|
Summer is ALMOST Here --- and So is
One of My Favorite Days of the Year
The official start of summer is fast-approaching (Wednesday at 12:24am EDT, to be exact), and as it’s the day of the year with the most hours of daylight, it’s also one of my favorite days of the year. I am hoping that the weather is lovely enough for me to enjoy an evening of sitting outside savoring every moment of it!
Our big news this week: After 21(!) years in the same location, we are going to be moving our office in July; I am not exactly sure of the date of the move just yet. We are moving just a few blocks away, but it means everything needs to be packed up. It is amazing how much you can accumulate over two decades that now need to be packed or purged. I saved brochures from every conference that I attended and every conference badge/lanyard; the brochures are gone (after I contemplated no eBay value) and the conference badges/lanyards are in a pile. I also have been going through lots of old files. One article I found was about Amazon on its fifth anniversary. The headline: “Will Amazon Survive?” I think that question has been answered.
I look around the office, and there are tons of wonderful memories; I remember the people who have helped us build The Book Report Network through the years. But I am ready for the next adventure. I picked carpeting and dropped off paint in the new office yesterday; we are sticking with the same color scheme in the new place, which actually mirrors my living room and dining room at home. And no, it’s not turquoise, though I have some amazing turquoise leather club chairs.
I still am making time for reading --- my favorite way to start and end the day, no matter how busy I am. Last weekend, I finished Shari Lapena’s A STRANGER IN THE HOUSE, and enjoyed it as much as her mega-hit from last year, THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR. It’s the kind of book where my head is swiveling while I am reading as the plot twists one way and the next. Maybe I like the swift plot changes back and forth right now as they make me feel like my busy life is normal! There are so many newish female thriller authors who are on the scene commanding attention. Just off the top of my head besides Shari, I am thinking Ruth Ware, Wendy Walker, B.A. Paris and Mary Kubica, each of whom has at least two books --- and, of course, the oft-compared Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn.
Earlier this year, I went to a luncheon for Claire Messud where she discussed THE BURNING GIRL, which will be in stores on August 29th. I finally had time to read it this week. It takes a look at the bonds of friendship between two young girls, Julia and Cassie, who have been friends since nursery school in their quiet Massachusetts town. They are inseparable until they enter middle school, and the ties between them begin to unwind. The concept of mean girls is touched upon, as well as the power of loyalty in a friendship. There’s a lot to chew over and discuss. Think about it for your book group and also as a less formal mother/daughter read.
I have spoken about Mark Sullivan’s BENEATH A SCARLET SKY more than once in earlier newsletters. This week, Mark shared the above photo as he went to Italy to give Pino Lello, the World War II hero upon whom his novel is based, a copy of the book. How emotional to be sharing this moment with him after spending 10 years working on this book. BENEATH A SCARLET SKY has more than 4,000 reviews on Amazon, 98% of which are five or four stars…and with the new Amazon Charts that chart the most-read books, it's ranked as number three. This photo really made me smile, and knowing how much Mark's relationship with Pino means to him, it also choked me up a bit.
Now to this week’s update…
Since summer is on the horizon, it means it’s time for a new Elin Hilderbrand novel to add to your beach reading list. In THE IDENTICALS, Harper Frost has inherited her father’s rundown house on Martha’s Vineyard, while her twin sister, Tabitha, has inherited a flailing fashion boutique on Nantucket. After more than 10 years apart, Harper and Tabitha switch islands --- and lives --- to save what's left of their fractured family. But it doesn’t take the siblings long to realize that the secrets, lies and gossip they thought they'd outrun can travel between islands just as easily as they can.
Reviewer Vivian Payton proclaims THE IDENTICALS to be the best Elin Hilderbrand novel she has read thus far. According to Vivian, “From the very start, her descriptions of life on both islands are rich and full of detail. She clearly did her research regarding Martha’s Vineyard and describes it to a tee, just as she does for her beloved Nantucket. She writes cleverly and leaves no stone unturned, thinking everything through so methodically, and her imagination is endless.”
Roxane Gay has used her own emotional and psychological struggles as a way of exploring our shared anxieties over pleasure, consumption, appearance and health. In her memoir, HUNGER, she takes readers through her childhood, teens and 20s --- including the unthinkable act of violence that served as a turning point in her young life --- all the way to the present and the realities, pains and joys of her daily life.
