|
We’re Turning 21! See You in September!
Bookreporter.com celebrates 21 years on Sunday! This is always a fun time to look back, and there are so many memories that bubble up this time of year. First, to all of our readers, thank you! Without you, we would not have the opportunity to do what we do, sharing books and authors with you each week. We never take you for granted; our weekly staff meetings are peppered with comments about what you might be interested in --- and how/when to share it. Many of you have become email friends, which I love, and others of you I have had the pleasure of meeting in person. I love that my perspective on books --- and on life --- is wider than the New York metro area. I have learned so much from you --- and I thank you for all that you have brought to the site.
Our staff is lean, mean and fabulous. Tom Donadio, our Editorial Director, is unflappable. He’s on top of books, and I love the relationship that he has with our 40 reviewers. Before you see a book on the page, he has selected it and the reviewer for coverage, trying to make the best match for each book. And that is just a small part of what he does. For 15 years, he’s been the steadying hand on the editorial tiller. Nicole Sherman ensures that all of our promotions run smoothly and ads are on schedule. There is a lot of background that goes into every single one of those features, from gathering content to selecting contest winners and keeping everyone in the loop on everything, and she does not miss a detail. Rebecca Munro’s territory is Teenreads and Kidsreads, but she frequently lends her voice to Bookreporter as well, adding her own sharp eye. In addition to building websites for authors, another part of our business, Greg does all of the art that you see on the site and in the newsletter, including what we call the barkers on the top of the homepage. I am lucky to work with such a very talented, fun and diligent group!
I have a pet peeve about book lists, like “80 Books to Read Before You Die.” I rarely look at them, thinking, Is this really going to make me go read those? Mostly I read a few titles, get overwhelmed and close the list. There are also a lot of days tagged for celebration like “Book Lovers Day,” which feel artificial like Valentine’s Day. A while back, I had wanted one of our interns to track all of these commemorative days, but by the time we were noting X Special Week and Y Special Day, there were so many and I was trying to think how these would really inspire people to read. While I have my Bookreporter.com Bets On list, I by no means think our readers will read every one of those titles. For me, it’s just calling out titles that I think, knowing our readers, they would love. And some of them they just might miss. If you want to catch up on what I have shared so far this year, click here. And no obligation to read. Consider this inspiration!
This week, I did recommendations for eight different friends who were looking for a new good read. Last weekend, our friends Mark and Janet were over for dinner. Tom and I prepared dishes from a couple of Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbooks --- Cucumber Poppy Seed Salad and Tomato Watermelon Gazpacho. Janet headed home to order these cookbooks as she was not familiar with them, but they featured the exact kind of meals she loves. Also, I did a vacation book recommend for her!
As we celebrate this anniversary, we hope that our Bookreporter readers are inspired by what they read --- to not just find books for themselves, but to make recommendations to others. We like to think that what we do here each week is just the start of a much bigger book conversation.
Now to this week’s update...
We’re featuring SULFUR SPRINGS by William Kent Krueger in our New Release Spotlight this week. In this 16th installment of the Cork O’Connor mystery series, the private investigator's search for a missing man in the Arizona desert puts him at the center of a violent power struggle along the Mexican border, a struggle that might cost Cork everything and everyone he holds most dear.
According to reviewer Joe Hartlaub, “Krueger is remarkable in SULFUR SPRINGS. Those who have followed the series from the beginning or jumped on later and caught up will appreciate how he accomplishes the difficult, book after book, and makes it look easy. Those encountering Krueger and his protagonist for the first time here will find it extremely easy to slip into Cork O’Connor’s world, even with the change of scenery, given the author’s masterful ability to summarize and provide just enough information as to what has gone before.” By the way, SULFUR SPRINGS was your #1 most anticipated book in our recent poll. I am looking forward to seeing many of you post about this book on Word of Mouth.
Sue Grafton returns with the penultimate installment of her Alphabet series featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone. That’s right, folks. The series that launched 35 years ago with A IS FOR ALIBI has now reached the letter “Y” with Y IS FOR YESTERDAY, which begins in 1979, when four teenage boys from an elite private school sexually assault a 14-year-old classmate --- and film the attack. It’s now 10 years later, and one of the perpetrators has been released from prison. A vicious sociopath with a grudge against Millhone may be leaving traces of himself for her to find.
Roz Shea was inspired to write a not-so-traditional review of the book. Here’s a preview: “If I say too much I’d give the plot away, and if you’re already a fan of Sue Grafton, you pretty much know what to expect. The delightful world of Kinsey Millhone remains like a dragonfly in amber, capturing the halcyon period of the mid-1980s.” Sue is one of my son Greg’s favorite authors; he’s looking forward to reading this one.
In stores now is Ayobami Adebayo’s much-talked-about debut novel, STAY WITH ME, which has been shortlisted for the 2017 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, was a BookExpo Buzz book, and will be a Bets On pick. Yejide and Akin have been married since they met and fell in love at university. Though many expected Akin to take several wives, he and Yejide agreed that polygamy is not for them. But four years into their marriage, Yejide is still not pregnant. She assumes she still has time --- until her family arrives with a young woman they introduce as Akin's second wife. Yejide is filled with rage and jealousy, and knows the only way to save her marriage is to get pregnant. She finally does, but it comes at a cost far greater than she could have dared to imagine.
