August 14, 2020
 August 14, 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 $35,560 of our $50,000 goal. 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 Finola Austin,  On Wednesday, we held our second “Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books” event.   Carol picked up 65 peaches last weekend, some of which you can see above.   Last weekend, Carol and Tom made a pizza with caramelized onions, mushrooms, mozzarella, blue cheese and figs. They have a new technique where they roll out store-bought dough as thin as possible and cut off the extra dough. Last week, they made two pies and with the extra dough made a mini pie. Peaches & Pizza! Last weekend, we picked up a bushel of peaches. You may ask, "How many peaches come in a bushel?" 65! We have them ripening on a counter in the kitchen. I feel like I need to get THE PEACH TRUCK COOKBOOK. But I also will be happy to see your best peach recipes; shoot them to me at Carol@bookreporter.com with the subject line “Peach.” This weekend, I am going to make the Peach Caprese Salad with burrata instead of mozzarella. The thought of baking with these peaches brought back a memory. When I was little, my sister and I would play “cooking show.” I am not sure what show was our inspiration, but I think it was something on the local PBS channel. We would line up cake mix, eggs, oil and water and talk to the imaginary camera. There was one time when we were making a cake for my mom’s birthday. One of us tripped putting it into the oven, and the batter dripped into the oven and the oven door. We called my dad at the office to ask him what to do. He said, “Turn off the oven, and I will pick up a cake.” Good advice. This week, we hosted our second “Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books”, and we featured 26 books releasing between August 11th and September 8th, as well as five books coming in October. We had 200 readers in attendance, and this time we taped it for those of you who missed it. You also can see a list of the featured titles here. We have scheduled our next two events. The first will be on Thursday, August 27th at 8pm ET, which is the 24th anniversary of Bookreporter. Our guests will be 10 longtime Bookreporter reviewers who each will share three of their favorite summer reads. If you would like to attend, click here to sign up. And then on Wednesday, September 16th at 2pm ET, we will host another event with books coming out between September 15th and October 6th, along with five titles from November. You can sign up for that event here. Our room holds up to 500, so feel free to invite friends! My latest “Bookreporter Talks To” interview is with Finola Austin, whose newly released debut novel, BRONTË’S MISTRESS, will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Set in 1843, the book tells the story of Lydia Robinson, who is best known for her secret affair with Branwell Brontë, the brother of the famous Brontë sisters. In the interview, Finola discussed her research via books and scholarly writing and her travels to delve more deeply into the lives of her characters --- everything from discovering second-hand books of forgotten documents to snippets that bring life to Lydia, Branwell and the other family members. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast. Finola was a joy to speak with. We covered a lot of ground; I loved hearing how she discovered the story she wanted to write and how she pursued it. (And yes, there may be a reason to hum the song "Mrs. Robinson" as you read the book; you'll find out why in the interview.) We have our review of BRONTË’S MISTRESS this week from Rebecca Munro, who says that the book is "beautifully written, seductive in its tone even when the more amorous scenes are pages behind you.... The result is a truly intoxicating combination of literary mystery and passionate love affair that will appeal not only to Brontë fans and scholars, but to historical fiction and romance lovers alike." Don’t miss my Bets On commentary in next week’s newsletter. Caroline B. Cooney’s upcoming novel, BEFORE SHE WAS HELEN, is the latest title we’re featuring in our Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight. When Clemmie goes next door to check on her difficult and unlikable neighbor, he isn't there. But something else is. Clemmie photographs the wondrous object on her cell phone and makes the enormous mistake of forwarding it. With the picture all over the internet, Clemmie tries desperately to keep a grip on her own personal network of secrets. Although what she discovered