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Thanksgiving weekend was such fun, with family, friends, food and football (a couple of great college games). The turkey came out perfectly, and we made an extra turkey breast so there were great turkey sandwiches all week. Greg’s friends raise turkeys every year, and we get paperwork with our fresh-killed bird, which includes everything it ate and how it grazed. As these turkeys are not fed hormones, they have a lot less breast meat, hence cooking the extra breast for additional white meat.
Cory made a really terrific carrot soup that he garnished with lime; I think this was the recipe (he added the lime on his own). And for those who are wondering what the inside of a lime holds, they are called juice vesicles. I am not super smart; I googled “What is the inside of a lime called?” I am not sure that I could have found that in the encyclopedia! Thank you, Google.
The weekend brought a lovely break from the usual agenda. Son 2A and Son 2B were on hand along with Cory, and they made the weekend a lot of fun. I love how they drop right back into their usual routines when they hang out together. There was an epic game of Monopoly played until about 5am on Saturday morning. As I walked upstairs that morning, I realized that no one had slept in the guest room; instead they all crashed in Cory’s room. They told me they just fell asleep on the floor while they were playing. As always, I was endlessly amused.
My mailbox made me crazy this week with Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. I feel like the emails got more frantic as the hours went on. I found myself doing a lot of deleting as various merchandisers ticked down the hours of “deals”; it felt like my mailbox was hyperventilating. I spent some frustrating hours trying to buy a down jacket with less than helpful online chat help. It was just maddening. I had simple questions, but the “live chat” folks had no answers. I still do not have a jacket. I am crazy about the Sundance catalog and managed to do some shopping damage there, lured by 20% off and free shipping offered by the live chat host who had no answers about sizing on a turquoise cashmere sweater (I have been searching for one of those). I know, the deal totally grabbed me. Let’s see what I end up keeping when the things arrive.
Luckily, books have no sizing issues, unless you are looking at the page lengths. And they are easy to wrap up too! For those of you doing your holiday shopping, here’s a reminder that we have affiliate deals with Amazon, BN.com and IndieBound.org, so shopping for the holidays via these links supports our websites. We appreciate it if you keep this in mind.
Heads up that Mercury is going retrograde on December 3rd and will be there until the 22nd. This should make holiday prep really interesting.
Our Editorial Director, Tom, and I are attending an all-day preview event today, so I wrote this newsletter last night. Among the authors who we will be hearing is Amy Bloom, whose book, WHITE HOUSES, I started last weekend, as I knew I was going to be meeting her. It’s historical fiction about the forbidden affair between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok. I look forward to hearing more from her about how she did her research as the story is so detailed.
I also started THE MASTERPIECE by Francine Rivers. Look at that cover. Seriously, it’s calling my name with those colors! In it, a successful LA artist, Roman Velasco, has a stunning home, money and fame. Grace Moore comes into his life as his temp assistant who is charged with organizing his world. She has "a history" and a story as well, along with a young son. I've just started it, but I already am caught up in the plot. And Roman moonlights as a graffiti artist whose nighttime jaunts invite danger. I'm looking forward to seeing where this story goes.
And now to this week's update...
GRANT, Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Chernow’s much-talked-about biography of Ulysses S. Grant, has been getting rave reviews since its release in October and is a #1 New York Times bestseller. Thus we’re happy to be featuring our review of it this week, courtesy of Stuart Shiffman, who says, “Chernow has painted a vivid and engrossing portrait of Grant. Regardless of how one views his portrayal, his skill as a biographer cannot be denied. As ongoing debates over certain historical events remind us, history is often subject to revision. GRANT may be an opening salvo in taking a new view on the life of this iconic American.” My husband read this VERY long book and loved it. We heard Chernow speak as the keynote speaker at the Morristown Festival of Books, and he was brilliant.
Other books we’re reviewing this week include PROMISE ME, DAD, Joe Biden’s memoir that chronicles the year following his son Beau’s devastating diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor that ultimately took his life in May 2015; PLAYING WITH FIRE, a new account of the 1968 Presidential election from “The Last Word” host Lawrence O’Donnell; and PRAIRIE FIRES by Caroline Fraser, the first comprehensive historical biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. For those of you who were looking for nonfiction on the site, this is the time of year when there are many great offerings in this genre.
