August 7, 2020
 August 7, 2020Quick Links to Features on Bookreporter.com Reviews | Features | Bookreporter.com Bets On | Upcoming Bets On  Latest Update on Our GoFundMe Campaign Thank you to those of you who have donated to our GoFundMe campaign. So far, with online and snail mail donations, we have raised $34,450 of our $50,000 goal. In addition to these contributions, we are loving your comments about how you enjoy Bookreporter.com. Here is a note we received recently that accompanied a check: Randy and Chris: "As two retirees, we have had the time to read and read broadly. Bookreporter has been our guide and 'early warning' system that enables us to be at the top of the list reserving books at our library. Thank you for all your good work." You can read about our plans and donate here. If you would prefer donating via check, please send to: Thank you again for your consideration and your donation.  Carol's latest "Bookreporter Talks To" interview is with Alice Feeney,  THE NANNY, a Bets On title, is now in paperback, so we thought it would be fun  We mourn the loss of novelist, journalist, editor and screenwriter  Last weekend, Carol read and enjoyed BRONTË’S MISTRESS,  While on his trip to Alaska, Carol's son, Greg, sent her a postcard of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Poof…Who Needs Power? Because life has been “so calm” during the pandemic, this week it was time to toss in a tropical storm, predict that it would hit Florida and instead have it hit North Carolina, and let the eye of it travel right up the densely populated areas of the east coast. Yes, there is nothing like turning the lights out and the air conditioning off in the heat of summer for a large swath of people. In our town, this allowed anyone who has a generator to feel good about their purchase and those without it to contemplate getting one for the next storm. We have a portable generator, but instead of setting it up, we decamped to our friend Cathy’s house, where there was light, power and internet connections. She likes it when we lose power as we make dinner in exchange for power, beds and hot showers. At her kitchen table, I proved once again that I can work anywhere that has an internet connection. Yes, let there be light! Greg, who is away until Monday, sent me a postcard of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline (which you can see above), saying that he thinks of me during his trip when he sees it. This has a really amusing backstory. When I was in college, there was a mandatory three-course science requirement. I have zero science aptitude, so after exhausting the two Baby Bio classes selected by me and most of the student athletes on scholarship who needed to keep their GPAs up, I found a class called Energy that looked like it would be intuitive enough for me to comprehend. It was held in a large lecture hall, and I was faithful about attending class. However, I was completely clueless about the descriptions of how a nuclear reactor worked, no matter how many drawings I saw, and that was right up there with fission and fusion. And then there was a moment when I had a chance to shine. We were asked to write a paper about something of interest to us concerning energy. I wrote a piece about women who helped to build the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. I got an A+. Fast forward to the year-end exam. We were asked to answer any four questions that we wanted from seven outlined on the page. I answered four parts of the seven questions, completely in over my head about the rest. And then I wrote a whole note about how I tried to absorb the material in class, and I really needed to graduate as I already had a job. I also may have promised never to work in the energy field. And I reminded the professor about the women on the pipeline. These were the days when professors would send you postcards about your grades. I got a postcard with my grade. I think it was a C+, but it came with a note from the professor that said he had been impressed by my attendance in class. He realized that there must have been something lacking with his lecture for me to be there so much and comprehend so little! And yes, he said that he appreciated what he learned about the women on the pipeline. I took my part of the bargain not to work in the field seriously. I even live in New Jersey, where by law we cannot pump our own gas. This is your last weekly newsletter reminder to sign up for our second “Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books” event, which will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, August 12th at 2pm ET. This time, I will talk about some August and early September titles, along with five from October, that I would like to get on your