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We have four new "Bookreporter Talks To" interviews to share with you.
First up is Ruth Ware, who talked to Carol about her latest "locked-in" mystery, ONE BY ONE,
which is a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection.
Click on the image above for the video and here for the podcast.
Carol had a lovely time catching up with Wendy Walker, whose new psychological thriller,
DON'T LOOK FOR ME, will be a Bets On pick.
Click on the image above for the video and here for the podcast.
Fiona Davis took time out of her busy schedule to talk to Carol about her new historical novel,
THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE, which was August's "GMA" Book Club pick and is a Bets On selection.
Click on the image above for the video and here for the podcast.
Carol had the pleasure of chatting with Christina Baker Kline about her latest work
of historical fiction, THE EXILES, which is another Bets On pick.
Click on the image above for the video and here for the podcast.
On Wednesday, October 14th at 2pm ET, we will host our fifth "Bookaccino Live" event.
Carol will present a number of books releasing between October 13th and November 3rd,
along with five titles publishing in December, that she would like to get on your radar.
Click on the image above to sign up.
WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS, the much-praised debut novel by Andrew David MacDonald,
is now available in paperback. Click on the image above to read more about the book,
which is our current "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" contest title.
Scroll further down the newsletter for all the contest details.
On Tuesday, September 22nd at 1pm ET, members of the Simon & Schuster team will host a
Facebook Live Book Club chat to discuss THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW by Alice Hoffman,
September's pick for S&S's Book Club Favorites. Alice will be joining the conversation as well!
Nothing Can Stop Book Clubs --- Not Even a Pandemic!
Thanks to all of you who answered our recent ReadingGroupGuides.com survey where we looked at what your book groups have been doing during the pandemic. 59% of you are now meeting on Zoom (a platform that I am sure 99% of you had never heard of before March), while another 4% are using other online platforms. 24% are meeting in person, practicing social distancing. Only 13% noted that they had suspended all group activities for the moment.
For those 13% not meeting, 57% said that they only want to meet in person when the pandemic is “under control” to do this, but they do not require there to be a vaccine. 12% want to meet in person only after a vaccine is available. 17% need to get more comfortable with technology.
But that 13% number may be changing; I am seeing this even with my book clubs. This month, both of my groups are assembling for socially distanced meetings. One, my neighborhood book group, has not met at all since the pandemic. We are getting together on the 30th to talk about Shari Lapena’s THE END OF HER at the new home of the woman who brought us all together. The second group, which is comprised of a lot of young moms, is going to be meeting outside on Monday at our usual location at the firehouse, and we are going to discuss HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD by Robert Kolker. I am looking forward to seeing both groups in person. We have a lot of catching up to do about books and life! My mom’s book group picked up this month via Zoom, and they discussed BUTTON MAN by Andrew Gross. Next month, they are reading AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones.
I love that we all are finding new grooves to continue our book discussions, even those who took a hiatus.
We also asked how many have had an author as part of their discussion in the past. 52% have done this in person with an author at their event, 34% have done this via video, and 23% have spoken via speakerphone. Going forward, 72% would like to video chat with an author during their discussion. 26% would like to use speakerphone, and 54% would like an in-person visit after the pandemic.
We are working on a plan for a very special virtual book club event that we want to share with our readers. We still are pulling the details together, so please stay tuned for more about this!
Yesterday, we held our fourth “Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books” event, where I talked about titles releasing from September 15th to October 6th, along with five from November, that I wanted to make you aware of. For those of you who missed the presentation, you can watch it here, and a list of the featured titles is here.
On August 27th, we hosted a very special and FUN “Bookaccino Live” event. To celebrate the 24th anniversary of Bookreporter.com, nine of our longtime reviewers --- Sarah Rachel Egelman, Harvey Freedenberg, Joe Hartlaub, Ron Kaplan, Eileen Zimmerman Nicol, Ray Palen, Norah Piehl, Stuart Shiffman and Katherine B. Weissman --- shared books with us that they enjoyed reading over the summer. Their selections cover a wide variety of genres, and there may be a few titles here that you didn’t have on your radar that you will want to check out. We had 260 readers in attendance; they were from 37 states…and one lived in Argentina! If you missed the event, click here to watch the full presentation and here to listen to the podcast. And a list of all the titles that were discussed can be found here.
