August 13, 2022

August 13, 2022

Hosting My Book Group

I am hosting my book group on Wednesday night. What I love is that hosting this group does not mean that I am doing a lot of work; these women are neither fussy nor judgmental. Hopefully the weather will be nice, and we can sit out by the pool...or maybe in it! We will be discussing THE TOBACCO WIVES by Adele Myers, and I am hoping that as I read it, there will be inspiration about something to serve. I considered having Adele join us for this meeting, but if we are floating in the pool during the discussion, that is not going to work!

I am wondering if you overthink things when you host. Email me and let me know! I joke that being outside I do not have to dust or vacuum, which is always a good thing!

Our Latest Monthly Contest is Live!
Our new “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest title is THE READING LIST by Sara Nisha Adams. Now available in paperback, the book was named a Best Of Summer Read by Newsweek, Parade, NBC News, LitHub and PopSugar when it released in hardcover last August. It also was a huge hit with our Bookreporter reviewer and the most anticipated book among those who attended our “Bookaccino Live” event last July when I first talked about it.

Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. It’s a list of novels that she’s never heard of before. An intrigued Aleisha impulsively decides to read every book on the list. As each story gives up its magic, the books transport her from the painful realities she’s facing at home. Meanwhile, Mukesh lives a quiet life after the death of his beloved wife. When he arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes along the reading list to him. Could this be the lifeline he so desperately needs?

Three groups will win up to 12 paperback copies of THE READING LIST. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, September 14th at noon ET. In the meantime, you can click here for the discussion guide and here for the aforementioned review on Bookreporter.

In our previous “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest, here are the five books mentioned most frequently as titles that our book groups read: THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY by Amor Towles, THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Krueger, LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus, THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins. Scroll further down the newsletter to see the Top 15.

This month we are featuring the guide for A MAP FOR THE MISSING by Belinda Huijuan Tang, an Indie Next pick that has been longlisted for the Center for Fiction’s 2022 First Novel Prize. Spanning the late 1970s to 1990s, and moving effortlessly between rural provinces and big cities, the book is a deeply felt examination of family and forgiveness, and the meaning of home.

Tang Yitian, who has been living in America for almost 10 years, receives an urgent phone call from his mother: his father has disappeared from the family’s rural village in China. As Yitian tries to figure out what happened, he struggles to navigate China’s impenetrable bureaucracy as an outsider. His mother’s evasiveness doesn’t help matters either. So he seeks out his childhood friend, Tian Hanwen, who may be able to help him out. Reuniting for the first time as adults, Yitian and Hanwen embark on the search for Yitian’s father, all the while grappling with the past and what might have been.

I have been hearing terrific buzz about A MAP FOR THE MISSING. I have a copy here that I am looking forward to reading!

Many of you know Jamie Ford as the author of the New York Times bestseller HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET, a huge hit when it released in 2009. It also happened to be my third-ever Bookreporter.com Bets On pick! Jamie is back with his much-talked-about new novel, THE MANY DAUGHTERS OF AFONG MOY, which is this month’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick, #1 Indie Next pick and Costco's “Buyer's Pick”.

Jenna Bush Hager calls it “one of the most beautiful books of motherhood and what we pass on to those that come after us and what we inherit” and “a book about strength and goodness.” Click here for the guide and here for our Bookreporter review. Also, be sure to check out this interview with Jamie, where he talks about his inspiration for telling this particular story, how he first learned about Afong Moy, the difficulties of writing about the future, and more.

So many readers have been asking Lisa Jewell to revisit the characters from her 2019 thriller, THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS. Although Lisa promised herself that she would never write another sequel after penning AFTER THE PARTY, a follow-up to her debut novel, RALPH’S PARTY, we are happy to report that she has given her fans exactly what they want. The newly released THE FAMILY REMAINS is a jaw-dropping stand-alone sequel about the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love and uncover the truth.

Samantha Downing, the internationally bestselling author of FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, has this to say about the book: “Spellbinding from the first page to the last, Lisa Jewell knows how to weave a tale that makes readers breathless. Perfectly plotted and paced, with so many shocking twists, THE FAMILY REMAINS is simply masterful.” Click here for the guide and here for our review on Bookreporter. Also, don’t miss this interview with Lisa, where she talks about the challenges of writing this much-anticipated follow-up and what she envisions happening to these characters.

