Bookreporter.com's 22nd Annual Summer Reading Contests and Feature
Summer will be here before you know it! At Bookreporter.com, this means it's time for us to share some great summer book picks with our Summer Reading Contests and Feature.
We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through mid-August, so you will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter to win.
We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
Our first two contests will be up at noon ET on Tuesday, May 5th and Wednesday, May 6th. The prize books will be THE CALAMITY CLUB by Kathryn Stockett (an upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On selection) and THE LITTLE BOOKSHOP BY THE HARBOR by Jean Stone.
» Click here to read all the contest details and learn more about our featured titles.
New Release Spotlight: THE SAPPHIRE SEA by Davis Bunn
Colin Eames recalls his late mother’s tales of a faraway place called the Sapphire Sea, where happiness forever is a way of life. When Colin is accepted into the Outer Banks Academy for the Gifted, it's his chance to slip out from under his father’s control, chart his own course, and embark on a quest for the one thing that eludes him: love. As the years pass and Colin’s freedom offers dream opportunities, his yearning to make a connection grows stronger. Then he meets Mira, an empathetic girl weathering tragic losses of her own. She’s there for him, supporting each new step he takes. For Colin, maybe the promise of the Sapphire Sea wasn’t a bedtime story after all, but rather a true and genuine place in the heart --- one worth searching and waiting for.
» Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight.
Bookreporter.com's 21st Annual Mother's Day Contest
Mother’s Day is a time to recognize the woman who raised and nurtured us. To celebrate, we're giving you the opportunity to win books for yourself or the special lady in your life in Bookreporter.com's 21st annual “Books Mom Will Love” contest.
From now through Monday, May 11th at noon ET, readers can enter to win one of our five prize packages, which includes five great titles that we think moms will love: THE CALAMITY CLUB by Kathryn Stockett, HARBOR POINTE: A Hope Harbor Novel by Irene Hannon, LITTLE WONDER by Sophie Chen Keller, THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB by Susan Patterson and James Patterson, and THE MOUNTAINS WE CALL HOME: The Book Woman's Legacy by Kim Michele Richardson.
» Click here to enter the contest.
Bookreporter.com's 17th Annual Mother's Day Author Blogs
Our Mother's Day Author Blogs are back for a 17th year! Once again, we are excited to be sharing pieces from authors who reminisce about reading books with their moms, or with their own children, and talk about how their moms influenced them to become readers and writers.
This year's contributors are Marie Benedict (DAUGHTER OF EGYPT), Laurie Frankel (ENORMOUS WINGS), Devi S. Laskar (MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR), Casey Scieszka (THE FOUNTAIN), Casey Sherman (THE KILLER AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT), and Caitlin Shetterly (THE GULF OF LIONS).
» Click here to read Bookreporter.com's 2026 Mother's Day Author Blogs.
Fiction Author Spotlight & Featured Review: THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB by Susan Patterson and James Patterson
Between their busy lives and their far-flung residences, the Mother-Daughter Book Club --- four longtime college friends and their five daughters --- more often discuss the books on their nightstands via 2am texts than in-person meetings. And maybe it’s just as well, after what happened at their last get-together. So it’s an emotional reunion when they finally gather again, this time on the spectacular shores of Italy’s Lake Como. Sightseeing excursions, reminiscing fueled by “Como-politans,” and a hint of vacation romance all build toward the book club’s trademark “Night of Secrets.” These friends, and sometime rivals, are close readers --- of novels, memoirs, and each other. But as the years and the distance cast shadows and doubt, confidences and sympathies turn into surprising revelations.
» Click here to read more in our Fiction Author Spotlight.
» Click here to read our review.
» Click here to watch our "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Susan Patterson.
» Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Readers Comment on WHEN THE CRANES FLY SOUTH by Lisa Ridzén
In March, we ran a contest where 25 readers won a copy of Lisa Ridzén's debut novel, WHEN THE CRANES FLY SOUTH, an international bestseller and a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. We asked them to read the book and let us know their thoughts on it.
We are happy to share some of their comments with you here. Many thanks to all who took the time to give us such wonderful feedback.
» Click here for readers' comments about the book.
» Click here to watch our "Bookaccino Live" Book Group event with Lisa Ridzén.
» Click here to listen to a podcast of the event.
Bookreporter.com's Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What You've Read --- and You Can Win Two Books!
