Planning Many Ways to Enjoy an Extra Hour of Weekend
This is my favorite weekend of the year --- time to reclaim the hour we lost back in March. How shall I use it? I am sure I can come up with 24 ways! I am just plain giddy about this.
Hotumn continues today with temperatures in the mid-70s in New York. I keep heading out to clean out the gardens, but flowers continue to bloom. The other day when we got a huge rainstorm, I brought all the houseplants back outside so they could be thoroughly watered. My Christmas cactuses are in HUGE bloom since last week. The seasons clearly are all mixed up around here.
Halloween was such fun. For the first time in years, we had trick-or-treaters at the house. I was smiling big time about this! One merry group of them educated me on the candy I should have on hand. They love the sticky, the gummy, and then chocolate to wash it down. Reese's were suggested for next year or Snickers. Soooo funny. I had plain and peanut M&Ms, based on years when all the candy was left behind for us to eat. I told them to come back next year when I will mix it up a bit more.
On Tuesday, I had my own kind of treat as I was interviewed by Roxanne Coady, the founder and owner of R J Julia in Madison, CT for her podcast, “Just the Right Book.” I have known Roxanne for years and admire her enormously. I am so happy to share that she has been a longtime reader of this newsletter. Here’s a link to the interview. I come in around minute 35.
Last week, I asked readers what they would like to see added to Bookreporter.com. A few people noted that they would like to see a listing of upcoming book festivals. We already have that on the site, but clearly have not been sharing it well enough. Here’s a link, and the list includes a number of 2018 events for those who like to plan ahead. We also have added that link to the top of this newsletter under "Quick Links to Features on Bookreporter.com."
Dawn said, “I would like to see an audiobook contest for first-time book listeners. I have never delved into the audio genre as I am not sure if I can stay focused by listening, and the 'Sounding Off on Audio' contest is only open to those who list what they are currently listening to.” This is something we will explore!
Lee wrote, “I love your weekly newsletters and enjoy the giveaway contests. I personally would like to see a feature listing the favorite books of authors, celebrities, etc. If I admire such an individual, I want to know what books are their favorites. Also, lists of all kinds are very appealing. My book clubs are always looking for recommendations (lists) from other clubs. Also, a list of all the annual book award winners (Pulitzer, Booker, etc.) would be very valuable. Lastly, my book club is looking for names of books that span several generations. Any ideas? Thank you. Keep up the great work. You make my day every Friday!” We actually have the awards here and happily will consider the other ideas. To see what other book groups are reading, we have groups share that on "What's Your Book Group Reading?" every month. You can see past months' replies here. If anyone has ideas for Lee’s book club of books that span generations, drop me a note. I am thinking PACHINKO off the top of my head.
Keep your ideas coming here with the subject line "What to Add on BRC."
I am reading MEMBER OF THE FAMILY, a memoir by Dianne Lake. At age 14, Dianne was the youngest member of Charles Manson’s family. While she never participated in their crimes, she was arrested with the family and later was part of the prosecution’s case. She moved on with her life, marrying and having children, the latter of whom never knew of her past. When she was needed again by law officials, she had to out herself to her children. Here is yet another angle on Manson’s wild story.
Last weekend, I made a fabulous Artichoke and Mozzarella Salad from one of my favorite chefs, Yotam Ottolenghi. You can find it here. I also made hummus, and as we did not have lemons around (I used them all for the salad), I instead used key lime juice and fresh lime. It ended up being a great combo. The recipe is here with the lemon.
This week, we’re featuring Linwood Barclay’s PARTING SHOT --- a stand-alone thriller in his series of novels set in the small town of Promise Falls, NY --- in our New Release Spotlight. After a tragedy rocks the community of Promise Falls, Cal Weaver is asked to investigate the threats being made to the family of the accused. He's heard all about it on the news: the young man who drank too much, stole a Porsche and killed a girl, and who claimed afterwards not to remember a single thing. The whole town is outraged that he got off lightly, but for reasons Cal can't explain, he accepts the job. Then he finds himself caught up in a vicious revenge plot, chasing someone set on delivering retribution.
According to reviewer Joe Hartlaub, “Linwood Barclay is a master at keeping his plots twisting and turning, and PARTING SHOT is no exception, given that he throws curve balls into the story right up to the final sentence.” I had the pleasure of asking Linwood some questions about the book and his future writing plans; click here to read the interview. PARTING SHOT will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick, and you can read my comments about it in next week’s newsletter.