Reviewer Norah Piehl calls STAY WITH ME " a surprisingly fast-moving novel" and goes on to say, "[E]verything is important in this slender yet powerful novel, and readers will find themselves deeply invested in the prospects for Yejide and Akin's marriage and family." We have a discussion guide for the book on ReadingGroupGuides.com, and be sure to check out my Bets On commentary in the September 8th newsletter. I had the pleasure of interviewing Ayobami at BookExpo, and one of the topics we spoke about was the structure of the book as the protagonists each have their own chapters. This allowed for their individual perspectives to be fleshed out For those wondering how to pronounce her name, it’s Eye-oh-BAH-me Ah-de-buy-oh” And her characters are YeeGeeDee and Ah-keen.
SULFUR SPRINGS, Y IS FOR YESTERDAY and STAY WITH ME are our current Word of Mouth prizes. Submit your comments about the books you’ve read, and you’ll have an opportunity to win all three novels. The deadline for your entries is Friday, September 8th at noon ET. And yes, we are doing a three-week contest period here!
Gabrielle Zevin’s latest novel for adults, YOUNG JANE YOUNG, introduces readers to Aviva Grossman, a Congressional intern who makes the life-changing mistake of having an affair with her married boss --- and blogging about it. She becomes a late-night talk-show punchline and is slut-shamed. How does one go on after this?
In her review, Dunja Bonacci Skenderovic calls the book “smart, funny and, above all, an intelligent read. Zevin has penned an amazing story with fascinating female characters who made me laugh and cry, and is a magnificent portrait of women in and around politics.” YOUNG JANE YOUNG will be a Bets On selection; you can see my commentary in the September 8th newsletter. I spent a lovely Sunday afternoon last weekend unplugged and happily reading this book poolside. I loved the descriptions of the characters and setting in South Florida where much of the story takes place!
Another upcoming Bets On pick is UNRAVELING OLIVER by Liz Nugent, a BookExpo Buzz book that opens with this sentence, which certainly grabs the reader: “I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her.” Oliver Ryan has long been married to his devoted wife, Alice. One evening, though, Oliver delivers a blow to Alice that renders her unconscious, and subsequently beats her into a coma. In the aftermath of such an unthinkable event, the couple’s friends, neighbors and acquaintances try to understand what could have driven Oliver to commit such a horrific act.
Joe Hartlaub has our review and says, “One senses from the first words that the book is a winner, and it gradually becomes clear just how striking it is. It puts a new spin on the concept of the unreliable narrator while tinkering with the basic foundation of the contemporary novel, all with grand purpose and even greater results.” You can see why I’m betting you’ll love this page-turning psychological thriller in the September 8th newsletter.
I will share now that I read this in a few hours while my husband was watching a golf match in the other room. I marvel at Liz’s plotting chops as they produce one reveal after the next. One really does unravel Oliver. I also had the pleasure of interviewing Liz at BookExpo; she was in town from Ireland. She noted that it was easy for her to write a male protagonist as they typically are more straightforward; women she finds will not be that way --- there’s more guessing going on. She also used to write soap operas for television, thus she mastered the art of the cliffhanger to get you to tune in again next week. Here that clearly happens chapter after chapter.
We can expect more to come from Liz --- and I even have her next book in my hot little hands. I think I told you that there was great camaraderie among the Author Buzz panelists at BookExpo. Well, another BookExpo Buzz author, Gabriel Tallent, the author of MY ABSOLUTE DARLING, which will be in stores on Tuesday, got a copy of Liz's next book, LYING IN WAIT, which already is being published in the UK and will release here next year. In what Gabriel has called “Sisterhood of the Traveling Book,” he sent it on to me after he finished it. Part of my vacation reading!
Other books we're reviewing this week include THE SABOTEUR, the follow-up to Andrew Gross' historical thriller THE ONE MAN, which portrays a hero who must weigh duty against his heart in order to single-handedly end the one threat that could alter the course of World War II; TO SIRI WITH LOVE, a collection of touching, hilarious and illuminating stories about life with a 13-year-old boy with autism, written by his mother, Judith Newman; and GIRL IN SNOW by Danya Kukafka, in which a beloved high schooler is found murdered and no one in her sleepy Colorado suburb is untouched.
We have two more New Release Spotlights to tell you about. First up is KEEP YOU SAFE by Melissa Hill, which asks an intriguing question: What if a choice you made for your child could harm someone else's? Kate O'Hara’s daughter, Rosie, is one of a small percentage of children with a disorder that prevents them from being immunized. Meanwhile, following much soul-searching, Madeleine Cooper and her husband declined controversial measles shots for their daughter, Clara. But when both girls wind up in the same elementary school class, telltale red spots appear on Clara's chest and on Rosie's a few days after. While one child recovers and the other's health becomes more critical, the two mothers find themselves across a very deep divide.
Our final New Release Spotlight title of the week is CAN’T HARDLY BREATHE, the fourth installment in Gena Showalter’s Original Heartbreakers series, which releases on Tuesday. Dorothea Mathis' past is full of memories she'd rather forget, but there's one she can't seem to shake --- her long-standing crush on former army ranger Daniel Porter, who has started using her inn as his personal playground. Daniel returned to Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma, to care for his ailing father and burn off a little steam with no strings attached. Though he craves Dorothea night and day, he's as marred by his past as she is by hers. But every sizzling encounter leaves him desperate for more, and soon Daniel must make a choice: take a chance on love or walk away forever.
