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Happy New Year! Here’s to a brilliant year of books and reading ahead!
Our newsletter comes to you this week via our new newsletter delivery system. As we worked to try to keep the same look and feel that we had before, we analyzed font types and sizes...a lot. At points I felt like I was at the eye doctor trying to figure out “Is this one better, or this?,” reaching that point when they all start to look the same. To those of you reading on mobile, this should be a terrific experience. However, if you are on a Samsung phone using Outlook, my tip to you is to put your phone on “screen rotation” and read horizontally. I have to do this with every newsletter as Samsung refuses to share its email protocol with mailing companies, and thus they cannot design against it. We are now optimized against 23 email platforms! Oh, and Mercury is retrograde until Monday, so you can imagine the fun we had trying to execute a new tech solution when the planets were not aligning.
The lovely long New Year’s weekend meant that this was a short and busy week. When we got back to the office on Tuesday, things were quiet and well-paced for a charming 24 hours. And then everyone woke up and started answering my December emails, and suddenly the pace got very accelerated. It was nice to have a couple of weeks to think before reacting.
I spent a lot of time organizing my home office, which through the years has become less organized than I would like. Cleaning out one of the file cabinets, I found the original emails when we were planning our first website, which will be kept. I also found the notes to the designer of Greg’s birth announcement; Greg will be 27 in a few weeks. Let’s just say that I am very good at filing and less adept at cleaning out files.
I loved reorganizing my yarn stash; you can see part of it above. Just looking at it is meditative. The second shot above is another angle of my office. A few years ago, my dad painted the walls with a three-step copper treatment process that I love. For the record, until last week that couch was piled with things to be filed!
Lots to share this week...so onward...
Douglas Preston, who is perhaps best known for the thrillers he writes with Lincoln Child, brings us a real-life adventure in THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD. Since the days of the conquistadors, rumors have circulated about a lost city of immense wealth hidden deep in the Honduran rainforests, called the White City or the Lost City of the Monkey God. Indigenous tribes speak of ancestors who fled there to escape the Spanish invaders, and they warn that anyone who enters this sacred city will fall ill and die. In 2012, Preston joined a team of scientists on a trailblazing quest to find it. Venturing into this raw, treacherous and breathtakingly beautiful wilderness, Preston and the team battled torrential rains, quickmud, disease-carrying insects, jaguars and deadly snakes.
According to reviewer Ray Palen, “This story, although completely true, often reads like a page-turning thriller as Preston and the team come upon obstacle after obstacle along with a bunch of startling revelations…. Be prepared to turn the pages furiously as the heart of every adventurer is opened wide by the thrilling journey outlined in THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD.”
Roxane Gay burst onto the scene with AN UNTAMED STATE and the essay collection BAD FEMINIST. She returns with DIFFICULT WOMEN, a collection of stories about women who live lives of privilege and of poverty, and experience extremes of love and loss. A pair of sisters, now grown, have been inseparable ever since they were abducted together as children, and must negotiate the elder sister's marriage. A woman married to a twin pretends not to realize when her husband and his brother impersonate each other. A stripper putting herself through college fends off the advances of an overzealous customer. Gay delivers a wry, powerful and haunting vision of modern America.
Maya Gittelman has our review and advises, “Do not pass this one over because it is a hard read; it should be.... Roxane Gay refuses to exploit. She gives voice to the exploited, and those voices will ring clear in my head for weeks to come. I urgently hope more writers follow her lead.”
Will Schwalbe gave us the beloved THE END OF YOUR LIFE BOOK CLUB, and now he has written BOOKS FOR LIVING, which is a perfect book to kick off the new year. Why do we read? Is it to pass time? To learn something new? To escape from reality? For Schwalbe, reading is a way to entertain himself but also to make sense of the world, to become a better person, and to find the answers to the big (and small) questions about how to live his life. In each chapter, he discusses a particular book --- what brought him to it (or vice versa), the people in his life he associates with it, and how it became a part of his understanding of himself in the world. These books span centuries and genres, and each one relates to the questions and concerns we all share.
