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Latest Update on Our GoFundMe Campaign
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Thank you to those of you who already have donated to our GoFundMe campaign. So far, with online donations and checks that have been sent to our office, we have raised more than $23,800 of our $50,000 goal. We are 47.5% of the way there. Any level of donation helps get us to our goal!
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Carol joined Abby Zidle and Brita Lundberg for a Facebook Live Book Club chat, where they discussed EVERY NOTE PLAYED by Lisa Genova, which is now available in paperback.
Carol and her book group had a Skype chat with Martha Hall Kelly about her upcoming book,
LOST ROSES (on sale April 9th), and LILAC GIRLS, which was their favorite book of 2018.
They were so caught up in the conversation that they barely ate the cookies that were made: Butterscotch Crisps (which Martha recommended on her website) and Russian Tea Cakes.
Carol presented 55 titles at the Bernardsville Public Library. On the left, she is posing with
Madelyn English from the library. And on the right, you can see attendees happily picking up
advance copies of books that some of the publishers provided.
A Week of Bookish Adventures Perfect for Book Groups!
What a week for me and book groups! On Sunday, I did a presentation of 55 books at the Bernardsville Public Library in Bernardsville, NJ, for book groups and avid readers. It was really energizing to speak with a group of enthusiastic readers, many of whom were taking notes. Above you can see a photo of me with Madelyn English from the library, and there is a photo of attendees eagerly picking up galleys that were kindly provided by some publishers. It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
On Monday night, my book group Skyped with Martha Hall Kelly, and we discussed both her upcoming book, LOST ROSES, which will be in stores on April 9th, and LILAC GIRLS, which was our group’s favorite book of the year last year. In LOST ROSES, the story opens in 1914. Again we have three characters, with Caroline’s mother, Eliza Ferriday, in the spotlight, along with her friend, Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Romanovs, and a local fortune-teller’s daughter named Varinka. Caroline makes a few appearances, and we learn more about her backstory. Once again she brings us a very moving story, which I enjoyed even more than LILAC GIRLS --- and that is saying something!
During our conversation, Martha took us back to her early days of discovering the story of Caroline Ferriday when she visited the Bellamy-Ferriday House in Connecticut. She walked us through her writing and researching right up until the project that she is working on now, a book about the Civil War, which will be yet another prequel featuring a Ferriday relative. Our group was completely caught up in the conversation, so much so that we barely ate the cookies we had prepared. One cookie was the Butterscotch Crisp recommended on Martha's website here that I made, and another was done by Julia, who is the best baker in our group; they were Russian Tea Cakes. We joked that we should have had vodka!
For those of you who are fans of Martha, you may be interested in attending "A Special Evening with Martha Hall Kelly," which Random House will be hosting at their offices in New York City on Tuesday, April 9th. Click here for all the details and to purchase tickets.
Earlier this evening, I participated in the Simon & Schuster Facebook Live Book Club chat, where we discussed EVERY NOTE PLAYED by Lisa Genova, which is our featured guide for this month as it's now available in paperback. We touched on so many points made in the book, and Lisa chimed in via the comments section on Facebook. Click here for the full discussion, along with comments from Lisa and her fans. At the end of the chat, it was revealed that March's pick for Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites program will be ME FOR YOU by Lolly Winston.
I have been getting emails about this, so I wanted to note that we will be hosting our 8th Annual Book Group Speed Dating event at Book Expo in New York on Friday, May 31st from 1:00pm to 2:50pm. We will open registration in our next newsletter.
I asked for ideas for new book groups, and we have advice from four of our readers to share.
Sylvia had this to say. “I have been a member of a book group that's been in existence for 34 years. It was already going strong when I joined 24 years ago! I read your list of important things to have for a book group. But I'd like to mention a change that I instituted in our group about 18 years ago. Prior to this change, we operated the way you mentioned: i.e., the host picks the book. We were meeting at members' houses, and food and wine were always served. The food could be as simple as a plate of cheese and crackers, or one memorable time when we read A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW, and Tessie prepared the Latvian lamb stew described in the book. We had gorgeous china and cutlery, and a red wine similar to the one mentioned in the book! Anyway, we used to have occasions where the host was a bit slow in picking a book and sending the news about it to the group. It would be frustrating to be told the second week of the month that we were to read a 500+ page book by the last Thursday (our regular book group time).
