|
Never Miss a Contest or a Promotion!
Follow and Like Us on Social Media
Here Comes Summer/Memorial Day!
As I write this, the temperature is stuck in the 50s, which is not giving me Memorial Day weekend vibes at all. I am so ready for the long weekend, though the weather here has been so much cooler than I would like. I rescued the peonies that you see above before the rain arrived and scattered petals all over the ground. They are really stunning but such delicate flowers! I feel like this happens every year. As soon as the peonies start to pop, the rain comes pouring in, and the petals fall to clumps on the ground.
I have been completely swept up reading ATMOSPHERE: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which releases on June 3rd and is set against the backdrop of the 1980s space program. I always have been fascinated by space travel, so a book that opens with a note from the author urging us to look up at the stars has me all in.
Joan Goodwin is selected from a pool of thousands of applicants to train at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. Readers quickly meet the other astronaut candidates, each of whom has talents that make them uniquely perfect for the space program. From the start, we know that in December 1984, on mission STS-LR9, things are going to go badly. I am not that far in, and I already have seen this great setup. Taylor has built out the story quickly; in doing so, she has me primed to keep turning the pages.
As for my current listen, it’s AFTERTASTE, which is written by Daria Lavelle and narrated by Ari Fliakos, Tessa Albertson, André Santana and Kristen Sieh. I love to cook, and I love to taste new foods. Many books remind me of places I have been and people I have dined with, but nothing quite like this one.
Konstantin Duhovny is haunted by the memory of his father, who died when he was 10. For years, the flavors of foods have filled his mouth, sparking memories of other people. One night, Konstantin prepares something that conjures up his father in a way he did not think possible. He learns that he can reunite people with their deceased loved ones --- at least for the length of time it takes them to eat a dish that he’s prepared. The book is set against the New York restaurant scene, where the kitchens are run with military-like precision. I am interested to see what happens when Konstantin starts to act on his calling.
Join Us on Wednesday Evening!
This is your last Weekly Update newsletter reminder to sign up for this month’s “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event, which will take place on Wednesday, May 28th at 8pm ET.
Our guest will be Beatriz Williams, and she will be talking about her novel, HUSBANDS & LOVERS, which is now available in paperback and was a Bets On selection when it released in hardcover last summer. Two women --- separated by decades and continents, and united by an exotic family heirloom --- reclaim secrets and lost loves.
You can register for the event by clicking here. If you have a question for Beatriz, please email it to me using the subject line “Beatriz” by Wednesday at noon ET. Be sure to also include your name, city and state, and indicate if you’d like to be on camera during the event so you can ask Beatriz the question yourself, or if you’d prefer me to ask it for you. Those who appear on camera will be able to chat with Beatriz in our virtual green room before the program starts.
We will be hosting our 14th Annual Book Group Speed Dating event on Friday, June 13th at 1pm ET. If you are a librarian, bookseller or book club leader of four or more groups, and would be interested in attending this event, please email me and tell me a bit about yourself using the subject line “Speed Dating.” This is a “trade only” event, but we will be sharing the publisher videos, PowerPoint slides and other materials with you next month.
Be sure to join us for a special “Bookaccino Live” Summer Preview evening program on Tuesday, June 17th at 8pm ET. I will be talking about a number of books releasing this summer that we think you will enjoy reading over the next few months. Included will be fiction; historical fiction; thrillers and mysteries; and memoirs, biographies and other nonfiction. You can sign up for the event by clicking here.
Michael Connelly, who many of you know from his thrillers featuring Harry Bosch, Renée Ballard and Mickey Haller, is back with a new series and a new character: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Stilwell. NIGHTSHADE, the opening installment, revolves around an investigation that uncovers closely guarded secrets and a dark heart to the serene island that was meant to be Stilwell’s escape from the evils of the big city.
Our reviewer Ray Palen has this to say in his review: “When more violence, including murder, infiltrates the action, the pressure on Stilwell becomes unbearable. Fortunately, he has a small team that believes in him and provides support. The suspense intensifies as he continues to put himself in danger in order to prove to himself and others that he is a detective worthy of respect.” Ray calls NIGHTSHADE “a solid beginning to this series, and I look forward to seeing these marvelous new characters again.”
