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I came across a couple of very interesting ideas this week about “staying in the moment.”
Last Thursday night, Francesca on our team went to a Phoebe Bridgers concert at Madison Square Garden where all attendees had to check their phones at the door. Their strictly enforced “no-camera” and “no-phone” policy meant that attendees were forbidden from bringing phones, smartwatches, cameras, or even pens and paper. All devices had to be turned off and sealed in lockable bags by venue staff. Instead people stayed in the moment watching the show.
Amusingly Francesca said that at one point, as the evening went on, they were looking for someone with a wrist watch to see what time it was. I have been to concerts where people spent more time shooting the performance on the stage or taking selfies than just enjoying the show.
My second thought about this came during the Tony Awards. There was a Pinterest commercial where the tagline was “The best thing you can find online is a reason to go offline.” I loved that.
I hope that in reading this newsletter you find a book that makes you want to turn off all screens (unless you are reading an e-book or listening to an audiobook) and just wrap yourself up in the story.
Last weekend, I did my own version of staying in the moment as I stood in the pool here at the house reading WHEN YOU LOVED ME by Beatriz Williams, which will be out on June 23rd. I can stand by the side of the pool and read for hours. I had seen a piece about “Deep Water Running” as an exercise concept. Later in the day, I grabbed my deep-water floating belt and ran in the water, switching over to an advance audio version of the book, which I enjoyed as it had a multi-cast. It’s a great book for summer reading.
Next, I am going to be reading SINGLE GIRLS by John Searles, which releases on July 7th. It is “a fictionalized novel about Helen Gurley Brown's early years at Cosmopolitan magazine in 1965, focusing on the team of single women she assembled to transform the publication.” John worked at Cosmo at Hearst when I was at Condé Nast. Later, when I started The Book Report Network, our office was near the Hearst offices. When we ran into each other on the street, there were fun, gossipy kinds of catch-up sessions.
And right behind that on my pile is THE SHAMPOO EFFECT by Jenny Jackson, which publishes on June 30th. I loved PINEAPPLE STREET and am excited to read this new book. It's about “a young woman who moves to a small Massachusetts seaside town and disrupts a tight-knit group of friends, exploring themes of love, marriage, friendship and midlife through their messy lives.”
I am going to be interviewing Beatriz, John and Jenny and look forward to speaking with them!
Join Us for Our “Bookaccino Live”
Summer Preview Evening Event on Wednesday!
This is your last Weekly Update newsletter reminder to sign up for our “Bookaccino Live” Summer Preview evening event, which we will be hosting on Wednesday, June 17th at 8pm ET.
I will be presenting a number of books releasing this summer that we think you will enjoy reading. 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.
As we do with all of our “Bookaccino Live” book preview events, those who join us live 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.
June's “Bookaccino Live” Book Preview Afternoon Event
We hosted this month “Bookaccino Live” book preview afternoon event on Wednesday. We plan to have the video up on our YouTube channel early next week, and we will share the link in next week's newsletter, along with details about July’s book preview event. In the meantime, click here for a list of the 45 titles that I presented.
Beloved New York Times bestselling author Lisa See is back with her latest novel, DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON, which will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. The story revolves around three Chinese women whose unexpected friendship helps them survive and, despite the odds, thrive in the turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles.
Here’s what Roberta O’Hara says about the book in her review: “As only she can do, See weaves together memorable characters and thorough research into gripping historical fiction that will leave you at once satisfied and wanting to know more at the end…. See’s strengths as a writer are many. And these deeply rich, fleshed-out female characters are among her best…. This powerful retelling of [the Night of Horrors], in all its brutality and inhumanity, will stick with you long after you read the book’s End Note on its history.”
We will feature my interview with Lisa next week, followed by my Bets On commentary in the June 26th newsletter. In the meantime, visit Lisa’s website for much more about the book, including her “Step Inside” feature, which shares information, articles, photos and videos that invite readers even further into the Chinese experience in America in the 1870s. And be sure to check out Lisa’s book tour schedule, which has plenty of in-person events throughout the country. I will be at her event in Manasquan, NJ next Thursday night. If you are there, please say hello.
As we promised in last week’s newsletter, we are happy to share our review of WHISTLER this week. Ann Patchett’s latest novel is about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all.
