August 2014

Neil Gaiman and me

Summer used to be a time when business and the world slowed down a bit and everything was kicked back a notch or two, but that is not the case this summer. Witness yesterday: I spent 12 hours at book and author gatherings pulled together by publishing friends; a delightfully hectic day!

I spent the morning at Simon & Schuster where I had the pleasure of meeting “book group legend” Anita Diamant (you can see her in the photo above). As many of you know, her book, THE RED TENT, is a book group classic. We heard that the movie adaptation will air on Lifetime this fall --- right now the date is December 7th and 8th, but that may change, so stay tuned! Her new book, THE BOSTON GIRL, will pub on December 9th, and we will have more about that in the months to come. For the rest of the morning, editors and marketers presented their titles for the upcoming months, while I eagerly scrawled notes of titles I think will be great for book groups.

For the afternoon, I was at the Hachette Book Group’s event with booksellers from the Mid-Atlantic region. One of the authors who I wanted to meet at this event was Christopher Scotton, the author of THE SECRET WISDOM OF THE EARTH, which will be published on January 6, 2015. I am reading this book --- and I see why everyone who has read it is buzzing about it. Three people sent it to me saying, “just read this,” and I am on page 100 and getting the same kinds of feelings I had when I read ORDINARY GRACE by William Kent Krueger --- that this is a special book.

There was another reason I wanted to meet Christopher. This will be the third year that ReadingGroupGuides.com will be a proud sponsor of the Hachette Book Group’s Book Club Brunch on Saturday, October 18th in New York City. EVERY attendee will be given an advance copy of THE SECRET WISDOM OF THE EARTH prior to the event, so you can read it and participate in a discussion during the day. Among the other authors in attendance will be Maureen Corrigan, with whom I had a spirited chat last night about her book, SO WE READ ON: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why it Endures. She made me want to re-read Gatsby, and also watch the 1949 film, which she feels is the best adaptation, and which I must track down. In addition to Christopher and Maureen, there will be five more authors: Barbara Ehrenreich, Sam Kean, Edan Lepucki, Joshua Ferris and Jean Hanff Korelitz. You can sign up NOW to attend here; tickets are just $45 for a full day of programming and book group bonding. I always love meeting our book group readers and look forward to seeing you there.

Last evening’s dinner had a special bonus surprise for me. Neil Gaiman was there as the guest of his wife, Amanda Palmer, whose book, THE ART OF ASKING, is pubbing on November 11th. In a moment that was complete kismet, Neil had just come from the video session where he answered our reader questions about THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE from the contest that we ran earlier this year. He had enjoyed the session --- and the great questions --- and we look forward to sharing that video with you later this month. Talk about the circle of life --- what a day! You can see a photo of me with Neil above.

One aside…in these days when pictures can be snapped on the fly, I long for better lighting in all rooms where photos may be taken!

I have been hearing from many of you who like to read mysteries and thrillers with your group, and we had you in mind as we pulled together details for our first special contest this month. We’re giving three groups the opportunity to win 12 copies of New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman’s mystery, AFTER I’M GONE, which will be available in paperback on August 12th. Twenty-six years after philandering husband Felix Brewer went missing, a retired Baltimore detective picks up the case. What he discovers is a tangled web of bitterness, jealousy, resentment, greed and longing stretching over five decades --- and at its center is the man who, though long gone, has never been forgotten by the five women who loved him. We are sure this could inspire some spirited discussion! Enter here by Thursday, September 4th at noon ET for your chance to win!

We also still have a BIG contest for Brian Payton’s breathtaking novel, THE WIND IS NOT A RIVER, which will be released in paperback on September 2nd. The book is a gripping tale of survival and an epic love story in which a husband and wife --- separated by the only battle of World War II to take place on American soil --- fight to reunite in Alaska's starkly beautiful Aleutian Islands. We’re giving 100 book groups the chance to win up to 10 copies of the book. All we ask is that you schedule your discussion before December 15th so you can send us your feedback before then! Enter here by Thursday, August 21st at noon ET.

