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What You Said About Organizing
Your Book Group…and Lots More!
We appreciate all of you who shared your thoughts on how your group organizes in our recent survey.
64% of you email each other, while 30.5% of you just decide what you are reading, and when you are getting together next, while you are in your meeting. 10% have a Facebook page for organizing, while 8% have a library coordinating for them. 7% just call each other. A number of you mentioned what I am calling an “Annual Selection,” where you select all the books in advance, as well as your meeting times, and then there are no logistics to figure out. Bravo on that!
I did love this response in the open-ended section of the survey: “I am in 8, yes 8, book clubs. Several have Facebook pages (I created them). One of those meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7pm ET. The other group meets during the day --- and we choose a date/time based on schedules. Then for the other groups I have --- two have a set schedule, and we select the books together. In another, we choose a book that the person suggesting must have read first, and we then select dates amenable to all. Another group is an alumnae group from my high school, and we vote on the books and choose a date we can all meet. Finally, I am in a book club where you don't have to read a specific book. Everyone just gives a quick summary of a book they read recently, and we meet at a set time each month.”
Hmmmm that latter group sounds like it would be very interesting.
In my group, we typically talk about whatever we are reading at each meeting, and I love to hear what has been of interest to the other members. Many times from these discussions, we pick our next title. We realized that as of this month we have been meeting for four years. We Zoomed during COVID, and we kept up chatting about books on our Facebook page when we could not meet in person. I knew the woman who co-organized the group at its start, but she moved to Denver more than a year ago. We vowed with the other co-founder that we would keep it up. And we did!
What I love is that we each bring something to the meetings, we all share stories of the good and the bad in our lives, and there have been a few times when we have all come together to help a group member when something happened. I never would have crossed paths with these women otherwise (they are two decades younger than me), but I really treasure them as friends, besides being avid readers. Oh, and we are all brutally honest about whether or not we have finished a book, and whether or not we liked it. I love that honesty.
This is your last ReadingGroupGuides newsletter reminder to sign up for this month’s “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event, which will take place this Wednesday, April 20th at 8pm ET.
Our guest will be Miranda Cowley Heller, and we will be talking about her bestselling debut novel, THE PAPER PALACE, a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick that releases in paperback tomorrow. Set on the Outer Cape of Cape Cod over the course of 24 hours, the book introduces readers to Elle, who must make a decision: stay with her husband, Peter, or leave her marriage for her childhood friend, Jonas. The story looks back over Elle’s life and delves into moments, including a pivotal one, that will influence her decision.
You can register for the event by clicking here. If you would like to ask Miranda a question on camera during the event and chat with her in our “backstage green room” before the event, please email me with your question using the subject line “Question for Miranda” by Wednesday at noon ET. Those who are camera shy can send their questions via the Q&A feature on Zoom.
Our Latest Monthly Contest is Live!
It is only fitting that THE PAPER PALACE is our latest “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest title. Three groups will win up to 12 copies of the book. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, May 11th at noon ET. If you missed my “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Miranda from last year, you can watch it here and listen to the podcast here.
In our previous “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest, here are the 15 books mentioned most frequently as titles that our book groups read: THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY by Amor Towles, THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, THE FOUR WINDS by Kristin Hannah, ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman, THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett, THE MAID by Nita Prose, THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO by Taylor Jenkins Reid, THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig, A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles, THE LOST APOTHECARY by Sarah Penner, HER HIDDEN GENIUS by Marie Benedict, HONOR by Thrity Umrigar, THE SWEETNESS OF WATER by Nathan Harris, THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME by Laura Dave, and CLOUD CUCKOO LAND by Anthony Doerr.
Last year, when WE BEGIN AT THE END was published in hardcover, I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing Chris Whitaker. He clearly enjoyed it too, as he asked me to be in conversation with him for an event this Thursday, April 21st at 7pm ET to celebrate the book’s recent paperback release. You can sign up for the event by clicking here. I am so looking forward to catching up with Chris and hearing questions from attendees!
Announcing a New Special Contest!
This month we are featuring a special contest for FENCING WITH THE KING, a recently released novel from Diana Abu-Jaber, the award-winning author of CRESCENT.