radar. Attendance will be limited to the first 500 attendees, so be sure to sign up now to secure your spot! If you already registered, please do not register again. This will ensure that we have an accurate attendee count. In last week's newsletter, I asked if you listen to any book-themed podcasts, and which ones. I got some great recommendations from you --- so many that we are going to pull your ideas together into a blog next week. If any more of you have book podcast suggestions, drop me a note with the subject line “Book Podcasts” and your thoughts on those. Last weekend, I read BRONTË’S MISTRESS by debut novelist Finola Austin, which is so well done and will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. I confess to knowing much less about the Brontës than I feel that I should. The story was captivating from page one! It opens in Yorkshire, 1843, where Lydia Robinson lives with her family in Thorp Green Hall. She’s dealing with two personal losses and a husband who has turned cold towards her. It’s not surprising that her son’s tutor, Branwell Brontë, catches her eye --- and suddenly she is wrapped up in an affair with a man who has a lot of baggage. It’s blissful for a while until things get out of control, and her regimented life gets upended. It’s so well done with both strong writing and plotting. It was a brisk read for me, though I felt that not knowing much about the Brontës would leave me in the weeds. I am looking forward to interviewing Finola next week for a “Bookreporter Talks To” segment! My latest “Bookreporter Talks To” interview is with Alice Feeney, whose new psychological thriller, HIS & HERS, we featured in last week’s newsletter and is a Bets On selection. The book has dueling multiple narrators who tell unexpected sides of the same story in a murder case where the suspect could be any number of people. Alice and I discussed the many layers in the book, first with the characters on the surface, and then the many ways that she was able to convey their inner shadows. We also talked about how her experiences at the BBC shaped her inspiration and research for the character of Anna Andrews. And for humor, Alice reveals her Kit Kat habit. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast. And you can read my Bets On commentary here. My other Bets On pick this week is THE END OF HER by Shari Lapena, which we reviewed last week. Find out why I’m betting you’ll love Shari’s latest page-turning domestic thriller here. I always look forward to a new historical novel from Fiona Davis, so I was thrilled to hear that her latest, THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE (an upcoming Bets On selection), is this month’s “Good Morning America” Book Club pick. A series of book thefts at the iconic New York Public Library leave two generations of strong-willed women to pick up the pieces. Fiona calls the book "historical fiction plus a mystery all rolled up into one" and goes on to say, “It's set at the New York Public Library and it's about a family that lives in an apartment deep inside the building, an apartment that actually existed. It's about the magic of the written word and the power of women's voices, and it's dedicated to some of my favorite people: librarians." Our reviewer Amy Gwiazdowski calls THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE “a lovely story that brings you in and keeps you there, wondering what will happen not only to the stolen books, but more importantly to our two protagonists. It would be a wonderful addition to anyone’s summer reading list.” We also have a discussion guide for the book on ReadingGroupGuides.com, which you can take a look at here. And don’t miss my Bets On commentary in next week’s newsletter. THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE is one of our current Word of Mouth prizes; the other is A PRIVATE CATHEDRAL, James Lee Burke’s new Dave Robicheaux thriller and his 40th book overall. Submit your comments about the books you’ve read, and you’ll have the chance to win both these highly anticipated titles. We also are featuring our review of Emma Donoghue’s new novel, THE PULL OF THE STARS, which is this month’s Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. In an Ireland doubly ravaged by war and disease in 1918, Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city center, where expectant mothers who have come down with the terrible new Great Flu are quarantined together. Into Julia's regimented world step two outsiders: Doctor Kathleen Lynn, a rumored Rebel on the run from the police, and a young volunteer helper, Bridie Sweeney. In the darkness and intensity of this tiny ward, over three days, these women change each other's lives in unexpected ways. Eileen Zimmerman Nicol