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We have FOUR new "Bookreporter Talks To" interviews to share with you.
First up is Kate Elizabeth Russell, who talked to Carol about her debut novel, MY DARK VANESSA,
which is a #1 Indie Next pick and a LibraryReads Top Pick for March.
Click on the photo above for the video and here for the podcast.
Therese Anne Fowler chatted with Carol about her latest novel,
A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD, March's Barnes & Noble Book Club pick and a Bets On selection.
Click on the photo above for the video and here for the podcast.
Rebecca Serle stopped by our office a few weeks ago to talk about her new novel, IN FIVE YEARS,
which is March's "Good Morning America" Book Club pick and a Bets On selection.
Click on the photo above for the video and here for the podcast.
Carol had a wonderful conversation with Harlan Coben about his new thriller, THE BOY
FROM THE WOODS. Click on the photo above for the video and here for the podcast.
Jenna Bush Hager has selected VALENTINE, a debut novel by Elizabeth Wetmore, as
April's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club pick. Click on the cover above to find out why.
Carol was asked by her Long Hill Book Group to choose an uplifting book for their April selection.
Her pick? THE DAY THE WORLD CAME TO TOWN: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim DeFede,
which inspired Broadway’s smash-hit musical, "Come from Away."
Carol shares suggestions for personal and book group reading in her latest promo video.
Reading in Isolation, But Lots to Share!
Before writing this newsletter, I looked at the last one we did. Though it was written on March 11th, it seems like it was a lifetime ago. I feel like March has had 1,000 days in it!
With huge thanks to our team, we have kept up the pace these past few weeks. In fact, we have been trying to bring you MORE book-related content. I am now shooting two “Bookreporter Talks To” interviews each week, coming to you from my dining room studio. And this week, in addition to the Bookreporter promo video (which will be up by Thursday), we shot a video about great books for book groups --- this time from our family room. Yes, I miss the in-person camaraderie of our team, but I am loving what we are doing from a distance. This week, I am interviewing Diane Chamberlain about BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN and Lisa See about THE ISLAND OF SEA WOMEN. I had been scheduled to talk to both of them at the Tucson Festival of Books, so I am happy to be doing interviews this way!
There is still time to enter our current “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest, where three readers will win 12 copies of THE ISLAND OF SEA WOMEN. Newly released in paperback, this Bookreporter.com Bets On pick revolves around female friendship and devastating family secrets on a small Korean island. As I said in my Bets On commentary, “I love the way Lisa can bring a world that I know little about into brilliant focus as she takes readers through seven decades beginning in 1938. Thinking of how much happened in Korea during that time period, I was astounded by how much I did not know…. Book groups, take note. This book will be one rich reading experience for you.” To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, April 8th at noon ET. If your group is not meeting in person, feel free to tell us what your planned title to read this month was!
We have SIX new discussion guides to share with you in this late-month newsletter. First up is MY DARK VANESSA, a #1 Indie Next pick and a LibraryReads Top Pick for March. Kate Elizabeth Russell’s much-talked-about debut novel explores the psychological dynamics of the relationship between a precocious yet naïve teenage girl and her magnetic and manipulative teacher. Click here for the guide and here for our review on Bookreporter.
I had the pleasure of chatting with Kate recently for a “Bookreporter Talks To” interview. We had an in-depth discussion about why she wrote this book over many years, how she found Vanessa’s voice, and the complicated realities that confuse love with abuse. Click here to watch the interview and here to listen to the podcast.
Next up is THE NIGHT WATCHMAN, National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich’s latest New York Times bestseller. This powerful novel is based on the extraordinary life of her grandfather, who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, D.C. You can check out the guide here and our Bookreporter review here.
We also are featuring guides for two more recent releases: THE RED LOTUS, Chris Bohjalian’s latest thriller about an American man who vanishes on a rural road in Vietnam, and his girlfriend, an emergency room doctor who follows a path that leads her home to the very hospital where they met; and I WANT YOU TO KNOW WE’RE STILL HERE, a deeply moving memoir from Esther Safran Foer, who found out that her father had a previous wife and daughter --- both of whom were killed in the Holocaust --- and resolved to find out who they were, and how her father survived (this story served as the inspiration for the 2002 novel, EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED, written by Esther’s son, Jonathan Safran Foer).
