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Peaches are on my mind. I am trying to decide what to create with two huge boxes of peaches that we have here. Yesterday Ina Garten posted a photo of a cake that she is recipe testing that was topped with peaches and raspberries, as well as whipped cream. Now I am trying to guess what her cake is going to taste like. I will make mine with French Vanilla Cake Mix, and the aforementioned peaches, raspberries and cream. I know Ina will not be doing this...using the mix, I mean!
Every summer I bring the house plants outside for their “summer vacation.” For years I have just put them on the ground. This year I decided to elevate them literally, and I bought a plant stand. I think they look great there...and yes, they were arranged and rearranged a few times. Okay, more than a few. This is like their postcard from their summer location.
Announcing a BIG Contest!
This week we are featuring a very special contest for LIGHTNING STRIKE, a prequel to William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor series, which releases on August 24th. If you enjoyed ORDINARY GRACE and THIS TENDER LAND, you will love LIGHTNING STRIKE!
The book takes place during the summer of 1963 in the small town of Aurora, Minnesota, and introduces readers to a 12-year-old Cork O’Connor. When Cork stumbles upon the body of a man he revered hanging from a tree in an abandoned logging camp, it is the first in a series of events that will cause him to question everything he took for granted about his hometown, his family and himself. Cork’s father is Aurora’s sheriff, and it is his job to confirm that the man’s death was the result of suicide, as all the evidence suggests. In the shadow of his father’s official investigation, Cork begins to look for answers on his own.
We are giving 25 readers the opportunity to win an advance copy of LIGHTNING STRIKE. In addition, one Grand Prize winner will receive signed copies of all 18 Cork O’Connor mysteries! To enter, please fill out this form by Friday, August 6th at noon ET. I am lining up an interview with Kent as we approach the book’s publication. He is always such a joy to chat with!
My latest “Bookreporter Talks To” interview is with Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, whose New York Times bestseller THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN is this month’s “Good Morning America” Book Club pick and a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. The novel tells the story of J.P. Morgan's personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, who purchased and catalogued his impressive collection of rare and high-quality books and artwork. What people did not know is that Belle was a Black woman who passed as white. Her secret was kept hidden, though her father had been the first Black man to graduate from Harvard University. Her complex backstory is as interesting as the collection itself.
In the interview, Marie and Victoria discuss how and why they came together to work on THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN, explain certain aspects of their research that made its way into the story they were trying to tell, and share what they are up to next, both solo and as collaborators. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast --- and my Bets On commentary is here.
My other Bets On pick this week is THE LAST COMMANDMENT by Scott Shepherd, which we reviewed last week. Click here to find out why I’m betting you’ll love this book. If you missed my “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Scott, which we featured in our previous newsletter, you can watch it here and listen to the podcast here.
We are happy to be featuring our review of THE PAPER PALACE by debut novelist Miranda Cowley Heller this week. This instant #1 New York Times bestseller is this month’s Barnes & Noble and Reese’s Book Club picks, and will be a Bets on selection. I read it in 24 hours last weekend and stayed up until 2am saying, “Just one more chapter.” Over the course of a single day on Cape Cod, one woman must make a life-changing decision that has been brewing for decades. Rebecca Munro has this to say in her review: "Vivid, luscious and soaring, THE PAPER PALACE is the sort of novel that will leave an indelible mark on you, ruining you for other books. Cleverly constructed and sweeping, it announces an unforgettable new talent on par with Delia Owens, Celeste Ng and Meg Wolitzer."
I was thrilled to find out this week that I will be interviewing Miranda soon for a “Bookreporter Talks To” segment. I am so looking forward to this as THE PAPER PALACE is one of my favorite books of the summer thus far. I have told friends to call me after they read the last page...and not to read ahead! Don’t miss my Bets On commentary in next week’s newsletter.
Other books we’re reviewing this week include:
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BLACK ICE: In Brad Thor’s 20th thriller starring Scot Harvath, America’s top spy finds himself in a race against time that will take him high above the Arctic Circle, as he is tested in ways he has never imagined and pushed to a limit few human beings could ever endure.