If you were planning to see Michael Connelly on tour, we wanted to be sure you saw this message that he posted on his website:
“I am so sorry for this late notice, but I need to postpone my book tour for NIGHTSHADE. I am dealing with a medical issue that needs immediate attention and aftercare, and I am not going to be able to make the appearances that were scheduled and I was so looking forward to. I love this book and the new character I have created, and wanted to get out there to talk about it. I love being on the road, visiting in bookstores and meeting readers who have long supported my work. It means so much to me. I’ve been doing it since 1992, but health issues caught up with me this time. Please know that this is only a pause. I’ll get past this and get back out there in the fall. Thank you for understanding. See you then.”
We wish him a speedy recovery and hope he's back on the road in the next few months!
The worlds of the haves and the have-nots collide in a polarized New York City and one iconic apartment building in Chris Pavone’s propulsive new thriller, THE DOORMAN, which will be a Bets On selection. John Grisham calls it “a near perfect blend of clever plotting, wicked social commentary, irresistible setting, truly memorable characters, and old-fashioned page-turning fun.”
Ray Palen has a rave review of his own, calling it a “taut thriller” and pointing out, “THE DOORMAN has been talked about in the same breath as books like Tom Wolfe’s THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES, which I believe is an apt comparison. This tense and explosive, yet incredibly thoughtful, novel can proudly stand as the BONFIRE of the modern age. It’s a powerful examination of the many issues that impact all Americans, especially those who live and work in New York.”
Don’t miss my Bets On commentary in early June. In the meantime, we will feature my “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Chris in next week’s newsletter.
Known for his pulse-pounding psychological thrillers, Linwood Barclay enters new territory with WHISTLE. In this supernatural chiller, a woman and her young son move to a small town looking for a fresh start, only to be haunted by disturbing events and strange visions when they find a mysterious train set in a storage shed.
According to Ray Palen in his review, “WHISTLE is a winner on every level…. [Shop owner Edwin] Nabler calls to mind Leland Gaunt, the purveyor of ‘what you need’ from Stephen King’s NEEDFUL THINGS, but with far more nefarious intentions. His presence is the engine that hurtles this classic horror tale forward. You may never hear the whistle before this freight train of a novel runs you over!”
I read WHISTLE and marveled at Linwood’s imagination and talent as he took his writing in a new direction!
This week, we’re kicking off our Nonfiction Author Spotlight of Brenda Coffee’s newly released book, MAYA BLUE: A Memoir of Survival, which we gave away advance copies of in March.
Brenda got married when she was 21 and would do almost anything that her charismatic and powerful older husband, Philip Ray, wanted. Their life together was a fairy tale until Philip, the founder of two high-profile, groundbreaking public companies, began making real cocaine in their basement and became addicted. The Big Six tobacco companies threatened their lives for creating the first smokeless cigarette (Brenda coined the terms vape and vaping), and brutal Guatemalan military commandos forced Brenda into the jungle at gunpoint.
Bronwyn Miller has our review and notes, “A memorable opening line sets the tone for every great book. In Brenda Coffee’s MAYA BLUE, the reader is warned upfront: ‘It was a fairy tale until it wasn’t.’” The book at times “read[s] like a page-turning thriller,” and Bronwyn says, “In this searing, unflinchingly honest memoir, which fans of 'Breaking Bad' will appreciate, Brenda Coffee divulges the tortuous highs and lows she withstood, and not just as a record of her personal endurance...”
I look forward to interviewing Brenda soon. It should be a fascinating conversation!
We also are featuring reviews of these two books:
-
THE LOVE HATERS: It’s a thin line between love and love-hating in Katherine Center’s latest laugh-out-loud, all-the-feels rom-com.
Our reviewer Pamela Kramer says, “What sets Center's novels apart from other rom-coms is the narrative she creates. Her brilliant first-person voice feels like we are talking to a friend who is telling us a fascinating story that we really want to see end well.”
-
MARK TWAIN: Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow illuminates the full, fascinating and complex life of the writer long celebrated as the father of American literature.
According to our reviewer Barbara Scott, “[Chernow’s] penchant for detail is apparent in this extensive work that introduces Mark Twain to a fresh generation and may encourage aspiring writers to break out of conventional molds, as he did, in style and subject matter.”
