October 14, 2016

We’ve almost made it one-third of the way through fall, which means we have only one thing on our mind: Halloween. As usual, it’s creeping up on us fast and making us super anxious about pulling together our costumes. The countdown is real, and it’s on. Will we outdo ourselves from last year? Only Tom and our Instagram likes will tell. We’re predicting a lot of sexy Ken Bones and rare Pokémons among the dressed-up crowd this year...and we’re not complaining ;)

We probably don’t have to remind you that Halloween is a great time if you’re single and ready to mingle. That being said, hitting the parties with your best bud (or your GF/BF/BF4L/LYLAS) is a great way to pick up Pikachus, if that’s the sort of thing you’re into. But real talk, we’ve been hitting the Halloween circuit (read: circus) as a dynamic duo for a couple of years now and it doesn’t disappoint. It means you have a sidekick (UNLESS YOU’RE HER SIDEKICK) to play along with you for the night, a shared Uber bill and a bud who is willing to “grab another slice” if you get hungry later. They also make excellent wingwomen, but who’s really counting.

Sure, sure, sure...you could think up some great historic and current two-people teams, but here are some that we’re all about right now who would make great costumes: Ben Affleck + Matt Damon, Matt Damon + Jimmy Kimmel, Tina + Amy, Hansel + Gretel, Ina Garten + her husband, Thelma + Louise, Madame Thénardier + Thénardier (from LES MIS), Ren + Stimpy, Arya Stark + the Hound, Rusty Cohle + Marty Hart (miss you the most). Reminder: These are only suggestions...but they are real good ones.

Something else that’s better with a pal? Writing newsletters! Not to toot our own horns, but we’re up to 5,000 newsletter subscribers rn, and we couldn’t be more excited. It’s readers like you, who have kept our newsletter championed and revered all these years, who make it all worthwhile. Our love tanks and bellies are full, and we thank you for that.

When we’re not tossing and turning over costume ideas and trying to find anything that’s not pumpkin spice-flavored, it’s safe to say that we’ve been having a less than stellar movie season. The Girl on the Train isn’t pulling in the kind of reviews we’d been hoping for, and neither, for that matter, is The Accountant, which comes out today. If there aren’t movies to see, what else is there to live for? Kidding...sorta. ‘Tis the season for tricks, no? And sure, we’ll take the treats, too, even if they’re not of the cinematic variety.

On other visual fronts, “Westworld” has been living up to the hype. Exceeding it, in fact. There’s all sorts of twists and turns, and the theories swirling around the internest have us tearing our hair out. Our very real hair because we’re human, we swear. Note: Do not read Reddit threads or seek spoilers unless you’re prepared. You’ve been warned. Fans of Michael Crichton, Ray Bradbury and good stories, ideas and acting in general won’t want to miss this one. And if you’re still not convinced, it’s good enough that Emily is considering forgiving Evan Rachel Wood for Barefoot and almost ruining Scott Speedman’s fine name.

Speaking of destroying reputations, notorious Tinderella Ryan Lochte is engaged to his hunnybunny. So happy those boneheads were finally able to say jeah! to love after their long and meaningful courtship (read: four months or so of DMs). Our favorite formerly blue-haired bimbo is taking the great leap off that diving board called “life” and plunging full speed ahead into the PR-friendly waters of matrimony. We’d be lying if we said we weren’t genuinely thrilled for the guy...and we never lie, because sockless Matt Lauer would force us to apologize. Now all he needs is an adorable Instagram-famous baby, and he’s hot on Michael Phelps’ happy trail.

When ‘tume hunting gets you down, pick up a good book. Here are some to check out:

Swedish author Camilla Läckberg is back at it again with THE LOST BOY. Detective Patrik Hedstrom is no stranger to tragedy. A murder case concerning Fjällbacka’s dead financial director, Mats Sverin, is a grim but useful distraction from his recent family misfortunes. It seems Sverin was a man who everybody liked yet nobody really knew. His high school sweetheart, Nathalie, has just returned to Fjällbacka with her five-year-old son. Perhaps she can shed some light on who Sverin really was. However, Nathalie has her own secret. If it’s discovered, she will lose her only child. As the investigation stalls, the police have many questions. But there is only one that matters: Is there anything a mother would not do to protect her child?

SMALL GREAT THINGS by Jodi Picoult tells the story of Ruth Jefferson, a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than 20 years’ experience. During a shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she’s been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don’t want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders, or does she intervene? Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime.

