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A Bookishly Magical Evening
On Tuesday evening, we hosted our 40th “Bookaccino Live” Book Group program --- and it was our most attended event ever! Allen Levi joined us to discuss his New York Times bestselling debut novel, THEO OF GOLDEN. The audience clearly was mesmerized by the insight he gave into the characters and setting.
Allen talked about his inspiration for writing the book and expressed his appreciation for how it has resonated with so many people. He thoughtfully responded to a number of reader questions. Some were asked by attendees who appeared on the virtual stage, while I shared questions and comments from those who were camera-shy or weren’t able to attend. Allen also updated us on the project that he is working on now. And yes, it features Ellen!
Click here to watch the event or here to listen to the podcast. The program clocks in at just under two hours, but be assured that those who read THEO OF GOLDEN will not want to miss a minute of it. We covered so much ground with Allen and heard from a number of people who were blown away by the book --- including a mother and her 14-year-old son!
We’ve had such an overwhelming response to this event, and I’ve loved reading the notes that I’ve received from those who attended. I’m sharing some of them with you here, and others appear in last night's Bookreporter newsletter. They are amazing!
Reader Comments about Allen Levi's Event
Stacy wrote, “Carol, I just had to follow up after watching Allen Levi last night. What a wonderful, in-depth conversation. He IS Theo. The sweetest man. So many great questions that I hadn't thought about. Love that. I started a book club 28 years ago here in Minneapolis. And last fall when we read THEO OF GOLDEN, all of us voted it the best book we'd ever read in 28 years. Thanks for hosting Allen and sharing it with all of us.”
Pam wrote, “Oh my goodness…it was fantastic! Count me as someone who is probably going to buy the book (I’m a library girl) and read it again and again. Thank you for inviting Allen and for letting us all participate in such a powerful discussion.”
Bev wrote, “I just spent a perfect hour and a half with you, Allen and Tom. I’ll look forward to many more visits.”
Marie wrote, “Bravo! What a wonderful, inspirational evening! Thank you so very much for this opportunity to meet Allen up close and personal. What a formidable man he is! My book club friends and I want to go on a road trip to visit the bookstore and cafe where the portraits hang. The people who were selected to ask questions on camera were perfect choices, especially the woman who spoke of losing her son. A very, very poignant moment for me.”
Julia wrote, ”Thank you for sharing such a meaningful story and such remarkable people with the world.”
Anita wrote, “This evening has been so special. Thank you for hosting tonight’s event. What a blessing this book is, and Allen Levi is a very special individual. This will change lives for years to come.”
Gail wrote, “What a gift it was for us to get to see and listen to Allen Levi. What a story, what a book. This must be a movie for 'our time.' Oh, how we need more Theos in our world today! I feel like the book challenges us within the storylines to do better, be better.”
Crystal wrote, “Thank you for allowing Zeke and me to be part of tonight’s discussion with Allen Levi. While we are both a bit shy, we truly enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of this. This book has meant a great deal to me personally, and it was wonderful to see so many others connect with it as well. I also wanted to commend your facilitation of the event. You chose excellent, non-repetitive questions, and your own insights were a great addition to the conversation. Thank you for all the work you put into this.”
Please note that Crystal and Zeke are the mother-and-son team I mentioned earlier!
We are thrilled to announce that Lily King will be our next “Bookaccino Live” Book Group guest. The event will be held on Thursday, February 26th at 8pm ET, and you can sign up here for it.
We will talk about her most recent novel, HEART THE LOVER, an instant New York Times bestseller and a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. This deeply moving love story celebrates literature, forgiveness, and the transformative bonds that shape our lives.
I will interview Lily and then will turn to readers who would like to share a question for her on screen (we have special sign-in directions for these attendees, and they will get to chat with Lily in our “backstage green room” before the program starts), followed by audience questions.
If you would like to ask Lily a question, please fill out this form by noon ET on Thursday, February 26th. Be sure to include your name, city, state, email address and phone number, as well as your question. And indicate if you would like to be on camera or off.