A HUNDRED SMALL LESSONS by Ashley Hay is the latest title in our New Release Spotlight. When Elsie Gormley leaves the Brisbane house in which she has lived for more than 60 years, Lucy Kiss and her family move in, eager to establish their new life. As they settle in, Lucy and her husband Ben struggle to navigate their transformation from adventurous lovers to new parents, taking comfort in memories of their vibrant past as they begin to unearth who their future selves might be. But the house has secrets of its own, and the rooms seem to share recollections of Elsie’s life with Lucy. In her nearby nursing home, Elsie traces the span of her life --- the moments she can’t bear to let go and the places to which she dreams of returning. Over the course of one hot Brisbane summer, two families’ stories intersect in sudden and unexpected ways.
I was drawn to A HUNDRED SMALL LESSONS as I often wonder about the stories that are made in houses. As of yesterday, we have lived in our house for 28 years and are the third owners; I was pregnant with Greg when we moved in. We know the names of the two families who lived there before us. Last weekend, I brought brownies to our new neighbors --- the third time I have greeted new neighbors in that home. As I stood in their foyer, I drew up memories of each of the families who have lived there. My childhood home has had the same owner since we moved out. My parents are the second owners of their home. Houses harbor stories.
We’ve updated our Books on Screen feature for this month. The roundup includes the feature films Crooked House, The Disaster Artist and November Criminals; the made-for-TV movie Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas Miracle, along with the season three finale of "Outlander"; and the DVD releases of American Assassin, The Mountain Between Us and Victoria & Abdul.
Nicole and I went to a screening of November Criminals this week and enjoyed it. In it, Ansel Elgort drives a BMW 2002, and as we have one of those in our garage, that alone made the story fun for me. Between Baby Driver and November Criminals, he has spent a lot of screen time behind the wheel this year. Quoting Nicole here, "Even though the story is a tad youthful, it’s thoroughly entertaining and incredibly engaging. It moves at a quick pace and has zero lag time."
In this week’s Holiday Cheer contests, we gave away COWBOY’S LEGACY: A Cahill Ranch Novel by B.J. Daniels, SECRETS OF CAVENDON by Barbara Taylor Bradford, and THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG: A Memoir by Carole Bayer Sager. Next week’s prizes will be THE GERMAN GIRL by Armando Lucas Correa, THE HONEYMOON by Dinitia Smith (which is our current “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month” contest book on ReadingGroupGuides.com), LOUIS L’AMOUR’S LOST TREASURES: Volume 1 by Louis L’Amour with Beau L’Amour, and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND MISTLETOE by Melissa de la Cruz. The first contest of the week will be up on Monday, December 4th at noon ET.
Are you planning to give books as gifts this holiday season? Let us know by taking our latest poll.
In our previous poll, we asked if you donate books and, if so, where. 68% of you donate to libraries and 35% to thrift stores. Click here for all the results. We also received many write-in answers, some of which include senior centers, church groups, the Salvation Army, and Little Free Libraries (you can learn more about the latter here).
We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Let us know by Friday, December 15th at noon ET what books you’ve finished reading, and you’ll be in the running to win THE DEMON CROWN: A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins and ENCHANTRESS OF NUMBERS: A Novel of Ada Lovelace by Jennifer Chiaverini.
Also, this month’s Sounding Off on Audio contest just went up today. The prize books are two of my favorite audiobooks this year: Jesmyn Ward’s SING, UNBURIED, SING, read by Kelvin Harrison Jr., Rutina Wesley and Chris Chalk (the narration is brilliant, and the hardcover recently won the National Book Award for Fiction), and UNCOMMON TYPE: Some Stories written and read by Tom Hanks. I have one disc left on the latter and am savoring it. It's a terrific collection of short stories, each with a typewriter featured in it. Submit your comments about the audiobooks you’ve read for your chance to win both these audio titles; the deadline for your entries is Tuesday, January 2nd at noon ET.
News & Pop Culture:
Reader Mail
In response to a reader question about how to listen to audiobooks, Jean from Iowa shared, “You asked about different types of audiobooks. My disc player wore out in my car, and I was so upset because when I travel, my saving grace is to listen to books. I was at a friend's house, and she told me about a new thing they have at the library. It's called Playaways. They are little discs about 4x2 that you connect to headphones, and you can put it in a pocket and listen wherever you go. It's unbelievable they can put the whole book on this little device, but I love them.”
