January 8, 2021
 January 8, 2021Quick 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 $38,269 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.  Our first "Bookreporter Talks To" interview of 2021 is with Ashley Audrain, whose debut novel,     Carol read four books over the holidays, all of which will be Bets On picks:  Above is Carol's "to me/from me" present that arrived over the holidays:  During the break, Carol learned from her son, Greg, that a stick of butter on the west coast  One of Carol's amaryllis plants is growing sideways, as you can see above. Happy New Year! It’s nice to be back after a very needed and much-enjoyed break; it was lovely to not have a schedule for a few weeks. That said, I was thinking of you all as I read and watched lots of programs on streaming services. I also learned something very interesting: butter on the west coast is packaged differently than butter on the east coast. It’s still a 4-oz stick, but on the east coast it’s long and skinny, while on the west coast it's shorter and fatter. I bought butter at Trader Joe’s, which is headquartered on the west coast. I got home and started baking and was confused looking at it. Greg walked into the kitchen and said, “Oh, you have west coast butter.” My son, the traveler, once again jumps in with a random fact. I think that I baked one batch of cookies with twice as much butter as a result, since I thought it was just a half stick. But if I did, no one seemed to notice. This is shaping up to be such a great year for reading. I read four books over the holidays, and all will be Bookreporter.com Bets On selections. I started with THE CHILDREN’S BLIZZARD by Melanie Benjamin, which will be in stores on Tuesday. It’s historical fiction set on the Great Plains with a major event on January 12, 1888. (Yes, 133 years ago on Tuesday. I love how the timing worked out like that for pub day.) On that day, the temperatures on the Great Plains were unseasonably warm --- and, as a result, people went off to their chores and children went off to school less warmly dressed than usual. As a wickedly ferocious snowstorm swooped in, among those challenged by the weather were teachers in one-room schoolhouses across the Plains who were faced with a dilemma: Do they send the children home, or do they keep them in the schoolhouse? In the latter, there was not enough wood or building insulation to keep them warm, but the raging storm they would send the children out into was also an issue to consider. The story is told from the perspective of two sisters, both schoolteachers, who make very different choices on how to handle this crisis. The blizzard forms the framework of the story, but allows Melanie to explore much more, namely the way the Plains had been “sold” to early homesteaders as slices of paradise when in fact this was not Eden. Rather, it was a challenging environment with trying agricultural issues as the land was not regularly fruitful, as well as tough weather conditions. I added a sweater more than once as I read it. Melanie writes “cold” really well! You also feel the loneliness and isolation of these pioneers. I am interviewing Melanie next week. Next was THE POWER COUPLE by Alex Berenson, which will be out on February 9th. I read Alex’s earlier work, including THE FAITHFUL SPY, but had not read him in a while. Here he moves beyond his John Wells series with a stand-alone thriller. The press materials describe it as Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets Taken, which is a great comp. It’s both a look at a marriage through the eyes of a couple and a brisk espionage story. Rebecca and Brian Unsworth are U.S. Intelligence staffers; she is with the FBI, and he is with the NSA. As the book opens, they are on a vacation celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary with their teenage children. What should be an idyllic time in Barcelona is upended as their 19-year-old daughter, Kira, goes missing on a night when she is out clubbing. Her younger brother, Tony, notes that she is gone, and for a good part of the opening chapters, it is about trying to get her back. Rebecca employs everything she knows from working in the field and tries every angle that she can. At the same time, we are seeing the story of their marriage from her eyes. She clearly is an Alpha female. I am not giving anything away here on what happens to Kira. We then turn the page, literally, and get Brian’s view of the marriage, and lots more is revealed. It’s that moment when you realize that, within a long marriage, there are two very different tales of what is going on. Throughout you see the strains that have been on this marriage for years, as well as the joyous moments, and there were many instances I wondered how they were still together. As the reader, you get to see a story that has been hidden between them that takes on a slow reveal. It’s tough to pull off two very different plot lines so well --- the marriage and the espionage. It worked for me. And it has a terrific ending. I will be interviewing Alex soon. I had heard about WHAT COULD BE SAVED by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz from bookseller friends since the summer --- and I had the pleasure of hearing Liese talk about it a few months ago. It opens