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FALSE WITNESS: In Karin Slaughter’s new stand-alone thriller, an up-and-coming defense attorney has worked hard to put her nightmarish childhood behind her. But now her devastating past is starting to catch up to her, and time is running out.
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THE BONE CODE: Kathy Reichs returns with her 20th novel featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, whose examinations, 15 years apart, of unidentified bodies ignite a terrifying series of events.
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AN IRISH HOSTAGE: In the uneasy peace following World War I, nurse Bess Crawford runs into trouble and treachery in Ireland --- in this 12th installment of Charles Todd’s bestselling mystery series.
Summer Reading Update
Our 24-hour Summer Reading contests resume next week. We are giving away FIERCE LITTLE THING by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, GHOSTS OF HARVARD by Francesca Serritella (a Bets On title now in paperback), and RADAR GIRLS by Sara Ackerman. Our first contest of the week will go live on Monday, July 26th at noon ET.
Enter Our New Word of Mouth Contest
We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Let us know by Friday, August 6th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll be in the running to win BILLY SUMMERS by Stephen King (on sale August 3rd) and NOT A HAPPY FAMILY by Shari Lapena (on sale this Tuesday). Be on the lookout for our reviews of these highly anticipated novels over the next couple of weeks.
Vote in Our New Poll --- and Check Out Results from the Last Poll
In our latest poll, we’re curious about the format of the book you’re currently reading. Is it a hardcover, paperback, audiobook or e-book? Click here to let us know! We realize you may be reading more than one book right now, so we made sure to make it a “Check all that apply” type of question.
Our previous poll asked how much of a print book or e-book you read before deciding if you will finish it. 44% of you never have a set number of pages in mind, 17% give it 50 pages, 10% get to 100 pages, and 13% always finish every book they start. Click here for all the results. I never have a set number of pages in mind, but I do abandon a book if it does not interest me. Yes, I am fine to "walk away."
Last Saturday, the winners of the 2020 Agatha Awards were announced at More Than Malice, Malice Domestic’s virtual festival. They include ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE by Louise Penny (Best Contemporary Novel), THE LAST MRS. SUMMERS by Rhys Bowen (Best Historical Novel), MURDER AT THE MENA HOUSE by Erica Ruth Neubauer (Best First Novel), "Dear Emily Etiquette" by Barb Goffman (Best Short Story), PHANTOM LADY: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman Behind Hitchcock, by Christina Lane (Best Nonfiction), and HOLLY HERNANDEZ AND THE DEATH OF DISCO by Richard Narvaez (Best Children's/YA Mystery).
In last week’s newsletter, we missed telling you about the winners of this year’s Thriller Awards, which were announced during a ceremony at “Virtual” ThrillerFest on Saturday, July 10th. The awards were presented by Harlan Coben, Lisa Gardner, Tess Gerritsen, Walter Mosley, the aforementioned Karin Slaughter and R. L. Stine. Here are the winners: BLACKTOP WASTELAND by S. A. Cosby (Best Hardcover Novel), WINTER COUNTS by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Best First Novel), WHAT LIES BETWEEN US by John Marrs (Best Paperback Original Novel), “Rent Due” by Alan Orloff (Best Short Story), THROWAWAY GIRLS by Andrea Contos (Best Young Adult Novel), and A KILLING GAME by Jeff Buick (Best E-book Original Novel).