Here’s the premise: Amani is hooked on a mystery --- a poem on airmail paper that slips out of one of her father’s books. It seems to have been written by her grandmother, a refugee who arrived in Jordan during the First World War. Soon the perfect occasion to investigate arises: her Uncle Hafez, an advisor to the King of Jordan, invites her father to celebrate the king’s 60th birthday --- and to fence with the king, as in their youth. Her father has avoided returning to his homeland for decades, but Amani persuades him to come with her. Uncle Hafez will make their time in Jordan complicated --- and dangerous --- after Amani discovers a missing relative and is launched into a journey of loss, history and, eventually, a fight for her own life.
We have 25 copies of FENCING WITH THE KING to give away to our readers. To enter, be sure to fill out this form by Wednesday, May 11th at noon ET.
In a separate contest, W. W. Norton & Company, the publisher of FENCING WITH THE KING, is giving 60 book groups the chance to win a virtual book club visit from Diana Abu-Jaber where the book will be discussed. The winners also will receive a digital file that includes a reading group guide for the book, along with a video greeting from Diana and a recipe courtesy of her. Click here to access the entry form and learn all the details of this exciting book club opportunity.
This month we are featuring the discussion guide for THE HUSBANDS by Chandler Baker. Now available in paperback, it was a “Good Morning America” Book Club pick and a Bets On selection when it released in hardcover last August.
Nora Spangler is an attorney with more than her career on her plate. She’s up for partnership at her law firm, but at home she’s juggling everything when it comes to taking care of the kids and doing the chores. Her husband works hard at the office, but on the home front his task list is a lot lighter, and he is much more relaxed. When they plan to move to a new neighborhood, Nora finds the women there less challenged by their household tasks, as their husbands are helping out a lot more around the house. What’s happening there?
I loved talking to Chandler about THE HUSBANDS last year. If you missed the interview, you can watch it here and listen to the podcast here.
Jennifer Egan has written what her publisher is calling a “sibling novel” to her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD, which came out 12 years ago. THE CANDY HOUSE follows a number of characters as they grapple with Bix Bouton’s revolutionary technology, “Own Your Unconscious” --- a device that allows people to upload and share their memories. Naturally, people disagree on whether a collective consciousness is a good thing. Some of those who despise it become “eluders,” abandoning their online identities even as “counters” try to track their disappearance. Click here for the guide and here for our review on Bookreporter.
In stores now is SEA OF TRANQUILITY, the highly anticipated new book from Emily St. John Mandel, the award-winning author of STATION ELEVEN and THE GLASS HOTEL.
Exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party, 18-year-old Edwin St. Andrew enters the Canadian wilderness and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal. Two centuries later, Olive Llewellyn, who lives on the second moon colony, is traveling all over Earth on a book tour. Her bestselling pandemic novel contains an odd passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him. When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended. Click here for the guide and here for our Bookreporter review.
SEA OF TRANQUILITY is this month’s #1 Indie Next pick and a Barnes & Noble Book Club selection. On Tuesday, May 10th at 3pm ET, B&N will welcome Emily for a live virtual event to discuss the book. Click here to sign up.
We also have added guides for these three books:
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LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY: Bonnie Garmus’ debut novel is this month’s Top LibraryReads Pick and a “Good Morning America” Book Club selection. In 1960s California, chemist Elizabeth Zott becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show. Garmus told “GMA” that you should read her book if you’re “tired of all the ways people make life miserable for others through misogyny and racism, and all the societal burdens that surely should have been eradicated by now.”
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MEMPHIS: Tara M. Stringfellow’s debut novel is this month’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick. Jenna calls the book “a magnificent, engaging book about how love, trauma and sacrifice are passed down through three generations of Black women.” She goes on to say, “While the women endure deep loss, racism and abuse, they also find healing in friendship, community and forgiveness.”
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TRUE BIZ: Sara Nović’s new novel is Reese’s Book Club pick for April. Here’s what Reese has to say about the book: “Goodness, I can’t even begin to put into words all the feelings this book provoked! [It] is an eye-opening and heartfelt story about human connection and the beauty and adversity woven into the deaf community and culture. It not only pulled at my heartstrings, but is both an educational and electrifying peek into a family that fights for connections even as the outside world threatens to close the door on them. It is not one to miss.”
