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THE FRIEND by Sigrid Nunez won the National Book Award in the Fiction category, while Isabel Allende became the first Spanish-language author to receive their lifetime achievement award
Min Jin Lee, author of PACHINKO, with Carol at the National Book Awards
Sarah Smarsh (r), author of HEARTLAND, with her agent, Julie Barer (l), at the National Book Awards
Carol interviewing Jonathan Santlofer, author of THE WIDOWER'S NOTEBOOK, at [words] Bookstore
The last flowers of the season picked by Carol
Snow…and Yes, Next Week IS Thanksgiving!
My dad called the other day and asked incredulously, “Do you know next Thursday is Thanksgiving?” I did, but that was the fifth time I had heard that same question this week. Note: This is the earliest that the holiday can be, so it’s to be expected that you, too, may be surprised about this!
Then yesterday brought one of those snowstorms where the weather people get it very wrong and the snow comes much faster and falls much harder than they predicted, and it takes everyone five times as long as they planned to get home, if they get home (Rebecca in our office did not!). And I know that was a really long sentence, but that is what it felt like when the snow fell yesterday. It went on and on and on. Fortunately, I had planned to work from home as I had a work event scheduled in New Jersey, and thus was spared sitting in traffic for hours worrying about running out of gas. That is what is called luck!
Last Saturday, I picked the flowers that you see above. I am glad that I snagged these since that night we had frost, and Sunday morning the rest of the flowers had little coats of white on them. Any chance I had of clinging to color in the garden for a few more weeks was dashed.
I had two wonderful bookish evenings this week. On Tuesday night, I spent a lovely evening at [words] Bookstore in Maplewood, NJ, interviewing Jonathan Santlofer about his book, THE WIDOWER’S NOTEBOOK. We had a very nice crowd, and there were some terrific questions. A book group that had discussed the book with Jonathan was there; I loved seeing that as it was just published in July. It’s already in a second printing, and in that edition, they have added suggested questions for discussion. There were a couple of women in the room who were recently widowed, and they both spoke about how much this book resonated with them. It was a very special evening. THE WIDOWER'S NOTEBOOK was a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection, and I highly recommend it.
On Wednesday night, I attended the National Book Awards. I was looking forward to meeting Sarah Smarsh, who is the author of HEARTLAND: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, which is one of my favorite books of the year. I was so happy to see that it had been nominated for the National Book Award for Nonfiction. I had listened to it on audio, read by Sarah, so I immediately recognized her voice when I met her! I found myself going on and on about her book, citing passages from it, which was really fun. She looked stunning in a fabulous red gown. You can see her above with her agent, Julie Barer.
During the event, Isabel Allende was awarded an Honorary National Book Award medal, the first Spanish-language writer to win this. She gave a wonderful speech about her life as a political refugee and an immigrant. You can read it in its entirety here. She closed by noting that she is proud to be an American and "maybe it's finally time to set down roots." I wish I had gotten to congratulate her; I loved interviewing her last year at the Simon & Schuster Book Club Matinee.
Here are this year's winners: THE FRIEND by Sigrid Nunez (Fiction); THE NEW NEGRO: The Life of Alain Locke, by Jeffrey C. Stewart (Nonfiction); INDECENCY by Justin Phillip Reed (Poetry); THE POET X, a novel told in verse, by Elizabeth Acevedo; and THE EMISSARY by Yoko Tawada, translated by Margaret Mitsutani (Translated Literature), which is a new award category that was added this year.
Part of the evening's fun was catching up with colleagues, and you can see me doing just that with Min Jin Lee in the photo above. Everyone dresses up for the NBAs, and the whole evening had a wonderful vibe. During the ceremony, there was a video shown that touched upon the multiple programs and projects that are funded by the National Book Foundation, which administers the National Book Awards.
Now to this week’s update…
ONCE UPON A RIVER by Diane Setterfield is the latest title we’re featuring in our Mystery Mayhem Author Spotlight. On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. While the regulars tell stories to pass the time away, a seriously wounded stranger bursts through the door. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of which are quite dark. Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, but the mystery only deepens as the days pass by.