Finally, we have added guides for a pair of books that are now available in paperback: BECOMING MRS. LEWIS, Patti Callahan’s first work of historical fiction that centers on the improbable love story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis (this new expanded edition includes a timeline of “Jack's and Joy's Lives,” Joy's [imagined] letter to Jack, and “10 Things You May Not Know About Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis's Love Story”); and Susan Mallery’s novel, THE SUMMER OF SUNSHINE AND MARGOT, which introduces readers to two sisters who have only ever had each other --- until one fateful summer when Sunshine and Margot Baxter turn disastrous luck into destiny.
There are three more “Bookreporter Talks To” interviews I conducted recently that I’d like to tell you about. Rebecca Serle stopped by our office three weeks ago (right before we all started working from home; I gaze at this to remember what my New York office looks like) to discuss her latest novel, IN FIVE YEARS, March’s “Good Morning America” Book Club pick and a Bets On selection. We had a lovely time talking about people in their 20s, plans that are upended, and embracing the unexpected changes in life. Click here to watch the interview and here to listen to the podcast.
I also had a wonderful conversation with Therese Anne Fowler, whose new novel, A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD, is March’s Barnes & Noble Book Club selection and a Bets On pick. Therese and I talked about writing during this pandemic, how communities have changed with our times, and the ways in which her characters react to each other’s identities, among many other topics. Click here to watch the interview and here to listen to the podcast.
While the in-store B&N event for A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD has been canceled, that doesn’t mean you can’t talk about it. On Tuesday, April 7th at 7pm ET, you can join Therese for a virtual #BNBookClub event, as she will be LIVE on Facebook @barnesandnoble to host a discussion. Having chatted with Therese, I know this will be a lively and informative conversation!
For suspense/thriller fans, my first Zoom interview was with Harlan Coben, a fellow Jerseyite. We talked about his latest thriller, THE BOY FROM THE WOODS, as well as his new series on Netflix, "The Stranger." And his faithful companion, Laszlo, made a guest appearance. Click here to watch the interview and here to listen to the podcast.
Earlier today, three members of the Simon & Schuster team talked to Kristin Harmel about her novel, THE WINEMAKER’S WIFE, which is now in paperback and is March’s pick for S&S's Book Club Favorites program. Click here for their discussion, which took place over Zoom (I watched, and it was so well done from four different locations), and be sure to check out the comments section on Facebook to see what your fellow readers thought about the book. Next month’s selection will be MRS. EVERYTHING by Jennifer Weiner, a Bets On title that releases in paperback on April 7th.
We have heard an announcement about the first of the celebrity/media book club selections for April. Jenna Bush Hager selected VALENTINE by debut novelist Elizabeth Wetmore as April's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club title. Set in Odessa, Texas, in the 1970s, the book struck a chord with Jenna as she was raised in Texas. And in fact, it was recommended to her by Valerie Koehler, owner of Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston. “Set in Odessa, Texas, in 1976, the novel follows the aftermath of a horrific act of violence: the attack of a 14-year-old girl named Gloria Ramirez. Told through different characters' perspectives, the story explores how race and class intersect in a small, secluded community on the cusp of an oil boom.” I had the pleasure of hearing Elizabeth speak about VALENTINE at ALA Midwinter, and it’s on my reading pile.
My Long Hill Book Group tasked me with coming up with an uplifting book for our April selection. I literally wracked my brain about this one for days. Then I knew what to pick: THE DAY THE WORLD CAME TO TOWN by Jim DeFede. This is the story of the town of Gander, Newfoundland, where 38 international planes landed on 9/11. They were stuck there as airspace was closed in the States. For four days, the town population swelled from 10,000 to 17,000. It’s a beautifully heartwarming story of how a town pulled together. The Broadway play "Come from Away" is based on the same topic, though I am not sure that the book gets credit. I am not a huge Broadway fan, but when theaters reopen, I am getting tickets to this one. I have recommended THE DAY THE WORLD CAME TO TOWN so many times through the years. Now I need to find my copy here in this house!!!