Here’s a preview of Harvey Freedenberg’s strong praise of the book in his review: “Schwalbe is an engaging, often self-deprecating companion throughout, and it's as easy to imagine him sharing these insights in a friendly conversation over a coffee as it is to read them on the page…. Anyone who shares his passion for books will have it sparked by his enthusiasm and unadulterated joy at these encounters with the written word. And those who haven't yet been seized by that marvelous affliction may succumb at the hands of this delightful work.” I am listening to this on audio, and I love the way it has made me think about the power of reading in this age of connectivity. This book is the prize title in our “What’s Your Book Group Reading?” Contest this month on ReadingGroupGuides.com.
Other books we’re reviewing this week include HISTORY OF WOLVES by Emily Fridlund, a debut work of fiction that’s been getting a great deal of attention leading up to its release this week (I interviewed Emily at BookExpo America last year as this was a BEA Buzz book); DIFFERENT CLASS, Joanne Harris’ novel about a sociopathic young outcast at a prep school and the Latin teacher who uncovers his dangerous secret; and THE MARRIAGE LIE by Kimberly Belle, which has this intriguing tagline on the cover: “Even the perfect marriage has its dark side…”
Amy Gentry’s GOOD AS GONE, which is now available in paperback, is our latest featured Paperback Spotlight title. Anna’s daughter, Julie, was kidnapped from her own bedroom when she was 13, while Anna slept downstairs, oblivious. For eight years, she has lived with the guilt, hoping against hope that Julie is still alive. And then one night, a young woman who appears to be Julie is finally, miraculously, home safe. Anna and the rest of the family are thrilled, but soon Anna begins to see holes in Julie’s story. When she is contacted by a former detective turned private eye, she is forced to wonder if this young woman is even her daughter at all. And if she isn’t Julie, what is it that she wants? Click here to read a review of this gripping novel and here for the discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com. I read this, and it was a brisk page-turner.
There are plenty of other paperbacks releasing in January, and you can check out many of them in this month’s New in Paperback roundups. They include THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER by Phaedra Patrick, which you may remember we gave away copies of in our Sneak Peek contest months before its hardcover release last year; Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt’s memoir, THE RAINBOW COMES AND GOES (the audiobook was a delight to listen to); and a few of my Bookreporter.com Bets On picks from 2016, including AFTER THE CRASH by Michel Bussi, THE WIDOW by Fiona Barton, GEORGIA: A Novel of Georgia O'Keeffe by Dawn Tripp, and THE THINGS WE KEEP by Sally Hepworth.
Speaking of 2016 Bets On selections, you only have until Monday at noon ET to enter our End-of-the-Year contest, where one winner will receive a spectacular Grand Prize: all 40 of my Bets On titles from last year. Eight runners-up will win a selection of five of these books --- not too shabby if I say so myself! Click here to fill out the entry form and read more about the books.
We’ve updated our Books on Screen feature for January. In theaters towards the end of the month is A Dog’s Purpose, based on W. Bruce Cameron’s novel of the same name. On the small screen, you can look forward to the series premiere of “Emerald City” tonight (Friday night) on NBC and the second season of “The Magicians” on Syfy starting January 25th. Also, remember that “Victoria” begins on January 15th in the "Downton Abbey" time slot, and "Z: The Beginning of Everything" will be released on Amazon Prime Video on January 27th.
Did you receive books or book gift cards this holiday season? Let us know in our latest poll! Our previous poll asked how many books you read in 2016. 26% of you read more than 100(!), while 32% read between 51 and 100. That means that 58% of you read more than 50 books. Impressive! Click here for all the results. I still need to update my 2016 list as well as Upcoming Bets On.
We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Submit your comments about the books you’ve finished reading by Friday, January 20th at noon ET, and you’ll have a chance to win HER EVERY FEAR by Peter Swanson and THE NOWHERE MAN: An Orphan X Novel, a continuation of Gregg Hurwitz’s series featuring Evan Smoak. I loved both, and they will be future Bets On selections!
