November 21, 2018
 November 21, 2018Quick Links to Features on Bookreporter.com Reviews | Features | Bookreporter.com Bets On | Upcoming Bets On  The new Indigo bookstore at the Short Hills Mall in New Jersey  Vote for your favorite books of the year! Deadline: Monday, November 26th.  Carol's Thanksgiving Day flowers Happy Thanksgiving! We Give Thanks for YOU!This is a short week, but there is lots going on as we jammed five days into 2½! Making Thanksgiving dinner means lots of trips to the grocery store...or, should I say, stores. Our version of "hunt and gather" for this has now had us at five stores. I feel like there was one item that I wanted at each store. The goal is to not have to make emergency trips out today or tomorrow. We will see if that works; if so, it will be the first time ever! Above you can see the flowers that will be on our table. I opted not to go with the typical autumnal colors. Well, I was going to do autumnal colors as I saw some stunning calla lilies with brown/orange/mauve tones. I spied them from afar, and headed to pick them up when a young woman grabbed both bunches. I said, “Those will be pretty for Thanksgiving.” She agreed...and walked off to purchase them. That sent me over to Whole Foods, which always has great flowers, to get the hydrangeas and the cabbage plants. I needed something else. I wish I had a recording of the phone conversation with my husband when he was at Costco on Monday. He was trying to send me pictures of the roses that they had there, but there was really bad cell service in the store. He kept sending me pictures that I never got. He gave up and started describing the flowers by color, noting, “I am skipping the daisies, mums and carnations, as I know you do not like those.” He can now be canonized! But the week was not all about food and flowers! Last Saturday, Tom and I went to check out the new Indigo bookstore that opened in the Short Hills Mall in New Jersey where Saks used to be. Indigo is a big Canadian chain, and this store is their first one in the United States; they plan to open more. After spending time browsing there, all I can say is WOW! It’s really fabulous --- smartly merchandised and appointed, lots to explore yet not overwhelming. Everything just felt curated and carefully chosen. The place was buzzing when we were there. We spent a lot of time browsing…and while we did not buy books (my pile at home is quite overwhelming), I bought some really nice boxed holiday cards. They have done some great events there (700 kids came through to meet R. L. Stine a few weeks ago, and Lee Child will be there on December 6th at 7pm). It was a wonderful experience, and I see why so many friends have been there more than once. On Monday night, my book group met to discuss A PLACE FOR US by Fatima Farheen Mirza. As it was the week of Thanksgiving, there were just six of us there and we were honest: none of us had finished the book. We talked about the parts that we had read. I love this group because no one fakes it, which is really refreshing. In December, we are planning to watch Crazy Rich Asians and eat Chinese food. We also are planning to rate the books that we read. I am looking forward to this! Speaking of voting, don’t forget to vote in the Goodreads Choice Awards. Voting ends on Monday, November 26th! I am watching "My Brilliant Friend" on HBO and wishing I knew Italian since having to read the subtitles is making me crazy. I never look at the TV that closely. I was knitting and looked down for a minute and lost three sentences. Rewinding is my theme as I watch. Well cast, well done! Rewinding and all. Now on to this short week’s update, where Tom Donadio, our Editorial Director, once again gets kudos for doing a five-day update in 2 ½ days. Could 10 days at a health resort really change you forever? Nine perfect strangers are about to find out in Liane Moriarty’s latest novel, NINE PERFECT STRANGERS. Frances Welty, the formerly bestselling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back and a broken heart. The strange and charismatic owner/director of the resort is particularly intriguing to her. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should she put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything the resort has to offer ---- or should she run while she still can? It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking the same question. Leah DeCesare has our review and says, "NINE PERFECT STRANGERS has everything fans of Liane Moriarty will love: witty, smart writing that’s full of humor, intrigue and surprises.... I recommend opening the pages of this book and entering Tranquillum House knowing very little, which is why I’m sharing very little." I agree with Leah; you do not want to know that much before you start reading. Other books we’re reviewing this week include George R. R. Martin’s FIRE & BLOOD: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones, the first volume in a two-part history of the Targaryens (we have TWO reviews as both reviewers are huge fans of the series); James Patterson’s TARGET: ALEX CROSS, which finds Alex Cross leading an investigation into a series of assassinations that runs so long and deep that a constitutional crisis occurs; NIGHT OF MIRACLES, Elizabeth Berg’s feel-good sequel to last year’s THE STORY OF ARTHUR TRULUV, in which Lucille Howard realizes her potential as a baker and a teacher thanks to the inspiration of her dearly departed friend, Arthur Truluv; and TONY’S WIFE, Adriana Trigiani’s novel about two working-class kids who become a successful singing act during the big band era of the 1940s. TARGET: ALEX CROSS is one of the prizes we’re awarding to the winners of our Word of Mouth contest; the other is WITNESS: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom by Ariel Burger, which we reviewed last week. Let us know by Friday, November 30th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll be in the running to win both these titles. There’s still time to enter our Mystery Mayhem contest for Diane Setterfield’s upcoming novel, ONCE UPON A RIVER, which we announced in last week’s newsletter. The book doesn’t release until December 4th, but we’re giving 25 readers the opportunity to win the book and share their feedback on it with us. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, November 29th at noon ET. In this week’s Holiday Cheer contests, we gave away SEASON OF WONDER: A Haven Point Novel by RaeAnne Thayne and A THOUSAND DOORS: An Anthology of Many Lives edited by J.T. Ellison. Next week’s prizes will be THE GLASS FOREST by Cynthia Swanson, KINGDOM OF THE BLIND: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny, LADY OF A THOUSAND TREASURES by Sandra Byrd, and MARK OF THE RAVEN: The Ravenwood Saga, Book 1 by Morgan L. Busse. The first contest of the week will go live on Monday, November 26th at noon ET. The audio versions of KINGDOM OF THE BLIND (read by Robert Bathurst) and Barbara Taylor Bradford's MASTER OF HIS FATE (read by Joan Walker) are this month’s Sounding Off on Audio prizes. Be sure to submit your comments about the audiobooks you’ve listened to by Monday, December 3rd at noon ET, and you’ll have the chance to win both these audio titles. We’ll have reviews of the print versions of these books in the next newsletter. Our latest poll continues to ask if you’re planning to give books as gifts this holiday season. Let us know by clicking here. If you are, why not get a head start on it this Saturday at your local independent bookstore? It’s Small Business Saturday, so I encourage you all to “shop small” that day and support those indie bookstores. As in years past, many of these stores will be participating in “Indies First” programs this weekend; click here for all the info. News & Pop Culture Reader Mail: Jane wrote, ”Carol, I answered the question about gift-giving for Christmas (giving gift cards for purchase), and couldn’t help but hit the button that said “don’t know what I am doing.” That answer has nothing to do with gift-giving but rather with my frame of mind as I prepare for two Thanksgiving meals. Look forward to your newsletter each week and feel that we would be great friends. You have cold this week and we in Northern California have smoke from the tragic wild fire north of us.” Jane, my heart goes out to those in California whose lives were touched by the fires. So, so scary to watch. And for the record, I have Thanksgiving under control, but holiday gift-giving is nowhere close to being thought about, unless you are getting an amaryllis from me! As for being friends, I love meeting our readers when I travel for just that reason. I feel like I have friends all around the country. Miriam said, “When I saw your ideas about food posting this week, it made me want to tell you about what we did for KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST by J. Ryan Stradal for our January 2016 book club meeting. We all live in the Kalamazoo, Michigan area. We each wrote up a recipe for a bar cookie and a hotdish. (I do have to tell you that I am a transplanted Minnesotan, so I know all about hotdishes --- and bar cookies.) Using the recipes from the book and those from our book club, I created a cookbook from our own kitchens of the great Midwest. For our book club, I passed out the cookbook and made the Mississippi Mud Bars from the book and my own secret brownie recipe. We spent some time talking about our recipes and had a good book discussion. It was one of our favorite meetings. On the same subject of food inspired by books, Robin wrote, “In TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Calpurnia makes a reference to a 'Lane Cake' and the fact that Miss Stephanie has been after her recipe for years! Love every reference from this book: scuppernong jelly, cracklin bread!" SAM HELL Discount: For this week only, the Kindle edition of THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAM HELL by Robert Dugoni (our current "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" contest book on ReadingGroupGuides.com) has been discounted to $2.99. Great time to pick this up! "The Kominsky Method" on Netflix: Really enjoying this series starring Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin. My husband, who loathes binge watching, is enjoying it too. We are five episodes in! "This Is Us": Still great writing this year, and slow reveals. While they write multi-voices and action, it works. I still say that this is the television writing that feels much like a book to me. Author Speaking at the White House Correspondents' Dinner: I read in Publishers Lunch that National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Chernow will be the speaker at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 27th. He said in the release, "The White House Correspondents' Association has asked me to make the case for the First Amendment and I am happy to oblige. Freedom of the press is always a timely subject and this seems like the perfect moment to go back