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Our Last Newsletter of 2025!
What a fast year it has been! Seriously, I feel like I just wrote a year-end note. But at the same time, it has been a fabulous year of reading.
Something interesting happened this year that surprised people. A book called THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans built its way onto bestseller lists and skyrocketed in sales because of “word of mouth” from readers. It was never a media pick, and it didn't receive a massive amount of publicity, though Ann Patchett did champion it brilliantly. But it was built by one reader after another talking about it. I learned of it from one of our readers. Books used to build like this, with one reader telling another. But in these days of social media and online conversation, it’s rare for something like this to happen via actual conversation.
I love moments like this --- and I hope that in the last year we have brought attention to books that you have gone on to share with friends. We love bookish conversation, and I try to have it wherever I can!
We have so many exciting year-end features to share with you in this newsletter, so I want to get right to them.
Our BIG Year-End Giveaway
First up is our 15th Annual End-of-the-Year contest, where one Grand Prize winner will be awarded all 42(!) of my Bookreporter.com Bets On picks from 2025, while seven other winners will receive six of these titles.
Some of the books you may win include ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS by Hank Phillippi Ryan, CULPABILITY by Bruce Holsinger, DEAR SISTER: A Memoir of Secrets, Survival, and Unbreakable Bonds by Michelle Horton, THE LOST BAKER OF VIENNA by Sharon Kurtzman, THE NOTE by Alafair Burke, THE RIVER IS WAITING by Wally Lamb, THE STOLEN QUEEN by Fiona Davis, and WHAT HAPPENED TO THE McCRAYS? by Tracey Lange.
To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, January 12th at noon ET.
If you would like to know more about these books, be sure to check out this video and podcast where I talk about each of my 42 picks and why I loved them so much. A list of all of this year's Bets On titles can be found here.
Our Reviewers Choose Their Favorite Books of the Year
Next up are our Reviewer Picks for 2025. See which of their fiction and nonfiction selections you agree or disagree with --- and which titles you may want to add to your 2026 reading list. I am so grateful that they shared their picks with us!
As many of you know, eight of these reviewers --- Sarah Rachel Egelman, Megan Elliott, Harvey Freedenberg, Pamela Kramer, Bronwyn Miller, Rebecca Munro, Norah Piehl and Stuart Shiffman --- appeared on Zoom last week to talk about two of their favorite books of the year. Since Ray Palen and Kate Ayers were not able to join us live, we showed Ray’s presentation on video and shared Kate’s picks.
If you missed this special “Bookaccino Live” event, you can watch or listen to it. A list of all the books that were presented, along with their covers, can be found here.
“Best Of” 2025 Lists
For more highlights from 2025, click here for a number of “Best Of” lists that we’ve compiled from around the web --- including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CrimeReads, Library Journal, the New York Times, Oprah Daily, People, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.
Vote in Our New Poll --- and Check Out Results from the Last Poll
For our final THREE poll questions of the year, we want to know how many print books and e-books you’ve read in 2025, as well as how many audiobooks you’ve listened to. Click here to cast your votes by Friday, January 9th at noon ET.
Our previous poll asked if you will be giving books as gifts this holiday season. 75% of you are planning to give hardcovers or paperbacks, while 23% intend to give a gift card that will allow the recipient to buy a print book, e-book or audiobook. Click here for all the results.
Please keep in mind our End-of-the-Year contest on ReadingGroupGuides.com. We’re giving readers the opportunity to share their favorite book that they read with their book group and their favorite book that they read outside their group in 2025.
One Grand Prize winner will be awarded six books releasing in early 2026 that we think will make for terrific book group discussions: DAUGHTER OF EGYPT by Marie Benedict, KEEPER OF LOST CHILDREN by Sadeqa Johnson, KIN by Tayari Jones, SKYLARK by Paula McLain, STRANGERS: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden, and WHERE THE WILDFLOWERS GROW by Terah Shelton Harris.
To enter, please fill out this form by Wednesday, January 14th at noon ET. We will share our reader-compiled “Best Of” list with you in the Reading Group Guides newsletter scheduled to go out later that week.