On Tuesday night, I was a guest on Adriana Trigiani’s weekly Facebook Live show, “Adriana Ink”. Above you can see a photo of the two of us from the show. Trying to get a half-decent screenshot of two women talking a mile a minute with hands in motion is really tough. We had such fun catching up and talking about what we have been doing at The Book Report Network. You can watch it here; I come in at 1:58:53. Adriana had a great lineup of author guests that evening, as well as the cover reveal for her upcoming novel, THE GOOD LEFT UNDONE, which happens at the start of the video; it will be in stores on April 12, 2022. Here are the cues for the other segments of the show:
8:37 - Daniel Silva (THE CELLIST)
36:25 - Taylor Jenkins Reid (MALIBU RISING)
57:03 - Bunny Williams (LOVE AFFAIRS WITH HOUSES)
1:38:58 - Paige Rien (LOVE THE HOUSE YOU’RE IN)
Barbara, one of our readers, wrote, “Caught you last night on 'Adriana Ink.' You and Adriana were so much fun to watch. You both are filled with so much energy. I truly appreciate the work you ladies are doing for the promotion of books and authors. As you mentioned, before people like yourself and Adriana, the only way for the vast majority of us to meet authors was to watch C-SPAN's 'Book TV.' They only focused on authors of nonfiction. I think getting to know the author adds so much to the promotion of a book. Watching last night, I learned about a new-to-me author, Daniel Silva. Now I am not a big fan of thrillers, but I have put one of his books on my to-read list just because of what I learned about him last night. Keep up the good work. It is GREATLY appreciated. BTW, I have been following you since early Bookaccino days.” Thanks for watching, Barbara. That conversation was really fun; I still laugh thinking about parts of it.
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail:
Leann wrote, “Thank you Carol for the great surprise of the books from the Father's Day Contest! Such a great variety, and we are looking forward to reading and enjoying each one! Thank you for going virtual through all this pandemic mess!”
Mona wrote this about the newsletter: “This is nice --- all those suggestions!”
"Ted Lasso" on Apple TV+: Season two kicks off today --- one of the few shows that Tom and I watch together.
“100 Foot Wave” on HBO: I love watching films and footage about surfing, though I have spent zero time on a board. Garrett McNamara has a quest to chase a 100-foot wave. The first episode was terrific. There are five more to go.
“A Million Little Things” on Hulu: I love this show. I had missed most of the last season on ABC, so thank you, Hulu.
A few of our readers went to an event for COUNT THE WAYS by Joyce Maynard, which was sponsored by the Cape May County Library and held at the Cape May County Zoo. Books were available for sale at the event through Stone Harbor Book Shop. From left to right, you can see Marilyn Timms, Joyce Maynard, Jen Gensemer and Lisa Hickman. Lisa is also our Contest Coordinator, so now you can attach a face to the name!
Today my friend Wendy Sheanin from Simon & Schuster came over for lunch. We spent a few hours catching up and talking books. Before she arrived, I rearranged my bookshelves as to what is “to be read” and “already read.” I knew that then we could discuss what else I want to read, and what we thought about what we had mutually read. You are book lovers, so I know you understand this. Some people dust; we rearrange the bookshelves. Although she brought her bathing suit, we never made it into the pool. See what happens when you are talking books?
Our friends T.K. and Laura are coming for pizza tonight. We could not decide whether to make pizza or flatbread, so we are making one of each. Or actually two flatbreads and a pizza. And yep, the peach dessert, the one that I am sure Ina is not making!
The rest of the weekend will be about reading ---- currently I am reading DAMNATION SPRING by Ash Davidson --- and trying to practice intense self-control as one of my favorite nurseries has a “buy two, get one free” sale. I know; this is also 1/3 off. Restraint; may I practice restraint! Read Carol, read.
Greg is in Oregon and will be doing one of his favorite things this upcoming week --- working while away. He also will be doing another of his favorite things and going on a lighthouse photography trip later in the week. Tonight he called as he was shopping at Powell's, which of course is what a book lover does in Portland. Cory is on his way to Virginia to visit Son 2B, along with Son 2A. Longtime readers will know that Son 2A is his childhood friend, Josh, while Son 2B is his other childhood friend, Stephen. Forever they will be 2A and 2B.
Read on, and have a great week.
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!
New Special Contest: Enter to Win an Advance Copy of
LIGHTNING STRIKE by William Kent Krueger,
Releasing August 24th --- Plus a HUGE Grand Prize!
