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Packing Up Prizes...and a Call Out for Yarn Shops
We have added a number of new subscribers in the last few weeks, so we wanted to take a moment to welcome you to the Bookreporter.com newsletter!
What are in the boxes, you ask? Books! More specifically, they’re the prizes for the Bookreporter End-of-the-Year Contest, last week's “Bookaccino Live” giveaway, and the ReadingGroupGuides “Share Your Favorite Books of the Year” Contest. On Tuesday night, I packed boxes, printed gift cards and organized postage with our Contest Coordinator, Lisa Hickman. This was the “morning after”; please ignore my bare feet. I am grateful to my husband, Tom, for taking everything to the post office on Wednesday.
Speaking of which, congratulations to Jill G. from Rochester Hills, MI, who is the Grand Prize winner in our End-of-the-Year Contest! She has won all 44 of my Bookreporter.com Bets On titles from 2023, while 11 other winners are receiving four of these books. Click here to see if you are one of them!
Also, we would like to congratulate the winner of our “Share Your Favorite Books of the Year” Contest on ReadingGroupGuides.com, Loralee K. from Castle Rock, CO, who won six titles releasing this year that we think will be great for book group discussions: FINDING MARGARET FULLER by Allison Pataki, FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston, SLOW NOODLES: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes by Chantha Nguon with Kim Green, THE STORM WE MADE by Vanessa Chan, WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA? by Dervla McTiernan, and THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah.
Loralee won this contest by letting us know her favorite book that she read with her book group and her favorite book that she read outside her group in 2023. We tallied up all the entries, and you can see the top 10 results in each category here.
The #1 pick in the first category (book read with your group) is LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus, while the top selection in the second category (book read outside your group) is THE RIVER WE REMEMBER by William Kent Krueger. I was over the moon to see the latter nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Novel! Scroll further down this opening note for more about the Edgars.
When we left off last week, I was headed to an all-day weaving class sponsored by the Jockey Hollow Weavers Guild. It was terrific. The teacher, Daryl Lancaster, is so talented; I bought a vase that she had woven at their annual holiday craft fair. While I need to work on my technique (loosening up is something I have to do), I learned a lot and experimented with different patterns.
The three women at my table, like Daryl, were big readers. I have seen that people who craft with fibers often are big readers. We are working on some outreach ideas to yarn stores around the country. If you have a favorite, let us know by dropping me an email with the subject line “Yarn.” I already am noodling what we can do with these stores.
I came home and immediately ordered Deborah Chandler’s book, LEARNING TO WEAVE, which is known as a bible for weavers. As Daryl noted in an email to me, she is not surprised that I ordered the book. After all, I am the book reporter. I love that!
My latest “Bookreporter Talks To” interview is with Ashley Elston, whose instant New York Times bestseller, FIRST LIE WINS, is Reese’s Book Club pick for January and a Bets On selection. Ashley shares how she came to write this book and why the time was right for her to work on it. She explains what she learned about storytelling from the decade she spent as a wedding photographer, as well as her time writing YA novels, where readers keep authors on their toes.
Ashley wrote the start of the book, and it looks much like what people are reading now. She discusses how the backstories came about, including one that was added quite late in the process. I read an early paragraph that points out the significance of the title. Plus, Ashley reveals what she knows about the status of the Hulu series adaptation of the book and fills us in on the script that she has read. Click here to watch the video or here to listen to the podcast.
This is your last Weekly Update newsletter reminder to sign up for this month’s “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event, which will take place on Wednesday, January 24th at 8pm ET.
Lisa See will be our guest, and we will be talking about her #1 New York Times bestseller, LADY TAN'S CIRCLE OF WOMEN, which was one of my top three Bets On selections of 2023. You can register for the event by clicking here.
If you would like to ask Lisa a question about the book on camera during the event, please email me with your question using the subject line “Lisa” by January 24th at noon ET. 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.
As promised, the video is now available for last week’s “Bookaccino Live” book preview event. I talked about 34 books releasing between now and February 6th, plus 12 from March, that we wanted to get on your radar. You can watch the presentation here and see a list of the featured titles here.
