August 23, 2024

August 23, 2024

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Turning 28!

Next week, on Tuesday, August 27th, Bookreporter will turn 28! I still remember that first day when we launched on…wait for it…AOL! Yes, that proves how old we are (I still can hear that dial-up sound). At the time, it was a choice between being hosted on AOL, Prodigy or CompuServe! It feels like a lifetime ago --- and yesterday. Here’s a look at our first home screen.

Tom Donadio, our Editorial Director, and I have talked about the craziness of Friday night when the newsletter finally sends. We both exhale a bit and are ready for lots of sleep. But come Monday, we are ready to do it all over again. The one thing we strive for is consistency. We want each update to be special, to bring with it its own great list of reviews and features both on the site and in the newsletter.

Tom and I have been working together for more than 20 years now. He is the architect of balancing the updates as he handles the review assignments and reads (and re-reads) all copy. He also oversees the interns, who tell us how much they learn from him. We talk multiple times during the day, and we have a kind of ESP between us. Through our conversations, there is the shorthand that comes from decades of working together. Because we know each other well, we can hone a new idea really quickly. When people tell me how much they love the site, the praise is shared equally with him. While I am more the face of the site with our events and interviews --- and this newsletter --- Tom deserves time in the spotlight as a perfect partner. Oh, and we laugh a lot, too. It’s not all business.

Our reviewers knock it out of the park each week. I love to see their commentary on the titles that I have read or want to read. Many have been with us for decades, and we appreciate them beyond measure. Every once in a while, when a book has not been reviewed and I have read and loved it, I work with Tom to find a reviewer who I think will give it an honest review. I am delighted when they see what I saw in a title.

Francesca Smith recently joined the team as our Contest Coordinator. She also has been running our social media for months now, spotlighting all that we do. There literally is something new going up every day, and she is on top of it. We have pulled together a social media calendar to keep us on track, which we even have color-coded. Whether people are coming to us for reviews, interviews, events or contests, we want you to be aware of them! She lives just a town over from me and often comes to my house to work. I clean up my office on those days, which amuses her. Over the last few weeks, she has jumped in on more and more. I love that she not only keeps pace, but sometimes is ahead of me.

Melanie Steinberg edits our Word of Mouth feature. She reviews each entry to be sure that the title and author are correct, as well as the spelling and grammar. Note that if you have not finished the book, your entry will not be added. Melanie joined us after she pointed out the number of mistakes in the copy that people were submitting. I so appreciate her attention to detail.

To our readers, thank YOU! Without you, there would be no site. Our subscribers are up this year, which is wonderful news. We know there still is room for growth…and in the year ahead we are going to work on that. So yes, share what we do with your friends who read, your local librarian and others!

Now to this week’s update...

My latest “Bookreporter Talks To” interview is with Chris Whitaker, whose New York Times bestseller, ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, is a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Chris explains how he developed the book by spending a year writing just dialogue to get a feel for his characters, Patch and Saint. Once he had a good grasp of their voices, he could write around that.

Chris went through trauma in his youth that overshadowed his life, and it fueled his writing here. He shares how he researches the locations that he uses in his novels and talks about the joy of having Edoardo Ballerini as a narrator for the audiobook. And yes, he addresses the book’s 261 chapters that are just one to three pages long. Click here to watch the video or here to listen to the podcast.

On Wednesday, September 18th at 8pm ET, we will be hosting a special “Bookaccino Live” Fall Preview evening program. I will be talking about a number of books releasing this fall that we think you will enjoy reading over the next few months. You can sign up for the event by clicking here.

William Kent Krueger is back with his 20th Cork O’Connor mystery, and I am happy to announce that it will be a Bets On selection. In SPIRIT CROSSING, which we continue to feature in our New Release Spotlight, a disappearance and a dead body put Cork O’Connor’s family in the crosshairs of a killer.

Ray Palen has our review and says, “Being part Irish and part Ojibwe already makes Cork O’Connor, a former Minnesota sheriff, an interesting protagonist. However, SPIRIT CROSSING goes deep into the O’Connor family dynamics while also taking time to present real-world social and political issues faced by Native Americans in this country…. William Kent Krueger knows his stuff and pulls on the heartstrings along the way while telling a great mystery. Cork O’Connor is a special character in a one-of-a-kind series.”

