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Happy Birthday to My Mom,
Bookreporter.com’s Biggest Cheerleader!
The world is greening up fast in the New York City area. I was reading outside last weekend and loving every single second of being in sunshine…in a T-shirt and shorts, and no shoes. My reading? Again another book for my BookExpo author interviews. This one: MY ABSOLUTE DARLING by Gabriel Tallent, which not only has a grippingly amazing protagonist and plot, but also lush descriptions of the landscape that made me feel I was in the wilderness on the run for long, glorious segments. Once again, more after BookExpo. One book is sharper than the next this year. This one will be in stores on August 29th.
Last Saturday, late in the day, I started watching "Bosch" on Amazon Prime Video. Season three again was 10 episodes, and I was vowing I was going to ration them to myself. Well, I clearly have zip zap zero self-control. At midnight, I had two episodes left, which I finished by noon on Sunday. When season three of a show hooks me this well, it says something. I truly think the fact that Michael Connelly is so involved with the show is one reason why it’s one of the best police procedurals that I have watched. And you are talking here to a girl who cut her teeth watching "Adam-12"...and I will admit to a crush on Kent McCord.
Today, Tom Donadio and I are spending the day at the Penguin Random House Open Book event for Tri-State area librarians, thus we pulled this newsletter together much earlier than usual. An event on a Friday means we are crushing five days into four, but today gave us an opportunity to hear about upcoming titles from editors and the publisher’s library team --- as well as get to hear from authors whose work will be publishing in the next few months. We will have more to share on this next week.
Next week will be yet another compressed week, as next Friday I am attending the Random House Open House event. The lineup includes Alan Alda, whose book IF I UNDERSTOOD YOU, WOULD I HAVE THIS LOOK ON MY FACE?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating will be published on June 6th. Now Alan and I have a history. He spoke at my graduation from Fordham; I wonder if he will remember that. Who would have thought that nearly 40 years later, just about to the day, I would be in a room hearing him speak again?
Speaking of author meetings, last night I spent a wonderful evening at a Pop-Up Book Group event presented by BOOKTHEWRITER, which featured Min Jin Lee, who wrote PACHINKO, as the author guest speaker. It was a lovely evening held at the home of her agent, Suzanne Gluck, organized and moderated by Jean Hanff Korelitz, who is a bestselling author, as well as the founder of BOOKTHEWRITER. It was a brisk and animated evening where Min shared stories about her research and writing --- and the guests (none of whom I had met before) chimed in with their own interesting stories about life in Korea and Japan, and spoke passionately about the book. For future Pop-Up Book Group events, click here.
And now to this week’s very full update...
THE BEST OF ADAM SHARP, which we announced last week as our latest Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight title, is now in stores, and we’re pleased to share with you our review of the book and our interview with Graeme Simsion, who departs from his Rosie series (THE ROSIE PROJECT and THE ROSIE EFFECT) to give us the story of a man who looks back on his life and decides if having a second chance is worth the risk.
According to reviewer Amy Haddock, THE BEST OF ADAM SHARP is “a well-written and thoughtful treatise on what it means to have loved and lost, yet be given the luxury of a second chance.” Amy also had the opportunity to ask Graeme questions about his two main protagonists, the structure of the story, the role that music played as a character in the book, and how the title “The Best of Adam Sharp” was decided upon. Click here for the interview. For those of you who loved Rosie, you will be happy to know that Graeme once again delivers wonderfully memorable characters with Adam Sharp and Angelina Brown.
I’ve talked extensively in previous newsletters about BENEATH A SCARLET SKY, Mark Sullivan’s first solo novel in almost three years, and pointed out that my husband, Tom, stayed up half the night reading it. Literally every person I have handed it to has called me to talk about it with glowing praise. Thus I am happy to report that the book is now available, and I am looking forward to hearing what you all have to say about it. This is a historical novel that’s based on the life of Pino Lella, a real-life hero who, during World War II, risked his life guiding Jews across the Alps into neutral Switzerland, then became a spy inside the German High Command.