In Isabel Allende’s new novel, IN THE MIDST OF WINTER, human rights scholar Richard Bowmaster hits the car of Evelyn Ortega --- a young, undocumented immigrant from Guatemala --- during a snowstorm in New York. What at first appears to be a minor inconvenience takes a far more serious turn when Evelyn turns up at the professor’s house seeking help. At a loss, he asks one of his tenants, a lecturer from Chile named Lucia Maraz, for her advice. These three very different people are brought together in a story that moves from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala in the recent past to 1970s Chile and Brazil, sparking the beginning of a long overdue love story between Richard and Lucia.
Jana Siciliano has our review and says, “Immigrants and refugees are very much on our minds these days as we all fight to ensure their freedoms and rights. IN THE MIDST OF WINTER brings those important topics to the forefront in a story for the ages --- a timeless tale of coming together that hopefully will shine a light on how best we can work together in the real world, in real time, to improve everyone’s future prospects.” I read this book a few months ago, and there was lots to think about and talk about once I finished it. Consider this a heads-up to book groups!
Fredrik Backman (whose international bestseller A MAN CALLED OVE is soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks) is back with a poignant holiday novella, THE DEAL OF A LIFETIME. A father admits to his son that he has taken a life, but he won’t say whose just yet. One week earlier at a hospital, the man met a five-year-old girl with cancer. He is given the unexpected chance to do something selfless that could change her destiny. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he needs to find out what his own life has actually been worth in the eyes of his son. And so he seeks him out and tells him this story.
According to reviewer Kate Ayers, “This (dimensionally) tiny book comes packed with huge emotion. Readers will speed through it in under two hours, then spend the rest of the day --- at least --- pondering the astonishing ideas it unleashes…. Fredrik Backman has a wonderful ability to reach deep inside his readers, pull out feelings they didn’t know they had, and set their minds spinning. What a blockbuster!” The audio version of THE DEAL OF A LIFETIME is also available; you can listen to an excerpt from it here, along with some thoughts from the narrator, actor/singer Santino Fontana, here.
As I mentioned in last week's newsletter, Off the Shelf will be hosting a Facebook Live Book Club discussion of A MAN CALLED OVE on Friday, November 10th at noon EST. Join them at www.facebook.com/OTSBooks as they chat about this dearly beloved novel and all things Backman. Anyone who comments on the video will be entered to win a complete collection of his books.
Other books we’re reviewing this week include TWO KINDS OF TRUTH, the 20th installment in Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch series (featuring an important appearance from Bosch’s half-brother, Mickey Haller, known as “The Lincoln Lawyer”); BOBBY KENNEDY: A Raging Spirit, a revealing new portrait of Robert F. Kennedy from “Hardball” anchor Chris Matthews; and HIDDENSEE by Gregory Maguire, which intertwines the story of the Nutcracker with the life of the mysterious toy maker who carves him.
Our second New Release Spotlight title this week is CAN’T LET GO, the fifth book in Gena Showalter’s Original Heartbreakers series. Ryanne Wade has sworn off men. That is, until she meets Jude Laurent, who walks into her bar. The former army ranger was maimed in battle, and then suffered unimaginable heartbreak when his wife and daughters were killed by a drunk driver. Ryanne finds Jude irresistible, though Jude considers Ryanne to be off-limits, even though she tempts him like no other. But when a rival bar threatens her livelihood --- and her life --- he can’t turn away. He’s determined to protect her, no matter the cost.
There’s still time to enter our special contest for ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL, Sarah Vaughan’s thriller about a scandal amongst Britain’s privileged elite and the women caught up in its wake. The book doesn’t release until January 23rd, but we have 25 advance copies to give away to readers who would like to read and comment on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, November 9th at noon ET.
We’ve updated our Books on Screen feature for November. Theatrical releases include Wonder and Murder on the Orient Express; on the small screen will be Mudbound (releasing on Netflix and in select theaters on November 17th), along with the sixth and final season of “Longmire” and the season two finale of “Queen Sugar”; and The Glass Castle will be available on DVD on November 7th.
How many books are on your to-be-read list right now? That’s our latest poll question; click here to let us know.
Our previous poll asked if you are currently in a book club. Almost two-thirds of you (63%) are, and of that percentage, 26% are in more than one. Click here for all the results. I hope you have our sister website, ReadingGroupGuides.com, on your radar.
