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Latest Update on Our GoFundMe Campaign
Thank you to those of you who have donated to our GoFundMe campaign. So far, with online and snail mail donations, we have raised $38,834 of our $50,000 goal.
You can read about our plans and donate here. If you would prefer donating via check, please send to:
The Book Report, Inc.
16 Mt. Bethel Road, Suite 365
Warren, NJ 07059
Thank you again for your consideration and your donation.
Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
Last Thursday night, we hosted our second "Bookaccino Live" Book Group event.
Our guest was William Kent Krueger, who talked to Carol about THIS TENDER LAND.
Kent also answered questions from four readers who joined them "on stage,"
as well as from other members of the audience.
Click on the image above to watch the event and here to listen to the podcast.
Our third “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event will take place on Thursday, March 25th at 8pm ET.
Our guest will be Kim Michele Richardson, who will talk about
THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK. Click on the image above to sign up.
See details below on how to be an audience participant!
On Wednesday, February 10th at 2pm ET, we will host our next "Bookaccino Live" afternoon event.
Carol will present a number of books releasing between February 9th and March 2nd
that she would like to get on your radar, along with a few from April. Click on the image above to sign up.
We have two new "Bookreporter Talks To" interviews to share with you.
First up is Liese O'Halloran Schwarz, who talked to Carol about her latest novel,
WHAT COULD BE SAVED, which is a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection.
Click on the image above for the video and here for the podcast.
Carol had a wonderful chat with Lisa Gardner about her new
stand-alone thriller, BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED.
Click on the image above for the video and here for the podcast.
The Morristown Festival of Books @Home live virtual author event series will be held on Saturday, February 20th and Sunday, February 21st. Featured guests will be bestselling authors Kristin Hannah, V.E. Schwab and David Michaelis, and debut memoirist Nadia Owusu. Each session during this two-day event will feature an engaging dialogue between the author and moderator, and questions from the audience will be taken during the last portion of the interview. Click on the image above for more about the event and to register to attend each of the sessions that you are interested in. Read on below for information about the ones that Carol will be moderating.
To kick off Women's History Month in March, Carol will be moderating a panel featuring Lauren Willig,
Marie Benedict, Kristin Harmel and Vanessa Riley as they discuss Lauren's new historical novel,
BAND OF SISTERS, which releases on March 2nd. The event will take place virtually on
Monday, March 1st at 8pm ET. Click on the image above for details on how to purchase a ticket.
Ah, my virtual life. I think it’s more exciting than my non-virtual one was! Seriously. I looked over my schedule for the next few months, and there are a number of events of interest to book groups.
At the Morristown Festival of Books @Home live virtual event author series, I will be interviewing Kristin Hannah about THE FOUR WINDS on Saturday, February 20th at 2pm ET (tickets are available here) and Nadia Owusu, the debut author of AFTERSHOCKS, at 3:30pm ET (tickets are available here). And the following day, Sunday the 21st at 2pm ET, I will be attending an event for the same festival with David Michaelis discussing ELEANOR with Bill Goldstein, who reviews books and interviews authors for NBC’s “Weekend Today in New York," and was the founding editor of the New York Times books website (tickets are available here). Then, at 3:30pm ET, there will be an event with V.E. Schwab in conversation with Dhonielle Clayton about THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LaRUE, which has become a smash success and is currently #2 on the New York Times bestseller list (tickets are available here). Dhonielle is the New York Times bestselling author of The Belles series and the co-author of the Tiny Pretty Things duology, which is now a Netflix original series.
Each session during this two-day event will feature an engaging dialogue between the author and moderator, and questions from the audience will be taken during the last portion of the interview.
Flashing forward to March 1st, I will be moderating an event for Women’s History Month --- an Extravaganza --- with author guests Lauren Willig (BAND OF SISTERS), Marie Benedict (THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE), Kristin Harmel (THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES) and Vanessa Riley (ISLAND QUEEN). See details about how to get a ticket for this event, which will take place at 8pm ET, here.
And then “my virtual self” will be at the Tucson Festival of Books on Saturday, March 6th, interviewing Lisa See about THE ISLAND OF SEA WOMEN and her writing career at 1pm MT, which is 3pm ET. Signup info to come. By the way, I learned that the book is this month's Los Angeles Times Book Club selection.
Also, at Tucson, on Sunday March 7th, I will interview Francesca Serritella (GHOSTS OF HARVARD) and Susie Yang (WHITE IVY) at 3pm MT, which is 5pm ET. I am waiting on ticket information for this event.
All of my upcoming appearances are listed here.