Ray Palen calls BENEATH A SCARLET SKY “an important story --- one that deserves to be told, read and appreciated --- and Sullivan does an admirable job ensuring that The Forgotten Front finally has a voice.” We also have a Q&A with Mark and a discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com, and be sure to check out Mark’s website for much more about the book and the deeply personal story that inspired him to want to tell the world about Pino’s life. BENEATH A SCARLET SKY will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick; you can read my commentary in next week’s newsletter.
Another book I am just crazy about is GINNY MOON by debut novelist Benjamin Ludwig. I read a very early advance copy last July, and even then I knew it would be a Bets On title. I blurbed it and said, “This book seared its way into my heart. Ginny Moon’s voice is just pitch perfect, drawing readers to move through the world as seen by her gifted autistic mind. The plotting is deft as she leads the adults around her to a brilliant climax and hastens their awakening of how strong --- actually fierce --- Ginny is about those she loves.” I’ll have much more about the book in next week’s newsletter, as indeed it will be a Bets On pick.
Norah Piehl also thinks highly of the book, as she expresses in her review: “[Ludwig] discovered the genesis of Ginny’s story while attending his foster child’s Special Olympics practices. Ludwig clearly understands and validates the unique thought processes of special kids like Ginny. Although her behavior is not always admirable, her thinking is always clear and entirely rational within her own idiosyncratic world view.” I have often said that as you read it, you will realize that on more than one occasion Ginny is truly the smartest person in the room.
Paula Hawkins follows up her enormously successful debut novel, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, with her second psychological thriller, INTO THE WATER. A single mother is found dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier that summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women to lose their life in these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets that have long been submerged.
Kate Ayers has our review and says, “Paula Hawkins has a distinctive style that compels her readers to keep turning the pages. She leaves a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter, making sure to push her fans forward ever faster.”
GINNY MOON and INTO THE WATER are the two prizes in our current Word of Mouth contest. Let us know by Friday, May 12th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll have the opportunity to win both novels.
In February, we gave away copies of THE RADIUM GIRLS: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women in our Sneak Peek contest. The book is now in stores, and it, too, will be a Bets On pick next week. Kate Moore’s fascinating work of narrative nonfiction focuses on the young women who were exposed to radium as they toiled in factories during World War I and then began to fall mysteriously ill. These same factories denied the chemical’s gruesome side effects, and while their cries of corruption fell on deaf ears, these “Radium Girls” refused to go down without a fight.
Says Barbara Bamberger Scott in her review, “Moore has brought the Radium Girls to life, highlighting their personalities and private lives for the first time…. She has successfully depicted them as real people, bravely banding together and refusing to give up despite insults and mockery from their employers and a tough uphill battle through the legal system.” If you get a chance to see Kate on her tour, I highly recommend it. You can see her tour dates here.
Other books we're reviewing this week include the supernatural thriller FIRSTBORN, the sequel to Tosca Lee's THE PROGENY (we have an interview with Tosca, conducted by reviewer Dean Murphy, here); PROVING GROUND, Edgar Award winner Peter Blauner’s first novel in more than a decade; William Lashner's latest thriller, A FILTHY BUSINESS; and HANK GREENBERG IN 1938 by our very own Ron Kaplan, who chronicles the events of 1938, both on the baseball diamond and on the streets of Europe.
I FOUND YOU by Lisa Jewell, which we reviewed last week, is this week’s Bets On pick. Click here to see why I’m betting you’ll love this book.
For the last two months, I’ve been raving about Mary Kay Andrews’ THE BEACH HOUSE COOKBOOK (her first cookbook) and all the delicious dishes I’ve made from it, including pimento cheese sandwiches, scalloped potatoes, grapefruit avocado salad and carrot cake. The book released on Tuesday, so now all of YOUR mouths can water as you come across recipes for cherry balsamic-glazed lamb chops, charcoal-grilled oysters, lemon bar trifle, and so much more. What I love is that MKA, as we call her around the office, has organized menus, as well as prose that shares her personal relationships with these recipes.
MKA’s 2016 novel, THE WEEKENDERS, is now available in paperback and is among the 113(!) titles featured in this month’s New in Paperback roundups. Other highlights include HOMEGOING by Yaa Gyasi, THE VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS: Selected Nonfiction by Neil Gaiman, and four previous Bets On selections: THE GIRLS by Emma Cline, THE TWENTY-THREE: Book Three of the Promise Falls Trilogy by Linwood Barclay (you can now read the trilogy in paperback), MODERN LOVERS by Emma Straub, and THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR by Shari Lapena.
