|
Because there is never a dull moment in our garden, we are now dealing with lantern flies, which currently are minutely sized, but are chowing down on the leaves of plants in a rather vicious way. And they are FAST! Thus I am waiting for praying mantis eggs...or, should I say, I am praying for praying mantis eggs. Our local garden center is getting these in, and they are scheduled to hatch in mid-July. These sly little creatures camouflage against the leaves and then gobble up lantern flies. I am getting ready to assemble my army of eggs for this battle. I will be discussing how many eggs I need and where to position them. I do not want to have the praying mantis tired as it seeks prey (you see what I did there, right?), so I am ready to get my battle plan in place.
Or I thought I was ready until I read this on Google: "Approximately 150–180 young mantises can emerge from each egg case, but you can expect only about five to survive. Provide the mantises with food and water immediately after they hatch. Any flightless Fruit Flies 87 W 6652 are an excellent food source for the mantises.” Now I need to find this and remember to feed the mantises. Between this regimen and the bottle of insecticide that I have for Japanese beetles, I am set for a weekend of not relaxing in the garden.
It's been a busy week. On Monday night, I presented virtually to the Plainview-Old Bethpage Library in what we were calling a three-peat event to kick off their Summer Reading Program. Then on Wednesday night, I appeared in person --- their first in-person event --- at the Rockville Centre Public Library where I did the kickoff for their Summer Reading Program; it's the sixth time that I have done a program for them. Next Thursday at 6pm, I will be at the Avalon Free Public Library in New Jersey talking Beach Book Picks. To join me there, here are the details. I love doing events like this both virtually and in person where I get to meet readers!
I am ready for some reading this weekend. I have THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK by Jennifer Hillier lined up. I am a few chapters in and am looking forward to long hours of reading! It releases on July 19th.
Last weekend, I finished THE SHORE by Katie Runde, and it struck a chord with me. Those of us from New Jersey do not say we are going to the beach; we say we are going “down the shore.” The book is set at Seaside, a place that I know well from the amusement park there that I visited when I was a kid. I am excited to talk to Katie on Tuesday; we will have that interview for you next week, and I will share more about it then. I do completely concur with Rebecca Munro’s review of it that we posted in May.
My husband is a huge Mark Greaney fan, and he loves the Gray Man series. Mark is kicking off a new series on Tuesday with ARMORED, and I wanted to be sure to get him in with book one. “Wife of the Year,” I always tell him. His personal book concierge!
Meanwhile, we have lots to share with you this week.
My latest “Bookreporter Talks To” interview is with Meg Mitchell Moore, whose newest title, VACATIONLAND, is a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. The summer home in the novel is loosely based on a house that Meg's friends own in Maine. She loves visiting there, so setting a book in that particular location was a joy.
VACATIONLAND opens with a woman on a bus headed to Maine, which Meg notes hits the theme of “a stranger comes to town.” Why she is there is juxtaposed around the story of Louisa and her children, who are set to spend a wonderful summer at her parents' house. But her father is slipping with Alzheimer’s, which casts a pall over the usual summer vibe. Meg talks about how she worked on the pacing for secrets kept and secrets revealed. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.
I was happy to learn today that VACATIONLAND is the first pick in Amazon's new monthly book club, Sarah Selects, which is led by the Editorial Director for Books, Sarah Gelman.
OUR WOMAN IN MOSCOW by Beatriz Williams is the latest book we’re featuring in our Paperback Spotlight.
In the autumn of 1948, Iris Digby vanishes from her London home with her American diplomat husband and their two children. Were they eliminated by the Soviet intelligence service? Or have they defected to Moscow with a trove of the West’s most vital secrets? Four years later, Ruth Macallister receives a postcard from the twin sister she hasn’t seen since their catastrophic parting in Rome in the summer of 1940, as war engulfed the continent and Iris fell desperately in love with an enigmatic United States Embassy official named Sasha Digby. Within days, Ruth is on her way to Moscow, posing as the wife of counterintelligence agent Sumner Fox in a precarious plot to extract the Digbys from behind the Iron Curtain.
We reviewed OUR WOMAN IN MOSCOW when it came out in hardcover last year; click here to read the review.
Summer Reading Update
OUR WOMAN IN MOSCOW was this week’s Summer Reading prize book. Our contests will resume the week of July 11th when we will be giving away ACTS OF VIOLET by Margarita Montimore, THE BEST IS YET TO COME by Debbie Macomber, and THE TRUE LOVE BOOKSHOP by Annie Rains. The first contest of the week will be up on Monday the 11th at noon ET.
