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Last Friday night, I got home late after a fabulous event for librarians at Random House, which they invited me to. After hearing the authors speak, I was excited to finish WHITE HOUSES by Amy Bloom and to read ONLY CHILD by Rhiannon Navin. They were just two of the books that our Editorial Director, Tom Donadio, and I heard about during a full day of programming that was informative, and had us making lots of notes about future book coverage.
As my husband, Tom (I know, the multiple Toms in my life are confusing), was away playing golf and the boys were not around, I decided to redecorate the wreath in front of the house. I drove over to Michael’s, where they were running a sale on holiday picks and ribbons. I plucked everything turquoise and aqua that I could get my hands on and some great silver ribbon to make a bow. I got home, took the wreath off the front porch and set it on the kitchen table for Operation Turquoise Christmas Wreath. You can see the result above, and yes, I had fun making the bow. I think it still needs more. But I always think that!
It was my birthday yesterday, and my husband planned the most fun celebration. We went to Rudolph’s Steakhouse in Bernardsville, a restaurant that we had not been to before. We both love to cook, so we rarely go out to eat. (Typically in restaurants, we think we can make it better, and this is not worth the money!) We got there, and the pianist was playing a Paul Simon song, which I thought was nice. Well, it ends up the pianist was Tom’s friend, Jim, who plays there on Thursday nights. He knew we were coming, and he played many Paul Simon songs all evening. Really lovely. It was like I was being serenaded with a private concert. He played other artists as well, and one song was better than the next. Just perfect! I was completely surprised and am tough to surprise.
Speaking of which, I asked my husband to buy me a fur pompom for a hat I am knitting and told him where to get it. I knew he bought it as somehow I got the receipt, which we laughed about. Last night I asked him, "Do you want to give me the pompom?" Greg came home from dinner with a friend and we got caught up in talking to him, so I still do not have the pompom, which is really funny. Birthday celebrating continues!
Speaking of listening. I finished the audiobook of UNCOMMON TYPE: Some Stories by Tom Hanks, which I loved and heartily recommend. It’s one of our Sounding Of on Audio prizes this month (more on that later). After that I queued up THE DEAL OF A LIFETIME by Fredrik Backman, which is a short but impactful holiday read. In it, a wealthy man who has pursued success and wealth while sacrificing his family life is hit with a challenge when he meets a little girl who is fighting for her life. It’s a brisk read, a wonderful stocking stuffer, and it will make you think as you rush around doing holiday tasks. The print version of THE DEAL OF A LIFETIME will be one of our Holiday Cheer titles next week (more on that a bit later in this newsletter).
I saw a great idea from a friend of mine. She created a book advent calendar for her young daughter, wrapping up 24 picture books, one for each day leading up to Christmas. I loved this. It also would work for the eight days of Hanukkah. We are all about making books something to be part of a celebration.
A woman in our town is known as Mrs. Claus. She will be sharing an amazing bounty of gifts with 58 children who are in need. Each child will get a jacket, three pairs of pants, six shirts, shoes, socks, educational toys, a blanket, and much, much more. I heard about her and volunteered to share books for the children. We selected books from our review shelves and matched them with each child. It was such fun. She would like me to be at the gift-giving party next Sunday. All attendees wear red and green, neither of which are colors that I have in my closet. I am laughing that perhaps there ARE turquoise elves. I volunteered to make sugar cookies and have three recipes to try this weekend, as I have not made them in years. I WILL decorate them in red and green, though I do have some really pretty turquoise sugars that may sneak in there. Here is a great piece about her that appeared a few years ago. I love when people give of themselves like this. Also, she allows helpers to wrap and shop, but all the expenses are borne by her. Our donation was a rarity that she accepted, and only because I knew we could customize for the children.
Speaking of getting into the holiday spirit, I am happy to share that our Holiday Author Blogs are back for a 10th year! Once again we’re excited to hear from a number of authors about their favorite bookish holiday memories. We launch this year’s series with Alafair Burke, who reminisces about a very special gift she received from her father, author James Lee Burke. Click here to read her essay. Alafair’s next book, THE WIFE, is a psychological thriller that will be in stores on January 23rd. Over the next two weeks, be on the lookout for pieces from Karen Cleveland, Chris Fabry, Tayari Jones, Nick Petrie, Francine Rivers, Sarah Vaughan, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig.