In this month’s Sounding Off on Audio contest, we’re giving away the audio versions of JP Delaney's THE GIRL BEFORE, read by Emilia Fox, Finty Williams and Lisa Aagaard Knudsen (it will be a Bets On pick) and Chris Bohjalian's THE SLEEPWALKER, read by Cady McClain and Grace Experience. Let us know by Wednesday, February 1st at noon ET what audiobooks you’ve listened to, and you’ll be in the running to win both prizes.
News & Pop Culture:
Reader Mail: Liz wrote this after reading last week’s newsletter, “As I sit with my coffee, my 2 labs, my cat and your newsletter, I was saddened to hear about Richard Adams. Please read WATERSHIP DOWN. It is an amazing story! It was the first 'adult' book I read and I think I was 11. This book had such an impact on my young soul and helped shape the reader I am today. I do not shy away from books over 500 pages, and as I usually read between 50-75 books a year, this book has remained one of my all-time favorites! Happy New Year.”
Ingrid from The Netherlands wrote, “Wishing you and your family a truly wonderful , cheerful, healthy and prosperous 2017 with lots of time to read, knit, laugh, bake, chat and spend time with your loved ones.”
Donna wrote, “I just read through the books in the End-of-the-Year sweepstakes I've never seen such an exciting list and had to write to tell you this. I know the odds of winning them will be slim, but entered anyway. This will be a marvelous gift to one of your readers. I love your newsletters and look forward to them every Friday. I have to add that I always look to see what aqua piece you are wearing. I want to add that Greg is a fine-looking young man. How nice it must be to have him in the business with you. Wishing you, your family and crew an exciting, healthy and joyful 2017. I didn't say successful because that is a given.”
Ann from Austin shared, “I want to join with all the many others and say thank you for your wonderful newsletter. I know how much time and effort it takes to make it seem effortless. Happy New Year to each and every one at your office. See you in the new year.”
Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things: Cory watched this on Netflix and recommended that I watch it as well. Very well-done documentary about living minimalistically. Not sure if that is a word. I watched as I cleaned and filed my office at the house. It’s based on a book called EVERYTHING THAT REMAINS: A Memoir by The Minimalists.
Hidden Figures: Loved this movie, every single minute of it. The acting is terrific, the writing is great, and I am wildly impressed by the three female mathematicians who were spotlighted. Those equations made my head spin; loved the way Katherine Johnson plotted the coordinates to get John Glenn home safely. Based on the book by Margot Lee Shetterly. By the way, watching was a lot more fun after listening to Taraji P. Henson (who plays Katherine) read her own memoir, AROUND THE WAY GIRL.
Manchester by the Sea: Another winner; I had ideas of what it was about going in, but the layers to it made it so special. The story unwinds like you are peeling an onion. It does have what Tom and I call “an abrupt indie ending,” which makes him crazy.
La La Land: Others loved this more than me. The opening scene is fun; would love to see that happening in LA traffic. But I did not connect with it in a big way the way I was told I would. There were some touching moments, mostly towards the end.
"Billions": I previewed episodes 1-4 of Season Two. If you liked it last season, these episodes are very satisfying (as opposed to "The Affair," which is off the rails). Taylor, played by Asia Kate Dillon, is a great new character. Kicks off on February 19th.
I am on disc 5 of Bruce Springsteen’s memoir, BORN TO RUN, which is something like chapter 21. Still enjoying it. Just about finished with QUICKSAND, which I wrote about last week. It’s excellent with sharp writing that I am devouring slowly. It will be a Bets On selection when it releases on March 7th. I see it crossing over to teens and twentysomethings as well.
LIVE Programming Reminder: On Saturday afternoon, March 11th, Simon & Schuster will be hosting book groups and readers for an event with authors at the Ed Sullivan Theater (where "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" is filmed and where the Beatles once performed!). Their author guests are Anthony Doerr, Isabel Allende, Lisa See, Lisa Genova, Ruth Ware and Megan Miranda. We have received word that tickets for this "Book Club Matinee" will go on sale on Tuesday, January 17th, so make a note on your calendars for this. As soon as we have the link to buy tickets, we will post it on our website. I will be there and am hoping to see many of you! Much more to come about this!