Our Mother’s Day Author Blogs are back! Once again we’re sharing pieces from authors who talk about how their moms influenced them to become readers and writers, along with their own experiences as mothers and their views on motherhood. We kick off this year’s series with Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Next week, we'll hear from Lisa Ko (whose debut novel, THE LEAVERS, we review this week), Dinitia Smith and Wendy Walker.
And speaking of moms, our Mother’s Day contest is still up. From now through Monday, May 15th at noon ET, readers can enter to win one of our five prize packages, which includes 13 books (both fiction and nonfiction) and some delightful mom-themed treats. Click here to learn more about the books and fill out the entry form.
We’ve updated our Books on Screen feature this month. May’s theatrical releases include The Dinner and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (confession: I am Jeff Kinney’s oldest fan); on the small screen is the HBO film The Wizard of Lies, starring Robert De Niro as Bernie Madoff, along with the series premieres of "Anne with an E" and "Spirit Riding Free" on Netflix; and on DVD will be Fifty Shades Darker and Before I Fall.
We have a new Sounding Off on Audio contest to tell you about. This month’s prizes are the audio versions of Dorothea Benton Frank's SAME BEACH, NEXT YEAR, performed by Bernadette Dunne, and Dennis Lehane's SINCE WE FELL, performed by Julia Whelan. All you have to do is submit your comments about the audiobooks you’ve listened to, and you’ll be in the running to win both audio titles. Enter by Thursday, June 1st at noon ET.
Our poll continues to ask where you talk about books online. Is it Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? Amazon? Or do you prefer to talk about books with others face to face? Click here to let us know what you do!
News & Pop Culture:
Reader Mail: A month or so ago, my friend Sally told me about a book that she loved: FOLLOWING ATTICUS: Forty-eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship, by Tom Ryan. When she heard that the author's new one, WILL’S RED COAT: The Story of One Old Dog Who Chose to Live Again, was coming out, she had to get her hands on it. She did and wrote to share that it was “heartwarming page after page.” Sally reads a lot, and I never have heard her this excited about a book!
Kathryn wrote, "This is a terrific story of how one woman in a small community in Saskatchewan saved the libraries in the entire province! It began here on March 22nd, when the Saskatchewan Provincial Government cut its library grants in the current budget by $4.8M. Then this happened. This is one of the links in the above story --- and other parts of the story are also linked.
Eve wrote, “The story that you linked us to last week about Michelle Melland and her blog was incredible; talk about inspiring. It left me speechless, and I have bookmarked her blog. It made me so thankful for my life and health. I love my Friday night newsletter from my friend Carol!” Eve, thanks for those kind words!
"House of Cards": Frank and Claire Underwood are coming back May 30th. Here’s a trailer to tease you; you'll enjoy it.
"Billions": The episode last week was brilliant; I cannot wait to see the finale this week. Actually I wish it was not the finale.
Today is my mom’s birthday. She truly is Bookreporter’s biggest cheerleader. If you say you read, she will tell you about the site in pitch-perfect style! We all are going to dinner with her tonight where we will toast her…and naturally, there will be some books as presents. When I was at Conde Nast, she was proud to point out my name on the masthead. Now, with the internet, it’s even easier to share what I am up to! if you found us because of my mom telling you about us, raise a glass and toast her tonight. And may we ask that you, like my mom, share this newsletter and the website with your friends. We love when you help us grow our Bookreporter audience!
There will not be Mexican cuisine tonight, but I wish you a Happy Cinco de Mayo. Stuffed poblanos will be on the menu tomorrow night, along with margaritas, not juleps, for the Derby.
On Sunday, we are going to a memorial service for Trip, one of Tom’s friends from the BMW Club who passed away way too young. This reminds me: Enjoy every day. Read those books you have been wanting to get to! Seriously.
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!