From William Kent Krueger, the author of the instant New York Times bestseller THIS TENDER LAND, comes LIGHTNING STRIKE, a powerful prequel to his acclaimed Cork O’Connor series. This highly anticipated novel is about fathers and sons, long-simmering conflicts in a small Minnesota town, and the events that echo through youth and shape our lives forever. We are giving 25 readers the opportunity to win an advance copy of the book, which releases on August 24th. In addition, one Grand Prize winner will receive signed copies of all 18 Cork O’Connor mysteries! To enter, please fill out this form by Friday, August 6th at noon ET.
LIGHTNING STRIKE by William Kent Krueger (Historical Mystery)
Aurora is a small town nestled in the ancient forest alongside the shores of Minnesota’s Iron Lake. In the summer of 1963, it is the whole world to 12-year-old Cork O’Connor, its rhythms as familiar as his own heartbeat. But when Cork stumbles upon the body of a man he revered hanging from a tree in an abandoned logging camp, it is the first in a series of events that will cause him to question everything he took for granted about his hometown, his family and himself.
Cork’s father, Liam O’Connor, is Aurora’s sheriff and it is his job to confirm that the man’s death was the result of suicide, as all the evidence suggests. In the shadow of his father’s official investigation, Cork begins to look for answers on his own. Together, father and son face the ultimate test of choosing between what their heads tell them is true and what their hearts know is right.
In this masterful story of a young man and a town on the cusp of change, beloved novelist William Kent Krueger shows that some mysteries can be solved even as others surpass our understanding.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read William Kent Krueger's bio.
- Click here to visit William Kent Krueger's website.
- Connect with William Kent Krueger on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Click here to enter the contest.
Featured Review:
THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller
July’s Barnes & Noble and Reese’s Book Club Picks,
and an Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Nan McNamara
Elle, a 50-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at “The Paper Palace” --- the family summer place that she has visited every summer of her life. But this morning is different: Last night, Elle and her oldest friend, Jonas, crept out the back door into the darkness and had sex with each other for the first time, all while their spouses chatted away inside. Now, over the next 24 hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn’t forever changed the course of their lives. As Miranda Cowley Heller colors in the experiences that have led Elle to this day, we arrive at her ultimate decision with all its complexity. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
Click here to read our review.
THE PAPER PALACE will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.
Don't miss Carol's commentary in next week's newsletter.
Featured Review: BLACK ICE by Brad Thor
BLACK ICE by Brad Thor (Political Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Armand Schultz
Scot Harvath is having his best summer ever. With a cottage on the fjord, a boat and his beautiful girlfriend Sølvi, he has everything he could possibly want. But out of vacation days and long overdue back home, America’s top spy has a decision to make --- return, or submit his resignation. When his deadly past comes calling, though, he’ll be left with no choice at all. Leaving his favorite Oslo café, Harvath watches as a ghost climbs out of a taxi --- a man he killed years ago, halfway around the world. How is he still alive? And what is he doing in Norway? In a race against time that will take him high above the Arctic Circle, Harvath will be tested in ways he has never imagined and pushed to a limit few human beings could ever endure. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: FALSE WITNESS by Karin Slaughter
FALSE WITNESS by Karin Slaughter (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Kathleen Early
Leigh Collier is an up-and-coming defense attorney and is managing to successfully coparent through a pandemic. But her ordinary life masks a childhood no one should have to endure. On a Sunday night at her daughter’s school play, she gets a call from one of the firm's partners who wants Leigh to come on board to defend a wealthy man accused of multiple counts of rape. When she meets the accused face-to-face, she realizes it’s no coincidence that he’s specifically asked for her to represent him. He may know what happened over 20 years ago, and why Leigh has spent two decades avoiding her past. The only person who can help is her younger, estranged sister Callie --- the last person Leigh would ever want to drag into this after all they’ve been through. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com Bets On: THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
and THE LAST COMMANDMENT by Scott Shepherd
THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (Historical Fiction)
THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a book that you immediately want to talk about once you finish it. Like the subject of other novels that Marie has written, I wondered how I did not know the story of Belle da Costa Greene. Belle was J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian. She had an eye for collecting art and treasured manuscripts, along with the funds to pursue buying them in the United States and Europe. But as renowned as she was in these circles, she had a secret. Her name was really Belle Marion Greener. She was dark-skinned not because she was Portuguese, but because she was Black passing as white.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
- Click here to see why the book is July's "Good Morning America" Book Club pick.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary
on THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN.