has our review and says, “Can a historical novel be timely? Medicine changes and politics change, but life and death do not…. As the novel comes to its ‘feverish’ end, Julia makes some bold choices that will change her life forever. With its multiple layers and fast pace, this unsparing page-turner will be a book group favorite.” We’re awarding the audio version of THE PULL OF THE STARS (read by Emma Lowe) in this month’s Sounding Off on Audio contest, along with Sandra Brown's THICK AS THIEVES (read by Kyf Brewer). Let us know by Tuesday, September 8th at noon ET what audiobooks you’ve listened to, and you’ll be in the running to win both these audio titles. Later that day, September 8th at 7pm ET, the next Barnes & Noble Book Club event will be held virtually. Join Emma Donoghue on B&N’s Facebook page and YouTube channel as she discusses THE PULL OF THE STARS. If you missed Tuesday’s B&N Book Club event, which featured Rachel Beanland in conversation with bestselling author Ann Hood about her debut novel, FLORENCE ADLER SWIMS FOREVER (a Bets On pick), you can catch their discussion here. Our special contest for HOMELAND ELEGIES by Ayad Akhtar, which we launched last Friday, continues for one more week. This deeply personal work, which is about identity and belonging in a nation coming apart at the seams, blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of longing and dispossession in the world that 9/11 made. At its heart is the story of a father, a son and the country they both call home. Although the book is not releasing until September 15th, we’re giving 25 readers the opportunity to win a finished copy. To enter, please fill out this form by Friday, August 14th at noon ET. I read the first 50 pages and found Akhtar’s weaving of this story to be interesting, especially the way that he places his characters in situations we are familiar with. Other books we’re reviewing this week include THE SILENT WIFE, Karin Slaughter’s 10th novel featuring GBI investigator Will Trent, which delves into a previously untold chapter of medical examiner (and Will’s love interest) Sara Linton’s personal history; MY LIFE AS A VILLAINESS, which collects Laura Lippman’s recent essays exploring motherhood as an older mom, her life as a reader, her relationships with her parents, friendship, and other topics that will resonate with so many of us; THE FIRST TO LIE, Hank Phillippi Ryan’s latest psychological thriller that finds a young woman setting off on an obsessive path to justice, no matter what dark family secrets are revealed --- but what she doesn’t know is that she is not the only one plotting her revenge; and WITH OR WITHOUT YOU, a new novel from Caroline Leavitt that asks the question: What do we owe the other people in our lives, and when does the cost become too great? MY LIFE AS A VILLAINESS is just one of the many books we’re featuring in this month’s New in Paperback roundups. We also have paperback reprints from such bestselling authors as Erin Morgenstern (THE STARLESS SEA), André Aciman (FIND ME), Candace Bushnell (IS THERE STILL SEX IN THE CITY?), Elizabeth Berg (THE CONFESSION CLUB), James Rollins (THE LAST ODYSSEY), and Gilly Macmillan (THE NANNY); nonfiction titles, including THIS CHAIR ROCKS: A Manifesto Against Ageism by Ashton Applewhite and BARNUM: An American Life by Robert Wilson; and paperback originals like NO OFFENSE by Meg Cabot, THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER: A Foundlings Novel by Wendy Corsi Staub, and YOU HAD ME AT HOLA by Alexis Daria. The paperback of THE NANNY, which was a Bets On pick, released this week. Last September, I had the pleasure of chatting with Gilly Macmillan about the book, so we thought now would be a perfect time to revisit my "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with her. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast. We also have posted our Books on Screen feature for August. This month’s roundup includes the planned theatrical releases of The Burnt Orange Heresy (which also will be available on DVD later this month), The Personal History of Charles Dickens, Waiting for the Barbarians and The Secret Garden (which also will be available on demand); the series premiere of "Lovecraft Country" and the conclusion of "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" on HBO; and the season finales of HBO's "Perry Mason," TNT's "The Alienist: Angel of Darkness" and AMC's "NOS4A2." Our poll continues to ask which of 20 titles releasing in August you are planning to read, if any. Let us know by clicking here. Oprah announced her latest book club pick this week: CASTE: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. Here’s what she had to say about the selection: “Of all the books I’ve chosen for