Last Thursday night, we hosted our second “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event with William Kent Krueger as our guest. It was such a fun evening as we discussed THIS TENDER LAND in depth. Four readers joined us "on stage" to ask questions as well. Though I have interviewed Kent about this book before, and we have had a number of conversations over the past few years, I still learned so much about him and his work during this event. Click here to watch the event and here to listen to the podcast. By the way, immediately after the event, my mailbox lit up with notes from viewers. And they are still coming in! We had our biggest crowd ever at this event.
If you are watching the video or listening to the podcast, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, or wherever you listen to podcasts, so you never miss an episode.
Our next “Bookaccino Live” Book Group guest will be Kim Michele Richardson, the author of THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK. We selected this book for discussion as it has been a top pick for many months in the “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” feature. The event will take place on Thursday, March 25th at 8pm ET. Click here to sign up. If you would like to be one of our featured audience guests and ask Kim Michele a question on camera, please send me an email with the subject line “Question for Kim Michele.”
Now up on our YouTube channel is our "Bookaccino Live" afternoon event from two weeks ago, where I talked about a number of books releasing from January 12th to February 2nd, along with seven from March. Click here to watch the video, and a list of all the featured titles can be found here.
We will be hosting our next "Bookaccino Live" afternoon event on Wednesday, February 10th at 2pm ET. I will present titles coming out between February 9th and March 2nd, along with a few from April, that I think will be of interest to our readers. Click here to sign up. Those attending the live event will be asked to answer a survey about the books from the presentation that they are most interested in reading and will be eligible to win prizes.
As promised, our Most Requested Guides of 2020 is now available. We pulled together the 30 guides that were accessed the most by you last year. Your top five picks are AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins (no surprise there), THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett (this month’s Target Book Club Pick), THE GIVER OF STARS by Jojo Moyes, THE WATER DANCER by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and A LONG PETAL OF THE SEA by Isabel Allende. We always love seeing which guides appealed to you the most!
If you haven’t entered our contest for Kristin Hannah’s aforementioned new novel, THE FOUR WINDS (a future Bookreporter.com Bets On pick that releases this Tuesday, February 2nd), may we suggest you do so now? We are awarding 12 digital copies of the audiobook, narrated by Julia Whelan, to 30 book groups who would like to listen to it and share their comments on it.
Here’s the plot: Texas, 1921. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a woman’s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. By 1934, millions are out of work, and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsa’s tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive. In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsa --- like so many of her neighbors --- must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves, or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family.
To enter this BIG contest, please fill out this form by Wednesday, February 3rd at noon ET. As a special bonus, the audiobook includes a conversation between Kristin and Julia. Click here to listen to a short clip of their discussion, and an excerpt from the audiobook can be found here. We also have added the discussion guide, which includes a few questions specifically related to the audiobook. I look forward to catching up with Kristin soon for a “Bookreporter Talks To” interview!
As we mentioned in the last newsletter, Netflix is adapting Kristin’s 2008 novel, FIREFLY LANE, as a television series. The 10-episode first season will debut this Wednesday, February 3rd, just one day after the release of THE FOUR WINDS. Click here for the latest trailer and here to add it to your Netflix watch list. What a whirlwind two days it will be for Kristin!
This also is your last newsletter reminder to enter our “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest for THIS TIME NEXT YEAR WE’LL BE LAUGHING by Jacqueline Winspear, which is a Bets On selection. I truly loved this book!
After 16 novels, Winspear has taken the bold step of turning to memoir, revealing the hardships and joys of her family history. Both shockingly frank and deftly restrained, her story tackles the difficult, poignant and fascinating family accounts of three generations --- her grandparents, her parents, and she and her brother. Her childhood was spent picking hops and fruit on farms in rural Kent, capturing her ties to the land and her dream of being a writer at its very inception.
We are giving three groups the opportunity to win 12 copies of the book. To enter, all you have to do is fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, February 3rd at noon ET. Please also check out these links: the guide, our Bookreporter review, my Bets On commentary, and my “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Winspear as a video and a podcast.
We are featuring guides for a number of other discussion-worthy books in this late-month newsletter.
First up is Melanie Benjamin’s new historical novel, THE CHILDREN’S BLIZZARD, which is a Bets On pick. The morning of January 12, 1888, was unusually mild, following a punishing cold spell. It was warm enough for the homesteaders of the Dakota Territory to venture out again, and for their children to return to school without their heavy coats --- leaving them unprepared when disaster struck. At the hour when most prairie schools were letting out for the day, a terrifying, fast-moving blizzard blew in without warning. Schoolteachers as young as 16 were suddenly faced with life and death decisions: Keep the children inside, to risk freezing to death when fuel ran out, or send them home, praying they wouldn’t get lost in the storm. Click here for the guide and here for our review on Bookreporter. Also, find out why I’m betting you’ll love this book here, and my interview with Melanie is available as a video and a podcast. I read this week that the book was announced as the 2021 One Book South Dakota.