THE LAST COMMANDMENT: An Austin Grant of Scotland Yard Novel by Scott Shepherd (Mystery/Thriller)
THE LAST COMMANDMENT is Scott Shepherd’s first thriller, and I am very happy to hear that he is planning a series with his character, Metropolitan Police Commander Austin Grant. The book opens during Christmastime in London when Grant is weeks from his retirement at the end of the year --- and he is counting the days. He’s still grieving the loss of his wife, and the holidays are particularly tough for him. There have been three seemingly unconnected murders in London. But there is something that gives one pause about the cases. There are sequential Roman numerals on the heads of all the victims. What’s the connection? It’s quickly figured out that the murders are following the Ten Commandments.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Scott Shepherd.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
- Click here to visit Scott Shepherd's website.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary
on THE LAST COMMANDMENT.
Featured Review: THE BONE CODE by Kathy Reichs
THE BONE CODE: A Temperance Brennan Novel by Kathy Reichs (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Linda Emond
On the way to hurricane-ravaged Isle of Palms, a barrier island off the South Carolina coast, Tempe receives a call from the Charleston coroner. The storm has tossed ashore a medical waste container. Inside are two decomposed bodies wrapped in plastic sheeting and bound with electrical wire. Tempe recognizes many of the details as identical to those of an unsolved case she handled in Quebec years earlier. With a growing sense of foreboding, she travels to Montreal to gather evidence. Meanwhile, health authorities in South Carolina become increasingly alarmed as a human flesh-eating contagion spreads. Someone is protecting a dark secret --- and willing to do anything to keep it hidden. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: AN IRISH HOSTAGE by Charles Todd
AN IRISH HOSTAGE: A Bess Crawford Mystery by Charles Todd (Historical Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Rosalyn Landor
The Great War is over --- but in Ireland, in the wake of the bloody 1916 Easter Rising, anyone who served in France is now considered a traitor, including nurse Eileen Flynn and former soldier Michael Sullivan, who only want to be married in the small, isolated village where she grew up. Even her grandmother is against it, and Eileen’s only protection is her cousin Terrence, who was a hero of the Rising and is still being hunted by the British. Bess Crawford had promised to be there for the wedding. And in spite of the danger to her, she keeps that promise --- only to be met with the shocking news that the groom has vanished. Eileen begs for her help, but how can Bess hope to find him when she doesn’t know the country, the people or where to put her trust? Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com's 17th Annual
Summer Reading Contests and Feature
Summer is here! At Bookreporter.com, this means it's time for us to share some great summer book picks with our Summer Reading Contests and Feature. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through the end of August, so you will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter to win. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
Our next prize book will be announced on Monday, July 26th at noon ET.
This year’s featured titles include:
Click here to read all the contest details and learn more about our prize books.
Bookreporter.com’s 2021 Virtual Vacation Reads:
Books Set in Getaway Locations
Bookreporter has a way for you to virtually travel with our list of books set in vacation locales. Escape to idyllic spots like Nantucket, Cape Cod, Malibu, the Catskills, Charleston and Palm Beach --- along with many others --- in our 2021 Virtual Vacation Reads feature. Pick your book(s) to embark on the summer vacation you've been dreaming of. You’ll only have to figure out how to send postcards!
Please note: For your convenience, we have organized these books both by location and alphabetically by title. We also have included links to indie bookstores that are at or near each of these locations, so you can pay them a virtual visit as well! May we suggest that you buy these books from them?
