Latest Features and Contests
Bookreporter.com Bets On: THE GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore
I enjoyed Liz Moore's previous novel, LONG BRIGHT RIVER, so I was eager to read THE GOD OF THE WOODS. She does not disappoint. I never attended summer camp, but friends of mine have loved this experience. And in these pages, I felt like I was there. Here we have an interesting setup. It's 1975. Next to Camp Emerson is a property in the Adirondacks owned by the wealthy Van Laars, which has been in the family for generations. They own the land where the camp is located, and it is now managed by the daughter of the camp's founder.
» Click here to read more of Carol's Bets On commentary.
» Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com Bets On: THE CLIFFS by J. Courtney Sullivan
I enjoy J. Courtney Sullivan's writing, so I was looking forward to reading THE CLIFFS. Here, she returns to Maine in a book that is full of character, history and stories woven together. First, there is an abandoned house, one that Jane Flanagan, a teen with a less-than-happy home life, explores in her free time. Her imagination is in gear about who may have lived there and what their story was. Things seem hurriedly abandoned as if a family fled. There are clothes in closets and dishes in cabinets. But life moves on. And so does Jane.
» Click here to read more of Carol's Bets On commentary.
» Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com Bets On: THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN by Marjan Kamali
A few years ago, I read and loved Marjan Kamali’s THE STATIONERY SHOP, which was so beautifully done. I am happy to share that her latest book, THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN, is just as special. While readers will see it as a touching story of a friendship, it is much more as Marjan gives us an inside view of the political situation that erupts again and again in Tehran, Iran. Two girls, Ellie and Homa, become friends at school. Ellie’s background had been in much higher standing until her father passed away, and she and her mother had to move to a lower-class area. While Ellie’s mother resents this lack of social standing, Ellie enjoys the simpler life at Homa’s house, where there is lots of joy.
» Click here to read more of Carol's Bets On commentary.
» Click here to read our review.
» Click here to watch our "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Marjan Kamali.
» Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
» Click here to visit Marjan Kamali's website.
Bookreporter.com Bets On: BAD TOURISTS by Caro Carver
Caro Carver’s BAD TOURISTS sets up as one kind of book but quickly flips to another. Then comes even more twists. Caro was inspired to write this thriller as she was on vacation in the Maldives. She envisioned a hotel, like Sapphire Island, a plush location where guests would have everything taken care of for them. This spectacular setting is a star and a character since the setup of these accommodations lends itself to the action. And the beautiful waters around them hide danger. There also is a page where Caro refers to a manta ray and shares, “How difficult can it be to tell innocent and villain apart?” That is the central theme of the novel, and a tone is set.
» Click here to read more of Carol's Bets On commentary.
» Click here to read our review.
» Click here to watch our "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Caro Carver.
» Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Bookreporter.com's Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What You've Read --- and You Can Win Two Books!
Let us know by Friday, August 9th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll have a chance to win HOUSE OF GLASS by Sarah Pekkanen and WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? by Shari Lapena in our Word of Mouth contest.
On the outside, they were the golden family with the perfect life. On the inside, they built the perfect lie in HOUSE OF GLASS. Nothing ever happens in sleepy little Fairhill, Vermont. But this morning that will change in WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
» Click here to enter the contest.
Bookreporter.com's 20th Annual Summer Reading Contests and Feature
Summer is here! 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 early 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 next contest will be up on Tuesday, July 30th at noon ET. The prize book will be THE DAYS I LOVED YOU MOST by Amy Neff, which will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. This heart-wrenching, life-affirming novel asks: How much would you sacrifice for the one you love?
» Click here to read all the contest details and learn more about our featured titles.
An Interview with Joshua Perry, Author of SERAPHIM
SERAPHIM, former New Orleans public defender Joshua Perry’s debut novel, is a gritty and thrilling interrogation of crime, violence and the limits of justice in the chaotic times after Hurricane Katrina. In this interview conducted by Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, Perry talks about his decision to write a work of fiction featuring a public defender as the main character and mentions two novels that served as models for the book. He also looks back on his legal career and explains what he misses (and doesn’t miss) about being a public defender.
» Click here to read the interview.
Bookreporter Talks To...
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.
Beatriz Williams' new novel, HUSBANDS & LOVERS, is a Bets On selection. Here, for the first time, Beatriz sets one of her story threads in the present day, while the other takes place in 1950s Cairo. She loves reading about history and actually began developing the older storyline before moving over to the later one. Readers of THE SUMMER WIVES will note at least one character who finds his place in HUSBANDS & LOVERS. Carol asks about Beatriz’s inspiration for Monk, the rock star in the book, as well as the iconic bracelet that finds its way through generations. And she talks about what’s next for her. Watch the video or listen to the podcast.
BAD TOURISTS is Caro Carver's newly released thriller and a Bets On pick. (For those who may not know, Caro has written thrillers and mysteries as C.J. Cooke.) Caro's inspiration for the book came from a trip to the Maldives. It seems like an idyllic setting, but one where a lot more nefarious things might happen. She talks about her three main characters, who are bound together by a past event, and why she chose a “divorce trip” as the reason for all of them to get away. Caro also explains how another couple on vacation at the resort was incorporated into her storytelling. She shares a lot about her writing process for the book, as well as what’s next for her. Watch the video or listen to the podcast.
Carol had the pleasure of talking to Marjan Kamali about her latest novel, THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN, which is a Bets On title. Marjan shares the genesis of the story and how she built on it from there. She delves into her personal history coming to the US as a child and what it means to be a “lion woman.” We learn about how class and culture mattered in the relationship between Ellie and Homa, as well as how motherhood would change Homa. Marjan also discusses how she parsed some of the story to add intrigue --- and what her writing/editing process was like. Persian food is mentioned throughout the book, and Marjan talks about what food means beyond just nourishment. There is one recipe that Carol is keen on making. Book groups, take note! 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.
