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Summer Reading --- Sooooo Many Great Selections!
On Monday night, I did my final “on the road” Summer Reading event at the Avalon Free Public Library. I have been doing events there since 2017. My first event in the area was at the Avalon Yacht Club in 2016, if I remember correctly. It was wonderful to see some familiar faces in the audience, and to meet one of our readers from Michigan who happened to be in town. (I am terrible at remembering names!) Susan, my neighbor, was in the audience as she also owns a home in Stone Harbor. Talk about my worlds colliding!
I got to see my friend Beverley and have lunch with Lisa, our Contest Coordinator, and Jen, a longtime reader who has become a friend. We managed to have a three-plus-hour lunch. You know you have been at the table for a while when the server comes to snag the signed check saying that her shift is over. We talked books and life. There is never enough time to spend with these people!
On Wednesday night, we hosted our first “Bookaccino Live” Summer Reading evening program. I presented 50 books that are either out now or soon to be released this summer that we think you will enjoy reading over the next few months. Included are fiction, historical fiction, thrillers/mysteries, and memoirs/nonfiction. Click here to watch the event and here to see a list of the titles that I talked about.
The turnout was amazing (close to 500 people), and we were thrilled to see how enthusiastic our attendees were about the books that we shared. What I absolutely loved is that we had people there from 27 states and Canada. We pride ourselves on being a site enjoyed by people from across the country, not just from either coast.
This is your last Weekly Update newsletter reminder to sign up for our next “Bookaccino Live” book preview event, which will take place on Wednesday, July 12th at 2pm ET. The focus will be on titles releasing between July 11th and August 1st, in addition to a few from September, that we would like to get on your radar. Click here to register. Those attending the live event will be asked to answer a survey about the books from the presentation that they are most interested in reading and will be eligible to win a prize.
BANYAN MOON, which we gave away in a Summer Reading contest this week, is July’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick. Thao Thai’s much-buzzed-about debut novel follows three generations of Vietnamese American women reeling from the death of their matriarch, revealing the family’s inherited burdens, buried secrets and unlikely love stories.
Jenna Bush Hager says, “When Minh, the beloved matriarch of the Tran family, passes away, her granddaughter, Ann, goes back to the family house in Florida. It’s the story of Ann and her estranged mom Huong, and the sweeping love story of Minh in Vietnam.” Adds Thai, “It’s definitely a book where a little bit gets unfolded at a time because it’s got this rotating first person perspective. So I think for people who like hearing a lot of different voices in a novel, this will be a good one.”
We have our review this week from Rebecca Munro, who says, “[W]here Thai really shines is in her characters’ inner monologues, as they reveal deep-seated hurts and misunderstandings that have created strained, weighty dynamics between each of the three women at the heart of the novel. ... BANYAN MOON reads like an instant classic that no doubt will be passed from mother to daughter and beyond. This perfect book club read will stick with you for a very long time, and I suspect it will dominate this year’s 'Best Of' lists.”
Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray teamed up to write THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN, which released in 2021. It was an instant New York Times bestseller, a “Good Morning America” Book Club pick, and a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. They’re back with their second collaboration, THE FIRST LADIES, a novel about the extraordinary partnership between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune --- an unlikely friendship that changed the world.
Rebecca Munro has our review and says, “If you, like me, thought that Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray had achieved a perfect work of historical fiction with THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN, then get ready to be even more impressed, blown away and spellbound by their second collaboration. THE FIRST LADIES is everything that a good historical novel needs to be: educational, eye-opening and full of heart. Sure, the friendship between Eleanor and Mary is advantageous politically. But what makes it special is the true regard they hold for one another, and the ways in which Benedict and Murray allow them to support and uplift one another during personal tragedies.”
Word of Mouth Reminder
THE FIRST LADIES is one of the books we’re giving away in our Word of Mouth contest; the other is THE BEACH AT SUMMERLY by Beatriz Williams, which we will review in the next newsletter. 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, July 14th at noon ET.
It was announced this week that LITTLE MONSTERS by Adrienne Brodeur is July’s Barnes & Noble Book Club selection. Brodeur's 2019 memoir, WILD GAME: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me, was a national bestseller. Set in the fraught summer of 2016, and drawing on the biblical tale of Cain and Abel, this new novel revolves around Cape Cod, complicated families and long-buried secrets.
