September 11, 2020
 September 11, 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 $35,755 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 Ruth Ware,  Above are nine books that Carol read during our hiatus week. Scroll further down the newsletter   Carol bought a new pool chair that looked great in the promo photo that you see above. Back to the Books! We’re back…after a great --- and clearly much-needed --- break. Thanks to all of you who shared notes about our 24th anniversary, as well as our Bookaccino Live event with me, Tom and Austin. They were so appreciated! Over the last two weeks, I read…a lot. During our hiatus week, I tried to stay out of my office here at the house, and some days that worked. I bought a new pool chair that looked great in a photo; when it arrived, it did not look like the photo. See above. That said, it was fun to float with and read, though I never looked as relaxed as the person in the promo photo. I was very content to kick my way around the pool through the vacation week and a Labor Day weekend of glorious weather. You can see the stack of the nine books that I read above, with one book missing as it was the first that I read (I had started it before the break) and it was still in manuscript form. The cover reveal is yet to come. The book in manuscript was ETERNAL by Lisa Scottoline, which is coming on March 23rd. I love when authors step out of their comfort zone and stretch --- and then land the jump. That is what Lisa did in writing a historical novel set in Italy in the late 1930s as Fascism is sweeping through the country, as well as anti-Semitism. While I confess to World War II reading fatigue, here I dashed that thought, as I fell in love with her three characters --- Elisabetta, Marco and Sandro --- who are childhood friends in Rome. The writing was so descriptive, the setting so clearly drawn and the action so propulsive that it was a complete page turner. Clearly it was deeply researched, which enhanced the storytelling. I am going to beg for more historical fiction from Lisa. I also closed it and wanted to make homemade pasta. When you read it, you will see why! It will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Next up, I did another “read ahead” as an advance copy of THE FOUR WINDS by Kristin Hannah arrived at the house just as I was logging off for vacation. This book will be out on February 9th --- and, wow, do readers have something to look forward to! Kristin once again has mined a story that has both heart and soul. It opens in Texas in 1934 where the Depression is raging on and on, and a drought has ravaged the Great Plains. Crops are failing, and the dust is swirling. Kristin’s heroine wrestles with these dark days on her husband’s family farm. Days get tougher and tougher, until she realizes that for her family to survive, they must head west. California has been called the promised land, but when they arrive there, new challenges await --- and they are daunting. Elsa is a brilliant character, like Isabelle in THE NIGHTINGALE. She musters courage from deep inside her, and readers will find themselves captivated by the depths of her human spirit. It also will be a Bets on selection. Looking for lighter fare, I turned to Carl Hiaasen’s SQUEEZE ME, which is set in Palm Beach. A socialite named Kiki Pew, who is a champion of a president who winters in town there, disappears. While this is politicized in all the ways one could see it going, Kiki actually met a far different end than what the president thought. To not give much away, I will share that there is a wild game hunter involved. Hiaasen specializes in over-the-top writing that is tinged with humor, and we certainly see that here. MONOGAMY by Sue Miller is just out this week, and I heard about it at a few publisher previews --- and shared it with our readers at a "Bookaccino Live" event. I loved it, and in fact I stayed up until 3am one night to finish it. It’s the story of a marriage, of vows and promises broken. Annie is married to Graham, but when he passes away, she learns a cruel secret about him, one that will have her questioning so much of her life. The character of Annie unpeels a lot of layers in her life --- who she was with the men in her life and who she is now. And, along the way, she tries to unearth who Graham was. I confess to not having read Sue before, but this book has me looking for what to read by her next. If our readers have any suggestions, please let me know. This, too, will be a Bets On pick. I also "read backwards," trying to catch up on books that I missed. Brit Bennett’s THE VANISHING HALF has been solidly on bestseller lists since it came out in early June. And I see why. It’s about twin sisters who are born in the town of Mallard, Louisiana. The townspeople there are all light-skinned blacks who can pass as white. The sisters leave town determined to strike off on their own instead of staying in a stifling place. When they leave, one marries a dark black man; the