Our reviewer Pamela Kramer says, “There are recurrent themes of defying death, forgiveness and loss. Throughout the story, though, there is a rich undercurrent that demonstrates the power of love. The characters look back on their lives and think about how different choices would have impacted the trajectory of their futures. But after all, we are the culmination of the decisions we have made, the people we have chosen to love and consider as family, and the streets we have elected to tread. Patchett's writing makes our heart ache but also fills us with wonder.”
Dave Eggers’ new novel, CONTRAPPOSTO, is about two friends who believe they can change the art world and bring new meaning to it --- if only they can start their own movement, dodge charlatans, remain open-eyed and open-hearted, avoid going mad, avoid dying young of rare cancers, stay true to their ideals and never tire of beauty.
According to Jane T. Krebs in her review, “CONTRAPPOSTO is layered with rich, surprising details of the artist’s life, beautiful sketches from his notebooks, and an understated tenderness as Cricket becomes Cricket. It was important to Cricket --- and to me --- that Olympia appears again and again, always different but always the same.”
Other books we’re reviewing this week include:
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JOHN OF JOHN: Douglas Stuart’s much-talked-about third novel, following SHUGGIE BAIN and YOUNG MUNGO, is the most recent Oprah's Book Club pick. A portrait of a father’s expectations and a son’s desires, the book follows a young man who returns to his Hebridean island home. I have heard so many raves about this book; it is on my list to read.
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THE KILLER AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT: New York Times bestselling true-crime author Casey Sherman delves beyond the myth of Frank Lloyd Wright's genius to reveal a man of relentless ambition, consuming passion and devastating loss. I have been to Taliesin East and Taliesin West, and I am so looking forward to reading this book through Casey's eyes. He does a great job of writing true crime.
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BASED ON A TRUE STORY: Sarah Vaughan’s new thriller introduces readers to children’s author Dame Eleanor Kingman, who spent the first part of her life clawing her way to the charmed life she leads now. In doing so, she’s made more than one enemy who would be all too keen to expose the secrets she’s ruthlessly hidden.
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POOL HOUSE: Bestselling young adult author Mary H.K. Choi’s adult debut novel is about mothers, daughters and the complexity of family set against the backdrop of Hollywood. Our reviewer Norah Piehl says that “readers who enjoy character-driven fiction will indeed be motivated by Choi's quietly compelling new direction.”
Summer Reading Contest Update
We gave away the aforementioned DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON by Lisa See and THAT LAST CAROLINA SUMMER by Karen White in this week’s Summer Reading contests. Next week’s prizes will be NASTY LITTLE SECRETS by Gabbie Hanks and LITTLE WONDER by Sophie Chen Keller. These giveaways will be up at noon ET on Tuesday, June 16th and Wednesday, June 17th.
Enter Our New Word of Mouth Contest
Let us know by Friday, June 26th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll have a chance to win IT COULD HAVE BEEN HER by Lisa Jewell (which I have here to read) and the aforementioned WHEN YOU LOVED ME by Beatriz Williams in our new Word of Mouth contest.
IT COULD HAVE BEEN HER finds two women's lives converging in a house containing devastating secrets that refuse to stay buried. In WHEN YOU LOVED ME, a young widow returns to her late father’s New England estate, only to be drawn into the hunt for the rumored pirate treasure that consumed his life.
Vote in Our New Poll --- and Check Out Results from the Last Poll
For our latest poll, we’ve listed 35 fiction titles releasing this month, and we’re asking you which, if any, you’re planning to read. Click here to let us know.
Our previous poll asked if you listen to audiobooks. 49% of you listen to digital downloads, while only 7% listen to CDs. 28% of you belong to Audible, and 9% belong to Libro.fm. Click here for all the results. I have been listening on Spotify, as well as on Libro.fm.
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail:
Beth wrote, “I want to thank you for this wonderful opportunity to learn about books, what is out there and available. I feel like I am getting educated. Thank you.”
Deby wrote, “The 'marshmallow' peony trick really works! I did this a few years ago. I saved the buds for my son's high school graduation party, and I loved that we had blooming peonies on the tables for his party in late June! Happy reading.” I love this. Next year, I am going to pluck the marshmallows.