Click here to see our 2021 Virtual Vacation Reads feature.
What’s New This Month on ReadingGroupGuides.com
We currently have one contest running on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Win Up to 12 Copies of THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline 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 up to 12 copies of that month’s prize book for their group. Our latest prize book is THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline, a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick that is now available in paperback. This ambitious, emotionally resonant historical novel captures the hardship, oppression, opportunity and hope of a trio of women’s lives --- two English convicts and an orphaned Aboriginal girl --- in 19th-century Australia. Enter here by Wednesday, August 4th 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: Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, Shari Lapena, Jennifer Chiaverini
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.
Monday, July 26th at 8pm ET: Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Megan Miranda will discuss SUCH A QUIET PLACE with Samantha Downing, whose new book is FOR YOUR OWN GOOD.
Tuesday, July 27th at 6pm ET: Bethany Beach Books: Join Bethany Beach Books for a virtual author event with Shari Lapena in conversation with Linwood Barclay about her new thriller, NOT A HAPPY FAMILY.
Tuesday, July 27th at 7pm ET: Poughkeepsie Public Library District: Lisa Scottoline, the bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author of 33 novels, will talk about her first-ever work of historical fiction, ETERNAL.
Tuesday, July 27th at 7pm ET: Square Books: In celebration of her new novel, FIERCE LITTLE THING, Miranda Beverly-Whittemore will be joined by powerhouse writers Leslie Jamison, Marcy Dermansky and Emily Raboteau to talk about writing female power.
Tuesday, July 27th at 8pm ET: Warwick's: This Couch Surfing Book Tour event features Megan Miranda as she discusses her new book, SUCH A QUIET PLACE, with Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke.
Wednesday, July 28th at 3pm ET: Poisoned Pen Bookstore: B. A. Paris will discuss her new novel, THE THERAPIST, with special guest host Gilly Macmillan.
Wednesday, July 28th 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 Christina Baker Kline, whose most recent novel, THE EXILES, is now in paperback.
Wednesday, July 28th at 8pm ET: Mystery to Me: Beloved author Jennifer Chiaverini will return to Mystery to Me to talk about her latest work of historical fiction, THE WOMEN'S MARCH.
Thursday, July 29th at 12pm ET: Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites: Members of the Simon & Schuster team will host a Facebook Live Book Club chat about ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman, which is July's pick for S&S's Book Club Favorites.
Thursday, July 29th at 7pm ET: Cuyahoga County Public Library: Join Cuyahoga County Public Library on Zoom for a conversation with Jennifer Chiaverini about her new novel, THE WOMEN'S MARCH.
"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:
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Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN)
Video | Podcast
Other authors we've interviewed include:
Upcoming interviews include:
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Megan Abbott (THE TURNOUT)
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Chandler Baker (THE HUSBANDS)
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Elizabeth Brundage (THE VANISHING POINT)
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Miranda Cowley Heller (THE PAPER PALACE)
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William Kent Krueger (LIGHTNING STRIKE)
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Megan Miranda (SUCH A QUIET PLACE)
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Taylor Jenkins Reid (MALIBU RISING)
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Dianna Rostad (YOU BELONG HERE NOW)
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Jonathan Santlofer (THE LAST MONA LISA)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
BETTER TO HAVE GONE: Love, Death, and the Quest for Utopia in Auroville by Akash Kapur (Memoir/History)
Audiobook available, read by Vikas Adams
It’s the late 1960s, and two lovers converge on an arid patch of earth in South India. John Walker is the handsome scion of a powerful East Coast American family. Diane Maes is a beautiful hippie from Belgium. They have come to build a new world --- Auroville, an international utopian community for thousands of people. Their faith is strong, and the future is bright. So how do John and Diane end up dying two decades later, on the same day, on a cracked concrete floor in a thatch hut by a remote canyon? This is the mystery Akash Kapur sets out to solve in BETTER TO HAVE GONE, and it carries deep personal resonance: Diane and John were the parents of Akash’s wife, Auralice. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
