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Hot Chocolate and a Book --- and Then Mocktails
Last week, I wrote about finding lots of hot chocolate and marshmallows in our pantry. So instead of waiting for a snowy day to enjoy them, I made myself a very messy cup of hot chocolate and peppermint marshmallows, and then grabbed EXILES by Jane Harper to read. I love the way Jane writes a setting, which she typically locks down before she starts on the plot.
EXILES features Aaron Falk, who was a character in two of Harper's previous titles --- THE DRY and FORCE OF NATURE --- though I do not feel lost for not having read those. The story revolves around a woman named Kim Gillespie, who disappeared a year ago at a well-attended wine festival in a small town. With people back at the festival this year, Falk and the woman's family are looking for leads. Note that I am loving EXILES...and here's a heads up that it will be a Winter Reading giveaway title next week (more on that later in this opener). Oh, and hot chocolate will move into the beverage rotation.
Speaking of beverages, I am upping my mocktail game and looking for more recipes. A few weeks ago, I shared that one of my favorite yarn designers, Shibui Knits, was going out of business as the owner, Darcy Cameron, was ready to move on. She previously had owned a yarn store in Portland called Knit Purl; I had made a pilgrimage there while at a library conference years ago. It lived up to being dubbed the "zen garden of yarn stores" when it was named the best yarn store in the city by a local paper.
Darcy started a newsletter called Shibui Life. I confess to being skeptical as to whether or not I would like it, but since I liked the store and the yarn, I thought her taste might make this worth checking out. She featured one mocktail in a newsletter that looked great. And there were some other interesting mocktail ideas in the archived ones that I saw, so I subscribed. And I bought ginger syrup to glaze the cranberries for a mocktail as shown here.
Also, I got a note that the going-out-of-business sale for Shibui Knits was a huge success, and their full warehouse was emptied during the sale. Well, at least some of it moved here to my house! I want to carve out more knitting time, and this yarn stash is inspiring me. I am making a blanket for a friend's baby; if I do not seriously up my knitting game, the child will be walking before it's done!
One big bookish highlight of the week was the following event.
On Wednesday night, we hosted our first “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event of 2023. I happily interviewed Nita Prose (for the third time!) about her debut novel, THE MAID --- a #1 New York Times bestseller, a “Good Morning America” Book Club pick, and a Bets On selection that is now in paperback. Three readers asked questions on screen, and I shared questions from a number of others who chose not to be on camera. We then opened up the Q&A to the rest of our attendees.
All the questions were fabulous, and we covered so much ground about the characters, the setting, Nita’s inspiration for the book, and the upcoming film adaptation. Although I was speaking to Nita for a third time, I still learned a lot about her and THE MAID. Click here to watch the video on our YouTube channel. The podcast will be up next week.
For humor, I got a note from a viewer who said she tuned in thinking she was going to see Stephanie Land talk about her memoir, MAID. But she stayed as she enjoyed the program and now wants to read Nita's book.
I am happy to announce that Fiona Davis will be our next “Bookaccino Live” Book Group guest. The event will be held on Wednesday, February 22nd at 8pm ET, and you can sign up for it here. We will be talking about Fiona’s novel from last year, THE MAGNOLIA PALACE, which is newly released in paperback and is our current “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” prize book on ReadingGroupGuides.com.
Just as we did on Wednesday night, there will be a two-part Q&A session after I talk to Fiona. For the first part, those who are asking a question “on camera” will be featured. This includes spending time with Fiona backstage in our virtual green room before the show starts. If you would like to ask your question "live on screen" this way, please email me with the subject line "Magnolia" by noon ET on the 22nd. Be sure to include your name, city and state, as well as your question. If you do not want to appear on camera but still would like to ask a question, please note that you want to be off camera, and share your question --- adding your name, city and state.
Last week, I shared some of my thoughts on Prince Harry’s memoir, SPARE, which is now the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time (eclipsing Barack Obama’s memoir, A PROMISED LAND). This week, we are featuring reviews of the book from Roberta O’Hara and Jesse Kornbluth (the latter review originally ran on Jesse’s site, HeadButler.com).
Here are sneak peeks of both reviews:
Roberta: “SPARE reinforces the brutality of the British press, the downright trickery to which they will stoop in order to get a photograph, a tidbit that they can twist into something salacious, a story of half-truths…. Critics and wannabe critics will argue forever about the veracity of what Harry shares, but I see it this way: a boy who lost his mother in a horribly visible way and lived in the proverbial glass castle was tortuously scarred yet managed to build a new life for himself on his terms. And finally learned how to cry --- tears of pain and joy.”