We have two new “Bookreporter Talks To” interviews to share with you in this newsletter.

First up is author, journalist and screenwriter Casey Sherman. We featured the guide for his book, HELLTOWN: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer on Cape Cod, last month. Casey gives readers a real 360-view of the heinous crimes committed by Tony Costa in the summer of 1969 when young women were not just murdered, they were dismembered and violated after their deaths. With the national story of the Manson murders, and the local story of Ted Kennedy and Chappaquiddick, Costa’s rampage never made widespread news, but it has a long and storied history on the Cape.

Casey shares how he came upon the idea of writing this book and his extensive research project, which included seeing some photos with images that are hard to get out of his mind. Also layered into the story are two literary legends --- Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer --- each of whom competed to write about these murders, and the rivalry between them. He also talks about the film adaptation of HELLTOWN, which was signed even before the book was done. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.

I also had the pleasure of talking to Bonnie Garmus about her debut novel, the aforementioned LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY. It was April’s “Good Morning America” Book Club pick, and we featured the guide that month. An instant New York Times bestseller and a Bets On title, the book introduces readers to 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.

Bonnie shares that one day she walked away from a meeting, headed to her desk, and banged out the first chapter of the book --- and explains what inspired that. She talks about protagonist Elizabeth Zott being a character in an earlier book draft, where her role was not part of the main storyline, and why she loves writing her. She also discusses why she decided to set the book in the late ’50s/early ’60s and explores her other characters, including the amazing dog Six-Thirty. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast. And don’t miss my Bets On commentary here.

We also have added guides for these three books:

• MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS: Anthony Marra’s second novel, following A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA, is August’s Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. In this love letter to life’s bit players, Maria Lagana must reinvent herself to survive, moving from Mussolini’s Italy to 1940s Los Angeles.
  
  On Thursday, September 8th at 7pm ET, Marra will be at Barnes & Noble – Union Square in New York City to discuss the book. Click here to register if you’d like to attend this in-person book club event. If you are not in New York but would like to join virtually, you can purchase tickets here to the livestream.
   
• MIKA IN REAL LIFE: YA author Emiko Jean’s debut for adults is this month’s “Good Morning America” Book Club pick. It’s a heart-wrenching yet uplifting novel that explores the weight of silence, the secrets we keep, and what it means to be a mother. Jean told “GMA,” “This book was definitely driven by my desire to explore certain themes --- the bond and often tense relationship between mothers and daughters, the Japanese American identity and intergenerational trauma.”
   
• WIDOWLAND by C. J. Carey: Rose Ransom, a member of the privileged Geli class of women, is tasked with an unusual job: she rewrites classic works of literature to make sure they are aligned with Nazi ideology and free of feminist leanings. But after visiting Widowland, a slum for childless women where resistance runs deep, she begins to question her own allegiance to the Nazis.

UK bestselling author Gillian McAllister’s new novel, WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME, is this month’s Reese’s Book Club pick. Reese says, “This book is SO good. It’s about a mother who is worried about her teenage son, because he’s out late one night. She looks out the window right at his curfew and she sees him stab a man in her front yard (!!), but she wakes up the next day and it’s the day before her son committed the crime. She keeps going back in time, piecing together why this happened to her son. It’s SUCH a page turner, and it’s the perfect book to round out the summer.” Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.

Please keep in mind that on Tuesday, August 23rd at 12pm ET, members of the Simon & Schuster team will talk to Megan Miranda about her latest thriller, THE LAST TO VANISH, which is this month’s pick for S&S’s Book Club Favorites and a Bets On title. You can RSVP for the event by clicking here.

For more August selections, including the Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, see our “Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks” feature here.

We hosted this month’s “Bookaccino Live” preview event on Wednesday afternoon. I talked about 22 books releasing between now and September 6th, along with eight from October, 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, September 14th at 2pm ET. I will present titles releasing between September 13th and October 4th, along with a few from November, 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.

Enjoy your book group discussion this month! If you are hosting, choose to make it a non-stressful experience.