We have two new “Bookreporter Talks To” interviews to share with you in this newsletter.
First up is Belle Burden, whose much-talked-about memoir, STRANGERS, details how her husband abruptly left their marriage during the early days of the pandemic. The book, a Bets On pick that debuted at #1 on the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction list, chronicles Belle's journey from shock and grief to rebuilding her life as a writer and single mother.
Belle started writing about her experience after her divorce was finalized in 2022, feeling “a burning need to write down what had happened.” She initially wrote a piece for the New York Times “Modern Love” column, which ran in June 2023. Following the article’s publication, Belle was contacted by editors who suggested turning it into a book. The trauma of her divorce reconnected her with her desire to write, which she had abandoned in college. She explains how the divorce affected her children and her approach to parenting through the crisis.
Belle admits that she handed over financial authority to her husband, despite her being a former corporate lawyer. She has advised her daughters to “never let go of their own financial authority.” Belle sees her memoir as reclaiming her narrative rather than letting others define her story. She connects her experience to broader patterns of women's silence and how it allows others to control their stories. For her, writing the book was an act of agency and authenticity.
Click here to watch the interview or here to listen to the podcast. You also can take a look at the discussion guide, our review on Bookreporter, and my Bets On commentary.
I also talked to Paula McLain about her latest novel, SKYLARK, which is January's “Good Morning America” Book Club pick.
Paula has been enthralled with Paris since her 2011 bestseller, THE PARIS WIFE. Her new book features dual timelines set in Paris --- one in 1664 and the other in the 1940s during the Nazi occupation. The characters face parallel struggles across different time periods. Both storylines address how people find meaning and hope through connections with others.
In SKYLARK, the underground tunnels beneath Paris serve as a space of refuge and resistance throughout history. Paula conducted extensive research, including physically exploring the city’s underground tunnel network. She wanted to create a “drilled-down view” of Paris rather than the glamorous cafés portrayed in her earlier work.
In addition to talking about how she worked with her editor, Peter Borland, to weave the two stories together, Paula discusses the audiobook narration by Alexa Davalos and Michiel Huisman, both of whom captured the emotional essence of the characters.
Click here to watch the video or here to listen to the podcast. You also can access the guide here and read our Bookreporter review here.
VIGIL is George Saunders’ highly anticipated second novel, following 2017’s Booker Prize winner LINCOLN IN THE BARDO. The book takes place at the bedside of an oil company CEO in the twilight hours of his life as he is ferried from this world into the next. It’s a tale that encompasses life and death, good and evil, and the thorny question of absolution.
Harvey Freedenberg has our review on Bookreporter and says, “Whether in real life or literature, most of us will encounter a character like K. J. Boone, armed with firm ideas about whether or not the term ‘villain’ should be attached to him for eternity. And it’s likely that many will leave his story with that assessment unchanged. The fact that Saunders may shake those perceptions a bit along the way is a tribute to the success of this modest but memorable novel.” Click here to read the full review and here for the guide.
Gabriel Tallent --- whose 2017 debut, MY ABSOLUTE DARLING, was a New York Times bestseller --- is back with his long-awaited second novel, CRUX. In this story of intense friendship and grit, two down-and-out teens escape their lives and chase a different future through rock climbing.
According to Harvey Freedenberg in his Bookreporter review, “CRUX is an old-fashioned novel in the best sense of that word. There are real stakes in the lives of these characters. That’s why we find ourselves caring about their struggles, laughing and crying with them as we share their joys and sorrows. Most telling of all, we leave their lives feeling a real sense of regret at the parting.” Read more of Harvey’s thoughts on the book here, and check out the guide here.
Thrity Umrigar, whose most recent books include HONOR and THE MUSEUM OF FAILURES, has written her first thriller. In MISSING SAM --- a tense and twisty story that is also a provocative examination of suburban mores --- a woman goes missing on a morning run, and her wife is determined to both find her and clear her own name.