other marries white, and “passes.” And they have no contact for years. Through their children, a connection is made that will shake up both of their lives. It’s going to be noted as a Bets On selection. It’s timely --- and smartly done. I always enjoy J. Courtney Sullivan, and FRIENDS AND STRANGERS did not disappoint. In it, Elisabeth is a young mom who has left her Brooklyn neighborhood to move to upstate New York with her husband and newborn son, Gil. She is working on a book and hires Sam, a local college student, to watch Gil. They become friends as Elisabeth craves someone to talk to. As time goes on, a secret about Elisabeth is inadvertently spilled to Sam, and suddenly the gulf between these two women widens quickly. There’s a lot to chew on here about class and privilege and just what money buys. MEXICAN GOTHIC by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was what a friend called a mashup of Stephen King meets the Brontë sisters. It was well beyond my usual comfort zone, but I wanted to explore a book that I first heard about during our Goodreads chat with Suzanne Skyvara and Danny Feekes back in June. It’s going to be a Hulu series, and I so can see this. You can read about Silvia talking about that series here. THICK AS THIEVES by Sandra Brown meant that I could continue my “float and read” tradition with a Sandra book on my summer vacation. Here, four men got together to pull off a heist a couple of decades ago and scored half a million dollars. The morning after, one was in the hospital, one was in jail, one was dead and one got away with it. Now the daughter of the man who disappeared is back in town, and she’s crossing paths with one of the men who survived that night. Of course, there’s an attraction between them. That’s pure Sandra Brown. Like our reviewer, this is one of my favorites of Sandra’s. THE NIGHT SWIM by Megan Goldin is a book that I missed when it first came out in August. In it, Rachel is a true-crime podcast reporter heading into a town to report on the trial of a local athlete who is accused of rape. While she is there, a woman reaches out to ask her to investigate her sister’s death, which had been written off as a drowning accident when it happened decades ago. Something never felt right about this. Both stories have Rachel on her toes. Who is lying? What is the truth? What is happening in this small town --- and what happened 20 years ago? I enjoyed THE ESCAPE ROOM last year, and I think this one is much stronger. It has two plots, and it works. I am going to go back and make it a Bets On pick. THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR by Rose Carlyle was my final vacation read, and it was the perfect one to end on. As I floated in the pool, I read about two sisters --- Iris and Summer --- who were sailing a yacht from Thailand to the Seychelles. Yes, I was envisioning my pool chair as a yacht. And yes, I now want to do this trip. Well, maybe not this exact trip, as one of the twins dies on the voyage. And the other...well, she takes advantage of this moment to insert herself into her sister’s charmed life. But there are challenges to this. Many of them. And there are twists and turns that will have you completely caught up in the story. It was a one-float read for me. And then I read the ending again. It was that good. It will be a Bets On selection when it comes out on October 20th, and I am scheduling an interview with Rose! This book has been #1 in New Zealand, where Rose lives, for four weeks now. I am happy to share that this is one of our Fall Preview contest titles as well. This is your last weekly newsletter reminder to sign up for our next "Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books” event, which will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, September 16th at 2pm ET. This time, I will talk about titles releasing from mid-September to early October, along with five from November, that I would like to get on your radar. Click here to register. Our room holds up to 500 attendees, so feel free to invite friends! If you already signed up for this session, please do not sign up again. This will help us keep an accurate audience count. My latest “Bookreporter Talks To” interview is with Ruth Ware, whose new psychological thriller, ONE BY ONE, is one of this week’s New Release Spotlight titles and will be a Bets On pick. The book takes place in a luxury ski cabin in a spectacular setting. The chalet is attended to by a two-person staff ready to cater to a visitor’s every need. The current guests are eight coworkers from a booming tech company and a former colleague. The “locked-in” theme that is such a huge part of Ruth’s work comes into play as they find themselves stranded there after an avalanche. As panic and the desire to escape increases, something more sinister is in the works: members of the group are found dead...one by one. Along with delving into the specifics of the book, Ruth and I had a wonderful time reminiscing about our first interview, which took place back in 2015 prior to the release of her debut novel, IN A DARK, DARK WOOD. She filled me in on how she has continued her steady writing career since then, and we discussed the trials involved in "relaxing" ski trips, how renowned mystery writers influenced her writing of ONE BY ONE, and what she is working on next. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast. We also are featuring our review of the book this week from Rebecca Munro, who has this to say: "With its gorgeous setting and locked-in vibe, ONE BY ONE feels like classic Ruth Ware, a return to her earlier works, like IN A DARK, DARK WOOD and THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10. There is a nearly cozy aspect to her tone, but it is balanced beautifully by her talent for building suspense and inserting murder into an otherwise idyllic environment." Don’t miss my Bets On commentary in next week’s newsletter. Our second New Release Spotlight title this week is Fredrik Backman’s latest novel, ANXIOUS PEOPLE, which is about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness and hope --- the things that save us, even in the most anxious of times. A failed bank robber flees into an open house apartment viewing, taking its eight prospective buyers hostage. As the pressure mounts, these strangers slowly begin opening up to one another and revealing long-hidden truths. Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them are entirely who they appear to be. And all of them --- the bank robber included --- desperately crave some sort of rescue. Kate Ayers has our review of ANXIOUS PEOPLE and calls it “as excellent as any Fredrik Backman story you will find. It’s character-driven, and these characters are able to worm their way into your heart, even the ones you start out not liking. This book is simply too good to miss. So don’t.” I am excited to chat with Fredrik next week for a “Bookreporter Talks To” interview, which we will feature in next Friday’s newsletter. Our Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight of BEFORE SHE WAS HELEN by Caroline B. Cooney wraps up this week with our review of the book and interview with the author. This domestic thriller, perfect for fans of Laura Lippman and Alice Feeney, 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. Rebecca Munro calls it "a deftly written and suspenseful novel that will surprise readers of all ages" and goes on to say, "[W]hat truly makes BEFORE SHE WAS HELEN shine is the supporting cast of characters.... Cooney manages to immerse you in the setting to the point that you practically feel like you are late for canasta as you read." Rebecca also had the pleasure of interviewing Caroline about the book and why she decided to return to adult fiction after writing over 90 suspense, mystery and romance novels for teens. Click here to read the interview. Other books we’re reviewing this week include ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE, the 16th installment in Louise Penny’s series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Quebec, who is investigating a sinister plot in the City of Light; TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM, Yaa Gyasi’s follow-up to her acclaimed national bestseller HOMEGOING, about a family of Ghanaian immigrants ravaged by depression, addiction and grief; and THE DYNASTY, Jeff Benedict’s definitive inside story of the New England Patriots, which arrives just in time for the start of the NFL season. TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM is this month’s Barnes & Noble Book Club selection and Jenna Bush Hager’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick. On Tuesday, October 6th at 7pm ET, join Yaa Gyasi on B&N’s Facebook page as she discusses her new novel. If you missed Tuesday’s B&N Book Club event, which featured Emma Donoghue in conversation with her editor Judy Clain about THE PULL OF THE STARS (last month’s B&N pick), you can catch their discussion here. Our Fiction Author Spotlight kicks off this week for HOMELAND ELEGIES, the highly anticipated and timely new novel from Ayad Akhtar, whose previous books include AMERICAN DERVISH and the Pulitzer Prize winner DISGRACED. His latest work blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of longing and dispossession in the world that 9/11 made. Part family drama, part social essay, part picaresque novel, at its heart it is the story of a father, a son and the country they both call home. The book releases on Tuesday, and we will feature our review, along with our interview with the author, in next week’s newsletter. Our Fall Preview feature is back for a 10th year! On select days in September and October, we will spotlight a different title and offer a 24-hour contest to win five copies of the book. We also will be sending a special newsletter to announce each day's title. If you have not done so already, you can sign up here to receive these dedicated newsletters. We kick off this