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Carol's latest "Bookreporter Talks To" interview is with Alex George,
whose new novel, THE PARIS HOURS, is a Bets On pick.
Click on the image above for the video and here for the podcast.
This weekend, Carol is looking forward to reading André Leon Talley’s memoir,
THE CHIFFON TRENCHES, which released this week.
Also out this week is THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES,
the highly anticipated prequel to Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy.
Carol talks about this week's Bookreporter update in our latest promo video.
Click on the photo above to watch it.
Last night, I very embarrassingly caught up on a lot of thank you notes for donations to our GoFundMe account! Here are some lovely messages that we received with some generous donations. I still need to answer all the snail mail donations; know that they have been much appreciated.
Virginia: "I love Bookreporter.com and Carol and her merry crew. I’m thankful for your newsletters, book reviews and recommendations."
Kathy: "I love this site. I learn so much about books, authors, and the people who bring this information to book readers!!"
Alyce: "Thank you for all the book reviews and videos. In this time of shelter in place, the information provided is most welcome."
Laura: "I look forward to my emails from Bookreporter! I have also been the lucky recipient of some giveaways and truly appreciate all you do!"
Barbara: "I have been a fan of Bookreporter.com since the early 2000s. My book club was even featured in 2002. I love Carol's picks and Word of Mouth because these books are for adults, not YA. I'm a huge fan of 'Bookreporter Talks To.' Books have been my passion since I was four years old when my mother read the original THE BOXCAR CHILDREN to my sister and me. We come from a family of avid readers! Thanks, Bookreporter.com."
Sheila: "I donated last year and decided to donate again this year. This site has brought me nothing but joy, and I have been a subscriber since your AOL days. Thank you for your good work."
Donna: "I am a writer, and I love seeing the interviews with new writers and the reviews of books from both established authors and new discoveries. Keep up the great work."
And here comes summer…though it’s been very cool here this week with a few mornings in the 40s! It’s not going to be the same holiday weekend this year without our small town parade through the center of town. It’s one of my favorite traditions, and it kicks off summer. I love every part of it. But alas, like so many other things, we will be waiting for next year to enjoy it.
I zipped around and planted lots of flowers last weekend. This weekend will be all about planting seeds; I still am laughing about how many I bought. When I was at the garden center last week, I found that some plants that I typically purchase were not available. Back in March, when the pandemic began to hit, they canceled many orders from growers as the season was uncertain. Instead, gardening, like cooking and crafting, has seen exponential growth. I was joking with the owners that there will be no 50% off sale this year in July; they agreed as plants were flying out the door, and they were instructing many a first-time gardener. I need a couple of more trips to get everything planted. Instead of using my typical plan of writing down how many pots I need to fill, I was a bit more willy-nilly for this first foraging trip.
And this weekend I am looking forward to reading. I have André Leon Talley's THE CHIFFON TRENCHES, a memoir about his time at Condé Nast and Vogue. In it, he skewers Anna Wintour, the ice maiden editor-in-chief, and it’s so juicy. This is just the escape read I am looking for. For humor, when I worked at Condé Nast, if I saw Anna waiting for an elevator, I would wait for the next one. She definitely was one chilly personality, but I did stand in awe of her balancing on high heels, and I never saw her wear the same thing twice, or have a single hair out of place.
Also, Suzanne Collins’ latest book arrived this week, THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES, which is a prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy. Talk about a perfect pandemic read!
Last weekend when I was in the office, I brought home an entire bookshelf of upcoming titles, which now need my handy-dandy labels on them so I can time my reading of future releases. So many publication dates have changed that I am going to be researching before I shelve! Note: we are keeping on top of the shifting dates so you know what is coming out when. Hats off to Tom Donadio for doing yeoman’s work with this.
I have been reading reports that after weeks of book sales dropping, they are on the rise again. And indeed they seem to be ahead of last year. I have a theory that this is going to be a golden time for books. While production of television shows and movies are delayed, even for streaming and premium services, sports are coming back very slowly and with no certainty, travel is curtailed, work in many places is from home, and with so much up in the air, we are seeing that books are still being published with regularity and planned right into 2021. Books can be edited, covers can be designed, and so much more can be done virtually. All good things!
