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Our house is close to being fully decorated for the holiday. If I could just remember where the piece of garland that we post above the sliding door in the kitchen is, I would be very happy. And if the candles in my office window were not on 24/7, that would be a good thing too. I must adjust that timer!
The thing I learned this week after 36 years of living in this house is that the front guest closet has a light in it. That makes looking for vases on the top shelf a lot easier, as well as tablecloths that hang there instead of coats. And for some reason, my high school cap and gown are there! WHY?
I am planning a lot of reading over the holidays. Given the pile of books that I want to read, my husband ordered stacks of firewood that arrived yesterday, so I will have fires in the fireplace to keep me company. He can consider that to be my Christmas present. Yes, I said that!
There is lots going on in our book world this week, including our BIGGEST contest of the year. So let's get right to it...
On Wednesday, we learned the heartbreaking news that Sophie Kinsella passed away at the age of 55. She announced last year that she had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor, in 2022. Sophie, whose real name was Madeleine Wickham, was best known for her hugely popular Shopaholic series.
Her final novel, WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?, was her most personal book as it centered on a renowned novelist facing a devastating diagnosis and learning to live and love anew. It was a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection as I was so moved by the story and how she told it.
I have read and enjoyed so many of Sophie’s books over the years that I wanted to honor her and everything she accomplished in her all-too-brief life. Click here to read my tribute to Sophie.
First row: Carol Fitzgerald, Tom Donadio, Rebecca Munro, Pamela Kramer
Second row: Bronwyn Miller, Stuart Shiffman, Harvey Freedenberg, Norah Piehl
Third row: Megan Elliott, Sarah Rachel Egelman
On Wednesday evening, we hosted our year-end “Bookaccino Live” event featuring eight Bookreporter reviewers: Sarah Rachel Egelman, Megan Elliott, Harvey Freedenberg, Pamela Kramer, Bronwyn Miller, Rebecca Munro, Norah Piehl and Stuart Shiffman. Each talked about two of their favorite books of 2025.
Kate Ayers and Ray Palen, who have appeared on previous programs, were not able to join us live. But we showed Ray’s presentation on video, and we shared Kate’s picks, along with brief excerpts from her reviews of those books.
Click here to watch the event or here to listen to the podcast. A list of the featured titles, along with their covers, can be found here. We loved hearing about the books that especially resonated with these reviewers. Their enthusiasm showed in their presentations, all of which were fabulous!
Pictured above is me with our Editorial Director, Tom Donadio, and our reviewers as we appeared on Zoom “Brady Bunch”-style.
In next week’s newsletter, we will bring you our annual Reviewers’ Picks feature. The reviewers you heard from this week, plus many others, will share up to 20 books that stood out to them the most in 2025.
Our first “Bookaccino Live” book preview event of 2026 will take place on Wednesday, January 14th at 2pm ET. I will present books releasing between January 13th and February 3rd, as well as some March titles, that we think will appeal to you. Click here to sign up. Those attending the live event will be asked to answer a survey about the books from the presentation that they are most interested in reading and will be eligible to win a prize.
Announcing Our BIG End-of-the-Year Contest
Drum roll, please... I am thrilled to announce the start of our 15th annual End-of-the-Year contest! One Grand Prize winner will be awarded all 42 of my Bets On picks from this year, while seven other winners will receive six of these titles.
Among the books you can win are APOSTLE’S COVE by William Kent Krueger, BROKEN COUNTRY by Clare Leslie Hall, HARLEM RHAPSODY by Victoria Christopher Murray, MORE OR LESS MADDY by Lisa Genova, PRESUMED GUILTY by Scott Turow, SEEKING SHELTER: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America by Jeff Hobbs, THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA by Lisa Scottoline, and WHATEVER HAPPENED TO LORI LOVELY? by Sarah McCoy.
To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, January 12th at noon ET.