The book doesn’t release until December 4th, but we’re giving 25 readers the opportunity to win a copy and share their feedback on it with us. To enter, all you have to do is fill out this form by Thursday, November 29th at noon ET. This book has a lot of buzz already, so you will want to be one of its early readers!
While many know the late Elie Wiesel as a prolific author (his memoir NIGHT was an Oprah’s Book Club selection and is a staple of reading in schools across the country), Nobel laureate and activist, he always identified himself as “a teacher first.” In fact, he taught at Boston University for nearly four decades. Ariel Burger first met Wiesel at age 15; he became his student in his 20s and his teaching assistant in his 30s. In WITNESS, Ariel gives us a front-row seat to Wiesel’s remarkable exchanges in and out of the classroom, and chronicles the intimate conversations between them over the decades as Ariel sought counsel on matters of intellect, spirituality and faith, while navigating his own personal journey from boyhood to manhood, from student and assistant, to rabbi and, eventually, teacher.
Barbara Bamberger Scott has our review and says, “The inspirational teaching methods of Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel form the backbone of this important work… Through his admiring lens, Burger conveys the absolute respect for humanity that characterized Wiesel’s philosophy and contributed to his many awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize.” We also have a Q&A with Ariel, in which he talks about his inspiration for writing the book and what he would like readers to take away from it, which you can check out here. And you can read more about him on his website here.
WITNESS is one of our current Word of Mouth prize books; the other is TARGET: ALEX CROSS by James Patterson, which we’re reviewing next week. Submit your comments about the books you’ve read for your chance to win both these titles. Please do so by Friday, November 30th at noon ET.
Other books we’re reviewing this week include LONG ROAD TO MERCY, the opening installment in David Baldacci’s series starring Atlee Pine, an FBI agent with special skills who must confront a new threat…and an old nightmare; THE END OF THE END OF THE EARTH, a new collection of essays from Jonathan Franzen that serves as a passionate argument for his two great loves --- literature and birds; and THE SPLENDOR BEFORE THE DARK, the sequel to Margaret George’s THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NERO, in which ancient Rome's most infamous emperor cements his place in history.
Our Holiday Cheer contests kicked off this week with our first three giveaways: THE CHRISTMAS SISTERS by Sarah Morgan, NINE PERFECT STRANGERS by Liane Moriarty (which we’re reviewing next week), and NOVEMBER ROAD by Lou Berney (a Bets On pick). Next week’s prizes will be SEASON OF WONDER: A Haven Point Novel by RaeAnne Thayne and A THOUSAND DOORS: An Anthology of Many Lives edited by J.T. Ellison, the latter of which we’re reviewing this week (I am reading and enjoying it).
Let us know what audiobooks you’ve listened to in this month’s Sounding Off on Audio contest, and you’ll be in the running to win the audio versions of Louise Penny's KINGDOM OF THE BLIND: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, read by Robert Bathurst, and Barbara Taylor Bradford's MASTER OF HIS FATE, read by Joan Walker. The deadline for your entries is Monday, December 3rd at noon ET.
With Thanksgiving just a few days away, we already are thinking about holiday shopping. Are you planning to give books as gifts this holiday season? Click here to let us know in our latest poll!
In our previous poll, we asked which of 20 fiction titles releasing this month you plan to read. Here are your top five picks: NINE PERFECT STRANGERS by Liane Moriarty (51%), NIGHT OF MIRACLES by Elizabeth Berg (33%), KINGDOM OF THE BLIND by Louise Penny (28%), PAST TENSE by Lee Child (28%), and TONY'S WIFE by Adriana Trigiani (25%). Click here for the full results.
Michelle Obama’s much-talked-about memoir, BECOMING, is Oprah’s new book club pick. "She just opens up herself; it's so vulnerable," according to Oprah. "It is Michelle Obama's personal story, of course, but I believe it's going to spark within you the desire to think about your own becoming." Click here for more of Oprah’s thoughts on BECOMING, which will be a Holiday Cheer prize title in the next few weeks, and don’t miss our review in the November 30th newsletter. Also, Robin Roberts sat down with Michelle for an exclusive interview on a special edition of “20/20,” which you can take a look at here.