We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Submit your comments about the books you’ve read by Friday, November 17th at noon ET, and you’ll be in the running to win END GAME by David Baldacci and THE MIDNIGHT LINE: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child.
This month’s Sounding Off on Audio prize books are the audio versions of Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke's EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE, read by Heather Lind, and IT'S ALL RELATIVE: Adventures Up and Down the World's Family Tree written and read by A.J. Jacobs. Let us know by Friday, December 1st at noon ET what audiobooks you’ve finished listening to, and you’ll have a chance to win both audio titles.
The 2018 shortlist for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction were announced this week. Click here to see the nominees. The two winning titles will be revealed at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting in Denver on February 11th.
Also announced this week were the winners of the Kirkus Prize. WHAT IT MEANS WHEN A MAN FALLS FROM THE SKY: Stories by Lesley Nneka Arimah (Fiction), THE GULF: The Making of an American Sea, by Jack E. Davis (Nonfiction), and THE MARROW THIEVES by Cherie Dimaline (Young Readers' Literature) all took home the Prize.
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail: Alina wrote after winning our Word of Mouth contest, “Thank you so much! In fact, I had just placed my name on the waiting list at the Woodbridge Township Public Library for Alice Hoffman’s book, THE RULES OF MAGIC. Maybe I will run into you at the November 9th Random House ‘Off the Page’ event.”
Ronnie wrote, “Thanks for the 'heads-up' on the Didion piece, 'The Center Will Not Hold.' Interesting, as I have followed her and her family's lives for a while. Enjoyed it.”
Susan wrote, "I was reading your excellent newsletter, and someone commented on the use of the 'F' word in Y IS FOR YESTERDAY. I have loved this series since almost the beginning. The author made a decision that all the books occur within months of each other, so the action is still in the 1980s. In this one, she describes an airport scene with high security and x-ray machines. This did not happen until after 9/11, and it was so jarringly incorrect and it marred the book. My question is this: Are there still copy editors working in the business (and believe me, I wonder). If so, do the more popular authors get a pass? On my Goodreads review of this book, there is quite a discussion of all the inaccuracies in this book, and there were a lot. What's your opinion on this?”
I asked my son, Greg, who is a huge Sue Grafton fan, to share his thoughts on this, and here are his comments: “The past four or five have really started having some anachronisms. Not just details like that --- I think I remember noting that one, too, though -- just in general, she doesn't seem as in tune with the '80s as she was 10 years ago. I wasn't even alive then and it's becoming glaring to me! I remember that 'A' and 'B' --- which were written as contemporary novels (it wasn't until 'E' or 'F,' I think, that she lost the timeline) --- were accurate enough that they noted the switch from MasterCharge to MasterCard and Kinsey moving on from her answering service. That kind of detail has disappeared over time. 'Y' took place in late 1989, and 'Z' should take place (from the epilogue of 'Y') in May 1990, but there's too much that just seems out of place.”
THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah: I had the pleasure of reading a very early galley of this wonderful book, which will be a Bets On selection when it releases on February 6th, and it made me long to go to Alaska. Here’s a link to a piece on PopSugar that has more about the book, and also has a video where Kristin talks about her inspiration for it.
Art Garfunkel’s library: He turns 76 on Sunday. His apartment had a fire last year, and in this interview he talks about replacing the 100 books that were destroyed…every last one of them!
My Friend Dahmer: The movie based on the multi-award-winning graphic novel by Derf Backderf hits theaters today. Derf went to school with Jeff, so he saw him as someone who he shared classrooms and car rides with. You can see the trailer here. I read this book, and it was brilliantly done.
For those wondering, Cory’s foot is healing well. He’s on crutches with a walking boot. It's supposed to take 12 weeks to heal (the other healing choices, which he took a pass on, were three weeks with surgery and six weeks with a cast). We are going to head over to see him this weekend since he cannot drive here; I am glad he is just a half an hour away. Greg is headed to a Land Rover event (themed for Guy Fawkes) for the weekend.
I have no other weekend plans, except scheming how to spend the extra hour; I am sure it will be spent doing something super fun, like cleaning the closet in my office. I am continuing to knit my size 3 needle project. This is going to take forever. I also need to get a longer pair of circular needles this weekend so I am not scrunching the yarn, as you see above.
I am going to be interviewing Lisa See, Ann Hood and Will Schwalbe for Facebook Live on Saturday, November 18th while I am at the Miami Book Fair. Once I have all the times figured out, I will share them with you.