We are planning to meet via Zoom. And my neighborhood book group wants to try the same thing. If you are doing anything innovative to meet with your group, let us know by emailing me with the subject line “Virtual Ideas for Meeting.” We’d love to share your thoughts with other readers. Keep reading even if you are not gathering to discuss the books.
One of our readers, Melanie, used Zoom with her group. Here's her feedback:
“I am not a techie, but it went pretty well. A few people had a hard time logging on and were unable to do so, but there were about 10 of us, including three new members just this month! I think people are longing for personal connection in these tough times. There were some tech issues, but one of our members, who has used the Zoom platform for her job, taught us how to use the mute button when not speaking to prevent reverb and also reminded people not to log on with two devices but to just pick one, which also prevents the background noise. Overall, it was a very good discussion on THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAM HELL. Do I think it would have been better if the discussion was in-person? Absolutely...but desperate times call for desperate measures. Also, Zoom stated we would have 40 minutes for free, but about 10 minutes before the end of the meeting, I got a pop-up on my screen telling me, as the administrator, that the meeting would be extended to indefinite. Thank you, Zoom!”
For your online shopping, we would love for you to continue to support the many small booksellers around the country by searching for one here and buying from them. And here's a piece from Publishers Weekly, "10 Ways to Support Your Indie Bookstore Through Coronavirus and Beyond." We also recommend buying audiobooks from Libro.fm. Did you know that you can buy audiobooks and support the independent bookstore of your choice? You can!
Also, there is a new US bookseller that is supporting indies called Bookshop.org. We will be signing an affiliate agreement with them shortly. This will be replacing the IndieBound link. For those in the UK, you can support UK booksellers by shopping on Hive.
Amazon.com, BN.com and Books-A-Million are also still getting books out from their warehouses. You can shop through them as well, but shopping small keeps small businesses going. I have seen so many photos of my bookseller friends online getting shipments out to their customers. This, too, shall pass, and we want the places we love to be there when it is over!
And libraries that are closed continue to loan e-books, digital audio and other digital materials.
As you know, we have been running a fundraiser to help us continue to improve The Book Report Network. We are a small business, and these are challenging times, thus all donations coming our way are going towards ensuring that we can keep operating and delivering you the content that you have come to expect. Our redesign has moved a tad to the backburner for the moment. So, if you are so inclined, here’s our GoFundMe link, or we are happy to receive checks at the office. Things are in so much flux these days; I want to be sure that we can keep our small but intrepid team going, as well as cover the cost that goes into delivering these sites and this newsletter. The less time I have to spend worrying about the math, the more we can continue to bring you the content we so love providing for you.
Now I am off to prep for interviews; I have lots of reading to do for those. There are times when I feel like a college student as I am reading books and writing interview questions. That said, I am so excited about the plans that we have for you in the next few weeks!
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 Guide: MY DARK VANESSA by Kate Elizabeth Russell
MY DARK VANESSA by Kate Elizabeth Russell (Fiction)
2000. Bright, ambitious and yearning for adulthood, 15-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful 42-year-old English teacher.
2017. Amid the rising wave of allegations against powerful men, a reckoning is coming due. Strane has been accused of sexual abuse by a former student, who reaches out to Vanessa, and now Vanessa suddenly finds herself facing an impossible choice: remain silent, firm in the belief that her teenage self willingly engaged in this relationship, or redefine herself and the events of her past. But how can Vanessa reject her first love, the man who fundamentally transformed her and has been a persistent presence in her life? Is it possible that the man she loved as a teenager --- and who professed to worship only her --- may be far different from what she has always believed?