Readers of this newsletter know that I am a huge fan of Marie Benedict’s historical novels. THE OTHER EINSTEIN, CARNEGIE'S MAID, THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM and LADY CLEMENTINE were all Bets On selections, and her latest, the aforementioned THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE (this month’s Pennie’s Pick for Costco), is no exception. Here, Marie writes about one of the most notorious events in literary history: Agatha Christie's mysterious 11-day disappearance in 1926. Her husband and daughter have no knowledge of her whereabouts, and England unleashes an unprecedented manhunt to find the up-and-coming mystery author. Eleven days later, she reappears, just as mysteriously as she disappeared, claiming amnesia and providing no explanations for her time away. Click here for the guide and here for our review on Bookreporter; also, my Bets On commentary can be found here.
Liese O'Halloran Schwarz’s latest novel, WHAT COULD BE SAVED, is yet another Bets On pick. The book takes place during two time periods. In 2019, we meet Laura Preston, an artist who struggles with her sister about family matters and whose mother is dealing with dementia. When a stranger contacts Laura claiming to be her brother, Philip, who disappeared 40 years earlier, she is determined to find out if this is true. The book then pivots to 1972, and the story is told from the perspectives of Laura's parents and the household staff as the children grow up. We see the family living happily, and then Philip disappears before they return to the United States. Be sure to take a look at the guide, our Bookreporter review, and my Bets On commentary. Also, new to this newsletter is my interview with Liese; click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.
Our other new “Bookreporter Talks To” interview is with Lisa Gardner, whose latest novel, BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED, is about an average middle-aged woman who will stop at nothing to find the missing people the rest of the world has forgotten. Lisa talked in-depth about her unique protagonist and some of the challenges she had in researching and writing the modern-day aspects of this stand-alone thriller. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.
Peter Swanson’s most recent psychological thriller, EIGHT PERFECT MURDERS, is now available in paperback. Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders --- which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders” --- chosen from among the best of the best. But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookstore in Boston, when an FBI agent comes looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. A killer is out there, watching his every move --- a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history. Bookreporter reviewer Ray Palen wrote the guide for this book, which you can take a look at here, along with our review.
We also are continuing to feature the guide for THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS, Elena Ferrante’s powerful new novel set in a divided Naples, which is soon to be a Netflix series. Bookreporter reviewer Sarah Rachel Egelman calls the book “as intense and ferocious as it is gentle and poignant. Ferrante’s prose is lovely and frank, and her characters are nuanced and real, not always likable. It wrestles with the central question of what it means to be beautiful in all the various senses of the word and will leave readers with much to contemplate and consider.” Click here for the guide and here to read Sarah’s full review.
We have four contests on Bookreporter that we would like to make you aware of: our special contest for OF WOMEN AND SALT by Gabriela Garcia, our Historical Fiction Author Spotlight & Contest for MASQUE OF HONOR by Sharon Virts (both books are impressive debut novels that will be Bets On picks), our Valentine’s Day contest, and our series of 24-hour Winter Reading contests. Scroll further down the newsletter for more details on these exciting giveaways.
YELLOW WIFE by Sadeqa Johnson (an upcoming Bets On title) is February’s pick for Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites. We will have details about their Facebook Live Book Club chat in our next newsletter. This week, Susie Yang joined the S&S team to talk about WHITE IVY, their January pick. Click here for their discussion. I had a wonderful time chatting with both Sadeqa and Susie for “Bookreporter Talks To” interviews; my conversation with Sadeqa will be up on our YouTube channel early next week.
Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Cassandra King Conroy about her book, TELL ME A STORY, a memoir about her life with Pat Conroy, as part of the 2021 International Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys Book Club Convention Girlfriend Weekend Zoomathon Slumber Party. Losing Pat so young was such a huge loss; I cannot believe it will be five years in March. Cassandra and Pat had a wonderful, albeit too short, life together. I loved her stories about what it meant to be married to another writer.
My Long Hill Book Group met on Monday night, and we discussed HOLLYWOOD PARK by Mikel Jollett. They enjoyed it. I had to leave early for another event, but before I clicked away, we discussed the interview that I had done with Mikel, as well as the structure of his storytelling. A few of them had listened to the audiobook, which Mikel narrated, and they loved it.
As you can see, there is lots happening. Here’s to your book group having a great discussion --- whether virtually or socially distanced!
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!
Most Requested Guides of 2020
Our Most Requested Guides feature for 2020 has been updated. We took a look at all of the guides that you accessed last year, and from there we pulled together a list of the top 30 titles. Below are the 10 most popular guides, and you can click here for the full list. We love seeing which books resonated the most with you and your group!