In anticipation of the September 12th release of the film adaptation, we’re featuring New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Tropper’s THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU in August’s “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” Contest. It’s a riotously funny, emotionally raw novel about love, marriage, divorce, family and the ties that bind --- whether we like it or not. We had the pleasure of seeing Tropper, along with the film’s director, Shawn Levy, and two of its stars, Jason Bateman and Tina Fey, speak at BookCon this year. They were all hilarious, and the movie clips we saw only left us wanting more! EVERY reader who has read this book has told me that it is truly “laugh out loud funny,” and we can only picture the wicked discussions that can come from it. Perhaps your group can schedule a movie night! Make sure to enter the contest here by Thursday, September 4th at noon ET, so you and your group don’t miss this great opportunity!

We have three new featured guides this month. The first is for Mary Kubica’s hot debut, THE GOOD GIRL. When Mia Dennett is abducted one night by an enigmatic stranger named Colin Thatcher --- whose job was to kidnap Mia as part of a wild extortion plot and deliver her to his employers --- the plan takes an unexpected turn. Mia's mother and detective Gabe Hoffman will stop at nothing to find them, but no one could have predicted the emotional entanglements that eventually cause this family's world to shatter. Click here for our review on Bookreporter.com, here to read an interview with Mary Kubica and here for the featured guide.

Our next featured guide is Martha Woodroof’s charmingly optimistic SMALL BLESSINGS. It’s the story of small-town college professor Tom Putnam, whose wife, Marjory, has been a shut-in for more than 10 years. Tom considers Marjory’s condition his own fault, because it seemed to have been set off by her discovery of his affair with a visiting poetess. When Tom receives a letter from the poetess telling him that he’d fathered her son, it’s clear change is coming whether Tom is ready or not. Click here for the featured guide. We will have our review and an interview with Woodroof on Bookreporter.com next week.

Our third featured guide this month is Tania Malik’s debut, THREE BARGAINS. Twelve-year-old Madan's father works for Avtaar Singh, who owns the largest factory in town and much of the land around it. When Madan’s father's misdeeds jeopardize his sister's life, Madan strikes a deal with Avtaar Singh and is drawn into his violent world, becoming his son in every way but by blood. Suddenly it looks as if everything will change for Madan and his family until a forbidden love affair has brutal consequences. Click here for the featured guide.

We have FIVE new posts up on the ReadingGroupGuides.com blog! In the first, author Lorenzo Carcaterra and his daughter, Kate, describe their experience as a father-daughter duo in the book group Kate started, The Red Table Book Club. In a separate piece, Lorenzo talks about what it was like to have another author, Julia Dahl, visit the group to discuss her book, INVISIBLE CITY. We also have our very first “Meet the Group” post, in which Mary Lee Olson introduces us to her book group, “The Armchair Travelers,” and shares the books they’ve read and the books they plan to read in the future. [We’re hoping to make “Meet the Group” a regular feature, and we’d love to hear all about YOUR group!] In another post, I wrote about the wonderful evening I had when I joined “The League” for a discussion with Daisy Goodwin about her latest book, THE FORTUNE HUNTER. This is the book that 250 of our book groups read earlier this year. We share some of the hundreds of emails we got from you after your discussions here. Also, you can read our Bookreporter.com review of THE FORTUNE HUNTER here and our interview with Daisy here. Last but certainly not least, author William Kent Krueger told us all about having his book, ORDINARY GRACE, chosen as the South Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota One Book-One Community Read. You can also read what our readers have been saying about ORDINARY GRACE here.

Make sure to check out our “Rate Books for Book Groups” feature. As always, we encourage you to share books you think would be good for books groups, and check out books other readers suggest. Please note that these don’t necessarily need to be books that you have read with your book clubs --- they can simply be titles that you think would be great for discussion! All entries will be posted shortly after the September 4th deadline. Last month, many readers recommended William Kent Krueger’s ORDINARY GRACE and Sue Monk Kidd’s THE INVENTION OF WINGS as good discussion books. We want to see an array of titles here, so check in and let us know what YOU recommend for book group discussions. It’s YOUR turn to be a Book Concierge.

Time’s almost up to enter our Summer Reading Contests and Feature over on Bookreporter.com! We’ve been spotlighting a different title on select days throughout the summer, and the last one is Joshilyn Jackson’s SOMEONE ELSE’S LOVE STORY (which we recently added a guide for here). The deadline for entries for the LAST contest is TOMORROW, Friday, August 8th at noon ET, so click here to enter before it’s too late!

