|
We have two new "Bookreporter Talks To" interviews to share with you.
First up is Scott Turow, who talked to Carol about his latest legal thriller, THE LAST TRIAL.
Click on the image above for the video and here for the podcast.
Carol had so much fun catching up with Jennifer Weiner,
whose new novel, BIG SUMMER, is a Bets On pick.
Click on the image above for the video and here for the podcast.
SOMEONE WE KNOW is now available in paperback, so we thought it would be fun to revisit
Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Shari Lapena from last year.
Click on the photo above for the video and here for the podcast.
Carol talks about this week's Bookreporter update in our latest promo video.
Click on the photo above to watch it.
On Wednesday afternoon, while eating popcorn, I cracked a tooth. While this is never fun, it’s even less fun when we are in the midst of a pandemic; my dentist is in the city, and I live in New Jersey. Luckily, Greg has a dentist near the house who would see me in an emergency, and I popped over there yesterday for a visit. We chatted as best one can do when there is an apparatus in one’s mouth. These days, like every other mother of young children in America today, the dentist homeschools in the morning, and in the afternoon she sees emergency patients. You know, the new normal. I have to say that I would have been terrible at homeschooling. We would have had lots of “library time” and recess for more reading time, as I am not very good at the new math, or science. We talked books in between various instruments finding their way into my mouth as she told me what her children are reading. That conversation alone made me look forward to my next dental appointment, and that is something not many will say.
This week, book publishing lost a legend with the passing of Carolyn Reidy, the CEO of Simon & Schuster, from a sudden heart attack on Wednesday. Carolyn was a leader who I admired; she told it like it was, and she really championed what she believed in. She loved books and authors --- and the team she worked with. Passionately. Throughout the week, so many heartwarming stories about her emerged, each one reminding me of how very special she was. A few months ago, Mary Higgins Clark, a longtime S&S author, passed away and then within days longtime S&S editor Alice Mayhew died as well. Both were very close to Carolyn. I exchanged a note in which she said this about them: “I certainly know both gave me much in my life for which I am grateful." Those words also describe Carolyn. This is such a huge loss on so many levels for the entire business. My thoughts are with the S&S staffers and their authors.
On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of speaking to Scott Turow, whose new legal thriller, THE LAST TRIAL, is the 11th book in his series set in fictional Kindle County, Illinois. This time, Sandy Stern (who has appeared in every novel Scott has written, starting with PRESUMED INNOCENT), returns to the courtroom to defend his lifelong friend, Dr. Kiril Pafko, a Nobel Prize winner and world-renowned cancer researcher, when his life’s work is put into jeopardy and he is faced with charges of insider trading, fraud and murder. Scott and I had a wonderful conversation and covered so much ground, including the extensive research into pharmaceutical drug testing that he conducted and how he incorporated it into the book, the intricacies of interpreting the law and how the internet has changed one’s ability to research a case. He also shared hints about his next book, which is in its early stages, and a report on his golf game, which is “what a writer can do in the afternoon after a morning of writing.” Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.
Ray Palen has our review of THE LAST TRIAL and says, "[E]veryone wants to see Stern wrap up his career with a win --- but Turow has surprises and roadblocks up his literary sleeve that will make this very difficult. As a character, Stern really does go out with a bang. If he was a stage actor, a theater reviewer would have written about how he 'commanded' the stage and kept the audience rapt in attention waiting for his next move. He is just that good!"
We’re awarding the audio version of THE LAST TRIAL (read by John Bedford Lloyd), along with Michael Connelly's FAIR WARNING (read by Peter Giles and Zach Villa), in this month’s Sounding Off on Audio contest. Let us know by Monday, June 1st at noon ET what audiobooks you’ve listened to, and you’ll be in the running to win both these audio titles.
I had so much fun catching up with Jennifer Weiner for an interview recently. We featured our review of Jen’s latest novel, BIG SUMMER, in last week’s newsletter. Amusingly, she was in her walk-in closet as we taped the segment! We talked about the book’s theme of female friendships and their often-fraught natures, in addition to the role that social media plays in our lives today. Social influencers, as well as body image and women embracing who they are, also rolled into our fast-paced conversation, along with lots of personal stories. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.