Don’t miss my Bets On commentary in the next newsletter. In the meantime, be sure to check out Kent’s book tour schedule on his website to see if he’ll be at a bookstore or library near you. Kent LOVES interacting with fans at his events, so if you have a chance to see him while he’s on the road over these next couple of months, please do!

In her new novel, BY ANY OTHER NAME, Jodi Picoult brings to life the incomparable Emilia Bassano, the real-life English poet believed to have authored many of Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets. Told in intertwining timelines, this sweeping tale of ambition, courage and desire centers on two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on, no matter the cost?

In her rave review, Pamela Kramer calls the book “masterful” and goes on to say, “It's hard to conceive of the depth and breadth of Picoult's research as Emilia's whole life and even the dialogue in her sections of the novel reflect the actions and dialogue in various Shakespeare plays…. The ending of BY ANY OTHER NAME --- by turns inspiring, tragic, hopeful, heartbreaking and breathtakingly beautiful --- is one that will leave many readers with damp eyes.” I am reading the book and agree that what Jodi has done is very special.

Featured Review:
SPIRIT CROSSING by William Kent Krueger
Our Latest New Release Spotlight Title
and an Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Pick

SPIRIT CROSSING by William Kent Krueger (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by David Chandler
The disappearance of a local politician’s teenage daughter is major news in Minnesota. As a huge manhunt is launched to find her, Cork O’Connor’s grandson stumbles across the shallow grave of a young Ojibwe woman --- but nobody seems that interested. Nobody, that is, except Cork and the newly formed Iron Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police. As Cork and the tribal officers dig into the circumstances of this mysterious and grim discovery, they uncover a connection to the missing teenager. And soon, it’s clear that Cork’s grandson is in danger of being the killer’s next victim. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read William Kent Krueger's bio.
- Click here to visit William Kent Krueger's website.
- Connect with William Kent Krueger on Facebook, X and Instagram.
- Click here to see William Kent Krueger's book tour schedule.
- Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight.

Click here to read our review.

SPIRIT CROSSING will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.
Don't miss Carol's Bets On commentary in the next newsletter.

Featured Review: BY ANY OTHER NAME by Jodi Picoult

BY ANY OTHER NAME by Jodi Picoult (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Billie Fulford-Brown and Laura Benanti, with a full cast
Young playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor, Emilia Bassano. But seeing it performed is unlikely, in a theater world where the playing field isn’t level for women. As Melina wonders if she dares risk failure again, her best friend submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym. In 1581, Emilia Bassano is a ward of English aristocrats. Her lessons on languages, history and writing have endowed her with a sharp wit and a gift for storytelling. But she is allowed no voice of her own. Forced to become a mistress to the Lord Chamberlain, who oversees all theater productions in England, Emilia sees firsthand how the words of playwrights can move an audience. She begins to form a plan to secretly bring a play of her own to the stage --- by paying an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.

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

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review:
THIS IS WHY WE LIED by Karin Slaughter

THIS IS WHY WE LIED by Karin Slaughter (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Kathleen Early
For GBI investigator Will Trent and medical examiner Sara Linton, McAlpine Lodge seems like the ideal getaway to celebrate their honeymoon. Set on a gorgeous, off-the-grid mountaintop property, it’s the perfect place to unplug and reconnect. Until a bone-chilling scream cuts through the night. Mercy McAlpine, the manager of the Lodge, is dead. With a vicious storm raging and the one access road to the property washed out, the murderer must be someone on the mountain. But as Will and Sara investigate the McAlpine family and the other guests, they realize that everyone here is lying. Trapped on the resort, they must untangle a decades-old web of secrets to discover what happened to Mercy. And with the killer poised to strike again, the trip of a lifetime becomes a race against the clock. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read our review.

Bookreporter.com Bets On:
WORST CASE SCENARIO by T.J. Newman

WORST CASE SCENARIO by T.J. Newman (Thriller)
T.J. Newman has written three thrillers that I would not recommend you bring on a plane: FALLING, DROWNING and her latest, WORST CASE SCENARIO. In the first two books, the action happened on the plane or part of the plane (I am not giving anything away here). In her latest effort, we truly learn the worst case scenario when a commercial airliner crashes into a nuclear power plant. For those of us who think that these facilities are safer after 9/11, T.J. sends out a wake-up call that they are not. And she stresses that even if the nuclear reactor is offline, there is still a lot to worry about. Add that to things I never pondered!

