October 20, 2017

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Not Loving the Dark in the AM!

I do not like getting up in the dark. I clearly remember the days when we used to change the clocks the third weekend in October; I need the hour back that we gave up last March. NOW! Is anyone with me?

Last weekend was a wonderful bookish blur. Ron Chernow’s sold-out keynote presentation at the Morristown Festival of Books on Friday night was fabulous. For anyone who thinks that history is dry, spend an evening listening to Chernow and your mind will be changed. His talk was full of anecdotes about Ulysses S. Grant, those of him as a soldier, a general, a husband, a father, a leader and a president. He moved from one story to the next at a brisk pace that had the audience riveted. A copy of his book, GRANT, was part of the ticket price, and it was lovely to see attendees weighing the heft of the book, which clocks in at 1,104 pages, with reverence. My husband started reading it as soon as we got home. The crowd was completely engaged, and he was impressed with the questions that were asked. I agree. Clearly people were passionate about the subject matter --- one woman had been touring a number of sites where Grant had lived and traveled; another was related to a historical figure mentioned in the book. In fact, Chernow said that the questions brought up some nice memories from his research with what they referenced. Lovely evening. And he was very available to speak with guests at the sponsor party.

On Saturday morning, I had such fun moderating a panel with Megan Miranda and Riley Sager, both of whom write thrillers. Riley and I spoke about our mutual obsession with serial killers. His watching of Halloween was what inspired FINAL GIRLS. He wondered what it would be like to be the girl who survived --- and then thought, What if there were three of them? Megan and I had met before at the Simon & Schuster Book Club Matinee, so this was a bit of a homecoming for us. I am impressed that she wrote ALL THE MISSING GIRLS backwards; she talked about how crazy it was to juggle the plotline as she also wrote it backwards. In her books, she looks at the subject of female friendship --- and we also talked about the way the men in her books seem to disappoint the women in their lives. It was spirited and fun, and we had a very nice crowd at 10am! You can see a photo of me with Megan and Riley above, courtesy of Lisa Quiñones.

Next up, I met Ronald Balson, whose book ONCE WE WERE BROTHERS kicked off his career. Ron traced the story as the book was originally self-published and then was picked up by a major publisher. He went on to write three more books, all of which I enjoyed, the most recent being THE TRUST. My mom is a huge fan of his work, and she loved the opportunity to meet him.

For the next session, I interviewed Katie Kitamura, Chinelo Okparanta and Min Jin Lee (you can see them pictured in that order in the photo above, also courtesy of Lisa Quiñones). Each of their books deals with the idea of "Love in Faraway Places." The conversation was brisk as we talked about each of their titles and then zipped along to discuss what they are reading.

The rest of the day, I stopped by a standing room only event with David Grann, a fun panel with Lucy Sykes and Laura Dave, and wrapped up the day with a standing room only panel featuring Pam Jenoff and Georgia Hunter, who were interviewed about their Holocaust-themed books. I am so impressed with how this Festival has grown over the last four years; the organizers have so much to be proud of. It is so well-run; the authors and attendees commented on this!

Questions about audiobooks came up more than once over the weekend. Readers wondered how narrators are selected, as well as when audio is made available. I love seeing this interest in audio, which clearly is a growing area.

I am listening to MANHATTAN BEACH by Jennifer Egan, which is narrated by Heather Lind, Norbert Leo Butz and Vincent Piazza. I am about halfway through and am thoroughly enjoying it. The narration is well done, and after seeing Jennifer talk about her research a few weeks ago at a publisher preview, I am completely wrapped up in it. I highly recommend it.

Dinner with friends Saturday night included a fabulous Thai Chicken Noodle Soup that our friends Drew and Rebecca made. Wondering about the recipe? I have it here.

Now to this week’s update...

WINTER SOLSTICE marks the conclusion of Elin Hilderbrand’s Winter Street series. It's been too long since the entire Quinn family has been able to celebrate the holidays together, but that's about to change. With Bart back from Afghanistan, the Quinns are preparing for a joyous holiday. To add to the good news of Bart’s safe return, Kevin is enjoying married life with Isabelle; Patrick is getting back on his feet after his release from jail for insider trading; Ava thinks she has finally found the love of her life; and Kelley is thrilled to see his family reunited at last. But it just wouldn't be a Quinn family gathering if things went smoothly.