Here’s a preview of Maya Gittelman’s rave review: “I want to live in a world where more people have read HUNGER by Roxane Gay. We need to be more conscious of what we carry and what others carry, and what we can do to other people. Gay is a prominent figure and has been tremendously forthcoming and brave to share so much of how she became who she is.”
Jason Bourne returns in THE BOURNE INITIATIVE, a new thriller from Eric Van Lustbader that continues Robert Ludlum's classic series. Before he was murdered, General Boris Karpov, head of the Russian FSB, conceived of an unstoppable cyber operation aimed at the heart of the United States --- a way to steal the president's nuclear launch codes. Who has taken over the operation? Karpov trusted only one man: Jason Bourne. But can Bourne be working against his own country? The U.S. government is convinced of his treason and is doing everything in its power to kill him.
Ray Palen has our review and says, “Here, we see a different Jason Bourne. He is more deliberate and equally cautious. He is also out of his element when he is unable to see the whole picture, which allows readers to experience the complex and very satisfying end to a thriller that succeeds on nearly every level.”
We’re awarding ROBERT LUDLUM’S THE BOURNE INITIATIVE to the winners of our Word of Mouth contest; the other prize book is THE SILENT CORNER by Dean Koontz, which releases on Tuesday. Let us know by Friday, June 23rd at noon ET what books you’ve finished reading for your chance to win both these highly anticipated thrillers.
Other books we’re reviewing this week include THEFT BY FINDING: Diaries (1977-2002), the first of two volumes by David Sedaris, who now shares his private writings with the world; YOU DON’T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME, Sherman Alexie’s deeply moving memoir about family, love, loss and forgiveness; and MATCHUP, a collection of short stories edited by Lee Child in which 11 female thriller writers (including Sandra Brown, Kathy Reichs and Diana Gabaldon) are paired with 11 male thriller writers (including John Sandford, C.J. Box and Nelson DeMille) to solve a crime with their iconic characters matched up. As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, I’m listening to the audio version of MATCHUP and enjoying every minute of it.
We’re thrilled to announce our first Thriller Book Cover Survey on Bookreporter.com, where we are looking for your thoughts on two potential book covers for MISTER TENDER'S GIRL by Carter Wilson, a ripped-from-the-headlines thriller coming out in February 2018. Once you’ve completed the survey, you’ll be eligible to enter to win one of 15 copies of a book and a tote bag from our publisher sponsor. The survey closes on Friday, July 14th at noon ET.
THE BRIGHT HOUR: A Memoir of Living and Dying by Nina Riggs and BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate are my latest Bookreporter.com Bets On picks. Click on each of the titles for my commentary.
BEFORE WE WERE YOURS is one of the prizes in next week’s Summer Reading contests; the others are RISE AND SHINE, BENEDICT STONE by Phaedra Patrick, SWIMMING HOME by Mary-Rose MacColl, and WATCH ME DISAPPEAR by Janelle Brown. The first contest of the week will be up on Monday, June 19th at noon ET. This week we gave away I'VE GOT SAND IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella, THE MAP THAT LEADS TO YOU by J.P. Monninger, THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE by Lisa See (a Bets On pick), and THE THINGS YOU CAN SEE ONLY WHEN YOU SLOW DOWN: How to Be Calm and Mindful in a Fast-Paced World by Haemin Sunim.
You only have until Monday at noon ET to enter our Father’s Day contest. Be sure to fill out this form before the deadline for your chance to win 12 outstanding fiction and nonfiction titles for yourself or the father in your life.
There’s still plenty of time to enter this month’s Sounding Off on Audio contest. Submit your comments about the audiobooks you’ve listened to (giving feedback on both the book’s content and narration), and you’ll be in the running to win the audio versions of Fiona Barton's THE CHILD, read by Mandy Williams and Rosalyn Landor with a full cast, and THE SUNSHINE SISTERS written and read by Jane Green. The deadline for your entries is Wednesday, July 5th at noon ET.
Our poll continues to ask which bestselling authors who have books releasing this year would you like to see in person, whether or not they will be on tour near you. Click here to let us know!