Next week, I will be shooting our year-end Bets On video, where I share my thoughts on all 42 of these books.
I’m Betting You’ll Love…
My final two Bets On picks of the year are THE HEIR APPARENT by Rebecca Armitage (this month’s Reese’s Book Club pick) and BOAT BABY: A Memoir by Vicky Nguyen. Click on each of the titles for my commentary. If you missed my interview with Vicky from last week, be sure to watch it here or listen to it here. I look forward to interviewing Rebecca soon!
Announcing This Year’s Holiday Author Blogs: Stories About Giving & Receiving
Our Holiday Author Blogs are back for an 18th year! Seven authors, whose latest books have released this year or will be available early next year, are sharing their favorite bookish holiday memories with us.
This week, we heard from Thrity Umrigar (MISSING SAM) and Jan Cress Dondi (THE NAVIGATOR’S LETTER: The True Story of Two WWII Airmen, a Doomed Mission, and the Woman Who Bound Them Together).
Next week, we are planning to hear from Davis Bunn (A SEA GLASS CHRISTMAS), Brisa Carleton (LAST CALL AT THE SAVOY), Sarah Damoff (THE BRIGHT YEARS), Robert Dugoni (HER COLD JUSTICE), and Terah Shelton Harris (WHERE THE WILDFLOWERS GROW).
Matthew Pearl, the author of SAVE OUR SOULS and THE DANTE CLUB, makes his eagerly awaited return to fiction with THE AWARD. It’s about a young writer trying to make his way through a cutthroat literary scene that turns deadly.
Ray Palen has our review and says, “THE AWARD is perhaps the most devilishly scathing indictment of the publishing industry that I have ever read. Captured in the guise of a psychological thriller, the plight and journey that David Trent takes is truly edge-of-your seat suspenseful. In the hands of Matthew Pearl, it becomes a scandalous read that is memorable and well worth devouring.”
Word of Mouth Contest Reminder
THE AWARD and the aforementioned THE HEIR APPARENT are our current Word of Mouth prizes. Submit your comments about the books you’ve read by Friday, December 19th at noon ET, and you’ll be in the running to win both these titles.
Other books we’re reviewing this week include:
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HOUSE OF DAY, HOUSE OF NIGHT: In Olga Tokarczuk’s novel, a woman settles in a remote Polish village where she knows no one. It has few inhabitants, but it teems with the stories of the living and the dead.
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AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY: Julia Spencer-Fleming returns to her beloved Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series, where a disparate group of would-be heroes need to unwind a murderous plot before time runs out.
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HUGUETTE: In the lawlessness of post–World War II France, a resilient young woman fights to survive and make a living, no matter the cost, in a bighearted story of resilience from Cara Black, the bestselling author of the Aimée Leduc series.
Holiday Cheer Contest Update
We gave away THE LADY ON ESPLANADE: A Royal Street Novel by Karen White in this week’s Holiday Cheer contest. Our final contest will be up on Tuesday, December 16th at noon ET. The prize book will be ORDER OF SWANS by Jude Deveraux, which is now available in paperback. In this spellbinding, fantasy-rich romance, a woman is swept into a world where she has the power to alter fairy tales and change a kingdom’s destiny.
Remember to Vote in Our Poll
Our poll continues to ask if you are planning to give books as gifts this holiday season. Be sure to let us know by Friday, December 19th at noon ET.
Congratulations to the winners of ReadingGroupGuides.com's 25th Anniversary Contest!
Kathy V. from Green Valley, AZ won 25 of the most discussed books spanning each year since Reading Group Guides launched in 2000. Those titles are pictured above and can be found here.
Five other readers were awarded five of these books:
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April P. from Las Vegas, NV
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Cindy R. from Aventura, FL
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Jacque M. from Dover, NH
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Karen F. from Milton, WI
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Tracy B. from East Amherst, NY
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail:
Thank you to everyone who sent birthday notes to both Francesca and me. It was lovely to hear from you as she turned 26 and I turned 27 (again)!
