July 29, 2016
This Bookreporter.com Special Newsletter spotlights a book that we think is a great summer reading selection. Read more about it, and enter our Summer Reading Contest by Monday, August 1st at 11:59am ET for a chance to win one of five copies of BEFORE THE FALL by Noah Hawley, which was a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection.
*Please note: Due to a technical glitch on our sites, we were unable to send this newsletter on Thursday as we had originally planned. Thus we are giving you more than the usual 24 hours to enter this contest.
Kidsreads.com Dedicated Newsletter -- July 2016We don't do this often, but we wanted to send a special newsletter to make sure you know about a series we're really excited about --- Roxbury Park Dog Club by Daphne Maple. All summer long we've been focusing on great binge-worthy series, and this one is at the top of our list. After all, what's better than friendship, family and furry companions?
Editorial Content for Blue Moon: Mundy's Landing Book TwoContributorsReviewer (text)Joe Hartlaub
Some places are cursed. I don’t mean haunted; I mean...tainted. You know what I’m talking about. It can be a matter of degree. There’s the storefront that has housed a succession of restaurants that everyone seemed to like but eventually failed, one by one. A number of neighborhoods will have a house or two where a couple can’t live for more than a few years without experiencing a divorce. Then, of course, there are houses where death comes to pass --- and stay --- in one form or another. Read More TeaserA century ago, the Sleeping Beauty Murders terrified picturesque Mundy’s Landing. The victims, like the killer, were never identified. Now, on the 100th anniversary, the Historical Society’s annual “Mundypalooza” offers a hefty reward for solving the notorious case. Annabelle Bingham, living in one of the three Murder Houses, can’t escape the feeling that her family is being watched --- and not just by news crews and amateur sleuths. Having unearthed the startling truth behind the horrific crimes, a copycat killer is about to reenact them --- beneath the mansard roof of Annabelle’s dream home. PromoA century ago, the Sleeping Beauty Murders terrified picturesque Mundy’s Landing. The victims, like the killer, were never identified. Now, on the 100th anniversary, the Historical Society’s annual “Mundypalooza” offers a hefty reward for solving the notorious case. Annabelle Bingham, living in one of the three Murder Houses, can’t escape the feeling that her family is being watched --- and not just by news crews and amateur sleuths. Having unearthed the startling truth behind the horrific crimes, a copycat killer is about to reenact them --- beneath the mansard roof of Annabelle’s dream home. About the BookNew York Times bestselling author Wendy Corsi Staub returns to Mundy’s Landing --- a small town where bygone bloodshed has become big business. Hair neatly braided, hands serenely clasped, eyes closed, the young woman appeared to be sound asleep. But the peaceful tableau was a madman’s handiwork. Beneath the covers, her white nightgown was spattered with blood. At daybreak, a horrified family would discover her corpse tucked into their guest room. The cunning killer would strike again...and again...before vanishing into the mists of time. A century ago, the Sleeping Beauty Murders terrified picturesque Mundy’s Landing. The victims, like the killer, were never identified. Now, on the 100th anniversary, the Historical Society’s annual “Mundypalooza” offers a hefty reward for solving the notorious case. Annabelle Bingham, living in one of the three Murder Houses, can’t escape the feeling that her family is being watched --- and not just by news crews and amateur sleuths. She’s right. Having unearthed the startling truth behind the horrific crimes, a copycat killer is about to reenact them --- beneath the mansard roof of Annabelle’s dream home. Audiobook available, read by Allyson Ryan Editorial Content for The MuseBookContributorsReviewer (text)Bronwyn Miller
