August 2016

There is a saying that “it’s summertime and the living is easy.” Personally, I think summer has its own unique challenges as it brings the complications of trying to juggle vacations and schedules (not just mine, but those of family, staff and other work colleagues). Routines are lovingly tossed to the wind, bringing in their wake the endless making of plans --- and changing of plans. I can see your heads nodding from here. Book group organization looks easy by comparison, though I am sure many of you are handling summer scheduling complications with that as well! Fortunately, we heard from a number of you about what your groups are doing as alternatives to meetings, and we're sharing that excellent intel here.

Anne from Austin, TX let us know that while her group doesn’t meet in July, she and one or two other members take that extra time to read a classic. “Last year it was MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT by [Charles] Dickens; this year we are planning for BRIDESHEAD REVISITED by [Evelyn] Waugh. It's fun to check off some of those intimidating books we might not tackle alone.” It’s never too hot for a challenging book.

Candy told us that some members of her group, “Books & More,” are reading BARKSKINS (by Annie Proulx) and communicating via email for the summer. That’s a very smart way to beat the heat!

Bobbie from Ocala, FL said that during her group’s two-month hiatus, she’s taking the time to follow up on an author she really enjoyed: “At our last meeting in June (we take July and August off) we discussed CROSSING TO SAFETY by Wallace Stegner. We all loved the book and wondered why we had never heard of him or his other books. I bought ALL THE LITTLE LIVE THINGS and THE BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN also by Stegner to read this summer. I just finished BRITT-MARIE WAS HERE, have started reading BEING MORTAL, and have both THE LAKE HOUSE and GOOD AS GONE next to my bed to read before I start on my Stegner books. I love summer reading :).” We do, too!

Do you have another idea to share with your group’s summer plans? If so, please email me with the subject line “Summer Book Group Plan” --- you have some great ideas!

We know the power of book groups to spread the word about a book and influence its success. You read a book, you recommend it to your book group, and from there they all become advocates for the book. With that in mind, we have some great contests this month.

First up is a HUGE contest in celebration of a book that became an instant favorite among readers and book groups, Kristin Hannah’s mega-bestseller THE NIGHTINGALE. We know that many of you may have already read it --- especially considering it’s been on the New York Times bestseller list for 72 weeks --- but for those of you who have not, and would like to read it with an eye on recommending it to your book group, we’re giving away individual copies to 350(!) readers. Click here to enter by Wednesday, September 7th at noon ET for your chance to win.

Already read it yourself, but not discussed it with your group? Then recommend this contest to others in your book group, so you can have more advocates for selecting it as a book group selection.

Already read it with your group? Then pass this contest along to other readers you know who are in a book group! THE NIGHTINGALE is an epic story of love and war, spanning from the 1940s to the present day, and the secret lives of those who live in a small French town. I chose it as a Bets On pick back when it published in 2015, and it’s been such fun to watch enthusiasm bubbling up for it. There are tens of thousands of five-star reviews for it online! Kristin’s newly re-designed website has some fabulous photos taken during her research, as well as her thoughts on the book a year after publication. Kristin will be doing a short tour in September that includes a stop at the National Book Festival in Washington, DC.

Our next contest is for another title that we have been hearing raves about, LILAC GIRLS by Martha Hall Kelly. Martha was at the Random House Open House as part of their debut author panel, and readers flocked to meet her after her panel; clearly, her story had been moving to them. We’re giving away 25 copies of LILAC GIRLS, which is inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine. It’s a powerful novel that reveals an incredible story of love, redemption and terrible secrets that were hidden for decades. If you already have read THE NIGHTINGALE and SARAH’S KEY, you won’t want to miss this one. I also chose LILAC GIRLS as a Bets On title back in April; you can click here to see why, and you can read our Bookreporter review here. Enter here by Wednesday, September 7th at noon ET for your chance to win.