Lory from FL wrote on the same topic: "I love audiobooks but also don't have long commute times or always have children in the car with me. I've learned to connect the audiobook to my Amazon Echo as I clean, cook, or pick up around the house or use headphones. I also may listen to a book while I'm watching my daughter at her tennis class. I usually borrow my audiobooks from the local library, using the OverDrive app. I've found that some books are just better read by a narrator (some are worse). It's a different experience that I have delved much more into within the past five years. My family knows that when we arrange a road trip, I'm going to pick an audiobook I think all of us can enjoy; this usually results in getting at least one or two of them hooked. My friends, from my book club, are even more attached to audiobooks as they do have at least a 45- to 60-minute commute to and from work daily. Their daily schedule allows them to 'read' much more than I do.”
Susan said, “I enjoy listening to audiobooks from my iPhone Bose speaker. Depending on the story, I enjoy listening while either walking around my kitchen island or cleaning the house --- dusting, cleaning windows, general organizing, or even while doing laundry. Sometimes after a long day of screen time at my computer, it is a treat to close my eyes, sit down in my leather recliner with my legs up, and just listen for 30 minutes to an hour. It is soothing for my eyes and allows me to soak in stories.”
Rosalie wrote, “I enjoyed your report of the Miami Book Fair and have added that to my bucket list! I am new to audiobooks but downloaded Audible to my iPhone and listen either through Bluetooth in the car or earphones on my phone! I thought I wouldn't be able to concentrate on the book, but that hasn't been a problem. My husband and I are listening to THE ROOSTER BAR by John Grisham in the car, and I am also listening to MANHATTAN BEACH by Jennifer Egan. I thank you for promoting audiobooks on Bookreporter!”
Liz wrote, "I bought a new Jeep in 2016. The salesman explained all the bells and whistles and said to come back if I had questions. He didn’t expect me at 9 the next morning. I couldn’t find the CD player. I was in a panic. Did I buy a car without a CD player? How would I listen to books? The salesman looked at me as if I had three heads and asked, 'Don’t you have an iPhone?' Jeep does not put them in cars anymore...so now I am a subscriber to Audible via Bluetooth on my iPhone!”
Jan wrote, “I listen to books on tape when I walk. I like listening on tape because the tape player fits in my pocket and disc players do not. I can only find books on tape through swap sites as no one makes them anymore. Right now I am listening to BAG OF BONES read by Stephen King. I love listening to him read his own work; it makes it very special. I haven’t been able to find more read by him. Thanks for your interesting column!”
Great comments...keep your ideas on listening to audio coming!
I got a lovely letter from Eve: “You are one of my best friends that I've never met! I so look forward to our Friday night correspondence. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, but I also feel constrained by some of the favorites. Ugh for green bean casserole. I really like 'The Good Doctor' and am glad others do. Usually I pick quirky shows that get cancelled! I will be at my local indie bookstore, Auntie's, in Spokane for Saturday celebrations of small businesses. Recently I won two books from Bookreporter --- they are next in line TBR. I just wanted you to know I am thankful for you and Bookreporter.com.” What a really lovely note. I love the line about being a best friend that you never met. I feel the same way about our readers.
Judy wrote, “As usual I enjoy your posts. You made the Miami Book Fair come to life.” Thrilled that you felt that way, Judy.
"The Crown": Season Two kicks off on Netflix next Friday, December 8th.
Wonder: I have yet to see the movie, but I have two great links for those of you who loved the book and/or the movie. Click here to learn more about how acting as Auggie has taught Jacob Tremblay about approaching people who are different and how he prepared to take on such a powerful role. And here is a wonderfully heartwarming piece that aired on ABC's "20/20" where they profile a young boy with Treacher Collins syndrome and his family.
Carrie Fisher’s Audiobook Nomination: I am still sad about Carrie Fisher’s passing. I learned this week that her audiobook recording of her memoir, THE PRINCESS DIARIST, is nominated for a Grammy in the Best Spoken Word Album category. Her daughter, Billie Lourd, is also featured on the recording. Fisher recorded THE PRINCESS DIARIST shortly before her passing last year, along with Billie, who narrated the diary entries featured in the book. Fisher discussed the audiobook recording in an interview on Penguin Random House Audio's “This Is The Author” podcast, saying, “I don’t know that my mother read a lot to me when I was a kid, probably when I was a little teeny kid…but I was a big reader so she must have read to me sometimes, and I read aloud to my daughter, because I love words. I fell in love with words as a kid and the love goes on.”
