September 18, 2020
 September 18, 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 and Greg came into the city on Friday and had lunch with Tom and Austin.  Carol's latest "Bookreporter Talks To" interview is with Wendy Walker,   The cover for Lisa Scottoline's first historical novel, ETERNAL, was revealed this week. Another Bets On selection will be Lisa Unger's new thriller, CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45,  On Wednesday, October 14th at 2pm ET, we will host our fifth "Bookaccino Live" event.     Carol has an advance copy of Ottolenghi's new cookbook, FLAVOR, which is out October 13th. After spotting an Eggplant Caprese Salad at Whole Foods, Carol was inspired to make it herself. Friction, and Bring on the Wetsuit Well, it got down to 49 degrees the other night, so I unearthed my wetsuit! I have a feeling that I will be wearing it to swim very soon. It’s a complete workout just to get INTO the wetsuit, which requires a lot of hopping. It's the best investment I have made! Fall arrives on Tuesday. Summer went by like whoooosh. I now am plucking leaves out of the pool as I swim laps. Today, Greg and I drove into the city to have lunch with Tom and Austin. It's the first time that our team has been together since March 10th! We picked them up, and then drove over to the Upper East Side and had a lovely outdoor lunch. To spend more time together, we even ate dessert. You can see a photo of us above. I definitely could have used lipstick! Since I wear a mask so often, lipstick rarely gets applied. I miss it! Last week, I shared my praise for Lisa Scottoline’s upcoming historical novel, ETERNAL, which releases on March 23rd and will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. The cover is above. Here you can see Lisa talking about the book to readers for the first time. By the way, as I was reading it, I was thinking of the energy I saw between the characters in Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan series. The longstanding friendship among Lisa's three protagonists is deep and layered. I finished reading CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 by Lisa Unger last week, and it will be a Bets On selection shortly after its October 6th release. A random conversation with a woman on the train ends up bringing big implications for our protagonist in this very twisty tale. It is so well done. On Wednesday, we held our fourth “Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books” event, where I talked about titles releasing from September 15th to October 6th, along with five from November, that I wanted to get on your radar. For those of you who missed the presentation, you can watch it here on our YouTube channel. Also, a list of the featured titles can be found here. Our next “Bookaccino Live” event will take place on Wednesday, October 14th at 2pm ET. I will present books that are coming out between October 13th and November 3rd, along with five titles from December, that I am especially excited about. Click here to sign up. My latest “Bookreporter Talks To” interview is with Wendy Walker, whose new psychological thriller, DON’T LOOK FOR ME, will be a Bets On pick --- just like her previous novels: ALL IS NOT FORGOTTEN, EMMA IN THE NIGHT and THE NIGHT BEFORE. Molly Clarke has disappeared, leaving behind only an empty car at the edge of town and a note at a hotel. She's not the first to leave this way, following the same behaviors that police call a "walk away." But her family is skeptical about this. Molly was last seen getting into a car with a stranger who offered her a ride. So what really happened? Wendy and I talked about these "walk aways" and how often they occur in real life. She also shared a personal story that sparked her idea for the novel and describes the camaraderie she has with her fellow thriller authors. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast. We have our review of DON’T LOOK FOR ME from Rebecca Munro, who calls it "one of the most legitimately thrilling and terrifying suspense novels I have ever read. Although this is not the sort of mystery where the conclusion comes totally out of left field, I feel confident in saying that very few readers will guess it." If you are in a book group, be sure to check out the discussion guide here on ReadingGroupGuides.com. And don’t miss my Bets On commentary in next week’s newsletter. You will have TWO chances to win a copy of DON’T LOOK FOR ME. It will be one of our Fall Preview contest titles next week, along with ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman (which we reviewed last week) and THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS by Jodi Picoult (which we will review next week). The first contest of the week will be up on Monday, September 21st at noon ET. This week, we kicked off Fall Preview with our first three giveaways: BEFORE SHE WAS HELEN by Caroline B. Cooney, ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware, and THE PARIS CHILDREN: A Novel of WWII by Gloria Goldreich. DON’T LOOK FOR ME is also one of our current Word of Mouth prizes; the other is THE LAST AGENT by Robert Dugoni, which we will review next week. Submit your comments about the books you’ve read, and you’ll be in the running to win both these thrillers. Our Fiction Author Spotlight of Ayad Akhtar’s HOMELAND ELEGIES wraps up this week with our review and interview. Akhtar is a novelist and playwright who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play “Disgraced” and whose debut novel, AMERICAN DERVISH, was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2012. This second novel is about an immigrant father and his son, and the country they both call home. It blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of