"Our method now was suggested by me, and I do a lot of the work. We meet in January. There are about a dozen of us. Each person suggests three books. I then compile a list of everyone's suggestions as a Word document. I include whether it's fiction or nonfiction, the number of pages, and a few sentences (usually cribbed from Amazon) describing the book, including any awards won. Then each person sends me (by email) three votes, ranked. The ranking helps to keep down the number of ties. I have an Excel spreadsheet that gives three points for the #1 choice, two for #2 and one for #3. After all the votes are in, I tally them up and send an email with the 10 books we'll read. Only 10 because January is for kicking around ideas, and we don't meet in December. Once the chosen books are known, members volunteer for a month and note which book they'd like to read for their hosting month. Obviously, the race is to the swift. I got a 7:30am request for BECOMING in October!
"This year, we're reading the following. An interesting list, right?
Susan shared these three tips that worked for her book group:
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"Choose a diverse group --- not just the friends you regularly hang with. This adds interest and depth to your conversation.
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Decide on a Saturday morning breakfast out; it can be at your local diner --- so nobody has the pressure of getting everything ready, cleaning the house, preparing food, etc. And if you meet at 9am, you’ll have the rest of the day.
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Let people volunteer to host once in a while --- maybe someone wants to share the new kitchen, or someone just finished her garden for the season and wants to have drinks outside. The best part of a book club is connecting with others and learning."
Marilyn said, “There were many good suggestions for this project, but I’d add a reminder about off-setting sidebars and people who add extraneous and off-topic remarks. Ask everyone to commit to preventing them. I actually interrupt the action and redirect the conversation back to the last question or remark. That’s one reason it’s helpful to have access to reading group guides in hand. When appropriate, having some background information on the author and/or the book setting is also helpful.”
From Nancy in South Carolina: "Summer can be a tough time to schedule book club meetings, with so many people traveling. We have eight in my book club. We had already scheduled THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM, the story of Hedy Lamarr, for August, and were debating what to do about July. Whoever is in town will have lunch at one of our houses, with everyone bringing something, and then we are going to watch Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story on Netflix. We did this with THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, too. It's a fun day and interesting to compare the two treatments. Now we are giddily considering FINDING DOROTHY, the story behind the story, and watching The Wizard of Oz. We figure we can have a liquid lunch, wear red shoes, have a sing-along, and one of the women with a dog can bring him and pretend he's Toto."
This is your last newsletter reminder to enter our current “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest, where three of you will win 12 copies of AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE for your group. Now available in paperback, Tayari Jones’ bestseller from last year was an Oprah’s Book Club selection and a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. The deadline for your entries is Wednesday, March 6th at noon ET. Be sure to check out the discussion guide, our Bookreporter.com review and my Bets On commentary.
We’ve added four new guides to this update: THE SISTERS HEMINGWAY by Annie England Noblin, which, according to the publisher, is “a novel for anyone who loves stories about sisters, dogs and family secrets”; nine-time New York Emmy Award-winning journalist Mary Calvi’s debut, DEAR GEORGE, DEAR MARY, a novel about heiress Mary Philipse's relationship with George Washington, based on historical accounts, letters and personal journals (click here for a fascinating article Mary wrote for us where she details her research for the book); LOST CHILDREN ARCHIVE, Valeria Luiselli’s new novel about a family whose road trip across America collides with an immigration crisis at the southwestern border; and SEPARATE, in which Steve Luxenberg draws from letters, diaries and archival collections to tell the story of Plessy v. Ferguson through the eyes of the people caught up in the case.
Our poll continues to ask which of 12 recently released paperbacks you have read, or are planning to read, with your group. Click here to let us know.
