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Earlier this month, Midtown Scholar Bookstore hosted an exclusive live-stream conversation with Fredrik Backman and Ruth Ware about their latest novels, ANXIOUS PEOPLE and ONE BY ONE. Moderating the discussion was Wendy Walker, whose new psychological thriller is DON’T LOOK FOR ME.
Click on the image above to watch the interview, which will be available until October 9th.
Midtown Scholar has a limited supply of signed first-edition copies of ANXIOUS PEOPLE.
If you’d like to purchase one, click here to place your order.
Carol's Long Hill Book Group read Robert Kolker's HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD as their September book, and their October selection will be THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett.
Her neighborhood book group is meeting tonight for the first time since February,
and they will be discussing Shari Lapena's THE END OF HER.
Carol's latest "Bookreporter Talks To" interview is with Robert Dugoni,
whose new thriller is THE LAST AGENT.
Click on the image above for the video and here for the podcast.
And just like that, ReadingGroupGuides.com turned 20! It’s been such a crazy year that somehow it slipped by us that the site celebrated its 20th anniversary in May. Wow! We are grateful to our readers who have made this anniversary possible. When we first started out, we were looking to create a place where book groups could find discussion guides and tools that they needed to run their book groups all in one place.
We’ve been doing some brainstorming about new directions for ReadingGroupGuides. With that in mind, we want to ask, “What would you like to see us add to the site?” We are working on details for a “Bookaccino Live” Book Club event, and we hope to have news about that in the next newsletter. If you have ideas about what you would like to see at a virtual book group, let us know. We can go a number of ways with this; we have one idea in mind right now. Through the years, some of our best ideas have come from readers, and since a lot of creative thoughts have bubbled up during the pandemic, we want to hear from you. Write me at [email protected] with your ideas; please use “RGG Idea” as your subject line.
We have a very special interview to share with you. On September 9th, Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg, PA hosted an exclusive live-stream conversation with Fredrik Backman and Ruth Ware about their latest novels, ANXIOUS PEOPLE and ONE BY ONE (the latter of which is a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick). They were interviewed by Wendy Walker, whose new psychological thriller, DON’T LOOK FOR ME, is also a Bets On selection.
The interview will be up on our YouTube channel only until Friday, October 9th, so be sure to watch it now before it’s too late! I attended this event, and it was terrific, which is why I asked them to share it with us. Also, Midtown Scholar has a limited supply of signed first-edition copies of ANXIOUS PEOPLE; if you’d like to purchase one, you can do so by clicking here. I would love to see you send them some support for sharing this interview with us.
This is your last ReadingGroupGuides.com newsletter reminder to sign up for our fifth "Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books” event, which will take place on Wednesday, October 14th at 2pm ET. I will be talking about titles releasing between October 13th and November 3rd, along with a few from December, that I would like to make you aware of. Click here to register. Our room holds up to 500 attendees, so feel free to invite friends --- perhaps your entire book group! If you already signed up for this session, please do not sign up again. This will help us keep an accurate audience count. We also added something new during our last “Bookaccino Live” event. Those attending the “live” event were asked to answer a survey about the books that they were most interested in reading, and three people who responded won prizes!
We are featuring four new discussion guides in this late-month newsletter. First up is Jodi Picoult’s latest novel, THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS. As the plane she is on prepares for a crash landing, Dawn Edelstein braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. But rather than thinking about her husband, her mind is on Wyatt Armstrong, an archaeologist in Egypt who she hasn’t seen in 15 years. After the crash landing, the airline offers the stranded passengers transportation to wherever they want to go. Should she continue down the path she is on and go home to her family, or should she return to the archaeological site she left years ago, reconnect with Wyatt, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways --- the first known map of the afterlife? Click here for the guide and here for our review on Bookreporter. If you were in Dawn’s shoes, what would you do? Book groups should have some fascinating conversations about this one.
Next up is MONOGAMY by Sue Miller, which is a Bets On pick. Graham and Annie have been married for nearly 30 years, and their seemingly effortless devotion has long been the envy of their circle of friends and acquaintances. Lucas, Graham’s son with his first wife, Frieda, works in New York. Annie and Graham’s daughter, Sarah, lives in San Francisco. Though Frieda is an integral part of this far-flung, loving family, Annie feels confident in the knowledge that she is Graham’s last and greatest love. When Graham suddenly dies, Annie is lost. What is the point of going on without him? Then, while she is still mourning him intensely, she discovers that Graham had been unfaithful to her. She spirals into darkness, wondering if she ever truly knew the man who loved her. Be sure to check out the guide and my Bets On commentary. There is so much here for book clubs to discuss.