A STRANGER IN THE HOUSE by Shari Lapena, which we reviewed last week, is my latest Bets On selection. Click here to see why I enjoyed this book just as much as I did her debut novel from last year, THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR, which also was a Bets On pick.
This year’s Summer Reading contests are officially in the books. Our final four prizes were HOLIDAY IN THE HAMPTONS by Sarah Morgan, SWING TIME by Zadie Smith, and the aforementioned SULFUR SPRINGS and UNRAVELING OLIVER. Congratulations to the winners of all 54(!) of this year’s giveaways, and many thanks to all who entered throughout the summer!
Do you love our Daily Dedicated Newsletters? Then hop on over here to sign up to receive our Fall Preview newsletter if you have not done so already! We will be sending a newsletter on Monday, September 11th spotlighting all of the Fall Preview titles that will have daily contests.
We’ve updated our Young Adult Books You Want to Read feature, books we've recently reviewed on Teenreads that we think will appeal to an adult audience. This month’s titles are COUNT ALL HER BONES by April Henry and SOLDIER BOY by Keely Hutton.
Our poll question continues to ask if you pre-order books online or at bookstores, or reserve books at libraries. Click here to let us know! It’s such fun getting to know more about you this way!
This will be your last newsletter reminder to enter this month’s Sounding Off on Audio contest, where you have the chance to win the audio versions of Wendy Walker's EMMA IN THE NIGHT, read by Therese Plummer and Julia Whelan, and Louise Penny's GLASS HOUSES, read by Robert Bathurst. All you have to do is let us know by Wednesday, September 6th at noon ET what audiobooks you’ve listened to, and you’ll be in the running to win both audio titles
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail:
A few readers wrote, concerned about my comments regarding my plan to wear welding glasses to view the eclipse, which I appreciated. I had failed to note that the plan was to wear #14 grade, which were dark enough, perhaps --- as Cindy, an ophthalmologist, noted --- too dark. Alas, my husband could not find them in his workshop, so he made me a box to view with, thus I went old school. I walked up to Central Park and sat on the grass to watch, and a few folks loaned me their eclipse glasses. Wonderful experience. Greg's experience with my sister in Cashiers, North Carolina, where there was 100% totality, was amazing. Though the clouds rolled in when they should not have, watching nature unfold around them as the birds, bugs and animals reacted was a stellar experience unto itself.
Kathryn wrote about my comment regarding the beach shown on "Broadchurch": “For those who love the scenic coast in 'Broadchurch,' it’s called the Jurassic Coast and is near Dorset. And for those who like Tracy Chevalier books, this is the setting of her REMARKABLE CREATURES, based on the life of Mary Anning, who was the first to chisel out ammonites from those cliffs. If you travel there today, her family still has a shop in town where you can rent tools and go out to chisel out your own ‘creatures’ from those blue cliffs. For anyone checking out the book from the library, I recommend you also go to the children’s section and check out the biography of Mary Anning, as it has lots of photos of just what you‘ll be reading about. The children’s section is a wonderful resource for adults who like the ‘visual’! Enjoy." Love when readers chime in like this.
Bob wrote, “I have noticed in the current reviews a reduction in nonfiction books. Is this due to a lack of titles or of interested readers? Just a bit curious, thanks.” Typically there are fewer nonfiction books published in summer, and this summer most of those that were published were not the subjects that we typically review on Bookreporter.
A reader whose name was not readily identifiable by her email wrote, “Thank you for your weekly newsletter. I look forward to it. I'm just about finished with THE ADDRESS by Fiona Davis. Historical fiction at its best. When really into a book I'm reading, I don't want it to end. I cried after finishing THE ALICE NETWORK.”
Vicki wrote on learning that she won a copy of UNRAVELING OLIVER: “I am just thrilled to be a winner! Thank you so much for your kindness! I will look forward to reading the book and will pass it on. Blessings from another constant reader.” I love this book, and I hope she enjoys it.
A number of readers shared ideas for the book group that was looking for holiday titles to discuss. You can see what they mentioned in the ReadingGroupGuides.com newsletter.
Nelson DeMille: A lovely look at his Long Island Tudor home, which appeared in the real estate section in last week’s New York Times.
New York Times Book Coverage: John Maher, a former staffer of ours, is now with Publishers Weekly. He interviewed the NYT Books Editor, Pamela Paul, and wrote a terrific piece here about their book coverage and how it has changed. Note that the Times has an Audiobooks Bestseller List planned; I am happy to see this. I wrote to suggest that to Pamela a while back; I think it would be very interesting to see.
Louise Penny: Her new book, GLASS HOUSES, is out next week. Here’s her “By the Book" column for the New York Times, and here’s a great interview with her that aired on “CBS This Morning.”
I finally finished loading music on my Finis Duo headset, which you can see above and am set to log some laps this week. This is my annual “Get in Shape” week. With my new headset, I am going to try swimming while listening to an audiobook. I am not sure if the cadence of the spoken voice will keep me on rhythm, but those who listen while reading say a great story will guarantee an extra few laps.
