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Stephen King, author of End of Watch

Retired police detective Bill Hodges now runs an investigation agency with his partner, Holly Gibney --- the woman who delivered the blow to the head of Brady Hartsfield, perpetrator of the Mercedes Massacre, that put him on the brain injury ward. When Bill and Holly are called to a suicide scene with ties to the massacre, they find themselves pulled into their most dangerous case yet, one that will put their lives at risk, as well as those of Bill’s heroic young friend Jerome Robinson and his teenage sister, Barbara.

June 10, 2016 - June 24, 2016

Here are reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for the contest period of June 10 - June 24.

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

June 2016

Something I noted as I started BEFORE THE FALL was that earlier this year I read AFTER THE CRASH, which was another Bets On selection. Is this the year of the airline thriller for me? I fastened my seatbelt and settled in for the ride. The author of BEFORE THE FALL is Noah Hawley, who many of you may recognize for his fame as the creator of “Fargo.” He knows how to draw a reader in quickly and provide well-measured suspense. It’s brisk at the start and totally compelling. Once you start reading, it will be a while before you look up --- and when you do, you will have tripped over a lot of red herrings!

Modern Lovers by Emma Straub

June 2016

I remember exactly where I sat reading Emma Straub’s THE VACATIONERS two years ago. I remember because it was a one-day read that unfolded like a great escape. Thus I looked forward to getting my hands on MODERN LOVERS, which provided me that same experience.

Here we have three former bandmates from Oberlin (their band was called Kitty’s Mustache) --- Elizabeth, Andrew and Zoe --- locked into a friendship that has matured from their college days, but still carries lots of the baggage and history that come from longtime friendships. Set in Brooklyn, Elizabeth has married Andrew, and Zoe has married Jane. Each couple has bought homes, started businesses and built a family life, which feels oh-so-mature. But at the same time, each of the characters is caught up in some level of midlife crisis drama. Andrew, the trust fund baby, is lost; Elizabeth is selling real estate but is missing her artistic side; and Zoe and Jane are going through marital woes, something that married lesbian couples get to experience as a by-product of exercising their right to marry. I knew someone was going to mine this last plot thread for a novel.

Editorial Content for Homegoing

Book

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Maya Gittelman

"History is storytelling… We cannot know that which we were not there to see and hear and experience for ourselves. We must rely upon the words of others… But now we come to the problem of conflicting stories… Whose do we believe? We believe the one who has the power. He is the one who gets to write the story. So when you study history, you must always ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth?" Read More

Teaser

Ghana, 18th century: Two half sisters, Effia and Esi, are born into different villages, each unaware of the other. One will marry an Englishman and lead a life of comfort in the palatial rooms of the notorious Cape Coast Castle. The other will be captured in a raid on her village, imprisoned in the very same castle, and shipped off to America to be sold into slavery. HOMEGOING follows the parallel paths of these sisters and their descendants through eight generations: from the slave traders of the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the Asantes’ struggle against British colonialism to the first stirrings of the American Civil War, from the jazz of 20th-century Harlem to the sparkling shores of modern Ghana.

Promo

Ghana, 18th century: Two half sisters, Effia and Esi, are born into different villages, each unaware of the other. One will marry an Englishman and lead a life of comfort in the palatial rooms of the notorious Cape Coast Castle. The other will be captured in a raid on her village, imprisoned in the very same castle, and shipped off to America to be sold into slavery. HOMEGOING follows the parallel paths of these sisters and their descendants through eight generations: from the slave traders of the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the Asantes’ struggle against British colonialism to the first stirrings of the American Civil War, from the jazz of 20th-century Harlem to the sparkling shores of modern Ghana.

About the Book

Ghana, 18th century: Two half sisters, Effia and Esi, are born into different villages, each unaware of the other. One will marry an Englishman and lead a life of comfort in the palatial rooms of the notorious Cape Coast Castle. The other will be captured in a raid on her village, imprisoned in the very same castle, and shipped off to America to be sold into slavery.

With breathtaking scope, HOMEGOING follows the parallel paths of these sisters and their descendants through eight generations: from the slave traders of the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the Asantes’ struggle against British colonialism to the first stirrings of the American Civil War, from the jazz of 20th-century Harlem to the sparkling shores of modern Ghana. Yaa Gyasi’s extraordinary novel illuminates slavery’s troubled legacy both for those who were taken and those who stayed --- and shows how the memory of captivity has been inscribed on the soul of our nation.

Audiobook available, read by Dominic Hoffman

Editorial Content for Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Rebecca Kilberg

How have societies historically reintegrated warriors, and why is the modern-day United States so bad at it? These are the main questions of bestselling author Sebastian Junger’s latest book, TRIBE: On Homecoming and Belonging. He brings to bear information gleaned from sociologists, historians, anthropologists and his own experiences with soldiers returning from war zones. Though most of the book focuses on combatants, Junger also explores why civilians appear to benefit in certain ways from nearby warfare.  Read More

Teaser

Combining history, psychology and anthropology, Sebastian Junger’s latest book explores what we can learn from tribal societies about loyalty, belonging and the eternal human quest for meaning. It explains the irony that --- for many veterans as well as civilians --- war feels better than peace, adversity can turn out to be a blessing, and disasters are sometimes remembered more fondly than weddings or tropical vacations. TRIBE explains why we are stronger when we come together, and how that can be achieved even in today's divided world.