According to our reviewer Norah Piehl, “Brodeur offers a nuanced and thoughtful portrait of Cape Cod and its culture. She effectively introduces readers to the subtle cultural differences among various geographic regions of the Cape and the not-so-subtle animosities between wealthy homeowners and summer vacationers, while also writing with genuine fondness of the place’s land and seascapes. LITTLE MONSTERS is a perceptive novel about a complicated family that will both infuriate and fascinate readers.” I am reading this one now and enjoying it.
On Tuesday, August 8th at 4pm ET, B&N will host a live virtual event with Adrienne Brodeur. She will be joined in the discussion by Shannon DeVito, the Sr. Director of Book Strategy and Customer Experience at B&N, and Miwa Messer, the Executive Producer of B&N's “Poured Over” podcast. Click here to sign up.
Other books we’re reviewing this week include:
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THE 9th MAN: Cotton Malone’s protégé, Luke Daniels, is now the star of his own series, thanks to Steve Berry and his co-writer, fellow New York Times bestselling author Grant Blackwood. In this opening installment, Luke is on an international manhunt for the truth about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
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BE MINE: Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford has penned his final novel featuring Frank Bascombe. Now in the twilight of life, a man who has occupied many colorful lives --- sportswriter, father, husband, ex-husband, friend, real estate agent --- Bascombe finds himself in the most sorrowing role of all: caregiver to his son, Paul, who has been diagnosed with ALS.
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THE WIFE APP: Carolyn Mackler, the acclaimed author of numerous YA books, has written her first novel for adults. Three best friends decide they’re finally done with their ex-husbands taking their work as wives and moms for granted. They’re ready to monetize the mental load, stick it to their exes and have a wild ride in the process.
Summer Reading Update
In this week’s Summer Reading contests, we gave away CUTTING TEETH by Chandler Baker, along with the aforementioned BANYAN MOON by Thao Thai. We will resume these giveaways the week of July 10th; our prizes will be HER, TOO by Bonnie Kistler, HOMECOMING by Kate Morton, and WINDFALL by Wendy Corsi Staub. The first contest of the week will kick off on Tuesday, July 11th at noon ET.
Remember to Vote in Our Poll
Our poll continues to ask what you do about books when you go on vacation. Do you bring along physical books or audiobooks? Do you download e-books or audiobooks? Do you borrow books from the library? Click here to let us know by Friday, July 14th at noon ET.
Calling All Book Groups!
On ReadingGroupGuides.com, we’re giving three book groups the chance to win 12 paperback copies of FELLOWSHIP POINT by Alice Elliott Dark, a Bets On pick from last year, in our latest “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest. All you have to do is let us know the book that you’re currently reading with your group. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, July 12th at noon ET.
And for those interested in attending our “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event with Alice on Wednesday, September 27th at 8pm ET, you can click here for all the details and to sign up.
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail:
Linda wrote about winning a Summer Reading contest this week: “I'm so excited to have won a copy of CUTTING TEETH. I will surely share my reviews and pictures on social media. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book!”
Ann wrote about our Summer Reading evening event: “Thank you so much for a wonderful program tonight. Along with your Bookreporter suggestions, plus BookPage from my library, I have so many titles to read. My lists of books 'to be read' fill many pages. As a retired librarian, I have much more time to read. Thank you again for all you do to keep us reading.”
Suzanne wrote about being one of the winners in our Father's Day contest: “What a thrill to receive this wonderful box of books! I couldn't wait to open it and see all the wonderful authors I love to read inside. My husband grabbed THE NAZI CONSPIRACY by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch. I'm not sure if I'll start with I WILL FIND YOU by Harlan Coben (a favorite author) or SIMPLY LIES by David Baldacci. I am two-thirds through reading SHE STARTED IT by Sian Gilbert. I will report on that book through Word of Mouth. Thank you so much for having this contest and for all the reviews that give me ideas on books to read. My husband and I appreciate it.”