We also continue to feature the guide for Susan Mallery’s new novel, THE SUMMER GETAWAY, in which single mother Robyn Caldwell takes the vacation of a lifetime in a poignant and heartwarming story about the threads that hold a family together.
For more April selections, including the Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, see our “Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks” feature here.
Recently I caught up with Amanda Eyre Ward to talk about her new novel, THE LIFEGUARDS, which follows a close-knit group of mothers who have raised their 15-year-old sons together. One night, the boys return from their jobs as lifeguards and share something that shakes their mothers to the core. The aftereffects of this incident could upend everything in their lives as they move through a flurry of police reports, neighborhood drama and conflicted relationships.
In the interview, Amanda talks about what inspired her to write this story: the unpleasant reality of people who lack empathy and what their mothers must go through. She also touches on the book's major themes: motherhood, privilege, money, longing and family. Amanda was one of the last authors we interviewed before we closed our office in 2020; at that time, we chatted about her previous book, THE JETSETTERS. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.
I also had the pleasure of talking to Gilly Macmillan about her new thriller, THE LONG WEEKEND, which is a Bets On selection. The book begins with a group of women who travel to an isolated part of England ahead of their husbands for a week away. As soon as they arrive, a note from “E” tells them that one of their husbands has already been killed. “E” is Edie, who used to be part of one of the couples who took this annual trip, but her husband died the year before. With no cell service and a treacherous walk to the nearest landline, they are trapped.
In the interview, Gilly says that she wanted to take this opportunity to write something fast and thrilling. She discusses finding her characters through multiple drafts and how she laced in the twists. I mention that THE LONG WEEKEND reminds me of a Ruth Ware novel in that it is both fun and terrifying. And yes, we talk about what’s next. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.
I loved chatting with Jane Green about her first historical novel, SISTER STARDUST, which is a Bets On pick. For years, Jane has been interested in Talitha Getty, the second wife of John Paul Getty Jr. This book reimagines her life in the '60s during her time in Morocco. A famous model and actress, Talitha is rich, exuberant and universally loved. The story is told through the eyes of Claire, who moves from her small English town to London, and she is swept up in Talitha's world. The closer they grow, the more Claire learns about the dark past of this mysterious and revered woman.
In the interview, Jane talks about British history that Americans may not be familiar with, and how that tied into Talitha Getty's life. She also discusses her research, explains the challenges in fictionalizing a star's life, and fills us in on some exciting new projects. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.
We hosted this month’s “Bookaccino Live” preview event last Wednesday afternoon. We love that our readers are continuing to make these events part of their routines! I had fun reading the chat comments later; I do not even glance at them during the program. So many readers noted that they were reading books that we had recommended at earlier "Bookaccino Live" programs. This time, I talked about 30 books releasing between now and May 3rd, along with eight from June, that we wanted to get on your radar. You can watch it here and see a list of the featured titles here.
Next month’s “Bookaccino Live” preview event will take place on Wednesday, May 11th at 2pm ET. I will present titles releasing between May 10th and June 7th, along with a few from July, that we think will appeal to you. 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 a prize.
Enter Our Bookreporter Contests and Win Some Fabulous Books!
On Bookreporter, we’re featuring a special contest for AND THERE HE KEPT HER by debut novelist Joshua Moehling. Twenty-five readers will win an advance copy of the book, which releases on June 14th. Be sure to enter by this Friday, April 22nd at noon ET.
We also have our 17th annual Mother's Day contest. From now through Friday, May 6th at noon ET, readers can enter to win one of our five prize packages, which includes eight great fiction and nonfiction titles that we think moms will love. Click here to read more about the books and enter the contest.
Finally, let us know what you're reading in our Word of Mouth contest, and you'll have a chance to win two books. For this contest period, we're giving away CITY ON FIRE by Don Winslow and THE GOOD LEFT UNDONE by Adriana Trigiani. The deadline for your entries is Friday, April 29th at noon ET.
My group is reading THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST for our next discussion. Allison Pataki is going to pop on for a few minutes to chat with us, which we are excited about! Our last discussion was about BLACK CAKE by Charmaine Wilkerson. One of our members brought a black cake that she had bought online. Tasting it, we all noted the raisins, rum, cinnamon and cloves. I confess that we were not huge fans of the taste, but it did enhance the discussion to have this to share...and we now understand why it takes four months for the raisins and other fruits to marinate. My husband was away when we had our discussion. When he got home, amusingly he asked who had brought the chocolate cake, as it did look like one!