Tomorrow (weather permitting) I am planning to head out to Bethlehem, PA to meet up with Anna Knapp, one of our former chat hosts at the Knitter’s Edge yarn shop. We have not seen each other in more than four years, and I am looking forward to this! I bought a down coat in teal (I know, you are shocked about the color), and I want to make a hat to go with it with the yarn you see above. Here’s the pattern I am planning on making, and I want to add a fur pom pom on top! Yesterday I stood in the lobby of Penguin Random House’s downtown office and saw MANY fur pom poms on the hats of their staffers.
This weekend, we plan to finish watching Stephen King’s 11.22.63, which thus far has been excellent. Cory, along with Son 2A and Son 2B, will be around at some point; I think they have not all been home at the same time since the summer. Greg has curling. I already made the executive decision that we are not taking down the holiday decorations until next weekend. I like the way they look.
I am looking forward to the Golden Globes on Sunday night and to the National Championship on Monday night. Go Clemson! That did not work last year, so let’s give it a whirl again this year. It sounds like our readers in the south will be a tad snowbound; here’s to the power staying on and some great reading time.
Read on, and have a great week...
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
Featured Review: THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD by Douglas Preston
THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD: A True Story by Douglas Preston (History/Adventure)
Audiobook available, read by Bill Mumy
Since the days of conquistador Hernán Cortés, rumors have circulated about a lost city of immense wealth hidden somewhere in the Honduran interior. In 1940, swashbuckling journalist Theodore Morde returned from the rainforest with hundreds of artifacts and an electrifying story of having found the Lost City of the Monkey God --- but then committed suicide without revealing its location. Three quarters of a century later, Douglas Preston joined a team of scientists on a flight that revealed the unmistakable image of a sprawling metropolis, tantalizing evidence of not just an undiscovered city but an enigmatic, lost civilization. But it wasn't until they returned that tragedy struck: Preston and others found they had contracted a horrifying, sometimes lethal --- and incurable --- disease. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: DIFFICULT WOMEN by Roxane Gay
DIFFICULT WOMEN by Roxane Gay (Fiction/Short Stories)
The women in Roxane Gay’s latest collection of stories live lives of privilege and of poverty, are in marriages both loving and haunted by past crimes or emotional blackmail. A pair of sisters have been inseparable ever since they were abducted together as children, and must negotiate the elder sister's marriage. A woman married to a twin pretends not to realize when her husband and his brother impersonate each other. A stripper putting herself through college fends off the advances of an overzealous customer. A black engineer moves to Upper Michigan for a job and faces the malign curiosity of her colleagues and the difficulty of leaving her past behind. Reviewed by Maya Gittelman.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: HISTORY OF WOLVES by Emily Fridlund
HISTORY OF WOLVES by Emily Fridlund (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Susan Bennett
Isolated at home and an outlander at school, 14-year-old Linda is drawn to the enigmatic, attractive Lily and new history teacher Mr. Grierson. When Mr. Grierson is charged with possessing child pornography, the implications of his arrest deeply affect Linda as she wrestles with her own fledgling desires and craving to belong. And then the young Gardner family moves in across the lake, and Linda finds herself welcomed into their home as a babysitter for their little boy, Paul. It seems that her life finally has purpose, but with this new sense of belonging she is also drawn into secrets she doesn’t understand. Over the course of a few days, Linda makes a set of choices that reverberate throughout her life. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: BOOKS FOR LIVING by Will Schwalbe
BOOKS FOR LIVING by Will Schwalbe (Memoir/Literature)
Audiobook available, read by Jeff Harding
Why is it that we read? Is it to pass time? To learn something new? To escape from reality? For Will Schwalbe, reading is a way to entertain himself but also to make sense of the world, to become a better person, and to find the answers to the big (and small) questions about how to live his life. In BOOKS FOR LIVING, Schwalbe invites us along on his quest for books that speak to the specific challenges of living in our modern world, with all its noise and distractions. In each chapter, he discusses a particular book --- what brought him to it (or vice versa), the people in his life he associates with it, and how it became a part of his understanding of himself in the world. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: DIFFERENT CLASS by Joanne Harris
