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Carol moderated three panels at the Morristown Festival of Books, each featuring two authors.
First, she interviewed Whitney Scharer (left), author of THE AGE OF LIGHT,
and Marie Benedict (middle), author of THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM.
As you can see, they are holding each other's books!
Next, Carol interviewed Beatriz Williams (left), author of THE GOLDEN HOUR,
and Marjan Kamali (right), author of THE STATIONERY SHOP.
Carol's last interview was with Jennifer Robson (left), author of THE GOWN,
and Pam Jenoff (right), author of THE LOST GIRLS OF PARIS.
Click on the images above for our videos and podcasts from our “Bookreporter Talks To” series.
Our latest interview is with Nelson DeMille and his son, Alex DeMille,
whose new thriller, THE DESERTER, is now in stores.
Coming soon will be our interview with Heather Morris, whose latest novel,
CILKA'S JOURNEY, is a sequel to THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ.
Two Great Contests --- and Lots More
to Close Out October!
In our last newsletter, I posed this question to our readers: “Besides looking at discussion guides, what does your group do to prep for conversation about the book for your book group meeting?” We received so many terrific ideas that we compiled all of your responses into a blog post, which you can see here. Many thanks to all of you who let us know how you approach your discussions; as always, your feedback is much appreciated!
On Tuesday, I am going to be interviewing Heather Morris, the author of THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ and CILKA’S JOURNEY, for our “Bookreporter Talks To” series. If you have a question for Heather, please send me an email by Sunday, October 27th at noon.
I am excited to announce a very special contest for Jeanine Cummins’ upcoming novel, AMERICAN DIRT, which will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. It’s a book that has been getting lots of attention --- and one that I cannot stop thinking about since I read it. Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco with her husband, who is a journalist, and their son, Luca. One day, a man named Javier enters the bookstore she runs and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy. Unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the leader of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.
Although the book doesn’t release until January 21st, we’re giving 10 groups the chance to win up to 10 advance copies of AMERICAN DIRT, provided that they can give us their feedback on it by Friday, February 28th. (Please be sure that you will be able to meet and discuss this book, and get your comments to us by this date!) To enter, all you have to do is fill out this form by Monday, November 18th at noon ET. We will add discussion questions as soon as they become available.
You have until Wednesday, November 6th at noon ET to enter our “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest, where three groups will win 12 copies of THE LIBRARY BOOK for their group. Susan Orlean’s bestseller, a Bets On pick that’s now available in paperback, is both a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution and an investigation into one of its greatest mysteries --- the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Public Library. Be sure to fill out the form on this page, and then check out the discussion guide, our Bookreporter review, my Bets On commentary for the audiobook (which Susan herself narrates), and a Q&A with the author. It’s such a treat of a book!
Earlier today, Elizabeth Breeden of Simon & Schuster was joined by two librarians for a Facebook Live Book Club chat to talk about THE LIBRARY BOOK, October’s pick for S&S's Book Club Favorites program, which you can watch here. As they wrapped up their discussion, Elizabeth announced that next month’s selection will be MRS. FLETCHER by Tom Perrotta. HBO is adapting this bestselling novel into a television series starring Kathryn Hahn, and it is set to premiere this Sunday, October 27th at 10:30pm ET/PT.
For this late-month update, we are featuring the discussion guide for THE AGE OF LIGHT, which released in paperback this week and was a Bets On selection when it came out in hardcover earlier this year. This debut novel from Whitney Scharer tells the story of Vogue model turned renowned photographer Lee Miller, and her search to forge a new identity as an artist after a life spent as a muse. "I'd rather take a photograph than be one," she declares after she arrives in Paris in 1929, where she soon catches the eye of the famous Surrealist Man Ray. Though he wants to use her only as a model, Lee convinces him to take her on as his assistant and teach her everything he knows. But Man Ray turns out to be an egotistical, charismatic force, and as they work together in the darkroom, their personal and professional lives become intimately entwined, changing the course of Lee's life forever. We have a rave review of the book, which you can read here, and my Bets On commentary is here.
