February 8, 2019
 February 8, 2019Quick Links to Features on Bookreporter.com Reviews | Features | Bookreporter.com Bets On | Upcoming Bets On  Latest Update on Our GoFundMe Campaign Thank you to those of you who already have donated to our GoFundMe campaign. So far we have raised over $21,600 of our $50,000 goal, with online donations and checks! With your help, we know we can meet our goal. Here are a few of the comments that were shared this week with donations, which mean so much to us: Sherrie: "I donated because I feel like your newsletter is a visit every Friday night with an old friend. Carol has written me several notes, and I thank her for her personal touch." Dottie: "Great reviews, makes choosing books to read so easy." And these comments arrived with checks that were sent to the office: Charlene: “I know your newsletters have thousands of subscribers, but when each arrives in my inbox, each feels personal. It is as if I have received a message from a close friend sharing news of her life and books she knows are perfect for me. Thank you for many hours of pleasant reading.” Carol: “Thank you for the wonderful weekly Book Report! Wonderful way to enjoy coffee on a Saturday morning! Keep up the great work and reviews.” The Book Report, Inc. Thank you again for your consideration and your donation.   Carol attended a Chinese New Year lunch to celebrate the June 4th release of   Carol read THE MOTHER-IN-LAW by Sally Hepworth (in stores April 23rd), and it will be a Bets On pick. She looks forward to reading the aforementioned SEARCHING FOR SYLVIE LEE by Jean Kwok.  Megan Miranda stopped by the office to talk about her upcoming book,  Carol interviewed Jerrold Fine, the author of MAKE ME EVEN AND I'LL NEVER GAMBLE AGAIN  Carol had lunch with (from left to right) Kim McCormick and Pamela Klinger-Horn from Excelsior Bay Books in Excelsior, Minnesota, along with Caroline Leavitt, the author of CRUEL BEAUTIFUL WORLD. Cozy Up and Read!Last week, I shared a piece about Murray Bruce, one of my original partners in The Book Report, who was gravely ill. Thank you to all of you who read it; it was one of the most-read pieces in that week’s newsletter. Sadly Murray passed away on Sunday, just as the sun was setting over Tortola where he had opted to spend his final days. Murray made some of the biggest commercials in the ‘70s and ‘80s, including that famous one of OJ running through the airport for Hertz. I saw it as fitting that he exited this world before the Super Bowl, the event that has some of the most noteworthy commercials of the year. He will be missed so much. While Sunday night’s Super Bowl, its halftime show and commercials were lackluster to me and so many others, my weekend was filled with some terrific reading. First up, I finished THE LAST ROMANTICS by Tara Conklin, which I just loved. You can read my commentary about it later in this newsletter. Also, I was happy to hear that it is this month’s selection for the Barnes & Noble Book Club. Barnes & Noble will be selling a special Exclusive Book Club Edition of THE LAST ROMANTICS, in addition to hosting a free Book Club Night to discuss the novel, in stores across the country on Tuesday, March 5th at 7pm local time. Click here to sign up for the event. Melanie, who edits our Word of Mouth and Sounding Off on Audio features, attended the B&N event for THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM by Marie Benedict on Tuesday night and had this to say about it: “The discussion of THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM at the Boca Raton, FL store was a well-attended event with about 30 people. Barnes & Noble gave us coffee and a taste of cheesecake before the discussion began. Myrna, the leader of the discussion, shared background info about how Marie Benedict often felt like the only woman in the room herself while working as a lawyer. Whether Hedy was a victim or whether she took advantage of her beauty as an opportunist was discussed, as was her guilt and her only being acknowledged for her beauty rather than her scientific contributions.” It sounds like there was a lot of interaction and was a nice night for readers! I also finished reading THE AGE OF LIGHT by Whitney Scharer, a novel that looks at the life of photographer and model Lee Miller, with a focus on the time that she spent with Man Ray, the artist and photographer. It captures a heady time before World War II where the art scene in Paris was thriving. It cuts to chapters about her war reporting, hitting boots on the ground to capture the story. It’s richly written, and the details will have you feeling like you were there. It will be a Bets On selection next week, and we have