TENDER IS THE BITE: A Chet & Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Jim Frangione
Chet and Bernie are contacted by a terribly scared young woman who seems to want their help. Before she can even tell them her name, she flees in panic. But in that brief meeting Chet sniffs out an important secret about her, a secret at the heart of the mystery he and Bernie set out to solve. It's a case with no client and no crime and yet great danger, with the duo facing a powerful politician who has a lot to lose. Their only hope lies with a ferret named Griffie who adores Bernie. Is there room for a ferret in the Chet and Bernie relationship? That's the challenge Chet faces, the biggest of his career. Hanging in the balance are the lives of two mistreated young women and the future of the whole state. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
GOLDEN BOY: A Murder Among the Manhattan Elite by John Glatt (True Crime)
Audiobook available, read by Shaun Grindell
By all accounts, Thomas Gilbert Jr. led a charmed life. With his striking good looks, he moved with ease through glittering social circles and followed in his father’s footsteps to Princeton. But Tommy always felt different. The cracks in his façade began to show in warning signs of OCD, increasing paranoia and an inexplicable hatred of his father. As his parents begged him to seek psychiatric help, Tommy pushed back by self-medicating with drugs and escalating violence. When a fire destroyed his former best friend’s Hamptons home, Tommy was the prime suspect --- but he was never charged. Just months later, he shot his father point-blank in the head. Journalist John Glatt takes an in-depth look at the devastating crime that rocked Manhattan’s upper class. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
THE COMFORT OF MONSTERS by Willa C. Richards (Fiction)
In the summer of 1991, a teenage girl named Dee McBride vanished in the city of Milwaukee. Nearly 30 years later, Dee’s sister, Peg, is still haunted by her disappearance. Their mother, on her deathbed, is desperate to find out what happened to Dee, so the family hires a psychic to help find Dee’s body and bring them some semblance of peace. The appearance of the psychic plunges Peg back to those final carefree months when she last saw Dee. Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s heinous crimes dominated the headlines and overwhelmed local law enforcement. Peg’s hazy recollections are far from easy for her to interpret, assess or even keep clear in her mind. And now digging deep into her memory raises doubts and difficult --- even terrifying --- questions. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
THE REHEARSALS by Annette Christie (Romantic Comedy)
Audiobook available, read by Amanda Troop and Will Collyer
Megan Givens and Tom Prescott are heading into what is supposed to be their magical wedding weekend on beautiful San Juan Island. But with two difficult families, 10 years of history and all too many secrets, things quickly go wrong. After a disastrous rehearsal dinner, they vow to call the whole thing off --- only to wake up the next morning stuck together in a time loop. Are they really destined to relive the worst day of their lives, over and over? And what happens if their wedding day does arrive? Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
MIDNIGHT, WATER CITY by Chris McKinney (Science Fiction/Noir)
Audiobook available, read by Richard Ferrone
Year 2142: Earth is 40 years past a near-collision with the asteroid Sessho-seki. Akira Kimura, the scientist responsible for eliminating the threat, has reached heights of celebrity approaching deification. But now, Akira feels her safety is under threat, so after years without contact, she reaches out to her former head of security, who has since become a police detective. When he arrives at her deep-sea home and finds Akira methodically dismembered, this detective will risk everything --- his career, his family, even his own life --- and delve back into his shared past with Akira to find her killer. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
BUILD YOUR HOUSE AROUND MY BODY by Violet Kupersmith (Fiction/Magical Realism)
Audiobook available, read by Quyen Ngo
1986: The teenage daughter of a wealthy Vietnamese family loses her way in an abandoned rubber plantation while fleeing her angry father and is forever changed. 2011: A young, unhappy Vietnamese American woman disappears from her new home in Saigon without a trace. The fates of these two women are inescapably linked, bound together by past generations, by ghosts and ancestors, by the history of possessed bodies and possessed lands. Each new character and timeline brings us one step closer to understanding what binds them all. Reviewed by Sam Johnson.