DIFFERENT CLASS by Joanne Harris (Psychological Thriller)
After 30 years at St. Oswald’s Grammar in North Yorkshire, England, Latin master Roy Straitley has seen all kinds of boys come and go. But every so often there’s a boy who doesn’t quite fit the mold. A troublemaker. A boy with darkness inside. With insolvency and academic failure looming, a new headmaster arrives at the venerable school, bringing with him new technology, sharp suits and even girls to the dusty corridors. But while Straitley does his sardonic best to resist these steps toward the future, a shadow from his past begins to stir again. A boy who still haunts Straitley’s dreams 20 years later. A boy capable of terrible things. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
New Paperback Spotlight: GOOD AS GONE by Amy Gentry
GOOD AS GONE by Amy Gentry (Psychological Suspense)
Audiobook available, read by Karen Peakes
Anna’s daughter Julie was kidnapped from her own bedroom when she was 13 years old, while Anna slept just downstairs, unaware that her daughter was being ripped away from her. For eight years, she has lived with the guilt and the void in her family, hoping against hope that Julie is still alive. And then one night, the doorbell rings. A young woman who appears to be Julie is finally, miraculously, home safe. Anna and the rest of the family are thrilled, but soon Anna begins to see holes in Julie’s story. When she is contacted by a former detective turned private eye, she is forced to wonder if this young woman is even her daughter at all. And if she isn’t Julie, what is it that she wants?
- Click here to read a review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read Amy Gentry's bio.
- Visit Amy Gentry's website, Instagram and Pinterest.
- Connect with Amy Gentry on Facebook and Twitter.
Click here to read more in our Paperback Spotlight.
Special Contest: Enter to Win Our End-of-the-Year Celebration Featuring All 40 "Bets On" Titles from 2016
Time is running out to enter our very special contest featuring Carol Fitzgerald's Bookreporter.com Bets On picks from 2016. One Grand Prize winner will be awarded all 40 books, while eight other winners will receive a selection of five of these titles. Please fill out this form by Monday, January 9th at noon ET.
Here are 2016's Bookreporter.com Bets On titles:
Click here to enter the contest.
January's New in Paperback Roundups
January’s roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes Michel Bussi’s AFTER THE CRASH, a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick that follows the aftermath of a plane crash in which the sole survivor is a three-month-old girl --- and two families step forward to claim the child; THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER by Phaedra Patrick, a hauntingly beautiful story of love, loneliness and self-discovery that introduces readers to an endearing widower who embarks on a life-changing adventure; and Viola Shipman's THE CHARM BRACELET, in which three women, through an heirloom charm bracelet, rediscover the importance of family and a passion for living as each charm changes their lives.
Among this month’s nonfiction offerings are THE RAINBOW COMES AND GOES, a touching and intimate correspondence between Anderson Cooper and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, that offers timeless wisdom and a revealing glimpse into their lives; RISE OF THE ROCKET GIRLS by Nathalia Holt, the riveting true story of the women who launched America into space; and Alison Weir's THE LOST TUDOR PRINCESS, the first biography of Margaret Douglas, the beautiful, cunning niece of Henry VIII of England who used her sharp intelligence and covert power to influence the succession after the death of Elizabeth I.
Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of
January 2nd, January 9th, January 16th, January 23rd and January 30th.
January's Books on Screen Feature
Happy New Year, Books on Screen lovers! There's nothing like the bleak entertainment landscape of January to bring us back to reality after a festive holiday season. The good news is that if you binged all the prestige movies in December, there are plenty of great television shows to watch this month, both new and old favorites. In the spirit of staying positive in 2017, let’s focus on those.
Good things come to those who wait: More than a year ago, Amazon teased “Z: The Beginning of Everything,” and later this month the entire season will be available to stream. Christina Ricci stars as notorious belle-turned-flapper Zelda Sayre, whose brilliant eccentricity won the heart of GATSBY author F. Scott Fitzgerald and eventually landed her in the loony bin. And speaking of lush period dramas, fans of “Downton Abbey” will be happy to have “Victoria,” a well-mannered replacement in the PBS Masterpiece Sunday time slot about the lively young queen as she ascends the throne and breaks some rules.
