September 6, 2024

September 6, 2024

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I Read, I Swam, and I Kicked Life Back a Notch

As planned, I thoroughly enjoyed my annual end-of-summer reading week. Lots of reading, lots of floating, and a fun afternoon with some of the kids and their moms from my book group. I think my favorite moment from the latter was their singing “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music.

As for books, here’s my roundup report. I loved THE NIGHT WE LOST HIM, which will be out on September 17th. As she did with THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME, Laura Dave hits all the right notes here. In it, a family patriarch who was a hotel magnate is found dead at the bottom of a cliff near a home that he loved. While it is first ruled an accident, further thought from two of his children (from different marriages) sparks an investigation. I have many folded-down pages for interview questions for Laura. And I found myself thinking a lot about interior and exterior design as I read it; the locations that she developed sound amazing. I love what she did with her characters conquering their own challenges while also unraveling a mystery. It will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection!

I am going to see Laura next Saturday when she does a meet-and-greet signing at Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, New Jersey.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE SEQUEL by Jean Hanff Korelitz, the follow-up to THE PLOT, which I loved and was a Bets On pick when it came out in May 2021. Anna Williams-Bonner is the widow of Jacob Finch Bonner, who came to one swift demise in THE PLOT. Now she is taking on the mantle of literary widow, and she has written a book of her own called The Afterword, which sees its own success. But what happens when you spin a lie? Your past comes back to haunt you. And haunt it does. Besides being a twisty tale, THE SEQUEL is a fun inside-baseball view of publishing. It releases on October 1st and will be another Bets On title. I am trying to line up a “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Jean, and there may be more news about this book, Jean and me coming up.

I read all 501(!) pages of HERE ONE MOMENT by Liane Moriarty in a day. Needless to say, I loved it. I stayed up way too late reading one night and was up way too early in the morning to finish it. I think I still was working the story through as I slept! In it, passengers are on edge when their flight from Hobart, Australia, to Sydney is delayed. But real mayhem breaks out when a woman makes her way through the plane identifying travelers with a prediction of how they will die and at what age. People are not sure what this means, but then the prediction for one of them comes true, and it goes viral.

Liane moves us from character to character as each copes with his or her possible fate. I would love to hear from Liane about how she wrote the book as it has so many threads to it. I confess that I did not love her last couple of books, but this one really shows her talent. It’s out on Tuesday in the US. And I am planning to catch Liane on September 21st at an event being hosted by BookTowne at Manasquan High School. Yes, it will be a Bets On pick.

THE BLUE HOUR by Paula Hawkins is a locked room mystery set on the island of Eris. There is one house, and it is unreachable from the Scottish mainland for 12 hours each day. Vanessa, a famous artist who worked in numerous mediums, lived there for years. Now it is home to Grace, a doctor who loves the solitude and isolation of the place. When a piece of Vanessa’s art is found to contain a human bone, an investigation is called for. What happened out on that island? A curator of Vanessa’s work wants to know as much as the police do.

It’s chilling, and even floating on my pool raft, I felt the house's isolation. Yes, the remarks that there are shades of Patricia Highsmith here are not unfounded. It’s dark and smart. I have been trapped on similar islands in books before, but here the creepy vibe is high. It will be a Bets On selection, and I look forward to talking to Paula about it when it comes out on October 29th.

I had read so much about THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach that I had to see what all the buzz was about. Besides Lila, a Bridezilla who clearly has ticked the box on everything to make her wedding week perfect (and yes, her plans are over the top), we have a woman who has arrived in Newport, Rhode Island, where the wedding is set, bent on ending her life. But Phoebe’s plans are quickly shut down by the bride, who instead takes this woman on as something of a pet project. Maybe because I do not take the idea of suicide lightly (though a plan to kill yourself with cat tranquilizers seems a bit daft), and the idea of a weeklong destination wedding is not something I have an interest in, this book just did not resonate with me the way I had hoped it would. But most likely this is more about what I expected from the book than about what it delivered.

I picked up Sarah Smarsh's BONE OF THE BONE: Essays on America by a Daughter of the Working Class as I loved her memoir, HEARTLAND, which was a National Book Award finalist. BONE OF THE BONE is a compilation of previously published essays that Sarah has written over the past decade. Each one is thought-provoking and a look at a different angle on the challenges we face across America today. Sarah was the first of her family to go to college and work herself up from below the poverty line. When she talks about class division and the rural and urban divide, she writes from what she knows. And she takes that same lens to other topics.

