December 4, 2020
 December 4, 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 $37,895 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 Elizabeth Berg, whose memoir,  Carol arranged a shelf in her house for her Bets On titles from 2020.  Carol found this beautiful yellow poinsettia and planted it in a turquoise pot.  Carol bought some dried flowers and merged them with some celosia that she Going Big on Holiday Decorating! There are years when I stand in the attic with each and every holiday ornament and think Will I want to put this away in January? and I show restraint in decorating. This year, when I am sure that we will entertain much less than usual, I went pretty much "all in" decorating last Saturday and Sunday. I think I just want to feel some level of normalcy --- and somehow stuffed reindeer and red chili pepper lights feel normal! We have two trees up, still to be decorated. I'm pacing these final things. I went to the garden center last week and was inspired to see a sea of stunning poinsettias. I was so humored by the sign cautioning shoppers not to place their children amongst the flowers for holiday photos. Seriously...it happens! I also found a beautiful yellow poinsettia that I planted in a turquoise pot. And I bought some dried flowers from Larkspur Hill on Etsy and merged them with some celosia that I dried and planted in the canoe above...which I think I have had for a decade. It was such fun to do. There was not much time for reading, but I did arrange a shelf with many of my Bookreporter.com Bets On titles. Speaking of which, I am so excited to announce the kickoff to our 10th annual End-of-the-Year Contest! One very lucky Grand Prize winner will be awarded all 42 of my Bets On picks from this year, while 14 other winners will receive a selection of three of these titles. Among the books you can win are AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins, THE END OF HER by Shari Lapena, FLORENCE ADLER SWIMS FOREVER by Rachel Beanland, THE GIRL FROM WIDOW HILLS by Megan Miranda, HOLLYWOOD PARK: A Memoir by Mikel Jollett, THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE by Fiona Davis, and THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, January 4th at noon ET. My latest “Bookreporter Talks To” interview is with Elizabeth Berg, whose new book, I’LL BE SEEING YOU, is a beautiful memoir about her parents in their final years. When her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, her parents had to leave their home and move into a facility that could offer them help. It was then up to Elizabeth and her siblings to care for them in ways they never could have expected. I talked to Elizabeth about why she decided to write a memoir and how writing it was so different from the many novels and short stories she has penned throughout her prolific career. She also explained her care in delving into the difficult topics in her family's relationships during this time, and the effect it had on her and her siblings. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast. This week, we are sharing our review of Barack Obama’s #1 New York Times bestselling memoir, A PROMISED LAND. According to our reviewer Jack Kramer, “This huge literary accomplishment is by no means a page-turner. It is suspenseful only in its final section: a riveting account of the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden. But the careful reader ultimately will be rewarded with a new understanding of American politics, American politicians, the mechanics of compromise, the necessity of understanding the ‘other’ point of view, and, most of all, the inside, outside, heart and soul of Obama himself. Rarely have we been privy to such an all-encompassing study of the life and times, and the mind and memories, of a truly transformative global icon.” We also are featuring our review of Michael J. Fox’s inspirational new memoir, NO TIME LIKE THE FUTURE: An Optimist Considers Mortality. The actor and activist, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 29, shares personal stories and observations about illness and health, aging, the strength of family and friends, and how our perceptions about time affect the way we approach mortality. Our reviewer Bronwyn Miller says, “With much reflection, and physical therapy with great doctors and therapists, Fox is able to fashion a new mindset to handle whatever life throws at him. He generously gives readers an honest peek into his daily life as he manages his disease and any other challenges that come his way, providing us with perhaps the most candid and authentic chronicle to date.” We also have a discussion guide of the book, written by Bronwyn, which you can see here. Other books we’re reviewing this week include THE AWAKENING, a new trilogy of adventure, romance and magick from Nora Roberts; RHYTHM