Over on Bookreporter.com, we’re featuring Annie Ward’s first psychological thriller, BEAUTIFUL BAD, in our Debut Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight. Maddie and Ian are living the perfect suburban life in Middle America with their beautiful son, Charlie. But when a camping accident leaves Maddie badly scarred, she begins attending writing therapy, where she gradually reveals her fears about Ian's PTSD; her concerns for the safety of their young son; and the couple’s tangled and tumultuous past with Maddie’s best friend, Jo. It all culminates in The Day of the Killing, when a frantic 911 call summons the police to the scene of a shocking crime. Don’t miss our review of this intriguing thriller and interview with the author in the March 8th Bookreporter.com Weekly Update newsletter.
The March pick for the PBS NewsHour-New York Times “Now Read This” book club is THE POWER by Naomi Alderman, which is their first science fiction selection. This national bestseller and winner of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction is now available in paperback. Check out our review on Bookreporter.com here.
I leave for Tucson early tomorrow morning to attend the Tucson Festival of Books. I have heard great things about this Festival for years and am looking forward to this. If you are going to be there, please drop me a note.
Here’s to a great next meeting with your group. I am off to pack!
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!
Featured Guide:
EVERY NOTE PLAYED by Lisa Genova
Now Available in Paperback
EVERY NOTE PLAYED by Lisa Genova (Fiction)
An accomplished concert pianist, Richard received standing ovations from audiences all over the world in awe of his rare combination of emotional resonance and flawless technique. Every finger of his hands was a finely calibrated instrument, dancing across the keys and striking each note with exacting precision. That was eight months ago.
Richard now has ALS, and his entire right arm is paralyzed. His fingers are impotent, still, devoid of possibility. The loss of his hand feels like a death, a loss of true love, a divorce --- his divorce.
He knows his left arm will go next.
Three years ago, Karina removed their framed wedding picture from the living room wall and hung a mirror there instead. But she still hasn’t moved on. Karina is paralyzed by excuses and fear, stuck in an unfulfilling life as a piano teacher, afraid to pursue the path she abandoned as a young woman, blaming Richard and their failed marriage for all of it.
When Richard becomes increasingly paralyzed and is no longer able to live on his own, Karina becomes his reluctant caretaker. As Richard’s muscles, voice and breath fade, both he and Karina try to reconcile their past before it’s too late.
Poignant and powerful, EVERY NOTE PLAYED is a masterful exploration of redemption and what it means to find peace inside of forgiveness.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
Click here for the featured guide.
New Guide: THE SISTERS HEMINGWAY
by Annie England Noblin
THE SISTERS HEMINGWAY by Annie England Noblin (Fiction)
The Hemingway Sisters of Cold River, Missouri are local legends. Raised by a mother obsessed with Ernest Hemingway, they were named after the author’s four wives --- Hadley, Pfeiffer, Martha and Mary. The sisters couldn’t be more different --- or more alike. Now they’re back in town, reunited to repair their fractured relationships.
Hadley is the poised, polished wife of a senator.
Pfeiffer is a successful New York book editor.
Martha has skyrocketed to Nashville stardom.
They each have a secret --- a marriage on the rocks, a job lost, a stint in rehab…and they haven’t been together in years.
Together, they must stay in their childhood home, faced with a puzzle that may affect all their futures. As they learn the truth of what happened to their mother --- and their youngest sister, Mary --- they rekindle the bonds they had as children, bonds that have long seemed broken. With the help of neighbors, friends, love interests old and new --- and one endearing and determined Basset Hound --- the Sisters Hemingway learn that the happiness that has appeared so elusive may be right here at home, waiting to be claimed.
Click here for the discussion guide.
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE
by Tayari Jones 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.
Our latest prize book is AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones, an Oprah's Book Club selection that is now available in paperback. This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, March 6th at noon ET.
AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones (Fiction)
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to 12 years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit.
Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.