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 Paperback Copies of
THE READING LIST by Sara Nisha Adams for Your Group

New Featured Guide:
A MAP FOR THE MISSING by Belinda Huijuan Tang

A MAP FOR THE MISSING by Belinda Huijuan Tang (Fiction)
Tang Yitian has been living in America for almost a decade when he receives an urgent phone call from his mother: his father has disappeared from the family’s rural village in China. Though they have been estranged for years, Yitian promises to come home. When Yitian attempts to piece together what may have happened, he struggles to navigate China’s impenetrable bureaucracy as an outsider, and his mother’s evasiveness only deepens the mystery. So he seeks out a childhood friend who may be in a position to help: Tian Hanwen. Reuniting for the first time as adults, Yitian and Hanwen embark on the search for Yitian’s father, all the while grappling with the past --- who Yitian’s father really was, and what might have been.

- 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.

New Guide: THE MANY DAUGHTERS
OF AFONG MOY by Jamie Ford
August’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club Pick

THE MANY DAUGHTERS OF AFONG MOY by Jamie Ford (Historical Fiction)
Dorothy Moy breaks her own heart for a living. As Washington’s former poet laureate, that’s how she describes channeling her dissociative episodes and mental health struggles into her art. But when her five-year-old daughter exhibits similar behavior and begins remembering things from the lives of their ancestors, Dorothy believes the past has truly come to haunt her. Through an experimental treatment designed to mitigate inherited trauma, Dorothy intimately connects with past generations of women in her family. As painful recollections affect her present life, she discovers that trauma isn’t the only thing she’s inherited. A stranger is searching for her in each time period. A stranger who has loved her through all of her genetic memories.

- 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 an interview with Jamie Ford.
- Click here to see why the book is this month's "Read with Jenna" pick.

Click here for the discussion guide.

New Guide: THE FAMILY REMAINS by Lisa Jewell

THE FAMILY REMAINS by Lisa Jewell (Psychological Thriller)
DCI Samuel Owusu is called to the scene of a gruesome discovery and learns the bones are connected to a cold case that left three people dead 30 years ago. Rachel Rimmer’s husband, Michael, has been found dead in his cellar. The French police need Rachel to answer questions about Michael and his past that she very much doesn’t want to answer. After fleeing London 30 years ago in the wake of a horrific tragedy, Lucy Lamb is coming home. While she settles in with her children and is just about to purchase their first-ever house, her brother takes off to find the boy from their shared past whose memory haunts their present. As they all race to discover answers to these convoluted mysteries, they will come to find that they’re connected in ways they never could have imagined.

- 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 an interview with Lisa Jewell.

Click here for the discussion guide.

New Guide:
MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS by Anthony Marra
August’s Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick

MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS by Anthony Marra (Historical Fiction)
Born in Rome, Maria Lagana immigrates with her mother to Los Angeles after a childhood transgression leads to her father’s arrest. Fifteen years later, on the eve of America’s entry into World War II, Maria is an associate producer at Mercury Pictures, trying to keep her personal and professional lives from falling apart. Over the coming months, as the bright lights go dark across LA, Mercury Pictures becomes a nexus of European émigrés. While the world descends into war, Maria rises through a maze of conflicting politics, divided loyalties and jockeying ambitions. But when the arrival of a stranger from her father’s past threatens Maria’s carefully constructed facade, she must finally confront her father’s fate --- and her own.

» On Thursday, September 8th at 7pm ET, Anthony Marra will be at Barnes & Noble – Union Square in New York City to discuss the book. Click here to sign up to attend in person or here to register for the livestream.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here for the discussion guide.

New Guide: MIKA IN REAL LIFE by Emiko Jean
August’s “Good Morning America” Book Club Pick

MIKA IN REAL LIFE by Emiko Jean (Fiction)
At 35, Mika Suzuki is at the lowest point of her life when she receives a phone call from Penny, the daughter she placed for adoption 16 years ago. Penny is determined to forge a relationship with her birth mother; in turn, Mika longs to be someone Penny is proud of. Faced with her own inadequacies, Mika embellishes a fact about her life. What starts as a tiny white lie slowly snowballs into a fully fledged fake life. The harder-won heart belongs to Thomas Calvin, Penny’s adoptive widower father. What starts as a rocky, contentious relationship slowly blossoms into a friendship and, over time, something more. But can Mika really have it all --- love, her daughter, the life she’s always wanted --- or will her deceptions ultimately catch up to her?