BIG SUMMER is a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick this week, along with three other books that we featured last week: HELLO, SUMMER by Mary Kay Andrews, ALL ADULTS HERE by Emma Straub, and GHOSTS OF HARVARD by Francesca Serritella. Click on each of the titles for my Bets On commentary. And if you missed my interviews with these authors, you can check them out (along with many others) on our Videos & Podcasts page. I love that people are not just watching the new interviews, but also are exploring older ones!
For our previous poll, we asked which of 25 titles releasing for the first time in May you are planning to read. The books mentioned above all appeared in the top four: BIG SUMMER (40%), ALL ADULTS HERE (34%), HELLO, SUMMER (33%), and GHOSTS OF HARVARD (28%). Other titles you’re excited about are THE PARIS HOURS by Alex George (27%), the aforementioned FAIR WARNING by Michael Connelly (26%), A GOOD MARRIAGE by Kimberly McCreight (25%), and the aforementioned THE LAST TRIAL by Scott Turow (24%). Click here for all the results.
Jeffery Deaver is back with the second book in his series starring Colter Shaw, THE GOODBYE MAN. Here, the expert tracker and reward-seeker infiltrates a sinister cult after learning that the only way to get somebody out is to go in. According to Ray Palen, "[The Osiris Foundation] part of the novel is extremely suspenseful and quite different from Shaw's initial tracking mission. Readers will be able to see through the Foundation, as we all have heard about cult behavior in the news or through various fiction. This does not take away from the nerve-wracking experience of THE GOODBYE MAN, and it all wraps up with an explosive finale."
Other books we’re reviewing this week include THIS IS HOW I LIED, a psychological thriller from Heather Gudenkauf that revolves around evidence turning up in the murder of a teen from 25 years ago, which reawakens the investigation and threatens to dredge up long-buried secrets for all involved; SIMON THE FIDDLER, Paulette Jiles’ post-Civil War novel about an itinerant fiddle player, a ragtag band of musicians with whom he travels trying to make a living, and the charming young Irish lass who steals his heart; A CHILDREN’S BIBLE, in which Lydia Millet follows a group of 12 eerily mature children on a forced vacation with their families at a sprawling lakeside mansion; and the short story collection SORRY FOR YOUR TROUBLE, a meditation on memory, love and loss from Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford.
The latest title we’re featuring in our Paperback Spotlight is THE TURN OF THE KEY. In Ruth Ware’s fifth psychological thriller, which was a Bets On pick when it released in hardcover last summer, Rowan Caine answers an ad that sounds too good to be true: a position for a live-in nanny with a staggeringly generous salary. When she arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is drawn immediately to this luxurious “smart” home and its picture-perfect family. What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare --- one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder. Click here for our review, here for the discussion guide, and here for my Bets On commentary.
THE TURN OF THE KEY was one of our first three Summer Reading prize books this week, along with MY DARK VANESSA by Kate Elizabeth Russell (who I interviewed earlier this year) and the aforementioned BIG SUMMER by Jennifer Weiner. Next week, we will be giving away EAST COAST GIRLS by Kerry Kletter, and three Bets On picks: THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah, THE ISLAND OF SEA WOMEN by Lisa See, and the aforementioned GHOSTS OF HARVARD by Francesca Serritella. Our first contest of the week will go live on Monday, May 18th at noon ET.
This week, we are spotlighting STAY WITH ME, the first installment in award-winning author Becky Wade's Misty River romance series, which is now available. Led to her hometown by a mysterious letter, Genevieve Woodward wakes in an unfamiliar cottage with the confused owner staring down at her. The last thing Sam Turner wants is to help a woman as troubled as she is talkative, but he can't turn her away when she needs him most. Will they be able to let go of the façades and loneliness they've always clung to? Click here to read more about STAY WITH ME, which sounds like the perfect book to escape into during these uncertain times.