OF WAR, a continuation of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive saga and the highly anticipated sequel to 2017’s OATHBRINGER; EDDIE’S BOY, the long-awaited fourth entry in Thomas Perry’s Butcher’s Boy series, following THE BUTCHER’S BOY (his Edgar Award-winning debut novel), SLEEPING DOGS and THE INFORMANT (click here to read our interview with Perry); and BLIND VIGIL, the seventh installment in Anthony Award-winning author Matt Coyle’s series featuring Rick Cahill, who must start a new life after being blinded by a gunshot wound to the face while working as a private investigator (we have an interview we conducted with Coyle that you can check out here). As we approach the start of the winter season, we realize that many of you may be yearning for an escape and perhaps looking ahead to what next summer has in store for us. If you’re looking for a good beach read to get you through the winter doldrums, look no further than ON OCEAN BOULEVARD, which is a continuation of Mary Alice Monroe’s Beach House series. It’s been 16 years since Caretta “Cara” Rutledge has returned home to the beautiful shores of Charleston, South Carolina. Over those years, she has weathered the tides of deaths and births, struggles and joys. And now, as Cara prepares for her second wedding, her life is about to change yet again. Meanwhile, the rest of the storied Rutledge family is also in flux. Cara’s niece, Linnea, returns to Sullivan’s Island to begin a new career and an unexpected relationship. Linnea’s parents, having survived bankruptcy, pin their hopes and futures on the construction of a new home on Ocean Boulevard. But as excitement over the house and wedding builds, a devastating illness strikes the family and brings plans to a screeching halt. Click here to read more about this wonderful escapist read. ON OCEAN BOULEVARD is one of the books we gave away in this week’s Holiday Cheer contests; the others were A DOG’S PERFECT CHRISTMAS by W. Bruce Cameron and FINDING MRS. FORD by Deborah Goodrich Royce. This year’s contests wrap up next week with our final two giveaways: THE ARRANGEMENT by Robyn Harding and LITTLE SISTER: A Memoir by Patricia Walsh Chadwick, the latter of which was recently featured on "CBS This Morning." The first contest of the week will go live on Tuesday, December 8th at noon ET. Our New in Paperback roundups for December are now up. We're featuring paperback reprints from such bestselling authors as J. D. Robb (SHADOWS IN DEATH), Steve Berry (THE WARSAW PROTOCOL), Gregg Hurwitz (INTO THE FIRE: An Orphan X Novel), Jean Kwok (SEARCHING FOR SYLVIE LEE), and Karen Robards (THE BLACK SWAN OF PARIS); nonfiction titles, including IN THE DREAM HOUSE: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado, DISNEY’S LAND: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World by Richard Snow, and LINCOLN ON THE VERGE: Thirteen Days to Washington by Ted Widmer; and paperback originals like A PROMISE OF ANKLES: A 44 Scotland Street Novel by Alexander McCall Smith, MY NAME IS ANTON by Catherine Ryan Hyde, and THE ARCTIC FURY by Greer Macallister (which we will review this month). Also, our Books on Screen feature has been updated. This month’s roundup includes the films News of the World, Wonder Woman 1984, The Midnight Sky and Nomadland; the series premieres of "The Stand" on CBS All Access, "The Hardy Boys" on Hulu, and "Bridgerton" on Netflix; the conclusion of HBO Max's "The Flight Attendant"; the season two finale of "His Dark Materials" on HBO; and the DVD releases of The War with Grandpa, Waiting for the Barbarians and Jiu Jitsu. We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Let us know by Friday, December 18th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll have a chance to win THE LAST DAYS OF JOHN LENNON by James Patterson, with Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge (which we will review next week), and A WEALTH OF PIGEONS: A Cartoon Collection by Harry Bliss and Steve Martin (click here to read our review if you missed it). We’re curious to know if you’re planning to give books as gifts this holiday season. Let us know by voting in our latest poll. Our previous poll asked which of 25 titles releasing last month and this month you are planning to read. Here are your top five choices: A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama (35%), THE LAW OF INNOCENCE: A Lincoln Lawyer Novel by Michael Connelly (33%), WHITE IVY by Susie Yang (32%), MOONFLOWER MURDERS by Anthony Horowitz (29%), and THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE by Marie Benedict (29%). Click here for all the results. Here are some of this month’s recently announced book club picks:
For more December selections, including the Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, see our “Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks” feature here. News & Pop Culture Reader Mail: Andrea wrote, “Just wanted to let you know I listened to all your interviews for the Miami Book Fair, and they were all great.” Thanks, Andrea! And for those who would like to watch the Miami Book Fair programming, know that they plan to keep those sessions live for a while. I was happy to learn this as I still need to finish watching some. "The Undoing" Finale on HBO: The David E. Kelley-created series, which stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, was the most watched night of viewing for an HBO original series since the season two finale of the previous Kelley-Kidman collaboration, "Big Little Lies." There have been MANY articles written about the series and the finale. Here are a few that I thought were interesting: The A.V. Club, Entertainment Weekly, TVLine and Vulture. I agree with much that was written about what was missing in the series, besides what was there. "The Crown" on Netflix: We finished watching the current season during the week. Making the rounds this week is a wickedly funny segment by Kieran Hodgson spoofing the show. It’s really brilliant. "Murder on Middle Beach" on HBO: I am two episodes into this four-part documentary series directed by first-time filmmaker Madison Hamburg, which examines his journey to solve the murder of his mother. It’s very well done! "Your Honor" on Showtime: The first episode of this limited series kicks off Sunday night. It stars Bryan Cranston as a New Orleans judge who is forced to examine just how far he will go to save his son, who has been involved in a car accident that has been labeled a manslaughter. I watched the first episode, and it was chilling. Alafair Burke, who many of you know for her terrific thrillers and the Under Suspicion series that she wrote with the late Mary Higgins Clark, posted on Facebook the other day and mentioned a Pasta al Pomodoro recipe that she has “probably made 40 times since March. It’s still delicious. Pro tip: Don't bother pureeing the tomatoes, just break up whole tomatoes with back of a wooden spoon.” I always am eager for a well-loved recipe, so Tom gave it a whirl this week, and it was really terrific. So here you go! Besides the two trees in need of decorations, I need to think about gifts to give this holiday season. Except for the amaryllis plants that I give as gifts, which are planted and are under control, I have bought just one gift! I hope that many of you have tackled more of your holiday shopping. I am turning 27 again on Monday. Funny how that happens every year on December 7th. Read on, and have a great week! Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)    Featured Review: A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama  A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama (Memoir) Click here to read our review. Featured Review: NO TIME LIKE THE FUTURE  NO TIME LIKE THE FUTURE: An Optimist Considers Mortality by Michael J. Fox (Memoir) Click here to read our review. New Special Contest:  We are thrilled to announce our End-of-the-Year Contest featuring Carol Fitzgerald’s Bookreporter.com Bets On picks from 2020. One Grand Prize winner will be awarded all 42 books, while 14 other readers will receive a selection of three of these titles. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, January 4th at noon ET. Here are this year's Bookreporter.com Bets On titles:
Click here to enter the contest. Featured Review: THE AWAKENING by Nora Roberts  THE AWAKENING: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book 1 by Nora Roberts (Paranormal Fantasy/Romance) Click here to read our review. Featured Review: RHYTHM OF WAR  RHYTHM OF WAR: Book Four of The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson (Fantasy) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review.  Summer Doesn’t Have to End... ON OCEAN BOULEVARD by Mary Alice Monroe (Fiction) Like the sea turtles that come ashore annually on these windswept islands, three generations of the Rutledge family experience a season of return, rebirth and growth. “Authentic, generous, and heartfelt” (Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author), ON OCEAN BOULEVARD is Mary Alice Monroe at her very best. Click here to read more about the book. 