I am reading one or two essays in each sitting; it’s a book that lends itself to lots of thought and discussion. It’s out on Tuesday, and I would love to interview Sarah in the next couple of weeks. Her writing once again has struck a chord with me.

I have heard so many readers talk about THE FROZEN RIVER by Ariel Lawhon since it came out last December that I picked it up to see why it has gotten so many great vibes from readers. I still am in the early chapters, but I see why readers have been so captivated by the story. More to come on this one.

I am thrilled to announce that Shelley Read will be our first “Bookaccino Live” Book Group guest of the fall. The event will be held on Tuesday, September 24th at 8pm ET, and you can sign up here for it. We will talk about her internationally bestselling debut novel, GO AS A RIVER, which was a Bets On pick when it released early last year. Set amid Colorado’s wild beauty, this heartbreaking coming-of-age story is about a resilient young woman whose life is changed forever by one chance encounter.

There will be a two-part Q&A session after I talk to Shelley. For the first part, those who are asking a question on camera will be featured. This includes spending time with Shelley backstage in our virtual green room before the show starts. If you would like to ask your question "live on screen" this way, please email me with the subject line "Shelley" by noon ET on September 24th. 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.

When I saw Shelley in Colorado last month, we talked about doing this program, and I am so very glad that the timing worked out. I know that many of you have told me how much you loved this book, as did I! For those who have not read it yet, you have time as it is a really brisk read.

This is your last Weekly Update newsletter reminder to sign up for this month’s “Bookaccino Live” book preview afternoon event, which will take place on Wednesday, September 11th at 2pm ET.

The focus will be on titles releasing between September 10th and October 1st, in addition to a few from November, 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.

Four years after the release of his worldwide bestseller, THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY, Matt Haig is back with his highly anticipated new novel, THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE. The book centers on Grace Winters, a retired teacher and widow whose life seems to be shrinking by the day. But when a bequest in the will of a long-lost friend gives her a house on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza, her solitary existence changes in an instant. She embarks on a wild adventure that will put her face-to-face with life’s biggest mysteries and her own past.

Ray Palen raves about the book in his review: “THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE by the endlessly talented Matt Haig is not a novel to be read and enjoyed. It is a work of art that readers need to wrap themselves inside of and savor every last delectable piece…. [T]he journey you are about to take by opening the book’s cover…guarantees that the next several hours of your life will be absorbed in an unexplainable glow that attempts to make you understand things just a little better than you do now.”

Rachel Kushner, a Booker Prize finalist and two-time National Book Award finalist, returns with her latest novel, CREATION LAKE. Along with being September’s #1 Indie Next pick, it has been longlisted for this year’s Booker Prize (the shortlist will be announced on September 16th). The book revolves around a seductive and cunning American woman who infiltrates an anarchist collective in France.

Here's what Jana Siciliano says in her review: “CREATION LAKE is a stew that will dazzle new readers of Kushner and be met with great cheers by those who already know her inventiveness and storytelling agility. Her work is highly accessible. It feels like an old-fashioned Saturday at the movies. She provides the newsreels, the cartoons, the travel shorts and the feature film all at once, in a bucolic rustic setting filled with the hopes and dreams of those who wish to build up and tear down society at large.”

Other books we’re reviewing this week include:

• SAFE ENOUGH: Throughout the course of his career, Jack Reacher creator Lee Child published tales about a range of characters on both sides of the law, including assassins, a bodyguard, CIA and FBI agents, gangsters and more. These stories have never been collected until now.
   
• OUT OF THE DARKNESS: Just in time for the start of the NFL season, four-time New York Times bestselling sportswriter Ian O’Connor takes on four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers in this definitive biography of the legendary yet mysterious quarterback who has astonished, befuddled and captivated fans of America’s #1 sport.
   
• THAT LIBRARIAN: In 2022, small-town librarian Amanda Jones caught wind of a local public hearing that would discuss “book content.” She would be damned if her community were to ban stories representing minority groups, so she spoke out that night at the meeting. Days later, she woke up to a nightmare that is still ongoing.
   
• THE HAUNTING OF MOSCOW HOUSE: Set in post-revolutionary Russia, Olesya Salnikova Gilmore’s latest novel is a gothic horror tale that centers on two formerly aristocratic sisters who race to uncover their family’s long-buried secrets in a house haunted by a past that is dangerous --- and deadly --- to remember.

