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Thanks to Our Donors, We've Raised Over $30,000!
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 $30,535 of our $50,000 goal. We have two goals in place with our videos and podcasts. Now it's on to getting our website redesigned to be mobile-responsive and updated!
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 couple of them that we received recently:
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Our reader Claudia attended William Kent Krueger's event at Tattered Cover in Denver
with two of her book clubs. Both groups won copies of Kent's latest novel, THIS TENDER LAND,
and had the pleasure of meeting him, as you can see in the photos above.
(Claudia is wearing black and gold.)
Members of the Boston-based book group Club RED (Read, Eat, Drink) came to New York
to visit the locations in Fiona Davis' latest novel, THE CHELSEA GIRLS.
Above you can see Fiona (standing in the center) with the group on a backstage tour
of the Friedman Theatre (formerly the Biltmore Theatre).
Click on the images above for our podcasts and videos from our “Bookreporter Talks To” series.
Carol talks about this month's update in her latest preview video.
Claudia, one of our readers who won copies of THIS TENDER LAND for two of her book clubs, went to William Kent Krueger's event at Tattered Cover in Denver with both groups and met him. You can see photos of them above. Claudia is wearing black and gold. She wrote, “Thanks again for the books. It was a fabulous opportunity. My book club members now want to know how I can top this!” We will see if we can come up with a way. We always are looking for fun ways for our readers to explore books with their groups!
Fiona Davis, the author of THE CHELSEA GIRLS, shared this fun event that a book group did with her: “For the second year in a row, the members of the book club, Club RED (stands for Read, Eat, Drink) --- located just south of Boston --- rented a bus to come to New York and tour the locations in my latest book, THE CHELSEA GIRLS, and get a sneak peek at the location for the next one. We met at Sardi's for lunch, then headed to the Biltmore Theatre (now called the Friedman) for a backstage tour. After that, we stopped by the New York Public Library for a sneak peek at the location of my next book, then it was on to the Chelsea Hotel before they headed off to Coney Island. There were 37 folks in total. Such fun!” You can see a photo of Fiona with the group above.
Three of our readers went to see The Goldfinch and shared their thoughts on it.
Beth said, “My book group read THE GOLDFINCH in August, so I was excited to see the movie last night. In my opinion, the movie was a very true adaptation of the book. While the book was told in a linear timeline, the movie jumped from past to present and all the times in between to tell the story. While unable to have every single thing in the movie (for clarity), the film did touch on every key element of the story. The cast was outstanding. The people attending the movie with me who did not read the book enjoyed the film, for the most part, although they said it had a slow start. Some elements were also not clear, which they asked the book readers for clarification on after the film. I am not usually a fan of films made from books (the book is always better, after all), but I thought the filmmakers did a great job with this story. I was also very pleased with the film adaptation of THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN.
Marilyn said, "I finished reading the book the day before, so it was still fresh in my mind. I felt the movie spent too much time on some parts and not enough on others. My husband had not read the book and was very unclear about both Theo's and Boris' fathers. Also, Kitsey's transition from child to adult was unclear. I enjoyed the movie, even though I considered it quite flawed. We also saw It: Chapter Two. I liked it very much, but my husband said he could have skipped that one."
And another reader named Beth said, “My husband and I saw The Goldfinch last Saturday. I would have had a hard time following it if I hadn’t read the book. Its back-and-forth seemed helter-skelter to me, although Keith said he could follow it. I’m glad I read the book.“
A number of you wrote about “Books in a Bag” programs at your local library. So many good ideas came from you that we turned this into a blog piece that you can read here. Thanks to our contributors. And if any others have “Books in a Bag” stories to share, send them with that as a subject line, and we will add it in our next update the week of October 7th.
We’ve added some new videos and podcasts from our “Bookreporter Talks To” series. You can see the videos here and the podcasts here. I would love to hear any feedback that you have on these.
We have a new contest to tell you about for this late-month newsletter. The prize book is IF ONLY I COULD TELL YOU by Hannah Beckerman, which, according to the publisher, is “a must for fans of ‘This Is Us.’” Audrey’s dream as a mother had been for her daughters, Jess and Lily, to be as close as only sisters can be. But now, as adults, they no longer speak to each other, and Audrey’s two teenage granddaughters have never met. Audrey has no idea how to fix her family as she wonders if they will ever be whole again. If only Audrey had known three decades ago that a secret could have the power to split her family in two, and yet also keep them linked. And when hostilities threaten to spiral out of control, a devastating choice that was made so many years ago is about to be revealed, testing this family once and for all.
