March 9, 2018

March 9, 2018

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March Has Roared Like One Super Lion

Through the years, I have written our newsletter from many different places --- airports, airplanes, hotel rooms, conference centers, waiting rooms, and most often from my couch at home. I am writing Thursday night from my friend Cathy’s house, where we are spending our second night at what we call the “Desilu Hotel,” a play on her last name.

The second nor’easter of the week blew through on Wednesday, and Greg and I were merrily working at home when the lights flicked once, causing Greg and I, who were working on opposite sides of the house, to Slack Chat each other “ut oh.” That was the preamble to a full power shutdown within a half an hour. I made a quick call to Cathy and realized her power was out too, but her generator had kicked on. We quickly packed up essentials, including laptops and fixings for a great dinner, along with a bottle of wine, and headed her way. It became a fun night where at one point we realized the hot tub was still hot, though not connected to the generator. We borrowed bathing suits, made a quick shovel to the hot tub, and a great memory was made. And as we sat there, the stars showed through.

As I write this, her power is back on while ours is not --- and we’ve made another great dinner and poured a lot of wine. We are laughing as we have been friends for 32 years and have never slept at each other’s homes. We all worked all day tapping on laptops tethered to cell phones until the power/internet came back at her house. We did what we all call “making a memory” and reminisced about a lot of other shared times. Count us lucky. Tom’s plan is to connect our generator tomorrow if the power is not back. (Friday Note: Still not back on!)

But seriously, March, we got the memo. The lion has now roared twice. I am calling for the lamb. I hope that all of you in the recent storms’ paths have fared well. This has been one crazy winter.

Last Friday, when Tom (Editorial Director Tom, not husband, Tom; I trust our readers are following this) and I were at the Simon & Schuster preview, Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar presented her upcoming book, THE MAP OF SALT AND STARS, with a very passionate presentation. Jennifer is an American-born woman of Syrian heritage who grew up in Manhattan. Over the last few years, she has thought of herself as living in two worlds --- one here in the States and the other thinking of family in Syria.

THE MAP OF SALT AND STARS, which her editor said people feel will be to Syria what THE KITE RUNNER was to Afghanistan, has parallel stories of two girls living 800 years apart --- a modern-day Syrian refugee, Nour, whose life is always at risk, and Rawiya, who is living in medieval times apprenticed to a mapmaker. In 2011, and following the death of her father, Nour moves back to Syria with her mother, who is a cartographer, and her sister. Immediately danger lurks around in the form of war, and suddenly Nour’s family is on the run. Without knowing it, she is following many of the same paths as Rawiya centuries before. One of Jennifer’s goals was to map home. The way she sees it, a map of who you are is inside you, just as home is inside you. It will be in stores on May 1st.

During the publisher presentations, Robert Hilburn’s book, PAUL SIMON: The Life, was presented by Stephen Bedford, who now works in marketing at S&S but worked at Bookreporter for a couple of years. Amusingly he looked at those seated at our table and told them they were seated with a true Paul Simon expert. Yep, that’s me. After the presentation, he handed me the galley, and I very politely refrained from running into a corner to read it instead of listening to the rest of the presenters. That said, I knew right away what my weekend reading was going to be.

I read this book very differently than one might expect. I started with the first 30 pages to get a feel for it, and then flipped to 1969, the time frame when I first heard "The Sound of Silence" in an English class. I knew a lot about the later period in Paul’s life, so I knew that doing this I would be able to judge the book a lot better for its veracity. For the record, I know this is odd, and I have never done this with a book before.

I have learned a lot about Paul that I did not know from reading it, and find myself thinking about the arc of his career in a new way. Much of the book is grounded on his work, dividing it into the period before "The Capeman" and after, instead of the traditional Simon & Garfunkel and after. I never thought about it in those ways, yet Greg and I were talking the other day and saw why Hilburn told the story like that.

I feel that in parts Paul’s personality is portrayed a lot more glowingly than I might have expected, knowing of his penchant to be demanding and moody. But this is an authorized biography, and thus has more access to interviews than any others. Included are stories told by Peggy Harper and Carrie Fisher, Paul’s first and second wives...and yes, reading Carrie’s words was really kind of bittersweet. I look forward to finishing the book, and I recommend it to fans. Even uber fans will find nuggets to enjoy. 