Nick Hornby’s latest novel, JUST LIKE YOU, introduces readers to Lucy, who used to handle her adult romantic life according to the script she'd been handed. She met a guy just like herself; they got married and started a family. Too bad he made her miserable. Now, two decades later, she's a nearly divorced 41-year-old teacher with two school-aged sons, and there is no script anymore. So when she meets Joseph, she isn't exactly looking for love --- she's more in the market for a babysitter. Joseph is 22, living at home with his mother and working several jobs. It's not a match anyone could have predicted. But sometimes it turns out that the person who can make you happiest is the one you least expect, though it can take some maneuvering to see it through. You can see the guide here and our Bookreporter review here.
Our final new guide is for Bill Clegg’s second novel, THE END OF THE DAY (his debut work of fiction, DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY, released five years ago). A retired widow in rural Connecticut is paid an unexpected visit from her childhood best friend whom she hasn’t seen in 49 years. A man arrives at a Pennsylvania hotel to introduce his estranged father to his newborn daughter and finds him collapsed on the floor of the lobby. A 67-year-old taxi driver in Kauai receives a phone call from the mainland that jars her back to a traumatic past. These seemingly disconnected lives come together as half-century-old secrets begin to surface. Don’t miss our review of the book in the October 2nd Bookreporter Weekly Update newsletter.
By the way, last night I had the opportunity to attend a virtual event where Bill talked about THE END OF THE DAY, and he shared so much wonderful insight with the audience.
There is still time to enter our current “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest, where three groups will win 12 copies of WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS, Andrew David MacDonald’s debut novel that is now available in paperback. For Zelda, a 21-year-old Viking enthusiast who lives with her older brother, Gert, life is best lived with some basic rules. But when she finds out that Gert has resorted to some questionable --- and dangerous --- methods to make enough money to keep them afloat, Zelda decides to launch her own quest. Her mission: to be legendary. It isn’t long before Zelda finds herself in a battle that tests the reach of her heroism, her love for her brother, and the depth of her Viking strength. The deadline for your entries is Wednesday, October 7th at noon ET.
WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS will be October’s pick for Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites, and we will have details about their Facebook Live Book Club chat in our next newsletter. Last week, Alice Hoffman joined the S&S team to talk about THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW, their September pick, which is now in paperback. Click here for their discussion. MAGIC LESSONS, the prequel to Hoffman’s 1995 bestseller PRACTICAL MAGIC, releases on Tuesday, October 6th.
Also on Tuesday, Yaa Gyasi will discuss her much-talked-about second novel, TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM --- which is September’s Barnes & Noble Book Club pick --- on B&N’s Facebook page at 7pm ET. Click here for the guide and here for our review on Bookreporter.
Recently I caught up with Robert Dugoni for a fun “Bookreporter Talks To” interview. His new book, THE LAST AGENT, is the second installment in his Charles Jenkins series. Jenkins has walked away from his life as a spy after being exonerated on charges of espionage. But when he learns that Paulina Ponomayova, the woman who saved his life, is being held in a Russian prison, he is lured out of retirement to return to Russia and save her. The action here is brisk; there is one section that reminded me of THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR. Robert and I talked about his three series (I have been a fan of his work ever since his debut novel, THE JURY MASTER, released in 2006), his stand-alone title THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAM HELL (we featured the guide two years ago), his writing schedule, and what he likes to bring to the page for readers. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.
One thing we enjoy doing is bringing you books that might not be on your radar, like THE FOURTEENTH OF SEPTEMBER by Rita Dragonette, which was a finalist for both the National Indie Excellence Awards and the American Fiction Awards. As Kirkus Reviews said, the novel is “an often fresh take on the collegiate anti-war movement in small-town America.” It reminds us of a generation that made some tough decisions during the 1960s. Click here for the guide.
My Long Hill Book Group read HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD by Robert Kolker as our September book, and we had a terrific outdoor fireside chat about it earlier this month. A couple of our members said it was their favorite book of the summer. Next month, we are reading THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett. My neighborhood book group is meeting tonight, and we are going to talk about THE END OF HER by Shari Lapena. I am looking forward to seeing this group, as we have not met since February!
Here's to great October meetings for all of us!