For those of you who have been traveling over the summer, or if you just missed a newsletter along the way, know you can catch up with back issues here. Also, if you have not signed up for our “On Sale This Week” newsletter, you can do that here.
Please note: We are not going to be publishing a Bookreporter update next Friday. This will give us a chance to have a week of downtime to just read, relax and regroup. For me, floating, reading, cooking, knitting and in general chillaxing is on the agenda. No plans. I love it! Of course, it is when I am staring at the sky or the water that I usually come up with new ideas! And that stack of books you see at the start of the newsletter? Well, those are what I pulled together that are of interest to me for vacation reading. Will I read them all? No. But these are on my radar and have me jazzed. Editing even these took some time, but having them all in one place spells vacation to me. In years past, when we traveled to the Outer Banks, these would be in a suitcase; it's easier to have them already lined up on a shelf.
For those of you in the path of Hurricane Harvey, our thoughts are with you and your families for your safety.
Read on, and have a great TWO weeks. We’ll see you back here in September!
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!
New Release Spotlight: SULFUR SPRINGS
by William Kent Krueger
SULFUR SPRINGS by William Kent Krueger (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, narrated by David Chandler
On the Fourth of July, just as fireworks are about to go off in Aurora, Minnesota, Cork O’Connor and his new bride, Rainy Bisonette, listen to a desperate voicemail left by Rainy's son, Peter. The message is garbled and full of static, but they hear Peter confess to the murder of someone named Rodriguez. When they try to contact him, they discover that his phone has gone dead.
The following morning, Cork and Rainy fly to Coronado County in southern Arizona, where Peter has been working as a counselor in a well-known drug rehab center. When they arrive, they learn that Peter was fired six months earlier and hasn’t been heard from since. So they head to the little desert town of Sulfur Springs where Peter has been receiving his mail. But no one in Sulfur Springs seems to know him. They do, however, recognize the name Rodriguez. Carlos Rodriguez is the head of a cartel that controls everything illegal crossing the border from Mexico into Coronado County.
As they gather scraps of information about Peter, Cork and Rainy are warned that there is a war going on along the border. “Trust no one in Coronado County” is a refrain they hear again and again. And to Cork, Arizona is alien country. The relentless heat and absence of water, tall trees and cool forests feel nightmarish to him, as does his growing sense that Rainy might know more about what's going on than she's willing to admit. And if he can't trust Rainy, who can he trust?
- Click here to read a review.
- Click here to read William Kent Krueger’s bio.
- Click here to visit William Kent Krueger’s website.
- Connect with William Kent Krueger on Facebook and Twitter.
Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight.
Featured Review: Y IS FOR YESTERDAY by Sue Grafton
Y IS FOR YESTERDAY by Sue Grafton (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Judy Kaye
Y IS FOR YESTERDAY begins in 1979, when four teenage boys from an elite private school sexually assault a 14-year-old classmate --- and film the attack. Not long after, the tape goes missing and the suspected thief, a fellow classmate, is murdered. In the investigation that follows, one boy turns state’s evidence, and two of his peers are convicted. But the ringleader escapes without a trace. Now, it’s 1989 and one of the perpetrators, Fritz McCabe, has been released from prison. Moody, unrepentant and angry, he is a virtual prisoner of his ever-watchful parents --- until a copy of the missing tape arrives with a ransom demand. That’s when the McCabes call Kinsey Millhone for help. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: STAY WITH ME by Ayobami Adebayo
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
STAY WITH ME by Ayobami Adebayo (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Adjoa Andoh
Yejide and Akin have been married since they met and fell in love at university. Though many expected Akin to take several wives, he and Yejide have always agreed: polygamy is not for them. But four years into their marriage --- after consulting fertility doctors and healers, trying strange teas and unlikely cures --- Yejide is still not pregnant. She assumes she still has time --- until her family arrives on her doorstep with a young woman they introduce as Akin's second wife. Furious, shocked and livid with jealousy, Yejide knows the only way to save her marriage is to get pregnant. Which, finally, she does --- but at a cost far greater than she could have dared to imagine. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
STAY WITH ME will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. You can read Carol’s commentary in the September 8th newsletter.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: YOUNG JANE YOUNG by Gabrielle Zevin
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
YOUNG JANE YOUNG by Gabrielle Zevin (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Karen White
Aviva Grossman, an ambitious congressional intern in Florida, makes the mistake of having an affair with her boss --- and blogging about it. When the affair comes to light, the beloved congressman doesn’t take the fall. But Aviva does, and her life is over before it hardly begins. She sees no way out but to change her name and move to a remote town in Maine. This time, she tries to be smarter about her life and strives to raise her daughter, Ruby, to be strong and confident. But when Aviva decides to run for public office herself, that long-ago mistake trails her via the Internet and catches up. It’s only a matter of time until Ruby finds out who her mother was and is forced to reconcile that person with the one she knows. Reviewed by Dunja Bonacci Skenderovic.
YOUNG JANE YOUNG will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. You can read Carol’s commentary in the September 8th newsletter.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: UNRAVELING OLIVER by Liz Nugent
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
UNRAVELING OLIVER by Liz Nugent (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Sam O'Mahony
Oliver Ryan has long been married to his devoted wife, Alice. Together they write and illustrate award-winning children’s books; their life together one of enviable privilege and ease --- until, one evening, Oliver delivers a blow to Alice that renders her unconscious, and subsequently beats her into a coma. In the aftermath of such an unthinkable event, as Alice hovers between life and death, the couple’s friends, neighbors and acquaintances try to understand what could have driven Oliver to commit such a horrific act. As his story unfolds, layers are peeled away to reveal a life of shame, envy, deception and masterful manipulation. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
UNRAVELING OLIVER will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. You can read Carol’s commentary in the September 8th newsletter.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read the review.