ALL THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS by Elizabeth J. Church is the latest title we’re featuring in our New Release Spotlight. When she was eight years old, Lily Decker somehow survived the car accident that killed her parents and sister, but neither her emotionally distant aunt nor her all-too-attentive uncle could ease her grief. Dancing proves to be Lily’s only solace, and eventually she receives a “scholarship” to a local dance academy --- courtesy of a mysterious benefactor. Lily changes her name to Ruby Wilde and heads to Las Vegas to be a troupe dancer, but her sensual beauty and voluptuous figure land her work instead as a showgirl. Despite her apparent success in Sin City, she still must learn to navigate the world of men --- and figure out what real love looks like.

Reviewer Norah Piehl calls the book “sexy and enticing, with its lush descriptions of Ruby’s showgirl lifestyle and its celebrity cameos, but it also is full of issues to discuss and think deeply about…. ALL THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS sheds a different kind of light on a young woman whose value and purpose goes far beyond her pretty face.” Church’s debut novel, THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF LOVE, was a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection, and I’m happy to say that her sophomore effort also will be a Bets On pick. Find out why in next week’s newsletter. In the meantime, we have a discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com that you can take a look at here.

Other books we’re reviewing this week include THE ESCAPE ARTIST, a stand-alone thriller from Brad Meltzer that introduces readers to Nola Brown, a painter and trained soldier who tries to uncover the US Army's most mysterious secret --- a centuries-old conspiracy that traces back through history to the greatest escape artist of all: Harry Houdini; I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK, a true crime account of the Golden State Killer --- the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California for over a decade --- from journalist Michelle McNamara, the wife of actor Patton Oswalt who passed away while investigating the case; and AGATHA CHRISTIE: A Mysterious Life, Laura Thompson’s biography of one of the greatest crime writers in the world.

THE ESCAPE ARTIST is one of our current Word of Mouth prizes; the other is LET ME LIE by Clare Mackintosh. Let us know by Friday, March 16th at noon ET what books you’ve finished reading, and you’ll be in the running to win both novels.

This year’s Spring Preview contests will launch on Tuesday, March 13th at noon ET. As we’ve done for the past six years, we’ll be spotlighting a number of new and upcoming releases that we think people will be talking about this spring --- and beyond. We’ll be hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these books on select days this month and next. You can sign up here for alerts so you’ll be notified as soon as these giveaways go live. Our first three prize books will be the aforementioned ALL THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS, along with THE COINCIDENCE MAKERS by Yoav Blum and THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT by Chris Bohjalian.

We’d like to remind you of a very special contest that the publisher Sourcebooks has been holding the last few weeks to celebrate the recent release of CARNEGIE’S MAID by Marie Benedict (which was a Bets On selection). Vote for your library so they can win $2,000 --- and you will have the chance to receive a $100 gift card! This is all in the spirit of Andrew Carnegie and his extensive philanthropic endeavors. Be sure to enter by Monday, March 19th.

Our New in Paperback feature for March is up and running! This month, we have paperback reprints from such bestselling authors as John Grisham (CAMINO ISLAND), David Baldacci (END GAME), Margaret George (THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NERO) and Ruth Ware (THE LYING GAME); biographies of David Letterman, Charlton Heston, Arnold Palmer and Casey Stengel; and paperback originals like THE OTHER MOTHER by Carol Goodman and A FUNERAL IN MANTOVA: A Rick Montoya Italian Mystery by David P. Wagner (we have a Q&A with Wagner that you can check out here).

Our poll continues to ask which of 20 fiction titles releasing in March that we’ve listed are you planning to read. Click here to let us know!

Submit your comments about the audiobooks you’ve listened to in our Sounding Off on Audio contest, and you’ll have a chance to win the audio versions of J.A. Jance's DUEL TO THE DEATH: An Ali Reynolds Mystery, read by Karen Ziemba, and Lisa Genova's EVERY NOTE PLAYED, read by Dennis Boutsikaris and Dagmara Dominczyk. Be sure to enter by Monday, April 2nd at noon ET.

In next week's newsletter, we will share all the books that our readers have recommended for the young mothers' book group that my friend is starting. We have plenty of wonderful suggestions!