Maryann wrote, “Hi Carol, I’m a little late with my thank you. I received Ann Packer’s SOME BRIGHT NOWHERE as a 'Bookaccino Live' prize. I was surprised and delighted I had won her book. It was one I wanted to read after hearing your presentation. I love the 'Bookaccino Live' monthly events. Actually, I arrange my day around it. Well, really my week as I try very hard to keep that afternoon free of other appointments. I also very much enjoy the author interviews. Thank you for doing those. I can’t even remember how I found you and Bookaccino; I know it was during the COVID shutdown.”
I am reading RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, CALLIE KINGMAN by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans, which will be available on December 30th, because ’tis the season for light evening and weekend reading --- and I know that these two deliver a great story.
I am listening to EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD by Ace Atkins, which is set in 1985. In it, 14-year-old Peter Bennett is convinced that his mom’s new boyfriend is a Russian agent. Like I said, it’s the time of year for some levity.
Jay Kelly on Netflix: This movie is filled with big stars, but I agree with my friend, Beverley, who said that it is a tad too long and too repetitive. Here is something interesting. Last weekend, bundled with our print edition of the New York Times was a postcard with George Clooney’s face on it and credits to Jay Kelly on the back. It slipped out, and I wondered what that was. It did get us watching; it had been in theaters last month and premiered on Netflix last week. It is interesting that a print postcard got this film on my radar after I had missed it elsewhere in our ultra-digital online everything age!
“Sean Combs: The Reckoning” on Netflix: When I am working at night, I often have something going in the background for company. I have been watching this documentary, which is very revealing about the life of Sean Combs.
This weekend will be cookie baking planning (Cory, Kaltrina and I have a Bake Date next Saturday) and amaryllis packing to send as gifts. And I will try to find that garland that is “somewhere” in the attic. I think we took it down after we took down the rest of the decorations last year, which means it may be on the Valentine shelf in the attic. Yes, we have a Valentine shelf.
May your holiday prep be going smoother than mine. I have bought exactly one present, and for the hat I am making for Kaltrina, I am on the brim. Yes, it's going like that.
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!
Celebrating the Life of a Beloved Author:
Remembering Sophie Kinsella, 1969-2025
We at Bookreporter.com mourn the loss of Sophie Kinsella, who passed away on December 10th at the age of 55. In 2022, she was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, and revealed this heartbreaking news on her website last October.
Kinsella was the #1 bestselling author of the hugely popular Shopaholic series; the stand-alone novels CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?, THE UNDOMESTIC GODDESS, REMEMBER ME?, TWENTIES GIRL, I’VE GOT YOUR NUMBER, WEDDING NIGHT, MY NOT SO PERFECT LIFE, SURPRISE ME, I OWE YOU ONE, LOVE YOUR LIFE, THE PARTY CRASHER, THE BURNOUT and WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?; and the young adult novel FINDING AUDREY.
Carol Fitzgerald, who is a huge fan of Kinsella and her books, wrote this lovely piece celebrating her life and lasting legacy.
Click here to read Carol's tribute to Sophie Kinsella.
New Special Contest:
Enter to Win Our End-of-the-Year Celebration,
Featuring All 42 "Bets On" Titles from 2025
We are thrilled to announce our End-of-the-Year contest featuring Carol Fitzgerald's Bookreporter.com Bets On picks from 2025. One Grand Prize winner will be awarded all 42 books, while seven other readers will receive six of these titles.
To enter, all you have to do is fill out this form by Monday, January 12th at noon ET. Please enter only once. All duplicate entries will be deleted.
Here are this year's Bets On selections:
Click here to enter the contest.