Alternating between Vanessa’s present and her past, MY DARK VANESSA juxtaposes memory and trauma with the breathless excitement of a teenage girl discovering the power her own body can wield. Thought-provoking and impossible to put down, this is a masterful portrayal of troubled adolescence and its repercussions that raises vital questions about agency, consent, complicity and victimhood. Written with the haunting intimacy of THE GIRLS and the creeping intensity of ROOM, MY DARK VANESSA is an era-defining novel that brilliantly captures and reflects the shifting cultural mores transforming our relationships and society itself.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Kate Elizabeth Russell.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE NIGHT WATCHMAN by Louise Erdrich
THE NIGHT WATCHMAN by Louise Erdrich (Historical Fiction)
Thomas Wazhashk is the night watchman at the jewel-bearing plant, the first factory located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new “emancipation” bill on its way to the floor of the United States Congress. It is 1953, and he and the other council members know the bill isn’t about freedom; Congress is fed up with Indians. The bill is a “termination” that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity. How can the government abandon treaties made in good faith with Native Americans “for as long as the grasses shall grow, and the rivers run”?
Since graduating high school, Pixie Paranteau has insisted that everyone call her Patrice. Unlike most of the girls on the reservation, Patrice, the class valedictorian, has no desire to wear herself down with a husband and kids. She makes jewel bearings at the plant, a job that barely pays her enough to support her mother and brother. Patrice’s shameful alcoholic father returns home sporadically to terrorize his wife and children and bully her for money. But Patrice needs every penny to follow her beloved older sister, Vera, who moved to the big city of Minneapolis. Vera may have disappeared; she hasn’t been in touch in months, and is rumored to have had a baby. Determined to find Vera and her child, Patrice makes a fateful trip to Minnesota that introduces her to unexpected forms of exploitation and violence, and endangers her life.
Thomas and Patrice live in this impoverished reservation community along with young Chippewa boxer Wood Mountain and his mother Juggie Blue, her niece and Patrice’s best friend Valentine, and Stack Barnes, the white high school math teacher and boxing coach who is hopelessly in love with Patrice.
Louise Erdrich creates a fictional world populated with memorable characters who are forced to grapple with the worst and best impulses of human nature. Illuminating the loves and lives, the desires and ambitions of these characters with compassion, wit and intelligence, THE NIGHT WATCHMAN is a majestic work of fiction from this revered cultural treasure.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
“What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of
THE ISLAND OF SEA WOMEN by Lisa See,
Now Available in Paperback, 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 ISLAND OF SEA WOMEN by Lisa See. This Bookreporter.com Bets On title, which is now available in paperback, is an evocative tale of two best friends whose bonds are both strengthened and tested over decades by forces beyond their control. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, April 8th at noon ET.
THE ISLAND OF SEA WOMEN by Lisa See (Historical Fiction)
Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls living on the Korean island of Jeju, are best friends who come from very different backgrounds. When they are old enough, they begin working in the sea with their village’s all-female diving collective, led by Young-sook’s mother. As the girls take up their positions as baby divers, they know they are beginning a life of excitement and responsibility but also danger.
Despite their love for each other, Mi-ja and Young-sook’s differences are impossible to ignore. THE ISLAND OF SEA WOMEN is an epoch set over many decades, beginning during a period of Japanese colonialism in the 1930s and 1940s, followed by World War II, the Korean War and its aftermath, through the era of cell phones and wet suits for the women divers. Throughout this time, the residents of Jeju find themselves caught between warring empires. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator, and she will forever be marked by this association. Young-sook was born into a long line of haenyeo and will inherit her mother’s position leading the divers in their village. Little do the two friends know that after surviving hundreds of dives and developing the closest of bonds, forces outside their control will push their friendship to the breaking point.
“This vivid…thoughtful and empathetic” novel (The New York Times Book Review) illuminates a world turned upside down, one where the women are in charge and the men take care of the children. “A wonderful ode to a truly singular group of women” (Publishers Weekly), THE ISLAND OF SEA WOMEN is a “beautiful story…about the endurance of friendship when it’s pushed to its limits, and you…will love it” (Cosmopolitan).
