June 7, 2024

June 7, 2024

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No Shelf Control

I have no shelf control. I love that line. It’s so very true. The shelves of upcoming books to read have morphed into piles on the floor. A few weeks ago, I sorted them by publication date. There were a lot coming out on June 4th and others on June 11th, so that was not exactly one of my greater solutions.

Last weekend, I devoured SHELTERWOOD by Lisa Wingate, which was one of our Summer Reading prize books this week and will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. It’s set in Oklahoma, and reading Lisa's descriptions of the land made me want to travel there. It’s a hauntingly beautiful novel about young children abandoned by the law in 1909, including some Choctaw children; land rights; and a young widow in 1990 who unravels a lot of their story --- and what it meant for Oklahoma. I heard Lisa present at a pre-publication event, and I am looking forward to interviewing her on Monday.

Now I am reading ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK by Chris Whitaker, which is coming out on June 25th and exemplifies my lack of shelf control since I am skipping ahead. But I was a huge fan of Chris’ previous book, WE BEGIN AT THE END. To say that I have been waiting for this one is an understatement! I have used a lot of restraint not to read it sooner. Chris writes characters beautifully, and once again I am completely drawn in by them. Then I will hop back to early and mid-June titles, I promise.

I am planning to go to Chris’ event at the Brielle Public Library in New Jersey on Thursday, July 25th (he also will be in the States from the UK the last week of June). Then, the following week, I will be back at Brielle on Tuesday, July 30th for an event with Amy Neff. Her debut novel, THE DAYS I LOVED YOU MOST, will be a Bets On selection, and it's one of our Summer Reading titles. I loved Amy’s writing; she tells the story of a long marriage with far more insight than one might expect for a woman her age. It comes out on July 30th, so it will be fun to see her on publication day.

Before all of that, there will be one more trip down south in New Jersey. I will be doing an in-person event at the Avalon Free Public Library talking about summer beach reads on Wednesday, June 26th. I hope to see some Jersey readers at one or more of these events. And yes, I will remind you closer to the time of these events.

There's something that makes me crazy, especially recently, that I have to share. When I look at social media posts, mainly on Facebook where people write comments about a book, blatant negativity makes my blood boil. I am not talking about “I did not like that book” or “That did not work for me” or “This part left me wanting,” but rather nonstop drama about why it was not appealing and a total shred job on it and the author. I feel like there often are people with a mission not just to comment negatively once on a page, but to continue to rant and rant and rant.

I confess that there are many books that I read and do not enjoy. Some I start and do not finish. I choose not to talk about them. We choose not to run negative reviews here. I feel like I have no need telling people what not to read. Also, since so many authors are on social media, I often wonder if these same comments are ones that people would say to another person’s face. Or the same people who would ask for a complimentary copy.

Lowering the temperature online really has its value. Taking it down a notch is not a bad thing. There is enough noise out there. I try to think, Would I say this aloud to this person in quite this way? I am not saying people need to love everything, but they should think about what to say. Taking the higher road with feedback is never a bad thing.

My latest “Bookreporter Talks To” interview is with Ruth Reichl, whose new work of fiction,  THE PARIS NOVEL, is a Bets On pick. The concept for this book was born from a section in Ruth’s 2019 memoir, SAVE ME THE PLUMS, which prompted her longtime editor, Susan Kamil, to ask for a novel with that as a starting-off point.

Ruth talks about why she set the book in the 1980s, as travel then was so different from what it is now. Yes, she dined at all the places mentioned in the book and remarks that she is surprised that more has not been written about Shakespeare and Company, and the Tumbleweeds who lived there. She also shares something personal from her childhood that influenced how she created the character of Stella. Click here to watch the video or here to listen to the podcast. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to her!

This is your last Weekly Update newsletter reminder to sign up for this month’s “Bookaccino Live” book preview event, which will take place on Wednesday, June 12th at 2pm ET.

The focus will be on titles releasing between June 11th and July 2nd, in addition to a few from August, that we would like to tell you about. 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.