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: THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS by Jodi Picoult
THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS by Jodi Picoult (Fiction)
Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She’s on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: Prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband but of a man she last saw 15 years ago: Wyatt Armstrong.
Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, their beloved daughter and her work as a death doula, in which she helps ease the transition between life and death for her clients.
But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a career Dawn once studied for but was forced to abandon when life suddenly intervened. And now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the choice she once made.
After the crash landing, the airline ensures that the survivors are seen by a doctor, then offers transportation to wherever they want to go. The obvious option for Dawn is to continue down the path she is on and go home to her family. The other is to return to the archaeological site she left years before, reconnect with Wyatt and their unresolved history, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways --- the first known map of the afterlife.
As the story unfolds, Dawn’s two possible futures unspool side by side, as do the secrets and doubts long buried with them. Dawn must confront the questions she’s never truly asked: What does a life well lived look like? When we leave this earth, what do we leave behind? Do we make choices...or do our choices make us? And who would you be if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are right now?
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: MONOGAMY by Sue Miller
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
MONOGAMY by Sue Miller (Fiction)
Graham and Annie have been married for nearly 30 years. A golden couple, their seemingly effortless devotion has long been the envy of their circle of friends and acquaintances.
Graham is a bookseller, a big, gregarious man with large appetites --- curious, eager to please, a lover of life, and the convivial host of frequent, lively parties at his and Annie’s comfortable house in Cambridge. Annie, more reserved and introspective, is a photographer. She is about to have her first gallery show after a six-year lull and is worried that the best years of her career may be behind her. They have two adult children. Lucas, Graham’s son with his first wife, Frieda, works in New York. Annie and Graham’s daughter, Sarah, lives in San Francisco. Though Frieda is an integral part of this far-flung, loving family, Annie feels confident in the knowledge that she is Graham’s last and greatest love.
When Graham suddenly dies --- this man whose enormous presence has seemed to dominate their lives together --- Annie is lost. What is the point of going on, she wonders, without him?
Then, while she is still mourning him intensely, she discovers that Graham had been unfaithful to her. She spirals into darkness, wondering if she ever truly knew the man who loved her.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
Click here for the discussion guide.
“What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” Contest: Enter to Win 12 Paperback Copies of
WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS by Andrew David MacDonald 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 WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS by Andrew David MacDonald, which is now available in paperback. This uplifting debut novel is about an unlikely heroine whose journey will leave you wanting to embark on a quest of your own...because, after all, we are all legends of our own making. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, October 7th at noon ET.
WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS by Andrew David MacDonald (Fiction)
For Zelda, a 21-year-old Viking enthusiast who lives with her older brother, Gert, life is best lived with some basic rules:
1. A smile means “thank you for doing something small that I liked.”
2. Fist bumps and dabs = respect.
3. Strange people are not appreciated in her home.
4. Tomatoes must go in the middle of the sandwich and not get the bread wet.
5. Sometimes the most important things don’t fit on lists.
But when Zelda finds out that Gert has resorted to some questionable --- and dangerous --- methods to make enough money to keep them afloat, Zelda decides to launch her own quest. Her mission: to be legendary. It isn’t long before Zelda finds herself in a battle that tests the reach of her heroism, her love for her brother, and the depth of her Viking strength.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Guide: JUST LIKE YOU by Nick Hornby
JUST LIKE YOU by Nick Hornby (Fiction)
Lucy used to handle her adult romantic life according to the script she'd been handed. She met a guy just like herself: same age, same background, same hopes and dreams; they got married and started a family. Too bad he made her miserable. Now, two decades later, she's a nearly divorced, 41-year-old schoolteacher with two school-aged sons, and there is no script anymore.
So when she meets Joseph, she isn't exactly looking for love --- she's more in the market for a babysitter. Joseph is 22, living at home with his mother and working several jobs, including the butcher counter where he and Lucy meet. It's not a match anyone one could have predicted. He's of a different class, a different culture and a different generation. But sometimes it turns out that the person who can make you happiest is the one you least expect, though it can take some maneuvering to see it through.
JUST LIKE YOU is a brilliantly observed, tender but also brutally funny new novel that gets to the heart of what it means to fall surprisingly and headlong in love with the best possible person --- someone you didn't see coming.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE END OF THE DAY by Bill Clegg
THE END OF THE DAY by Bill Clegg (Fiction)
A retired widow in rural Connecticut wakes to an unexpected visit from her childhood best friend whom she hasn’t seen in 49 years.