Jesse: “The high-level gossip regularly detonates, keeping us reading...and we feel for the kid who believes his mother is alive, just elsewhere, because then she’s not really gone. But there’s no getting around it: until Harry meets Meghan Markle, this is one sad book…. The death of Diana was like 9/11 for the royals. No one who was alive that day will ever forget it. Or not feel it. That ongoing trauma --- Diana’s long shadow --- sadly will be a silent, ghostly presence in what Harry and Meghan want to believe is their beautifully tended garden of a marriage.”
Bret Easton Ellis is back with a novel of sensational literary and psychological suspense, which already is a New York Times bestseller. THE SHARDS is a story about the end of innocence, and the perilous passage from adolescence into adulthood, set in a vibrantly fictionalized Los Angeles in 1981 as a serial killer begins targeting teenagers throughout the city.
Jana Siciliano has our review and says, “THE SHARDS is a literary testament to the ability we all have as we get older to look at our pasts and realize that had we known as much as we do today, we would have been even more frightened and unsure about how we lived our teen lives. It is not always the most comfortable read, but it is a compelling one. Bret Easton Ellis’ command of his own talent is clearly nothing to doubt. He has a story to tell, and readers should line up to listen.”
Word of Mouth Reminder
THE SHARDS is one of our current Word of Mouth prizes; the other is the aforementioned EXILES by Jane Harper, which we will review next week. Submit your comments about the books you’ve read, and you’ll be in the running to win both these titles. Please do so by Friday, February 3rd at noon ET.
Winter Reading Update
As I mentioned earlier, you also will have a chance to win a copy of EXILES in our Winter Reading contest. The 24-hour giveaway for it will be up at noon ET on Tuesday, January 31st, the day of its publication. For this week’s Winter Reading contest, we awarded IT’S ONE OF US by J.T. Ellison (which releases on February 21st) to five lucky readers.
Other books we’re reviewing this week include:
I’m Betting You’ll Love…
THE MITFORD AFFAIR by Marie Benedict, which we reviewed last week, is my latest Bets On pick. You can read my commentary here. I am looking forward to discussing this book with my book club next month.
Remember to Vote in Our Poll
Do you read or post reviews on Goodreads? That’s our latest poll question; let us know here. We love when you weigh in on these polls as it gives us valuable information about our readers that we can share with publishers.
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail:
Lisa Marie wrote on winning IT’S ONE OF US in our Winter Reading contest: “Oh thank you so, so much! I am excited. I am recovering from back surgery, so I cannot wait to receive it. I will take a photo and send it to you when I read the book. I have read since as far back as I can remember. I love it so very much and have gotten such great reads from your site. Thank you for the newsletters; they're so helpful.”
Julie wrote, “I was so happy to learn that I won the Word of Mouth contest and will be receiving a copy of THE MITFORD AFFAIR and JUST THE NICEST COUPLE! I will be sure to share my thoughts with Bookreporter after reading each one. I have been reading the Bookreporter newsletter since the old dial-up internet days, and it's still a thrill to receive the email telling me I've won a book! Thanks for all you do for all of us who love to read.”
Judith wrote, “I LOVED your interview with Nita Prose and intend to get THE MAID immediately. It’s not a book that I would have chosen. But as often happens, once you hear the author, it becomes something you want to read after all!
“But I wanted to let you know that I REALLY enjoyed your interview with Charmaine Wilkerson about BLACK CAKE. You may remember that I manage a book club whose members are all women in the food biz reading only books related to food. We moved some things around and will be doing BLACK CAKE at our March get-together. We will hold the discussion in person, which everyone is looking forward to. We've had TOOOO many Zoom meetings, which were better than nothing, but still...
“So I found a new Jamaican restaurant here, and they do have a version of black cake on the menu. I will take that, and also make my own black cake using the recipe from the book. The restaurant's motto: 'We believe people are better together. Our goal is to bring people together through food.' Perfect, right? THANK YOU for all of your inspirations.”