Click here for the complete list of the Most Requested Guides of 2020.
Special Contest:
Enter to Win Up to 12 Digital Copies of the
Audiobook Edition of Kristin Hannah’s THE FOUR WINDS
for Your Group and Share Your Comments on It
ReadingGroupGuides.com is proud to host a very special audiobook contest for THE FOUR WINDS by Kristin Hannah, which releases on February 2nd. This upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On pick is an epic novel of love, heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of America’s most defining eras --- the Great Depression.
Thirty (30) book groups will win up to 12 digital copies of the audiobook, which includes a bonus conversation between Kristin Hannah and narrator Julia Whelan. To enter, please fill out this form by Wednesday, February 3rd at noon ET.
In order to qualify as a winning group, your group must be able to commit to listening to and discussing THE FOUR WINDS, and sharing your group's feedback with us, by late May. We strongly encourage all winners to share their listening experiences on social media, including reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Bookreporter.com’s “Word of Mouth” feature.
THE FOUR WINDS (Audiobook) written by Kristin Hannah, read by Julia Whelan (Historical Fiction)
Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a woman’s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows.
By 1934, the world has changed. Millions are out of work, and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail, water dries up and the earth cracks open. Dust storms roll relentlessly across the plains. Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsa’s tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive.
In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsa --- like so many of her neighbors --- must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves, or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family.
THE FOUR WINDS is a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through it --- the harsh realities that divided us as a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the have-nots. A testament to hope, resilience and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity, THE FOUR WINDS is an indelible portrait of America and the American dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to listen to an excerpt from the audiobook, which has a total listening time of 15 hours.
- Click here to listen to a clip from the bonus conversation between Kristin Hannah and Julia Whelan included in the audiobook.
Click here to enter the contest.
“What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of THIS TIME NEXT YEAR WE’LL BE LAUGHING by Jacqueline Winspear 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 THIS TIME NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE LAUGHING, a deeply personal memoir of Jacqueline Winspear's Kentish childhood and her family’s resilience in the face of war and privation. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, February 3rd at noon ET.
THIS TIME NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE LAUGHING: A Memoir by Jacqueline Winspear (Memoir)
After 16 novels, Jacqueline Winspear has taken the bold step of turning to memoir, revealing the hardships and joys of her family history. Both shockingly frank and deftly restrained, her story tackles the difficult, poignant and fascinating family accounts of her paternal grandfather’s shellshock; her mother’s evacuation from London during the Blitz; her soft-spoken animal-loving father’s torturous assignment to an explosives team during WWII; her parents’ years living with Romany Gypsies; and Winspear’s own childhood picking hops and fruit on farms in rural Kent, capturing her ties to the land and her dream of being a writer at its very inception.
An eye-opening and heartfelt portrayal of a post-War England we rarely see, THIS TIME NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE LAUGHING is the story of a childhood in the English countryside, of working class indomitability and family secrets, of artistic inspiration and the price of memory.
- 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 watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Jacqueline Winspear.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to enter the contest.
Featured Guide:
THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS by Elena Ferrante
THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS written by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein (Fiction)
Giovanna’s pretty face is changing, turning ugly, at least so her father thinks. Giovanna, he says, looks more like her Aunt Vittoria every day. But can it be true? Is she really changing? Is she turning into her Aunt Vittoria, a woman she hardly knows but whom her mother and father clearly despise? Surely there is a mirror somewhere in which she can see herself as she truly is.
Giovanna is searching for her reflection in two kindred cities that fear and detest one another: Naples of the heights, which assumes a mask of refinement, and Naples of the depths, a place of excess and vulgarity. She moves from one to the other in search of the truth, but neither city seems to offer answers or escape.
Named one of 2016’s most influential people by TIME Magazine and frequently touted as a future Nobel Prize winner, Elena Ferrante has become one of the world’s most read and beloved writers. With this new novel about the transition from childhood to adolescence to adulthood, Ferrante proves once again that she deserves her many accolades. In THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS, readers will discover another gripping, highly addictive and totally unforgettable Neapolitan story.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read ELLE's interview with Elena Ferrante.
Click here for the featured guide.
New Guide:
THE CHILDREN’S BLIZZARD by Melanie Benjamin
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE CHILDREN'S BLIZZARD by Melanie Benjamin (Historical Fiction)
The morning of January 12, 1888, was unusually mild, following a punishing cold spell. It was warm enough for the homesteaders of the Dakota Territory to venture out again, and for their children to return to school without their heavy coats --- leaving them unprepared when disaster struck. At the hour when most prairie schools were letting out for the day, a terrifying, fast-moving blizzard blew in without warning. Schoolteachers as young as 16 were suddenly faced with life and death decisions: Keep the children inside, to risk freezing to death when fuel ran out, or send them home, praying they wouldn’t get lost in the storm.