In THE WANGS VS. THE WORLD by Jade Chang, Charles Wang, a brash, lovable immigrant businessman who built a cosmetics empire and made a fortune, has just been ruined by the financial crisis. Now all he wants is to get his kids safely stowed away so he can go to China and attempt to reclaim his family’s ancestral lands --- and his pride. Charles pulls Andrew, his aspiring comedian son, and Grace, his style-obsessed daughter, out of schools he can no longer afford. Together with their stepmother, Barbra, they embark on a cross-country road trip to the upstate New York hideout of the eldest daughter, disgraced art world it-girl Saina. But Charles may have to choose between the old world and the new, between keeping his family intact and finally fulfilling his dream of starting anew in China.

If you’re in a book group, then we have a great opportunity for you! ReadingGroupGuides.com is hosting a very special contest for book groups interested in listening to one of three audiobooks as a group and providing feedback about the experience. Nine groups will win in total. Three groups will win BEHOLD THE DREAMERS, written by Imbolo Mbue and read by Prentice Onayemi; three will win SMALL GREAT THINGS, written by Jodi Picoult and read by Audra McDonald with Cassandra Campbell and Ari Fliakos; and three will win THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, written by Colson Whitehead and read by Bahni Turpin.

In order to qualify as a winning group, at least six members of your group must be able to commit to listening to and discussing your audiobook and sharing your feedback with us by Friday, January 27th. We also want your group to chat up these selections and your experience listening on social media, including reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Bookreporter.com’s “Sounding Off on Audio” feature. In addition --- as a thank you for your participation --- each group coordinator who fully completes the project will win another audiobook of his or her choosing from a list that we will provide. To enter and learn more about the contest, click here. The contest closes Wednesday November 2nd at noon ET so get in there already.

Until next time, eat all the candy you can get your hands on!

5 Things We’re Obsessed With at This Very Moment, in no particular order:
1. The trailer for Guy Ritchie's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
2. A college class on Beyoncé's "Lemonade"
3. A college class on Elena Ferrante
4. ...and the "revealing" of Ferrante's identity
5. The return of SNL. Thank you, Baldwin + McKinnon.

Nicole Sherman (Nicole@bookreporter.com) + Emily Hoenig (Emily@bookreporter.com)

 

BETWEEN BREATHS: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction by Elizabeth Vargas (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Elizabeth Vargas
From the moment she uttered the brave and honest words, "I am an alcoholic," to interviewer George Stephanopoulos, Elizabeth Vargas began writing her story. Now, in BETWEEN BREATHS, Vargas discusses her accounts of growing up with anxiety and how she dealt with it as she came of age, to her eventually turning to alcohol for relief. She tells of how she found herself living in denial, about the extent of her addiction and keeping her dependency a secret for so long. She addresses her time in rehab, her first year of sobriety, and the guilt she felt as a working mother who had never found the right balance. Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin.

BORN TO RUN by Bruce Springsteen (Memoir)
Over the past seven years, Bruce Springsteen has privately devoted himself to writing the story of his life, bringing to these pages the same honesty, humor and originality found in his songs. BORN TO RUN will be revelatory for anyone who has ever enjoyed the Boss, but this book is much more than a legendary rock star’s memoir. This is a book for workers and dreamers, parents and children, lovers and loners, artists, freaks, or anyone who has ever wanted to be baptized in the holy river of rock and roll. Reviewed by Rob Bentlyewski.

BOY, 9, MISSING by Nic Joseph (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, narrated by Danny Campbell
It should have been just a quiet evening with friends. But Francis lost his brother that night in what was ruled a tragic accident. He's tried to move on in the last 23 years, even though his father certainly hasn't. Indeed, his father still blames the lone witness, Sam, the nine-year-old son of friends. Perhaps if Sam would have just said something, anything, about what happened that night, but Sam still seems unable --- or unwilling --- to utter a word about the accident. And now, 23 years later, Sam's own nine-year-old son has disappeared. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

CRUEL BEAUTIFUL WORLD by Caroline Leavitt (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Sands Xe
It’s 1969, and 16-year-old Lucy is about to run away to live off the grid in rural Pennsylvania, a rash act that will have vicious repercussions for both her and her older sister, Charlotte. As Lucy’s default caretaker for most of their lives, Charlotte’s youth has been marked by the burden of responsibility, but never more so than when Lucy’s dream of a rural paradise turns into a nightmare. CRUEL BEAUTIFUL WORLD examines the intricate, infinitesimal distance between seduction and love, loyalty and duty, and explores what happens when you’re responsible for things you cannot fix. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.