Bookreporter reviewer Pamela Kramer has this to say: “Umrigar's writing is as lyrical and lovely as always in this powerful, impactful story. It's a novel that unveils the hidden biases and hatred that some people feel for those who are different in any way. But it's also about women taking back the narrative and regaining power over those who would seek to oppress. There's a lot to unpack, consider and discuss. So, in essence, MISSING SAM is a perfect book club book.” Click here for the guide and here for Pamela's full review.
We also have added guides for these five books:
We hosted our “Bookaccino Live” Winter Preview event last Wednesday evening. I presented 55 books that are either out now or soon to be released this winter that we think you will enjoy reading over the next few months. Included are fiction; historical fiction; thrillers and mysteries; and memoirs, biographies and other nonfiction.
Click here to watch the presentation and here to see a list of the titles that I talked about. Don’t miss our Spring Preview evening program on Wednesday, March 18th!
This is your last Reading Group Guides newsletter reminder to sign up for February’s “Bookaccino Live” book preview event, which will take place on Wednesday, February 11th at 2pm ET.
The focus will be on titles releasing between February 10th and March 3rd, along with a few from the first half of April, that we think will appeal to you. Click here to sign up. Those who join us live 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.
Have a great next discussion with your group!
Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
P.S. For those of you who shop online, if you use the store links that appear on our site for shopping, ReadingGroupGuides.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and IndieBound. As you check out the discussion guides and various features on our site, we would appreciate your considering this as you buy!
New Guide: VIGIL by George Saunders
VIGIL by George Saunders (Fiction)
Not for the first time, Jill “Doll” Blaine finds herself hurtling toward earth, reconstituting as she falls. She plummets towards her newest charge, yet another soul she must usher into the afterlife, and lands headfirst in the circular drive of his ornate mansion. She has performed this sacred duty 343 times since her own death. Her charges, as a rule, have been greatly comforted in their final moments. But this charge, she soon discovers, isn’t like the others. The powerful K. J. Boone will not be consoled, because he has nothing to regret. He lived a big, bold life, and the world is better for it. Isn’t it? Crowds of people and animals --- worldly and otherworldly, alive and dead --- arrive, clamoring for a reckoning. Birds swarm the dying man’s room, and two oil-business cronies from decades past show up with chilling plans for his post-death future.
- 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: CRUX by Gabriel Tallent
CRUX by Gabriel Tallent (Fiction)
Dan and Tamma are two teenagers in their last year of high school in the southern Mojave Desert. One is a gifted golden child, the other a mouthy burnout. Climbing boulders in trash-strewn parking lots during cold desert nights, they seal their unique bond and dream of a life of adventure. As the year progresses and adult reality looms, they are rocked by change and pulled apart by irreconcilable obligations. Differences of class, talent and prospects take on new importance; options dwindle, and their decisions grow ever more consequential and perilous. It feels inevitable, finally, that something must give.
- 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: MISSING SAM by Thrity Umrigar
MISSING SAM by Thrity Umrigar (Domestic Thriller)
One night after a party, old grievances surface between married couple Aliya and Sam, and the night ends badly with a heated argument. Sam goes for a run early the next morning to clear her head --- and doesn’t come back. Aliya reports her wife missing, but as a gay Muslim daughter of immigrants, she can't escape the scrutiny and suspicion of those around her. Scared and furious, and feeling isolated as strangers and acquaintances alike doubt her innocence, Aliya makes one wrong choice after another. She must fight to prove her innocence in the public eye even as she is torn between her fear that Sam is dead and her desire to find and save her wife. But is safety ever truly possible for them?
