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Last weekend, Carol read AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins (on sale January 21, 2020)
and THE NEAREST EXIT MAY BE BEHIND YOU by Amulya Malladi (on sale now).
Both books will be Bets On selections.
Carol also read an advance copy of THE BEEKEEPER OF ALEPPO by Christy Lefteri,
which releases on August 27th. It, too, will be a Bets On pick.
Carol's hairdresser gave her the lilies that you see above.
Carol tucked barbells under her arms so she could read and swim at the same time.
A Brilliant Weekend of Reading
Last weekend was a brilliant weekend of reading. I had no plans for the first time in a long time, and it was lovely to just disappear into some books. It was both relaxing and restorative.
I first dived into AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins, which was one of the most talked-about books at Book Expo. It’s the kind of book that I read and will think about for a long time. I love when a book holds up to the hype. Lydia Quixano Perez is a bookseller living in Acapulco, Mexico, with her husband, who is a journalist, and her eight-year-old son, Luca, who is quite precocious and prescient. Drug cartels are overtaking the city that she knows and loves, and her husband is writing about them, anonymously, so as to keep his family from feeling repercussions. A customer at Lydia’s store shares her book taste, and they chat and banter. She is unaware that he is Javier, the jefe of a cartel that has been rising quickly. When her husband writes an in-depth profile of Javier, Lydia finds herself on the run with Luca towards el norte, the United States. Their journey is fraught with danger and fear, both from what they are running from and what they are running towards. The world they knew has harmed them, but what is before them has its own perils.
Just like the very provocative "60 Minutes" piece about the border that ran a few months ago, AMERICAN DIRT will spur a 360-degree conversation on the subject of immigration, no matter what side of the aisle you are on about this topic. ("60 Minutes" said that this piece got them letters from people who had their views upended after watching, on both sides.) Jeanine’s writing is strong, and the book is an absolute page-turner. It’s not in stores until January 21st, but you will want to note it now. It will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection.
The weather was lovely again on Sunday, and I plucked an advance copy of THE BEEKEEPER OF ALEPPO by Christy Lefteri. I had heard Christy speak at a breakfast at Book Expo, and I also interviewed her there. Sadly that video had too much background noise to post, but we are transcribing it so we can share it with you when the book releases on August 27th. The story revolves around Nuri, a beekeeper from Aleppo, Syria, and his wife, Afra, an artist. As the book opens, Nuri and his cousin, Mustafa, are cultivating a number of hives in the Syrian countryside. War upends their safe world, and they are forced to flee first through Turkey and then into Greece where they join fellow Syrians looking for a way out. The goal: to get to the UK, which is the dream of so many refugees. Mustafa already has made his way there; he has started a new apiary and awaits the arrival of Nuri, but there are so many challenges that lie between him and this destination.
Christy’s writing is beautiful; her storytelling was driven by stories that she heard when she was volunteering at a shelter for refugees in an abandoned airport in Greece. The pages flew by, and I found myself thinking of THE KITE RUNNER as I read it. It, too, will be a Bets On pick.
Many years ago, I read a few books by Amulya Malladi that I had enjoyed. So when her latest, THE NEAREST EXIT MAY BE BEHIND YOU, got on my radar, I asked her to send me a copy. In it, Asmi is a marketing director at a biotech company. She is a career woman through and through. She travels the world for work and knows airports the way most people know their local supermarket. She’s close to 40, and suddenly she is thrown into a race against a co-worker for an enviable position. Does she have the confidence to go for it, and does she have what it takes? At the same time, she’s exited a relationship with a lover who lives in Paris and is inconveniently married. But does she want it to end? And what’s next for her in terms of a relationship?
It’s fun, funny, brisk and smart, and delivers a deep dive into global corporate politics. Reverberating throughout is the question: Just what does it take for a woman to get ahead? Laced in between are workbook and workshop entries, which could serve as touchstones for Asmi and notes for a career-minded reader to ponder. Sheryl Sandberg and her “lean in” philosophy gets a tad more praise than I feel is due, especially since I feel that recently she has done a lot of “leaning out,” but so much else works in the book that this is forgiven. Amulya is a corporate marketing executive who also knows her airports, so the jet lag touched upon in these pages, as well as the endless hotel rooms and flights, comes from one who really knows it. It is available now and will be a Bets On selection.