Other Spoken Word Nominations: Here are the rest of the nominated titles: ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY by Neil deGrasse Tyson, BORN TO RUN by Bruce Springsteen, CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL SONGWRITER by Shelly Peiken, and OUR REVOLUTION: A Future to Believe In by Bernie Sanders and Mark Ruffalo. The 60th Annual Grammy Awards will be presented on January 28th at Madison Square Garden.
My husband, Tom, is playing golf at Pinehurst with some friends from the Outer Banks and other places in NC this weekend. Our neighborhood lights the streets with candles on Saturday night, and it’s one of my favorite weekends of the year. I love the way the neighbors all come together for this event. Greg is seeing some friends this weekend. There are some wonderful football playoff games on tap. There's a stack of books to finish and start. And lots of holiday merriment to plan. I am staring at three knitting projects, occasionally making progress on them. A local yarn shop is offering a class on Brioche on Sunday morning, and I am tempted to take it; if it was Sunday afternoon, I would sooooo be there. Right now sleep sounds heavenly.
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: GRANT by Ron Chernow
GRANT by Ron Chernow (Biography)
Audiobook available, read by Mark Bramhall
Ulysses S. Grant's life has typically been misunderstood. All too often he is caricatured as a chronic loser and an inept businessman, or as the triumphant but brutal Union general of the Civil War. But these stereotypes don't come close to capturing him, as Ron Chernow shows in his biography, the first to provide a complete understanding of the general and president whose fortunes rose and fell with dizzying speed and frequency. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: PROMISE ME, DAD by Joe Biden
PROMISE ME, DAD: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose by Joe Biden (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Joe Biden
In November 2014, 13 members of the Biden family gathered on Nantucket for Thanksgiving, a tradition they had been celebrating for the past 40 years. It was the one constant in what had become a hectic, scrutinized and overscheduled life. The Thanksgiving holiday was a much-needed respite, a time to connect, a time to reflect on what the year had brought, and what the future might hold. But this year felt different from all those that had come before. Joe and Jill Biden's eldest son, Beau, had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor 15 months earlier, and his survival was uncertain. PROMISE ME, DAD chronicles the year that followed, which would be the most momentous and challenging in Joe Biden’s life and career. Reviewed by Carole Turner.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: PLAYING WITH FIRE
by Lawrence O’Donnell
PLAYING WITH FIRE: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics by Lawrence O'Donnell (History/Politics)
Audiobook available, read by Lawrence O'Donnell
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. PLAYING WITH FIRE represents O’Donnell’s master class in American electioneering, embedded in the epic human drama of a system --- and a country --- coming apart at the seams in real time. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
New Release Spotlight:
A HUNDRED SMALL LESSONS by Ashley Hay
A HUNDRED SMALL LESSONS by Ashley Hay (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Fiona Hardingham
From the author of the highly acclaimed THE RAILWAYMAN’S WIFE, called a “literary and literate gem” by Psychology Today, comes an emotionally resonant and profound new novel of two families, interconnected through the house that bears witness to their lives.
When Elsie Gormley leaves the Brisbane house in which she has lived for more than 60 years, Lucy Kiss and her family move in, eager to establish their new life. As they settle in, Lucy and her husband Ben struggle to navigate their transformation from adventurous lovers to new parents, taking comfort in memories of their vibrant past as they begin to unearth who their future selves might be. But the house has secrets of its own, and the rooms seem to share recollections of Elsie’s life with Lucy.
In her nearby nursing home, Elsie traces the span of her life --- the moments she can’t bear to let go and the places to which she dreams of returning. Her beloved former house is at the heart of her memories of marriage, motherhood, love and death and the boundary between present and past becomes increasingly porous for both her and Lucy.
Over the course of one hot Brisbane summer, two families’ stories intersect in sudden and unexpected ways. Through the richly intertwined narratives of two ordinary, extraordinary women, Ashley Hay uses her “lyrical prose, poetic dialogue, and stunning imagery” (RT Magazine) to weave an intricate, bighearted story of what it is to be human.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read Ashley Hay’s bio.
- Click here to visit Ashley Hay’s website.