I’m Betting You’ll Love…
SPIRIT CROSSING, the 20th installment in William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor mystery series, is my latest Bets On selection. Click here for my commentary. If you missed our review from a couple of weeks ago, be sure to take a look at it here.

Fall Reading Contest Update
We kicked off this year’s Fall Reading feature by giving away SPIRIT CROSSING. Our next contest will be up on Tuesday, September 10th at noon ET. The prize book will be THE MOST FAMOUS GIRL IN THE WORLD by Iman Hariri-Kia, a scathing indictment of modern celebrity and a thrilling rollercoaster ride of unhinged hijinks.

This Month’s New in Paperback Feature
Our New in Paperback roundups for September are now up. We’re featuring paperback fiction reprints from such bestselling authors as Stephen King (HOLLY), David Baldacci (THE EDGE: A 6:20 Man Thriller), Ken Follett (THE ARMOR OF LIGHT), Jean Kwok (THE LEFTOVER WOMAN), and Thrity Umrigar (THE MUSEUM OF FAILURES); nonfiction titles, including CLASS: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education by Stephanie Land and ASTOR: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe; and paperback originals like FATAL INTRUSION by Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado and THE REAPING: A Steinbeck and Reed Thriller by Jess Lourey.

Books on Screen Offerings for September
We’ve also updated our Books on Screen feature for this month. September’s roundup includes the series premieres of "The Perfect Couple" on Netflix, "Three Women" on STARZ, and "The Chicken Sisters" on Hallmark+; the season premieres of HBO's "My Brilliant Friend," AMC's "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol," Apple TV+'s "Slow Horses," and Hulu's "Tell Me Lies"; the conclusion of "Snowpiercer" on AMC; the season finale of MGM+'s "Emperor of Ocean Park"; the continuation of "Pachinko" and "Bad Monkey" on Apple TV+; and the films The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Thicket.

Enter Our New Word of Mouth Contest
We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Let us know by Friday, September 20th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll have a chance to win the aforementioned HERE ONE MOMENT by Liane Moriarty and THE NIGHT WE LOST HIM by Laura Dave. We will feature reviews of both titles over the next couple of weeks.

Vote in Our New Poll --- and Check Out Results from the Last Poll
For our latest poll, we’ve listed 30 fiction titles releasing this month, and we’re asking you which, if any, you have read or are planning to read. Click here to let us know.

In honor of our 28th anniversary, our previous poll asked how long you’ve been a Bookreporter reader. Here’s a peek at the results: 21-28 years (28%, 10% of whom have been with us since the beginning in 1996), 5-10 years (21%), 11-15 years (21%), 16-20 years (17%). Click here for the full breakdown. No matter when you joined us, we so appreciate having you as one of our readers!

September’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick is BLUE SISTERS by Coco Mellors. In it, three estranged siblings return to their family home in New York after their beloved sister’s death. Jenna says, “I grew up with a mother and grandmother who read LITTLE WOMEN to me, which is about a strong group of sisters. Not since then has a book about sisterhood stuck with me as much as Coco Mellors’ BLUE SISTERS.” I just got a copy of this one and look forward to reading it.

COLORED TELEVISION, Danzy Senna’s latest novel, is this month’s Barnes & Noble Book Club selection and “Good Morning America” Book Club pick. This much-talked-about dark comedy is about love and ambition, failure and reinvention, and the racial-identity-industrial complex. On Tuesday, October 1st at 3pm ET, B&N will host a live virtual event with Danzy, which you can sign up for here. In the meantime, don’t miss our review in next week’s newsletter.

Reese’s 100th Book Club pick is THE COMFORT OF CROWS: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl, which we reviewed when it released last October. Reese calls the book “a beautiful love letter to nature and the world around us. Divided into 52 chapters, it follows the creatures and plants in Margaret’s backyard over the course of a year, capturing both the joy of nature’s ongoing pleasures and the grief of fleeting moments.”

For more September selections, including the Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, see our “Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks” feature here.

The 2024 Anthony Awards were given out last week at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, which took place this year in Nashville. The award is named for the late Anthony Boucher, the distinguished mystery fiction critic, editor and author, who helped found Mystery Writers of America.

Among the winners are ALL THE SINNERS BLEED by S. A. Cosby (Best Hardcover Novel), MOTHER-DAUGHTER MURDER NIGHT by Nina Simon (Best First Novel), and A FEVER IN THE HEARTLAND: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan (Best Critical/Nonfiction). Click here for the complete list of winners.

