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Some Big Communal Book Discussions…and
Lots of Ideas for Your Personal Book Group
Last Wednesday, Barnes & Noble hosted book club events at their stores cross-country where readers gathered to discuss THE FEMALE PERSUASION by Meg Wolitzer. We loved the idea that people were convening across the country to talk about a book with their fellow readers.
Rebecca Munro, one of our staffers, attended the program here in New York. She shared this commentary: “Prompted by the questions included in the back of the special B&N edition, Meg discussed her inspiration for her characters, writing about two generations of feminism, and what she hoped readers would learn about female friendships and betrayals. When it came to writing about the different waves of feminism and how they affected women of each age, she humorously recounted how she would call her editor and, when being patched through by assistants, would stop to say, ‘Hey, thanks so much for patching me through, but first, what kind of feminist are you?’ Meg also shared some news about a film adaptation led by Nicole Kidman, which you can read more about here.”
By the way, the woman interviewing Meg in the photo above is Maya Gittelman, who runs events at B&N’s Upper West Side store; she interned with us for a while and currently reviews for Bookreporter.com, so it was fun to see her connecting here again. If you attended one of the book club discussions for THE FEMALE PERSUASION at your local B&N, we would love to hear about it from you.
Again, in the spirit of group reading, the PBS NewsHour-New York Times book club, “Now Read This,” has selected EDUCATED by Tara Westover as their latest pick. This brilliant memoir is one of my 2018 Bookreporter.com Bets On selections. You can become a member of their book club by joining their Facebook group, and you can learn more about the book club here. Interested in discussing the book with your own group? Then check out the book group discussion questions here.
And now to our update…
Beatriz Williams takes her readers back to sunny Florida and Prohibition-era Cocoa Beach in COCOA BEACH, which releases in paperback on May 15th and is this month’s “What’s Your Book Group Reading?” contest book.
Here, we are introduced to Virginia Fortescue, who flees her oppressive home in New York City for the battlefields of World War I France. She proceeds to fall in love with Captain Simon Fitzwilliam, but the dark secrets of his past will damage their eventual marriage. Five years later, Virginia, who is now a widow, arrives in Cocoa Beach, Florida, to settle her husband’s estate. However, she is not convinced that Simon died in the fire that destroyed the seaside home he built for her and their daughter, and is determined to uncover the truth, for the sake of the daughter Simon never met. Beatriz beautifully combines historically pitch-perfect details with a well-paced story. We see why so many readers have been binging on her books (calling it a "Beatriz Binge"), both alone and with their book groups.
We’re giving three readers the chance to win 12 copies of the paperback for their group. Be sure to fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, June 6th at noon ET. You can see the discussion guide here and our review on Bookreporter.com here.
In our previous “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest, here are the five books mentioned most frequently as titles that our book groups read: A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles, THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah, LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng, BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate, and SMALL GREAT THINGS by Jodi Picoult. Scroll further down the newsletter to see the Top 15.
We have two new featured guides to tell you about. First up is EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS by Meg Little Reilly, who follows up her debut novel, WE ARE UNPREPARED, with another gripping psychological thriller. Around midnight, three friends take their partying from bar to boat on a misty fall evening. Just as the weather deteriorates, one of them suddenly goes overboard. Is it an accident? The result of an unwanted advance? His body disappears quickly into the dark water, but his friends are in no hurry to notify the authorities. Minutes become hours become days as they hesitate, caught up in their guilt and hope that their friend has somehow made it safely to shore. As valuable time passes, they find themselves deep in a moral morass with huge implications as they struggle to move forward and live with their dark secret. Click here for the guide; it sounds like there will be lots to discuss with this one!
Our second featured guide is for THE ESSEX SERPENT, Sarah Perry’s American debut that received a great deal of attention and many accolades upon its release in hardcover last June. If you missed it, now’s your chance to find out what all the buzz was about, as it’s now available in paperback. In the wake of her husband's death, Cora Seaborne leaves London for a visit to coastal Essex. There, she learns of an intriguing rumor of a fearsome creature said to roam the marshes claiming human lives. After nearly 300 years, the mythical Essex Serpent is said to have returned, taking the life of a young man on New Year’s Eve. Cora is certain that what the local people think is a magical sea beast may be a previously undiscovered species. Eager to investigate, she is introduced to local vicar William Ransome, who is convinced that the rumors are caused by moral panic. These seeming opposites soon find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart --- an intense relationship that will change both of their lives in entirely unexpected ways. See the guide here.