in 2019. Laura Preston is an artist who has found some success, but also clearly is drifting. She is very different from her older sister, Bea, and her mother, who is being swept into dementia. Laura is contacted by someone claiming to know the whereabouts of her brother, Philip, who had disappeared when her family lived in Bangkok in the '70s. He was eight at the time. Against the wishes of her sister and her fiancé, Laura heads to Thailand to see what she will learn. And yes, she locates her brother. But the brother she finds is an adult, and there are lost decades between them. Just what happened to him? We then flashback to Bangkok in the '70s. Robert Preston has an engineering job that has the family stationed there. He’s on a project building a dam that was to have taken one year, but it has been prolonged to more than three. Genevieve, his wife, is putting on a bright face in Bangkok, trying to make life there normal for the family, but the country is very challenging. And it becomes even more so when Philip disappears. The marriage of Robert and Genevieve is fraught with tension --- and readers are taken inside both of their points of view, as well as those of the girls. The family heads back to the States without Philip, and they somewhat limp along. There were many secrets left behind in Bangkok, some of which followed them home. And we learn so much about each of the characters as we read on. It’s captivating right to the very last page, and Liese reveals the story like peeling the layers of an onion. It’s on sale Tuesday, and I will be interviewing Liese next week. I heard Sadeqa Johnson talk about YELLOW WIFE in November, and her passion for the story compelled me to read it. Pheby Delores Brown was born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia. Her life is more pampered than many of the other slaves as her father is the Master. Her yellow skin means that she has privilege. The Master has promised her mother that she will be freed on her 18th birthday, but when the book opens, she is years away from that. The Master’s wife despises her for what she represents to her --- a dalliance by her husband. So when she has a moment to send Pheby away, she takes it and thrusts her into a very different world. Pheby is sent to Devil’s Half Acre, a jail in Richmond that has a brutal reputation for torturing slaves. There, Pheby, like her mother, is selected by her Jailer for special treatment. She bears his children but is never felt to be safe. She is wistful for a love she had back on the plantation, for a boy whose son she bore. But that child, who she loves dearly, has “no place.” What Pheby does for her family is courageous. At a time when race is at the forefront of national conversation, looking back at the roots of slavery and its terrible consequences is handled so well here. It’s a tightly written book, and the spare text speaks volumes. It’s in stores on Tuesday as well. Sadeqa was inspired to write it after a trip with her family. I hope to book her for an interview to tell our readers that story. Okay, that was the intellectual part of the vacation. For the record, there was also a lot of mindless, but fun, Netflix and other streaming over the break. Yes, I confess to watching both seasons of "Virgin River" on Netflix in two days with one 3am night of viewing, and I spent an afternoon watching three Christmas Prince films in rapid succession. In the first one she meets the prince; in the next one she marries the prince; and in the third one she gives birth to a prince. My husband wandered in and asked me why all of these kingdoms end in “ovia.” At another point, he had me freeze the screen as the band was playing the Nutcracker Suite; he noted that none of the actors were playing the right instruments. It is fiction, but one expects a smidge of reality. A friend shared this link to a piece about the fake European countries of royal romantic comedies, so you too can get educated. Yes, sometimes one needs to just escape. And I watched "Tiny Pretty Things" on Netflix. The dancing was brilliant, and the rest of the story was somewhat of a train wreck, but the kind that you cannot look away from when you are on the couch chillaxing. My first “Bookreporter Talks To” interview of 2021 is with Ashley Audrain, whose debut novel, THE PUSH, is this month’s “Good Morning America” Book Club pick and will be a Bets On selection. Ashley and I covered a lot of ground without giving away the many reveals that she layers into this book, which is being called an “emotional thriller.” It’s written in the second person, which you do not see much in fiction, but the storytelling from that point of view is dead on here. We talked about structuring the book, as well as some poignant scenes, but we tiptoed around anything that would spoil the story, which was quite a feat. For those who like audiobooks, Marin Ireland is an excellent narrator, and she was selected by Ashley. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast. We have our review of THE PUSH from Norah Piehl, who says that it “will encourage deep discussions about the legacy of neglect, as well as debate about whether maternal impulses are innate or learned.” She goes on to say, “THE PUSH is the kind of novel you might read in one sitting, but then you’ll want to spend the next week talking about it. It’s safe to say that it lives up to all the hype.” Find out why I’m betting you’ll love this book in next week’s newsletter. Readers of this newsletter know that I am a huge fan of Marie Benedict’s historical novels. THE OTHER EINSTEIN, CARNEGIE'S MAID, THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM and LADY CLEMENTINE were all Bets On picks, and her latest, THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE, is no exception. Here, Marie writes about one of the most notorious events in literary history: Agatha Christie's mysterious 11-day disappearance in 1926. According to our reviewer Rebecca Munro, “As always, [Benedict] writes with a sharp but tender understanding of what it means to be a woman out of place in her own time, but readers are gifted with the pleasure of watching her explore the call of the pen, and how it feels to grow and develop as a writer --- even when the world is hesitant to give you a chance. Endlessly compelling, perfectly suspenseful and beautifully imagined, THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE is one of Benedict’s best novels yet.” I share Rebecca’s enthusiasm for the book and will tell you why in my Bets On commentary next week. Marie and THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE were featured on "CBS Saturday Morning" during the holiday break. You can watch that segment here. Other books we’re reviewing this week include OUTLAWED (this month’s Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club pick), Anna North’s adventure story of a fugitive girl, a mysterious gang of robbers, and their dangerous mission to transform the Wild West (I loved hearing the publisher’s pitch for this book in our Book Group Speed Dating event in November); BLACK BUCK by Mateo Askaripour (this month’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick), a satirical debut novel about a young man given a shot at stardom as the lone Black salesman at a mysterious, cult-like and wildly successful startup where nothing is as it seems; HUSH-HUSH, Stuart Woods’ latest thriller featuring Stone Barrington, who faces down a rival with cutting-edge tactics; and PERESTROIKA IN PARIS, the instant national bestseller from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley, who has penned the story of three extraordinary animals --- and a young boy --- whose lives intersect in Paris. Our Winter Reading feature is back for a seventh year! On select days in January and February, we will be hosting a series of 24-hour contests spotlighting a book releasing this winter and giving five lucky readers the chance to win it. We also will be sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here. Our preview email with all the books to be featured will go out on Monday to those who have opted into the Winter Reading newsletter, and our first contest will go live on Tuesday at noon ET. Week one’s prize books will be BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME by Julia Claiborne Johnson (this month’s Barnes & Noble Book Club pick), THE HOUSE ON VESPER SANDS by Paraic O'Donnell, and THE LAST GARDEN IN ENGLAND by Julia Kelly. For more January book club selections, including the Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, see our “Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks” feature here. It is worth nothing that Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, is starting a book club. You can read about it here. Our New in Paperback roundups for January are now up. We're featuring paperback reprints from such bestselling authors as Scott Turow (THE LAST TRIAL), Ann Patchett (THE DUTCH HOUSE), Walter Mosley (TROUBLE IS WHAT I DO), Susan Wiggs (THE LOST AND FOUND BOOKSHOP), and Sandra Dallas (WESTERING WOMEN); nonfiction titles, including UNCANNY VALLEY: A Memoir by Anna Wiener, THE MOMENT OF LIFT: How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda Gates, and THE BODY: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson; and paperback originals like THE PERFECT GUESTS by Emma Rous, A HOUSE AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE by Josh Malerman, and DEAR MISS KOPP: A Kopp Sisters Novel by Amy Stewart. Also, our Books on Screen feature has been updated. This month’s roundup includes the films The Reason I Jump, The Dig and The White Tiger; the series premieres of "All Creatures Great and Small" on PBS "Masterpiece" and "The Sister" on Hulu; the season premieres of "American Gods" on Starz, "A Discovery of Witches" on Sundance Now, "The Residence" on FOX, and The CW's "Nancy Drew," "Batwoman" and "Riverdale"; and the DVD release of Come Away. We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Let us know by Friday, January 22nd at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll be in the running to win BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED by Lisa Gardner and the aforementioned THE CHILDREN'S BLIZZARD by Melanie Benjamin. Our first poll of the year asks about your reading goals in 2021. How many print books and e-books are you planning to read this year? And how many audiobooks do you think you will listen to? Click here to let us know. In our previous poll, we asked how many books you read in 2020. 