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 $36,775 of our $50,000 goal.
You can read about our plans and donate here. If you would prefer donating via check, please send to:
The Book Report, Inc.
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Thank you again for your consideration and your donation.
On Thursday night, we hosted our first "Bookaccino Live" Book Group event.
Our guest was Jeanine Cummins, whose novel AMERICAN DIRT was a Bets On pick when it released
in January and is a finalist for this year's Goodreads Choice Awards in the Fiction category.
Carol had a fabulous time talking about the book with Jeanine, who also answered questions
from eight readers who joined them "on stage" and other members of the audience.
Click on the image above to watch the event and here to listen to the podcast.
The winners of this year's National Book Awards were announced this week in an online ceremony.
INTERIOR CHINATOWN by Charles Yu, which we reviewed earlier this year, won in the Fiction category. Click on the cover above for more about the book, and to see the winners in the
Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature and Young People's Literature categories.
This year's Man Booker Prize for Fiction was awarded to SHUGGIE BAIN,
the bestselling debut novel by Douglas Stuart and a National Book Award finalist.
Click on the cover above for more about the book and its author.
What a Week for Book Lovers
Last night, we hosted our first “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event with Jeanine Cummins, the author of AMERICAN DIRT, as our guest. We went with a new format for this program. I interviewed Jeanine at the start, and then we invited eight readers to join us to ask questions. We wrapped up with a Q&A from the audience.
I had been looking forward to this interview for a long time. I read an advance copy of the book in June 2019, and when it came out in January of this year (which feels like a lifetime ago), it was a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. It is now a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards in the Fiction category, which makes me so happy. Voting is open until November 30th. In our conversation, we talked about her research for the book, the stops and starts it had, and her various inspirations, as well as what the last 10 months have been like since it came out. Readers who joined us asked about the title, the cover design, her incorporating Spanish into the prose, and what she hoped people would take away from it. And there also was a lively conversation about the audio edition.
We covered a lot of ground, which is what I love about programs like this. Since we know everyone could not join us live, we are happy to share that we have both a video for you to watch and a podcast for you to listen to at your leisure. Huge thanks to our producer, Austin, who was able to edit this and take it live so quickly.
We all liked this format and are looking forward to our next “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event on Thursday, January 21st. Our guest will be William Kent Krueger, who will talk about THIS TENDER LAND, another Bets On pick. For these book group discussions, we are planning to go with books that have been out for a while so people will have had a chance to read them, and we do not need to fret about spoilers.
We will have the video of our "Bookaccino Live" event from November 11th ready for you next week. We have been a tad swamped with video production. We do have three winners from those who attended the live event: Jaymi from Orange, CA; Lisa from Oakland, NJ; and Wendy from Potomac, MD. We will select a book from our shelves to send to each of our winners.
The 2020 National Book Awards were announced on Wednesday night at the first-ever virtual 71st National Book Awards Ceremony. It was hosted by Jason Reynolds, a two-time National Book Award finalist and current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. The winners were INTERIOR CHINATOWN by Charles Yu (Fiction), THE DEAD ARE ARISING: The Life of Malcolm X, by Les Payne and Tamara Payne (Nonfiction), DMZ COLONY by Don Mee Choi (Poetry), TOKYO UENO STATION by Yu Miri, translated from the Japanese by Morgan Giles (Translated Literature), and KING AND THE DRAGONFLIES by Kacen Callender (Young People’s Literature).
Two lifetime achievement awards were also presented at the ceremony: Walter Mosley was recognized with the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, which was presented by Edwidge Danticat; and Carolyn Reidy, who was the president of Simon & Schuster for a number of years, posthumously received the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, which was accepted in her memory by her husband, Stephen Reidy. The Awards concluded with John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats, who served as a judge for Translated Literature, singing “This Year.” If you missed the ceremony, you can watch it on the National Book Foundation’s website, their Facebook page or their YouTube channel. We love that during this very tough year the ceremony was available for everyone!
We had a staff meeting here at the house on Wednesday, with homemade pizza on the menu. Not trusting mass transit these days with COVID-19 being so prevalent, I drove into Manhattan to pick up Tom and Austin, and then drove them back into the city. As I was on my way home, I realized that I was going to get back too late to catch the start of the National Book Awards. So I drove to a rest stop, queued up the show on my phone via YouTube, and drove home listening to the presentations. Perfect. I was very happy that I never dropped the broadcast; score one for Verizon Wireless! Also, after two round trips into the city within 12 hours, I was reminded that I really do not miss commuting!