Please don’t miss our next “Bookaccino Live” event, which will take place on Wednesday, October 14th at 2pm ET. I will present books that are releasing from October 13th to November 3rd, along with five titles from December, that I am especially excited about. Click here to sign up.
Our latest “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest title is WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS, a debut novel by Andrew David MacDonald that recently released in paperback.
Zelda has a lot of things going for her: she has her first real job, a boyfriend who she just French-kissed, and is ready to forge her own destiny. While she may seem like your average 21-year-old woman, she longs to be a real-life Viking hero. On the fetal alcohol spectrum, Zelda sees the world a little differently. Prepare to fall in love with Zelda as she embarks on a quest of independence.
Three groups will win 12 copies of WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS; to enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, October 7th at noon ET. Also, click here for the discussion guide and here for our review on Bookreporter. Zelda is such a wonderful character; she has stayed with me since I read this book in hardcover. She sees life differently, and it makes her one very powerful character.
In our previous “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest, here are the five books mentioned most frequently as titles that our book groups read: EDUCATED: A Memoir by Tara Westover, THE GIVER OF STARS by Jojo Moyes, AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins, ASK AGAIN, YES by Mary Beth Keane, and THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett. Scroll further down the newsletter to see the Top 15.
We have a number of new guides to share with you in this newsletter. First up is ONE BY ONE, Ruth Ware’s new “locked-in” mystery, which is a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire and company to keep you warm. But what happens when that company is eight of your coworkers…and you can’t trust any of them? An off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits; the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant, and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?
I had the pleasure of chatting with Ruth for a “Bookreporter Talks To” interview last week. Along with delving into the specifics of the book, we had a wonderful time reminiscing about our first interview, which took place back in 2015 prior to the release of her debut novel, IN A DARK, DARK WOOD. She filled me in on how she has continued her steady writing career since then, and we discussed the trials involved in "relaxing" ski trips, how renowned mystery writers influenced her writing of ONE BY ONE, and what she is working on next. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast. Also, be sure to check out the guide, our Bookreporter review and my Bets On commentary.
Fredrik Backman’s latest novel, ANXIOUS PEOPLE, is about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness and hope --- the things that save us, even in the most anxious of times. A failed bank robber flees into an open house apartment viewing, taking its eight prospective buyers hostage. As the pressure mounts, these strangers slowly begin opening up to one another and revealing long-hidden truths. Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them are entirely who they appear to be. And all of them --- the bank robber included --- desperately crave some sort of rescue. Click here for the guide and here for our review on Bookreporter.
Talk about timing! We have a guide that has September in its title, and it’s available at a very special price for a limited time. Rita Dragonette’s debut novel, THE FOURTEENTH OF SEPTEMBER, is perfect for fans of Kate Quinn and Heather Morris. On September 14, 1969, Private First Class Judy Talton celebrates her 19th birthday by secretly joining the campus anti-Vietnam War movement. In doing so, she jeopardizes both the army scholarship that will secure her future and her relationship with her military family. But Judy’s doubts have escalated with the travesties of the war. Who is she if she stays in the army? What is she if she leaves? When the first date pulled in the Draft Lottery turns up as her birthday, she realizes that if she were a man, she’d have been Number One --- off to Vietnam with an under-fire life expectancy of six seconds. The stakes become clear, propelling her toward a life-altering choice as fateful as that of any draftee.
Along with the guide, we are sharing an interview with Rita where she talks about how what she lived through in 1969-1970 parallels the activism that is occurring right now in the United States; why she calls her book a coming-of-conscience novel; what she hopes readers will take away from the story; and her future writing projects. Also, please keep in mind that the ebook is just 99 cents on Kindle and Nook, but only until September 19th.
Yaa Gyasi’s much-talked-about new novel, TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM, is this month’s Barnes & Noble Book Club selection and Jenna Bush Hager’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick. Gyasi’s award-winning debut, HOMEGOING, was a national bestseller when it released four years ago; it centered on two half-sisters --- one sold into slavery, the other married to a British slaver --- and traced the generations of family who follow. This highly anticipated follow-up is about a family of Ghanaian immigrants ravaged by depression, addiction and grief. Click here for the guide and here for our rave Bookreporter review; our reviewer Maya Gittelman calls it “a masterful work that surely will be recognized as one of the most splendid and sublime literary novels of the year, if not the decade.”