16% of you read more than 100 print books; in fact, 25% of you read 51 print books or more. 67% of you read e-books, while 37% listened to audiobooks (six of you listened to more than 100 audiobooks, and 16 would like to start listening to audiobooks this year). Click here for all the results. This is your last weekly newsletter reminder to sign up for our first “Bookaccino Live” event of the year, which will take place on Wednesday, January 13th at 2pm ET. I will be talking about a number of noteworthy titles releasing from January 12th to February 2nd, along with a few from March, that I think will be of interest to you. We spent time yesterday narrowing down and editing the list of what we will be sharing with you. Click here to register by Wednesday at 10am ET. Those attending the live event will be asked to answer a survey about the books from the presentation that they are most interested in reading and will be eligible to win prizes. Congratulations to Marilyn F. from Lakewood, NJ, who is the Grand Prize Winner in our End-of-the-Year Contest! She has won all 42 of my Bets On titles from 2020, while 14 other winners are receiving a selection of three of these books. Click here to see if you are one of them! And for those of you who missed the video and podcast where I talked about last year’s Bets On picks, you can watch my wrap-up here and listen to it here. Prizes will be sent out next week! We were saddened to hear that Eric Jerome Dickey passed away Sunday at the age of 59 after battling a long-term illness. The award-winning and New York Times bestselling author wrote 29 novels, as well as a six-issue miniseries of graphic novels featuring Storm (X-Men) and the Black Panther. His novel SISTER, SISTER was honored as one of Essence’s “50 Most Impactful Black Books Of The Last 50 Years,” and A WANTED WOMAN won the NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Literary Work in 2014. News & Pop Culture Reader Mail: Jeanie wrote, “As I was reading Bookreporter this morning (my favorite Saturday morning activity with my coffee and nut roll), I wanted to take a minute to let you know how VERY much you and all your staff are appreciated. I’ve been a subscriber for years, and I always enjoy the book reviews and suggestions and also your side stories of staff and family, but THIS year, you have all been more amazing than words can say. The way you have managed to continue to forge ahead in the midst of the pandemic with hardly skipping a beat is beyond amazing. It’s a little slice of normalcy in a crazy world. May you and all your staff enjoy a well-deserved rest over the holidays. Wishing you all a very good NEW year!” Jeanie, your words meant a lot to all of us. Paula wrote, “Our book group just met for our annual Academy Awards for the books we read in 2020. We have a whole list of categories, and this year our winner was AMERICAN DIRT. We have chosen THIS TENDER LAND for our next month's read. I would like to give the group the invitation to "Bookaccino Live." Is there a special way I should do this? I am so excited to attend this virtual event. Thank you for all you do with Bookreporter. I enjoy reading your newsletter." Paula, here's the link to sign up for our William Kent Krueger event on January 21st at 8pm ET. If you would like to appear on camera and ask Kent a question, please also fill out this form. Sharon wrote, “I am a longtime reader of Bookreporter and love your site. Enjoy your well-deserved break and ‘see’ you in January. Great work, Carol.” Thank you on behalf of me and the entire team here! Phyllis wrote, “I watched Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom last night on Netflix and urge you to make time during your break for a spectacular posthumous performance by Chadwick Boseman! What a loss of a great talent! Viola Davis was just so-so, but she did sing one song and the others were dubbed. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom on Netflix: My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this. I confess that I am not a “theater person,” but I loved the performances. They were tight and brisk. You can read more about the film in this article, “Viola Davis and Company on Ma Rainey and Chadwick Boseman’s Last Bow.” "Your Honor" on Showtime: I am back on board watching this. There were a few episodes that I thought were not as strong as I would have liked, but there is a lot to chew on here. This week, I tuned into Alex Trebek's final "Jeopardy!" episodes. I had watched the show for years, but had not watched in decades. My husband was yelling a lot more of the "questions" than I was. Here's a terrific piece about Johnny Gilbert, the show's longtime announcer, who talks about Alex and what it will be like not announcing his name anymore. I taped tonight's episode, and I may just hold on to it. "Shtisel" on Netflix: The new season is coming this spring. I could watch now on another channel, but I do not know Hebrew. Here's a piece on "why non-Jews around the world love 'Shtisel.'" Under the Grapefruit Tree on HBO Max: We are Yankees fans, and this documentary about the life of CC Sabathia was so well done. "Imposters" on Netflix: I am on season one and find it to be cleverly done. I like a brisk thriller that has some clever twists to it. It's