Next month's “Bookaccino Live” book preview event will take place on Wednesday, February 14th at 2pm ET. I will present titles releasing between February 13th and March 5th, in addition to a few from April, that we think will appeal to you. Click here to sign up. 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.
Alex Michaelides’ third novel, THE FURY, follows his instant New York Times bestsellers THE SILENT PATIENT and THE MAIDENS. This latest thriller, which is January’s #1 Indie Next pick and will be a Bets On selection, revolves around a reclusive ex-movie star and her famous friends whose spontaneous trip to a private Greek island is upended by a murder.
According to our reviewer Ray Palen, THE FURY “pays homage to classic mystery/thrillers that surely will bring about comparisons to the writings of Agatha Christie and Patricia Highsmith, among others.... I was hooked from page one!... Michaelides has penned quite the stunner of a psychological thriller. Readers of his first two books should catch the clever Easter egg references to those titles in this narrative, which makes for a nice private fictional worldbuilding.” Don’t miss my Bets On commentary in next week’s newsletter.
We are happy to share our review of Alice McDermott’s instant New York Times bestseller, ABSOLUTION, which was a Bets On pick from 2023. The renowned winner of the National Book Award (for her 1998 novel, CHARMING BILLY) has penned a riveting account of women’s lives on the margins of the Vietnam War.
Harvey Freedenberg calls ABSOLUTION “a psychologically and politically astute book, tracing the path from naïveté to painfully earned knowledge for both an individual and a nation. If Ward Just had written a Vietnam novel from a female perspective, it might have looked something like this one. It’s a story that raises profound moral questions that its characters wrestle with for a lifetime and that our country confronts to this day.”
Other books we’re reviewing this week include:
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THE SILENCE IN HER EYES: Armando Lucas Correa’s historical novels include THE GERMAN GIRL, THE DAUGHTER’S TALE and THE NIGHT TRAVELER. He has now written his first psychological thriller, in which a young woman with a rare neurological condition is convinced that her neighbor is going to be murdered.
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NAOMI OSAKA: Ben Rothenberg’s deeply reported, revealing biography of tennis phenomenon and activist Naomi Osaka tells the untold story behind her Grand Slam-winning career, her headline-making advocacy for racial justice and mental health, and the challenges of a life in the international spotlight.
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OLD CRIMES: Beloved author Jill McCorkle’s new short story collection delves into the lives of characters who hold their secrets and misdeeds close, even as the past continues to reverberate over time and across generations. And despite the characters’ yearnings for connection, they can’t seem to tell the whole truth.
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WHERE YOU END: Abbott Kahler formerly wrote as Karen Abbott, whose bestselling works of nonfiction include SIN IN THE SECOND CITY and THE GHOSTS OF EDEN PARK. In her fiction debut, an unusual form of amnesia upends the lives of identical twins, forcing them to face the indelible, dangerous shadow of the past.
Announcing This Year’s Winter Reading Feature
Our Winter Reading feature is back for a ninth year! On select days in January and February, we will be 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 will be sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
Our first prize book will be THE LAST SUMMER AT CHELSEA BEACH by Pam Jenoff, a 2015 novel that is being re-released on Tuesday, January 23rd with a brand-new cover. From the sandy shores of America to the battered streets of London, one woman's search for love and redemption will defy all odds. The contest for this book will go live on Tuesday at noon ET.
Next month, we will be doing Winter Reading contests for two new psychological thrillers: ONE WRONG WORD by Hank Phillippi Ryan (on sale February 6th) and END OF STORY by A. J. Finn (on sale February 20th). Scroll further down the newsletter for more info on the latter, which the publisher describes as “part Knives Out, part Agatha Christie.”
Revisiting My “Bookreporter Talks To” Interview with Deborah Goodrich Royce
Now out in paperback is REEF ROAD by Deborah Goodrich Royce. When a severed hand washes ashore in the wealthy enclave of Palm Beach, Florida, the lives of two women collide as the world shutters in the pandemic lockdown of 2020. I talked to Deborah about the book last January when it released in hardcover, so if you missed the interview or would like to check it out again, you can watch it here or listen to the podcast here.
