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Bookish Memories and Recommendations
This has been a super busy week, with so many bookish high moments. On Tuesday morning, many from the publishing world gathered to celebrate the life of Sue Grafton. Speakers included Marian Wood, her editor of 40 years; Molly Friedrich, her agent (who spoke of Sue making her a cake for her recent milestone birthday); Michael Connelly; Harlan Coben; J.R. Ward; Sarah Weinman; Sue’s daughter, Jamie Clark, and her husband, Steve Humphrey.
Their terrific collection of “Sue stories” painted a wonderful picture of her as an author, a mentor, a sincere friend and someone who had a real love of life, as well as a wicked sense of humor. She clearly never got caught up in being “Sue Grafton,” and one of my favorite moments came when Jamie said that when her mom died, it was announced on the national news and in every major newspaper, as well as across multiple online channels. Neighbors were surprised that she got those kinds of tributes, as she clearly never flaunted her fame.
All of her author colleagues noted her supportive nature; she clearly was a woman who spent a lot of time encouraging others. Harlan was wearing a tie that had the alphabet on it, but it was missing the letter "Z". He left that tie with Sue’s husband. At a reception after the formal ceremony, we enjoyed peanut butter and pickle sandwiches (which were surprisingly good), along with some more sophisticated hors d’oeuvres.
My only regret was that Greg was traveling and missed this. He was such a fan of Sue and her work, and it was lovely to have a few people note the tribute piece that he had written about her. She is and will be so very missed.
On a lighter note, in the photo above, you can see Alafair Burke and the aforementioned Michael Connelly posing in front of an advertisement for "Bosch," which is based on Michael's series of bestselling novels starring the eponymous detective. In a total fangirl moment, I had such fun chatting with Michael and telling him how much I enjoyed this season.
Last night, I headed up to Fairfield, CT, to speak to readers about some upcoming titles that I think book clubs will enjoy. I had done a similar event in Fairfield last year and recognized many faces in the audience. It was a really fun evening as we exchanged conversation about books, in addition to my formal slide presentation. I loved hearing from previous attendees about the books I had recommended that they enjoyed.
One book that I previewed there last year was BENEATH A SCARLET SKY by Mark Sullivan. I am happy to share some new news about that book, which will be celebrating its one-year anniversary on Tuesday. It originally was published in trade paperback and e-book formats. Given its brilliant success, Mark’s publisher, Lake Union, is now going to publish it in hardcover on its anniversary, and this special edition also will include a discussion guide written by ReadingGroupGuides.com, as well as additional materials. I was so happy to hear many of the Fairfield readers sharing stories about how special this book had been to them. One woman mentioned that the son of Pino Lello, who is the protagonist in the book, wrote her after reading her review on Amazon! She has shared the book with at least 20 friends, and all love it as much as she did.
Saturday is Independent Bookstore Day. I highly recommend your heading to your local bookseller to do some shopping to support them! It’s a chance to support the world of books and reading, as well as a group of people who regularly support your local economy! Next week is Children’s Book Week, which is celebrating its 99th year. The goal of this week of celebrating children and book reading is to instill in children and teens a lifelong love of reading. There are events to celebrate Children’s Book Week across the country. See the list here to find a location near you and bring a young book-loving friend to celebrate.
On Wednesday, those of you who subscribe to this newsletter received our Special Dedicated newsletter in your inbox. If you missed it as you are not used to hearing from us on a Wednesday, let me fill you in on the exciting details. Penguin Random House is sponsoring a MAJOR giveaway where one lucky winner and a guest will be awarded VIP passes to BookCon, the convention for book lovers “where storytelling and pop culture collide,” featuring authors like Brad Meltzer, Jacqueline Woodson, Deborah Harkness and Marisha Pessl. In addition to the two passes, the VIP treatment will include two flights to New York City; a hotel stay; swag bags that include two Deborah Harkness box sets, two Sarah Jessica Parker totes, two Shakespeare Star Wars Collection CDs, and two sets of earbuds; and much, much more!
This year’s BookCon will take place on June 2nd and 3rd at the Javits Center in NYC. Hear your favorite authors and celebrities speak at various panels and Q&A sessions, and you may even get the opportunity to meet them at exclusive autograph sessions. Enter here by 11pm ET on Monday, April 30th for your chance to win this book lover’s trip of a lifetime!
You still have time to enter our special contest for Beatriz Williams’ upcoming novel, THE SUMMER WIVES, a postwar fable of love, class, power and redemption set among the inhabitants of an island off the New England coast. The book won’t be available until July 10th, but we’re giving 25 readers the chance to win an advance copy and give us their feedback on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, May 3rd at noon ET. As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, THE SUMMER WIVES will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. You can read my commentary shortly after the book releases, along with our review and interview with Beatriz, as it will be a Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight title.