Mary wrote, “Your story about the ants on your flowers prompted me to write you about the tulips I got for Mother’s Day this year. The plants had died, and I was going to get my daughter to plant them outside. I suddenly noticed I had what I thought were gnats (I live in the South, but this was early for gnats) inside the house. It turned out they were fruit flies, and they were all over the pot with the bulbs in it!”
Susan wrote about winning A FORTUNE OF SAND by Ruta Sepetys and THE MIDNIGHT TRAIN by Matt Haig in our Word of Mouth contest: “Thank you so very much. I have read the previous books by both authors and loved them. I was hoping I would win these books!!! I am looking forward to reading both of them. Thank you again!”
Gail wrote, “Thank you for the free copy of THE LAKE HOUSE. It should be a perfect summer read. I enjoy your newsletters.”
Linda wrote, “Thank you VERY much, Carol, for THE SAPPHIRE SEA! I have been reading two other books in preparation for book club discussions, but now I am ready to read this book by a new-to-me author. I love your newsletters, discussion guides, author interviews, book reviews and contests. Thank you for all of those as well!”
Rhonda wrote about winning MERRY-GO-ROUND BROKE DOWN in our Summer Reading contest: “Thank you! I am looking forward to receiving and reading it.
Barbara wrote, “Thanks so much for the bookmarks you sent me. They arrived a few days ago with openings on both sides of the envelope, causing some to be scattered in my mailbox. I don’t know what happened in the post office on your end or mine. I will be bringing them to my book club meeting next Friday, June 12th.”
Kathy wrote, “I received the bookmarks. Thank you so very much! I look forward to sharing them this summer. I want everyone to know just how wonderful Bookreporter is. Have a wonderful day!”
Roxann wrote, “I just had to reply to this newsletter when I read your comment about the Knicks. What an exciting ending to a great game last night. My youngest son, a huge Knicks fan, flew into San Antonio for the game and is ecstatic as I’m sure you are. Thanks for all the book reviews and recommendations. My Saturday morning coffee and your newsletter have become a great beginning to my day.” I have a friend flying from New Jersey to San Antonio with tickets for games five and seven in San Antonio. I love it.
There are two programs on Netflix that I found very interesting. The Murder of Rachel Nickell is a documentary that covers the horrific 1992 case of Rachel Nickell, a young mother who was brutally killed in broad daylight on Wimbledon Common in London while her two-year-old son, Alex, was present. “The documentary examines the devastating impact the tragedy had on her family, the years-long botched police investigation, and features interviews with her son, Alex, who is now an adult.” But before the documentary, I watched “The Witness”, which is a dramatization of the murder. Alex and his father consulted on this three-part series.
“Your Friends & Neighbors” on Apple TV: The over-the-top lifestyle excess in this show makes us laugh! And the season finale has aired, so you can watch the whole thing.
“Sweet Magnolias” on Netflix: The new season is back. As I was writing this newsletter, four episodes played through! It's light and fun.
A reminder to those who celebrate Father’s Day, which is next weekend: If your husband is a golfer, my husband recommends the novel ALL CARRY by Gene Wojciechowski, which we mentioned in an earlier newsletter.
We have nothing big on tap for the weekend. There are a few last-minute things to do in the back of the house, like laying down the carpet in the gazebo outside and bringing out my turquoise mini refrigerator. Yes, I am fully into decorating outside just like I do the inside of the house. Once the summer comes, we move outside like it’s our summer home. I never wanted a second home; this is as far as I go.
I think we should watch the Knicks game outside on Saturday night, our own version of a watch party! I am on board for “Knicks in Five,” but other parts of me would love it to “Wrap in Six in New York.” I will say that the refereeing is far different from when I was in college. Every player walks so much that they could do a marathon by the end of a season of play.
A quick note that we will be sending next week’s newsletter on Thursday the 18th instead of Friday as we will be observing the Juneteenth holiday.
Read on, and have a great week...less a day.
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 Bookshop/IndieBound. As you read our reviews and features, we would appreciate your considering this as you buy!