Stock up on tissues mid-month because Lifetime’s remake of Beaches airs on January 21st. The classic tearjerker is about two lifelong friends --- one practical and reserved, the other talented and brash --- who support each other through thick and thin. If weepy melodrama doesn’t quite do it for you, check out Syfy’s “The Magicians,” which is back for its second season after an exciting, if a tad uneven, premiere run. And after the shockingly violent events of last year’s finale, our favorite group of irresponsible magicians aren’t returning a minute too soon.
Click here to see all the movies, TV shows and DVDs
featured in January’s Books on Screen.
More Reviews This Week
TOM CLANCY TRUE FAITH AND ALLEGIANCE: A Jack Ryan Novel by Mark Greaney (Thriller/Adventure)
Audiobook available, read by Scott Brick
After months at sea, U.S. Navy Commander Scott Hagan, captain of the USS James Greer, is on leave when he is attacked by an armed man in a crowded restaurant. Though severely wounded, the gunman reveals he is a Russian whose brother was killed when his submarine was destroyed by Commander Hagan’s ship. As more deadly events involving American military and intelligence personnel follow, it becomes clear that there has been some kind of massive information breach and that a wide array of America’s most dangerous enemies have made a weapon of the stolen data. With U.S. intelligence agencies potentially compromised, it’s up to John Clark and the rest of The Campus to track the leak to its source. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THE MARRIAGE LIE by Kimberly Belle (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Johanna Parker
Iris and Will have been married for seven years, and life is as close to perfect as it can be. But on the morning Will flies out for a business trip to Florida, Iris' happy world comes to an abrupt halt: Another plane headed for Seattle has crashed into a field, killing everyone on board --- and, according to the airline, Will was one of the passengers. Grief stricken and confused, Iris is convinced it all must be a huge misunderstanding. Why did Will lie about where he was going? And what else has he lied about? As Iris sets off on a desperate quest to uncover what her husband was keeping from her, the answers she finds shock her to her very core. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
THE OLD MAN by Thomas Perry (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Peter Berkrot
To all appearances, Dan Chase is a harmless retiree in Vermont. But most 60-year-old widowers don’t have multiple driver’s licenses, savings stockpiled in banks across the country, and a bugout kit with two Beretta Nanos stashed in the spare bedroom closet. Most have not spent decades on the run. Thirty-five years ago, Chase was sent to Libya to covertly assist a rebel army. When the plan turned sour, he reacted according to his own ideas of right and wrong, triggering consequences he never could have anticipated. Just as he had begun to think himself finally safe, Chase must reawaken his survival instincts to contend with the history he has spent his adult life trying to escape. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
RASPUTIN: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs by Douglas Smith (Biography)
Audiobook available, read by PJ Ochlan
A hundred years after his murder, Rasputin continues to excite the popular imagination as the personification of evil. Numerous biographies, novels and films recount his mysterious rise to power as Nicholas and Alexandra's confidant and the guardian of the sickly heir to the Russian throne. His debauchery and sinister political influence are the stuff of legend, and the downfall of the Romanov dynasty was laid at his feet. But as the prize-winning historian Douglas Smith shows, the true story of Rasputin's life and death has remained shrouded in myth. Combining probing scholarship and powerful storytelling, RASPUTIN separates fact from fiction to reveal the real life of one of history's most alluring figures. Reviewed by Rebecca Kilberg.
THE WARS OF THE ROOSEVELTS: The Rutheless Rise of America's Greatest Political Family by William J. Mann (Biography)
Audiobook available, read by Christopher Grove
Drawing on previously hidden historical documents and interviews with the long-silent "illegitimate" branch of the Roosevelt family, William J. Mann paints an elegant, meticulously researched and groundbreaking group portrait of this legendary clan. Mann argues that the Roosevelts’ rise to power and prestige was actually driven by a series of intense personal contests that at times devolved into blood sport. THE WAR OF THE ROOSEVELTS is the story of a family at war with itself, of social Darwinism at its most ruthless --- in which the strong devoured the weak and repudiated the inconvenient. Reviewed by Lorraine W. Shanley.