Vanessa wrote as part of a longer note, “I just want to thank you for all of the energy and effort that you put into providing thoughtful, intelligent and fun discussions with authors and book recommendations (and your personal reviews). I have read many of the books that you have recommended (and many more are on my ever-growing reading list!) and find 'community' with you and your followers.”
“How Review-Bombing Can Tank a Book Before It’s Published” from the New York Times: I have “unlocked” this article, so even if you are not a subscriber, you can read it. I have lots of thoughts about this. I am curious about yours. Write me at Carol@bookreporter.com with the subject line “Review Bombing.”
Tom Brokaw on “CBS Sunday Morning”: Here he is talking about his new memoir, NEVER GIVE UP: A Prairie Family's Story.
Paul Simon on “CBS Sunday Morning”: This is a nice segment, but it's sad that he only has 8% hearing in one of his ears.
“The Bear” on Hulu: The new season is good!
“Arnold” on Netflix: I watched two episodes with my husband the other night. One more to go.
“Billions” on Showtime: It is back on August 11th for the final season. Here’s the trailer.
“Tour de France: Unchained” on Netflix: If you have ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes there, this series is from the folks who did “Formula 1: Drive to Survive”.
Well, Cory has his own apartment, and Greg is on the road, so we can say that the kids have left the nest. But we have new visitors in the nest...literally. A couple of weeks ago, Tom noticed that there was some wood and twigs stuck next to one of the front lights on the porch. He kept pulling it down day after day, and then he realized that they were being placed there by a robin. He stopped cleaning up, and bam!, she went full on with making a nest. Soon eggs were there. Then four baby birds popped up, and we saw their little beaks moving and chirping. From the front foyer, Tom and I have been watching Mama Robin feeding them worms (yowser, they fight over them). Suddenly, they are now flapping little wings with feathers, and we are betting how soon they too will fly away! I really thought they would be hanging around a lot longer. Even the birds leave too soon.
Friends are joining us for dinner tomorrow night, which we are looking forward to. People always ask what we want them to bring. It’s always tough for me to think about this, especially when people ask me on a Tuesday about dinner on Saturday. As our friend Dez says, “You are more ‘spont’ than that.”
From Sunday through Tuesday, I am planning to plant myself on a chaise lounge under my turquoise “Cleopatra” tent and read. I have not read a lot of those 50 books that I presented on Wednesday night, and they are calling my name from a huge stack in my office. The past week has had a combo of pounding rain and then smoke from the fires in Canada that still is drifting our way. I am channeling blue and sun.
Have a firecracker 4th!
BIG NEWS: The REALLY REALLY REALLY annoying pop-ups on the site that asked if you were human are GONE! We have an outside company managing this server protection for us, and THREE MONTHS later the button that needed to be unclicked was unclicked. And just like that, things went back to normal.
We will not be updating the site next Friday as we enjoy some time off for the holiday, so our next newsletter will appear in your inboxes on Friday, July 14th. Read on, and have a great TWO weeks!
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
P.S. For those of you who shop online, if you use the store links that appear on our site for shopping, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and IndieBound. As you read our reviews and features, we would appreciate your considering this as you buy!