News & Pop Culture:

Reader Mail: For those like me who are weary of winter, I share this thought from Aaron, who “will be on the couch recovering from a bout of the flu and looking at 12" of snow on my deck with more on its way. It's alright, though, because that snow is this summer's water.” I embrace Aaron’s way of thinking; so positive. Hope you are better now!

NYT Audiobook Bestseller Lists: The New York Times is now publishing audiobook bestseller lists for the first time. These lists, which will appear on a monthly basis only and debuted yesterday, will note the top 15 fiction and top 15 nonfiction audio titles from the previous month. Click here for their inaugural fiction audio list and here for the first nonfiction list. You can read the full story here. I have been eager for them to do these lists to highlight audio, so I am very excited to see these first lists.

TV Deal for a Thriller Trilogy: Last week, we reviewed KILL THE ANGEL, the sequel to KILL THE FATHER and the middle book of a trilogy by Italian thriller writer Sandrone Dazieri. This week, we learned that the trilogy has been picked up by Entertainment One Television (eOne) in L.A., with Joshua Maurer and Alix Witlin executive producing. More info can be found here.

Last week, I shared my Bets On coverage for EDUCATED by Tara Westover, which became an instant New York Times bestseller. I am happy to share this piece that she wrote for the Times.

Betsy shared this lovely piece from the news service of Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools, where she taught ESOL for 19 years, about how students are creating community through knitting. I love this.

One of my favorite yarn shops, Knit Purl, in Portland, Oregon, is closing its doors to further concentrate on their Shibui line of yarns and patterns. One reason I had hoped to return to Portland someday was to visit this store, which I loved. However, I am a huge fan of Shibui and look forward to seeing what they do next.

Last weekend, Greg and I went shopping --- he wanted a picture framed, and I wanted to get some artificial spring flowers for the front porch. With a new turquoise door, the red geraniums were not going to make the cut. I do artificial ones in baskets out there as that area does not get enough sun, and we always forget to water! You can see the selections that I am going to arrange in the photo above. Yes, I am very much thinking spring.

And when the power comes back on, I have a lot of things to do around the house, as we have been racing there to pick up things and racing back out! I am very glad that my parents and my mother-in-law did not lose power.

Cory has spring break next week --- his last spring break. He’s doing some job hunting, so there are no big plans. He told me he is going camping this weekend. I look forward to hearing about this since there is snow on the ground where they are headed. I so miss celebrating spring break. Those of you headed out with your families, savor these moments. I could really use a week of nothing scheduled after this crazy winter.

But alas, instead we lose an hour this weekend, which is kind of the last thing I need! I will be hoping the power comes back so I actually can change the clocks. My weekend reading will include TANGERINE by Christine Mangan, which comes out on March 27th and has been getting raves. More on that next week! 

Here’s a special March Lion/Lose an Hour Request: Share this newsletter with a friend and suggest that they subscribe as well. We promise that in the months ahead, we will be sharing lots of great reading. We feel that the more of you reading, the lovelier things are.

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: THE ESCAPE ARTIST by Brad Meltzer

THE ESCAPE ARTIST by Brad Meltzer (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Scott Brick
Her body was found on a plane that mysteriously fell from the sky as it left a secret military base in the Alaskan wilderness. Her commanding officer verifies she's dead. The US government confirms it. But Jim "Zig" Zigarowski has just found out the truth: Nola is still alive. And on the run. Zig works at Dover Air Force Base, helping put to rest the bodies of those who die on top-secret missions. Nola was a childhood friend of Zig's daughter and someone who once saved his daughter's life. So when Zig realizes Nola is still alive, he's determined to find her. Yet as Zig digs into Nola's past, he learns that trouble follows Nola everywhere she goes. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to read the review.

Featured Review: I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK
by Michelle McNamara

I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara (True Crime/Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Gabra Zackman; with an introduction by Gillian Flynn and an afterword by Patton Oswalt
For more than 10 years, a mysterious and violent predator committed 50 sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated 10 sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area. Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer." Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was. Reviewed by Alex Bowditch.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read the review.