I’m Betting You’ll Love…
My latest Bets On pick is SPEAK TO ME OF HOME by Jeanine Cummins, which we reviewed last week. Click here for my commentary. I am hoping to interview Jeanine soon now that her book tour has wrapped up.
Summer Reading Contest Update
In this week’s Summer Reading contest, we gave away JUST BEACHY by Wendy Wax, which releases on June 3rd. Next week’s prizes will be BEACH HOUSE RULES by Kristy Woodson Harvey and THE GUEST COTTAGE: A Firefly Summer Novel by Lori Foster. These contests will be up at noon ET on Tuesday, May 27th and Wednesday, May 28th.
A Second Opportunity to Win THE GUEST COTTAGE!
We also are continuing to give you a chance to win one of 25 copies of THE GUEST COTTAGE and give us your feedback on the book in our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight. Susan Mallery calls it “[a] wonderful read with all the feels! Give yourself plenty of time with this one. You’re going to want to read it again the second you finish!” Be sure to submit your entries by Friday, May 30th at noon ET.
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 6th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll have the opportunity to win the aforementioned ATMOSPHERE by Taylor Jenkins Reid and THE MARTHA’S VINEYARD BEACH AND BOOK CLUB by Martha Hall Kelly. We will feature reviews of both over the next couple of weeks.
Vote in Our New Poll --- and Check Out Results from the Last Poll
We’re curious to know when the book that you’re currently reading was published. Was it this year, last year, or earlier than that? That’s our latest poll question; be sure to cast your votes here.
In our previous poll, we listed 30 titles releasing in paperback in May and asked which of them, if any, you have read or are planning to read. Below are your top five picks, and you can see all the results here.
The winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize is Banu Mushtaq's HEART LAMP. Translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi, it is the first collection of short stories to win the prize.
Written between 1990 and 2023, the book's 12 stories chronicle the lives of women and girls in patriarchal communities in southern India. Mushtaq, a lawyer and major voice within progressive Kannada literature, is a prominent champion of women’s rights and a protester against caste and religious oppression in India, and was inspired to write the stories by the experiences of women who came to her seeking help. She becomes the second Indian author to win the International Booker Prize after Geetanjali Shree in 2022.
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail:
I love when I get suggestions from readers. And you totally were there for me last week as I was trying to figure out my backyard bird’s call.
Deby said, “You should download the Merlin Bird identification app! It's addicting to turn on the sound ID to find out what birds are singing and tweeting in my backyard.”
Then Carol said, “Download the Merlin app from Cornell Lab. Turn on the sound recording, and it will identify your bird. A very cool app!”
And Liz said, “Cornell University has a free phone app called Merlin to identify birds by their call. Perhaps you can use it to find your vocal friend.”
Another Liz said, “Thank you! I just received a copy of Isabel Allende’s new book, MY NAME IS EMILIA DEL VALLE, and I’m thrilled. She is one of my favorite authors. I was planning a trip to my local bookstore this weekend, and Allende’s book was at the top of my list. Now it sits atop my TBR pile. Kudos to you and your team. I look forward to your weekly emails and book recommendations, which I share with my book club. I also mention that they can purchase books through your site.”
Liz then followed up with this: “What a surprise! I arrived home today to find a second book at my door: Fredrik Backman’s MY FRIENDS. I emailed earlier in the day expressing my thanks for the Allende book, and now I’m doubly blessed. It’s been a stressful week, and these books arrived at just the right time. Again, many thanks to you and your team!” We appreciate all of this.
Aline wrote to our Contest Coordinator: “Thank you very much, Francesca, for letting me know that I won a copy of WHISTLE by Linwood Barclay. I am very much looking forward to reading it.”
Tomorrow we are headed to the unveiling of the restored Egg-O-Mat here in town. Greg, who chairs the town's Historic Sites Committee, has been working on this project for a while. The Egg-O-Mat is a self-serve egg vending machine once owned by the Epsteins, who were local poultry farmers. It’s a really unique symbol of the farming heritage in this town. I live in a town that is filled with so much history, and I love seeing things like this restored that make me think back on what life was like here before.
Monday will be the town parade, which is always one of my favorite events. There are veterans from various wars marching, which brings to mind those who have fallen who we are honoring on Memorial Day. It’s also fun to see the young kids marching. Flags are handed out, and candy is tossed. It makes me very glad that I live in a small town that marks this solemn day in such a special way.