The following week, on Thursday, June 20th at 8pm ET, will be a special “Bookaccino Live” Summer Preview evening program. I will be talking about a number of books releasing this summer that we think you will enjoy reading over the next few months. You can sign up for the event by clicking here.

This week, we kicked off a new contest for Marjan Kamali’s upcoming novel, THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN. This future Bets On title is a sweeping exploration of how profoundly we’re shaped by those we meet when we’re young, and the way love and courage transforms our lives. I loved this book as it's an opportunity to peer deeper into another culture against the backdrop of a long friendship.

In 1950s Tehran, Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing the seven-year-old and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Luckily, on the first day of school, Ellie meets Homa, a kind and passionate girl. Together, they play games and share their ambitions for becoming “lion women.” But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are given the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, though, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.

In anticipation of its July 2nd publication, we’re awarding an advance copy to 25 readers. To enter, please fill out this form by Friday, June 21st at noon ET. We look forward to sharing our review of the book later this month, followed by my Bets On commentary and a “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Marjan in July. She also will be embarking on a big book tour, and I hope some of you get to meet her along the way. I know many of you were fans of THE STATIONERY SHOP.

A history-making eruption is about to destroy the Big Island of Hawaii. But a secret held for decades by the US military is far more terrifying than any volcano in ERUPTION, one of the most talked-about books of 2024. Michael Crichton had a passion project he’d been pursuing for years. Following his untimely passing in 2008, his wife, Sherri Crichton, held back his notes and the partial manuscript until she found the right author to complete it: James Patterson.

Ray Palen has our review and calls the book “so much more than just a great summer read. It combines the impeccable research and scientific knowledge that Crichton consistently infused into everything he wrote with the breakneck suspense of a James Patterson novel. In true Patterson style, the chapters are short and have the impact of jabs from a prize fighter who is setting you up for the knockout punch. When it arrives, hold on to your seats because ERUPTION is a wild ride that takes no prisoners.”

The movie rights have been snapped up, and here is an interview with James Patterson and Sherri Crichton discussing the collaboration on “CBS Sunday Morning.” Backstories like this always are interesting to me. Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, the Oscar-winning directors of Free Solo, have come aboard to direct the film. I saw a movie deal coming a mile away.

We featured Colm Tóibín’s recently released LONG ISLAND last month when Oprah selected it as her latest Book Club pick. In this spectacularly moving and intense novel of secrecy, misunderstanding and love, Tóibín tells the story of Eilis Lacey --- the complex and enigmatic heroine of BROOKLYN --- 20 years later.

We’re thrilled to share our review of the book from Stuart Shiffman, who has this to say: “Those who read BROOKLYN probably have a good idea where LONG ISLAND is headed. But the joy of this book is not so much in the story as it is in the beautiful way that Tóibín tells it, as he moves from character to character seamlessly. While this impressive yet disturbing novel becomes more a story of Jim and Nancy than it does Eilis, readers will care deeply about what happens to all of them.”

THE COMFORT OF GHOSTS wraps up Jacqueline Winspear’s groundbreaking and internationally bestselling Maisie Dobbs series. In this 18th and final installment, the beloved psychologist and investigator unravels a profound mystery from her past in a war-torn nation grappling with its future.

In her review, Norah Piehl assures fans of the series that “Winspear's publisher is planning a 20th anniversary re-release of the first book later this year. So even though readers might be disappointed that there are no new Maisie Dobbs mysteries to anticipate, they can gain comfort in the fact that this wise, compassionate and resilient protagonist will always be available for a return visit in the pages of Winspear's resplendent series.”

We also are spotlighting these two reviews:

• YOU NEVER KNOW: In his enlightening memoir, beloved actor Tom Selleck (with Ellis Henican) brings readers on his uncharted but serendipitous journey to the top in Hollywood, his temptations and distractions, his misfires and mistakes, and, over time, his well-earned success. Along the way, he clears up an armload of misconceptions and shares dozens of never-told stories.
   