This update features SEVEN more books: MISS SUBWAYS, in which David Duchovny reimagines the Irish mythological figure of Emer in a New York City setting; OUR KIND OF CRUELTY, Araminta Hall’s debut novel of psychological suspense about desire and obsession, and the complicated lines between truth and perception; MY OXFORD YEAR by Julia Whelan (a major motion picture based on the book is already in development); THE ELECTRIC WOMAN, Tessa Fontaine’s memoir of her time on the road with the last traveling American sideshow and her relationship with an adventurous, spirited mother; TWO STEPS FORWARD, Graeme Simsion’s first published collaboration with his wife, Anne Buist; REGRETS ONLY by Erin Duffy (I just loved Erin’s debut novel, BOND GIRL); and SAME BEACH, NEXT YEAR by Dorothea Benton Frank (Dottie Frank, as we like to call her around here), which is now available in paperback.
Our latest poll question revolves around “The Great American Read,” which we talked about in the last newsletter. This eight-part series on PBS, premiering Tuesday, May 22nd, focuses on America’s 100 best-loved novels. Throughout the course of the series, viewers can vote for their favorites among the 100, and the top best-loved novel in America will be revealed in October. Are you planning to watch this series and participate in the voting? Let us know by clicking here!
We’re also curious as to how many of these 100 books you have read, so we created a survey for you to complete. Take a look at the list of titles here and check off the ones you have read by May 22nd at noon ET. We’ll share the top picks with you in our second newsletter of the month, which will go out later that week.
Our previous poll asked which of 10 paperbacks releasing last month you have read or plan to read with your group. THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE by Lisa See received the most votes (53%), followed by KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (35%), THE GOOD DAUGHTER by Karin Slaughter (20%), and SECRETS OF THE TULIP SISTERS by Susan Mallery (14%). Click here for all the results.
This is your last newsletter reminder to sign up for our Speed Dating Event at this year's BookExpo, which will take place on Friday, June 1st from 2pm to 3:50pm at the Javits Center. Representatives from 24(!) publishers will be in attendance to share selections and book group news from their publishing houses in a speed-dating format. Click here for all the details and to sign up by Monday, May 21st at noon ET. To attend this special speed dating session, you must be registered to attend BookExpo on June 1st and have a badge. If you are not, click here to register.
Over on Bookreporter.com, we have our ongoing Word of Mouth and Sounding Off on Audio contests, where you can win some fabulous hardcovers and audiobooks. Also, time is running out to enter our Mother’s Day contest, where five readers will win 15 books for themselves or the mothers in their lives. Scroll further down the newsletter for details on each of these contests.
And don’t miss Bookreporter.com’s Mother’s Day Author Blog series, which we’ve brought back for a ninth year. Once again, we are sharing pieces from authors who reminisce about reading books with their moms, or with their own children, and talk about how their moms influenced them to become readers and writers. This year’s contributors are Janelle Brown, Julie Clark, Abby Fabiaschi, Lisa Genova, Karen White, Lisa Wingate and Brianna Wolfson. We are featuring one blog post a day leading up to Mother’s Day weekend. You may want to consider “binge reading” all seven pieces on Mother’s Day!
Betsy, one of our readers, wrote in with a question about a book. We are stumped on which one it is, so we are reaching out to you to see if you can help with the title: “It's a recently published book that I read something about in the last several months in a magazine (Parade? AARP? Another?); it was too new to be in my library system, so I went onto Amazon, I thought, to put it on my Wish List as a reminder to check with the library in a few months. But now I can't locate it on my (long) Wish List. Anyway, here's what I remember about the short paragraph summary: Set in Nazi-occupied Paris, it's about a family(?) who lived in a hidden subbasement in a house for at least a year or more. One member of the family may have lived in the open. I believe that it's fiction but based on real events.” Do any of our readers know this book?
Happy Mother’s Day to those who will be celebrating! And our thoughts are with those whose moms are missed as they are no longer with them, especially those experiencing this for the first time this year.
Onward to a great book group discussion this month!
Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, ReadingGroupGuides.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of COCOA BEACH
by Beatriz Williams for Your Group
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 the paperback edition of COCOA BEACH by Beatriz Williams, an enchanting blend of love, suspense, betrayal and redemption set among the rumrunners and scoundrels of Prohibition-era Cocoa Beach. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, June 6th at noon ET.