Featured Review: BANYAN MOON by Thao Thai
July’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club Pick
BANYAN MOON by Thao Thai (Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Cindy Kay, Catherine Ho and Elyse Dinh
When Ann Tran gets the call that her fiercely beloved grandmother, Minh, has passed away, her life is already at a crossroads. In the years since she’s last seen Minh, Ann has built a seemingly perfect life, but it all crumbles with one positive pregnancy test. Now she returns home to Florida to face her estranged mother, Huơng. Huơng is simultaneously mourning her mother and resenting her for having the relationship with Ann that she never did. Then Ann and Huơng learn that Minh has left them both the Banyan House, the crumbling old manor that was Ann’s childhood home. Under the same roof for the first time in years, mother and daughter must face the simmering questions of their past and their uncertain futures, while trying to rebuild their relationship without the one person who’s always held them together. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to see why the book is July's "Read with Jenna" pick.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: THE FIRST LADIES
by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
THE FIRST LADIES by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Robin Miles and Tavia Gilbert
The daughter of formerly enslaved parents, Mary McLeod Bethune refuses to back down as white supremacists attempt to thwart her work. She marches on as an activist and an educator, and as her reputation grows, she becomes a celebrity. Eleanor Roosevelt is eager to make Mary's acquaintance. Initially drawn together because of their shared belief in women’s rights and the power of education, Mary and Eleanor become fast friends. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt is elected president, the two women begin to collaborate more closely. Eleanor becomes a controversial First Lady for her outspokenness, particularly on civil rights. And when she receives threats because of her strong ties to Mary, it only fuels the women’s desire to fight together for justice and equality. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
- 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:
LITTLE MONSTERS by Adrienne Brodeur
July's Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick
LITTLE MONSTERS by Adrienne Brodeur (Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Jason Culp, Matt Pittenger, Cassandra Campbell, Joy Osmanski, Allyson Ryan and Sura Siu
Ken and Abby Gardner lost their mother when they were small. Their father, Adam, is a brilliant oceanographer who raised them mostly on his own. Ken is now a successful businessman with political ambitions and a picture-perfect family, and Abby is a talented visual artist who depends on her brother’s goodwill, in part because he owns the studio where she lives and works. As the novel opens, Adam is approaching his 70th birthday. He has always managed his bipolar disorder with medication, but he is determined to make one last scientific breakthrough. So he has secretly stopped taking his pills. Meanwhile, Abby and Ken are both harboring secrets of their own, and there is a new person on the periphery of the family --- Steph, who doesn’t make her connection known. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
» LITTLE MONSTERS is July's Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. On Tuesday, August 8th at 4pm ET, B&N will host a live virtual event with Adrienne Brodeur. She will be joined in the discussion by Shannon DeVito, the Sr. Director of Book Strategy and Customer Experience at B&N, and Miwa Messer, the Executive Producer of B&N's “Poured Over” podcast. Click here to sign up.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: THE 9th MAN
by Steve Berry, with Grant Blackwood
THE 9th MAN: A Luke Daniels Thriller by Steve Berry with Grant Blackwood (Thriller/Adventure)
Audiobook available, read by Scott Brick
Luke Daniels receives a frantic call from an old friend. Jillian Stein made a mistake, and now her life may be in danger. A shadow team of highly trained operatives are on the hunt in Belgium. Intervening, Luke finds himself embroiled in a war between two determined sides --- one seeking the truth, the other trying to escape the past. Thomas Rowland is a Washington insider but also a man with a past. For him, everything turns with what happened on November 22, 1963. What history has recorded is wrong. There is much more to the story, and Rowland is at the center of that terrible reality. He will do anything to keep the world from learning what actually occurred on that fateful day --- including killing Luke, Jillian and anyone else who might be a threat. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: BE MINE by Richard Ford
BE MINE: A Frank Bascombe Novel by Richard Ford (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Richard Poe
Over the course of four celebrated works of fiction and almost 40 years, Richard Ford has crafted an ambitious, incisive and singular view of American life as lived. Unconstrained, astute, provocative and often laugh-out-loud funny, Frank Bascombe is once more our guide to the great American midway. Now in the twilight of life, a man who has occupied many colorful lives --- sportswriter, father, husband, ex-husband, friend, real estate agent --- Bascombe finds himself in the most sorrowing role of all: caregiver to his son, Paul, diagnosed with ALS. On a shared winter odyssey to Mount Rushmore, Frank, in typical Bascombe fashion, faces down the mortality that is assured each of us. In doing so, he confronts what happiness might signify at the end of days. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: THE WIFE APP by Carolyn Mackler
THE WIFE APP by Carolyn Mackler (Fiction/Humor)
Audiobook available; read by Jennifer Jill Araya, Joy Osmanski and Allyson Ryan
Lauren, the mother of twins, stumbles on a dirty secret that explodes her marriage. When Madeline learns that she might lose her child to her ex in England, it stirs up a decades-old personal tragedy. Sophie obsesses over her ex-husband’s Family 2.0 --- all while keeping her true desires hidden, even from herself. It starts as a joke during a tipsy night out, as Lauren, Madeline and Sophie rail against everything wives do for free. Let’s build an app that monetizes the mental load. And maybe get revenge on our exes in the process? Soon the Wife App is born, and before long, it’s the fastest growing start-up in New York City. But then life intervenes. Love intervenes. Ex-husbands intervene. And the consequences are bigger than anything Lauren, Madeline or Sophie could have expected. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com's 19th 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 throughout the summer, 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 Tuesday, July 11th at noon ET.