Kirkus Reviews has announced the finalists for the 11th annual Kirkus Prize in Fiction, Nonfiction and Young Readers’ Literature. They include PLAYGROUND by Richard Powers (Fiction), THE GARDEN AGAINST TIME: In Search of a Common Paradise by Olivia Laing (Nonfiction), and GATHER by Kenneth M. Cadow (Young Readers’ Literature). Click here for all the nominees. The winners will be announced at an in-person ceremony at the Tribeca Rooftop in New York on October 16th that will be livestreamed on Kirkus’s YouTube channel at 7:30pm ET.

Reader Denise Neary attended the National Book Festival in Washington, DC on August 24th. She had such a wonderful time at the festival, as you can see in her piece that she wrote for us where she talks about the authors she saw and the attendees she met. Many thanks to Denise for her terrific report; I am so grateful that she reached out to us about this! She has been a longtime friend of the Bookreporter team, and we appreciate how she has brought us both readers and great ideas.

News & Pop Culture

Reader Mail:

We received a lot of lovely emails about our 28th anniversary. I forwarded them to Tom and Francesca as quickly as they came in! Thank you to everyone who took the time to write. Here are a few of the terrific notes that we received.

Wanda wrote, “Congratulations on another wonderful year of book reviews and introducing your readers to so many wonderful authors. When I looked at the poll and tried to figure out how many years I have enjoyed your newsletter, I was surprised it was so long. Twenty years! I have watched this newsletter grow and evolve into an informative and fun site. I have told so many people about this newsletter because I think it’s the best out there. Keep up the good work!” Thanks for sharing the newsletter with your friends!

Judy wrote, “Congratulations on 28 years!!! Neil and I look forward to reading the Bookreporter newsletter each week to get updated on all the new books. FYI, we have a great bookstore, The Ivy, if you are ever in Baltimore.” If I am in Baltimore, I will check out The Ivy. Meanwhile, thank you for being loyal readers!

Ann wrote, “CONGRATULATIONS!!! 28 YEARS, AND WE ARE ALL SO GRATEFUL!!!” And we are grateful to you for reading!

Adam wrote, “Congratulations on creating, educating and informing a wonderful community for 28 years, and here's to a minimum of 28 more. As you can see, I still have my AOL mail account, and today I revisited Stephen McCauley’s wonderful, funny and heartwarming THE EASY WAY OUT, which I read 32 years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed the excellent audiobook that released two years ago, which melds writer and narrator with perfection. Sitting down with his work is like returning to a long-lost friend, and I do hope they continue to release older books on audio, as that is my preference. Thank you for taking the time to grow our TBR stacks and promoting audiobooks. Please consider possibly creating audiobook giveaways that we can listen to and report on. I would gladly participate.

“Bottom line: You have enhanced my family and friends’ voracious book and audiobook consumption. Big love and gratitude to you, your family, and exceptional staff and interns. Now if only the Divine Meg Wolitzer would treat us to more of her exquisite prose. TMI, but I wanted you to feel the love and appreciation. Big love to you, your family and your dynamic team.” As Adam notes, the audio market has grown tremendously over the past few years, and we will think about more opportunities to promote audio titles.

Sarah wrote, “Happy 28th Bookreporter Anniversary!!! I loved this newsletter’s trip down memory lane. It shows how much passion and love you and Tom put into everything you do and every author you work with. I’m so grateful for you guys. I hope you are doing nothing but reading tonight and enjoying the last of these summery days by the pool!”

“CBS Sunday Morning” took what it called a "diversion" to look at Hobart, a town in the northern Catskills where on one block there are seven bookstores. Watch here.

Katie Ledecky, the author of JUST ADD WATER: My Swimming Life, was on “CBS Mornings” this week to talk about her book. Watch here.

RoseMarie Terenzio, the co-author (with Liz McNeil) of JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography, was on “Good Morning America” to talk about the book. I had the pleasure of sitting next to her at a lunch earlier this year. I have been enjoying the book, which can be read in bits and bites, as well as all at once. There are such great anecdotes in it that give real insight into who JFK Jr. was. Watch here.

I have been watching a lot of the US Open this week, and it’s on the agenda for the weekend as well. In fact, we moved our Friday night pizza dinner out to Saturday so I could catch the men’s semifinals. I am so glad we did as both matches had plenty of drama and tense moments. It'll be Jannik Sinner vs. Taylor Fritz in the men's final, and Aryna Sabalenka vs. Jessica Pegula in the women’s final. Tom Donadio and I are ready for the two Americans, Fritz and Pegula, to win!