Authors Blog About Their Favorite Bookish Holiday Memories
Our 18th Annual Holiday Author Blog series came to a close this week. Seven authors wrote about giving or receiving books during the holidays.
We heard from Davis Bunn (A SEA GLASS CHRISTMAS), Brisa Carleton (LAST CALL AT THE SAVOY), Sarah Damoff (THE BRIGHT YEARS), Jan Cress Dondi (THE NAVIGATOR’S LETTER), Robert Dugoni (HER COLD JUSTICE), the aforementioned Terah Shelton Harris (WHERE THE WILDFLOWERS GROW), and Thrity Umrigar (MISSING SAM).
Many thanks to this year’s participants for taking time out of their busy schedules to share these humorous and heartwarming remembrances with us. One piece is better than the next!
Books You Want to Wrap and Unwrap...and Give and Get
If you still have more holiday shopping to do, may we suggest that you take a look at our Holiday Cheer feature and “What to Give, What to Get” Guide? You will find books here that are perfect for holiday giving and getting --- and you may even want to include a few of these titles on your “to me/from me” list.
Join us for a special “Bookaccino Live” Winter Preview evening program on Wednesday, January 21st at 8pm ET. I will be talking about a number of books being published this winter that we think you will enjoy reading over the next few months. Included will be fiction; historical fiction; thrillers and mysteries; and memoirs, biographies and other nonfiction. You can sign up for the event by clicking here.
Elmore Leonard meets Robert Ludlum in EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD. Set in 1985, this rollicking comedic thriller from Ace Atkins is about a suburban teen who suspects that his mom’s new boyfriend is the ultimate bad guy --- a KGB agent.
Kate Ayers has this to say about the book in her review: “Along with a cast of misfits and wholly unique characters, EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD is filled with more twists, turns, sellouts and double-crosses than you would expect in a dozen spy novels. Ace Atkins is a master at dialogue that will keep readers chuckling and head-slapping. This book would be a total hoot if it wasn't deadly scary too. One thing is for sure: it is a highly entertaining read.”
Kate's comments are spot-on. I am listening to the audio!
An insanely competitive housing market. A desperate buyer on the edge. In Marisa Kashino’s debut novel, BEST OFFER WINS, the white picket fence becomes the ultimate symbol of success --- and obsession. How far would you go for the house of your dreams?
In her review, Norah Piehl has this to say about the book, which is this month’s #1 Indie Next pick and “Good Morning America” Book Club selection: “Narrated in her memorably self-deluded first-person voice, BEST OFFER WINS is remarkable for the ways in which Margo can be completely unlikable yet also gain readers' respect because she's astonishingly good at what she does…. Despite its darker moments, this is a thoroughly entertaining romp of a domestic thriller.”
Other books we’re reviewing this week include:
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THE LAND IN WINTER: Shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize, Andrew Miller’s new novel is, according to our reviewer Philip Zozzaro, “a transfixing and dramatic period piece that explores the lives of two disparate couples in England.”
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CANTICLE: Grounded in the little-told stories of medieval women --- mystics, saints, anchoresses and beguines --- Janet Rich Edwards’ debut novel follows a spirited young lady’s explorations of faith, agency and love in 13th-century Bruges.
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WHITE WOLF: In this fifth installment of his Evan Ryder series, Eric Van Lustbader thrusts readers into a world where power is being redefined by a revolutionary communication program that renders modern encryption obsolete and will topple global power structures.
Enter Our New Word of Mouth Contest
We’re giving away THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM by Laura Dave and the aforementioned SKYLARK by Paula McLain in our new Word of Mouth contest.
THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM is the long-awaited sequel to THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME, which was adapted as an Apple TV+ series and will kick off its second season on February 20th. In SKYLARK, which is set in Paris, a woman’s quest for artistic freedom in 1664 intertwines with a doctor’s dangerous mission during the German occupation in the 1940s.
Let us know by Friday, January 9th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll have a chance to win both these titles. I look forward to chatting with Paula soon for a “Bookreporter Talks To” interview!