to basics. My major worry these days is that we Americans will forget who we are as a people and historians should serve as our chief custodians in preserving that rich storehouse of memory. While I have never been mistaken for a stand-up comedian, I promise that my history lesson won't be dry." I have seen Chernow present. It will not be dry! Toss the Romaine: I saw a warning from the CDC last night to toss all romaine lettuce, even packaged mixes with romaine in them. There has been a really bad E. coli outbreak, and they cannot figure out which lettuce is tainted. I had brought romaine for lunch yesterday; good thing I was too busy to eat! I already am tired of the words "Black Friday"! I also am tired of the word “deal.” I soon will be tired of Cyber Monday. I am tired of trying to calculate what is and is not a good deal. I wonder if there will be a better coupon later in the week. I now feel like Scrooge. That said, we need to replace our Chromecast box for our TV, as it is too old to update, and this requires some comparison shopping. Loathe it. I signed up for a yoga challenge: Take 30 classes in 40 days. I am on day three, and I have done one class, with another scheduled for tonight. I will report next week on how this is going; I can see some double classes in my future. All good! Confession: I really loathe watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; the commentary makes me insane. It feels like kids reading the cue cards at a school play, except kids would sound more real and smarter. I now feel un-American. I went to the parade a few times; the best of these was the year when we were in a 4th floor office in our old office building where the balloons were eye height coming down the street. It also was warm, there were snacks and there was no television commentary! I am off to chop chop chop for Thanksgiving; it’s a holiday where one needs a good knife! But before I go, we are giving thanks this weekend for all of you. Because you read this newsletter, and our websites, we are lucky enough to do what we do. So many, many thanks! As you're getting together with friends and family for the holidays, don’t forget to recommend us to the readers you celebrate with! Read on, and have a great 1½ weeks. 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 Reviews: FIRE & BLOOD by George R. R. Martin  FIRE & BLOOD: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones (A Targaryen History) written by George R. R. Martin, illustrated by Doug Wheatley (Fantasy) Click here to read the reviews. Featured Review: TARGET: ALEX CROSS  TARGET: ALEX CROSS by James Patterson (Thriller) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read the review. Featured Review: NINE PERFECT STRANGERS  NINE PERFECT STRANGERS by Liane Moriarty (Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read the review.  Mystery Mayhem Author Spotlight & Contest:  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) 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 read more in our Mystery Mayhem Author Spotlight Featured Review: NIGHT OF MIRACLES by Elizabeth Berg  NIGHT OF MIRACLES by Elizabeth Berg (Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read the review. Featured Review: TONY’S WIFE by Adriana Trigiani  TONY'S WIFE by Adriana Trigiani (Historical Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read the review. Featured Review: THE COLORS OF ALL THE CATTLE  THE COLORS OF ALL THE CATTLE: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (19) by Alexander McCall Smith (Mystery) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read the review.  Bookreporter.com's Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature At Bookreporter.com, we 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 26th at noon ET. This year's featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details An Interview with Maggie Robinson,  After writing numerous historical romances set in the Regency, Victorian and Edwardian eras, Maggie Robinson now tries her hand at a mystery series that begins in 1924. In the opening installment, NOBODY’S SWEETHEART NOW, a murder ruins Lady Adelaide Compton’s weekend house party, and Inspector Devenand Hunter must determine which of her 12 houseguests is a cold-blooded killer. Meanwhile, Addie is confronted by the spirit of her late husband, Major Rupert Charles Cressleigh Compton, who has to perform a few good deeds before being welcomed to heaven --- or, more likely (thinks Addie), to hell. In this interview, Robinson explains what inspired her to make the genre switch, her decision to set this new series in the 1920s English countryside, and why she chooses to be “a total pantser” during the writing process. NOBODY'S SWEETHEART NOW: The First Lady Adelaide Mystery by Maggie Robinson (Historical Mystery) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read the interview.    More Reviews This WeekKILLING COMMENDATORE written by Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel and Ted Goossen (Fiction) MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Fiction/Dark Humor) NIGHTTOWN: A Junior Bender Mystery by Timothy Hallinan (Mystery/Thriller) EMPIRE OF SAND by Tasha Suri (Historical Fantasy) DEAD IN THE DARK: A Cooper & Fry Mystery by Stephen Booth (Mystery) A KNIFE IN THE FOG: A Mystery Featuring Margaret Harkness and Arthur Conan Doyle by Bradley Harper (Historical Mystery) SO MANY DOORS by Oakley Hall (Hard-boiled Mystery)   
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