I have a lot of reading to do this weekend, and I am looking forward to having an extra day for it. There will be some yoga and a Monday morning water class. It will be nice not having to rush out the door from the latter to get home to work. And I cannot lie; I am betting that there also will be a trip to the garden center.
Read on, and have a great week.
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
P.S. For those of you who shop online, if you use the store links that appear on our site for shopping, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and IndieBound. As you read our reviews and features, we would appreciate your considering this as you buy!
Featured Review: NIGHTSHADE by Michael Connelly
NIGHTSHADE by Michael Connelly (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Will Damron
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Stilwell has been “exiled” to a low-key post policing rustic Catalina Island, after department politics drove him off a homicide desk on the mainland. But while following up the usual drunk-and-disorderlies and petty thefts that come with his new territory, Detective Stilwell gets a report of a body found weighed down at the bottom of the harbor --- a Jane Doe identifiable at first only by a streak of purple dye in her hair. At the same time, a report of poaching on a protected reserve turns into a case fraught with violence and danger as Stilwell digs into the shady past of an island bigwig. Crossing all lines of protocol and jurisdiction, Stilwell doggedly works both cases. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: THE DOORMAN by Chris Pavone
An Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE DOORMAN by Chris Pavone (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Edoardo Ballerini
Chicky Diaz is everyone’s favorite doorman at the Bohemia, the most famous apartment house in the world. But gathered in the Bohemia’s bowels, the building’s almost entirely Black and Hispanic working-class staff is taking in the news that just a few miles uptown, a Black man has been killed by the police, leading to a demonstration, a counterdemonstration, and a long night of violence across the tinderbox city. As Chicky changes into his uniform for tonight’s shift, he finds himself breaking a cardinal rule of the job. Tonight, he’ll be carrying a gun, bought only hours earlier, but before he knew of the pandemonium taking over the city. Chicky knows that there’s more going on in his patch of sidewalk in front of the Bohemia than anyone is aware of. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com.
Click here to read our review.
THE DOORMAN will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.
Don't miss Carol's interview with Chris Pavone in next week's newsletter, followed by her Bets On commentary in early June.
Featured Review: WHISTLE by Linwood Barclay
WHISTLE by Linwood Barclay (Supernatural Thriller/Horror)
Audiobook available, read by Eva Kaminsky
Annie Blunt has had an unimaginably terrible year. First, her husband was killed in a tragic hit-and-run accident, then one of the children’s books she’s built her writing and illustrating career on ignited a major scandal. Desperate for a fresh start, she moves with her son, Charlie, to a charming small town in upstate New York. Bored and lonely in their isolated new surroundings, Charlie is thrilled when he finds a forgotten train set in a locked shed on their property. But there’s something unsettling about his new toy. Strange sounds wake Annie in the night --- she could swear she hears a train, but there isn’t an active track for miles --- and bizarre things begin happening in the neighborhood. Worse, Annie can’t seem to stop drawing a disturbing new character that has no place in a children’s book. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to visit Linwood Barclay's website.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
SPEAK TO ME OF HOME by Jeanine Cummins
SPEAK TO ME OF HOME by Jeanine Cummins (Fiction)
After reading AMERICAN DIRT, I was looking forward to what Jeanine Cummins would write next. I was so happy to see that she really delivered again with the generational story in SPEAK TO ME OF HOME. I know many people who have migrated to this country, and sometimes I wonder if they are torn between two places. While life here has so many freedoms and opportunities, I have often considered what it is like to think in two languages and think of home as more than one place. It was very much on my mind as I read this book.
Here, Jeanine brings us three generations…actually four if you count Mamamía and Papamío. This first generation was born in Puerto Rico, where class was defined by the tone of your skin, as well as the money you had. Papamío was “lighter” than Mamamia and was born in a city; as a result, he was seen as more sophisticated. Their daughters, one of whom is Rafaela, were sheltered and pampered with a live-in housekeeper who saw to their every need. The housekeeper’s son also lived with them, but they were scolded for playing with him. Class meant that should not happen! But then one day, their father was found to have done something unethical, and their world turned upside down. The money was gone. And so was their reputation.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com.