Featured Review: THE AWARD by Matthew Pearl
THE AWARD by Matthew Pearl (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Eric Altheide
David Trent is an aspiring novelist in Cambridge, Massachusetts, trying to navigate his ambitions in a place that has writers around every corner. He lives in an apartment above a Very Famous Author named Silas Hale. Beneath his celebrated image, Silas is a bombastic, vindictive monster who refuses to allow his new neighbor even to make eye contact with him. Until young David wins a prestigious award for his new book. Suddenly Silas is interested --- if intensely spiteful. But soon, the administrator of the award comes to David with alarming news, forcing the writer into a desperate set of choices. Fate intervenes --- with shocking consequences. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review:
HOUSE OF DAY, HOUSE OF NIGHT by Olga Tokarczuk
HOUSE OF DAY, HOUSE OF NIGHT written by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Magical Realism/Short Stories)
Audiobook available, read by Priyanga Burford
A woman settles in a remote Polish village where she knows no one. It has few inhabitants, but it teems with the stories of the living and the dead. There’s the drunk Marek Marek, who discovers that he shares his body with a bird, and Franz Frost, whose nightmares come to him from a newly discovered planet. There’s the man whose death --- with one leg on the Polish side, one on the Czech --- was an international incident. And there are the Germans who still haunt a region that not long ago they called their own. From the founding of the town to the lives of its saints, these shards piece together not only a history, but a cosmology. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
THE HEIR APPARENT by Rebecca Armitage
and BOAT BABY by Vicky Nguyen
THE HEIR APPARENT by Rebecca Armitage (Fiction)
British royalty follows strict rules, so when you are the third heir to the throne, your life allows you a lot more latitude than those in line as one or two. Princess Alexandrina, also known as the third heir to the Queen of England, has taken up life in Australia, where she is just Lexi Villiers, who is studying medicine and living a very ordinary life. That is, until a helicopter lands on the farm where she lives.
Her grandmother’s right-hand man rushes to share the devastating news that her father (the heir) has been killed in a skiing accident, and her brother (the spare) is clinging to life. Lexi is whisked away by the chopper to a plane that will take her to England. While in the air, she is given a royal makeover so she looks regal as she touches down on British soil. By the time they land, her brother has died, and she is now the heir.
That is just the opener to THE HEIR APPARENT by Rebecca Armitage.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE HEIR APPARENT.
BOAT BABY: A Memoir by Vicky Nguyen (Memoir)
I have read many memoirs and books about the immigrant experience, but migration from Vietnam to the United States is a trail that I had not explored until BOAT BABY. Vicky Nguyen was just eight months old when her family left communist Vietnam by boat for a refugee camp in Malaysia. In the photo on the front of the book, she is about 18 months old. She learned to walk as her family was in the camp waiting for their next steps. They were sponsored by an organization in Eugene, Oregon, and moved there as their first stop in the U.S.
Vicky shares how she worked to assimilate into the culture in the States. Her parents were learning English and adapting to their new way of life, starting businesses and providing her home and safety. Vicky was in a quick-study class of American culture. She was observing what others were doing and how she would be able to fit in. She read books that would give her insight into what American kids did. Judy Blume and others were her guides.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to watch our "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Vicky Nguyen.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on BOAT BABY.
Bookreporter.com's 18th Annual Holiday Author Blogs:
Authors Write About Their Favorite Holiday Memories
of Giving or Receiving Books
We have brought back our Holiday Author Blogs for an 18th year! In these pieces, seven authors talk about the books that they have given and/or received during the holidays.