- 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: ALL THE LITTLE HOUSES by May Cobb
ALL THE LITTLE HOUSES by May Cobb (Domestic Thriller)
It's the mid-1980s in the tiny town of Longview, Texas. Nellie Anderson, the beautiful daughter of the Anderson family dynasty, has burst onto the scene. She always gets what she wants. What she can't get for herself… well, that's what her mother is for. Because Charleigh Andersen --- blond, beautiful and ruthlessly cunning --- remembers all too well having to claw her way to the top. When she was coming of age on the poor side of East Texas, she was a loser and an outcast, humiliated and shunned by the in-crowd, whose approval she'd so desperately thirsted for. When a prairie-kissed family moves to town --- all trad wife, woodworking dad, wholesome daughter vibes --- Charleigh's entire self-made social empire threatens to crumble. Who will be left standing when the dust settles?
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: MEET THE NEWMANS by Jennifer Niven
MEET THE NEWMANS by Jennifer Niven (Historical Fiction)
For two decades, Del and Dinah Newman and their sons, Guy and Shep, have ruled television as America’s Favorite Family. Millions of viewers tune in every week to watch them play flawless, black-and-white versions of themselves. But now it’s 1964, and the Newmans’ idealized apple-pie perfection suddenly feels woefully out of touch. Ratings are in free fall, as are the Newmans themselves. Del is keeping an explosive secret from his wife, and Dinah is slowly going numb --- literally. Steady, stable Guy is hiding the truth about his love life, and the charmed luck of rock ‘n’ roll idol Shep may have finally run out. When Del is in a mysterious car accident, Dinah hires Juliet Dunne, an outspoken, impassioned young reporter, to help her write the final episode. But Dinah and Juliet have wildly different perspectives about what it means to be a woman, and a family, in 1964.
- 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: WHEN WE WERE BRILLIANT by Lynn Cullen
WHEN WE WERE BRILLIANT by Lynn Cullen (Historical Fiction)
In 1952, Norma Jeane Baker follows documentary photographer Eve Arnold into a powder room on the night they first meet. She has a proposition for her. Norma Jeane created Marilyn Monroe to be photographed, and she wants Eve to do it. Eve is better than anyone she’s seen at revealing a person’s inner truth. Together they can help each other. Together, she says, they can make something brilliant. Skeptical of this cipher of a young woman, Eve demurs. She’s looking for more serious subjects than this ambitious starlet. But she keeps getting drawn back into Marilyn’s orbit, and the women come to recognize something in each other --- something fundamental. Nothing will get in the way of what they want, and when Marilyn’s star takes off to teetering heights, neither will ever be the same.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE SOCIETY by Karen Winn
THE SOCIETY by Karen Winn (Literary Thriller)
Vivian Lawrence was born into old-money Boston, but when her family fortune vanishes so does her carefully curated life. Desperate, she turns to an old family legend that ties her to the Knox and its inheritance, seeking a way into the exclusive secret society. She doesn’t expect that entry to come in the form of Peter, a Knox insider with movie star good looks and just enough roughness to his charm to make Vivian weak in the knees for the first time in her life. Far from Boston’s glittering elite is newcomer Taylor Adams, a young nurse eager to leave her humble past behind. When the effortlessly glamorous Vivian lands in her ER after a suspicious fall, Taylor is instantly captivated. But then Vivian abruptly disappears without a trace, sending Taylor on a search for answers that pulls her into the Knox itself --- as their new employee.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide:
HOW TO COMMIT A POSTCOLONIAL MURDER
by Nina McConigley
HOW TO COMMIT A POSTCOLONIAL MURDER by Nina McConigley (Fiction)
Summer, 1986. The Creel sisters, Georgie Ayyar and Agatha Krishna, welcome their aunt, uncle and young cousin --- newly arrived from India --- into their house in rural Wyoming where they’ll all live together. Because this is what families do. That is, until the sisters decide that it’s time for their uncle to die. According to Georgie, the British are to blame. And to understand why, you need to hear her story. She details the violence hiding in their house and history, her once-unshakeable bond with Agatha Krishna, and her understanding of herself as an Indian-American in the heart of the West. Her account is, at every turn, cheeky, unflinching and infectiously inflected with the trappings of teendom, including the magazine quizzes that help her make sense of her life.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New January Releases of Interest to Book Groups
Here 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.