New Release Spotlight: KEEP YOU SAFE by Melissa Hill
KEEP YOU SAFE by Melissa Hill (Fiction)
Audiobook available, performed by Aoife McMahon and Caroline Lennon
For single mother Kate O’Hara, there was no decision to make. Her daughter, Rosie, is one of a small percentage of children with a disorder that prevents them from being immunized. All Kate can do is hope that herd immunity keeps the disease at bay and her little girl safe.
For Madeleine Cooper, vaccinations were a leap of faith she wasn't prepared to take. Which was why, following much soul-searching, she and her husband declined controversial measles shots for their daughter, Clara. All she can do is pray that it was the right decision, and if her little girl becomes sick, she gets through it unscathed.
But when both girls wind up in the same elementary school class, telltale red spots appear on Clara Cooper’s chest, and on Rosie’s a few days after. When one child recovers as the other's health becomes more critical, the two mothers find themselves across a very deep divide --- when all they wanted was to keep their children safe.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read Melissa Hill’s bio.
- Visit Melissa Hill’s website and Instagram.
- Connect with Melissa Hill on Facebook and Twitter.
Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight.
New Release Spotlight: CAN'T HARDLY BREATHE
by Gena Showalter
CAN’T HARDLY BREATHE: The Original Heartbreakers, Book 4 by Gena Showalter (Romance)
Audiobook available, performed by Savannah Richards
Bullied in high school, Dorothea Mathis' past is full of memories she'd rather forget. But there's one she can't seem to shake --- her long-standing crush on former army ranger Daniel Porter. Now that the sexy bad boy has started using her inn as his personal playground, she should kick him out…but his every heated glance makes her want to join him instead.
Daniel returned to Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma, to care for his ailing father and burn off a little steam with no strings attached. Though he craves curvy Dorothea night and day, he's as marred by his past as she is by hers. The more he desires her, the more he fears losing her.
But every sizzling encounter leaves him desperate for more, and soon Daniel must make a choice: take a chance on love or walk away forever.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read Gena Showalter’s bio.
- Visit Gena Showalter’s website, Pinterest and Instagram.
- Connect with Gena Showalter on Facebook and Twitter.
Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
A STRANGER IN THE HOUSE by Shari Lapena
A STRANGER IN THE HOUSE by Shari Lapena (Psychological Thriller)
I enjoyed Shari Lapena’s A STRANGER IN THE HOUSE as much as her mega-hit from last year, THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR. It’s the kind of book where my head was swiveling while I was reading as the plot twisted one way and the next. I love swift plot changes, as they keep me reading! Shari also has a very distinctive voice and style after just two books. Just reading the opening paragraphs, I knew she was the writer.
One evening, Tom comes home to find his house unlocked and his wife gone. Where is Karen? Her phone and purse are there. Where is she? Tom learns she’s been in a car accident, which would be tough enough, but it soon escalates into a murder investigation. Karen has no memory of the evening. So who really is Karen? Enter their neighbor across the street, Brigid, who is at the ready to help her to remember. But can we trust Brigid? By this point, everyone looks like they can share the blame.
On the case is Detective Rasbach from THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR --- and his return was quite welcome. There is something nice when a book is not a series and a familiar character pops back up. I wanted to say, “Wait, I know you!”
If you are looking for a strong thriller from an author who clearly has writing chops and great style, grab this one now!
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read a review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here for more books we're betting you'll love.
Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight:
SOMETHING LIKE HAPPY by Eva Woods
SOMETHING LIKE HAPPY by Eva Woods (Fiction)
Annie Hebden is stuck. Stuck in her boring job, with her irritating roommate, in a life no 35-year-old would want. But deep down, Annie is still mourning the terrible loss that tore a hole through the perfect existence she'd once taken for granted --- and hiding away is safer than remembering what used to be. Until she meets the eccentric Polly Leonard.
Bright, bubbly, intrusive Polly is everything Annie doesn't want in a friend. But Polly is determined to finally wake Annie up to life. Because if recent events have taught Polly anything, it's that your time is too short to waste a single day --- which is why she wants Annie to join her on a mission.
One hundred days. One hundred new ways to be happy. Annie is convinced it's impossible, but so is saying no to Polly. And on an unforgettable journey that will force her to open herself to new experiences --- and perhaps even new love with the unlikeliest of men --- Annie will slowly begin to realize that maybe, just maybe, there's still joy to be found in the world. But then it becomes clear that Polly is about to need her new friend more than ever…and Annie will have to decide once and for all whether letting others in is a risk worth taking.
SOMETHING LIKE HAPPY releases on September 5th.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read Eva Woods’ bio.
- Visit Eva Woods’ website and Instagram.
- Connect with Eva Woods on Facebook and Twitter.
- Click here to see the 35 winners selected to read and comment on the book.
Click here to read more in our Women's Fiction Author Spotlight.