Su wrote, “I feel you with the hot cocoa and marshmallows preparing you for a good winter snowstorm. We’re supposedly getting a series of small blizzards this week in southeastern Michigan. I’m making baked pumpkin oatmeal and have a good stash of cocoa and teas. So that’s all I need, right? Oh, and BOOKS, of course. I hope you’ve checked out Dandies marshmallows. They are vegan and the best ones I’ve ever tasted. I’m not a vegan...these are just SO GOOD. I can eat just the marshmallows and forget the hot cocoa. If you haven’t tried them, please do. Just get some and don’t ask questions LOL. Thanks for all your background book info. It's a great presentation that I look forward to every month. Plus all your notes in other stuff. Love it.”
Jeanne wrote, “I really enjoy reading reviews posted on Bookreporter by subscribers because it gives me great insight into a book and helps me decide if I want to read a particular book. I’m always so impressed with the reviews that other subscribers write.”
Mary wrote, “I got THE MITFORD AFFAIR at the library yesterday and read about 150 pages last night. I have a question that I hope you will ask your book club when you meet and report on it in the newsletter. Did the use of all the nicknames, many of which had no connection to the girls’ real names, confuse you? (I found this aspect of the story very distracting and frequently couldn’t remember which girl the name represented.) PS. I had not heard of this family. I got the book because I’ve loved Benedict’s other books.”
I confess that once I figured out the nicknames of the characters at the center of the story, I could be quizzed on their real names and fail, but I could describe scenes in the book vividly. I am terrible at remembering character names, but I can tell you what they have done!
Are You a Hilderbabe? Do You Know What a Hilderbabe Is?: I admit that I did not until I read a piece in the New York Times about women who have flocked to Elin Hilderbrand’s weekend retreats for years now. And of course, I learned about this as the last one was happening. Elisabeth Egan, a friend of mine who writes for the Times, captured the whole scene for us here.
“Your Honor” on Showtime: Season one gave me a lot to think about as a judge’s son in New Orleans runs over a young man as he is driving. He had puffed on his inhaler and took his eyes off the road. The judge is all ready to bring him in and report this when he learns that the young man who was killed is the son of the biggest crime boss in the city. Instead, cue the cover-up. I will not share how season one ends in case you missed it, but now this judge is disbarred and is asked to help bring down the crime family. The first two episodes of season two were well done. New episodes stream every Friday.
“Daisy Jones & the Six” on Amazon Prime Video: I loved the book, and I love this trailer for the series, which drops on March 3rd.
Marie Benedict: She wrote this terrific piece for the Wall Street Journal about five great books on sibling rivalries.
The pantry has been organized. What I learned: We have lots of beans, including red kidney beans and white beans, both of which I despise. But there are also eight cans of black beans and two packages of dried black beans. We have lots of ingredients for making stir fry. And we have eight cans of RO*TEL products, as well as other Mexican ingredients. So queso will be on a menu soon. Olé.
This weekend, I am reading Sadeqa Johnson's THE HOUSE OF EVE. I LOVED her debut historical novel, YELLOW WIFE, so I am looking forward to this one and to interviewing her about it.
For football, I am calling for guacamole as the winner. As a Giants fan, I cannot believe that I am rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles, but as they beat “us” (it always humors me when fans say that, like we were on the field), I want them to “go all the way.” I am torn about Cincinnati and Kansas City as I like both of their quarterbacks. My football picks went 50/50 last week, but factoring in guacamole, I won!
Greg’s birthday is tomorrow, and we still are waiting to hear his gift, cake and present requests. Last weekend for Cory’s birthday, we headed to three stores looking for marble cake mix that both boys love, and once again it was MIA. In the future, I am going to snag boxes of it whenever I see it. But chocolate frosting for all!
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 Reviews: SPARE
by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex
SPARE by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex (Memoir)
Audiobook available; read by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex
It was one of the most searing images of the 20th century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow --- and horror. As Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling --- and how their lives would play out from that point on. For Harry, this is that story at last. With its raw, unflinching honesty, SPARE is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief. Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara, and Jesse Kornbluth for HeadButler.com.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Read reviews from Roberta O'Hara and Jesse Kornbluth.
