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—Windy City Reviews

—Foreword Clarion Reviews, 4 out of 5 stars

Andrew David MacDonald, author of When We Were Vikings

For Zelda, a 21-year-old Viking enthusiast who lives with her older brother, Gert, life is best lived with some basic rules: 1) A smile means “thank you for doing something small that I liked.” 2) Fist bumps and dabs = respect. 3) Strange people are not appreciated in her home. 4) Tomatoes must go in the middle of the sandwich and not get the bread wet. 5) Sometimes the most important things don’t fit on lists. But when Zelda finds out that Gert has resorted to some questionable --- and dangerous --- methods to make enough money to keep them afloat, Zelda decides to launch her own quest. Her mission: to be legendary. It isn’t long before Zelda finds herself in a battle that tests the reach of her heroism, her love for her brother, and the depth of her Viking strength.

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Win 12 Copies of WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS by Andrew David MacDonald 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 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 WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS by Andrew David MacDonald, which is now available in paperback. This uplifting debut novel is about an unlikely heroine whose journey will leave you wanting to embark on a quest of your own...because, after all, we are all legends of our own making. To enter, please fill out the form below by Friday, October 9th at noon ET.
 

Update on Sounding Off on Audio

We have discontinued our Sounding Off on Audio contest, but we encourage you to let us know what audiobooks you are listening to in our Word of Mouth feature. You also can see past Sounding Off on Audio entries here.

Bookaccino Event on September 16th

Links to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfg9uFU5OMyrBplK_X4OGmJxo0NBtQJPyQOHSf2eF3ioN4u5A/viewform.

Greg Iles, author of Cemetery Road

Marshall McEwan is one of the most successful journalists in Washington, D.C. But when he discovers that his father is terminally ill, he must return home to face the unfinished business of his past. On arrival, he finds Bienville, Mississippi, very much changed. His family’s 150-year-old newspaper is failing; and Jet Talal, the love of his youth, has married into the family of Max Matheson, one of a dozen powerful patriarchs who rule the town through the exclusive Bienville Poker Club. To Marshall’s surprise, the Poker Club has taken a town on the brink of extinction and offered it salvation, in the form of a billion-dollar Chinese paper mill. But on the verge of the deal being consummated, two murders rock Bienville to its core, threatening far more than the city’s economic future.

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August 19, 2020

How come the summer months fly by so quickly while winter drags? How can it be August 19th already?

It has been a very busy summer. Our "Bookreporter Talks To" schedule has been full, and I have been attending many evening events with authors. We've compiled a list of other book-themed podcasts that readers suggested; you can see them in our blog here. If you have other ideas, email me with the subject line "Podcast" and we will add them!

I also have been attending many virtual author events in the evening. If you are doing the same, let me know with the subject line "Virtual Events." We are sharing some upcoming ones later in this newsletter.

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Alice Feeney, author of His & Hers

When a woman is murdered in Blackdown, a quintessentially British village, newsreader Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case. Detective Jack Harper is suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation. Someone isn’t telling the truth, and some secrets are worth killing to keep.

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Finola Austin, author of Brontë’s Mistress

Yorkshire, 1843: Lydia Robinson --- mistress of Thorp Green Hall --- has lost her precious young daughter and her mother within the same year. She returns to her bleak home, grief-stricken and unmoored. With her teenage daughters rebelling, her testy mother-in-law scrutinizing her every move and her marriage grown cold, Lydia is restless and yearning for something more. All of that changes with the arrival of her son’s tutor, Branwell Brontë, brother of her daughters’ governess, Miss Anne Brontë, and those other writerly sisters, Charlotte and Emily. Branwell has his own demons to contend with --- including living up to the ideals of his intelligent family --- but his presence is a breath of fresh air for Lydia. However, her new taste of passion comes with consequences.

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