In addition to THE AGE OF LIGHT, we have discussion guides for TO THE LAND OF LONG LOST FRIENDS, the 20th installment in Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series --- which finds Precious Ramotswe taking on a case for a childhood acquaintance --- and UNSHELTERED, Barbara Kingsolver’s first novel since 2012’s FLIGHT BEHAVIOR (and newly released in paperback), which tells the story of two families, in two centuries, navigating what seems to be the end of the world as they know it.
We also are bringing to your attention four books for which we featured the guides when they originally released in hardcover and are now available in paperback. They are ALASKAN HOLIDAY by Debbie Macomber, a magical Christmas tale about finding love where it’s least expected; THE SPLENDOR BEFORE THE DARK, the sequel to Margaret George’s THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NERO, in which ancient Rome’s most infamous emperor cements his place in history; Jean Thompson’s A CLOUD IN THE SHAPE OF A GIRL, a Bets On pick about three generations of women who struggle to find freedom and happiness in their small Midwestern college town; and LISTEN TO THE MARRIAGE by John Jay Osborn, a riveting drama of marital therapy that unfolds over the course of 10 months and takes place entirely in a marriage counselor’s office.
A reminder that on Tuesday, November 5th at 7pm local time, Barnes & Noble will be hosting a free Book Club Night in stores across the country to discuss the dark fantasy NINTH HOUSE, Leigh Bardugo’s first novel for adults. If you’d like to attend, click here to sign up. In the meantime, you can take a look at our review on Bookreporter here.
Last week, we received the surprising news that two authors were awarded this year’s Man Booker Prize for Fiction: Margaret Atwood for THE TESTAMENTS and Bernardine Evaristo for GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER. The Booker Prize has been jointly awarded only twice before, to Nadine Gordimer and Stanley Middleton in 1974 and to Michael Ondaatje and Barry Unsworth in 1992. In 1993, the rules were changed so that only one author could win the prize. This is the first time since then that two authors have been announced as joint winners. Click here to read more about Atwood, Evaristo and their prize-winning books.
It’s been a busy month for me. At the Morristown Festival of Books, I interviewed six authors, each of whom has written a book that would be great for a book club discussion: Marie Benedict, Pam Jenoff, Marjan Kamali, Jennifer Robson, the aforementioned Whitney Scharer and Beatriz Williams. You can see photos above. Annmarie Puleio, one of our longtime readers, was at the Festival and was kind enough to share her experiences with us in this blog post. She attended the Book Club Girl luncheon that was held at the Festival and gives great feedback about that event.
If you have the opportunity to attend a book festival, I highly recommend it. There is nothing quite like being in a room with hundreds of book lovers. Last Sunday, I was at the White Plains Public Library where I shared “book group perfect” titles with a really engaged group. After my presentation, they shared ideas on what works with their book groups. I loved the dialogue.
Next Saturday, I am doing an event with Fiona Davis at the Hillsborough Public Library. It’s sold out with a wait list!
I have one last event for the year on November 14th from 6:30-8:30pm at the HarperCollins offices, where Book Club Girl will present "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 hope you are enjoying our “Bookreporter Talks To” videos and podcasts. We just added our video interview with Nelson DeMille and his son, Alex DeMille, and a podcast of that discussion this week. Their first collaborative novel, THE DESERTER, is now in stores.
Have 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 Up to 10 Advance Copies of AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins
and Share Your Group's Comments on It
ReadingGroupGuides.com is proud to host a very special contest for AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins, a rare exploration into the inner hearts of people willing to sacrifice everything for a glimmer of hope, which releases on January 21st. Ten book groups will win up to 10 advance copies of the novel with the commitment of previewing it and providing feedback on it by Friday, February 28th. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, November 18th at noon ET.
In order to qualify as a winning group, your group must be able to commit to reading and discussing AMERICAN DIRT, and sharing your group's feedback with us, by Friday, February 28th. We strongly encourage all winners to share their experiences on social media, including reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Bookreporter.com’s "Word of Mouth" feature.
AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins (Fiction)
Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.
Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day, a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy --- two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.
Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia --- trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?
AMERICAN DIRT will leave readers utterly changed. It is a literary achievement filled with poignancy, drama and humanity on every page. It is one of the most important books for our times.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Featured Guide:
THE AGE OF LIGHT by Whitney Scharer
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
Now Available in Paperback
THE AGE OF LIGHT by Whitney Scharer (Historical Fiction)
"I'd rather take a photograph than be one," Lee Miller declares after she arrives in Paris in 1929, where she soon catches the eye of the famous Surrealist Man Ray. Though he wants to use her only as a model, Lee convinces him to take her on as his assistant and teach her everything he knows. As they work together in the darkroom, their personal and professional lives become intimately entwined, changing the course of Lee's life forever.
Lee's journey of self-discovery takes her from the cabarets of bohemian Paris to the battlefields of war-torn Europe during WWII, from inventing radical new photography techniques to documenting the liberation of the concentration camps as one of the first female war correspondents. Through it all, Lee must grapple with the question of whether it's possible to stay true to herself while also fulfilling her artistic ambition --- and what she will have to sacrifice to do so.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
Click here for the featured guide.
"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.
New Guide: TO THE LAND OF LONG LOST FRIENDS
by Alexander McCall Smith
TO THE LAND OF LONG LOST FRIENDS: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (20) by Alexander McCall Smith (Mystery)
Mma Ramotswe has reconnected with an old friend who has been having problems with her daughter. Though Precious feels compelled to lend a hand, she discovers that getting involved in family affairs is always a delicate affair. The young woman appears to be involved with a charismatic preacher. But are his ministrations entirely of a godly nature?
Elsewhere, Charlie is also struggling with a tricky matter of the heart. He wishes to propose to his girlfriend, Queenie-Queenie, but he's struggling to come up with a bride price that will impress her father. When Queenie-Queenie's brother offers to help by giving him a job, the offer may not be quite what Charlie expected.
As always, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni will offer wise counsel, Mma Makutsi will weigh in with her opinions, and Mma Potokwane will be there with her welcome fruit cake. But in the end, it will be up to Mma Ramotswe to reflect on love, family and the nature of men and women in order to resolve family dramas and remind everyone about all the good things they have in life --- so many, in fact, that it would take far too long to count them.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: UNSHELTERED by Barbara Kingsolver
Now Available in Paperback
UNSHELTERED by Barbara Kingsolver (Fiction)
How could two hardworking people do everything right in life, a woman asks, and end up destitute? Willa Knox and her husband followed all the rules as responsible parents and professionals, and have nothing to show for it but debts and an inherited brick house that is falling apart. The magazine where Willa worked has folded; the college where her husband had tenure has closed. Their dubious shelter is also the only option for a disabled father-in-law and an exasperating, free-spirited daughter. When the family’s one success story, an Ivy-educated son, is uprooted by tragedy, he seems likely to join them, with dark complications of his own.
In another time, a troubled husband and public servant asks, How can a man tell the truth, and be reviled for it? A science teacher with a passion for honest investigation, Thatcher Greenwood finds himself under siege: his employer forbids him to speak of the exciting work just published by Charles Darwin. His young bride and social-climbing mother-in-law bristle at the risk of scandal, and dismiss his worries that their elegant house is unsound. In a village ostensibly founded as a benevolent Utopia, Thatcher wants only to honor his duties, but his friendships with a woman scientist and a renegade newspaper editor threaten to draw him into a vendetta with the town’s powerful men.
UNSHELTERED is the compulsively readable story of two families, in two centuries, who live at the corner of Sixth and Plum in Vineland, New Jersey, navigating what seems to be the end of the world as they know it. With history as their tantalizing canvas, these characters paint a startlingly relevant portrait of life in precarious times when the foundations of the past have failed to prepare us for the future.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Now Available in Paperback:
ALASKAN HOLIDAY by Debbie Macomber
ALASKAN HOLIDAY by Debbie Macomber (Romance)
Before beginning her dream job as sous chef in one of Seattle’s hottest new restaurants, Josie Avery takes a summer position cooking at a lakeside lodge in the remote Alaskan town of Ponder. Josie falls for the rustic charms of the local community --- including Jack Corcoran, the crotchety keeper of Ponder’s famed sourdough starter, and, in particular, the quiet and intense Palmer Saxon, a famed master swordsmith.