Based on actual oral histories of survivors, this gripping novel follows the stories of Raina and Gerda Olsen, two sisters, both schoolteachers --- one becomes a hero of the storm and the other finds herself ostracized in the aftermath. It’s also the story of Anette Pedersen, a servant girl whose miraculous survival serves as a turning point in her life and touches the heart of Gavin Woodson, a newspaperman seeking redemption. It was Woodson and others like him who wrote the embellished news stories that lured northern European immigrants across the sea to settle a pitiless land. Boosters needed them to settle territories into states, and they didn’t care what lies they told these families to get them there --- or whose land it originally was.
At its heart, this is a story of courage, of children forced to grow up too soon, tied to the land because of their parents’ choices. It is a story of love taking root in the hard prairie ground, and of families being torn asunder by a ferocious storm that is little remembered today --- because so many of its victims were immigrants to this country.
- 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 Melanie Benjamin.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide:
THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE by Marie Benedict
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE by Marie Benedict (Historical Mystery)
In December 1926, Agatha Christie goes missing. Investigators find her empty car on the edge of a deep, gloomy pond, the only clues some tire tracks nearby and a fur coat left in the car --- strange for a frigid night. Her World War I veteran husband and her daughter have no knowledge of her whereabouts, and England unleashes an unprecedented manhunt to find the up-and-coming mystery author. Eleven days later, she reappears, just as mysteriously as she disappeared, claiming amnesia and providing no explanations for her time away.
The puzzle of those missing 11 days has persisted. With her trademark historical fiction exploration into the shadows of the past, acclaimed author Marie Benedict brings us into the world of Agatha Christie, imagining why such a brilliant woman would find herself at the center of such murky historical mysteries.
What is real, and what is mystery? What role did her unfaithful husband play, and what was he not telling investigators?
Agatha Christie novels have withstood the test of time, due in no small part to Christie's masterful storytelling and clever mind that may never be matched, but Agatha Christie's untold history offers perhaps her greatest mystery of all.
Fans of THE SECRETS WE KEPT, THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE and THE ALICE NETWORK will enjoy this riveting saga of literary history, suspense and love gone wrong.
- 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.
New Guide: WHAT COULD BE SAVED
by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
WHAT COULD BE SAVED by Liese O'Halloran Schwarz (Fiction)
Washington, DC, 2019: Laura Preston is a reclusive artist at odds with her older sister, Bea, as their elegant, formidable mother slowly slides into dementia. When a stranger contacts Laura claiming to be her brother who disappeared 40 years earlier when the family lived in Bangkok, Laura ignores Bea’s warnings of a scam and flies to Thailand to see if it can be true. But meeting him in person leads to more questions than answers.
Bangkok, 1972: Genevieve and Robert Preston live in a beautiful house behind a high wall, raising their three children with the help of a cadre of servants. In these exotic surroundings, Genevieve strives to create a semblance of the life they would have had at home in the US --- ballet and riding classes for the children, impeccable dinner parties, a meticulously kept home. But in truth, Robert works for American intelligence, Genevieve finds herself drawn into a passionate affair with her husband’s boss, and their serene household is vulnerable to unseen dangers in a rapidly changing world and a country they don’t really understand.
- 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 Liese O'Halloran Schwarz.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide:
EIGHT PERFECT MURDERS by Peter Swanson
Now Available in Paperback
EIGHT PERFECT MURDERS by Peter Swanson (Psychological Thriller)
Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack --- which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders” --- chosen from among the best of the best, including Agatha Christie’s A.B.C. MURDERS, Patricia Highsmith’s STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, Ira Levin’s DEATH TRAP, A. A. Milne's RED HOUSE MYSTERY, Anthony Berkeley Cox's MALICE AFORETHOUGHT, James M. Cain's DOUBLE INDEMNITY, John D. Macdonald's THE DROWNER and Donna Tartt's A SECRET HISTORY.
But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookstore in Boston, when an FBI agent comes knocking on his door one snowy day in February. She’s looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. A killer is out there, watching his every move --- a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history, especially the secrets he’s never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.
To protect himself, Mal begins looking into possible suspects...and sees a killer in everyone around him. But Mal doesn’t count on the investigation leaving a trail of death in its wake. Suddenly, a series of shocking twists leaves more victims dead --- and the noose around Mal’s neck grows so tight he might never escape.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New January Releases of Interest to Book Groups
Below are a number of books releasing in January for the first time (which we aren't currently featuring on the site or in the newsletter) that we think will be of interest to book groups.