New Release Spotlight:
ALL THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS by Elizabeth J. Church
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title

ALL THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS by Elizabeth J. Church (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Sarah Scott
It was unimaginable. When she was eight years old, Lily Decker somehow survived the auto accident that killed her parents and sister, but neither her emotionally distant aunt nor her all-too-attentive uncle could ease her grief. Dancing proves to be Lily’s only solace, and eventually she receives a “scholarship” to a local dance academy --- courtesy of a mysterious benefactor.

Grown and ready to leave home for good, Lily changes her name to Ruby Wilde and heads to Las Vegas to be a troupe dancer, but her sensual beauty and voluptuous figure land her work instead as a showgirl performing everywhere from Les Folies Bergere at the Tropicana to the Stardust’s Lido de Paris. Wearing costumes dripping with feathers and rhinestones, five-inch heels, and sky-high headdresses, Ruby may have all the looks of a Sin City success story, but she still must learn to navigate the world of men --- and figure out what real love looks like.

With her uncanny knack for understanding the hidden lives of women, Elizabeth J. Church captures both the iconic extravagance of an era and the bravery of a young woman who dances through her sadness to find connection, freedom and, most important, herself.

ALL THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS 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 for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read Elizabeth J. Church’s bio.
- Connect with Elizabeth J. Church on Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight.

Announcing Bookreporter.com's Seventh Annual
Spring Preview Contests and Feature

Spring is in the air (or will be very soon)! We’ve already caught the fever --- and it’s being fueled by some wonderful new and upcoming releases. Our seventh annual Spring Preview Contests and Feature spotlights many of these picks, which we know people will be talking about over the next few months. We will be hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through April 20th. You will need to check the site to see the featured book and enter to win. We also will be sending a special newsletter to announce each title, which you can sign up for here.

Our first prize book will be announced on Tuesday, March 13th at noon ET.

This year's featured titles are:

• AFTER ANNA by Lisa Scottoline
• ALL THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS by Elizabeth J. Church
• AMERICAN BY DAY by Derek B. Miller
• BARBED WIRE HEART by Tess Sharpe
• BEFORE I LET YOU GO by Kelly Rimmer
• THE BRIGHTEST SUN by Adrienne Benson
• CAN’T HELP MYSELF: Lessons & Confessions from a Modern Advice Columnist by Meredith Goldstein
• THE COINCIDENCE MAKERS by Yoav Blum
• THE CUTTING EDGE: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel by Jeffery Deaver
• DEAD GIRL RUNNING by Christina Dodd
• THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR by Sally Hepworth
• THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT by Chris Bohjalian
• IF I DIE TONIGHT by Alison Gaylin
• THE LITTLE FRENCH BISTRO by Nina George
• OTHER PEOPLE’S HOUSES by Abbi Waxman
• PROVIDENCE by Caroline Kepnes
• SOMETIMES I LIE by Alice Feeney
• WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist by Franchesca Ramsey

Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.

Love Your Library Like a Carnegie!
Your Library Can Win $2,000 --- and
YOU Can Win a $100 Gift Card!

From the author of the acclaimed THE OTHER EINSTEIN comes a mesmerizing story of love, power and the woman who inspired an American dynasty. In celebration of Marie Benedict’s highly anticipated new novel, CARNEGIE'S MAID, its publisher, Sourcebooks, is giving the library who receives the most votes $2,000, and one lucky voter will win a $100 gift card!

Click here to enter the contest by Monday, March 19th.

Featured Review: THE SANDMAN by Lars Kepler

THE SANDMAN by Lars Kepler (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Saul Reichlin
Late one night, Mikael Kohler-Frost is found wandering. Thirteen years earlier, he went missing along with his younger sister. They were long thought to have been victims of Sweden's most notorious serial killer, Jurek Walter. Now Mikael tells the police that his sister is still alive and being held by someone he knows only as the Sandman. Years ago, Detective Inspector Joona Linna made an excruciating personal sacrifice to ensure Jurek's capture. He is keenly aware of what this killer is capable of, and now he is certain that Jurek has an accomplice. He knows that any chance of rescuing Mikael's sister depends on getting Jurek to talk, and that the only agent capable of this is Inspector Saga Bauer, a 27-year-old prodigy. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read the review.