THE DEVIL'S DAUGHTER by Danielle Steel (Fiction)
Two diametrically different sisters --- one calculating and egotistical; the other honorable, kind and compassionate --- clash in this compelling novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel.
EVELYN IN TRANSIT by David Guterson (Fiction)
EVELYN IN TRANSIT delivers much-needed insight and compassion about humanity’s strivings for transcendence and what it might mean to “live the right way.”
THE FLOWER BEARERS: A Memoir by Rachel Eliza Griffiths (Memoir)
Rachel Eliza Griffiths inscribes the trajectories of two transformational relationships with grace and honesty, chronicling the beauty and pain that comes with opening oneself fully to love.
THE FUTURE SAINTS by Ashley Winstead (Fiction)
For fans of DAISY JONES & THE SIX and IN FIVE YEARS, this powerful and transportive new novel is about a music executive desperately trying to bring a rock band back from the brink.
HALF HIS AGE by Jennette McCurdy (Fiction)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of I'M GLAD MY MOM DIED comes a sad, funny and thrilling novel about sex, consumerism, class, desire, loneliness, the internet, rage, intimacy, power, and the (oftentimes misguided) lengths we’ll go to in order to get what we want.
HOMESCHOOLED: A Memoir by Stefan Merrill Block (Memoir)
This heartbreaking, empowering and often hilarious debut memoir is about a mother’s all-consuming love, a son’s perilous quest to discover the world beyond the front door, and the unregulated homeschool system that impacts millions like him.
IS THIS A CRY FOR HELP? by Emily Austin (Fiction/Dark Humor)
Emily Austin's luminous novel follows a librarian who comes back to work after a mental breakdown only to confront book-banning crusaders in an empowering story of grief, love and the power of libraries.
JEAN by Madeleine Dunnigan (Historical Fiction)
Spellbinding and evocative, JEAN is a meditative narrative of loss and escape distilled into the heartrending story of an intense and dangerous adolescent love.
MY HUSBAND'S WIFE by Alice Feeney (Psychological Thriller)
The New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists is back with a psychological masterpiece that will leave you questioning everything you know about love, identity and revenge.
ROOM 706 by Ellie Levenson (Fiction)
A married woman is trapped with her lover in a hotel under siege. If she knew it would end this way, would it ever have begun?
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
STRANGERS by Belle Burden
and ANATOMY OF AN ALIBI by Ashley Elston
STRANGERS: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden (Memoir)
I had the pleasure of meeting Belle Burden at a publisher event in November. After she told us her story, which is detailed in STRANGERS, I immediately requested a pre-release audio download. I love listening to memoirs on audio. After finishing it, I would share the book’s opening with friends, and they all said that it sounded like a really good novel. Then I would tell them that it’s a memoir.
So what did they react to?
In the first week of the pandemic, while Belle and her family were staying at their home on Martha’s Vineyard, life was going as well as it could be during those uncertain times. There were lovely fires in the fireplace, with wood that was carefully selected by Belle’s husband, and cocktails in the afternoon. Yes, there still was fear of COVID, but they felt safe where they were.
The following week, Belle was mopping the floor (I remember thinking that she knew exactly what she was doing when her world turned upside down), and the phone rang.
- 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 our "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Belle Burden.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on STRANGERS.
ANATOMY OF AN ALIBI by Ashley Elston (Psychological Thriller)
I thought it would be tough for Ashley Elston to match her previous thriller, FIRST LIE WINS. But she certainly did that, and more, with ANATOMY OF AN ALIBI.
Small towns often have their own hierarchy with those in power who call the shots. They typically are not elected; rather, they wield power because of money or who they know. Many have secrets that go back decades, all linked to their own nefarious deeds. In ANATOMY OF AN ALIBI, Ashley puts those who have this unelected power into the hot seat, as their deeds from the past come back. And this time judgment is made.