Tom and I texted during the week as we watched. No business talk...just tennis chatter in those texts! During the Open, I have been knitting a blanket for a friend’s grandson. The way I see it, I may have it wrapped up by the end of Sunday's men's final.

Featured Review: THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE by Matt Haig

THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE by Matt Haig (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Joanna Lumley with Jordan Stephens
When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan. Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she ever could have dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review: CREATION LAKE by Rachel Kushner
September’s # Indie Next Pick

CREATION LAKE by Rachel Kushner (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Rachel Kushner
CREATION LAKE is about a secret agent --- a 34-year-old American woman of ruthless tactics, bold opinions and clean beauty --- who is sent to do dirty work in France. “Sadie Smith” is how the narrator introduces herself to her lover, to the rural commune of French subversives on whom she is keeping tabs, and to the reader. Sadie has met her love, Lucien, a young and well-born Parisian, by “cold bump” --- making him believe the encounter was accidental. Like everyone Sadie targets, Lucien is useful to her and used by her. In this region of centuries-old farms and ancient caves, Sadie becomes entranced by a mysterious figure named Bruno Lacombe, a mentor to the young activists who communicates only by email. Bruno believes that the path to emancipation from what ails modern life is not revolt, but a return to the ancient past. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review: SAFE ENOUGH by Lee Child

SAFE ENOUGH: And Other Stories by Lee Child (Thriller/Short Stories)
Audiobook available, read by Edoardo Ballerini
For the past 20 years, Lee Child has been one of the best-selling authors in the world, thanks to the popularity of his iconic and instantly recognizable hero, Jack Reacher. But even at the height of Reacher’s fame, Child’s short story writing was not confined to the series. Throughout the course of his career, he published tales about a range of characters on both sides of the law, including assassins, a bodyguard, CIA and FBI agents, gangsters and more. Meticulously plotted and packed with Child’s trademark action and suspense, the stories show his mastery of the short form. They’ve never been collected before now. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read our review.

Bookreporter.com Bets On:
SPIRIT CROSSING by William Kent Krueger

SPIRIT CROSSING by William Kent Krueger (Mystery)
While I have not read all 20 titles in the Cork O’Connor series, I have thoroughly enjoyed those that I have read. William Kent Krueger has a knack for delivering a new plot while also bringing in enough backstory that a newcomer does not feel lost. Just as importantly, he does not overwrite the backstory for longtime readers.

SPIRIT CROSSING, the latest installment, takes on an issue that I have so many thoughts on --- the marginalization of Native American women, especially when it comes to kidnapping, sex trafficking and murder. Here, the daughter of a prominent Minnesota politician has gone missing, and there is an active manhunt underway to find her. At the same time, Native American women have been disappearing, but the same tactics are not undertaken to find them.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to visit William Kent Krueger's website.

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

Featured Review:
OUT OF THE DARKNESS by Ian O’Connor

OUT OF THE DARKNESS: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers by Ian O'Connor
(Sports/Biography)
Audiobook available, read by Charles Constant
Aaron Rodgers is among the two or three most talented players to ever hold the most important job in American team sports --- quarterback. He also stands as the most mysterious and polarizing figure in the modern-day national pastime that is professional football. From his controversial COVID stance to his methods of spiritual awakening to his estrangement from his family to his high-profile romances to his devastating Achilles injury a mere four plays into his New York Jets career, Rodgers has long dominated the NFL’s news cycle. Ian O’Connor uses hundreds of original interviews to pull back the curtain and answer the most penetrating questions about the league’s most enigmatic player. He reveals all sides of an all-time great and delivers a portrait of a complex man that will forever shape the way he is viewed. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review: THAT LIBRARIAN by Amanda Jones

THAT LIBRARIAN: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Amanda Jones
In 2022, when small-town librarian Amanda Jones caught wind of a local public hearing that would discuss “book content,” she knew what was at stake. Schools and libraries nationwide have been bombarded by demands for books with LGBTQ+ references, discussions of racism and more to be purged from the shelves. Amanda would be damned if her community were to ban stories representing minority groups. She spoke out that night at the meeting. Days later, she woke up to a nightmare that is still ongoing. Amanda Jones has been called a groomer, a pedophile and a porn-pusher. She has faced death threats and attacks from strangers and friends alike. But she wouldn't give up without a fight. She sued her harassers for defamation and urged others to join her in the resistance. Reviewed by Pauline Finch.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review: THE HAUNTING OF MOSCOW HOUSE
by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