Enter Our New Word of Mouth Contest
We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Let us know by Friday, February 2nd at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll have a chance to win DIVA by Daisy Goodwin and FAMILY FAMILY by Laurie Frankel. We will feature our reviews of both these titles over the next couple of weeks.
Vote in Our New Poll --- and Check Out Results from the Last Poll
Our new poll asks which of 30 paperbacks releasing in January you have read or are planning to read. Click here to cast your votes by Friday, February 2nd at noon ET.
In our previous poll, we listed 30 fiction titles that are being published this month for the first time and asked which of them, if any, you are looking forward to reading. Below are your top five picks, and you can see all the results here.
As I mentioned earlier, Mystery Writers of America has announced the nominees for the 2024 Edgar Awards, which honors the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction and television published or produced in 2023.
In addition to William Kent Krueger’s THE RIVER WE REMEMBER being nominated for Best Novel, other finalists include THE TAKEN ONES: A Steinbeck and Reed Thriller by Jess Lourey (Best Paperback Original), IN LIGHT OF ALL DARKNESS: Inside the Polly Klaas Kidnapping and the Search for America’s Child by Kim Cross (Best Fact Crime), and SPILLANE: King of Pulp Fiction by Max Allan Collins and James L. Traylor (Best Critical/Biographical). Click here for the full list. The winners will be announced on May 1st.
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail:
Susi wrote, “I’m always awed and a little cowed by the people who read a book or more a week. It’s intimidating for me because I must be super slow, barely hitting 12-18 a year. I wonder how those super readers find the time (are they retired?). I wonder if they remember the books they read, or do the stories sort of merge and become fuzzy? I know that after a while, even books I loved become a little hazy, and if I were to intelligently discuss them, I’d have to reread them.”
Susie wrote, “I just finished listening to ANNA O this morning. It's totally twisty and unexpected! And I just added 'Fool Me Once' to my Netflix queue. It looks amazing.”
Marlene wrote, “Thank you for sharing one of the 16 books on your shelf at the end of 2023. I appreciate the opportunity to enjoy a new crime solver, Ben Packard, and learn the secrets of Sandy Lake. I love the interviews and look forward to hearing more about THE SPECTACULAR. Thanks for such intelligent and informative discussions.”
Alex Michaelides: Alex discusses THE FURY on “Good Morning America” here and shares why the book is dedicated to Uma Thurman.
Ashley Elston: Ashley talks about editing FIRST LIE WINS in a New York Times piece here. I unlocked the article so you can read it.
“Reacher” on Amazon Prime Video: I am not sure if we are alone in thinking this, but so often the sound on Amazon programs is a tad off from the visuals. Also, the load times take forever, and since we have a Fire Stick, I really do not get why any of this happens. Season two has a great premise, but I think some of the execution is not as sharp as I would have wanted. It is predictable but still has witty moments.
There was not much extra television watching beyond football last weekend. I called it right with the Buccaneers, Lions, Bills and Packers all winning. I know, I should have been on FanDuel. Two of the games were easy picks; as a Giants fan, I can never root for the Eagles or the Cowboys.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and expecting a different outcome. So when we took the holiday decorations out in November, I swore that when I put them away, I was going to be sure that they were in the bins labeled correctly. Well, that did not happen. Last week, as we took everything down, I put things half smartly into bins. But I am sure that the one that says “16 large plates” and “8 small plates” has 8 mugs and 12 glasses in it. And the box that says “wooden reindeer” has a lot more than that tucked inside it. So next November, I once again can talk about this New Year’s resolution.
This weekend is more football, and reading and knitting in front of the fire. We have new fireplace doors that I am crazy about. They slide, and I just love the look of them! With the way they open, you can see the entire opening of the fire pit area, which is terrific. It is snowing here, which I confess I really love.
Read on, and have a great week.
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: THE FURY by Alex Michaelides
January’s #1 Indie Next Pick
and an Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE FURY by Alex Michaelides (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Alex Jennings
Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island. I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time --- it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press sensation: a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder. We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered. But who am I? My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read our review.