For amusement, I wanted to head to the pool to read. I grabbed my barbells shown above to tuck under my arms so I could read and pedal around the pool. I completely forgot about the pool chair that I usually float around on that was still stored in the basement, and I was too lazy to blow up the tubes that are made for floating. It’s almost July, and clearly I am not in the swing of summer yet.
We have 14 reviews to share with you this week. Among them are BACKLASH, the latest installment in Brad Thor’s thriller series starring ex-Navy SEAL and Secret Service agent Scot Harvath; BIG SKY by Kate Atkinson, a novel about secrets, sex and lies that marks the return of iconoclastic detective Jackson Brodie; and M.T. Edvardsson’s A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY, a gripping legal thriller in which a horrific crime makes a seemingly normal family question everything they thought they knew about their life --- and one another. The latter will be a Bets On pick; find out why in next week’s newsletter.
We also are featuring reviews of two much-talked-about debut novels. EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER by Linda Holmes (the host of NPR’s “Pop Culture Happy Hour” podcast) is about the unlikely relationship between a young woman who’s lost her husband and a major league pitcher who’s lost his game. And in Claire Lombardo’s THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD, four adult daughters of a Chicago couple recklessly ignite old rivalries until a long-buried secret threatens to shatter the lives they've built.
EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER and A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY were two of this week’s Summer Reading prize books, along with LAST WOMAN STANDING by Amy Gentry and LIFELINES by Heidi Diehl. Next week is a short week due to the holiday, so we are giving away just two books --- MY EX-BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING by Wendy Wax (a Bets On title) and TEMPER by Layne Fargo. The first contest of the week will be up on Monday, July 1st at noon ET.
My latest Bets On pick is Megan Miranda’s new psychological thriller, THE LAST HOUSE GUEST, which we reviewed last week and hit the New York Times bestseller list its first week out. Click here for my commentary.
Our poll continues to ask about your favorite places to read during the summer. Click here to weigh in. Yes, you can check more than one --- many more if you'd like!
Submit your comments about the books you’ve read in our Word of Mouth contest, and you’ll be in the running to win THE GOLDEN HOUR by Beatriz Williams (which releases on July 9th) and SUMMER OF '69 by Elin Hilderbrand (which we reviewed last week). Please do so by Thursday, July 11th at noon ET.
I posted a video where I talk about some audiobooks that I have enjoyed. Speaking of which, this is your last newsletter reminder to enter June’s Sounding Off on Audio contest, which ends on Monday, July 1st at noon ET. Let us know what audiobooks you’ve listened to, and you’ll have a chance to win the audio versions of Jennifer Weiner's MRS. EVERYTHING, read by Ari Graynor and Beth Malone, and Mary Alice Monroe's THE SUMMER GUESTS, read by Cassandra Campbell.
Earlier this year on ReadingGroupGuides.com, we featured a contest that offered 10 book groups the chance to win up to six digital copies of the audiobook of Melinda Gates’ THE MOMENT OF LIFT: How Empowering Women Changes the World (read by the author herself) and give us their feedback on it. We’ve compiled the comments from our winning groups, who gave it rave reviews, and you can see them here. Many thanks to all of our readers who listened to THE MOMENT OF LIFT and took the time to share their opinions with us.
This week, we learned the sad news that romance novelist Judith Krantz passed away at the age of 91. Previously a fashion editor and magazine article writer, Krantz’s first novel, SCRUPLES, was an immediate bestseller. Her other books included PRINCESS DAISY, MISTRAL’S DAUGHTER, I’LL TAKE MANHATTAN, TILL WE MEET AGAIN, DAZZLE, SCRUPLES TWO, LOVERS, SPRING COLLECTION and THE JEWELS OF TESSA KENT. Many of these books are on the shelves in my family room. I remember laughing over a line in I’LL TAKE MANHATTAN, in which the protagonist works at a magazine. She goes to make a magazine maquette, and she then asks what a maquette is. As someone who worked in magazines for years, I always found that line so funny.