Bookreporter.com Talks to Graeme Simsion,
Author of THE BEST OF ADAM SHARP
A Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight Title
Graeme Simsion follows up his international bestsellers THE ROSIE PROJECT and THE ROSIE EFFECT with THE BEST OF ADAM SHARP, in which a piano-playing IT consultant must choose between his current partner and his lost love. In this interview conducted by Bookreporter.com’s Amy Haddock, Simsion discusses the role of music in the novel (and reveals the two songs he thinks would serve as the perfect soundtrack for the past and present storylines), the difficulties of writing female protagonists in a love story, how the title “The Best of Adam Sharp” came about, and the joint novel he’s working on with his wife.
THE BEST OF ADAM SHARP by Graeme Simsion (Fiction/Humor)
Audiobook available, read by David Barker
Two decades ago, Adam Sharp’s piano playing led him into a passionate relationship with Angelina Brown, an intelligent and strong-willed actress. They had a chance at something more --- but Adam didn’t take it. Now, on the cusp of turning 50, Adam likes his life. He’s happy with his partner Claire, he excels in music trivia at quiz night at the local pub, he looks after his mother, and he does the occasional consulting job in IT. But he can never quite shake off his nostalgia for what might have been. And then, out of nowhere, from the other side of the world, Angelina gets in touch. What does she want? Does Adam dare to live dangerously? Reviewed by Amy Haddock.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read a review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read Graeme Simsion’s bio.
- Connect with Graeme Simsion on Facebook and Twitter.
- Click here to read more in our Women's Fiction Author Spotlight.
Click here to read our interview.
An Interview with Mark Sullivan,
Author of BENEATH A SCARLET SKY
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
BENEATH A SCARLET SKY, Mark Sullivan’s highly anticipated new novel, is based on the true story of Pino Lella, who, during World War II, risked his life guiding Jews across the Alps into Switzerland, became a spy inside the German High Command, and fell in love with a woman who would haunt him for the rest of his life. In this interview, Sullivan talks about the emotional conversations he had with Pino, who ultimately was forced to choose between life and love; why historians have taken to calling Italy “The Forgotten Front”; the lessons that James Patterson (with whom he co-authors the Private series) has taught him about writing fiction; and how a chance encounter at a dinner party and his eventual friendship with Pino literally saved his life.
BENEATH A SCARLET SKY by Mark Sullivan (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Will Damron
When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino Lella joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps, and falls for Anna, a beautiful widow six years his senior. In an attempt to protect him, Pino’s parents force him to enlist as a German soldier, which they think will keep him out of combat. But after Pino is injured, he is recruited at the age of 18 to become the personal driver for Adolf Hitler’s left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers. Now, with the opportunity to spy for the Allies inside the German High Command, Pino endures the horrors of the war and the Nazi occupation by fighting in secret, his courage bolstered by his love for Anna and for the life he dreams they will one day share. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
BENEATH A SCARLET SKY will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. You can read Carol’s commentary in next week's newsletter.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read a review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to visit Mark Sullivan's website.
Click here to read the interview.
Featured Review: THE RADIUM GIRLS by Kate Moore
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE RADIUM GIRLS: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore (Biography/History)
Audiobook available, read by Angela Brazil
The Curies’ newly discovered element of radium makes gleaming headlines across the nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community. Meanwhile, hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories. With such a coveted job, these “shining girls” are the luckiest alive --- until they begin to fall mysteriously ill. But the factories that once offered golden opportunities are now ignoring all claims of the gruesome side effects, and the women’s cries of corruption. And as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America’s early 20th century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers’ rights that will echo for centuries to come. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
THE RADIUM GIRLS will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. You can read Carol’s commentary in next week's newsletter.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: GINNY MOON by Benjamin Ludwig
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
GINNY MOON by Benjamin Ludwig (Fiction)
Audiobook available, performed by Em Eldridge
Ginny Moon, an autistic teenager, has been in foster care for years, and for the first time in her life, she has found her "forever home" --- a place where she'll be safe and protected, with a family who will love and nurture her. Though this is exactly the kind of home that all foster kids are hoping for, Ginny has other plans. She'll steal and lie and reach across her past to exploit the good intentions of those who love her --- anything it takes to get back what's missing in her life. She'll even try to get herself kidnapped. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
GINNY MOON will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. You can read Carol’s commentary in next week's newsletter.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: INTO THE WATER by Paula Hawkins
INTO THE WATER by Paula Hawkins (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Rachel Bavidge with a full cast
A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged. Left behind is a lonely 15-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother's sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from --- a place to which she vowed she'd never return. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read the review.