COCOA BEACH by Beatriz Williams (Historical Fiction)
Burdened by a dark family secret, Virginia Fortescue flees her oppressive home in New York City for the battlefields of World War I France. While an ambulance driver for the Red Cross, she meets a charismatic British army surgeon whose persistent charm opens her heart to the possibility of love. As the war rages, Virginia falls into a passionate affair with the dashing Captain Simon Fitzwilliam, only to discover that his past has its own dark secrets --- secrets that will damage their eventual marriage and propel her back across the Atlantic to the sister and father she left behind.
Five years later, in the early days of Prohibition, the newly widowed Virginia Fitzwilliam arrives in the tropical boomtown of Cocoa Beach, Florida, to settle her husband’s estate. Despite the evidence, Virginia does not believe Simon perished in the fire that destroyed the seaside home he built for her and their young daughter. Separated from her husband since the early days of their marriage, the headstrong Virginia plans to uncover the truth, for the sake of the daughter Simon never met.
Simon’s brother and sister welcome her with open arms and introduce her to a dazzling new world of citrus groves, white beaches, bootleggers and Prohibition agents. But Virginia senses a predatory presence lurking beneath the irresistible, hedonistic surface of this coastal oasis. The more she learns about Simon and his mysterious business interests, the more she fears that the dangers that surrounded Simon now threaten her and their daughter’s life as well.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Featured Guide: EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS
by Meg Little Reilly
EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS by Meg Little Reilly (Psychological Suspense)
For fans of Megan Abbott and Chris Bohjalian comes a novel of moral complexity about friends who must choose between self-preservation and doing the right thing in the wake of a fatal boating accident. Set in the moody off-season of Martha’s Vineyard, EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS is a plunge into the dark waters of secrets and flexible morals. The truth becomes whatever we say it is…
Around midnight, three friends take their partying from bar to boat on a misty fall evening. Just as the weather deteriorates, one of them suddenly and confusingly goes overboard. Is it an accident? The result of an unwanted advance? His body disappears quickly, silently, into the dark water. The circumstances are murky, but what is clear is that the other two need to notify the authorities. Minutes become hours become days as they hesitate, caught up in their guilt and hope that their friend has somehow made it safely to shore. As valuable time passes, they find themselves deep in a moral morass with huge implications as they struggle to move forward and live with their dark secret.
Click here for the featured guide.
New Featured Guide:
THE ESSEX SERPENT by Sarah Perry
Now Available in Paperback
THE ESSEX SERPENT by Sarah Perry (Historical Gothic Fiction)
When Cora Seaborne’s brilliant, domineering husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness: her marriage was not a happy one. Wed at 19, this woman of exceptional intelligence and curiosity was ill-suited for the role of society wife. Seeking refuge in fresh air and open space in the wake of the funeral, Cora leaves London for a visit to coastal Essex, accompanied by her inquisitive and obsessive 11-year old son, Francis, and the boy’s nanny, Martha, her fiercely protective friend.
While admiring the sites, Cora learns of an intriguing rumor that has arisen further up the estuary, of a fearsome creature said to roam the marshes claiming human lives. After nearly 300 years, the mythical Essex Serpent is said to have returned, taking the life of a young man on New Year’s Eve. A keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, Cora is immediately enthralled, and certain that what the local people think is a magical sea beast may be a previously undiscovered species. Eager to investigate, she is introduced to local vicar William Ransome. Will, too, is suspicious of the rumors. But unlike Cora, this man of faith is convinced the rumors are caused by moral panic, a flight from true belief.
These seeming opposites who agree on nothing soon find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart --- an intense relationship that will change both of their lives in ways entirely unexpected.
Hailed by Sarah Waters as "a work of great intelligence and charm, by a hugely talented author," THE ESSEX SERPENT is "irresistible...you can feel the influences of Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, and Hilary Mantel channeled by Perry in some sort of Victorian séance. This is the best new novel I’ve read in years" (Daily Telegraph).
Click here for the featured guide.
May’s Reading Roundup: Top Picks from
Indie Next, LibraryReads, Target and Costco
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.
This month's Indie Next titles include WARLIGHT, Michael Ondaatje’s new novel that tells a dramatic story set in the decade after World War II through the lives of a small group of unexpected characters and two teenagers whose lives are indelibly shaped by their unwitting involvement; THE PERFECT MOTHER by Aimee Molloy, a buzzworthy psychological thriller about a group of women whose lives become unexpectedly connected when one of their newborns goes missing; and MR. FLOOD'S LAST RESORT by Jess Kidd, the spellbinding tale of a lonely caregiver and a cranky hoarder with a house full of secrets.