- Click here to connect with Ashley Hay on Facebook.
Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight.
Featured Review: PRAIRIE FIRES by Caroline Fraser
PRAIRIE FIRES: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser (Biography)
Audiobook available, narrated by Christina Moore
Millions of readers of Little House on the Prairie believe they know Laura Ingalls --- the pioneer girl who survived blizzards and near-starvation on the Great Plains, and the woman who wrote the famous autobiographical books. But the true saga of her life has never been fully told. Now, drawing on unpublished manuscripts, letters, diaries, and land and financial records, Caroline Fraser fills in the gaps in Wilder’s biography. Revealing the grown-up story behind the most influential childhood epic of pioneer life, she also chronicles Wilder's tumultuous relationship with her journalist daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, setting the record straight regarding charges of ghostwriting that have swirled around the books. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
by Robert Dallek
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT: A Political Life by Robert Dallek (Biography)
Audiobook available, read by Rick Adamson
In an era of such great national divisiveness, there could be no more timely biography of one of our greatest presidents than one that focuses on his unparalleled political ability as a uniter and consensus maker. Robert Dallek’s book takes a fresh look at the many compelling questions that have attracted all his biographers: How did a man who came from so privileged a background become the greatest presidential champion of the country’s needy? How did someone who never won recognition for his intellect foster revolutionary changes in the country’s economic and social institutions? How did he work such a profound change in the country’s foreign relations? Reviewed by Lorraine W. Shanley.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: ADMISSIONS by Henry Marsh
ADMISSIONS: Life as a Brain Surgeon by Henry Marsh (Memoir/Medicine)
Audiobook available, read by Henry Marsh
Henry Marsh has spent a lifetime operating on the surgical frontline. There have been exhilarating highs and devastating lows, but his love for the practice of neurosurgery has never wavered. Following the publication of his celebrated New York Times bestseller DO NO HARM, Marsh retired from his full-time job in England to work pro bono in Ukraine and Nepal. In ADMISSIONS, he describes the difficulties of working in these troubled, impoverished countries and the further insights it has given him into the practice of medicine. Marsh also faces up to the burden of responsibility that can come with trying to reduce human suffering. Reviewed by Melanie Reynolds.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Bookreporter.com's Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature
At Bookreporter.com, we are celebrating the holiday season in style with our Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature. As our gift to you, on select days through December 20th, we are spotlighting a book and giving five lucky readers the chance to win it. You have to visit the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter the 24-hour contest. As always, we are sending our special Holiday Cheer newsletter on the days when there are contests. Click here to sign up for these email alerts.
Our next prize book will be announced on Monday, December 4th at noon ET.
This year's featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
December’s Books on Screen Feature
MR. DICKENS AND HIS CAROL by Samantha Silva (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Euan Morton
Charles Dickens is not feeling the Christmas spirit. His newest book is an utter flop, the critics have turned against him, and relatives near and far hound him for money. While his wife plans a lavish holiday party for their ever-expanding family and circle of friends, Dickens has visions of the poor house. But when his publishers try to blackmail him into writing a Christmas book to save them all from financial ruin, he refuses. And a serious bout of writer’s block sets in. Frazzled and filled with self-doubt, Dickens seeks solace in his great palace of thinking, the city of London itself. On one of his long night walks, in a once-beloved square, he meets the mysterious Eleanor Lovejoy, who might be just the muse he needs. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
L'APPART: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home by David Lebovitz (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Graham Halstead
When David Lebovitz began the project of updating his apartment in his adopted home city, he never imagined he would encounter so much inexplicable red tape while contending with the famously inconsistent European work ethic and hours. Lebovitz maintains his distinctive sense of humor with the help of his partner Romain, peppering this renovation story with recipes from his Paris kitchen. In the midst of it all, he reveals the adventure that accompanies carving out a place for yourself in a foreign country --- under baffling conditions --- while never losing sight of the magic that inspired him to move to the City of Light many years ago, and to truly make his home there. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE MAN IN THE CROOKED HAT by Harry Dolan (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Joel Richards