News & Pop Culture:
Christopher Dean Myers accepted the Legacy Award on behalf of his father, the late Walter Dean Myers: His beautiful tribute to his dad is here.
Murder Mystery: I have been looking for something really funny to watch, and this movie on Netflix definitely hit the mark. It stars Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, and is so amusing.
"Pose": Season two on FX has started out well. This show is a deep dive into “the African-American and Latino gay and gender-nonconforming ballroom culture scene in NYC in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Featured characters are dancers and models who compete for trophies and recognition in this underground culture, and who support one another in a network of chosen families known as Houses."
Cory moved to his new apartment during the week in what has to be one of the most organized moves of getting from point A to point B; he definitely has the mindset of an engineer. Everything was staged in the garage, and packing was swift. We have not seen the new apartment yet, but we are hoping for an invite there soon. Last weekend, Tom and I enjoyed a fire in the fire pit here at the house with Cory and his girlfriend, Sam. We made s’mores that included a chili chocolate that gave them some really great zing. Why use Hershey’s when you have this? Of course, I could not find the gourmet marshmallows that I have been hoarding for just this purpose, so we had to settle for Jet-Puffed marshmallows. I have to admit that I swallowed around a lump in my throat the morning I saw his car pull out of the driveway for his last drive from this house to his office. Big steps make me miss the little ones all the more.
As you read this, I will have done an event at the Avalon Free Public Library on Friday evening. For the moment, I do not have any events scheduled until October when I will be moderating some sessions at the Morristown Festival of Books. Tom is down in Avalon with me as we are visiting our friends Beverley and Don for the night; Tom and Don are discussing whether they will play golf or race cars. I have brought the fixings for a strawberry rhubarb crisp.
The lilies in the photo above were gifted to me by my hairdresser. Her dog was digging up the bulbs, which were poisonous to his breed, so these found their way to me. I am so appreciative of this green-thumb share.
Programming Note: Next week, we will be back in your mailboxes on Wednesday instead of Friday so the staff can enjoy the long weekend. Read on, and have a great half a week!
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
Featured Review: BACKLASH by Brad Thor
BACKLASH by Brad Thor (Political Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Armand Schultz
In ancient texts, there are stories about men who struck from the shadows, seemingly beyond the reach of death itself. Their loyalty was to their families, friends and kings. You crossed these men at your peril. And once crossed, there was no crossing back. They were fearless --- men of honor who have been known throughout history by different names: Spartan, Viking, Samurai. Today, men like these still strike from the shadows. They are highly prized intelligence agents, military operatives and assassins. One man is all three. Two days ago, that man was crossed --- badly. Now, far from home and surrounded by his enemy, Scot Harvath must battle his way out. But survival isn’t enough. Harvath wants revenge. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: BIG SKY by Kate Atkinson
BIG SKY by Kate Atkinson (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Jason Isaacs
Jackson Brodie has relocated to a quiet seaside village, in the occasional company of his recalcitrant teenage son and an aging Labrador, both at the discretion of his ex-partner, Julia. It's picturesque, but there's something darker lurking behind the scenes. Jackson's current job, gathering proof of an unfaithful husband for his suspicious wife, is fairly standard-issue, but a chance encounter with a desperate man on a crumbling cliff leads him into a sinister network --- and back across the path of his old friend, Reggie. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD
by Claire Lombardo
THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD by Claire Lombardo (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Emily Rankin
When Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, they are blithely ignorant of all that's to come. By 2016, their four radically different daughters are each in a state of unrest: Wendy, widowed young, soothes herself with booze and younger men; Violet, a litigator-turned-stay-at-home-mom, battles anxiety and self-doubt when the darkest part of her past resurfaces; Liza, a neurotic and newly tenured professor, finds herself pregnant with a baby she's not sure she wants by a man she's not sure she loves; and Grace, the dawdling youngest daughter, begins living a lie that no one in her family even suspects. Above it all, the daughters share the lingering fear that they will never find a love quite like their parents'. Reviewed by Katherine B. Weissman.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read the review.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
THE LAST HOUSE GUEST by Megan Miranda
THE LAST HOUSE GUEST by Megan Miranda (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
THE LAST HOUSE GUEST reminded me once again how strong of a writer Megan Miranda is. The plot, you ask? Avery Greer is the townie in a Maine beach town who befriends Sadie Loman, one of the wealthy girls who summers on the island. On the night of an end-of-the-season party, Sadie is found dead on the beach, and all signs point to suicide. But that does not make sense to Avery, who commits herself to figuring out what went awry.