LONER by Teddy Wayne (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by David Bendena
David Federman has never felt appreciated. An academically gifted yet painfully forgettable member of his New Jersey high school class, the withdrawn, mild-mannered freshman arrives at Harvard fully expecting to be embraced by a new tribe of high-achieving peers. Initially, however, his social prospects seem unlikely to change, sentencing him to a lifetime of anonymity. Then he meets Veronica Morgan Wells and becomes instantly infatuated. Determined to win her attention and an invite into her glamorous world, he begins compromising his moral standards for this one, great shot at happiness. But both Veronica and David, it turns out, are not exactly as they seem. Reviewed by Allison Sharp.

THE LOST BOY by Camilla Läckberg (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, narrated by Simon Vance
Detective Patrik Hedstrom is no stranger to tragedy. A murder case concerning Fjällbacka’s dead financial director, Mats Sverin, is a grim but useful distraction from his recent family misfortunes. It seems Sverin was a man who everybody liked yet nobody really knew. His high school sweetheart, Nathalie, has just returned to Fjällbacka with her five-year-old son. Perhaps she can shed some light on who Sverin really was. However, Nathalie has her own secret. If it’s discovered, she will lose her only child. As the investigation stalls, the police have many questions. But there is only one that matters: Is there anything a mother would not do to protect her child? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

MENDING FENCES by Sherryl Woods (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Tanya Eby
For 10 years, Emily Dobbs and Marcie Carter have been the closest of friends. They've raised their kids together, shared joy and heartache, and exchanged neighborhood gossip over tea. But when Marcie's son, now a college freshman sports star, is arrested for date rape, the bond between the families could be shattered forever. As the Carters try to deal with the unthinkable, Emily discovers her daughter has been hiding a terrible secret…a secret that threatens the futures of both families. Recently divorced, Emily struggles to keep it all together --- to support her terrified daughter, to maintain her friendship with Evan's mother, and to have faith in the detective who could change all of their lives. Reviewed by Megan Elliott.

MISSING: A Private Novel by James Patterson and Kathryn Fox (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Daniel Lepaine
Craig Gisto has promised Eliza Moss that his elite team at Private Sydney will investigate the disappearance of her father. After all, as CEO of a high-profile research company, Eric Moss shouldn't be difficult to find. But despite the most advanced technology at their disposal, they find every trace of him has vanished too. And they aren't the only ones on the hunt. Powerful figures want Moss to stay "lost," while others just as ruthlessly want him found. Meanwhile, a routine background check becomes a frantic race to find a stolen baby and catch a brutal killer --- a killer Private may well have sent straight to the victim's door. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

NICOTINE by Nell Zink (Fiction)
Audiobook available, performed by Cassandra Campbell
Recent business school graduate Penny Baker has rebelled against her family her whole life --- by being the conventional one. But all that changes when her father dies, and she inherits his childhood home in New Jersey. She goes to investigate the property and finds it occupied by a group of friendly anarchist squatters who have renamed the property "Nicotine." The Nicotine residents (united in defense of smokers’ rights) possess the type of passion and fervor Penny feels she’s desperately lacking. As the Baker family’s lives begin to converge around the fate of the house, Penny grows ever bolder and more desperate to protect it until a fateful night when a reckless confrontation between her old family and her new one changes everything. Reviewed by Kaitlynn Helm.

RECKLESS CREED: A Ryder Creed Novel by Alex Kava (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Graham Winton
In Chicago, a young man jumps from his 30th-story hotel room; along the Missouri River, a hunter and his son stumble upon a lake whose surface is littered with snow geese, all of them dead; and in southern Alabama, Ryder Creed and his search-and-rescue dog, Grace, find the body of a young woman who went missing in the Conecuh National Forest...and it appears she filled her pockets with rocks and walked into the river. Before long, Ryder and FBI profiler Maggie O’Dell will discover the ominous connection among these mysterious deaths. What they find may be the most prolific killer the United States has ever known. Reviewed by Maggie Harding.

