May 10, 2019
 May 10, 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 $27,000 of our $50,000 goal, with online donations and checks! In addition to your contributions, we are loving the comments that have been shared with donations about how you enjoy this newsletter and Bookreporter.com. Here are a few from this week: Julie: "I do enjoy the newsletter and look forward to seeing the upcoming changes." Peggy: "I look forward to the Bookreporter newsletter every Saturday morning and to the On Sale This Week newsletter on Wednesday mornings. A cup of coffee, your emails and a sunny window make it such a perfect morning." Christine: "Please accept this donation as a thank you for sending the Bookreporter newsletter to me. It’s your fault that I have a huge stack of books to read, and I am grateful."   Carol read MRS. EVERYTHING by Jennifer Weiner (on sale June 11th) last weekend,  Carol has been enjoying snacking on these limited edition   On the left are sweet treats Carol made for her mom's birthday: Maida Heatter’s Lemon Buttermilk Cake, Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies, and Lemon Ginger Cake.   Enter to win a copy of WHOSE WAVES THESE ARE by debut novelist Amanda Dykes On the right is Carol's latest Bookreporter preview video. When Your Mom Reads the NewsletterMy mom is a regular reader of this newsletter, so last week I had to pretend that we were doing her milestone birthday dinner at our house on Sunday night when actually we were celebrating at a restaurant on Saturday night. I had myself so convinced that we were doing the dinner that for a while I was cleaning the house and planning a menu. Instead I channeled my energies onto cake and shortbread baking and floral arranging. She loves lemon, so there was a Lemon Ginger Cake, Maida Heatter’s Lemon Buttermilk Cake (Greg got the recipe for this when he was in Mendocino a few weeks ago as it was a hit at the Land Rover Pot Luck) and Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies. As a gift, we did a slideshow of 150 photos of her with us through the years, which was fun to pull together. We are going to make it into a book as well. Of course, a book! On Wednesday night, my neighborhood book group had a fabulous Skype chat with Lisa See about THE ISLAND OF SEA WOMEN. Everyone loved the book, and they posed such great questions to her. The terrific thing about being in a book group is learning what resonated with other readers; reading is such a solitary experience. We loved hearing about her research, as well as her writing process. The details are what make her books so special, and we loved her sharing her inspiration for the book. Some of the group members had gone out to her "Step Inside The Island of Sea Women" feature on her site to watch videos and read more background on the sea women and the island of Jeju. We learned so much from reading the book. I so appreciate that our group was able to have this experience. Last weekend, in between celebrating mom, I read MRS. EVERYTHING by Jennifer Weiner, which will be in stores on June 11th. It's been four years since Jen has written a novel for adults (she wrote two children's books and a book of essays), and this book is quite a departure for her. It's a big sweeping novel telling the story of two sisters between the 1950s and the present with an eye on what happened for women socially through these years. I loved the details, as well as the relationship between the two sisters and how their lives ebbed and flowed. It was real life, as messy as it is. I am going to be interviewing Jen at Book Expo and am looking forward to discussing it with her. I think Jen and I were first together on a panel 15 years ago! MRS. EVERYTHING will be great for a book group discussion. Now I am reading MONTAUK by Nicola Harrison, which releases on June 4th. It is set in 1938, and as the story opens, Montauk is just being discovered by the swells. It is a far more rustic place than it is now. Harry and Beatrice Bordeaux are summering there for the first time; she is there for the entire summer, and he comes out on the weekends. I am in the early pages and already am caught up in the story and feeling the fractures between this couple. It’s beautifully written, and I am eager to read more. Our Fiction Author Spotlight of THE GUEST BOOK, which is May’s Barnes & Noble Book Club pick and an upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On title, wraps up this week with our review and interview. Sarah Blake’s first book since 2010’s THE POSTMISTRESS revolves around three generations of a well-bred family who summer on an island that they own off the coast of Maine. According to reviewer Amy Haddock, the novel “delivers a beautiful family story while depositing seeds of questions within each person who turns its pages. Will we repeat the mistakes of silent majorities in our past? Or create a future where human life is valued regardless of position? This novel will delight book clubs everywhere and create conversations that shouldn’t be missed.” Amy had the opportunity to ask Sarah some questions about the book; click here for the Q&A. Don’t miss my Bets On commentary in next week’s newsletter. I have been excited about this book and talking to people about it since I read an advance copy. I am so glad it is out in readers' hands! Barnes & Noble will be selling a special Exclusive Book Club Edition of THE GUEST BOOK, in addition to hosting a free Book Club Night to discuss it, in stores across the country on Tuesday, June 11th at 7pm local time. Click here to sign up for the event. This is a great opportunity to join a group to discuss the book whether you are in a book group or not. Think of it as a drop-in book club. Also wrapping up this week is our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight of THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK. Kim Michele Richardson’s fourth novel was inspired by the true blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the brave and dedicated Kentucky Pack Horse library service of the 1930s. Megan Elliott has our review and says, “Richardson has a native’s feel for the landscape and language of eastern Kentucky. She lovingly describes the hills and hollers that Cussy Mary and those around her call home, while judiciously deploying the rich and distinct Appalachian dialect.” She goes on to call the novel “a stirring testament to the crucial role that books can play in easing the pain of poverty and letting people imagine a different, more hopeful future.” Megan also was fortunate enough to conduct an interview with Kim Michele, which you can take a look at here. Other books we’re reviewing this week include THE FARM, a timely novel in which Joanne Ramos chillingly traces the logical outcomes of vast societal inequalities (this is Emma Roberts’ May pick for her book club, Belletrist); THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU, Liv Constantine’s new psychological thriller (following the success of THE LAST MRS. PARRISH in 2017) that is filled with shocking twists about the aftermath of a brutal high-society murder; SUCH A PERFECT WIFE by Kate White, which features true-crime writer Bailey Weggins in another page-turning mystery; and THE DAUGHTER’S TALE, a family saga from Armando Lucas Correa that explores a hidden piece of World War II history and the lengths a mother will go to protect her children. Our very popular Summer Reading contests have returned for a 15th(!) year and will kick off on Tuesday, May 14th at noon ET. On select days through August 23rd, we will host a series of 24-hour contests and on each of the contest days award five readers a book that we think is a great summer read. You will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter to win. We also will send a special newsletter to announce the day's title, along with a Summer Reading Preview newsletter on Monday. Click here to sign up for these dedicated newsletters. Our first three prize books will be the aforementioned SUCH A PERFECT WIFE, along with SUNSET BEACH by the “Queen of the Beach Reads” Mary Kay Andrews (which we review next week), and THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY by Ruth Ware (which just released in paperback). This year, we will be sharing videos to preview the titles being given away each week. Look for the first one on Monday! Our Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight & Contest for THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER by Kaira Rouda continues for one more week. Kaira’s 2017 thriller, BEST DAY EVER, was a Bets On pick, and her latest will be as well, as it’s another gripping novel of psychological suspense set in an upscale Southern California community. We’re giving 30 readers the opportunity to win a copy of the book, which releases on May 21st, and give us their feedback on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, May 16th at noon ET. Kaira Rouda is just one of the seven authors who contributed wonderful pieces to this year’s Mother’s Day Author Blog series. The others were Melanie Benjamin, Chris Pavone and Wendy Wax, along with the aforementioned Sarah Blake, Armando Lucas Correa and Kate White. I enjoyed each and every piece. Many thanks to all who shared such lovely and heartwarming stories with us. Take some time to read and enjoy them! And please note that each of these authors has a book releasing this month. Congratulations to the winners of our Mother’s Day contest! Five lucky readers will receive all 11 of our featured titles. And next week we will kick off our 14th annual Father’s Day contest. This is your last newsletter reminder to enter our ReadingGroupGuides.com contest for William Kent Krueger’s upcoming work of historical fiction, THIS TENDER LAND, which releases on September 3rd and will be a Bets On selection. I LOVE this book! For those of you who remember Kent's bestseller, ORDINARY GRACE, this one is just as terrific. This week I saw a number of bookseller raves for THIS TENDER LAND; such universally terrific praise is coming in for this very special book. We’re giving 10 book groups the chance to win up to 10 advance copies, provided that they can give us their feedback on it by Friday, August 16th. The deadline for your entries is Wednesday, May 15th at noon ET, so be sure to fill out this form before then. Please also note our contest for WHOSE WAVES THESE ARE by Amanda Dykes that we're currently featuring on the Bookreporter homepage. In the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman submits a poem to a local newspaper asking readers to send rocks in honor of loved ones to create something life-giving --- but the building halts when tragedy strikes. Decades later, Annie returns to the coastal Maine town where stone ruins spark her curiosity, and her search for answers faces a battle against time. We have 25 copies of this debut novel to give away to those who would like to read the book and share their comments on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Wednesday, May 15th at noon ET. We’ve posted our New in Paperback roundups for May. We're featuring paperback reprints from such bestselling authors as David Baldacci (LONG ROAD TO MERCY), Celeste Ng (LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, which is our current “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” prize book on ReadingGroupGuides.com), Lisa Wingate (BEFORE WE WERE YOURS), and Kate Morton (THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER); nonfiction titles, including THE RESTLESS WAVE: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations by John McCain and Mark Salter, PAUL SIMON: The Life by Robert Hilburn, and MY GIRLS: A Lifetime with Carrie and Debbie by Todd Fisher; and paperback originals like MY EX-BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING by the aforementioned Wendy Wax (an upcoming Bets On selection), GUILTY by Laura Elliott, and IT’S HOT IN THE HAMPTONS by Holly Peterson. We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Let us know by Friday, May 24th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll be in the running to win THE NEVER GAME by Jeffery Deaver and THE NIGHT BEFORE by Wendy Walker, the latter of which will be a Bets On pick. We also have a new poll this week. We want to know in what genre was the last book or e-book you read, and in what genre was the last audiobook you listened to. Click here to cast your votes! Our previous poll asked in what year was the book that you’re currently reading published. The top three vote-getters were 2019 (50%), 2018 (19%), and earlier than 2014 (18%). Click here for all the results. Submit your comments about the audiobooks you’ve listened to in this month’s Sounding Off on Audio contest, and you’ll have a chance to win the audio versions of Karen Cleveland's KEEP YOU CLOSE, read by Erin Bennett, and John Sandford's NEON PREY: A Lucas Davenport Novel, read by Richard Ferrone. Be sure to enter by Monday, June 3rd at noon ET. On Saturday, June 1st at BookCon, Book Club Girl will host a special Author Meet & Greet event, featuring Christina Baker Kline, Meg Cabot, Joshilyn Jackson, Jean Kwok and many more. Each attendee will receive a special gift bag filled with a variety of books and exclusive advance reader’s editions of great book club reads. Click here for more details and to purchase your tickets. JUST KIDS by Patti Smith has been chosen as this year’s One Book, One New York winner. Now in its third year, the One Book, One New York program is the nation’s largest book club whose goal is to get New Yorkers reading the same book at the same time. According to the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, “JUST KIDS serves as a salute to New York City during a pivotal time in its long history. It is a true fable and a portrait of two young artists' ascent on their path to fame.” Click here to read more about Patti Smith’s win and this worthwhile initiative. News & Pop Culture Reader Mail: Last week, I wrote about “At the Heart of Gold,” a new HBO documentary about the Olympic gymnasts and the gymnastics program at Michigan State. I referred to it as a “sex scandal.” Our reader, Julie, wrote and noted my misuse of words: “The Red Line”: Been watching this limited series on CBS. I like it…and also am glad I know it’s a limited series. Knowing I will not have to make a long investment in watching time is great. “Bosch”: Just started watching Season Five, though it’s been out a few weeks. I realized that last year when it aired, Tom was away for the weekend and I binge-watched the entire series. Oprah’s “Super Soul Sunday”: Watched two recent episodes, and both were terrific. The first was an interview with Melinda Gates about THE MOMENT OF LIFT, and the second was an interview with Tara Westover about EDUCATED. “Game of Thrones” Oreos: I found the perfect snack for "GoT" watching. Lights out...sound up…open the cookies...and they are Double Stuff! We need a new package for Sunday! Those who love to cook, here is some great news: A new version of Irma S. Rombauer's JOY OF COOKING will come out on November 12th. It has been updated and rewritten by Rombauer's great-grandson, John Becker, and his wife, Megan Scott. Over the last nine years, they have worked on this revision and added over 600 new recipes...and it also will be available as an e-book. I wish all of my cookbooks were also available as e-books for those moments when I am looking for a recipe while in the grocery store! The weather has been cold and damp on the weekends, so I have been racing around trying to clean up the yard when we get home at night. It’s amazing what you can do with 30 minutes of daylight. On Saturday night we are having dinner with my mom and Tom’s mom (really doing this, Mom, no joking), so then I can celebrate with Tom and the boys on Sunday. Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who are celebrating. And for those of you who are without your mom, wish you were a mom or recently lost a child to celebrate with, my thoughts are with you. Be kind to yourself. 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!     Our Interview with Sarah Blake and Review of   Moving through three generations and back and forth in time, THE GUEST BOOK is Sarah Blake's triumphant new novel that tells the story of a family and a country that buries its past in quiet, until the present calls forth a reckoning. In this interview, conducted by Bookreporter.com reviewer Amy Haddock, Blake explains her inspiration for writing the book --- her first since 2010’s THE POSTMISTRESS --- how she went about crafting the complex characters of her sweeping family saga, the America that she hopes readers see in the pages of her story, and why she thinks it’s so difficult for some people to see the privilege that exists in their own lives and to speak up when fellow humans are being degraded. THE GUEST BOOK by Sarah Blake (Fiction) Read the review and interview. THE GUEST BOOK will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.  