Kate White is back with another twisty psychological thriller, THE SECOND HUSBAND, in which a woman’s seemingly perfect second marriage is rocked by a discovery about the death of her first husband.
Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum has our review and says, “The suspense ratchets up as the story moves along. Few clues are solvable here, which keeps readers turning each page at a brisk pace. Kate White has an impeccable talent for straightforward plotting and a writing style that never fails to engage. THE SECOND HUSBAND is a perfect beach read.”
Other books we’re reviewing this week include:
-
ROGUES: Patrick Radden Keefe has garnered prizes ranging from the National Magazine Award to the Orwell Prize to the National Book Critics Circle Award for his meticulously reported and engaging work on the many ways people behave badly. His latest book brings together a dozen of his most celebrated articles from The New Yorker.
-
HORSE: A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history. From these strands, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession and injustice across American history.
-
LEARNING TO TALK: In the wake of Hilary Mantel's conclusion to her award-winning Wolf Hall trilogy, this collection of loosely autobiographical stories locates the transforming moments of a haunted childhood.
-
ELSEWHERE: With elements of Shirley Jackson’s THE LOTTERY and the imaginative depth of Margaret Atwood, Alexis Schaitkin’s new novel conjures a community in which girls become wives, wives become mothers, and some of them, quite simply, disappear.
I’m Betting You’ll Love…
We’re continuing to feature THE LIES I TELL by Julie Clark, which is now a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, in our Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight. It also is my latest Bets On selection, and you can read my commentary here.
Books on Screen Offerings for July
We’ve updated our Books on Screen feature for this month. July’s roundup includes the films Where the Crawdads Sing, The Gray Man, The Forgiven and Persuasion; the series premieres of "Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin" on HBO Max, "The Terminal List" on Amazon Prime Video, and "How to Change Your Mind" on Netflix; the season four premiere of Netflix's "Virgin River"; the season one finale of Showtime's "The Man Who Fell to Earth"; and the DVD releases of Drive My Car and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Revisiting Two of My “Bookreporter Talks To” Interviews
Out in paperback this week are CLARK AND DIVISION by Naomi Hirahara and THE LAST COMMANDMENT by Scott Shepherd. I talked to Naomi and Scott when their books came out in hardcover, so if you’d like to check out these interviews, you can watch the videos or listen to the podcasts using these links:
-
Naomi Hirahara (CLARK AND DIVISION) Video | Podcast
-
Scott Shepherd (THE LAST COMMANDMENT: An Austin Grant of Scotland Yard Novel) Video | Podcast
On ReadingGroupGuides.com, we’re giving three groups the chance to win up to 12 paperback copies of CLARK AND DIVISION in our latest “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest. The deadline for your entries is this Wednesday, July 6th at noon ET. So if you’re in a book group, the time to enter is now!
Also, please note that Scott’s second mystery, SHOULD I FALL, will release on July 19th. We plan to post our review that week, and I look forward to catching up with Scott about his book in an upcoming interview.
Word of Mouth Reminder
Submit your comments about the books you’ve read, and you’ll have a chance to win our current Word of Mouth prizes: THE MEASURE by Nikki Erlick, which is this month’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick, and RIZZOLI & ISLES: LISTEN TO ME by Tess Gerritsen. Be sure to submit your entries by Friday, July 8th at noon ET.
Remember to Vote in Our Poll
Our poll continues to ask which of my Bets On picks that are now or soon will be in paperback you have read or are planning to read. Click here to let us know.
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail:
Ann wrote last Saturday with a note called “Don’t Stop.” She said, “A beautiful Saturday morning, sunshine through my windows and a fresh brewed coffee in my cup…time to check out the Bookreporter newsletter. I look forward to the reviews, 'Bookaccino Live,' the podcasts…so much food for thought. You have shelved books, I have lists and lists that I bring with me to the library. Plus, you 'welcome' us into your kitchen, den and patio with the personal, family stories that many of us have experienced. Don’t stop…” Ann, what a lovely note. I don’t plan on stopping, so you keep that coffee ready to be poured.
Susan wrote, “Thank you for the copy of WIDOWLAND by C. J. Carey. It sounds like such an interesting book, and I'm really looking forward to reading it.”