Now Available: THE BEACH HOUSE COOKBOOK
by Mary Kay Andrews
THE BEACH HOUSE COOKBOOK by Mary Kay Andrews (Cooking)
You don’t have to own a beach house to enjoy Mary Kay Andrews’ recipes. All you need is an appetite for delicious, casual dishes, cooked with the best fresh, local ingredients and presented with the breezy flair that makes Mary Kay’s novels a summertime favorite at the beach. From an early spring dinner of cherry balsamic-glazed lamb chops and bacon-kissed green beans, to Fourth of July buttermilk-brined fried chicken, yuppie potato salad and Coca-Cola cake, to her New Year’s Day Open House menu of charcoal-grilled oysters, home-cured gravlax, grits n’ greens casserole, and Meyer lemon bar trifle, this cookbook will supply ideas for menus and recipes designed to put you in a permanently carefree coastal state of mind all year long.
- Click here to visit Mary Kay Andrews’ website, where you also can find some recipes.
Click here to read more about the book.
Bookreporter.com's Mother's Day Contest
and Author Blogs
2017 Mother's Day Author Blogs
Our Mother's Day Author Blogs are back for an eighth year! We are excited to be sharing pieces from authors who discuss how their moms influenced them to become readers and writers, along with their own experiences as mothers and their views on motherhood.
First up is Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author of such novels as ONE AMAZING THING (a Bookreporter.com Bets On title) and BEFORE WE VISIT THE GODDESS (now available in paperback), who talks about the impact her mother had on her writing.
Next week, we look forward to hearing from Lisa Ko, Dinitia Smith and Wendy Walker.
Click here to read this year's Mother's Day Author Blogs.
Bookreporter.com's 12th Annual Mother's Day Contest
Mother’s Day is a time to recognize the woman who raised and nurtured us. To celebrate, we're giving you the opportunity to win books and goodies for you or the special lady in your life in our 12th annual "Books Mom Will Love" contest. From now through Monday, May 15th at noon ET, readers can enter to win one of our five prize packages, which includes the books listed here, along with some delightful mom-themed treats.
Click here to enter the contest.
May’s New in Paperback Roundups
May’s roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes Emma Cline's debut novel and instant bestseller, THE GIRLS, an indelible portrait of girls, the women they become, and that moment in life when everything can go horribly wrong; HOMEGOING, Yaa Gyasi's award-winning first novel that follows the parallel paths of two half sisters and their descendants through eight generations --- from the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the American Civil War to Jazz Age Harlem; Anne Rice's PRINCE LESTAT AND THE REALMS OF ATLANTIS, which marks the return of the indomitable vampire hero Lestat de Lioncourt, who finds himself at war with a strange, ancient, otherworldly form that has somehow taken possession of his immortal body and spirit; and THE TWENTY-THREE, the jaw-dropping finale of Linwood Barclay's Promise Falls Trilogy.
Among this month’s nonfiction offerings are THE VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS, an enthralling collection of nonfiction essays from Neil Gaiman on a myriad of topics --- from art and artists to dreams, myths and memories; VALIANT AMBITION by Nathaniel Philbrick, a surprising account of the middle years of the American Revolution, and the tragic relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold; and Lesley M. M. Blume's EVERYBODY BEHAVES BADLY, which tells the full story behind Ernest Hemingway’s legendary rise for the first time, revealing how he created his own image as the bull-fighting aficionado, hard-drinking literary genius and expatriate bon vivant.
Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of
May 1st, May 8th, May 15th, May 22nd and May 29th.