Don’t forget about our Mother’s Day contest! For the 13th year in a row, you can win an assortment of wonderful fiction and nonfiction titles for yourself or your mom. Five readers will be the happy recipients of all 15 of our prize books, which include AS YOU WISH by Jude Deveraux, THE RECIPE BOX by Viola Shipman, and SHARP: The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion by Michelle Dean. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, May 14th at noon ET.
This is your last newsletter reminder to enter our ReadingGroupGuides.com contest for the audiobook version of Lisa Scottoline’s AFTER ANNA, read by Mozhan Marno and Jeremy Bobb. Ten book groups will win six digital copies of the audiobook, while 40 other listeners will be awarded a physical copy of the audiobook. To enter, please fill out this form by Wednesday, May 2nd at noon ET. You can listen to a clip from the audiobook here and read our review of the hardcover here.
We have 16 reviews to share with you this week. Among them are TWISTED PREY by John Sandford, in which Lucas Davenport confronts an old nemesis, who is now a powerful U.S. senator; YOU THINK IT, I’LL SAY IT, the first collection of short fiction from Curtis Sittenfeld, who, throughout her stories, upends assumptions about class, relationships and gender roles; PROPERTY, a debut collection of 10 short stories and two novellas from Lionel Shriver that explores the idea of property in every meaning of the word; and VARINA, in which Charles Frazier returns to the time and place of his National Book Award-winning novel COLD MOUNTAIN, bringing to life the chaos and devastation of the Civil War.
We’ve updated our Young Adult Books You Want to Read feature, books we've recently reviewed on Teenreads.com that we think will appeal to an adult audience. This month’s titles are I HAVE THE RIGHT TO: A High School Survivor's Story of Sexual Assault, Justice, and Hope by Chessy Prout with Jenn Abelson, THE WINDOW by Amelia Brunskill, and THE FRONTMAN by Ron Bahar.
How many books are currently on your to-be-read list? That’s our latest poll question; let us know by clicking here.
Our previous poll asked which of 20 paperbacks releasing in April you have read or are planning to read. Your #1 pick was THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE by Lisa See, with 45% of the vote. Rounding out the top five were KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, by David Grann (35%), THE GOOD DAUGHTER by Karin Slaughter (34%), THE MIDNIGHT LINE: A Jack Reacher Novel, by Lee Child (22%), and SAME BEACH, NEXT YEAR by Dorothea Benton Frank (21%). Click here for all the results.
A couple of weeks ago, Lisa See joined the Off the Shelf Book Club on Facebook Live to talk about THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE. Click here to watch the lively discussion, which I thought was just fabulous!
We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Submit your comments about the books you’ve finished reading, and you’ll have a chance to win BEAUTY IN THE BROKEN PLACES: A Memoir of Love, Faith, and Resilience by Allison Pataki and THE HIGH TIDE CLUB by Mary Kay Andrews. The deadline for your submissions is Friday, May 11th at noon ET.
Time is running out to enter this month’s Sounding Off on Audio contest. Let us know by Tuesday, May 1st at noon ET what audiobooks you’ve listened to, and you’ll be in the running to win the audio versions of Sally Hepworth's THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR, read by Barrie Kreinik, and Alice Feeney's SOMETIMES I LIE, read by Stephanie Racine.
As I mentioned last month, the New York Times is now publishing audiobook bestseller lists. These monthly lists note the top 15 fiction and top 15 nonfiction audio titles from the previous month. Click here for the latest fiction audio list and here for the nonfiction list.
News & Pop Culture:
Edgar Award Winners: These prizes were given out last night. Among the recipients were BLUEBIRD, BLUEBIRD by Attica Locke (Best Novel) and the aforementioned KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON by David Grann (Best Fact Crime). Here is a list of all the winners!
At last night's ceremony, Peter Lovesey --- whose latest novel in his Peter Diamond mystery series, BEAU DEATH, released last December --- received the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America, which "represents the pinnacle of achievement in mystery writing and was established to acknowledge important contributions to this genre, as well as for a body of work that is both significant and of consistent high quality." Earlier today, our Editorial Director, Tom Donadio, attended a cocktail party right around the corner from our office to toast Peter for this incredible honor. Tom had a wonderful time talking to Peter (who he calls a "delightful man") about the book and how much this award means to him. You can see a picture of them above.
Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winners: They were announced last Friday night. Winners included EXIT WEST by Mohsin Hamid (Fiction) and LONG WAY DOWN by Jason Reynolds (Young Adult Literature). Click here for all the winners.
Golden State Killer: You may have heard this week about the capture and arrest of a man who is believed to have been the Golden State Killer. As reported on CNN, among others, “before she died two years ago, true-crime author Michelle McNamara made it her mission to identify a man believed to have committed 12 slayings and at least 50 rapes across California from 1976 to 1986.” Her book, I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK (which we reviewed last month), was published posthumously in February (she had passed away with an undiagnosed heart condition two years ago at the age of 46), and according to the New York Times, “its publication, helped reignite public interest in this very old cold case. It has sold around 150,000 copies and was optioned by HBO, which is adapting it into a documentary series.” You can read the CNN story here and the New York Times piece here.
The Woman in the Window: We found out this week that Amy Adams will star in the film version of A. J. Finn’s mega-bestseller, THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (a Bets On pick).
More Amy Adams news: She also has the starring role in “Sharp Objects,” an eight-episode limited drama series that will debut in July on HBO and is based on the book of the same name by Gillian Flynn. You can see a teaser trailer here.
We are celebrating my mother-in-law’s 90th birthday with a party tomorrow afternoon; her real birthday was back in February, which Tom, the boys and I celebrated with 90 candles on a cake. Later that evening, Tom and I have dinner plans with a friend. Cory will be joining us at the party. Greg is on his epic trip, which has him in Mendocino, CA, for an off-road event for the weekend, as I write this. He left last Saturday morning driving his 1994 Land Rover Discovery (which you can see above). First night was in Moline, IL; second night in Denver, third in Moab, UT, and the fourth in Tahoe. As one of his friends said to him, “I feel like I am watching a high-speed time lapse with how quickly you're passing through the country." I laughed reading that. On Monday he spent time with his godfather, Bob Knous, in Denver, where they had breakfast and went shopping at Tattered Cover. You can see him there in the photo above. Cory won the Iron Chef Award this week during a Greek Week event at school. I suggested he add this to his curriculum vitae.
Lots of reading and interview prep work is on tap. I am interviewing six authors for the BookExpo Author Buzz event, as well as Kate Morton, whose new book, THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER, will be coming in October. Also, on May 7th, I am interviewing Lisa Jewell at Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, NJ; I am looking forward to seeing her again.
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: TWISTED PREY by John Sandford
TWISTED PREY: A Lucas Davenport Novel by John Sandford (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Richard Ferrone
A rich psychopath, Taryn Grant had run successfully for the U.S. Senate, where Lucas Davenport had predicted she'd fit right in. He was also convinced that she'd been responsible for three murders, though he'd never been able to prove it. Once a psychopath had gotten that kind of rush, though, he or she often needed another fix, so he figured he might be seeing her again. He was right. A federal marshal now, with a very wide scope of investigation, he's heard rumors that Grant has found her seat on the Senate intelligence committee, and the contacts she's made from it, to be very...useful. Pinning those rumors down was likely to be just as difficult as before, and considerably more dangerous. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: YOU THINK IT, I’LL SAY IT
by Curtis Sittenfeld
YOU THINK IT, I'LL SAY IT: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available, read by Emily Rankin and Mark Deakins
Throughout the 10 stories in her first collection of short fiction, Curtis Sittenfeld upends assumptions about class, relationships and gender roles in a nation that feels both adrift and viscerally divided. In “The World Has Many Butterflies,” married acquaintances play a strangely intimate game with devastating consequences. In “A Regular Couple,” a high-powered lawyer honeymooning with her husband is caught off guard by the appearance of the girl who tormented her in high school. And in “The Prairie Wife,” a suburban mother of two fantasizes about the downfall of an old friend whose wholesome lifestyle empire may or may not be built on a lie. Reviewed by Alex Bowditch.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: PROPERTY by Lionel Shriver
PROPERTY: Stories Between Two Novellas by Lionel Shriver (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available, read by Lionel Shriver
Intermingling settings in America and Britain, Lionel Shriver’s first collection explores property in both senses of the word: real estate and stuff. These 10 short stories and two novellas illustrate how our possessions act as proxies for ourselves, and how tussles over ownership articulate the power dynamics of our relationships. In Shriver’s world, we may possess people and objects and places, but in turn they possess us. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: VARINA by Charles Frazier
VARINA by Charles Frazier (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Molly Parker
Her marriage prospects limited, teenage Varina Howell agrees to wed the much-older widower Jefferson Davis, with whom she expects the secure life of a Mississippi landowner. Davis instead pursues a career in politics and is eventually appointed president of the Confederacy, placing Varina at the white-hot center of one of the darkest moments in American history --- culpable regardless of her intentions. The Confederacy falling, her marriage in tatters and the country divided, Varina and her children escape Richmond and travel south on their own, now fugitives with “bounties on their heads, an entire nation in pursuit.” Reviewed by Gabriella Mayer.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Special Contest: Enter to Win an Advance Copy of
THE SUMMER WIVES by Beatriz Williams
and Share Your Comments on It
We have 25 advance copies of THE SUMMER WIVES by Beatriz Williams --- an electrifying postwar fable of love, class, power and redemption set among the inhabitants of an island off the New England coast --- to give away to readers who would like to preview the book, which releases on July 10th, and share their comments on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, May 3rd at noon ET.