As always, T.J. gets right to the point. The plane has something wrong --- and the situation is dire and immediate. Okay, I will give something away. The plane crashes very early on. The problem here happens on the ground. Besides the nuclear power plant, which conjures up its own kind of nightmare, let’s have this happen in a small town where there are limited resources. Then let’s ramp it up more as the plane breaks into pieces that land in various places and cause damage. If that’s not enough, let’s think about flammable jet fuel and how that can combust. You see what I mean here? We are talking lots of emotion.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here to watch our "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with T.J. Newman.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.

Click here to read more of Carol's Bets On commentary.

Featured Review: THE BOOKSHOP by Evan Friss

THE BOOKSHOP: A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss (Social History)
Audiobook available, read by Jay Myers
Bookstores have always been unlike any other kind of store, shaping readers and writers, and influencing our tastes, thoughts and politics. They nurture local communities while creating new ones of their own. Bookshops are powerful spaces, but they are also endangered ones. In THE BOOKSHOP, we see the stakes: what has been, and what might be lost. Evan Friss’ history of the bookshop draws on oral histories, archival collections, municipal records, diaries, letters and interviews with leading booksellers to offer a fascinating look at this institution beloved by so many. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review: THE SEVENTH VEIL OF SALOME
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
August’s “Good Morning America” Book Club Pick

THE SEVENTH VEIL OF SALOME by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by a full cast
1950s Hollywood: Every actress wants to play Salome, the star-making role in a big-budget movie about the legendary woman whose story has inspired artists since ancient times. So when the film’s mercurial director casts Vera Larios, an unknown Mexican ingenue, in the lead role, she quickly becomes the talk of the town. Vera also becomes an object of envy for Nancy Hartley, a bit player who will do anything to win the fame she believes she richly deserves. Two actresses, both determined to make it to the top in Golden Age Hollywood, make for a sizzling combination. But this is the tale of three women, for it is also the story of the princess Salome herself, consumed with desire for the fiery prophet who foretells the doom of her stepfather, Herod: a woman torn between the decree of duty and the yearning of her heart. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.

- 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 this month's "Good Morning America" Book Club pick.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review: MEN HAVE CALLED HER CRAZY
by Anna Marie Tendler

MEN HAVE CALLED HER CRAZY: A Memoir by Anna Marie Tendler (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Anna Marie Tendler
In early 2021, popular artist Anna Marie Tendler checked herself into a psychiatric hospital following a year of crippling anxiety, depression and self-harm. Over two weeks, she underwent myriad psychological tests, participated in numerous therapy sessions, connected with fellow patients and experienced profound breakthroughs. In MEN HAVE CALLED HER CRAZY, Tendler recounts her hospital experience, as well as pivotal moments in her life that preceded and followed. As the title suggests, many of these moments are impacted by men --- unrequited love in high school; the 28-year-old she lost her virginity to when she was 16; the frustrations and absurdities of dating in her mid-30s; and her decision to freeze her eggs as all her friends were starting families. Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read our review.

Bookreporter.com's 14th Annual
Fall Reading Contests and Feature

What’s New This Month on ReadingGroupGuides.com

More Reviews This Week

THE PAIRING by Casey McQuiston (Romantic Comedy)
Audiobook available, read by Emma Galvin and Max Meyers
After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, Theo and Kit exited each other's lives once and for all. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Separately. It's not until they board the tour bus that they discover they've both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they're trapped with each other for three weeks. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THERE ARE RIVERS IN THE SKY by Elif Shafak (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Olivia Vinall
In the ancient city of Nineveh, on the bank of the River Tigris, King Ashurbanipal of Mesopotamia --- erudite but ruthless --- built a great library that would crumble with the end of his reign. From its ruins, however, emerged a poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh, that would infuse the existence of two rivers and bind together three lives. THERE ARE RIVERS IN THE SKY entwines these outsiders with a single drop of water, a drop that remanifests across the centuries. Both a source of life and a harbinger of death, rivers --- the Tigris and the Thames --- transcend history, transcend fate: “Water remembers. It is humans who forget.” Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.