This week, we heard the sad news that Joanna Trollope died on December 11th at the age of 82. Trollope was the author of many highly acclaimed and bestselling novels, including THE OTHER FAMILY, DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW and THE SOLDIER'S WIFE. She also wrote BRITANNIA'S DAUGHTERS, a study of women in the British Empire, and penned several romantic historical novels under the pseudonym Caroline Harvey.
In 2014, Trollope updated Jane Austen's SENSE AND SENSIBILITY as the opening novel in the Austen Project, modern retellings of Austen’s classic books.
We also mourn the loss of Fern Michaels, who we recently learned passed away last month at the age of 92. Michaels was the bestselling author of the Sisterhood, Twin Lights, Lost and Found, Men of the Sisterhood and The Godmothers series, as well as dozens of other novels and novellas.
Her longtime publisher, Kensington, paid tribute to her on social media, saying, “Fern was a wonderfully spirited and generous woman, granting scholarships and donating bullet-proof vests to K-9 dogs across the country, all while writing the romances and thrillers readers have cherished for decades.”
This week, the longlists for the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Awards were announced in six categories --- Autobiography, Biography, Criticism, Fiction, Nonfiction and Poetry --- as well as the longlist for the Barrios Book in Translation Prize.
Among the longlisted titles are BOOK OF LIVES: A Memoir of Sorts by Margaret Atwood (Autobiography), BUCKLEY: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America by Sam Tanenhaus (Biography), HEART THE LOVER by Lily King (Fiction), MISBEHAVING AT THE CROSSROADS: Essays & Writings by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (Nonfiction), and WE DO NOT PART by Han Kang, translated from the Korean by e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris (Barrios Book in Translation Prize).
The finalists will be announced on January 20th, along with the finalists for the John Leonard Prize (for the best first book in any genre) and the honorees for the Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing, the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Toni Morrison Achievement Award. The Awards will be presented on March 26th at the New School in New York City.
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail:
Carol wrote about our year-end contest: “Such a generous contest! You will make the day of the person who wins. The listing of the books promises some good reading. Thank you.”
Jean wrote, “Many thanks, Francesca. I only enter Word of Mouth when the books offered are ones I think I will enjoy reading, so I am looking forward to receiving these. Bookreporter is always generous in providing useful information about new books and sharing copies with its readers. Although I did not send a message this year, I am one of the people who shares Carol Fitzgerald’s 12/7 birthday. I stopped celebrating when I turned 50, although IRL I am much her senior. It has always been strange being born on a historic day. Thanks again.”
Barbara wrote, “I am an eager reader of your weekly newsletter, and I absolutely love hearing your reviewers' end-of-year book recommendations. There was a wide variety of genres and great descriptions of the books. That said, I'm wondering if there is another way to present the recording. On the YouTube version, there are very annoying ads every five minutes or so. It really detracts from listening to the event. Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and wish you all the best in 2026. I so appreciate what you offer readers, and I definitely spread the word of your work to all in my three book clubs. I manage three of them because I am also a fan of audiobooks as you've expressed. Enjoy your holiday reading time.”
First, thank you for spreading the word about us to your book groups. We appreciate that. Second, the only revenue that we make from our videos is from ads, and trust that it is not a lot. All of the programming that we offer is free, so we need to bring in revenue whatever way we can. We limit the number of ads that can run. I can explore how often they are appearing!
On Sunday, the hours of daylight will start to increase again, so take some solace in that! Solace about the winter solstice. Clever, right?
I am sooooo ready for a holiday break. Tomorrow, Cory, Kaltrina and I will be baking dozens of Christmas cookies. We had such fun doing this last year! I still have shopping to do, cards to write, and planning for Christmas Eve and Christmas dinners. I feel like the holiday definitely crept up on me this year.
I have a stack of books that I am looking forward to reading, and I am planning to keep my schedule as light as possible over the break. I also want our team to really take a vacation; the pace this year was intense.
As you gather with friends and family over the break, we would love for you to share our websites and newsletters with the readers in your life. We would like to grow even more in 2026 --- and you can help us with that!
This year delivered highs and lows.
We lost two people who were a huge part of Bookreporter: Jesse Kornbluth, who founded The Book Report Network with me, and Joe Hartlaub, our Senior Reviewer who retired in 2021. They both brought so much to what Bookreporter is today.