Our Interview with Kim Michele Richardson and Review of THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK   A young outcast braves the hardships of Kentucky’s Great Depression and brings truly magical objects to her people --- books --- in THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK, Kim Michele Richardson's new novel inspired by the brave women of the Pack Horse Library Project. In this interview, conducted by Bookreporter.com reviewer Megan Elliott, Richardson talks about her inspiration for writing a book that features a pack horse librarian as the protagonist, the incredible amount of research she did for the novel (which began nearly five years ago), her remarkable ability to write in dialect without coming off as inauthentic or clichéd, and what she hopes readers will take away from her latest work of historical fiction. THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK by Kim Michele Richardson (Historical Fiction) Featured Review: THE FARM by Joanne Ramos  THE FARM by Joanne Ramos (Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read the review. Featured Review:  THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU by Liv Constantine (Psychological Thriller/Mystery) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read the review. Featured Review: SUCH A PERFECT WIFE by Kate White  SUCH A PERFECT WIFE by Kate White (Mystery) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read the review.  Announcing Bookreporter.com's Summer will be here before you know it! At Bookreporter.com, this means it's time for us to share some great summer book picks with our Summer Reading Contests and Feature. We will be hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through August 23rd, so you will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter to win. We also will be sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here. Our first prize book will be announced on Tuesday, May 14th at noon ET. This year’s prize books include:
Click here to read all the contest details  Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight & Contest:  We have 30 copies of THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER by Kaira Rouda --- a gripping novel of psychological suspense set in an upscale Southern California community --- to give away to those who would like to read the book, which releases on May 21st, and share their comments on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, May 16th at noon ET. THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER by Kaira Rouda (Psychological Thriller) It’s time for Jane to reclaim her life and her family. Jane’s husband, David, has planned a memorial service for Mary; three days later, their youngest daughter, Betsy, graduates high school. Yet as Jane reemerges into the world, it’s clear her family has changed without her. Her husband has been working long days --- and nights --- at the office. Her daughter seems distant, even secretive. And her beloved Mary was always such a good girl --- dutiful and loving. But does someone know more about Mary, and about her last day, than they’ve revealed? The bonds between mothers and daughters, and husbands and wives, should never be broken. But you never know how far someone will go to keep a family together. - Click here to read an excerpt. Click here to read more in our Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight Bookreporter.com’s 2019 Mother’s Day Author Blogs  Our Mother's Day Author Blogs are back for a 10th year! Once again, we are excited to be sharing pieces from authors who reminisce about reading books with their moms, or with their own children, and talk about how their moms influenced them to become readers and writers. This year’s contributors are Melanie Benjamin, Sarah Blake, Armando Lucas Correa, Chris Pavone, Kaira Rouda, Wendy Wax and Kate White. Our sincere thanks to all seven of these authors for sharing their very heartwarming stories with us. Click here to read this year's Mother's Day Author Blogs.    May’s New in Paperback Roundups May’s roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes 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; LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives; BEFORE WE WERE YOURS, Lisa Wingate's beloved New York Times bestselling novel inspired by firsthand accounts of the stories behind a notoriously corrupt adoption agency; and AN UNWANTED GUEST, a twisty psychological thriller from Shari Lapena about a weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge that is supposed to be the perfect getaway...but when a storm hits, no one is getting away. Among our nonfiction highlights are THE RESTLESS WAVE, the late Senator John McCain's inspiring, moving, frank and deeply personal memoir in which he looks back with appreciation on his years in the Senate, his historic 2008 campaign for the presidency against Barack Obama, and his crusades on behalf of democracy and human rights in Eastern Europe and the Middle East; PAUL SIMON: The Life, an intimate, candid and definitive biography written with Paul Simon’s full participation --- but without his editorial control --- by acclaimed biographer and music writer Robert Hilburn; and Todd Fisher’s poignant memoir, MY GIRLS, a revelatory and touching tribute to the lives of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds written by the person who knew them best. Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of    More Reviews This WeekTHE DAUGHTER'S TALE by Armando Lucas Correa (Historical Fiction) EXHALATION: Stories by Ted Chiang (Science Fiction/Short Stories) THE GUARDED GATE: Bigotry, Eugenics, and the Law That Kept Two Generations of Jews, Italians, and Other European Immigrants Out of America by Daniel Okrent (History) BECOMING DR. SEUSS: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination by Brian Jay Jones (Biography) ROBERT B. PARKER'S BUCKSKIN by Robert Knott (Historical Mystery/Western) PARK AVENUE SUMMER by Renée Rosen (Historical Fiction) UNDER THE TABLE by Stephanie Evanovich (Romance/Humor) THE GHOST MANUSCRIPT by Kris Frieswick (Thriller)   
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