March 19, 2021
 March 19, 2021Quick Links to Features on Bookreporter.com Reviews | Features | Bookreporter.com Bets On | Upcoming Bets On  Carol appeared as a guest this week on the “Friends and Fiction” podcast. Patti Callahan Henry interviewed her and Robin Kall in separate segments, where they talked about building a community of book lovers and connecting readers with writers. You can listen to this episode on these platforms:  As part of the Morristown Festival of Books @Home series, Carol interviewed Nadia Owusu about her debut memoir, AFTERSHOCKS. Click on the image above to watch the video    Carol is currently reading WHEN THE STARS GO DARK by Paula McLain (on sale April 13th)  Carol has completed a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle of a blanket from Purl Soho,  Carol and her son, Greg, attended a seminar about growing lettuce and other cold weather vegetables. They brought home four felt planters, which you can see above. Three have five varieties of lettuce, Spring is Sprung on Saturday! Ah, Daylight Saving Time. It once again brought me the chance to feel jet lagged without leaving the house. Yes, in a year when going to the grocery store’s international aisle was the closest that I came to travel, my dragginess (yes, I coined that word) reminded me what it felt like to fly to Chicago without packing a bag or going through security. How can just one hour wreak so much havoc on my life? Last weekend, Greg and I went to a seminar about growing lettuce and other cold weather vegetables. We came home with four felt planters (which are very cool, and I had never seen them before); three have lettuce (five varieties), and one is planted with herbs. Right now they are residing in the kitchen until the temperature stays above 40 degrees, which hopefully will happen this week. Once again, it was a great weekend of reading. I finished THE PLOT by Jean Hanff Korelitz, which I loved right to the end. Then I devoured WHO IS MAUD DIXON? by Alexandra Andrews, which I also loved. You can read more about why in my Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary; we reviewed it a couple of weeks ago. For those of you in a book group, this is the current prize in our “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest on ReadingGroupGuides.com. We’re giving three readers the chance to win 12 copies of the book for their group. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, April 7th at noon ET. You also can check out the discussion guide here. I am planning to interview Alexandra next week for a “Bookreporter Talks To” segment. Now I am juggling three books. First, I am reading Paula McLain’s WHEN THE STARS GO DARK, which releases on April 13th and is a departure for her from the historical fiction for which we have come to know her. Anna Hart, whose specialty is missing persons cases, has left her home in San Francisco for reasons that are still not known to the reader at this point in my reading; we see that she and her husband clearly are estranged, but we don't know why. She grew up with loving foster parents in Mendocino, and going back there is bringing back all kinds of memories. As she arrives, a young woman has gone missing, and Anna quickly jumps on the case to find her, almost obsessively. It’s set in 1993, and we also are seeing the fictional case overlaid with the abduction of Polly Klaas, a high-profile real-life kidnapping that took place in Petaluma, California, which I remember well. The setup has been really good, and I am looking forward to seeing where the story takes me. I am enjoying THE VANISHING POINT by Elizabeth Brundage, which is coming on May 18th. As always, Elizabeth has drawn me in with her characters and sharp writing. In it, Julian and Rye are photography students in the exclusive Brodsky Workshop. They are both captivated by Magda, one of their other classmates, and each will have some personal history with her. Rye's photographs are well known, but Julian does not have the same notoriety. They take different life paths, but 20 years after they left Brodsky, Julian discovers Rye’s obituary, and something feels off as he attends the funeral. I am looking forward to reading much more of it this weekend to see where these characters, whom I already am vested in, take me. And I am rereading THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK for our "Bookaccino Live" Book Group event with Kim Michele Richardson on Thursday night. At this time, the event is “sold out”! The tables turned this week as I appeared as a guest on the “Friends and Fiction” podcast. I was interviewed by Patti Callahan Henry, along with Robin Kall, who hosts her own podcast, “Reading With Robin," and conducts interviews on Facebook and Instagram. In separate segments, Patti talked to us about building a community of book lovers and connecting readers with writers. You can listen to this episode on these platforms: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher. Patti’s latest novel is SURVIVING SAVANNAH, and it revolves around the luxury steamship Pulaski (“The Titanic of the South," as it was called) that sank in 1838 with Savannah's elite on board. Through time, their fates were forgotten --- until the wreck was found, and now their story is finally being told. Our reviewer Bronwyn Miller points out, “The alternating chapters richly illustrate each character while impeccably setting the scene so vividly that you can practically feel the sea spray in your face. You won’t regret boarding SURVIVING SAVANNAH for a touching, rollicking ride of a lifetime.” We also have a discussion guide for the book on ReadingGroupGuides.com here. And please note that this was the top pick from the attendees of this month's “Bookaccino Live” event. You may recall that I interviewed Nadia Owusu last month for the Morristown Festival of Books @Home series. We talked about her debut memoir, AFTERSHOCKS, which we reviewed when it released in January. The interview is now up on the Festival’s YouTube page, so if you missed it, now’s your chance to check it out! Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast. It was announced this week that Oprah has selected Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead novels (GILEAD, HOME, LILA and JACK) as her next book club picks. “Marilynne Robinson is one of our greatest living authors,” Oprah says, “and in the Gilead novels she’s written a quartet of masterpieces. The more closely I read them, the more I find to appreciate, and the more they show the way in seeing the beauty in the ordinary. I'm thrilled to share them all with you." Click here for more of her thoughts on these books. Oprah looks forward to interviewing the author on her Apple TV+ series; we will let you know the air date as soon as that information becomes available. Myron Bolitar's best friend and sidekick, Windsor Horne Lockwood III, takes center stage in Harlan Coben's new novel, WIN. This stand-alone thriller shows what happens when a dead man's secrets fall into the hands of a vigilante antihero --- drawing him down a dangerous road. Cindy Burnett has our review and says, "While there are a lot of characters and plotlines here, Coben blends them together seamlessly, providing just enough information about each story and character to keep the novel moving forward but not so much that the tale bogs down. He masterfully unveils each detail that propels the narrative along with various twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing until almost the last page." We also are featuring our review of WHAT’S MINE AND YOURS by Naima Coster, which is this month’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick. A community in the Piedmont of North Carolina rises in outrage as a county initiative draws students from the largely Black east side of town into predominantly white high schools on the west. For two students, Gee and Noelle, the integration sets off a chain of events that will tie their two families together in unexpected ways for the next 20 years. According to our reviewer Norah Piehl, “[Coster] excels at developing complex characters and depicting their interior lives, as well as exploring the complicated ways in which social pressures and personal relationships and dynamics are entangled.” Click here for the discussion guide. Other books we’re reviewing this week include HER DARK LIES, J.T. Ellison’s latest thriller about a wedding that threatens to be derailed by numerous disturbances --- newly discovered skeletal remains, menacing texts, a ruined wedding dress, the strange mystery surrounding the groom’s first wife, and a raging storm that knocks out the power; SPARKS LIKE STARS by Nadia Hashimi, in which an Afghan American woman returns to Kabul to learn the truth about her family and the tragedy that destroyed their lives; and NOT DARK YET, the 27th entry in Peter Robinson’s series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks, who must investigate the murder of property developer Connor Clive Blaydon and a brutal rape that changes everything the police think they know about Connor and why anyone would want him dead. SPARKS LIKE STARS was one of the books we gave away in this week’s Spring Preview contests; the other was the aforementioned AFTERSHOCKS by Nadia Owusu. Next week’s prize will be ETERNAL, which is Lisa Scottoline’s first historical novel and will be a Bets On selection; I am looking forward to sharing this one with you and interviewing Lisa. The 24-hour giveaway will go live on Tuesday, March 23rd (the day the book releases) at noon ET. You also have a chance to win ETERNAL in our current Word of Mouth contest, along with SUNFLOWER SISTERS, the final installment in Martha Hall Kelly’s Ferriday/Woolsey trilogy (following LILAC GIRLS and LOST ROSES). Let us know by Friday, April 2nd at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll be in the running to win both these highly anticipated releases. We are continuing to feature THE HOUSE UPTOWN in our New Release Spotlight as it came out on Tuesday. Melissa Ginsburg’s second novel is about a young girl who goes to live with her eccentric grandmother in New Orleans after the death of her mother. Bestselling author Jonathan Lethem has this to say about the book: "Melissa Ginsburg's page-turner is a devastatingly simple trap: characters so beguiling you settle in for a charming coming-of-age fable before realizing the spring is snapping shut on an inexorable and satisfying calamity. The theme is the-past-isn't-dead-it-isn't-even-past, but painted not with Faulkner's heavy hand so much as with the crisp ingenuity of Ross Macdonald." Our new poll asks which of 23 paperbacks releasing in March you have read or are planning to read. Click here to cast your votes. Remember, we love to see what you are looking forward to reading! In our previous poll, we listed 27 titles