When talking about the book’s protagonist, Gifty, on “Today,” Gyasi explains, “She's kind of been formed by the traumas of her childhood. She's a character who is reticent, brilliant, grieving still, and often times kind of hesitant to look at herself even as she questions and examines everything around her." Jenna adds, “We hear Gifty’s story of moving from Ghana to Alabama. We walk in her shoes and we know what it feels like to be an immigrant and to feel like you are different or other…. The fact that this book tackles the themes of mental health and race at this moment in our culture, I think will lead our book club to have some really important conversations.”
On Tuesday, October 6th at 7pm ET, join Gyasi on B&N’s Facebook page as she discusses TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM. If you missed last Tuesday’s B&N Book Club event, which featured Emma Donoghue in conversation with her editor Judy Clain about THE PULL OF THE STARS (last month’s B&N pick), you can catch their discussion here.
Ayad Akhtar is a novelist and playwright who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play “Disgraced” and whose debut novel, AMERICAN DERVISH, was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2012. His highly anticipated second novel, HOMELAND ELEGIES, is about an immigrant father and his son, and the country they both call home. It blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of longing and dispossession in the world that 9/11 made. Click here for the guide, and don’t miss our review on Bookreporter and our interview with the author for more insight into this deeply personal work about identity and belonging in a nation coming apart at the seams.
Wendy Walker’s latest psychological thriller, DON’T LOOK FOR ME, will be a Bets On pick --- just like her previous books: ALL IS NOT FORGOTTEN, EMMA IN THE NIGHT and THE NIGHT BEFORE. One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life. She doesn't want to be found. Or at least, that's the story. The car abandoned miles from home. The note found at a nearby hotel. The shattered family that couldn’t be put back together. They called it a “walk away.” It happens all the time. Women disappear, desperate to leave their lives behind and start over. But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke? There is lots to talk about here, and this guide can help shape your group’s discussion of the various themes and characters.
I loved catching up with Wendy recently for a “Bookreporter Talks To” interview. We talked more about these "walk aways" and how often they occur in real life. She also shared a personal story that sparked her idea for the novel and described the camaraderie she has with her fellow thriller authors. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast. Don’t miss our review of the book in tomorrow’s Bookreporter Weekly Update newsletter and my Bets On commentary in the September 25th Bookreporter newsletter. Also, Wendy has a full slate of virtual events planned over the next few weeks, which you can take a look at here.
This month’s Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club pick is Nancy Jooyoun Kim’s debut novel, THE LAST STORY OF MINA LEE, an unconventional mother-daughter saga that illustrates the devastating realities of being an immigrant in America. Here’s what Reese has to say about the book: “Identity, family secrets, and the search for belonging are just a few of the themes in our September book club pick called THE LAST STORY OF MINA LEE by Nancy Jooyoun Kim. This mystery-thriller interweaves between the past and present through the lens of a mother and daughter duo surrounding a suspicious death and undiscovered truths.” Click here for the guide.
FIFTY WORDS FOR RAIN, Asha Lemmie’s first novel, is this month’s “Good Morning America” Book Club pick. "GMA" describes the book as “a coming-of-age story that follows a biracial girl named Nori in post-World War II Japan. Nori is looking for her place in the world as she is abandoned by her mother and dismissed by society due to her aristocratic Japanese mother's affair with an African-American soldier. But her life changes when Nori, the outcast, discovers and meets her older brother, Akira, the family heir, and the two form a powerful bond.” Lemmie tells "GMA," "It's a story about love, family, duty, identity and finding hope in the smallest of places. This story means so much to me as someone who struggled with a sense of identity, and I hope it resonates with everyone trying to find where they belong.”
THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW by Alice Hoffman, which is now available in paperback, is this month’s pick for Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites. Alice will join members of the S&S team for a Facebook Live Book Club chat about the book on Tuesday, September 22nd at 1pm ET. We encourage you to join the conversation with your comments about the novel and interact with Alice and your fellow readers.
Last month, Cara Wall joined the S&S team to talk about THE DEARLY BELOVED, their August pick, a Bets On selection that is now in paperback. Click here for their discussion. And if you missed my “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Cara from last year, you can watch it here and listen to the podcast here.
For more September selections, including the Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, see our “Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks” feature here.
I interviewed Fiona Davis a few weeks ago about her latest historical novel, THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE (which was last month’s “GMA” pick and a Bets On selection), along with Christina Baker Kline about her new work of fiction, THE EXILES, which is about three women whose lives are bound together in 19th-century Australia. You can find links to the videos and podcasts of these interviews, along with many others, on our “Videos & Podcasts” page.