Josie and Palmer become close during the long Alaskan summer days, but Josie knows that, come fall, she’ll be returning to reality and the career she’s worked so hard for. Palmer, on the other hand, would like nothing better than to make Josie his wife and to keep her in Ponder. But Josie can’t imagine abandoning her mother back in the Emerald City and sacrificing her career to stay in this isolated town --- not even for a man she’s quickly coming to love.
Fate has other plans. Josie misses the last boat out of town before winter sets in, stranding her in Ponder and putting her dream job at risk. As the holidays approach, Josie and Palmer must grapple with the complications that arise when dreams confront reality, and the Christmas magic that can happen when they put their faith in love.
Debbie Macomber is at her best in this beautiful holiday story about the far journeys we travel to find a place to call home.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Now Available in Paperback:
THE SPLENDOR BEFORE THE DARK by Margaret George
THE SPLENDOR BEFORE THE DARK: A Novel of the Emperor Nero by Margaret George (Historical Fiction)
With the beautiful and cunning Poppaea at his side, Nero Augustus commands the Roman empire, ushering in an unprecedented era of artistic and cultural splendor. Although he has yet to produce an heir, his power is unquestioned.
But in the 10th year of his reign, a terrifying prophecy comes to pass and a fire engulfs Rome, reducing entire swaths of the city to rubble. Rumors of Nero’s complicity in the blaze start to sow unrest among the populace --- and the politicians.
For better or worse, Nero knows that his fate is now tied to Rome’s --- and he vows to rebuild it as a city that will stun the world. But there are those who find his rampant quest for glory dangerous. Throughout the empire, false friends and spies conspire against him, not understanding what drives him to undertake the impossible.
Nero will either survive and be the first in his family to escape the web of betrayals that is the Roman court, or be ensnared and remembered as the last radiance of the greatest dynasty the world had ever known.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Now Available in Paperback:
A CLOUD IN THE SHAPE OF A GIRL by Jean Thompson
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
A CLOUD IN THE SHAPE OF A GIRL by Jean Thompson (Fiction)
A CLOUD IN THE SHAPE OF A GIRL is a poignant novel about three generations of the Wise family --- Evelyn, Laura and Grace --- as they hunt for contentment amid chaos of their own making.
We see these women and their trials, small and large: social slights and heartbreaks; marital disappointments and infidelities; familial dysfunction; mortality. Spanning from World War II to the present, Jean Thompson reveals a matrilineal love story that is so perfectly grounded in our time --- a story of three women regressing, stalling, and yes, evolving, over decades. One of the burning questions she asks is: By serving her family, is a woman destined to repeat the mistakes of previous generations, or can she transcend the expectations of a place, and a time? Can she truly be free?
Evelyn, Laura and Grace are the glue that binds their family together. Tethered to their small Midwestern town --- by choice or chance --- Thompson seamlessly weaves together the stories of the Wise women with humanity and elegance, through their heartbreaks, setbacks, triumphs and tragedies.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Now Available in Paperback:
LISTEN TO THE MARRIAGE by John Jay Osborn
LISTEN TO THE MARRIAGE by John Jay Osborn (Fiction)
Gretchen and Steve have been married for a long time. Living in San Francisco, recently separated, with two children and demanding jobs, they’ve started going to a marriage counselor. Unfolding over the course of 10 months and taking place entirely in the marriage counselor’s office, John Jay Osborn’s LISTEN TO THE MARRIAGE is the story of a fractured couple in a moment of crisis, and of the person who tries to get them to see each other again.
A searing look at the obstacles we put in our own way, as well as the forces that drive us apart (and those that bring us together), LISTEN TO THE MARRIAGE is a poignant exploration of marriage --- heartbreaking and tender.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New October Releases of Interest to Book Groups
Below are a number of books releasing in October for the first time (which we aren't currently featuring on the site) that we think will be of interest to book groups.