Right from the start, there is a setup where an impersonation can help uncover part of a secret. Camille Bayliss enlists Aubrey Price to impersonate her at a bar in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Why? Camille needs some time to spy on her husband, Ben, a man who tracks her every move.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to visit Ashley Elston's website.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on ANATOMY OF AN ALIBI.
Bookreporter.com's 11th Annual
Winter Reading Contests and Feature
Our Winter Reading contests have returned for an 11th year! On select days through mid-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 featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
From left to right: Kaira Rouda, Kate Quinn, Freida McFadden
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
Here are eight upcoming virtual book and author events that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links for more info and to register.
Monday, February 2nd at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Jonathan Kellerman will talk about his latest book, JIGSAW, an electric thriller that marks the return of the most beloved duo in American crime fiction: psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis.
Tuesday, February 3rd at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden and internationally bestselling author LJ Ross for a virtual discussion of McFadden's DEAR DEBBIE and Ross' IMPOSTOR as part of B&N's Midday Mystery Virtual Event series. Freida and LJ will be in conversation with USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan.
Tuesday, February 3rd at 7pm ET: Buzz Books Official Spring Summer 2026 Nonfiction Panel: Five authors will chat with their editors about their upcoming books: Sue Aikens (NORTH OF ORDINARY), Casey Sherman (THE KILLER AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT), Sarah Wilson (I EAT THE STARS), ​Annabelle Gurwitch (THE END OF MY LIFE IS KILLING ME), and Beth Howard (SONG FOR A HARD-HIT PEOPLE).
Tuesday, February 3rd at 9pm ET: Killer Author Club: Kaira Rouda will talk to her fellow Killer Author Club hosts, Kimberly Belle and Heather Gudenkauf, about her latest thriller. WE WERE NEVER FRIENDS is an unputdownable, riveting train wreck full of dark humor and bad behavior.
Wednesday, February 4th at 7pm ET: “Friends & Fiction”: Join “Friends & Fiction” for a conversation with Janie Chang and Kate Quinn about their latest books: Janie's THE FOURTH PRINCESS: A Gothic Novel of Old Shanghai and Kate's THE ASTRAL LIBRARY.
Monday, February 9th at 4pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: John Sayles will talk about his new book, CRUCIBLE, a complex and sweeping historical novel about Henry Ford --- the Elon Musk of his day --- and his attempt to rule not only an automotive empire but the rambunctious city of Detroit.
Wednesday, February 11th at 2pm ET: “Bookaccino Live” Book Preview Afternoon Event: Carol Fitzgerald will present titles releasing between February 10th and March 3rd, along with a few from the first half of April, that we would like to get on your radar. Included will be fiction; historical fiction; thrillers and mysteries; and memoirs, biographies and other nonfiction.
Wednesday, February 11th at 7pm ET: “Friends & Fiction”: Join “Friends & Fiction” for a conversation with Omid Scobie and Robin Benway about their highly anticipated novel, ROYAL SPIN. This irresistibly entertaining story is about a young American woman who takes a job at Buckingham Palace, where she finds herself tangled in a royal mess she might not be able to spin her way out of.
"Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts
“Bookreporter Talks To” is a video and podcast series that delivers long-form, in-depth author interviews. 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 recently include:
Upcoming interviews include:
-
Ashley Elston (ANATOMY OF AN ALIBI)
-
Sadeqa Johnson (KEEPER OF LOST CHILDREN)
-
Wendy Walker (BLADE)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
ALL THE LITTLE HOUSES by May Cobb (Domestic Thriller)
From the author of THE HUNTING WIVES comes a deliciously wicked thriller about mean girls, mean moms, and the delicious secrets inside all the little houses.
CRUX by Gabriel Tallent (Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of MY ABSOLUTE DARLING comes a story of intense friendship and grit, in which two down-and-out teens escape their lives and chase a different future through rock climbing.
THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM by Laura Dave (Domestic Thriller/Mystery)
Laura Dave continues Hannah Hall's pulse-pounding journey in this riveting and deeply moving sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling blockbuster and Apple TV+ show, THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME.