Vivian Payton has our review and says, “Hilderbrand shines on the strengths and substance of this story, which is about family, love, courage and the will for life to go on. I knew there would be closure here, and she makes the reader feel at peace with the ending.”

THE LAST MRS. PARRISH is a debut psychological thriller from Liv Constantine (the pseudonym of sisters Lynne and Valerie Constantine), and it’s been getting plenty of buzz leading up to its release this week. Amber Patterson desires a life of money and power like the one Daphne Parrish takes for granted. Everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut, considers Daphne and her real-estate mogul husband, Jackson, to be the perfect couple. Amber uses Daphne’s compassion and caring to insinuate herself into the family’s life. Before long, she is Daphne’s closest confidante, traveling to Europe with the Parrishes and growing closer to Jackson. But a skeleton from her past may undermine everything that Amber has worked towards; if it is discovered, her well-laid plan may fall to pieces.

According to reviewer Kate Ayers, “The novel starts out slowly but steadily gains steam until you simply can’t put it down. You’ve been drawn into the story so totally that you can’t wait to find out what happens next. How it all unfolds gets you wondering about appearances and how deceptive they can be.” THE LAST MRS. PARRISH will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection; you can read my commentary in next week’s newsletter. Lynne and Valerie wrote the book together, despite living hundreds of miles apart. Click here to read an article from Publishers Weekly where they talk about their unique collaborative process.

Other books we’re reviewing this week include DEEP FREEZE, the 10th installment in John Sandford’s Virgil Flowers series; WHERE THE PAST BEGINS, Amy Tan’s memoir on her life as a writer, her childhood, and the symbiotic relationship between fiction and emotional memory; CODE GIRLS, in which Liza Mundy tells “the untold story of the American women code breakers of World War II”; and T.C. Boyle’s latest collection of short stories, THE RELIVE BOX AND OTHER STORIES.

THE DIRTY BOOK CLUB by Lisi Harrison, which we featured last week in our New Release Spotlight, is my latest Bets On pick. Click here to see why I’m betting you’ll love it.

Our Fall Preview contests wrapped up this week. The final three prize books were COME HOME by Patricia Gussin, EDUCATED: A Memoir by Tara Westover (a future Bets On title), and THE FIRST DAY by Phil Harrison. Congratulations to the winners of our 21 contests, and many thanks to all who entered! Our next series of 24-hour giveaways will be our Holiday Cheer contests, and they kick off on Tuesday, November 14th. If you would like to receive a special newsletter announcing each day’s Holiday Cheer title, all you have to do is sign up here.

We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Submit your comments about the books you’ve read, and you’ll be in the running to win IN THE MIDST OF WINTER by Isabel Allende and TWO KINDS OF TRUTH: A Bosch Novel by Michael Connelly, both of which release on October 31st. Be sure to enter by Friday, November 3rd at noon ET.

There’s plenty of time to enter our Sounding Off on Audio contest, where we’re giving away the audio versions of Dan Brown's ORIGIN, read by Paul Michael, and John Grisham's THE ROOSTER BAR, read by Ari Fliakos. Let us know by Wednesday, November 1st at noon ET what audiobooks you’ve listened to, and you’ll have a chance to win both audio titles.

In our latest poll, we’re asking if you’re currently in a book club. Click here to let us know!

Our previous poll asked which of 20 fiction titles that we listed are you planning to read. Here’s your top five: THE ROOSTER BAR by John Grisham (39%), ORIGIN by Dan Brown (35%), THE RULES OF MAGIC by Alice Hoffman (34%), TWO KINDS OF TRUTH: A Bosch Novel by Michael Connelly (34%), and MANHATTAN BEACH by Jennifer Egan (32%). Click here for all the results.

LINCOLN IN THE BARDO, short story writer George Saunders' first full-length novel, has been awarded the 2017 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. It focuses on a single night in the life of Abraham Lincoln: an actual moment in 1862 when the body of his 11-year-old son was laid to rest in a Washington cemetery. We reviewed the book when it published in February; click here to read the review.