Odelle Bastien is a hardworking émigré from Trinidad trying to carve out a life for herself in London, 1967. When she starts a new job as a typist at the prestigious Skelton Institute of Art, she is beyond thrilled: “The Skelton was Eden, it was Mecca and Pemberley; the best of my dreams come to life.” Fairly quickly, Odelle’s world opens up in ways she never could have imagined, as she is taken under the wing of Marjorie Quick, a chain-smoking, accomplished woman in her early 50s who was second-in-command to Edmund Reede, the director of the Skelton Ins Read More TeaserEngland, 1967: Odelle Bastien --- a Caribbean émigré trying to make her way in London --- starts working at the prestigious Skelton Institute of Art and discovers a painting rumored to be the work of Isaac Robles, a young artist of immense talent whose mysterious death has confounded the art world for decades. Spain, 1936: Olive Schloss follows her parents to Arazuelo, a poor village on the southern coast. She grows close to Teresa, a housekeeper, and her half-brother, Isaac Robles. Insinuating themselves into the Schloss family’s lives, Teresa and Isaac help Olive conceal her artistic talents with devastating consequences that will echo into the decades to come. PromoEngland, 1967: Odelle Bastien --- a Caribbean émigré trying to make her way in London --- starts working at the prestigious Skelton Institute of Art and discovers a painting rumored to be the work of Isaac Robles, a young artist of immense talent whose mysterious death has confounded the art world for decades. Spain, 1936: Olive Schloss follows her parents to Arazuelo, a poor village on the southern coast. She grows close to Teresa, a housekeeper, and her half-brother, Isaac Robles. Insinuating themselves into the Schloss family’s lives, Teresa and Isaac help Olive conceal her artistic talents with devastating consequences that will echo into the decades to come. About the BookTwo Women. Two Ears. One painting that ties them together. July 1967, Mayfair, London --- a painting is left propped on the doorstep of the Skeleton Gallery, discovered by Odelle Bastien, a Caribbean émigré trying to make her way in London. The painting is rumored to be the work of Isaac Robles, whose mysterious death has confounded the art world for decades. The excitement over the painting is only matched by the tension around the conflicting stories of its discovery. Odelle is unsure who or what to believe as she is drawn into a complex web of secrets and deceptions. Thirty years earlier, Olive Schloss, the daughter of a Viennese Jewish art dealer, follows her parents to a village in southern Spain that is rife with unrest. It is here Olive meets María Teresita, the young housekeeper, and María’s half-brother Isaac Robles, an ambitious painter newly returned from the Barcelona salons. The illegitimate offspring of the local landowner, neither sibling has anything to lose when by exploiting these new guests in their poverty-stricken town. As they insinuate themselves into the family, the consequences are devastating and echo into the decades to come. In vividly rendered detail, acclaimed author Jessie Burton spins a tale of desire, ambition, and the ways in which the tides of history inevitably shape and define our lives. Audiobook available, performed by Bahni Turpin and Maria Elena Infantino Editorial Content for This Must Be the PlaceContributorsReviewer (text)Norah Piehl
I read a lot of books. My “to-read” shelf is usually so stuffed that as soon as I close the cover on one book, I open the cover on the next (after pausing to write a review, perhaps). Rarely do I find myself entertaining the impulse to reread a book, especially one that I’ve just completed. But upon finishing Maggie O’Farrell’s THIS MUST BE THE PLACE, that’s exactly what I want to do. Read More TeaserDaniel Sullivan leads a complicated life. A New Yorker living in the wilds of Ireland, he has children he never sees in California, a father he loathes in Brooklyn, and his wife, Claudette, is a reclusive ex–film star given to pulling a gun on anyone who ventures up their driveway. Together, they have made an idyllic life in the country, but a secret from Daniel’s past threatens to destroy their meticulously constructed and fiercely protected home. PromoDaniel Sullivan leads a complicated life. A New Yorker living in the wilds of Ireland, he has children he never sees in California, a father he loathes in Brooklyn, and his wife, Claudette, is a reclusive ex–film star given to pulling a gun on anyone who ventures up their driveway. Together, they have made an idyllic life in the country, but a secret from Daniel’s past threatens to destroy their meticulously constructed and fiercely protected home. About the BookBestselling author Maggie O’Farrell captures a remarkable marriage with insight and laugh-out-loud humor. Shot through with humor and wisdom, THIS MUST BE THE PLACE is an irresistible love story that crisscrosses continents and time zones as it captures an extraordinary marriage, and an unforgettable family, with wit and deep affection. Audiobook available, read by Graham Rowat and Saskia Maarleveld Editorial Content for The Lost GirlsBookContributorsReviewer (text)Kate Ayers