Megan is brilliant at plotting and turning the story in many different ways. There is an “aha” of a twist at the end that I dare you to see coming. The book is set in Littteport, Maine, and the beach scenes will make you crave sand between your toes --- and some lobster. Pass the melted butter, and don’t spill any on the pages as you zip through this fast-paced thriller.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read a review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to visit Megan Miranda's website.
Click here for more books we're betting you'll love.
Featured Review: EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER
by Linda Holmes
EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER by Linda Holmes (Fiction/Humor)
Audiobook available, read by Julia Whelan
Recently widowed Eveleth “Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her house nearly a year after her husband’s death. Everyone in town, even her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and Evvie doesn’t correct them. Meanwhile, Dean Tenney, former Major League pitcher and Andy’s childhood best friend, is wrestling with what miserable athletes living out their worst nightmares call the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and, even worse, he can’t figure out why. When he moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, the two make a deal: Dean won’t ask about Evvie’s late husband, and Evvie won’t ask about Dean’s baseball career. What starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review:
A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY by M.T. Edvardsson
An Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY written by M.T. Edvardsson, translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles (Psychological/Legal Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Richard Armitage, Georgia Maguire and Emily Watson
Eighteen-year-old Stella Sandell stands accused of the brutal murder of a man almost 15 years her senior. She is an ordinary teenager from an upstanding local family. What reason could she have to know a shady businessman, let alone to kill him? Stella’s father (a pastor) and mother (a criminal defense attorney) find their moral compasses tested as they defend their daughter, while struggling to understand why she is a suspect. Told in an unusual three-part structure, A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY asks the questions: How well do you know your own children? How far would you go to protect them? Reviewed by Lorraine W. Shanley.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read the review.
A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.
Don't miss Carol's commentary in next week's newsletter.
Featured Review: AFTER THE END by Clare Mackintosh
AFTER THE END by Clare Mackintosh (Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Louise Brealey, Matt Reeves and Nathalie Armin
Max and Pip are the strongest couple you know. They're best friends, lovers --- unshakable. But then their son gets sick, and the doctors put the question of his survival into their hands. For the first time, Max and Pip can't agree. They each want a different future for their son. What if they could have both? Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Bookreporter.com's Summer Reading
Contests and Feature
Summer is here! 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 are 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 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, July 1st at noon ET.
This year’s prize books include:
Click here to read all the contest details.
See the prize books that were awarded in May and June,
and that will be awarded in July and August.
Winners of Our Audiobook Contest for
THE MOMENT OF LIFT on ReadingGroupGuides.com Comment on Their Listening Experience
Throughout the month of March, we ran a contest that gave 10 groups the chance to win up to six digital copies of the audiobook of Melinda Gates’ THE MOMENT OF LIFT: How Empowering Women Changes the World (read by the author herself) and give us their feedback on it. We’ve compiled the comments from our winning groups, which you can see here. Many thanks to all who listened to the audiobook and took the time to share their opinions with us.
THE MOMENT OF LIFT: How Empowering Women Changes the World (Audiobook) written and read by Melinda Gates (Social Science/Women's Studies)
For the last 20 years, Melinda Gates has been on a mission to find solutions for people with the most urgent needs, wherever they live. Throughout this journey, one thing has become increasingly clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, you need to stop keeping women down.
In this moving and compelling book, Melinda shares lessons she’s learned from the inspiring people she’s met during her work and travels around the world. As she writes in the introduction, “That is why I had to write this book --- to share the stories of people who have given focus and urgency to my life. I want all of us to see ways we can lift women up where we live.”
Melinda’s unforgettable narrative is backed by startling data as she presents the issues that most need our attention --- from child marriage to lack of access to contraceptives to gender inequity in the workplace. And, for the first time, she writes about her personal life and the road to equality in her own marriage. Throughout, she shows how there has never been more opportunity to change the world ---- and ourselves.