AFTERSHOCKS: A Memoir by Nadia Owusu (Memoir)
In the tradition of THE GLASS CASTLE, AFTERSHOCKS is a deeply felt memoir from Whiting Award winner Nadia Owusu about the push and pull of belonging, the seismic emotional toll of family secrets, and the heart it takes to pull through.
THE LAST GARDEN IN ENGLAND by Julia Kelly (Historical Fiction)
From the author of the international bestseller THE LIGHT OVER LONDON and THE WHISPERS OF WAR comes a poignant and unforgettable tale of five women living across three different times whose lives are all connected by one very special garden.
NICK by Michael Farris Smith (Historical Fiction)
Critically acclaimed novelist Michael Farris Smith pulls Nick Carraway out of the shadows and into the spotlight in this fascinating look into his life before Gatsby.
OUR DARKEST NIGHT: A Novel of Italy and the Second World War by Jennifer Robson (Historical Fiction)
To survive the Holocaust, a young Jewish woman must pose as a Christian farmer’s wife in this unforgettable novel from USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Robson --- a story of terror, hope, love and sacrifice, inspired by true events, that vividly evokes the most perilous days of World War II.
PIANOS AND FLOWERS: Brief Encounters of the Romantic Kind by Alexander McCall Smith (Historical Fiction/Short Stories)
Pictures capture moments in time, presenting the viewer with a window into another life. But a picture can go only so far. Who are the people in the image? What are their fears? What are their dreams? In the 14 delightful tales in this collection, Alexander McCall Smith imagines the lives and loves of some of the everyday people pictured in these 20th-century photographs.
WEST END GIRLS by Jenny Colgan (Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling author of 500 MILES FROM YOU tells the hilarious and heartwarming story of twin sisters who set out to London in hopes of leaving their mark on the world, in this “gorgeous, glorious, uplifting” novel (Marian Keyes).
YELLOW WIFE by Sadeqa Johnson (Historical Fiction)
Called "wholly engrossing" by New York Times bestselling author Kathleen Grissom, this harrowing story follows an enslaved woman forced to barter love and freedom while living in the most infamous slave jail in Virginia.
New Special Contest on Bookreporter.com:
Enter to Win an Advance Copy of Gabriela Garcia’s
OF WOMEN AND SALT, an Upcoming Bets On Title, Releasing March 30th
OF WOMEN AND SALT, Gabriela Garcia's debut novel, is about a daughter's fateful choice, a mother motivated by her own past, and a family legacy that begins in Cuba before either of them were born. The book doesn't release until March 30th, but we're happy to award an advance copy to 25 readers. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, February 4th at noon ET.
OF WOMEN AND SALT by Gabriela Garcia (Fiction)
In present-day Miami, Jeanette is battling addiction. Daughter of Carmen, a Cuban immigrant, she is determined to learn more about her family history from her reticent mother and makes the snap decision to take in the daughter of a neighbor detained by ICE. Carmen, still wrestling with the trauma of displacement, must process her difficult relationship with her own mother while trying to raise a wayward Jeanette. Steadfast in her quest for understanding, Jeanette travels to Cuba to see her grandmother and reckon with secrets from the past destined to erupt.
From 19th-century cigar factories to present-day detention centers, from Cuba to Mexico, Gabriela Garcia's OF WOMEN AND SALT is a kaleidoscopic portrait of betrayals --- personal and political, self-inflicted and those done by others --- that have shaped the lives of these extraordinary women. A haunting meditation on the choices of mothers, the legacy of the memories they carry, and the tenacity of women who choose to tell their stories despite those who wish to silence them, this is more than a diaspora story; it is a story of America’s most tangled, honest, human roots.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Historical Fiction Author Spotlight & Contest
on Bookreporter.com: Enter to Win a Copy of
MASQUE OF HONOR by Sharon Virts, an Upcoming
Bets On Title, Releasing February 9th
In a coming-of-age tale set in early 19th-century America, two sons of the Virginia aristocracy risk it all to defend their dreams and determine their own destinies. We have 25 copies of Sharon Virts' debut novel, MASQUE OF HONOR, to give away to those who would like to read the book, which releases on February 9th. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, February 4th at noon ET.
MASQUE OF HONOR: A Historical Novel of the American South by Sharon Virts (Historical Fiction)
General Armistead Mason and John “Jack” Mason McCarty are brothers-in-law, second cousins and descendants of founding father George Mason IV. Ambitious and headstrong, together they set out to find love, acceptance and honor on their own merit. Armistead, by nature a politician, demands respect and strives for perfection. Jack, by inclination a rover, looks to forge his own path.