For those of you who are going to the aforementioned Random House "Off the Page" event next Thursday the 9th, be sure to say hello!
Read on, and have a great week (plus an extra hour)!
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: TWO KINDS OF TRUTH
by Michael Connelly
TWO KINDS OF TRUTH: A Bosch Novel by Michael Connelly (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Titus Welliver
Harry Bosch is back as a volunteer working cold cases for the San Fernando Police Department and is called out to a local drug store where a young pharmacist has been murdered. Bosch and the town's three-person detective squad sift through the clues, which lead into the dangerous, big business world of pill mills and prescription drug abuse. Meanwhile, an old case from Bosch's LAPD days comes back to haunt him when a long-imprisoned killer claims Bosch framed him, and seems to have new evidence to prove it. The two unrelated cases wind around each other like strands of barbed wire. Along the way, Bosch discovers that there are two kinds of truth: the kind that sets you free and the kind that leaves you buried in darkness. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read the review.
Bookreporter.com Talks to Linwood Barclay,
Author of PARTING SHOT
A New Release Spotlight Title
Linwood Barclay is the internationally bestselling author of 16 novels, which include his recent Promise Falls trilogy and a four-book mystery series featuring paranoid science fiction writer Zack Walker. His latest work, PARTING SHOT, is a stand-alone thriller set in Promise Falls in which private investigator Cal Weaver finds himself caught up in a cold-blooded revenge plot. In this interview conducted by Carol Fitzgerald, the president and co-founder of The Book Report Network, Barclay talks about his inspiration for one of the storylines in his new book, explains the impact that new technology has had on his storytelling, discusses his love of cars and how that factors into the plot of PARTING SHOT, and teases his next novel, A NOISE DOWNSTAIRS, which he proclaims to be one of the best books he has ever written.
PARTING SHOT by Linwood Barclay (Thriller)
When Cal Weaver left the force for refuge as a private investigator, he never intended to work as a bodyguard --- let alone, a babysitter. But that’s what Madeline Plimpton, a relic of old-stock wealth, wants for her 18-year-old grand-nephew, Jeremy Pilford --- aka The Big Baby. Thanks to his defense lawyer, Jeremy won his release on probation for being too coddled to understand that he was doing anything wrong when he got drunk at a party, got behind the wheel of another guest’s Porsche, and got a young woman killed. Fueled by social media outrage, lots of people want Jeremy to pay for his crime. Some are willing to take justice, along with rocks and bats, into their own hands. Reluctantly, Weaver agrees to protect Jeremy from vigilantes, especially fervent competitors for glory and cash prizes from Just Deserts, a website that advocates retribution through humiliation and violence.
Meanwhile, Cal’s former colleague, Detective Barry Duckworth, has stepped into a baffling case of abduction and mutilation. At first, the victim, a strikingly innocent young man named Brian Gaffney, believes he was snatched, drugged and probed by aliens. As Duckworth quickly uncovers, the evidence --- a crude tattoo covering Brian’s back --- indicates earthly perpetrators with a vendetta. Gradually, PARTING SHOT reveals the link between Brian’s disfiguring misfortune and Jeremy’s vulnerability to being “taught a lesson” by warped web followers --- or worse, a deeply deranged and fiercely determined devil of vengeance.
PARTING SHOT will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. You can read Carol’s commentary in next week’s newsletter.
- Click here to read a review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read Linwood Barclay’s bio.
- Visit Linwood Barclay’s website and YouTube channel.
- Connect with Linwood Barclay on Facebook and Twitter.
- Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight.
Click here to read the interview.