Newly released in paperback this week is Shari Lapena’s domestic thriller, SOMEONE WE KNOW, a Bets On pick that boasts two intriguing taglines: Maybe you don't know your neighbors as well as you thought you did and You never really know what people are capable of. I enjoyed talking to Shari last summer for a “Bookreporter Talks To” interview when she was in town for ThrillerFest. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast --- and my Bets On commentary can be found here.
Submit your comments about the books you’ve read in our Word of Mouth contest, and you’ll have a chance to win HIDEAWAY by Nora Roberts and HOLLYWOOD PARK: A Memoir by Mikel Jollett (the latter will be a Bets On pick). The deadline for your entries is Friday, May 29th at noon ET.
For our latest poll, we’ve listed a number of paperbacks releasing this month, and we’re asking you which, if any, you have read or are planning to read. Click here to let us know. We love seeing what you would like to read, or have read!
Congratulations to the winners of our Mother’s Day contest! Five lucky readers --- Cheryl M. from Hicksville, NY; Lindsey D. from Mount Laurel, NJ; Nancy M. from Nashville, TN; Patricia W. from Buncombe, IL; and William S. from Nyack, NY --- will receive all seven of our featured titles. I am planning to send these prizes on Monday as I am awaiting a shipment of mailing boxes! Next week, we will kick off our 15th annual Father’s Day contest, so please be on the lookout for that.
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail:
Sheila wrote, “My 80-year-old mom is reading on my Kindle. She had a few 'real' books from the library and finished those, so I got her to try library e-books on the Kindle. I set up a shelf on the Kindle and loaded books for her onto that shelf. She says it's not the same as a real book, but she's doing really well with it. She likes being able to pick the font size, but does worry about losing her page when she closes it! Thank you for the newsletter every week, Carol. I always look forward to it." We love to hear how readers are adapting to enjoy books these days.
"Defending Jacob" on Apple TV+: Another terrific episode aired last Friday night; I hope that many of you are watching as well. I am looking forward to tonight's show.
"The Morning Show" on Apple TV+: As I got an Apple TV+ subscription to watch "Defending Jacob," I am exploring the rest of this platform and doing some catch-up on shows that I have heard about, but have not watched. I am enjoying this show starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, and what I feel like is a strong insider look at the culture of news journalism in the #MeToo world.
"I Know This Much Is True" on HBO: I gave the first show a try the other night and found it to be a bit dark. I will give it another look over the weekend.
BENEATH A SCARLET SKY: Many years ago, Mark Sullivan told me that he had heard a story from someone in Bozeman, Montana, about a man in Italy who he thought was extraordinary, and if Mark could tell that man’s story, he thought it would be a big success. In BENEATH A SCARLET SKY, Mark acknowledges the man who brought him that idea. Bob Dehlendorf. Bob passed away this week, and Mark shared his obituary on social media. It included this line: "While living in Northern Italy, Bob stumbled on and helped unearth the story of WWII hero Pino Lella, which became the basis of the 2017 bestselling novel, BENEATH A SCARLET SKY." Books have their starts in such interesting ways.
Jeff Kinney, the author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series, wrote this great piece for those in the Class of 2020.
I am planning to head into the New York office this weekend to bring home some more books. My library here is wonderful (I was able to quickly pull three backlist Turow books from the shelves for the interview), but my Bets On books from the last decade are in the office, and I find myself looking for many of them here.
I also need to figure out where to plant the MANY MANY zinnia seeds that I bought --- at least 20 times as many as usual. There will be many bouquets of cut flowers this summer. There is talk of opening the pool here this weekend, which seems kind of crazy after the snow flurries that fluttered down last Saturday. These are strange enough days without snow in May. I keep thinking that locusts may be on the agenda next. How can it be Memorial Day next weekend?
I am reading THE PARIS HOURS as I prepare for an interview with Alex George on Tuesday, and I also will be interviewing Mikel Jollett about HOLLYWOOD PARK on Wednesday.