LibraryReads is spotlighting THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY, Ruth Ware’s highly anticipated fourth novel about a tarot card reader who mistakenly receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance; LOVE AND RUIN, in which Paula McLain (THE PARIS WIFE) returns to the subject of Ernest Hemingway in a novel about his passionate, stormy marriage to Martha Gellhorn; and THE FAVORITE SISTER by Jessica Knoll, a thriller starring two sisters who join the cast of a reality TV series. One won’t make it out alive. So...who did it?
May’s Target Book Club title is WATCH ME DISAPPEAR by Janelle Brown, and Pennie's Pick for Costco is LEOPARD AT THE DOOR by Jennifer McVeigh.
Click here for the complete roundup.
Our Most Popular Book Group Selections for April’s "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest
New Guide: MISS SUBWAYS by David Duchovny
MISS SUBWAYS by David Duchovny (Fantasy/Humor)
Emer is just a woman living in New York City who takes the subway, buys ice cream from the bodega on the corner, has writerly aspirations, and lives with her boyfriend, Con. But is this life she lives the only path she’s on?
Taking inspiration from the myth of Emer and Cuchulain and featuring an all-star cast of mythical figures from all over the world, David Duchovny’s darkly funny fantasy novel is one woman’s trippy, mystical journey down parallel tracks of time and love. On the way, Emer will battle natural and supernatural forces to find her true voice, power and destiny. A fairy tale of love lost and regained, MISS SUBWAYS is also a love letter to the city that enchants us all: New York.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: OUR KIND OF CRUELTY by Araminta Hall
OUR KIND OF CRUELTY by Araminta Hall (Psychological Thriller)
This is a love story. Mike’s love story.
Mike Hayes fought his way out of a brutal childhood and into a quiet, if lonely, life before he met Verity Metcalf. V taught him about love, and in return, Mike has dedicated his life to making her happy. He’s found the perfect home, the perfect job; he’s sculpted himself into the physical ideal V has always wanted. He knows they’ll be blissfully happy together.
It doesn’t matter that she hasn’t been returning his emails or phone calls.
It doesn’t matter that she says she’s marrying Angus.
It’s all just part of the secret game they used to play. If Mike watches V closely, he’ll see the signs. If he keeps track of her every move, he’ll know just when to come to her rescue.
A spellbinding, darkly twisted novel about desire and obsession, and the complicated lines between truth and perception, OUR KIND OF CRUELTY introduces Araminta Hall, a chilling new voice in psychological suspense.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: MY OXFORD YEAR by Julia Whelan
MY OXFORD YEAR by Julia Whelan (Fiction)
Set amidst the breathtaking beauty of Oxford, this sparkling debut novel tells the unforgettable story of a determined young woman eager to make her mark in the world and the handsome man who introduces her to an incredible love that will irrevocably alter her future --- perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes and Nicholas Sparks.
American Ella Durran has had the same plan for her life since she was 13: Study at Oxford. At 24, she’s finally made it to England on a Rhodes Scholarship when she’s offered an unbelievable position in a rising political star’s presidential campaign. With the promise that she’ll work remotely and return to DC at the end of her Oxford year, she’s free to enjoy her Once in a Lifetime Experience. That is, until a smart-mouthed local who is too quick with his tongue and his car ruins her shirt and her first day.
When Ella discovers that her English literature course will be taught by none other than that same local, Jamie Davenport, she thinks for the first time that Oxford might not be all she’s envisioned. But a late-night drink reveals a connection she wasn’t anticipating finding, and what begins as a casual fling soon develops into something much more when Ella learns Jamie has a life-changing secret.
Immediately, Ella is faced with a seemingly impossible decision: turn her back on the man she’s falling in love with to follow her political dreams or be there for him during a trial neither are truly prepared for. As the end of her year in Oxford rapidly approaches, Ella must decide if the dreams she’s always wanted are the same ones she’s now yearning for.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE ELECTRIC WOMAN by Tessa Fontaine
THE ELECTRIC WOMAN: A Memoir in Death-Defying Acts by Tessa Fontaine (Memoir)
When her 64-year-old mother, Teresa, suffered “as big and bad a stroke as you can have and still be alive,” Tessa Fontaine entered a nightmare of wrenching uncertainty. Three years later, severely disabled but still possessing a spark of her former vitality, Teresa and her husband set out on an ambitious journey. Their itinerary called for them to cross the country by train, and then to cross the ocean by ship, culminating in a long-dreamed-of, long-postponed romantic sojourn in Italy. Worried about the travel calamities that surely awaited her mom, Tessa was nonetheless suddenly released from caretaking. So she decided to set out on her own extraordinary journey --- a path that led her to the last traveling American sideshow.