Featured Review: BOBBY KENNEDY by Chris Matthews
BOBBY KENNEDY: A Raging Spirit by Chris Matthews (Biography)
Audiobook available, read by Chris Matthews
Overlooked by his father and overshadowed by his war-hero brother, Bobby Kennedy was the perpetual underdog. When he had the chance to become a naval officer like Jack, Bobby turned it down, choosing instead to join the Navy as a common sailor. It was a life-changing experience that led him to connect with voters from all walks of life. They were the people who turned out for him in his 1968 campaign. RFK would prove himself to be the rarest of politicians --- both a pragmatist who knew how to get the job done and an unwavering idealist who could inspire millions. Drawing on extensive research and interviews, Chris Matthews pulls back the curtain on the public and private worlds of Robert Francis Kennedy. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: IN THE MIDST OF WINTER
by Isabel Allende
IN THE MIDST OF WINTER by Isabel Allende (Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Dennis Boutsikaris, Jasmine Cephas Jones and Alma Cuervo
Richard Bowmaster, a 60-year-old human rights scholar, hits the car of Evelyn Ortega --- a young, undocumented immigrant from Guatemala --- in the middle of a snowstorm in Brooklyn. What at first seems just a small inconvenience takes an unforeseen and far more serious turn when Evelyn turns up at the professor’s house seeking help. At a loss, the professor asks his tenant Lucia Maraz --- a 62-year-old lecturer from Chile --- for her advice. These three very different people are brought together in a mesmerizing story that moves from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala in the recent past to 1970s Chile and Brazil, sparking the beginning of a long overdue love story between Richard and Lucia. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: THE DEAL OF A LIFETIME
by Fredrik Backman
THE DEAL OF A LIFETIME by Fredrik Backman (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Santino Fontana
It all begins with a father telling a story to his son on Christmas Eve. But this isn’t your typical Christmas story. The father admits to his son that he’s taken a life, but he won’t say whose --- not yet. One week earlier, in a hospital late at night, the man met a five-year-old girl with cancer. She’s smart enough to know that she won’t beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it. The man is given the unexpected chance to do something selfless that could change the destiny of this little girl. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he needs to find out what his own life has actually been worth in the eyes of his son. And so he seeks him out and tells him this story. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to listen to an excerpt from the audiobook.
- Click here to listen to Santino Fontana talk about narrating the audiobook.
Click here to read the review.
Special Contest: Win an Advance Copy
of ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL by Sarah Vaughan
and Share Your Comments on It
We have 25 advance copies of ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL by Sarah Vaughan --- an astonishingly incisive and suspenseful novel about a scandal amongst Britain’s privileged elite and the women caught up in its wake --- to give away to readers who would like to preview the book, which releases on January 23rd, and share their comments on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, November 9th at noon ET.
ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL by Sarah Vaughan (Thriller)
Sophie’s husband James is a loving father, a handsome man, a charismatic and successful public figure. And yet he stands accused of a terrible crime. Sophie is convinced he is innocent and desperate to protect her precious family from the lies that threaten to rip them apart.
Kate is the lawyer hired to prosecute the case: an experienced professional who knows that the law is all about winning the argument. And yet Kate seeks the truth at all times. She is certain James is guilty and is determined he will pay for his crimes.
Who is right about James? Sophie or Kate? And is either of them informed by anything more than instinct and personal experience? Despite her privileged upbringing, Sophie is well aware that her beautiful life is not inviolable. She has known it since she and James were first lovers, at Oxford, and she witnessed how easily pleasure could tip into tragedy.
Most people would prefer not to try to understand what passes between a man and a woman when they are alone: alone in bed, alone in an embrace, alone in an elevator… Or alone in the moonlit courtyard of an Oxford college, where a girl once stood before a boy, heart pounding with excitement, then fear. Sophie never understood why her tutorial partner Holly left Oxford so abruptly. What would she think, if she knew the truth?
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read Sarah Vaughan’s bio.
- Click here to visit Sarah Vaughan’s website.
- Connect with Sarah Vaughan on Facebook and Twitter.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Release Spotlight: CAN’T LET GO by Gena Showalter
CAN'T LET GO: The Original Heartbreakers, Book 5 by Gena Showalter (Romance)
Audiobook available, performed by Savannah Richards
Then Jude Laurent walks into her bar, and all bets are off. The former army ranger has suffered unimaginably --- first being maimed in battle, then losing his wife and daughters to a drunk driver. Making the brooding widower smile is priority one. Resisting him? Impossible.
For Jude, Ryanne is off-limits. And yet the beautiful bartender who serves alcohol to potential motorists tempts him like no other. When a rival bar threatens her livelihood --- and her life --- he can’t turn away. She triggers something in him he thought long buried, and he’s determined to protect her, whatever the cost.
As their already scorching attraction continues to heat, the damaged soldier knows he must let go of his past to hold on to his future…or risk losing the second chance he desperately needs.
- 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.
November’s Books on Screen Feature
Here is a preview of this month's movies, TV shows and DVDs that are based on books. For a complete list of November's offerings, please click here.