My latest “Bookreporter Talks To” interview is with Alex George, whose new novel, THE PARIS HOURS, we reviewed a couple of weeks ago and is a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. The book follows four ordinary people during a single day in Paris in 1927. The city and its lively arts scene have excitement and energy, forming the perfect backdrop. The ending is a propulsive read as the stories of the characters collide and many threads are woven together. It’s brisk and tight. Alex is also an independent bookstore owner, the founder and director of the Unbound Book Festival, and a practicing lawyer. Our vibrant conversation is filled with tidbits of bookstore humor, writing inspirations and stories of Alex's time in France. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast. Also, be sure to take a look at my Bets On commentary here.
My two other Bets On titles for the week are THE HEIRLOOM GARDEN by Viola Shipman (we featured my interview with Wade Rouse, who writes under the pen name “Viola Shipman,” at the beginning of the month) and TINY IMPERFECTIONS by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans (which I talked about loving in a previous newsletter; I met the authors in Philadelphia in January and immediately wanted to read their book). Click on each of the titles for my commentary. We plan to feature our review of THE HEIRLOOM GARDEN next week, so please be on the lookout for that.
We have 18(!) reviews to share with you this week. Among them are THE 20th VICTIM, the appropriately titled 20th installment in James Patterson and Maxine Paetro’s Women’s Murder Club series, in which Sergeant Lindsay Boxer tackles an ambitious case that spans San Francisco, L.A. and Chicago; THE BOOK OF V. by Anna Solomon, this month’s “Good Morning America” Book Club pick that intertwines the lives of three women across three centuries as their stories of sex, power and desire finally converge in the present day; THE WIFE STALKER, Liv Constantine’s psychological thriller about a woman fighting to hold onto the only family she’s ever loved --- and how far she’ll go to preserve it; and Lionel Shriver’s THE MOTION OF THE BODY THROUGH SPACE, in which an aging husband’s sudden obsession with extreme sports makes him unbearable.
Also reviewed this week are A GOOD MARRIAGE, a new domestic thriller from Kimberly McCreight (whose debut novel, RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA, was a New York Times bestseller), in which a woman’s brutal murder reveals the perilous compromises some couples make --- and the secrets they keep --- in order to stay together; I’D GIVE ANYTHING by Marisa de los Santos, a heart-rending story about a horrific tragedy that marks one woman and her hometown, and the explosive secrets that come to light 20 years later; OLD LOVEGOOD GIRLS, Gail Godwin's story of two remarkable women and the complex friendship between them that spans decades; and LOU GEHRIG, the lost memoir from the baseball icon, published for the first time as a book. Our reviewer Ron Kaplan interviewed historian Alan D. Gaff, who contributed a biographical essay to Gehrig’s book. Click here to watch a video of their conversation.
We’re happy to announce the return of our Father’s Day contest, which we’ve brought back for a 15th year! As we’ve done for the past 14 years, we’re giving away a number of fiction and nonfiction titles that we think dads will love. Five lucky readers will win all six of our prize books for themselves or their dad. Among them are HOLLYWOOD PARK: A Memoir by Mikel Jollett (an upcoming Bets On pick that releases on Tuesday) and THE LINCOLN CONSPIRACY: The Secret Plot to Kill America's 16th President --- and Why It Failed by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch. Be sure to enter here by Monday, June 22nd at noon ET.
You also will have the chance to win HOLLYWOOD PARK in next week’s Summer Reading contests, along with HIDEAWAY by Nora Roberts and THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY by Natalie Jenner. Our first contest of the week will go live on Tuesday, May 26th at noon ET. In this week’s contests, we gave away EAST COAST GIRLS by Kerry Kletter, GHOSTS OF HARVARD by Francesca Serritella, THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah, and THE ISLAND OF SEA WOMEN by Lisa See (the latter three are Bets On picks).
HIDEAWAY and HOLLYWOOD PARK are also our current Word of Mouth prize books. Let us know by Friday, May 29th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll be in the running to win both these titles. I had a wonderful time chatting with Mikel Jollett this week, and I look forward to sharing that interview with you next week!