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Guide: THE RED LOTUS by Chris Bohjalian
THE RED LOTUS by Chris Bohjalian (Thriller)
The first time Alexis saw Austin, it was a Saturday night. Not in a bar, but in the emergency room where Alexis sutured a bullet wound in Austin's arm. Six months later, on the brink of falling in love, they travel to Vietnam on a bike tour so that Austin can show her his passion for cycling and he can pay his respects to the place where his father and uncle fought in the war. But as Alexis sips white wine and waits at the hotel for him to return from his solo ride, two men emerge from the tall grass and Austin vanishes into thin air. The only clue he leaves behind is a bright yellow energy gel dropped on the road.
As Alexis grapples with this bewildering loss, and deals with the FBI, Austin's prickly family, and her colleagues at the hospital, Alexis uncovers a series of strange lies that force her to wonder: Where did Austin go? Why did he really bring her to Vietnam? And how much danger has he left her in?
Set amidst the adrenaline-fueled world of the emergency room, THE RED LOTUS is a global thriller about those who dedicate their lives to saving people, and those who peddle death to the highest bidder.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: I WANT YOU TO KNOW WE'RE STILL HERE
by Esther Safran Foer
I WANT YOU TO KNOW WE'RE STILL HERE: A Post-Holocaust Memoir by Esther Safran Foer (Memoir)
Esther Safran Foer grew up in a home where the past was too terrible to speak of. The child of parents who were each the sole survivors of their respective families, for Esther the Holocaust loomed in the backdrop of daily life, felt but never discussed. The result was a childhood marked by painful silences and continued tragedy. Even as she built a successful career, married and raised three children, Esther always felt herself searching.
So when Esther’s mother casually mentions an astonishing revelation --- that her father had a previous wife and daughter, both killed in the Holocaust --- Esther resolves to find out who they were, and how her father survived. Armed with only a black-and-white photo and a hand-drawn map, she travels to Ukraine, determined to find the shtetl where her father hid during the war. What she finds reshapes her identity and gives her the opportunity to finally mourn.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW WE'RE STILL HERE is the poignant and deeply moving story not only of Esther’s journey but of four generations living in the shadow of the Holocaust. They are four generations of survivors, storytellers and memory keepers, determined not just to keep the past alive but to imbue the present with life and more life.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: BECOMING MRS. LEWIS by Patti Callahan
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Pick
Now Available in Paperback
BECOMING MRS. LEWIS by Patti Callahan (Historical Fiction)
When poet and writer Joy Davidman began writing letters to C. S. Lewis --- known as Jack --- she was looking for spiritual answers, not love. Love, after all, wasn’t holding together her crumbling marriage. Everything about New Yorker Joy seemed ill-matched for an Oxford don and the beloved writer of Narnia, yet their minds bonded over their letters. Embarking on the adventure of her life, Joy traveled from America to England and back again, facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith, and --- against all odds --- finding a love that even the threat of death couldn’t destroy.
In this masterful exploration of one of the greatest love stories of modern times, we meet a brilliant writer, a fiercely independent mother, and a passionate woman who changed the life of this respected author and inspired books that still enchant us and change us. Joy lived at a time when women weren’t meant to have a voice --- and yet her love for Jack gave them both voices they didn’t know they had.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Patti Callahan.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE SUMMER OF SUNSHINE
AND MARGOT by Susan Mallery
Now Available in Paperback
THE SUMMER OF SUNSHINE AND MARGOT by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
Etiquette coach Margot Baxter knows precisely how to manage wayward clients…until she comes face-to-exquisite-face with Bianca, an aging movie star notorious for her shock-and-awe tactics. Schooling Bianca on the fine art of behaving like a diplomat’s wife is the greatest challenge of Margot’s career. Soon secrets unravel that bring them closer together and force Margot to confront the truth: change doesn’t just happen. She has to be brave enough to demand the life --- and love --- she’s always wanted.