THE RETREAT by Elisabeth de Mariaffi (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Erin Moon
Maeve Martin arrives at the High Water Center for the Arts, a gorgeous lodge nestled deep in the Rocky Mountains, determined to do one thing: begin her own dance company. A retired performer and mother of two, time is running out for her to find her feet again after the collapse of her disastrous --- and violent --- marriage. But when an avalanche strikes, Maeve finds herself trapped with six other guests. At first, there’s a sense of camaraderie. But as the days pass and the storm rages on outside, tensions start to run high. Then the first guest meets an unspeakable death. Followed by another. Soon Maeve must admit how little she knows about these strangers --- and how useless a locked door is if the darkness is already inside. Reviewed by Megan Elliott.
HER LAST BREATH by Hilary Davidson (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Sarah Mollo-Christensen and Will Damron
When her beloved sister Caroline dies suddenly, Deirdre is heartbroken. However, her sorrow turns to bone-chilling confusion when she receives a message Caroline sent days earlier warning that her death would be no accident. It claimed that Caroline’s husband, Theo, killed his first wife and got away with it. Reeling from the news, Deirdre confronts Theo on the way to the cemetery, and he reveals both his temper and his suspicion that Deirdre’s “perfect” sister was having an affair. Paranoid and armed with just enough information to make her dangerous, Deirdre digs into the disturbing secrets buried with Caroline. But as she gets closer to the truth, she realizes that her own life may be at risk…and that there may be more than one killer in the family. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
Next Week's Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on July 27th
Below are some notable titles releasing on July 27th 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 July 26th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
FIERCE LITTLE THING by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore (Psychological Thriller)
New York Times bestselling author Miranda Beverly-Whittemore’s FIERCE LITTLE THING is a mesmerizing story of friendship and its reckonings.
GODSPEED by Nickolas Butler (Literary Thriller)
In this riveting new novel by the bestselling and award-winning author of SHOTGUN LOVESONGS, three troubled construction workers get entangled in a dangerous plan against an impossible deadline.
NOT A HAPPY FAMILY by Shari Lapena (Psychological Thriller)
Fred and Sheila Merton are brutally murdered after a fraught Easter dinner with their three adult kids, each of whom stands to inherit millions. They were never a happy family, thanks to their vindictive father and neglectful mother, but perhaps one of the siblings is more disturbed than anyone knew.
A PLACE LIKE HOME: Stories by Rosamunde Pilcher (Fiction/Short Stories)
A PLACE LIKE HOME is a spellbinding collection of short stories by internationally bestselling author Rosamunde Pilcher, never before published in book form.
RADAR GIRLS by Sara Ackerman (Historical Fiction)
RADAR GIRLS is an extraordinary story inspired by the real Women’s Air Raid Defense, where an unlikely recruit and her sisters-in-arms forge their place in WWII history.
ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE BOURNE TREACHERY by Brian Freeman (Thriller/Adventure)
The world’s most ruthlessly efficient assassin, Jason Bourne, is facing the one force he can’t defeat --- his own past --- in the latest thrilling entry in Robert Ludlum’s New York Times bestselling series.
UNTHINKABLE by Brad Parks (Thriller)
From international bestselling author Brad Parks comes a new thriller about an ordinary man who may be able to save the world as we know it --- but to do so, he must make an impossible choice.
THE WOMEN'S MARCH: A Novel of the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession by Jennifer Chiaverini (Historical Fiction)
New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini returns with THE WOMEN'S MARCH, an enthralling historical novel of the woman’s suffrage movement inspired by three courageous women who bravely risked their lives and liberty in the fight to win the vote.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
Our Latest Poll: Book Formats
What is the format of the book you are currently reading? Please check all that apply, as we know many of you may be reading more than one book.
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Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, August 6th 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 July 23rd to August 6th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of BILLY SUMMERS by Stephen King and NOT A HAPPY FAMILY by Shari Lapena.
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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