We reviewed 652 books; shared 30 “Bookreporter Talks To” interviews as videos and podcasts; hosted 11 “Bookaccino Live” afternoon preview events, 4 “Bookaccino Live” evening preview events; 10 “Bookaccino Live” Book Group events, and our “Best of 2025” reviewer event; selected 42 Bookreporter Bets On titles; wrote 49 Weekly Update newsletters, 49 “On Sale This Week” newsletters, and 47 seasonal newsletters with contests; ran 25 Word of Mouth contests; conducted 25 reader polls, as well as Bookreporter and Reading Group Guides surveys; celebrated the 25th anniversary of Reading Group Guides; added 149 discussion guides to Reading Group Guides; wrote 21 Reading Group Guides newsletters; and more.
With that, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa...and to all a Good Night from Tom, Francesca, Melanie and me. We will be back with lots more in 2026!
Read on, and have a great THREE weeks.
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
P.S. For those of you who shop online, if you use the store links that appear on our site for shopping, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and IndieBound. As you read our reviews and features, we would appreciate your considering this as you buy!
Special Contest:
Enter to Win Our End-of-the-Year Celebration,
Featuring All 42 "Bets On" Titles from 2025
We are thrilled to announce our End-of-the-Year contest featuring Carol Fitzgerald's Bookreporter.com Bets On picks from 2025. One Grand Prize winner will be awarded all 42 books, while seven other readers will receive six of these titles.
To enter, all you have to do is fill out this form by Monday, January 12th at noon ET. Please enter only once. All duplicate entries will be deleted.
Here are this year's Bets On selections:
Our Year-End Video and Podcast!
In this video and podcast, Carol talks about all 42 of her 2025 Bets On selections and
why these books resonated with her. A list of this year's Bets On titles can be found here.
Click here to enter the contest.
Bookreporter Reviewers Choose
Their Favorite Books of 2025
We've asked our reviewers to provide us with a list of their favorite books from 2025. Included is a mix of fiction and nonfiction titles, all published for the first time this year.
Here are some of their top fiction and nonfiction picks (alphabetically by title):
Fiction
Nonfiction
See which of their selections you agree or disagree with --- and which titles you may want to add to your 2026 reading list.
Click here to see our Reviewer Picks feature for 2025.
"Best Of" 2025 Lists from Around the Web
This is the time of year when “Best Of” lists are everywhere. These annual roundups always seem to spark lively discussions among readers as they reflect on their favorite books of the year. We’ve compiled a number of them for you here.
See which of your top picks appear on these lists and which titles you feel should've been included but weren't. Perhaps you’ll even find some books to add to your reading list as we head into the new year!
Featured Review:
EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD
by Ace Atkins
EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD by Ace Atkins (Historical Thriller/Humor)
Audiobook available, read by MacLeod Andrews
It’s 1985, and 14-year-old Peter Bennett is convinced that his mom’s new boyfriend is a Russian agent. He thinks Gary only wants to get close to his mom because she works at Scientific Atlanta, a lab with big government contracts. After another woman who works at the lab is killed, Peter recruits a has-been pulp writer and muckraker, along with his drag performer buddy, Jackie Demure. Both soon become the target of an unhinged Russian hitman. Meanwhile, Sylvia Weaver, a young, Black FBI agent, investigates Scientific Atlanta in the wake of the employee’s murder and discovers a nest of Russian spies in the city. Little does she know that her investigation is being thwarted by a seriously compromised colleague in Washington, D.C., who is in league with a lovesick, hypochondriac KGB defector who is playing both sides of the Cold War to his benefit. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: BEST OFFER WINS by Marisa Kashino
December’s #1 Indie Next Pick
and “Good Morning America” Book Club Selection
BEST OFFER WINS by Marisa Kashino (Domestic Thriller/Dark Humor)
Audiobook available, read by Cia Court
Eighteen months and 11 lost bidding wars into house-hunting in the overheated Washington, DC suburbs, 37-year-old publicist Margo Miyake gets a tip about the perfect house, in the perfect neighborhood, slated to come up for sale in one month. Desperate to escape the cramped apartment she shares with her husband, Ian, Margo becomes obsessed with buying the house before it’s publicly listed and the masses descend. A little stalking? Harmless. A bit of trespassing? Necessary. As Margo infiltrates the homeowners’ lives, her tactics grow increasingly unhinged. But just when she thinks she’s won them over, she hits a snag in her plan. Undeterred, Margo will prove again and again that there’s no boundary she won’t cross to seize the dream life she’s been chasing. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com.