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail: Donalene from Ohio wrote, “I just received an email today from the University Press of Kentucky about the Kentucky Book Festival. Oh, how I wish that I was able to attend it. It sounds wonderful --- and, of course, I am partial being a native Kentuckian. I would think that you would enjoy also. I don't know if you heard about the public art exhibit that Lexington, KY had last month, Book Benches. They had had two Horse Manias back in 2000 and 2010. Benches featured Kentucky authors, 35 I believe, and even had one that featured signatures of authors. Check out the Book Benches site to see them. They were auctioned on the 17th."
Stan Lee: The co-creator of Marvel Comics passed away this week at the age of 95. Read all about his remarkable life and legendary career in this tribute piece from the New York Times.
"My Brilliant Friend" on HBO: This six-part series kicks off Sunday at 9pm. I just learned that it has subtitles. I never mind reading them, but it is tough for me to do my usual TV watching activity while reading them --- answering email. So instead I will knit. After all, why do just one thing?
"Escape at Dannemora" on Showtime: This six-part series premieres Sunday at 10pm. I previewed the entire series a few weeks ago and wrote about it as I found it interesting. It's measured in its pacing, but so is time behind a prison's walls. It’s the story of the prison escape back in 2015 that had upstate New York paralyzed in fear. Here's the trailer.
The Sentence: Last weekend, I watched this excellent documentary on HBO. “First-time filmmaker Rudy Valdez’s The Sentence tells the story of his sister Cindy Shank, a mother of three who received a 15-year mandatory sentence for conspiracy charges related to her deceased ex-boyfriend’s crimes. The documentary offers a searing look at the consequences of mandatory minimum sentencing and received critical acclaim when it premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.” You can watch the trailer here.
"Megan Abbott’s Work Diary": Here's an interesting piece in the New York Times. “Four of her nine novels are being developed into series: GIVE ME YOUR HAND, YOU WILL KNOW ME, QUEENPIN and DARE ME. For DARE ME, about ruthless members of a cheer squad and the basis for a potential series on USA Network, Ms. Abbott is also working as a showrunner, a writer and an executive producer on the pilot.” For the record, this is the week in her life before I saw her at the Morristown Festival of Books. She was just a little bit busy!
Would Love Your Ideas About Food Inspired by Books!: Sue wrote, "My book group has an annual Christmas party where we each bring a dish to share. It must have appeared as a food in any book of our choice. Always fun to see the creative array! Would be so interested in learning what recipe choices others might make. Brought Mississippi Mud Bars from KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST by J. Ryan Stradal. They were yummy! My immediate first idea was to do Green Eggs and Ham, but another enterprising soul beat me to the punch! Have not decided what to bring yet for this feast.” So, to our readers, please let me know your recommendations. Write Carol@bookreporter.com with the subject line "Food Inspired by Books."
If any of you are at the Miami Book Fair or the Kentucky Book Festival this weekend, let me know. We would love a report!
Mercury is in retrograde from November 16th to December 6th. Longtime readers know to consider themselves warned. For newer readers who have not heard me talk about this before, you can learn what I am talking about here.
As we head into the holidays, I know that some of you are going to have empty chairs around your tables for the first time. Anna, who was one of our original chat hosts, shared this piece called “Holidays and Empty Chairs,” and I felt it was worth passing along. To all of you with an empty chair for the first time, you are very much in my thoughts.
I have not yet started to plan our Thanksgiving menu. I confess that this is one of my least favorite menus of the year to prepare since it is so steeped in traditional dishes --- the “expected” ones. I prefer experimenting. I am planning to make a whole roasted celery root from Yotam Ottolenghi’s new cookbook, SIMPLE. I think it's this one. Greg is picking up a fresh-killed turkey tomorrow; it will arrive with a history of what it ate. Trust that it was all organic!