And this calls for a drum roll… It always give me great joy to announce the start of our Bookreporter.com Bets On Contest --- our BIGGEST contest of the year --- which we’ve brought back for a seventh time! One very lucky Grand Prize winner will be awarded all 40 of my Bets On picks from this year (coincidentally, 40 was also the magic number last year), while eight other winners will receive a selection of five of these titles. Among the books you can win are BENEATH A SCARLET SKY by Mark Sullivan, EMMA IN THE NIGHT by Wendy Walker, GINNY MOON by Benjamin Ludwig (a New in Paperback title for this month) and LOVE AND OTHER CONSOLATION PRIZES by Jamie Ford. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, January 8th at noon ET.
Elizabeth, one of our readers in Northern Virginia, can use some shopping help. She is looking for high-quality leather bookmarks. As she said, "I live in Northern Virginia and so far have looked in all the local bookstores...big and small. In the past I've found them in historic places like St. Patrick's Cathedral and gift shops in Napa Valley. Just can't remember the names of the shops. I also recently purchased some online, but the quality wasn't good." If you have ideas for Elizabeth, write me at Carol@bookreporter.com with the subject line "Leather Bookmarks."
Now to this week’s update...
We have 16 reviews to share with you this week. Among the most notable are TWIN PEAKS: THE FINAL DOSSIER by Mark Frost, which is a sequel to last year’s THE SECRET HISTORY OF TWIN PEAKS and tells us what happened to key characters in the 25 years in between the events of the original “Twin Peaks” series and the recent Showtime reboot, and ELMET, Fiona Mozley’s much-talked-about debut novel, which was a finalist for the 2017 Man Booker Prize and is a December Indie Next Pick.
Other books we’re reviewing this week include Peter Lovesey’s BEAU DEATH, a Peter Diamond mystery in which the British detective extraordinaire digs deep into Bath history to ferret out the secrets of one of its most famous (and scandalous) icons: Richard “Beau” Nash, who might be the victim of a centuries-old murder; STRONG TO THE BONE by Jon Land, which finds Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong taking on a gang of neo-Nazis; and NOT SAFE AFTER DARK, a collection of 20 stories from Peter Robinson --- most never before published in the US, and one of them an Edgar winner --- that also features three Inspector Banks tales.
ELMET and NOT SAFE AFTER DARK are just two of the books we’re featuring in this month’s New in Paperback roundups. Other paperback originals include A LADY IN SHADOWS: A Madeleine Karno Mystery by Lene Kaaberbøl, THE WAKE UP by Catherine Ryan Hyde, and HOLDING THE FORT: The Fort Reno Series, Book One by Regina Jennings, the latter of which we’re giving away 10 copies of in a special contest. Also, be sure not to miss paperback reprints from such bestselling authors as James Patterson, Debbie Macomber, J.A. Jance and Brad Taylor, and nonfiction titles like THE BLOOD OF EMMETT TILL by Timothy B. Tyson and THE WARS OF THE ROOSEVELTS: The Rutheless Rise of America's Greatest Political Family by William J. Mann.
In this week’s Holiday Cheer contests, we gave away THE GERMAN GIRL by Armando Lucas Correa, THE HONEYMOON by Dinitia Smith (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. Next week’s prizes will be the aforementioned THE DEAL OF A LIFETIME by Fredrik Backman, THE PRINCESS BRIDE: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure written by William Goldman, illustrated by Michael Manomivibul, and A SECRET SISTERHOOD: The Literary Friendships of Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot, and Virginia Woolf by Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney. The first contest of the week will go live on Monday, December 11th at noon ET.
Our poll continues to ask if you are planning to give books as gifts this holiday season. Click here to let us know!
You have until Friday, December 15th at noon ET to enter our current Word of Mouth contest, where the prizes are THE DEMON CROWN: A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins and ENCHANTRESS OF NUMBERS: A Novel of Ada Lovelace by Jennifer Chiaverini. Submit your comments about the books you’ve read to be eligible to win both novels.