The winners of the Anthony Awards and the Macavity Awards were announced at this year’s Boucheron in Toronto. IQ by Joe Ide won both an Anthony Award and a Macavity Award in the category of “Best First Novel.” The follow-up to IQ, RIGHTEOUS, is now in stores, and we have our review for you this week.

News & Pop Culture

Reader Mail

Cheryl wrote, “I just read the comment from one of your readers (Nancy) about what three books one might take with them in the event of a natural disaster. That was a decision I had to make in preparing the evacuation from our FL home on September 8th. My husband, our rescue dog, Diamond, and I drove to Tuscaloosa, AL (18 hours) praying we would find available gas along the Florida highway. We were fortunate. I had selected five books to take, praying we would only be away a few days. Unfortunately, that was not to be. We arrived home on September 22nd, finding the wrath of Irma everywhere. The five books that I normally would have read with no problem remained unopened. It is difficult to express, but psychologically I could not look at a book from the day we evacuated. On October 6th, my world opened back up, thankfully, and I have been devouring these books. What a strange thing to happen to an avid reader. I'm contemplating writing my own book about this experience, as I saw and learned so much...even at age 70!” We are glad that you are back home and can well understand how you were too distracted to read.

Spreading Kindness with WONDER: I love this story about a bookseller giving away copies of WONDER to customers when they buy another book.

"Mindhunter" on Netflix: This feeds into my obsession with serial killers as this new series looks at two FBI agents who probe the minds of serial killers. Nicole in our office started watching and she said, “I literally didn’t even hit pause for eight hours." Curious? You can see the trailer here. And yes, this is based on a book, MINDHUNTER: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. Carrie Doyle, the author of the Hamptons Murder Mystery Series that I enjoyed this summer and picked as a Bets On, told me it’s a great listen on audio. She is also crazy about Douglas and Olshaker's book, THE CASES THAT HAUNT US.

Marshall: Last Friday, the highly anticipated film about the early career of Thurgood Marshall hit theaters in the United States. To learn more about him, pick up YOUNG THURGOOD: The Making of a Supreme Court Justice by Larry S. Gibson to discover the full origin story of the legal legend in the only biography to be endorsed by Marshall's immediate family.

Boston Book Festival: It’s next weekend on October 28th. Shoot me a note if you are going!

Roz Chast on the Town in New York City: Two weeks ago, we brought you a review of her book, GOING INTO TOWN: A Love Letter to New York. Enjoy this piece where a Vogue editor spent the day in NYC with Roz.

It’s been a crazy busy week, and two-hour commutes each way are great for audio listening, but they really are a drag for having free time. I have been reading --- and loving --- EVERY NOTE PLAYED by Lisa Genova, which will be in stores on March 20th. In it, a pianist learns he has ALS. The illness has manifested with his losing feeling in his arms. He’s also been through a bitter divorce. But as his body begins to fail him, he realizes that he needs round-the-clock help, and the person who is there for him is his ex-wife. I am learning a lot about this truly horrible disease; Lisa is brilliant at educating her readers in the course of delivering a very strong story. I am looking forward to reading more.

Rebecca from our office is heading to the Hachette Book Group Day event tomorrow. If you are going, say hi to her and shoot me your feedback on the program.

I am planning to head up to the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck on Saturday. I never have been. It sounds really fun, and the weather is supposed to be gorgeous. For the rest of the weekend, there are no plans. This may be the last weekend for the pool, which makes me sad.

And, yes, go Yankees!

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: DEEP FREEZE by John Sandford

DEEP FREEZE: A Virgil Flowers Novel by John Sandford (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Eric Conger
Virgil Flowers knows the town of Trippton, Minnesota, a little too well. A few years back, he investigated the corrupt --- and, as it turned out, homicidal --- local school board, and now the town is back in view with more alarming news: A woman has been found dead, frozen in a block of ice. There’s a possibility that it might be connected to a high school class of 20 years ago that has a mid-winter reunion coming up, so Virgil begins to dig into 20 years’ worth of traumas, feuds and bad blood. In the process, one thing becomes increasingly clear to him. It’s true what they say: High school is murder. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

- Click here to read more about the book.