Featured Review:
DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON by Lisa See
An Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON by Lisa See (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Jennifer Lim, Quanna Luo Masterson and Emily Woo Zeller
In 1870, three Chinese women arrive in the small, dusty and violent pueblo of Los Angeles. Dove, the bound-footed daughter of an imperial scholar, is entrancing and innocent. These characteristics should bring her great rewards, beginning with her arranged marriage to a much older merchant. Petal, the big-footed daughter of peasants, has grown up hungry. In a moment of desperation, Petal’s father sells her to buy money for rice seed, and she is loaded onto a ship to the Gold Mountain --- America --- where she is once again sold. Moon is married to a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, but her failed footbinding as a child has left her with a limp that lessens her value in the eyes of many. Anti-Chinese sentiment is strong in Los Angeles, and this eventually leads to the Night of Horrors during which all three women are challenged in ways they could not have imagined. Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com.
- Click here to visit Lisa See's website.
- Click here for Lisa See's “Step Inside” feature, where you will find photographs, videos, and so much more to explore about the book.
- Click here for Lisa See's book tour schedule.
Click here to read our review.
DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON will be a Bets On pick.
Don't miss Carol's interview with Lisa See in next week's newsletter,
followed by her Bets On commentary in the June 26th newsletter.
Featured Review: WHISTLER by Ann Patchett
WHISTLER by Ann Patchett (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Ann Patchett
When Daphne Fuller and her husband, Jonathan, visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than a year when Daphne was nine. Now 53, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away. While their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both. Now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: CONTRAPPOSTO by Dave Eggers
CONTRAPPOSTO by Dave Eggers (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Dion Graham
Cricket Dib, born on the American prairie, has no particular prospects or ambitions until, in grade school, he realizes he can draw. He soon meets a girl, Olympia Argyros, who is captivating and brilliant and far more worldly. Recognizing his talent, she convinces him to deface, with profound vulgarity, a popular playground. Under her direction, he does it willingly, already in love. Thus begins a 65-year entwining between Cricket and Olympia, encompassing friendship, working partnership and love affair. Together they go to art school --- an experience of dubious value --- and then navigate the art world for the next 50 years, together and apart. Reviewed by Jane T. Krebs.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: JOHN OF JOHN by Douglas Stuart
Oprah’s Latest Book Club Pick
JOHN OF JOHN by Douglas Stuart (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Lorne MacFadyen
Out of money and with little to show for his art school education, John-Calum Macleod takes the ferry back home to the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. He returns to the two pillars of his childhood: his father John, a sheep farmer, tweed weaver and lay preacher in the local Presbyterian church, and his maternal grandmother Ella, whose steady warmth helped Cal weather the sudden departure of his mother. Cal privately wonders if any lonely men might be found on the barren hillsides of home, while John is dismayed by his son’s seeming unwillingness to be Saved. But Cal isn't the only one in the croft house who is keeping secrets. As lambing season turns to shearing season, the threads holding the community together become increasingly frayed, and nothing will remain as it was before. Reviewed by Eileen Zimmerman Nicol.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com.
- Click here to see why the book is an Oprah's Book Club pick.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review:
THE KILLER AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
by Casey Sherman
THE KILLER AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT: The True Story of Mass Murder in Paradise by Casey Sherman (True Crime)
Audiobook available, read by Justin Price
Frank Lloyd Wright was more than the mind behind America's most iconic buildings. He was a man whose turbulent private life captivated a nation. The famous architect's stormy marriage to Kitty Wright and his infamous affair with another woman, Mamah Borthwick, ignited one of the country's first celebrity scandals. Then, in August 1914, scandal turned to horror. A tragedy at Taliesin, the Wisconsin home Wright built as a monument to love, shook the very foundation of Wright's life --- and catapulted him back to the front pages of newspapers across the country as readers clamored for glimpses of his very darkest moments. In THE KILLER AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT, Casey Sherman delves beyond the myth of Wright's genius to reveal a man of relentless ambition, consuming passion and devastating loss. Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review:
BASED ON A TRUE STORY by Sarah Vaughan
BASED ON A TRUE STORY by Sarah Vaughan (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Juliet Stevenson
Famed children’s author Dame Eleanor Kingman has summoned her family and friends to her exquisite manor house on the cliffs. They're celebrating her birthday --- and her latest #1 bestseller in her series of books based on a mother fox and her cubs. But the night before the party, Eleanor receives an email that threatens to expose the lie she’s kept up for over half a century. Someone knows her secret. Is it her estranged literary agent? Is it her ex-husband? Is it the nanny she fired all those years ago? Or is it one of her three daughters, all of whom have a stake in the publishing empire she has built...With a television crew arriving to film a documentary of her life, Eleanor needs to find out who sent the email --- and preserve her legacy and multimillion-pound career. But when push comes to shove, and it's time to tell the truth will anyone actually believe her? Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: POOL HOUSE by Mary H.K. Choi
POOL HOUSE by Mary H.K. Choi (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Joy Osmanski
Abandoning college plans to work a dead-end job, Stevie can’t wait to move away from L.A., and her mother’s orbit, to start over. Reeling in the aftermath of her lover and TV husband’s death, out-of-work actress Moon struggles to process her grief. And the last thing she expects is for Stevie to leave her too. Now, neither Stevie nor Moon can afford to quit each other. And their cost of living forces them into a glass-walled pool house in the backyard, while their home is rented out to pay the bills. But when Adam, Moon’s former TV son and Stevie’s forever crush, arrives for the funeral, the three are pulled into a messy orbit, moving back into the “Big House” and play-acting a picture-perfect family even as tensions rise and relationships unravel. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com's 22nd 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.