I hope that many of you will join us on Wednesday evening for the aforementioned event with Miranda Cowley Heller to discuss THE PAPER PALACE. We love these opportunities to bring you authors who not only talk about their books, but also answer questions from readers. I remind you that if you would like to meet Miranda “backstage” and ask her a question on camera, shoot me an email by Wednesday at noon ET. If you are interested in doing this, please write us from the same email address that you use to access Zoom so we can set you up to be behind the scenes on camera. You WILL be able to see the entire event.
Enjoy your discussion this month. I hope you are reading something that makes for a great discussion!
Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, ReadingGroupGuides.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Enter to Win Up to 12 Copies of THE PAPER PALACE
by Miranda Cowley Heller for Your Group
Each month in our "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" feature, 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 up to 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 PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller, an instant #1 New York Times bestseller and a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick that releases in paperback on April 19th. In the course of a singular day on Cape Cod, one woman must make a life-changing decision that has been brewing for decades. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, May 11th at noon ET.
THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller (Fiction)
Elle, a 50-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at “The Paper Palace” --- the family summer place that she has visited every summer of her life. But this morning is different: Last night, Elle and her oldest friend, Jonas, crept out the back door into the darkness and had sex with each other for the first time, all while their spouses chatted away inside. Now, over the next 24 hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn’t forever changed the course of their lives. As Miranda Cowley Heller colors in the experiences that have led Elle to this day, we arrive at her ultimate decision with all its complexity.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- 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 Miranda Cowley Heller.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
- Click here to sign up for our "Bookaccino Live" Book Group event with Miranda Cowley Heller on Wednesday, April 20th at 8pm ET.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Special Contest: Enter to Win One of 25 Copies of
FENCING WITH THE KING by Diana Abu-Jaber
With sharp insight into modern politics and family dynamics, taboos around mental illness, and our inescapable relationship to the past, FENCING WITH THE KING asks how we contend with inheritance: familial and cultural, hidden and openly contested. We are giving 25 readers the opportunity to win a copy of Diana Abu-Jaber's latest novel, which is now available. To enter, please fill out this form by Wednesday, May 11th at noon ET.
FENCING WITH THE KING by Diana Abu-Jaber (Fiction)
The King of Jordan is turning 60! How better to celebrate the occasion than with his favorite pastime --- fencing --- and with his favorite sparring partner, Gabriel Hamdan. Amani, a divorced poet, jumps at the chance to accompany her father to his homeland for the King’s birthday. Her father’s past is a mystery to her --- even more so since she found a poem on blue airmail paper slipped into one of his old Arabic books, written by his mother, a Palestinian refugee who arrived in Jordan during World War I. Her words hint at a long-kept family secret, carefully guarded by Uncle Hafez, an advisor to the King, who has quite personal reasons for inviting his brother to the birthday party. The Hamdan brothers must face a reckoning, with themselves and with each other --- one that almost costs Amani her life.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to enter for a chance to win a book club visit from Diana Abu-Jaber.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Featured Guide:
THE HUSBANDS by Chandler Baker
Now Available in Paperback
THE HUSBANDS by Chandler Baker (Domestic Thriller/Mystery)
Nora Spangler is a successful attorney, but when it comes to domestic life, she packs the lunches, schedules the doctor appointments, knows where the extra paper towel rolls are, and designs and orders the holiday cards. Her husband works hard, too...but why does it seem like she is always working so much harder? The Spanglers go house hunting in Dynasty Ranch, a nice suburban neighborhood where Nora meets a group of high-powered women with enviably supportive husbands. When she agrees to help with a resident’s gruesome wrongful death case, she delves into the lives of the women there. As the case unravels, Nora uncovers a plot that may explain the secret to having it all. One that’s worth killing for.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Chandler Baker.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here for the featured guide.