Writing with emotion, candor and grace, she introduces us to remarkable women and shows the power of connecting with one another.
When we lift others up, they lift us up, too.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
Click here to read comments from our winning groups
about the audiobook of THE MOMENT OF LIFT.
THE FIRST MISTAKE by Sandie Jones (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Nathalie Buscombe
For Alice, life has never been better. With her second husband, she has a successful business, two children and a beautiful house. Alice knows that life could have been different if her first husband had lived, but Nathan’s arrival into her life gave her back the happiness she craved. Through the ups and downs of life, from celebratory nights out to comforting each other through loss, Alice knows that with her best friend Beth by her side, they can survive anything together. So when Nathan starts acting strangely, Alice turns to Beth for help. But soon, Alice begins to wonder if her trust has been misplaced. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
DEAR WIFE by Kimberly Belle (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Vivienne Leheny, Chris Andrew Ciulla and Pete Simonelli
For nearly a year, Beth has been planning for this day. A day some people might call any other Wednesday, but Beth prefers to see it as her new beginning. She has given her plan significant thought, because one small slip and her violent husband will find her. A couple hundred miles away, Jeffrey returns home from a work trip to find that his wife, Sabine, is missing. All signs point to foul play, but as the police search for leads, the case becomes more and more convoluted. Sabine’s carefully laid plans for her future indicate trouble at home, and a husband who would be better off with her gone. Where is Sabine? And who is Beth? The only thing that’s certain is that someone is lying, and the truth won’t stay buried for long. Reviewed by Rebecca Wasniak.
THE CROWDED HOUR: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Dawn of the American Century by Clay Risen (History)
Audiobook available, read by Fred Sanders
When America declared war on Spain in 1898, the US Army had just 26,000 men spread around the country --- hardly an army at all. In desperation, the Rough Riders were born. A unique group of volunteers, ranging from Ivy League athletes to Arizona cowboys and led by Theodore Roosevelt, they helped secure victory in Cuba in a series of gripping, bloody fights across the island. Roosevelt called their charge in the Battle of San Juan Hill his “crowded hour” --- a turning point in his life, one that led directly to the White House. As THE CROWDED HOUR reveals, it was a turning point for America as well, uniting the country and ushering in a new era of global power. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
NECESSARY PEOPLE by Anna Pitoniak (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Vanessa Johansson
Stella and Violet are best friends in college. After graduation, Violet lands a job in cable news, where she works her way up from intern to assistant to producer, and to a life where she's finally free from Stella's shadow. In this fast-paced world, Violet thrives, and her ambitions grow. But everything is jeopardized when Stella uses her connections, beauty and charisma to get hired at the same network. Stella soon moves in front of the camera, becoming the public face of the stories that Violet has worked tirelessly to produce --- and taking all the credit. As they strive for success, each reveals just how far she'll go to get what she wants --- even if it means destroying the other person along the way. Reviewed by Dunja Bonacci Skenderović.
I’LL NEVER TELL by Catherine McKenzie (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available; read by Julia Whelan, Timothy Andrés Pabon and Whitney Dykhouse
Twenty years ago, Amanda Holmes was found bludgeoned in a rowboat at the MacAllister family’s Camp Macaw. No one was ever charged with the crime. Now, after their parents’ sudden deaths, the MacAllister siblings return to camp to read the will and decide what to do with the prime real estate the camp occupies. However, the will stipulates that until they unravel the mystery of what happened to Amanda, they can’t settle the estate. Any one of them could have done it, and each one is holding a piece of the puzzle. Will they work together to finally discover the truth, or will their secrets finally tear the family apart? Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
A MATTER OF WILL by Adam Mitzner (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Will Damron
Will Matthews came to Wall Street with hopes and dreams of hitting it big. But things have not been going as expected. He’s on the verge of being fired when he meets the devilishly mysterious and fabulously wealthy Sam Abaddon. Winning Sam’s business answers Will’s prayers, catapulting the young stockbroker into the privileged world of money and luxury. Not only that, but Will also has met his dream girl, ambitious attorney Gwen Lipton. But when Will witnesses a shocking act of violence, his charmed new existence is revealed to be a waking nightmare as the truth about his benefactor --- and his own complicity in criminal conduct --- becomes devastatingly clear. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE BODY LIES by Jo Baker (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Imogen Church, Deborah McBride, Sam Woolf, Simon Ludders and Julie Maisey