Our next two contests will be up at noon ET on Tuesday, June 16th and Wednesday, June 17th. The prize books will be NASTY LITTLE SECRETS by Gabbie Hanks and LITTLE WONDER by Sophie Chen Keller.
This year's featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
A RIVER RED WITH BLOOD: A Charlie Parker Novel by John Connolly (Supernatural Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Jeff Harding
In a darkly brilliant thriller set in Maine’s rural Kennebec River Valley, the body of a young runaway from a “troubled teens” school has been found in the water, seemingly drowned, while a teenage girl has gone missing, believed dead. Now it is up to one man, private investigator Charlie Parker, to find the connection, and bring two evils --- one new and one ancient --- to an end. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
RED SHEET by James Ellroy (Historical Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Craig Wasson
It’s late October 1962. The Cuban Missile Crisis has just concluded. The Russkies blinked and pulled their ICBMs out of Cuba. Attorney General Robert Kennedy fears reprisals from seething commies. He orders a red probe and puts the LAPD on the job. Freddy Otash is injudiciously named the lead investigating officer. He’s a stone-cold criminal with police sanction and a harrowing dope habit. He homes in on a red-front trade union. There’s a murder on Halloween night. It may link to ex-VP and current gubernatorial candidate Richard Nixon and two commie snuffs from eight years back. Freddy is overworked and overamped. He’s running the probe, and Bob Haldeman and John Ehrlichman --- Tricky Dick Nixon’s head goons --- have hired him to keep Nixon away from the smear-minded press. Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro.
THE AMERICAN SCHOOL OF SPIES: The Archaeologists Who Fought the Nazis and Saved the Treasures of Ancient Greece by Stephan Talty (History)
Audiobook available, read by John Pirhalla
In 1942, as head of the newly formed OSS, Wild Bill Donovan deployed spies across Europe and around the world to try to thwart the Nazis. In Greece, Nazis weren’t just taking over territory; they were seizing and threatening to destroy some of the world’s most important and valuable historical monuments and artifacts. Donovan tapped a young Ivy League-trained archaeologist named Rodney Young to assemble and lead a team of spies to collect intel. Young set about recruiting the most unlikely of spies --- academics, classicists, epigraphers, and other specialists and scholars --- who would come to be known as “the Greek Desk.” These men and women, along with their Greek allies, went undercover and tried desperately to protect some of the world’s most significant treasures. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
CENTENNIAL: The Great Fair of 1876 and the Invention of America's Future by Fergus M. Bordewich (History)
Audiobook available, read by Sean Patrick Hopkins
Held at Fairmount Park, in Philadelphia, the Great Centennial Exhibition of 1876 attracted 10 million Americans and visitors from around the world. On display were inventions that signaled the changing landscape of American life, from the typewriter to the telephone to Heinz Tomato Ketchup. This celebration of America’s first century came at a moment when its future seemed more precarious than ever. Looming over the fair was the presidential race of 1876 --- a highly contested election that would determine the fate of Reconstruction and permanently shape the Republican party as we know it today. Fergus Bordewich animates these converging crises through the lives of four protagonists: Rutherford B. Hayes, Alexander Graham Bell, railroad magnate Tom Scott, and sculptor Edmonia Lewis. Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds.