THE HAUNTING OF MOSCOW HOUSE by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
(Gothic Horror/Historical Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Saskia Maarleveld
It is the summer of 1921, and a group of Bolsheviks have taken over Irina and Lili Goliteva’s ancestral home in Moscow. The remaining members of their family are ordered to move into the cramped attic, while the officials take over an entire wing of grand rooms downstairs. The sisters know they must forget their noble upbringing to make their way in this new Soviet Russia. But the house begins to whisper of a traumatic past not as dead as they thought. Eager to escape it and their unwelcome new landlords, Irina and Lili find jobs with the recently arrived American Relief Administration. But at home, the spirits of their deceased family awaken, desperate to impart what really happened to them during the Revolution. Soon one of the officials living in the house is found dead. Was his death caused by something supernatural, or by someone all too human? Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to visit Olesya Salnikova Gilmore's website.

Click here to read our review.

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

September’s New in Paperback Roundups

September’s Books on Screen Feature

More Reviews This Week

PARADISE BRONX: The Life and Times of New York's Greatest Borough by Ian Frazier (History)
Audiobook available, read by Robert Fass
For the past 15 years, Ian Frazier has been walking the Bronx. PARADISE BRONX reveals the rich and tumultuous history of this amazingly various piece of our greatest city. From Jonas Bronck, who bought land from the local Native Americans, to the formerly gang-wracked South Bronx that gave birth to hip-hop, Frazier’s loving exploration is a moving tour de force about the polyglot culture that is America today. Reviewed by Ron Kaplan (www.RonKaplansBaseballBookshelf.com).

BLOOD LIKE MINE by Stuart Neville (Horror/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Michael Braun and Elisabeth Rodgers
On a snowy December night, single mother Rebecca Carter drives her van into a snowbank to avoid hitting an elk on a desolate mountain highway. She is at the end of her rope, out of money and food. Still, she refuses help from a man in a pickup truck. Rebecca’s adolescent daughter, Moonflower, is on the run from a grisly secret, and the last thing they can afford is to be remembered by anyone they meet. Meanwhile, Special Agent Marc Donner of the FBI has spent the better part of two years hunting down a gruesome serial killer who drains victims of blood before severing their spinal cords. As Agent Donner’s investigation brings him closer and closer to where Rebecca and Moonflower are hiding out, the life that Rebecca has fought so hard to hold together for her daughter becomes increasingly imperiled. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

RED RIVER ROAD by Anna Downes (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Maddy Withington
Katy Sweeney is looking for her sister. A year earlier, her free-spirited younger sister, Phoebe, vanished without a trace on the remote, achingly beautiful coastal highway in Western Australia. With no witnesses, no leads and no DNA evidence, the case has gone cold. But Katy refuses to give up on her. Using Phoebe’s social media accounts as a map, Katy retraces her sister’s steps, searching for any clues the police may have missed. Was Phoebe being followed? Who had she met along the way, and how dangerous were they? And then Katy’s path collides with that of Beth, who is on the run from her own dark past. Katy realizes that Beth might be her best --- and only --- chance of finding the truth, and the two women form an uneasy alliance to find out what really happened to Phoebe. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

THE DROWNING HOUSE by Cherie Priest (Thriller/Horror)
Audiobook available, read by Mara Wilson
A violent storm washes a mysterious house onto a rural Pacific Northwest beach, stopping the heart of the only woman who knows what it means. Her grandson, Simon Culpepper, vanishes in the aftermath, leaving two of his childhood friends to comb the small, isolated island for answers. But decades have passed since Melissa and Leo were close, if they were ever close at all. Now they'll have to put aside old rivalries and grudges if they want to find or save the man who brought them together in the first place. And on the way they'll learn a great deal about the sinister house on the beach, the man who built it, and the evil he's bringing back to Marrowstone Island. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

RETURN TO WYLDCLIFFE HEIGHTS by Carol Goodman (Gothic Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Hillary Huber
Agnes Corey, a junior editor at a small independent publisher, has been hired by enigmatic author Veronica St. Clair to transcribe the sequel to her 1993 hit phenomenon, The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights. St. Clair has been a recluse since the publication of the JANE EYRE-esque book, which coincided with a terrible fire that blinded and scarred her. Agnes arrives in the Hudson Valley at her crumbling estate, which was once a psychiatric hospital for “wayward women.” As St. Clair dictates, Agnes realizes there are clues in the story that reveal the true --- and terrifying --- events three decades ago that inspired the original novel. The line between fact and fiction becomes increasingly blurred, and Agnes discovers terrible secrets about an unresolved murder from long ago, which have startling connections to her own life. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