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 Tuesday, December 8th at noon ET. This year's contest titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details    December’s New in Paperback Roundups December's roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes SHADOWS IN DEATH, the 51st installment in J. D. Robb’s In Death series featuring Lt. Eve Dallas, who is about to walk into the shadows of her husband’s dangerous past; THE WARSAW PROTOCOL, the 15th entry in Steve Berry's series featuring former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone, who must determine why the seven precious relics of the Arma Christi --- the weapons of Christ --- are disappearing from sanctuaries across the globe; SEARCHING FOR SYLVIE LEE by Jean Kwok, a poignant and suspenseful drama that untangles the complicated ties binding three women --- two sisters and their mother --- in one Chinese immigrant family and explores what happens when the eldest daughter disappears and a series of family secrets emerge; and Liz Moore's LONG BRIGHT RIVER, a gripping suspense novel that is also a moving story of sisters, addiction and the formidable ties that persist between place, family and fate Among our nonfiction highlights are IN THE DREAM HOUSE, Carmen Maria Machado’s engrossing and wildly innovative account of a relationship gone bad, and a bold dissection of the mechanisms and cultural representations of psychological abuse; DISNEY'S LAND, a propulsive history chronicling the conception and creation of Disneyland, the masterpiece California theme park, as told like never before by popular historian Richard Snow; LINCOLN ON THE VERGE, in which Ted Widmer draws on new research to reveal President-Elect Abraham Lincoln as a work in progress, showing him on the verge of greatness, foiling an assassination attempt and forging an unbreakable bond with the American people; and LIFE ISN'T EVERYTHING, Ash Carter and Sam Kashner's up-close-and-personal portrait of legendary filmmaker, theater director and comedian Mike Nichols, which draws on candid conversations with his closest friends in show business and the arts. Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of    December’s Books on Screen Feature Here is a preview of this month's movies, TV shows and DVDs that are based on books. For a complete list of December's offerings, please click here. In Theaters News of the World Wonder Woman 1984
"The Flight Attendant" (8-part limited series) "The Stand" (9-part limited series) "Bridgerton" "His Dark Materials" On DVD Waiting for the Barbarians The War with Grandpa    From left to right: James Patterson, Michael Riedel, Jeff Lindsay 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, December 6th at 2pm ET: Bookshop Santa Cruz Virtual Event: Bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith will share HOW TO RAISE AN ELEPHANT, the next book in his perennially adored No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, which sees Precious Ramotswe calling upon all her maternal instincts when she's faced with a two-ton case. Sunday, December 6th at 4pm ET: Montclair Public Library Virtual Event: Montclair Public Library presents New York Times Book Review‘s Elisabeth Egan in conversation with Alice Hoffman, who will discuss her newest book, MAGIC LESSONS. Monday, December 7th at 7pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Virtual Event: James Patterson will be in conversation with Lee Child about his two new releases: THE LAST DAYS OF JOHN LENNON, a true crime account of Lennon’s murder, and DEADLY CROSS, the new Alex Cross novel. Tuesday, December 8th at 7pm ET: Midtown Scholar Books Virtual Event: Join James Patterson for an exclusive live-stream conversation on his new books, DEADLY CROSS and THE LAST DAYS OF JOHN LENNON. Wednesday, December 9th 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 actress Andie MacDowell and film producer Todd Komarnicki. Wednesday, December 9th at 9pm ET: Town Hall Seattle Virtual Event: Town Hall Seattle presents Broadway producer David Stone in conversation with writer and New York Post theater columnist Michael Riedel, who will discuss his new book, SINGULAR SENSATION: The Triumph of Broadway. Thursday, December 10th at 8pm ET: Murder By The Book Virtual Event: Jeff Lindsay will be joining Murder By The Book to talk about his new thriller, FOOL ME TWICE.   "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 WeekEDDIE'S BOY: A Butcher's Boy Novel by Thomas Perry (Thriller) - Click here to read our interview with Thomas Perry. MURDER, SHE WROTE: MURDER IN SEASON by Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land (Mystery) THE STAR-CROSSED SISTERS OF TUSCANY by Lori Nelson Spielman (Fiction) MANTEL PIECES: Royal Bodies and Other Writing from the London Review of Books by Hilary Mantel (Essays) BIG GIRL, SMALL TOWN by Michelle Gallen (Fiction) HOW TO FAIL AT FLIRTING by Denise Williams (Romantic Comedy) THE ORCHARD by David Hopen (Fiction) GIRLS OF BRACKENHILL by Kate Moretti (Gothic Thriller/Mystery) BLIND VIGIL: A Rick Cahill Novel by Matt Coyle (Hard-boiled Mystery/Thriller) - Click here to read our interview with Matt Coyle. SHED NO TEARS by Caz Frear (Mystery) SPELLBREAKER by Charlie N. Holmberg (Historical Fantasy/Mystery) AFTER ALL I'VE DONE by Mina Hardy (Psychological Thriller)   
Next Week's Notables:
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