A HORSE WALKS INTO A BAR written by David Grossman and translated by Jessica Cohen has been awarded the 2017 Man Booker International Prize. Click here to read our review of the book and here for more info about the Man Booker International Prize.
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail:
Elaine wrote me at ReadingGroupGuides.com with this question. Thought you might have suggestions: “My book group and our Red Hats Ladies group would like to combine the two groups for a bus trip. I would like to perhaps find a book about a bus trip to have my book group read. When my ladies pick a book to facilitate, they usually find a theme, whether it be a luncheon or some kind of theme that corresponds with the book. For instance, we read ALL THE STARS IN THE HEAVENS, so we had a Hollywood Cocktail Party Luncheon. So if you can help with finding the right type of book, I would appreciate it. Thank you very much for your very prompt response.”
Overdrive, a leading multichannel digital distributor and technology provider, who partners with more than 5,000 publishers supplying eBooks and digital content to libraries and schools around the world, has announced the latest title in their Big Library Read, which is billed as “the world’s largest global eBook club." Participants have two weeks --- from June 12 through June 26 --- to read Marie Benedict’s novel, THE OTHER EINSTEIN, which was one of my Bets On selections, as a free eBook checkout from their library, provided that their library subscribes to Overdrive’s program. During the period of the Big Library Read, there are no restrictions placed on how many checkouts can be made. For readers, there are no waiting lists, no holds and no late fees. Note that the eBook automatically expires at the end of the two-week period. Nice, right?
Brilliant Piece by Mitch Albom: The Story of Chika --- and a Fight for a Cure: The other night I read a wonderful piece by Mitch Albom, about a Haitian child who he and his wife sheltered as she was suffering from DIPG. I dare you to have dry eyes as you read it. DIPG is a horrific disease, and Albom tells the story with such love.
Fall/Winter Book Group Titles: For the sixth year we hosted our Book Group Speed Dating event at BookExpo, where 200(!) booksellers, librarians, book group leaders and bloggers were in the audience to hear about the upcoming titles for Fall/Winter 2017. As promised, we are sharing the PDFs of the PowerPoint presentation here. We have broken it out into five sections, so you can see what was selected and presented easily. We also compiled a spreadsheet here that has all the titles in one handy document.
Murder on the Orient Express: We have the trailer for 20th Century Fox's film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, which is scheduled to open on November 10th. Kenneth Branagh is directing, and stars as Hercule Poirot. The cast includes Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Michelle Pfeiffer, Willem Dafoe and many more.
Upcoming Events: Over the next few weeks, I have some events lined up where I will be “talking books.” Here are two that are open to the public: June 27th at 7:00pm at the Rockville Centre Library (221 N Village Avenue, Rockville Centre, NY) for a Summer Reading Kickoff Presentation of new and upcoming books. Then, on June 28th at 7:00pm, an event presented by the Avalon Public Library at the Avalon Elementary School (235 32nd Street, Avalon, NJ) for “Beach Book Picks.” Hope to see some of you there!
On Saturday night, we all are headed to the beach to celebrate Father’s Day with my dad. That way, Tom can have his own celebration on Sunday, and we can avoid the crazy shore traffic on Sunday. Perfect! Last weekend, I baked a terrific strawberry rhubarb pie, which I plan to reprise for my dad; for Tom, I am going to make a lemon cake that he loves. And yes, they are both getting books as presents!
To all the dads in our audience, Happy Father's Day! And for those of you who are missing your dads this weekend, my thoughts are with you.