In Theaters
Murder on the Orient Express
Release Date: November 10th (wide)
Based on: MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS by Agatha Christie
Wonder
Release Date: November 17th (wide)
Based on: WONDER by R. J. Palacio
On TV
"Queen Sugar"
Air Dates: Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT on OWN; Season Two Finale on November 15th at 9pm ET/PT
Based on: QUEEN SUGAR by Natalie Baszile
"Longmire"
Release Date: November 17th on Netflix (sixth and final season)
Based on: Walt Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson
Mudbound
Release Date: November 17th on Netflix (also in select theaters)
Based on: MUDBOUND by Hillary Jordan
On DVD
The Glass Castle
DVD Release Date: November 7th
Based on: THE GLASS CASTLE: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
Atomic Blonde
DVD Release Date: November 14th
Based on: THE COLDEST CITY by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart
The Miami Book Fair: November 12-19
Presentation for Book Groups
on Saturday the 18th at 10am!
The Miami Book Fair, now in its 34th year, is an eight-day event that kicks off Sunday, November 12th with the popular "Evenings With…" series, featuring six nights of readings and discussions with noted authors from the United States and around the world.
On Friday, November 17th, the Street Fair gets underway. The highlight of the Street Fair is the Festival of Authors, with more than 450 authors reading and discussing their work, including the Latin American and Spanish authors who participate in the IberoAmerican Authors Program. Thousands of South Florida schoolchildren will help kick off the Street Fair, making the trip downtown Friday to hear authors and participate in Children’s Alley activities, including theater, arts-and-crafts, storytelling and readings by children’s book authors. Comics and graphic novels are once again featured, as well as presentations over the weekend by renowned graphic novelists and illustrators.
During Street Fair weekend, November 17-19, more than 250 publishers and booksellers exhibit and sell books, with special features like the antiquarians, who showcase signed first editions, original manuscripts and other collectibles.
Authors attending the event this year include Megan Abbott, Isabel Allende, Edwidge Danticat, Jennifer Egan, Jeffrey Eugenides, Janet Fitch, James Grippando, Carl Hiaasen, Elin Hilderbrand, Walter Isaacson, Min Jin Lee, Claire Messud, Dan Rather, Salman Rushdie, Will Schwalbe, Lisa See, Colm Tóibín, Scott Turow, and many, many more. Click here for the full list.
On Saturday, November 18th at 10am in Room 3314 in Building 3, Carol Fitzgerald will be doing a presentation featuring great book club reads for fall and winter. In addition, she will be interviewing author Ann Hood about her novel, THE BOOK THAT MATTERS MOST, and her memoir, MORNINGSTAR: Growing Up with Books, as well as her experiences talking to book groups. Click here for more details. At this program, Carol also will provide a guide to Miami Book Fair sessions of interest to book groups.
Click here for more information about the 2017 Miami Book Fair.
THE FIRST MAJOR: The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup by John Feinstein (Sports)
Audiobook available, read by John Feinstein
Coming into 2016, the Americans had lost an astounding six out of the last seven Ryder Cup matches, and tensions were running high for the showdown that took place in October 2016 in Hazeltine, Minnesota, just days after American legend Arnold Palmer had died. What resulted was one of the most raucous and heated three days in the Cup's long history. Award-winning author John Feinstein takes readers behind the scenes, providing an inside view of the dramatic stories as they unfolded. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
HIDDENSEE: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker by Gregory Maguire (Historical Fantasy)
Audiobook available, performed by Steven Crossley
Having brought his legions of devoted readers to Oz in WICKED and to Wonderland in AFTER ALICE, Gregory Maguire now takes us to the realms of the Brothers Grimm and E. T. A. Hoffmann --- the enchanted Black Forest of Bavaria and the salons of Munich. HIDDENSEE imagines the backstory of the Nutcracker, revealing how this entrancing creature came to be carved and how he guided an ailing girl named Klara through a dreamy paradise on a Christmas Eve. At the heart of Hoffmann's mysterious tale hovers Godfather Drosselmeier --- the ominous, canny, one-eyed toy maker made immortal by Petipa and Tchaikovsky's fairy tale ballet --- who presents the once and future Nutcracker to Klara, his goddaughter. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE CORE: Book Five of The Demon Cycle by Peter V. Brett (Fantasy/Adventure)
Audiobook available, read by Pete Bradbury
Arlen Bales became known as the Warded Man, tattooed head to toe with powerful magic symbols that enable him to fight demons in hand-to-hand combat. Jardir, armed with magically warded weapons, called himself the Deliverer, a figure prophesied to unite humanity and lead them to triumph in Sharak Ka --- the final war against demonkind. But in their efforts to bring the war to the demons, Arlen and Jardir have set something in motion that may prove the end of everything they hold dear --- a swarm. Now the war is at hand, and humanity cannot hope to win it unless Arlen and Jardir can bend a captured demon prince to their will and force the devious creature to lead them to the Core, where the Mother of Demons breeds an inexhaustible army. Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard.