And we are working on a huge industry event for May 29th where we are virtually putting on the 9th Annual Book Group Speed Dating event that we typically do at BookExpo. If you are a bookseller or a librarian who would like to attend this, please send me an email with the subject line “Speed Dating Invite Request,” and I will get you a link to sign up. We also will be inviting a very select number of book club leaders to attend. To qualify to attend as a book group leader, we need to know more about you. How many groups do you lead? And something about those groups. To be considered for attendance as a book group leader, please send me an email called “Speed Dating Group Leader.”
While the world feels really out of control these days, I am so glad that books and reading are wonderful anchors. I hope you feel the same way.
Read on, and have a great 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: THE LAST TRIAL by Scott Turow
THE LAST TRIAL by Scott Turow (Legal Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by John Bedford Lloyd
At 85 years old, Alejandro "Sandy" Stern, a brilliant defense lawyer with his health failing but spirit intact, is on the brink of retirement. But when his old friend Dr. Kiril Pafko, a former Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, is faced with charges of insider trading, fraud and murder, his entire life's work is put in jeopardy, and Stern decides to take on one last trial. In a case that will be the defining coda to both men's accomplished lives, Stern probes beneath the surface of his friend's dazzling veneer as a distinguished cancer researcher. As the trial progresses, he will question everything he thought he knew about his friend. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Scott Turow.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: THE GOODBYE MAN by Jeffery Deaver
THE GOODBYE MAN: A Colter Shaw Novel by Jeffery Deaver (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Kaleo Griffith
In the wilderness of Washington State, expert tracker Colter Shaw has located two young men accused of a terrible hate crime. But when his pursuit takes a shocking and tragic turn, he becomes desperate to discover what went so horribly wrong and if he is to blame. Shaw's search for answers leads him to a shadowy organization that bills itself as a grief support group. But is it truly a community that consoles the bereaved? Or a dangerous cult with a growing body count? Undercover, Shaw joins the mysterious group and risks everything. He soon finds that some people will stop at nothing to keep their secrets hidden…and to make sure that he or those close to him say "goodbye" forever. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read our review.
New Paperback Spotlight:
THE TURN OF THE KEY by Ruth Ware
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE TURN OF THE KEY by Ruth Ware (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Imogen Church
When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss --- a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten --- by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.
What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare --- one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.
Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unraveling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant.
It was everything.
She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty --- at least not of murder. Which means someone else is.
Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, THE TURN OF THE KEY is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Click here to visit Ruth Ware's website.
- Connect with Ruth Ware on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click here to read more in our Paperback Spotlight.
Featured Review:
THIS IS HOW I LIED by Heather Gudenkauf
THIS IS HOW I LIED by Heather Gudenkauf (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Brittany Pressley
Twenty-five years ago, the body of 16-year-old Eve Knox was found in the caves near her home in small-town Grotto, Iowa --- discovered by her best friend, Maggie, and her sister, Nola. There were a handful of suspects, including her boyfriend, Nick, but without sufficient evidence the case ultimately went cold. For decades Maggie was haunted by Eve’s death and that horrible night. Now a detective in Grotto, and seven months pregnant, she is thrust back into the past when a new piece of evidence surfaces and the case is reopened. As Maggie investigates and reexamines the clues, secrets about what really happened begin to emerge. But someone in town knows more than they’re letting on, and they’ll stop at nothing to keep the truth buried deep. Reviewed by Megan Elliott.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: SIMON THE FIDDLER by Paulette Jiles
SIMON THE FIDDLER by Paulette Jiles (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Grover Gardner
In March 1865, the long and bitter War Between the States is winding down. Until now, 23-year-old Simon Boudlin has evaded military duty. But following a barroom brawl in Victoria, Texas, he finds himself conscripted into the Confederate Army. Luckily his talent with a fiddle gets him a comparatively easy position in a regimental band. Weeks later, Simon and his bandmates are called to play for officers and their families from both sides of the conflict. There the quick-thinking, audacious fiddler can’t help but notice Doris Mary Dillon, an indentured girl from Ireland, who is governess to a Union colonel’s daughter. After the Confederate surrender, they go their separate ways. But Simon cannot forget the fair Irish maiden, and vows that someday he will find her again. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
BIG SUMMER, HELLO, SUMMER,
ALL ADULTS HERE and GHOSTS OF HARVARD
BIG SUMMER by Jennifer Weiner (Fiction)
BIG SUMMER by Jennifer Weiner is a juicy beach read. Again, Jen tackles a theme for which readers turn to her --- the complicated and often fraught nature of female friendship. Here, we have Daphne, a woman who has learned to love her body for what it is, who strives not to cycle back to her high-school self when her friend Drue, the “it” girl, comes back on the scene with an unusual request --- for her to be the maid of honor at her wedding, which is taking place on Cape Cod.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Jennifer Weiner.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on BIG SUMMER.