As previously mentioned, UNCOMMON TYPE is one of this month's Sounding Off on Audio prizes; the other is Jesmyn Ward's SING, UNBURIED, SING, read by Kelvin Harrison Jr., Rutina Wesley and Chris Chalk, which I also loved. Let us know what audiobooks you’ve finished listening to, and you’ll be in the running to win both these outstanding audio titles; the deadline is Tuesday, January 2nd at noon ET.
News & Pop Culture:
Reader Mail
Jean wrote me, “Just wanted to wish you a lovely day on Thursday the 7th (Mercury retrograde aside), our shared birthday. It has always been odd being born on the anniversary of a national tragedy. Thanks for all you and your staff do in keeping everyone up to date on the latest books. Someday I hope to read many of them --- once the hundreds on my shelves and the dozens in my new Kindle have been absorbed." Love having a reader as a birthday twin!
Suzanne wrote (after being notified she was a Holiday Cheer contest winner), ”I received your email today. Thanks so much for picking me! I look forward to reading THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG by Carole Bayer Sager. I have enjoyed your reviews of books, your newsletter and now your contests! Thanks again."
"The Crown": Season Two is available on Netflix today. We will be watching tonight.
Calendar Tip That Needs Verification: Someone told me that if you have 1990, 2001 and 2007 calendars, you can reuse them in 2018. Let me know if you see the same thing. Confession: this feels like math, and I cannot get my head wrapped around it.
Podcasts: I am pondering a Bookreporter podcast and making lots of notes about what it would include. I would love to hear from those of you who listen to podcasts. How do you find the podcasts that you listen to? And what would you like to hear on a Bookreporter podcast?
Happy Hanukkah to our readers who begin celebrating on Tuesday night. Here’s to lighting the candles.
To our readers in southern California, I have been watching the news with such trepidation; the combo of the bone dry and the wind is perilous. You are very much on my mind. May the Santa Ana winds calm down to mere whispers. To our readers in the south who are experiencing record snowfalls, of something like 1"-3" and up to 6" in Corpus Christi, it's time to dig out your shovels. No shovel? Put up your feet and read; you probably do not have snow boots either. For us in the northeast, we hear snow is whooshing in starting tomorrow!
Tom and I are headed to a holiday party tomorrow night. I am going to be cookie baking this weekend for the Mrs. Claus event next weekend, as well as for cookie eating here. (This also means I will have to hide the cookies that are staying here if I expect to have any by Christmas Day.) I am planning to remake the Black Tea Cardamom cookies that I made last year. And I need to remember where the gingerbread recipe that we liked was from. I am looking for one or two other "interesting" recipes like the Black Tea Cardamom. If anyone has any ideas that are different like that, I would love links. I cannot have tree nuts as Greg is allergic!
It's time to go make Friday night pizza before we settle in with "The Crown." Last week, I was on the run so much that I never even picked up my knitting. I am hoping this weekend has a lot more time for making progress on some projects, like finishing the hat that needs the pompom. And I need to think about presents...the books are under control, but I am NOWHERE on the rest!
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, perhaps as you do your holiday shopping!