Our staff- and guest-curated “Bookshelves” have become a popular feature on our websites, and this month we have TWO new ones for you! The first is a roundup of 20 books that are being adapted to films by the end of this year. With so many exciting movies based on books coming out between August and December --- including Gone Girl, The Giver (our contest book last month) and the aforementioned This Is Where I Leave You --- this bookshelf is a must-see for movie lovers. And to celebrate summer, we also curated a bookshelf of 20 books set near the beach. What could be better than reading a book about the beach on the beach?

Last month we introduced you to “Real Talk Publishing: The People Behind the Books” over on 20SomethingReads.com. Through interviews, guest posts and sometimes sneak peeks inside their offices, we hope to give you some unique insight into the publishing industry --- and the work that goes into creating some of the world's best books. We left you hanging in an interview with bookstore owner Annie Philbrick, and we encourage you to take another look now that parts two and three of the story have been posted. And there are plenty more interviews to come! Next up will be an audiobook producer.

In this month’s poll, we want to know approximately what percentage of the books that your book group reads are new (published in hardcover or paperback in the last year), and which ones are older. Let us know by taking our poll here. Not sure what you do? No worries...there is an option where you can tell us that as well!

I am off to Amagansett with my family tonight to visit with an old family friend. Luckily, like last year, we have timed our weekend so I can attend the Authors Night event, which benefits the Easthampton Public Library. This is the second year that I have attended and it’s a fabulous evening where authors sign books and mingle with readers to celebrate reading and raise money. If any of you are going to be there, do drop me a line. I will report back about this in the Bookreporter.com newsletter next week. Want to get that newsletter? Then click here.

If your book group is registered with us, we will be back to you with another newsletter the week of August 21st. If your group is not registered, you can do that here. If not, we will “see you in September.”

Here’s to enjoying summer….and to a great book discussion with your group this month and time to just kick it back a notch and enjoy a book!

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])

 

We're giving three groups the chance to win 12 copies of New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman's AFTER I'M GONE, the story of how one man's disappearance echoes through the lives of the women he left behind. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, September 4th at noon ET.

AFTER I'M GONE by Laura Lippman (Mystery)
Laura Lippman, the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of THE MOST DANGEROUS THING, I’D KNOW YOU ANYWHERE and WHAT THE DEAD KNOW, returns with an addictive story that explores how one man’s disappearance echoes through the lives of the wife, mistress and daughters he left behind.

When Felix Brewer meets Bernadette “Bambi” Gottschalk at a Valentine’s Dance in 1959, he charms her with wild promises, some of which he actually keeps. Thanks to his lucrative --- if not all legal --- businesses, she and their three little girls live in luxury. But on the Fourth of July, 1976, Bambi’s comfortable world implodes when Felix, newly convicted and facing prison, mysteriously vanishes.

Though Bambi has no idea where her husband --- or his money --- might be, she suspects one woman does: his mistress, Julie. When Julie disappears 10 years to the day that Felix went on the lam, everyone assumes she’s left to join her old lover --- until her remains are eventually found.

Now, 26 years after Julie went missing, Roberto “Sandy” Sanchez, a retired Baltimore detective working cold cases for some extra cash, is investigating her murder. What he discovers is a tangled web stretching over three decades that connects five intriguing women. And at the center is the missing man Felix Brewer.

Somewhere between the secrets and lies connecting past and present, Sandy will find the truth. And when he does, no one will ever be the same.
 

We're giving 100 groups the chance to win up to 10 copies of Brian Payton's THE WIND IS NOT A RIVER, a gripping tale of survival and an epic love story in which a husband and wife fight to reunite in Alaska’s starkly beautiful Aleutian Islands. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, August 21st at noon ET.

Please note: As part of this promotion, we're going to ask you to comment on the book by Monday, December 15th. If you plan on discussing it with your book group, please schedule your discussion between September and December.