New Guide: THE CANDY HOUSE by Jennifer Egan
THE CANDY HOUSE by Jennifer Egan (Fiction)
Bix Bouton’s company, Mandala, is so successful that he is “one of those tech demi-gods with whom we’re all on a first name basis.” Bix is desperate for a new idea when he stumbles into a conversation group, mostly Columbia professors, one of whom is experimenting with downloading or “externalizing” memory. It’s 2010. Within a decade, Bix’s new technology, “Own Your Unconscious” --- which allows you access to every memory you’ve ever had, and to share every memory in exchange for access to the memories of others --- has seduced multitudes. But not everyone. In THE CANDY HOUSE, Jennifer Egan spins out the consequences of Own Your Unconscious through the lives of multiple characters whose paths intersect over several decades.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide:
SEA OF TRANQUILITY by Emily St. John Mandel
April’s Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick
SEA OF TRANQUILITY by Emily St. John Mandel (Post-Apocalyptic/Science Fiction)
Edwin St. Andrew is 18 years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the Canadian wilderness and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal. Two centuries later, Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She’s traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony. Within the text of Olive’s bestselling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him. When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended.
» On Tuesday, May 10th at 3pm ET, Barnes & Noble will welcome Emily St. John Mandel for a live virtual event to discuss the book. Click here to sign up.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus
April’s “Good Morning America” Book Club Pick
LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus (Historical Fiction/Humor)
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. It’s the early 1960s, and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans, the lonely, brilliant, Nobel Prize-nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with her mind. True chemistry results. But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later, Elizabeth finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show. Her unusual approach to cooking proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to see why the book is this month's "Good Morning America" Book Club pick.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: MEMPHIS by Tara M. Stringfellow
April’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club Pick
MEMPHIS by Tara M. Stringfellow (Fiction)
Ten-year-old Joan, her mother and her younger sister flee her father’s explosive temper and seek refuge at her mother’s ancestral home in Memphis. Half a century earlier, Joan’s grandfather built this majestic house in the historic Black neighborhood of Douglass --- only to be lynched days after becoming the first Black detective in the city. Joan tries to settle into her new life, but family secrets cast a longer shadow than any of them expected. As she grows up, Joan finds relief in her artwork. One of her subjects is their enigmatic neighbor Miss Dawn, who claims to know something about curses, and whose stories about the past help Joan see how her passion, imagination and relentless hope are, in fact, the continuation of a long matrilineal tradition.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to see why the book is this month's "Read with Jenna" pick.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: TRUE BIZ by Sara Nović
Reese’s Book Club Pick for April
TRUE BIZ by Sara Nović (Fiction)
TRUE BIZ plunges readers into the halls of a residential school for the deaf, where they will meet Charlie, a rebellious transfer student who’s never met another deaf person before; Austin, the school’s golden boy, whose world is rocked when his baby sister is born hearing; and February, the headmistress, who is fighting to keep her school open and her marriage intact, but might not be able to do both. As a series of crises both personal and political threaten to unravel each of them, Charlie, Austin and February find their lives inextricable from one another --- and changed forever.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to see why the book is this month's Reese's Book Club pick.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Featured Guide: THE SUMMER GETAWAY
by Susan Mallery
THE SUMMER GETAWAY by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
Single mom Robyn Caldwell has always put her family first. Now, with her kids grown, she yearns for a change. When her great-aunt Lillian invites her to Santa Barbara for the summer, Robyn hops on the first plane to sunny California. But it’s hard to get away when you’re the heart of the family. One by one, everyone she loves follows her across the country. Somehow, their baggage doesn’t feel as heavy in the sun-drenched, mishmash mansion. The more time Robyn spends with free-spirited Lillian, the more possibilities she sees --- for dreams, love, family. She can have everything she ever wanted, if only she can muster the courage to take a chance on herself.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read critical praise.
Click here for the featured guide.
Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks for April
Each month, we share top book picks from Indie Next and LibraryReads, as well as the Target Book Club title and Costco's "Buyer's Pick." We also feature a number of other prominent picks, including Oprah’s Book Club, the Barnes & Noble Book Club, Reese's Book Club, Jenna Bush Hager's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club, the "Good Morning America" Book Club, and Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites.
Below is a preview of April's "Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks." For the complete Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, as well as additional links pertaining to this month's selections, please click here.