• ANIMALS I WANT TO SEE: Tom Seeman’s lyrical coming-of-age story set in the projects of Toledo, Ohio, explores themes of identity, ambition, religion and friendship --- often across racial and social lines --- as it spotlights a family of 14 and tracks a boy’s journey from a child janitor with big dreams to a teenage petty criminal to a student at Yale and Harvard. I read this one and really liked it! 

Your Last Chance to Enter Our “Best Books for Dad” Contest!
ANIMALS I WANT TO SEE is one of the prizes in this year’s Father’s Day contest. Be sure to enter if you haven’t already; the deadline is next Friday, June 14th at noon ET. Five readers will win all seven of our dad-friendly titles. Along with Tom Seeman’s memoir, we’re giving away AGE OF REVOLUTIONS by Fareed Zakaria, ALL THE GLIMMERING STARS by Mark Sullivan, I LIVED TO TELL THE WORLD by Elizabeth Mehren, I WILL RUIN YOU by Linwood Barclay, THE MALACHI COVENANT by Dee Kelly Jr., and THE RIVER WE REMEMBER by William Kent Krueger.

Summer Reading Contest Update
In this week’s Summer Reading contests, we gave away THE PECAN CHILDREN by Quinn Connor and the aforementioned SHELTERWOOD by Lisa Wingate. Next week’s prize book will be another Bets On title, LADY TAN’S CIRCLE OF WOMEN by Lisa See. The contest will be up at noon ET on the day of its paperback release, Tuesday, June 11th.

This Month’s New in Paperback Feature
LADY TAN’S CIRCLE OF WOMEN is just one of the books we’re featuring in June’s New in Paperback roundups. We also have paperback fiction reprints from such bestselling authors as Colson Whitehead (CROOK MANIFESTO), James Lee Burke (the Edgar Award-winning FLAGS ON THE BAYOU), Shari Lapena (EVERYONE HERE IS LYING), and Luis Alberto Urrea (GOOD NIGHT, IRENE, our “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” prize book on ReadingGroupGuides.com); nonfiction titles, including FRIENDS, LOVERS, AND THE BIG TERRIBLE THING by Matthew Perry and THE ART THIEF: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel; and paperback originals like THE HOUSEMAID IS WATCHING by Freida McFadden and THE PARIS WIDOW by Kimberly Belle.

Books on Screen Offerings for June
We’ve also updated our Books on Screen feature for this month. June’s roundup includes the series premieres of "Presumed Innocent" on Apple TV+ and "Queenie" on Hulu; the season two premiere of HBO's "House of the Dragon" and the second part of season three of Netflix's "Bridgerton"; the conclusion of "Dark Matter" on Apple TV+; the season finales of Hallmark Channel's "When Calls the Heart," AMC's "Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire" and Apple TV+'s "The Big Door Prize"; the films Firebrand and The Watchers; and the DVD releases of Origin, The Long Game, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and Orlando, My Political Biography.

Enter Our New Word of Mouth Contest
We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Let us know by Friday, June 21st at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll have a chance to win THE NEXT MRS. PARRISH (the long-awaited follow-up to Liv Constantine’s THE LAST MRS. PARRISH) and SWAN SONG (Elin Hilderbrand’s final Nantucket novel).

Vote in Our New Poll --- and Check Out Results from the Last Poll
In honor of June being Audiobook Appreciation Month, we want to know if you listen to audiobooks. Click here to cast your votes in our new poll by Friday, June 21st at noon ET.

In our previous poll, we listed 30 fiction titles that are releasing this month 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.