Click here to read more of Carol's Bets On commentary.
Don't miss Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview
with Jeanine Cummins in the weeks to come.
New Nonfiction Author Spotlight:
MAYA BLUE by Brenda Coffee
MAYA BLUE: A Memoir of Survival by Brenda Coffee (Memoir)
At 21, Brenda Coffee surrendered herself to her marriage and became a woman who would do almost anything her charismatic and powerful older husband, Philip Ray, wanted. Regardless of whether it was dangerous, adventurous, sexual or illegal, she wanted to be the one woman he couldn’t live without.
Brenda and Philip’s life together was a fairy tale until it wasn’t. Until Philip, the founder of two high-profile, groundbreaking public companies, began making real cocaine in their basement and became addicted. Until the Big Six tobacco companies threatened their lives for creating the first smokeless cigarette --- Brenda coined the terms vape and vaping --- and brutal Guatemalan military commandos forced her into the jungle at gunpoint.
A suspenseful, fast-paced memoir that reads like a thriller, MAYA BLUE will strike a chord with those who have lost their voice or had trouble finding their power. It will resonate with those who live with an addict or have grieved the loss of a spouse. But above all, it is an inspiring reminder that as long as you never surrender your voice and always keep your wits about you, you can survive almost anything.
- Click here to read Brenda Coffee's bio.
- Visit Brenda Coffee's website and her popular Brenda's Blog.
- Connect with Brenda Coffee on Facebook and Instagram.
Click here to read our review.
Click here to read more in our Nonfiction Author Spotlight.
Don't miss Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview
with Brenda Coffee in the weeks to come.
Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight & Contest:
Win One of 25 Copies of THE GUEST COTTAGE
by Lori Foster, Releasing on May 27th,
and Share Your Comments on It
In THE GUEST COTTAGE, the first installment in Lori Foster's Firefly Summer series, love, forgiveness and renewal take center stage in the haven of a quiet lakeside town when two very different women bond over one man’s betrayal.
We have 25 copies to give away to those who would like to read the book, which releases on May 27th, and share their comments on it. All winners must be prepared to provide their feedback by Monday, July 7th.
To enter, please fill out this form by Friday, May 30th at noon ET.
THE GUEST COTTAGE by Lori Foster (Fiction)
Marlow Heddings is starting over. She has carried the outrage of her husband Dylan’s affair with a younger woman --- and the expectations of his family’s powerful Chicago holdings company --- long enough. Now, after another devastating twist of fate, she is unapologetically moving on.
Arriving in tiny Bramble, Kentucky, Marlow revels in her freedom, swapping her executive suits for sundresses...and scouting places to open her dream boutique. Best of all is her new residence, an adorable cottage with gorgeous lake views --- and a breathtaking landlord, former Marine Cort Easton. Soon they’re sharing dockside morning coffee and nighttime firefly gazing. Marlow’s new life feels like a dream.
Then Pixie Nolan arrives on her doorstep. With a shocking secret.
To Marlow’s astonishment, Dylan’s “other woman” is a desperate girl of 19, destitute, exhausted and disowned by her family. Defying her manipulative in-laws’ demands, and surprising even herself, Marlow vows to lay down roots in Bramble and help Pixie get on her feet. Then they’ll part ways. But empathy has a way of forging bonds. As Marlow grows close to the hard-working, devoted young woman, she becomes something of a big sister to Pixie.
Now, with each sunrise, Marlow awakens to the life she was truly meant to live, one filled with deepening connections, supportive friendship...and even a second chance at love.
- Click here to read Lori Foster's bio.
- Click here to visit Lori Foster's website.
- Connect with Lori Foster on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.
Click here to read more in our Women's Fiction Author Spotlight
and enter the contest.