not as good as "Dead to Me", but it's fun. It originally aired on Bravo. "Bridgerton" on Netflix: I have not watched it yet, but I have been hearing raves about it, so that’s on the upcoming agenda. I peeked at episode one and people are saying, "Keep going!" Cory scanned books and books of family photos for me over the break, which was a project that has been looming for a while. It was such fun to take a trip down memory lane! There is a blanket from Purl Soho that I want to knit. The yarn for it comes in and sells out quickly. I just learned that they made a puzzle of it; maybe I should buy that, do it and frame it. It may be more achievable. I bought my "to me/from me" present from StevenBe in Minneapolis: a Koigu Mori Pencil Box. I am making a cowl from it. The first instruction is to lay out the yarn in the order you want to use it for the blending, which took me a few days to overthink. I started it and already have thought about how to make it differently. There are two lace sections, and I confess to loving the look of blended garter stitch much more than the lace. I am having fun seeing it come together. For the record, I am on color two of 10. This will not be a quick project. I have amaryllis plants blooming around the house. The one above is growing sideways. I definitely need to come up with a way to stake these better; I think it’s time to search for the orchid stakes. Anyone with ideas, they are welcome. There is no agenda for the weekend, which is quite lovely. I have a couple of books lined up to read for upcoming interviews. I also want to prep for a few events that we have scheduled in the following weeks and get my schedule online updated. And there may be a moment to peruse cookbooks to shake things up a bit. Read on, and have a great week. Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)    Featured Review:  THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE by Marie Benedict (Historical Mystery) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review. THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Featured Review: THE PUSH by Ashley Audrain  THE PUSH by Ashley Audrain (Psychological Thriller) Click here to read our review. THE PUSH will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Featured Review: OUTLAWED by Anna North  OUTLAWED by Anna North (Western/Adventure) Click here to read our review. Featured Review: BLACK BUCK by Mateo Askaripour January’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club Pick  BLACK BUCK by Mateo Askaripour (Satire/Dark Humor) Click here to read our review. Announcing Bookreporter.com's Seventh Annual  At Bookreporter.com, we are kicking off 2021 with our seventh annual Winter Reading Contests and Feature. On select days in January and February, we are hosting a series of 24-hour contests spotlighting a book releasing this winter and giving five lucky readers the chance to win it. 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, January 12th at noon ET. This year's contest titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details Featured Review: HUSH-HUSH by Stuart Woods  HUSH-HUSH: A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods (Thriller/Adventure) Click here to read our review. Featured Review: PERESTROIKA IN PARIS by Jane Smiley  PERESTROIKA IN PARIS by Jane Smiley (Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review.    January’s New in Paperback Roundups January's roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes THE LAST TRIAL, the 11th book in Scott Turow's series set in fictional Kindle County, Illinois, about celebrated criminal defense lawyer Sandy Stern and the prosecution of his lifelong friend --- a doctor accused of murder; THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett, a richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go; Stephen Graham Jones' THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS, which follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives; and THE WIFE STALKER, a twisty psychological thriller from Liv Constantine about a woman fighting to hold onto the only family she’s ever loved --- and how far she’ll go to preserve it. Among our nonfiction highlights are Anna Wiener’s memoir, UNCANNY VALLEY, a rare first-person glimpse into high-flying, reckless startup culture at a time of unchecked ambition, unregulated surveillance, wild fortune and accelerating political power; THE MOMENT OF LIFT, a timely and necessary call to action for women's empowerment from Melinda Gates, who shares lessons she’s learned from the inspiring people she’s met during her work and travels around the world; FIGHT OF THE CENTURY, an anthology of essays curated by authors Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman about landmark cases in the 100-year history of the American Civil Liberties Union; and Emma Copley Eisenberg's THE THIRD RAINBOW GIRL, a stunning, complex narrative about the fractured legacy of a decades-old double murder in rural West Virginia --- and the writer determined to put the pieces back together. Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of    January’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 January's offerings, please click here.