• THE MIDNIGHT FEAST by Lucy Foley (29%)
• SWAN SONG by Elin Hilderbrand (27%)
• SHELTERWOOD by Lisa Wingate (27%)
• THE GLASSMAKER by Tracy Chevalier (26%)
• HUSBANDS & LOVERS by Beatriz Williams (26%)

Featured Review: ERUPTION
by Michael Crichton and James Patterson

ERUPTION by Michael Crichton and James Patterson (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Scott Brick
Michael Crichton, the creator of Jurassic Park, “ER,” Twister and Westworld, had a passion project he’d been pursuing for years, ahead of his untimely passing in 2008. Knowing how special it was, his wife, Sherri Crichton, held back his notes and the partial manuscript until she found the right author to complete it: James Patterson. A history-making eruption is about to destroy the Big Island of Hawaii. But a secret held for decades by the US military is far more terrifying than any volcano. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review: LONG ISLAND by Colm Tóibín
Oprah’s Latest Book Club Pick

LONG ISLAND by Colm Tóibín (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Jessie Buckley
Eilis Lacey is Irish, married to Tony Fiorello, a plumber and one of four Italian American brothers, all of whom live in neighboring houses on a cul-de-sac in Lindenhurst, Long Island, with their wives and children and Tony’s parents. It is the spring of 1976, and Eilis has no one to rely on in this still-new country. Though her ties to Ireland remain stronger than those that hold her to her new land and home, she has not returned in decades. One day, when Tony is at his job and Eilis is in her home office, an Irishman comes to the door asking for her by name. He tells her that his wife is pregnant with Tony’s child and that he will not raise the baby but instead deposit it on Eilis’ doorstep. It is what Eilis does --- and what she refuses to do --- in response to this stunning news that makes LONG ISLAND so riveting. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com.
- Click here to see why the book is Oprah's latest Book Club pick.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review: THE COMFORT OF GHOSTS
by Jacqueline Winspear

THE COMFORT OF GHOSTS: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear (Historical Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Orlagh Cassidy
London, 1945: Four adolescent orphans with a dark wartime history are squatting in a vacant Belgravia mansion --- the owners having fled London under heavy Luftwaffe bombing. Psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs visits the mansion on behalf of the owners and discovers that a demobilized soldier, gravely ill and reeling from his experiences overseas, has taken shelter with the group. Maisie’s quest to bring comfort to the youngsters and the ailing soldier brings to light a decades-old mystery concerning Maisie’s first husband, James Compton, who was killed while piloting an experimental fighter aircraft. As Maisie unravels the threads of her dead husband’s life, she is forced to examine her own painful past and question beliefs she has always accepted as true. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read our review.

New Special Contest: Enter to Win One of 25 Copies of
THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN by Marjan Kamali,
an Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title,
Releasing on July 2nd

THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN by Marjan Kamali is a heartfelt, epic new novel of friendship, betrayal and redemption set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran. We have 25 advance copies to give away to those who would like to read the book, which releases on July 2nd and will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. To enter, please fill out this form by Friday, June 21st at noon ET.

THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN by Marjan Kamali (Fiction)
In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams of a friend to alleviate her isolation.

Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind, passionate girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions for becoming “lion women.”

But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.

Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.

- Click here to read Marjan Kamali's bio.
- Click here to visit Marjan Kamali's website.
- Connect with Marjan Kamali on Facebook, X and Instagram.

Click here to enter the contest.

Bookreporter.com's 19th Annual
Father's Day Contest: Best Books for Dad
Enter by NEXT Friday, June 14th at Noon ET!

Father’s Day is a time to celebrate the men in our lives who have raised and loved us. Why not show him your appreciation by inspiring him with a great book? In our 19th annual "Best Books for Dad" contest, we have a selection of books that are perfect gift-giving suggestions for Dad, keeping him busy through the rest of the year. Five readers will be awarded a copy of each of our seven featured titles. To enter, please fill out this form by Friday, June 14th at noon ET.

This year's prize books are:

• AGE OF REVOLUTIONS: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present by Fareed Zakaria
• ALL THE GLIMMERING STARS by Mark Sullivan
• ANIMALS I WANT TO SEE: A Memoir of Growing Up in the Projects and Defying the Odds by Tom Seeman
• I LIVED TO TELL THE WORLD: Stories from Survivors of Holocaust, Genocide, and the Atrocities of War by Elizabeth Mehren
• I WILL RUIN YOU by Linwood Barclay
• THE MALACHI COVENANT by Dee Kelly Jr.
• THE RIVER WE REMEMBER by William Kent Krueger

Click here to enter the contest.