Featured Review: THE LOVE HATERS by Katherine Center
THE LOVE HATERS by Katherine Center (Romantic Comedy)
Audiobook available, read by Patti Murin
Katie Vaughn has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer, or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. The catch? Katie is not exactly qualified. She can’t swim --- but pretends that she can. Plus, Cole and Hutch are brothers. And they don’t get along. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good-looking man she has ever seen…but maybe a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two. Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes and stolen kisses ensue --- along with chances to tell the truth, face old fears, and be truly brave at last. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: MARK TWAIN by Ron Chernow
MARK TWAIN by Ron Chernow (Biography)
Audiobook available, read by Jason Culp
Before he was Mark Twain, he was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Born in 1835, the man who would become America’s first, and most influential, literary celebrity spent his childhood dreaming of piloting steamboats on the Mississippi. But when the Civil War interrupted his career on the river, the young Twain went west to the Nevada Territory and accepted a job at a local newspaper. It wasn’t long before the former steamboat pilot from Missouri was recognized across the country for his literary brilliance, writing under a pen name that he would immortalize. In this richly nuanced portrait of Mark Twain, acclaimed biographer Ron Chernow brings his considerable powers to bear on a man who shamelessly sought fame and fortune, and crafted his persona with meticulous care. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com's 21st Annual
Summer Reading Contests and Feature
Summer will be here before you know it! At Bookreporter.com, this means it's time for us to share some great summer book picks with our Summer Reading Contests and Feature. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through mid-August, so you will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter to win. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
PARENTS WEEKEND by Alex Finlay (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Brittany Pressley
In the glow of their children’s exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids --- five residents of Campisi Hall --- never show up at dinner. As the hours click by and another night falls with not so much as a text from the students, panic ensues. Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix and Stella --- The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers and TikTok sleuths call them --- come from five very different families. What led them out on that fateful night? Could it be the sins of their mothers and fathers that have come to cause them peril, or a threat to the friend group from within? Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THE LAST FERRY OUT by Andrea Bartz (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Dani Martineck, Imani Jade Powers and Natasha Soudek
When Abby steps foot on Isla Colel, she isn’t sure what she’ll find. She only knows that she needs to see the place where her fiancée, Eszter, died to try and make sense of the tragic accident. Though the island was once a bustling tourist hub, a hurricane has left it a shell of its former self, with only a handful of residents remaining. Even the once-daily ferry to the mainland now runs every week or so. There, Abby befriends an alluring group of expats, but her sense of unease surges when one of them says he knows the truth about Eszter’s final days. Before he can tell her more, though, he vanishes from the island. As her quest for the truth unearths dark secrets, shady pasts and a web of lies, Abby grows more determined than ever to find out what happened to the love of her life. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
MURDER IN THE DOLLHOUSE: The Jennifer Dulos Story by Rich Cohen (True Crime)
Audiobook available, read by Edoardo Ballerini
Rich Cohen’s MURDER IN THE DOLLHOUSE is the chilling, unputdownable story of Jennifer Dulos, a beautiful, rich suburban mother who dropped her kids off at the New Canaan Country School one morning and vanished. Her body has never been found. Dulos was in the midst of an ugly divorce --- one of the most contentious in Connecticut state history. The couple, a beautiful, highly connected pair, met at Brown University, had five children, and led what appeared to be a charmed life. In the wake of her disappearance, Dulos’ husband and his girlfriend were arrested. He killed himself on the day he was supposed to report to court. She was tried and convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
DEATH AT A HIGHLAND WEDDING: A Rip Through Time Novel by Kelley Armstrong (Historical Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Kate Handford
After slipping 150 years into the past, modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson has embraced her new life in Victorian Scotland as housemaid Catriona Mitchell and has come to love her role as assistant to undertaker Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie. Mallory, Gray and McCreadie are on their way to the Scottish Highlands for McCreadie's younger sister's wedding. When they arrive at the Cranston estate, Gray and Mallory decide to explore the castle and the surrounding wilderness. They discover that the groom, Archie Cranston, has set up deadly traps in the woods for the endangered Scottish wildcats, and they soon come across a cat who's been caught and severely injured. When one of the guests is murdered, they must work fast to uncover the murderer before another life is lost. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
THE LILAC PEOPLE by Milo Todd (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Max Meyers
In 1932 Berlin, a trans man named Bertie and his friends spend carefree nights at the Eldorado Club, the epicenter of Berlin's thriving queer community. An employee of the renowned Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld at the Institute of Sexual Science, Bertie works to improve queer rights in Germany and beyond. But everything changes when Hitler rises to power. The Institute is raided, the Eldorado is shuttered, and queer people are rounded up. Bertie barely escapes with his girlfriend, Sofie, to a nearby farm. There they take on the identities of an elderly couple and live for more than a decade in isolation. In the final days of the war, Bertie and Sofie find a young trans man collapsed on their property, still dressed in Holocaust prison clothes. They vow to protect him --- not from the Nazis, but from the Allied forces who are arresting queer prisoners while liberating the rest of the country. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.