This year’s featured 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 the following contest running on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Win 12 Paperback Copies of FELLOWSHIP POINT by Alice Elliott Dark 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 12 copies of that month’s prize book for their group.
Our latest prize book is FELLOWSHIP POINT, a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick that is now available in paperback. Set across the arc of the 20th century, Alice Elliott Dark's novel is the masterful story of a lifelong friendship between two very different women with shared histories, divisive loyalties, hidden sorrows and 80 years of summers on a pristine point of land on the coast of Maine. Enter here by Wednesday, July 12th 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.
THE ART THIEF: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel (True Crime)
Audiobook available, read by Edoardo Ballerini
For centuries, works of art have been stolen in countless ways from all over the world, but no one has been quite as successful at it as the master thief Stéphane Breitwieser. Carrying out more than 200 heists over nearly eight years --- in museums and cathedrals all over Europe --- Breitwieser, along with his girlfriend who worked as his lookout, stole more than 300 objects, until it all fell apart in spectacular fashion. In THE ART THIEF, Michael Finkel brings us into Breitwieser’s strange and fascinating world. Unlike most thieves, Breitwieser never stole for money. Instead, he displayed all his treasures in a pair of secret rooms where he could admire them to his heart’s content. Reviewed by Lorraine W. Shanley.
THE RACHEL INCIDENT by Caroline O'Donoghue (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Tara Flynn
Rachel is a student working at a bookstore when she meets James, and it’s love at first sight. Effervescent and insistently heterosexual, James soon invites Rachel to be his roommate, and the two begin a friendship that changes the course of both their lives forever. Together, they run riot through the streets of Cork city, trying to maintain a bohemian existence while the threat of the financial crash looms before them. When Rachel falls in love with her married professor, Dr. Fred Byrne, James helps her devise a reading at their local bookstore, with the goal that she might seduce him afterwards. But Fred has other desires. So begins a series of secrets and compromises that intertwine the fates of James, Rachel, Fred and Fred’s glamorous, well-connected, bourgeois wife. Reviewed by Katherine B. Weissman.
ANNE BOLEYN & ELIZABETH I: The Mother and Daughter Who Forever Changed British History by Tracy Borman (History)
Audiobook available, read by Tracy Borman
The future Queen Elizabeth was not yet three when her mother, Anne Boleyn, was beheaded on May 19, 1536, on Henry’s order, incensed that she had not given him a son and tired of her contentious nature. Elizabeth had been raised away from court, rarely even seeing Anne. After her death, Henry tried in every way to erase Anne’s presence and memory. At that moment in history, few could have predicted that mother and daughter would each leave enduring, and interlocked, legacies. Yet as Tracy Borman reveals in this first-ever joint portrait, both women broke the mold for British queens and for women in general at the time. Reviewed by Pauline Finch.
HAVE YOU SEEN HER by Catherine McKenzie (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Amanda Dolan, Stacy Gonzalez, Tyla Collier, Machelle Williams and Ali Andre Ali
Cassie Peters has left her hectic and secretive life in New York City for the refuge of her hometown of Mammoth Lakes, California. There, she begins working again with Yosemite Search and Rescue, where a case she worked a decade ago continues to haunt her. She joins a group of fellow seasonal workers and young adventurers who have made Yosemite their home during the summer. There, she meets Petal, a young woman living in a trailer with her much older wife, keeping a detailed diary of the goings-on of the park, and Jada, a recent college graduate on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend, documenting their journey on Instagram. When these three women cross paths, Cassie’s past catches up with her, and the shocking consequences ripple out far beyond what any could have imagined. Reviewed by Megan Elliott.