KEEPING THE FAITH: God, Democracy, and the Trial That Riveted a Nation by Brenda Wineapple (History)
Audiobook available, read by Gabra Zackman
“No subject possesses the minds of men like religious bigotry and hate, and these fires are being lighted today in America.” So said legendary attorney Clarence Darrow as hundreds of people descended on the sleepy town of Dayton, Tennessee, for the trial of a schoolteacher named John T. Scopes, who was charged with breaking the law by teaching evolution to his biology class in a public school. In KEEPING THE FAITH, Brenda Wineapple explores how and why the Scopes trial quickly seemed a circus-like media sensation, drawing massive crowds and worldwide attention. She takes us into the early years of the 20th century --- years of racism, intolerance and world war --- to illuminate, through this pivotal legal showdown, a seismic period in American history. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.

A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL by T. Kingfisher (Fantasy/Adventure)
Audiobook available, read by Eliza Foss and Jennifer Pickens
Cordelia knows her mother is…unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend. Unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t evil sorcerers. When her mother unexpectedly moves them into the manor home of a wealthy older Squire and his kind but keen-eyed sister, Hester, Cordelia knows this welcoming pair are to be her mother's next victims. As her mother's plans darken, she must decide how to face the woman who raised her to save the people who have become like family. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

THE MURDERS IN GREAT DIDDLING by Katarina Bivald (Mystery/Humor)
Audiobook available, read by Helen Lloyd
The small, rundown village of Great Diddling is full of stories. The way the villagers avoid outsiders, the furtive stares and whispers in the presence of newcomers --- author Berit Gardner can sense the edge of a story waiting to be unraveled, and she's just the person to do it. In fact, with a book deadline looming over her and no manuscript, Berit doesn't just want this story. She needs it. Then, while attending a village tea party, Berit becomes part of the action herself. An explosion in the library of the village's grand manor kills a local man, and the resulting investigation and influx of outsiders sends the quiet, rundown community into chaos. The residents of Great Diddling rewrite their own narrative and transform the death of one of their own from a tragedy into a new beginning. Reviewed by Jane T. Krebs.

HOUSE OF BONE AND RAIN by Gabino Iglesias (Supernatural Thriller/Horror)
Audiobook available, read by Jean-Marc Berne and Daya Mendez
For childhood friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, Paul and Bimbo, death has always been close. Hurricanes. Car accidents. Gang violence. Suicide. Estamos rodeados de fantasmas was Gabe’s grandmother’s refrain. We are surrounded by ghosts. But this time is different. Bimbo's mom has been shot dead. We’re gonna kill the guys who killed her, Bimbo swears. And they all agree. Feral with grief, Bimbo has become unrecognizable, taking no prisoners in his search for names. Soon, they learn Maria was gunned down by guys working for the drug kingpin of Puerto Rico. No one has ever gone up against him and survived. As the boys strategize, a storm gathers far from the coast. Hurricanes are known to carry evil spirits in their currents and bring them ashore, spirits that impose their own order. Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro.

THE MADNESS by Dawn Kurtagich (Gothic Thriller/Horror)
Audiobook available, read by Imogen Church
With one unexpected email from her estranged best friend, Lucy, Mina Murray’s carefully curated life is turned upside down. Leaving behind her psychiatric practice in London, she returns home to the windswept shores of Wales. Faced with everything she’s left behind, she soon discovers that Lucy’s symptoms mirror those of her mysterious amnesiac patient hundreds of miles away. With nothing but an untreatable sickness connecting the two women, and with Lucy’s life on the line, Mina finds herself asking questions and being drawn ever-deeper into a web of secrets, missing girls, and the powerful, nameless force at its center --- one that has been haunting her for years. As terrible, ancient truths begin to reveal themselves, Mina prepares to confront her own darkest secrets and, with them, an evil beyond comprehension. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

THE PARIS GOWN by Christine Wells (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Saskia Maarleveld
Three friends, who parted as very young women, reunite in Paris years later. Claire has been working hard to become a Michelin-starred chef, but her dream is to own a Dior gown. This seemed like a far-off fantasy, until the eccentric Madame Vaughn abruptly leaves town and makes Claire a very special gift: a stunning Dior gown. Meanwhile, Gina lands on Claire’s doorstep nursing a broken heart and a broken engagement. Gina has returned to Paris in the hopes of pursuing her dream. But when her father begs her to attend the United States Embassy ball, she is torn. And what on earth is she going to wear? Claire insists Gina wear the Dior gown to the ball. At Gina’s fitting, who should assist them but Margot, living in Paris under an assumed name. Is their close friendship at an end? Or will the wonder and delight of the Dior gown bring these young women back together? Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.