HELLO, SUMMER by Mary Kay Andrews (Fiction)
HELLO, SUMMER by Mary Kay Andrews is a juicy summer read with a mystery woven between the pages. In it, Conley is a young reporter set to leave her Atlanta job to head to Washington, D.C., to work at a hot investigative reporting website when suddenly the company there folds. Without a job or an apartment, she is forced to head back to her small hometown in Florida and work for the local paper that her family owns.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Mary Kay Andrews.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
- Click here to visit Mary Kay Andrews' website.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on HELLO, SUMMER.
ALL ADULTS HERE by Emma Straub (Fiction)
ALL ADULTS HERE by Emma Straub brings us a mother and her three adult children, all of whom are coming to terms with who they are in life today. Let’s just say they are not the versions of themselves that they once imagined, but they are still family --- and it’s challenging to share their lives now, but onward they stride. It’s a wonderful balance of being simultaneously heartfelt, witty and relatable.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Emma Straub.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
- Click here for details on Barnes & Noble's virtual Book Club event on June 2nd.
- Click here to see why the book is May's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club pick.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on ALL ADULTS HERE.
GHOSTS OF HARVARD by Francesca Serritella (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
GHOSTS OF HARVARD by Francesca Serritella is set at Harvard University, where Cady has just started freshman year. Heading to Harvard was a big deal for her family. The spring before, her brother, Eric, who suffered from schizophrenia, died by suicide there. So naturally, while she's there, the impact of losing him is very fresh on her mind. Cady is trying to figure out why he made the choice to take his life; to do that, she’s tracking down his friends and others who knew him.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Francesca Serritella.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
- Click here to visit Francesca Serritella's website.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on GHOSTS OF HARVARD.
Bookreporter.com's 16th Annual
Summer Reading Contests and Feature
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 are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through the end of August, 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, May 18th at noon ET.
This year’s prize books include:
Click here to read all the contest details and learn more about our prize books.
Now Available: STAY WITH ME by Becky Wade
STAY WITH ME: A Misty River Romance by Becky Wade (Romance)
Led to her hometown by a mysterious letter, Genevieve Woodward wakes in an unfamiliar cottage with the confused owner staring down at her. The last thing Sam Turner wants is to help a woman as troubled as she is talkative, but he can't turn her away when she needs him most. Will they be able to let go of the façades and loneliness they've always clung to?
Click here to read more about the book.
"Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts
In late August 2019, we launched “Bookreporter Talks To,” a video and podcast series where we deliver a long-form, in-depth author interview every week. For years, I have moderated book festivals and author events around the country. But we know that readers often do not live where they can attend an author event. Our goal --- to bring these author interviews to readers, wherever they may be. Watch on video, or listen as a podcast. (The podcasts include audio excerpts.) You can find a list of all of them here.
By the way, this follows a long history of The Book Report Network delivering compelling programming to readers. Back in 1997, the company hosted the first online interview with John Grisham, which started a tradition of ongoing interviews with authors.
Here are our latest interviews:
Other authors we've interviewed include:
Upcoming interviews include:
-
Julie Clark (THE LAST FLIGHT)
-
Alex George (THE PARIS HOURS)
-
Mikel Jollett (HOLLYWOOD PARK: A Memoir)
-
Megan Miranda (THE GIRL FROM WIDOW HILLS)
-
Stephanie Scott (WHAT'S LEFT OF ME IS YOURS)
Watch our "Bookreporter Talks To" interviews and listen to our podcasts.