“The Lincoln Lawyer” on Netflix: I finally am watching this. I was waiting for Tom as I thought he might enjoy it. I was right. We are! We have three episodes left.
“The Girl from Plainville” on Hulu: I remember this news story and being horrified by it. The dramatization is pretty startling --- it's “[t]he true story of Michelle Carter's ‘texting-suicide’ case, exploring her relationship with Conrad Roy III and the events leading up to his death, and, later, her conviction of involuntary manslaughter.”
Cory stopped home last night to pick up his kayak, so he could hit the water with friends today. Greg is off traveling and is due home on Monday night, but the way air travel is going these days, hitchhiking may be faster. He is still optimistic that he will be home in time for a 4th of July picnic dinner. His friend, Angela, will be joining us too; she’s from the UK, and it will be lovely to share the anniversary of our independence with her. Actually she lived here for decades, so this will not be something new.
I am hoping for a quiet weekend as I wait for the praying mantis eggs to come in. Should I pace the kitchen floor as I wait for them to hatch?
Here’s to a firecracker 4th! 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!
Featured Review: THE SECOND HUSBAND by Kate White
THE SECOND HUSBAND by Kate White (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Leslie Howard
After losing her husband, Derrick, in what appears to have been a random street crime, thirtysomething Emma has built a new life with widower Tom, who is kind, handsome, driven and successful. Emma is finally able to feel safe again, both in her relationship with Tom and in the home they've made together on the Connecticut shore. Then one day a homicide detective shows up at Emma and Tom’s door asking questions. Though Emma had been cleared of her husband’s murder, it appears that law enforcement is taking another look at her and the case. What do they know? Are they on the right track this time? And most importantly, will the renewed investigation ruin Emma’s chances of a happy life? Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: ROGUES by Patrick Radden Keefe
ROGUES: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe (True Crime)
Audiobook available, read by Patrick Radden Keefe
ROGUES brings together a dozen of Patrick Radden Keefe’s most celebrated articles from The New Yorker. Here, he brilliantly explores the intricacies of forging $150,000 vintage wines, examines if a whistleblower who dared to expose money laundering at a Swiss bank is a hero or a fabulist, spends time in Vietnam with Anthony Bourdain, chronicles the quest to bring down a cheerful international black market arms merchant, and profiles a passionate death penalty attorney who represents the “worst of the worst,” among other bravura works of literary journalism. Reviewed by Cindy Burnett.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
New Paperback Spotlight:
OUR WOMAN IN MOSCOW by Beatriz Williams
OUR WOMAN IN MOSCOW by Beatriz Williams (Historical Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Nicola Barber and Cassandra Campbell
In the autumn of 1948, Iris Digby vanishes from her London home with her American diplomat husband and their two children. The world is shocked by the family’s sensational disappearance. Were they eliminated by the Soviet intelligence service? Or have the Digbys defected to Moscow with a trove of the West’s most vital secrets?
Four years later, Ruth Macallister receives a postcard from the twin sister she hasn’t seen since their catastrophic parting in Rome in the summer of 1940, as war engulfed the continent and Iris fell desperately in love with an enigmatic United States Embassy official named Sasha Digby. Within days, Ruth is on her way to Moscow, posing as the wife of counterintelligence agent Sumner Fox in a precarious plot to extract the Digbys from behind the Iron Curtain.
But the complex truth behind Iris’ marriage defies Ruth’s understanding, and as the sisters race toward safety, a dogged Soviet KGB officer forces them to make a heartbreaking choice between two irreconcilable loyalties.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read Beatriz Williams' bio.
- Click here to visit Beatriz Williams' website.
- Connect with Beatriz Williams on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click here to read more in our Paperback Spotlight.
Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight:
THE LIES I TELL by Julie Clark
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE LIES I TELL by Julie Clark (Domestic Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Anna Caputo and Amanda Dolan
Meg Williams. Maggie Littleton. Melody Wilde. Different names for the same person, depending on the town, depending on the job. She's a con artist who erases herself to become whoever you need her to be. A college student. A life coach. A real estate agent. Nothing about her is real. She slides alongside you and tells you exactly what you need to hear, and by the time she's done, you've likely lost everything.
Kat Roberts has been waiting 10 years for the woman who upended her life to return. And now that she has, Kat is determined to be the one to expose her. But as the two women grow closer, Kat's long-held assumptions begin to crumble, leaving Kat to wonder who Meg's true target is.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Julie Clark.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
- Click here to read Julie Clark's bio.