THE KING IS ALWAYS ABOVE THE PEOPLE: Stories by Daniel Alarcón (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available, read by David DeSantos
Migration. Betrayal. Family secrets. Doomed love. Uncertain futures. In Daniel Alarcón’s hands, these are transformed into deeply human stories with high stakes. In "The Thousands," people are on the move and forging new paths; hope and heartbreak abound. A man deals with the fallout of his blind relatives' mysterious deaths and his father's mental breakdown and incarceration in "The Bridge." A gang member discovers a way to forgiveness and redemption through the haze of violence and trauma in “The Ballad of Rocky Rontal.” And in "The Auroras," a man severs himself from his old life and seeks to make a new one in a new city, only to find himself seduced and controlled by a powerful woman. Reviewed by Maya Gittelman.
THE USUAL SANTAS: A Collection of Soho Crime Christmas Capers foreword by Peter Lovesey (Mystery/Short Stories)
Audiobook available; read by Jonathan Yen, John Keating, Barbara Caruso, Luis Moreno, Elizabeth Sastre, Carine Montbertrand, Ali Ahn and Brian Hutchison
Nine mall Santas must find the imposter among them. An elderly lady seeks peace from her murderously loud neighbors at Christmastime. A young woman receives a mysterious invitation to Christmas dinner with a stranger. Sherlock Holmes' one-time nemesis, Irene Adler, finds herself in an unexpected tangle in Paris while on a routine espionage assignment. Jane Austen searches for the Dowager Duchess of Wilborough’s stolen diamonds. These and other adventures in this collection of 18 holiday stories will whisk readers away to Christmases around the globe --- from a Korean War POW camp to a Copenhagen refugee squat, from a palatial hotel in 1920s Bombay to a crumbling mansion in Havana. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
NEVER COMING BACK by Alison McGhee (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Alison McGhee
When Clara Winter left her rural Adirondacks town for college, she never looked back. Her mother, Tamar, a loving but fiercely independent woman who raised Clara on her own, all but pushed her out the door, and so Clara built a new life for herself. Now more than a decade has passed, and Clara, a successful writer, has been summoned home. Tamar has become increasingly forgetful and can no longer live on her own. But just as her mother’s memory is declining, Clara’s questions are building. Why was Tamar so insistent that Clara leave all those years ago? Just what secrets was she hiding? The surprising answers Clara uncovers are rooted in her mother’s love for her, and the sacrifices Tamar made to protect her. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on November 7th
Below are some notable titles releasing on November 7th 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 November 6th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
A CHRISTMAS RETURN by Anne Perry (Historical Mystery)
As Charlotte Pitt’s grandmother, Mariah Ellison, finds herself investigating a long-unsolved slaying, it becomes clear that grappling with intrigue and foul play runs in the family. A festive Christmas package left on Mariah’s doorstep contains an ominous present, sparking memories of a 20-year-old murder that shattered her friendship with the victim’s widow.
DEAD OF WINTER: A Lily Dale Mystery by Wendy Corsi Staub (Mystery)
Just as a murderer dumps his corpse into the lake across Valley View in Lily Dale, Bella Jordan happens to be at her window. Unbeknownst to her, the killer spots her silhouette and prowls straight to her door. That is, until he’s interrupted by a black cat. A superstitious gambler, he takes off but vows to return.
EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke (Mystery/Thriller)
Three years ago, Virginia Wakeling, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was found dead in the snow. The leading suspect then and now is her much younger boyfriend and personal trainer, Ivan Gray. But Laurie Moran soon realizes there are a bevy of suspects --- including Virginia’s trusted inner circle.
HEATHER, THE TOTALITY by Matthew Weiner (Fiction)
Mark and Karen Breakstone have constructed the idyllic life of wealth and status they always wanted, made complete by their daughter, Heather. But when the new owners of the penthouse above them begin construction, an unstable stranger penetrates the security of their comfortable lives and threatens to destroy everything they've created.