our review later in this newsletter. On Monday, I had a fun lunch that was orchestrated by Pamela Klinger-Horn, who was in town with her bookselling cohort, Kim McCormick, from Excelsior Bay Books in Excelsior, Minnesota. They had lots of publisher meetings and theater dates. She arranged for Caroline Leavitt, the author of CRUEL BEAUTIFUL WORLD, to meet us as well, and we had a brilliant conversation about books, writing and all things publishing. I love times like this when I can hear from people outside my world about what they are seeing. Caroline also gave us some tidbits about her 2020 book, which I now cannot wait to read, but my lips are sealed about it. During the week, I read THE MOTHER-IN-LAW by Sally Hepworth. If you have been reading this newsletter for the last few years, you will know that I am a huge fan of Sally, an Australian author who writes wonderful thrillers that revolve around home and family. Here, when the book opens, we learn that Lucy’s mother-in-law, Diana, is dead. From there, we unpeel the layers of how she died, with the plot twisting this way and that, and lots of finger-pointing from the family. It will be in stores on April 23rd and will be a Bets On selection. You really want to keep your eye on this one and Sally. On Tuesday afternoon, I attended a lovely Chinese New Year lunch to celebrate the upcoming release of Jean Kwok’s SEARCHING FOR SYLVIE LEE, which will be in stores on June 4th. Jean shared so much about the inspiration for this novel, including her brother’s tragic death in a plane crash that infused her writing about loss here. The more she talked about the three characters in the book, the more I wanted to just start reading it. She also gave us a lot of background on her personal story, beginning when she emigrated to the States as a child. The family lived in a condemned building with no heat, and everyone, even the children, worked in factories. She gave each of us one of the stunning bookmarks that you see above, as well as some decadent chocolates from the Netherlands that she told us had a short shelf life and should be eaten quickly. I obliged! On Tuesday night, I interviewed Jerrold Fine, the author of MAKE ME EVEN AND I’LL NEVER GAMBLE AGAIN, at the Penn Club. This was a Bets On pick from last year. Jerry has had a long history in the financial market; he ran one of the early hedge funds, which he grew to be a huge success before turning his clients’ money (and profits) back to them so he could find time to work on the novel he always wanted to write. There was a lovely crowd, and it was such fun to hear his insights about the early days of the market, as well as how he carved out time for his writing. He now runs a fund just for his family and writes the rest of the day. Such a fun evening! On Wednesday afternoon, Megan Miranda stopped by the office to share a copy of THE LAST HOUSE GUEST, which will be in stores on June 18th. We love when authors visit! We just finished building Megan’s new website (our AuthorsOnTheWeb.com division builds author websites), and after weeks of going back and forth about design and copy by email, it was such fun to see her in person. One of this year’s most anticipated releases is Alex Michaelides’ debut psychological thriller, THE SILENT PATIENT. This upcoming Bets On pick has been getting advance praise from such heavyweights as Lee Child, David Baldacci, Brad Meltzer and Preston & Child. The “silent patient” of the title is Alicia Berenson, a famous painter who shoots her husband Gabriel, an in-demand fashion photographer, five times in the face. Her refusal to explain her shocking actions, or even utter a single word, piques the interest of Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist who is determined to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she murdered her husband. Reviewer Joe Hartlaub calls THE SILENT PATIENT “a a stunning work by any standard, made more so by its status as a debut. Michaelides’ experience as a screenwriter is on exhibit here as he combines mood, characterization, plot and flat-out surprises to create a novel that never missteps and keeps its trump card hidden to the closing pages of the story, like a fist in a dark room that you don’t see coming until it’s far too late to dodge it.” Joe is right on the money with his glowing assessment. Don’t miss my Bets On commentary in next week’s newsletter. THE SILENT PATIENT is one of the prizes in our current Word of Mouth contest; the other is CONNECTIONS IN DEATH by J. D. Robb, which we plan to review next week. Submit your comments about the books you’ve read, and you’ll have a chance to win both these thrillers. The deadline for your entries