Featured Review: THE SHARDS by Bret Easton Ellis
THE SHARDS by Bret Easton Ellis (Psychological/Literary Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Bret Easton Ellis
Seventeen-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past. Robert Mallory is shielding a secret from Bret and his friends even as he becomes a part of their tightly knit circle. Bret’s obsession with Mallory is equaled only by his increasingly unsettling preoccupation with the Trawler, a serial killer on the loose who seems to be drawing ever closer to Bret and his friends. The coincidences are uncanny, but they are also filtered through the imagination of a teenager whose gifts for constructing narrative from the filaments of his own life are about to make him one of the most explosive literary sensations of his generation. Can he trust his friends --- or his own mind --- to make sense of the danger they appear to be in? Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
THE MITFORD AFFAIR by Marie Benedict
THE MITFORD AFFAIR by Marie Benedict (Historical Fiction)
I am a huge fan of Marie Benedict’s writing. Her books are about women in history whose stories have been overlooked, often because they stood in the shadows of the men in their lives. THE MITFORD AFFAIR is a variation on this theme and focuses on three of the Mitford sisters. One is the writer, Nancy, and the other two --- Diana and Unity --- become known for their political leanings.
The book opens in 1932. Diana, who is billed as the most beautiful of the three, is hosting a party at the home she shares with her husband Bryan, the Guinness heir. Being celebrated is her younger sister, Unity. The scene is stunning as the society of London is on hand. But at this party, Diana’s eyes are not on her husband, but rather on Sir Oswald Mosley, founder of the British Union of Fascists. In the coming months, she leaves Bryan for Mosley, completely taking up the mantle of his agenda. And soon Unity also embraces the concepts of fascism and heightens her involvement to move to Germany.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary.
Featured Review:
HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE
by Grady Hendrix
HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE by Grady Hendrix (Gothic Thriller/Horror)
Audiobook available, read by Jay Aaseng and Mikhaila Aaseng
When Louise finds out that her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world. Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success. Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale. But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: THE BULLET GARDEN
by Stephen Hunter
THE BULLET GARDEN: An Earl Swagger Novel by Stephen Hunter (Historical Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Eric G. Dove
July, 1944: The lush, rolling hills of Normandy are dotted with a new feature --- German snipers. From their vantage points, they pick off hundreds of Allied soldiers every day, bringing the D-Day invasion to its knees. It’s clear that someone is tipping off these snipers with the locations of American GIs. But who? And how? General Eisenhower demands his intelligence service to find the best shot in the Allied military to counter this deadly SS operation. Enter Pacific hero Earl Swagger, who is assigned this crucial and bloody mission. With crosshairs on his back, Swagger can’t trust anyone as he infiltrates the shadowy corners of London and France for answers. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: CHILDREN OF THE STATE by Jeff Hobbs
CHILDREN OF THE STATE: Stories of Survival and Hope in the Juvenile Justice System by Jeff Hobbs (Biography/Social Science)
Audiobook available; read by George Newbern, Landon Woodson, Aven Shore and Andre Bellido
There has been very little written about juvenile detention and the path to justice. For many kids, a mistake made at age 13 or 14 --- often resulting from external factors coupled with a biologically immature brain --- can resonate through the rest of their lives, making high school difficult, college nearly impossible, and a middle-class life a mere fantasy. Here, in CHILDREN OF THE STATE, Jeff Hobbs challenges any preconceived perceptions about how the juvenile justice system works. He presents three different true stories that show the day-to-day life and the challenges faced by those living and working in juvenile programs: educators, counselors and --- most importantly --- children. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com's Eighth Annual
Winter Reading Contests and Feature
At Bookreporter.com, we are kicking off 2023 with our eighth annual Winter Reading Contests and Feature. On select days in January and February, we are hosting a series of 24-hour contests spotlighting a book releasing this winter and giving five lucky readers the chance to win it. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
Our next prize book will be announced on Tuesday, January 31st at noon ET.
This year's contest titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
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 Paperback Copies of THE MAGNOLIA PALACE by Fiona Davis 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 MAGNOLIA PALACE by Fiona Davis, which is now available in paperback. This tantalizing novel is about the secrets, betrayal and murder within one of New York City's most impressive Gilded Age mansions. Enter here by Wednesday, February 8th at noon ET.
Our Reader-Selected Best Books of 2022
Over the last two months, we asked you to share both your favorite book that you read with your book group and your favorite book that you read outside your group in 2022. The top 10 results in each category are in! LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus was the top pick in both categories. Click here for our reader-selected best books of 2022.
A special congratulations to our contest winner, Mary Lou D. from Washingtonville, NY, who won six fabulous book group titles releasing this year: CODE NAME SAPPHIRE by Pam Jenoff, HELLO BEAUTIFUL by Ann Napolitano, THE HOUSE OF EVE by Sadeqa Johnson, LOYALTY by Lisa Scottoline, THE MITFORD AFFAIR by Marie Benedict, and MOONRISE OVER NEW JESSUP by Jamila Minnicks.