Martha has an extensive book group guide on her website, complete with recipe ideas and maps of the three locations where her book is set. We can see groups making a group trip to Caroline Ferriday’s home in Bethlehem, Connecticut, a visit that inspired Martha to write LILAC GIRLS. Here are some upcoming tour dates for Martha. Rebecca Munro did a wonderful wrap-up of the Random House Open House event here.

In anticipation of the September release of his latest book, A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW, we're giving three groups the chance to win 12 copies of Amor Towles' New York Times bestselling RULES OF CIVILITY. In the spirit of THE GREAT GATSBY, RULES OF CIVILITY is the story of a young woman, Katey Kontent, whose chance encounter with a handsome banker propels her on a year-long journey into the upper echelons of 1920s New York society --- where she will have little to rely upon other than a bracing wit and her own brand of cool nerve. Here's another one I picked as a Bets On title when it came out all the way back in early 2011; you can read here what I think makes this story so special. Enter here by Wednesday, September 7th at noon ET.

I have been reading and enjoying A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW. This weekend, when we went to the beach, my husband grabbed the copy that I had started and quickly finished it. (Yes, I see another Bets On recommend coming up!) He had not read RULES OF CIVILITY and was happy to know we have a copy at home!

Over on Bookreporter.com, we’ve been doing a lot of talk about binge reading, reading everything by an author in sequence. We did not want our book group readers to miss out on an opportunity to do this as well, thus we’re sharing a very special contest for William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor mystery series. To celebrate the September 6th release of its 15th installment, MANITOU CANYON, we’re awarding one winner all 15 books in the series, including the eBook THE WORLD OF CORK O’CONNOR, a just-released reader’s companion that details the back story on the series, how Cork O’Connor came into existence as a character, and how the setting --- Minnesota’s great Northwoods --- has become an integral part of the series. Thirty-five additional winners will receive the first book in the series, IRON LAKE, and THE WORLD OF CORK O’CONNOR. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, August 25th at noon ET.

We’re continuing to run last month’s “What’s Your Book Group Reading?” contest, where we’re giving three groups the chance to win 12 copies of A CERTAIN AGE by Beatriz Williams. It’s a beguiling reinterpretation of Richard Strauss’ comic opera Der Rosenkavalier, which brings the Roaring Twenties brilliantly to life in an enchanting and compulsively readable tale of intrigue, romance and scandal in New York Society. Enter here by Wednesday, September 7th at noon ET and let us know what you’re reading this month. I reviewed it here. And you can check out a Q&A with the author here. Beatriz’s work would make for a great end-of-summer binge!

This month, we're featuring the guide for BEFORE THE FALL, award-winning “Fargo” creator Noah Hawley’s latest book, which is being lauded as the thriller of the year. A down-on-his-luck painter and the young son of a media mogul are the sole survivors of a plane crash; as the two struggle with the aftermath of the tragedy, details comes to light that will keep you guessing whether the crash was as random as it seemed. You can find the featured guide here, and we have our review here. And you can see my Bets On copy for it here.

Books news does not slow down for summer, and last week it ramped up considerably with the announcement that Oprah is back with a new book club selection, THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Colson Whitehead, which is just out in stores this week (note that the publication date was moved up from early September, showing the power of Oprah). We have the discussion guide here. You can read more about Whitehead’s publishing journey here in the New York Times and here in Newsweek.

He will be touring extensively for this book, which may allow you to attend one of his events with your group. For those in New Jersey, I am happy to share that he will be at the Morristown Book Festival on October 1st, and I am sharing his entire list of tour cities here.

With August, we can look ahead to the fall book festival season. Festivals are a great way to get out with your group, and there are plenty coming up. We’re tracking them all for you; click here to see our schedule of upcoming festivals. And speaking of the Morristown Book Festival, tickets are on sale now! If you’re in the area (Morristown, NJ) on October 1st, it’s a great opportunity to see your favorite authors and mingle with fellow booklovers. There’s already an exciting lineup of authors, including the aforementioned Colson Whitehead, Mary Higgins Clark, Stacy Schiff, Karin Slaughter, Emma Donoghue, Nadia Hashimi and Imbolo Mbue. I’ll be moderating two panels, and we will have more about that in September. Click here for more information and to get your tickets.