A man arrives at a Pennsylvania hotel to introduce his estranged father to his newborn daughter and finds him collapsed on the floor of the lobby.
A 67-year-old taxi driver in Kauai receives a phone call from the mainland that jars her back to a traumatic past.
These seemingly disconnected lives come together as half-century-old secrets begin to surface. It is in this moment that Bill Clegg reminds us how choices --- to connect, to betray, to protect --- become our legacy.
Deeply observed and beautifully written, this novel is a feat of storytelling, capturing 60 years within the framework of one fateful day.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Don't miss our review of the book in the
October 2nd Bookreporter Weekly Update newsletter.
New Guide: THE FOURTEENTH OF SEPTEMBER
by Rita Dragonette
THE FOURTEENTH OF SEPTEMBER by Rita Dragonette (Historical Fiction)
Inspired by the fact that so little was known of the female stories of the Vietnam War years and determined to give voice to the women of her generation, debut novelist Rita Dragonette drew upon her personal experiences as a student on an army scholarship in 1969-1970 and crafted this compelling, coming-of-age historical novel.
Private First Class Judy Talton celebrates her 19th birthday by secretly joining the antiwar movement on her college campus. As the recipient of an army scholarship and the daughter of a military family, Judy has a lot to lose. But her doubts about the ethics of war have escalated, especially after her birthdate is pulled as the first in the new draft lottery. If she were a man, she would have been among the first off to Vietnam with an under-fire life expectancy measured in seconds. The stakes become clear for Judy as she is propelled towards a life-altering choice as fateful as that of any lottery draftee, yet also finds herself down a path of self-discovery and, ultimately, a “coming of conscience."
Kirkus Reviews called this debut “an often fresh take on the collegiate anti-war movement in small-town America.”
- Click here to read an interview with Rita Dragonette.
Click here for the discussion guide.
An Exclusive Interview with Fredrik Backman
and Ruth Ware, Moderated by Wendy Walker,
Courtesy of Midtown Scholar Bookstore
New September Releases of Interest to Book Groups
Below are a number of books releasing in September for the first time (which we aren't currently featuring on the site) that we think will be of interest to book groups.
BEFORE SHE WAS HELEN by Caroline B. Cooney (Domestic Thriller/Mystery)
BEFORE SHE WAS HELEN is an absorbing mystery that brings decades-old secrets to life and explores what happens when the lie you've been living falls apart and you're forced to confront the truth.
ELI'S PROMISE by Ronald H. Balson (Historical Fiction)
ELI'S PROMISE is a masterful work of historical fiction spanning three eras --- Nazi-occupied Poland, the American Zone of post-war Germany, and Chicago at the height of the Vietnam War.
A GIRL IS A BODY OF WATER by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (Fiction)
International award-winning author Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s novel is a sweeping and powerful portrait of a young girl and her family: who they are, what history has taken from them, and --- most importantly --- how they find their way back to each other.
HERE WE ARE by Graham Swift (Historical Fiction)
In his newest novel, acclaimed author Graham Swift marries the erratic devastations of reality with the elusive probability of magic under the lights of vaudeville, a story of delicate illusions where what one chooses to believe can unearth the most revealing connections.
HIS ONLY WIFE by Peace Adzo Medie (Fiction)
HIS ONLY WIFE is a witty, smart and moving debut novel about a brave young woman traversing the minefield of modern life with its taboos and injustices, living in a world of men who want their wives to be beautiful, to be good cooks and mothers, to be women who respect their husbands and grant them forbearance.
JACK by Marilynne Robinson (Fiction)
Marilynne Robinson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Humanities Medal, returns to the world of Gilead with JACK, the latest novel in one of the great works of contemporary American fiction.
THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS written by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein (Fiction)
THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS is a powerful new novel set in a divided Naples by Elena Ferrante, the New York Times bestselling author of MY BRILLIANT FRIEND and THE LOST DAUGHTER.
THE RETURN by Nicholas Sparks (Romance)
In the romantic tradition of DEAR JOHN, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with the story of an injured Navy doctor --- and two women whose secrets will change the course of his life.
THE TALENTED MISS FARWELL by Emily Gray Tedrowe (Thriller)
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN meets Patricia Highsmith in this electrifying page-turner of greed and obsession, survival and self-invention, that is a piercing character study of one unforgettable female con artist.
TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH by Gilly Macmillan (Psychological Thriller)
The acclaimed author of THE NANNY and WHAT SHE KNEW returns with another serpentine thriller that cleverly blends atmosphere, tarnished memories, mystery and twisty secrets from the past into a potent, intense read that will leave you questioning everything you believe.
WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING by Alyssa Cole (Psychological Thriller)
Rear Window meets Get Out in this gripping thriller from a critically acclaimed and New York Times Notable author, in which the gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
DON’T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker
DON'T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker (Psychological Thriller)
DON’T LOOK FOR ME is my fourth Bets On selection from Wendy Walker. People often ask me who to compare Wendy to, and I never can answer that straight out. Her books look at a psychological issue and delve deeply into it, which drops them into the zone of psychological suspense. But I find them to be sharper than a lot of offerings in this genre. They are rooted in topics that are not often addressed in thrillers. Here it’s “walking away,” something that actually happens with women as they abandon their marriage and head to build a new life for themselves without telling anyone where they have gone. Often when this occurs, there are children in the picture.
In DON’T LOOK FOR ME, Molly is ready to walk away from her life. She has tragically lost a child, feels disconnected from her family, and thinks that walking away would be the best plan for them. The family could move on without her. As she ponders this, her car runs out of gas; with a storm brewing, she is happy when someone pulls to the side of the road and offers her a ride. There’s a young girl in the truck, and she’s smiling. What could go wrong? From the moment the car door locks, you know everything might go wrong. And it does.
- 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 Wendy Walker.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
- Click here to visit Wendy Walker's website.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary.
Bookreporter.com's 10th Annual
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 in September and October, 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.
From left to right: Marilynne Robinson, Elin Hilderbrand, Lisa Unger
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
As so many book and author events are happening online these days, we are highlighting a number of them that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links below for more info and to register.
Thursday, October 1st at 7pm ET: Warwick's Virtual Event: Warwick's will host Bill Clegg, in conversation with Jeniffer Thompson, as he discusses his new book, THE END OF THE DAY.
Monday, October 5th at 6:45pm ET: Smithsonian Associates Virtual Event: Smithsonian Associates presents a virtual event with biographer David Michaelis. Drawing on his new book, ELEANOR, Michaelis pulls back the curtain to delve into the inner life of one of the 20th century’s greatest figures: Eleanor Roosevelt.
Tuesday, October 6th at 5pm ET: Community Bookstore Virtual Event: Tana French will join Community Bookstore for the launch of her new novel, THE SEARCHER. She will be in conversation with award-winning bestselling author Dennis Lehane.
Tuesday, October 6th at 6:30pm ET: Virtual Happy Hour with Lisa Unger and Sara Paretsky: Collette Bancroft, book editor for the Tampa Bay Times, will talk to Lisa Unger and Sara Paretsky about their latest releases, CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 and LOVE & OTHER CRIMES. The writers will focus the conversation on how love can drive people to murder and how that is explored in their newest works of fiction.
Tuesday, October 6th at 7pm ET: Barnes & Noble Virtual Book Club Event: Barnes & Noble will host a Facebook Live discussion for their September book club pick, TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM, featuring author Yaa Gyasi.
Tuesday, October 6th at 8pm ET: PEN Out Loud Virtual Event: Award-winning author Marilynne Robinson joins PEN Out Loud to celebrate JACK, the fourth book in her now-classic Gilead series. She will be joined in conversation with bestselling author Alexander Chee to interrogate the complexities of American history.
Tuesday, October 6th at 8pm ET: Rakestraw Books "Live at Home" presents "Cocktails with Elin Hilderbrand": Join Rakestraw Books as they celebrate the publication of bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand's new novel, TROUBLES IN PARADISE. During this special cocktail hour event, Elin will be joined in conversation by novelist Jamie Brenner.
Wednesday, October 7th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": Every Wednesday, Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry and Mary Alice Monroe talk books and writing on their "Friends and Fiction" Facebook group page. Their special guest will be Lian Dolan, whose latest novel is THE SWEENEY SISTERS.
Wednesday, October 7th at 8pm ET: The New Yorker Festival Virtual Event: The New Yorker Festival presents Jerry Seinfeld in conversation with Steve Martin. Jerry will discuss his new book, IS THIS ANYTHING? They will be joined by New Yorker editor Susan Morrison.
