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Latest Update on Our GoFundMe Campaign
to Expand The Book Report Network:
We Are More Than Halfway to Our Goal!
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 $28,200 of our $50,000 goal. Any level of donation helps get us to our goal!
Maybe your group can make a group donation. We would call you out by name in the next newsletter! We are loving the comments that have been shared with donations about how you enjoy this newsletter and ReadingGroupGuides.com. Here are a few of them that arrived online and with snail mail donations:
Judy: "This is the first GoFundMe account that I've donated to because this campaign means expanding the network. I love books and read a lot, so the newsletter feeds that."
Karen: "This is my second donation. Thank you so much for the copies of THIS TENDER LAND that I received for my book club. They were all surprised and delighted."
Lynbrook Ladies Literary: We loved your presentation at the Rockville Centre Library and enjoy your supportive website. So many great suggestions and great book club discussion questions.
You can read more about our plans and donate here. If you would rather donate via check, our address is:
The Book Report, Inc.
850 Seventh Avenue - Suite 901
New York, NY 10019
Thank you again for your consideration and your donation.
Carol moderated the latest Book Club Girl's "Night Out" event last week at the HarperCollins offices in New York City. You can see her above with (from left to right) Jennifer Hart (aka "Book Club Girl");
Meg Mitchell Moore, author of THE ISLANDERS; and Joshilyn Jackson, author of NEVER HAVE I EVER. Carol had a wonderful time interviewing Joshilyn and Meg that evening.
Above you can watch Carol's interview with Meg Mitchell Moore and Joshilyn Jackson in its entirety.
SEARCHING FOR SYLVIE LEE is this month's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club pick.
Jean Kwok sat down with Jenna Bush Hager to talk about her latest novel.
Click on the book cover above to watch the interview.
Carol's Long Hill Book Group had so much fun talking to Wendy Walker about her new thriller,
THE NIGHT BEFORE. Carol also did a "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Wendy,
which you can see by clicking on the book cover above.
Take a look at Carol's latest preview videos for ReadingGroupGuides (left) and Bookreporter (right).
Click on the images above to watch.
Great Summer Book Group Reading
I keep saying that 2019 has been a great year for reading, and it just keeps getting better and better. I hope that you are feeling the same way! Besides reading print books and listening to audiobooks, I have been interviewing authors, and we have been sharing those with you. It’s all part of our plan to expand The Book Report Network.
I already have three “Bookreporter Talks To” interviews scheduled for the upcoming weeks and am planning more. Also, this month we are sharing a promo video where you can hear more about the books that we are featuring on the site. And for Bookreporter.com, we are running promo videos to tease what will be in the week’s update. I enjoy the opportunity to bring you an in-depth piece about an author whose work I have explored. I would love to hear your feedback on these as well! You can see them all on our YouTube channel. And if you subscribe on that page, you will know when new videos are available.
This morning, Jean Kwok was on "Today" talking to Jenna Bush Hager about SEARCHING FOR SYLVIE LEE, which is this month's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club pick and is a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. You can see the segment here. My neighborhood book group is reading this book, and we will be discussing it in August (we could not find a date that worked for all of us in July). In case you missed it, I interviewed Jean for one of my “Bookreporter Talks To” interviews, which you can see here.
Earlier this year, we featured a contest that offered 10 book groups the chance to win up to six digital copies of the audiobook of Melinda Gates’ THE MOMENT OF LIFT: How Empowering Women Changes the World (read by the author herself) and give us their feedback on it. We’ve compiled the comments from our winning groups, who gave it rave reviews, and you can see them here. Many thanks to all of our readers who listened to THE MOMENT OF LIFT and took the time to share their opinions with us.