Featured Review: YOU NEVER KNOW
by Tom Selleck, with Ellis Henican

YOU NEVER KNOW: A Memoir by Tom Selleck with Ellis Henican (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Tom Selleck
In his own voice and uniquely unpretentious style, beloved actor Tom Selleck brings readers on his uncharted but serendipitous journey to the top in Hollywood, his temptations and distractions, his misfires and mistakes, and, over time, his well-earned success. Along the way, he clears up an armload of misconceptions and shares dozens of never-told stories. “Magnum P.I.” fans will be fascinated to learn how Selleck put his career on the line to make Thomas Magnum a more imperfect hero and explains why he walked away from a show that easily could have gone on for years longer. Hollywood is never easy, even for stars who make it look that way. In YOU NEVER KNOW, Selleck explains how he’s struggled to balance his personal and professional lives, frequently adjusting his career to protect his family’s privacy and normalcy. Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review: ANIMALS I WANT TO SEE
by Tom Seeman

ANIMALS I WANT TO SEE: A Memoir of Growing Up in the Projects and Defying the Odds by Tom Seeman (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Brian Hutchison
On Bronson Street, in the projects of Toledo, Ohio, in a crowded house occupied by a family of 14, Tom Seeman starts a very important list. Just as the trash-strewn field in his backyard is home to a treasure trove of wild animals, Tom’s list, “Animals I Want To See One Day,” is home to dreams of adventure in places far away from the downtrodden neighborhood where he lives. But for all its hardship and crime, Bronson Street is also something of a mythical street, populated by unforgettable people who share food, protect each other, and give surprising gifts of beauty and merriment, proving that the bonds of community and friendship (often across racial and social lines) can bridge any divide and transcend what many of us are taught to believe about each other. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com.

Click here to read our review.

Bookreporter.com's 20th Annual
Summer Reading Contests and Feature

June’s New in Paperback Roundups

June's roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes CROOK MANIFESTO, a powerful and hugely entertaining novel that summons 1970s New York in all its seedy glory and continues Colson Whitehead's Harlem saga that began with HARLEM SHUFFLE; LADY TAN'S CIRCLE OF WOMEN by Lisa See, an immersive historical novel inspired by the true story of a woman physician in 15th-century China; FLAGS ON THE BAYOU, James Lee Burke's Edgar Award-winning novel set in Civil War-era Louisiana as the South transforms, and a brilliant cast of characters are caught in the maelstrom; and TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, Gabrielle Zevin's memorable novel about two college friends who become creative partners in a dazzling and intricately imagined world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

Among our nonfiction highlights are FRIENDS, LOVERS, AND THE BIG TERRIBLE THING, Matthew Perry's candid, funny and revelatory memoir that takes us behind the scenes of "Friends" and his struggles with addiction; THE ART THIEF, a spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius as Michael Finkel brings us into Stéphane Breitwieser’s strange world; TANGLED VINES, John Glatt’s unputdownable account of the rise and fall of the prestigious Murdaugh family; MOTHERHOOD SO WHITE, an honest, vulnerable and uplifting memoir in which Nefertiti Austin shares her story of starting a family through adoption as a single Black woman; and GEORGE, poet and painter Frieda Hughes' intimate, charming and humorous memoir recounting her experience rescuing and raising an abandoned baby magpie in the Welsh countryside.