And there is a rumor that Oprah will have another selection in September; there is rampant speculation around the publishing world as to what it will be. Love seeing this much excitement about books!

Summer may be winding down, but our Summer Reading contests are still hot! This week’s contests are in full swing. You’ll have the chance to win MISSING PIECES by Heather Gudenkauf, followed by HOUSE OF THIEVES by Charles Belfoure (I selected this as a Bets On title after its hardcover publication last year) and MAGICAL JUNGLE: An Inky Expedition and Coloring Book for Adults by Johanna Basford. Note that you will also have another opportunity to win MISSING PIECES on ReadingGroupGuides mid-month; if your group is registered with us, you'll be the first to know!

Johanna is going to be in New York at the Barnes & Noble on the Upper West Side tonight, and I plan to be there to share the amazing picture from her LOST OCEAN coloring book that my sister beaded instead of colored, which you can see on our ReadingGroupGuides.com Facebook page, whether or not you are a member of Facebook.

MISSING PIECES is just one of many books we’re featuring in this month’s New in Paperback roundups. Other titles include M TRAIN by Patti Smith, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD by Gloria Steinem, X by Sue Grafton, THE HEART GOES LAST by Margaret Atwood, and THE RACE FOR PARIS by Meg Waite Clayton (a Bets On pick when it released in hardcover).

We've updated our Reading Roundup feature. Indie Next's titles for August include THE BOOK THAT MATTERS MOST, an enthralling novel about love, loss, secrets, friendship and the healing power of literature, by Ann Hood (book groups will enjoy this one as a book group is at the center of it); and Scott Stambach's THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF IVAN ISAENKO, a hilarious, heartwrenching and powerful debut about a disabled boy who finds love and hope in a Russian hospital. LibraryReads is spotlighting Fiona Davis' riveting debut, THE DOLLHOUSE, about New York City's famed Barbizon Hotel for Women, where a generation of aspiring models, secretaries and editors lived side-by-side while attempting to claw their way to fairy-tale success in the 1950s (I love this one, and it will be a Bets On selection); and THE CITY BAKER'S GUIDE TO COUNTRY LIVING by Louise Miller, a warm, full-hearted novel about a big-city baker who discovers the true meaning of home, and that sometimes the best things are found when you didn’t even know you were looking.

I wanted to make sure to mention “The Boys of ’36,” which premiered last Tuesday on PBS as part of their “American Experience” series. The one-hour documentary, which is based on Daniel James Brown's 2013 bestseller, THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, tells the story of nine working-class young men from the University of Washington who took the rowing world and America by storm when they captured the gold medal at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. If you missed Tuesday’s airing, you can watch the entire program on the PBS site here.

Also hitting the screen this month is A Man Called Ove, based on the bestselling Fredrik Backman novel about a grumpy old man and the unexpected friendship that changes his life. This film was released in the writer’s native Sweden back in 2015 and we’re finally getting a chance to see it in the US, which should alleviate some of the confusion over how to pronounce “Ove”! If you were wrong, don’t worry --- you’re not alone; here is a charming YouTube video that proves the struggle is real. And if you’re craving more Backman content, here’s a link to all his videos.

Our websites have had some perplexing tech issues over the last few days. So please be patient if you are clicking around and things are slow to load. We have a few chin scratchers going on!

Here's to savoring summer with all its mixed-up plans and making memories. We’ll be back mid-month with an update for all of you who receive our Registered Book Group newsletter. For others, we will see you in September, after Labor Day!