- Click here to visit Julie Clark's website.
- Connect with Julie Clark on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
Click here to read more in our Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight.
Featured Review: HORSE by Geraldine Brooks
HORSE by Geraldine Brooks (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by James Fouhey, Lisa Flanagan, Graham Halstead, Katherine Littrell and Michael Obiora
Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of the racehorse takes up arms for the Union. On a perilous night, he reunites with the stallion and his groom. New York City, 1954. Martha Jackson, a gallery owner, becomes obsessed with a 19th-century equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance. Washington, DC, 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, find themselves unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse. Reviewed by Carly Silver.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: LEARNING TO TALK by Hilary Mantel
LEARNING TO TALK: Stories by Hilary Mantel (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available; read by Anna Bentinck, Jane Collingwood and Patrick Moy
Absorbing and evocative, these drawn-from-life stories by Hilary Mantel begin in the 1950s in an insular northern village “scoured by bitter winds and rough gossip tongues.” For the young narrator, the only way to survive is to get up, get on, get out. In “King Billy Is a Gentleman,” the child must come to terms with the loss of a father and the puzzle of a fading Irish heritage. “Curved Is the Line of Beauty" is a story of friendship, faith and a near-disaster in a scrap-yard. The title story sees our narrator ironing out her northern vowels with the help of an ex-actress with one lung and a Manchester accent. In “Third Floor Rising," she watches, amazed, as her mother carves out a stylish new identity. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: ELSEWHERE by Alexis Schaitkin
ELSEWHERE by Alexis Schaitkin (Dystopian Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Ell Potter
Vera grows up in a small town, removed and isolated, pressed up against the mountains, cloud-covered and damp year-round. This town faces a singular affliction: some mothers vanish, disappearing into the clouds. It is the exquisite pain and intrinsic beauty of their lives; it sets them apart from people elsewhere and gives them meaning. Vera, a young girl when her own mother went, is on the cusp of adulthood herself. As her peers begin to marry and become mothers, they speculate about who might be the first to go, each wondering about her own fate. When motherhood comes for Vera, she is faced with the question: will she be able to stay and mother her beloved child, or will she disappear? Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com's 18th 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 11th at noon ET.
This year’s featured titles include:
Click here to read all the contest details and learn more about our prize books.
July’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 July's offerings, please click here.
Film Releases
Where the Crawdads Sing
Release Date: July 15th (wide)
Based on: WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens
The Gray Man
Release Dates: July 15th (limited release in theaters); July 22nd on Netflix
Based on: THE GRAY MAN by Mark Greaney
Series Premieres
"The Terminal List"
Release Date: July 1st on Amazon Prime Video (Season One)
Based on: THE TERMINAL LIST by Jack Carr
"Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin"
Release Dates: Thursdays on HBO Max; Series Premiere on July 28th (the first three episodes will be available)
Based on: The Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard
Season Premiere
"Virgin River"
Release Date: July 20th on Netflix (Season Four)
Based on: The Virgin River series by Robyn Carr
Season Finale
"The Man Who Fell to Earth"
Air Dates: Sundays at 10pm ET/PT on Showtime; Season One Finale on July 3rd
Based on: THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH by Walter Tevis
On DVD
Drive My Car
DVD Release Date: July 19th
Based on: The short story of the same name by Haruki Murakami from the collection MEN WITHOUT WOMEN: Stories
THE LOCKED ROOM: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Jane McDowell
Three years after her mother’s death, Ruth Galloway is finally sorting through her things when she finds a curious relic: a decades-old photograph of her own Norfolk cottage --- before she lived there --- with a peculiar inscription on the back. Ruth returns to the cottage to uncover its meaning as Norfolk’s first cases of COVID-19 make headlines, leaving her and Kate to shelter in place there and befriend a kind neighbor, Zoe. Meanwhile, Nelson is investigating a series of deaths of women that may or may not be suicide. When he links a case to an archaeological discovery, he breaks curfew to visit Ruth and enlist her help. But the further Nelson investigates the deaths, the closer he gets to Ruth’s isolated cottage --- until Ruth, Zoe and Kate all go missing, and Nelson is left scrambling to find them before it’s too late. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THRUST by Lidia Yuknavitch (Dystopian Fiction/Alternative History)
Audiobook available, read by a full cast
Laisvė is a motherless girl from the late 21st century who is learning her power as a carrier, a person who can harness the power of meaningful objects to carry her through time. Sifting through the detritus of a fallen city known as the Brook, she discovers a talisman that will mysteriously connect her with a series of characters from the past two centuries: a French sculptor, a woman of the American underworld, a dictator's daughter, an accused murderer, and a squad of laborers at work on a national monument. Through intricately braided storylines, Laisvė must dodge enforcement raids and find her way to the present day, and then, finally, to the early days of her imperfect country, to forge a connection that might save their lives --- and their shared dream of freedom. Reviewed by Eileen Zimmerman Nicol.