We’re giving 25 readers the chance to win a copy of this life-affirming novel, which releases on October 15th. To enter, please fill out this form by Wednesday, October 23rd at noon ET. While no guide is available at this time, be sure to check out our fiction discussion questions, which may help you in your group's discussion of the book.
It was announced this week that THE WATER DANCER is Oprah’s latest Book Club pick. In this highly anticipated debut novel from Ta-Nehisi Coates, the National Book Award-winning author of BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME, readers are introduced to young Hiram Walker, who was born into bondage. When his mother was sold away, Hiram was robbed of all memory of her but was gifted with a mysterious power. Years later, when Hiram almost drowns in a river, that same power saves his life. This brush with death causes Hiram to escape from the only home he’s ever known, leading to an unexpected journey. Even as he is enlisted in the underground war between slavers and the enslaved, Hiram’s resolve to rescue the family he left behind endures.
You can watch a video of Oprah talking about THE WATER DANCER and why she believes it’s the book of the season here. Also, be sure to check out the discussion guide and our review on Bookreporter.com. THE WATER DANCER will be the first book club pick for Oprah’s new Apple TV+ show, “Oprah’s Book Club,” which will debut on November 1st and will feature a conversation between Oprah and Coates. Read more about this exciting new chapter of Oprah’s Book Club here.
Ann Patchett returns with her first novel in three years, since 2016’s COMMONWEALTH. In THE DUTCH HOUSE, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves. The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. We’re featuring a guide for the book, which you can see here, and our Bookreporter review is here.
Alice Hoffman is back with a new stand-alone novel, THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW, which opens in Berlin at a time when the world has changed. Hanni Kohn knows she must send her 12-year-old daughter away to save her from the Nazi regime. Ettie, the daughter of a renowned rabbi, offers hope of salvation when she creates a golem, a mystical Jewish creature, who is sworn to protect Lea. Once Ava is brought to life, she, Lea and Ettie become eternally entwined. Lea and Ava travel from Paris, where Lea meets her soulmate, to a convent in western France known for its silver roses. Meanwhile, Ettie is in hiding, waiting to become the fighter she’s destined to be. Click here for the guide. Also, don’t miss our review on Bookreporter and a Q&A with Hoffman, where she teases the third book in her popular Practical Magic series, which is currently in the works.
Discussion questions are now available for THE TESTAMENTS, the long-awaited sequel to THE HANDMAID’S TALE, which has been shortlisted for this year’s Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Click here for the guide and here for our review on Bookreporter. Margaret Atwood was on “CBS Sunday Morning” recently, where she talked about her influences for her writing of both books. You can watch the full interview here.
A reminder that on Wednesday, October 9th at 7pm local time, Barnes & Noble will be hosting a free Book Club Night in stores across the country for THE TESTAMENTS. If you’d like to attend, all you have to do is sign up here. And if you do go, we’d love to hear about your experience.
You also have until that day --- Wednesday, October 9th at noon ET --- to enter our current “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest, where three groups will win 12 paperback copies of HEARTLAND: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth. Sarah Smarsh’s eye-opening memoir combines personal narrative with powerful analysis and cultural commentary, challenging the myths about people thought to be less because they earn less. Be sure to fill out the form on this page, and then check out the discussion guide, our Bookreporter review and my Bets On commentary for the audiobook, which is read by Sarah herself.
Please keep in mind that on Monday, September 30th at 3pm ET, the Simon & Schuster team will host a Facebook Live Book Club chat to talk about their latest Book Club Favorites pick, THE LIGHT OVER LONDON by Julia Kelly, which is now in paperback and is a must-read for fans of remarkable women rising to challenges they never could have predicted. We will include a link to their discussion in the next newsletter for those of you who will not have a chance to see it live.
The longlists for this year’s National Book Awards have been announced. Click here to see all 50 titles in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature. The finalists will be revealed on October 8th, followed by the announcement of the winners on November 20th.
I am happy to share that I will be moderating three panels at the Morristown Festival of Books, which takes place in Morristown, New Jersey, on October 11th and 12th. The first is with Marie Benedict and Whitney Scharer; the second is with Marjan Kamali and Beatriz Williams; and the third is with Pam Jenoff and Jennifer Robson. You can see the full lineup here, which is just fabulous. I hope to see many of our readers there!