Also announced this week was the winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. This year’s recipient is SHUGGIE BAIN by Douglas Stuart, which also was a National Book Award finalist. This bestselling debut novel is the story of a sweet and lonely boy who spends his 1980s childhood in run-down public housing in Glasgow, Scotland. Margaret Thatcher’s policies have put husbands and sons out of work, and the city’s notorious drug epidemic is waiting in the wings. You can watch the ceremony here, and to read more about the book and its author, click here.
A PROMISED LAND, the highly anticipated first volume of Barack Obama’s presidential memoirs, released this week and sold nearly 890,000 copies in the U.S. and Canada on its first day. It is "the largest first-day sales total for any book ever published,” according to its publisher, Penguin Random House, and is on track to be the best-selling presidential memoir in modern history. Here, Obama takes readers on a journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office. We plan to feature our review of A PROMISED LAND in the December 4th newsletter.
In David Baldacci’s latest thriller, DAYLIGHT, FBI Agent Atlee Pine's search for her sister Mercy clashes with military investigator John Puller's high-stakes case, leading them both deep into a global conspiracy --- from which neither of them will escape unscathed. Ray Palen has our review and says, "DAYLIGHT gives you everything you would expect from a David Baldacci novel and more. The title alone speaks to the promise of answers that have eluded Atlee in the first two installments. It amazes me that Baldacci still writes at a prolific rate with five series, along with stand-alone novels, running simultaneously. The remarkable part is how he pulls this off without any dilution in storytelling. All of his stories, including this one, retain their expert characterization and plotting, and he is incapable of producing a less than superb read."
Ray and fellow reviewer Kate Ayers are such huge fans of Anthony Horowitz’s work that we decided to run two reviews of his latest mystery, MOONFLOWER MURDERS. This follow-up to 2017’s MAGPIE MURDERS marks the return of famous literary detective Atticus Pünd and Susan Ryeland in a complex literary thriller with echoes of Agatha Christie. Kate says, “If you liked MAGPIE MURDERS, you absolutely can’t miss MOONFLOWER MURDERS. If you haven’t read the former, be sure to pick that one up, too. And delight in meeting Atticus Pünd, a methodical, smart German detective with skills akin to Miss Marple or Sherlock Holmes.” And according to Ray, the book is “a brilliant work of art that will be a delectable treat to true fans of mystery novels. I dare you not to go back and reread Atticus Pünd Takes the Case upon finishing the book!”
Multitalented comedian and author Steve Martin has ventured into the lauded territory of cartooning, partnering with the heralded New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss to produce A WEALTH OF PIGEONS. Steve shared caption and cartoon ideas, Harry provided impeccable artwork, and together they created this collection of humorous cartoons and comic strips, with amusing commentary about their collaboration throughout. Norah Piehl has this to say in her review: “After a year like the one we’ve had, a little humor might go a long way toward helping everyone feel a bit better…. Whether you’re already fans of one or both of these creators, or just looking for any opportunity to chuckle at the end of 2020, A WEALTH OF PIGEONS might be just the thing you’re looking for.”
I heard both Steve and Harry present this book to the press back in January at one of the last media lunches that I attended, and their pitch for it was terrific. You can imagine the humor in it…and then ramp it up a few notches. Harry’s art is a perfect complement to Steve’s prose.
Other books we’re reviewing this week include THE WONDER BOY OF WHISTLE STOP, Fannie Flagg’s heartwarming novel about secrets of youth rediscovered, hometown memories and the magical moments in ordinary lives; V2 by Robert Harris, a World War II thriller about a German rocket engineer, a former actress turned British spy and the Nazi rocket program; THE ARREST, Jonathan Lethem’s post-collapse yarn about two siblings, the man who came between them and a nuclear-powered super car; and THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU’LL MEET IN PRISON, a fascinating memoir from journalist Brandon M. Stickney (a former reviewer of ours), who was caught in an opiate epidemic drug sting, sentenced to prison, and turned his life around thanks to four inmates and a guard he befriended. By the way, I never knew this story about Brandon!