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])

P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping for books, if you use the store links below, ReadingGroupGuides.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
 

Kristin Hannah's mega-bestselling THE NIGHTINGALE has been on the New York Times bestseller list for 72 weeks --- and counting! We're so thrilled by its success that we're giving 350(!) readers the chance to win a copy. Whether you still haven't read it or you're looking for a good reason to read it again, now is a great time to win this powerful World War II story. To enter, please fill out this form by Wednesday, September 7th at noon ET.

THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)
In love we find out who we want to be.

In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France...but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious 18-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can...completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.

With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war. THE NIGHTINGALE tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France --- a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
-Click here to read a Q&A with the author.
-Click here to read why we're betting you'll love this book.
 

We are celebrating Martha Hall Kelly's remarkable debut, LILAC GIRLS --- an incredible story of love, redemption and terrible secrets, set during World War II --- with a special contest that will give 25 readers the chance to win a copy of the book. To enter, please fill out this form by Wednesday, September 7th at noon ET.

LILAC GIRLS by Martha Hall Kelly (Historical Fiction)
Inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine, this powerful debut novel reveals an incredible story of love, redemption and terrible secrets that were hidden for decades.

New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939 --- and then sets its sights on France.

An ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she is drawn deeper into her role as courier for the underground resistance movement. In a tense atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbors, one false move can have dire consequences.

For the ambitious young German doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position seems her ticket out of a desolate life. Once hired, though, she finds herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power.

The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. Their stories cross continents --- from New York to Paris, Germany and Poland --- as Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten.

In LILAC GIRLS, Martha Hall Kelly has crafted a remarkable novel of unsung women and their quest for love, freedom and second chances. It is a story that will keep readers bonded with the characters, searching for the truth, until the final pages.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
-Click here to read why we're betting you'll love this book.
 

In anticipation of the September release of his latest book, A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW, we're giving three groups the chance to win 12 copies of Amor Towles' New York Times bestselling RULES OF CIVILITY --- his beguiling debut about a young woman whose life is on the brink of transformation. To enter, please fill out this form by Wednesday, September 7th at noon ET.

RULES OF CIVILITY by Amor Towles (Historical Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling novel that “enchants on first reading and only improves on the second” (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Coming this fall, A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW --- the highly anticipated new novel from Amor Towles.

This sophisticated and entertaining first novel presents the story of a young woman whose life is on the brink of transformation. On the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a second-rate Greenwich Village jazz bar when Tinker Grey, a handsome banker, happens to sit down at the neighboring table. This chance encounter and its startling consequences propel Katey on a year-long journey into the upper echelons of New York society --- where she will have little to rely upon other than a bracing wit and her own brand of cool nerve. With its sparkling depiction of New York’s social strata, its intricate imagery and themes, and its immensely appealing characters, RULES OF CIVILITY won the hearts of readers and critics alike.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
-Click here to read why we're betting you'll love this book.
 

BEFORE THE FALL by Noah Hawley (Fiction)
From the Emmy, PEN, Peabody, Critics' Choice and Golden Globe Award-winning creator of the TV show "Fargo" comes the thriller of the year.

On a foggy summer night, 11 people --- 10 privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter --- depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs --- the painter --- and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul's family.

With chapters weaving between the aftermath of the crash and the backstories of the passengers and crew members --- including a Wall Street titan and his wife, a Texan-born party boy just in from London, a young woman questioning her path in life, and a career pilot --- the mystery surrounding the tragedy heightens. As the passengers' intrigues unravel, odd coincidences point to a conspiracy. Was it merely by dumb chance that so many influential people perished? Or was something far more sinister at work? Events soon threaten to spiral out of control in an escalating storm of media outrage and accusations. And while Scott struggles to cope with fame that borders on notoriety, the authorities scramble to salvage the truth from the wreckage.

Amid pulse-quickening suspense, the fragile relationship between Scott and the young boy glows at the heart of this stunning novel, raising questions of fate, human nature and the inextricable ties that bind us together.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
-Click here to read why we're betting you'll love this book.
 