is a work of art, what the police find is a body...and she was the last person at the crime scene, where she left her fingerprints. Suddenly thrown into the heart of a twisted investigation, Clemmie finds herself the uncomfortable subject of intense scrutiny. The book doesn’t release until September 8th, but we’re giving 35 readers the chance to win a copy. To enter, please fill out this form by Friday, August 28th at noon ET. As the publisher notes, this domestic thriller is perfect for fans of mysteries by Laura Lippman and Alice Feeney. And if Caroline’s name sounds familiar, I will remind you of another book of hers: THE FACE ON THE MILK CARTON. THE NEW CHARDONNAY: The Unlikely Story of How Marijuana Went Mainstream is our latest New Release Spotlight title. In this deeply reported journey into the new world of legal cannabis, award-winning reporter Heather Cabot explores the confluence of social, economic and political forces that have brought marijuana into the mainstream. Among them, outrage over the racial injustice of U.S. drug laws, the booming self-care industry catering to stressed-out professionals and busy parents in search of better sleep and more sex, seniors clamoring for natural alternatives to opioids to manage their aches and pains, and tens of millions of investor dollars fueling a frenetic “green rush” mentality. I started reading it last weekend and was fascinated by Heather's thorough reporting on the subject --- and the chance to look at it in so many ways. I attended a virtual event that she did on Wednesday night for the Rye Public Library, and she was a very engaging speaker. See her upcoming events here. A PRIVATE CATHEDRAL is James Lee Burke’s 40th(!) book and his 23rd featuring Dave Robicheaux. After finding himself caught up in one of Louisiana’s oldest and bloodiest family rivalries, the detective must battle the most terrifying adversary he has ever encountered: a time-traveling superhuman assassin. Joe Hartlaub has our review and calls the book “a haunting, disturbing and mesmerizing tale set just after the turn of this century but that ripples even further back in time.” He goes on to say that it “contains some of Burke’s best writing to date, with strong characterization, memorable dialogue and his always magnificent descriptive prose.” Other books we’re reviewing this week include THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES, Kristin Harmel’s latest novel that is inspired by an astonishing true story from World War II, in which a young woman with a talent for forgery helps hundreds of Jewish children flee the Nazis; FALLOUT, Lesley M.M. Blume’s account of how one courageous American reporter uncovered one of the deadliest cover-ups of the 20th century --- the true effects of the atom bomb --- potentially saving millions of lives; THE HOLLOW ONES, which kicks off Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s new thriller series, The Blackwood Tapes, and features a horrific crime that defies explanation, a rookie FBI agent in uncharted territory, and an investigation spiraling out of control; and NO OFFENSE, a charming romance between a children's librarian and the town sheriff, the second book in Meg Cabot’s Little Bridge Island series (following last year’s NO JUDGMENTS). In the last couple of newsletters, I asked you to share your favorite book-themed podcasts with us. We received so many great recommendations that we have pulled your ideas together into a blog, which you can take a look at here. Thank you for all your suggestions! If you have more, please let me know. In stores now is LONE JACK TRAIL, a follow-up to last year’s DECEPTION COVE, which introduced readers to veteran Marine Jess Winslow and ex-convict Mason Burke. Its author, Owen Laukkanen (best known for his Stevens and Windermere series), talked to Michael Barson, who has worked in book publicity since 1984, about this latest release and his beloved dog, Lucy, who is a character in both Winslow and Burke thrillers. Click here to read the interview. Our latest poll asks if you currently have set goals for yourself when it comes to reading. Do you want to read more books, branch out to read books from different authors, or delve into new genres? Click here to let us know what your reading goals are, if any. For our previous poll, we listed 20 books releasing this month and asked you which titles you were planning to read. THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE was the runaway winner, with 54% of the vote. This was followed by THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline (36%), THE SILENT WIFE by Karin Slaughter (35%), THE FRIENDSHIP LIST by Susan Mallery (19%), and THE FIRST TO LIE by Hank Phillippi Ryan (16%). Click here for all the results. I look forward to catching up with Fiona next week for a “Bookreporter Talks To” interview, where we will discuss THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE and much more. We also will feature my Bets On commentary in next Friday's newsletter. We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Let us know by Friday, August 28th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll be in the running to win BETTY by Tiffany McDaniel (which we will review next week) and the aforementioned THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline (which we will review on the 28th). Be sure to enter this month’s Sounding Off on Audio contest by Tuesday, September 8th at noon ET. By submitting your comments about the audiobooks you’ve listened to, you’ll have the chance to win the audio versions of Emma Donoghue's THE PULL OF THE STARS, read by Emma Lowe, and Sandra Brown's THICK AS THIEVES, read by Kyf Brewer. If you are in a book club and have not yet answered our survey on what’s going on with your book club these days, may we ask you to take a moment to do that before next Friday the 21st? News & Pop Culture Reader Mail: Ellyn wrote, “I received my box of six books recently. I had forgotten I had entered the Father's Day contest, so it was especially welcome and surprising! Of the six titles, I had read only one previously (THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Krueger) and am working on reading the others (HOLLYWOOD PARK by Mikel Jollett, THE LINCOLN CONSPIRACY by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch, THE LAST TRIAL by Scott Turow, THE NEW ONE by Mike Birbiglia, and FACTFULNESS by Hans Rosling). I've already shared THIS TENDER LAND with one of my daughters with instructions to donate it to one of the libraries in either of the small communities near her home of Ontario or Hillsboro, WI. I intend to read the others and also donate them to either our public library here in La Crosse, WI, or put them in one of the little libraries that have popped up in numerous yards here. I've always been an avid reader, and thanks again for the six titles that will carry me through a few more weeks of the pandemic.” Linda wrote this about winning our Word of Mouth contest: “I won! I won! I woke up to thunder and a pouring rain this morning. A good day to stay in and read! And my doorbell rang! My husband said, 'What did you order? Feels like books.' I said, 'Woo hoo I must have won!' Thank you so much for FLORENCE ADLER SWIMS FOREVER and THE ANSWER IS... They were both on my to-read list. I am an avid reader and love, love, love Bookreporter newsletters and emails. I have listened to multiple podcasts over the past few months. Thank you to you and the entire staff. Keep up the good work! Cathy, “a huge fan,” wrote, “I absolutely love everything about Bookreporter.com! Thank you, and keep up the excellent work!” Rhonda wrote this about winning a Summer Reading contest: “Thank you for sending me A WALK ALONG THE BEACH. I'm looking forward to reading it on the beach.” Susan, another Summer Reading winner, wrote, “I just wanted to say thank you for the book THE LAST FLIGHT that I won. It was a real page turner. I loved it! Very interesting premise.” Special Offer from Penguin Random House: If you preorder Ina Garten's upcoming cookbook, MODERN COMFORT FOOD, before October 6th, you will receive the first-ever downloadable Barefoot Contessa recipe index, which has every recipe in Ina’s 12 cookbooks. Click here for all the details. Matthew Reinhart’s Harry Potter Pop-up Book: I am crazy about books that are paper-engineered, and seeing Matthew showing the details on this one was wonderful. Color of the Year for 2021: Let’s get a drum roll for this one. The color for 2021 is….AI Aqua! Wallis Simpson: The Secret Letters on Amazon Prime: I was intrigued by her after we ran our Summer Reading contest for THE WOMAN BEFORE WALLIS, and I learned a lot watching this film. "Selling Sunset": I never ever watch reality TV, but somehow I had this one on in the background last night as I did email after it popped up on Netflix. There is a recurring theme as Justin Hartley (you know him from "This Is Us") has filed for divorce from his wife, Chrishell Stause, and it plays against most of the episodes. It made me wonder what drama they would have filmed if this did not happen. And um, if this is reality, it feels