You have until Wednesday, July 10th at noon ET to enter our “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest, where three groups will win 12 copies of THE GREAT BELIEVERS for their group. Newly released in paperback, Rebecca Makkai’s Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist about the AIDS epidemic is a novel of friendship and redemption in the face of tragedy and loss set in 1980s Chicago and 2015 Paris. Be sure to fill out the form on this page, and then check out the discussion guide and our Bookreporter.com review. And please keep in mind that THE GREAT BELIEVERS has been optioned by Amy Poehler’s production company for television. We will let you know as soon as more details about this project are announced. I am reading this book now, and am recalling so many friends who I lost during those early days of the AIDS epidemic when there were way too many funerals.
We are happy to be featuring the discussion guide for THE STATIONERY SHOP by Marjan Kamali, a recent Bets On pick. The book is set in Tehran in 1953 against the backdrop of the political upheaval in Iran. In it, Roya has fallen in love with Bahman, a young boy who loves Rumi's poetry. The small stationery shop is where they meet, and their relationship blossoms. They plan to be married, but an uprising thwarts their plans, and Roya loses track of Bahman in the tumultuous days that follow. Sixty years later, they meet again, and Roya will get a moment to ask the questions that have haunted her for decades. As I say in my Bets On commentary, the novel is beautifully written, and even though the year is only half over, I already can say it will be one of my favorite books of 2019.
Our poll continues to ask which of 10 paperbacks releasing this month you have read, or are planning to read, with your group. Click here to let us know.
A reminder that on Tuesday, July 16th at 7pm local time, Barnes & Noble will be hosting a free Book Club Night in stores across the country for Jennifer Weiner’s latest novel, MRS. EVERYTHING, which was another of my Bets On titles. If you’d like to attend, all you have to do is sign up here. They also will be announcing their next book club selection. The Long Hill Book Club that I belong to is reading MRS. EVERYTHING for our July meeting.
Yesterday, three members of the Simon & Schuster team hosted a Facebook Live Book Club chat to talk about THE LOST QUEEN by Signe Pike, June’s pick for their Book Club Favorites program, which you can see here. At the end of their discussion, it was revealed that next month’s selection will be ONCE UPON A RIVER by Diane Setterfield, which releases in paperback on July 2nd.
Last week, my Long Hill Book Group had such fun talking to Wendy Walker via Skype. Twelve members all had read her latest thriller, THE NIGHT BEFORE, and pronounced it a fast-paced and quick read; they loved it! It’s perfect for a summer book group discussion. Wendy talked to us about the book’s structure, internet dating, writing, and juggling writing life and mom life (amusingly her boys came home as she was talking to us, and she walked her laptop up to her office while continuing the conversation). I loved the opportunity to share this chat with my fellow book club members. I recently did a "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Wendy, which you can take a look at here.
Last Wednesday, I thoroughly enjoyed moderating a discussion with Joshilyn Jackson, the author of the upcoming NEVER HAVE I EVER, which will be in stores on July 30th and will be a Bets On selection, and Meg Mitchell Moore, author of THE ISLANDERS, a current Bets On pick. Both Joshilyn and Meg told wonderful stories, and the discussion was very lively and lots of fun. For those of you who would like to watch the interview in its entirety, we have added the Facebook Live video link above, which you should be able to watch even if you are not on Facebook. Annmarie, one of our longtime readers, wrote a brief blog post about the evening that you can read here. I appreciate her doing that! Each book would be great for a book group discussion.
And there’s another video interview for you. Sally Hepworth, whose new book THE MOTHER-IN-LAW was a Bets On pick when it released in April, lives in Melbourne, Australia. In her latest newsletter, she wrote that she was coming to the States for about 72 hours to do an appearance on "Good Morning America." I immediately contacted her publisher to see if I could do a “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with her. Sally and I had never met before this, but we sat down next to each other at lunch last Wednesday, and within minutes I felt like I was with an old friend. You can watch the interview here. This book, too, would make for a fun group discussion!
On Friday night, I am doing an event at the Avalon Free Public Library in Avalon, NJ at 6pm where I will be sharing some great summer reading titles. I hope to see some of our readers there.