Featured Review: AGATHA CHRISTIE by Laura Thompson

AGATHA CHRISTIE: A Mysterious Life by Laura Thompson (Biography)
It has been 100 years since Agatha Christie wrote her first novel and created the formidable Hercule Poirot. Arguably the greatest crime writer in the world, Christie's books still sell over four million copies each year --- more than 30 years after her death --- and it shows no signs of slowing. But who was the woman behind these mystifying, yet eternally pleasing, puzzlers? Biographer Laura Thompson reveals the Edwardian world in which Christie grew up, explores her relationships, including those with her two husbands and daughter, and investigates the many mysteries still surrounding Christie's life, most notably her 11-day disappearance in 1926. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read the review.

March’s New in Paperback Roundups

March’s roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes CAMINO ISLAND, John Grisham's thriller from last year that opens with a gang of thieves staging a daring heist from a vault deep below Princeton University’s Firestone Library --- and the action never lets up from there; David Baldacci’s END GAME, which marks the return of CIA assassins Will Robie and Jessica Reel, who are sent to investigate the disappearance of their handler, code-named Blue Man --- and find themselves up against an adversary with superior firepower and a home-court advantage; THE STARS ARE FIRE by Anita Shreve, which centers on an extraordinary young woman who is tested by a catastrophic event, and is based on the true story of the largest fire in Maine's history; and THE LYING GAME, an instant New York Times bestseller from Ruth Ware, who has written a chilling novel of friendship, secrets, and the dangerous games that teenage girls play.

Among our nonfiction highlights are THE RADIUM GIRLS by Kate Moore, which fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the "wonder" substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost impossible circumstances; JACKIE'S GIRL, an endearing coming-of-age memoir by a young woman who spent 13 years as Jackie Kennedy’s personal assistant and occasional nanny --- and the lessons about life and love she learned from the glamorous first lady; and KENNEDY AND KING by Steven Levingston, which traces the emergence of two of the 20th century's greatest leaders, their powerful impact on each other and on the shape of the civil rights battle between 1960 and 1963.

Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of
March 5th, March 12th, March 19th and March 26th.

An Interview with David P. Wagner,
Author of A FUNERAL IN MANTOVA

David P. Wagner is a retired Foreign Service Officer who spent nine years in Italy. With this wealth of experience, it’s no surprise that he decided to write a mystery series that takes place there. A FUNERAL IN MANTOVA is the fifth installment, and marks the return of Rick Montoya, an American from New Mexico self-employed as a translator in Italy. In this interview, Wagner discusses the series' Italian inspirations, shares his thoughts on being both a reader and writer of mysteries, and talks about the feedback he has received from fans that has proven to be most helpful to him.

A FUNERAL IN MANTOVA: A Rick Montoya Italian Mystery by David P. Wagner (Mystery)
Following the murder of Roberto Rondini, an elderly fisherman, Rick Montoya soon receives a call from the States. The US Embassy in Rome has recommended his services to wealthy Angelo Rondini, Roberto’s cousin. Angelo has been invited to the funeral by Roberto's daughter, Livia Guarino. Out of respect, Angelo has agreed to connect with the Italian family he hasn't seen since he was a very young boy. Rick hires on as interpreter. And soon he receives another assignment: a local cop, Inspector Crespi, leads the murder investigation and asks Rick to observe and report. Rick agrees, if Angelo accepts his working undercover. And so Rick once again puts his linguistic skills to use for the local law in solving a crime.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read the interview.

More Reviews This Week

HOW TO STOP TIME by Matt Haig (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Mark Meadows
Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but owing to a rare condition, he's been alive for centuries. He has lived history but now just wants an ordinary life. So Tom moves back to London, his old home, to become a high school history teacher --- the perfect job for someone who has witnessed the city's history firsthand. Better yet, a captivating French teacher at his school seems fascinated by him. But the Albatross Society, the secretive group that protects people like Tom, has one rule: Never fall in love. As painful memories of his past and the erratic behavior of the Society's watchful leader threaten to derail his new life and romance, the one thing he can't have just happens to be the one thing that might save him. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