My last two Bets On picks of 2020 are THIS TIME NEXT YEAR WE’LL BE LAUGHING, Jacqueline Winspear’s first memoir, and LITTLE CRUELTIES, Liz Nugent’s latest psychological thriller. Click on each of the titles for my commentary. My recent interview with Jackie will be available Sunday on the Miami Book Fair's website and will appear on Bookreporter shortly after that. Liz needed to cancel our planned interview this week, but we hope to reschedule in the weeks to come.
LITTLE CRUELTIES was one of the books we gave away in our Holiday Cheer contests, which kicked off this week, along with KEEPING CHRISTMAS: 25 Advent Reflections on A Christmas Carol by Allison Pittman and THE SPIDERLING by Marcia Preston. Next week’s prize will be MUSICAL CHAIRS by Amy Poeppel, and the contest for that will get underway at noon ET on Monday, November 23rd.
Please note: Because our contest for THE SPIDERLING went up later than expected on Thursday, we are extending the deadline for your entries to Monday at noon ET. Click here to enter.
We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Let us know by Friday, December 4th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll have a chance to win DARK TIDES by Philippa Gregory (which we will review next week) and NO TIME LIKE THE FUTURE: An Optimist Considers Mortality by Michael J. Fox (which we will review in two weeks).
For our latest poll, we've listed 25 titles releasing this month and next, and we’re asking you which, if any, you’re planning to read. Click here to let us know.
Our previous poll asked how you feel about signed books, and we definitely have two camps about this! 41% of you purchase them occasionally, 16% like to give them as gifts, 14% actively seek out and collect them, and 49% don’t have any interest in them.
News & Pop Culture
Knitted cornucopia: Well, I knit a pumpkin for Halloween. Should I make a cornucopia for Thanksgiving? If so, I have the pattern here!
"The Crown" on Netflix: We are three episodes in…and whoa on the story of Charles and Diana! Note that if my husband was not watching this with me, I would have finished season four. He shows the restraint that I do not have. "Binge" is not in his vocabulary; two episodes in a night is a big thing for him.
The Fashion in "The Queen’s Gambit" and "The Crown": It was great fun visiting this site. The Brooklyn Museum has an exhibit where they feature the clothing designs in both shows, along with commentary from the designers.
"Dash & Lily" on Netflix: I watched this entire series last Friday night, and it was wonderful, lighthearted fun! It is based on the young adult book series Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn.
"The Undoing" on HBO: I am trying to figure out what is going on here. Seriously. Unless I am losing my mind, it’s barely like the book. Note that Nicole Kidman stares and does a wide-eyed pout thing...a lot. And it's not working for me. Okay, her coats are amazing, but the story is not moving along!
"A Millions Little Things" on ABC: I want to watch last night's season premiere. I binge-watched the previous seasons last year!
Between the World and Me on HBO: This special premieres on Saturday night; it is based on the 2018 adaptation and staging of Ta-Nehisi Coates' book at the Apollo Theater.
"The Flight Attendant" on HBO Max: The season premiere of this eight-part limited series, based on Chris Bohjalian's book, is currently streaming.
This weekend will be all about overthinking the menu for Thanksgiving. Just HOW many sides are too many? And I need to think about flowers --- and the table setting. I already have plucked the menu from last year and am doing tweaks. Our designer/producer, Jenni, is making her first Thanksgiving dinner, and we have been trading ideas all week.
And I am determined to get the bookshelves sorted in a hallway this weekend, part of the house renovation where we are not building, but rather what my friend Cathy calls “re-merchandising the entire house.” We also are celebrating her birthday on Sunday night.
Please note that next week we will be back in your mailboxes on Wednesday instead of Friday, so the staff may enjoy the long weekend.
Read on, and have a great five days!
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
Now Available: A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama
A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Barack Obama
In this highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency --- a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil. Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read more about the book.
Don't miss our review of the book in the December 4th newsletter.