It’s 1935. The Evans family is once again at their summer house on a Minnesota lake. This has been their tradition for years. But their fortunes have taken a downturn in this new economy, so things may be changing soon. They have braced for that. But the change that comes is not what they anticipated. During the last night of their stay, their youngest daughter, Emily, disappears, her bed empty in the morning. Inconsolable, her mother refuses to leave. She vows to wait until Emily returns. That wait turns into a lifetime. Her older daughters, Lilith and Lucy, stay with her. Read More TeaserIn 1935, six-year-old Emily Evans vanishes from her family’s vacation home on a remote Minnesota lake. Sixty years later, Emily’s sister, Lucy, lives in the lake house alone. Before her death, she writes the story of that devastating summer in a notebook that she leaves, along with the house, to her grandniece, Justine. Justine’s only neighbor is a strange old man who seems to know more about the summer of 1935 than he’s telling. Soon Justine’s troubled oldest daughter becomes obsessed with Emily’s disappearance, her mother arrives to steal her inheritance, and the man she left launches a dangerous plan to get her back. PromoIn 1935, six-year-old Emily Evans vanishes from her family’s vacation home on a remote Minnesota lake. Sixty years later, Emily’s sister, Lucy, lives in the lake house alone. Before her death, she writes the story of that devastating summer in a notebook that she leaves, along with the house, to her grandniece, Justine. Justine’s only neighbor is a strange old man who seems to know more about the summer of 1935 than he’s telling. Soon Justine’s troubled oldest daughter becomes obsessed with Emily’s disappearance, her mother arrives to steal her inheritance, and the man she left launches a dangerous plan to get her back. About the BookA stunning debut novel that examines the price of loyalty, the burden of regret, the meaning of salvation and the sacrifices we make for those we love, told in the voices of two unforgettable women linked by a decades-old family mystery at a picturesque lake house. In 1935, six-year-old Emily Evans vanishes from her family’s vacation home on a remote Minnesota lake. Her disappearance destroys the family --- her father commits suicide, and her mother and two older sisters spend the rest of their lives at the lake house, keeping a decades-long vigil for the lost child. Sixty years later, Lucy, the quiet and watchful middle sister, lives in the lake house alone. Before her death, she writes the story of that devastating summer in a notebook that she leaves, along with the house, to the only person who might care: her grandniece, Justine. For Justine, the lake house offers freedom and stability --- a way to escape her manipulative boyfriend and give her daughters the home she never had. But the long Minnesota winter is just beginning. The house is cold and dilapidated. The dark, silent lake is isolated and eerie. Her only neighbor is a strange old man who seems to know more about the summer of 1935 than he’s telling. Soon Justine’s troubled oldest daughter becomes obsessed with Emily’s disappearance, her mother arrives to steal her inheritance and the man she left launches a dangerous plan to get her back. In a house haunted by the sorrows of the women who came before her, Justine must overcome their tragic legacy if she hopes to save herself and her children. Audiobook available, performed by Alice Rosengard and Laurel Schroeder Editorial Content for The Unseen WorldBookContributorsReviewer (text)Megan Elliott