Have a great discussion with your book group…and here’s to a wonderful 4th of July! We will be back with another newsletter the week of July 15th.
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!
Winners of Our Audiobook Contest for THE MOMENT
OF LIFT Comment on Their Listening Experience
Throughout the month of March, we ran a contest that gave 10 groups the chance to win up to six digital copies of the audiobook of Melinda Gates’ THE MOMENT OF LIFT: How Empowering Women Changes the World (read by the author herself) and give us their feedback on it. We’ve compiled the comments from our winning groups, which you can see here. Many thanks to all who listened to the audiobook and took the time to share their opinions with us.
THE MOMENT OF LIFT: How Empowering Women Changes the World (Audiobook) written and read by Melinda Gates (Social Science/Women's Studies)
For the last 20 years, Melinda Gates has been on a mission to find solutions for people with the most urgent needs, wherever they live. Throughout this journey, one thing has become increasingly clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, you need to stop keeping women down.
In this moving and compelling book, Melinda shares lessons she’s learned from the inspiring people she’s met during her work and travels around the world. As she writes in the introduction, “That is why I had to write this book --- to share the stories of people who have given focus and urgency to my life. I want all of us to see ways we can lift women up where we live.”
Melinda’s unforgettable narrative is backed by startling data as she presents the issues that most need our attention --- from child marriage to lack of access to contraceptives to gender inequity in the workplace. And, for the first time, she writes about her personal life and the road to equality in her own marriage. Throughout, she shows how there has never been more opportunity to change the world ---- and ourselves.
Writing with emotion, candor and grace, she introduces us to remarkable women and shows the power of connecting with one another.
When we lift others up, they lift us up, too.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
Click here to read comments from our winning groups
about the audiobook of THE MOMENT OF LIFT.
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of THE GREAT BELIEVERS
by Rebecca Makkai 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 THE GREAT BELIEVERS, Rebecca Makkai's award-winning novel of friendship and redemption in the face of tragedy and loss set in 1980s Chicago and contemporary Paris. Now available in paperback, this Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist has been optioned for television by Amy Poehler. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, July 10th at noon ET.
THE GREAT BELIEVERS by Rebecca Makkai (Fiction)
In 1985, Yale Tishman, the development director for an art gallery in Chicago, is about to pull off an amazing coup, bringing in an extraordinary collection of 1920s paintings as a gift to the gallery. Yet, as his career begins to flourish, the carnage of the AIDS epidemic grows around him. One by one, his friends are dying, and after his friend Nico's funeral, the virus circles closer and closer to Yale himself. Soon the only person he has left is Fiona, Nico's little sister.
Thirty years later, Fiona is in Paris tracking down her estranged daughter who disappeared into a cult. While staying with an old friend, a famous photographer who documented the Chicago crisis, she finds herself finally grappling with the devastating ways AIDS affected her life and her relationship with her daughter. The two intertwining stories take us through the heartbreak of the ‘80s and the chaos of the modern world, as both Yale and Fiona struggle to find goodness in the midst of disaster.
THE GREAT BELIEVERS has become a critically acclaimed, indelible piece of literature; it was selected as one of the New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year, a Washington Post Notable Book, a BuzzFeed Book of the Year, a Skimm Reads pick, and a pick for the New York Public Library’s Best Books of the year.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Featured Guide:
THE STATIONERY SHOP by Marjan Kamali
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE STATIONERY SHOP by Marjan Kamali (Fiction)
Roya is a dreamy, idealistic teenager living in 1953 Tehran who, amidst the political upheaval of the time, finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr. Fakhri’s neighborhood book and stationery shop. She always feels safe in his dusty store, overflowing with fountain pens, shiny ink bottles and thick pads of soft writing paper.
When Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer --- handsome Bahman, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi’s poetry --- she loses her heart at once. And, as their romance blossoms, the modest little stationery shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran.