June’s Books on Screen Feature

More Reviews This Week

BUTCHER by Joyce Carol Oates (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Amy Shiels, Edoardo Ballerini, Cassandra Campbell, Robert Fass, Tavia Gilbert, Jeremy Carlisle, Danny Campbell and Max Meyers
In this harrowing story based on authentic historical documents, we follow the career of Dr. Silas Weir, “Father of Gyno-Psychiatry,” as he ascends from professional anonymity to national renown. Humiliated by a procedure gone terribly wrong, Weir is forced to take a position at the New Jersey Asylum for Female Lunatics, where he reigns. There, he is allowed to continue his practice, unchecked for decades, making a name for himself by focusing on women who have been neglected by the state --- women he subjects to the most grotesque modes of experimentation. As he begins to establish himself as a pioneer of 19th-century surgery, Weir’s ambition is fueled by his obsessive fascination with a young Irish indentured servant named Brigit, who becomes not only his primary experimental subject, but also the agent of his destruction. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

RED SIDE STORY: A Shades of Grey Novel by Jasper Fforde
(Dystopian Fantasy/Humor)
Audiobook available, read by Jasper Fforde and Chris Harper
Welcome to Chromatacia, where life is strictly regulated by one’s limited color perception. Civilization has been rebuilt after an unspoken “Something that Happened” 500 years before. Society is now color vision–segregated, everything dictated by an individual’s visual ability and governed by the shadowy National Color in far-off Emerald City. Twenty-year-old Eddie Russett, a Red, is about to go on trial for a murder he didn’t commit, and he’s pretty certain to be sent on a one-way trip to the Green Room for execution by soporific color exposure. Meanwhile, he’s engaged in an illegal relationship with his co-defendant, a Green, the charismatic and unpredictable Jane Grey. Negotiating the narrow boundaries of the Rules within their society, they search for a loophole --- some truth of their world that has been hidden from its hyper-policed citizens. Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard.

I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL by Natalie Sue (Fiction/Humor)
Audiobook available, read by Nasim Pedrad
As far as Jolene is concerned, her interactions with her colleagues should start and end with her official duties as an admin for Supershops, Inc. Unfortunately, her irritating, incompetent coworkers don’t seem to understand the importance of boundaries. Her secret to survival? She vents her grievances in petty email postscripts, then changes the text color to white so no one can see. That is until one of her secret messages is exposed. Her punishment: sensitivity training (led by the suspiciously friendly HR guy, Cliff) and rigorous email restrictions. When an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs, Jolene knows she should report it. But who could resist reading what their coworkers are really saying? And when she discovers layoffs are coming, she realizes this just might be the key to saving her job. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.

IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME by Alex Finlay (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Helen Laser, John Pirhalla and Paul Dateh
For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping open. The crushing blow to the head. The hands yanking him from the vehicle. His girlfriend Ali’s piercing scream as she is taken. With no trace of Ali or the car, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Ryan. He’s never charged, though that doesn’t matter to the podcasters and internet trolls. Now, Ryan has changed his last name and entered law school. While on a summer trip abroad to Italy with his law-school classmates, Ryan gets a call from his father: Ali's car has finally been found, submerged in a lake in his hometown. Inside are two dead men and a cryptic note with five words written on the envelope in Ali’s handwriting: If something happens to me…  Then, halfway around the world, Ryan sees the man who has haunted his dreams since that night. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.

LONG TIME GONE by Charlie Donlea (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Vivienne Leheny
On the first day of an elite two-year fellowship, Sloan Hastings receives a research assignment in the emerging field of forensic genealogy. When she enthusiastically begins her research by submitting her own DNA to an online genealogy site, the results she receives are shocking. Sloane’s DNA profile suggests her true identity is that of Charlotte Margolis, aka “Baby Charlotte,” who captured the nation’s attention when she and her affluent parents mysteriously vanished. There were never any suspects in the family’s disappearance, and the case has been cold for decades. Sloan’s search for answers leads her to Cedar Creek, Nevada, a small town north of Lake Tahoe. Her birth relatives are mysterious and tight-lipped, and not everyone seems happy about her return or the questions she’s asking. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

THE COAST ROAD by Alan Murrin (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Jessica Regan
Set in 1994, THE COAST ROAD tells the story of two women --- Izzy Keaveney, a housewife, and Colette Crowley, a poet. Colette has left her husband and sons for a married man in Dublin. When she returns to her home in County Donegal to try to pick up the pieces of her old life, her husband, Shaun, a successful businessman, denies her access to her children. The only way she can see them is with the help of neighbor Izzy, who is acting as a go-between. Izzy also feels caught in a troubled marriage. The friendship that develops between them ultimately will lead to tragedy for one, and freedom for the other. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