THE STRAYS by Emily Bitto (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Vanessa Coffey
On her first day at a new school, Lily befriends one of the daughters of infamous avant-garde painter Evan Trentham. Lily has never experienced anything like the Trenthams' home, where Evan and his wife have created a wild, makeshift family of like-minded artists, all living and working together to escape the stifling conservatism of 1930s Australia. Despite the Trenthams' glamorous allure, the artists' real lives are shaped by dire Faustian bargains and spectacular falls from grace. As the girls find themselves drawn closer to the white-hot flame of creativity, emotions and art collide with explosive consequences --- and Evan's own daughters may be forced to pay a dangerous price for his choices. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE GIRL IN GREEN by Derek B. Miller (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Will Damron
1991. Near Checkpoint Zulu, 100 miles from the Kuwaiti border, British journalist Thomas Benton meets Arwood Hobbes, an American private. Desert Storm is over and peace has been declared, but as they argue about whether it makes sense to cross the nearest border in search of an ice cream, they become embroiled in a horrific attack in which a young local girl in a green dress is killed as they are trying to protect her. The two men walk away into their respective lives. But something has cracked for them both. Twenty-two years later, in another place, in another war, they meet again and are offered an unlikely opportunity to redeem themselves when that same girl in green is found alive and in need of salvation. Or is she? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE ICE BENEATH HER written by Camilla Grebe, translated by Elizabeth Clark Wessel (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Katharine McEwan, John Lee and Justine Eyre
A young woman is found beheaded in the Stockholm home of business tycoon Jesper Orre. Investigator Peter Lindgren and psychological profiler Hanne Lagerlind-Schön are put on the case. Side-stepping their own dangerous relationship, Peter and Hanne find they can’t yet identify the woman --- and Orre is missing. In a separate thread, two months earlier, Emma Bohman, a timid beauty with a dark past, works in Orre’s company. A chance encounter between them leads to a love affair. Orre insists their relationship stay a secret, then leaves her without explanation --- and frightening things begin to happen to Emma. Why does Orre want to hurt her? And how far would he go to silence his secret lover? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
CIVILIANIZED: A Young Veteran's Memoir by Michael Anthony (Memoir)
After 12 months of military service in Iraq, Michael Anthony stepped off a plane, seemingly happy to be home --- or at least back on US soil. He was 21 years old, a bit of a nerd, and carrying a pack of cigarettes that he thought would be his last. Two weeks later, Michael was stoned on Vicodin, drinking way too much, and picking a fight with a very large Hell's Angel. At his wit's end, he came to an agreement with himself: If things didn't improve in three months, he was going to kill himself. CIVILIANIZED is a memoir chronicling Michael's search for meaning in a suddenly destabilized world. Reviewed by John Bentlyewski.
CHILD’S PLAY by Merry Jones (Psychological Thriller)
Just before the first day of school, second-grade teacher Elle Harrison learns that a former student, Ty Evans, has been released from juvenile detention where he served time for killing his abusive father. Within days of his release, Elle’s school principal, who had tormented Ty as a child, is brutally murdered, along with a teacher at the school and Ty’s former girlfriend. Ty seeks Elle out, confiding that she’s the only adult he’s ever trusted. But when she’s assaulted in the night, she suspects that Ty is her attacker. Is he a serial killer? Is she his next intended victim? Before Elle discovers the truth, she’s caught in a deadly trap that challenges her deepest convictions about guilt and innocence, childhood and family. Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on January 10th
Below are some notable titles releasing on January 10th 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 releasing the week of January 9th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
FALSE FRIEND by Andrew Grant (Mystery/Thriller)
An arsonist is targeting schools in Birmingham, Alabama, with devastating effect. Detective Cooper Devereaux must put a stop to the elusive pyromaniac’s reign of terror before more damage is done. But as Devereaux sifts through the ashes of the case, a grisly discovery at a burned-out school sends the investigation spiraling in a new, terrifying direction.