like there is not ONE spontaneous moment. Last weekend, we had some figs on hand that I wanted to use before they went bad. We made a pizza with caramelized onions, mushrooms, mozzarella, blue cheese and figs. It was a huge hit. We have a new technique that we are doing with store-bought dough where we roll it out as thin as possible and cut off the extra dough. We made the extra into garlic knots one week. Last week, we made two pies and with the extra dough made a mini pie. The weather is supposed to break this weekend; maybe we finally can give the air conditioning a rest. We have no plans, and I want to keep it that way. I still have so many wonderful books that I want to read. Hope to share more on those next week! Off to the peaches. Read on, and have a great week. Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)    Featured Review: A PRIVATE CATHEDRAL  A PRIVATE CATHEDRAL: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke (Thriller) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review. Featured Review: THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES  THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES by Kristin Harmel (Historical Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review.  New Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight & Contest: BEFORE SHE WAS HELEN by Caroline B. Cooney  Caroline B. Cooney's latest novel, BEFORE SHE WAS HELEN, is an absorbing mystery that brings decades-old secrets to life and explores what happens when the lie you've been living falls apart and you're forced to confront the truth. We have 35 copies to give away to those who would like to read the book, which releases on September 8th. To enter, please fill out this form by Friday, August 28th at noon ET. BEFORE SHE WAS HELEN by Caroline B. Cooney (Domestic Thriller/Mystery) And although what Clemmie finds is a work of art, what the police find is a body...and she was the last person at the crime scene, where she left her fingerprints. Suddenly thrown into the heart of a twisted investigation, Clemmie finds herself the uncomfortable subject of intense scrutiny. And the bland, quiet life Clemmie has built for herself in her sleepy South Carolina retirement community comes crashing down as her dark past surges into the present. Click here to read more in our Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight  New Release Spotlight: THE NEW CHARDONNAY  THE NEW CHARDONNAY: The Unlikely Story of How Marijuana Went Mainstream by Heather Cabot (Business & Economics/Social Science) In this deeply reported journey into the new world of legal cannabis, award-winning reporter Heather Cabot takes readers on the road with Snoop Dogg and his business partner, Ted Chung, as they roll out the star’s own brand of bud; to California wine country, where chefs and vintners are ushering in a new age of elevated dining; on wild adventures with marijuana mogul Beth Stavola, for whom fending off shady characters is just another day at the office; and to rural Canada to meet the Willy Wonka of Weed. Drawing on exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the world of cannabis, Cabot’s book explores the confluence of social, economic and political forces that have brought marijuana into the mainstream. Among them, outrage over the racial injustice of U.S. drug laws, the booming self-care industry catering to stressed-out professionals and busy parents in search of better sleep and more sex, seniors clamoring for natural alternatives to opioids to manage their aches and pains, and tens of millions of investor dollars fueling a frenetic “green rush” mentality. The story of an astonishing rebranding, THE NEW CHARDONNAY explores how a plant that was once the subject of multimillion-dollar public service announcements came to spark new culinary trends; inspire new uses for health, beauty and wellness; and generate hundreds of thousands of jobs and untold tax revenue --- all while remaining federally illegal in America. - Click here to read an excerpt. Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight. Featured Review: BRONTË’S MISTRESS by Finola Austin  BRONTË’S MISTRESS by Finola Austin (Historical Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review. BRONTË’S MISTRESS will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Featured Review: FALLOUT by Lesley M.M. Blume  FALLOUT: The Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the World by Lesley M.M. Blume (History) Click here to read our review. 