May’s Books on Screen Feature
16th SEDUCTION by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by January LaVoy
Fifteen months ago, Detective Lindsay Boxer's life was perfect --- she had a beautiful child and a doting husband, Joe, who helped her catch a criminal who'd brazenly detonated a bomb in downtown San Francisco. But Joe wasn't everything that Lindsay thought he was, and she's still reeling from his betrayal as a wave of mysterious heart attacks claims seemingly unrelated victims across San Francisco. As if that weren't enough, the bomber she and Joe captured is about to go on trial, and his defense raises damning questions about Lindsay and Joe's investigation. Lindsay must connect the dots of a deadly conspiracy before a brilliant criminal puts her on trial. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
TRAJECTORY: Stories by Richard Russo (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available, read by Amanda Carlin
Richard Russo's characters in these four expansive stories bear little similarity to the blue-collar citizens we're familiar with from many of his novels. In "Horseman," a professor confronts a young plagiarist as well as her own weaknesses as the Thanksgiving holiday looms closer and closer. In "Intervention," a realtor facing an ominous medical prognosis finds himself in his father's shadow while he presses forward --- or not. In "Voice," a semiretired academic is conned by his increasingly estranged brother into coming along on a group tour of the Venice Biennale. And in "Milton and Marcus," a lapsed novelist tries to rekindle his screenwriting career, only to be stymied by the pratfalls of that trade when he's called to an aging, iconic star's mountaintop retreat in Wyoming. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
FAST AND LOOSE: A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Tony Roberts
Stone Barrington is enjoying a boating excursion off the Maine coast when a chance encounter leaves him somewhat the worse for wear. Always able to find the silver lining in even the unhappiest circumstances, Stone is pleased to discover that the authors of his misfortune are, in fact, members of a prestigious family who present a unique business opportunity, and who require a man of Stone’s skills to overcome a sticky situation of their own. The acquaintance is fortuitous indeed, for as it turns out, Stone and his new friends have an enemy in common. When Stone’s sly cunning collides with his adversary’s hair-trigger-temper, the results are sure to be explosive. Reviewed by Judy Gigstad.
THE LEAVERS by Lisa Ko (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Emily Woo Zeller
One morning, Deming Guo’s mother, Polly, an undocumented Chinese immigrant, goes to her job at a nail salon --- and never comes home. No one can find any trace of her. With his mother gone, 11-year-old Deming is left mystified and bereft. Eventually adopted by a pair of well-meaning white professors, Deming is moved from the Bronx to a small town upstate and renamed Daniel Wilkinson. But far from all he’s ever known, Daniel struggles to reconcile his adoptive parents’ desire that he assimilate with his memories of his mother and the community he left behind. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
FIRSTBORN: A Progeny Novel by Tosca Lee (Supernatural Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Cassandra Campbell
Face-to-face with her past, Audra Ellison now knows the secret she gave up everything --- including her memory --- to protect. A secret made vulnerable by her rediscovery, and so powerful neither the Historian nor the traitor Prince Nikola will ever let her live to keep it. With Luka in the Historian’s custody and the clock ticking down on his life, Audra only has one impossible chance: find and kill the Historian and end the centuries-old war between the Progeny and Scions at last --- all while running from the law and struggling to control her growing powers. With the help of a heretic monk and her Progeny friends, Audra will risk all she holds dear in a final bid to save them all and put her powers to the ultimate test. Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy.
- Click here to read our interview with Tosca Lee.
PROVING GROUND by Peter Blauner (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Ari Fliakos
Nathaniel Dresden never really got along with his father, an infamous civil rights lawyer who defended criminals and spearheaded protest movements. As an act of rebellion, Natty joined the U.S. Army and served in Iraq, coming back with a chest full of commendations and a head full of disturbing memories. But when his father is found murdered near the peaceful confines of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, Natty is forced to deal with the troubled legacy of their unresolved relationship. He also has to fend off the growing suspicions of NYPD Detective Lourdes Robles, a brash Latina cop with something to prove, who thinks Natty might bear some responsibility for his father’s death. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
A FILTHY BUSINESS by William Lashner (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Luke Daniels
A lifetime ago, brutally efficient fixer Phil Kubiak coldly cleaned up the messes of shady clients from Miami to Las Vegas by any means necessary --- short of murder. Now he’s one eye and one working leg short of the man he used to be, scarred beyond recognition, and with the feds and criminal organizations in hot pursuit. Throwing back sour beer in a dingy bar, Phil recounts the long story of his bitter life to the only person left to listen. Across the splintery table, a journalist in pursuit of a career-making interview seeks not only an award-winning profile but also something more…something darker. Will what she sees in Phil’s empty gaze spur her toward forgiveness --- or vengeance? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
MANDERLEY FOREVER: A Biography of Daphne du Maurier written by Tatiana de Rosnay, translated by Sam Taylor (Biography)
Audiobook available, read by Charlotte Wright
As a bilingual bestselling novelist with a mixed Franco-British bloodline and a host of eminent forebears, Tatiana de Rosnay is the perfect candidate to write a biography of Daphne du Maurier. As an 11-year-old de Rosnay read and reread REBECCA, becoming a lifelong devotee of du Maurier’s fiction. Now de Rosnay pays homage to the writer who influenced her so deeply, following du Maurier from a shy seven-year-old to a rebellious 16-year-old, a twenty-something newlywed, and finally a cantankerous old lady. Reviewed by Melanie Reynolds.