THE SUMMER WIVES by Beatriz Williams (Historical Fiction)
In the summer of 1951, Miranda Schuyler arrives on elite, secretive Winthrop Island as a schoolgirl from the margins of high society, still reeling from the loss of her father in the Second World War. When her beautiful mother marries Hugh Fisher, whose summer house on Winthrop overlooks the famous lighthouse, Miranda is catapulted into a heady new world of pedigrees and cocktails, status and swimming pools. Isobel Fisher, Miranda’s new stepsister --- all long legs and world-weary bravado, engaged to a wealthy Island scion --- is eager to draw Miranda into the arcane customs of Winthrop society.
But beneath the island’s patrician surface, there are really two clans: the summer families with their steadfast ways and quiet obsessions, and the working class of Portuguese fishermen and domestic workers who earn their living on the water and in the laundries of the summer houses. Uneasy among Isobel’s privileged friends, Miranda finds herself drawn to Joseph Vargas, whose father keeps the lighthouse with his mysterious wife. In summer, Joseph helps his father in the lobster boats, but in the autumn he returns to Brown University, where he’s determined to make something of himself. Since childhood, Joseph has enjoyed an intense, complex friendship with Isobel Fisher, and as the summer winds to its end, Miranda is caught in a catastrophe that will shatter Winthrop’s hard-won tranquility and banish Miranda from the island for nearly two decades.
Now, in the landmark summer of 1969, Miranda returns at last, as a renowned Shakespearean actress hiding a terrible heartbreak. On its surface, the Island remains the same --- determined to keep the outside world from its shores, fiercely loyal to those who belong. But the formerly powerful Fisher family is a shadow of itself, and Joseph Vargas has recently escaped the prison where he was incarcerated for the murder of Miranda’s stepfather 18 years earlier. What’s more, Miranda herself is no longer a naïve teenager, and she begins a fierce, inexorable quest for justice for the man she once loved...even if it means uncovering every last one of the secrets that bind together the families of Winthrop Island.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read Beatriz Williams’ bio.
- Click here to visit Beatriz Williams’ website.
- Connect with Beatriz Williams on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click here to enter the contest.
Bookreporter.com's 13th Annual
Mother's Day Contest: Books Mom Will Love
Mother’s Day is a time to recognize the woman who raised and nurtured us. To celebrate, we're giving you the opportunity to win books for yourself or the special lady in your life in our 13th annual "Books Mom Will Love" contest. From now through Monday, May 14th at noon ET, readers can enter to win one of our five prize packages, which includes 15 great fiction and nonfiction titles we think moms will love.
This year's featured titles are:
Click here to enter the contest.
Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight:
LOVE AND RUIN by Paula McLain
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
LOVE AND RUIN by Paula McLain (Historical Fiction)
In 1937, 28-year-old Martha Gellhorn travels alone to Madrid to report on the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War and becomes drawn to the stories of ordinary people caught in the devastating conflict. It’s the adventure she’s been looking for and her chance to prove herself a worthy journalist in a field dominated by men. But she also finds herself unexpectedly --- and uncontrollably --- falling in love with Hemingway, a man on his way to becoming a legend.
In the shadow of the impending Second World War, and set against the turbulent backdrops of Madrid and Cuba, Martha and Ernest’s relationship and their professional careers ignite. But when Ernest publishes the biggest literary success of his career, FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS, they are no longer equals, and Martha must make a choice: surrender to the confining demands of being a famous man’s wife, or risk losing Ernest by forging a path as her own woman and writer. It is a dilemma that could force her to break his heart, and hers.
Heralded by Ann Patchett as “the new star of historical fiction,” Paula McLain brings Gellhorn’s story richly to life and captures her as a heroine for the ages: a woman who will risk absolutely everything to find her own voice.