On October 20th at 1:30pm, I will be at the White Plains Public Library for a talk about great books for book groups. You can sign up for that event here. And on November 2nd, I will be interviewing the aforementioned Fiona Davis at the Hillsborough Library in Hillsborough, New Jersey, for their Annual Tea. You can register here.
For our Jewish readers, here’s wishing you a very Happy New Year!
Have a great next discussion with your book group.
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!
New Special Contest: Enter to Win a Copy of
IF ONLY I COULD TELL YOU by Hannah Beckerman
We are celebrating the October 15th release of IF ONLY I COULD TELL YOU by Hannah Beckerman --- a life-affirming novel that tells the story of a family divided and the secret that can possibly unite them --- with a special contest that will give 25 readers the chance to win a copy of the book. To enter, please fill out this form by Wednesday, October 23rd at noon ET.
IF ONLY I COULD TELL YOU by Hannah Beckerman (Fiction)
A secret between two sisters.
A lifetime of lies unraveling.
Can one broken family find their way back to each other?
Audrey’s dream as a mother had been for her daughters, Jess and Lily, to be as close as only sisters can be. But now, as adults, they no longer speak to each other, and Audrey’s two teenage granddaughters have never met. Audrey just can’t help feeling like she’s been dealt more than her fair share as she’s watched her family come undone over the years, and she has no idea how to fix her family as she wonders if they will ever be whole again.
If only Audrey had known three decades ago that a secret could have the power to split her family in two, and yet also keep them linked. And when hostilities threaten to spiral out of control, a devastating choice that was made so many years ago is about to be revealed, testing this family once and for all.
Once the truth is revealed, will it be enough to put her family back together again or break them apart forever?
While no guide is available at this time, be sure to check out our fiction discussion questions, which may help you in your group's discussion of the book.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Guide: THE WATER DANCER by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Oprah’s Latest Book Club Selection
THE WATER DANCER by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Historical Fantasy/Magical Realism)
Young Hiram Walker was born into bondage. When his mother was sold away, Hiram was robbed of all memory of her --- but was gifted with a mysterious power. Years later, when Hiram almost drowns in a river, that same power saves his life. This brush with death births an urgency in Hiram and a daring scheme: to escape from the only home he’s ever known.
So begins an unexpected journey that takes Hiram from the corrupt grandeur of Virginia’s proud plantations to desperate guerrilla cells in the wilderness, from the coffin of the deep South to dangerously utopic movements in the North. Even as he’s enlisted in the underground war between slavers and the enslaved, Hiram’s resolve to rescue the family he left behind endures.
This is the dramatic story of an atrocity inflicted on generations of women, men and children --- the violent and capricious separation of families --- and the war they waged to simply make lives with the people they loved. Written by one of today’s most exciting thinkers and writers, THE WATER DANCER is a propulsive, transcendent work that restores the humanity of those from whom everything was stolen.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to see why Oprah chose the book as her latest Book Club pick.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE TESTAMENTS by Margaret Atwood
September’s Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick
THE TESTAMENTS by Margaret Atwood (Dystopian Fiction)
Margaret Atwood's dystopian masterpiece, THE HANDMAID'S TALE, has become a modern classic --- and now she brings the iconic story to a dramatic conclusion in this riveting sequel.
More than 15 years after the events of THE HANDMAID'S TALE, the theocratic regime of the Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, the lives of three radically different women converge, with potentially explosive results.
Two have grown up as part of the first generation to come of age in the new order. The testimonies of these two young women are joined by a third voice: a woman who wields power through the ruthless accumulation and deployment of secrets.
As Atwood unfolds THE TESTAMENTS, she opens up the innermost workings of Gilead as each woman is forced to come to terms with who she is, and how far she will go for what she believes.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Visit the Barnes & Noble Book Club page and sign up for their free Book Club Night to discuss THE TESTAMENTS.
Click here for the discussion guide.
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of HEARTLAND by Sarah Smarsh, a Bookreporter.com Bets On Title, 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 HEARTLAND: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh, which is now available in paperback --- an eye-opening memoir of working-class poverty in America that will deepen our understanding of the ways in which class shapes our country. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, October 9th at noon ET.
HEARTLAND: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh (Memoir/Sociology)
Sarah Smarsh was born a fifth-generation Kansas wheat farmer on her paternal side, and the product of generations of teen mothers on her maternal side. Through her experiences growing up on a farm 30 miles west of Wichita, we are given a unique and essential look into the lives of poor and working class Americans living in the heartland.