Indie Next
#1 Pick: SEA OF TRANQUILITY by Emily St. John Mandel
LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus
THE CANDY HOUSE by Jennifer Egan
BOMB SHELTER: Love, Time, and Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott
LEFT ON TENTH: A Second Chance at Life: A Memoir by Delia Ephron
LibraryReads
Top Pick: LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus
THE GOOD LEFT UNDONE by Adriana Trigiani
I'LL BE YOU by Janelle Brown
INSOMNIA by Sarah Pinborough
TO MARRY AND TO METTLE by Martha Waters
Target Book Club
RAZORBLADE TEARS by S. A. Cosby
Costco's "Buyer's Pick"
GIRLS OF FLIGHT CITY: Inspired by True Events, a Novel of WWII, the Royal Air Force, and Texas, by Lorraine Heath
Barnes & Noble Book Club
SEA OF TRANQUILITY by Emily St. John Mandel
Reese's Book Club
TRUE BIZ by Sara Nović
Jenna Bush Hager's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club
MEMPHIS by Tara M. Stringfellow
"Good Morning America" Book Club
LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus
Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites
THE CANDY HOUSE by Jennifer Egan
New Special Contest on Bookreporter.com:
Enter to Win One of 25 Advance Copies of AND THERE
HE KEPT HER by Joshua Moehling, Releasing June 14th
Unrelentingly suspenseful and written with a piercing gaze into the dark depths of the human soul, AND THERE HE KEPT HER by debut novelist Joshua Moehling is a thrilling page-turner that introduces readers to a complicated new hero and forces us to consider the true nature of evil. The book doesn't release until June 14th, but we have 25 advance copies to give away to readers. To enter, please fill out this form by Friday, April 22nd at noon ET.
AND THERE HE KEPT HER by Joshua Moehling (Mystery/Thriller)
When two teenagers break into a house on a remote lake in search of prescription drugs, what starts as a simple burglary turns into a nightmare for all involved. Emmett Burr has secrets he's been keeping in his basement for more than two decades, and he'll do anything to keep his past from being revealed. As he gets the upper hand on his tormentors, the lines blur between victim, abuser and protector. Personal tragedy has sent former police officer Ben Packard back to the small Minnesota town of Sandy Lake in search of a fresh start. Now a sheriff's deputy, Packard is leading the investigation into the missing teens, motivated by a family connection. As clues dry up and time runs out to save them, Packard is forced to reveal his own secrets and dig deep to uncover the dark past of the place he now calls home.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to enter the contest.
Announcing Bookreporter.com’s 17th Annual
Mother’s Day Contest: Books Mom Will Love
Mother’s Day is a time to recognize the woman who raised and nurtured us. To celebrate, we're giving you the opportunity to win books for yourself or the special lady in your life in our 17th annual "Books Mom Will Love" contest. From now through Friday, May 6th at noon ET, readers can enter to win one of our five prize packages, which includes eight great fiction and nonfiction titles that we think moms will love.
This year's prize books are:
Click here to enter the contest.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS,
THE YOUNGER WIFE, THE LONG WEEKEND
and SISTER STARDUST
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS by Lisa Scottoline (Thriller)
I am going on the record here: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS is Lisa Scottoline’s best thriller! It is fast-paced with so many twists and turns, and I felt like something important to furthering the plot happened on every page.
The Bennetts are a happy family on their way home from their daughter’s lacrosse game, merrily talking about it. A pickup truck is tailing them way too closely. They slow down, but it keeps coming, and then it flies around them and stops. Two men leap from the vehicle, and it feels like a carjacking. There’s gunfire, and by the time it’s done, one of the Bennetts is dead and so is one of the gunmen. What just happened? This is only page nine. When the grieving Bennetts get home that night, there is a knock on the door. Two FBI agents tell them that they need to be moved into protective custody. This is page 29, and the action keeps up like that right until the end. Whew!
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to visit Lisa Scottoline's website.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS.
THE YOUNGER WIFE by Sally Hepworth (Domestic Thriller)
Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors, so I happily plucked her new thriller, THE YOUNGER WIFE, from my shelves and devoured it. The catalyst for the idea for this one came from her great aunty Gwen. A throwaway line from Gwen got her thinking about a plot point that comes later in the book. Who is the “younger wife,” and what is going on in this family? It opens with a wedding. But it also opens with blood! So from the start, you know things are not going to go well.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE YOUNGER WIFE.