longing and dispossession in the world that 9/11 made. According to our reviewer Harvey Freedenberg, “What it means to be home and what it means to adapt to a new, often hostile, culture are but two of the big ideas Ayad Akhtar explores with sensitivity and depth in HOMELAND ELEGIES. It isn’t a difficult novel, but it’s a complex and challenging one. Its unblinking assessments of American life in a time of unprecedented change for both natives and immigrants feel especially urgent.” Harvey also had the opportunity to talk to the author about the book; click here to read the interview, which will help readers gain more insight into this deeply personal work about identity and belonging in a nation coming apart at the seams. We also have the discussion guide available on ReadingGroupGuides.com, which you can find here. Thirty years ago, Ken Follett published THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH, a #1 New York Times bestseller and an Oprah’s Book Club selection. On sale this week is the long-awaited prequel, THE EVENING AND THE MORNING. It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns. In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined. John Vena has our review and says that THE EVENING AND THE MORNING “is nothing short of perfection.... [W]hat makes it so special is Follett’s return to the Middle Ages. Readers are treated to rich character development and strong historical themes. Along the way, he lays out English political administration --- its structure and its limits --- and the role of the clergy. Of course, there is a love story, deceit, murder and many other compelling elements that he crafts into a page-turning tour de force.” We are happy to share our review of the aforementioned Elena Ferrante’s much-talked-about new bestseller, THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS, which is translated once again by Ann Goldstein. Giovanna’s father thinks that his daughter’s pretty face is turning ugly and that she’s resembling her Aunt Vittoria more and more every day. Is she really changing? Is she turning into her aunt, a woman she hardly knows but whom her mother and father clearly despise? Giovanna is searching for her reflection in two kindred cities that fear and detest one another: Naples of the heights, which assumes a mask of refinement, and Naples of the depths, a place of excess and vulgarity. She moves from one to the other in search of the truth, but neither city seems to offer answers or escape. Our reviewer Sarah Rachel Egelman calls THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS “as intense and ferocious as it is gentle and poignant. Ferrante’s prose is lovely and frank, and her characters nuanced and real, not always likable. It wrestles with the central question of what it means to be beautiful in all the various senses of the word and will leave readers with much to contemplate and consider.” Even before its release, it was announced that Netflix is planning to adapt the book as a series, just as HBO has been doing with Ferrante’s aforementioned Neapolitan novels. We will share more details on this project as soon as they become available. Other books we’re reviewing this week include ROBERT B. PARKER’S FOOL’S PARADISE by Mike Lupica, which finds Jesse Stone with his work cut out for him when an unknown man is found murdered in Paradise and he must determine who he was --- and what he was seeking; THE AWKWARD BLACK MAN, a collection of 17 stories from Walter Mosley, who presents distinct characters as they struggle to move through the world --- heroes who are awkward, nerdy, self-defeating, self-involved and, on the whole, odd; Sophie Hannah’s THE KILLINGS AT KINGFISHER HILL, which marks the return of renowned detective Hercule Poirot as he attempts to solve a delectably twisty mystery; and DADDY, a collection of 10 stories from Emma Cline (whose acclaimed debut novel, THE GIRLS, was a Bets On pick), which explores the dark corners of human experience. As promised, I have FOUR Bets On selections to share with you this week: the aforementioned ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware, along with MONOGAMY by Sue Miller, THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett, and THE NIGHT SWIM by Megan Goldin. Click on each of the titles for my commentary. Our poll continues to ask which of 30 fiction titles releasing this month you are planning to read, if any. Let us know by clicking here. The longlists for this year’s National Book Awards have been announced. Click here to see all 50 titles in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature. They include the aforementioned THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett (Fiction) and CASTE: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (Nonfiction). The finalists will be revealed on October 6th, followed by the announcement of the winners on November 18th. Also announced this week was the shortlist for this year’s Man Booker Prize for Fiction. The six titles are THE NEW WILDERNESS by Diane Cook, THIS MOURNABLE BODY by Tsitsi Dangarembga, BURNT SUGAR by Avni Doshi, THE SHADOW KING by Maaza Mengiste, SHUGGIE BAIN by Douglas Stuart, and REAL LIFE by Brandon Taylor. The winner will be named on November 17th. News & Pop Culture Reader Mail: After reading MONOGAMY, I asked for suggestions for other Sue Miller books to read, and readers jumped in with their recommendations. Betty wrote, "My very favorite Sue Miller book is THE SENATOR'S WIFE. You must read it. Lots of suspense. It's a real page turner.” Nancy wrote, “I think she's a great writer. Start with THE GOOD MOTHER, her first. Have some Kleenex ready. If I had to pigeonhole her, I'd say she's similar to Anna Quindlen. Enjoy.” Lorraine