year’s contests by giving away THE PARIS CHILDREN: A Novel of WWII by Gloria Goldreich, along with the aforementioned BEFORE SHE WAS HELEN by Caroline B. Cooney and ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware. The first contest will go live on Tuesday, September 15th at noon ET. THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline, which we reviewed in our last newsletter, is my latest Bets On pick. Click here to see why I’m betting you’ll love it. And if you missed my “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Christina, you can watch it here and listen to the podcast here. Our New in Paperback roundups for September are now available. We're featuring paperback reprints from such bestselling authors as Margaret Atwood (THE TESTAMENTS), Stephen King (THE INSTITUTE), the late Mary Higgins Clark (KISS THE GIRLS AND MAKE THEM CRY), Thomas Harris (CARI MORA), and Elin Hilderbrand (WHAT HAPPENS IN PARADISE); nonfiction titles, including FURIOUS HOURS: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep, YEAR OF THE MONKEY by Patti Smith, and FALL AND RISE: The Story of 9/11 by Mitchell Zuckoff; and paperback originals like WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING by Alyssa Cole, BURN YOU TWICE by Mary Burton, and A THEORY OF EVERYTHING ELSE: Essays by Laura Pedersen. We also have posted our Books on Screen feature for September. This month’s roundup includes the Netflix releases of The Devil All the Time, I'm Thinking of Ending Things and Enola Holmes; the biographical film The Glorias on Amazon Prime Video; the premieres of "A Wilderness of Error" on FX and "The Comey Rule" on Showtime; the continuation of HBO's "Lovecraft Country"; and the DVD release of First Cow. We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Let us know by Friday, September 25th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll have a chance to win DON’T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker (an upcoming Bets On selection) and THE LAST AGENT by Robert Dugoni. I talked to Wendy yesterday for a “Bookreporter Talks To” interview and will share our conversation with you next week. And I look forward to chatting with Robert in a couple of weeks. Important Note: We made a decision to discontinue our monthly Sounding Off on Audio contest. When we first started this feature, audiobooks were still growing as a format. These days, audio has taken off so exponentially that we are seeing readers quickly navigating between print, e-books and audio, especially digital audio. Each represents its own very valuable part of the reading sales pie. But do not fear if you are an audio lover. We now encourage you to let us know what audiobooks you are listening to in Word of Mouth. Please share your thoughts on both the narrator and the storyline in the comments section. And if you still would like to see what readers have listened to in the past, you can check out previous Sounding Off on Audio entries here. For our latest poll, we listed 30 fiction titles releasing this month and are curious to know which, if any, you are planning to read. Click here to cast your votes. Our previous poll, which asked where you currently live, was inspired by the turnout we received from our 24th anniversary event, which was attended by 260 readers from 37 states…and one from Argentina! Here are the results (note that we used the U.S. Census Bureau's regional state breakdowns for this poll):
As I said in the last newsletter, we pride ourselves on reaching readers across the country and not just the two coasts --- and these results are indicative of that wide reach. Kirkus Reviews has announced the finalists for the seventh annual Kirkus Prize in Fiction, Nonfiction and Young Readers’ Literature. They include THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS by Elena Ferrante (Fiction), which we will review next week; CASTE: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (Nonfiction), which is Oprah's latest book club pick; and STAMPED: Racism, Antiracism, and You, by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (Young Readers' Literature). Click here for all the nominees. The winners will be named on November 5th during an online event hosted by the Austin Central Library. Along with TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM being the Barnes & Noble pick and the “Read with Jenna” selection, here are some of this month’s other recently announced book club picks:
For more September selections, including the Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, see our “Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks” feature here. News & Pop Culture Reader Mail: Kathy wrote, “Thank you, Carol, for the Bookaccino event. And congratulations on your 24th anniversary. I don't think I have been part of Bookreporter for 24 years, but it is close. I love Bookreporter and look forward to your recommendations each week. Also, I love hearing about your boys, your knitting (I am a knitter too), the great recipes you share, and I laugh at your gardening experiences (I try, but I do not have a green thumb). Thank you for what you share each week. It is like hearing from a friend. And the many books that I have read that never would have been on my 'to read list' is because of Bookreporter." Cheryle wrote, “LOVE, LOVE, LOVED the anniversary presentation. To see the people who write such great reviews for us readers is fantastic. I liked the informal atmosphere in which the reviewers were able to talk about the books they love. While the past Bookaccino Live events have been good, this was even better. I would like to see this format again soon. An idea that might be appropriate for a future program would be to gather authors, librarians and booksellers to elaborate on what made them a reader. Who encouraged them in the past, and what keeps them reading? Thank you so much for a great evening’s entertainment, as well as filling my TBR list with some quality reading in my future. Congratulations on 24 years, and wishes for continued great programming through newsletters, the website and programs like this.” Maira Theresa wrote, "Thanks Carol, I’m enjoying every word of your Zoom program with your reviewers." For those who were at Bookaccino Live, she is our Argentinian reader! Jesmyn Ward: This two-time National Book Award-winning author lost her 33-year-old husband and wrote a haunting, beautiful piece about his death and her grief for Vanity Fair. Books as Art: Take a look at this. Local Yarn Store Day: It’s this Saturday. Take some time to celebrate and support your local brick and mortar store! "Away" on Netflix: This new series is about an international mission to Mars called Atlas. I tried to ration my watching, but night one I watched two episodes, night two it was three, and the third night I finished five! I thoroughly enjoyed it. "This Is Us" on NBC: Note that, if all goes as planned, the show will be back for season five on Tuesday, November 10th. Knowing that we have readers across the country, the photos of the fires that have been burning all over the west have been so hard to see; last I heard, 200 wildfires were burning in 12 states. The orange images that friends have been sharing are so very haunting. I do pray that these end soon and that our readers come through them unscathed. And today is 9/11, a day that will conjure up many haunting memories. I still have never seen a sky here as severe clear as it was on that morning. I remember swimming laps very early and marveling at the deep blue…and thinking how wonderful life was. And two hours later, the world burst apart. Greg is on the upper Michigan Peninsula at a photography workshop this weekend after shooting photos last weekend in northern Minnesota touring some lighthouses. He keeps distanced by renting a car and camping/sleeping in it. Cory hiked in the Catskills last weekend, which proved to be ideal for social distancing. He shared some photos that he shot along the way, and they were great. There were lots of high elevations and climbs through tight places. These boys inherited the hiking and camping gene from their dad. My idea of camping is Best Western. The weather does not look as promising this weekend, so I may finally get to more boxes and organizing around the house. I am finishing up CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 by Lisa Unger, and it’s terrific. I will have more for you about this one next week. Read on, and have a great week. Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)     New Release Spotlight: ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware  ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware (Psychological Thriller) When the cofounder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech startup, organizes a weeklong trip for the team in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other: PowerPoint presentations and strategy sessions broken up by mandatory bonding on the slopes. But as soon as one shareholder upends the agenda by pushing a lucrative but contentious buyout offer, tensions simmer and loyalties are tested. The storm brewing inside the chalet is no match for the one outside, however, and a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world. Even worse, one Snooper hadn’t made it back from the slopes when the avalanche hit. As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder and the group dwindles further...one by one. - Click here to read our review. Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight. ONE BY ONE will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.  New Release Spotlight: ANXIOUS PEOPLE  ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman (Fiction) Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them --- the bank robber included --- desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next. - Click here to read our review. Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight. Don't miss Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview  Our Interview with Caroline B. Cooney   Caroline B. Cooney is the author of more than 90 suspense, mystery and romance novels for teens, including THE FACE ON THE MILK CARTON, which has sold over three million copies and was made into a television movie starring Kellie Martin. Her latest thriller, BEFORE SHE WAS HELEN (which is aimed primarily at adults), 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. In this interview, conducted by Bookreporter.com reviewer Rebecca Munro, Cooney explains her inspiration for writing the book and why she set it in a gated retirement community; offers some insight into her protagonist Clemmie, a tiny but spunky senior citizen who has managed to pull off a hidden identity for over 50 years; and reveals what she is working on next. Cooney is keeping herself quite busy these days, which is sure to please her countless fans! BEFORE SHE WAS HELEN by Caroline B. Cooney (Domestic Thriller/Mystery) Featured Review: ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE  ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE by Louise Penny (Mystery) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review. Featured Review:  TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM by Yaa Gyasi (Fiction) Click here to read our review.  New Fiction Author Spotlight:  HOMELAND ELEGIES by Ayad Akhtar (Fiction) Click here to read more in our Fiction Author Spotlight. HOMELAND ELEGIES releases on September 15th. Announcing Bookreporter.com's  Fall is known as the biggest season of the year for books. The titles that release during this latter part of the year often become holiday gifts, and many are blockbusters. To celebrate the arrival of fall, we are spotlighting a number of outstanding books that we know people will be talking about in the days and months to come. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days in September and October, 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 first prize book will be announced on Tuesday, September 15th at noon ET. This year's featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details  Bookreporter.com Bets On:  THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline (Historical Fiction) When Evangeline, a young governess in London, is discovered to be pregnant, she is first sent to a notorious prison and then is given a 14-year sentence in Australia. On the ship sailing to this remote land, she meets Hazel, who is sentenced for stealing a silver spoon. The third woman, Mathinna, is native to Tasmania and is seen as a pet project for a wealthy couple. The novel’s structure gives light to multiple perspectives and brings this piece of history to readers who may know little about it. For years, the penal colony in Australia was kept under wraps. As Christina was researching, more and more about these times came out. In her writing, Christina makes a daring move with a character --- one that I did not foresee --- and I am not going to give away any more than that. I finished it more informed than I had been, and wanting to read even more about this time in Australian history. There is lots here for book clubs to discuss! - Click here to read more about the book. Click here for more books we're betting you'll love.    September’s New in Paperback Roundups September's roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes THE TESTAMENTS, the long-awaited sequel to Margaret Atwood’s classic 1985 novel, THE HANDMAID’S TALE, in which the lives of three radically different women converge, with potentially explosive results; THE INSTITUTE, Stephen King’s gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good vs. evil in a world where the good guys don’t always win; KISS THE GIRLS AND MAKE THEM CRY, a thriller from Mary Higgins Clark that revolves around allegations of sexual misconduct at a high-profile television news network --- and the ensuing deaths of two of the accusers; and WHAT HAPPENS IN PARADISE, the New York Times bestselling follow-up to Elin Hilderbrand's WINTER IN PARADISE, in which secret lives and new loves emerge under the bright Caribbean sky. Among our nonfiction highlights are FURIOUS HOURS, in which Casey Cep masterfully brings together the tales of a serial killer in 1970s Alabama and of Harper Lee, the beloved author of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, who tried to write his story; YEAR OF THE MONKEY, Patti Smith's profound, beautifully realized memoir in which dreams and reality are vividly woven into a tapestry of one transformative year; and two books commemorating September 11, 2001 --- FALL AND RISE, Mitchell Zuckoff's mesmerizing, minute-by-minute account of that terrible day that masterfully weaves together multiple strands of the events in New York, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania; and THE ONLY PLANE IN THE SKY by Garrett M. Graff, the first comprehensive oral history of 9/11, deftly woven and told in the voices of ordinary people grappling with extraordinary events. Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of    September’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 September's offerings, please click here. Film Releases I'm Thinking of Ending Things The Devil All the Time The Glorias