There’s still time to enter this month’s Sounding Off on Audio contest. Submit your comments about the audiobooks you’ve listened to, and you’ll have the opportunity 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. The deadline for your entries is Monday, June 1st at noon ET. We will feature our review of the print edition of FAIR WARNING in next week’s newsletter. And in case you missed my recent interview with Scott Turow, you can click here to watch it and here to listen to the podcast.
Our poll continues to ask which of 22 paperbacks releasing this month you have read or are planning to read. Let us know by clicking here.
With the season’s book events canceled due to the pandemic and digital promotion taking on a more important role than ever, Publishers Lunch has launched Buzz Books 2020 Fall/Winter and Buzz Books 2020: Romance. The Fall/Winter sampler presents excerpts from 30 highly anticipated fall titles, bringing together debut voices, beloved authors, breakout books, provocative nonfiction and a selection of new YA titles. Scroll further down the newsletter for all the details.
News & Pop Culture:
For Those Who Knit: I saw this pattern from Purl Soho for their Library Blanket.
Children’s Book Covers Reimagined for the Coronavirus: One of these new renderings is more clever and fun than the next. You can see them here.
"Three Pines": Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache series is being developed for Amazon Prime. Read more about it here.
We have had a VERY busy week as we are prepping for our annual Book Group Speed Dating event for booksellers, librarians and book club leaders next Friday. This year, the event is going to be virtual; of course, these days I feel like most of my life is virtual. If you are a bookseller or librarian and would like to be invited, please write me by Tuesday so we can get you the link to sign up. We also are inviting a limited number of book club leaders. So if you are a book group leader and would like to attend, please drop me a note by Tuesday and tell me more about you and your group.
I think watching golf is somewhat akin to watching paint dry, but I have to admit that I am intrigued by Sunday’s live golf matchup when Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning face off against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady in “The Match: Champions for Charity.”
Cory’s girlfriend is turning 21 this weekend. She had a whole plan for celebrating this milestone, which has been scrapped due to the pandemic. The gift I want to give her is delayed. I feel like if ANYTHING happens on time this year, it’s a BIG deal. Which is why we work so hard to get this newsletter out to you every week. We all need some things that do not change!
Here's to a relaxing weekend, even if these last few weeks have felt like some version of Groundhog Day. I have been chained to my desk for most of this week, so I am hoping to step away from it for as much of the weekend as I can. Books, knitting, gardening and cooking are going to take the place of tapping on the keys. For humor, the weaving loom is STILL in the same place where I left it in January. Seriously folks, you would think with a pandemic I would have a whole slew of scarves made by this point!
Please do not forget the real reason for Memorial Day --- a time for remembering those who served and lost their lives. Take a moment to pause and reflect on them.
Read on, and have a nice 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 20th VICTIM
by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
THE 20th VICTIM by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by January LaVoy
Three victims, three bullets, three cities. The shooters' aim is as fearsomely precise as their target selection. When Lindsay Boxer realizes that the fallen men and women excel in a lucrative, criminal activity, she leads the charge in the manhunt for the killers. As the casualty list expands, fear and fascination with this suspicious shooting gallery galvanizes the country. The victims were no angels, but are the shooters villains…or heroes? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: THE BOOK OF V. by Anna Solomon
May's “Good Morning America” Book Club Pick
THE BOOK OF V. by Anna Solomon (Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Eva Kaminsky, Dara Rosenberg and Gabra Zackman
Lily is grappling with her sexual and intellectual desires, while also trying to manage her roles as a mother and a wife in 2016. Vivian Barr is dedicated to helping her husband find success in Watergate-era Washington, D.C. But one night he demands a humiliating favor, and her refusal to obey changes the course of her life --- along with the lives of others. Esther and her uncle’s tribe live a tenuous existence outside the palace walls in ancient Persia. When an innocent mistake results in devastating consequences for her people, she is offered up as a sacrifice to please the King, in the hopes that she will save them all. In THE BOOK OF V., these characters' stories overlap and ultimately collide, illuminating how women’s lives have and have not changed over thousands of years. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to see why the book is this month's "Good Morning America" Book Club pick.
Click here to read our review.
Announcing Bookreporter.com's 15th Annual
Father's Day Contest: Best Books for Dad
Father’s Day is a time to celebrate the men in our lives who have raised and loved us. Why not show him your appreciation by inspiring him with a great book? In our 15th annual "Best Books for Dad" contest, we have a selection of books that are perfect gift-giving suggestions for Dad, keeping him busy through the rest of the year. Five readers will be awarded a copy of each of our six featured titles. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, June 22nd at noon ET.