Featured Review: DAYLIGHT by David Baldacci
DAYLIGHT: An Atlee Pine Thriller by David Baldacci (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Brittany Pressley and Kyf Brewer
For many long years, Atlee Pine was tormented by uncertainty after her twin sister, Mercy, was abducted at the age of six and never seen again. Now, just as Atlee is pressured to end her investigation into Mercy's disappearance, she finally gets her most promising breakthrough yet: the identity of her sister's kidnapper, Ito Vincenzo. With time running out, Atlee and her assistant, Carol Blum, race to Vincenzo's last known location --- and unknowingly stumble straight into John Puller's case, blowing his arrest during a drug ring investigation involving a military installation. Stunningly, Atlee and Puller's joint investigation uncovers a connection between Vincenzo's family and a breathtaking scheme that strikes at the very heart of global democracy. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Reviews: MOONFLOWER MURDERS
by Anthony Horowitz
MOONFLOWER MURDERS by Anthony Horowitz (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Lesley Manville and Allan Corduner
Retired publisher Susan Ryeland is running a small hotel on a Greek island. The Trehernes come to stay and tell a story about a murder that took place on the same day and in the same hotel in which their daughter was married, which fascinates Susan and piques her editor’s instincts. One of her former writers, the late Alan Conway, author of the fictional Magpie Murders, knew the murder victim --- an advertising executive named Frank Parris --- and based the third book in his detective series on that very crime. The Trehernes’ daughter, Cecily, believes that the book proves the man convicted of Parris’ murder is innocent. When the Trehernes reveal that Cecily is now missing, Susan knows that she must find out what really happened. Reviewed by Ray Palen and Kate Ayers.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Read reviews by Ray Palen and Kate Ayers.
Featured Review: A WEALTH OF PIGEONS
by Harry Bliss and Steve Martin
A WEALTH OF PIGEONS: A Cartoon Collection by Harry Bliss and Steve Martin (Humor)
“I've always looked upon cartooning as comedy’s last frontier. I have done stand-up, sketches, movies, monologues, awards show introductions, sound bites, blurbs, talk show appearances, and tweets, but the idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me.” So writes the multitalented comedian Steve Martin in his introduction to A WEALTH OF PIGEONS. In order to venture into this lauded territory of cartooning, he partnered with the heralded New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss. Steve shared caption and cartoon ideas, Harry provided impeccable artwork, and together they created this collection of humorous cartoons and comic strips, with amusing commentary about their collaboration throughout. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: THE WONDER BOY
OF WHISTLE STOP by Fannie Flagg
THE WONDER BOY OF WHISTLE STOP by Fannie Flagg (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Fannie Flagg
Bud Threadgoode grew up in the bustling little railroad town of Whistle Stop with his mother, Ruth, and his Aunt Idgie. Together they ran the town’s popular Whistle Stop Cafe, known far and wide for its fun and famous fried green tomatoes. But sadly, as the railroad yards shut down and Whistle Stop became a ghost town, nothing was left but boarded-up buildings and memories of a happier time. Then one day, Bud decides to take one last trip, just to see what has become of his beloved Whistle Stop. In so doing, he discovers new friends, as well as surprises about Idgie’s life and the town itself. He also sets off a series of events that change his life and the lives of his daughter and many others. Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
THIS TIME NEXT YEAR WE’LL BE LAUGHING
by Jacqueline Winspear
and LITTLE CRUELTIES by Liz Nugent
THIS TIME NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE LAUGHING: A Memoir by Jacqueline Winspear (Memoir)
Jacqueline Winspear’s memoir, THIS TIME NEXT YEAR WE’LL BE LAUGHING, takes readers with her to post-War England, where she shares wonderful stories about growing up in a country recovering from war. Readers may know Winspear from her award-winning Maisie Dobbs series, but even if you do not, her storytelling here will completely captivate you. I interviewed her a few weeks ago, and I felt like I was talking to an old family friend. Her stories of her family brought them all so alive to me.
Winspear was raised in Kent, the child of working-class parents. She spent her childhood living, as we would call it today, a bit off the grid. She shares stories of how two World Wars took their toll on three generations --- two that lived through them and a third that watched as the scars of war influenced their elders’ lives.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on
THIS TIME NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE LAUGHING.
LITTLE CRUELTIES by Liz Nugent (Psychological Thriller)
Liz Nugent’s LITTLE CRUELTIES opens with this line: “All three of the Drumm brothers were at the funeral, although one of us was in a coffin.” It goes on to say, “Three is an odd number, so there had always been two against one, although we all switched sides regularly. Nobody would ever have described us as close.” It’s a great setup, and when I reread it, I saw just how clever it was.
So we meet William, Brian and Luke, and we track their lives in no particular order. They are brothers, but to me much of the time they seemed really alien to each other. And their growing up was quite dysfunctional. But hey, how many thrillers are written about well-functioning families?