Featured Review: TWIN PEAKS: THE FINAL DOSSIER
by Mark Frost
TWIN PEAKS: THE FINAL DOSSIER by Mark Frost (Supernatural Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Annie Wersching
The return of “Twin Peaks” is one of the most anticipated events in the history of television. Featuring all the characters we know and love from the first series, as well as a list of high-powered actors in new roles, the show will be endlessly debated, discussed and dissected. While THE SECRET HISTORY OF TWIN PEAKS served to expand the mysteries of the town and place the unexplained phenomena that unfolded there into a vastly layered, wide-ranging history, TWIN PEAKS: THE FINAL DOSSIER tells us what happened to key characters in the 25 years in between the events of the first series and the second, offering details and insights fans will be clamoring for. Reviewed by Matthew Burbridge.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: ELMET by Fiona Mozley
ELMET by Fiona Mozley (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Joe Jameson
The family thought the little house they had made themselves in Elmet, a corner of Yorkshire, was theirs. Cathy and Daniel roamed the woods freely, occasionally visiting a local woman for some schooling, living outside all conventions. Their father built things and hunted, working with his hands; sometimes he would disappear, forced to do secret, brutal work for money, but to them he was a gentle protector. But when a local landowner shows up on their doorstep, their precarious existence is threatened. Daddy and Cathy, both of them fierce, strong and unyielding, set out to protect themselves and their neighbors, putting into motion a chain of events that can only end in violence. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: BEAU DEATH by Peter Lovesey
BEAU DEATH: A Peter Diamond Investigation by Peter Lovesey (Mystery)
Audiobook available, narrated by Steven Crossley
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 the Beau actually end up in a townhouse attic? Chief Inspector Peter Diamond, who has been assigned to identify the remains, begins to fantasize about turning Nash scholarship on its ear. But one of his constables is stubbornly insisting the corpse can’t be Nash’s and threatens to spoil Diamond’s favorite theory, especially when he offers some pretty irrefutable evidence. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
New Special Contest: Enter to Win Our End-of-the-Year Celebration, Featuring All 40 "Bets On" Titles from 2017
We are thrilled to announce a very special contest featuring Carol Fitzgerald’s Bookreporter.com Bets On picks from 2017. One Grand Prize winner will be awarded all 40 books, while eight other winners will receive a selection of five of these titles. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, January 8th at noon ET.
Here are this year's Bookreporter.com Bets On titles:
Click here to enter the contest.
Bookreporter.com's Holiday Author Blogs:
Authors Write About Their Favorite Holiday Memories
of Giving or Receiving Books
This week marks the return of our Holiday Author Blogs, which we’ve brought back for a 10th(!) consecutive year. Over the next two weeks, we will be featuring a new blog post from an author each weekday talking about the books they have given and/or received during the holidays.
We kick off this year’s series with New York Times bestselling author Alafair Burke, whose new novel, THE WIFE (releasing January 23rd), is a psychological thriller about a woman who must make the impossible choice between defending her husband and saving herself. Alafair was raised by a writer (legendary author James Lee Burke) and a librarian, so reading was a constant in the Burke household. But there’s one book she received from her father that she holds especially close to her heart, and in her blog post, she explains why it was such a special gift.
Still to come are contributions from Karen Cleveland, Chris Fabry, Tayari Jones, Nick Petrie, Francine Rivers, Sarah Vaughan, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig.
Click here to read Bookreporter.com's 2017 Holiday Author Blogs.
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 11th 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 New in Paperback Roundups
December’s roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes ANY DREAM WILL DO by Debbie Macomber, a powerful stand-alone novel about a woman forced to start her life anew, embarking on the most courageous journey of all --- to a place where she learns what love and trust really mean; GINNY MOON, Benjamin Ludwig's debut novel that introduces the lovable, wholly original Ginny Moon, who discovers a new meaning of family on her unconventional journey home; and WHO KILLED PIET BAROL? by Richard Mason, a funny, sexy, irreverent and intensely moving portrait of what unites human beings when their sacred mysteries are blown apart.
Among our nonfiction highlights are A WOMAN LOOKING AT MEN LOOKING AT WOMEN, a compelling collection of essays on art, feminism, neuroscience, psychology and philosophy from prize-winning novelist Siri Hustvedt, the acclaimed author of THE BLAZING WORLD and WHAT I LOVED; THE BLOOD OF EMMETT TILL, Timothy B. Tyson's reexamination of a pivotal event of the civil rights movement --- the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till; and DUST BOWL GIRLS by Lydia Reeder, the true story of a Depression-era championship women’s team that the publisher describes as "THE BOYS IN THE BOAT meets A League of Their Own."
See what's New in Paperback for the weeks of
December 4th, December 11th, December 18th and December 25th.
Bookreporter.com Talks to Matt Coyle,
Author of BLOOD TRUTH
Matt Coyle revived the Raymond Chandler hard-boiled PI model, set in today’s tony La Jolla suburb of San Diego. BLOOD TRUTH sees protagonist Rick Cahill confronting demons that haunted his father, who had been ousted from the La Jolla Police Department years ago and drank himself into an early grave. In this episode, readers realize that Rick is his father’s son.