A few short months later, on the eve of their marriage, Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square, but suddenly, violence erupts --- a result of the coup d’etat that forever changes their country’s future. In the chaos, Bahman never shows. For weeks, Roya tries desperately to contact him, but her efforts are fruitless. With a sorrowful heart, she resigns herself to never seeing him again.
Until, more than 60 years later, an accident of fate leads her back to Bahman and offers her a chance to ask him the questions that have haunted her for more than half a century: Why did he leave? Where did he go? How was he able to forget her?
THE STATIONERY SHOP is a beautiful and timely exploration of devastating loss, unbreakable family bonds and the overwhelming power of love.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
Click here for the featured guide.
Featured Guide:
MRS. EVERYTHING by Jennifer Weiner
Barnes & Noble’s Latest Book Club Selection
MRS. EVERYTHING by Jennifer Weiner (Fiction)
Do we change, or does the world change us?
Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born into a world full of promise.
Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect “Dick and Jane” house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life.
But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and women’s lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a participant. Neither woman inhabits the world she dreams of, nor has a life that feels authentic or brings her joy. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily ever after?
In her most ambitious novel yet, Jennifer Weiner tells a story of two sisters who, with their different dreams and different paths, offer answers to the question: How should a woman be in the world?
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Visit the Barnes & Noble Book Club page and sign up for their free Book Club Night to discuss MRS. EVERYTHING.
Click here for the featured guide.
Featured Guide:
THE SUMMER WIVES by Beatriz Williams
Now Available in Paperback
and a Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE SUMMER WIVES by Beatriz Williams (Historical Fiction)
In the summer of 1951, Miranda Schuyler arrives on elite, secretive Winthrop Island as a schoolgirl from the margins of high society, still reeling from the loss of her father in the Second World War. When her beautiful mother marries Hugh Fisher, whose summer house on Winthrop overlooks the famous lighthouse, Miranda is catapulted into a heady new world of pedigrees and cocktails, status and swimming pools. Isobel Fisher, Miranda’s new stepsister --- all long legs and world-weary bravado, engaged to a wealthy Island scion --- is eager to draw Miranda into the arcane customs of Winthrop society.
But beneath the island’s patrician surface, there are really two clans: the summer families with their steadfast ways and quiet obsessions, and the working class of Portuguese fishermen and domestic workers who earn their living on the water and in the laundries of the summer houses. Uneasy among Isobel’s privileged friends, Miranda finds herself drawn to Joseph Vargas, whose father keeps the lighthouse with his mysterious wife. In the summer, Joseph helps his father in the lobster boats, but in the autumn he returns to Brown University, where he’s determined to make something of himself. Since childhood, Joseph has enjoyed an intense, complex friendship with Isobel Fisher, and as the summer winds to its end, Miranda is caught in a catastrophe that will shatter Winthrop’s hard-won tranquility and banish Miranda from the island for nearly two decades.
Now, in the landmark summer of 1969, Miranda returns at last, as a renowned Shakespearean actress hiding a terrible heartbreak. On its surface, the Island remains the same --- determined to keep the outside world from its shores, fiercely loyal to those who belong. But the formerly powerful Fisher family is a shadow of itself, and Joseph Vargas has recently escaped the prison where he was incarcerated for the murder of Miranda’s stepfather 18 years earlier. What’s more, Miranda herself is no longer a naïve teenager, and she begins a fierce, inexorable quest for justice for the man she once loved...even if it means uncovering every last one of the secrets that bind together the families of Winthrop Island.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Click here to read our interview with Beatriz Williams.
Click here for the featured guide.
Featured Guide: KICK-ASS KINDA GIRL by Kathi Koll
KICK-ASS KINDA GIRL: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Caregiving by Kathi Koll (Memoir)
On the sun-kissed shores of the Golden State, Kathi and Don Koll were a golden couple. He was a successful real estate developer, and she had grown up among children of celebrities and future TV stars with a beloved big brother engaged to one of Hollywood’s leading ladies. Together, Kathi and Don --- a modern-day Nick and Nora Charles --- built a life of joy, filled with adventure, romance and a little mystery, as they cracked jokes with the president, survived a carjacking and traveled the world as guests of royalty and heads of state. But their life, which seemed rich with possibility, changed abruptly after Don suffered a catastrophic stroke, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down, unable to speak, breathe or walk on his own, while Kathi became his full-time caregiver.