Most Requested Guides of 2022
We took a look at all of the guides that you accessed last year, and from there we pulled together a list of the top 30 titles. Your #1 most requested guide from 2022 was THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. We love seeing which books resonated the most with you and your group! Click here for the most requested guides of 2022.
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.
EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE by Benjamin Stevenson (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Barton Welch
Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate. I’m Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I’d killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it’s a little more complicated than that. Have I killed someone? Yes. I have. Who was it? Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
ALL HALLOWS by Christopher Golden (Horror/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Ronnie Butler and January LaVoy
It’s Halloween night, 1984, in Coventry, Massachusetts, and two families are unraveling. Up and down the street, secrets are being revealed. And all the while, mixed in with the trick-or-treaters of all ages, four children who do not belong are walking door to door, merging with the kids of Parmenter Road. Children in vintage costumes with faded, eerie makeup. They seem terrified and beg the neighborhood kids to hide them away, to keep them safe from The Cunning Man. These odd children claim that The Cunning Man is coming for them...and they want the local kids to protect them. But with families falling apart and the neighborhood splintered by bitterness, who will save the children of Parmenter Road? Reviewed by Ray Palen.
AFTER SAPPHO by Selby Wynn Schwartz (Historical Fiction)
“The first thing we did was change our names. We were going to be Sappho.” So begins Selby Wynn Schwartz’s debut novel, centuries after the Greek poet penned her lyric verse. Ignited by the same muse, a myriad of women break from their small, predetermined lives for seemingly disparate paths. In 1892, Rina Faccio trades her needlepoint for a pen; in 1902, Romaine Brooks sails for Capri with nothing but her clotted paintbrushes; and in 1923, Virginia Woolf writes, “I want to make life fuller and fuller.” Writing in cascading vignettes, Schwartz spins an invigorating tale of women whose narratives converge and splinter as they forge queer identities and claim the right to their own lives. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE GUEST LECTURE by Martin Riker (Fiction)
Abby, a young feminist economist, is anxious that she is grossly underprepared for a talk she is presenting the next day on optimism and John Maynard Keynes. So she has resolved to practice by using an ancient rhetorical method of assigning parts of her speech to different rooms in her house and has brought along a comforting, albeit imaginary, companion to keep her on track --- Keynes himself. Yet, as she wanders with increasing alarm through the rooms of her own consciousness, Abby finds herself straying from her prepared remarks. Instead she undertakes a quest through her memories to ideas hidden in the corners of her mind as she asks what a better world would look like if we told our stories with more honest and hopeful imaginations. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE TWYFORD CODE by Janice Hallett (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Thomas Judd
Forty years ago, Steven “Smithy” Smith found a copy of a famous children’s book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. When he showed it to his remedial English teacher, Miss Iles, she believed that it was part of a secret code that ran through all of Twyford’s novels. And when she disappeared on a class field trip, Smithy became convinced that she had been right. Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Smithy decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. But it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn’t just a writer of forgotten children’s stories. The Twyford Code holds a great secret, and Smithy may just have the key. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
MR. BREAKFAST by Jonathan Carroll (Fiction/Magical Realism)
Graham Patterson’s life has hit a dead end. His career as a comedian is failing. The love of his life recently broke up with him, and he literally has no idea what to do next. With nothing to lose, he buys a new car and hits the road, planning to drive across the country and hopefully figure out his next moves before reaching California. But along the way, Patterson does something his old self would never have even considered: he gets tattooed by a brilliant tattoo artist in North Carolina. The decision sets off a series of extraordinary events that changes his life forever. Among other things, Patterson is gifted with the ability to see in real time three different lives that are available to him. The choice is his: The life he is leading right now, or two very different ones. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
STAYED ON FREEDOM: The Long History of Black Power Through One Family's Journey by Dan Berger (History)
The Black Power movement, often associated with its iconic spokesmen, derived much of its energy from the work of people whose stories have never been told. STAYED ON FREEDOM brings into focus two unheralded Black Power activists who dedicated their lives to the fight for freedom. Zoharah Simmons and Michael Simmons fell in love while organizing tenants and workers in the South. Their commitment to each other and to social change took them on a decades-long journey that traversed first the country and then the world. In centering their lives, historian Dan Berger shows how Black Power united the local and the global across organizations and generations. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
SEVENTEEN: Last Man Standing by John Brownlow (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Adam Sims
Behind the events you know are the killers you don’t. When diplomacy fails, we're the ones who gear up. Officially we don’t exist, but every government in the world uses our services. We’ve been saving the world for 100 years. Sixteen people have done this job before me. I am Seventeen. The most feared assassin in the world. But to be the best, you must beat the best. My next target is Sixteen, just as one day Eighteen will hunt me down. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, and it gets lonely at the top. Nobody gets to stay for long. But while we're here, all that matters is that we win. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
Next Week's Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on January 31st
Below are some notable titles releasing on January 31st 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 January 30th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
THE DRIFT by C. J. Tudor (Gothic Thriller/Horror)
Three ordinary people risk everything for a chance at redemption in this audacious, utterly gripping novel of catastrophe and survival at the end of the world.