Rick comes across a safe found in his father’s former home. Do the contents prove his father’s corruption, and is the horded cash blood money? Meanwhile, Rick struggles with a possible rekindled romance with Kim Connelly, now married to real estate mogul Jeff Parker, in the most complex installment of this award-winning series.
In this interview, Coyle chats with Bookreporter.com’s Dean Murphy about Rick’s relationship with his father --- and Coyle’s relationship with his own dad --- the writing life, and the next Rick Cahill mystery.
BLOOD TRUTH: A Rick Cahill Novel by Matt Coyle (Hard-boiled Mystery/Thriller)
Rick Cahill has long feared the truth about his own blood --- the blood of his father coursing through his veins. When a long-hidden safe unlocks clues about why his father was kicked off the police force 27 years ago and then spiraled into an early drunken death, Rick determines to find the truth even if it proves the one thing he's always feared. But as he grapples with his father's past, the woman he still loves pleads with him to find out if her husband is having an affair --- or is involved in something much more sinister. Could the truth send her back into Rick’s arms? Would he have a last shot at happiness? He may never get the chance to find out, as killers who will do anything to protect their secrets lurk in the shadows. Reviewed by Dean Murphy.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read a review.
Click here to read our interview.
An Interview with Eileen Brady, Author of CHAINED
Eileen Brady is a practicing veterinarian for over 20 years, so it’s only fitting that the protagonist of her debut mystery series shares the same profession. CHAINED is the third installment, and revolves around Dr. Kate Turner’s investigation of a murder that took place 10 years ago. The victim was Flynn Keegan, the handsome blond “Golden Boy” of Oak Falls, a town in New York's Hudson River Valley, where the series is set. In this interview, Brady talks about how her literary career got started, the feedback she receives from her readers (who she calls “wonderful”), her love of all animals, and her plans for future novels, which includes the next book in this series.
CHAINED: A Kate Turner, DVM, Mystery by Eileen Brady (Mystery)
Everyone in the charming Hudson Valley town of Oak Falls expected Flynn Keegan, their handsome blond "Golden Boy," to make it big in Hollywood. So when veterinarian Kate Turner identifies a bone dug up by one of her dog patients as human, no one thinks back 10 years to remember Flynn. Until DNA and a smashed skull prove he was murdered. With few clues available to the forensic team, the grieving family begs Kate to investigate. His four closest friends plead ignorance. Neighbors and teachers remember the charismatic young man but offer no real help. Meanwhile, Kate is juggling her eccentric house call clients, a silly pot-bellied pig wedding and the sudden reappearance of an old college boyfriend.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the interview.
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. A sinister movement has emerged from the shadows of history, determined to undermine the American way of life. Its leader, Armand Fisker, has an army at his disposal, a deadly bio-weapon, and a reputation for being unbeatable. To prevent an unspeakable cataclysm, Caitlin and her outlaw lover, Cort Wesley Masters, must win a war the world thought was over. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
NOT SAFE AFTER DARK: And Other Stories by Peter Robinson (Thriller/Short Stories)
Audiobook available; performed by Simon Prebble, James Patrick Cronin, Faye Adele and James Langton
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. In “Going Back,” Inspector Banks’ trip to celebrate his parents’ Golden Anniversary reveals how evil can wear many disguises. In the Edgar Award-winning “Missing in Action,” the disappearance of a young boy in the early days of WWII sparks a mob mentality with chilling results. “Innocence” captures the desperate plight of a man trapped by a set of coincidences that derail his life and lead him down a path he was destined to travel. The title story is an exhilarating tale with a sudden conclusion that will leave readers’ hearts pounding. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
BONFIRE by Krysten Ritter (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Karissa Vacker
It has been 10 years since Abby Williams left home and scrubbed away all visible evidence of her small-town roots. Now working as an environmental lawyer in Chicago, she has a thriving career, a modern apartment, and her pick of meaningless one-night stands. But when a new case takes her back home to Barrens, Indiana, the life she painstakingly created starts to crack. Tasked with investigating Optimal Plastics, the town’s most high-profile company and economic heart, Abby begins to find strange connections to Barrens’s biggest scandal from more than a decade ago, involving the popular Kaycee Mitchell and her closest friends --- just before Kaycee disappeared for good. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.