A CHILDREN'S BIBLE by Lydia Millet (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Xe Sands
A CHILDREN’S BIBLE follows a group of 12 eerily mature children on a forced vacation with their families at a sprawling lakeside mansion. Contemptuous of their parents, who pass their days in a stupor of liquor, drugs and sex, the children feel neglected and suffocated at the same time. When a destructive storm descends on the summer estate, the group’s ringleaders --- including Eve, who narrates the story --- decide to run away, leading the younger ones on a dangerous foray into the apocalyptic chaos outside. As the scenes of devastation begin to mimic events in the dog-eared picture Bible carried around by her beloved little brother, Eve devotes herself to keeping him safe from harm. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
SORRY FOR YOUR TROUBLE: Stories by Richard Ford (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available, read by Stephen Mendel
In SORRY FOR YOUR TROUBLE, Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford enacts a stunning meditation on memory, love and loss. “Displaced” returns us to a young man’s Mississippi adolescence, and to a shocking encounter with a young Irish immigrant who recklessly tries to solace the narrator’s sorrow after his father’s death. “Driving Up” follows an American woman’s late-in-life journey to Canada to bid good-bye to a lost love now facing the end of this life. “The Run of Yourself,” a novella, sees a New Orleans lawyer navigating the difficulties of living beyond his Irish wife’s death. And “Nothing to Declare” follows a man and a woman’s chance re-meeting in the New Orleans French Quarter, after 20 years, and their discovery of what’s left of love for them. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
KATHERYN HOWARD, THE SCANDALOUS QUEEN by Alison Weir (Historical Fiction)
In the spring of 1540, Henry VIII is desperate to be rid of his unappealing German queen, Anna of Kleve, and casts an amorous eye on a pretty 19-year-old brunette, Katheryn Howard. Like her cousin Anne Boleyn, Katheryn is a niece of the Duke of Norfolk, England’s premier Catholic peer, who is scheming to replace Anna of Kleve with a good Catholic queen. A fun-loving, eager participant in the life of the royal court, Katheryn readily succumbs to the king’s attentions when she is intentionally pushed into his path by her ambitious family. But Katheryn has a past of which Henry knows nothing, and which comes back increasingly to haunt her. What happens next to this naïve and much-wronged girl is one of the saddest chapters in English history. Reviewed by Amy Gwiazdowski.
PRETTY THINGS by Janelle Brown (Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Julia Whelan and Lauren Fortgang, with Hillary Huber
Nina once bought into the idea that her fancy liberal arts degree would lead to a fulfilling career. When that dream crashed, she turned to stealing from rich kids in L.A. alongside her wily Irish boyfriend, Lachlan. Vanessa is a privileged young heiress who wanted to make her mark in the world. Instead she becomes an Instagram influencer. But behind the covetable façade is a life marked by tragedy. After a broken engagement, Vanessa retreats to her family’s sprawling mountain estate, Stonehaven: a mansion of dark secrets not just from Vanessa’s past, but from that of a lost and troubled girl named Nina. Nina’s, Vanessa’s and Lachlan’s paths collide here, on the cold shores of Lake Tahoe, where their intertwined lives give way to a winter of aspiration and desire, duplicity and revenge. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
CATHERINE HOUSE by Elisabeth Thomas (Gothic/Literary Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Inés del Castillo
Catherine House is a school of higher learning like no other. Hidden deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania, this crucible of reformist liberal arts study has produced some of the world’s best minds. But acceptance comes with a price. Students are required to give the House three years completely removed from the outside world. In return, the school promises a future of sublime power and prestige, and that its graduates can become anything or anyone they desire. But when tragedy strikes, Ines Murillo --- a member of this year’s incoming class --- begins to suspect that the school might be hiding a dangerous agenda within the secretive, tightly knit group of students selected to study its most promising and mysterious curriculum. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
HARD CASH VALLEY by Brian Panowich (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Brian Troxell