- Click here for the discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com.
HEART, BE AT PEACE by Donal Ryan (Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Anne Marie Ryan, Ciaran O'Brien, Eva Bartley, Gerry Howard, Killian Coyle, Roy McMillan and Toni O'Rourke
In a small town in Ireland, the local people have weathered the storm of economic collapse and now look to the future: The jobs are back, the dramas of the past seemingly lulled, and although the town bears the scars of its history, new stories have begun to unfold. But an insidious menace now creeps through back-alley shadows and into the lives of the townspeople. Old grudges fester, and new ones arise. Young people are lured by the promise of fast money, while the generation above them tries to hold back the tide of an enemy beyond their control. And the peace of this town is about to be shattered in an unimaginable way. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
THE RED HOUSE by Mary Morris (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Alyssa Bresnahan
Thirty years ago, Laura’s mother, Viola, went missing. She left behind her purse, her keys, and her mysterious paintings of a red house. Laura, an artist herself, held on to the paintings. On the back of each work, her mother scrawled in Italian, “I will not be here forever.” The family never understood what Viola meant. Decades later, Laura returns to Italy, where her parents met after World War II. Laura spent the earliest years of her childhood there before the family moved to New Jersey and settled into an American dream that eventually became a nightmare. Viola, who claimed to be an orphan, staunchly refused to speak of her life before marriage. In Italy, Laura finds herself on a strange scavenger hunt to solve the puzzle of her mother’s lost years. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
MARGUERITE BY THE LAKE by Mary Dixie Carter (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Helen Laser
Marguerite Gray is a lifestyle icon known for her garden parties, high-end business ventures, and being the muse behind the famous Serge Kuhnert painting, Marguerite by the Lake. For the last few years, Phoenix has been the gardener on the famed Rosecliff grounds, home of Marguerite and her husband, Geoffrey. When a storm threatens the launch party for Marguerite’s latest book, Phoenix rushes to Geoffrey’s side to save him from a falling tree. Geoffrey is grateful --- perhaps too grateful. Marguerite is…jealous. Phoenix becomes embroiled in an affair that could destroy her career. But soon after the affair begins, Marguerite falls to her death. Now Phoenix has another secret, one that haunts her even as Geoffrey invites her to move into the manor with him. Reviewed by Megan Elliott.
Next Week's Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on May 27th
Below are some notable titles releasing on May 27th 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 May 26th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
BEACH HOUSE RULES by Kristy Woodson Harvey (Fiction)
Kristy Woodson Harvey returns with a delightfully moving new novel about a mother-daughter duo learning to lean on their community of women --- and each other --- after their world is turned upside down.
THE CARDINAL: A Novel of Love and Power by Alison Weir (Historical Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling author of THE LAST WHITE ROSE explores the rise of Thomas Wolsey, who was Henry VIII’s chief adviser --- until the king accused him of treason.
A DEAD DRAW by Robert Dugoni (Thriller)
A killer fueled by revenge. A detective haunted by the past. They are headed for a high-stakes showdown in this bone-chilling new Tracy Crosswhite novel by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.
THE GUEST COTTAGE: A Firefly Summer Novel by Lori Foster (Fiction)
Love, forgiveness and renewal take center stage in the haven of a quiet lakeside town when two very different women bond over one man’s betrayals in this uplifting new series from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster.
HIDDEN NATURE by Nora Roberts (Romantic Suspense)
#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts presents a novel about an injured cop who must fight to bring down a pair of twisted killers.
MANSION BEACH by Meg Mitchell Moore (Fiction)
From nationally bestselling author Meg Mitchell Moore comes a sparkling new novel following a young woman entwined in the opulent lives of her neighbors on Block Island, set against a backdrop of scandal, secrets and a not-so-subtle love triangle.
THE MARTHA'S VINEYARD BEACH AND BOOK CLUB by Martha Hall Kelly (Historical Fiction)
Two sisters living on Martha’s Vineyard during World War II find hope in the power of storytelling when they start a wartime book club for women in this spectacular novel inspired by true events.