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 IDENTICALS by Elin Hilderbrand
THE IDENTICALS by Elin Hilderbrand (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Erin Bennett
Harper Frost, laid-back and easygoing, has inherited her father’s rundown house on Martha’s Vineyard. Tabitha Frost, dignified and refined, has inherited a flailing fashion boutique on Nantucket. After more than a decade apart, Harper and Tabitha switch islands --- and lives --- to save what's left of their splintered family. But the twins quickly discover that the secrets, lies and gossip they thought they'd outrun can travel between islands just as easily as they can. Before the last beach picnic of the season, there will be enough old resentments, new loves and cases of mistaken identity to make this the most talked-about summer that Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket have experienced in ages. Reviewed by Vivian Payton.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: HUNGER by Roxane Gay
HUNGER: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Roxane Gay
Roxane Gay has written with intimacy and sensitivity about food and bodies, using her own emotional and psychological struggles as a means of exploring our shared anxieties over pleasure, consumption, appearance and health. As a woman who describes her own body as “wildly undisciplined,” Roxane understands the tension between desire and denial, between self-comfort and self-care. In HUNGER, she casts an insightful and critical eye on her childhood, teens and 20s --- including the devastating act of violence that acted as a turning point in her young life --- and brings readers into the present and the realities, pains and joys of her daily life. Reviewed by Maya Gittelman.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: ROBERT LUDLUM’S
THE BOURNE INITIATIVE by Eric Van Lustbader
ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE BOURNE INITIATIVE by Eric Van Lustbader (Thriller/Adventure)
Audiobook available, read by Holter Graham
General Boris Karpov, head of the feared Russian FSB, is dead. But Karpov has reached out from the grave with an unstoppable cyber operation he conceived before his murder, aimed at the heart of the United States --- a way to steal the president's nuclear launch codes. Who has taken over the operation? Karpov trusted only one man: Jason Bourne. But can Bourne be working against his own country? The U.S. government is convinced of his treason and is doing everything in its power to kill him. Flushed from cover and gravely wounded, Bourne's only hope is to join forces with his most bitter enemy: a powerful Somali terrorist named Keyre, and his protégée, the Angelmaker. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to visit Eric Van Lustbader’s website.
Click here to read the review.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
THE BRIGHT HOUR by Nina Riggs
and BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate
THE BRIGHT HOUR: A Memoir of Living and Dying by Nina Riggs (Memoir)
We all have a list of books that we have read and know we will reflect on long afterwards. For me, THE BRIGHT HOUR, a memoir by Nina Riggs, sits firmly on that list.
While she was 37 and still undergoing a first treatment round for her breast cancer, Nina learned that her cancer already had metastasized and her prognosis sharply dimmed. After reading a “Modern Love” column that Nina wrote for The New York Times on September 23, 2016 about looking for the perfect couch for her family, it was clear that there was a bigger story there to be told. The clock was ticking…loudly. Nina wrote this book between October 2016 and January 2017 (yes, in three months), and it was published last week. Sadly Nina passed away before the book released; she did get to see the cover and the bound manuscript, which she even edited. She leaves behind a beautiful book about how you live when you are dealt a bad hand.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read a review.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary.
BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate (Fiction)
Lisa Wingate’s BEFORE WE WERE YOURS is historical fiction based on a real-life scandal. Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country. Lisa tells their story writing parallel tales --- one set in 1939 and one in the present day.
In Memphis in 1939, Rill Foss and her family are living on a Mississippi River shantyboat. To them, this home is filled with love and joy. They do not know that they are living lives in abject poverty; they know the love of family. One night their father races to get their mother to a hospital, leaving Rill in charge of her four younger siblings. She’s holding it together until strangers arrive to take the children away from the world they know, noting that this is for their own good.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read a review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary.
Take a Quick Thriller Book Cover Survey
and Enter to Win a Prize!
In our first Thriller Book Cover Survey, we are looking for your thoughts on two potential book covers for MISTER TENDER'S GIRL by Carter Wilson, a psychological thriller that will be released in February 2018. Once you’ve completed the survey, you’ll be eligible to enter to win one of 15 copies of a book and a tote bag from the survey's sponsor. Please note that only U.S. residents are eligible to win. The survey is quick --- it should take you only 10 minutes, and your feedback would be greatly appreciated. We love offering opportunities like this to our readers to actively participate in getting books you want to read in your hands. The survey is open until Friday, July 14th at noon ET.
MISTER TENDER'S GIRL by Carter Wilson (Psychological Thriller)
At 14, Alice Hill was viciously attacked by two of her classmates and left to die. The teens claim she was a sacrifice for a man called Mister Tender, but that could never be true: Mister Tender doesn't exist. His sinister character is pop-culture fiction, nothing more.
Over a decade later, Alice has changed her name and is trying to heal. But someone is watching her. They know more about Alice than any stranger: her scars, her fears and the secrets she keeps locked away. She can try to escape her past, but he is never far behind.