HOW TO COMMIT A POSTCOLONIAL MURDER by Nina McConigley (Fiction)
This bold, inventive and fiercely original debut novel begins with an uncle dead and his tween niece’s private confession to the reader --- she and her sister killed him, and they blame the British.
MEET THE NEWMANS by Jennifer Niven (Historical Fiction)
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Niven comes a novel about America’s favorite TV family, whose perfect façade cracks.
MISSING SAM by Thrity Umrigar (Domestic Thriller)
MISSING SAM is the tense and twisty story of a woman who goes missing on a morning run and her wife's determination to both find her and clear her own name.
THE REST OF OUR LIVES by Ben Markovits (Fiction)
THE REST OF OUR LIVES is a triumphantly life-affirming road trip novel about marriage, middle age, and a man at a crossroads in his life.
SKYLARK by Paula McLain (Historical Fiction)
A spellbinding and transportive look at a side of Paris known to very few --- the underground city that is a mirror reflection of the glories above --- Paula McLain’s unforgettable novel chronicles two parallel journeys of defiance and rescue that connect in ways both surprising and deeply moving.
THE SOCIETY by Karen Winn (Literary Thriller)
Rumors about the Knox and its influence have swirled through Boston for centuries. While some believe the secret society is merely an elite social club, others are convinced it hides something more sinister.
STRANGERS: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden (Memoir)
STRANGERS is a gorgeous memoir about the sudden end to a seemingly happy marriage --- an aching, love-filled and transcendent account of surviving betrayal and discovering joy.
THEO OF GOLDEN by Allen Levi (Fiction)
A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, THEO OF GOLDEN is a beautifully crafted novel about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder to a purposeful life, and the invisible threads of kindness that bind us to one another.
VIGIL by George Saunders (Fiction)
This electric novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling, Booker Prize–winning author of LINCOLN IN THE BARDO takes place at the bedside of an oil company CEO in the twilight hours of his life as he is ferried from this world into the next.
WHEN THE CRANES FLY SOUTH written by Lisa Ridzén, translated by Alice Menzies (Fiction)
WHEN THE CRANES FLY SOUTH is a profoundly moving debut novel that follows an elderly man’s attempts to mend his relationship with his son before it’s too late. This emotional story of love, friendship, fatherhood, dogs and atonement is an international sensation.
WHEN WE WERE BRILLIANT by Lynn Cullen (Historical Fiction)
They were an unlikely pair --- a blond bombshell and a photographer determined to be taken seriously --- but Marilyn Monroe and Eve Arnold would make a deal that would change their lives.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
THE BUSINESS TRIP by Jessie Garcia (Psychological Thriller)
Twist upon twist, layer upon layer, where nothing is as it seems, THE BUSINESS TRIP takes you on a descent into the depths of a mastermind manipulator. But who is playing who?
DREAM STATE by Eric Puchner (Fiction)
Spanning 50 years and set against the backdrop of a rapidly warming Montana, DREAM STATE explores what it means to live with the mistakes of the past --- both our own and the ones we’ve inherited.
GOOD DIRT by Charmaine Wilkerson (Fiction)
The daughter of an affluent Black family pieces together the connection between a childhood tragedy and a beloved heirloom in this moving novel from the New York Times bestselling author of BLACK CAKE, a "Read with Jenna" Book Club pick.
HEARTWOOD by Amity Gaige (Literary Thriller/ Mystery)
HEARTWOOD takes readers on a gripping journey as a search and rescue team races against time when an experienced hiker mysteriously disappears on the Appalachian Trail in Maine.
THIS IS A LOVE STORY by Jessica Soffer (Fiction)
An homage to New York City, to romance and even to loss, THIS IS A LOVE STORY tenderly and suspensefully captures deep truths about life and marriage in radiant prose. It is about love that endures despite what life throws at us, or perhaps even because of it.
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