This year's prize books are:
Click here to enter the contest.
Featured Review: THE WIFE STALKER by Liv Constantine
THE WIFE STALKER by Liv Constantine (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Julia Whelan and Meghan Wolf
When gorgeous thirtysomething Piper Reynard meets lawyer Leo Drakos, the wedding ring on his finger is the only thing she doesn’t like about him. Joanna has been waiting patiently for her husband to re-emerge from the severe depression that has engulfed him. Though thankful when Leo returns to his charming, energetic self, she is shocked to discover that it’s not her loving support that has sparked his renewed happiness. Leo has fallen head over heels for the flaky, New Age-y newcomer and is more than willing to leave his wife behind. As a devastated Joanna digs deeper into Piper’s past, she begins to unearth disturbing secrets and fears for the lives of her ex-husband and children. Can she find the proof she needs in time to save them? Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review:
THE MOTION OF THE BODY THROUGH SPACE
by Lionel Shriver
THE MOTION OF THE BODY THROUGH SPACE by Lionel Shriver (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Laurence Bouvard
After an ignominious early retirement, Remington announces to his wife, Serenata, that he’s decided to run a marathon. This from a sedentary man in his 60s who’s never done a lick of exercise in his life. As Remington joins the cult of fitness that increasingly consumes the Western world, Serenata’s once-modest husband burgeons into an unbearable narcissist. Ignoring all his other obligations, he engages a saucy, sexy personal trainer named Bambi, who treats Serenata with contempt. When Remington sets his sights on the legendarily grueling triathlon, MettleMan, Serenata is sure he’ll end up injured or dead. And even if he does survive, their marriage may not. Reviewed by Eileen Zimmerman Nicol.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
THE PARIS HOURS, THE HEIRLOOM GARDEN
and TINY IMPERFECTIONS
THE PARIS HOURS by Alex George (Historical Fiction)
THE PARIS HOURS by Alex George is set over one day in 1927 in Paris. This is Paris at a time when the arts and culture scene is brilliant and dynamic --- and, yes, many well-known names like Ernest Hemingway, Marcel Proust and Josephine Baker, and their work, are swirling through the city and giving it so much energy. But Alex chose not to write about those personalities, but rather four ordinary people: three men and one woman. They go about their days toiling at their work, each with secrets and backstories that Alex gradually weaves together.
- 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 Alex George.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE PARIS HOURS.
THE HEIRLOOM GARDEN by Viola Shipman (Fiction)
I dare you to read THE HEIRLOOM GARDEN and not want to garden --- or at least visit a garden, or arrange some flowers. This book, the fifth in Viola Shipman’s Heirloom series, is the best one, which is saying something as I loved THE SUMMER COTTAGE last year.
THE HEIRLOOM GARDEN has two female protagonists. One is a woman who lost her husband in World War II; the other’s husband came home from Iraq with PTSD and lots of hidden battle scars. Their friendship slowly forms; as it does, walls between them literally come down and beautiful gardens flourish. Each chapter bears the name of a flower with a stunning drawing. There is lots of backstory for one of the characters and a deep look into the scars of war on not only those who fight, but those who come home and those who wait for them.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Viola Shipman.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
- Click here to visit Viola Shipman's website.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE HEIRLOOM GARDEN.
TINY IMPERFECTIONS by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans (Romantic Comedy)
I read TINY IMPERFECTIONS back in January after meeting the authors, Alli Frank and Asha Youmans, at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting. Their presentation was so good that I could not wait to read it. In fact, Asha handed me her personal copy, which her mother had wrapped in a fabulous plastic cover.
The story takes place at an elite school where Josie Bordelon is the director of admissions for the incoming class of kindergartners at a swanky private school in San Francisco. She’s legacy at the school, and her Aunt Viv has worked there in the kitchen for more than 50 years. Her daughter, Etta, is graduating and is set on a career in dance, while Josie is thinking Ivies. Josie is single…and ready for a new relationship.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on TINY IMPERFECTIONS.
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 Tuesday, May 26th at noon ET.