Latest Reviews
On April 13, 1986, 10-year-old Tiger Woods watches his idol, Jack Nicklaus, win his record sixth Masters. Just over a decade later, chants of “Ti-ger, Ti-ger!” ring out as the 21-year-old wins his first Green Jacket. He blazes an incredible path, winning 14 major titles (second only to Nicklaus himself) by the time he’s 33, smashing records and raising standards. Then come multiple public scandals and potentially career-ending injuries. The once-assured champion becomes an all-American underdog. “YouTube golfer” is how his two children know their father --- winless since 2013 --- until he wins the 2019 Masters, his 15th major, before their eyes. But the story doesn’t end there. TIGER, TIGER is the first full-scale Woods biography of the decade.
When Jane, an aspiring writer, meets filmmaker John Bridges, they both want the same things: to be in love, to live a successful, creative life, and to be happy. When they marry, Jane believes she has found everything she was looking for, including --- a few years later --- all the attendant joys and labors of motherhood. But it’s not long until Jane finds herself subsumed by John’s ambitions, whims and ego; in short, she becomes a wife. As Jane’s career flourishes, their marriage starts to falter. Throughout the upheavals of family life, Jane tries to hold it all together. That is, until John leaves her.
October 1891. A hard winter approaches across the Rocky Mountains. The city of Butte, Montana, is rich on copper mines and rampant with vice and debauchery among a hard-living crowd of immigrant Irish workers. Here we find Tom Rourke, a young poet and ballad-maker of the town, but also a doper, a drinker and a fearsome degenerate. Polly Gillespie arrives in town as the new bride of the extremely devout mine captain Long Anthony Harrington. A thunderbolt love affair takes spark between Tom and Polly, and they strike out west on a stolen horse. But a posse of deranged Cornish gunmen are soon in hot pursuit and closing in fast. With everything to lose and the safety and anonymity of San Francisco still a distant speck on their horizon, the choices they make will haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Newlywed Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is summoned to a suspicious fire in the woods, where she discovers a charred body. According to the coroner, the deceased --- an Amish man named Milan Swanz --- was chained to a stake and burned alive. Kate knows all too well that the Amish prefer to handle their problems without interference from the outside world, and no one will speak about the murdered man. From what she’s able to piece together, Swanz led a deeply troubled life and recently had been excommunicated. When her own brother is implicated in the case, Kate finds herself not only at odds with the Amish, the world of which she was once a part, but also the English community and her counterparts in law enforcement. The investigation takes a violent turn when Kate’s life is threatened by a mysterious stranger.
During a vicious heat wave, a county maintenance worker stumbles upon two suspicious suitcases abandoned by the side of the road. Sheriff Bree Taggert responds to find two bodies stuffed inside the luggage. Suddenly, Bree is at the center of a media firestorm. In Oregon, a senator’s daughter goes missing. FBI Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick agrees to keep the politically sensitive case on the down-low. When she finds a link between the disappearance and a double homicide 3,000 miles away, Mercy takes the next plane out --- and lands right in the middle of Bree’s double homicide investigation. To save the missing girl, Bree and Mercy must work together to stop a killer who’s playing deadly games with the press and stirring up public rage. Hungry for notoriety, he dares Bree and Mercy to catch him before he kills again.
The mystery of Evie Cormac’s background has followed her into adulthood. As a child, she was discovered hiding in a secret room where a man had been tortured to death. Many of her captors and abusers escaped justice, unseen but not forgotten. Now, on a hot summer’s day, the past drags Evie back as she watches the bodies of 17 migrants wash up on a Lincolnshire beach. There is only one survivor, a teenage boy, who tells police their small boat was deliberately rammed and sunk. Psychologist Cyrus Haven is recruited by the police to investigate the murders --- but recognizes immediately that Evie has some link to the tragedy. By solving this crime, he could finally unlock the secrets of her past. But what dark forces will he set loose? And who will pay the price?
Author Shelby Archer found inspiration for her first novel while living on the picturesque shores of Provincetown on Cape Cod. When she comes to the town to celebrate her new bestseller, she is expecting a warm homecoming. But instead she is confronted with the cold shoulders of friends and neighbors who feel exposed and betrayed. Heartbroken, Shelby tries to move on and focus on her next novel. But then an unexpected call comes: her dear friend, who owns the beloved Land's End bookshop, needs help for the summer. Shelby reluctantly returns to the Cape to manage the store. Back at the beach, she sets her focus on the tiny seaside shop. But as her manuscript deadline nears, Shelby is again forced to choose between her own success and a second chance at love and belonging.
Unconventional Detective Declan Miller has a problem. Well, two problems. First, there's his dead wife and her yet-to-be-solved murder. He really should stop talking to her ghosts. Second, and most pressing, a young man has just appeared on his doorstep with a briefcase…containing a pair of severed hands. Miller knows that this case is proof of a contract killing commissioned by local ne'er-do-well Wayne Cutler --- a man he suspects also might be responsible for his wife's death. Now Miller has leverage, but unfortunately, he also has something that both Cutler and a villainous fast-food kingpin are desperate to get hold of.
Erin Sloane was 16 when high school senior Andre Villiers was murdered by his friends. They were her friends, too, led by the intense, charismatic Ricky Hell. Five people went into West Cypress Woods the night Andre was murdered. Only three came out. Ativan, alcohol and distance had dimmed Erin's memories of that time. But nearly 20 years later, an aging father will bring her home. Now a journalist, she is asked to write a story about the Southport Three and the thrill-kill murder that electrified the country. Erin's investigation propels her closer and closer to a terrifying truth. And closer and closer to danger.
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