THE FURY will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.
Don't miss Carol's commentary in next week's newsletter.
Featured Review: ABSOLUTION by Alice McDermott
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
ABSOLUTION by Alice McDermott (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Jesse Vilinsky and Rachel Kenney
Tricia is a shy newlywed, married to a rising attorney on loan to navy intelligence. Charlene is a practiced corporate spouse and mother of three. In Saigon in 1963, the two women form a wary alliance as they balance the era’s mandate to be “helpmeets” to their ambitious husbands with their own inchoate impulse to “do good” for the people of Vietnam. Sixty years later, Charlene’s daughter, spurred by an encounter with an aging Vietnam vet, reaches out to Tricia. Together, they look back at their time in Saigon, taking wry account of that pivotal year and of Charlene’s altruistic machinations. They discover how their own lives as women on the periphery have been shaped and burdened by the same sort of unintended consequences that followed America’s tragic interference in Southeast Asia. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: THE SILENCE IN HER EYES
by Armando Lucas Correa
THE SILENCE IN HER EYES by Armando Lucas Correa (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Suehyla El-Attar Young
Leah has been living with akinetopsia, or motion blindness, since she was a child. For the last 20 years, she hasn’t been able to see movement. But she does see a good deal, and with her acute senses of smell and hearing, very little escapes her notice. When Alice moves into the apartment next door, Leah can immediately smell the anxiety wafting off her. Worse, she can’t help but hear Alice and a late-night visitor engage in a violent fight. Then one night, Leah wakes up to someone in her apartment. She blacks out and in the morning is left wondering if she dreamt the episode. Yet the scent of the intruder follows her everywhere. And when she hears Alice through the wall pleading for her help, Leah makes a decision that will test her courage, her strength and ultimately her sanity. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read our review.
On Sale February 20th: END OF STORY by A. J. Finn
END OF STORY by A. J. Finn (Psychological Thriller)
“I’ll be dead in three months. Come tell my story.” So writes reclusive mystery novelist Sebastian Trapp to his longtime correspondent, Nicky Hunter, an expert in detective fiction. With mere months to live, Trapp invites Nicky to his spectacular San Francisco mansion to help draft his life story…while living alongside his beautiful second wife, Diana; his wayward nephew, Freddy; and his protective daughter, Madeleine. Soon Nicky finds herself caught in an irresistible case of real-life “detective fever.” Twenty years earlier --- on New Year’s Eve 1999 --- Sebastian’s first wife and teenage son vanished from different locations, never to be seen again. Did the perfect crime writer commit the perfect crime? And why has he emerged from seclusion, two decades later, to allow a stranger to dig into his past?
Click here to read more about the book and pre-order your copy now.
Announcing Bookreporter.com's Ninth Annual
Winter Reading Contests and Feature
At Bookreporter.com, we are kicking off 2024 with our ninth 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 first prize book will be announced on Tuesday, January 23rd at noon ET.