SO SAY THE FALLEN by Stuart Neville (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available, narrated by Deirdre O’Connell
Henry Garrick, a local car dealer who was maimed in an accident five months before, has apparently taken his own life. A simple case, it should be wrapped up in a few days. But something doesn’t feel right to Belfast detective Serena Flanagan, despite the fact that there is no evidence of foul play. As she investigates, Flanagan interviews Roberta Garrick, Henry’s widow, who is comforted in her grief by Reverend Peter McKay, rector of the local church and a close family friend. But with the secrets McKay is keeping, he is in no position to help anyone. As Flanagan picks at the threads of the dead man’s life, a disturbing picture emerges, and she realizes that Roberta is not what she seems. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

STRONG COLD DEAD: A Caitlin Strong Novel by Jon Land (Thriller)
The terrorist organization ISIS is after a deadly toxin that could be the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. The same toxin holds the potential to eradicate cancer. There is a frantic race to see who can get to it first, even as Caitlin Strong begins to assemble the disparate pieces of a deadly puzzle. At the center of that puzzle is an Indian reservation where a vengeful tycoon is mining the toxin, disguising his effort as an oil-drilling operation. This is the same reservation where Caitlin’s great-great-grandfather, also a Texas Ranger, once waged a similar battle against the forces of John D. Rockefeller. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

THRICE THE BRINDED CAT HATH MEW'D: A Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley (Historical Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Jayne Entwistle
Only too eager to run an errand for the vicar’s wife, 12-year-old Flavia de Luce hops on her trusty bicycle, Gladys, to deliver a message to a reclusive wood-carver. Finding the front door ajar, Flavia enters and stumbles upon the poor man’s body hanging upside down on the back of his bedroom door. The only living creature in the house is a feline that shows little interest in the disturbing scene. Curiosity may not kill this cat, but Flavia is energized at the prospect of a new investigation. However, what awaits Flavia will shake her to the very core. Reviewed by Roz Shea.

THE TRESPASSER by Tana French (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Hilda Fay
Being on the Murder squad is nothing like Detective Antoinette Conway dreamed it would be. Her partner, Stephen Moran, is the only person who seems glad she’s there. Their new case looks like yet another by-the-numbers lovers’ quarrel gone bad. Aislinn Murray is dead in her living room, next to a table set for a romantic dinner. There’s nothing unusual about her --- except that Antoinette has seen her somewhere before. Other detectives are trying to push Antoinette and Steve into arresting Aislinn’s boyfriend. Is this case another step in the campaign to force her off the squad, or are there darker currents flowing beneath its polished surface? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: A Christmas Novel by Debbie Macomber (Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction)
Aspiring journalist Julia Padden starts a blog as a means of seeking revenge against her grouchy, arrogant, annoyingly handsome neighbor. Julia and Cain have clashed since she moved into the apartment building, but instead of fighting fire with fire, Julia has decided to kill Cain with kindness and document her success --- or lack thereof --- for all the world to see. To her surprise, her blog is an instant success, with Julia’s followers contributing their own suggestions for breaking through Cain’s cold exterior. And little by little, these small acts of kindness start to have a major effect. Reviewed by Melanie Reynolds.

THE WANGS VS. THE WORLD by Jade Chang (Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Nancy Wu
A brash, lovable immigrant businessman who built a cosmetics empire and made a fortune, Charles Wang has just been ruined by the financial crisis. Now all he wants is to get his kids safely stowed away so he can go to China and attempt to reclaim his family’s ancestral lands --- and his pride. Charles pulls Andrew, his aspiring comedian son, and Grace, his style-obsessed daughter, out of schools he can no longer afford. Together with their stepmother, Barbra, they embark on a cross-country road trip to the upstate New York hideout of the eldest daughter, disgraced art world it-girl Saina. But Charles may have to choose between the old world and the new, between keeping his family intact and finally fulfilling his dream of starting anew in China. Reviewed by Maya Gittelman.

WINTER STORMS by Elin Hilderbrand (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Erin Bennett
For the Quinn family, things finally seem to be coming together. However, there are still a few dark clouds on the horizon in Kelley’s recent health scare, Jennifer’s addiction to drugs, and Ava’s inability to choose between two lovers. But if there’s one holiday that brings the family together, it’s Christmas. This year promises celebration in Kevin and Isabelle’s wedding at the inn, but a historic once-in-a-century blizzard bears down on Nantucket as the special day approaches, threatening to keep the Quinns away from the place and people they love the most. Reviewed by Vivian Payton

ALUTA by Adwoa Badoe (Fiction)
For 18 year-old Charlotte, university life is better than she’d ever dreamed. Most of all, Charlotte is exposed to new ideas and in 1981 Ghana, this may be the most exciting --- and most dangerous --- adventure of all. At first Charlotte basks in her wonderful new freedom, especially being out of the watchful eye of her controlling and opinionated father. She suddenly finds herself with no shortage of male attention.But Ghana is fraught with a history of conflict. And in the middle of her freshman year, the government is overthrown and three judges are abducted and murdered. Reviewed by Pranshu A., Teen Board Member.