THE SABOTEUR by Andrew Gross (Historical Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Edoardo Ballerini
Kurt Nordstrum, an engineer in Oslo, puts his life aside to take up arms against the Germans as part of the Norwegian resistance. After the loss of his fiancée, he commandeers a coastal steamer and escapes to England to transmit secret evidence of the Nazis’ progress towards an atomic bomb at an isolated factory in Norway. There, he joins a team of dedicated Norwegians in training in the Scottish Highlands for a mission to disrupt the Nazis’ plans before they advance any further. Nordstrum and his team attempt the most daring raid of the war, targeting the heavily guarded factory built on a shelf of rock thought to be impregnable. Months later, Nordstrum is called upon again to do the impossible, opposed by both elite Nazi soldiers and a long-standing enemy who is now a local collaborator. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
TO SIRI WITH LOVE: A Mother, Her Autistic Son, and the Kindness of Machines by Judith Newman (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Cris Dukehart
When Judith Newman shared the story of how Apple’s electronic personal assistant, Siri, helped Gus, her son who has autism, she received widespread media attention and an outpouring of affection from readers around the world. While many worry that our electronic gadgets are dumbing us down, Judith revealed how they can give voice to others, including children with autism like Gus --- a boy who has trouble looking people in the eye, hops when he’s happy, and connects with inanimate objects on an empathetic level. TO SIRI WITH LOVE is a collection of funny, poignant and uplifting stories about living with an extraordinary child who has helped a parent see and experience the world differently. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
GIRL IN SNOW by Danya Kukafka (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Kirby Heyborne, Jacques Roy and Candace Thaxton
When a beloved high schooler named Lucinda Hayes is found murdered, no one in her sleepy Colorado suburb is untouched --- not the boy who loved her too much; not the girl who wanted her perfect life; not the officer assigned to investigate her murder. In the aftermath of the tragedy, these three indelible characters --- Cameron, Jade and Russ --- must each confront their darkest secrets in an effort to find solace, the truth or both. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
THE RED-HAIRED WOMAN by Orhan Pamuk (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by John Lee with Katharine McEwan
A master well digger and his young apprentice are hired to find water on a barren plain. As they struggle in the summer heat, the two will develop a filial bond neither has known before. But in a nearby town, the boy will find an irresistible diversion. The Red-Haired Woman, an alluring member of a travelling theatre company, catches his eye and seems as fascinated by him as he is by her. The young man's wildest dream will be realized, but --- when in his distraction a horrible accident befalls the well digger --- the boy will flee, returning to Istanbul. Only years later will he discover whether he was in fact responsible for his master's death and who the redheaded enchantress was. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
FAST FALLS THE NIGHT by Julia Keller (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Shannon McManus
The first drug overdose comes just after midnight, when a young woman dies on the dirty floor of a gas station bathroom. To the people of the small town of Acker’s Gap, West Virginia, it is just another tragedy. But then there is another overdose. And another. And another. Prosecutor Bell Elkins soon realizes that her Appalachian hometown is facing its starkest challenge yet: a day of constant heroin overdoses from a batch tainted with a lethal tranquilizer. While the clock ticks and the bodies fall, Bell and her colleagues desperately track the source of the deadly drug --- and engage in fierce debates over the wisdom of expending precious resources to save the lives of self-destructive addicts. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE HALF-DROWNED KING by Linnea Hartsuyker (Historical Fantasy)
Audiobook available, performed by Matthew Lloyd Davies
Ragnvald Eysteinsson, the son and grandson of kings, grew up believing that he would one day take his dead father’s place as chief of his family’s lands. But sailing home from a raiding trip to Ireland, the young warrior is betrayed and left for dead by men in the pay of his greedy stepfather, Olaf. Rescued by a fisherman, Ragnvald is determined to have revenge for his stepfather’s betrayal, claim his birthright and the woman he loves, and rescue his beloved sister Svanhild. Opportunity may lie with Harald of Vestfold, the strong young Norse warrior rumored to be the prophesied king. Ragnvald pledges his sword to King Harald, a choice that will hold enormous consequence in the years to come. Reviewed by Amy Gwiazdowski.
JANE AUSTEN AT HOME: A Biography by Lucy Worsley (Biography)
Take a trip back to Jane Austen's world and the many places she lived as historian Lucy Worsley visits Austen's childhood home, her schools, her holiday accommodations, the houses --- both grand and small --- of the relations upon whom she was dependent, and the home she shared with her mother and sister towards the end of her life. In places like Steventon Parsonage, Godmersham Park, Chawton House and a small rented house in Winchester, Worsley discovers a Jane Austen very different from the one who famously lived a "life without incident." Reviewed by Pauline Finch.
ON HER MAJESTY'S FRIGHTFULLY SECRET SERVICE: A Royal Spyness Mystery by Rhys Bowen (Historical Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Katherine Kellgren
When royal sleuth Georgie Rannoch receives a letter from her dearest friend Belinda, who’s awaiting the birth of her illegitimate baby, she yearns to run to her side. If only she could find a way to get there! But then opportunity presents itself in a most unexpected way --- her cousin the queen asks her to attend a house party in the Italian Lake Country. The Prince of Wales AND the dreadful Mrs. Simpson have been invited, and Her Majesty is anxious to thwart a possible secret wedding. What luck! A chance to see Belinda, even if it is under the guise of stopping unwanted nuptials. Only that’s as far as Georgie’s fortune takes her. She soon discovers that she attended finishing school with the hostess of the party --- and the hatred they had for each other then has barely dimmed. Reviewed by Carly Silver.