LOVE AND RUIN releases on May 1st and will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Don’t miss Carol’s commentary in the May 11th newsletter.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read Paula McLain’s bio.
- Click here to visit Paula McLain’s website.
- Connect with Paula McLain on Facebook and Instagram.
Click here to read more in our Women's Fiction Author Spotlight.
Bookreporter.com's Latest Blog Post:
“Memphis? Why Memphis? (Or New Orleans or Sopchoppy…)” by Mary Anna Evans,
Author of UNDERCURRENTS
Mary Anna Evans is the author of the Faye Longchamp archaeological mystery series, the 11th installment of which, UNDERCURRENTS, is now available. Her protagonist is an archaeologist who “goes where the history is,” traveling all over the country and solving mysteries along the way. In this blog piece written exclusively for Bookreporter.com, Mary Anna explains why she chose Memphis, Tennessee, as the setting for her latest novel, and talks about the wonderful time she had there as she conducted research with the help of two of her oldest friends.
UNDERCURRENTS: A Faye Longchamp Mystery by Mary Anna Evans (Mystery)
Faye Longchamp has traveled to Memphis, a city steeped in music, poverty, history and the smoky tang of barbecue. She's there working alone to do an assessment of a site, welcome work for her small archaeological consulting firm. When Faye spies a child too young to be wandering along a creek alone, she follows the girl. A day later she uncovers a dying woman, buried alive near a spot where the girl might well be hiding. Nobody would blame Faye for running hard, but she can't make herself leave Kali, the woman's now orphaned daughter, who might be in danger. Faye's gut is telling her that a monster is stalking Memphis, endangering the child she has come to love. If the police can't catch him, then she will have no choice but to try to find him herself.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read Mary Anna Evans' blog post.
CADDYSHACK: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story by Chris Nashawaty (Entertainment/History)
Audiobook available, read by Peter Berkrot
Caddyshack is one of the most beloved comedies of all time, a classic snobs vs. slobs story of working class kids and the white collar buffoons who make them haul their golf bags in the hot summer sun. It has sex, drugs and one very memorable candy bar, but the movie we all know and love didn’t start out that way. In CADDYSHACK: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story, Chris Nashawaty goes behind the scenes of the iconic film, chronicling the rise of comedy’s greatest deranged minds as they form The National Lampoon, turn the entertainment industry on its head, and ultimately blow up both a golf course and popular culture as we know it. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
THE BEST COOK IN THE WORLD: Tales from My Momma's Table by Rick Bragg (Cooking/Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Rick Bragg
Margaret Bragg does not own a single cookbook. She measures in "dabs" and "smidgens" and "tads" and "you know, hon, just some." Her notion of farm-to-table is a flatbed truck. But she can tell you the secrets to perfect mashed potatoes, corn pudding, redeye gravy, pinto beans and hambone, stewed cabbage, short ribs, chicken and dressing, biscuits and butter rolls. Many of her recipes, recorded here for the first time, pre-date the Civil War, handed down skillet by skillet, from one generation of Braggs to the next. In THE BEST COOK IN THE WORLD, Rick Bragg finally preserves his heritage by telling the stories that framed his mother's cooking and education, from childhood into old age. Reviewed by Melanie Reynolds.
ROCKET MEN: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon by Robert Kurson (History)
Audiobook available, read by Ray Porter
In a year of historic violence and discord --- the Tet Offensive, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy, the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago --- the Apollo 8 mission would be the boldest, riskiest test of America’s greatness under pressure. In ROCKET MEN, Robert Kurson puts the focus on the three astronauts and their families: the commander, Frank Borman, a conflicted man on his final mission; idealistic Jim Lovell, who had dreamed since boyhood of riding a rocket to the Moon; and Bill Anders, a young nuclear engineer and hotshot fighter pilot making his first space flight. Reviewed by Pauline Finch.
THE KNOWLEDGE: A Richard Jury Mystery by Martha Grimes (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Steve West
In the backseat of Robbie Parsons’ cab is a man with a gun in his hand --- a man who brazenly committed a crime in front of the Artemis Club, a rarefied art gallery-cum-casino, then jumped in and ordered Parsons to drive. As the criminal eventually escapes to Nairobi, Detective Superintendent Richard Jury comes across the case in the Saturday paper. Two days previously, Jury had met and instantly connected with one of the victims of the crime, a professor of astrophysics at Columbia and an expert gambler. Feeling personally affronted, Jury soon enlists Melrose Plant, Marshall Trueblood and his whole gang of merry characters to contend with a case that takes a number of unexpected turns. Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum.