THE WIND IS NOT A RIVER by Brian Payton (Fiction)
THE WIND IS NOT A RIVER is Brian Payton's gripping tale of survival and an epic love story in which a husband and wife --- separated by the only battle of World War II to take place on American soil—fight to reunite in Alaska's starkly beautiful Aleutian Islands.

Following the death of his younger brother in Europe, journalist John Easley is determined to find meaning in his loss. Leaving behind his beloved wife, Helen, he heads north to investigate the Japanese invasion of Alaska's Aleutian Islands, a story censored by the U.S. government.

While John is accompanying a crew on a bombing run, his plane is shot down over the island of Attu. He survives only to find himself exposed to a harsh and unforgiving wilderness, known as “the birthplace of winds.” There, John must battle the elements, starvation, and his own remorse while evading discovery by the Japanese.

Alone at home, Helen struggles with the burden of her husband's disappearance. Caught in extraordinary circumstances, in this new world of the missing, she is forced to reimagine who she is --- and what she is capable of doing. Somehow, she must find John and bring him home, a quest that takes her into the farthest reaches of the war, beyond the safety of everything she knows.
 

Let us know what your group is reading in August, and you will be entered in a giveaway to win multiple copies of a book for your group! In anticipation of the September 12th release of the film adaptation, our latest prize book is the New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Tropper's THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU, a riotously funny, emotionally raw novel about love, marriage, divorce, family and the ties that bind --- whether we like it or not. We have 12 copies of the paperback edition to give away to three groups. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Thursday, September 4th at noon ET.

THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU by Jonathan Tropper (Fiction)
The death of Judd Foxman’s father marks the first time that the entire Foxman clan has congregated in years. There is, however, one conspicuous absence: Judd’s wife, Jen, whose affair with his radio- shock-jock boss has recently become painfully public. Simultaneously mourning the demise of his father and his marriage, Judd joins his dysfunctional family as they reluctantly sit shiva --- and spend seven days and nights under the same roof. The week quickly spins out of control as longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed and old passions are reawakened. Then Jen delivers the clincher: she’s pregnant. THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU is Jonathan Tropper’s (ONE LAST THING BEFORE I GO) most accomplished work to date, and a riotously funny, emotionally raw novel about love, marriage, divorce, family and the ties that bind --- whether we like it or not.

-Click here for the reading group guide.

Just so you know! Thanks to your participation last month, we learned that the most popular books among book groups in July were THE GOLDFINCH by Donna Tartt and THE HUSBAND'S SECRET by Liane Moriarty. Keep posting so we see what else is trending on our site!
 

THE GOOD GIRL by Mary Kubica (Psychological Thriller)
"I've been following her for the past few days. I know where she buys her groceries, where she has her dry cleaning done, where she works. I don't know the color of her eyes or what they look like when she's scared. But I will."

Born to a prominent Chicago judge and his stifled socialite wife, Mia Dennett moves against the grain as a young inner-city art teacher. One night, Mia enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when he doesn't show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger. With his smooth moves and modest wit, at first Colin Thatcher seems like a safe one-night stand. But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia's life.

Colin's job was to abduct Mia as part of a wild extortion plot and deliver her to his employers. But the plan takes an unexpected turn when Colin suddenly decides to hide Mia in a secluded cabin in rural Minnesota, evading the police and his deadly superiors. Mia's mother, Eve, and detective Gabe Hoffman will stop at nothing to find them, but no one could have predicted the emotional entanglements that eventually cause this family's world to shatter.

An addictively suspenseful and tautly written thriller, THE GOOD GIRL is a propulsive debut that reveals how even in the perfect family, nothing is as it seems…

-Click here for our review on Bookreporter.com.
-Click here to read an interview with the author.
 

SMALL BLESSINGS by Martha Woodroof (Fiction)
Tom Putnam has resigned himself to a quiet and half-fulfilled life. An English professor in a sleepy college town, he spends his days browsing the Shakespeare shelves at the campus bookstore, managing the oddball faculty in his department and caring, alongside his formidable mother-in-law, for his wife Marjory, a fragile shut-in with unrelenting neuroses, a condition exacerbated by her discovery of Tom’s brief and misguided affair with a visiting poetess a decade earlier.