wrote, "I just finished Sue Miller’s MONOGAMY and found it compelling too, although not for readers looking for fast action. It’s been decades since I read her debut, THE GOOD MOTHER, so before I review it, I'm going to read THE LAKE SHORE LIMITED, which seems timely as it has something to do with 9/11 and the same themes of love, sorrow and art. I believe these are her trademark themes. (I recall liking THE SENATOR'S WIFE, but have no recollection beyond that.)" Nadine said, “I have read several of Sue Miller's books, but the first one I read was so good, 2008's THE SENATOR'S WIFE. I still remember it! Sheila wrote, "One of my all-time favorite books is Sue Miller’s WHILE I WAS GONE. I look forward to MONOGAMY." Jan wrote, “Have you read Eve Chase's THE DAUGHTERS OF FOXCOTE MANOR? I have not seen anything about it in your newsletter. It is a fantastic book!!!” I have not read it, but I have a copy, and you have made me want to give it a look! We actually reviewed the book over the summer, and our reviewer agreed with you! Here's the review. Janet wrote, “This newsletter really picked me up after an emotionally difficult week. Thank you! I am glad I found this resource as a lifelong book lover and reader. I graduated in English and American Lit from Harvard in 1984. And I do not believe a week has gone by that I haven’t read at least two novels. This newsletter is wonderful for me!! Thank you so much!” Barack Obama's upcoming memoir: A PROMISED LAND, the first of two volumes covering Obama's presidential years, will be published on November 17th. Lee Child: Here are two pieces featuring the author of the Jack Reacher series. The first is on CrimeReads, where he talks about THE NICOTINE CHRONICLES, a book dedicated to nicotine that he edited. The second is in Daily Mail, where he talks about his lack of a relationship with his mother; it's from a biography of him called THE REACHER GUY by Heather Martin, which is out on September 29th. "Hemingway" on PBS: I got word that PBS is going to air a three-part, six-hour documentary series based on the life and works of Ernest Hemingway on April 5-7. It will be directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, and will feature Jeff Daniels as the voice of Hemingway...and yes, his four wives will be part of it as well. They will be played by Meryl Streep, Keri Russell, Mary Louise Parker and Patricia Clarkson. The Emmys: They are airing Sunday night. I am looking forward to seeing how they handle this virtually. Rubik’s Cube Inventor Opens Up About His Creation in a New Book, CUBED: Read more about it here. This week, a friend told me that the reason everything takes longer these days is because of friction. Things that used to run smoothly now always require an extra step. Or two. Or three. I have a number of stop/start projects on my desk, and they are making me crazy. I am used to a-b-c. Lately it’s more like a-l-d-s-b-t-c. I am betting you all get exactly what I am talking about. During these last six months, I have clocked a lot of really late nights. Many times I am answering emails or building a PowerPoint presentation, and I just want something mindless on the television in the background. The other night, I watched "Get Organized with The Home Edit" on Netflix, a production executive-produced by Reese Witherspoon that features two Instagram sensations, Clea and Joanna, organizing people's homes. The concepts were fun for about 20 minutes until I saw the amount of lucite and plastic they use in organizing. They sorted all the Legos BY COLOR, not project! And the books were shelved by color. I was dying. Also, they deal with celebrities in every episode and then a normal family. The gross materialism of the celebs is mind-fatiguing. I also have taken on a project to catalog all of the books in our house. We have books in 12 different locations. All of my Bets On titles since 2010 are already in order in Greg’s office here at the house. We organized the living room to be nonfiction and the family room to be fiction. The guest room has trade paperbacks. I am building this in Excel so I can note what is where. I can see this project continuing into winter! I am really excited about the new Ottolenghi cookbook, FLAVOR, which he collaborated on with Ixta Belfrage. I already have made Grilled Figs with Shaoxing Dressing and Za'atar Cacio E Pepe. I am paging through my advance reading copy to see what to make next. It will be in stores on October 13th. Also, we were at Whole Foods last weekend, and I saw an Eggplant Caprese Salad. I thought, I can make that myself. You can see it above. It is super simple with basil olive oil and balsamic dressing. My dad's birthday is Tuesday; we look forward to celebrating another trip around the sun with him! We are going out to dinner. It will be only the second time that we have done this since December. We really do enjoy cooking at home. Tom is away on a three-day golf trip this weekend. I have a huge stack of reading to do and so much more organizing. Next week, I am interviewing Robert Dugoni, which I am looking forward to. And I am moderating a panel for a bookseller conference featuring four upcoming authors. Fun…but this will be a heavy reading weekend. Happy New Year to all of our Jewish readers who are celebrating Rosh Hashanah. Read on, and have a great week. Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)    Featured Review: THE EVENING AND THE MORNING  THE EVENING AND THE MORNING by Ken Follett (Historical Fiction) Click here to read our review. Featured Review: THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS  THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS written by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein (Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review.  