TWENTY-ONE DAYS: A Daniel Pitt Novel by Anne Perry (Historical Mystery)
Audiobook available, narrated by Samuel Roukin
1910: Twenty-five-year-old Daniel Pitt is a junior barrister in London and eager to prove himself, independent of his renowned parents’ influence. And the new case before him will be the test. When his client, arrogant biographer Russell Graves, is found guilty of murdering his wife, Daniel is dispatched to find the real killer before Graves faces the hangman’s noose --- in only 21 days. Could Mrs. Graves’ violent death have anything to do with her husband’s profession? Someone in power may be framing the biographer to keep damaging secrets from coming to light. It is a theory that leads Daniel’s investigation unexpectedly to London’s Special Branch --- and, disturbingly, to one of his father’s closest colleagues. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAM HELL by Robert Dugoni (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Robert Dugoni
Sam Hill was born with red pupils, and was called “Devil Boy” or Sam “Hell” by his classmates. He believed it was God who sent Ernie Cantwell, the only African American kid in his class, to be the friend he so desperately needed. And that it was God’s idea for Mickie Kennedy to storm into Our Lady of Mercy, uprooting every rule Sam had been taught about boys and girls. Forty years later, Sam, a small-town eye doctor, is no longer certain anything was by design --- especially not the tragedy that caused him to turn his back on his friends, his hometown and the life he’d always known. Running from the pain served little purpose. Now, as he looks back on his life, Sam embarks on a journey that will take him halfway around the world. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
MY OXFORD YEAR by Julia Whelan (Romance)
Audiobook available, read by Julia Whelan
At 24, Ella Durran has finally made it to England on a Rhodes Scholarship when she’s offered an unbelievable position in a rising political star’s presidential campaign. With the promise that she’ll work remotely and return to DC at the end of her Oxford year, she’s free to enjoy her Once in a Lifetime Experience. That is, until a smart-mouthed local ruins her shirt and her first day. When Ella discovers that her English literature course will be taught by that same local, Jamie Davenport, she thinks that Oxford might not be all she’s envisioned. But a late-night drink reveals a connection she wasn’t anticipating finding, and what begins as a casual fling soon develops into something much more when Ella learns that Jamie has a life-changing secret. Reviewed by Carole Turner.
THE DUCHESS: Camilla Parker Bowles and the Love Affair That Rocked the Crown by Penny Junor (Biography)
Audiobook available, read by Jenny Funnell
In THE DUCHESS, veteran royal biographer and journalist Penny Junor reveals in full, for the first time, the remarkable rise of a woman who was the most notorious mistress in the world. As Camilla Parker Bowles’ marriage to Prince Charles approached in 2005, the British public were upset at the prospect that this woman, universally reviled for wrecking the royal marriage, would one day become queen. Sensitive to public opinion, the palace announced that this would never happen; when Charles eventually acceded to the throne, Camilla would be known as the princess consort. Yet a decade later, British public sentiment had changed, with a majority believing that Camilla should become queen. Reviewed by Amie Taylor.
WARNING LIGHT by David Ricciardi (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Jonathan Davis
When a commercial flight violates restricted airspace to make an emergency landing at a closed airport in Iran, the passengers are just happy to be alive and ready to transfer to a functional plane. All of them except one. Zac Miller is a CIA analyst. And after an agent's cover gets blown, Zac --- though never trained to be a field operative --- volunteers to take his place, to keep a surveillance mission from being scrubbed. Zac thinks it will be easy to photograph the earthquake-ravaged airport that is located near a hidden top-secret nuclear facility. But when everything that can go wrong does, he finds himself on the run from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards and abandoned by his own teammates, who think he has gone rogue. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
NECESSITY by D.W. Buffa (Legal Thriller)
When renowned lawyer Joseph Antonelli --- the defense attorney who has never lost a case --- takes on the most shocking and controversial case of his storied career, he has no idea of the depths of trouble he’s about to get into. A man has murdered the President of the United States, but has invoked the “Law of Necessity,” which states that a crime is justified if it serves the greater good and thus prevents a greater harm from occurring. As the nation watches the trial of the century, Antonelli must try a case with all eyes on him...and his own life on the line.