This year’s prize books include:
Click here to read all the contest details and learn more about our prize books.
Publishers Lunch Buzz Books:
Download Tomorrow’s Bestsellers Today!
With the season’s book events canceled and digital promotion taking on a more important role than ever, Publishers Lunch has launched two installments in the most successful sampler program in publishing: Buzz Books 2020 Fall/Winter and Buzz Books 2020: Romance.
The Fall/Winter sampler presents excerpts from 30 highly anticipated fall titles, bringing together debut voices, beloved authors, breakout books, provocative nonfiction, and a selection of new YA titles as well. Plus, the anthology begins with a comprehensive preview from Publishers Lunch of hundreds of noteworthy Fall/Winter books to have on your radar. It’s all the fun and discovery of galley grabbing and booth surfing at BookExpo, in a work-from-home package.
Publishers Lunch has been preparing for digital sampling and discovery at scale since they started Buzz Books nine years ago --- and there’s an established audience of booksellers, librarians, reviewers and pre-ordering book lovers who eagerly anticipate each new Buzz collection. And with publishers withdrawing from this year’s RWA well before the pandemic was an issue, they knew authors and publishers would need launch and discovery platforms more than ever.
Visit buzz.publishersmarketplace.com for free downloads.
What’s New This Month on ReadingGroupGuides.com
We currently have the following contest running on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Win 12 Copies of ASK AGAIN, YES by Mary Beth Keane for Your Group
Each month in our "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month" contest, we ask book groups to share the titles they are reading that month and rate them. From all entries, three winners will be selected, and each will win 12 copies of that month’s prize book for their group. Our latest prize book is ASK AGAIN, YES by Mary Beth Keane, an extraordinary novel that is now available in paperback. This Bookreporter.com Bets On pick is a gorgeous and generous portrait of the daily intimacies of marriage and the power of forgiveness, as two families try to stay afloat amid a resounding tragedy. Enter here by Wednesday, June 3rd at noon ET.
Here are our latest featured guides:
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
Click here to visit ReadingGroupGuides.com.
"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.)
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 is our latest interview:
Other authors we've interviewed include:
Upcoming interviews include:
-
Julie Clark (THE LAST FLIGHT)
-
Mikel Jollett (HOLLYWOOD PARK: A Memoir)
-
Megan Miranda (THE GIRL FROM WIDOW HILLS)
-
Stephanie Scott (WHAT'S LEFT OF ME IS YOURS)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
TEAM OF FIVE: The Presidents Club in the Age of Trump by Kate Andersen Brower (Politics)
Audiobook available, read by Erin Bennett
After serving the highest office of American government, five men --- Jimmy Carter, the late George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama --- became members of the world’s most exclusive fraternity. In TEAM OF FIVE, Kate Andersen Brower goes beyond the White House to uncover what, exactly, comes after the presidency, offering a glimpse into the complex relationships of these five former presidents, and how each of these men views his place in a nation that has been upended by the Oval Office’s current, norm-breaking occupant, President Donald Trump. Reviewed by Jane Krebs.
A GOOD MARRIAGE by Kimberly McCreight (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Sarah Zimmerman, Karissa Vacker and George Newbern
Grueling hours are standard at elite law firms like Young & Crane, but they’d be easier to swallow if Lizzie Kitsakis was there voluntarily. Until recently, she’d been a happily underpaid federal prosecutor. With that job and her brilliant, devoted husband, Sam, she had everything she’d ever wanted. And then it all fell apart. The last thing Lizzie needs right now is a call from an inmate at Rikers asking for help --- even if Zach Grayson is an old friend. His wife, Amanda, has been found dead at the bottom of the stairs in their Brooklyn brownstone. And Zach is the primary suspect. As Lizzie is drawn into the dark heart of idyllic Park Slope, she learns that Zach and Amanda weren’t what they seemed --- and that their friends might be protecting troubling secrets of their own. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
LOU GEHRIG: The Lost Memoir by Lou Gehrig, with a biographical essay by Alan D. Gaff (Sports/Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Angelo Di Loreto and Kyle Tait
At the tender age of 24, Lou Gehrig decided to tell the remarkable story of his life and career. He was one of the most famous athletes in the country, in the midst of a record-breaking season with the legendary 1927 World Series-winning Yankees. In an effort to grow Lou’s star, pioneering sports agent Christy Walsh arranged for Lou’s tale of baseball greatness to syndicate in newspapers across the country. Until now, those columns were largely forgotten and lost to history. Lou comes alive in this inspiring memoir. It is a heartfelt rags-to-riches tale about a dirt poor kid from New York who became one of the most revered baseball players of all time. Reviewed by Ron Kaplan (www.RonKaplansBaseballBookshelf.com).