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on LITTLE CRUELTIES.
Bookreporter.com's Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature
At Bookreporter.com, we kick off the holiday season in style with our Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature. As our gift to you, on select days in November and December, we are spotlighting a book and giving five lucky readers the chance to win it. You have to visit the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter the 24-hour contest. As always, we are sending our special Holiday Cheer newsletter on the days when there are contests. Click here to sign up for these email alerts.
Our next prize book will be announced on Monday, November 23rd at noon ET.
Please note: Because our contest for THE SPIDERLING by Marcia Preston went up later than expected on Thursday, we are extending the deadline for your entries to Monday at noon ET. Click here to enter.
This year's contest titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
What’s New This Month on ReadingGroupGuides.com
We currently have two contests running on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
Special Contest: Share Your Favorite Books of 2020 --- and Enter to Win Six Great Book Group Titles Coming Out in 2021!
This is the time of year when we start seeing “Best Books of the Year” lists. We would like you and your book group to help us compile ours! Click here to share both your favorite book that you read with your group this year and your favorite book that you read outside your group by Wednesday, January 6th at noon ET. One Grand Prize winner will be awarded six great book group titles releasing in 2021: THE CHILDREN'S BLIZZARD by Melanie Benjamin, ETERNAL by Lisa Scottoline, THE FOUR WINDS by Kristin Hannah, THE PUSH by Ashley Audrain, THE ROSE CODE by Kate Quinn, and WHAT COULD BE SAVED by Liese O'Halloran Schwarz.
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Win 12 Copies of MISS BENSON'S BEETLE by Rachel Joyce for Your Group
Each month in our "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month" contest, we ask book groups to share the titles they are reading that month and rate them. From all entries, three winners will be selected, and each will win 12 copies of that month’s prize book for their group. Our latest prize book is MISS BENSON'S BEETLE by Rachel Joyce, an uplifting novel about two women on a life-changing adventure, where they must risk everything, break all the rules and discover their best selves --- together. Enter here by Wednesday, January 6th at noon ET.
Here are our latest featured guides:
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
Click here to visit ReadingGroupGuides.com.
From left to right: Jonathan Lethem, Sue Monk Kidd, Ernest Cline
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.
November 15-22: Miami Book Fair: Experience the Miami Book Fair virtually by attending live events, streaming authors on demand, reading about writers in conversation, buying featured books and more! Click here to visit the Fair's website and see their full schedule.
Saturday, November 21st at 1pm ET: Savannah Book Festival Virtual Event: Savannah Book Festival presents John Connolly in conversation with his old friend, James Lee Burke. They will discuss their latest novels, THE DIRTY SOUTH and A PRIVATE CATHEDRAL.
Monday, November 23rd at 7pm ET: TNR Salon Series: Join The New Republic for a livestream of their Salon book series featuring author Jonathan Lethem and TNR literary editor Laura Marsh as they talk about Lethem’s new novel, THE ARREST.
Monday, November 23rd at 8pm ET: The Book Cellar Virtual Event: The Book Cellar presents a virtual event with Michael Riedel and Chicago Tribune theater critic Chris Jones. They will discuss Riedel’s new book, SINGULAR SENSATION: The Triumph of Broadway.
Tuesday, November 24th at 8pm ET: BookPeople Virtual Event: Bestselling author Ernest Cline is joining BookPeople on Zoom for a virtual launch party of READY PLAYER TWO, his much anticipated sequel to the smash-hit READY PLAYER ONE.
Wednesday, November 25th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors --- Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry and Mary Alice Monroe --- will talk to Sue Monk Kidd, whose most recent novel is THE BOOK OF LONGINGS.
"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:
-
Elizabeth Berg (I'LL BE SEEING YOU: A Memoir)
-
Sue Miller (MONOGAMY)
-
Jacqueline Winspear (THIS TIME NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE LAUGHING: A Memoir)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
V2: A Novel of World War II by Robert Harris (Historical Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by David Rintoul
It's November 1944. Willi Graf, a German rocket engineer, is launching Nazi Germany's V2 rockets at London from Occupied Holland. Kay Connolly, once an actress, now a young English Intelligence officer, ships out for Belgium to locate the launch sites and neutralize the threat. But when rumors of a defector circulate through the German ranks, Graf becomes a suspect. Unknown to each other, Graf and Connolly find themselves on opposite sides in the hunt for the saboteur. Their twin stories play out against the background of the German missile campaign, one of the most epic and modern but least explored episodes of the Second World War. Their destinies are on a collision course. Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds.
