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May 9, 2023

In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of May 8th and May 15th that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers, along with Bonus News, where we call out a contest, feature or review that we want to let you know about so you have it on your radar.

This week, we are calling attention to our Summer Reading Contests and Feature, a series of 24-hour giveaways that are taking place on select days through mid-August. Enter for your chance to win titles that we think will be great summer book picks. The first contest is now up, and two more will follow at noon ET on Wednesday and Thursday!

May 9, 2023

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 Wednesday, May 10th at noon ET for a chance to win one of five copies of PIECES OF BLUE by Holly Goldberg Sloan, which is now available. Please note that each contest is only open for 24 hours, so you will need to act quickly!

Joanne Leedom-Ackerman is a novelist and journalist whose fiction includes her recent thriller, BURNING DISTANCE, and the upcoming THE FAR SIDE OF THE DESERT. Her younger son is author Elliot Ackerman, whose latest novel is HALCYON. Her older son, Nate, is a mathematician. As a child, Joanne would get lost in the pages of books that her mother read to her or encouraged her to read. This allowed her to travel all over the world and experience the sights and sounds of each destination she visited, all from the comfort of her own home. Joanne followed in her mother’s footsteps by making sure that Elliot and Nate were exposed to the joys and wonders of reading books and creating stories at a young age.

Joanne Leedom-Ackerman

Joanne Leedom-Ackerman is a novelist, short story writer and journalist whose works of fiction include THE DARK PATH TO THE RIVER and NO MARBLE ANGELS. Her recent nonfiction book, PEN JOURNEYS: Memoir of Literature on the Line, drew inspiration from her job as a vice president of the worldwide writers and human rights organization PEN International. She is also on the boards of the American Writers Museum, the International Center for Journalists, Words Without Borders and Refugees International. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Texas Institute of Letters.

Special Preview: Bookreporter.com's Summer Reading 2023

This Bookreporter.com SPECIAL PREVIEW Newsletter brings you a sneak peek at the titles that are included in our Summer Reading feature

Each title below will be featured in a contest where you will have a 24-hour window of opportunity to enter for your chance to win a copy of the book being featured that day. You will need to act quickly! Learn more about the feature here.

We encourage you to scroll down and click on each image to read more about that book on our site.

If you know anyone who you think may be interested in these 24-hour contests, please forward this newsletter to them so they can sign up for it. 

Our first contest kicks off TOMORROW, Tuesday, May 9th at noon ET. Best of luck to you, and Happy Summer Reading!

Megan Abbott is the Edgar Award-winning author of such novels as THE TURNOUT, GIVE ME YOUR HAND, YOU WILL KNOW ME, THE FEVER, DARE ME and THE END OF EVERYTHING. Her latest, BEWARE THE WOMAN, releases on May 30th and dissects the ongoing conversations about ownership and womanhood. Megan’s mother, writer Patricia Abbott, introduced her to countless books as a child and was the biggest influence on her reading habits. Patti gave Megan her first “adult” novel to read, which began her love of mysteries and thrillers, helping to pave the way for her career as a bestselling crime fiction author.

Megan Abbott

Megan Abbott is the Edgar-winning author of the novels BEWARE THE WOMAN, THE TURNOUT, GIVE ME YOUR HAND, YOU WILL KNOW ME, THE FEVER, DARE ME, THE END OF EVERYTHING, BURY ME DEEP, QUEENPIN, THE SONG IS YOU and DIE A LITTLE.

Editorial Content for Clytemnestra

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Rebecca Munro

CLYTEMNESTRA, Costanza Casati's debut novel, is a feminist retelling of the story of Clytemnestra, a legendary queen of Greek mythology and the sister of the famed Helen of Troy. Always a side or supporting character in accounts of more famous mythological figures, this time the villain queen tells her own story from center stage. Read More

Teaser

You were born to a king, but you marry a tyrant. You stand by helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore, and you comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. Because this was not the first offense against you. This was not the life you ever deserved. And this will not be your undoing. Slowly you plot. But when your husband returns in triumph, you become a woman with a choice. Acceptance or vengeance, infamy follows both. So you bide your time and force the gods' hands in the game of retribution. For you understood something long ago that the others never did. If power isn't given to you, you have to take it for yourself.

Promo

You were born to a king, but you marry a tyrant. You stand by helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore, and you comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. Because this was not the first offense against you. This was not the life you ever deserved. And this will not be your undoing. Slowly you plot. But when your husband returns in triumph, you become a woman with a choice. Acceptance or vengeance, infamy follows both. So you bide your time and force the gods' hands in the game of retribution. For you understood something long ago that the others never did. If power isn't given to you, you have to take it for yourself.

About the Book

For fans of Madeline Miller's CIRCE, a stunning debut following Clytemnestra, the most notorious villainess of the ancient world, and the events that forged her into the legendary queen.

As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best…

You were born to a king, but you marry a tyrant. You stand by helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore, and you comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. Because this was not the first offense against you. This was not the life you ever deserved. And this will not be your undoing. Slowly you plot.

But when your husband returns in triumph, you become a woman with a choice.

Acceptance or vengeance, infamy follows both. So you bide your time and force the gods' hands in the game of retribution. For you understood something long ago that the others never did.

If power isn't given to you, you have to take it for yourself.

A blazing novel set in the world of Ancient Greece, this is a thrilling tale of power and prophecies, hatred and love, and an unforgettable Queen who fiercely dealt out death to those who wronged her.

Audiobook available, read by Olivia Vinall

Mary Beth Keane, author of The Half Moon

Malcolm Gephardt, the longtime bartender at the Half Moon, has always dreamed of owning a bar. When his boss finally retires, Malcolm stretches to buy the place. He sees unquantifiable magic and potential in the Half Moon and hopes to transform it into a bigger success but struggles to stay afloat. His smart and confident wife, Jess, has devoted herself to her law career. After years of trying for a baby, she is facing the idea that motherhood may not be in the cards for her. Like Malcolm, she feels her youth beginning to slip away and wonders how to reshape her future. THE HALF MOON takes place over the course of one week when Malcolm learns shocking news about Jess, a patron of the bar goes missing, and a blizzard hits the town of Gillam, trapping everyone in place.

Justin Cronin, author of The Ferryman

The archipelago of Prospera lies hidden from the horrors of a deteriorating outside world. Its lucky citizens enjoy long, fulfilling lives until the monitors embedded in their forearms fall below 10 percent. Then they retire themselves, embarking on a ferry ride to the island known as the Nursery, where their failing bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped clean, and they are readied to restart life afresh.  Proctor Bennett has a satisfying career as a ferryman, gently shepherding people through the retirement process. But then comes the day he is summoned to retire his own father, who gives him a disturbing and cryptic message before being wrestled onto the ferry. Soon Proctor finds himself questioning everything he once believed --- and on a desperate mission to uncover the truth.