THE LONG WEEKEND by Gilly Macmillan (Psychological Thriller)
THE LONG WEEKEND by Gilly Macmillan is a truly terrific locked-room thriller. Three women head out of town a day in advance of their husbands for an annual weekend getaway at a secluded location. When they arrive, they receive a note that one of their husbands has been killed. It is signed “E,” the fourth woman who usually joins them. She is skipping this year as her husband died, and she is not comfortable hanging out with the usual group of couples.
The three wives immediately start to ponder if their husband was the one killed. The barn, which has been converted to a rustic but chic getaway spot, has no cell service. (Note: Do we ever see convenient cell service in a thriller plot written after the early ’90s?) A storm has rolled in, and there is no way to get to a place where the women can make contact with the men to see what is going on.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Gilly Macmillan.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE LONG WEEKEND.
SISTER STARDUST by Jane Green (Historical Fiction)
I completely devoured SISTER STARDUST, Jane Green’s first historical novel. For years, Jane has been interested in Talitha Getty, the second wife of John Paul Getty Jr. This book reimagines her life in the '60s during her time in Morocco, which were some very hedonistic days. A famous model and actress, Talitha is rich, exuberant and universally loved. The story is told through the eyes of Claire, who renames herself Cece. She moves from her small English town to London and is swept up in Talitha's world. The closer they grow, the more Claire learns about the dark past of this mysterious and revered woman.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Jane Green.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on SISTER STARDUST.
From left to right: Robin Roberts, Zain E. Asher, Adriana Trigiani
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.
Tuesday, April 19th at 6:30pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome the beloved co-anchor of "Good Morning America," Robin Roberts, for a live virtual discussion of her new book, BRIGHTER BY THE DAY: Waking Up to New Hopes and Dreams.
Tuesday, April 19th at 7pm ET: Phoenix Books and Vermont Italian Cultural Association: Phoenix Books and Vermont Italian Cultural Association are thrilled to present an evening with New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani, who will talk about her latest novel, THE GOOD LEFT UNDONE.
Wednesday, April 20th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors --- Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey and Patti Callahan Henry --- will talk to Lian Dolan about her new novel, LOST AND FOUND IN PARIS.
Wednesday, April 20th at 8pm ET: "Bookaccino Live" Book Group: Carol Fitzgerald will talk to Miranda Cowley Heller about her debut novel, THE PAPER PALACE, which releases in paperback on April 19th. Miranda also will answer questions from guests who will be "on stage," as well as from other members of the audience. If you would like to be one of our featured audience guests and ask Miranda a question on camera, please send Carol an email with the subject line “Question for Miranda” by Wednesday at noon ET.
Thursday, April 21st at 7pm ET: Book + Author: Join Book + Author, Macmillan’s ongoing virtual book club series, for a conversation with Chris Whitaker and Carol Fitzgerald. They will chat about WE BEGIN AT THE END, now out in paperback, and answer your questions!
Tuesday, April 26th at 8pm ET: Politics and Prose: Join P&P Live! with Zain E. Asher as she discusses her new book, WHERE THE CHILDREN TAKE US, with fellow CNN anchor Alysin Camerota.
Wednesday, April 27th at 7pm ET: Warwick's: Warwick's will host Deborah Goodrich Royce as she discusses her book, RUBY FALLS (now available in paperback), with Kimberly Belle.
Thursday, April 28th at 7:30pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome acclaimed author Adriana Trigiani for a live virtual discussion of her new book, THE GOOD LEFT UNDONE, with bestselling author Mitch Albom.
"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:
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David R. Gillham (SHADOWS OF BERLIN)
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Kim Michele Richardson (THE BOOK WOMAN'S DAUGHTER)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
THE BOOK OF COLD CASES by Simone St. James (Supernatural Thriller)
A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of THE SUN DOWN MOTEL.
THE CANDY HOUSE by Jennifer Egan (Fiction)
Jennifer Egan, one of the most celebrated writers of our time, has written a “sibling novel” to A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD --- an electrifying, deeply moving novel about the quest for authenticity and meaning in a world where memories and identities are no longer private.