The Reason I Jump On TV "A Discovery of Witches" "American Gods" "All Creatures Great and Small" (7-part series) "The Resident" The Dig On DVD Come Away    From left to right: Marie Benedict, Liese O'Halloran Schwarz, Melanie Benjamin 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. Tuesdays at 7:30pm ET: "Talking ETERNAL with Lisa Scottoline": Join Lisa Scottoline every Tuesday night at 7:30pm ET on Facebook as she premieres a new episode from her video series, "Behind the Book: Talking ETERNAL," which reveals behind-the-scenes looks at the inspirations of her upcoming historical fiction book, ETERNAL, releasing on March 23rd. And stay tuned because immediately following each video premiere, Lisa hosts a Facebook Live to talk about the video. Sunday, January 10th at 7pm ET: Adventures by the Book Virtual Event: New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict will be in conversation with USA Today bestselling and beloved book club favorite author Susan Meissner. Marie will discuss her new historical novel, THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE. Monday, January 11th at 7pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Virtual Event: Jeff Lindsay, the bestselling author of the Dexter series, will discuss his new novel, FOOL ME TWICE. Monday, January 11th at 7pm ET: Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books Virtual Event: Tune in with Uncle Bobbie to celebrate the January release of Robert Jones, Jr.'s groundbreaking first novel, THE PROPHETS. He will be in conversation with Kiley Reid, author of the New York Times bestseller SUCH A FUN AGE. Tuesday, January 12th at 6pm ET: Fountain Bookstore Virtual Event: Fountain Bookstore's first event of the new year features two novels on children and women survivors of extreme weather in the 1800s. Authors Melanie Benjamin (THE CHILDREN'S BLIZZARD) and Greer Macallister (THE ARCTIC FURY) will discuss what inspired them to write about these little-known historical events. Tuesday, January 12th at 7:30pm ET: Charis Books & More Virtual Event: Charis welcomes Robert Jones, Jr. in conversation with novelist Brit Bennett for a celebration of Jones' highly anticipated debut novel, THE PROPHETS. Tuesday, January 12th at 8pm ET: Murder By The Book Virtual Event: Ace Atkins will join Murder By The Book to talk about his new Spenser novel, ROBERT B. PARKER'S SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME. Tuesday, January 12th at 9pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Virtual Event: Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child will talk about their new Nora Kelly novel, THE SCORPION'S TAIL. Wednesday, January 13th at 2pm ET: "Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books": Carol Fitzgerald will present titles releasing from January 12th to February 2nd, along with a few from March, that she would like to get on your radar. Wednesday, January 13th 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 William Kent Krueger, whose most recent novel is THIS TENDER LAND. Wednesday, January 13th at 8pm ET: Anderson's Bookshops Virtual Event: Join Anderson's Bookshops for a virtual event with Melanie Benjamin to discuss her newest novel, THE CHILDREN'S BLIZZARD. Melanie will be in conversation with fellow New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline. Thursday, January 14th at 7pm ET: Literati Bookstore Virtual Event: Literati Bookstore is pleased to welcome Melanie Benjamin to their "At Home with Literati" virtual event series for an event in support of THE CHILDREN'S BLIZZARD. She will be joined in conversation by acclaimed author Paula McLain. Thursday, January 14th at 8pm ET: Anderson's Bookshops Virtual Event: Join Anderson's Bookshops for a virtual event with Liese O'Halloran Schwarz in conversation with Cecily von Ziegesar, talking about Liese's latest novel, WHAT COULD BE SAVED. Thursday, January 14th at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Virtual Event: Ace Atkins will be on hand to discuss his new Spenser mystery, ROBERT B. PARKER'S SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME. Friday, January 15th at 7pm ET: Books Are Magic Virtual Event: Anna North will discuss her latest novel, OUTLAWED, with THE INCENDIARIES author R.O. Kwon. Friday, January 15th at 8pm ET: Murder By The Book Virtual Event: P. J. Tracy, the pseudonym of Traci Lambrecht, will join Murder By The Book to talk about her latest novel, DEEP INTO THE DARK, which kicks off a new mystery series.   "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 WeekNYPD RED 6 by James Patterson and Marshall Karp (Mystery/Thriller) THE WRONG FAMILY by Tarryn Fisher (Domestic Thriller/Mystery) PRETTY LITTLE WIFE by Darby Kane (Domestic Thriller) PICKARD COUNTY ATLAS by Chris Harding Thornton (Noir Thriller) THE CHANEL SISTERS by Judithe Little (Historical Fiction) MARION LANE AND THE MIDNIGHT MURDER by T.A. Willberg (Historical Mystery) BLOODLINE by Jess Lourey (Psychological Thriller) EVERY LAST SECRET by A. R. Torre (Domestic Thriller) D (A TALE OF TWO WORLDS) by Michel Faber (Fantasy/Adventure) SKIM DEEP by Max Allan Collins (Hard-boiled Mystery/Thriller) YOUNG BUCKS: Killing the Business from Backyards to the Big Leagues by Matt and Nick Jackson (Memoir)   
Next Week's Notables:
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