With honesty and refreshing humor, Kathi shares the realities of life in uncharted territory, from the challenges of turning their home into an ICU unit to the complications of intimacy. Despite her own personal suffering, Kathi's indomitable spirit helped her summon the strength and endurance to fight for what many said was impossible so Don could continue to live a full life. Kathi's journey, steeped in the joy of living in the moment, teaches us what it means to never lose hope for tomorrow --- at the best of times and under the worst of circumstances.
KICK-ASS KINDA GIRL is a caregiver's journey, but it is also a love story and a warrior's tale filled with inspiration and practical advice, offering a unique perspective on living life to the fullest.
Click here for the featured guide.
New Guide: THE FRIENDS WE KEEP by Jane Green
THE FRIENDS WE KEEP by Jane Green (Fiction)
Evvie, Maggie and Topher have known one another since college. Their friendship was something they swore would last forever. Now years have passed, the friends have drifted apart, and they never found the lives they wanted --- the lives they dreamed of when they were young and everything seemed possible.
Evvie starved herself to become a supermodel but derailed her career by sleeping with a married man.
Maggie married Ben, the boy she fell in love with in college, never imagining the heartbreak his drinking would cause.
Topher became a successful actor, but the shame of a childhood secret shut him off from real intimacy.
By their 30th reunion, these old friends have lost touch with one another and with the people they dreamed of becoming. Together again, they have a second chance at happiness...until a dark secret is revealed that changes everything.
THE FRIENDS WE KEEP is about how, despite disappointments we’ve had or mistakes we’ve made, it’s never too late to find a place to call home.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New June Releases of Interest to Book Groups
Below are a number of books releasing in June for the first time (which we aren't currently featuring on the site) that we think will be of interest to book groups.
BEYOND ALL REASONABLE DOUBT written by Malin Persson Giolito, translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles (Legal Thriller)
From the award-winning author of QUICKSAND comes a gripping legal thriller that follows one woman's conflicted efforts to overturn what may be a wrongful conviction.
CITY OF GIRLS by Elizabeth Gilbert (Fiction)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of EAT, PRAY, LOVE and THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS comes a delicious novel of glamour, sex and adventure, about a young woman discovering that you don't have to be a good girl to be a good person.
EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER by Linda Holmes (Fiction/Humor)
From the host of NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour" podcast comes a heartfelt debut about the unlikely relationship between a young woman who's lost her husband and a major league pitcher who's lost his game.
THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER by Patti Callahan Henry (Fiction)
Patti Callahan Henry, the New York Times bestselling author of THE BOOKSHOP AT WATER'S END, has written a lush, heartwrenching novel about the power of memory, the meaning of family and learning to forgive.
FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (Fiction)
Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s debut novel is a timely exploration of marriage, divorce and the bewildering dynamics of ambition --- for readers of Jonathan Franzen, Lauren Groff and Tom Perrotta.
THE ISLANDERS by Meg Mitchell Moore (Fiction)
J. Courtney Sullivan’s MAINE meets the works of Elin Hilderbrand in this delicious summer read involving three strangers, one island, and a season packed with unexpected romance, well-meaning lies and damaging secrets.
THE LAST HOUSE GUEST by Megan Miranda (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
From the acclaimed author of ALL THE MISSING GIRLS comes a suspenseful new novel about an idyllic town in Maine dealing with the suspicious death of one of their own --- and her best “summer” friend, who is trying to uncover the truth…before fingers point her way.
LOST AND FOUND by Danielle Steel (Fiction)
What might have been? That tantalizing question propels a woman on a cross-country adventure to reunite with the men she loved and let go.