THE FIRST DEATH by Kendra Elliot (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Teri Schnaubelt and Michael Crouch
Rowan Wolff was five years old when she, her brother and their babysitter were kidnapped by a serial killer. The babysitter was murdered. Rowan was saved. Her brother was killed and buried in the forest. The convicted killer refuses to say where he buried the boy. Twenty-five years later, Rowan is obsessed with finding her brother’s grave --- and closure. Detective Evan Bolton’s latest case is disturbing. There’s another serial killer hunting in Deschutes County, Oregon, and the crimes are identical to those committed by the sociopath languishing in prison. Each victim is linked to Rowan. When skeletal remains of several bodies are exhumed in the forest, Rowan’s connection becomes more entwined and impossible to ignore. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
SING HER DOWN by Ivy Pochoda (Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Frankie Corzo, Kimberly M. Wetherell, Sophie Amoss and Victoria Villarreal
Florence "Florida" Baum is not the hapless innocent she claims to be when she arrives at the Arizona women's prison --- or so her ex-cellmate, Diosmary Sandoval, keeps insinuating. Dios knows the truth about Florida's crimes, understands the truth that Florence hides even from herself: that she wasn't a victim of circumstance, an unlucky bystander misled by a bad man. Dios knows that darkness lives in women too, despite the world's refusal to see it. And she is determined to open Florida's eyes and unleash her true self. When an unexpected reprieve gives both women their freedom, Dios' fixation on Florida turns into a dangerous obsession, and a deadly cat-and-mouse chase ensues from Arizona to the desolate streets of Los Angeles. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THE BATTLE OF MALDON: Together with the Homecoming of Beorhtnoth written by J. R. R. Tolkien, edited by Peter Grybauskas (Fantasy/Adventure)
In 991 AD, Vikings attacked an Anglo-Saxon defense-force led by their duke, Beorhtnoth, resulting in brutal fighting along the banks of the river Blackwater, near Maldon in Essex. The attack is widely considered one of the defining conflicts of 10th-century England, due to it being immortalized in the poem “The Battle of Maldon.” Written shortly after the battle, the poem would inspire J.R.R. Tolkien to compose his own dramatic verse-dialogue, “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son,” which imagines the aftermath of the great battle. Leading Tolkien scholar Peter Grybauskas presents for the very first time Tolkien’s own prose translation of “The Battle of Maldon,” together with the definitive treatment of “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth” and its accompanying essays. Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard.
LAST CALL AT COOGAN'S: The Life and Death of a Neighborhood Bar by Jon Michaud (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Robert Fass
Coogan’s Bar and Restaurant opened in New York City’s Washington Heights in 1985 and closed its doors for good in the pandemic spring of 2020. Sometimes called Uptown City Hall, it became a staple of neighborhood life during its 35 years in operation --- a place of safety and a bulwark against prejudice in a multi-ethnic, majority-immigrant community undergoing rapid change. LAST CALL AT COOGAN’S tells the story of this beloved saloon --- from the challenging years of the late ’80s and early ’90s, when Washington Heights suffered from the highest crime rate in the city, to the 2010s, when gentrification pushed out longtime residents and nearly closed Coogan's itself. Only a massive community mobilization including local politicians and Lin-Manuel Miranda kept the doors open. Reviewed by Ron Kaplan (www.RonKaplansBaseballBookshelf.com).
TRY NOT TO BREATHE by David Bell (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Erin Spencer
A traumatic experience in the line of duty forces 30-year-old Avery Rogers to abandon both her relationship and her position as a Kentucky State Police officer. She retreats to a college town where she works an unfulfilling job as a security guard. But a frantic phone call turns Avery’s life upside down. Her father --- a retired cop who never fails to convey his disappointment in Avery --- says her half-sister is missing and in danger. Avery is sure Anna is just crashing with friends, but he strong-arms her into searching for the sister she barely knows. When Avery discovers Anna’s hiding place near a remote cave system, she risks everything to save her. Little do the sisters know that a secret is catching up to them --- a secret at the very heart of their family history. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
A STOLEN CHILD: A Maggie D'arcy Mystery by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Mystery)
After months of training, former Long Island homicide detective Maggie D’arcy is now officially a Garda. She’s finally settling into life in Ireland, and so is her teenage daughter, Lilly. Maggie may not be a detective yet, but she’s happy with her community policing assignment in Dublin's Portobello neighborhood. When she and her partner find former model and reality TV star Jade Elliot murdered, days after responding to a possible domestic violence disturbance at her apartment, they also discover Jade's toddler daughter missing. Amidst a nationwide manhunt, Maggie and her colleagues must look deep into Jade’s life --- both personal and professional --- to find a ruthless killer. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
Noteworthy Books Releasing on
July 1st, 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th
Below are some notable titles releasing on July 1st, 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th 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 weeks of July 3rd and 10th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
July 1st
THE BETTER HALF by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans (Romantic Comedy)
From comedy writing duo Alli Frank and Asha Youmans comes THE BETTER HALF, a sidesplitting spin on reaching the pinnacle of life, only to stare down a slippery slope on the other side.