NEVER FLINCH by Stephen King (Psychological Thriller/Horror)
From master storyteller Stephen King comes an extraordinary novel with intertwining storylines --- one about a killer on a diabolical revenge mission and another about a vigilante targeting a feminist celebrity speaker --- featuring the beloved Holly Gibney and a dynamic new cast of characters.
RETURN TO SENDER: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson (Mystery)
Walt Longmire is back after the escapades of FIRST FROST and encounters one of his most baffling cases in Wyoming’s brutal and unforgiving Red Desert.
Click here to see the latest “On Sale This Week” newsletter.
From left to right: Linwood Barclay, Beatriz Williams, Kristina McMorris
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
Here are five upcoming virtual book and author events that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links for more info and to register.
Monday, May 26th at 7:30pm ET: “Lisa Live”: Join Lisa Scottoline on Facebook every Monday night through July 7th as she reveals her inspirations behind her upcoming novel, THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA. And be sure to enter the Pre-Order Sweepstakes for the book. Lisa will be giving away an exciting prize each week during her “Lisa Live” events, leading up to the book's July 15th publication.
Wednesday, May 28th at 7pm ET: “Friends & Fiction”: Join “Friends & Fiction” for a conversation with Kristina McMorris about her new book, THE GIRLS OF GOOD FORTUNE, a gripping novel of love, lore and betrayal that shines a light on shocking events surrounding Portland's dark history.
Wednesday, May 28th at 8pm ET: “Bookaccino Live” Book Group: Carol Fitzgerald will talk to Beatriz Williams about HUSBANDS & LOVERS, a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick that is now available in paperback. Beatriz also will answer questions from guests who will be “on stage,” as well as from other members of the audience.
Thursday, May 29th at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Chris Pavone will talk about his latest thriller, THE DOORMAN. In this pulse-pounding novel of class, privilege, sex and murder, the worlds of the haves and the have-nots collide in a polarized New York City and one iconic apartment building.
Friday, May 30th at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Linwood Barclay will talk about his new book, WHISTLE, a supernatural chiller in which a woman and her young son move to a small town looking for a fresh start, only to be haunted by disturbing events and strange visions when they find a mysterious train set in a storage shed.
"Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts
“Bookreporter Talks To” is a video and podcast series that delivers long-form, in-depth author interviews. 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:
-
Victoria Christopher Murray (HARLEM RHAPSODY) Video | Podcast
Other authors we've interviewed include:
-
Marie Benedict (THE QUEENS OF CRIME) Video | Podcast
-
Joseph Finder (THE OLIGARCH'S DAUGHTER) Video | Podcast
-
Clare Leslie Hall (BROKEN COUNTRY) Video | Podcast
-
Katy Hays (SALTWATER) Video | Podcast
-
Jeff Hobbs (SEEKING SHELTER: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America) Video | Podcast
-
Michelle Horton (DEAR SISTER: A Memoir of Secrets, Survival, and Unbreakable Bonds) Video | Podcast
-
Georgia Hunter (ONE GOOD THING) Video | Podcast
-
Nita Prose (THE MAID'S SECRET: A Maid Novel) Video | Podcast
-
Scott Turow (PRESUMED GUILTY) Video | Podcast
-
Charmaine Wilkerson (GOOD DIRT) Video | Podcast
Upcoming interviews include:
-
Janet Skeslien Charles (THE PARISIAN CHAPTER: An Audio Novel)
-
Julie Clark (THE GHOSTWRITER)
-
Brenda Coffee (MAYA BLUE: A Memoir of Survival)
-
Jeanine Cummins (SPEAK TO ME OF HOME)
-
Lori Foster (THE GUEST COTTAGE: A Firefly Summer Novel)
-
Chris Pavone (THE DOORMAN)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
Our Latest Poll: The Publication Year of Your Current Read
When was the book that you’re currently reading published?
-
This year
-
Last year
-
Earlier than 2024
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, June 6th at noon ET.
Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What
You've Read --- and You Can Win Two Books!
Tell us about the books you’ve read with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from May 23rd to June 6th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of ATMOSPHERE: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid and THE MARTHA'S VINEYARD BEACH AND BOOK CLUB by Martha Hall Kelly.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the books you write about, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For rules and guidelines, click here.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
|