THE GERMAN WIFE by Kelly Rimmer (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Nancy Peterson and Ann Marie Gideon
Berlin, Germany, 1930. When the Nazis rise to power, Sofie von Meyer Rhodes and her academic husband benefit from the military ambitions of Germany’s newly elected chancellor when Jürgen is offered a high-level position in their burgeoning rocket program. Although they fiercely oppose Hitler’s radical views, it soon becomes clear that if Jürgen does not accept the job, they will lose their lives. Huntsville, Alabama, 1950. Twenty years later, Jürgen is one of many German scientists pardoned and granted a position in America’s space program. But when rumors about the Rhodes family’s affiliation with the Nazi party spread among her new American neighbors, idle gossip turns to bitter rage, and the act of violence that results tears apart a family. Reviewed by Rebecca Wasniak.
AN ISLAND WEDDING by Jenny Colgan (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Eilidh Beaton
On the little Scottish island of Mure, Flora MacKenzie and her fiancé, Joel, are planning the smallest of “sweetheart weddings,” a high summer celebration surrounded only by those very dearest to them. Not everyone on the island is happy about being excluded, though. The temperature rises even further when beautiful Olivia MacDonald --- who left Mure 10 years ago for bigger and brighter things --- returns with a wedding planner in tow. Her fiancé has oodles of family money, and Olivia is determined to throw the biggest, most extravagant, most Instagrammable wedding possible. And she wants to do it at Flora’s hotel, the same weekend as Flora’s carefully planned micro-wedding. As the summer solstice approaches, can Flora handle everyone else’s Happy Every Afters --- and still get her own? Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
A LIFE IN LIGHT: Meditations on Impermanence by Mary Pipher (Memoir/Essays)
Audiobook available, read by Jessica Garcie
In her luminous new memoir in essays, Mary Pipher --- as she did in her New York Times bestseller WOMEN ROWING NORTH --- taps into a cultural moment, to offer wisdom, hope and insight into loss and change. Drawing from her own experiences and expertise as a psychologist specializing in women, trauma and the effect of our culture on our mental health, she looks inward in A LIFE IN LIGHT to what shaped her as a woman, one who has experienced darkness throughout her life but was always drawn to the light. Her plainspoken depictions of her hard childhood and life's difficulties are dappled with moments of joy and revelation, tragedies and ordinary miseries, glimmers and shadow. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
ON ROTATION by Shirlene Obuobi (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Mela Lee
Ghanaian-American Angela Appiah has checked off all the boxes for the “Perfect Immigrant Daughter”: Enroll in an elite medical school. Snag a suitable lawyer/doctor/engineer boyfriend. Surround self with a gaggle of successful and/or loyal friends. But then it quickly all falls apart: her boyfriend dumps her, she bombs the most important exam of her medical career, and her best friend pulls away. And her parents, whose approval seems to hinge on how closely she follows the path they chose, are a lot less proud of their daughter. Suddenly, Angie begins to question everything. And just when things couldn’t get more complicated, enter Ricky Gutierrez, who seems to see Angie for who she is instead of what she can represent. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
ONE OF THE GIRLS by Lucy Clarke (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Natalie Simpson and Sofia Zervadachi
It was supposed to be the perfect weekend away. Six very different women travel to a sun-soaked Greek island for a bachelorette trip to celebrate Lexi’s upcoming wedding. From the glorious ocean views to the quaint tavernas and whitewashed streets, the vacation seems too good to be true. But dangerous undercurrents run beneath the sunset swims and midnight cocktails --- because each of the women is hiding a secret. Someone is determined to make sure that Lexi’s marriage never happens --- and that one of them doesn’t leave the island alive. Reviewed by Megan Elliott.