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. Our Interview with Owen Laukkanen,  Owen Laukkanen is a former professional poker journalist and the author of the Stevens and Windermere novels, which have been nominated for the Anthony, Barry, Edgar and Thriller Awards. His latest book, LONE JACK TRAIL, is the sequel to DECEPTION COVE, which kicked off a brand new series featuring Jess Winslow, a U.S. Marine turned trainee sheriff’s deputy, and Mason Burke, an ex-convict and Jess’ boyfriend. In this interview, Laukkanen talks to Michael Barson, who has worked in book publicity since 1984, about LONE JACK TRAIL’s feminist spin on the “drifter” trope in thrillers; hitting “the wall” in his writing career and pushing through it; HBO Max’s acquisition of his young adult novel, THE WILD; and his beloved pit bull mix, Lucy, who is featured in his Winslow and Burke series. LONE JACK TRAIL by Owen Laukkanen (Thriller/Adventure) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our interview.    From left to right: James Lee Burke, Raven Leilani, Jeff Hobbs 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 15th at 5pm ET: Novel at Home Virtual Event: James Lee Burke will be in conversation with fellow bestselling author Michael Connelly about his 40th book, A PRIVATE CATHEDRAL, the 23rd installment in his Dave Robicheaux series. Monday, August 17th at 9pm ET: Vroman’s Live: Vroman’s Bookstore presents journalist Steve Lopez in conversation with Jeff Hobbs, the bestselling, critically acclaimed, award-winning author of THE SHORT AND TRAGIC LIFE OF ROBERT PEACE. Hobbs' latest book is SHOW THEM YOU'RE GOOD: A Portrait of Boys in the City of Angels the Year Before College. Tuesday, August 18th at 7pm ET: Brookline Booksmith Virtual Event: Brookline presents Will Schwalbe, Editor in Chief at Hyperion, in conversation with award-winning author Jeff Hobbs, whose new book is SHOW THEM YOU'RE GOOD: A Portrait of Boys in the City of Angels the Year Before College. Tuesday, August 18th at 8pm ET: Murder By The Book Virtual Event: Join New York Times bestselling author Gregg Hurwitz for a virtual discussion of INTO THE FIRE, the fifth entry in his Orphan X thriller series featuring Evan Smoak, the Nowhere Man. He will be in conversation with Chris Mooney, the international bestselling author of 12 novels, most recently THE SNOW GIRLS. Wednesday, August 19th at 5pm ET: Browseabout Books Presents: Happy Hour with Fiona Davis: Be a part of a live, interactive conversation with bestselling author Fiona Davis to discuss her latest historical novel, THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE, about a series of book thefts that roils the iconic New York Public Library, leaving two generations of strong-willed women to pick up the pieces. Wednesday, August 19th 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 19th will be Kristina McMorris, author of SOLD ON A MONDAY. Wednesday, August 19th at 10pm ET: Mysterious Galaxy Virtual Event: Mysterious Galaxy presents two New York Times bestselling authors in conversation: Michael Koryta and James Lee Burke. The discussion will cover Burke’s newest book in the Dave Robicheaux series, A PRIVATE CATHEDRAL. Thursday, August 20th at 6pm ET: Malaprop's Virtual Event: Jill McCorkle, whose latest novel is HIEROGLYPHICS, will be in conversation with Lee Smith, whose most recent book is BLUE MARLIN, a novella. Thursday, August 20th at 8pm ET: Skylark Bookshop Virtual Event: Join award-winning author Raven Leilani for a virtual discussion of her debut novel of sexual manners and racial politics, LUSTER.   "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 WeekTHE MIDWIFE MURDERS by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo (Psychological Thriller) THE HOLLOW ONES: The Blackwood Tapes, Vol. 1 by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (Supernatural Thriller/Horror) THE BOY IN THE FIELD by Margot Livesey (Fiction) NO OFFENSE by Meg Cabot (Romance) HALF MOON BAY by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman (Mystery/Thriller) THE LIVING DEAD by George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus (Horror) THE DEATH OF VIVEK OJI by Akwaeke Emezi (Fiction) ELIOT NESS AND THE MAD BUTCHER: Hunting America's Deadliest Unidentified Serial Killer at the Dawn of Modern Criminology by Max Allan Collins and A. Brad Schwartz (True Crime) THE WICKED SISTER by Karen Dionne (Psychological Thriller) THE BOOK OF ATLANTIS BLACK: The Search for a Sister Gone Missing by Betsy Bonner (True Crime/Memoir) DEMON IN WHITE: The Sun Eater, Book Three by Christopher Ruocchio (Space Opera/Fantasy)   
Next Week’s Notables:
|