After bluffing her way into the World of Wonders, Tessa soon learned the art of eating fire, escaping from handcuffs, charming snakes, and swallowing swords. In THE ELECTRIC WOMAN, she brings to life the intense camaraderie and exhilarating triumphs she experienced in the carnival world despite a grueling, hardscrabble life on the road. Her relationship with her free-spirited mom had always been strained, but spending a season with people who embrace the impossible brought Tessa’s appreciation and love for her family clearly into focus.
A true story of vanquishing fear while championing change, THE ELECTRIC WOMAN will transform the way you see life itself.
Click here for the discussion guide.
May’s New in Paperback Roundups on Bookreporter.com
May’s roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes the National Book Award winner SING, UNBURIED, SING by Jesmyn Ward, the story of a family on a journey through rural Mississippi; A LEGACY OF SPIES, John le Carré's first novel to feature George Smiley of the British Secret Service in more than 25 years; the psychological thriller THE BREAKDOWN, B. A. Paris' follow-up to her debut, the instant New York Times bestseller BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, which poses the intriguing question: If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?; and LESS by Andrew Sean Greer, the winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, in which a struggling novelist travels the world to avoid an awkward wedding.
Among our nonfiction highlights are HILLBILLY ELEGY, J. D. Vance's passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis --- that of white working-class Americans; THEFT BY FINDING, the first of two volumes in which David Sedaris shares with the world his private writings from a diary he has kept for over 40 years; MOCKINGBIRD SONGS, a collection of letters between Harper Lee and Wayne Flint, one of her closest friends, that reveals the famously private writer as never before, in her own words; and Thomas Oliphant and Curtis Wilkie's THE ROAD TO CAMELOT, a behind-the-scenes, revelatory account of John F. Kennedy’s wily campaign to the White House, beginning with his bold, failed attempt to win the vice presidential nomination in 1956.
Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of
April 30th, May 7th, May 14th, May 21st and May 28th.
Bookreporter.com's Mother's Day Contest
and Author Blogs
Bookreporter.com's 13th Annual Mother's Day Contest
Mother’s Day is a time to recognize the woman who raised and nurtured us. To celebrate, we're giving you the opportunity to win books for yourself or the special lady in your life in our 13th annual "Books Mom Will Love" contest. From now through Monday, May 14th at noon ET, readers can enter to win one of our five prize packages, which includes 15 great fiction and nonfiction titles we think moms will love.
Click here to enter the contest.
2018 Mother's Day Author Blogs
Our Mother's Day Author Blogs are back for a ninth year! Once again, we are excited to be sharing pieces from authors who reminisce about reading books with their moms, or with their own children, and talk about how their moms influenced them to become readers and writers. This year’s contributors are Janelle Brown, Julie Clark, Abby Fabiaschi, Lisa Genova, Karen White, Lisa Wingate and Brianna Wolfson.
Click here to read this year's Mother's Day Author Blogs.
Enter Our Ongoing Bookreporter.com Contests:
"Word of Mouth" and "Sounding Off on Audio"
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 April 27th to May 11th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of BEAUTY IN THE BROKEN PLACES: A Memoir of Love, Faith, and Resilience by Allison Pataki and THE HIGH TIDE CLUB by Mary Kay Andrews.
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.
Please note: A new Word of Mouth contest will be up
on Friday, May 11th at noon ET.
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 May 1st to June 4th at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Ruth Ware's THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY, read by Imogen Church, and Stephen King's THE OUTSIDER, read by Will Patton.
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.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
THE ELECTRIC WOMAN: A Memoir in Death-Defying Acts by Tessa Fontaine (Memoir)
Tessa Fontaine’s astonishing memoir of pushing past fear, THE ELECTRIC WOMAN, follows the author on a life-affirming journey of loss and self-discovery --- through her time on the road with the last traveling American sideshow and her relationship with an adventurous, spirited mother.
THE ESSEX SERPENT by Sarah Perry (Historical Gothic Fiction)
An exquisitely talented young British author makes her American debut with this rapturously acclaimed historical novel, set in late 19th-century England, about an intellectually minded young widow, a pious vicar and a rumored mythical serpent that explores questions about science and religion, skepticism, and faith, independence and love.
EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS by Meg Little Reilly (Psychological Suspense)
For fans of Megan Abbott and Chris Bohjalian comes a novel of moral complexity about how three friends --- and lovers --- in their 20s must choose between self-preservation and doing what’s right in the wake of a fatal accident. A split second decision will haunt them forever…
THE FEMALE PERSUASION by Meg Wolitzer (Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of THE INTERESTINGS comes an electric, multilayered novel about ambition, power, friendship and mentorship, and the romantic ideals we all follow deep into adulthood --- not just about who we want to be with, but who we want to be.
THE FIFTH LETTER by Nicola Moriarty (Fiction)
Nicola Moriarty makes her US debut with this stunning page-turner for fans of Jojo Moyes, Emily Giffin, Kate Morton and Jessica Knoll, about four best friends on a relaxing vacation that turns devastating when old secrets are revealed, long-held grudges surface, and a shattering betrayal is discovered that shakes the foundation of their lives.
MISS SUBWAYS by David Duchovny (Fantasy/Humor)
New York Times bestselling author David Duchovny reimagines the Irish mythological figure of Emer in MISS SUBWAYS, a darkly comic fantasy love story set in New York City.
MY OXFORD YEAR by Julia Whelan (Fiction)
In her sparkling debut, Julia Whelan crafts an incredible love story --- set amongst the breathtaking beauty of Oxford --- about a determined, intelligent young woman eager to make her mark in the world, a handsome man with secrets he never wants to share, and a love that entangles and refuses to let them go unscathed.
OUR KIND OF CRUELTY by Araminta Hall (Psychological Thriller)
A spellbinding, darkly twisted novel about desire and obsession, and the complicated lines between truth and perception, OUR KIND OF CRUELTY introduces Araminta Hall, a chilling new voice in psychological suspense.
REGRETS ONLY by Erin Duffy (Fiction)
From the author of BOND GIRL and LOST ALONG THE WAY comes a fiercely funny, insightful story of marriage, family and the crooked path to figuring out who we really are.
TWO STEPS FORWARD by Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist (Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of THE ROSIE PROJECT comes a story of taking chances and learning to love again as two people, one mourning her husband and the other recovering from divorce, cross paths on the centuries-old Camino pilgrimage from France to Spain.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
COCOA BEACH by Beatriz Williams (Historical Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling author of A CERTAIN AGE transports readers to sunny Florida in this lush and enthralling historical novel --- an enchanting blend of love, suspense, betrayal and redemption set among the rumrunners and scoundrels of Prohibition-era Cocoa Beach.
MRS. FLETCHER by Tom Perrotta (Fiction)
In this New York Times bestselling novel, Tom Perrotta, whom Time calls “the Steinbeck of suburbia,” delivers a penetrating and hilarious novel about sex, love and identity on the frontlines of America’s culture wars.
SAME BEACH, NEXT YEAR by Dorothea Benton Frank (Fiction)
New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank returns to her magical Lowcountry of South Carolina in this bewitching story of marriage, love, family and friendship that is infused with her warm and engaging earthy humor and generous heart.
SING, UNBURIED, SING by Jesmyn Ward (Fiction)
A finalist for the Kirkus Prize and Andrew Carnegie Medal, and a New York Times bestseller, this majestic, stirring and widely praised novel from two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward --- the story of a family on a journey through rural Mississippi --- is a “tour de force” (O, the Oprah Magazine) and a timeless work of fiction that is destined to become a classic.
WATCH ME DISAPPEAR by Janelle Brown (Mystery/Thriller)
The disappearance of a beautiful, charismatic mother leaves her family to piece together her secrets in this propulsive novel for fans of BIG LITTLE LIES --- from the bestselling author of ALL WE EVER WANTED WAS EVERYTHING.
This Month's Poll: “The Great American Read” on PBS
Will You Watch and Vote?
“The Great American Read” is an eight-part series on PBS premiering May 22nd that focuses on America’s 100 best-loved novels. Throughout the course of the series, viewers will be able to vote for their favorites among the 100, and the top best-loved novel in America will be revealed in October. Are you planning to watch this series and participate in the voting?
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I plan to watch the series and vote.
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I plan to watch the series, but probably will not vote.
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I plan to vote, but probably will not watch the entire series.
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I do not plan to watch the series or vote.
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I am not sure what I am going to do.
Click here to vote in the poll by Wednesday, June 6th at noon ET.
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