A PERFECT SHOT by Robin Yocum (Thriller)
Nearly two decades after he made the winning shot in the state championship basketball game, Nicholas "Duke" Ducheski remains much adored and the focal point of community pride. Now approaching 40, Duke no longer wants to be defined solely by something he did when he was 18. So he decides to parlay his local popularity into a successful restaurant. One day, "Little Tony" DeMarco, his brother-in-law and a known mob enforcer, comes into the restaurant and murders Duke's oldest friend. DeMarco thinks he's untouchable, but Duke discovers a way to take him down, along with his mob superiors. To do so, however, means sacrificing his treasured identity as the town legend. And if he follows through, what will remain of his life? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE NEIGHBOR by Joseph Souza (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Neva Navarre and Will Damron
When Leah and her husband, Clay, move from Seattle to Maine, she envisions a vibrant new neighborhood packed with families. But while Clay works long hours, Leah is left alone each day in a nearly deserted housing development. Bored and adrift, Leah finds herself watching Clarissa and Russell Gaines next door, envying their stylishly decorated home and their university careers. But Leah’s obsession with the intriguing, elegant Clarissa grows until she’s not just spying from afar but sneaking into their house, taking small objects and reading Clarissa’s diary. It contains clues to a hidden turmoil Leah never guessed at --- and a connection to a local college girl who’s disappeared. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on May 1st
Below are some notable titles releasing on May 1st 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 April 30th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
ADJUSTMENT DAY by Chuck Palahniuk (Fiction/Satire)
People pass the word only to those they trust most: Adjustment Day is coming. They’ve been reading a mysterious book and memorizing its directives. They are ready for the reckoning. In ADJUSTMENT DAY, his first novel in four years, Chuck Palahniuk skewers the absurdities in our society.
BEAUTY IN THE BROKEN PLACES: A Memoir of Love, Faith, and Resilience by Allison Pataki (Memoir)
When Allison Pataki's husband suffers a stroke, he wakes up with a complete loss of memory. At five months pregnant, Allison has lost the Dave she knew and loved. Within a few months, she found herself caring for both a newborn and a sick husband. As a way to make sense of the pain and chaos of their new reality, Allison started to write daily letters to Dave. Those letters became the foundation for this beautiful, intimate memoir.
THE DEVIL’S REWARD written by Emmanuelle de Villepin, translated by C. Jon Delogu (Fiction)
Christiane lives alone in a large apartment in the heart of Paris. Her daughter, Catherine, is filled with resentment toward her unfaithful Milanese husband. After discovering yet another affair, Catherine takes refuge in Paris at her mother’s home, accompanied by her own daughter, Luna. Christiane uses all of her freethinking charm in an effort to change Catherine’s rigid, self-pitying attitude.
THE FORGOTTEN ROAD by Richard Paul Evans (Fiction)
Chicago celebrity and successful pitchman Charles James is ready for a second chance at life --- and love. The last time he was truly happy was when he was married to his ex-wife Monica, before their connection was destroyed by his ambition and greed. Charles decides to embark on an epic quest: He will walk the entire length of Route 66, from Chicago to California, where he hopes to convince Monica to give him another shot.
HE by John Connolly (Historical Fiction)
Stan Laurel despaired of ever finding his own path to success --- or happiness. But success and happiness did find Laurel, following the inspired decision by impresario Hal Roach to put him and Oliver Hardy together on screen. Initially a calculated marriage of opposites in an era of highly disposable short films, the partnership bloomed into a professional and personal relationship of lifelong depth.
IN DUST AND ASHES: A Hanne Wilhelmsen Novel by Anne Holt (Mystery)
In 2001, three-year-old Dina is killed in a tragic car accident. Not long thereafter, Dina’s mother dies under mysterious circumstances, and Dina’s father Jonas is convicted of her murder. Now it’s 2016, and the cold case ends up on the desk of Detective Henrik Holme, who tries to convince his mentor Hanne Wilhelmsen that Jonas might have been wrongly convicted.
THE JUDGE HUNTER by Christopher Buckley (Historical Fiction/Humor)
Twenty years after the English revolution, the monarchy has been restored and Charles II sits on the throne. Baltasar “Balty” St. Michel has no skills and no employment, getting by on handouts from his brother-in-law, Samuel Pepys, an officer in the king’s navy. Fed up with his needy relative, Pepys offers Balty a job in the New World. He is to track down two missing judges who were responsible for the execution of the last king, Charles I.
LOVE AND RUIN by Paula McLain (Historical Fiction)
In 1937, 28-year-old Martha Gellhorn travels alone to Madrid to report on the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War. While there, she finds herself unexpectedly falling in love with Ernest Hemingway. When Ernest publishes FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS, they are no longer equals, and Martha must make a choice: surrender to the confining demands of being a famous man’s wife, or risk losing Ernest by forging a path as her own woman and writer.