This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward --- with hope and pain --- into the future.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Guide: DEAR GEORGE, DEAR MARY by Mary Calvi
DEAR GEORGE, DEAR MARY: A Novel of George Washington's First Love by Mary Calvi (Historical Fiction)
Did unrequited love spark a flame that ignited a cause that became the American Revolution? Never before has this story about George Washington been told. Crafted from hundreds of letters, witness accounts and journal entries, DEAR GEORGE, DEAR MARY explores George’s relationship with his first love, New York heiress Mary Philipse, the richest belle in Colonial America.
From elegant 18th-century society to bloody battlefields, the novel creates breathtaking scenes and riveting characters. Dramatic portraits of the two main characters unveil a Washington on the precipice of greatness, using the very words he spoke and wrote, and his ravishing love, whose outward beauty and refinement disguise a complex inner struggle.
DEAR GEORGE, DEAR MARY reveals why George Washington had such bitter resentment toward the Brits, established nearly two decades before the American Revolution, and it unveils details of a deception long hidden from the world that led Mary Philipse to be named a traitor, condemned to death and left with nothing. While that may sound like the end, ultimately both Mary and George achieve what they always wanted.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Mary Calvi's blog about her research for the book.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: LOST CHILDREN ARCHIVE by Valeria Luiselli
LOST CHILDREN ARCHIVE by Valeria Luiselli (Fiction)
A mother and father set out with their two children, a boy and a girl, driving from New York to Arizona in the heat of summer. Their destination: Apacheria, the place the Apaches once called home.
Why Apaches? asks the 10-year-old son. Because they were the last of something, answers his father.
In their car, they play games and sing along to music. But on the radio, there is news about an "immigration crisis": thousands of kids trying to cross the southwestern border into the United States, but getting detained --- or lost in the desert along the way.
As the family drives --- through Virginia to Tennessee, across Oklahoma and Texas --- we sense they are on the brink of a crisis of their own. A fissure is growing between the parents, one the children can almost feel beneath their feet. They are led, inexorably, to a grand, harrowing adventure --- both in the desert landscape and within the chambers of their own imaginations.
Told through several compelling voices, blending texts, sounds and images, LOST CHILDREN ARCHIVE is an astonishing feat of literary virtuosity. It is a richly engaging story of how we document our experiences, and how we remember the things that matter to us the most. With urgency and empathy, it takes us deep into the lives of one remarkable family as it probes the nature of justice and equality today.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: SEPARATE by Steve Luxenberg
SEPARATE: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and America's Journey from Slavery to Segregation by Steve Luxenberg (History)
Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court case synonymous with “separate but equal,” created remarkably little stir when the justices announced their near-unanimous decision on May 18, 1896. Yet it is one of the most compelling and dramatic stories of the 19th century, whose outcome embraced and protected segregation, and whose reverberations are still felt into the 21st.
SEPARATE spans a striking range of characters and landscapes, bound together by the defining issue of their time and ours --- race and equality. Wending its way through a half-century of American history, the narrative begins at the dawn of the railroad age, in the North, home to the nation’s first separate railroad car, then moves briskly through slavery and the Civil War to Reconstruction and its aftermath, as separation took root in nearly every aspect of American life.
Award-winning author Steve Luxenberg draws from letters, diaries and archival collections to tell the story of Plessy v. Ferguson through the eyes of the people caught up in the case. SEPARATE depicts indelible figures such as the resisters from the mixed-race community of French New Orleans, led by Louis Martinet, a lawyer and crusading newspaper editor; Homer Plessy’s lawyer, Albion Tourgée, a bestselling author and the country’s best-known white advocate for civil rights; Justice Henry Billings Brown, from antislavery New England, whose majority ruling endorsed separation; and Justice John Harlan, the Southerner from a slaveholding family whose singular dissent cemented his reputation as a steadfast voice for justice.