Promo

Combining history, psychology and anthropology, Sebastian Junger’s latest book explores what we can learn from tribal societies about loyalty, belonging and the eternal human quest for meaning. It explains the irony that --- for many veterans as well as civilians --- war feels better than peace, adversity can turn out to be a blessing, and disasters are sometimes remembered more fondly than weddings or tropical vacations. TRIBE explains why we are stronger when we come together, and how that can be achieved even in today's divided world.

About the Book

We have a strong instinct to belong to small groups defined by clear purpose and understanding --- "tribes." This tribal connection has been largely lost in modern society, but regaining it may be the key to our psychological survival.

Decades before the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin lamented that English settlers were constantly fleeing over to the Indians-but Indians almost never did the same. Tribal society has been exerting an almost gravitational pull on Westerners for hundreds of years, and the reason lies deep in our evolutionary past as a communal species. The most recent example of that attraction is combat veterans who come home to find themselves missing the incredibly intimate bonds of platoon life. The loss of closeness that comes at the end of deployment may explain the high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by military veterans today.

Combining history, psychology and anthropology, TRIBE explores what we can learn from tribal societies about loyalty, belonging and the eternal human quest for meaning. It explains the irony that-for many veterans as well as civilians-war feels better than peace, adversity can turn out to be a blessing, and disasters are sometimes remembered more fondly than weddings or tropical vacations. TRIBE explains why we are stronger when we come together, and how that can be achieved even in today's divided world.

Editorial Content for Dishonorable Intentions: A Stone Barrington Novel

Reviewer (text)

Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum

In this 38th installment of Stuart Woods’ Stone Barrington series, readers are treated to travel around the United States, Europe and Russia. Stone and his latest lady friend, Gala Wilde, a Hollywood screenwriter with an ex-husband who is stalking her, try to keep their relationship on an even keel. Her ex-husband is Boris Tirov, a Hollywood producer with ties to the Russian mob who treads upon anyone who gets in his way. He can't go back to Russia because an outstanding warrant would be waiting for him, having been accused of killing one of his young leading ladies. Read More

Teaser

Stone Barrington’s latest lady friend is full of surprises, but she also has some unfinished business with a temperamental man who believes Stone is an intolerable obstacle in the way of his goals. In a cat-and-mouse game that trails from sun-drenched Bel-Air to a peaceful European estate and gorgeous Santa Fe, Stone and his friend remain just one step ahead of their opponent. But their pursuer is not a man who can stand to be thwarted. Tensions are mounting and may soon reach the boiling point.

Promo

Stone Barrington’s latest lady friend is full of surprises, but she also has some unfinished business with a temperamental man who believes Stone is an intolerable obstacle in the way of his goals. In a cat-and-mouse game that trails from sun-drenched Bel-Air to a peaceful European estate and gorgeous Santa Fe, Stone and his friend remain just one step ahead of their opponent. But their pursuer is not a man who can stand to be thwarted. Tensions are mounting and may soon reach the boiling point.

About the Book

Stone Barrington gains an adversary that he can’t seem to shake in the electrifying new adventure from the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Stone Barrington’s latest lady friend is full of surprises, both good and ill. A sensual woman with unexpected desires, Stone finds her revelations in the boudoir extremely agreeable. But on the other hand, she also has some unfinished business with a temperamental man who believes Stone is an intolerable obstacle in the way of his goals.

In a cat-and-mouse game that trails from sun-drenched Bel-Air to a peaceful European estate and the wild New Mexican desert, Stone and his friend remain just one step ahead of their opponent. But their pursuer is not a man who can stand to be thwarted, and tensions are mounting...and may soon reach the boiling point.

Editorial Content for The Cavendon Luck

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Amie Taylor

For centuries, the wealthy Ingham family of northern England and owners of Cavendon Hall have been served --- and served well --- by the trustworthy members of the Swann family. At the same time, the Inghams have always protected the Swanns and made sure they prosper in return. Keepers of each other's most crucial secrets, the two families have interwoven their separate threads into a fabric that's nearly indestructible. Bound by an ancient oath of loyalty to one another, these indomitable characters realize that the good of the group outweighs the desire of any one individual. Read More

Teaser

It is 1938 in England, and Miles and Cecily Ingham have led the family in bringing the Cavendon estate back from the brink of disaster. But now, with the arrival of World War II, Cavendon Hall will face its biggest challenge yet --- one that is filled with intrigue and romance, sorrow and strife…and will push the Inghams and Swanns to protect each other and the villagers, and reveal their true capacity for survival.

Promo

It is 1938 in England, and Miles and Cecily Ingham have led the family in bringing the Cavendon estate back from the brink of disaster. But now, with the arrival of World War II, Cavendon Hall will face its biggest challenge yet --- one that is filled with intrigue and romance, sorrow and strife…and will push the Inghams and Swanns to protect each other and the villagers, and reveal their true capacity for survival.

About the Book

#1 New York Times bestselling author Barbara Taylor Bradford’s magnificent saga continues. What does fate have in store for the aristocratic Inghams and the loyal Swann family who have served them for centuries?

It is 1938 in England, and Miles and Cecily Ingham have led the family in bringing the Cavendon estate back from the brink of disaster. But now, with the arrival of World War II, Cavendon Hall will face its biggest challenge yet --- one that is filled with intrigue and romance, sorrow and strife…and will push the Inghams and Swanns to protect each other and the villagers, and reveal their true capacity for survival.

Audiobook available, read by Anna Bentinck