THE MAP OF SALT AND STARS by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar (Fiction)
Just after Nour loses her father, her mother moves Nour and her sisters back to Syria. Nour’s favorite story is the tale of Rawiya, a 12th-century girl who disguised herself as a boy in order to apprentice herself to a famous mapmaker. When a stray shell destroys Nour’s house, she and her family are forced to choose: stay and risk more violence, or flee along the very route Rawiya and her mapmaker took in their quest to chart the world.
THE MARS ROOM by Rachel Kushner (Fiction)
Romy Hall is at the start of two consecutive life sentences at Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility. Outside is the world from which she has been severed: the San Francisco of her youth and her young son, Jackson. Inside is a new reality: thousands of women hustling for the bare essentials needed to survive; the bluffing and pageantry and casual acts of violence by guards and prisoners alike; and the deadpan absurdities of institutional living.
MISS SUBWAYS by David Duchovny (Fantasy/Humor)
Emer is just a woman living in New York City who takes the subway, buys ice cream from the bodega on the corner, has writerly aspirations, and lives with her boyfriend, Con. But is this life she lives the only path she’s on? Taking inspiration from the myth of Emer and Cuchulain, and featuring an all-star cast of mythical figures from all over the world, MISS SUBWAYS is one woman’s trippy, mystical journey down parallel tracks of time and love.
THE PISCES by Melissa Broder (Fiction)
Lucy has been writing her dissertation on Sappho for nine years when she and her boyfriend break up in a dramatic flameout. Shortly thereafter, she becomes entranced by an eerily attractive swimmer while sitting alone on the beach rocks one night. But when Lucy learns the truth about his identity, their relationship --- and her understanding of what love should look like --- take a very unexpected turn.
ROBERT B. PARKER'S OLD BLACK MAGIC: A Spenser Novel by Ace Atkins (Mystery)
The heist was legendary, still talked about 20 years after the priceless paintings disappeared from one of Boston's premier art museums. But when paint chips from the most valuable piece stolen, Gentlemen in Black, arrives at the desk of a Boston journalist, the museum finds hope and enlists Spenser's help. Soon the cold art case thrusts Spenser into the shady world of black market art dealers, aged Mafia bosses and old vendettas.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
Young Adult Books You Want to Read
Here are this month's books we reviewed on Teenreads.com that we think will appeal to an adult audience:
I HAVE THE RIGHT TO: A High School Survivor's Story of Sexual Assault, Justice, and Hope by Chessy Prout with Jenn Abelson (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Chessy Prout
In 2014, Chessy Prout was a freshman at St. Paul’s School, a prestigious boarding school in New Hampshire, when a senior boy sexually assaulted her as part of a ritualized game of conquest. Chessy bravely reported her assault to the police and testified against her attacker in court. Then, in the face of unexpected backlash from her once-trusted school community, she shed her anonymity to help other survivors find their voice. This memoir is more than an account of a horrific event. It takes a magnifying glass to the institutions that turn a blind eye to such behavior and a society that blames victims rather than perpetrators.
THE WINDOW by Amelia Brunskill (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Anna is everything her identical twin is not. Outgoing and athletic, she is the opposite of quiet introvert Jess. The same on the outside, yet so completely different inside --- it's hard to believe the girls are sisters, let alone twins. But they are. And they tell each other everything. Or so Jess thought. After Anna falls to her death while sneaking out her bedroom window, Jess' life begins to unravel. Everyone says it was an accident, but to Jess, that doesn't add up. Where was Anna going? Who was she meeting? And how long had Anna been lying to her?
THE FRONTMAN by Ron Bahar (Fiction/Humor)
Ron Bahar is an insecure, self-deprecating, 17-year-old Nebraskan striving to please his Israeli immigrant parents, Ophira and Ezekiel, while remaining true to his own dreams. During his senior year of high school, he begins to date longtime crush and non-Jewish girl Amy Andrews --- a forbidden relationship he hides from his parents. But that’s not the only complicated part of Ron’s life: he’s also struggling to choose between his two passions, medicine and music. As time goes on, he becomes entangled in a compelling world of sex, drugs and rock and roll. Will he do the right thing?
Click here for more young adult books we recommend you read.
Our Latest Poll: How Many Books Are on Your TBR List?
How many books are on your to-be-read list right now?
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More than 20
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Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, May 11th 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 April 27th to May 11th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of BEAUTY IN THE BROKEN PLACES: A Memoir of Love, Faith, and Resilience by Allison Pataki and THE HIGH TIDE CLUB by Mary Kay Andrews.
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 April 2nd to May 1st at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Sally Hepworth's THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR, read by Barrie Kreinik, and Alice Feeney's SOMETIMES I LIE, read by Stephanie Racine.
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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