HANK GREENBERG IN 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War by Ron Kaplan (Sports/History)
Hank Greenberg was coming off a stellar season where he’d hit 40 home runs and 184 RBIs, becoming only the 13th player to ever hit 40 or more homers. From his first day in the big leagues, the New York-born Greenberg had dealt with persecution for being Jewish; he always did his best to shut the noise out and concentrate on baseball. But in 1938, that would be more difficult than he ever could have imagined. Adolf Hitler had taken direct control of Germany’s military in February 1938. He then began his methodic takeover of all neighboring countries, spreading Nazism and the early stages of World War II and the Holocaust. Ron Kaplan’s latest book chronicles the events of 1938, both on the baseball diamond and the streets of Europe. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on May 9th
Below are some notable titles releasing on May 9th 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 May 8th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE by Gail Honeyman (Fiction)
Gail Honeyman's debut novel is the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes that the only way to survive is to open your heart.
HOUSE OF NAMES by Colm Tóibín (Historical Fiction)
From the thrilling imagination of award-winning author Colm Tóibín comes a retelling of the story of Clytemnestra --- spectacularly audacious, violent, vengeful, lustful and instantly compelling --- and her children.
JACKIE'S GIRL: My Life with the Kennedy Family by Kathy McKeon (Memoir)
JACKIE’S GIRL is an endearing coming-of-age memoir by a young woman who spent 13 years as Jackie Kennedy’s personal assistant and occasional nanny --- and the lessons about life and love she learned from the glamorous first lady.
MEN WITHOUT WOMEN: Stories written by Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel and Ted Goossen (Fiction/Short Stories)
Across seven tales, Haruki Murakami brings his powers of observation to bear on the lives of men who, in their own ways, find themselves alone. Here are vanishing cats and smoky bars, lonely hearts and mysterious women, baseball and the Beatles, woven together to tell stories that speak to us all.
SAINTS FOR ALL OCCASIONS by J. Courtney Sullivan (Fiction)
J. Courtney Sullivan’s latest novel explores the fascinating, funny and sometimes achingly sad ways that a secret at the heart of one family both breaks them and binds them together.
SINCE WE FELL by Dennis Lehane (Psychological Thriller)
Rachel Childs is a former journalist who, after an on-air mental breakdown, now lives as a virtual shut-in. After a chance encounter one afternoon, she gets sucked into a conspiracy and must find the strength within herself to conquer unimaginable fears and mind-altering truths.
THE THIRST : A Harry Hole Novel by Jo Nesbø (Mystery/Thriller)
In this electrifying new thriller from the author of POLICE and THE SNOWMAN, Inspector Harry Hole hunts down a serial murderer who targets his victims…on Tinder.
WOMAN NO. 17 by Edan Lepucki (Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of CALIFORNIA comes a sinister, sexy noir about art, motherhood and the intensity of female friendships, set in the posh hills above Los Angeles.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
Our Latest Poll: Where Do You Talk About Books?
Where do you talk about books online? Please check all that apply.
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Other (Please specify)
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I typically do not talk about books online. I prefer to talk about them with others in person.
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 April 28th to May 12th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of GINNY MOON by Benjamin Ludwig and INTO THE WATER by Paula Hawkins.
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.
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 May 1st to June 1st at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Dorothea Benton Frank's SAME BEACH, NEXT YEAR, performed by Bernadette Dunne, and Dennis Lehane's SINCE WE FELL, performed by Julia Whelan.
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.
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