Addictive and chillingly surprising, this ripped-from-the-headlines thriller will have you transfixed until the very last page.
Click here to take the survey.
Now Available in Paperback:
HARMONY by Carolyn Parkhurst
HARMONY by Carolyn Parkhurst (Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of THE DOGS OF BABEL comes a taut, emotionally wrenching story of how a seemingly “normal” family could become desperate enough to leave everything behind and move to a “family camp” in New Hampshire --- a life-changing experience that alters them forever.
How far will a mother go to save her family? The Hammond family is living in DC, where everything seems to be going just fine, until it becomes clear that the oldest daughter, Tilly, is developing abnormally --- a mix of off-the-charts genius and social incompetence. Once Tilly --- whose condition is deemed undiagnosable --- is kicked out of the last school in the area, her mother Alexandra is out of ideas.
The family turns to Camp Harmony and the wisdom of child behavior guru Scott Bean for a solution. But what they discover in the woods of New Hampshire will push them to the very limit. Told from the alternating perspectives of both Alexandra and her younger daughter Iris (the book’s Nick Carraway), this is an unputdownable story about the strength of love, the bonds of family, and how you survive the unthinkable.
Click here to visit the publisher’s website for more about the book.
Bookreporter.com's 12th Annual
Father's Day Contest: Best Books for Dad
Father’s Day is a time to celebrate the men in our lives who have raised and loved us. Why not show him your appreciation by inspiring him with a great book? In our 12th annual "Best Books for Dad" contest, we have a selection of books that are perfect gift-giving suggestions for Dad, keeping him busy through the rest of the year. Five readers will be awarded a copy of each of our featured titles. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, June 19th at noon ET.
This year's featured titles are:
Click here to enter the contest.
Bookreporter.com's Summer Reading
Contests and Feature
Summer is just around the corner! At Bookreporter.com, this means it's time for us to share some great summer book picks with our Summer Reading Contests and Feature. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through August 24th, so you will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter to win. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
Our next prize book will be announced on Monday, June 19th at noon ET.
This year's featured titles include:
Click here to read all the contest details
and see the prize books being awarded in May, June, July and August.
Women's Fiction Author Spotlight:
THE LIGHT IN SUMMER by Mary McNear
THE LIGHT IN SUMMER: A Butternut Lake Novel by Mary McNear (Fiction)
It’s summertime on Butternut Lake, where the heat of noon is soothed by the cool breezes of the evening, where the pace grows slower, and sometimes, just sometimes, the summer light makes everything clearer...
For the lovely Billy Harper, Butternut Lake is the place she feels most at home, even though lately she feels the only one listening to her is Murphy, her faithful Labrador Retriever. Her teenage son, Luke, has gone from precious to precocious practically overnight. Her friends are wrapped up in their own lives, and Luke’s father, Wesley, disappeared before his son was even born. No wonder she prefers to spend time with a good book, especially ones where everything ends in perfection.
But Billy is about to learn that anything is possible during the heady days of summer. Coming to terms with her past --- the death of her father, the arrival of Cal Cooper, a complicated man with a definite interest in Billy, even the return of Wesley ---will force her to have a little bit of faith in herself and others...and realize that happiness doesn’t always mean perfection.
THE LIGHT IN SUMMER releases on June 20th.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read Mary McNear's bio.
- Connect with Mary McNear on Facebook and Twitter.
- Click here to see the 25 winners selected to read and comment on the book.
Click here to read more in our Women's Fiction Author Spotlight.
THEFT BY FINDING: Diaries (1977-2002) by David Sedaris (Humor/Essays)
Audiobook available, read by David Sedaris; original music by Gary Carpenter
David Sedaris has kept a diary for 40 years. In them, he has recorded everything that has captured his attention --- overheard comments, salacious gossip, soap opera plot twists, secrets confided by total strangers. These observations are the source code for his finest work, and with them he has honed his self-deprecation and learned to craft his cunning, surprising sentences. Now, for the first time, Sedaris shares his private writings with the world. This is the first-person account of how a drug-abusing dropout with a weakness for the International House of Pancakes and a chronic inability to hold down a real job became one of the funniest people on the planet. Reviewed by Maya Gittelman.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME: A Memoir by Sherman Alexie (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Sherman Alexie
Family relationships are never simple. But Sherman Alexie's bond with his mother Lillian was more complex than most. She plunged her family into chaos with a drinking habit, but shed her addiction when it was on the brink of costing her everything. She survived a violent past, but created an elaborate facade to hide the truth. She wanted a better life for her son, but it was only by leaving her behind that he could hope to achieve it. When she passed away, the incongruities that defined his mother shook Sherman and his remembrance of her. Grappling with the haunting ghosts of the past in the wake of loss, he responded the only way he knew how: he wrote. Reviewed by Catherine Rubino.