July 3rd
CIRCLE OF DEATH: The Shadow Thriller by James Patterson and Brian Sitts (Thriller)
Doomsday is coming as an evil mastermind plots to destroy all of humankind. Not even The Shadow knows the enemy’s true identity. But the clock is ticking with people all over the world dropping dead each and every day.
GOODBYE EARL: A Revenge Novel by Leesa Cross-Smith (Fiction)
Four women take fate into their own hands in this big-hearted story of friendship, resilience and revenge on monstrous men.
July 4th
FLOP DEAD GORGEOUS: An Andy Carpenter Mystery by David Rosenfelt (Mystery)
Lights, camera, action in bestselling author David Rosenfelt’s FLOP DEAD GORGEOUS, as lawyer Andy Carpenter goes bicoastal to prove an old friend’s innocence.
HER, TOO by Bonnie Kistler (Psychological Thriller)
Defending an accused rapist, a high-powered lawyer learns firsthand the terrible truth about her client...a discovery that propels her on a quest for justice and revenge in this addictively readable thriller from the author of THE CAGE.
THE LAST DANCE: The First Detective Miller Novel by Mark Billingham (Mystery/Thriller)
This first new series in two decades from multi-award-winning international bestseller Mark Billingham introduces Detective Miller: a man who's unique, unconventional and criminally underestimated.
SUNSHINE NAILS by Mai Nguyen (Fiction/Humor)
This tender, humorous and page-turning debut is about a Vietnamese Canadian family in Toronto who will do whatever it takes to protect their no-frills nail salon after a new high-end salon opens up --- even if it tears the family apart.
July 10th
OBSESSED: A Michael Bennett Psychological Thriller by James Patterson and James O. Born (Psychological Thriller)
In this startling psychological thriller, a killer is targeting young women in New York City and is obsessed with Michael Bennett's daughter.
July 11th
62: Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees, and the Pursuit of Greatness by Bryan Hoch (Sports)
62 is “[t]he definitive story” (Tyler Kepner, New York Times baseball columnist) of Yankees slugger Aaron Judge’s incredible, unparalleled run to break Roger Maris’ home run record and the franchise both men called home.
AFTER THE FUNERAL AND OTHER STORIES by Tessa Hadley (Fiction/Short Stories)
Tessa Hadley’s masterful collection of stories plumb the depths of everyday life to reveal the shifting tides and hidden undercurrents of ordinary relationships.
ALL THE DEMONS ARE HERE by Jake Tapper (Political Thriller)
Bestselling author Jake Tapper’s “absolute page-turner” (Gillian Flynn) transports readers to the 1970s underground world of cults, celebrities, tabloid journalism, serial killers, disco and UFOs.
ALL-NIGHT PHARMACY by Ruth Madievsky (Fiction)
Rachel Kushner meets David Lynch in this fever dream of an LA novel about a young woman who commits a drunken act of violence just before her sister vanishes without a trace.
FLAGS ON THE BAYOU by James Lee Burke (Historical Thriller)
From New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke comes a novel set in Civil War-era Louisiana as the South transforms and a brilliant cast of characters --- enslaved and free women, plantation gentry and battle-weary Confederate and Union soldiers --- are caught in the maelstrom.
HELLO STRANGER by Katherine Center (Romantic Comedy)
HELLO STRANGER is the glorious new novel from the beloved author whose bright, hopelessly romantic New York Times bestsellers have been called “[m]y perfect 10 of a book” (Emily Henry) and cheered for their “speedy pacing and sexual tension for miles” (People).