GOOD AS GONE by Amy Gentry (Suspense/Thriller)
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.

Propulsive 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.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
 

Each month, we ask book groups to share the titles they are reading that month and rate them. From all entries, three winners will be selected, and each will win 12 copies of that month’s prize book for their group. Note: To be eligible to win, let us know the title of the book that YOUR book group is CURRENTLY reading, NOT the title we are giving away.

This month's prize book is A CERTAIN AGE --- a beguiling reinterpretation of Richard Strauss’ comic opera Der Rosenkavalier, set against the sweeping decadence of Gatsby’s New York --- from Beatriz Williams, the bestselling author of A HUNDRED SUMMERS. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, September 7th at noon ET.

A CERTAIN AGE by Beatriz Williams (Historical Fiction)
The bestselling author of A HUNDRED SUMMERS brings the Roaring Twenties brilliantly to life in this enchanting and compulsively readable tale of intrigue, romance and scandal in New York Society, brimming with lush atmosphere, striking characters and irresistible charm.

As the freedom of the Jazz Age transforms New York City, the iridescent Mrs. Theresa Marshall of Fifth Avenue and Southampton, Long Island, has done the unthinkable: she’s fallen in love with her young paramour, Captain Octavian Rofrano, a handsome aviator and hero of the Great War. An intense and deeply honorable man, Octavian is devoted to the beautiful socialite of a certain age and wants to marry her. While times are changing and she does adore the Boy, divorce for a woman of Theresa’s wealth and social standing is out of the question, and there is no need; she has an understanding with Sylvo, her generous and well-respected philanderer husband.

But their relationship subtly shifts when her bachelor brother, Ox, decides to tie the knot with the sweet younger daughter of a newly wealthy inventor. Engaging a longstanding family tradition, Theresa enlists the Boy to act as her brother’s cavalier, presenting the family’s diamond rose ring to Ox’s intended, Miss Sophie Fortescue --- and to check into the background of the little-known Fortescue family. When Octavian meets Sophie, he falls under the spell of the pretty ingénue, even as he uncovers a shocking family secret. As the love triangle of Theresa, Octavian and Sophie progresses, it transforms into a saga of divided loyalties, dangerous revelations and surprising twists that will lead to a shocking transgression...and eventually force Theresa to make a bittersweet choice.

Full of the glamour, wit and delicious twists that are the hallmarks of Beatriz Williams’ fiction and alternating between Sophie’s spirited voice and Theresa’s vibrant timbre, A CERTAIN AGE is a beguiling reinterpretation of Richard Strauss’ comic opera Der Rosenkavalier, set against the sweeping decadence of Gatsby’s New York.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
-Click here to read a Q&A with the author.
 

Summer is here! 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 August 25th, 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.

This year's featured titles include:

• AFTER YOU by Jojo Moyes
• AGE OF CONSENT by Marti Leimbach
• ALL IS NOT FORGOTTEN by Wendy Walker
• ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD by Caroline Angell
• THE ALLIANCE by Jolina Petersheim
• BACHELOR UNFORGIVING by Brenda Jackson
• BEFORE THE FALL by Noah Hawley
• BEHOLD THE DREAMERS by Imbolo Mbue
• BEN-HUR: A Tale of the Christ by Carol Wallace
• BLUEPRINTS by Barbara Delinsky
• BUKOWSKI IN A SUNDRESS: Confessions from a Writing Life by Kim Addonizio
• CIRCLING THE SUN by Paula McLain
• CLEAR TO LIFT by Anne A. Wilson
• THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR by Shari Lapena
• DAUGHTERS OF THE BRIDE by Susan Mallery
• THE DAY OF THE DONALD: Trump Trumps America! by Andrew Shaffer
• DEAD WAKE: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson
• DECEPTION ISLAND by Brynn Kelly
• DETROIT HUSTLE: A Memoir of Love, Life and Home by Amy Haimerl
• DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY by Bill Clegg
• DISCOVERING YOU: A Whiskey Creek Novel by Brenda Novak
• THE DOLLHOUSE by Fiona Davis
• AN ELEGANT FAÇADE: Hawthorne House, Book 2 by Kristi Ann Hunter
• ENCHANTED AUGUST by Brenda Bowen
• FIRST COMES LOVE by Emily Giffin
• THE GIRLS by Emma Cline
• A GIRL’S GUIDE TO MOVING ON by Debbie Macomber
• THE GOLDEN AGE by Joan London
• GOOD AS GONE by Amy Gentry
• HOUSE OF THIEVES by Charles Belfoure
• HOW TO START A FIRE by Lisa Lutz
• THE JAPANESE LOVER by Isabel Allende
• JUST LIFE by Neil Abramson
• KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST by J. Ryan Stradal
• THE LAKE HOUSE by Kate Morton
• LILAC GIRLS by Martha Hall Kelly
• MAGICAL JUNGLE: An Inky Expedition and Coloring Book for Adults by Johanna Basford
• MARLENE by C. W. Gortner
• THE MERMAID'S SECRET by Katie Schickel
• MISSING PIECES by Heather Gudenkauf
• MURDER ON THE QUAI: An Aimée Leduc Investigation by Cara Black
• THE NURSES: A Year of Secrets, Drama, and Miracles with the Heroes of the Hospital by Alexandra Robbins
• RULES OF CIVILITY by Amor Towles
• SLEEPLESS IN MANHATTAN by Sarah Morgan
• SOBER STICK FIGURE: A Memoir by Amber Tozer
• STRANGER, FATHER, BELOVED by Taylor Larsen
• SWEET TOMORROWS: A Rose Harbor Novel by Debbie Macomber
• A TAPESTRY OF SECRETS by Sarah Loudin Thomas
• TWAIN'S END by Lynn Cullen
• UNDER THE HARROW by Flynn Berry
• THE WEEKENDERS by Mary Kay Andrews
• WHEN WE MEET AGAIN by Kristin Harmel
• THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 by Ruth Ware
   

We are celebrating the September 6th release of MANITOU CANYON, the 15th installment in book group favorite William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Connor series, with a very special contest. One grand prize winner will receive all 15 books in the series, including a hardcover copy of MANITOU CANYON, plus the eBook THE WORLD OF CORK O'CONNOR: A Look Behind the Pages of the Beloved Mystery Series. Thirty-five second prize winners will be awarded the first book in the series, IRON LAKE, and THE WORLD OF CORK O'CONNOR. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, August 25th at noon ET.

Book 15: MANITOU CANYON
Not long before his daughter's November wedding, Cork O'Connor takes a case to find a man who has gone missing in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. As days pass with no word from Cork, his family anxiously awaits his return. They fly by floatplane to the lake where the missing man was last seen. Locating Cork's campsite, there is no sign of their father --- just blood, and a lot of it. With an early winter storm on the horizon, it's a race against time as Cork's family struggles to uncover the mystery behind these disappearances.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.

Book 1: IRON LAKE
Part Irish, part Anishinaabe Indian, Corcoran "Cork" O'Connor is the former sheriff of Aurora, MN. Once a cop on Chicago's South Side, there's not much that can shock him. But when the town's judge is brutally murdered, and a young Eagle Scout is reported missing, Cork takes on a mind-jolting case of conspiracy, corruption and scandal. As a lakeside blizzard buries Aurora, Cork must dig out the truth among town officials who seem dead-set on stopping his investigation in its tracks. But even Cork freezes up when faced with the harshest enemy of all: a small-town secret that hits painfully close to home.

-Click here to read more about the book.