I did not get much reading done this week, so I must make time this weekend to finish reading A PLACE FOR US by Fatima Farheen Mirza, which is my book group’s current selection. We meet on Monday night!
We’ll be back on Wednesday with our next newsletter so our staff can enjoy the holiday weekend. I should have a menu in place by then!
Read on, and have a great five days until you hear from us again.
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: LONG ROAD TO MERCY
by David Baldacci
LONG ROAD TO MERCY: An Atlee Pine Thriller by David Baldacci (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Brittany Pressley and Kyf Brewer
When one of the Grand Canyon's mules is found stabbed to death at the bottom of the canyon --- and its rider missing --- FBI agent Atlee Pine is called in to investigate. It soon seems clear that the lost tourist had something more clandestine than sightseeing in mind. But just as Pine begins to put together clues pointing to a terrifying plot, she's abruptly called off the case. If she disobeys direct orders by continuing to search for the missing man, it will mean the end of her career. But unless Pine keeps working the case and discovers the truth, it could spell the very end of democracy in America as we know it. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read the review.
An Interview with Ariel Burger and a Review of WITNESS
Ariel Burger is a writer, artist, teacher and rabbi whose work combines spirituality, creativity and strategies for social change. A lifelong student of Elie Wiesel, he spent years studying the great wisdom traditions, and now applies those teachings to urgent contemporary questions. In this interview, Burger explains how the idea for WITNESS: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom came about, the impact that Wiesel’s passing in 2016 had on him and his writing of the book, the significance of the title, and what he hopes people will take away from reading it.
WITNESS: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom by Ariel Burger (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Jason Culp
Elie Wiesel --- a Nobel laureate, activist, adviser to world leaders, and the author of more than 40 books --- taught at Boston University for nearly four decades. With this book, Ariel Burger --- devoted protégé, apprentice and friend --- takes us into the sacred space of Wiesel’s classroom. There, Wiesel challenged his students to explore moral complexity and to resist the dangerous lure of absolutes. In bringing together never-before-recounted moments between Wiesel and his students, WITNESS serves as a moral education in and of itself --- a primer on educating against indifference, on the urgency of memory and individual responsibility, and on the role of literature, music and art in making the world a more compassionate place. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read a review.
- Click here to visit Ariel Burger’s website.
Click here to read the interview.
New Mystery Mayhem Author Spotlight & Contest:
ONCE UPON A RIVER by Diane Setterfield
ONCE UPON A RIVER by Diane Setterfield is a richly imagined novel about how we explain the world to ourselves, ourselves to others, and the meaning of our lives in a universe that remains impenetrably mysterious. We have 25 copies to give away to those who would like to read the book, which releases on December 4th, and share their comments on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, November 29th at noon ET.
ONCE UPON A RIVER by Diane Setterfield (Mystery)
On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.
Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless.
Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother knows the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son’s secret liaison stand ready to welcome their granddaughter. The parson’s housekeeper, humble and isolated, sees in the child the image of her younger sister. But the return of a lost child is not without complications, and no matter how heartbreaking the past losses, no matter how precious the child herself, this girl cannot be everyone’s. Each family has mysteries of its own, and many secrets must be revealed before the girl’s identity can be known.
ONCE UPON A RIVER is a glorious tapestry of a book that combines folklore and science, magic and myth. Suspenseful, romantic and richly atmospheric, the beginning of this novel will sweep you away on a powerful current of storytelling, transporting you through worlds both real and imagined, to the triumphant conclusion whose depths will continue to give up their treasures long after the last page is turned.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to visit the book’s website.
- Click here to read Diane Setterfield’s bio.
- Connect with Diane Setterfield on Facebook and Twitter.
Click here to read more in our Mystery Mayhem Author Spotlight
and enter the contest.