GRIEF COTTAGE by Gail Godwin (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Jacob York
After his mother's death, 11-year-old Marcus moves in with his great aunt, a reclusive painter with a haunted past. Aunt Charlotte points out a ruined cottage, telling Marcus she had visited it regularly after she'd moved there 30 years ago because it matched the ruin of her own life. The islanders call it "Grief Cottage," because a boy and his parents disappeared from it during a hurricane 50 years before. While Aunt Charlotte is in her studio painting, Marcus visits the cottage, building up his courage by coming ever closer, even after the ghost of the boy who died seems to reveal himself. He courts the ghost boy, never certain whether the ghost is friendly or follows some sinister agenda. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
A DARK AND BROKEN HEART by R.J. Ellory (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Robert Slade
Detective Vincent Madigan is a good cop, but he’s up to his neck in debt to Sandia, a notorious East Harlem drug lord. When Madigan devises a scheme to eliminate his debt by robbing Sandia and then repaying him with his own money, he thinks his heist is foolproof. But things go horribly wrong when Madigan is forced to kill his co-conspirators and a child is shot in the crossfire. Now both sides of the law are hunting him down, and the cop assigned to lead the case is the very last person he could have expected. Employing every deception and ruse he can think of, Madigan must stay one step ahead in a battle of wits that will test him to his limits. Can he evade justice for his crimes, or will his own conscience be his final undoing? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing
on August 29th and September 5th
Below are some notable titles releasing on August 29th and September 5th 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 August 28th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here. In the August 29th edition of the "On Sale This Week" newsletter, you will find more hardcovers and paperbacks that will be available the week of September 4th.
August 29th
ALL THE DIRTY PARTS by Daniel Handler (Fiction)
Cole is a high schooler who consumes and shares pornography, and sleeps with a lot of girls, which is beginning to earn him a not-quite-savory reputation around school. This leaves him adrift with only his best friend for company, and then something startling starts to happen between them. And then he meets Grisaille.
THE BURNING GIRL by Claire Messud (Fiction)
Julia and Cassie have been friends since nursery school. They have shared everything, including their desire to escape the stifling limitations of their birthplace, the quiet town of Royston, Massachusetts. But as the two girls enter adolescence, their paths diverge and Cassie sets out on a journey that will put her life in danger and shatter her oldest friendship.
GLASS HOUSES by Louise Penny (Mystery)
When a mysterious figure appears in Three Pines, Armand Gamache and the rest of the villagers are at first curious. Then wary. When the figure vanishes overnight and a body is discovered, it falls to Gamache to discover if a debt has been paid or levied. Months later, as the trial for the accused begins, he continues to struggle with actions he set in motion.
MY ABSOLUTE DARLING by Gabriel Tallent (Fiction)
Turtle Alveston has grown up isolated since the death of her mother. Her social existence is confined to her middle school and her life with her tortured and charismatic father, Martin. Then Turtle meets Jacob, a high-school boy who tells jokes and looks at Turtle as if she is the sunrise. And for the first time, the larger world begins to come into focus.
THE RIGHT TIME by Danielle Steel (Fiction)
As Alexandra Winslow climbs the ladder of publishing success, she resolutely adheres to her father’s admonition: Men read crime thrillers by men only --- so she publishes under the pseudonym Alexander Green. This secret life exposes her to the envious, the arrogant, and Hollywood players who have no idea who she really is.
September 5th
AT THE STRANGERS' GATE: Arrivals in New York by Adam Gopnik (Memoir)
When Adam Gopnik and his soon-to-be-wife, Martha, left the comforts of home in Montreal for New York, the city was a pilgrimage site for the young, the arty and the ambitious. But it was also becoming a city of greed. AT THE STRANGERS’ GATE builds a portrait of this particular moment in New York through the story of this couple's journey.
THE BEST OF US: A Memoir by Joyce Maynard (Memoir)
In 2011, Joyce Maynard met the first true partner she had ever known. Jim was not the husband she imagined, but he quickly became the partner she had always dreamed of. Then, just after their one-year wedding anniversary, Jim was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. During the 19 months that followed, Joyce discovered for the first time what it really meant to be a couple.
CLOSE TO HOME by Robert Dugoni (Mystery/Thriller)
While investigating the hit-and-run death of a young boy, Seattle homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite makes a startling discovery: the suspect is an active-duty serviceman at a local naval base. After a key piece of case evidence goes missing, he is cleared of charges in a military court. But Tracy knows she can’t turn her back on this kind of injustice.
ENEMY OF THE STATE: A Mitch Rapp Novel by Kyle Mills (Thriller)
After 9/11, the United States made one of the most secretive and dangerous deals in its history. The evidence against the powerful Saudis who coordinated the attack would be buried. In return, King Faisal would promise to keep the oil flowing and deal with the conspirators in his midst. When the king’s own nephew is discovered funding ISIS, the president suspects that the Saudis never intended to live up to their agreement.