Then, one evening at the bookstore, Tom and Marjory meet Rose Callahan, the shop's charming new hire, and Marjory invites Rose to their home for dinner, out of the blue, her first social interaction since her breakdown. Tom wonders if it’s a sign that change is on the horizon, a feeling confirmed upon his return home, where he opens a letter from his former paramour, informing him he'd fathered a son who is heading Tom's way on a train. His mind races at the possibility of having a family after so many years of loneliness. And it becomes clear change is coming whether Tom is ready or not.

A heartwarming story with a charmingly imperfect cast of characters to cheer for, SMALL BLESSINGS has a wonderfully optimistic heart that reminds us that sometimes, when it feels like life has veered irrevocably off track, the track shifts in ways we never could have imagined. Readers who loved MAJOR PETTIGREW’S LAST STAND will adore this inspiring debut of a small-town college professor, a remarkable new woman at the bookshop and the 10-year old son he never knew he had.
 

We have FIVE new posts up on the ReadingGroupGuides.com blog:

"The Red Table Book Club" by Kate and Lorenzo Carcaterra
Author Lorenzo Carcaterra and his daughter, Kate, describe their experience as a father-daughter duo in the book group Kate started, The Red Table Book Club.

"Meet the Group: The Armchair Travelers Book Club" by Mary Lee Olson
Mary Lee Olson introduces us to her book group, "The Armchair Travelers," and shares the books they've read and the books they plan to read in the future.

"The League Book Group Discusses THE FORTUNE HUNTER with Author Daisy Goodwin" by Carol Fitzgerald
Carol shares the wonderful experience she had when she joined "The League" for a discussion with Daisy Goodwin about her latest book, THE FORTUNE HUNTER.

"William Kent Krueger on ORDINARY GRACE as a One Book-One Community Read" by William Kent Krueger
Author William Kent Krueger describes having his book, ORDINARY GRACE, chosen as the South Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota One Book-One Community read of the month.

"Julia Dahl at the Red Table" by Lorenzo Carcaterra
Lorenzo Carcaterra talks about what it was like to have another author, Julia Dah, visit his group to discuss her book, INVISIBLE CITIES.
 

This will be the third year that ReadingGroupGuides.com will be a proud sponsor of the Hachette Book Group’s "Book Club Brunch" on Saturday, October 18th in New York City. EVERY attendee will be given an advance copy of Christopher Scotton's THE SECRET WISDOM OF THE EARTH prior to the event, so you can read it and participate in a discussion during the day. Seven authors will be in attendance at the event: Christopher Scotton, Maureen Corrigan, Barbara Ehrenreich, Sam Kean, Edan Lepucki, Joshua Ferris and Jean Hanff Korelitz. You can sign up NOW to attend here; tickets are just $45 for a full day of programming and book group bonding.
 

Our staff- and guest-curated “Bookshelves” have become a popular feature on our websites, and this month we have TWO new ones for you! Books on Screen: August - December 2014 is a roundup of 20 books that are being adapted to films by the end of this year. With so many exciting movies based on books coming out between now and the end of the year --- including Gone Girl, The Giver and This Is Where I Leave You --- this bookshelf is a must-see for movie lovers. We also have Beach Bound: 20 Books Set Near the Surf --- to celebrate summer, we curated 20 books set near the beach. What could be better than reading a book about the beach on the beach?

Over the past few months, we've been sitting down with book editors, librarians, booksellers, children's literature professors, book cover designers, publicists, professional reviewers and more, to give you, our readers, more insight into what goes into the making of books. We have many more to come, and hope that through interviews, guest posts and sometimes sneak peeks inside our interviewees' offices, you'll get to learn more about the book industry and all the work that goes into creating some of the world's best written word.
 

Time’s almost up to enter our Summer Reading Contests and Feature! We’ve been spotlighting a different title on select days throughout the summer, and the last one is Joshilyn Jackson’s SOMEONE ELSE’S LOVE STORY. The deadline for entries for the LAST contest is TOMORROW, Friday, August 8th at noon ET, so click here to enter before it’s too late!