Private investigator Jack Pellum has spent two years searching for the man who he believes murdered his wife --- a man he last saw wearing a peacoat and a fedora. When a local writer commits suicide, he leaves a bewildering message that may be the first breadcrumb in a winding trail of unsolved murders. Michael Underhill has a sweet and beautiful girlfriend, and together they're building their future home. Nothing will go wrong, not if Underhill has anything to say about it. The problem is, Underhill has a dark and secret past, and it's coming back to haunt him. These two men are inexorably drawn together in a mystery where there is far more than meets the eye, and nothing can be taken for granted. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE LIBRARY AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD by Felicity Hayes-McCoy (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Emma Lowe
As she drives her mobile library van between villages of Ireland’s West Coast, Hanna Casey tries not to think about a lot of things. Like the sophisticated lifestyle she abandoned after finding her English barrister husband in bed with another woman. Or her nagging fear that, as the local librarian and a prominent figure in the community, her failed marriage and ignominious return have made her a focus of gossip. Hanna is determined to reclaim her independence by restoring a derelict cottage left to her by her great-aunt. But when the threatened closure of the Lissbeg Library puts her personal plans in jeopardy, Hanna finds herself leading a battle to restore the heart and soul of the Finfarran Peninsula’s fragmented community. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
PROTECTED BY THE SHADOWS: An Irene Huss Investigation written by Helene Tursten, translated by Marlaine Delargy (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Suzanne Toren
In this final installment of the Irene Huss investigations, the gang warfare that has been brewing in Göteborg is about to explode. A member of a notorious biker gang has been set on fire --- alive. Even in a culture where ritual killings are common, this brutal assault attracts the attention of both Irene’s unit and the Organized Crimes Unit. Anticipating a counterattack, the two units team up to patrol the lavish party of a rival gang, but that doesn’t stop another murder from occurring just outside the event hall. Furthermore, someone has planted a bomb under Irene’s husband’s car. Somehow, the gangs are always one step ahead of the police. Someone is leaking information. But who? Irene’s life depends on discovering the answer. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
A SELFIE AS BIG AS THE RITZ: Stories by Lara Williams (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available, read by Imogen Church
The women in Lara Williams’ debut story collection navigate the tumultuous interval between early 20s and middle age. In the title story, a relationship implodes against the romantic backdrop of Paris. In “One of Those Life Things,” a young woman struggles to say the right thing at her best friend’s abortion. In “Penguins,” a girlfriend tries to accept her boyfriend’s bizarre sexual fantasy. As Williams’ characters attempt to lean in, fall in love, hold together a family, fend off loneliness, and build a meaningful life, we see them alternating between expectation and resignation, giddiness and melancholy, the rollercoaster we all find ourselves on. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
THREE DAYS AND A LIFE written by Pierre Lemaitre, translated by Frank Wynne (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Peter Noble
In 1999, 12-year-old Antoine Courtin accidentally kills a young neighbor boy. Panicked, he conceals the body and is never suspected of any connection to the child's disappearance. But the boy's death continues to haunt him, shaping his life in unseen ways. More than a decade later, Antoine is a young doctor with a fiancée and a promising future. On a rare trip home, Antoine thoughtlessly sleeps with a young woman from his past. She shows up pregnant at his doorstep a few months later, insisting that they marry, but Antoine refuses. Meanwhile, the newly discovered body of Antoine's childhood victim means that the case has been reopened. Then the young woman's father threatens Antoine with a paternity test --- which almost certainly would match the DNA found on the dead child's body. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on December 5th
Below are some notable titles releasing on December 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 December 4th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
ALIVE IN SHAPE AND COLOR: 17 Paintings by Great Artists and the Stories They Inspired edited by Lawrence Block (Mystery/Short Stories)
Any number of artists have produced evocative work, paintings that could trigger a literary response. But none came to mind who could equal Edward Hopper in turning out canvas after canvas. If no single artist could take Hopper’s place, how about a full palette of them? Suppose each author was invited to select a painting from the whole panoply of visual art.
BEAU DEATH: A Peter Diamond Investigation by Peter Lovesey (Mystery)
A wrecking crew is demolishing a row of townhouses when they uncover a skeleton in one of the attics. The dead man is wearing authentic 1760s garb, and on the floor next to it is a white tricorn hat --- the ostentatious signature accessory of Beau Nash, a fashion icon who some say ended up in a pauper’s grave. Or did Beau actually end up in a townhouse attic?