MATCHUP edited by Lee Child (Thriller/Short Stories)
Audiobook available; read by Laura Benanti, Dennis Boutsikaris, Gerard Doyle, Linda Emond, January LaVoy, Robert Petkoff, Jay O. Sanders, CJ Wilson and Karen Ziemba
MATCHUP takes the never-before-seen bestseller pairings of FACEOFF and adds a delicious new twist: gender. Eleven of the world’s best female thriller writers, from Diana Gabaldon to Charlaine Harris, are paired with 11 of the world’s best male thriller writers, including John Sandford, C.J. Box and Nelson DeMille. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE SWITCH by Joseph Finder (Thriller)
Michael Tanner accidentally picks up the wrong MacBook in an airport security line. He later discovers that the owner is a US senator and that the laptop contains top secret files. When Senator Susan Robbins realizes she’s come back with the wrong laptop, she calls her young chief of staff, Will Abbott, in a panic. Both know that the senator broke the law by uploading classified documents onto her personal computer. If those documents wind up in the wrong hands, her career in politics will be over. When Will fails to gain Tanner’s cooperation, he is forced to take measures to retrieve the laptop before a bigger security breach is revealed. Suddenly Tanner finds himself a hunted man, terrified for the safety of his family and able to trust no one. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Alma Cuervo, Robin Miles and Julia Whelan
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. As Evelyn’s life unfolds and catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways. Reviewed by Sarah Jackman.
HE SAID/SHE SAID by Erin Kelly (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Jonathan Broadbent and Helen Johns
In the summer of 1999, Kit and Laura travel to a festival in Cornwall to see a total eclipse of the sun. Young and in love, they are certain this will be the first of many they’ll share. But in the hushed moments after the shadow passes, Laura interrupts a man and a woman. She knows that she saw something terrible. The man denies it. The victim seems grateful. Months later, the woman turns up on their doorstep like a lonely stray. As her gratitude takes a twisted turn, Laura begins to wonder if she trusted the wrong person. Fifteen years later, Kit and Laura are living under new names and are completely off the digital grid. As the truth catches up to them, they realize they can no longer keep the past in the past. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
FOREVER AND A DEATH by Donald E. Westlake (Hard-boiled Mystery)
Two decades ago, the producers of the James Bond movies hired legendary crime novelist Donald E. Westlake to come up with a story for the next Bond film. The plot Westlake dreamed up --- about a Western businessman seeking revenge after being kicked out of Hong Kong when the island was returned to Chinese rule --- had all the elements of a classic Bond adventure, but political concerns kept it from being made. Never one to let a good story go to waste, Westlake instead wrote an original novel based on the premise --- a novel he never published while he was alive. Now, nearly a decade after Westlake’s death, Hard Case Crime is proud to give that novel its first publication ever. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
LOCKDOWN by Laurie R. King (Psychological Suspense)
Audiobook available, narrated by Pilar Witherspoon
A year ago, Principal Linda McDonald arrived at Guadalupe Middle School determined to overturn its reputation for truancy, gang violence and neglect. One of her initiatives is Career Day --- bringing together children, teachers and community presenters in a celebration of the future. A principal with a secret. A husband with a murky past. A cop with too many questions. A kid under pressure to prove himself. A girl struggling to escape a mother’s history. A young basketball player with an affection for guns. Even the school janitor has a story he dare not reveal. But no one at the gathering anticipates the shocking turn of events that will transform a day of possibilities into an explosive confrontation. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE ACCOMPLISHED GUEST: Stories by Ann Beattie (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available, read by Jacques Roy and Gabra Zackman
Set along the East Coast from Maine to Key West, Ann Beattie’s new collection explores unconventional friendships, frustrated loves, mortality and aging. One theme of THE ACCOMPLISHED GUEST is people paying visits or receiving visitors, traveling to see old friends, the joys and tolls of hosting company (and of being hosted). The occasion might be a wedding, a birthday, a reunion, an annual Christmas party, or another opportunity to gather and attempt to bond with biological relatives or chosen families. In some stories, as in life, what begins as a benign social event becomes a situation played for high stakes. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
THE CHALK ARTIST by Allegra Goodman (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Orlagh Cassidy
Collin James is young, creative and unhappy. A college dropout, he waits tables and spends his free time beautifying the streets of Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his medium of choice: chalk. Collin’s art captivates passersby with its vibrant colors and intricate lines --- until the moment he wipes it all away. Nothing in Collin’s life is meant to last. Then he meets Nina. The daughter of a tech mogul who is revolutionizing virtual reality, Nina Lazare is trying to give back as a high school teacher, but her students won’t listen to her. When Collin enters her world, he inspires her to think bigger. Nina wants to return the favor, even if it means losing him. Reviewed by Katherine B. Weissman.