AGNES SHARP AND THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME written by Leonie Swann, translated by Amy Bojang (Mystery/Humor)
Audiobook available, read by Moira Quirk
Agnes, Charlie, Marshall and the other elderly residents of Sunset Hall are going stir-crazy at home. And to top it all off, another series of murders is rocking the hamlet of Duck End. So when Edwina manages to slip onto Marshall’s computer in an unobserved moment and promptly wins a stay in an exclusive coastal hotel in Cornwall, the Sunset Hall crew waste no time in joining her. But Agnes sees something unsettling from the terrace of the hotel: two figures in hoods walk away from the hotel along the cliffs, but only one returns. Worried she’s witnessed a murder, Agnes tells the others. At first nobody really believes her. But when the hotel ends up isolated from the outside world after a storm, it becomes clear that a murderer really is on the loose --- and they’re trapped, just like all of the other guests. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.

ALL THE WAY GONE: A Detective Annalisa Vega Novel by Joanna Schaffhausen (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Kelsey Navarro Foster
Is there such a thing as a good sociopath? Newly minted private investigator Annalisa Vega is skeptical, but her first client, Mara Delaney, insists that some sociopaths are beneficial to society. Mara has even written a book titled The Good Sociopath centered on Chicago neurosurgeon Craig Canning. Dr. Canning has saved hundreds of lives, so it shouldn’t matter that he doesn’t actually care about his patients, should it? But Mara has a more urgent problem. She is now concerned that Canning might not be such a good sociopath after all. A young woman in Canning’s apartment building mysteriously plunged to her death from a balcony, and Mara fears Canning could be responsible. She needs to uncover the truth about Canning before the book comes out, so Annalisa has little time to search for answers. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

THE KILL LIST: An Inspector Anjelica Henley Thriller by Nadine Matheson
(Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Diveen Henry
Twenty-five years ago, DCI Harry Rhimes arrested Andrew Streeter for the brutal murders of five young people. Streeter’s "kill list" of victims was found in his home, and he was convicted of all five crimes. Now, Streeter’s convictions are being overturned, as new evidence implies the original investigation was corrupt. No one is more shocked than DI Anjelica Henley. Because this case is personal; Rhimes was her old boss, and he’s no longer alive to defend himself. But when the killings start up again, Henley must face the truth: Rhimes got it wrong 25 years ago. Henley and her team reopen the original murder cases, but they must put their personal feelings to one side. Because the real killer is still out there, and he’s working his way through a new kill list. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

STORIES I LIVED TO TELL: An Appalachian Memoir written by Gary Carden, edited by Neal Hutcheson (Memoir)
STORIES I LIVED TO TELL is more than a selection of stories from revered mountain storyteller Gary Carden. It is a testimony of a distinguished culture, sense of place and spirit of community that connects the Appalachian past to its present. This memoir-in-stories invites the reader to move beyond stereotypes to experience the scenes, characters and community of the author's childhood and formative years, intersecting with the regional folktales and mythologies that fired his imagination. It is not only a fascinating window into an Appalachian community in the middle of the 20th century but also an insightful reminder of who that community is today, in spite of the external changes.
Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.

Next Week's Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on September 10th

Below are some notable titles releasing on September 10th 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 September 9th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.

BONE OF THE BONE: Essays on America by a Daughter of the Working Class by Sarah Smarsh (Essays)
Now collected for the first time in one volume are the brilliant and provocative essays that established National Book Award finalist Sarah Smarsh as one of the most important commentators on socioeconomic class in America --- featuring a previously unpublished essay and a new introduction.

DEN OF INIQUITY: A J. P. Beaumont Novel by J. A. Jance (Mystery/Thriller)
New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance returns with a new pulse-pounding suspense novel featuring beloved private investigator J. P. Beaumont as his investigation of a seemingly accidental death uncovers a complex web of evil.

THE EXAMINER by Janice Hallett (Mystery)
Told in emails, text messages and essays, this innovative page-turner follows a group of students in an art master’s program that goes dangerously awry.

FATHERS AND FUGITIVES written by S.J. Naudé, translated by Michiel Heyns (Fiction)
This debut literary page-turner from a new South African voice is about fatherhood and family, loyalty and betrayal, inheritance and belonging.