SEVENTH DECIMATE: The Great God's War by Stephen R. Donaldson (Fantasy)
Audiobook available, read by Scott Brick
For centuries, the realms of Belleger and Amika have been at war, with sorcerers from both sides harnessing the Decimates to rain blood and pain upon their enemy. But somehow, in some way, the Amikans have discovered and invoked a seventh Decimate, one that strips all lesser sorcery of its power. And now the Bellegerins stand defenseless. Prince Bifalt, eldest son of the Bellegerin King, would like to see the world wiped free of sorcerers. It is he who is charged with finding the repository of all of their knowledge, to locate the book of the seventh Decimate --- and reverse the fate of his land. But the legendary library, which may or may not exist, lies beyond an unforgiving desert and treacherous mountains --- and beyond the borders of his own experience. Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard.
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. In artists ranging from Art Frahm and Norman Rockwell to René Magritte and Clifford Still, the impressive concept goes on to include Thomas Pluck, Sarah Weinman, David Morrell, Craig Ferguson, Joe R. Lansdale, Jill D. Block, Justin Scott, Jonathan Santlofer, Gail Levin, Nicholas Christopher and Lee Child, with each story accompanied in color by the work of art that inspired it. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE WITCHES' TREE: An Agatha Raisin Mystery by M. C. Beaton (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Alison Larkin
Margaret Darby, an elderly spinster, has been murdered --- and the villagers are bewildered as to who would commit such a crime. Agatha Raisin rises to the occasion (a little glad for the excitement, to tell the truth, after a long run of lost cats and divorces on the books). But Sumpton Harcourt is a small and private village, she finds --- a place that poses more questions than answers. And when two more murders follow the first, Agatha begins to fear for her reputation --- and even her life. That the village has its own coven of witches certainly doesn't make her feel any better. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
THE VANISHING SEASON by Joanna Schaffhausen (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Lauren Fortgang
Ellery Hathaway knows a thing or two about serial killers, but not through her police training. She's an officer in sleepy Woodbury, MA, where a bicycle theft still makes the newspapers. No one there knows she was once victim #17 in the grisly story of serial killer Francis Michael Coben --- the only one who lived. When three people disappear from her town in three years, all around her birthday, Ellery fears someone knows her secret --- someone very dangerous. Her superiors dismiss her concerns, but Ellery knows the vanishing season is coming and anyone could be next. She contacts the one man she knows will believe her: the FBI agent who saved her from a killer all those years ago. Reviewed by Megan Elliott.
GARDEN OF THE LOST AND ABANDONED: The Extraordinary Story of One Ordinary Woman and the Children She Saves by Jessica Yu (Biography)
At least 5,000 children live on the streets of Uganda’s capital city of Kampala. Some forget the names of their villages. The youngest may not know the names of their parents. But Gladys Kalibbala --- part journalist, part detective, part Good Samaritan --- does not hesitate to dive into difficult or even dangerous situations to aid a child. Author of a newspaper column called “Lost and Abandoned,” she is a resource that police and others turn to when they stumble across a stranded kid with a hidden history. Jessica Yu delivers an acutely observed story of this hardnosed and warmhearted woman, the children she helps, and the twists of fate they experience together. Reviewed by Dunja Bonacci Skenderović.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
PEN 33 by Anders Roslund and Börge Hellström (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Saul Reichlin
Bernt Lund is a monster, an unrepentant child molester and serial killer. In the mind of society, in the minds of his nine-year-old victims' parents, and in the minds of his fellow inmates, he is a waking nightmare. And now he has escaped from custody. Detective Superintendent Ewert Grens is about to encounter the most profoundly appalling case in his career, and perhaps in Stockholm's history. During the course of one long, hot summer, Sweden will face an explosive series of events that spread across the country like wildfire, events that call into question the very nature of humanity, duty, forgiveness and self-defense. And justice. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
RACE TO JUDGMENT by Frederic Block (Legal Thriller)