As a life-long resident and ex-arson investigator for McFalls County, Dane Kirby has lived his life in one of the most chaotic and crime-ridden regions of the south. When he gets called in to consult on the brutal murder of Arnie Blackwell in a Jacksonville, Florida, motel room, he and his FBI counterpart, Special Agent Roselita Velasquez, begin an investigation that leads them back to the criminal circles of his own backyard. Someone is hacking a bloody trail throughout the Southeast looking for Arnie’s younger brother, a boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who possesses an unusual skill with numbers that could make a lot of money and that has already gotten a lot of people killed --- and has even more of the deadliest people alive willing to do anything it takes to exploit him. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
STREET MUSIC: A Poke Rafferty Thriller by Timothy Hallinan (Thriller)
Eight years ago, Poke Rafferty, an American travel writer, and his Thai wife, Rose, adopted a Bangkok street child named Miaow, forming an unconventional intercultural family. But now that family is in jeopardy. The birth of Poke and Rose’s newborn son has littered their small apartment with emotional land mines, forcing Poke to question his identity as a dad and Miaow to question her identity as a daughter. At the same time, the most cantankerous member of the small gang of Old Bangkok Hands who hang out at the Expat Bar suddenly goes missing under suspicious circumstances. Engaged in the search for the missing American, Poke is caught completely off-guard when someone he thought was gone forever resurfaces --- and she has the power to tear the Raffertys apart. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
MY KIND OF PEOPLE by Lisa Duffy (Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Nancy Linari, Madeleine Maby and David Sadzin
On Ichabod Island, a jagged strip of land 13 miles off the coast of Massachusetts, 10-year-old Sky becomes an orphan for the second time after a tragic accident claims the lives of her adoptive parents. Grieving the death of his best friends, Leo’s life is turned upside down when he finds himself the guardian of young Sky. Back on the island and struggling to balance his new responsibilities and his marriage to his husband, Leo is supported by a powerful community of neighbors, many of them harboring secrets of their own. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
THE LOVE STORY OF MISSY CARMICHAEL by Beth Morrey (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Harriet Walter
Seventy-nine-year-old librarian Millicent Carmichael (aka Missy) once led a bustling life driven by two children, an accomplished and celebrated husband, and a Classics degree from Cambridge. Now her husband is gone, her daughter is estranged after a shattering argument, and her son has moved to his wife's native Australia, taking Missy's beloved only grandchild half-a-world away. She spends her days sipping sherry, avoiding people, and rattling around in her oversized, under-decorated house waiting for...what exactly? The last thing Missy expects is for two perfect strangers and one spirited dog named Bob to break through her prickly exterior and show her just how much love she still has to give. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
BUZZ KILL by David Sosnowski (Science Fiction/Humor)
Audiobook available, read by Lauren Ezzo
Pandora Lynch lives in Alaska with her single dad, an online therapist for Silicon Valley’s brightest and squirreliest. Homeschooled by computer and a self-taught hacker, Pandora is about to enter high school to learn how to be normal. That’s the plan at least. NorCal runaway George Jedson is a hacker too --- one who leaves the systems he attacks working better than before. After being scooped up by a social media giant, will George go legit --- or pull off the biggest hack ever? After meeting in cyberspace, the two young hackers combine their passions to conceive a brainchild named BUZZ. Can this baby AI learn to behave, or will it be like its parents and think outside the box? Reviewed by Jack Kramer.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on May 19th
Below are some notable titles releasing on May 19th 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 May 18th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
BEACH READ by Emily Henry (Romantic Comedy)
A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.
BRAVE GIRL, QUIET GIRL by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Fiction)
From New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde comes a gripping and emotional novel about friendship, motherhood and the journey toward finding a place to call home.
THE CHIFFON TRENCHES: A Memoir by André Leon Talley (Memoir)
From the pages of Vogue to the runways of Paris, this deeply revealing memoir by a legendary style icon captures the fashion world from the inside out, in its most glamorous and most cutthroat moments.