DEAD CERTAIN by Adam Mitzner (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Erin Bennett
By day, Ella Broden works as a buttoned-up attorney on some of the city’s most grueling cases. By night, she pursues her passion for singing in the darkest clubs of Manhattan. No one knows her secret, not even her younger sister, Charlotte. But it seems she’s not the only one in the family with something to hide. When Charlotte announces she’s sold her first novel, Ella couldn’t be more thrilled…until she gets a call that her sister has gone missing. Ella starts investigating with the help of Detective Gabriel Velasquez, an old flame in the NYPD, and what she finds is shocking. If art imitates life, then Charlotte's novel may contain details of her real-life affairs. And any one of her lovers could be involved in her disappearance. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE SCRIBE OF SIENA by Melodie Winawer (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Cassandra Campbell
When her beloved brother passes away, accomplished neurosurgeon Beatrice Trovato welcomes the unexpected trip to the Tuscan city of Siena to resolve his estate. But as she delves deeper into her brother’s affairs, she discovers intrigue she never imagined --- a 700-year-old conspiracy to decimate the city. After uncovering the journal and paintings of Gabriele Accorsi, the 14th-century artist at the heart of the plot, Beatrice finds a startling image of her own face and is suddenly transported to the year 1347. When she meets Accorsi, something unexpected happens: she falls in love --- not only with Gabriele, but also with the beauty and cadence of medieval life. Reviewed by Judy Gigstad.
LINCOLN AND THE ABOLITIONISTS: John Quincy Adams, Slavery, and the Civil War by Fred Kaplan (History)
Audiobook available, read by Paul Heitsch
Abraham Lincoln was shaped by the values of the white America into which he was born. While he viewed slavery as a moral crime abhorrent to American principles, he disapproved of anti-slavery activists. Until the last year of his life, he advocated "voluntary deportation," concerned that free blacks in a white society would result in centuries of conflict. In 1861, he had reluctantly taken the nation to war to save it. While this devastating struggle would preserve the Union, it would also abolish slavery --- creating the biracial democracy Lincoln feared. John Quincy Adams, 40 years earlier, was convinced that only a civil war would end slavery and preserve the Union. An antislavery activist, he had concluded that a multiracial America was inevitable. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
A DARK SO DEADLY by Stuart MacBride (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, performed by Steve Worsley
Welcome to the Misfit Mob. It’s where Police Scotland dumps the officers it can’t get rid of, but wants to: the outcasts, the troublemakers, the compromised. Officers like DC Callum MacGregor, lumbered with all the boring go-nowhere cases. So when an ancient mummy turns up at the Oldcastle tip, it’s his job to find out which museum it’s been stolen from. But then Callum uncovers links between his ancient corpse and three missing young men, and life starts to get a lot more interesting. No one expects the Misfit Mob to succeed, but right now they’re the only thing standing between the killer’s victims and a slow, lingering death. The question is, can they prove everyone wrong before he strikes again? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
GENEROUS FRUITS: A Survey of American Homesteading by Barbara Bamberger Scott (History)
In GENEROUS FRUITS, the first comprehensive chronicle of American homesteading from earliest settlement to the current day, author Barbara Bamberger Scott quickly establishes her voice as a passionate urban homesteader and accomplished writer. Scott’s personal, "I’ve-been-there" approach to the subject --- its roots and branches, its past and future --- targets both the avid practitioner and the armchair philosopher. Reviewed by Wanda Urbanska.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on June 20th
Below are some notable titles releasing on June 20th 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 June 19th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
DANGEROUS MINDS: A Knight and Moon Novel by Janet Evanovich (Mystery)
Buddhist monk Wayan Bagus lost his island of solitude and wants to get it back. Emerson Knight likes nothing better than solving an unsolvable, improbable mystery. When clues lead to a dark and sinister secret that is being guarded by the National Park Service, Emerson enlists Riley Moon and his cousin Vernon.