- Click here to watch Ron Kaplan's interview with Alan D. Gaff.
I'D GIVE ANYTHING by Marisa de los Santos (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Caitlin Kelly
While the town cheers on their high school football team, someone sets the school’s auditorium ablaze. Gray Marsden’s father, a firefighter, dies in the blaze. While many believe that a notoriously troubled local teen set the fire, Gray’s best friend, Ginny Beale, makes a shattering discovery that casts blame on the person she trusts most in the world --- but she tells no one. Over the next two decades, Ginny distances herself from the past and nearly everyone in it. But when her husband, Harris, becomes embroiled in a scandal, Ginny’s carefully controlled life crumbles. Just when she believes she is regaining her bearings, the secret she’s kept for 20 years emerges and threatens to destroy her hopes for the future. Reviewed by Leah DeCesare (www.LeahDeCesare.com)
THESE WOMEN by Ivy Pochoda (Literary Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Bahni Turpin and Frankie Corzo
Five very different women whose lives are steeped in danger and anguish are connected by one man and his deadly obsession, though not all of them know that yet. There’s Dorian, still adrift after her daughter’s murder remains unsolved; Julianna, a young dancer who lives hard and fast, resisting anyone trying to slow her down; Essie, a brilliant vice cop who sees a crime pattern emerging where no one else does; Marella, a daring performance artist whose work has long pushed boundaries but now puts her in peril; and Anneke, a quiet woman who has turned a willfully blind eye to those around her for far too long. The careful existence they have built for themselves starts to crumble when two murders rock their neighborhood. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
BRAVE GIRL, QUIET GIRL by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Kate Rudd and Jess Nahikian
Brooke is a divorced single mom who holds tight to the one thing that matters most: her two-year-old daughter, Etta. Then, in a matter of seconds, Brooke’s life is shattered when she’s carjacked. Helpless and terrified, all she can do is watch as Etta, still strapped in her seat, disappears into the Los Angeles night. Miles away, Etta is found by Molly, a homeless teen who is all too used to darkness. As unpredictable as her life is, she’s stunned to find Etta, abandoned and alone. Shielding the little girl from more than the elements, Molly must put herself in harm’s way to protect a child as lost as she is. Out of one terrible moment, Brooke’s and Molly’s desperate paths converge, and an unlikely friendship across generations and circumstances is formed. Reviewed by Susan Miura.
OLD LOVEGOOD GIRLS by Gail Godwin (Historical Fiction)
In 1958, Feron Hood and Merry Jellicoe are roommates at Lovegood Junior College for Girls. Feron, who has narrowly escaped from a dark past, instantly takes to Merry and her composed personality. Surrounded by the traditions and four-story Doric columns of Lovegood, the girls --- and their friendship --- begin to thrive. But underneath their fierce friendship is a stronger, stranger bond, one comprised of secrets, rivalry and influence --- with neither of them able to predict that Merry is about to lose everything she grew up taking for granted, and that their time together will be cut short. Ten years later, Feron and Merry haven't spoken since college. Life has led them into vastly different worlds. But, as Feron says, once someone is inside your “reference aura,” she stays there forever. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
HERE WE ARE: My Friendship with Philip Roth by Benjamin Taylor (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Benjamin Taylor
HERE WE ARE is Benjamin Taylor’s unvarnished portrait of his best friend and one of America's greatest writers. Needless to say, Philip Roth's place in the canon is secure, but what is less clear is what the man himself was like. Here, we see him as a mortal man, experiencing the joys and sorrows of aging, reflecting on his own writing, and doing something we all love to do: passing the time in the company of his closest friend. Taylor’s memoir is an ode to friendship and its wondrous ability to brighten our lives in unexpected ways. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
THE HOUR OF FATE Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, and the Battle to Transform American Capitalism by Susan Berfield (History)
Audiobook available, read by Jennifer Woodward
In the summer of 1901, J.P. Morgan was assembling his next mega-deal: Northern Securities, an enterprise that would affirm his dominance in America's most important industry --- the railroads. Then a bullet from an anarchist's gun put an end to the business-friendly presidency of William McKinley. A new chief executive bounded into office: Theodore Roosevelt. By March 1902, battle lines were drawn: the government sued Northern Securities for antitrust violations. But as the case ramped up, the coal miners' union went on strike, and the anthracite pits that fueled Morgan's trains and heated the homes of Roosevelt's citizens went silent. With millions of dollars on the line and revolution in the air, it was a crisis that neither man alone could solve. Reviewed by John Vena.