- Click here to see why the book is this month's "Good Morning America" Book Club pick.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: THE LAND IN WINTER by Andrew Miller
THE LAND IN WINTER by Andrew Miller (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Andrew Miller
December 1962: In a village deep in the English countryside, two neighboring couples begin the day. Local doctor Eric Parry commences his rounds in the village, while his pregnant wife, Irene, wanders the rooms of their old house, mulling over the space that has grown between the two of them. On the farm nearby lives witty but troubled Rita Simmons, who is also expecting. She spends her days trying on the idea of being a farmer’s wife, but her head still swims with images of a raucous past that her husband, Bill, prefers to forget. When Rita and Irene meet across the bare field between their houses, a clock starts. When the ordinary cold of December gives way --- ushering in violent blizzards of the harshest winter in living memory --- so do the secret resentments harbored in all four lives. Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: CANTICLE by Janet Rich Edwards
CANTICLE by Janet Rich Edwards (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Lucy Rayner
Aleys is 16 years old and prone to religious visions. She and her only friend, Finn, have been learning Latin together in secret. But just as she thinks their connection might become something more, everything unravels. When her father promises her in marriage to a merchant she doesn’t love, she runs away from home, finding shelter among the beguines, a fiercely independent community of religious women who refuse to answer to the Church. Among these hardworking and strong-willed women, Aleys glimpses for the first time the joys of belonging. But forces both mystical and political are at work. Illegal translations of scripture, the women’s independence, and a sudden rash of miracles all draw the attention of an ambitious bishop --- and bring Aleys and those around her into ever-increasing danger. Reviewed by Megan Elliott.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: WHITE WOLF by Eric Van Lustbader
WHITE WOLF: An Evan Ryder Novel by Eric Van Lustbader (Thriller/Adventure)
Audiobook available, read by Mia Barron
In this cutting-edge fifth installment of the acclaimed Evan Ryder series, Eric Van Lustbader thrusts readers into a world where power is being redefined by a revolutionary communication program that renders modern encryption obsolete, one that will topple global power structures and give rise to technology-driven totalitarian states. Evan Ryder races against time in a landscape where secrets can no longer hide behind digital walls. Ilona Shokova, the elusive, deadly assassin White Wolf, holds the key to mastering this unhackable method. Two powerful, deadly women. One quest. Will either one of them survive? Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com's 18th Annual Holiday Author Blogs:
Authors Write About Their Favorite Holiday Memories
of Giving or Receiving Books
Our Holiday Author Blogs have returned for an 18th consecutive year! Seven authors shared with us some wonderful memories about giving or receiving books during the holidays.
As always, we appreciate all the authors who took the time to participate in this annual feature. It is one of our favorite holiday traditions. May you enjoy them too!
Click here to read Bookreporter.com's 2025 Holiday Author Blogs.
Bookreporter.com's 20th Annual Holiday Cheer Feature:
Books You Want to Wrap and Unwrap
We've been celebrating the holiday season in style with our Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature. As our gift to you, we've been spotlighting a book and giving five lucky readers a chance to win it. Congratulations to all the winners!
Although the contests have ended, we encourage you to take a look at this year's featured titles. These are books you'll want to read during the holidays --- and throughout the new year as well!
This year's featured titles are:
Click here to see our Holiday Cheer feature.
Bookreporter.com’s “What to Give, What to Get” Guide:
“Reader Perfect” Suggestions
for Holiday Giving and Getting
We at Bookreporter.com know that readers crave ideas for gift-giving --- and getting --- at the holidays. With this in mind, we are offering a "What to Give, What to Get" Guide with four "Reader Perfect" suggestions.
BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL by V. E. Schwab (Historical Fantasy)
The bestselling author of THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LaRUE has written a genre-defying, generations-spanning novel of vampires, sapphism and hunger --- for blood, for life and, above all, for freedom.