GEORGE AND LIZZIE by Nancy Pearl (Fiction)
George and Lizzie have radically different understandings of what love and marriage should be. Over the course of their marriage, George is happy, while Lizzie remains unfulfilled. When a shameful secret from Lizzie’s past resurfaces, she’ll need to face her fears in order to accept the true nature of the relationship she and George have built over a decade together.
THE GOLDEN HOUSE by Salman Rushdie (Fiction)
On the day of Barack Obama’s inauguration, an enigmatic billionaire takes up residence in the architectural jewel of “the Gardens,” a cloistered community in New York’s Greenwich Village. Along with his improbable name, untraceable accent and unmistakable whiff of danger, Nero Golden has brought along his three adult sons. Our guide to the Goldens’ world is their neighbor René, an ambitious young filmmaker.
A LEGACY OF SPIES by John le Carré (Thriller)
Peter Guillam, staunch colleague and disciple of George Smiley of the British Secret Service, is living out his old age on the family farmstead on the south coast of Brittany when a letter from his old Service summons him to London. The reason? His Cold War past has come back to claim him.
LIE TO ME by J.T. Ellison (Psychological Thriller)
Sutton and Ethan Montclair's idyllic life is not as it appears. Consumed by professional and personal betrayals and financial woes, the two both love and hate each other. As tensions mount, Sutton disappears, leaving behind a note saying not to look for her. As the police investigate, the lies the couple have been spinning for years quickly unravel.
PROOF OF LIFE: A J. P. Beaumont Novel by J. A. Jance (Mystery/Thriller)
When his longtime nemesis, retired Seattle crime reporter Maxwell Cole, dies in what’s officially deemed to be an accidental fire, the retired J. P. Beaumont is dragged into the investigation at the request of the deceased victim himself. Caught up in a situation where old actions and grudges can hold dangerous consequences in the present, Beau is forced to operate outside the familiar world of law enforcement.
SECRETS IN DEATH by J.D. Robb (Thriller)
Larinda Mars, a professional gossip, has been murdered. As it turns out, she was keeping the most shocking stories quiet, for profitable use in her side business as a blackmailer. Eve Dallas will have to plunge into the dirty little secrets of all the people Mars victimized, but she may be exposed to some information she really didn’t want to know.
SING, UNBURIED, UNSING by Jesmyn Ward (Fiction)
Jojo and his toddler sister, Kayla, live with their grandparents, Mam and Pop, and the occasional presence of their drug-addicted mother, Leonie, on a farm on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. When the white father of Leonie’s children is released from prison, she packs her kids and a friend into her car and sets out across the state for Parchman farm, the Mississippi State Penitentiary, on a journey rife with danger and promise.
SOMETHING LIKE HAPPY by Eva Woods (Fiction)
Deep down, Annie Hebden is still mourning the terrible loss that tore a hole through the perfect existence she had once taken for granted --- and hiding away is safer than remembering what used to be. Until she meets the eccentric Polly Leonard, who is determined to finally wake Annie up to life. The mission: One hundred days. One hundred new ways to be happy.
SOURDOUGH by Robin Sloan (Fiction)
Lois Clary is a software engineer at General Dexterity, a San Francisco robotics company with world-changing ambitions. Her human contact is limited to the two brothers who run the neighborhood hole-in-the-wall from which she orders dinner every evening. But when visa issues force the brothers to close up shop, they give Lois their culture, the sourdough starter used to bake their bread. And a whole new world opens up.
THE WESTERN STAR: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson (Mystery)
A younger sheriff confronts Walt Longmire with a photograph of 25 armed men standing in front of a Challenger steam locomotive. The photograph --- along with an upcoming parole hearing for one of the most dangerous men Walt has encountered in a lifetime of law enforcement --- hurtles the sheriff into a head-on collision of past and present, placing him and everyone he cares about squarely on the tracks of runaway revenge.
THE WORLD OF TOMORROW by Brendan Mathews (Historical Fiction)
Francis Dempsey and his shell-shocked brother, Michael, are on an ocean liner from Ireland bound for their brother Martin's home in New York City, having stolen a small fortune from the IRA. Their lives collide spectacularly with big-band jazz musicians, a talented but fragile heiress, a Jewish street photographer facing a return to Nazi-occupied Prague, a vengeful mob boss, and the ghosts of their own family's revolutionary past.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
Our Latest Poll: Pre-ordering and Reserving Books
Do you pre-order books online or at bookstores, or reserve books at libraries? Please check all that apply.
-
I pre-order books online all the time.
-
I sometimes pre-order books online, depending on how much I am anticipating them.
-
I never pre-order books online.
-
I pre-order books from my local bookstore all the time.
-
I sometimes pre-order books from my local bookstore, depending on how much I am anticipating them.
-
I never pre-order books from my local bookstore.
-
I reserve books from the library all the time.
-
I sometimes reserve books from the library, depending on how excited I am to read them.
-
I never reserve books from the library.
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, September 8th at noon ET.
Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What You're
Reading --- and You Can Win Three 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 August 18th to September 8th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of STAY WITH ME by Ayobami Adebayo, SULFUR SPRINGS by William Kent Krueger, and Y IS FOR YESTERDAY by Sue Grafton.
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 August 1st to September 6th at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Wendy Walker's EMMA IN THE NIGHT, read by Therese Plummer, and Louise Penny's GLASS HOUSES, read by Robert Bathurst.
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.
|