Thursday, October 8th at 6pm ET: Porter Square Books Virtual Event: Join Porter Square Books in welcoming David Michaelis for a talk on his new biography, ELEANOR, a breakthrough portrait of America’s longest-serving First Lady, rich with family history.
Monday, October 12th at 3pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Virtual Event: Poisoned Pen presents Lisa Jewell in conversation with Clare Mackintosh. Jewell will discuss her latest novel, INVISIBLE GIRL.
Monday, October 12th at 10:30pm ET: Seattle Arts & Lectures Virtual Event: Tana French will be in conversation with fellow crime-fiction writer Ruth Ware about her latest thriller, THE SEARCHER.
Wednesday, October 14th at 2pm ET: Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books: Carol Fitzgerald will present titles releasing from October 13th to November 3rd, along with a few from December, that she would like to get on your radar.
Wednesday, October 14th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will talk to Charlaine Harris, whose most recent novel is A LONGER FALL.
Wednesday, October 14th at 7pm ET: Warwick's Virtual Event: Warwick’s will host Alice Hoffman, in conversation with Jodi Picoult, as she discusses her new book, MAGIC LESSONS: The Prequel to Practical Magic.
"Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts
“Bookreporter Talks To” is a video and podcast series that delivers a long-form, in-depth author interview every week. For years, Carol has 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 is to bring these author interviews to readers, wherever they may be. Watch on video, or listen as a podcast. (The podcasts include audio excerpts.)
Here is our latest interview:
Other authors we've interviewed include:
Upcoming interviews include:
-
Rose Carlyle (THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR)
-
Suzanne Skyvara, the Vice President of Marketing & Editorial at Goodreads, and Danny Feekes, their Managing Editor
-
Lisa Unger (CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
Enter Bookreporter.com’s 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 September 25th to October 9th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 by Lisa Unger and THE END OF THE DAY by Bill Clegg.
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.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman (Fiction)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A MAN CALLED OVE comes a poignant, charming novel about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.
THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS by Jodi Picoult (Fiction)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of SMALL GREAT THINGS and A SPARK OF LIGHT comes a riveting novel about the choices that alter the course of our lives.
DON'T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker (Psychological Thriller)
In Wendy Walker's new psychological thriller, DON'T LOOK FOR ME, the greatest risk isn’t running away. It’s running out of time.
THE END OF THE DAY by Bill Clegg (Fiction)
Following his acclaimed New York Times bestseller, DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY, Bill Clegg returns with a deeply moving, emotionally resonant second novel about the complicated bonds and breaking points of friendship, the corrosive forces of secrets, the heartbeat of longing, and the redemption found in forgiveness.
THE FOURTEENTH OF SEPTEMBER by Rita Dragonette (Historical Fiction)
THE FOURTEENTH OF SEPTEMBER portrays a pivotal time at the peak of the Vietnam War through the rare perspective of a young woman, tracing her path of self-discovery and a “coming of conscience.”
HOMELAND ELEGIES by Ayad Akhtar (Fiction)
A deeply personal work about identity and belonging in a nation coming apart at the seams, HOMELAND ELEGIES blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of longing and dispossession in the world that 9/11 made.
JUST LIKE YOU by Nick Hornby (Fiction)
This warm, wise, highly entertaining 21st-century love story is about what happens when the person who makes you happiest is someone you never expected.
THE LAST STORY OF MINA LEE by Nancy Jooyoun Kim (Fiction)
A profoundly moving and unconventional mother-daughter saga, THE LAST STORY OF MINA LEE illustrates the devastating realities of being an immigrant in America.
MONOGAMY by Sue Miller (Fiction)
MONOGAMY is a brilliantly insightful, engrossing and haunting novel --- about marriage, love, family, happiness and sorrow --- from New York Times bestselling author Sue Miller.
ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware (Psychological Thriller)
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE TURN OF THE KEY and IN A DARK, DARK WOOD returns with another suspenseful thriller set on a snow-covered mountain.
TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM by Yaa Gyasi (Fiction)
Yaa Gyasi's stunning follow-up to her acclaimed national bestseller HOMEGOING is a powerful, raw, intimate and deeply layered novel about a Ghanaian family in Alabama.
Please note that this title, for which we already had the guide when it appeared in hardcover, is now available in paperback:
WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS by Andrew David MacDonald (Fiction)
WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS is an uplifting debut novel about an unlikely heroine whose journey will leave you wanting to embark on a quest of your own...because, after all, we are all legends of our own making.
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