GIRL DINNER by Olivie Blake (Horror/Dark Humor)
Good girls deserve a treat. From the New York Times bestselling author of THE ATLAS SIX comes a darkly fun novel about power, lust and eating your fill, as wealthy moms and sorority girls practice a sinister new wellness trend.
GIRL LOST by Kate Angelo (Romantic Suspense)
Officer Luna Rosati and Special Agent Corbin King are at odds over their failed teenage romance, but they reunite on a mission and must put their past aside. When they encounter a kidnapping, missing bodies and a murder, the secrets Corbin and Luna keep from one another are only the beginning of the threats they face.
THE SANDS OF SEA BLUE BEACH by Rachel Hauck (Romance)
Can anything rekindle the summer love between former sweethearts facing old wounds and a divided town? This poignant tale of second chances and the enduring power of love includes themes of small-town romance, dual-time storytelling and complex family dynamics.
Click here to see our "What to Give, What to Get" Guide.
What’s New This Month on ReadingGroupGuides.com
SILENT BONES: A Karen Pirie Novel by Val McDermid (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Cathleen McCarron
Scotland, 2025. When torrential winter rain causes a landslide on a motorway, it dislodges more than mud and asphalt --- it reveals a skeleton, concealed when the road was built 11 years prior. Sam Nimmo, an investigative journalist who’d been poking his nose into the murky politics of the Scottish independence referendum, had become the prime suspect in the brutal murder of his girlfriend when he vanished. Now he’s reappeared, buried under the motorway. It’s the perfect cold case for DCI Karen Pirie, chief of Police Scotland’s Historic Cases Unit. What was Nimmo investigating that was worth killing over? Or was it revenge for murdering his girlfriend? Meanwhile, an allegation of murder has surfaced over the supposedly accidental death of a hotel manager. It may have links to another accident on a remote Highland road. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
EVERY DAY I READ: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books written by Hwang Bo-reum, translated by Shanna Tan (Memoir/Essays)
Audiobook available, read by Rosa Escoda
Why do we read? What is it that we hope to take away from the intimate, personal experience of reading for pleasure? How often do we ask these profound, expansive questions of ourselves and of our relationship to the joy of reading? In each of the essays in EVERY DAY I READ, Hwang Bo-reum contemplates what living a life immersed in reading means. She goes beyond the usual questions of what to read and how often, exploring the relationship between reading and writing, when to turn to a bestseller vs. browse the corners of a bookstore, the value of reading outside of your favorite genre, falling in love with book characters, and more. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
SOMEWHERE, A BOY AND A BEAR: A. A. Milne and the Creation of "Winnie-the-Pooh" by Gyles Brandreth (Biography)
Audiobook available, read by Gyles Brandreth
SOMEWHERE, A BOY AND A BEAR tells the remarkable story of A. A. Milne, a playwright, a bestselling crime writer, a poet, a polemicist, a humorist, and the man who created Winnie-the-Pooh. Gyles Brandreth explores Winnie-the-Pooh, a bear beloved by millions: his genesis, his life across a hundred years, his special philosophy, and the reasons for his worldwide popularity. Brandreth’s book is also the intimate biography of three generations of the fascinating and troubled Milne family, which knew fame and fortune, despising both for a time, but a family that ultimately found a profound reason to be grateful for the riches Pooh brought them. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THE RED SCARE MURDERS by Con Lehane (Historical/Noir Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Dan John Miller
July 1950: Mick Mulligan has just hung out his shingle as a private investigator in New York’s sweaty Hell’s Kitchen. A former Hollywood cartoonist who was blacklisted during a communist witch hunt, Mick is in need of a paying gig to make his child support payments. But maybe not this gig. Last year, universally reviled cab company owner Irwin Johnson was murdered. One of his drivers, an African American Communist Party member named Harold Williams, was arrested, tried and found guilty, despite scant evidence. Now his execution date is two weeks away. New York City labor leader Duke Rogowski asks Mick to find fresh evidence that might buy Harold a stay of execution. Lots of people might have wanted Irwin dead, but no one has any reason to help Mick exonerate Harold. Yet Mick can’t abandon a potentially innocent man to the electric chair. Can he pull off a miracle? Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THE WONDROUS LIFE AND LOVES OF NELLA CARTER by Brionni Nwosu (Historical Fantasy/Romance)