book club over the decades, there isn’t another that is more essential a read than this one. It explains why we are where we are in terms of racial injustice and inequality. Caste, Wilkerson tells us, is a disease from which none of us is immune. Caste divisions pre-date racism and explain why it has continued to flourish. But we have a moment now to rebuild a world without a caste hierarchy --- a world in which all are truly equal and free. I believe this book shows us the way to that world --- this book may well help save us." Oprah is planning to speak to Wilkerson about the book on an upcoming episode of her Apple TV+ series, “Oprah’s Book Club.” In addition to the Oprah, Barnes & Noble and “GMA” selections, here are some of this month’s other recently announced book club picks:
For more August selections, including the Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, see our “Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks” feature here. We were saddened to hear of Pete Hamill’s passing this week at the age of 85. A novelist, journalist, editor and screenwriter, Hamill was the author of more than 20 books, many of which we reviewed on the site. Among them are FOREVER, THE GIFT, NORTH RIVER, TABLOID CITY and DOWNTOWN: My Manhattan. New York Times columnist Dan Barry tweeted: “Newspaperman, novelist, mentor to so many, citizen of the world. I once wrote that if the pavement of New York City could talk, it would sound like Pete Hamill. Now that city weeps.” Click here for more on his legendary career in writing. News & Pop Culture Reader Mail: I received a note from a reader with no name, just an email address, that said, “I won a copy of THE LAST FLIGHT. I read it in two days. Loved it.” Speaking of Alaska... The INTO THE WILD Bus: A few weeks ago, I shared a piece that they were plucking the bus that was a part of Jon Krakauer's 1996 book out of the wilderness where it was located as many were being hurt on the way to find it. Here’s an update on the story. HELLO, DARKNESS, MY OLD FRIEND: Yes, it could be the theme of my week, and it’s the name of a song, but it’s also the title of a book by Sanford Greenberg, who went blind when he was in college. His college roommate was Art Garfunkel, who coached him through school, reading to him and helping him learn to live in the world as a blind person. Their friendship survives today. Here's a great piece on "Today" with the two of them. "I’ll Be Gone In the Dark": This HBO series has been terrific. I still have an episode to watch. I confess to being a tad obsessed with serial killers. This piece about demystifying the serial killer is fabulous. I have been cleaning out a lot of old boxes of paperwork here. I am finding some amusing things, including a note from Cory when he was seven that read, “something is rong wef my computer.” It is just one of the humorous trips down memory lane. Also, I think I can toss the birth announcement from our friends whose daughter is now 31! And I have not even started in on the holiday cards. I wonder if people would like to get back the photos of their children through the years. My parents are celebrating their 66th anniversary today. I love that they are getting to celebrate together. Every year is a gift. This weekend, I ordered a bushel of peaches and pecans from the Georgia Peach Truck. My friend, Alison, had told me about this two weeks ago, and then my grammar school friend, Patrice, gave it a shoutout on Facebook and I placed an order. Next week will be all about peach-themed meals. I have notes all over to remind me to pick them up on Sunday! I have a few shows that I really enjoy on Food Network. One is "The Kitchen," where the five chefs have been cooking from home, with their families filming them, these past few weeks. I love seeing them take all the behind-the-scenes steps without a crew to back them up. Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, called some herb by the wrong name last week and corrected herself on air. You know in a studio that would have been a reshoot. Onward to the weekend. I have so many plans for reading this weekend. I wish it worked to put a book under my pillow and have it be read like we used to talk about when we were little. Read on, and have a great week. Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)    Featured Review:  THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE by Fiona Davis (Historical Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review. THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Featured Review:  THE PULL OF THE STARS by Emma Donoghue (Historical Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review. Featured Review: THE SILENT WIFE by Karin Slaughter  THE SILENT WIFE by Karin Slaughter (Mystery/Thriller) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review.  