Sweeping, swiftly paced and richly detailed, SEPARATE provides a fresh and urgently needed exploration of our nation’s most devastating divide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to visit Steve Luxenberg's website.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: LEARNING TO SEE by Elise Hooper
LEARNING TO SEE: A Novel of Dorothea Lange, the Woman Who Revealed the Real America by Elise Hooper (Historical Fiction)
In 1918, a fearless 22-year-old arrives in bohemian San Francisco from the Northeast, determined to make her own way as an independent woman. Renaming herself Dorothea Lange, she is soon the celebrated owner of the city’s most prestigious and stylish portrait studio and wife of the talented but volatile painter, Maynard Dixon.
By the early 1930s, as America’s economy collapses, her marriage founders and Dorothea must find ways to support her two young sons single-handedly. Determined to expose the horrific conditions of the nation’s poor, she takes to the road with her camera, creating images that inspire, reform and define the era. And when the United States enters World War II, Dorothea chooses to confront another injustice --- the incarceration of thousands of innocent Japanese Americans.
At a time when women were supposed to keep the home fires burning, Dorothea Lange, creator of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century, dares to be different. But her choices came at a steep price.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE CURIOSITIES by Susan Gloss
THE CURIOSITIES by Susan Gloss (Fiction)
Nell Parker has a PhD in Art History, a loving husband named Josh, and a Craftsman bungalow in Madison, WI. But her last pregnancy ended later in the second trimester, and rather than pausing to grieve, she pushes harder for testing and fertility treatments. Urging Nell to apply for jobs, Josh believes his wife needs something else to focus on other than a baby that may never be.
Finding a job turns out to be difficult for an art historian...until Nell sees the ad seeking a director for a new nonprofit called the Mansion Hill Artists' Colony. The colony is the brainchild of the late, unconventional society dame Betsy Barrett, who left behind her vast fortune and a killer collection of modern art to establish an artist-in-residency program to be run out of her lakeside mansion. The executor of Betsy's estate simply hands Nell a set of house keys and wishes her luck, leaving her to manage the mansion and the eccentric personalities of the artists who live there on her own.
Soon one of the artists, a young metal sculptor named Odin, is keeping the other residents awake with his late-night welding projects. Nell is pretty sure that Annie, a dreadlocked granny known for her avant-garde performance pieces, is dealing drugs out of the basement "studio." Meanwhile, Paige, an art student from the university, takes up residence in the third-floor turret, experimenting with new printing and design techniques, as well as leading a string of bad boyfriends upstairs when she stumbles home late at night.
Despite all the drama, Nell finds something akin to a family among the members of the creative community that she’s brought together. And when her attraction to Odin begins to heat up, Nell is forced to decide what will bring her greater joy --- the creative, inspired world she's created, or the familiar but increasingly fragile one of her marriage.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New February Releases of Interest to Book Groups
Below are a number of books releasing in February for the first time (which we aren't currently featuring on the site) that we think will be of interest to book groups.
THE AGE OF LIGHT by Whitney Scharer (Historical Fiction)
Whitney Scharer’s debut novel tells the story of Vogue model turned renowned photographer Lee Miller, and her search to forge a new identity as an artist after a life spent as a muse.
THE BLACK ASCOT by Charles Todd (Historical Mystery)
Scotland Yard’s Ian Rutledge seeks a killer who has eluded Scotland Yard for years in this 21st installment of Charles Todd’s series.
THE BORDER by Don Winslow (Thriller)
THE BORDER is the explosive, highly anticipated conclusion to Don Winslow’s Cartel trilogy, which began with THE POWER OF THE DOG and continued with THE CARTEL.
CALIFORNIA GIRLS by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
The California sunshine is not quite so bright for three sisters who get dumped in the same week. But side by side by side, they will start over and rebuild their lives.
THE GIRLS AT 17 SWANN STREET by Yara Zgheib (Fiction)
Yara Zgheib’s poetic and poignant debut novel is a haunting portrait of a young woman’s struggle with anorexia on an intimate journey to reclaim her life.
THE HUNTRESS by Kate Quinn (Historical Fiction)
From the author of THE ALICE NETWORK comes another fascinating historical novel about a battle-haunted English journalist and a Russian female bomber pilot who join forces to track the Huntress, a Nazi war criminal gone to ground in America.