During Sarah’s turbulent childhood in Kansas in the 1980s and 1990s, she enjoyed the freedom of a country childhood, but observed the painful challenges of the poverty around her --- untreated medical conditions for lack of insurance or consistent care, unsafe job conditions, abusive relationships, and limited resources and information that would provide for the upward mobility that is the American Dream. By telling the story of her life and the lives of the people she loves with clarity and precision but without judgment, Smarsh challenges us to look more closely at the class divide in our country.
Beautifully written, in a distinctive voice, HEARTLAND combines personal narrative with powerful analysis and cultural commentary, challenging the myths about people thought to be less because they earn less.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary for the audiobook.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Guide: THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett
THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett (Fiction)
At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.
The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.
Set over the course of five decades, THE DUTCH HOUSE is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives, they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.
THE DUTCH HOUSE is the story of a paradise lost, a tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance, love and forgiveness, of how we want to see ourselves and of who we really are. Filled with suspense, you may read it quickly to find out what happens, but what happens to Danny and Maeve will stay with you for a very long time.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW
by Alice Hoffman
THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW by Alice Hoffman (Historical Fiction/Magical Realism)
In Berlin, at the time when the world changed, Hanni Kohn knows she must send her 12-year-old daughter away to save her from the Nazi regime. She finds her way to a renowned rabbi, but it’s his daughter, Ettie, who offers hope of salvation when she creates a mystical Jewish creature, a rare and unusual golem, who is sworn to protect Lea. Once Ava is brought to life, she and Lea and Ettie become eternally entwined, their paths fated to cross, their fortunes linked.
Lea and Ava travel from Paris, where Lea meets her soulmate, to a convent in western France known for its silver roses; from a school in a mountaintop village where 3,000 Jews were saved. Meanwhile, Ettie is in hiding, waiting to become the fighter she’s destined to be.
What does it mean to lose your mother? How much can one person sacrifice for love? In a world where evil can be found at every turn, we meet remarkable characters who take us on a stunning journey of loss and resistance, the fantastical and the mortal, in a place where all roads lead past the Angel of Death and love is never-ending.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read an interview with Alice Hoffman.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Featured Guide:
THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Krueger
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Pick
THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Krueger (Historical Fiction)
1932, Minnesota. The Lincoln School is a pitiless place where hundreds of Native American children, forcibly separated from their parents, are sent to be educated. It is also home to an orphan named Odie O’Banion, a lively boy whose exploits earn him the superintendent’s wrath. Forced to flee, he and his brother Albert, their best friend Mose, and a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi and a place to call their own.
Over the course of one unforgettable summer, these four orphans will journey into the unknown and cross paths with others who are adrift, from struggling farmers and traveling faith healers to displaced families and lost souls of all kinds. With the feel of a modern classic, THIS TENDER LAND is an enthralling, big-hearted epic that shows how the magnificent American landscape connects us all, haunts our dreams and makes us whole.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Click here to read our interview with William Kent Krueger.
- Click here to visit William Kent Krueger's website.
- Click here to read comments about THIS TENDER LAND from the winners of our contest earlier this year, where 10 book groups discussed the book.
Click here for the featured guide.
Featured Guide:
YALE NEEDS WOMEN by Anne Gardiner Perkins
YALE NEEDS WOMEN: How the First Group of Girls Rewrote the Rules of an Ivy League Giant by Anne Gardiner Perkins (History)
In the winter of 1969, from big cities to small towns, young women across the country sent in applications to Yale University for the first time. The Ivy League institution dedicated to graduating "one thousand male leaders" each year had finally decided to open its doors to the nation's top female students. The landmark decision was a huge step forward for women's equality in education.
Or was it?
The experience the first undergraduate women found when they stepped onto Yale's imposing campus was not the same one their male peers enjoyed. Isolated from one another, singled out as oddities and sexual objects, and barred from many of the privileges an elite education was supposed to offer, many of the first girls found themselves immersed in an overwhelmingly male culture they were unprepared to face.
YALE NEEDS WOMEN is the story of how these young women fought against the backward-leaning traditions of a centuries-old institution and created the opportunities that would carry them into the future. Anne Gardiner Perkins' unflinching account of a group of young women striving for change is an inspiring story of strength, resilience and courage that continues to resonate today.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the featured guide.