CENSUS by Jesse Ball (Dystopian Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Chris Andrew Ciulla
When a widower receives notice from a doctor that he doesn’t have long left to live, he is struck by the question of who will care for his adult son, who has Down syndrome. With no recourse in mind, and with a desire to see the country on one last trip, the man signs up as a census taker for a mysterious governmental bureau and leaves town with his son. Traveling into the country, through towns named only by ascending letters of the alphabet, the man and his son encounter a wide range of human experience. As they approach “Z,” the man must confront a series of questions: What is the purpose of the census? Is he complicit in its mission? And just how will he learn to say goodbye to his son? Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

I AM, I AM, I AM: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Daisy Donovan
I AM, I AM, I AM is Maggie O'Farrell's astonishing memoir of the near-death experiences that have punctuated and defined her life. The childhood illness that left her bedridden for a year, which she was not expected to survive. A teenage yearning to escape that nearly ended in disaster. An encounter with a disturbed man on a remote path. And, most terrifying of all, an ongoing, daily struggle to protect her from a condition that leaves her unimaginably vulnerable to life's myriad dangers. Seventeen discrete encounters with Maggie at different ages, in different locations, reveal a whole life in a series of tense, visceral snapshots. Reviewed by Jane Krebs.

AS BRIGHT AS HEAVEN by Susan Meissner (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Cassandra Morris, Tavia Gilbert,‎ Jorjeana Marie and Abigail Revasch
In 1918, Philadelphia was a city teeming with promise. Even as its young men went off to fight in the Great War, there were opportunities for a fresh start. Into this bustling town came Pauline Bright and her husband, filled with hope that they could now give their three daughters a chance at a better life. But just months after they arrive, the Spanish Flu reaches the shores of America. As the pandemic claims more than 12,000 victims in their adopted city, they find their lives left with a world that looks nothing like the one they knew. But even as they lose loved ones, they take in a baby orphaned by the disease who becomes their single source of hope. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.

A LONG WAY FROM HOME by Peter Carey (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Colin McPhillamy,‎ Craig Baldwin and Saskia Maarleveld
Irene Bobs loves fast driving. Her husband is the best car salesman in southeastern Australia. Together they enter the Redex Trial, a brutal race around the ancient continent, over roads no car will ever quite survive. With them is their lanky, fair-haired navigator, Willie Bachhuber, a quiz show champion and failed schoolteacher who calls the turns and creeks crossings on a map that will remove them --- without warning --- from the white Australia they all know so well. Reviewed by Roz Shea.

BEAUTIFUL DAYS: Stories by Joyce Carol Oates (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available; read by Tavia Gilbert, Stephen Graybill and Caitlin Kelly
In BEAUTIFUL DAYS, Joyce Carol Oates explores the most secret, intimate and unacknowledged interior lives of characters not unlike ourselves, who assert their independence in acts of bold and often irrevocable defiance. In “Big Burnt,” a cunningly manipulative university professor exploits a too-trusting woman in a way she never could have anticipated. “The Nice Girl” depicts a young woman who has been infuriatingly “nice,” until she is forced to come to terms with the raw desperation of her deepest self. And the tragic “Undocumented Alien” depicts a young African student enrolled in an American university who is suddenly stripped of his student visa and forced to undergo a terrifying test of courage. Reviewed by Gabriella Mayer.

AWAYLAND: Stories by Ramona Ausubel (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available, read by a full cast
Ramona Ausubel’s stories span the globe and beyond, from small-town America and sunny Caribbean islands to the Arctic Ocean and the very gates of Heaven itself. And though some of the stories are steeped in mythology, they remain grounded in universal experiences. Crisscrossing the pages of AWAYLAND are travelers and expats, shadows and ghosts. A girl watches as her homesick mother slowly dissolves into literal mist. The mayor of a small Midwestern town offers a strange prize, for stranger reasons, to the parents of any baby born on Lenin's birthday. A chef bound for Mars begins an even more treacherous journey much closer to home. And a lonely heart searches for love online --- never mind that he's a Cyclops. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

MY NAME IS VENUS BLACK by Heather Lloyd (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Alex McKenna and‎ Cassandra Campbell
Venus Black is a straitlaced A-student fascinated by the study of astronomy --- until the night she commits a shocking crime that tears her family apart. Venus refuses to talk about what happened or why, except to blame her mother. Adding to the mystery, Venus’ developmentally challenged younger brother, Leo, goes missing. More than five years later, Venus is released from prison and determined to escape her painful past. Estranged from her mother, and with Leo still missing, she sets out to make a fresh start in Seattle. But as new people enter her orbit, old wounds resurface, and Venus realizes that she can’t find a future while she’s running from her past. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.