FUNNY WEATHER: Art in an Emergency by Olivia Laing (Art & Culture)
Audiobook available, read by Sophie Aldred
In the age of Trump and Brexit, every crisis is instantly overridden by the next. The turbulent political weather of the 21st century generates anxiety and makes it difficult to know how to react. Olivia Laing makes a brilliant, inspiring case for why art matters more than ever, as a force of both resistance and repair. Art, she argues, changes how we see the world. It gives us X-ray vision. It reveals inequalities and offers fertile new ways of living. FUNNY WEATHER brings together a career’s worth of Laing’s writing about art and culture, and their role in our political and emotional lives. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE ROXY LETTERS by Mary Pauline Lowry (Fiction/Humor)
Audiobook available, read by Jayme Mattler
Bridget Jones penned a diary; Roxy writes letters. Specifically, she writes letters to her hapless, rent-avoidant ex-boyfriend --- and current roommate --- Everett. This charming and funny twenty-something is under-employed (and under-romanced), and she’s decidedly fed up with the indignities she endures as a deli maid at Whole Foods (the original), and the dismaying speed at which her beloved Austin is becoming corporatized. When a new Lululemon pops up at the intersection of Sixth and Lamar where the old Waterloo Video used to be, Roxy can stay silent no longer. As her letters to Everett become less about overdue rent and more about the state of her life, Roxy realizes she’s ready to be the heroine of her own story. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
SWING KINGS: The Inside Story of Baseball's Home Run Revolution by Jared Diamond (Sports/History)
Audiobook available, read by Joe Farinacci
The 2019 season saw the most home runs ever, obliterating a record set just two years before. It is a shift that has transformed the way the game is played, contributing to more strikeouts, longer games and what feels like the logical conclusion of the analytics era. In SWING KINGS, Wall Street Journal national baseball writer Jared Diamond reveals that the secret behind this unprecedented shift isn’t steroids or the stitching of the baseballs, it’s the most elemental explanation of all: the swing. In this lively narrative romp, he tracks a group of baseball’s biggest stars --- including Aaron Judge, J.D. Martinez and Justin Turner --- who remade their swings under the tutelage of a band of renegade coaches, and remade the game in the process. Reviewed by Ron Kaplan (www.RonKaplansBaseballBookshelf.com).
FUTURE VALUE: The Battle for Baseball's Soul and How Teams Will Find the Next Superstar by Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel (Sports)
Audiobook available, read by Perry Daniels
For the modern major league team, player evaluation is a complex, multi-pronged, high-tech pursuit. But far from becoming obsolete in this environment --- as Michael Lewis' MONEYBALL once forecast --- the role of the scout in today's game has evolved and even expanded. Rather than being the antithesis of a data-driven approach, scouting now represents an essential analytical component in a team's arsenal. FUTURE VALUE is a thorough dive into the world of the contemporary scout --- a world with its own language, methods, metrics and madness. Reviewed by Ron Kaplan (www.RonKaplansBaseballBookshelf.com).