For years, Sunshine has been the good-time sister, abandoning jobs to chase after dreams that will never come true. No more. She refuses to be “that girl” again. This time, she’ll finish college and dedicate herself to her future. And she will not let her life get derailed by a man again…no matter how tempting that man may be.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: LET THE WILLOWS WEEP by Sherry Parnell
LET THE WILLOWS WEEP by Sherry Parnell (Fiction)
In the tradition of the best Southern fiction --- from BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA to WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING --- Sherry Parnell’s LET THE WILLOWS WEEP is a heart-wrenching portrait of hardscrabble, humble lives in rural America. A keenly observed and unflinching look at the life of Birddog Harlin as she grows up in her dysfunctional family, this novel explores the line between destruction and redemption.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New March Releases of Interest to Book Groups
Below are a number of books releasing in March for the first time (which we aren't currently featuring on the site) that we think will be of interest to book groups.
ACTRESS by Anne Enright (Fiction)
ACTRESS is a brilliant and moving novel about celebrity, sexual power and a daughter’s search to understand her mother’s hidden truths.
CODE NAME HÉLÈNE by Ariel Lawhon (Historical Fiction)
Based on the thrilling real-life story of socialite spy Nancy Wake comes the newest feat of historical fiction from the New York Times bestselling author of I WAS ANASTASIA, featuring the astonishing woman who killed a Nazi with her bare hands and went on to become one of the most decorated women in WWII.
THE GLASS HOTEL by Emily St. John Mandel (Mystery)
From the award-winning author of STATION ELEVEN comes an exhilarating novel set at the glittering intersection of two seemingly disparate events --- a massive Ponzi scheme collapse and the mysterious disappearance of a woman from a ship at sea.
THE MOUNTAINS SING by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (Historical Fiction)
With the epic sweep of Min Jin Lee’s PACHINKO or Yaa Gyasi’s HOMEGOING and the lyrical beauty of Vaddey Ratner’s IN THE SHADOW OF THE BANYAN, THE MOUNTAINS SING tells an enveloping, multigenerational tale of the Trần family, set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War.
THE NUMBERS GAME by Danielle Steel (Fiction)
In Danielle Steel’s stunning novel, modern relationships come together, fall apart and are reinvented over time, proving that age is just a number.
RECOLLECTIONS OF MY NONEXISTENCE: A Memoir by Rebecca Solnit (Memoir)
In RECOLLECTIONS OF MY NONEXISTENCE, Rebecca Solnit describes her formation as a writer and as a feminist in 1980s San Francisco, in an atmosphere of gender violence on the street and throughout society and the exclusion of women from cultural arenas.
THESE GHOSTS ARE FAMILY by Maisy Card (Fiction)
In the tradition of Yaa Gyasi’s HOMEGOING, this transporting debut novel reveals the ways in which a Jamaican family forms and fractures over generations.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (Psychological Thriller)
Shay Miller wants to find love, but it eludes her. She wants to be fulfilled, but her job is a dead end. She wants to belong, but her life is increasingly lonely. Until Shay meets the Moore sisters. Cassandra and Jane live a life of glamorous perfection, and always get what they desire. When they invite Shay into their circle, everything seems to get better. Shay would die for them to like her. She may have to.
Recent Bookreporter.com Bets On Selections:
IN FIVE YEARS, A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD,
THE JETSETTERS and BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN
IN FIVE YEARS by Rebecca Serle (Fiction)
Rebecca Serle’s IN FIVE YEARS is a tightly written novel about a twentysomething woman who has everything planned. Yes, Dannie’s five-year plan is locked and loaded. She will make partner at her law firm, marry her boyfriend and live in Gramercy Park. And nothing is going to get in her way. But then one night Dannie has a dream, and in it there is not the apartment she knows, and she is in bed with a guy she has never seen before. When she looks at a calendar in this dream, she sees it's five years in the future.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Rebecca Serle.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on IN FIVE YEARS.