Featured Review: THE END OF THE END OF THE EARTH by Jonathan Franzen
THE END OF THE END OF THE EARTH: Essays by Jonathan Franzen (Essays)
Audiobook available, read by Robert Petkoff
In THE END OF THE END OF THE EARTH, which gathers essays and speeches written mostly in the past five years, Jonathan Franzen returns with renewed vigor to the themes --- both human and literary --- that have long preoccupied him. Whether exploring his complex relationship with his uncle, recounting his young adulthood in New York, or offering an illuminating look at the global seabird crisis, these pieces contain all the wit and disabused realism that we’ve come to expect from Franzen. Taken together, these essays trace the progress of a unique and mature mind wrestling with itself, with literature, and with some of the most important issues of our day, made more pressing by the current political milieu. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: THE SPLENDOR BEFORE THE DARK
by Margaret George
THE SPLENDOR BEFORE THE DARK: A Novel of the Emperor Nero by Margaret George (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Steve West, Katharine McEwan and Susan Denaker
Nero Augustus commands the Roman empire, ushering in an unprecedented era of artistic and cultural splendor. But in the 10th year of his reign, a terrifying prophecy comes to pass and a fire engulfs Rome, reducing entire swaths of the city to rubble. Rumors of Nero's complicity in the blaze start to sow unrest among the populace --- and the politicians. For better or worse, Nero knows that his fate is now tied to Rome's --- and he vows to rebuild it as a city that will stun the world. But there are those who find his rampant quest for glory dangerous. Throughout the empire, false friends and spies conspire against him, not understanding what drives him to undertake the impossible. Reviewed by Amy Gwiazdowski.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to visit Margaret George’s website.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: A THOUSAND DOORS
edited by J.T. Ellison
A THOUSAND DOORS: An Anthology of Many Lives edited by J.T. Ellison (Fiction/Anthology)
Forty-year-old Mia Jensen is home after a terrible day, trying to figure out how she's come to this point in her life, when she hears a strange noise from the kitchen. She investigates, only to be brutally attacked and left for dead. As she dies, she experiences some of the lives that could have been hers had she only made a different choice. Can one woman can find peace with the path she's chosen before it slips through her fingers forever? Through the unique voices of New York Times bestsellers and rising stars in women's fiction, A THOUSAND DOORS examines how our smallest decisions can create lasting effects, and allows the thought Can we actually change our lives? Reviewed by Rebecca Wasniak.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read the review.
Bookreporter.com's Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature
At Bookreporter.com, we kick off the holiday season in style with our Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature. As our gift to you, on select days in November and December, 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, November 19th at noon ET.
This year's featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
An Interview with Steven F. Havill,
Author of LIES COME EASY
Family dynamics play a huge role in Steven F. Havill's 23rd Posadas County mystery, LIES COME EASY, as Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman and her entire department work to pull the right threads out of a tangle of seemingly small lies. In this interview, Havill explains his decision to develop the series in real time, discusses how he learned to dramatize the exhaustive process of police work so realistically and where his expertise in firearms originates, and names some of the authors who he holds in very high regard and whose books he reads on a regular basis.
LIES COME EASY: The Posadas County Mysteries by Steven F. Havill (Mystery)
One blizzardy New Mexico night, Posadas County Deputy Pasquale picks up a toddler scooting his Scamper along the shoulder of State 56. Yes, it's horrifying --- a child apparently dumped out of a truck by his father. Nearly as horrifying is what unrolls while Christmas approaches after dad Darrell Fisher's arrest: a request arrives from the US Forest Service to locate a missing range tech and his unit last reported headed for nearby Stinkin' Springs, and the brutal murder of Constance Suarez in the border town of Regál, population 37. The Sheriff's Department is stretched to its limits as its dedicated personnel juggle working cases and caring for citizens with their own relationships and family celebrations.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the interview.