A LOVELY LIE by Jaime Lynn Hendricks (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Hillary Huber
The night of their senior picnic in 1999, Scarlett Russo and her best friend, Pepper, were involved in a car accident that left two of their classmates dead. Afterward, they lied to the police, protecting each other from the consequences. Then Pepper left town, and Scarlett never heard from her again. Twenty-two years later, Scarlett has buried that deadly incident deep in her mind and built a comfortable life for herself. However, her peace is disrupted when Pepper’s daughter shows up with news of Pepper’s death. Zoey has a cryptic letter from Pepper addressed to Scarlett that alludes to the events of that fateful night and Pepper’s initial intentions to get an abortion. Now Zoey wants answers about her mother’s past. Who is Zoey’s father? And what really happened after the senior picnic? Reviewed by Ray Palen.

DON’T ASK, DON’T FOLLOW by Mary Keliikoa (Mystery/Thriller)
Beth Ralston, a paralegal in Portland, Oregon, would rather be racking up billable hours than mingling at an office party --- especially when her sister Lindsay, aka her plus one, is a no-show. After making her obligatory rounds, Beth returns to her office to find that her boss has been murdered. She sees a woman fleeing the scene. Was that Lindsay? Unable to catch up to her in time, Beth waits for the police to arrive and notices that Lindsay has left her phone behind with an unsent text message to Beth displayed on the screen: “Don’t ask. Don’t follow.” While retracing Lindsay’s steps, determined to bring her home, Beth uncovers what her sister, an investigative reporter bent on changing the world, was trying to expose --- corruption, secrets and betrayal on an unimaginable level. Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy.

Next Week's Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on June 11th

Below are some notable titles releasing on June 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 week of June 10th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.

BEN & ME: In Search of a Founder's Formula for a Long and Useful Life by Eric Weiner (Biography/Travelogue)
New York Times bestselling author Eric Weiner follows in the footsteps of Benjamin Franklin, mining his life for inspiring and practical lessons in a book that’s part biography, part travelogue, part personal prescription.

CLETE: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke (Thriller)
In this latest installment of his famous Detective Dave Robicheaux series, New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke brings Dave’s partner and friend, Clete Purcel, to the forefront for the first time as Clete and Dave attempt to stop ruthless smugglers of a dangerous new drug.

DAD CAMP by Evan S. Porter (Fiction/Humor)
This heartwarming novel is about a loving dad who drags his 11-year-old daughter to “father-daughter week” at a remote summer camp --- their last chance to bond before he loses her to teenage girlhood entirely.

THE FRIDAY AFTERNOON CLUB: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne (Memoir)
Griffin Dunne’s memoir of growing up among larger-than-life characters in Hollywood and Manhattan finds wicked humor and glimmers of light in even the most painful of circumstances.

HORROR MOVIE by Paul Tremblay (Psychological Thriller/Horror)
HORROR MOVIE is an obsessive, psychologically chilling and suspenseful feat of storytelling genius that builds inexorably to an unforgettable, mind-bending conclusion.

THE HOUSEMAID IS WATCHING by Freida McFadden (Psychological Thriller)
From New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Freida McFadden comes the next installment in her unbelievably twisty, tension-packed and globally bestselling Housemaid series.

THE PARIS WIDOW by Kimberly Belle (Thriller)
A dream vacation turns deadly when secrets from the past catch up to a married couple in Paris in this new edge-of-your-seat thriller from USA Today bestselling author Kimberly Belle.

RED STAR FALLING: A Luke Daniels Thriller by Steve Berry with Grant Blackwood (Thriller/Adventure)
In the waning days of the Cold War, Luke Daniels embarks on a quest in search of the legendary library of Ivan the Terrible --- the unlikely key to ending a looming threat orbiting 200 miles above the earth.