A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD by Therese Anne Fowler (Fiction)
Therese Anne Fowler’s A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD is a novel that I have been thinking about since I read a very early advance copy a year ago. Yes, you read that right, a year ago. I reread it this week and again realized how powerful it is. It’s set in a quiet suburban town in North Carolina, where neighbors are neighborly and life is peaceful…until it’s not. On one of these quiet blocks, a house is razed, and in its place a larger-than-usual house is built, along with a swimming pool. Suddenly the balance of the neighborhood shifts as the new neighbor is someone who has a lofty view of his life compared to others.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Therese Anne Fowler.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE JETSETTERS by Amanda Eyre Ward (Fiction)
In THE JETSETTERS by Amanda Eyre Ward, Charlotte Perkins wins an essay contest to “Become a Jetsetter.” The prize winners include not only her, but also her three children, who are estranged. A 10-day cruise to Athens and Rome on an over-the-top cruise ship, the Splendido Marveloso (you have to love the name), sounds like the perfect way for them to reunite…with a fun vacation. Emphasis here on “sounds perfect.”
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Amanda Eyre Ward.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE JETSETTERS.
BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN (Audiobook) written by Diane Chamberlain, read by Susan Bennett (Fiction)
I listened to Diane Chamberlain's BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN, read by Susan Bennett --- and the auditory experience was terrific. It’s set in a small southern town in North Carolina in two different time frames: 1940 and 2018. I completely missed one connection in the book that I am not going to give away. I am wondering if I would have caught it in print, or if my ears let me down. Trust that it did not impact my enjoyment of the book.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary
on BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN.
Bookreporter.com’s Ninth Annual
Spring Preview Contests and Feature
Spring is in the air! We’ve caught the fever --- and it’s being fueled by some wonderful new and upcoming releases. Our ninth annual Spring Preview Contests and Feature spotlights many of these picks, which we know people will be talking about over the next few months. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through April 24th at noon ET. You will need to check the site to see the featured book and enter to win. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce each title, which you can sign up for here.
This year's featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
"Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts
In late August 2019, we launched “Bookreporter Talks To,” a video and podcast series where we deliver a long-form, in-depth author interview every week. For years, I have moderated book festivals and author events around the country. But we know that readers often do not live where they can attend an author event. Our goal --- to bring these author interviews to readers, wherever they may be. Watch on video, or listen as a podcast. (The podcasts include audio excerpts.)
By the way, this follows a long history of The Book Report Network delivering compelling programming to readers. Back in 1997, the company hosted the first online interview with John Grisham, which started a tradition of ongoing interviews with authors.
Here are our latest interviews:
Other authors interviewed include:
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Marie Benedict (LADY CLEMENTINE) Video | Podcast
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Harlan Coben (THE BOY FROM THE WOODS) Video | Podcast
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Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille (THE DESERTER) Video | Podcast
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Jesse Kornbluth (JFK AND MARY MEYER: A Love Story) Video | Podcast
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William Kent Krueger (THIS TENDER LAND) Video | Podcast
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Liz Moore (LONG BRIGHT RIVER) Video | Podcast
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Heather Morris (THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ; CILKA'S JOURNEY) Video | Podcast
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Allison Pataki (THE QUEEN'S FORTUNE: A Novel of Desiree, Napoleon, and the Dynasty That Outlasted the Empire) Video | Podcast
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Alexis Schaitkin (SAINT X) Video | Podcast
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Whitney Scharer (THE AGE OF LIGHT) Video | Podcast
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Rebecca Serle (IN FIVE YEARS) Video | Podcast
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Cara Wall (THE DEARLY BELOVED) Video | Podcast
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Amanda Eyre Ward (THE JETSETTERS) Video | Podcast
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Sheila Weller (CARRIE FISHER: A Life on the Edge) Video | Podcast
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Beatriz Williams (THE GOLDEN HOUR; THE WICKED REDHEAD; ALL THE WAYS WE SAID GOODBYE) Video | Podcast
Upcoming interviews include:
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Diane Chamberlain (BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN)
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Robert Kolker (HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD: Inside the Mind of an American Family)
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Lisa See (THE ISLAND OF SEA WOMEN)
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Lisa Wingate (THE BOOK OF LOST FRIENDS)
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Don Winslow (BROKEN)
Watch our "Bookreporter Talks To" interviews and listen to our podcasts.