that are being published this month for the first time and asked which of them, if any, you are looking forward to reading. Here are your top five picks: WE BEGIN AT THE END by Chris Whitaker (43%), THE ROSE CODE by Kate Quinn (41%), the aforementioned ETERNAL by Lisa Scottoline (37%), BAND OF SISTERS by Lauren Willig (37%), and THE LOST APOTHECARY by Sarah Penner (32%). Click here for all the results. News & Pop Culture Reader Mail: Cindy wrote a lovely handwritten note about winning a copy of MASQUE OF HONOR by Sharon Virts in our “Bookaccino Live” contest. Cherry on Apple TV+: We watched this last Friday night. It’s dark but so well done. It stars Tom Holland as an army medic turned addict whose life has spiraled out of control. Ciara Bravo plays Emily, the woman he loves. Joe Hartlaub, our Senior Writer, was on set and had a cameo. I am not sure if he ended up on the cutting room floor; I need to watch again! Crazy Comic from the '90s. My bookseller friend, Luisa Smith from Book Passage, shared this, a ‘90s Archie comic about schooling in 2021. It’s amazingly clairvoyant. A Role Reprised: Twenty-five years after playing the role that brought with it a big step to launching his career in A Time to Kill, Matthew McConaughey may be setting himself up to play Jake again. I read this week that HBO has acquired the rights to the John Grisham novel, A TIME FOR MERCY, the sequel to A TIME TO KILL, and are developing it as a limited series. McConaughey is in talks to reprise his role of defense attorney Jake Brigance. They are talking 8-10 episodes. To me, it’s “All right, all right, all right.” By the way, McConaughey’s book GREENLIGHTS is still on the New York Times bestseller list. "Shtisel" on Netflix: The long-awaited third season of the series arrives on March 25th. Bring on the subtitles. The Grammys: What a well-executed show! I knew little of the music, but was impressed by the way they handled it. It was much better than the Zoom Golden Globes. I think the Oscars are planning something similar to The Grammys. Rachel Maddow won in the Best Spoken Word Album category for her narration of her 2019 book, BLOWOUT. The Puzzle: Yep, as you can see above, it is done. I think I placed something like 20 of the 1,000 pieces; Tom did all of the rest. I do sort colors well! I bought a barnwood frame for it as I just love the way it came together. It may be warm enough for us to bring the lettuce outside by Tuesday. We have someone coming to clear an area in the yard where the sandbox is (yes...is, not was), but since the boys are now 26 and 31, we are clearing that spot to create a new garden where I want to move the hosta. I also went to order vegetable seeds this week and came to the rude awakening that we are not going to be growing parsnips, carrots or radishes. We have very rocky soil. Who knew these needed 12-18 inches of soil to grow? I suggested that Tom build me deep planters; he suggested we go to the farmer’s market. He is so practical. Oh well, I ordered more lettuce seeds and some flowers. This is the same place where I bought enough zinnia seeds for a farm last year. I am sure I have enough lettuce seeds to open a farm stand. I have zero weekend plans, and somehow that makes me really happy. Reading in front of the fire sounds lovely. Read on, and have a great week. Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)    Featured Review: WIN by Harlan Coben  WIN by Harlan Coben (Mystery/Thriller) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review. Featured Review:  WHAT'S MINE AND YOURS by Naima Coster (Fiction) Click here to read our review. Featured Review: SURVIVING SAVANNAH  SURVIVING SAVANNAH by Patti Callahan (Historical Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review.  New Release Spotlight:  THE HOUSE UPTOWN by Melissa Ginsburg (Fiction) Ava, 14 years old and totally on her own, has still not fully processed her mother’s death when she finds herself on a train heading to New Orleans, to stay with Lane, the grandmother she barely remembers. Lane is a well-known artist in the New Orleans art scene. She spends most of her days in a pot-smoke haze, sipping iced coffee, and painting, which has been her singular focus for years. Her grip on reality is shaky at best, but her work provides a comfort. Ava’s arrival unsettles Lane. The girl bears an uncanny resemblance to her daughter, from whom she was estranged before her death. Now her presence is dredging up painful and disturbing memories, which forces Lane to retreat even further into her own mind. As Ava and Lane attempt to find their way and form a bond, the oppressive heat and history of New Orleans bears down on them, forcing a reckoning neither of them are ready for. Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight.  Bookreporter.com Bets On  WHO IS MAUD DIXON? by Alexandra Andrews (Psychological Thriller) But then she latches onto the perfect job as the assistant to Maud Dixon, whose novel Mississippi Foxtrot was an overnight sensation. Maud’s name is a pseudonym known only to her agent, though many are dying to know who she is; it is a topic of much gossip. Is Maud a man or a woman? Click here to read more of Carol's commentary. Don't miss Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview Featured Review: HER DARK LIES by J.T. Ellison  HER DARK LIES by J.T. Ellison (Psychological Thriller) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review. Featured Review: SPARKS LIKE STARS by Nadia Hashimi  SPARKS LIKE STARS by Nadia Hashimi (Fiction) - Click here to read more about the book. Click here to read our review. Bookreporter.com's 10th Annual  Spring is in the air! We’ve caught the fever --- and it’s being fueled by some wonderful new and upcoming releases. Our 10th annual Spring Preview Contests and Feature spotlights many of these picks, which we know people will be talking about over the next few months. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through April 23rd at noon ET. You will need to check the site to see the featured book and enter to win. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce each title, which you can sign up for here. Our next prize book, which will be announced on Tuesday, March 23rd at noon ET, is ETERNAL, Lisa Scottoline's first historical novel. Carol loved it so much that it will be a Bets On selection, and she will be doing a "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Lisa. This year's featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details    From left to right: Lisa Scottoline, Dean Koontz, Jacqueline Winspear 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. Saturday, March 20th at 7pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline will discuss her first historical novel, ETERNAL. Monday, March 22nd at 7pm ET: Parnassus Books: Parnassus Books will present a virtual event with Walter Isaacson, the New York Times bestselling author of STEVE JOBS. Isaacson will be in conversation with Jon Meacham to discuss his new biography of Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna, THE CODE BREAKER. Monday, March 22nd at 9pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Jacqueline Winspear will discuss her new Maisie Dobbs mystery, THE CONSEQUENCES OF FEAR. Tuesday, March 23rd at 7pm ET: Parnassus Books: Parnassus Books is delighted to welcome Lisa Scottoline, author of ETERNAL, for a virtual event to launch her new book. She will be in conversation with fellow New York Times bestselling author Paula McLain. Tuesday, March 23rd at 7pm ET: Warwick's: This Couch Surfing Book Tour event features Patti Callahan as she discusses her new book, SURVIVING SAVANNAH, in conversation with Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. Tuesday, March 23rd at 8pm ET: Lisa Scottoline's Launch Party for ETERNAL: Join the fun on Lisa's Facebook page! Tuesday, March 23rd at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Alma Katsu will discuss her latest novel, RED WIDOW, with bestselling author Michael Koryta. Tuesday, March 23rd at 9pm ET: Book Passage: Jacqueline Winspear will be in conversation with Elaine Petrocelli, the founder and president of Book Passage, about her new work of fiction, THE CONSEQUENCES OF FEAR. Tuesday, March 23rd at 9:15pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense Dean Koontz will talk about his new novel, THE OTHER EMILY, with special guest host Michael Koryta. Wednesday, March 24th at 12pm ET: The Post and Courier Book & Author Luncheon: The Post and Courier's Book & Author is the largest and most prestigious literary luncheon in the Southeast. The 28th annual event will be presented virtually and will feature international bestselling authors Lisa Scottoline and Adriana Trigiani. Wednesday, March 24th 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 Nancy Jooyoun Kim about THE LAST STORY OF MINA LEE, a Reese's Book Club pick from last year. Wednesday, March 24th at 7pm ET: A Likely Story Bookstore: Lisa Scottoline and Pam Jenoff will talk about their new novels, ETERNAL and THE WOMAN WITH THE BLUE STAR. Wednesday, March 24th at 8pm ET: Murder By The Book: Jacqueline Winspear will talk about THE CONSEQUENCES OF FEAR, the 16th installment in her series of mysteries starring Maisie Dobbs. Thursday, March 25th at 2pm ET: Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites: Rebecca Serle will join members of the Simon & Schuster team for a Facebook Live Book Club chat about IN FIVE YEARS, which is March's pick for S&S's Book Club Favorites. Thursday, March 25th at 7pm ET: Harvard Book Store: Harvard Book Store's virtual event series welcomes beloved mystery writer Jacqueline Winspear for a discussion of the latest installment in her acclaimed Maisie Dobbs series, THE CONSEQUENCES OF FEAR. Thursday, March 25th at 7pm ET: Reads & Company: Reads & Company is happy to welcome bestselling author Lisa Scottoline for a virtual in-conversation event celebrating the release of ETERNAL, her latest novel.   "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 WeekNOT DARK YET: A DCI Banks Novel by Peter Robinson (Mystery/Thriller) FOREGONE by Russell Banks (Fiction) 2034: A Novel of the Next World War by Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis (Speculative Thriller) SO MANY WAYS TO LOSE: The Amazin' True Story of the New York Mets ― the Best Worst Team in Sports by Devin Gordon (Sports) ACT YOUR AGE, EVE BROWN by Talia Hibbert (Romantic Comedy) TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE by Carola Lovering (Psychological Thriller) FESTIVAL DAYS by Jo Ann Beard (Essays) ARE WE THERE YET? by Kathleen West (Fiction) THE BONE MAKER by Sarah Beth Durst (Dark Fantasy) GATHERING DARK by Candice Fox (Thriller) JUSTINE by Forsyth Harmon (Fiction) SAVING GRACE by Debbie Babitt (Psychological Thriller)   
Next Week's Notables:
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