FOR TIME AND ALL ETERNITIES: A Linda Wallheim Mystery Set in Mormon Utah by Mette Ivie Harrison (Mystery)
Mormon bishop's wife Linda Wallheim is stunned to learn that her son has gotten engaged to a young woman from a polygamous family. Linda's gut instinct tells her that something on the Carter family compound is deeply wrong. She can't quite put her finger on what --- until it's too late, and one of the family members is found murdered.
HER EVERY FEAR by Peter Swanson (Psychological Thriller)
When Corbin Dell, a distant cousin of Kate Priddy, suggests that the two temporarily swap apartments, Kate agrees, hoping that time away in a new place will help her overcome the recent wreckage of her life. But soon after her arrival at Corbin’s grand apartment, she discovers that his next-door neighbor has been murdered.
KILL THE FATHER by Sandrone Dazieri (Thriller)
In this international bestseller, two people, each shattered by their past, team to solve a series of killings and abductions --- a ruthlessly planned escalation that turns out to be merely the visible surface of something far more sinister.
LITTLE HEAVEN by Nick Cutter (Supernatural Thriller/Horror)
A trio of mismatched mercenaries is hired by a young woman for a deceptively simple task: check in on her nephew, who may have been taken against his will to a remote New Mexico backwoods settlement called Little Heaven. Shortly after they arrive, things begin to turn ominous.
THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACE ON EARTH by Lindsey Lee Johnson (Fiction)
Despite being raised with all the opportunities money can buy, the students of a San Francisco high school are navigating a treacherous adolescence in which every action, every rumor and every feeling is potentially postable, shareable and viral. Lindsey Lee Johnson’s novel exposes at every turn the real human beings beneath the high school stereotypes.
A PERILOUS UNDERTAKING: A Veronica Speedwell Mystery by Deanna Raybourn (Historical Mystery)
Victorian adventuress and butterfly hunter Veronica Speedwell receives an invitation to visit the Curiosity Club, a ladies-only establishment for daring and intrepid women. There she meets the mysterious Lady Sundridge, who begs her to take on an impossible task --- saving society art patron Miles Ramsforth from execution.
RING OF FIRE: A Pike Logan Thriller by Brad Taylor (Thriller/Adventure)
In Brad Taylor’s latest action-packed thriller, a chilling terrorist plot is about to unfold in the United States --- one involving simultaneous attacks across multiple locations in America --- and it will be up to Pike Logan, Jennifer Cahill and the Taskforce to prevent the threat from becoming a terrifying reality.
THE SLEEPWALKER by Chris Bohjalian (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Annalee Ahlberg, a sleepwalker whose affliction manifests in ways both bizarre and devastating, has gone missing. As daughter Lianna peels back the layers of mystery surrounding Annalee's disappearance, she must ask herself: Why does Detective Gavin Rikert know so much about her mother? Why did Annalee leave her bed only when her father was away? And if she really died while sleepwalking, where was the body?
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
Our Latest Poll: Did You Get Bookish Holiday Gifts?
Did you receive books or book gift cards over the holidays?
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I received books.
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I received book gift cards.
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I received both books and book gift cards.
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I received neither books nor book gift cards.
Click here to vote in the poll.
Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What You're Reading
and You Can Win Two Books!
Tell us about the books you’ve finished reading with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from January 6th to January 20th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of HER EVERY FEAR by Peter Swanson and THE NOWHERE MAN: An Orphan X Novel by Gregg Hurwitz.
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.
Click here to enter the contest.
Sounding Off on Audio Contest: Tell Us What You're Listening to and You Can Win Two Audiobooks!
Tell us about the audiobooks you’ve finished listening to with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for both the performance and the content. During the contest period from January 3rd to February 1st at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of JP Delaney's THE GIRL BEFORE, read by Emilia Fox and Finty Williams, with Lisa Aagaard Knudsen, and Chris Bohjalian's THE SLEEPWALKER, read by Cady McClain and Grace Experience.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the audiobook, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For complete rules and guidelines, click here.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
Click here to enter the contest.
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