part of the year often become holiday gifts, and many are blockbusters. To celebrate the arrival of fall, we are spotlighting a number of outstanding books that we know people will be talking about in the days and months to come.
We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through October 18th at noon ET, so you will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter to win. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
This year's featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
Enter Our Ongoing Bookreporter.com Contests:
"Word of Mouth" and "Sounding Off on Audio"
Word of Mouth Contest:
Tell Us What You're Reading --- and You Can Win Two Books!
Tell us about the books you’ve finished reading with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from October 4th to October 18th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE GUARDIANS by John Grisham and WHAT HAPPENS IN PARADISE by Elin Hilderbrand.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the books you write about, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For rules and guidelines, click here.
Click here to enter the contest.
Please note: A new Word of Mouth contest will be up
on Friday, October 18th at noon ET.
Sounding Off on Audio Contest:
Tell Us What You're Listening to --- and You Can Win Two Audiobooks!
Tell us about the audiobooks you’ve finished listening to with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for both the performance and the content. During the contest period from October 1st to November 1st at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Jojo Moyes' THE GIVER OF STARS, read by Julia Whelan, and Elizabeth Strout's OLIVE, AGAIN, read by Kimberly Farr.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the audiobook, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For complete rules and guidelines, click here.
Click here to enter the contest.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
DOMINICANA by Angie Cruz (Historical Fiction)
In bright, musical prose that reflects the energy of New York City, Angie Cruz's DOMINICANA --- the first pick in "Good Morning America's" new book club, "Cover to Cover" --- is a vital portrait of the immigrant experience and the timeless coming-of-age story of a young woman finding her voice in the world.
THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett (Fiction)
Ann Patchett, the New York Times bestselling author of COMMONWEALTH and STATE OF WONDER, returns with her most powerful novel to date: a richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go.
THE GIVER OF STARS by Jojo Moyes (Historical Fiction)
Set in Depression-era America, THE GIVER OF STARS is a breathtaking story of five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond, from the author of ME BEFORE YOU and THE PEACOCK EMPORIUM.
IF ONLY I COULD TELL YOU by Hannah Beckerman (Fiction)
Hannah Beckerman pens a life-affirming novel that tells the story of a family divided and the secret that can possibly unite them --- a must for fans of "This Is Us."
RIGHT AFTER THE WEATHER by Carol Anshaw (Fiction)
The author of the “graceful and compassionate” (People) New York Times bestseller CARRY THE ONE presents a new and long-awaited novel exploring what happens when untested people are put to a hard test and, in its aftermath, find themselves in a newly uncertain world.
A SINGLE THREAD by Tracy Chevalier (Historical Fiction)
A SINGLE THREAD by internationally bestselling author Tracy Chevalier is an immersive, moving story of a woman coming into her own at the dawn of the Second World War.
THE SISTERS OF SUMMIT AVENUE by Lynn Cullen (Historical Fiction)
From Lynn Cullen, the bestselling author of MRS. POE and TWAIN'S END, comes a powerful novel set in the Midwest during the Great Depression, about two sisters bound together by love, duty and pain.
THE TESTAMENTS by Margaret Atwood (Dystopian Fiction)
Margaret Atwood's dystopian masterpiece, THE HANDMAID'S TALE, has become a modern classic --- and now she brings the iconic story to a dramatic conclusion in this riveting sequel.
THE WATER DANCER by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Historical Fantasy/Magical Realism)
From the National Book Award-winning author of BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME comes THE WATER DANCER --- Oprah's latest Book Club selection --- a boldly conjured debut novel about a magical gift, a devastating loss, and an underground war for freedom.
A WELL-BEHAVED WOMAN: A Novel of the Vanderbilts by Therese Anne Fowler (Historical Fiction)
A WELL-BEHAVED WOMAN is the riveting novel of iron-willed Alva Vanderbilt and her illustrious family as they rule Gilded-Age New York, from the New York Times bestselling author of Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald.
THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW by Alice Hoffman (Historical Fiction/Magical Realism)
In 1941, during humanity’s darkest hour, three unforgettable young women must act with courage and love to survive, from the New York Times bestselling author of THE DOVEKEEPERS and THE MARRIAGE OF OPPOSITES, Alice Hoffman.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
ALASKAN HOLIDAY by Debbie Macomber (Romance)
Debbie Macomber brings us to the Alaskan wilderness for a magical Christmas tale about finding love where it’s least expected.
THE LIBRARY BOOK by Susan Orlean (Social History)
Susan Orlean’s bestseller and New York Times Notable Book is “a sheer delight…as rich in insight and as varied as the treasures contained on the shelves in any local library” (USA TODAY) --- a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution and an investigation into one of its greatest mysteries. “Everybody who loves books should check out THE LIBRARY BOOK” (The Washington Post).
LISTEN TO THE MARRIAGE by John Jay Osborn (Fiction)
Unfolding over the course of 10 months and taking place entirely in the marriage counselor’s office, LISTEN TO THE MARRIAGE is about a married couple on the brink of divorce and a marriage counselor trying to save their family.
THE SPLENDOR BEFORE THE DARK: A Novel of the Emperor Nero by Margaret George (Historical Fiction)
Nero’s ascent to the throne was only the beginning. Now, Margaret George, the author of THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NERO, weaves a web of politics and passion, as ancient Rome’s most infamous emperor cements his place in history.
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