MUST LOVE FLOWERS by Debbie Macomber (Fiction)
Two women at different stages of life find themselves on a journey of renewal after undergoing hardships in this uplifting novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.
QUEEN OF EXILES by Vanessa Riley (Historical Fiction)
Acclaimed historical novelist Vanessa Riley is back with another novel based on the life of an extraordinary Black woman from history: Haiti’s Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid, who escaped a coup in Haiti to set up her own royal court in Italy during the Regency era, where she became a popular member of royal European society.
SLEEPLESS CITY: A Nick Ryan Novel by Reed Farrel Coleman (Thriller)
Every cop in the city knows his name, but no one says it out loud. In fact, they don't talk about him at all. He doesn't wear a uniform, but he is the most powerful cop in New York. Nick Ryan can find a criminal who's vanished. Or he can make a key witness disappear.
THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS by Kristy Woodson Harvey (Fiction)
Four women come together to save the summer camp that changed their lives and rediscover themselves in the process in this moving new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of THE WEDDING VEIL and the Peachtree Bluff series.
WINDFALL by Wendy Corsi Staub (Psychological Thriller)
In this newest suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Corsi Staub, three friends’ lives terrifyingly unravel when they win a billion-dollar lottery jackpot --- and one goes missing.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
From left to right: Lisa See, James Lee Burke, Bonnie Kistler
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
Here are a number of upcoming virtual book and author events that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links for more info and to register.
Wednesday, July 5th 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 Marie Bostwick and Terah Shelton Harris about their new books: Marie's ESME CAHILL SPECTACULARLY FAILS and Terah's debut, ONE SUMMER IN SAVANNAH.
Monday, July 10th at 1pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Jake Tapper will talk about his heart-pounding new thriller, ALL THE DEMONS ARE HERE, which takes us back to the 1970s. Two unforgettable characters encounter many of the real-life figures and events that defined one of the wildest and most dangerous decades in American history.
Tuesday, July 11th at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble Book Club: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome Luis Alberto Urrea for a live book club event to discuss GOOD NIGHT, IRENE, June's B&N Book Club pick. He will be in conversation with Shannon DeVito, the Sr. Director of Book Strategy and Customer Experience at B&N, and Miwa Messer, the Executive Producer of B&N's “Poured Over” podcast.
Tuesday, July 11th at 9:30pm ET: San Mateo County Libraries: Join San Mateo County Libraries to virtually meet New York Times bestselling author Lisa See as she discusses her new historical novel, LADY TAN'S CIRCLE OF WOMEN, a triumphant reimagining of one woman physician's real life in 15th-century China.
Wednesday, July 12th at 2pm ET: "Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books": Carol Fitzgerald will present titles releasing between July 11th and August 1st, along with a few from September, that she would like to get on your radar.
Wednesday, July 12th at 7pm ET: Burlington Public Library: Join Lisa See as she talks about her latest book, LADY TAN'S CIRCLE OF WOMEN, a triumphant reimagining of the life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.
Wednesday, July 12th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will celebrate the launch of Kristy Woodson Harvey's latest novel, THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS, in which four women come together to save the summer camp that changed their lives and rediscover themselves in the process.
Wednesday, July 12th at 7pm ET: Mystery Lovers Bookshop: Mystery Lovers Bookshop is excited to welcome author Bonnie Kistler to celebrate the launch of her latest thriller, HER, TOO. Bonnie will be joined in conversation with Wendy Walker, whose newly released novel is WHAT REMAINS.
Friday, July 14th at 2pm ET: Murder By The Book: James Lee Burke will be in conversation with fellow New York Times bestselling author Ace Atkins about his new thriller, FLAGS ON THE BAYOU, a story of tragic acts of war, class divisions upended, and love enduring through it all.
"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: Taking Books on Vacation
When you go on vacation, what do you do about books? Please check all that apply.
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I bring physical books (hardcovers or paperbacks).
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I download books to an eReader.
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I bring physical audiobooks.
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I download audiobooks.
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I borrow books from the library.
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I buy books while on vacation.
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I do not read books when I go on vacation.
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, July 14th 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 read with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from June 23rd to July 14th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE BEACH AT SUMMERLY by Beatriz Williams and THE FIRST LADIES by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.
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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