BLACK WIDOW: Red Vengeance by Margaret Stohl (Superhero)
BLACK WIDOW: RED VENGEANCE is the action-packed sequel tothe instant NEW YORK TIMES best-seller, BLACK WIDOW: FOREVER RED, penned by #1 NEW YORK TIMES best-selling author Margaret Stohl. This time, Stohl takes readers inside the minds of Marvel's most cunning and dangerous spies --- Black Widow and Red Widow --- delving deeper into their powers and will reveal more thanever before about the infamous assassin and her fledgling hero-in-training. Reviewed by Zoe I., Teen Board Member.

THE LOVELY RECKLESS by Kami Garcia (Fiction)
Seventeen year-old Frankie Devereux would do anything to forget the past. Haunted by the memory of her boyfriend’s death, she lives her life by one dangerous rule: nothing matters. Marco Leone is the fastest street racer in the Downs. When Frankie discovers his secret, she has to make a choice. Will she let the pain of the past determine her future? Or will she risk what little she has left to follow her heart? Reviewed by Jessica K., Teen Board Member.

RIPPLE by Heather Smith Meloche (Fiction)
Tessa would do anything to escape the pressure-cooker she calls home. So she finds a shot of much-needed power and confidence by hooking up with boys, even though it means cheating on her boyfriend. Jack is a prankster who bucks the system every chance he gets --- each transgression getting riskier and riskier. He loves the thrill and each adventure allows a little release because his smug smile and suave demeanor in the face of authority doesn’t make life at home with his mom any less tough. He tries to take care of her, but the truth is he's powerless in the face of her fragile mental health. Reviewed by Reanna H., Teen Board Member.

SECRETS IN THE SNOW: A Novel of Intrigue and Romance by Michaela MacColl (Mystery)
Jane Austen's family is eager to secure her future by marrying her off. But Jane is much more interested in writing her novels, and finds every suitor lacking --- until the mysterious Mr. Lefroy arrives. Could he be the one? Before Jane can find out, she must solve a murder, clear her family's name, and face a decision that might cost her true love. Reviewed by Janine Chouinard.

SNOW WHITE: A Graphic Novel by Matt Phelan (Graphic Novel)
The scene: New York City. The dazzling lights cast shadows that grow ever darker as the glitzy prosperity of the Roaring Twenties screeches to a halt. Enter a cast of familiar characters: a young girl, Samantha White, returning after being sent away by her cruel stepmother, the Queen of the Follies, years earlier; her father, the King of Wall Street, who survives the stock market crash only to suffer a strange and sudden death; seven street urchins, brave protectors for a girl as pure as snow; and a mysterious stock ticker that holds the stepmother in its thrall, churning out ticker tape imprinted with the wicked words "Another...More Beautiful...KILL." Reviewed by Dana Cuadrado.

SOMETHING IN BETWEEN by Melissa de la Cruz (Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Cassie Simone
Pretty, popular Jasmine de los Santos receives a national scholar award invitation that compels her Filipino immigrant parents to reveal the truth: their visas expired years ago. Her entire family is illegal, meaning no scholarships, maybe no college at all, and the very real threat of deportation. For the first time, Jasmine rebels, and her life is turned upside down by Royce Blakely, the charming son of a high-ranking congressman. Reviewed by Janine Chouinard.

WOMEN HEROES OF WORLD WAR II --- The Pacific Theater: 15 Stories of Resistance, Rescue, Sabotage, and Survival by Kathyrn Atwood (History)
In these pages, readers will meet courageous women and girls who risked their lives through their involvement in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. Fifteen suspense-filled stories unfold across China, Japan, Malaya, Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, and the Philippines, providing an inspiring reminder of womens' and girls' refusal to sit on the sidelines around the world and throughout history. Reviewed by Zoe I., Teen Board Member.

WRECKED by Maria Padian (Fiction)
Everyone has heard a different version of what happened that night at MacCallum College. Haley was already in bed when her roommate, Jenny, arrived home shell-shocked from the wild Conundrum House party. Richard heard his housemate Jordan brag about the cute freshman he hooked up with. When Jenny formally accuses Jordan of rape, Haley and Richard find themselves pushed onto opposite sides of the school’s investigation. But conflicting interests fueling conflicting versions of the story may make bringing the truth to light nearly impossible. Reviewed by Emily G., Teen Board Member.