Audiobook available, read by Nicole Cash and Sean Crisden
Born enslaved in 18th-century Georgia, Nella May Carter still believes in the will to survive amid the most untenable of conditions, in the glory of life, and in the ultimate goodness of the human race. She asks that Death, doubtful and curious, allow her to live long enough to prove it. He’s giving Nella all the time in the world. Challenged, Nella embarks on an epic journey across the globe and centuries. Each new incarnation records the joys and losses, and the friendships and heartbreaks, throughout her lifetimes. When she meets handsome and passionate professor Sebastian Moore --- the first man to whom she has ever revealed her secrets --- Nella yearns for the mortality that escapes her. She can’t bear to leave this love behind. As Death keeps watch, has Nella’s journey come to an end? Or is a new one just beginning? Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
Noteworthy Books Releasing on
December 30th, January 5th and January 6th
Below are some notable titles releasing on December 30th, January 5th and January 6th that we would like to make you aware of. We will have more on many of these books in the weeks to come. For a list of additional hardcovers and paperbacks available the weeks of December 29th and January 5th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
December 30th
AIN'T NOBODY'S FOOL: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton by Martha Ackmann (Biography)
AIN'T NOBODY'S FOOL is a deep dive into the social, historical and personal forces that made country music legend and philanthropist Dolly Parton one of the most beloved and unifying figures in public life.
THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS by Jennie Godfrey (Historical Fiction)
THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS is a brilliant and moving coming-of-age story about a young girl named Miv on a quest to uncover the identity of the killer terrorizing her town. But her search for the truth uncovers secrets much closer to home than she realized.
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, CALLIE KINGMAN by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans (Fiction)
A blindsided soon-to-be divorcée rediscovers herself in this witty, celebratory novel about a hard-fought comeback by the authors of THE BETTER HALF.
January 5th
THE INVISIBLE WOMAN by James Patterson and Susan DiLallo (Psychological Thriller)
An undercover FBI agent investigates a family with suspected ties to organized crime --- by posing as their live-in nanny.
January 6th
THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM by Laura Dave (Domestic Thriller/Mystery)
Laura Dave continues Hannah Hall's pulse-pounding journey in this riveting and deeply moving sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling blockbuster and Apple TV+ show, THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME.
HOMESCHOOLED: A Memoir by Stefan Merrill Block (Memoir)
This heartbreaking, empowering and often hilarious debut memoir is about a mother’s all-consuming love, a son’s perilous quest to discover the world beyond the front door, and the unregulated homeschool system that impacts millions like him.
MEET THE NEWMANS by Jennifer Niven (Historical Fiction)
Funny, bighearted and deeply moving, MEET THE NEWMANS is a rich family story about the dual lives we lead. Because even when our lives aren’t televised weekly, we all have a behind-the-scenes.
ORDER OF ROYALS by Jude Deveraux (Fantasy/Romance)
This second book in Jude Deveraux’s spellbinding and unforgettable Blue Swan series weaves an intricate tapestry of fantasy and intrigue on the enigmatic planet of Bellis.
THE RECKONING: A Renata Drake Thriller by Kelli Stanley (Historical Thriller/Mystery)
The first in an explosive new thriller series set in the '80s from the author of the critically acclaimed Miranda Corbie series introduces the fierce feminist Renata Drake --- on the run from the FBI for the execution-style murder of her little sister’s killer.
RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON by Max Allan Collins (Hard-boiled Historical Mystery)
RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON picks up where legendary author Dashiell Hammett left off, telling the story of iconic private eye Sam Spade and the quest for the priceless Maltese Falcon.
THE RIGHT TO REMAIN: A Jack Swyteck Novel by James Grippando (Legal Thriller)
In this thrilling novel from bestselling author James Grippando --- the 20th in his revered series --- legendary criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck takes on a twisty, difficult case that becomes one of the most complex in his illustrious career.