THE ARREST by Jonathan Lethem (Speculative Science Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Robert Fass
Before the Arrest, Sandy Duplessis had a reasonably good life as a screenwriter in L.A. Peter Todbaum, an old college friend and writing partner, had become one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. Now, post-Arrest, nothing is what it was. Sandy, who calls himself Journeyman, has landed in rural Maine. There he assists the butcher and delivers the food grown by his sister, Maddy, at her organic farm. But then Todbaum shows up in an extraordinary vehicle: a retrofitted tunnel-digger powered by a nuclear reactor. Todbaum has spent the Arrest smashing his way across a fragmented and phantasmagorical United States, trailing enmities all the way. Plopping back into the siblings’ life with his usual odious panache, his motives are entirely unclear. Reviewed by Eileen Zimmerman Nicol.
SILENT BITE: An Andy Carpenter Mystery by David Rosenfelt (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Grover Gardner
Lawyer Andy Carpenter can finally take a breath. He’s back on dry land after a family Caribbean cruise forced on him by his wife, Laurie, to get into the Christmas spirit. Of course the family’s first stop is to the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization that has always been Andy’s true passion. But when Andy arrives, his partner, Willie Miller, needs his help. Willie’s old cellmate, Tony Birch, has been arrested for murder. Andy doesn’t necessarily believe in Tony, but Willie does. And Andy believes in Willie, which is why Andy decides to take the case. Reviewed by Jack Kramer.
THE SUN COLLECTIVE by Charles Baxter (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Bronson Pinchot
Once a promising actor, Tim Brettigan has gone missing. His father thinks he may have seen him among some homeless people. And though she knows he left on purpose, his mother has been searching for him all over the city. She checks the usual places --- churches, storefronts, benches --- and stum¬bles upon a local community group with lofty goals and an enigmatic leader who will alter all of their lives. Christina, a young woman rapidly becoming addicted to a boutique drug that gives her a feeling of blessedness, is inexplicably drawn to the same collective by a man who’s convinced he may start a revolution. As the lives of these four characters intertwine, a story of guilt, anxiety and feverish hope unfolds in the city of Minneapolis. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
INK by Jonathan Maberry (Supernatural Thriller/Horror)
Audiobook available, read by Ray Porter
Tattoo-artist Patty Cakes has her dead daughter’s face tattooed on the back of her hand. Day by day it begins to fade, taking with it all of Patty’s memories of her daughter. All she’s left with is the certain knowledge that she has forgotten her lost child. The awareness of that loss is tearing her apart. Monk Addison is a private investigator whose skin is covered with the tattooed faces of murder victims. He is a predator who hunts for killers, and the ghosts of all of those dead people haunt his life. Some of those faces have begun to fade, too, destroying the very souls of the dead. All through the town of Pine Deep, people are having their most precious memories stolen. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
WRITTEN IN THE STARS by Alexandria Bellefleur (Romantic Comedy)
Audiobook available, read by Lauren Sweet
After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Elle Jones, an astrologer, dreams of finding her soul mate but knows it is not Darcy, who is way too analytical, punctual and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as herself. When Darcy’s brother --- and Elle's new business partner --- expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Darcy begs Elle to play along, and she agrees to pretend they’re dating. But Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family during the holidays, and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a faux relationship. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
THE HAUNTING OF BRYNN WILDER by Wendy Webb (Gothic Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Xe Sands
After a devastating loss, Brynn Wilder escapes to Wharton, a tourist town on Lake Superior, to reset. Checking into a quaint boardinghouse for the summer, she hopes to put her life into perspective. In her fellow lodgers, she finds a friendly company of strangers. But in this inviting refuge, where a century of souls has passed, a mystery begins to swirl. The frail Alice knows things about Brynn, about all of them, that she shouldn’t. Bad dreams and night whispers lure Brynn to a shuttered room at the end of the hall, a room still heavy with a recent death. And now she’s become irresistibly drawn to Dominic --- even in the shadow of rumors that wherever this unsettlingly handsome man goes, suspicious death follows. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
ONE OF OUR OWN: A Gregor Demarkian Novel by Jane Haddam (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by David Colacci
A mysterious black van is spotted by several people at various times in the area around Cavanaugh Street, Philadelphia's Armenian-American enclave. Presumed by some to be related to the increasing ICE raids around the area, the mystery deepens one night when a body falls out of the back of the van. Marta Warkowski, a reclusive older woman, is found bound up in a garbage bag. In a coma, she is unable to tell police how she ended up as she did. When they go to search her apartment, the police find the dead body of her building's super, a man with whom she has a history of conflict. Gregor Demarkian is pulled in once again, for a final case, to uncover the truth about the murder --- and attempted murder --- on Cavanaugh Street. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Fiction/Magical Realism)
Audiobook available, read by Arina Ii
In a small back alley of Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than a hundred years. Local legend says that this shop offers something else besides coffee --- the chance to travel back in time. Over the course of one summer, four customers visit the café in the hopes of making that journey. But time travel isn’t so simple, and there are rules that must be followed. Most important, the trip can last only as long as it takes for the coffee to get cold. Reviewed by Alison Lee.