FIRST DO NO HARM by Joe Kenda (Mystery)
Joe Kenda, a former homicide detective and the star of Investigation Discovery, follows his authentic and fascinating debut novel with FIRST DO NO HARM, another addictive tale of crime and punishment as only he can tell it.

FIRST IN THE FAMILY: A Story of Revival, Recovery, and the American Dream by Jessica Hoppe (Memoir)
In this deeply moving and lyrical memoir --- perfect for readers of THE RECOVERING by Leslie Jamison, SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER by Ashley C. Ford and HEAVY by Kiese Laymon --- Jessica Hoppe shares an intimate, courageous account of what it means to truly interrupt cycles of harm.

HERE ONE MOMENT by Liane Moriarty (Fiction)
Liane Moriarty’s HERE ONE MOMENT is a brilliantly constructed tale that looks at free will and destiny, grief and love, and the endless struggle to maintain certainty and control in an uncertain world.

KATHARINE, THE WRIGHT SISTER by Tracey Enerson Wood (Historical Fiction)
From internationally bestselling author Tracey Enerson Wood, KATHARINE, THE WRIGHT SISTER is an unforgettable novel that shines a spotlight on one of the most important and overlooked women in history, and the sacrifices she made so that others might fly.

ROBERT B. PARKER'S BUZZ KILL: A Sunny Randall Novel by Alison Gaylin (Mystery)
Boston PI Sunny Randall is back to investigate the disappearance of a hard-partying energy drink mogul in this latest thriller in Robert B. Parker’s bestselling series.

SKY FULL OF ELEPHANTS by Cebo Campbell (Fiction/Magical Realism)
Brimming with heart and humor, Cebo Campbell’s astonishing debut novel is about the power of community and connection, about healing and self-actualization, and a reckoning with what it means to be Black in America, in both their world and ours.

TELL ME EVERYTHING by Elizabeth Strout (Fiction)
From Pulitzer Prize–winning author Elizabeth Strout comes a hopeful, healing novel about new friendships, old loves, and the very human desire to leave a mark on the world.

THE WOMEN BEHIND THE DOOR by Roddy Doyle (Fiction)
A timely and powerful novel of regrets, reparations and reconciliations, THE WOMEN BEHIND THE DOOR is a delicately devastating portrait of shame and the inescapable shadow it casts over families.

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

From left to right: Rachel Harrison, Laura Dave, Janice Hallett

  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.

Monday, September 9th at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome USA Today bestselling author Rachel Harrison and acclaimed author Alexis Henderson for a live virtual discussion of their latest novels --- Rachel's SO THIRSTY and Alexis' AN ACADEMY FOR LIARS --- as part of their B&N Midday Mystery Virtual Event series.

Monday, September 9th at 4pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Janice Hallett will talk about her latest book, THE EXAMINER. Told in emails, text messages and essays, this innovative page-turner follows a group of students in an art master’s program that goes dangerously awry.

Tuesday, September 10th at 9pm ET: Killer Author Club: Kimberly Belle, Heather Gudenkauf and Kaira Rouda will talk to Sandra Block about her new thriller, THE BACHELORETTE PARTY, in which a true crime devotee gets more than she bargained for at her killer bachelorette party.

Wednesday, September 11th at 2pm ET: "Bookaccino Live" Book Preview: Carol Fitzgerald will present titles releasing between September 10th and October 1st, along with a few from November, that she would like to get on your radar. Included will be fiction; historical fiction; thrillers and mysteries; and memoirs, biographies and other nonfiction.

Wednesday, September 11th 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 Laura Dave about her highly anticipated new thriller, THE NIGHT WE LOST HIM.

Thursday, September 12th at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome Renée Knight for a live virtual discussion of DISCLAIMER as part of their B&N Midday Mystery Virtual Event series. Renée will be in conversation with USA Today bestselling and multiple award-winning author Hank Phillippi Ryan.

 "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
• Dawn Tripp (JACKIE) Video | Podcast
• Beatriz Williams (HUSBANDS & LOVERS) Video | Podcast
• Lisa Wingate (SHELTERWOOD) Video | Podcast

Upcoming interviews include:

• Laura Dave (THE NIGHT WE LOST HIM)

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

Our Latest Poll: September Fiction Releases to Anticipate

Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, September 20th at noon ET.

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

Click here to enter the contest.

Quick Links to Features on Bookreporter.com

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"Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts | "Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books"
  Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks | Book Festivals

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