This year's contest titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
Featured Review: NAOMI OSAKA by Ben Rothenberg
NAOMI OSAKA: Her Journey to Finding Her Power and Her Voice by Ben Rothenberg (Biography)
Audiobook available, read by Stacey Glemboski and Ben Rothenberg
Most tennis fans were introduced to Naomi Osaka as they watched her win the 2018 US Open final in an unforgettably controversial and dramatic victory over her idol, Serena Williams. Since then, Osaka has galvanized the tennis world --- and gained attention across the culture --- not only by winning three more majors but by finding her voice. But until now, the story of the Haitian Japanese American Osaka family’s journey across the world to follow their tennis dreams --- and how their youngest daughter found her power off the court --- has remained little known. It is a story unlike any other, and Ben Rothenberg’s biography not only shows where Osaka came from but also where she's going as she returns to competitive tennis after a year on maternity leave. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: OLD CRIMES by Jill McCorkle
OLD CRIMES: And Other Stories by Jill McCorkle (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available; read by Jill McCorkle, Hayden Bishop, Teralyn Davis, Marcella Cox, Kathy Bell Denton and Cary Hite
Jill McCorkle’s short story collection delves into the lives of characters who hold their secrets and misdeeds close, even as the past continues to reverberate over time and across generations. And despite the characters’ yearnings for connection, they can’t seem to tell the whole truth. In “Low Tones,” a woman uses her hearing impairment as a way to guard herself from her husband’s commentary. In “Lineman,” a telephone lineman strains to connect to his family even as he feels pushed aside in a digital world. In “Confessional,” a young couple buys a confessional booth for fun, only to discover the cost of honesty. Reviewed by Jane T. Krebs.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: WHERE YOU END by Abbott Kahler
WHERE YOU END by Abbott Kahler (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Megan Tusing and Samantha Desz
When Kat Bird wakes up from a coma, she sees her mirror image: Jude, her twin sister. Jude’s face and name are the only memories Kat has from before her accident. As Kat tries to make sense of things, she believes Jude will provide all the answers to her most pressing questions: Who am I? Where am I? What actually happened? Amid this tragedy, Jude sees an irresistible opportunity: she can give her sister a brand-new past, one worlds away from the lives they actually led. She spins tales of an idyllic childhood, exotic travels and a bright future. But if everything was so perfect, who are the mysterious people following Kat? And what explains her uncontrollable flashes of violent anger, which begin to jeopardize a sweet new romance? Duped by the one person she trusted, Kat must try to untangle fact from fiction. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read our review.
BEAUTYLAND by Marie-Helene Bertino (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Andi Arndt
At the moment when Voyager 1 is launched into space carrying its famous golden record, a baby of unusual perception is born to a single mother in Philadelphia. Adina Giorno is tiny and jaundiced, but reaches for warmth and light. As a child, she recognizes that she is different; she also possesses knowledge of a faraway planet. The arrival of a fax machine enables her to contact her extraterrestrial relatives, beings who have sent her to report on the oddities of earthlings. For years, as she moves through the world and makes a life for herself among humans, she dispatches transmissions on the terrors and surprising joys of their existence. But at a precarious moment, a beloved friend urges Adina to share her messages with the world. Is there a chance she is not alone? Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE CURSE OF PIETRO HOUDINI by Derek B. Miller (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Gabra Zackman
August 1943. Newly orphaned and fleeing from Rome after surviving the American bombing raid that killed his parents, 14-year-old Massimo is attacked by thugs and finds himself bloodied at the base of the Montecassino. It is there in the Benedictine abbey’s shadow that a charismatic and cryptic man calling himself Pietro Houdini, the self-proclaimed “Master Artist and confidante of the Vatican,” rescues Massimo and brings him up the mountain to serve as his assistant in preserving the treasures that lay within the monastery walls. But can Massimo believe what Pietro is saying, particularly when Massimo has secrets too? When it becomes evident that Montecassino will soon become the front line in the war, Pietro Houdini and Massimo execute a plan to smuggle three priceless Titian paintings to safety down the mountain. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
WILD AND DISTANT SEAS by Tara Karr Roberts (Fiction)
Evangeline Hussey has made a home for herself on Nantucket, though she knows she is still an outsider to the island’s small, close-knit community. Her husband, Hosea, and the life they built together was once all she needed. But now Hosea is gone, lost at sea. Evangeline is only able to hold on to his inn, and her place on the island, by employing a curious gift to glimpse and re-form the recent memories of those who would cast her out. One night, an idealistic sailor appears on her doorstep asking her to call him Ishmael. Yet her careful illusion suddenly begins to fracture. He soon sails away with Ahab to hunt an infamous white whale, and Evangeline is left to forge a new life from the pieces that remain. Her choices ripple through generations, across continents and into the depths of the sea. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.
ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS by Araminta Hall (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Elliot Fitzpatrick, Olivia Vinall and Helen Keeley
Desperate to escape the ghosts of his failed marriage, Cole leaves London behind for a remote stretch of coast, relishing the respite from the noise, drama and relentless careerism that curdled his relationship and mental health. Leonora has made the same move for similar reasons. She’s living a short walk from Cole’s seaside cottage, preparing for her latest art exhibition. The pair forges a connection on the eroding bluff they call home. Then two young women activists raising awareness about gendered violence disappear while passing through. Cole and Leonora find themselves in the middle of a police investigation and the resulting media firestorm when the world learns of what happened. They quickly realize that they don’t know each other that well after all. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
LISTEN: On Music, Sound and Us by Michel Faber (Music History/Criticism)
Audiobook available, read by Nathaniel Priestley
There are countless books on music with much analysis given to musicians, bands, eras and/or genres. But rarely does a book delve into what's going on inside us when we listen. Michel Faber explores two big questions: How do we listen to music, and why do we listen to music? To answer these questions, he considers a range of factors, which includes age, illness, the notion of "cool," commerce, the dichotomy between "good" and "bad" taste, and much more. Reviewed by Pauline Finch.
BONUS TIME by Claire Cook (Fiction)
If you're lucky enough to get that bonus time, what are you going to do with it? For Glenda, Harmony and Jan, it's heading south to age feistily in side-by-side townhouses on St. Simons Island. One minute, they're just out of college and working together in Marshbury, Massachusetts. The next, they're using their golden parachutes to land just south of Savannah on the Golden Isles. They're ready for reinvention, not withering on the vine. Plus all this ageism is getting really old. So they hatch a plan to take care of Butt, the dishonest, lecherous head of their HOA. To ramp up their supershero skills, they get jobs working as role players at FLETC, the massive, hot-guy-filled Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Because age is just a number when you’re taking names and kicking butt. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
Next Week's Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on January 23rd
Below are some notable titles releasing on January 23rd 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 22nd, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
DEAD MAN'S HAND: A Pike Logan Novel by Brad Taylor (Thriller/Adventure)
New York Times bestselling author and former special forces officer Brad Taylor is back with a propulsive and topical edge-of-your-seat thriller featuring Pike Logan as he goes head-to-head with Putin’s henchmen.
DIVA by Daisy Goodwin (Historical Fiction)
New York Times bestselling author Daisy Goodwin returns with a story of the scandalous love affair between the most celebrated opera singer of all time and one of the richest men in the world.
FAMILY FAMILY by Laurie Frankel (Fiction)
Laurie Frankel’s new novel is a heartwarming story about how family can come from the most unexpected places and how when we expand our notions of what is “normal” the world becomes a better place.
THE FRIENDSHIP CLUB by Robyn Carr (Fiction)
Four women come together at a tumultuous time in their lives, forging an unbreakable bond that will leave them all forever changed.
FRONT SIGHT: Three Swagger Novellas by Stephen Hunter (Political/Historical Thriller)
This collection of three interconnected novellas follows each generation of the iconic Swagger family --- grandfather Charles, father Earl and fan favorite hero Bob Lee --- from New York Times bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Hunter.
HARBOR LIGHTS: Stories by James Lee Burke (Fiction/Short Stories)
With his nuanced characters, lyrical prose, and ability to write shocking violence in the most evocative settings, James Lee Burke’s singular skills are on display in this superb anthology.
THE MISSING WITNESS: A Quinn & Costa Novel by Allison Brennan (Mystery/Thriller)
When a key witness goes missing, LAPD detective Kara Quinn and FBI special agent Matt Costa must find her before a killer silences her for good.
MURDER, SHE WROTE: FIT FOR MURDER by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran (Mystery)
Jessica Fletcher learns that exercise can be murder in this new entry in the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series.
THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE ALPERTON ANGELS by Janice Hallett (Mystery)
This whip-smart mystery from the internationally bestselling author of THE TWYFORD CODE and THE APPEAL is about a true-crime journalist who revives a long-buried case about a cult --- and finds herself too close to the story.
RANDOM IN DEATH by J. D. Robb (Mystery/Thriller)
In this new crime thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb, a small and easily concealed weapon wreaks havoc, and the killer is just a face in the crowd.
THE WHARTON PLOT by Mariah Fredericks (Historical Mystery)
Mariah Fredericks' mesmerizing new novel follows renowned novelist Edith Wharton in the twilight years of the Gilded Age in New York as she tracks a killer.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
From left to right: Lisa See, Janice Hallett, Vanessa Chan
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
Here are seven upcoming virtual book and author events that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links for more info and to register.