What’s New This Month on ReadingGroupGuides.com
QUARTERBACK: Inside the Most Important Position in the National Football League by John Feinstein (Sports)
Audiobook available, read by John Feinstein
In the National Football League, one player becomes the face of a franchise, one player receives all the accolades and all the blame, and one player's hand will guide the rise or fall of an entire team's season --- and the dreams of millions of fans. There are 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL on any given Sunday, and their lives are built around pressure, stardom and incredible talent. Legendary bestselling sportswriter John Feinstein shows readers what it's really like to play the glory position and to live that life --- mapping out a journey that runs from college stardom to the NFL draft to taking command of the huddle and marching a team down the field with a nation of fans cheering. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
INSURRECTO by Gina Apostol (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Justine Eyre
Two women, a Filipino translator and an American filmmaker, go on a road trip in Duterte’s Philippines, collaborating and clashing in the writing of a film script about a massacre during the Philippine-American War. Chiara is working on a film about an incident in Balangiga, Samar, in 1901, when Filipino revolutionaries attacked an American garrison, and in retaliation American soldiers created “a howling wilderness” of the surrounding countryside. Magsalin reads Chiara’s film script and writes her own version. INSURRECTO contains within its dramatic action two rival scripts from the filmmaker and the translator --- one about a white photographer, the other about a Filipino schoolteacher. Reviewed by Maya Gittelman.
JEEVES AND THE KING OF CLUBS: A Novel in Homage to P.G. Wodehouse by Ben Schott (Fiction/Humor)
Audiobook available, read by James Lance
The misadventures of P.G. Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster and his incomparable valet, Jeeves, have delighted audiences for nearly a century. Now, bestselling author Ben Schott brings this odd couple back to life in a madcap new adventure. In this escapade, the Junior Ganymede Club (Jeeves' association of butlers and valets) is revealed to be an arm of the British intelligence service. Jeeves must ferret out a Fascist spy, and only his hapless employer can help. Unfolding in the background are school-chum capers, affairs of the heart, drawing-room escapades, antics with aunts and sartorial set-tos. Reviewed by Lorraine W. Shanley.
IN THE GALWAY SILENCE: A Jack Taylor Novel by Ken Bruen (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Gerry O'Brien
After much tragedy and violence, Jack Taylor has a new woman in his life, a freshly bought apartment, and little sign of trouble on the horizon. Once again, though, trouble comes to him, this time in the form of a wealthy Frenchman who wants Jack to investigate the double-murder of his twin sons. Meanwhile, Jack is roped into looking after his girlfriend’s nine-year-old son, and is in for a shock with the appearance of a character out of his past. The plot is one big chess game, and all of the pieces seem to be moving at the behest of one dangerously mysterious player: a vigilante called “Silence,” because he’s the last thing his victims will ever hear. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
FUGITIVE RED by Jason Starr (Thriller)
Jack and Maria live in a claustrophobic Manhattan apartment with their eight-year-old son. While they both love Jonah, they don’t seem to have much else in common. When Jack finds out about a new extramarital dating app, he quickly meets Sophia, who goes by the online name Fugitive Red. Jack and Sophia hit it off and have a steamy online affair. When Jack agrees to rendezvous with Sophia at her townhouse, he discovers her dead and immediately becomes a person of interest in the murder. Convinced that Sophia’s husband is the killer, Jack sets out to prove his innocence and save his marriage. Instead, he leaves a trail of dead bodies in his wake. Worse, he discovers that he has been the victim of a sinister scheme that may cost him his life. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE THREE BETHS by Jeff Abbott (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Ellen Archer
My mom would never leave me. This has been Mariah Dunning's motto. So when she glimpses her mother --- who's been missing for the past year --- on the other side of a food court, Mariah's conviction becomes stronger than ever. Or is she losing her mind? When Beth Dunning disappeared without a trace, suspicion for her murder immediately fell upon Mariah's father. Until Mariah stumbles upon two other recent disappearances from Lakehaven. And all three women had the same name: Beth. Mariah would give anything to find out what happened to her mother and clear her father's name. But the truth may be more devastating than she could have imagined. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
DAUGHTERS OF THE LAKE by Wendy Webb (Gothic Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Xe Sands
After the end of her marriage, Kate Granger has retreated to her parents’ home on Lake Superior to pull herself together --- only to discover the body of a murdered woman washed into the shallows. Tucked in the folds of the woman’s curiously vintage gown is an infant, as cold and at peace as its mother. Only Kate can identify the woman, who she has seen before in her dreams. One hundred years ago, a love story ended in tragedy, its mysteries left unsolved. As the drowned woman reaches out from the grave, Kate reaches back. They must come together, if only in dreams, to right the sinister wrongs of the past. Reviewed by Rachel McConnell.