EXILES by Jane Harper (Mystery/Thriller)
From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jane Harper comes EXILES, a captivating mystery about a missing mother.
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGONFRUIT TATTOO: A Tropical Island Cozy Mystery by Carrie Doyle (Cozy Mystery)
Sometimes you have to rock the boat to catch a killer! THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGONFRUIT TATTOO is the third book in Carrie Doyle’s Trouble in Paradise mystery series, following IT TAKES TWO TO MANGO and SOMETHING’S GUAVA GIVE.
HEART BONES by Colleen Hoover (Romance)
Moving, passionate and unforgettable, Colleen Hoover's novel follows two young adults from completely different backgrounds embarking on a tentative romance, unaware of what the future holds.
THE LOVE YOU SAVE: A Memoir by Goldie Taylor (Memoir)
I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS meets EDUCATED in this harrowing, deeply hopeful memoir of family, faith and the power of books --- from acclaimed journalist and human rights activist Goldie Taylor.
MAAME by Jessica George (Fiction)
Smart, funny and deeply affecting, Jessica George's MAAME deals with the themes of our time with humor and poignancy: from familial duty and racism, to female pleasure, the complexity of love and the life-saving power of friendship.
RIVER SING ME HOME by Eleanor Shearer (Historical Fiction)
Rare. Moving. Powerful. This beautiful, page-turning and redemptive story of a mother’s gripping journey across the Caribbean to find her stolen children in the aftermath of slavery is a remarkable debut.
THE SNOW HARE by Paula Lichtarowicz (Historical Fiction)
In this novel of love and consequences, a woman dreams of becoming a doctor until World War II leads her instead into an astonishing love --- and a fateful choice.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
From left to right: Jane Harper, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Patricia Engel
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
As many book and author events are still 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, January 30th at 7:30pm ET: “Lisa Live!”: Join Lisa Scottoline every Monday night as she hosts her weekly “Talking LOYALTY” video series and Facebook Live events leading up to the publication of her historical novel, LOYALTY, on March 28th. And be sure to enter the LOYALTY Pre-order Sweepstakes!
Monday, January 30th at 8pm ET: Murder By The Book: Jane Harper will talk to Mystery & Thriller Maven’s Sara DiVello about her new novel, EXILES. This captivating mystery is about a missing mother and marks the return of Australian federal agent Aaron Falk.
Wednesday, February 1st 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 Pam Jenoff about her new historical novel, CODE NAME SAPPHIRE, a riveting tale of bravery and resistance.
Thursday, February 2nd at 6:30pm ET: Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews: Join Epilogue for a virtual conversation between Patricia Engel and Lauren LeBlanc to celebrate the release of Engel’s new book of short stories, THE FARAWAY WORLD.
Friday, February 3rd at 5pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Hank Phillippi Ryan will talk about her latest novel, THE HOUSE GUEST, a diabolical cat-and-mouse thriller. But which character is the cat, and which character is the mouse?
"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 are our latest interviews:
Other authors we've interviewed include:
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
Our Latest Poll: Do You Use Goodreads?
Do you read or post reviews on Goodreads?
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I read reviews on Goodreads, and I post my reviews there all the time.
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I read reviews on Goodreads, and I post my reviews there some of the time.
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I read reviews on Goodreads
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I do not use Goodreads, but I would like to.
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I am not interested in Goodreads.
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Other (Please specify)
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, February 3rd 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 January 20th to February 3rd at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of EXILES by Jane Harper and THE SHARDS by Bret Easton Ellis.
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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