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Fencing with the King by Diana Abu-Jaber

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.

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Win Up to 12 Copies of THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller for Your Group

Each month, we ask book groups to share the titles they are reading that month and rate them. From all entries, three winners will be selected, and each will win 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 is now available in paperback. 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 below by Wednesday, May 11th at noon ET.

Author Talk: Karen White, author of The Shop on Royal Street

Mar 31, 2022

THE SHOP ON ROYAL STREET is the opening installment in a spin-off series of Karen White’s New York Times bestselling Tradd Street novels. It stars Nola Trenholm, who is hopeful for a fresh start in New Orleans. But she must deal with ghosts from her past, as well as new ones. In this interview, White talks about why she decided to tell this story from Nola’s point of view, her “research” trip to the Big Easy (it was a tough job, but someone had to do it!), and some aspects of the new series that she thinks Tradd Street fans will love --- including several cameo appearances and the surprising reappearance of a character brought back into Nola’s life due to reader demand.

Lisa Scottoline, author of What Happened to the Bennetts

Jason Bennett is driving his family home after his daughter’s field hockey game when a pickup truck begins tailgating them. Suddenly two men jump from the pickup and pull guns on Jason, demanding the car. A horrific flash of violence changes his life forever. Later that awful night, Jason and his family receive a visit from the FBI. The carjackers were members of a dangerous drug-trafficking organization, and now Jason and his family are in their crosshairs. The agents advise them to enter the witness protection program, and they have no choice but to agree. The Bennetts begin to fall apart at the seams. Then Jason learns a shocking truth and realizes that he has to take matters into his own hands.

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March 28, 2022

My book group postponed our March meeting until the first week of April. We still are meeting outside, and last week the weather was a tad bleak for that. So I am looking forward to our discussion of BLACK CAKE by Charmaine Wilkerson.

We have a Facebook group where we talk about upcoming events, make date changes and discuss books in general. We have a somewhat lively conversation in between book discussions that allows us to keep in touch with each other.

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—New York Journal of Books

—Booklist

Lisa See Book Group Event

Links to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdfiOwpBJ2s.

April 2022 Bookaccino Live Event

Links to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nvdTHU9zRhyfPHj92fnQ8g.

Miranda Cowley Heller Event

Links to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_v1cXCF_GTsOFx8QFHY36UQ.