FIRST THE THUNDER by Randall Silvis (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Will Damron
Products of their run-down Pennsylvania mining town, three brothers grapple with their lives in decline. Harvey drives a delivery truck; Stevie works odd jobs; and Will is a struggling bar owner whose wife, Laci, is edging toward desperation when her boss offers her more money…for a price. Then, in this tight circle where prosperity is rare --- and hope, even rarer --- comes a breaking point in a simple but indefensible slight. When Harvey gets shafted by his brother-in-law in a deal over a vintage Indian motorcycle, he enlists the help of Stevie and Will to set things right. But the revenge plan goes awry, and the three men stumble upon a shocking secret that, if revealed, would upend their lives. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
SOMEONE LIKE ME by M. R. Carey (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Robin Miles
Liz Kendall wouldn't hurt a fly. Even when times get tough, she's devoted to bringing up her two kids in a loving home. But there's another side to Liz --- one that's dark and malicious. She will do anything to get her way, no matter how extreme. And when this other side of her takes control, the consequences are devastating. Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin.
Next Week's Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on November 19th and 20th
Below are some notable titles releasing on November 19th and 20th 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 available the week of November 19th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
November 19th
TARGET: ALEX CROSS by James Patterson (Thriller)
A leader has fallen, and Alex Cross joins the procession of mourners from Capitol Hill to the White House. Then a sniper's bullet strikes a target in the heart of DC. Alex Cross' wife, Bree Stone, newly elevated chief of DC detectives, must solve the case or lose her position.
November 20th
BEAUCHAMP HALL by Danielle Steel (Fiction)
Danielle Steel tells the uplifting story of an ordinary woman embracing an extraordinary adventure, and the daring choice that transforms her world.
FIRE & BLOOD: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones (A Targaryen History) written by George R. R. Martin, illustrated by Doug Wheatley (Fantasy)
Centuries before the events of A GAME OF THRONES, House Targaryen --- the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria --- took up residence on Dragonstone. FIRE & BLOOD begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart.
MASTER OF HIS FATE by Barbara Taylor Bradford (Historical Fiction)
Victorian England is a country of sharp divides between rich and poor, but James Lionel Falconer, who spends his days working at his father’s market stall, is determined to become a merchant prince. James quickly rises through the ranks, but when threats against his reputation --- and his life --- begin to emerge, he will have to prove that he truly is the master of his fate.
MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Fiction/Dark Humor)
MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER is a short, darkly funny, hand grenade of a novel about a Nigerian woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends.
TONY'S WIFE by Adriana Trigiani (Historical Fiction)
Set in the lush Big Band era of the 1940s and World War II, Adriana Trigiani’s latest novel tells the story of two talented working class kids who marry and become a successful singing act, until time, temptation and the responsibilities of home and family derail their dreams.
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Our Latest Poll: Giving Books for the Holidays
Are you planning to give books as gifts this holiday season? Please check all that apply.
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Yes, I am planning to give print books (hardcovers and/or paperbacks).
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Yes, I am planning to give eBooks.
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Yes, I am planning to give audiobooks.
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Yes, I am planning to give a gift card that will allow the recipient to buy a print book, eBook or audiobook.
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No, I am not planning to give any books or book gift cards this year.
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I am not sure what I am doing.
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, November 30th 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 November 16th to November 30th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of TARGET: ALEX CROSS by James Patterson and WITNESS: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom by Ariel Burger.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the books you write about, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For rules and guidelines, click here.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
Sounding Off on Audio Contest: Tell Us What
You're Listening to --- and You Can Win Two Audiobooks!
Tell us about the audiobooks you’ve finished listening to with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for both the performance and the content. During the contest period from November 1st to December 3rd at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Louise Penny's KINGDOM OF THE BLIND: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, read by Robert Bathurst, and Barbara Taylor Bradford's MASTER OF HIS FATE, read by Joan Walker.
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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