DECODING THE DEVIL: Black Women Codebreakers and the Secret War Against Stalin's Bomb by Sarah Valentine (History)
Audiobook available, read by Janina Edwards
Facing the global threat of a rising Communist world power in the aftermath of World War II, the U.S. employed hundreds of Black Americans to speed read Russian communications and gather essential information on their most dangerous nuclear rival. The result was the creation of a segregated civilian codebreaking unit known as the Traffic Processing Division --- The Plantation. Its 100 college-educated Black women made invaluable breakthroughs in the country’s Soviet intelligence, even as the Red Scare and the backlash against civil rights eroded their democratic freedoms at home. Their underappreciated top-secret work led directly to victory over the USSR and the end of the Cold War 30 years later. In DECODING THE DEVIL, Sarah Valentine tells their remarkable story in full for the first time. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
THE LAST LADY B by Eloisa James (Gothic Historical Romance)
Audiobook available, read by Mary Jane Wells
Lady Genevieve Burnsby, her pet piglet and her septuagenarian husband travel to a haunted abbey in the Scottish Highlands. Evie is excited to meet a ghost, but she didn’t expect the funny, quirky guests to become the friends she’s never had. And she certainly didn’t imagine meeting Sir Godric Everly, a sardonic, witty solicitor who loathes her husband. Yet as secrets and lies turn Evie’s world upside down, Sir Godric becomes the one person she can trust. When ghosts, multiple wills and a shocking marriage certificate bring Lord Burnsby’s past crashing into his present, Burnsby promptly dies, leaving Evie free to remarry. More importantly, she has to figure out whose identity is false, whose vows are dishonorable, whose truths could destroy her reputation --- and where her heart belongs. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
HEADLIGHTS by CJ Leede (Supernatural Thriller/Horror)
Audiobook available, read by Andrew Eiden
Special Agent Daniel Stansfield is ready for a change. Burnt out and defeated by the job, it’s his last day with the FBI. But before he can turn in his badge, he’s summoned back to Denver, the city he ran from four years ago, with a chilling message: it's happening again. Seemingly innocent people are waking up on the side of the highway, with no memory of how they got there, wearing the skin of victims they've allegedly never met. And they each share one haunting detail: a strand of a stranger’s hair is tied around their tongue. Now Daniel will have to confront the ghosts of his traumatic childhood and face what’s been hunting him all along --- before he and the people he loves become the next victims. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on June 16th
Below are some notable titles releasing on June 16th that we would like to make you aware of. We will have more on many of these books in the weeks to come. For a list of additional hardcovers and paperbacks available the week of June 15th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES by Amanda Eyre Ward (Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of THE JETSETTERS comes a witty and wonderful new novel about one unforgettable family and the journeys we take --- across oceans and through heartbreak --- to find our way back to love.
CHOKE POINT by Brad Thor (Political Thriller)
A devastating series of bombings tears through Bangkok. Scores of American citizens are dead. The attacks send shock waves around the world. As global assistance pours into Thailand --- including the FBI’s famed Evidence Response Team --- the president of the United States quietly prepares a plan B: Scot Harvath, America’s top spy.
THE FRENZY: Stories by Joyce Carol Oates (Psychological Suspense/Short Stories)
In THE FRENZY, Joyce Carol Oates --- a master of the short story --- plunges us into the lives of her characters at moments of crisis and confusion, when much of what they understand about themselves and those they love comes undone.
LITTLE WONDER by Sophie Chen Keller (Fiction)
A musical prodigy and his mother spend years searching for each other in this beautiful novel of hope, perseverance and love.
MEET ME AT THE SEASIDE COTTAGES by Jenny Colgan (Fiction)
This summer, escape to the Seaside Cottages in the Scottish isles with this delightful mother-daughter story about second chances in love, life and home renovations by New York Times bestselling author Jenny Colgan.
MIDNIGHT PATRIOTS: An Einstein-Chaplin Thriller by Paul Levine (Historical Thriller)
Blending fact and fiction, MIDNIGHT PATRIOTS follows real-life friends Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin as they confront powerful enemies threatening America.
NASTY LITTLE SECRETS by Gabbie Hanks (Psychological Thriller)
An infamous murder case is blown back open when a crime writer’s sister goes missing --- and her bestselling book might be the key to finding her.