is Friday, February 15th at noon ET. We’re reviewing two more future Bets On picks this week, both of which are also debuts: the aforementioned THE AGE OF LIGHT, along with THE GIRLS AT 17 SWANN STREET by Yara Zgheib, a haunting portrait of a young woman who is struggling with anorexia and her intimate journey to reclaim her life. Find out why I’m betting you’ll love these titles in next week’s newsletter. You may have noticed that I have selected a number of Bets On picks so far in 2019; I have been enjoying so many books to start the year. However, I did fail to note last week that Kaira Rouda’s THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER will be a Bets On title when it comes out on May 21st. We are listing my upcoming Bets On selections here, so you can keep track of them. Other books we’re reviewing this week include I OWE YOU ONE, Sophie Kinsella’s novel about a young woman with a complicated family, a handsome man who might be “the one” and an IOU that changes everything; BOWLAWAY, Elizabeth McCracken’s first novel in 18 years, which revolves around three generations of an unconventional New England family who own and operate a candlepin bowling alley; and THE BLACK ASCOT by Charles Todd, which finds Inspector Ian Rutledge seeking a killer who has eluded Scotland Yard for years. We’re awarding the audio version of I OWE YOU ONE (read by Fiona Hardingham), along with Fiona Barton’s THE SUSPECT (read by Susan Duerden, Fiona Hardingham, Nicholas Guy Smith and Katharine McEwan) in this month’s Sounding Off on Audio contest. Let us know by Friday, March 1st at noon ET what audiobooks you’ve listened to, and you’ll be in the running to win both these audio titles. THE END OF LONELINESS by internationally bestselling author Benedict Wells is the latest title we’re featuring in our New Release Spotlight. Following the sudden death of his parents, Jules Moreau heads to boarding school and becomes separated from his two siblings, Marty and Liz. The once vivacious and fearless Jules retreats inward until he meets Alva, a kindred soul caught in her own grief. Fifteen years pass, and the siblings are still strangers to one another. Jules wants nothing more in life than to become a writer and to reconnect with Alva, who pulled the plug on their friendship before they had a chance to grow closer and pursue a relationship. But just when it seems that a reunion between Jules and Alva is likely, invisible forces intervene. The aforementioned THE LAST ROMANTICS by Tara Conklin and OUT OF THE DARK: An Orphan X Novel by Gregg Hurwitz are my latest Bets On picks. Click on each of the titles for my commentary. This is your last newsletter reminder to enter our Valentine’s Day contest, which ends this Monday, February 11th at noon ET. Five readers will win seven love-themed books and chocolates! Click here to fill out the entry form --- and if you're feeling frisky, share with us your all-time book character crush. We'll announce the top 10 literary loves and lusts, along with the winners, in next week’s newsletter. In this week’s Winter Reading contests, we gave away AUNTIE POLDI AND THE SICILIAN LIONS by Mario Giordano, the aforementioned THE GIRLS AT 17 SWANN STREET by Yara Zgheib, GOOD RIDDANCE by Elinor Lipman (which we review this week and is also a Valentine’s Day prize book), and THE LOST MAN by Jane Harper. This year’s Winter Reading contests wrap up next week with our final four giveaways: CHEROKEE AMERICA by Margaret Verble, THE HUNTRESS by Kate Quinn, IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE by Jesse Blackadder, and SAVE ME THE PLUMS: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl. The first contest of the week will go live on Monday at noon ET. AUNTIE POLDI AND THE SICILIAN LIONS and THE HUNTRESS are just two of the many titles we’re featuring in our New in Paperback roundups for February. We have paperback reprints from such bestselling authors as Tayari Jones (AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE), Mary Higgins Clark (I’VE GOT MY EYES ON YOU), Sandra Brown (TAILSPIN), and Elin Hilderbrand (THE PERFECT COUPLE); nonfiction titles, including I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara, FEEL FREE: Essays by Zadie Smith, and SHARP: The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion by Michelle Dean; and paperback originals like CALIFORNIA GIRLS by Susan Mallery and ALL ROADS END HERE by David Moody. Our poll continues to ask if you pre-order books online or at bookstores, or reserve books at libraries. As I mentioned last week, this was a topic that was discussed at Winter Institute, so we would love your feedback on this! It was announced this week that