The titles we have featured this year include:

• ALL GOOD THINGS: From Paris to Tahiti: Life and Longing by Sarah Turnbull
• ALL THOSE VANISHED ENGINES by Paul Park
• THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB by Lily Koppel
• BIG LITTLE LIES by Liane Moriarty
• THE CURSED by Heather Graham
• FAIR PLAY by Deeanne Gist
• THE FAMILY BEACH HOUSE by Holly Chamberlin
• FLYING SHOES by Lisa Howorth
• THE FORTUNE HUNTER by Daisy Goodwin
• THE GLASS KITCHEN by Linda Francis Lee
• GOOD AS GONE by Douglas Corleone
• THE GOOD GIRL by Mary Kubica
• GUESTS ON EARTH by Lee Smith
• HEADHUNTERS ON MY DOORSTEP: A True Treasure Island Ghost Story by J. Maarten Troost
• THE IDEA OF HIM by Holly Peterson
• THE MAJOR'S DAUGHTER by J.P. Francis
• MY ACCIDENTAL JIHAD: A Love Story by Krista Bremer
• NECESSARY LIES by Diane Chamberlain
• NO RIVER TOO WIDE by Emilie Richards
• THE PARIS ARCHITECT by Charles Belfoure
• SAVE THE DATE by Mary Kay Andrews
• SCARED SCRIPTLESS by Alison Sweeney
• THE STORIES WE TELL by Patti Callahan Henry
• SUMMER DAYS by Lisa Jackson, Elizabeth Bass, Holly Chamberlin and Mary Carter
• THE SUPREME MACARONI COMPANY by Adriana Trigiani
• The Tangled Series (TANGLED, TWISTED, TAMED) by Emma Chase
• THAT NIGHT by Chevy Stevens
• THE THIRD SON by Julie Wu
• THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HARRY QUEBERT AFFAIR by Joël Dicker
• WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY BESIDE OURSELVES by Karen Joy Fowler

THE FORTUNE HUNTER by Daisy Goodwin (Historical Fiction)
I was a huge fan of THE AMERICAN HEIRESS by Daisy Goodwin, a previous Bets On selection, so when I saw THE FORTUNE HUNTER was coming out, I eagerly read an early copy last winter. I closed it and knew it would be another Bets On pick. Daisy has a knack for weaving period historical details into a book while not dragging down the storyline with them. I confess that on first reading, until I got to the last page and the Author’s Note, I had no idea that the character of Sisi was based on the actual Empress of Austria and not just a fictitious one. The story worked even when I thought she was the conception of Daisy’s imagination. Bay and Charlotte’s relationship was documented historically as well, but Daisy is clear that she took some rein in telling the story.

-Click here to read more of Carol's thoughts on the book.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here for the guide.
-Click here to read a Q&A with the author.


CHARLESTON by Margaret Bradham Thornton (Fiction)
Charleston is a place on my “bucket list.” I love cities with charm, atmosphere, history and style --- and Charleston seems to have all of that. Thus, when I saw Margaret Bradham Thornton’s debut novel, CHARLESTON, on a shelf at a conference earlier this year, I knew I had to read it.

-Click here to read more of Carol's thoughts on the book.
-Click here to read more about the book.


THE VACATIONERS by Emma Straub (Fiction)
I read THE VACATIONERS by Emma Straub a bit ago and just realized that I failed to include it as a Bets On selection. I have been thinking about the Posts and their two-week vacation to Mallorca a lot since I read this; in fact, I think they owe me a postcard. So what caught my eye about THE VACATIONERS? First, it’s a story about a family; isn’t that always something ripe for reading? Now take that family and transport them across the pond from their Manhattan home --- not to a major city, but rather to an island village. Ah, now we have exotic travel.

-Click here to read more of Carol's thoughts on the book.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.


THE PARIS ARCHITECT by Charles Belfoure (Historical Fiction)
I love well-written stories about World War II. If you page back through my Bets On selections, you can see many books set during this time period. As I read them, I find myself thinking about how I would have reacted during this turbulent time. Would I have been heroic? Would I have survived? Would my family have made the right decisions? All those thoughts again came into play as I read THE PARIS ARCHITECT.

-Click here to read more of Carol's thoughts on the book.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here for the guide.