"A Wilderness of Error" (5-part series) "The Comey Rule" (2-part series)    Our Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks for September Each month, we share top book picks from Indie Next and LibraryReads, as well as the Target Book Club title and Pennie's Pick for Costco. We also feature a number of other prominent picks, including Oprah’s Book Club, the Barnes & Noble Book Club, the Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club, Jenna Bush Hager's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club, the "Good Morning America" Book Club, the PBS NewsHour-New York Times “Now Read This” Book Club, and Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites. Below is a preview of September's "Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks." For the complete Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, as well as additional links pertaining to this month's selections, please click here. Indie Next LibraryReads Target Book Club Pennie's Pick (Costco) Barnes & Noble Book Club Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Jenna Bush Hager's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club "Good Morning America" Book Club Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites    From left to right: Fredrik Backman, Wendy Walker, Mike Lupica 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. Sunday, September 13th at 2pm ET: Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookshop & Café Virtual Event: Join Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookshop & Café for a virtual event to celebrate Yaa Gyasi's latest book, TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM. Gyasi will be in conversation with Shani Collins-Achille, Associate Professor of Dance at Connecticut College. Monday, September 14th at 2pm ET: Marcus JCC and A Cappella Books Virtual Event: Marcus JCC and A Cappella Books present a virtual event with two New York Times bestselling authors: David Baldacci and Ruth Ware. Ware will discuss her latest novel, ONE BY ONE. Monday, September 14th at 9pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Virtual Event: Poisoned Pen presents two bestselling authors in conversation: Brad Thor and Kyle Mills. Mills is the author of TOTAL POWER, the next installment in Vince Flynn’s #1 New York Times bestselling series featuring Mitch Rapp. Tuesday, September 15th at 7pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Virtual Event: Wendy Walker will discuss her new psychological thriller, DON'T LOOK FOR ME, with New York Times bestselling author Megan Miranda. Wednesday, September 16th at 2pm ET: Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books: Carol Fitzgerald will present titles releasing from mid-September to early October, along with five from November, that she would like to get on your radar. Wednesday, September 16th at 5pm ET: Dallas Museum of Art Virtual Event: Dallas Arts & Letters Live presents a virtual event with #1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman. Backman will be in conversation with Angela Haupt of US News to discuss his new novel, ANXIOUS PEOPLE. Wednesday, September 16th 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 will be Signe Pike, whose latest novel is THE FORGOTTEN KINGDOM. Thursday, September 17th at 7pm ET: Midtown Scholar Books Virtual Event: Bestselling authors Wendy Walker and Mary Kubica will be in conversation about Walker's new thriller, DON'T LOOK FOR ME. Thursday, September 17th at 7pm ET: Watermark Books & Café Virtual Event: Watermark Books & Café invites you to attend a virtual event with New York Times bestselling authors Mike Lupica and Harlan Coben. Both will be on hand for a virtual Q&A and discussion of their new novels, ROBERT B. PARKER'S FOOL'S PARADISE and THE BOY FROM THE WOODS.   "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 DYNASTY: The Inside Story of the NFL's Most Successful and Controversial Franchise by Jeff Benedict (Sports/Biography) DEADLOCK by Catherine Coulter (Thriller) IN THE VALLEY: Stories and a Novella Based on Serena by Ron Rash (Fiction/Short Stories) THE FINISHER: A Peter Diamond Investigation by Peter Lovesey (Mystery) TRUE STORY by Kate Reed Petty (Fiction) THE WILDWATER WALKING CLUB: STEP BY STEP by Claire Cook (Fiction) OLIVE THE LIONHEART: Lost Love, Imperial Spies, and One Woman's Journey into the Heart of Africa by Brad Ricca (Biography) ONE STEP BEHIND by Lauren North (Psychological Thriller) THE APPOINTMENT by Katharina Volckmer (Fiction) TIE DIE: A Colleen Hayes Mystery by Max Tomlinson (Mystery) THE ISLAND CHILD by Molly Aitken (Fiction)   
Next Week's Notables:
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