Special Contest: Enter to Win a Copy of  Ayad Akhtar, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of DISGRACED and AMERICAN DERVISH, returns with a long-awaited new novel. In HOMELAND ELEGIES, an immigrant father and his son search for belonging --- in post-Trump America, and with each other. We have 25 finished copies to give away to those who would like to preview the book, which releases on September 15th. To enter, please fill out this form by Friday, August 14th at noon ET. HOMELAND ELEGIES by Ayad Akhtar (Fiction) Ayad Akhtar forges a new narrative voice to capture a country in which debt has ruined countless lives and the gods of finance rule, where immigrants live in fear, and where the nation’s unhealed wounds wreak havoc around the world. Akhtar attempts to make sense of it all through the lens of a story about one family, from a heartland town in America to palatial suites in Central Europe to guerrilla lookouts in the mountains of Afghanistan, and spares no one --- least of all himself --- in the process. - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to enter the contest. Featured Review: MY LIFE AS A VILLAINESS  MY LIFE AS A VILLAINESS: Essays by Laura Lippman (Essays) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review. Featured Review: THE FIRST TO LIE  THE FIRST TO LIE by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Psychological Thriller) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review. Featured Review: WITH OR WITHOUT YOU  WITH OR WITHOUT YOU by Caroline Leavitt (Fiction) Click here to read our review.  Bookreporter.com Bets On:   THE END OF HER by Shari Lapena (Psychological Thriller) In THE END OF HER, Patrick and Stephanie Kilgour are new parents coping with twin infant girls who are colicky. Each night they walk the floors with their inconsolable girls, and then they trip through their days bleary-eyed. Stephanie is a stay-at-home mom, while Patrick is a partner in an architecture firm. While their lives are exhausting, they are happy. Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE END OF HER.
It has dueling multiple narrators who tell their sides of the same story of a murder case where the suspect could be them, or anyone. She is Anna Andrews, a television correspondent who has experienced a loss that she is drinking her way back from. Alice worked for the BBC for years and knows the television business from the inside, so she nails those details. He is a detective assigned to the case who becomes a suspect himself very early in the game. And then there is an anonymous narrator who can be either of them, or someone else. Someone is always lying, but who is it? - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on HIS & HERS. Bookreporter.com's 16th Annual  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 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. Please note: We do not have any contests scheduled at this time. This year’s prize books include:
Click here to learn more about our featured titles.    August’s New in Paperback Roundups August's roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes THE STARLESS SEA, Erin Morgenstern's long-awaited second novel following THE NIGHT CIRCUS, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world --- a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars and ships that sail upon a starless sea; FIND ME by André Aciman, which revisits the characters of Elio and Oliver decades after their first meeting in 2007’s CALL ME BY YOUR NAME; IS THERE STILL SEX IN THE CITY? by Candace Bushnell, which follows a cohort of female friends --- Sassy, Kitty, Queenie, Tilda Tia, Marilyn and Candace --- as they navigate the ever-modernizing phenomena of midlife dating and relationships; and THE NANNY, a dark and unpredictable tale of family secrets from Gilly Macmillan that explores the lengths people will go to hurt one another. Among our nonfiction highlights are THIS CHAIR ROCKS, Ashton Applewhite's rousing manifesto calling for an end to discrimination and prejudice on the basis of age; BARNUM: An American Life, the first major biography of P.T. Barnum in a generation, in which Robert Wilson captures the full genius, infamy and allure of the ebullient showman, who, from birth to death, repeatedly reinvented himself; and PRINCE ALBERT, a companion biography to the acclaimed VICTORIA, in which A. N. Wilson offers a deeply textured and ambitious portrait of Prince Albert. Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of    August’s Books on Screen Feature Here is a preview of this month's films and TV shows that are based on books. For a complete list of August's offerings, please click here.