THE HOUSE OF UNEXPECTED SISTERS: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (18) by Alexander McCall Smith (Mystery)
Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi are approached by their part-time colleague, Mr. Polopetsi, with a troubling story: a woman, accused of being rude to a valued customer, has been wrongly dismissed from her job at an office furniture store. Never one to let an act of injustice go unanswered, Mma Ramotswe begins to investigate, but soon discovers unexpected information that causes her to reluctantly change her views about the case.
IT'S ALL RELATIVE: Adventures Up and Down the World’s Family Tree by A.J. Jacobs (Memoir/Humor)
A.J. Jacobs has received some strange emails over the years, but this note was perhaps the strangest: “You don’t know me, but I’m your eighth cousin. And we have over 80,000 relatives of yours in our database.” Who are these people, he wondered, and how do I find them? So began A.J.’s three-year adventure to help build the biggest family tree in history.
THE MIDNIGHT LINE: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child (Thriller)
Reacher takes a stroll through a small Wisconsin town and sees a class ring in a pawn shop window: West Point 2005. The ring is tiny, for a woman, and it has her initials engraved on the inside. Reacher wonders what unlucky circumstance made her give up something she earned over four hard years. He decides to find out. And find the woman. And return her ring. So begins a harrowing journey that takes Reacher through the upper Midwest.
MRS. OSMOND by John Banville (Historical Fiction)
Isabel Archer is a young American woman, swept off to Europe in the late 19th century by an aunt who hopes to round out the impetuous but naïve girl's experience of the world. When Isabel comes into a large, unexpected inheritance, she is finagled into a marriage with the charming, penniless, and --- as Isabel finds out too late --- cruel and deceitful Gilbert Osmond, whose connection to a certain Madame Merle is suspiciously intimate.
THE NOEL DIARY by Richard Paul Evans (Fiction)
Bestselling romance author Jacob Churcher hasn't been home for almost 20 years --- not since his mentally ill mother kicked him out of the house when he was just 16. When a lawyer calls to inform him that his estranged mother has passed away and left her house to him, Jacob returns to try and reconcile with the past and the pain and abuse he experienced as a child.
OBAMA: AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT by Pete Souza (Photography/History)
During Barack Obama's two terms, Pete Souza was with the President during more crucial moments than anyone else --- and he photographed them all. Souza captured nearly two million photographs of President Obama, in moments highly classified and disarmingly candid. OBAMA: AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT reproduces more than 300 of Souza's most iconic photographs with fine-art print quality in an oversize collectible format.
PLAYING WITH FIRE: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics by Lawrence O'Donnell (History/Politics)
The 1968 U.S. Presidential election was the young Lawrence O’Donnell’s political awakening, and in the decades since it has remained one of his abiding fascinations. For years he has deployed one of America’s shrewdest political minds to understanding its dynamics, not just because it is fascinating in itself, but because in it is contained the essence of what makes America different, and how we got to where we are now.
THE REVOLUTION OF MARINA M. by Janet Fitch (Historical Fiction)
St. Petersburg, New Year's Eve, 1916. Marina Makarova is a young woman of privilege who aches to break free of the constraints of her genteel life, a life about to be violently upended by the vast forces of history. Swept up on these tides, Marina will join the marches for workers' rights, fall in love with a radical young poet, and betray everything she holds dear, before being betrayed in turn.
TYPHOON FURY: A Novel of the Oregon Files by Clive Cussler and Boyd Morrison (Thriller/Adventure)
Hired to search for a collection of paintings worth half a billion dollars, Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon soon find themselves in much deeper waters. The vicious leader of a Filipino insurgency is not only using them to finance his attacks, he has stumbled upon one of the most lethal secrets of World War II: a Japanese-developed drug, designed, but never used, to turn soldiers into super-warriors.
WHAT UNITES US: Reflections on Patriotism by Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner (Political Science/Essays)
With this collection of original essays, venerated journalist Dan Rather reminds us of the principles upon which the United States was founded. Looking at the freedoms that define us, Rather brings to bear his decades of experience on the frontlines of the world’s biggest stories, tracing where we have been in order to help us chart a way forward and heal our bitter divisions.
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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 November 3rd to November 17th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of END GAME by David Baldacci and THE MIDNIGHT LINE: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child.
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 November 1st to December 1st at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke's EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE, read by Heather Lind, and IT'S ALL RELATIVE: Adventures Up and Down the World's Family Tree written and read by A.J. Jacobs.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the audiobook, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For complete rules and guidelines, click here.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
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