THE FORCE by Don Winslow (Thriller)
Denny Malone is “the King of Manhattan North,” a highly decorated NYPD detective sergeant who has done whatever it takes to serve and protect in a city built by ambition and corruption, where no one is clean --- including Malone himself. What only a few know is that Denny Malone and his partners have stolen millions of dollars in drugs and cash in the wake of the biggest heroin bust in the city’s history.
KISS CARLO by Adriana Trigiani (Historical Fiction)
It’s 1949, and South Philadelphia bursts with opportunity during the post-war boom. The Palazzini Cab Company & Western Union Telegraph Office, owned and operated by Dominic Palazzini and his three sons, is flourishing. But a decades-long feud that split Dominic and his brother, Mike, and their once-close families sets the stage for a re-match.
LOVE LIKE BLOOD: A Tom Thorne Novel by Mark Billingham (Mystery/Thriller)
DI Nicola Tanner needs Tom Thorne’s help. Her partner, Susan, has been brutally murdered, and Tanner is convinced that it was a case of mistaken identity --- that she was the real target. The murderer’s motive might have something to do with Tanner’s recent work on a string of cold-case honor killings she believes to be related.
PUTIN'S GAMBIT by Lou Dobbs and James O. Born (Thriller)
From TV broadcaster Lou Dobbs and award-winning author James O. Born comes PUTIN'S GAMBIT, an international financial thriller about a KGB plot to use a series of terrorist attacks as cover for a Russian military incursion into Estonia.
THE SILENT CORNER by Dean Koontz (Thriller)
“I very much need to be dead.” These are the chilling words left behind by a man who had everything to live for, but took his own life. In the aftermath, his widow, Jane Hawk, is determined to find the truth, no matter what. People of talent and accomplishment, people admired and happy and sound of mind, have been committing suicide in surprising numbers. When Jane seeks to learn why, she becomes the most-wanted fugitive in America.
TRAP THE DEVIL by Ben Coes (Thriller)
A group of some of the most powerful people in the government, the military and the private sector has begun a brutal plan to quietly take over the reins of the U.S. government. They’ve already taken out the Speaker of the House, and the president and vice president are next. With the Secretary of State now dead, Dewey Andreas desperately tries to unravel the plot before the conspirators succeed in killing millions of innocents.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
Our Latest Poll: Seeing Authors in Person
Which of the following bestselling authors, all of whom have books releasing this year, would you like to see in person, whether or not they will be on tour near you? Please check all that apply.
-
David Baldacci
-
Dan Brown
-
Sandra Brown
-
Lee Child
-
Michael Connelly
-
Nelson DeMille
-
Louise Erdrich
-
Janet Fitch
-
Ken Follett
-
Sue Grafton
-
Philippa Gregory
-
John Grisham
-
Paula Hawkins
-
Alice Hoffman
-
Jan Karon
-
Stephen King
-
John le Carré
-
James Patterson
-
Nora Roberts
-
Karin Slaughter
-
Brad Thor
-
None of the above
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, June 23rd at noon ET.
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 June 9th to June 23rd at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE BOURNE INITIATIVE by Eric Van Lustbader and THE SILENT CORNER by Dean Koontz.
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 June 1st to July 5th at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Fiona Barton's THE CHILD, read by Mandy Williams and Rosalyn Landor with a full cast, and THE SUNSHINE SISTERS written and read by Jane Green.
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.
|