THE WORLD OF CORK O'CONNOR: A Look Behind the Pages of the Beloved Mystery Series
In this helpful reader’s companion, readers can gain new insight into how the series has evolved book after book, how Cork O’Connor came to exist as a character, and how Minnesota’s great Northwoods proved to be as important to the books as any human character William Kent Krueger created. You’ll find a brief description of each book in the series, a concordance of the characters introduced in each book, and a tantalizing excerpt. THE WORLD OF CORK O'CONNOR provides an overview of an extraordinary body of work that only gets richer over time, and a glimpse into the mind of a gifted writer.

-Click here to read more about the book.
 

August’s roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes THE HEART GOES LAST by Margaret Atwood, a vivid, urgent vision of development and decay, freedom and surveillance, struggle and hope --- and the timeless workings of the human heart; HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN, a thrilling entry in James Lee Burke's Holland family saga that tells the story of a father and son separated by war, circumstance and a race for the Holy Grail; and THE RACE FOR PARIS, a World War II novel from Meg Waite Clayton about two American journalists and an Englishman, who together race the Allies to Occupied Paris for the scoop of their lives.

Nonfiction highlights include MY LIFE ON THE ROAD, a candid account of Gloria Steinem's life as a traveler, a listener and a catalyst for change; THE GRATITUDE DIARIES, in which Janice Kaplan spends a year living gratefully and transforms her marriage, family life, work and health; SHOWDOWN, a biography by Wil Haygood that details the life and career of Thurgood Marshall, one of the most transformative legal minds of the past hundred years; and GOLDENEYE, in which Matthew Parker explores the huge influence of Jamaica on the creation of Ian Fleming’s iconic post-war hero, James Bond.

-Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of August 1st, August 8th, August 15th, August 22nd and August 29th.

 

Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What You're Reading --- and You Can Win Two Books!

Tell us about the books you’ve finished reading with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from August 5th to August 19th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of A HOUSE WITHOUT WINDOWS by Nadia Hashimi and STING by Sandra Brown.

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.

-Click here to enter the contest.
-To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.


Sounding Off on Audio Contest: Tell Us What You're Listening to --- and You Can Win Two Audiobooks!

Tell us about the audiobooks you’ve finished listening to with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for both the performance and the content. During the contest period from August 1st to September 6th at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Imbolo Mbue's BEHOLD THE DREAMERS, read by Prentice Onayemi, and Fiona Davis' THE DOLLHOUSE, read by Tavia Gilbert.

To make sure other readers will be able to find the audiobook, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For complete rules and guidelines, click here.

-Click here to enter the contest.
-To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.

 

Each month, we share top book picks from Indie Next and LibraryReads, as well as the Target Book Club title and Pennie's Pick for Costco.

Indie Next's top titles for August include THE BOOK THAT MATTERS MOST, an enthralling novel about love, loss, secrets, friendship and the healing power of literature, by Ann Hood, the bestselling author of THE KNITTING CIRCLE; BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, debut author B. A. Paris' tightly wound psychological thriller about the perfect couple who are not what they seem; and Scott Stambach's THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF IVAN ISAENKO, a hilarious, heartwrenching and powerful debut about a disabled boy who finds love and hope in a Russian hospital.

LibraryReads is spotlighting A GREAT RECKONING, the 12th book in Louise Penny's #1 New York Times bestselling series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, which finds the inspector teamed up with tattooed cadet Amelia Choquet; Fiona Davis' riveting debut, THE DOLLHOUSE, about New York City's famed Barbizon Hotel for Women, where a generation of aspiring models, secretaries, and editors lived side-by-side while attempting to claw their way to fairy-tale success in the 1950s; and THE CITY BAKER'S GUIDE TO COUNTRY LIVING by Louise Miller, a warm, full-hearted novel about a big-city baker who discovers the true meaning of home, and that sometimes the best things are found when you didn’t even know you were looking.
 

The following guides are now available on ReadingGroupGuides.com:

ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD by Caroline Angell (Fiction)
For fans of Jojo Moyes and Jonathan Tropper, ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD is an unforgettable debut about a young woman's choice between the future she's always imagined and the people she's come to love.