Featured Guide: ANNELIES by David R. Gillham
Now Available in Paperback
ANNELIES: A Novel of Anne Frank by David R. Gillham (Historical Fiction)
From the author of CITY OF WOMEN, a powerful new novel that asks the question: What if Anne Frank survived the Holocaust?
Anne Frank is a cultural icon whose diary painted a vivid picture of the Holocaust and made her an image of humanity in one of history’s darkest moments. But she was also a person --- a precocious young girl with a rich inner life and tremendous skill as a writer. In this masterful new novel, David R. Gillham explores with breathtaking empathy the woman --- and the writer --- she might have become.
Click here for the featured guide.
New September Releases of Interest to Book Groups
Below are a number of books releasing in September for the first time (which we aren't currently featuring on the site) that we think will be of interest to book groups.
AKIN by Emma Donoghue (Fiction)
A retired New York professor's life is thrown into chaos when he takes a young great-nephew to the French Riviera, in hopes of uncovering his own mother's wartime secrets.
MET HER MATCH by Jude Deveraux (Romance)
Set in the beloved fictional town of Summer Hill, Virginia, MET HER MATCH examines the tensions between the wealthy townspeople, the summer vacationers and the working-class people who keep the town and resort running.
MOTHERHOOD SO WHITE: A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America by Nefertiti Austin (Memoir)
When Nefertiti Austin, a single African American woman, decided she wanted to adopt a Black baby boy out of the foster-care system, she was unprepared for the fact that there is no place for Black women in the “mommy wars.”
QUICHOTTE by Salman Rushdie (Fiction)
Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie has penned a dazzling DON QUIXOTE for the modern age --- an epic tour de force that is as much an homage to an immortal work of literature as it is to the quest for love and family.
RED AT THE BONE by Jacqueline Woodson (Fiction)
An unexpected teenage pregnancy pulls together two families from different social classes, and exposes the private hopes, disappointments and longings that can bind or divide us from each other.
A SINGLE THREAD by Tracy Chevalier (Historical Fiction)
A SINGLE THREAD is an immersive, moving story of a woman coming into her own at the dawn of the Second World War.
THE SISTERS OF SUMMIT AVENUE by Lynn Cullen (Historical Fiction)
From Lynn Cullen, the bestselling author of MRS. POE and TWAIN'S END, comes a powerful novel set in the Midwest during the Great Depression, about two sisters bound together by love, duty and pain.
THE STRANGER INSIDE by Lisa Unger (Psychological Thriller)
In THE STRANGER INSIDE, Lisa Unger takes readers deep inside the minds of both perpetrator and victim, blurring the lines between right and wrong, crime and justice, and showing that sometimes people deserve what comes to them.
TALKING TO STRANGERS: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell (Psychology/Social Science)
Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast "Revisionist History" and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller OUTLIERS, offers a powerful examination of our interactions with strangers --- and why they often go wrong.
Bookreporter.com's
Fall Preview Contests and Feature
Fall is known as the biggest season of the year for books. The titles that release during this latter part of the year often become holiday gifts, and many are blockbusters. To celebrate the arrival of fall, we are spotlighting a number of outstanding books that we know people will be talking about in the days and months to come.
We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days in September and October, so you will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter to win. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
This year's featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
Recent Bookreporter.com Bets On Selections:
ELEVATOR PITCH by Linwood Barclay
and THE NANNY by Gilly Macmillan
ELEVATOR PITCH by Linwood Barclay (Psychological Thriller)
ELEVATOR PITCH by Linwood Barclay lives up to its promo copy as “an edge-of-your-seat thriller that does for elevators what Psycho did for showers and Jaws did for the beach --- a heart-pounding tale in which a series of disasters paralyzes New York City with fear.” It opens briskly with an elevator plunging, killing everyone on it, including a man disguised as a FedEx delivery guy who was there trying to slip his script to an entertainment executive. Yes, this scene quickly becomes the ultimate “elevator pitch.” And the double entendre is perfect Linwood style!
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Linwood Barclay or listen to the podcast.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on ELEVATOR PITCH.