THE DEVIL AND THE RIVER by R.J. Ellory (Historical Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, narrated by Laurence Bouvard and Eric Meyers
One evening in 1954, 16-year-old Nancy Denton walked into the woods of her hometown of Whytesburg, Mississippi, and was never seen again. Two decades later, Sheriff John Gaines witnesses a harrowing discovery: A young woman has been unearthed from the riverbank, her body perfectly preserved, yet she bears evidence of a brutal ritualistic killing. Nancy has come home at last, but her return does not bring closure to her family, or to the citizens of Whytesburg. What really happened to the beautiful and vivacious Nancy? And why do her friends refuse to talk? As Gaines closes in on the truth, he is forced not only to confront his own demons, but to unearth secrets that have long remained hidden. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE SONS: Made in Sweden, Part II written by Anton Svensson, translated by Elizabeth Clark Wessel (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Gunnar Cauthery
After six years in prison, Leo Duvnjac is free. Prosecuted for numerous crimes, he was convicted of just two robberies in the end. Unreformed, Leo has spent his imprisonment plotting one final heist. The plan is to steal more than 100 million Swedish crowns from Sweden's largest police station --- and then disappear forever. It is a decision that will threaten what remains of his relationships with his father and brothers, who also went to prison for the earlier robberies, and set him on a collision course with the aggressive cop who sent them to jail. Detective John Broncks quickly figures out that the newly released Leo is up to something and vows to stop him, no matter what rules have to be broken. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on March 13th

Below are some notable titles releasing on March 13th 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 March 12th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.

CARIBBEAN RIM: A Doc Ford Novel by Randy Wayne White (Thriller/Adventure)
Marine biologist Doc Ford’s old pal, Carl Fitzpatrick, has been chasing sunken wrecks most of his life, but now he's run afoul of the Florida Division of Historical Resources. Its director, Leonard Nickelby, despises amateur archaeologists, and now he and his young "assistant" have disappeared --- along with Fitzpatrick's impounded cache of rare Spanish coins and the list of uncharted wreck sites Fitz spent decades putting together.

FADE TO BLACK: A Doug Brock Thriller by David Rosenfelt (Thriller)
After getting shot in the line of duty, New Jersey state police officer Doug Brock has been busy rebuilding his life and has gotten some of his memories back. But it isn’t until fellow group member Sean Conner approaches him after a meeting that Doug realizes the trouble is just beginning. Sean has discovered in his attic what can only be called a scrapbook of a murder victim, but he has no recollection of the girl’s identity or why he might have gathered this information.

THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT by Chris Bohjalian (Psychological Thriller)
Cassandra Bowden, a flight attendant, is no stranger to hungover mornings. When she awakes in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to piece the previous night back together. She quietly slides out of bed and looks at the man she spent the night with. What she sees is blood, a slick, still wet pool on the crisp white sheets. Afraid to call the police, Cassie begins to lie. Could she have killed him? If not, who did?

LET ME LIE by Clare Mackintosh (Psychological Thriller)
Last year, Tom and Caroline Johnson chose to end their lives, one seemingly unable to live without the other. Their daughter, Anna, is struggling to come to terms with her parents' deaths, unwilling to accept the verdict of suicide. Now with a baby herself, Anna feels her mother's absence keenly and is determined to find out what really happened to her parents. But as she digs up the past, someone is trying to stop her. Sometimes it's safer to let things lie.

THE RISING SEA: A Kurt Austin Adventure by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown (Thriller/Adventure)
An alarming rise in the world's sea levels sends Kurt Austin, Joe Zavala and the rest of the NUMA scientific team rocketing around the globe in search of answers. What they find at the bottom of the East China Sea, however, is even worse than they imagined: a diabolical plan to upset the Pacific balance of power --- and in the process displace as many as a billion people.

SOMETIMES I LIE by Alice Feeney (Psychological Thriller)
Amber Reynolds wakes up in a hospital. She can’t move. She can’t speak. She can’t open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn’t remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from 20 years ago, Alice Feeney's debut psychological thriller asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it's the truth?

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