THE CHRISTMAS BOUTIQUE: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini (Fiction)
New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini returns with a delightful Christmas-themed installment in her beloved Elm Creek Quilts series --- a captivating, heartwarming tale sure to become a holiday favorite.
THE CHRISTMAS SPIRITS ON TRADD STREET by Karen White (Fiction)
The Christmas spirit is overtaking Tradd Street with a vengeance in this festive new novel in Karen White’s New York Times bestselling series.
CILKA'S JOURNEY by Heather Morris (Historical Fiction)
From the author of the multi-million copy bestseller THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ comes a new novel based on an incredible true story of love and resilience.
A CRUEL DECEPTION: A Bess Crawford Mystery by Charles Todd (Historical Mystery)
In the aftermath of World War I, nurse Bess Crawford attempts to save a troubled former soldier from a mysterious killer in this 11th book in the beloved Bess Crawford mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd.
DAD'S MAYBE BOOK by Tim O’Brien (Memoir)
Bestselling author Tim O’Brien shares wisdom from a life in letters, lessons learned in wartime, and the challenges, humor and rewards of raising two sons.
FIND ME by André Aciman (Fiction)
In this spellbinding exploration of the varieties of love, the author of the worldwide bestseller CALL ME BY YOUR NAME revisits its complex and beguiling characters decades after their first meeting.
HOW WE FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES: A Memoir by Saeed Jones (Memoir)
Haunted and haunting, Saeed Jones’ memoir tells the story of a young, black, gay man from the South as he fights to carve out a place for himself --- within his family, within his country, within his own hopes, desires and fears.
A MRS. MIRACLE CHRISTMAS by Debbie Macomber (Fiction)
Mrs. Miracle shows an ordinary family that they are blessed beyond belief in this uplifting holiday tale from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.
OLIVE, AGAIN by Elizabeth Strout (Fiction)
#1 New York Times bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout continues the life of her beloved Olive Kitteridge, a character who has captured the imaginations of millions.
THE TOPEKA SCHOOL by Ben Lerner (Fiction)
From the award-winning author of 10:04 and LEAVING THE ATOCHA STATION comes a tender and expansive family drama set in the American Midwest at the turn of the century: a tale of adolescence, transgression, and the conditions that have given rise to the trolls and tyrants of the New Right.
WHAT HAPPENS IN PARADISE by Elin Hilderbrand (Fiction)
Secret lives and new loves emerge in the bright Caribbean sunlight in this follow-up to the national bestseller WINTER IN PARADISE.
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.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
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.
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 18th to November 1st at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of BLUE MOON: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child and THE DESERTER by Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille.
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, November 1st 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.
Please note: A new Sounding Off on Audio contest will be up
on Friday, November 1st at noon ET.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
THE AGE OF LIGHT by Whitney Scharer (Historical Fiction)
Told in the alternating timelines of 1930s Paris and the battlefields of WWII, this "rapturous and razor sharp" debut novel brings to light the life of Lee Miller, a little known but fearlessly original artist whose legacy remains largely unexplored (Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of THE PARIS WIFE).
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 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.
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.
TO THE LAND OF LONG LOST FRIENDS: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (20) by Alexander McCall Smith (Mystery)
In the latest book in the widely beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Precious Ramotswe takes on a case for a childhood acquaintance and finds that family relationships are always a tricky proposition --- even for Botswana's premier female detective.
UNSHELTERED by Barbara Kingsolver (Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling author of FLIGHT BEHAVIOR, THE LACUNA and THE POISONWOOD BIBLE returns with a timely novel that interweaves past and present to explore the human capacity for resiliency and compassion in times of great upheaval.
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.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
A CLOUD IN THE SHAPE OF A GIRL by Jean Thompson (Fiction)
From the National Book Award finalist and the New York Times bestselling author of THE YEAR WE LEFT HOME comes a moving family saga about three generations of women who struggle to find freedom and happiness in their small Midwestern college town.
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).
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