SOMEONE ELSE'S HUSBAND by Kimberly McCreight (Domestic Thriller)
New York Times bestselling author Kimberly McCreight delivers a tour de force of character-driven suspense: the story of two women whose secrets and desires entrap them in a deadly love triangle.
SONGS OF THE DEAD: The Strata Wars, Book One by Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian (Urban Fantasy)
A London rocker is faced with a life-or-death choice when he realizes that a powerful society of magic wielders are the only ones keeping London safe in this deft contemporary fantasy written by #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson and author and musician Peter Orullian.
Click here to see the latest “On Sale This Week” newsletter.
From left to right: Lisa See, Andrea Bartz
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
Here are three upcoming virtual book and author events that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links for more info and to register.
Tuesday, June 16th at 9pm ET: Killer Author Club: Kimberly Belle, Heather Gudenkauf and Kaira Rouda will talk to Andrea Bartz about her most recent thriller, LAST FERRY OUT, which is soon to be in paperback. On a trip to the tropical paradise where her fiancée died, a young woman begins to suspect that the death was no accident --- and the killer is still on the island.
Wednesday, June 17th at 7pm ET: “Friends & Fiction”: Join “Friends & Fiction” for a conversation with Lisa See about her new novel, DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON, the story of three Chinese women whose unexpected friendship helps them survive and, despite the odds, thrive in the turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles.
Wednesday, June 17th at 8pm ET: “Bookaccino Live” Summer Preview Event: Carol Fitzgerald will talk 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.
"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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Rachel Beanland (THE HALF LIFE)
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Lori Foster (THE LAKE HOUSE: A Firefly Summer Novel)
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Jenny Jackson (THE SHAMPOO EFFECT)
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John Searles (SINGLE GIRLS)
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Lisa See (DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON)
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Beatriz Williams (WHEN YOU LOVED ME)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
Our Latest Poll: June Fiction Releases to Anticipate
Which of the following fiction titles releasing in June have you read or do you plan to read? Please check all that apply.
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ALAN OPTS OUT by Courtney Maum
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ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES by Amanda Eyre Ward
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BASED ON A TRUE STORY by Sarah Vaughan
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BEACH THRILLER by Jamie Day
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THE CHILDREN by Melissa Albert
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CHOKE POINT by Brad Thor
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CLIVE CUSSLER COLD FIRE: A Novel from the NUMA Files, by Graham Brown
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CONTRAPPOSTO by Dave Eggers
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DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON by Lisa See
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DOWN WITH THE SHIPMANS by Meg Mitchell Moore
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THE FRENZY: Stories, by Joyce Carol Oates
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THE HOUSEMAID’S WEDDING: A Housemaid Novella, by Freida McFadden
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IT COULD HAVE BEEN HER by Lisa Jewell
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LAND by Maggie O'Farrell
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LITTLE WONDER by Sophie Chen Keller
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MIDNIGHT PATRIOTS: An Einstein-Chaplin Thriller, by Paul Levine
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THE MISSED CONNECTION by Tia Williams
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NASTY LITTLE SECRETS by Gabbie Hanks
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NINE LIVES by Catherine Steadman
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A PAIR OF ACES by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
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RASPUTIN SWIMS THE POTOMAC by Ben Fountain
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ROAD TRIP by Mary Kay Andrews
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ROCKET'S RED GLARE by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann
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THE SHAMPOO EFFECT by Jenny Jackson
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SOMEONE ELSE'S HUSBAND by Kimberly McCreight
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STUART WOODS' DEEP WATER: A Stone Barrington Novel, by Brett Battles
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TEACH THE TORCHES TO BURN by Christina Dodd
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THE TYPING LADY: And Other Fictions, by Ruth Ozeki
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VALLEY OF THE MOMS by Hannah Selinger
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VILLA COCO by Andrew Sean Greer
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WAIT AND SEE by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen
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WHEN YOU LOVED ME by Beatriz Williams
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WHISTLER by Ann Patchett
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THE WINDSOR AFFAIR by Melanie Benjamin
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YOU FIRST: A Joe Goldberg Prequel, by Caroline Kepnes
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None of the above
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, June 26th 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 June 12th to June 26th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of IT COULD HAVE BEEN HER by Lisa Jewell and WHEN YOU LOVED ME by Beatriz Williams.
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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