THE AMERICAN GIRL by Kate Horsley (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
From a bright new talent comes a riveting psychological thriller about an American exchange student in France involved in a suspicious accident, and the journalist determined to break the story and uncover the dark secrets a small town is hiding.

BEFORE THE FALL by Noah Hawley (Thriller)
A mysterious tragedy, an orphaned child, and an unlikely hero are at the heart of this year’s mesmerizing, runaway bestseller by “Fargo” creator Noah Hawley.

THE BONES OF PARADISE by Jonis Agee (Historical Fiction)
THE BONES OF PARADISE is a remarkable achievement: a mystery, a tragedy, a romance, and an unflagging exploration of the beauty and brutality, tenderness and cruelty that defined the settling of the American west.

A CERTAIN AGE by Beatriz Williams (Historical Fiction)
The bestselling author of A HUNDRED SUMMERS brings the Roaring Twenties brilliantly to life in this enchanting and compulsively readable tale of intrigue, romance and scandal in New York Society, brimming with lush atmosphere, striking characters and irresistible charm.

DAUGHTERS OF THE BRIDE by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
The Daughters of the Bride invite you to the most emotional wedding of the year…their mother's. Susan Mallery's signature cocktail: love, laughter and family drama!

HOME FIELD by Hannah Gersen (Fiction)
The heart of “Friday Night Lights” meets the emotional resonance and nostalgia of “My So-Called Life” in this utterly moving debut novel about tradition, family, love and football.

LILAC GIRLS by Martha Hall Kelly (Historical Fiction)
For readers of THE NIGHTINGALE and SARAH’S KEY, inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine, this remarkable debut novel reveals the power of unsung women to change history in their quest for love, freedom, and second chances.

A MANUAL FOR CLEANING WOMEN: Selected Stories by Lucia Berlin (Fiction/Short Stories)
Stories from a lost American classic "in the same arena as Alice Munro" (Lydia Davis).

PURITY by Jonathan Franzen (Fiction)
The New York Times bestseller from one of America's greatest living novelists.

RULES OF CIVILITY by Amor Towles (Historical Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling debut about a young woman whose life is on the brink of transformation that “enchants on first reading and only improves on the second” (The Philadelphia Inquirer).

SECRETS OF NANREATH HALL by Alix Rickloff (Historical Fiction)
SECRETS OF NANREATH HALL, a fascinating debut historical novel by Alix Rickloff, is the gripping story of a young mother who flees her home on the rocky cliffs of Cornwall and the daughter who finds her way back, seeking answers.

THIS IS NOT MY BEAUTIFUL LIFE by Victoria Fedden (Memoir)
If you think it sucks to live with your parents when you're 36 and nine months pregnant, just wait till the DEA comes knocking (with the IRS in tow). Welcome to Victoria Fedden's life.

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

ALL THE STARS IN THE HEAVENS by Adriana Trigiani (Historical Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling author of the blockbuster epic THE SHOEMAKER’S WIFE, Adriana Trigiani, returns with her biggest and boldest novel yet --- a spellbinding tale rooted in a true story and filled with her signature elements: family ties, artistry, romance and adventure.

CITY ON FIRE by Garth Risk Hallberg (Historical Fiction)
CITY ON FIRE is an unforgettable novel about love and betrayal and forgiveness, about art and truth and rock ’n’ roll: about what people need from each other in order to live...and about what makes the living worth doing in the first place.

FLOOD OF FIRE by Amitav Ghosh (Fiction)
FLOOD OF FIRE, an epic and sweeping story, is a richly populated novel, imbued with a wealth of historical detail, suffused with the magic of place, and plotted with verve. It is a beautiful novel.

MISSING PIECES by Heather Gudenkauf (Thriller)
A woman uncovers earth-shattering secrets about her husband's family in this chilling page-turner from New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf.
 

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