THE ROM-COMMERS by Katherine Center (Romantic Comedy)
He wrote a romantic comedy...and it's terrible. She just got hired to fix it. Let the banter begin in Katherine Center's rom-com about writing a rom-com.

SWAN SONG by Elin Hilderbrand (Fiction)
Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand brings her Nantucket novels to a brilliant finish. When rich strangers move to the island, social mayhem and a possible murder follow. Can Nantucket’s best locals save the day, and their way of life?

A TALENT FOR MURDER by Peter Swanson (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
A newlywed librarian begins to suspect the man she married is a murderer in this spectacularly twisty and deviously clever novel by Peter Swanson, the New York Times bestselling author of THE KIND WORTH KILLING and EIGHT PERFECT MURDERS.

TEHRANGELES by Porochista Khakpour (Fiction)
Dramatic and biting, yet full of heart, TEHRANGELES is a tragicomic saga about high-functioning family dysfunction and the ever-present struggle to accept one’s true self.

THAT NIGHT IN THE LIBRARY by Eva Jurczyk (Literary Mystery)
 From critically acclaimed librarian and author Eva Jurczyk comes THAT NIGHT IN THE LIBRARY, a chilling literary mystery that transports readers to a world where secrets live in the dark, books breathe fears to life, and the only way out is to wait until morning.  

TRAVELING: On the Path of Joni Mitchell by Ann Powers (Music/Biography)
Celebrated NPR music critic Ann Powers explores the life and career of Joni Mitchell in a lyrical style as fascinating and ethereal as the songs of the artist herself.

Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.

From left to right: James Lee Burke, Lisa Wingate, Steve Berry

  Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events

Here are four upcoming virtual book and author events that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links for more info and to register.

Monday, June 10th at 5pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: James Lee Burke will talk about his new book, CLETE. In this 24th installment of the Dave Robicheaux series, Dave and his partner and friend, Clete Purcel, attempt to stop ruthless smugglers of a dangerous new drug.

Tuesday, June 11th at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Steve Berry and Grant Blackwood will talk about their new thriller, RED STAR FALLING, an action-packed adventure that finds Luke Daniels embarking on a quest in search of the legendary library of Ivan the Terrible.

Wednesday, June 12th at 2pm ET: "Bookaccino Live" Book Preview: Carol Fitzgerald will present titles releasing between June 11th and July 2nd, along with a few from August, that she would like to get on your radar.

Wednesday, June 12th 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 Lisa Wingate about her new book, SHELTERWOOD, a sweeping novel inspired by the untold history of women pioneers who fought to protect children caught in the storm of land barons hungry for power and oil wealth.

 "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:

• Ruth Reichl (THE PARIS NOVEL) Video | Podcast

Other authors we've interviewed this year include:

• Mary Kay Andrews (SUMMERS AT THE SAINT) Video | Podcast
• Ashley Elston (FIRST LIE WINS) Video | Podcast
• Katherine Faulkner (THE OTHER MOTHERS) Video | Podcast
• Simone Gorrindo (THE WIVES: A Memoir) Video | Podcast
• Tamron Hall (WATCH WHERE THEY HIDE: A Jordan Manning Novel) Video | Podcast
• Kristin Hannah (THE WOMEN) Video | Podcast
• Terah Shelton Harris (LONG AFTER WE ARE GONE) Video | Podcast
• Ann Hood (THE STOLEN CHILD) Video | Podcast
• Genevieve Kingston (DID I EVER TELL YOU?: A Memoir) Video | Podcast
• Megan Miranda (DAUGHTER OF MINE) Video | Podcast
• Amanda Peters (THE BERRY PICKERS) Video | Podcast
• Anna Quindlen (AFTER ANNIE) Video | Podcast
• Hank Phillippi Ryan (ONE WRONG WORD) Video | Podcast

Upcoming interviews include:

• Marjan Kamali (THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN)
• Lisa Wingate (SHELTERWOOD)

Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.

Our Latest Poll: Audiobook Month

Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, June 21st at noon ET.

Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What
You're Reading --- and You Can Win Two Books!

Click here to enter the contest.

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"Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts | "Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books"
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