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- 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: WIDOWLAND by C. J. Carey

WIDOWLAND by C. J. Carey (Alternate History/Dystopian Thriller)
Thirteen years have passed since England surrendered to the Nazis and formed a Grand Alliance with Germany. It was forced to adopt many of its oppressive ideologies, one of which was the strict classification of women into hierarchical groups based on the perceived value they brought to society. Rose Ransom, a member of the privileged Geli class, works for the Ministry of Culture, rewriting the classics of English literature to ensure there are no subversive thoughts that will give women any ideas. Outbreaks of insurgency have been seen across the country, and suspicion has fallen on Widowland, the run-down slums where childless women over 50 have been banished. Rose is given the dangerous task of infiltrating Widowland to find the source of the rebellion.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.

Click here for the discussion guide.

Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks for August

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 August'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: THE MANY DAUGHTERS OF AFONG MOY by Jamie Ford
THE BODYGUARD by Katherine Center
THE LAST WHITE MAN by Mohsin Hamid
THE BOOK EATERS by Sunyi Dean
CALLING FOR A BLANKET DANCE by Oscar Hokeah

LibraryReads
Top Pick: LOVE ON THE BRAIN by Ali Hazelwood
BABEL: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R. F. Kuang
THE COUPLE AT NUMBER 9 by Claire Douglas
DAISY DARKER by Alice Feeney
THE HOOKUP PLAN by Farrah Rochon

Target Book Club
ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE by Mike Gayle

Costco's "Buyer's Pick"
THE MANY DAUGHTERS OF AFONG MOY by Jamie Ford

Barnes & Noble Book Club
MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS by Anthony Marra

Reese's Book Club
WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME by Gillian McAllister

Jenna Bush Hager's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club
THE MANY DAUGHTERS OF AFONG MOY by Jamie Ford

"Good Morning America" Book Club
MIKA IN REAL LIFE by Emiko Jean

Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites
THE LAST TO VANISH by Megan Miranda

Our Most Popular Book Group Selections for July’s "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest

Bookreporter.com Bets On:
THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK by Jennifer Hillier
and LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus

THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK by Jennifer Hillier (Psychological Thriller)
THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK is the first book that I have read by Jennifer Hillier. As this is her seventh, I am trying to figure out how it took me so long to find her work. It kicks off with Paris Peralta in the bathroom with a straight blade in her hand, and her husband dead in a bathtub full of blood. She is arrested, but her biggest fear is not being caught for this murder. She is worried that her picture will be plastered everywhere, and the past that she has so cleverly hidden will come back to haunt her --- and with it, another murder that she could be charged with.

- 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 watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Jennifer Hillier.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.

Click here to read more of Carol's commentary
on THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK.

LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus (Historical Fiction/Humor)
There are times when I “miss” a book and play catchup. That is what I did with LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus. I think it was because a few people told me that it was similar to another book that I did not like. But then I heard raves from others. So exactly four-and-a-half months after hearing about it, I picked it up. And I found myself not just loving Elizabeth Zott and her quirky ways, but thinking about how this woman was really making strides at a time in the late ’50s and early ’60s when women’s roles were a lot more traditional. Plus, I love clever, which is exactly what this book is.

- 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 watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Bonnie Garmus.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.

Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY.

Bookreporter.com's 18th Annual Summer Reading Feature

All summer long, we at Bookreporter.com have been sharing some great summer book picks with our Summer Reading Feature. While our series of 24-hour contests have ended, we encourage you to take a look at our featured titles for some sizzling summer reading ideas.

This year’s featured titles are:

• ACTS OF VIOLET by Margarita Montimore
• ALL'S FAIR AND OTHER CALIFORNIA STORIES by Linda Feyder
• BEACH HOUSE SUMMER by Sarah Morgan
• BEAUTIFUL WORLD, WHERE ARE YOU by Sally Rooney
• THE BEST IS YET TO COME by Debbie Macomber
• THE BOOK WOMAN'S DAUGHTER by Kim Michele Richardson
• A CARIBBEAN HEIRESS IN PARIS by Adriana Herrera
• FALLING by T. J. Newman
• A FAMILY AFFAIR by Robyn Carr
• THE HONEYMOON COTTAGE by Lori Foster
• THE LIES I TELL by Julie Clark
• MEANT TO BE by Emily Giffin
• OUR WOMAN IN MOSCOW by Beatriz Williams
• SUGAR AND SALT by Susan Wiggs
• SUMMER ON THE ISLAND by Brenda Novak
• THE SUMMER PLACE by Jennifer Weiner
• THE TRUE LOVE BOOKSHOP by Annie Rains
• TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON by Chris Pavone
• WIDOWLAND by C. J. Carey

- Click here to see the winners of this year's Summer Reading contests.

