June 16, 2026
This is one of those updates where there are sooooooo many titles for you to explore. I almost dare you to see if you cannot find a book that you want to consider for your next book group discussion!
PLUS we have the video and leave behinds for our semiannual Book Group Speed Dating program.
Read on and ENJOY! And we hope to see you at one of the upcoming events spotlighted below.
Editorial Content for Alan Opts Out
Book
Teaser
In this timely and comedic take on ambition, consumerism and the sticker price of privilege, an ad exec who bombs the biggest pitch of his career decides to forgo capitalism and live off the land of his suburban Connecticut home.
Promo
In this timely and comedic take on ambition, consumerism and the sticker price of privilege, an ad exec who bombs the biggest pitch of his career decides to forgo capitalism and live off the land of his suburban Connecticut home.
About the Book
In this timely and comedic take on ambition, consumerism and the sticker price of privilege, an ad exec who bombs the biggest pitch of his career decides to forgo capitalism and live off the land of his suburban Connecticut home. Perfect for readers of Rufi Thorpe and Taffy Brodesser-Akner.
Alan Anderson is a powerful advertising executive who has built a successful life and thriving business by making people buy stuff they don’t actually need. He’s up for the biggest pitch of his career and the account everyone wants: US Dairy. Cow’s milk sales are plummeting, and the C-Suite wants to see trendy oat milk kicked to the curb. But when an anarchist farmer tanks Alan’s presentation, Alan bombs the pitch but ends the day with an epiphany. No longer will he exploit the insecurities of others in the service of capitalism. Alan is opting out.
This development is anathema to his wife, Vivian. She’s just a few positive affirmations, a swimming pool and an exacting series of social tests away from finally becoming part of the elite women’s club, the Queen Annes, in their adopted town of Greenwich, Connecticut. As if contending with a daughter who wants to write plays (!) and another who has an unnatural empathy with animals isn’t enough to manage, she can only watch as Alan moves into their backyard playhouse to live off the land and --- worse --- spend time with the family. But instead of shocking the neighbors, Alan’s commitment to a less-is-more lifestyle seems to be catching on. Could everyone want what Alan is not selling?
Funny, sexy, intelligent and poignant, ALAN OPTS OUT is the most ambitious novel to date by celebrated author Courtney Maum, acclaimed for her stories that tackle big, chewy subjects of our post-modern America with wit and heart.
Editorial Content for The Burning Side
Book
Teaser
A family saga suffused with humor, longing and heartbreak, THE BURNING SIDE is about what we inherit and what we choose, about forgiveness and the ache of being known. It is, above all, about the meaning of home and the costs of long love.
Promo
A family saga suffused with humor, longing and heartbreak, THE BURNING SIDE is about what we inherit and what we choose, about forgiveness and the ache of being known. It is, above all, about the meaning of home and the costs of long love.
About the Book
From the author of THE BRIGHT YEARS, the story of April and Leo, a couple on the brink of collapse. When their house goes up in flames, family secrets and thorny histories emerge as they are forced to decide what is worth salvaging.
When April and Leo’s house burns in the middle of the night, they escape with their two young children and the quiet knowledge that the fire is not the only thing threatening their family. They retreat to April’s childhood home in Dallas, where her spirited parents and siblings provide both comfort and complication.
As the family reckons with the aftermath --- grief, guilt, logistics, and memories scorched and intact --- the fire exposes the cracks already forming in April and Leo’s marriage. The novel unfolds in alternating perspectives: from April, who feels the crushing weight of motherhood, marriage and self-blame; from Leo, a high school history teacher shaped by a lonely, fractured childhood; from Deb, April’s generous and no-nonsense mother who has to contend with her husband’s recent Alzheimer’s diagnosis; and from flashbacks that trace April and Leo’s relationship from its earliest days of connection to the devastating decisions that led them here.
A family saga suffused with humor, longing and heartbreak, THE BURNING SIDE is about what we inherit and what we choose, about forgiveness and the ache of being known. It is, above all, about the meaning of home and the costs of long love.
Editorial Content for Chasing the Clouds Away
Teaser
An unforgettable chance encounter between a successful yet jaded businessman and a woman who sees --- but also expects --- the best in everyone sparks an unlikely romance that challenges their assumptions about generosity, trust and the gifts of unforeseen love.
Promo
An unforgettable chance encounter between a successful yet jaded businessman and a woman who sees --- but also expects --- the best in everyone sparks an unlikely romance that challenges their assumptions about generosity, trust and the gifts of unforeseen love.
About the Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber comes an uplifting story of an unforgettable chance encounter between a successful yet jaded businessman and a woman who sees --- but also expects --- the best in everyone, sparking an unlikely romance that challenges their assumptions about generosity, trust and the gifts of unforeseen love.
Maisy Gallagher has her own dreams, but when her father passes away, she selflessly sets them aside to help her family. Despite knowing it was the right thing to do, she can’t help but wish for the road not taken.
Chase Furst, the hardened heir to a financial empire, is primarily focused on his own life and on his work as a bank executive. His childhood was marred by his mother’s struggle with addiction, and it left him cynical and emotionally distant.
But then Chase meets Maisy, a beautiful woman full of optimism and kindness who can see past his defenses. To his surprise and annoyance, she offers to help him during a time of need and declines his offer of payment. Instead, she asks him to pay it forward --- and not with money or a quick fix, but through an act of true selflessness. At a loss, Chase doesn’t know where to begin.