PAYBACK by Lorenzo Carcaterra (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Pete Simonelli
Detective Eddie Kenwood is a dirty cop. He has the highest signed-confession rate in the NYPD and a distinguished career built on putting men behind bars --- whether they’re guilty or not doesn’t matter much to him. When Tank Rizzo’s partner, Pearl, tells him about an old family friend Kenwood put in jail for a murder he didn’t commit, Tank and Pearl vow to take Kenwood down. Also in need of a takedown: the money-laundering accounting firm where Tank’s brother used to work --- before he mysteriously died, leaving Tank the sole guardian of his nephew, Chris. Chris smells a rat and enlists Tank’s help to bring the men who had his father killed to justice. Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum.
THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU’LL MEET IN PRISON: A Memoir of Addiction, Mania & Hope by Brandon M. Stickney (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Sonny Dufault
After years of hedonism in the literary life, journalist Brandon M. Stickney is caught in an opiate epidemic drug sting and sentenced to prison. Surrounded by society's most troubled individuals and hostile guards, Stickney faces his addiction and mental illness behind the razor wire. Searching for answers, he befriends four inmates and a guard who help change his life. Haunted by severe cravings, nights of mania and threatened by prison's evils, he clings to hope, learning that recovery is possible, even in the darkest of places. Startling yet humorous, THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU'LL MEET IN PRISON is part memoir, part exposé on the largest of America's industries: prison. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
PRETENDING by Holly Bourne (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Heather Long
April is kind, pretty and relatively normal --- yet she can’t seem to get past date five. Every time she thinks she’s found someone to trust, they reveal themselves to be awful, leaving her heartbroken. And angry. Until she realizes that men aren’t looking for real women --- they’re looking for Gretel. Gretel is perfect --- beautiful but low-maintenance, sweet but never clingy, sexy but not too easy. When April starts pretending to be Gretel, dating becomes much more fun --- especially once she reels in the unsuspecting Joshua. Finally, April is the one in control. But as she and Joshua grow closer, and the pressure of keeping her painful past a secret begins to build, how long will she be able to keep on pretending? Reviewed by Megan Elliott.
POPPY IN THE WILD: A Lost Dog, Fifteen Hundred Acres of Wilderness, and the Dogged Determination that Brought Her Home by Teresa J. Rhyne (Memoir)
After losing her beloved beagle Daphne to lymphoma, author Teresa Rhyne launches herself into fostering other dogs in need, including Poppy, a small, frightened beagle rescued from the China dog meat trade. The elation of rescue quickly turns to hysteria when Poppy breaks free from a potential adopter during a torrential thunderstorm and disappears into a rugged, mountainous, 1,500-acre wilderness park, bordered by a busy road. Through an unexpected late night encounter, Poppy is eventually caught. After her time in the wild, a surprisingly transformed Poppy reunites with Teresa and is ready to be welcomed into her forever home. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
Next Week's Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on November 23rd and 24th
Below are some notable titles releasing on November 23rd and 24th that we would like to make you aware of. We will have more on many of these books in the weeks to come. For a list of additional hardcovers and paperbacks available the week of November 23rd, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
November 23rd
DEADLY CROSS by James Patterson (Thriller)
A double homicide in the nation's capital opens the psychological case files --- on Detective Alex Cross.
