Blog

Laurie Lico Albanese has a hot tip for delinquent gift-givers who are still struggling to figure out what to get their loved ones for the holidays: judge a book by its title. In her Holiday Blog, the author of BLUE SUBURBIA: Almost a Memoir shares a hilarious guide for the present perplexed, and explains why the holiday season (and every season) is a great time to give a little feminist enlightenment to the women in your life. Her upcoming book, STOLEN BEAUTY, will be in stores February 7th.  

Cookstr.com founder and New York Times bestselling author Will Schwalbe knows a thing or two about how important books can be; his latest, BOOKS FOR LIVING --- which will be available on December 27th --- is all about the books that shaped his life. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that he’s not content with simply giving books as Christmas gifts; he’s intent on the interpersonal element of the reading experience. Here, he explains how the ultimate gift isn’t just a book --- it’s bringing people together.  

The holidays are a wonderful time, full of family and friends, but they can also be a bit…overwhelming. Caroline Leavitt has a rather simple and time-honored solution: read a book. Here, the New York Times bestselling author --- most recently of the acclaimed (and Bookreporter favorite) CRUEL BEAUTIFUL WORLD --- shares her strategy for avoiding holiday stress, plus how to pull it off with minimal insult to your loved ones.  

Every December, readers, writers and booklovers gather at Random House’s Open House event, a day when readers are invited to meet their favorite authors and Random House’s staffers to learn more about new and upcoming titles. (There are additional events like this hosted throughout the year.) The event is typically hosted at the Random House offices, but last week for their 10th Open House event, they celebrated by taking things out of house, to the nearby Kaye Theater at Hunter College.

Ann Hood is an award-winning author, most recently of the bestselling THE BOOK THAT MATTERS MOST, which we haven’t stopped raving about since it released in August. That book tells a story of love, loss and the redemptive power of books. Here, Ann continues on those themes with a touchingly personal recounting of a difficult day in her own life --- and the extraordinary way books can make your heart ache and help your heart heal.  

We’re excited to kick off this year’s Holiday Author Blog series with award-winning mystery author and groundbreaking journalist Hank Phillippi Ryan. Her latest novel, SAY NO MORE, is the fifth book in her bestselling Jane Ryland series and already is a Library Journal Best of 2016. It seems Hank could do no wrong even from an early age, when she and her sister decided to take Christmas into their own little hands --- as she describes here --- to miraculous results.  

The Texas Book Festival was held on November 5—6, in Austin, TX. The annual festival is one of the largest and most prestigious in the country and boasts over 250 authors, over 20 venues including the State Capitol, and more than 80 exhibitors --- not to mention live music, local food trucks and plenty of family activities. We were not fortunate enough to make it out there this year, but two fabulous readers, Anne Glasgow and Kathy Bigelow, were kind enough to share their experience with us. Below, they talk about their favorite panels, unexpected author encounters, and which books they are most looking forward to reading.

This past August, Edinburgh was host to their very own international book festival, set in a specially created tent village in Charlotte Square Gardens. They welcomed more than 800 authors in over 700 events, including novelists, poets, scientists, philosophers, sportsmen, illustrators, comics creators, historians, musicians, biographers, environmentalists, economists, Nobel and Booker prize-winners and many more besides. Jani Brooks from Rhode Island was lucky enough to attend, and here she shares her experience with us, including amazing descriptions of Scotland's sights and sounds and her very special Outlander-themed trip.

FOOD AND FEAST is a light-hearted culinary adventure offering a delightful taste of history through the foods, music and wisdom of the medieval table. While the book is the table companion to The Blue Bells of Scotland novels, it also serves as a stand-alone for anyone who wants to “simply” spice up their recipe repertoire while enjoying entertaining --- and sage --- bites on the chivalry, wisdom and historical significance of the Middle Ages.

On Saturday, October 22nd, almost 300 book lovers joined authors and publishing professionals for Hachette’s annual Book Club Brunch --- now in its fifth year. Boasting a variety of authors, books and snacks, this event is highly anticipated by readers and sells out nearly every year. The Book Report Network staffers were unable to make it, but we had seven generous readers share their experiences with us, including which authors they connected to most, which books they can’t wait to read, and how the discussion of Min Jin Lee’s PACHINKO --- which readers were given the opportunity to read before the event --- played out in such a large group.