I OWE YOU ONE by Sophie Kinsella (Fiction)
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sophie Kinsella comes an irresistible story of love and empowerment about a young woman with a complicated family, a handsome man who might be “the one,” and an IOU that changes everything.
PARKLAND: Birth of a Movement by Dave Cullen (Social Science/Current Affairs)
On the first anniversary of the events at Parkland, Dave Cullen offers an intimate, deeply moving account of the extraordinary teenage survivors who became activists and inspired millions of Americans to join their grassroots #neveragain movement.
THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides (Psychological Thriller)
THE SILENT PATIENT is a shocking psychological thriller that revolves around a woman’s act of violence against her husband --- and the therapist who is obsessed with uncovering her motive.
THE UNWINDING OF THE MIRACLE: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After by Julie Yip-Williams (Memoir)
As a young mother facing a terminal diagnosis, Julie Yip-Williams began to write her story, a story like no other. What began as the chronicle of an imminent and early death became something much more --- a powerful exhortation to the living.
Recent Bookreporter.com Bets On Selections:
THE GOWN, THE SILENT PATIENT, THE AGE OF LIGHT and THE GIRLS AT 17 SWANN STREET
THE GOWN: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson (Historical Fiction)
THE GOWN by Jennifer Robson is a novel that will delight royal watchers, including all those who enjoy Netflix’s “The Crown.” It opens in 1947 in London. The war has ended, but the residual damage remains, and people’s spirits are still feeling the war’s effect. Then it is announced that Princess Elizabeth will be married, which stirs excitement and a sense of fanfare. The Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell wins the commission for the gown. Two young women, Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, are the embroiders who are assigned to create the brilliant design work for the piece. While they are two fictional characters, Jennifer did extensive research with a seamstress who had worked on the gown, thus the storytelling feels so very authentic.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE GOWN.
THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides (Psychological Thriller)
I have been looking forward to sharing my thoughts on THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides. When I read an early copy over the summer, I found it to be a completely compelling and propulsive read. Alicia Berenson, an artist, has been convicted of brutally killing her husband, a well-renowned fashion photographer, by shooting him five times in the face. She is now living at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. After the night of the shooting, she has not spoken a word. Why Alicia is not talking is perplexing. What is she hiding?
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE SILENT PATIENT.
THE AGE OF LIGHT by Whitney Scharer (Historical Fiction)
THE AGE OF LIGHT by Whitney Scharer intrigued me as it is a novel about Lee Miller, a well-known Vogue model who became a renowned photographer and journalist. I had spent my earlier career at Conde Nast, so anything that is magazine- or art-related always catches my eye. There are some wonderful references to Conde Nast throughout the book, as well as the excitement that was generated by the heady days of the magazine world at that time.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE AGE OF LIGHT.
THE GIRLS AT 17 SWANN STREET by Yara Zgheib (Fiction)
THE GIRLS AT 17 SWANN STREET by Yara Zgheib is a completely captivating and heartbreaking novel about a young woman with anorexia and the other women who live in the treatment facility where she is recovering. What grabbed me about this book is the voice. It’s crystal clear and sharp. That and the pacing made it so compelling. I have read a lot about this subject and have known people locked in the web of eating disorders, but here I really felt that I had an insider’s view of a much larger scope.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on
THE GIRLS AT 17 SWANN STREET.
Bookreporter.com’s Latest
Debut Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight:
BEAUTIFUL BAD by Annie Ward
BEAUTIFUL BAD by Annie Ward (Psychological Thriller)
Maddie and Ian's love story began with a chance encounter at a party overseas; he was serving in the British army, and she was a travel writer visiting her best friend, Jo. Now almost two decades later, married with a beautiful son, Charlie, they are living the perfect suburban life in Middle America. But when a camping accident leaves Maddie badly scarred, she begins attending writing therapy, where she gradually reveals her fears about Ian's PTSD; her concerns for the safety of their young son; and the couple’s tangled and tumultuous past with Jo.