An American Pickle Chemical Hearts Series Premiere "Lovecraft Country" Season Finales "The Alienist: Angel of Darkness" "Perry Mason" "NOS4A2"    From left to right: Isabel Wilkerson, Finola Austin, Jill McCorkle Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events As so many book and author events are happening online these days, we are highlighting a number of them that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links below for more info and to register. Saturday, August 8th at 6pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Virtual Event: Fiona Davis will discuss her latest novel, THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE, with Barbara Peters and author Kate Quinn. Sunday, August 9th at 3pm ET: Murder By The Book Virtual Event: Murder By The Book presents a virtual event with John Grisham and James Lee Burke. Burke will discuss his 40th book, A PRIVATE CATHEDRAL, which releases on August 11th. Monday, August 10th at 7pm ET: Parnassus Books Virtual Event: Jill McCorkle, whose latest novel is HIEROGLYPHICS, will be in conversation with author Silas House. Tuesday, August 11th at 7pm ET: The Strand Virtual Event: Join Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson in conversation with editor-at-large for TIME Anand Giridharadas for a discussion of her book, CASTE: The Origins of Our Discontents, which has been selected as the August book for Oprah's Book Club. Wednesday, August 12th at 2pm ET: The Book Report Network Presents: Bookaccino Live – A Lively Talk About Books: Carol Fitzgerald will present titles releasing in August and early September, along with five from October, that she would like to get on your radar. Wednesday, August 12th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": Every Wednesday, Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry and Mary Alice Monroe talk books and writing on their "Friends and Fiction" Facebook group page. Their special guest on August 12th will be Karin Slaughter, whose latest novel is THE SILENT WIFE. Wednesday, August 12th at 8pm ET: Murder By The Book Virtual Event: Murder By The Book presents a virtual event with Fiona Davis (THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE) in conversation with Suzanne Rindell (THE TWO MRS. CARLYLES). Thursday, August 13th at 5pm ET: FoxTale Book Shoppe Virtual Event: FoxTale Book Shoppe is excited to virtually welcome back their foxy friend and longtime supporter, the award-winning Hank Phillippi Ryan, who will talk about her new psychological thriller, THE FIRST TO LIE. Thursday, August 13th at 7pm ET: The Brontës vs. Jane Austen: Wellington Square Bookshop presents Natalie Jenner, author of THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY, in conversation with Finola Austin, author of BRONTË’S MISTRESS. Join these debut novelists for this event focused on some of the most celebrated and loved women novelists of the 19th century. Thursday, August 13th at 8pm ET: Powell's Books Virtual Event: Jill McCorkle (HIEROGLYPHICS) will be joined in conversation by Jayne Anne Phillips, author of BLACK TICKETS and LARK AND TERMITE.   "Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts “Bookreporter Talks To” is a video and podcast series that delivers a long-form, in-depth author interview every week. For years, Carol has 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 is to bring these author interviews to readers, wherever they may be. Watch on video, or listen as a podcast. (The podcasts include audio excerpts.) Here is our latest interview: Other authors we've interviewed include:
Upcoming interviews include:
Click here for a complete list of our    More Reviews This WeekWHO IS ALEX TREBEK?: A Biography by Lisa Rogak (Biography) 1st CASE by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts (Thriller) THE NIGHT SWIM by Megan Goldin (Psychological Thriller) A FURIOUS SKY: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America's Hurricanes by Eric Jay Dolin (History) AFTERLAND by Lauren Beukes (Dystopian Thriller/Science Fiction) ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE BOURNE EVOLUTION by Brian Freeman (Thriller/Adventure) THE WOMAN BEFORE WALLIS: A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, and Royal Scandal by Bryn Turnbull (Historical Fiction) - Click here to read an excerpt. THE EIGHTH DETECTIVE by Alex Pavesi (Mystery) LOVE AND THEFT by Stan Parish (Thriller) DEAD WEST by Matt Goldman (Mystery) CRY BABY: A Tom Thorne Novel by Mark Billingham (Mystery/Thriller) THE BURDEN OF TRUTH by Neal Griffin (Thriller)   
Next Week’s Notables:
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