OUTSIDE by Ragnar Jónasson (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Carla Harrison-Hodge, Gil Sullivan, Jamie Maclachlan and Reice Weathers
When a deadly snowstorm strikes the Icelandic highlands, four friends seek shelter in a small, abandoned hunting lodge. It is in the middle of nowhere, and there's no way of communicating with the outside world. As the night darkens and fears intensify, an old tragedy gradually surfaces --- one that forever changed the course of their friendship. Those dark memories could hold the key to the mystery the friends now find themselves in. And whether they will survive until morning. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
DECEMBER '41: A World War II Thriller by William Martin (Historical Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Robert Fass
On the day after Pearl Harbor, shocked Americans gather around their radios to hear Franklin Roosevelt declare war. In Los Angeles, a German agent named Martin Browning is planning to kill FDR on the night he lights the National Christmas Tree. Who will stop him? Relentless FBI Agent Frank Carter? Kevin Cusack, a Hollywood script reader who also spies on the German Bund of Los Angeles and becomes a suspect himself? Or Vivian Hopewell, the aspiring actress who signs on to play Martin Browning's wife and cannot help but fall in love with him? The clock is ticking. The tracks are laid. The train of narrow escapes, mistaken identities and shocking deaths is right on schedule. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
FIRST VICTIM by Debbie Babitt (Legal Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Hillary Huber
From the bench at Manhattan Supreme, the Honorable Alice D. McKerrity has seen the most hardened killers pass through her courtroom. But there’s something about this trial --- a defendant charged with the murder of a pregnant woman --- that affects her as no other case ever has. She’s also harboring a secret that if exposed could have far-reaching ramifications both personally and professionally. And now, unbeknownst to Alice, her daughter has begun a search for her biological father. As the trial progresses, Alice’s life starts to unravel. Almost at the breaking point, she begins to doubt her own sanity. Then she makes a shocking discovery that sends her on a collision course with her past and a terror-filled night in the woods in Upstate New York. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on July 5th
Below are some notable titles releasing on July 5th 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 4th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
ACTS OF VIOLET by Margarita Montimore (Fiction)
From Margarita Montimore, the author of the "Good Morning America" Book Club pick and national bestseller OONA OUT OF ORDER, ACTS OF VIOLET is a dazzling and twisty new novel about a famous magician who disappears, leaving her sister to figure out what really happened.
ARMORED by Mark Greaney (Thriller/Adventure)
The UN is sending a peace mission into the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico, an area so dangerous it's known as Espinazo del Diablo --- the Devil's Spine. Only a fool would think they could broker peace between the homicidal drug cartels in the region, and only a madman would sign on to keep those fools alive.
THE CHURCH OF BASEBALL: The Making of Bull Durham: Home Runs, Bad Calls, Crazy Fights, Big Swings, and a Hit by Ron Shelton (Performing Arts/Sports)
From the award-winning screenwriter and director of the cult classic Bull Durham comes the extremely entertaining behind-the-scenes story of the making of the film, and an insightful primer on the art and business of moviemaking.
COLD, COLD BONES: A Temperance Brennan Novel by Kathy Reichs (Mystery/Thriller)
#1 New York Times bestselling thriller writer Kathy Reichs returns with her 21st novel of suspense featuring Temperance Brennan. After receiving a box containing a human eyeball, the forensic anthropologist uncovers a series of gruesome killings eerily reenacting the most shocking of her prior cases.
CONFIDENCE by Denise Mina (Mystery/Thriller)
In this sequel to the Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine book club pick CONVICTION, Anna and Fin find themselves on another breathtaking chase across Europe --- and another race to save their own lives.
THE DISPLACEMENTS by Bruce Holsinger (Fiction)
A suspenseful read plotted on a vast national tapestry, THE DISPLACEMENTS thrillingly explores what happens when privilege is lost and resilience is tested in a swiftly changing world.
FELLOWSHIP POINT by Alice Elliott Dark (Fiction)
Set across the arc of the 20th century, FELLOWSHIP POINT is the masterful story of a lifelong friendship between two very different women with shared histories and buried secrets, tested in the twilight of their lives.
THE HIDDEN ONE by Linda Castillo (Mystery/Thriller)
The discovery of an Amish bishop's remains leads chief of police Kate Burkholder to unearth a chilling secret in THE HIDDEN ONE, a new thriller from bestselling author Linda Castillo.
HOLY CHOW: An Andy Carpenter Mystery by David Rosenfelt (Mystery)
In HOLY CHOW, the next mystery from bestselling author David Rosenfelt, the beloved characters --- both human and canine --- of this fan favorite series are back on the case with Rosenfelt's trademark wit and humor.