THE SHOP ON HIDDEN LANE by Jayne Ann Krentz (Romantic Suspense)
New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz dives into an enthralling new romantic suspense novel filled with deeply entrenched grudges, psychic dangers, and a conspiracy that threatens not only two families but also the entire paranormal community.
SKYLARK by Paula McLain (Historical Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling author of THE PARIS WIFE weaves a mesmerizing tale of Paris above and below --- where a woman’s quest for artistic freedom in 1664 intertwines with a doctor’s dangerous mission during the German occupation in the 1940s.
THE STORM by Rachel Hawkins (Gothic Thriller)
New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins returns with a thrilling new gothic suspense about a Gulf Coast beach motel where hurricane season can be murder.
THE VIPER: A Zig & Nola Novel by Brad Meltzer (Thriller)
New York Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer is back with his thrilling Zig & Nola series, unraveling a shocking cold case with a personal --- and deadly --- twist.
Click here to see the latest “On Sale This Week” newsletter.
From left to right: Brad Meltzer, Laura Dave, Robert Dugoni
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
Here are eight upcoming virtual book and author events that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links for more info and to register.
Sunday, January 4th at 6pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Brad Meltzer will talk about the third installment in his Zig & Nola series, THE VIPER, which unravels a shocking cold case with a personal --- and deadly --- twist.
Monday, January 5th at 9pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: S. J. Rozan will talk about the latest entry in her groundbreaking mystery series, FIRST DO NO HARM. Lydia Chin and Bill Smith face a dangerous task: they must unlock a hospital's many secrets in order to save an innocent man.
Tuesday, January 6th at 3pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Laura Dave will talk to special guest host Riley Sager about her new novel, THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM, which continues Hannah Hall’s pulse-pounding journey in this riveting and deeply moving sequel to THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME.
Tuesday, January 6th at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: In a special preview event before the book's official publication on January 27th, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child will talk about PENDERGAST: THE BEGINNING, which is all about Agent Pendergast's origin story.
Tuesday, January 6th at 9pm ET: Killer Author Club: Kimberly Belle, Heather Gudenkauf and Kaira Rouda will talk to John Marrs about his latest thriller, DEAD IN THE WATER, a chilling tale about life flashing before your eyes --- including terrifying scenes you don’t remember.
Wednesday, January 7th at 7pm ET: “Friends & Fiction”: Join “Friends & Fiction” for a conversation with Brad Meltzer about his new Zig & Nola thriller, THE VIPER. As a relentless killer closes in, Nola uncovers a sinister plot that gets very personal --- and deadly --- quickly.
Wednesday, January 7th at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Robert Dugoni will talk about his riveting new novel of suspense, HER COLD JUSTICE. To save a client accused of murder, defense attorney Keera Duggan must fight a complex web of corruption.
Thursday, January 8th at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Amy Pease will talk about her new book, WILDWOOD, in which a mother-son law enforcement team confront buried secrets in their small town as they work to expose a conspiracy that goes far beyond the tight-knit community.
"Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts
“Bookreporter Talks To” is a video and podcast series that delivers long-form, in-depth author interviews. For years, Carol has moderated book festivals and author events around the country. But we know that readers often do not live where they can attend an author event. Our goal is to bring these author interviews to readers, wherever they may be. Watch on video, or listen as a podcast. (The podcasts include audio excerpts.)
Here is our latest interview:
Other authors we've interviewed recently include:
Upcoming interviews include:
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Rebecca Armitage (THE HEIR APPARENT)
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Belle Burden (STRANGERS: A Memoir of Marriage)
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Paula McLain (SKYLARK)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
Our Latest Poll: Looking Back on Your 2025 Reading
How many print books did you read in 2025?
How many e-books did you read in 2025?
How many audiobooks did you listen to in 2025?
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1-10
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11-20
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21-30
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31-40
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41-50
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51-75
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76-100
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101-125
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126-150
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151-175
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176-200
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More than 200
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None
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I’m not sure.
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, January 9th at noon ET.
Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What
You've Read --- and You Can Win Two Books!
Tell us about the books you’ve read with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from December 19th to January 9th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM by Laura Dave and SKYLARK by Paula McLain.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the books you write about, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For rules and guidelines, click here.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
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