Featured Review: AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY
by Julia Spencer-Fleming
AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY: A Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mystery by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Suzanne Toren
It’s Christmas time in Millers Kill, and Reverend Clare Fergusson and her husband, Russ van Alstyne --- newly resigned from his position as chief of police --- plan to enjoy it with their baby boy. But when a beloved holiday parade is crashed by white supremacists, Clare and Russ find themselves sucked into a parallel world of militias, machinations and murder. They and three others --- single mom and officer Hadley Knox; novice lawyer Joy Zhào; and NYS Forest Ranger Paul Terrance --- will discover that their suspicions hang on a single twisting thread, leading to the forbidding High Peaks of the Adirondacks. As the December days shorten and the nights grow long, a disparate group of would-be heroes need to unwind a murderous plot before time runs out. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: HUGUETTE by Cara Black
HUGUETTE: A Novel of Liberation by Cara Black (Historical Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Carine Montbertrand
After Libération, spring 1945: Seventeen-year-old Huguette Faure is a survivor. The war has taken everything from her --- both her parents and her sense of safety. Now, pregnant and on the lam, she cannot return to her childhood home in Paris. Forced to reinvent herself, she must outrun her father’s enemies, who want her dead. After narrowly avoiding jail time --- thanks to the help of a kindhearted police officer named Claude Leduc --- Huguette lands a job assisting a legendary film director. As her role develops from helping him with chores to cooking his books, she sees an opportunity to break free from the ghosts of her past once and for all. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com's 20th Annual
Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature
At Bookreporter.com, we kick off the holiday season in style with our Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature. As our gift to you, on select days in November and December, we are spotlighting a book and giving five lucky readers the chance to win it. You have to visit the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter the 24-hour contest. As always, we are sending our special Holiday Cheer newsletter on the days when there are contests. Click here to sign up for these email alerts.
Our final contest will be up on Tuesday, December 16th at noon ET. The prize book will be ORDER OF SWANS by Jude Deveraux, which is now available in paperback. In this spellbinding, fantasy-rich romance, a woman is swept into a world where she has the power to alter fairy tales and change a kingdom’s destiny.
This year's prize books are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
Bookreporter.com’s “What to Give, What to Get” Guide:
“Reader Perfect” Suggestions
for Holiday Giving and Getting
We at Bookreporter.com know that readers crave ideas for gift-giving --- and getting --- at the holidays. With this in mind, we are offering a "What to Give, What to Get" Guide with four "Reader Perfect" suggestions.
BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL by V. E. Schwab (Historical Fantasy)
The bestselling author of THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LaRUE has written a genre-defying, generations-spanning novel of vampires, sapphism and hunger --- for blood, for life and, above all, for freedom.
GIRL DINNER by Olivie Blake (Horror/Dark Humor)
Good girls deserve a treat. From the New York Times bestselling author of THE ATLAS SIX comes a darkly fun novel about power, lust and eating your fill, as wealthy moms and sorority girls practice a sinister new wellness trend.
GIRL LOST by Kate Angelo (Romantic Suspense)
Officer Luna Rosati and Special Agent Corbin King are at odds over their failed teenage romance, but they reunite on a mission and must put their past aside. When they encounter a kidnapping, missing bodies and a murder, the secrets Corbin and Luna keep from one another are only the beginning of the threats they face.
THE SANDS OF SEA BLUE BEACH by Rachel Hauck (Romance)
Can anything rekindle the summer love between former sweethearts facing old wounds and a divided town? This poignant tale of second chances and the enduring power of love includes themes of small-town romance, dual-time storytelling and complex family dynamics.
Click here to see our "What to Give, What to Get" Guide.