THE RULE OF THREE by Sam Ripley (Psychological Thriller/Horror)
Audiobook available; read by Sarah Pitard, Katie Beudert, Sandra-Mae Lux and Richard Attlee
I didn’t believe in the Rule of Three. Not at first. It was just one of those urban myths you hear about all the time. A story my boyfriend told me about a girl cursed by the number three. A girl whose parents had killed themselves after her sibling had died in an accident. Which meant that she was doomed to die too because that’s the Rule of Three. Bad things always happen in threes, they say, and they are right. Because it’s happening again. But this time the curse is coming for me. And worst of all? It’s coming for you, too. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.

THE BROTHERS KENNEY by Adam Mitzner (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Stacy Carolan
Former track star Sean Kenney used to be on top of the world, but that was a very long time ago. Now he's been estranged from his loved ones for the past two years --- until the unthinkable calls him home. While struggling to make sense of the devastating death that has shaken the Kenney family to its core, Sean grasps at the opportunity to seek forgiveness for his past mistakes --- from his family and himself --- while clinging to the belief that if he can discover what really happened that day, he might somehow be redeemed. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

FIVE-STAR STRANGER by Kat Tang (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Julian Cihi
In an age where online ratings are all-powerful, FIVE-STAR STRANGER follows the adventures of a top-rated man on the Rental Stranger app --- a place where users can hire a pretend fiancé, a wingman or an extra mourner for a funeral. Referred to only as Stranger, the narrator navigates New York City under the guise of characters he plays, always maintaining a professional distance from his clients. But when a nosy patron threatens to upend his long-term role as father to a young girl, Stranger begins to reckon with his attachment to his pretend daughter, her mother and his own fraught past. Now, he must confront the boundaries he has drawn and explore the legacy of abandonment that shaped his life. Reviewed by Lorraine W. Shanley.

Noteworthy Books Releasing on
August 27th, September 1st and September 3rd

Below are some notable titles releasing on August 27th, September 1st and September 3rd 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 August 26th and September 2nd, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.

August 27th

THAT LIBRARIAN: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones (Memoir)
Part memoir, part manifesto, THAT LIBRARIAN is the inspiring story of a Louisiana librarian advocating for inclusivity on the front lines of our vicious culture wars.

September 1st

FATAL INTRUSION by Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado (Thriller)
As a wave of murders grips Southern California, an unlikely pair must untangle the mysterious patterns of an elusive killer in this propulsive new series.

September 3rd

BECOMING ELIZABETH ARDEN: The Woman Behind the Global Beauty Empire by Stacy A. Cordery (Biography)
A sweeping biography of one of the most influential and successful businesswomen in American history, BECOMING ELIZABETH ARDEN opens the Red Door to a world of wealth, glamour and the profitable business of beauty.

THE BERLIN APARTMENT by Bryn Turnbull (Historical Fiction)
For fans of Kate Quinn and Kristin Hannah, this sweeping love story follows a young couple whose lives are irrevocably changed when they’re separated overnight by the construction of the Berlin Wall.

THE BOOK SWAP by Tessa Bickers (Romance)
A story of second chances and new beginnings, THE BOOK SWAP is a love letter to books --- and a love letter to life.

CAPTURE OR KILL: A Mitch Rapp Novel by Vince Flynn and Don Bentley (Political Thriller)
Mitch Rapp faces an Iranian foe bent on destabilizing the Middle East in this latest thriller from Vince Flynn’s #1 New York Times bestselling series, now written by the “worthy successor to Tom Clancy” (Publishers Weekly) Don Bentley.

CLIVE CUSSLER GHOST SOLDIER: A Novel of the Oregon Files by Mike Maden (Thriller/Adventure)
A deadly war game. An adversary as hard to find as he is to kill. Weapons so sophisticated, none have seen the like before. Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon have finally met their match in this pulse-pounding new adventure.

COLORED TELEVISION by Danzy Senna (Fiction/Humor)
From the bestselling author of CAUCASIA comes a brilliant dark comedy about love and ambition, failure and reinvention, and the racial-identity-industrial complex.