THE PROPOSAL by Jasmine Guillory is February’s Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick. Here’s what Reese has to say about this New York Times bestseller from last year: “It starts with a proposal in front of 45,000 people at Dodger Stadium. But it’s not exactly love and baseball for Nikole (who says no!!!), and as she’s chased out of the stadium by live camera crews, she’s saved by a couple… of siblings… find out what happens next!” Check out our rave review of the book here. News & Pop Culture Reader Mail: Theresa wrote, "I won an ARC copy of Tara Conklin's new book, THE LAST ROMANTICS, and it's wonderful. As Tara is a historian, I dove right in, and in the first chapter she states that it's spring of 1981 and Jimmy Carter is president. Well, I knew that Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt on March 30, 1981, so Carter couldn't have been president then. I emailed Tara, and she said she thought they would be able to make the change before final print. I'm mentioning this because when you get a book written by a historian; you want the information to be accurate. That's why we avid readers who love to read ARCs and review without pay or recognition love doing it! To make these authors look perfect and sell books is my goal. I loved this book and hope it does very well!" Linda wrote referencing our poll, “The small Ohio city where I live does not have an independent bookstore. It closed about eight years ago. However, due to my book traveling, I have developed a very personal relationship with an independent bookstore in Petoskey, Michigan. Matt and Jessilynn and their staff always take excellent care of me and my book needs. In fact, today I ordered a signed copy of Angie Thomas' new book, ON THE COME UP. At this stage of my life, I do not buy a lot of books because I have no more space for books or bookcases. My library, the Champaign County (Ohio) Library, just about always fulfills my requests." Reeves wrote, “I am really liking this third season of 'True Detective.' It is quite a complicated story both in terms of plot and the main characters. I am a huge fan of Brit mysteries and police procedurals, which often are loaded with complicated backstories and flawed characters. This storyline reminds me of these. I also liked 'I Am the Night.' My only complaint is the high school girls' wardrobe. I was a young teen during this timeline, and we did NOT wear big skirts and bobby socks. Way too Bandstand 1958! Jean was a Winter Reading contest winner this week and wrote, "Thank you for the copy of THE LOST MAN. I'm so excited to receive this book. Mystery/suspense books are my favorite reads. I look forward to discovering a new (to me) author. Thanks again." When I was flying from Albuquerque to Houston a few weeks ago, the guy sitting next to me was answering email until we took off. Then I glanced over, and he was coloring with colored pencils. I am curious: Are you still coloring? Drop me a note with “Coloring” in the subject line, and let me know what you are coloring these days. This weekend will be a quiet one. I have a scarf I am going to finish knitting, there is lots of reading to do, and I do hope there will be time for a fire in the fireplace! Read on, and have a great week. P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!    Featured Review: THE SILENT PATIENT  THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides (Psychological Thriller) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read the review. THE SILENT PATIENT will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Featured Review: I OWE YOU ONE by Sophie Kinsella  I OWE YOU ONE by Sophie Kinsella (Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read the review. Featured Review: BOWLAWAY by Elizabeth McCracken  BOWLAWAY by Elizabeth McCracken (Historical Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read the review. Featured Review: THE AGE OF LIGHT by Whitney Scharer  THE AGE OF LIGHT by Whitney Scharer (Historical Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read the review. THE AGE OF LIGHT will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.  New Release Spotlight:  THE END OF LONELINESS written by Benedict Wells, translated by Charlotte Collins (Fiction) A kaleidoscopic family saga told through the fractured lives of the three Moreau siblings, alongside a faltering, recovering love story, THE END OF LONELINESS is a stunning meditation on the power of our memories, of what can be lost and what can never be let go. With inimitable compassion and luminous, affecting prose, Benedict Wells contends with what it means to find a way through life, while never giving up hope you will find someone to go with you. Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight.  Bookreporter.com Bets On:   THE LAST ROMANTICS by Tara Conklin (Fiction) Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE LAST ROMANTICS. OUT OF THE DARK: An Orphan X Novel by Gregg Hurwitz (Thriller) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on OUT OF THE DARK.  Bookreporter.com's 14th Annual Valentine's Day is only a few heartbeats away. We can't think of a better way to celebrate this special day than to cuddle up with your loved one...and a good book, of course! We're giving readers the chance to win one of our five Bookreporter.com Valentine's Day prize packages, which includes one copy of each of our featured titles and some delicious chocolates. Be sure to enter between now and Monday, February 11th at noon ET for your opportunity to be a lucky (and beloved!) winner. If you're feeling frisky, share with us your all-time book character crush. Don't be shy, we all got 'em! We'll post the top 10 literary loves and lusts --- along with the five winners --- shortly after the contest ends. This year's featured Valentine’s Day titles are:
Click here to enter the contest.  Bookreporter.com's Fifth Annual Our Winter Reading Contests and Feature have returned for a fifth year! On select days between now and Friday, February 15th at noon ET, we are hosting a series of 24-hour contests spotlighting a book releasing this winter (or a book publishing in the spring that we would like to get on your radar now) and giving five lucky readers a chance to win it. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here. Our next prize book will be announced on Monday, February 11th at noon ET. This year's featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details    February’s New in Paperback Roundups February’s roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward --- with hope and pain --- into the future; I'VE GOT MY EYES ON YOU, a stand-alone novel from the "Queen of Suspense," Mary Higgins Clark, which shows us just how far a family and a town will go to protect their own in the wake of tragedy; THE PERFECT COUPLE, Elin Hilderbrand's first murder mystery, in which a body is discovered in Nantucket Harbor just hours before Celeste Otis and Benji Winbury are planning to tie the knot --- and everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect; and LYING IN WAIT, a twisty psychological thriller from Liz Nugent (the international bestselling author of UNRAVELING OLIVER) about a Dublin family whose dark secrets and twisted relationships are suddenly revealed. Among our nonfiction highlights are I'LL BE GONE IN THE DARK by Michelle McNamara, the haunting true story of the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California during the '70s and '80s, and of the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case --- which was solved in April 2018; FEEL FREE, a new collection of essays from Zadie Smith that offers a survey of important recent events in culture and politics, as well as her own life; Michelle Dean's SHARP, the exhilarating story of 10 exceptional women who used the power of their pens to carve out space for themselves in a world where men wrote the rules; and ONE GOAL, in which Amy Bass tells the inspiring story of the soccer team in a town bristling with racial tension that united Somali refugees and multi-generation Mainers in their quest for state --- and ultimately national --- glory. Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of    More Reviews This WeekTHE BLACK ASCOT by Charles Todd (Historical Mystery) THE GOLDEN TRESSES OF THE DEAD: A Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley (Historical Mystery) THE GIRLS AT 17 SWANN STREET by Yara Zgheib (Fiction) - Click here to read an excerpt. Please note: THE GIRLS AT 17 SWANN STREET will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Don’t miss Carol’s commentary in next week’s newsletter. WILD BILL: The True Story of the American Frontier's First Gunfighter by Tom Clavin (Biography) CAMELOT'S END: Kennedy vs. Carter and the Fight that Broke the Democratic Party by Jon Ward (Politics/History) THE GIRL IN THE GLASS BOX: A Jack Swyteck Novel by James Grippando (Legal Thriller) THE WINTER SISTER by Megan Collins (Thriller) GOOD RIDDANCE by Elinor Lipman (Romantic Comedy) - Click here to read an excerpt. THE STRANGER INSIDE by Laura Benedict (Psychological Thriller) STALKER written by Lars Kepler, translated by Neil Smith (Mystery/Thriller) RUPTURE: An Ari Thor Thriller written by Ragnar Jonasson, translated by Quentin Bates (Mystery/Thriller)   
Next Week’s Notables:
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