HONEY AND SPICE by Bolu Babalola (Romantic Comedy)
Full of passion, humor and heart, internationally bestselling author Bolu Babalola’s dazzling debut novel centers on a young Black British woman who has no interest in love and unexpectedly finds herself caught up in a fake relationship with the man she warned her girls about.
JOAN: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Katherine J. Chen (Historical Fiction)
Girl. Warrior. Heretic. Saint? From the acclaimed author of MARY B comes a stunning, secular reimagining of the epic life of Joan of Arc.
REPUTATION by Sarah Vaughan (Psychological Thriller)
The bestselling author of ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL --- now a hit Netflix series --- returns with a new psychological thriller about a politician whose less-than-perfect personal life is thrust into the spotlight when a body is discovered in her home.
RISING TIGER by Brad Thor (Political Thriller)
Deadly operative Scot Harvath faces down the country’s most powerful enemy in #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor’s new white-knuckle thriller.
RIZZOLI & ISLES: LISTEN TO ME by Tess Gerritsen (Thriller)
Rizzoli & Isles are back! LISTEN TO ME has Jane and Maura investigating a brutal murder with dire implications --- and this time, with Jane’s intrepid mother, Angela, looking into a mystery of her own.
TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW by Gabrielle Zevin (Fiction)
In this exhilarating novel by the bestselling author of THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY, two friends --- often in love, but never lovers --- come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
From left to right: Brad Thor, Tess Gerritsen, Bruce Holsinger
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
As 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.
Tuesday, July 5th at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble Book Club: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome Leesa Cross-Smith for a live virtual event to discuss HALF-BLOWN ROSE, June's B&N Book Club pick.
Tuesday, July 5th at 7pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Tess Gerritsen will discuss her highly anticipated new Rizzoli & Isles thriller, LISTEN TO ME, in which Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles are newly plagued by what seems like a completely senseless murder.
Tuesday, July 5th at 8:30pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Brad Thor will discuss RISING TIGER, his latest thriller featuring deadly operative Scot Harvath, who faces down the country’s most powerful enemy.
Wednesday, July 6th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors --- Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey and Patti Callahan Henry --- will talk to Alka Joshi and Martha Hall Kelly, whose most recent novels are THE SECRET KEEPER OF JAIPUR and SUNFLOWER SISTERS. Nita Prose, the author of THE MAID, will appear on the Aftershow.
Wednesday, July 6th at 7pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: David Ellis will be joined by James Patterson to talk about his latest thriller, LOOK CLOSER, a wickedly clever and fast-paced novel of greed, revenge, obsession --- and quite possibly the perfect murder.
Wednesday, July 6th at 8pm ET: Books & Books: Books & Books is excited to partner with Politics and Prose and Harvard Book Store to present an evening with Bruce Holsinger and Amitav Ghosh for Holsinger's latest novel, THE DISPLACEMENTS.
Thursday, July 7th at 10pm ET: A Great Good Place for Books: Join A Great Good Place for Books for an online discussion of IN HER BOOTS with New York Times bestselling author KJ Dell'Antonia. She will be in conversation with Nancy Davis Kho, author of THE THANK-YOU PROJECT.
"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
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
Our Latest Poll: Which of Carol’s Bets On Selections
That Are Now or Soon to Be in Paperback
Have You Read or Will You Read?
We have listed 10 of Carol’s Bookreporter.com Bets On picks that are now or soon to be in paperback. Which of these books have you read or do you plan to read? Please check all that apply.
-
APPLES NEVER FALL by Liane Moriarty
-
CLARK AND DIVISION by Naomi Hirahara
-
GOING THERE by Katie Couric
-
IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACK by Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström
-
THE LAST COMMANDMENT: An Austin Grant of Scotland Yard Novel, by Scott Shepherd
-
LIGHTNING STRIKE by William Kent Krueger
-
NOT A HAPPY FAMILY by Shari Lapena
-
THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
-
ROCK PAPER SCISSORS by Alice Feeney
-
A SLOW FIRE BURNING by Paula Hawkins
-
None of the above
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, July 8th 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 June 24th to July 8th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE MEASURE by Nikki Erlick and RIZZOLI & ISLES: LISTEN TO ME by Tess Gerritsen.
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.
|