LITTLE MERCIES by Heather Gudenkauf (Fiction)
LITTLE MERCIES by Heather Gudenkauf reminds us that even those with the best of intentions can make a mistake with costly ramifications. One morning, Ellen Moore heads to her high-stress job as a social worker with a laser focus on saving some endangered children trapped in a house with their dad, who is brandishing a weapon. As she dashes to the scene, she forgets that her own infant daughter, Avery, is strapped in her car seat just steps from the unfolding crisis. The temperatures rise, and Avery’s life slips into a danger zone. Ellen is charged with criminal intent to harm, and suddenly she is on the other side of the law and what is right.

-Click here to read more of Carol's thoughts on the book.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here for the guide.
-Click here to read a Q&A with the author.


THAT NIGHT by Chevy Stevens (Fiction)
Last July, I was lucky enough to read a manuscript of THAT NIGHT by Chevy Stevens. I remember Chevy’s debut novel, STILL MISSING, very vividly --- so vividly that when realtor friends say they are hosting an Open House, I always think They will be there ALONE! No, they must read STILL MISSING and rethink that! I read her second and third books, and while I enjoyed them, to me they were not as strong as STILL MISSING. I plunged into THAT NIGHT and immediately got caught up in it; I pushed every deadline aside to read it.

-Click here to read more of Carol's thoughts on the book.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here for the guide.
 

The following guides are now available on ReadingGroupGuides.com:

AFTER I'M GONE by Laura Lippman (Mystery)
Felix Brewer left five women behind. Now there are four. Does one of them know the truth?

THE BARTER by Siobhan Adcock (Fiction)
A heart-stopping tale as provocative as is suspenseful, about two conflicted women, separated by one hundred years, and bound by an unthinkable sacrifice.

CHINA DOLLS by Lisa See (Historical Fiction)
Three young women from very different backgrounds become fast friends in 1938 San Francisco --- until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, when paranoia and suspicion threaten to destroy their lives, and a shocking act of betrayal changes everything.

If you missed Lisa on the road for the CHINA DOLLS tour, here's a link to a talk she gave at the San Francisco Library.

DIARY OF THE FALL by Michel Laub (Fiction)
From one of Granta’s Best Young Brazilian Novelists, a literary masterpiece that will break your heart.

THE GHOST BRIDE by Yangsze Choo (Supernatural)
Yangsze Choo’s stunning debut, THE GHOST BRIDE, is a startlingly original novel infused with Chinese folklore, romantic intrigue and unexpected supernatural twists.

THE GOOD GIRL by Mary Kubica (Psychological Thriller)
An addictively suspenseful and tautly written thriller, THE GOOD GIRL by Mary Kubica is a propulsive debut that reveals how even in the perfect family, nothing is as it seems...

SMALL BLESSINGS by Martha Woodroof (Fiction)
Readers who loved MAJOR PETTIGREW’S LAST STAND will adore this inspiring debut of a small-town college professor, a remarkable new woman at the bookshop and the 10-year old son he never knew he had.

SOMEONE ELSE'S LOVE STORY by Joshilyn Jackson (Romance)
SOMEONE ELSE’S LOVE STORY is beloved and highly acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson's funny, charming and poignant novel about science and miracles, secrets and truths, faith and forgiveness; about falling in love, and learning that things aren't always what they seem --- or what we hope they will be.

THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU by Jonathan Tropper (Fiction)
THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU is a riotously funny, emotionally raw novel about love, marriage, divorce, family and the ties that bind --- whether we like it or not.

THREE BARGAINS by Tania Malik (Fiction)
A tale of fathers and sons, the ties that bind and the barriers of class that even love cannot break, THREE BARGAINS is a stunning first novel, as potent, heart-stopping and epic as Khaled Hosseini's THE KITE RUNNER. 


Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:

APPROACHING THE SPEED OF LIGHT by Victoria Lustbader (Fiction)
Jody’s buried secrets hold him back until his trajectory crosses the path of three very different women, who, in their own ways, hold out the tantalizing possibility of healing, connection…or self-destruction.

UNBROKEN: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (History)
In her long-awaited followup to SEABISCUIT, Laura Hillenbrand brings to vivid life the inspiring true story of Louis Zamperini, who escaped against all odds from a Japanese POW camp.