Monday, January 22nd at 6pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Join Larissa Ackerman and Vida Engstrand for a preview of Kensington Books' Spring Mystery & Crime list, hosted by John Charles. One of the premier publishers of mystery and crime fiction, Kensington is known for a wide variety of styles, from traditional mysteries and cozies to historical crime novels and thrillers.
Tuesday, January 23rd at 1pm ET: Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites: Vanessa Chan will join members of the Simon & Schuster team to discuss her debut novel, THE STORM WE MADE, which is January's pick for S&S's Book Club Favorites.
Tuesday, January 23rd at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Stephen Hunter will talk about his latest book, FRONT SIGHT, a collection of three interconnected novellas that follows each generation of the iconic Swagger family.
Wednesday, January 24th at 3pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Janice Hallett will talk about her new mystery, THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE ALPERTON ANGELS, in which a true crime journalist revives a long-buried case about a cult --- and finds herself too close to the story.
Wednesday, January 24th 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 Abbott Kahler about her spellbinding fiction debut, WHERE YOU END.
Wednesday, January 24th at 7pm ET: Publishers Lunch/American Booksellers Association: Leigh Haber will host the Buzz Books Editors and Authors Panel, a virtual event sponsored by Publishers Lunch and the American Booksellers Association. Five breakout authors will chat with their editors about their forthcoming titles.
Wednesday, January 24th at 8pm ET: "Bookaccino Live" Book Group: Carol Fitzgerald will talk to Lisa See about her novel, LADY TAN'S CIRCLE OF WOMEN, a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Lisa also will answer questions from guests who will be "on stage," as well as from other members of the audience. If you would like to be one of our featured audience guests and ask Lisa a question on camera, please send Carol an email with the subject line “Lisa” by January 24th at noon ET.
"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:
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
Our Latest Poll: January Paperback Releases to Anticipate
Which of the following titles releasing in paperback in January have you read or do you plan to read? Please check all that apply.
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THE 9th MAN: A Luke Daniels Thriller, by Steve Berry with Grant Blackwood
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AFTER DEATH by Dean Koontz
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AFTER SAPPHO by Selby Wynn Schwartz
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AGE OF VICE by Deepti Kapoor
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ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS by Stacy Willingham
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THE BAD ANGEL BROTHERS by Paul Theroux
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CHAIN-GANG ALL-STARS by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
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CHILDREN OF THE STATE: Stories of Survival and Hope in the Juvenile Justice System, by Jeff Hobbs
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CODE 6 by James Grippando
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DEATH OF A TRAITOR: A Hamish Macbeth Murder Mystery, by M. C. Beaton with R.W. Green
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EVERY MAN A KING: A King Oliver Novel, by Walter Mosley
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EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE by Benjamin Stevenson
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THE FARAWAY WORLD: Stories, by Patricia Engel
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FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN by Elle Cosimano
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A GUEST AT THE FEAST: Essays, by Colm Tóibín
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HELL BENT by Leigh Bardugo
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HORSE by Geraldine Brooks
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HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE by Grady Hendrix
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JUST THE NICEST COUPLE by Mary Kubica
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THE LINDBERGH NANNY by Mariah Fredericks
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THE LOST ENGLISH GIRL by Julia Kelly
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LOYALTY by Lisa Scottoline
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THE NAZI CONSPIRACY: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill, by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch
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REEF ROAD by Deborah Goodrich Royce
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SMALL WORLD by Laura Zigman
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SYMPHONY OF SECRETS by Brendan Slocumb
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UNRAVELING: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World's Ugliest Sweater, by Peggy Orenstein
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VICTORY CITY by Salman Rushdie
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THE WAY OF THE BEAR: A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel, by Anne Hillerman
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WHERE THE DEAD SLEEP by Joshua Moehling
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None of the above
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, February 2nd 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 January 19th to February 2nd at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of DIVA by Daisy Goodwin and FAMILY FAMILY by Laurie Frankel.
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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