FENCING WITH THE KING by Diana Abu-Jaber (Fiction)
With sharp insight into modern politics and family dynamics, taboos around mental illness, and our inescapable relationship to the past, FENCING WITH THE KING asks how we contend with inheritance: familial and cultural, hidden and openly contested.
FRENCH BRAID by Anne Tyler (Fiction)
From beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning author Anne Tyler comes a funny, joyful and brilliantly perceptive journey deep into one Baltimore family’s foibles --- from a boyfriend with a red Chevy in the 1950s up to a longed-for reunion with a grandchild in our pandemic present.
HER LAST AFFAIR by John Searles (Psychological Thriller)
Part page-turning thriller, part homage to film noir, and dazzling in its insight into the often desperate desires of the human heart, HER LAST AFFAIR is a tense and atmospheric novel of love lost and found again.
LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus (Historical Fiction/Humor)
Meet Elizabeth Zott: a one-of-a-kind scientist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the star of a beloved TV cooking show.
MEMPHIS by Tara M. Stringfellow (Fiction)
MEMPHIS is a spellbinding debut novel tracing three generations of a Southern Black family and one daughter’s discovery that she has the power to change her family’s legacy.
PEACH BLOSSOM SPRING by Melissa Fu (Historical Fiction)
A bold and moving novel about war, migration and the power of telling our stories, PEACH BLOSSOM SPRING follows three generations of a Chinese family on their search for a place to call home.
SEA OF TRANQUILITY by Emily St. John Mandel (Post-Apocalyptic/Science Fiction)
The award-winning, bestselling author of STATION ELEVEN and THE GLASS HOTEL returns with a novel of art, time, love and plague that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon 500 years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and space.
THE SUMMER GETAWAY by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
One woman takes the vacation of a lifetime in this poignant and heartwarming story about the threads that hold a family together from #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery.
TRUE BIZ by Sara Nović (Fiction)
From the acclaimed author of GIRL AT WAR comes TRUE BIZ, which follows a year of seismic romantic, political and familial shifts for a teacher and her students at a boarding school for the deaf.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS by Lisa Scottoline (Thriller)
From #1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline comes a pulse-pounding new novel. Your family has been attacked, never again to be the same. Now you have to choose between law...and justice.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
GREAT CIRCLE by Maggie Shipstead (Historical Fiction)
An unforgettable story of a daredevil female aviator determined to chart her own course in life, at any cost, GREAT CIRCLE spans Prohibition-era Montana, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, New Zealand, wartime London and modern-day Los Angeles.
THE HUSBANDS by Chandler Baker (Domestic Thriller/Mystery)
The New York Times and Reese Witherspoon Book Club bestselling author of WHISPER NETWORK returns in a novel that asks: To what lengths will a woman go for a little more help from her husband?
MOTHER MAY I by Joshilyn Jackson (Domestic Thriller)
The New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed NEVER HAVE I EVER builds on her success with this addictive novel of domestic suspense in which a mother must decide how far she is willing to go to protect her child and the life she loves.
THE NINE LIVES OF ROSE NAPOLITANO by Donna Freitas (Fiction)
A stunning novel about love, loss, betrayal, divorce, death, a woman's career and her identity, THE NINE LIVES OF ROSE NAPOLITANO is about finding one's way into a future that wasn't the future one planned, and the ways that fate intercedes when we least expect it.
NORTHERN SPY by Flynn Berry (Thriller)
The acclaimed author of UNDER THE HARROW and A DOUBLE LIFE returns with her most thrilling novel to date: the story of two sisters who become entangled with the IRA.
THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller (Fiction)
In the course of a singular day on Cape Cod, one woman must make a life-changing decision that has been brewing for decades.
SURVIVING SAVANNAH by Patti Callahan (Historical Fiction)
It was called "The Titanic of the South." The luxury steamship sank in 1838 with Savannah's elite on board. Through time, their fates were forgotten --- until the wreck was found, and now their story is finally being told.
THAT SUMMER by Jennifer Weiner (Fiction)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of BIG SUMMER comes another timely and deliciously twisty novel of intrigue, secrets and the transformative power of female friendship.
WE BEGIN AT THE END by Chris Whitaker (Mystery/Thriller)
Chris Whitaker's WE BEGIN AT THE END is an extraordinary novel about two kinds of families --- the ones we are born into and the ones we create.
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