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 March 20th to April 3rd at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of DEVOTED by Dean Koontz and THE LAST ODYSSEY by James Rollins.
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, April 3rd 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 March 2nd to April 1st at noon ET, one lucky reader will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Kate Elizabeth Russell's MY DARK VANESSA, read by Grace Gummer, and THE NIGHT WATCHMAN written and read by Louise Erdrich.
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 Wednesday, April 1st at noon ET.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
BECOMING MRS. LEWIS by Patti Callahan (Historical Fiction)
At once a fascinating historical novel and a glimpse into a writer’s life, BECOMING MRS. LEWIS is above all a love story --- a love of literature and ideas, and a love between a husband and wife that, in the end, was not impossible at all.
A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD by Therese Anne Fowler (Fiction)
A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD asks big questions about life in America today as it explores the effects of class, race and heartrending love in a story that’s as provocative as it is powerful.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW WE'RE STILL HERE: A Post-Holocaust Memoir by Esther Safran Foer (Memoir)
When Esther Safran Foer’s mother casually mentions an astonishing revelation --- that Esther's father had a previous wife and daughter, both killed in the Holocaust --- Esther resolves to find out who they were, and how her father survived.
IN FIVE YEARS by Rebecca Serle (Fiction)
Perfect for fans of ME BEFORE YOU and ONE DAY, Rebecca Serle's unforgettable novel is a striking, powerful and moving love story following an ambitious lawyer who experiences an astonishing vision that could change her life forever.
THE JETSETTERS by Amanda Eyre Ward (Fiction)
In the vein of THE NEST and THE VACATIONERS, THE JETSETTERS is a delicious and intelligent novel about the courage it takes to reveal our true selves, the pleasures and perils of family, and how we navigate the seas of adulthood.
LET THE WILLOWS WEEP by Sherry Parnell (Fiction)
In the tradition of the best Southern fiction --- from BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA to WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING --- Sherry Parnell’s LET THE WILLOWS WEEP is a heart-wrenching portrait of hardscrabble, humble lives in rural America.
MY DARK VANESSA by Kate Elizabeth Russell (Fiction)
Exploring the psychological dynamics of the relationship between a precocious yet naïve teenage girl and her magnetic and manipulative teacher, MY DARK VANESSA is a brilliant, all-consuming read that marks the explosive debut of an extraordinary new writer.
THE NIGHT WATCHMAN by Louise Erdrich (Historical Fiction)
Based on the extraordinary life of Louise Erdrich’s grandfather --- who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, D.C. --- this powerful novel explores themes of love and death with lightness and gravity, and unfolds with the elegant prose, sly humor and depth of feeling of a master craftsman.
THE RED LOTUS by Chris Bohjalian (Thriller)
An American man vanishes on a rural road in Vietnam, and his girlfriend, an emergency room doctor trained to ask questions, follows a path that leads her home to the very hospital where they met.
THE SUMMER OF SUNSHINE AND MARGOT by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
The Baxter sisters have only ever had each other --- until one fateful summer when Sunshine and Margot turn disastrous luck into destiny.
WRITERS & LOVERS by Lily King (Fiction)
Following the breakout success of her critically acclaimed and award-winning novel, EUPHORIA, Lily King returns with an unforgettable portrait of an artist as a young woman.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
THE AMERICAN AGENT: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear (Historical Mystery)
Beloved heroine Maisie Dobbs investigates the mysterious murder of an American war correspondent in London during the Blitz in a page-turning tale of love and war, terror and survival.
THE ISLAND OF SEA WOMEN by Lisa See (Historical Fiction)
Lisa See, the bestselling author of THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE, has written a beautiful, thoughtful novel about female friendship and devastating family secrets on a small Korean island.
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