Our Interview with Ayad Akhtar   Ayad Akhtar is a novelist and playwright who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play “Disgraced” and whose debut novel, AMERICAN DERVISH, was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2012. His highly anticipated second work of fiction, HOMELAND ELEGIES, is about an immigrant father and his son who search for belonging --- in post-Trump America, and with each other. In this interview, conducted by Bookreporter.com reviewer Harvey Freedenberg, Akhtar talks about one of the book’s most powerful scenes --- Ayad’s description of his experience in Manhattan on 9/11 --- and how he went about recreating the terrible sights and overwhelming emotions of that day; what he thinks it will take for those who harbor suspicions about Muslims to view them with less hostility; and the pivotal role that dreams play in the novel. HOMELAND ELEGIES by Ayad Akhtar (Fiction) Featured Review: DON’T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker  DON'T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker (Psychological Thriller) Click here to read our review. DON'T LOOK FOR ME will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Featured Review:  ROBERT B. PARKER'S FOOL'S PARADISE: A Jesse Stone Novel by Mike Lupica (Mystery) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review. Featured Review: THE AWKWARD BLACK MAN  THE AWKWARD BLACK MAN: Stories by Walter Mosley (Fiction/Short Stories) Click here to read our review. Featured Review: THE KILLINGS AT KINGFISHER HILL  THE KILLINGS AT KINGFISHER HILL: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Sophie Hannah (Historical Mystery) Click here to read our review.  Bookreporter.com Bets On:     ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware (Psychological Thriller) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on ONE BY ONE. MONOGAMY by Sue Miller (Historical Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on MONOGAMY. THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett (Fiction) Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE VANISHING HALF. THE NIGHT SWIM by Megan Goldin (Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE NIGHT SWIM. Bookreporter.com's 10th Annual  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 next prize book will be announced on Monday, September 21st at noon ET. This year's featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details    What’s New This Month on ReadingGroupGuides.com We currently have one contest running on ReadingGroupGuides.com: "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Win 12 Paperback Copies of WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS by Andrew David MacDonald for Your Group
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.    From left to right: Ken Follett, Jodi Picoult, Craig Johnson 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 20th at 1pm ET: Books & Books Virtual Event: Books & Books, Miami Book Fair and The Arsht Center present a "Virtual Afternoon with Ken Follett." Follett will be in conversation with the BBC's Katty Kay about his new book, THE EVENING AND THE MORNING. Monday, September 21st at 9pm ET: Elliott Bay Books Virtual Event: One of the year’s most anticipated novels, prize-winning novelist and playwright Ayad Akhtar’s HOMELAND ELEGIES, gets virtually welcomed to readers, with much-loved Seattle author Maria Semple joining in conversation. Tuesday, September 22nd at 1pm ET: Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites Online Event: Alice Hoffman will join members of the Simon & Schuster team for a Facebook Live Book Club chat about THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW, which is now in paperback and is this month's pick for S&S's Book Club Favorites. Tuesday, September 22nd at 8pm ET: Norwich Bookstore Virtual Event: Join Norwich Bookstore for "An Evening with Jodi Picoult." Picoult, whose new novel is THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS, will be in conversation with Brit Bennett, author of THE VANISHING HALF. Wednesday, September 23rd 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. Wednesday, September 23rd at 9pm ET: Tattered Cover Virtual Event: Join Tattered Cover for a virtual event with Craig Johnson, who will be in conversation with "Longmire" actor Lou Diamond Phillips about his new Walt Longmire mystery, NEXT TO LAST STAND. Thursday, September 24th at 7pm ET: Book Passage Virtual Event: Join Jodi Picoult live on the occasion of the release of her new book, THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS. She will be in conversation with Jojo Moyes, whose most recent novel is THE GIVER OF STARS. Friday, September 25th at 7pm ET: Toledo Public Library Virtual Event: Toledo Lucas County Public Library presents a virtual event with Kyle Mills, author of the next installment in Vince Flynn’s #1 New York Times bestselling series, TOTAL POWER.   "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 WeekCHAOS by Iris Johansen (Thriller) DADDY: Stories by Emma Cline (Fiction/Short Stories) AGENT SONYA: Moscow's Most Daring Wartime Spy by Ben Macintyre (History) THE WRITER'S LIBRARY: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives by Nancy Pearl and Jeff Schwager (Literary Criticism) THE SMALLEST LIGHTS IN THE UNIVERSE: A Memoir by Sara Seager (Science/Memoir) HIS ONLY WIFE by Peace Adzo Medie (Fiction) THE LAST MRS. SUMMERS: A Royal Spyness Mystery by Rhys Bowen (Historical Mystery) THE UNRAVELING OF CASSIDY HOLMES by Elissa R. Sloan (Fiction) THE RESIDENCE by Andrew Pyper (Historical Fiction/Horror)   
Next Week's Notables:
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