RACE TO JUDGMENT tracks the rise of African-American civil rights protagonist Ken Williams from his days as an Assistant United States Attorney through his meteoric rise to unseat the long-term, corrupt Brooklyn DA because of a spate of phony convictions against black defendants, including one of Judge Frederic Block's real cases (JoJo Jones in the book) for the murder of a Hasidic rabbi. Williams' dramatic courtroom antics (with the aid of his colorful private eye) results in JoJo's exoneration after 16 years behind bars. In addition, Williams defends a young black guidance counselor accused of killing the rabbi's son many years ago, and champions the cause of a young Hasidic woman raped by her father. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
CZECH BLUEGRASS: Notes from the Heart of Europe by Lee Bidgood (Music)
Bluegrass has found an unlikely home, and avid following, in the Czech Republic. The music’s emergence in Central Europe places it within an increasingly global network of communities built around bluegrass activities. Lee Bidgood offers a fascinating study of the Czech bluegrass phenomenon that merges intimate immersion in the music with on-the-ground fieldwork informed by his life as a working musician. Drawing on his own close personal and professional interactions, Bidgood charts how Czech bluegrass put down roots and looks at its performance as a uniquely Czech musical practice. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
MY CURIOUS AND JOCULAR HEROES: Tales and Tale-Spinners from Appalachia by Loyal Jones (Biography)
Brimming with ballads, stories, riddles, tall tales and great good humor, MY CURIOUS AND JOCULAR HEROES pays homage to four people who guided and inspired Loyal Jones’ own study of Appalachian culture. His sharp-eyed portraits introduce a new generation to Bascom Lunsford, the pioneer behind the “memory collections” of song and story at Columbia University and the Library of Congress; the Sorbonne-educated collector and performer Josiah H. Combs; Cratis D. Williams, the legendary father of Appalachian studies; and the folklorist and master storyteller Leonard W. Roberts. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on December 12th
Below are some notable titles releasing on December 12th 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 11th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
A-LIST: A Jake Longly Thriller by D.P. Lyle (Mystery/Thriller)
PI Jake Longly and Nicole Jamison head to New Orleans at the behest of Nicole's uncle, movie producer Charles Balfour, when his megastar, A-list actor Kirk Ford, awakens in his hotel bed with the body of Kristi Guidry, a local college coed. Ford, in the Big Easy for a location shoot, remembers little of the evening and nothing of the murder. And, to make matters worse, Kristi is the niece of a local mafioso-type who will do whatever is necessary to avenge her death.
CHARLES DARWIN: Victorian Mythmaker by A. N. Wilson (Biography)
With the publication of ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES, Charles Darwin --- hailed as the man who "discovered evolution" --- was propelled into the pantheon of great scientific thinkers, alongside Galileo, Copernicus and Newton. A. N. Wilson challenges this long-held assumption. He argues that Darwin was not an original scientific thinker, but a ruthless and determined self-promoter who did not credit the many great sages whose ideas he advanced in his book.
IN THE FALL THEY COME BACK by Robert Bausch (Fiction)
In his two years teaching English at Glenn Acres Preparatory School, Ben Jameson comes to believe this really is his life's work, his calling. He wants to change lives. But his desire to "save" his students leads him into complicated territory, as he becomes more and more deeply involved with three students in particular: an abused boy, a mute and damaged girl, and a dangerous 18-year-old who has come back to school for one more chance to graduate.
MAD HATTERS AND MARCH HARES: All-New Stories from the World of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland edited by Ellen Datlow (Fantasy/Short Stories)
Between the hallucinogenic, weird, imaginative wordplay and the brilliant mathematical puzzles and social satire, ALICE IN WONDERLAND has been read, enjoyed and savored by every generation since its publication. Ellen Datlow asked 18 acclaimed writers to dream up stories inspired by all the strange events and surreal characters found in Wonderland. MAD HATTERS AND MARCH HARES features stories and poems from Seanan McGuire, Jane Yolen, Jeffrey Ford and more.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
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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