Let us know by Friday, May 15th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll have a chance to win THE FOURSOME by Christina Baker Kline and THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY by Elizabeth Strout in our Word of Mouth contest.
THE FOURSOME is a boldly original reimagining of the astonishing true story of two sisters in 19th-century North Carolina --- Kline’s own distant relatives --- who married world-famous conjoined twins from Siam. In THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY, a chance incident sparks a powerful realization in a beloved teacher’s life.
» Click here to enter the contest.
As part of our mission to expand The Book Report Network, we have been shooting video interviews with authors and posting them on our YouTube channel. We also have been making them available as podcasts. Carol loves interviewing authors, so this feels like a natural.
Susan Patterson teamed up with her husband, James Patterson, to write THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB. Set in Lake Como, Italy, the story revolves around four mothers and their five daughters, exploring mother-daughter relationships through a book club. Three of the mothers met at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is Susan’s alma mater. The book evolved naturally from the success and themes of their previous collaboration, THINGS I WISH I TOLD MY MOTHER. Susan and James decided to structure chapters by character point of view to make it easier for readers to follow multiple characters. Lake Como was selected because it represents one of the most beautiful places, with a perfect landscape, mountains, water and food. Watch the video or listen to the podcast.
Carol had a wonderful conversation with Jane Harper about her latest novel, LAST ONE OUT. This upcoming Bets On pick is set in Carralon Ridge, a dying rural Australian mining town that has become a shadow of its former self due to an industrial mining operation. It follows Ro Crowley as she returns annually to investigate her son Sam's disappearance on the eve of his 21st birthday five years earlier. This is Jane's first book with a female main character after five previous novels featuring male protagonists. She explains why Ro was the perfect character to tell this story. She also talks about the three houses near where Sam disappeared, which are almost characters themselves. Jane took a three-year break between books to avoid burnout and spend time with her young children. She returned refreshed to write this novel. Watch the video or listen to the podcast.
Devi S. Laskar discusses her third novel, MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR, which is set primarily in the years after 9/11. The protagonist, Rita Das, is a journalist inspired by Christiane Amanpour and Sylvia Poggioli, who planted themselves in conflict zones for their reporting. The book explores both personal and professional challenges faced by Rita, who is running from conflicts in her own life into parts of the world where she finds herself in unknown political circumstances as she works. She has complicated relationships, including a rocky marriage, a lover, a sick mother, and difficulties with her father. The unnamed location where Rita is stationed allows readers to focus on universal themes rather than specific geopolitical details. Watch the video or listen to the podcast.
» Click here for a complete list of our "Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts, along with upcoming interviews.
From the moment she first sang at church in McComb, Mississippi, Brandy knew her voice was special. At 14, she landed her first record deal. At 15, her album went platinum. At 16, she was starring in the hit sitcom “Moesha” and became the first Black actress to play Cinderella on screen alongside fairy godmother Whitney Houston. Yet, as the accolades piled up, so too did the pressure to maintain a flawless image. To onlookers, she had crafted the blueprint for the teenage “it” girl. But behind closed doors, “The Vocal Bible,” as she was known, was struggling. In PHASES, Brandy shares the humble roots of her decades-spanning career, her early struggles with bullies and insecurities as a high schooler, the inside stories behind her most iconic songs and albums, and so much more.
EXCITING OPPORTUNITY: Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY. Macy Mullins can’t say why the job posting grabbed her attention. It had the pull of a fisherman’s lure, barbed hook and all --- vaguely ominous. But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she's not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay, groceries to buy, and a younger sister to provide for. Besides, it’s only three days’ work. Three days, cooped up in a stranger’s house, surrounded by Oregon Coast wilderness. What starts as a peculiar side gig soon becomes a waking nightmare. An incomprehensible evil may dwell on this property --- and Macy Mullins just might be the only thing standing between it and the rest of humanity.
Most people get the Supreme Court all wrong. A smattering of high-profile decisions have popularized a simplistic idea of the Court and its justices. Yes, six of them were appointed by Republicans and only three by Democrats. So how does that 6-3 conservative majority explain why in the 2024-25 term, conservative Brett Kavanaugh was more likely to agree with liberal Elena Kagan than conservative Neil Gorsuch? Or why the court threw shade at Florida’s attempt to ban drag shows? To truly understand the Court, argues Sarah Isgur, you have to look beyond partisan politics --- the “X-Axis.” The wisest court watchers apply another measuring stick, the “Y-Axis," where the nine justices span from order-loving institutionalists to true chaos agents.