THE GALLAGHER PLACE by Julie Doar (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Suzanne Elise Freeman
When Marlowe Fisher, an illustrator living in New York City, returns to her family’s bewitching Hudson Valley home for the holidays, she discovers a body in the woods --- a murder that draws her back into the haunting case of her teenage best friend’s disappearance two decades earlier. What happened to Nora? As police descend on the sprawling Fisher property, Marlowe is pulled into an investigation that threatens to unravel the town’s fragile loyalties and expose the shadowed legacy of a weekend home steeped in secrets. Marlowe must confront the fallibility of her own memory and the feeling that everyone --- including her brothers --- is hiding something if she’s to uncover the shocking truth about her lost friend. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
THE PREDICAMENT: A Gabriel Dax Novel by William Boyd (Historical Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by George Blagden
1963, Guatemala. The country is in turmoil, with a presidential election looming and a charismatic, left-wing ex-priest and trade union leader predicted to win. United Fruits, a giant American corporation responsible for a large percentage of the country’s GNP, is not pleased by this prospect. Neither is the CIA. Amid the uncertainty, Gabriel Dax arrives on orders from his MI6 handler Faith Green, who has tasked him with assessing the fallout from the election. Upon arrival, Gabriel meets Frank Sartorius, the local CIA agent. Despite Sartorius’ genial manner, Gabriel suspects something untrustworthy brewing under the surface. Soon, a political assassination with suspicions of Mafia involvement leads to riots. But when Green compels Gabriel to investigate some shady characters in West Berlin, it becomes clear that an even greater danger is afoot. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THE TIME HOP COFFEE SHOP by Phaedra Patrick (Fiction/Magical Realism)
Audiobook available, read by Nicola Barber
Greta Perks was once the shining star of the iconic Maple Gold coffee commercials, the quintessential TV wife and mom. Now fame has faded, her marriage is on the rocks, her teenage daughter has become distant, and Greta’s once-glittering career feels like a distant memory. When Greta stumbles upon a mysterious coffee shop serving a magical brew, she wishes for the perfect life in those past Maple Gold commercials. Next thing she knows, Greta wakes in the idyllic make-believe town of Mapleville, where the sun always shines and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and second chances fill the air. Given the opportunity to live the life she dreamed, Greta is determined to rewrite her own script. But can life ever be like a coffee commercial? And what will happen when Greta has to choose between perfection and real life, with no turning back? Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
THE SNOW LIES DEEP: A Mercy Carr Mystery by Paula Munier (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Kathleen McInerney
Mercy and Troy are looking forward to baby Felicity’s first holiday season. At Northshire’s annual Solstice Soirée, hosted by Northshire’s finest and funded by Mercy’s billionaire pal Feinberg, Amy’s little girl Helena is sitting on Santa Claus’ lap. She’s telling him she’d like a Bitty Baby doll just like little Felicity when the bearded man leaps up, thrusts the toddler at her mother Amy, and staggers away from the festivities. He disappears into the woods. By the time Elvis and Mercy find him, Santa Claus --- aka the town mayor --- is lying on his back, dead. This strange murder is the first of a series of similar Solstice-themed killings targeting the town’s most prominent citizens. Mercy and Troy and the dogs must team up with Thrasher and Harrington to capture The Yuletide Killer before he strikes again, this time far closer to home. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
DARK SISTERS by Kristi DeMeester (Supernatural Thriller/Horror)
Audiobook available, read by Austenne Grey
In DARK SISTERS, horror meets historical fiction when a curse bridges generations, binding the fates of three women. Anne Bolton, a healer facing persecution for witchcraft, bargains with a dark entity for protection --- but the fire she unleashes will reverberate for centuries. Mary Shephard, a picture-perfect wife in a suffocating community, falls for Sharon and begins a forbidden affair that could destroy them both. And Camilla Burson, the rebellious daughter of a preacher, defies conformist expectations to uncover an ancient power as her father’s flock spirals into crisis. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
THE LIVING AND THE DEAD written by Christoffer Carlsson, translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Peter Noble
On a snowy winter night in 1999, Sander and Killian leave a house party together outside a small town in rural Sweden. The very best of friends, the two 17-year-olds imagine they will remain so forever. But by the next morning, a corpse is found in the trunk of a car, and each boy is a suspect in the murder. Each has something they want to conceal from the police. And from the other. The hunt for the killer will take more than 20 years. It will see the lead detective leave the force forever. And it won’t end until a second body turns up under similar circumstances, and the tight-knit community’s secrets are finally brought to light. Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro.