When a young writer accepts a job at a university in the remote English countryside, it's meant to be a fresh start, away from the bustle of London and the scene of a violent assault she is desperate to forget. But despite the distractions of her new life and the demands of single motherhood, her nerves continue to jangle. To make matters worse, a vicious debate about violence against women inflames the tensions and mounting rivalries in her creative-writing class. When a troubled student starts turning in chapters that blur the lines between fiction and reality, the professor recognizes herself as the main character in his book --- and he has written her a horrific fate. Will she be able to stop life imitating art before it's too late? Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
CITY OF FEAR by Larry Enmon (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Angelo Di Loreto
The unexpected killing of Dallas drug kingpin Ricardo Salazar sets everyone on edge. A New York crime family is up in arms about the loss of a major narcotics supplier. The Dallas Police dread the ensuing gang war, but Detectives Rob Soliz and Frank Pierce were on the scene at the time of the shooting. Frank saw a mysterious red-haired woman enter Ricardo’s just moments before the shooting, but she was never seen leaving. Instead, all they found inside the house was a dead man and a voodoo doll at his feet. Rob and Frank search for the redhead. She is the key to unraveling the crime. But finding her only presents more questions than answers. Frank knows she’s not being honest but can’t prove a direct connection to the murder. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on July 2nd
Below are some notable titles releasing on July 2nd 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 July 1st, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
CHIMES OF A LOST CATHEDRAL by Janet Fitch (Historical Fiction)
The story of THE REVOLUTION OF MARINA M. continues in bestselling author Janet Fitch's sweeping epic about a young woman's coming into her own against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution.
DEEP RIVER by Karl Marlantes (Historical Fiction)
Karl Marlantes’ debut novel, MATTERHORN, has been hailed as a modern classic of war literature. In his new novel, DEEP RIVER, Marlantes turns to another mode of storytelling --- the family epic --- to craft a stunningly expansive narrative of human suffering, courage and reinvention.
GIRLS LIKE US by Cristina Alger (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
From the celebrated and bestselling author of THE BANKER'S WIFE, worlds collide when an FBI agent investigates a string of grisly murders on Long Island that raises the impossible question: What happens when the primary suspect is your father?
HEART OF BARKNESS: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn (Mystery)
Chet the dog, “the most lovable narrator in all of crime fiction” (Boston Globe), and P.I. Bernie encounter heartache and much worse in the world of country music.
LOCK EVERY DOOR by Riley Sager (Psychological Thriller)
The next heart-pounding thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager follows a young woman whose new job apartment sitting in one of New York’s oldest and most glamorous buildings may cost more than it pays.
PAPER SON: A Lydia Chin/Bill Smith Novel by S.J. Rozan (Mystery)
The latest Lydia Chin/Bill Smith mystery takes the acclaimed detective duo into the Deep South to investigate a murder within the Chinese community.
SURFSIDE SISTERS by Nancy Thayer (Fiction)
A Nantucket woman returns home to find that reunions aren’t always simple, in this heartwarming novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A NANTUCKET WEDDING and SECRETS IN SUMMER.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
Our Latest Poll: Your Go-To Places
to Read Over the Summer
Where do you like to read books during the summer? Please check all that apply.
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At the beach
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By the pool
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At the lake
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At the park
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On my patio
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In my backyard
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In my house or apartment
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At the library
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At a bookstore
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In a café
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At the airport
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On an airplane
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In a car
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On the train, subway or bus
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Wherever I am on my vacation
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Other (Please specify)
Click here to vote in the poll by Thursday, July 11th at noon ET.
Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What
You're Reading --- and You Can Win Two Books!
Tell us about the books you’ve finished reading with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from June 21st to July 11th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE GOLDEN HOUR by Beatriz Williams and SUMMER OF '69 by Elin Hilderbrand.
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 June 3rd to July 1st at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Jennifer Weiner's MRS. EVERYTHING, read by Ari Graynor and Beth Malone, and Mary Alice Monroe's THE SUMMER GUESTS, read by Cassandra Campbell.
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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