A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY written by M.T. Edvardsson, translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles (Psychological/Legal Thriller)
In this twisted narrative of love and murder, a horrific crime makes a seemingly normal family question everything they thought they knew about their life --- and each other.
ON EARTH WE’RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS by Ocean Vuong (Fiction)
Poet Ocean Vuong’s debut novel is a shattering portrait of a family, a first love and the redemptive power of storytelling.
THE SUMMER COUNTRY by Lauren Willig (Historical Fiction)
A brilliant, multigenerational saga in the tradition of THE THORN BIRDS and NORTH AND SOUTH, Lauren Willig’s latest novel is a sweeping Victorian epic of lost love, lies, jealousy and rebellion set in colonial Barbados.
THE SUMMER GUESTS by Mary Alice Monroe (Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Beach House series comes a heartwarming and evocative novel about the bonds and new beginnings that are born from natural disasters and how, even during the worst of circumstances --- or perhaps because of them --- we discover what is most important in life.
SUMMER OF '69 by Elin Hilderbrand (Historical Fiction)
In Elin Hilderbrand's first historical novel, four siblings experience the drama, intrigue and upheaval of a summer when everything changed.
THE SUMMER OF SUNSHINE AND MARGOT by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
The Baxter sisters come from a long line of women with disastrous luck in love. But this summer, Sunshine and Margot will turn disasters into destiny.
TIME AFTER TIME by Lisa Grunwald (Historical Fiction)
Delving into Grand Central Terminal's rich past, Lisa Grunwald crafts a masterful historical novel about a love affair that defies age, class, place and even time.
Great Book Club Picks for Fall/Winter 2019
At Book Expo, we had a chance to meet some of our readers at the Speed Dating session that we ran on Friday, May 31st. We know that many of you were not able to join us in New York, and we want to give you the opportunity to see all of the wonderful titles that were presented at the event. To give you an easy way to mark what you want to suggest at your future book group meetings, we are providing a spreadsheet with all the featured titles here, which lists the books both by publisher and by title.
We also have made PDFs of all the titles presented. Due to the large size of the file, we have divided it up by publisher.
Click here to access the PDFs of great book club picks you will want to discuss.
Recent Bookreporter.com Bets On Selections:
MRS. EVERYTHING, THE STATIONERY SHOP
and THE ISLANDERS
MRS. EVERYTHING by Jennifer Weiner (Fiction)
It's been four years since Jennifer Weiner has written a novel for adults (she wrote two children's books and a book of essays), and this book is quite a departure for her. MRS. EVERYTHING is a big sweeping novel telling the story of two sisters between the 1950s and the present with an eye on what happened for women socially through these years. Packed into these seven decades are cultural touchstones that will be familiar to readers. Jen wanted to write a big book, and she pulled it off here. There is a huge difference between wanting to do something and executing it! MRS. EVERYTHING is a big story that flows briskly in Jen’s hands.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to read more of Carol’s commentary on MRS. EVERYTHING.
THE STATIONERY SHOP by Marjan Kamali (Fiction)
THE STATIONERY SHOP by Marjan Kamali is a beautifully written book that is full of emotion and heart. I loved it and already can see it will be one of my favorite books of 2019. It is set in Tehran in 1953 against the backdrop of the political upheaval in Iran. In it, Roya has fallen in love with Bahman, a young boy who loves Rumi's poetry; they are both 17. A small stationery shop is where they meet, and their relationship blossoms under the kind eye of the proprietor of the shop, Mr. Fakhri. The two plan to be married on August 19th, against their family’s wishes, but an uprising thwarts their plans, and Roya loses track of Bahman in the tumultuous days that follow. Sixty years later, they meet again in California, and Roya will get a moment to ask the questions that have haunted her for decades.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
Click here to read more of Carol’s commentary on THE STATIONERY SHOP.
