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Bookreporter.com Bets On...

With thousands of books published each year and much attention paid to the works of bestselling and well-known authors, it is inevitable that some titles worthy of praise and discussion may not get the attention we think they deserve. Thus throughout the year, we will continue this feature that we started in 2009, to spotlight books that immediately struck a chord with us and made us say “just read this.” We will alert our readers about these titles as soon as they’re released so you can discover them for yourselves and recommend them to your family and friends.

Below are all of our selections thus far. For future "Bets On" titles that we will announce shortly after their release dates, please visit this page.

The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison

July 2013

There is an expression that no one outside a marriage really knows what goes on inside a marriage. There are times we wonder how people can be together. There are other seemingly perfect marriages that have their fractures.

In THE SILENT WIFE, a debut novel by the late A. S. A. Harrison (she passed away in April), readers quickly learn that the Jodi and Todd, the idyllic couple, we first meet are in a bad place in their marriage. There are risks for them both in what is going on. For Todd, he can’t be discovered. For Jodi, it could be the end of the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago.

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Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole

July 2013

Remember when letter writing was an everyday occurrence, not a lost art? I am not talking about emails that bounce around, often with one-word answers, but rather the kinds of letters where just seeing the writing on an envelope found at the mailbox by the curb could mean a nice extended read, a thoughtful reply, and then weeks for another part of the conversation to unfold. LETTERS FROM SKYE by Jessica Brockmole takes us back to a time like that as it spans two continents and takes place over the course of two world wars, capturing the way that love builds and the way words can make a heart beat faster. I enjoy sagas, and the way this one plays out in the characters’ own words makes it so charming!

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Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall

July 2013

Set in the summer of 1963 (hard to believe that was 50 years ago) during a pivotal time in the civil rights movement, WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD by Susan Crandall tells the story of those turbulent times through the eyes of nine-year-old Starla Claudelle. Starla runs away from home to find her mother, who deserted her and her father years ago, as she pined for a career as a country music singer. Starla is hellbent on getting to Nashville, the last place she has known her mother to be, where she is sure her mother is a country music star.

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Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky

July 2013

Charlotte and Nicole were once the best of friends, enjoying their time together at Nicole's family's Maine island house, but for years their friendship has been on hold. Nicole has married and started a successful blog; Charlotte has traveled the world as a writer and reporter. When Nicole returns to the island house, she invites Charlotte to join her. Together they work on a cookbook based on recipes grown from the herbs that had been nurtured for decades by a woman on the island. Nicole seeks out recipes and tests them while Charlotte does interviews of the local islanders. As they partner on this project, there is still a tension between them. Each has a secret that will change their relationship forever. Can love survive an honest mistake?

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The Widow Waltz by Sally Koslow

June 2013

I like smart humor, both in conversation and in writing. Thus, when I heard Sally Koslow reading from THE WIDOW WALTZ this week at a book signing, I was reminded of why I enjoyed the book so much. It’s smart writing with a humorous punch.

Georgia Waltz has little to smile about. When the book opens, Georgia’s husband, Ben Silver (of course, Georgia kept her maiden name), has a heart attack on lap three of a sprint pre-New York marathon. As he lies gasping for air, he thinks about the small cell phone that’s not at his side --- not the iPhone the world knows about, but the one that has skittered away. And he wonders, “Who would call her?” And in one five-page chapter setup, Ben exits, but leaves behind his starring role for us to unravel with Georgia.

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Flat Water Tuesday by Ron Irwin

June 2013

This time of year, as school wraps up, is always one of reflection for me. I find myself thinking about my last year of high school and of college. I confess that I am not one of those people who keeps in touch with her kindergarten best friend or who has a large legion of friends from grade school, high school or college with whom I am still in touch, and I don’t spend weekends having reunions with a mass of people from my past. I instead seem to move on and make new friends while weaving some older ones into the fabric of my life. But I love reading about stories of people who bonded when they were in school --- over a sport, a cause, or just for being in the same place at a certain time.

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Is This Tomorrow by Caroline Leavitt

June 2013

These days, divorce is fairly commonplace and so are fractured families, but this was not so in the 1950s when Caroline Leavitt’s book, IS THIS TOMORROW, is set. Families had a mom, dad and children --- and those whose families did not “conform” to this structure could feel like outsiders. Thus, when Ava Lark, the divorcee, meets Dot Rearson, the widow, and their children --- Ava’s Lewis and Dot’s Rose and Jimmy --- become fast friends, there is some solidity to their lives, though they are not like everyone else’s. Then Jimmy goes missing, and the fragile world that they have fabricated falls apart.

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A Certain Summer by Patricia Beard

May 2013

I am crazy about A CERTAIN SUMMER by Patricia Beard, which is a perfect summer book. Set in 1948 at an idyllic beach community called Wauregan, this debut novel introduces readers to Helen Wadsworth, whose husband has been declared missing since an OSS operation in France during World War II. She is currently vacationing with her 14-year-old son, Jack, as they always have done. While she waits for news about what happened to her husband and longs for his return, two other men fall for her, which brings drama to the summer.

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And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry

April 2013

In AND THEN I FOUND YOU by Patti Callahan Henry, Katie Vaughan has tucked away something from her past. It’s a secret she thinks about every day: her daughter Luna, who she gave up for adoption the day she was born. She wonders where Luna is and what she is called now, for without Luna, Katie’s life does not seem whole. One day, she finds a small ring box in her boyfriend Rowan’s drawer, and in a panic she knows she needs to put her own life together before she can embrace a life with him. And part of that life includes Luna. Plus, she has to confront her feelings for Luna’s father, Jack. And Patti takes readers on Katie’s journey of self-discovery with her.

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The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig

April 2013

As a lawyer in a large Manhattan firm, Clementine Evans has been slaving to make partner in Lauren Willig’s THE ASHFORD AFFAIR. Long hours at the office have taken a toll on her personal life; she has a broken engagement and a lot of fractured friendships and family relationships to show for it. Then suddenly she learns that life is not going to turn out the way she planned, and her personal roadmap for success is taking some serious turns in the wrong direction.

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