From the Balkans to England, Iraq to Manhattan, and finally to an ordinary family home in Kansas, 16 years of love and fear, adventure and suspicion culminate in The Day of the Killing, when a frantic 911 call summons the police to the scene of a shocking crime.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to visit the book's website.
- Click here to read Annie Ward's bio.
- Connect with Annie Ward on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click here to read more in our Debut Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight.
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 February 15th to March 1st at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE BORDER by Don Winslow and NEVER TELL by Lisa Gardner.
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, March 1st 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 February 1st to March 1st at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Sophie Kinsella’s I OWE YOU ONE, read by Fiona Hardingham, and Fiona Barton’s THE SUSPECT, read by Susan Duerden, Fiona Hardingham, Nicholas Guy Smith and Katharine McEwan.
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.
Please note: A new Sounding Off on Audio contest will be up
on Friday, March 1st at noon ET.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones (Fiction)
Now in paperback, Tayari Jones' New York Times bestseller and an Oprah’s Book Club selection is an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward --- with hope and pain --- into the future.
THE CURIOSITIES by Susan Gloss (Fiction)
The follow-up to Susan Gloss' successful debut, VINTAGE, is a charming midwestern story of artists, inspiration, and how to reinvent your life with purpose and flair.
DEAR GEORGE, DEAR MARY: A Novel of George Washington's First Love by Mary Calvi (Historical Fiction)
This debut novel by nine-time New York Emmy Award-winning journalist Mary Calvi is about heiress Mary Philipse's relationship with George Washington, based on historical accounts, letters and personal journals.
LEARNING TO SEE: A Novel of Dorothea Lange, the Woman Who Revealed the Real America by Elise Hooper (Historical Fiction)
In this fast-paced novel from the author of THE OTHER ALCOTT, we meet strong-willed trailblazing photographer Dorothea Lange, whose fame grew during World War II and the Great Depression. SOLD ON A MONDAY meets BEAUTIFUL EXILES.
LOST CHILDREN ARCHIVE by Valeria Luiselli (Fiction)
In LOST CHILDREN ARCHIVE, a family's road trip across America collides with an immigration crisis at the southwestern border.
SEPARATE: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and America's Journey from Slavery to Segregation by Steve Luxenberg (History)
Award-winning author Steve Luxenberg draws from letters, diaries and archival collections to tell the story of Plessy v. Ferguson through the eyes of the people caught up in the case.
THE SISTERS HEMINGWAY by Annie England Noblin (Fiction)
For fans of Susan Mallery, Kristan Higgins or Susan Wiggs, this is a novel for anyone who loves stories about sisters, dogs and family secrets.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
THE BRIGHTEST SUN by Adrienne Benson (Fiction)
THE BRIGHTEST SUN is an illuminating debut following three women in sub-Saharan Africa as they search for home and family.
EVERY NOTE PLAYED by Lisa Genova (Fiction)
When Richard becomes increasingly paralyzed and is no longer able to live on his own, Karina becomes his reluctant caretaker. As Richard's muscles, voice, and breath fade, both he and Karina try to reconcile their past before it's too late.
Our Latest Poll: Which January/February Paperbacks Have You Read, or Are You Planning to Read, with Your Group?
Which of the following January and February paperbacks have you read, or do you plan to read, with your group? Please check all that apply.
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AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones
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ANATOMY OF A MIRACLE by Jonathan Miles
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THE ENGLISH WIFE by Lauren Willig
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EVERY NOTE PLAYED by Lisa Genova
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THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR by Sally Hepworth
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THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT by Chris Bohjalian
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THE GIRLS IN THE PICTURE by Melanie Benjamin
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THE GOOD PILOT PETER WOODHOUSE by Alexander McCall Smith
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I WAS ANASTASIA by Ariel Lawhon
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THE IMMORTALISTS by Chloe Benjamin
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LOVE AND RUIN by Paula McLain
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THE PERFECT COUPLE by Elin Hilderbrand
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None of the above
Click here to vote in the poll by Wednesday, March 6th at noon ET.
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