RIGGED: A Jake Longly Thriller by D.P. Lyle (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by D.P. Lyle
First loves are never forgotten. Ever. Certainly not for Tommy “Pancake” Jeffers. His first-kiss, sixth-grade love, Emily, who he has not seen since grammar school, is sliding toward divorce in the artsy Gulf Coast town of Fairhope, Alabama. Longly Investigations has been charged with looking into the finances involved. When Emily doesn’t appear for their nervously anticipated meeting, Pancake’s radar goes on high alert. Her body, along with that of Jason --- one of two guys she has been dating --- is found murdered, execution-style. Who would have done this? Could it be the soon-to-be ex, who has an ironclad alibi; the other guy Emily was seeing --- jealousy being a motive for harm; or do the drugs found in Jason’s pocket indicate a drug-related hit? Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on May 26th
Below are some notable titles releasing on May 26th 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 25th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
BOMBSHELL: A Teddy Fay Novel Featuring Stone Barrington by Stuart Woods and Parnell Hall (Thriller/Adventure)
Teddy Fay is back in Hollywood and caught in two tricky situations. First, a rising star at Centurion becomes the target of malicious gossip, and Teddy must find and neutralize the source before the situation gets out of hand --- or becomes violent. At the same time, Teddy finds himself targeted by a criminal thug bearing a grudge.
FAIR WARNING by Michael Connelly (Mystery/Thriller)
Jack McEvoy, the journalist who never backs down, tracks a serial killer who has been operating completely under the radar --- until now.
THE FIRST ACTRESS: A Novel of Sarah Bernhardt by C. W. Gortner (Historical Fiction)
From her beginnings as the daughter of a courtesan to her extraordinary transformation into the most celebrated actress of her era, Sarah Bernhardt is brought to life by an internationally bestselling author praised for his historical novels featuring famous women.
GIRLS OF SUMMER by Nancy Thayer (Romance)
One life-changing summer on Nantucket brings about exhilarating revelations for a single mother and her two grown children.
HIDEAWAY by Nora Roberts (Romantic Suspense)
A family ranch in Big Sur country and a legacy of Hollywood royalty set the stage for Nora Roberts’ emotional new suspense novel.
HOLLYWOOD PARK: A Memoir by Mikel Jollett (Memoir)
Mikel Jollett was born into one of the country’s most infamous cults, and subjected to a childhood filled with poverty, addiction and emotional abuse. Yet, ultimately, his is a story of fierce love and family loyalty told in a raw, poetic voice that signals the emergence of a uniquely gifted writer.
HOT LEAD, COLD JUSTICE: A Caleb York Western by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins (Western)
Legendary crime writer Mickey Spillane’s celebrated tin-star hero, Caleb York, returns in the explosive Western saga by New York Times bestselling author Max Allan Collins. This time, the revered New Mexico gunhand unloads his .44 in a brewing storm brutal enough to freeze the blood.
MURDER, SHE WROTE: THE MURDER OF TWELVE by Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land (Mystery)
In the latest entry in this USA Today bestselling series, Jessica Fletcher takes on an Agatha Christie-style mystery when she finds herself stranded in a hotel during a blizzard with 12 strangers and a killer in their midst.
WRATH OF POSEIDON: A Sam and Remi Fargo Adventure by Clive Cussler and Robin Burcell (Thriller/Adventure)
Husband-and-wife team Sam and Remi Fargo come up against an old enemy while searching for a treasure that has been lost for centuries.
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.
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ASK AGAIN, YES by Mary Beth Keane
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CONTRABAND: A Stone Barrington Novel, by Stuart Woods
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CRISS CROSS by James Patterson
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DAD’S MAYBE BOOK by Tim O’Brien
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THE FRIENDS WE KEEP by Jane Green
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THE GUEST BOOK by Sarah Blake
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INLAND by Téa Obreht
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THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU by Liv Constantine
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LOCK EVERY DOOR by Riley Sager
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MET HER MATCH by Jude Deveraux
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METROPOLIS: A Bernie Gunther Novel, by Philip Kerr
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MISTRESS OF THE RITZ by Melanie Benjamin
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MY LIFE AS A RAT by Joyce Carol Oates
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THE ORACLE: A Sam and Remi Fargo Adventure, by Clive Cussler and Robin Burcell
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QUICHOTTE by Salman Rushdie
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SAVE ME THE PLUMS: My Gourmet Memoir, by Ruth Reichl
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THE SENTENCE IS DEATH by Anthony Horowitz
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SOMEONE WE KNOW by Shari Lapena
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THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Krueger
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TRUST EXERCISE by Susan Choi
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THE TURN OF THE KEY by Ruth Ware
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UNDER CURRENTS by Nora Roberts
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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.
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