CREATION LAKE by Rachel Kushner (Fiction)
From Rachel Kushner, a Booker Prize finalist and two-time National Book Award finalist, comes a new novel about a seductive and cunning American woman who infiltrates an anarchist collective in France.

DEATH AT THE SIGN OF THE ROOK: A Jackson Brodie Book by Kate Atkinson (Mystery)
DEATH AT THE SIGN OF THE ROOK is the highly anticipated return of private eye Jackson Brodie in this latest installment of the bestselling series hailed as "unputdownable" by Time.

THE HAUNTING OF MOSCOW HOUSE by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
(Gothic Horror/Historical Mystery)
In this elegant gothic horror tale set in post-revolutionary Russia, two formerly aristocratic sisters race to uncover their family’s long-buried secrets in a house haunted by a past dangerous --- and deadly --- to remember.

THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE by Matt Haig (Fiction)
Filled with wonder and wild adventure, THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.

ON THE HUNT by Iris Johansen (Thriller)
#1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen introduces a bold new heroine --- and her search-and-rescue dog --- as Kira Drake begins an international search for an elusive killer.

PASSIONS IN DEATH by J. D. Robb (Mystery/Thriller)
Homicide detective Eve Dallas hunts a killer who turns a wedding party into a murder scene in the next novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb.

SAFE ENOUGH: And Other Stories by Lee Child (Thriller/Short Stories)
Meticulously plotted and packed with Lee Child’s trademark action and suspense, these 20 stories show his mastery of the short form. They’ve never been collected before now.

WE'RE ALONE: Essays by Edwidge Danticat (Essays)
Tracing a loose arc from Edwidge Danticat’s childhood to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent events in Haiti, the essays gathered in WE’RE ALONE include personal narrative, reportage, and tributes to mentors and heroes.

WHAT TIME THE SEXTON'S SPADE DOTH RUST: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (Historical Mystery)
Amateur sleuth Flavia de Luce, along with her pestilent younger cousin, investigates the murder of a former public hangman and uncovers a secret that brings the greatest shock of her life.

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

From left to right: Alison Espach, Alan Bradley, Kaira Rouda

  Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events

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

Tuesday, August 27th at 9pm ET: Killer Author Club: Kimberly Belle and Heather Gudenkauf will talk to their fellow "Killer Author Club" host Kaira Rouda about her new book, THE SECOND MRS STROM, a completely gripping psychological thriller that will have you hooked in and turning pages late into the night.

Wednesday, August 28th 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 Madeline Martin about her upcoming novel, THE BOOKLOVER'S LIBRARY.

Tuesday, September 3rd at 2pm ET: Murder By The Book: Alan Bradley will be chatting with Louise Penny about his latest Flavia de Luce novel, WHAT TIME THE SEXTON'S SPADE DOTH RUST. This time, the amateur sleuth investigates the murder of a former public hangman and uncovers a secret that brings the greatest shock of her life.

Tuesday, September 3rd at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble Book Club: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome Alison Espach for a live virtual event to discuss THE WEDDING PEOPLE, August's B&N Book Club pick. Alison will be in conversation with Lexie Smyth, B&N's Fiction Category Manager, and Allyson Gavaletz, B&N's Publisher Liaison.

Wednesday, September 4th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will talk to TJ Klune about his upcoming fantasy novel, SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE SEA, which is the hugely anticipated sequel to THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA.

Thursday, September 5th at 4pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Alan Bradley will talk about WHAT TIME THE SEXTON'S SPADE DOTH RUST, the 11th installment in his historical mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Flavia de Luce, whose latest case will lead her to a most surprising discovery.

 "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:

• Chris Whitaker (ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK) Video | Podcast

Other authors we've interviewed this year include:

• Caro Carver (BAD TOURISTS) Video | Podcast
• Terah Shelton Harris (LONG AFTER WE ARE GONE) Video | Podcast
• Marjan Kamali (THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN) Video | Podcast
• Genevieve Kingston (DID I EVER TELL YOU?: A Memoir) Video | Podcast
• Amy Neff (THE DAYS I LOVED YOU MOST) Video | Podcast
• T.J. Newman (WORST CASE SCENARIO) Video | Podcast
• Ruth Reichl (THE PARIS NOVEL) Video | Podcast
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