When Armistead is challenged by corruption in the political machine and is denied a seat in the US Congress, the two become embroiled in a bitter dispute that sets in motion an irrevocable chain of events, leading them to the dueling grounds and an outcome that changes everything.
Based on historical events of the 1819 Mason-McCarty duel, MASQUE OF HONOR is a story of courage, conviction and the cost of sacrificing one life to forge another.
Click here to read more in our Historical Fiction Author Spotlight
and enter the contest.
Announcing Bookreporter.com's
16th Annual Valentine's Day Contest:
Enter to Win Books for Yourself or Your Valentine!
Valentine's Day is only a few heartbeats away. We can't think of a better way to celebrate this special day than to cuddle up with your loved one...and a good book, of course!
We're giving five readers the chance to win six love-themed books in our 16th annual Valentine's Day contest. Be sure to enter between now and Friday, February 12th at noon ET for your opportunity to be a lucky (and beloved!) winner.
If you're feeling frisky, share with us your all-time book character crush. Don't be shy, we've all got 'em! We'll post the top 10 literary loves and lusts --- along with the five winners --- shortly after the contest ends.
This year's Valentine’s Day prize titles are:
Click here to enter the contest.
Announcing Bookreporter.com's Seventh Annual
Winter Reading Contests and Feature
At Bookreporter.com, we are kicking off 2021 with our seventh annual Winter Reading Contests and Feature. On select days in January and February, we are hosting a series of 24-hour contests spotlighting a book releasing this winter and giving five lucky readers the chance to win it. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
This year's contest titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
From left to right: Kristin Hannah, Jane Harper, Susan Meissner
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.
Tuesdays at 7:30pm ET: "Talking ETERNAL with Lisa Scottoline": Join Lisa Scottoline every Tuesday night at 7:30pm ET on Facebook as she premieres a new episode from her video series, "Behind the Book: Talking ETERNAL," which reveals behind-the-scenes looks at the inspirations of her upcoming historical fiction book, ETERNAL, releasing on March 23rd. And stay tuned because immediately following each video premiere, Lisa hosts a Facebook Live to talk about the video.
Tuesday, February 2nd at 6pm ET: Politics & Prose Virtual Event: New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah will discuss her new book, THE FOUR WINDS, with Jess Walter, whose most recent novels are the national bestseller THE COLD MILLIONS and the #1 New York Times bestseller BEAUTIFUL RUINS.
Tuesday, February 2nd at 7pm ET: Barnes & Noble Virtual Book Club Event: Barnes & Noble will host a Facebook Live discussion for their January book club pick, BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME, featuring Julia Claiborne Johnson in conversation with fellow author Julie Schumacher.
Tuesday, February 2nd at 7pm ET: Bookmarks Virtual Event: John Hart will be in conversation with fellow New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell about his new thriller, THE UNWILLING.
Tuesday, February 2nd at 7pm ET: Warwick's Virtual Event: Warwick's will host Susan Meissner, in conversation with Kate Quinn, as she discusses her new book, THE NATURE OF FRAGILE THINGS.
Tuesday, February 2nd at 8pm ET: Raven Book Store Virtual Event: Join Raven Book Store as they welcome back Australian mystery master Jane Harper in celebration of her new stand-alone thriller, THE SURVIVORS. Harper will be in conversation with Michael Koryta, the author of 13 bestselling crime novels.
Wednesday, February 3rd at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors --- Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry and Mary Alice Monroe --- will talk to Ann Napolitano, whose most recent novel is DEAR EDWARD.
Wednesday, February 3rd at 8pm ET: Murder By The Book Virtual Event: Jane Harper will be in conversation with YOU ARE NOT ALONE co-author Greer Hendricks about her new thriller, THE SURVIVORS.
Wednesday, February 3rd at 9pm ET: Warwick's Virtual Event: Warwick's will host Kristin Hannah, in conversation with Harlan Coben, as she discusses her new book, THE FOUR WINDS.
Thursday, February 4th at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Virtual Event: Jane Harper, the author of such international bestsellers as THE DRY, FORCE OF NATURE and THE LOST MAN, will discuss her new novel, THE SURVIVORS.
Thursday, February 4th at 9pm ET: Old Firehouse Books Virtual Event: Old Firehouse Books is beyond excited to welcome Kristin Hannah to their virtual event space to celebrate THE FOUR WINDS. They will be hosting Kristin in conversation with fellow #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult.
Friday, February 5th at noon ET: Bookmarks Virtual Event: Bookmarks is excited to host one of their favorite authors, Kristin Hannah, in conversation with a past favorite Festival author, Elin Hilderbrand, about THE FOUR WINDS.