Twelve-year-old Ada Sibelius is an unconventional child in an unconventional family. Her father, David, is a brilliant, socially awkward computer scientist. Permanently single, he had his only child late in life, via a surrogate, and now, in mid-1980s Boston, father and daughter form a quirkily symbiotic pair. Ada --- named after famed computer science pioneer Ada Lovelace --- grows up not on the playground or in the schoolroom but in her father’s lab, where his research focuses on natural language processing. Read More TeaserAda Sibelius is raised by David, her brilliant, eccentric, socially inept single father, who directs a computer science lab in 1980s-era Boston. Home-schooled, Ada accompanies David to work every day; by 12, she is a painfully shy prodigy. The lab begins to gain acclaim at the same time that David’s mysterious history comes into question. When his mind begins to falter, leaving Ada virtually an orphan, she is taken in by one of David’s colleagues. Soon she embarks on a mission to uncover her father’s secrets: a process that carries her from childhood to adulthood. PromoAda Sibelius is raised by David, her brilliant, eccentric, socially inept single father, who directs a computer science lab in 1980s-era Boston. Home-schooled, Ada accompanies David to work every day; by 12, she is a painfully shy prodigy. The lab begins to gain acclaim at the same time that David’s mysterious history comes into question. When his mind begins to falter, leaving Ada virtually an orphan, she is taken in by one of David’s colleagues. Soon she embarks on a mission to uncover her father’s secrets: a process that carries her from childhood to adulthood. About the BookThe moving story of a daughter’s quest to discover the truth about her beloved father’s hidden past. Ada Sibelius is raised by David, her brilliant, eccentric, socially inept single father, who directs a computer science lab in 1980s-era Boston. Home-schooled, Ada accompanies David to work every day; by 12, she is a painfully shy prodigy. The lab begins to gain acclaim at the same time that David’s mysterious history comes into question. When his mind begins to falter, leaving Ada virtually an orphan, she is taken in by one of David’s colleagues. Soon she embarks on a mission to uncover her father’s secrets: a process that carries her from childhood to adulthood. What Ada discovers on her journey into a virtual universe will keep the reader riveted until THE UNSEEN WORLD's heart-stopping, fascinating conclusion. Audiobook available, read by Lisa Flanagan Editorial Content for Good as GoneBookContributorsReviewer (text)Christine M. Irvin
Eight years ago, Julie Whitaker disappeared from her room in the middle of the night. The only witness to the event was her younger sister, Janie. The police searched far and wide, but no trace of her was ever found. Tom joined support groups, always holding out hope for his daughter’s safe return. His wife, Anna, had pretty much given up on the idea that she would ever see her little girl again. Read More TeaserThirteen-year-old Julie Whitaker was kidnapped from her bedroom in the middle of the night, witnessed only by her younger sister. Her family was shattered, but managed to stick together, hoping against hope that Julie is still alive. And then one night the doorbell rings. A young woman who appears to be Julie is finally, miraculously, home safe. The family is ecstatic --- but Anna, Julie’s mother, has whispers of doubts. She hates to face them but cannot avoid them. When she is contacted by a former detective turned private eye, she begins a torturous search for the truth about the woman she desperately hopes is her daughter. PromoThirteen-year-old Julie Whitaker was kidnapped from her bedroom in the middle of the night, witnessed only by her younger sister. Her family was shattered, but managed to stick together, hoping against hope that Julie is still alive. And then one night the doorbell rings. A young woman who appears to be Julie is finally, miraculously, home safe. The family is ecstatic --- but Anna, Julie’s mother, has whispers of doubts. She hates to face them but cannot avoid them. When she is contacted by a former detective turned private eye, she begins a torturous search for the truth about the woman she desperately hopes is her daughter. About the BookPropulsive and suspenseful, GOOD AS GONE will appeal to fans of GONE GIRL and THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, and keep readers guessing until the final pages. Thirteen-year-old Julie Whitaker was kidnapped from her bedroom in the middle of the night, witnessed only by her younger sister. Her family was shattered, but managed to stick together, hoping against hope that Julie is still alive. And then one night the doorbell rings. A young woman who appears to be Julie is finally, miraculously, home safe. The family is ecstatic --- but Anna, Julie’s mother, has whispers of doubts. She hates to face them. She cannot avoid them. When she is contacted by a former detective turned private eye, she begins a torturous search for the truth about the woman she desperately hopes is her daughter. Audiobook available, read by Karen Peakes |