FURMIDABLE FOES: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown (Mystery)
Mary Minor “Harry” Harristeen is on the hunt for a killer with a deadly green thumb when a day in the garden turns fatal in this exciting new mystery from Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author, Sneaky Pie Brown.
THE MOTION OF THE BODY THROUGH SPACE by Lionel Shriver (Fiction)
In Lionel Shriver’s entertaining send-up of today’s cult of exercise --- which not only encourages better health, but now like all religions also seems to promise meaning, social superiority and eternal life --- an aging husband’s sudden obsession with extreme sport makes him unbearable.
ON OCEAN BOULEVARD by Mary Alice Monroe (Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling author of THE SUMMER GUESTS returns at long last to her beloved Beach House series in this breathtaking novel about one family’s summer of forging new beginnings against the enduring beauty and resilience of the natural world.
RODHAM by Curtis Sittenfeld (Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of AMERICAN WIFE and ELIGIBLE comes a novel that imagines a deeply compelling what-might-have-been: What if Hillary Rodham hadn’t married Bill Clinton?
TEAM OF FIVE: The Presidents Club in the Age of Trump by Kate Andersen Brower (Politics)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE RESIDENCE and FIRST WOMEN comes a poignant, news-making look at the lives of the five former presidents in the wake of their White House years, including the surprising friendships they have formed through shared perspective and empathy.
TO WAKE THE GIANT: A Novel of Pearl Harbor by Jeff Shaara (Historical Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling master of military historical fiction tells the story of Pearl Harbor as only he can in the first novel of a gripping new series set in World War II’s Pacific theater.
A WEEK AT THE SHORE by Barbara Delinsky (Fiction)
In A WEEK AT THE SHORE, New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky explores how lives and relationships are forever changed when three sisters reunite at their family Rhode Island beach house.
THE WIFE STALKER by Liv Constantine (Psychological Thriller)
The bestselling author of THE LAST MRS. PARRISH returns with a psychological thriller, filled with chilling serpentine twists, about a woman fighting to hold onto the only family she’s ever loved --- and how far she’ll go to preserve it.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
Our Latest Poll: May Paperback Releases to Anticipate
Which of the following books releasing in paperback in May have you read or do you plan to read? Please check all that apply.
-
ASK AGAIN, YES by Mary Beth Keane
-
CONTRABAND: A Stone Barrington Novel, by Stuart Woods
-
CRISS CROSS by James Patterson
-
DAD’S MAYBE BOOK by Tim O’Brien
-
THE FRIENDS WE KEEP by Jane Green
-
THE GUEST BOOK by Sarah Blake
-
INLAND by Téa Obreht
-
THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU by Liv Constantine
-
LOCK EVERY DOOR by Riley Sager
-
MET HER MATCH by Jude Deveraux
-
METROPOLIS: A Bernie Gunther Novel, by Philip Kerr
-
MISTRESS OF THE RITZ by Melanie Benjamin
-
MY LIFE AS A RAT by Joyce Carol Oates
-
THE ORACLE: A Sam and Remi Fargo Adventure, by Clive Cussler and Robin Burcell
-
QUICHOTTE by Salman Rushdie
-
SAVE ME THE PLUMS: My Gourmet Memoir, by Ruth Reichl
-
THE SENTENCE IS DEATH by Anthony Horowitz
-
SOMEONE WE KNOW by Shari Lapena
-
THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Krueger
-
TRUST EXERCISE by Susan Choi
-
THE TURN OF THE KEY by Ruth Ware
-
UNDER CURRENTS by Nora Roberts
-
None of the above
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, May 29th 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 May 15th to May 29th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of HIDEAWAY by Nora Roberts and HOLLYWOOD PARK: A Memoir by Mikel Jollett.
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 May 1st to June 1st at noon ET, one lucky reader will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Michael Connelly's FAIR WARNING, read by Peter Giles and Zach Villa, and Scott Turow's THE LAST TRIAL, read by John Bedford Lloyd.
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.
|