THE ISLANDERS by Meg Mitchell Moore (Fiction)
THE ISLANDERS by Meg Mitchell Moore is a great summer read to add to your reading pile. The book features three characters whose stories weave together. One of them is an author, Anthony Puckett, and he brings a storyline about books and the world of publishing to explore, which is so well done (Anthony’s dad is a mega bestseller whose shadow he walks in). Joy is a single mom who owns a café called Joy Bombs, where she serves whoopie pies. Her business is threatened by a food truck that has made its way onto the island and is cruising the streets. Lu is a mom who stays home reluctantly with her two young sons. She has a hidden life that will be such fun for readers to delve into.
Click here to read more of Carol’s commentary on THE ISLANDERS.
Bookreporter.com's Summer Reading
Contests and Feature
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 23rd, 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 prize books include:
Click here to read all the contest details.
See the prize books that were awarded in May and June,
and that will be awarded in July and August.
Enter Our Ongoing Bookreporter.com Contests:
"Word of Mouth" and "Sounding Off on Audio"
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
THE FRIENDS WE KEEP by Jane Green (Fiction)
THE FRIENDS WE KEEP is about how, despite disappointments we’ve had or mistakes we’ve made, it’s never too late to find a place to call home.
THE GREAT BELIEVERS by Rebecca Makkai (Fiction)
A finalist for the 2018 National Book Award, THE GREAT BELIEVERS is a dazzling novel of friendship and redemption in the face of tragedy and loss, set in 1980s Chicago and contemporary Paris, by acclaimed author Rebecca Makkai.
KICK-ASS KINDA GIRL: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Caregiving by Kathi Koll (Memoir)
KICK-ASS KINDA GIRL is a caregiver's journey, but it is also a love story and a warrior's tale filled with inspiration and practical advice, offering a unique perspective on living life to the fullest.
MRS. EVERYTHING by Jennifer Weiner (Fiction)
From Jennifer Weiner, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of WHO DO YOU LOVE and IN HER SHOES, comes a smart, thoughtful and timely exploration of two sisters’ lives from the 1950s to the present as they struggle to find their places --- and be true to themselves --- in a rapidly evolving world.
SEARCHING FOR SYLVIE LEE by Jean Kwok (Fiction)
SEARCHING FOR SYLVIE LEE is a poignant and suspenseful drama that untangles the complicated ties binding three women --- two sisters and their mother --- in one Chinese immigrant family and explores what happens when the eldest daughter disappears, and a series of family secrets emerge.
THE STATIONERY SHOP by Marjan Kamali (Fiction)
From the award-winning author of TOGETHER TEA --- a debut novel hailed as “compassionate, funny, and wise” by Jill Davis, bestselling author of GIRLS' POKER NIGHT --- comes a powerful love story exploring loss, reconciliation and the quirks of fate.
Please note that this title, for which we already had the guide when it appeared in hardcover, is now available in paperback:
THE SUMMER WIVES by Beatriz Williams (Historical Fiction)
New York Times bestselling author Beatriz Williams brings us an electrifying postwar fable of love, class, power and redemption set among the inhabitants of an island off the New England coast.
Our Latest Poll: Which June Paperbacks Have You Read, or Are You Planning to Read, with Your Group?
Which of the following paperbacks releasing in June have you read, or do you plan to read, with your group? Please check all that apply.
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BEFORE AND AGAIN by Barbara Delinsky
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COTTAGE BY THE SEA by Debbie Macomber
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THE DINNER LIST by Rebecca Serle
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THE GREAT BELIEVERS by Rebecca Makkai
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I OWE YOU ONE by Sophie Kinsella
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NIGHT OF MIRACLES by Elizabeth Berg
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THE QUIET SIDE OF PASSION: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel, by Alexander McCall Smith
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THE SECRETS BETWEEN US by Thrity Umrigar
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THE SUMMER WIVES by Beatriz Williams
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THE SUN DOES SHINE: How I Found Life, Freedom, and Justice, by Anthony Ray Hinton with Lara Love Hardin
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None of the above
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