November 24th
THE AWAKENING: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book 1 by Nora Roberts (Paranormal Fantasy/Romance)
#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts begins a new trilogy of adventure, romance and magick in THE AWAKENING.
DARK TIDES by Philippa Gregory (Historical Fiction)
#1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory’s new historical novel tracks the rise of the Tidelands family in London, Venice and New England.
HOW TO RAISE AN ELEPHANT: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (21) by Alexander McCall Smith (Mystery)
Mma Ramotswe must balance family obligations with the growing needs of one of Charlie's pet projects in this latest installment in the cherished No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.
MURDER, SHE WROTE: MURDER IN SEASON by Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land (Mystery)
Christmas has come to Cabot Cove, but a peaceful holiday season is not in the cards after Jessica Fletcher is pulled into a centuries-old mystery in the latest entry in this USA Today bestselling series.
READY PLAYER TWO by Ernest Cline (Science Fiction/Adventure)
Lovingly nostalgic and wildly original as only Ernest Cline could conceive it, READY PLAYER TWO takes us on another imaginative, fun, action-packed adventure through his beloved virtual universe and jolts us thrillingly into the future once again.
SAVING FREEDOM: Truman, the Cold War, and the Fight for Western Civilization by Joe Scarborough (History)
History called on Harry Truman to unite the Western world against Soviet communism, but first he had to rally Republicans and Democrats behind America’s most dramatic foreign policy shift since George Washington delivered his farewell address. How did one of the least prepared presidents to walk into the Oval Office become one of its most successful?
TOM SEAVER: A Terrific Life by Bill Madden (Biography)
This authoritative biography of Hall of Fame pitching legend Tom Seaver, still the greatest player ever to wear a Mets jersey, is penned by a journalist who knows him well.
WAR LORD by Bernard Cornwell (Historical Fiction)
England is under attack. Chaos reigns. Northumbria, the last kingdom, is threatened by armies from all sides, by land and sea --- and only one man stands in their way. Torn between loyalty and sworn oaths, the warrior king Lord Uhtred of Bebbanburg faces his greatest ever battle --- and prepares for his ultimate fate.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
Our Latest Poll:
November and December Releases to Anticipate
Which of the following titles releasing in November and December are you planning to read? Please check all that apply.
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THE ARCTIC FURY by Greer Macallister
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A CHRISTMAS RESOLUTION by Anne Perry
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DARK TIDES by Philippa Gregory
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DAYLIGHT: An Atlee Pine Thriller, by David Baldacci
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DEADLY CROSS by James Patterson
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FOOL ME TWICE by Jeff Lindsay
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FORTUNE AND GLORY: A Stephanie Plum Novel, by Janet Evanovich
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HOW TO RAISE AN ELEPHANT: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (21) by Alexander McCall Smith
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HUSH-HUSH: A Stone Barrington Novel, by Stuart Woods
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IN THE LION'S DEN: A House of Falconer Novel, by Barbara Taylor Bradford
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THE KINGDOM written by Jo Nesbø, translated by Robert Ferguson
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THE LAST DAYS OF JOHN LENNON by James Patterson, with Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge
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THE LAW OF INNOCENCE: A Lincoln Lawyer Novel, by Michael Connelly
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LITTLE CRUELTIES by Liz Nugent
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MISS BENSON’S BEETLE by Rachel Joyce
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MOONFLOWER MURDERS by Anthony Horowitz
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THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE by Marie Benedict
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NO TIME LIKE THE FUTURE: An Optimist Considers Mortality, by Michael J. Fox
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PIECE OF MY HEART by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke
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A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama
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THIS TIME NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE LAUGHING: A Memoir, by Jacqueline Winspear
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WAR LORD by Bernard Cornwell
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A WEALTH OF PIGEONS: A Cartoon Collection, by Harry Bliss and Steve Martin
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WE KEEP THE DEAD CLOSE: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence, by Becky Cooper
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WHITE IVY by Susie Yang
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None of the above
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, December 4th at noon ET.
Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What
You're Reading --- and You Can Win Two Books!
Tell us about the books you’ve finished reading with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from November 20th to December 4th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of DARK TIDES by Philippa Gregory and NO TIME LIKE THE FUTURE: An Optimist Considers Mortality by Michael J. Fox.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the books you write about, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For rules and guidelines, click here.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
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