Friday, February 5th at 8pm ET: Murder By The Book Virtual Event: John Hart will be in conversation with THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW author A.J. Finn about his new thriller, THE UNWILLING.
Monday, February 8th at 7pm ET: Watermark Books & Café Virtual Event: Watermark Books & Café invites you to join bestselling authors Kristin Hannah and William Kent Krueger for a special in-conversation event! During the event, Kristin will be discussing her newest book, THE FOUR WINDS.
Wednesday, February 10th at 2pm ET: "Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books": Carol Fitzgerald will present titles releasing between February 9th and March 2nd, along with a few from April, that she would like to get on your radar.
Wednesday, February 10th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will talk books and writing.
Thursday, February 11th at 3pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Virtual Event: Janet Skeslien Charles will talk about her latest novel, THE PARIS LIBRARY, with special guest host Mark Pryor.
"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 are our latest interviews:
Other authors we've interviewed include:
Upcoming interviews include:
-
Alex Berenson (THE POWER COUPLE)
-
Sadeqa Johnson (YELLOW WIFE)
-
Sharon Virts (MASQUE OF HONOR: A Historical Novel of the American South)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME by Julia Claiborne Johnson (Historical Fiction)
BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME is the eagerly anticipated second novel from the bestselling author of BE FRANK WITH ME, a charming story of endings, new beginnings, and the complexities and complications of friendship and love, set in late 1930s Reno.
BLACK BUCK by Mateo Askaripour (Satire/Dark Humor)
For fans of Sorry to Bother You and The Wolf of Wall Street comes a crackling, satirical debut novel about a young man given a shot at stardom as the lone Black salesman at a mysterious, cult-like and wildly successful startup where nothing is as it seems.
THE CHILDREN'S BLIZZARD by Melanie Benjamin (Historical Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of THE AVIATOR’S WIFE comes a story of courage on the prairie, inspired by the devastating storm that struck the Great Plains in 1888, threatening the lives of hundreds of immigrant homesteaders, especially schoolchildren.
DEAD TO HER by Sarah Pinborough (Psychological Thriller)
For fans of Liane Moriarty, Liv Constantine and Lisa Jewell, DEAD TO HER is a twisty psychological thriller about a savvy second wife who will do almost anything to come out on top.
EIGHT PERFECT MURDERS by Peter Swanson (Psychological Thriller)
From the hugely talented author of BEFORE SHE KNEW HIM comes a chilling tale of psychological suspense and a homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the center of an FBI investigation because a very clever killer has started using his list of fiction’s most ingenious murders.
THE FOUR WINDS (Audiobook) written by Kristin Hannah, read by Julia Whelan (Historical Fiction)
From the #1 bestselling author of THE NIGHTINGALE and THE GREAT ALONE comes a powerful American epic about love, heroism and hope, set during the Great Depression --- a time when the country was in crisis and at war with itself, millions were out of work, and even the land seemed to have turned against them.
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 MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE by Marie Benedict (Historical Mystery)
The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM returns with a thrilling reconstruction of one of the most notorious events in literary history: Agatha Christie's mysterious 11-day disappearance in 1926.
NO TIME LIKE THE FUTURE: An Optimist Considers Mortality by Michael J. Fox (Memoir)
In NO TIME LIKE THE FUTURE, actor and advocate Michael J. Fox shares personal stories and observations about illness and health, aging, the strength of family and friends, and how our perceptions about time affect the way we approach mortality.
OUTLAWED by Anna North (Western/Adventure)
THE CRUCIBLE meets True Grit in this riveting adventure story of a fugitive girl, a mysterious gang of robbers and their dangerous mission to transform the Wild West.
THE PUSH by Ashley Audrain (Psychological Thriller)
THE PUSH is a tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family, and a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for --- and everything she feared.
THIS TIME NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE LAUGHING: A Memoir by Jacqueline Winspear (Memoir)
The New York Times bestselling author of the Maisie Dobbs series offers a deeply personal memoir of her Kentish childhood and her family’s resilience in the face of war and privation.
WHAT COULD BE SAVED by Liese O'Halloran Schwarz (Fiction)
Alternating between past and present as secrets are revealed, WHAT COULD BE SAVED is an unforgettable novel about a family shattered by loss and betrayal, and the beauty that can exist even in the midst of brokenness.
Please note that this title, for which we already had the guide when it appeared in hardcover, is now available in paperback:
THE WIFE STALKER by Liv Constantine (Psychological Thriller)
The bestselling author of THE LAST MRS. PARRISH returns with a psychological thriller, filled with chilling serpentine twists, about a woman fighting to hold onto the only family she’s ever loved --- and how far she’ll go to preserve it.
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