Click here to learn more about our featured titles.

From left to right: Karin Slaughter, William Kent Krueger, Alice Feeney

Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events

As many book and author events are still 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.

Monday, August 15th at 8pm ET: Random House: Join Random House Group and Brain Lair Books to celebrate ALL GOOD PEOPLE HERE, the propulsive debut from Ashley Flowers, the creator and host of the #1 true crime podcast “Crime Junkie.” The conversation will be moderated by Crime by the Book’s Abby Endler.

Monday, August 15th at 8pm ET: Warwick's: Warwick's will host Mary Dixie Carter as she discusses her debut novel, THE PHOTOGRAPHER (which releases in paperback this month), with Gregg Hurwitz.

Tuesday, August 16th at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome #1 New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown for a live virtual event to celebrate the release of OVERKILL as part of their B&N Midday Mystery Virtual Event series. She will be in conversation with internationally bestselling author Kathy Reichs.

Wednesday, August 17th at 3pm ET: Warwick's: Warwick's, in partnership with Book Passage, Books, Inc., Copperfield’s and Skylight Books, will host Julian Barnes as he discusses his new book, ELIZABETH FINCH.

Monday, August 22nd at 3pm ET: Murder By The Book: Alice Feeney will talk about her new novel, DAISY DARKER, with Mystery & Thriller Maven’s Sara DiVello. A family reunion leads to murder in this delightfully twisty and atmospheric thriller.

Monday, August 22nd at 4pm ET: Book Passage: Karin Slaughter will be in conversation with Cara Black about her new thriller, GIRL, FORGOTTEN, which finds newly minted US Marshal Andrea Oliver investigating a cold case with links to her father’s past. 

Monday, August 22nd at 7pm ET: Murder By The Book: William Kent Krueger will talk about his new Cork O'Connor mystery, FOX CREEK, with Mystery & Thriller Maven’s Sara DiVello. This time, Cork is in a race against time to save his wife, a mysterious stranger and an Ojibwe healer from bloodthirsty mercenaries.

Tuesday, August 23rd at 12pm ET: Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites: Megan Miranda will join members of the Simon & Schuster team to discuss her new novel, THE LAST TO VANISH, which is August's pick for S&S's Book Club Favorites.

Saturday, August 27th at 12:30pm ET: Warwick's: Warwick's, in partnership with Rakestraw Books, will host Frances Mayes as she discusses her new book, A PLACE IN THE WORLD: Finding the Meaning of Home, with Kim Sunée.

"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:

• Bonnie Garmus (LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY) Video | Podcast
• Casey Sherman (HELLTOWN: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer on Cape Cod)
  Video | Podcast

Other authors we've interviewed include:

• Kimberly Belle (MY DARLING HUSBAND) Video | Podcast
• Julie Clark (THE LIES I TELL) Video | Podcast
• Jane Green (SISTER STARDUST) Video | Podcast
• Jennifer Hillier (THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK) Video | Podcast
• Gilly Macmillan (THE LONG WEEKEND) Video | Podcast
• Sarah McCoy (MUSTIQUE ISLAND) Video | Podcast
• Meg Mitchell Moore (VACATIONLAND) Video | Podcast
• Allison Pataki (THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST) Video | Podcast
• Chris Pavone (TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON) Video | Podcast
• Tom Perrotta (TRACY FLICK CAN'T WIN) Video | Podcast
• Kim Michele Richardson (THE BOOK WOMAN'S DAUGHTER) Podcast
• Katie Runde (THE SHORE) Video | Podcast
• John Searles (HER LAST AFFAIR) Video | Podcast
• Brendan Slocumb (THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY) Video | Podcast
• Amanda Eyre Ward (THE LIFEGUARDS) Video | Podcast

Upcoming interviews include:

• Scott Shepherd (SHOULD I FALL)

Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.

Our Latest Guides

We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:

THE BODYGUARD by Katherine Center (Romantic Comedy)
She’s got his back. He’s got her heart. They’ve got a secret. What could go wrong? Katherine Center’s highly anticipated new novel is the feel-good, undeniably romantic, deliciously witty binge-read of the summer.