THE NANNY by Gilly Macmillan (Psychological Thriller)
Gilly Macmillan’s latest book, THE NANNY, is set on an estate called Lake Hall. Jo, along with her young daughter, has reluctantly moved back there from California following the sudden death of her husband. Her mother, Virginia, is called Lady Holt, and she stands fast on principles. Their world is rocked as Jo's nanny, Hannah, who had disappeared from their home 30 years ago, resurfaces, as does a skull on a beach near the house. Why is the nanny back? Whose skull is it? From these questions, Gilly delivers answers in a really well-plotted, character-driven thriller told from multiple points of view.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Gilly Macmillan or listen to the podcast.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE NANNY.
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 September 20th to October 4th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of BLOODY GENIUS: A Virgil Flowers Novel by John Sandford and THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett.
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, October 4th 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 September 3rd to October 1st at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Stephen King's THE INSTITUTE, read by Santino Fontana, and Alice Hoffman's THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW, read by Judith Light.
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 Tuesday, October 1st at noon ET.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
ANNELIES: A Novel of Anne Frank by David R. Gillham (Historical Fiction)
From the author of CITY OF WOMEN comes a powerful novel that asks the question: What if Anne Frank survived the Holocaust?
THE DEARLY BELOVED by Cara Wall (Fiction)
Charles and Lily, James and Nan. They meet in Greenwich Village in 1963 when Charles and James are jointly hired to steward the historic Third Presbyterian Church through turbulent times. Their personal differences, however, threaten to tear them apart in THE DEARLY BELOVED, September's Today Show “Read with Jenna” Book Club selection.
THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett (Fiction)
Ann Patchett, the New York Times bestselling author of COMMONWEALTH and STATE OF WONDER, returns with her most powerful novel to date: a richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go.
IF ONLY I COULD TELL YOU by Hannah Beckerman (Fiction)
Hannah Beckerman pens a life-affirming novel that tells the story of a family divided and the secret that can possibly unite them --- a must for fans of "This Is Us."
THE SECRETS WE KEPT by Lara Prescott (Historical Thriller)
THE SECRETS WE KEPT, September's Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club pick, is a thrilling tale of secretaries turned spies, of love and duty, and of sacrifice --- inspired by the true story of the CIA plot to infiltrate the hearts and minds of Soviet Russia, not with propaganda, but with the greatest love story of the 20th century: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO.
THE TESTAMENTS by Margaret Atwood (Dystopian Fiction)
Margaret Atwood's dystopian masterpiece, THE HANDMAID'S TALE, has become a modern classic --- and now she brings the iconic story to a dramatic conclusion in this riveting sequel.
THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Krueger (Historical Fiction)
From the author of ORDINARY GRACE comes a magnificent novel about four orphans on a life-changing odyssey during the early years of the Great Depression --- a book that shines new light on a pivotal time in American history.
TIDELANDS by Philippa Gregory (Historical Fiction)
The #1 New York Times bestselling author and “one of the great storytellers of our time” (San Francisco Book Review) turns from the glamour of the royal courts to tell the story of an ordinary woman, Alinor, who cannot bear to conform to the life that lies before her.
THE WATER DANCER by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Historical Fantasy/Magical Realism)
From the National Book Award-winning author of BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME comes THE WATER DANCER --- Oprah's latest Book Club selection --- a boldly conjured debut novel about a magical gift, a devastating loss, and an underground war for freedom.
THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW by Alice Hoffman (Historical Fiction/Magical Realism)
In 1941, during humanity’s darkest hour, three unforgettable young women must act with courage and love to survive, from the New York Times bestselling author of THE DOVEKEEPERS and THE MARRIAGE OF OPPOSITES, Alice Hoffman.
YALE NEEDS WOMEN: How the First Group of Girls Rewrote the Rules of an Ivy League Giant by Anne Gardiner Perkins (History)
Admittance was the battle, equality was the war. YALE NEEDS WOMEN is Anne Gardiner Perkins' unflinching account of how the first group of girls rewrote the rules of an Ivy League giant.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)
A desperate family seeks a new beginning in the near-isolated wilderness of Alaska only to find that their unpredictable environment is less threatening than the erratic behavior found in human nature.
HEARTLAND: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh (Memoir/Sociology)
An essential read for our times, HEARTLAND is an eye-opening memoir of working-class poverty in America that will deepen our understanding of the ways in which class shapes our country.
A SPARK OF LIGHT by Jodi Picoult (Fiction)
A SPARK OF LIGHT, the instant #1 New York Times bestseller from the author of SMALL GREAT THINGS, is a powerful and provocative novel about ordinary lives that intersect during a heart-stopping crisis.
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