ONLY WAY OUT by Tod Goldberg (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Johnny Heller
Failed lawyer Robert Green has such a good plan: Crack 300 safe-deposit boxes and sail off to South America with his brilliant, morally flexible sister, Penny. If it weren’t for the damned freezing rain. In the dying resort town of Granite Shores, cop Jack Biddle is self-appointed king --- mostly of bad decisions --- and he is looking for a way out. Then he spots a van spinning off a mountain road into the valley below. In the wreckage, Jack finds a very dead Robert, millions in heisted loot…and opportunity. All Jack has to do is clean up the mess, make Robert’s body disappear, make off with the fortune, and not get caught. One hitch is Penny. Another is Mitch Diamond, a wild card ex-con who knows more about the missing fortune than he lets on. Jack, Penny and Mitch each have an endgame. But there’s only one way out, and they’re crashing headlong toward it. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
THE SUNSHINE MAN by Emma Stonex (Literary Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Edward Rowe and Meg Salter
Birdie Keller wakes one freezing January morning to the news she’s been waiting 18 years to hear. Jimmy Maguire, the man who killed her sister, has been freed from jail. She leaves for London with a pistol and a plan: to find this man and make him pay. But every story has two sides. Jimmy can sense he’s being hunted. He knew Birdie a long time ago, in a life she’d sooner forget, and he isn’t the only one with something to hide. As the two circle each other in a heart-stopping game of cat and mouse, they plunge into a murky world of family secrets, betrayals and unsolved mysteries. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
Next Week's Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on December 16th
Below are three notable titles releasing on December 16th that we would like to make you aware of. We will have more on these books in the weeks to come. For a list of additional hardcovers and paperbacks available the week of December 15th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
A CURSE OF ASHES by Sariah Wilson (Fantasy/Romance)
For a princess, becoming the savior of a nation could mean sacrificing love and life in this breathtaking conclusion to the epic Eye of the Goddess trilogy by USA Today bestselling author Sariah Wilson.
THE RED SCARE MURDERS by Con Lehane (Historical/Noir Mystery)
This wry, bighearted noir brings '50s New York to life with a gripping murder mystery laying bare the explosive conflicts between its big wheels, its working stiffs, its gangsters and its dreamers.
W. E. B. GRIFFIN DIRECT ACTION: A Presidential Agent Novel by Jack Stewart (Thriller/Adventure)
When the original Presidential Agent is gunned down during a mass shooting, Pick McCoy swears a brutal revenge in this revival of W. E. B. Griffin's New York Times bestselling series.
Click here to see the latest “On Sale This Week” newsletter.
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
Here are two upcoming virtual book and author events that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links for more info and to register.
Wednesday, December 17th at 7pm ET: “Friends & Fiction”: Join “Friends & Fiction” for a conversation with Jacquelyn Mitchard about her latest book, THE BIRDWATCHER. This page-turning drama explores the beauty of female friendship; the relationship between money, power and sex; and the very human desire to protect the ones we love most.
Wednesday, December 17th at 8pm ET: PBS Books Readers Club: PBS Books Readers Club celebrates the wrap of their second season with a highlight of their favorite author moments and books from 2025.
"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:
Other authors we've interviewed recently include:
Upcoming interviews include:
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Rebecca Armitage (THE HEIR APPARENT)
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Belle Burden (STRANGERS: A Memoir of Marriage)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
Our Latest Poll: Giving Books for the Holidays
Are you planning to give books as gifts this holiday season? Please check all that apply.
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I am planning to give print books (hardcovers and/or paperbacks).
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I am planning to give e-books.
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I am planning to give audiobooks.
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I am planning to give a gift card that will allow the recipient to buy a print book, e-book or audiobook.
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I am not planning to give any books or book gift cards this year.
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I am not sure what I am doing.
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, December 19th 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 December 5th to December 19th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE AWARD by Matthew Pearl and THE HEIR APPARENT by Rebecca Armitage.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the books you write about, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For rules and guidelines, click here.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
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