A rogue black hole is coming for Earth, and in a month everything and everyone they’ve ever known will be gone. Suddenly, after 40 years together, husbands Don and Rodney are out of time. They’re in a race against the clock to make it from Maine to Washington State to take care of some unfinished business before it’s all over. On the road they meet those who refuse to believe death is coming and those who rush to meet it. But there are also people living their final days as best they know how --- impromptu weddings, bright burning bonfires, shared meals and new friends. And as the black hole draws near, among ball lightning and under a cracked moon in a kaleidoscope sky, Don and Rodney will look back on their lives and ask if their best was good enough.
Los Angeles, right now. America with its back up against the wall. This Frankenstein's monster of crimes and lurid dreams sewn together into something like a city. A city ready to explode: A Hollywood pedophile is arrested, and he is ready to tear down the city to get his freedom. A young woman goes missing --- and men in black rubber gloves who look like cops clean out her apartment in the middle of the night. And the serial killer known as the LA Ripper is on the loose, leaving tragic/graphic/brutal crime scenes in his wake. Three people trying to keep their heads above the dirty water will find themselves coming together to unite these strands into one enormous, unspeakable crime.
October 2026: Lee Turner doesn’t remember how or why he killed his college roommate. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge --- his father’s new home in Japan, which is hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. October 1877: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. A monster came home from war wearing her father’s face, but Sen would do anything to please him. She knows the soldiers will soon slaughter her whole family when she sees a terrible omen: a young foreign man who appears outside her window. One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie. Something is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it.
Since a violent confrontation tore apart a family five years ago, brothers and fellow cops Russell and Evan haven’t spoken a word to each other. When they’re both assigned to the murder of a young journalist in the tiny town of Redbelly Crossing, their paths are forced to cross again. This was supposed to be the week Russell could repair things with his teenage daughter. Instead, he has to drag her on a murderous ride into the middle of snake-infested nowhere. For Evan, this case is exactly what he needed: a high-profile investigation that will give him the chance to rebuild his career after a terrible mistake that nearly ended it. Then a dark discovery leaves Evan with only one way out: to bury the truth Russell is so determined to uncover.
Hazel has been gone from her small hometown of Idless in the English countryside for years. Now returned in the wake of a traumatic divorce and crumbling personal life, her simple plans are to lay low at her parents’ vacated house, reconnect with her prickly sister, Cathy, and slowly get back on her feet. Cathy is surprised when Hazel doesn’t show. Their relationship strained from a fallout half a decade ago, she didn’t expect them to get back into a sisterly rhythm…though she hadn’t counted on Hazel bailing, either. But something isn’t adding up. Other people in town whisper of a threat that can’t be shaken. The woods are known for being restless. And Cathy knows the old saying: If you go looking for trouble, you just might find it.
All Cleo Dang has ever wanted is to be a mother. The day she discovers she’s pregnant is the happiest of her life, especially when she learns that her best friend, Paloma, is also expecting. It’s a wonderful surprise, and together, they enjoy their pregnancies. But when they both go to the hospital in labor, something goes very, very wrong. Paloma comes home with a baby. Cleo does not. Ravaged by grief, Cleo must now navigate life after losing her baby. She alienates herself from the world, particularly her best friend, who is living the life she so desperately wanted. Forced to take leave from her demanding job as an actuary, Cleo manages to find work at a funeral home, where she meets a revolving cast of bereaved locals and discovers the power of confronting grief.
Twenty years from now, the United States is completely privatized. The Big Six syndicates own schools, roads, police departments...even human beings. When a young immigrant woman --- 51% owned by the syndicates --- is brutally murdered, NYPD, Inc. Detective Juke O'Keefe and his partner, Crime Marketing Consultant Haylee Navarro, catch the case. Pregnant and broke, Haylee knows they can't crowdfund enough from a dead immigrant to pay for basic forensics, let alone their paychecks. But Juke, with his old-school sense of justice, is determined to find the killer. Their search for the truth leads them to Juke's ex, Safiya Jones, a Resistance leader on the syndicates' most wanted list. As the three join forces, they stumble onto a conspiracy designed to destroy the last shreds of American freedom.