THE DEMON CROWN: A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins (Thriller/Adventure)
Off the coast of Brazil, a team of scientists discovers a horror like no other, an island where all life has been eradicated, consumed and possessed by a species beyond imagination. Before they can report their discovery, a mysterious agency attacks the group, killing all but one --- Professor Ken Matsui, an expert on venomous creatures. Strangest of all, this inexplicable threat traces back to a terrifying secret buried a century ago beneath the National Mall: a cache of bones preserved in amber.
ENCHANTRESS OF NUMBERS: A Novel of Ada Lovelace by Jennifer Chiaverini (Historical Fiction)
The only legitimate child of Lord Byron, the most brilliant, revered and scandalous of the Romantic poets, Ada Byron King was destined for fame long before her birth. When she is introduced into London society as a highly eligible young heiress, she at last discovers the intellectual and social circles she has craved all her life. Little does she realize that her delightful new friendship with inventor Charles Babbage will shape her destiny.
INSIDIOUS INTENT by Val McDermid (Mystery/Thriller)
In the north of England, single women are beginning to disappear from weddings. A pattern soon becomes clear: Someone is crashing the festivities and luring the women away --- only to leave the victims’ bodies in their own burned-out cars in remote locations. Psychologist Tony Hill and former police detective Carol Jordan are called upon to investigate, but this may be the toughest case they’ve ever had to face.
NO TIME TO SPARE: Thinking About What Matters by Ursula K. Le Guin (Essays)
Ursula K. Le Guin has taken readers to imaginary worlds for decades. Now she’s in the last great frontier of life, old age, and exploring new literary territory: the blog, a forum where her voice --- sharp, witty, as compassionate as it is critical --- shines. NO TIME TO SPARE collects the best of Ursula’s blog, presenting perfectly crystallized dispatches on what matters to her now, her concerns with this world, and her wonder at it.
NOT SAFE AFTER DARK: And Other Stories by Peter Robinson (Thriller/Short Stories)
NOT SAFE AFTER DARK is a collection of 20 stories that explores the darkest edges of humanity in which everyday people must commit desperate acts as they face fear, temptation and impulses too irresistible to control. The title story is an exhilarating tale with a sudden conclusion that will leave readers’ hearts pounding.
ONE STATION AWAY by Olaf Olafsson (Fiction)
An overlooked pianist who finally receives fraught success after decades of disappointment. An elusive dancer whose untimely death her fiancé is desperate to untangle. A mysterious patient who is comatose after a violent accident. These are the three women who animate ONE STATION AWAY. Magnus, a New York neurologist, is the thread that binds these women’s stories together.
STRONG TO THE BONE: A Caitlin Strong Novel by Jon Land (Thriller)
1944: Texas Ranger Earl Strong investigates a triple murder inside a Nazi POW camp in Texas. The Present: His daughter, fifth generation Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong, finds herself pursuing the killer her father never caught in the most personal case of her career --- a conspiracy stretching from that Nazi POW camp to a modern-day neo-Nazi gang.
YEAR ONE: Chronicles of the One, Book 1 by Nora Roberts (Paranormal Fantasy)
It began on New Year’s Eve. The sickness came on suddenly, and spread quickly. Within weeks, everything people counted on began to fail them. In a world of survivors where every stranger encountered could be either a savage or a savior, none of them knows exactly where they are heading, or why. But a purpose awaits them that will shape their lives and the lives of all those who remain.
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Our Latest Poll: Giving Books for the Holidays
Are you planning to give books as gifts this holiday season? Please check all that apply.
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Yes, I am planning to give print books (hardcovers and/or paperbacks).
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Yes, I am planning to give eBooks.
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Yes, I am planning to give audiobooks.
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Yes, I am planning to give a gift card that will allow the recipient to buy a print book, eBook or audiobook.
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No, I am not planning to give any books or book gift cards this year.
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I am not sure what I am doing.
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, December 15th at noon ET.
Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What
You're Reading --- and You Can Win Two Books!
Tell us about the books you’ve finished reading with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from December 1st to December 15th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE DEMON CROWN: A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins and ENCHANTRESS OF NUMBERS: A Novel of Ada Lovelace by Jennifer Chiaverini.
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 December 1st to January 2nd at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Jesmyn Ward’s SING, UNBURIED, SING, read by Kelvin Harrison Jr., Rutina Wesley and Chris Chalk, and UNCOMMON TYPE: Some Stories written and read by Tom Hanks.
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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