THE FAMILY REMAINS by Lisa Jewell (Psychological Thriller)
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell comes an intricate and affecting novel about twisted marriages, fractured families and deadly obsessions in this stand-alone sequel to THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS.

THE LAST TO VANISH by Megan Miranda (Psychological Thriller)
New York Times bestselling author Megan Miranda returns with a gripping and propulsive thriller that opens with the disappearance of a journalist who is investigating a string of vanishings in the resort town of Cutter’s Pass. Will its dark secrets finally be revealed?

THE MANY DAUGHTERS OF AFONG MOY by Jamie Ford (Historical Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling author of HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET returns with a powerful exploration of the love that binds one family across the generations.

A MAP FOR THE MISSING by Belinda Huijuan Tang (Fiction)
An epic, mesmerizing debut novel set against a rapidly changing post–Cultural Revolution China, A MAP FOR THE MISSING reckons with the costs of pursuing one’s dreams and the lives we leave behind.

MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS by Anthony Marra (Historical Fiction)
From the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA comes the epic tale of a brilliant woman who must reinvent herself to survive, moving from Mussolini’s Italy to 1940s Los Angeles.

MIKA IN REAL LIFE by Emiko Jean (Fiction)
From Emiko Jean, the author of the New York Times bestselling young adult novel TOKYO EVER AFTER, comes a whip-smart, laugh-out-loud funny and utterly heartwarming novel about motherhood, daughterhood and love --- how we find it, keep it, and how it always returns.

THE READING LIST by Sara Nisha Adams (Fiction)
THE READING LIST is an unforgettable and heartwarming debut about how a chance encounter with a list of library books helps forge an unlikely friendship between two very different people in a London suburb.

REPUTATION by Sarah Vaughan (Psychological Thriller)
The bestselling author of ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL --- now a hit Netflix series --- returns with a new psychological thriller about a politician whose less-than-perfect personal life is thrust into the spotlight when a body is discovered in her home.

THE RETREAT by Sarah Pearse (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
From the New York Times bestselling author of THE SANATORIUM, a Reese’s Book Club pick, Detective Elin Warner uncovers the truth behind the suspicious deaths on a stunning island getaway.

SUGAR AND SALT by Susan Wiggs (Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling author of THE LOST AND FOUND BOOKSHOP returns to Perdita Street with a can’t-miss tale of friendship, hardship, redemption and love between a San Francisco baker and a barbecue master from Texas.

THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK by Jennifer Hillier (Psychological Thriller)
THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK is a brilliant new thriller from Jennifer Hillier, the award-winning author of the breakout novels LITTLE SECRETS and JAR OF HEARTS. Paris Peralta is suspected of killing her celebrity husband, and her long-hidden past now threatens to destroy her future.

WIDOWLAND by C. J. Carey (Alternate History/Dystopian Thriller)
For readers of Margaret Atwood's THE HANDMAID'S TALE comes a thrilling feminist dystopian novel set in an alternative history that terrifyingly imagines what a British alliance with Germany would look like if the Nazis had won World War II.

Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:

HARLEM SHUFFLE by Colson Whitehead (Historical Fiction)
From the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD and THE NICKEL BOYS comes a gloriously entertaining novel of heists, shakedowns and rip-offs set in Harlem in the 1960s.

THE JOY AND LIGHT BUS COMPANY: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (22) by Alexander McCall Smith (Mystery)
In this 22nd installment in the beloved No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, Mma Ramotswe is tempted to put the brakes on a business venture before it even gets rolling.

THE THERAPIST by B. A. Paris (Psychological Thriller)
The multimillion-copy New York Times bestselling author B. A. Paris returns to her heartland of gripping psychological suspense in THE THERAPIST --- a powerful tale of a house that holds a shocking secret.

WE ARE NOT LIKE THEM by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza (Fiction)
Told from alternating perspectives, WE ARE NOT LIKE THEM is an evocative and riveting novel about the lifelong bond between two women, one Black and one white, whose friendship is indelibly altered by a tragic event.

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.

Quick Links to Features on ReadingGroupGuides.com

Find a Guide by Title | Find a Guide by Author | Find a Guide by Genre
Contests | Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks | The Book Report Network YouTube Channel 
"Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts | "Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books"
Book Festivals | Carol's Event Schedule

Please visit the other websites in TheBookReportNetwork.com: Bookreporter.com and AuthorsOnTheWeb.com.

And be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.