Whew…that is a whole lot going on! We will be back to you with another update the week of September 28th.
Here’s to your group having a great meeting this month!
Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, ReadingGroupGuides.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
New Guide: ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware (Psychological Thriller)
Getting snowed in at a luxurious, rustic ski chalet high in the French Alps doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world. Especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a full-service chef and housekeeper, a cozy fire to keep you warm and others to keep you company. Unless that company happens to be eight coworkers...each with something to gain, something to lose and something to hide.
When the cofounder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech startup, organizes a weeklong trip for the team in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other: PowerPoint presentations and strategy sessions broken up by mandatory bonding on the slopes. But as soon as one shareholder upends the agenda by pushing a lucrative but contentious buyout offer, tensions simmer and loyalties are tested. The storm brewing inside the chalet is no match for the one outside, however, and a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world. Even worse, one Snooper hadn’t made it back from the slopes when the avalanche hit.
As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder and the group dwindles further...one by one.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Ruth Ware.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman
ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman (Fiction)
Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an 87-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you have the worst group of hostages in the world.
Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them --- the bank robber included --- desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.
Rich with Fredrik Backman’s “pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature” (Shelf Awareness), ANXIOUS PEOPLE is an ingeniously constructed story about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness and hope --- the things that save us, even in the most anxious times.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
“What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” Contest: Enter to Win 12 Paperback Copies of
WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS by Andrew David MacDonald 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 WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS by Andrew David MacDonald, which is now available in paperback. This uplifting debut novel is about an unlikely heroine whose journey will leave you wanting to embark on a quest of your own...because, after all, we are all legends of our own making. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, October 7th at noon ET.
WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS by Andrew David MacDonald (Fiction)
For Zelda, a 21-year-old Viking enthusiast who lives with her older brother, Gert, life is best lived with some basic rules:
1. A smile means “thank you for doing something small that I liked.”
2. Fist bumps and dabs = respect.
3. Strange people are not appreciated in her home.
4. Tomatoes must go in the middle of the sandwich and not get the bread wet.
5. Sometimes the most important things don’t fit on lists.
But when Zelda finds out that Gert has resorted to some questionable --- and dangerous --- methods to make enough money to keep them afloat, Zelda decides to launch her own quest. Her mission: to be legendary. It isn’t long before Zelda finds herself in a battle that tests the reach of her heroism, her love for her brother, and the depth of her Viking strength.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Guide: TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM by Yaa Gyasi September’s Barnes & Noble Book Club Selection
and a “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club Pick
TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM by Yaa Gyasi (Fiction)
Gifty is a sixth-year PhD candidate in neuroscience at the Stanford University School of Medicine studying reward-seeking behavior in mice and the neural circuits of depression and addiction. Her brother, Nana, was a gifted high school athlete who died of a heroin overdose after an ankle injury left him hooked on OxyContin. Her suicidal mother is living in her bed. Gifty is determined to discover the scientific basis for the suffering she sees all around her. But even as she turns to the hard sciences to unlock the mystery of her family's loss, she finds herself hungering for her childhood faith and grappling with the evangelical church in which she was raised, whose promise of salvation remains as tantalizing as it is elusive.
TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM is a deeply moving portrait of a family of Ghanaian immigrants ravaged by depression, addiction and grief --- a novel about faith, science, religion and love. Exquisitely written and emotionally searing, this is an exceptionally powerful follow-up to Gyasi's phenomenal debut.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to see why the book is September's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club pick.
- Click here for details on Barnes & Noble's virtual Book Club event on Tuesday, October 6th at 7pm ET.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: HOMELAND ELEGIES by Ayad Akhtar
HOMELAND ELEGIES by Ayad Akhtar (Fiction)
A deeply personal work about identity and belonging in a nation coming apart at the seams, HOMELAND ELEGIES blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of longing and dispossession in the world that 9/11 made. Part family drama, part social essay, part picaresque novel, at its heart it is the story of a father, a son and the country they both call home.
Ayad Akhtar forges a new narrative voice to capture a country in which debt has ruined countless lives and the gods of finance rule, where immigrants live in fear, and where the nation’s unhealed wounds wreak havoc around the world. Akhtar attempts to make sense of it all through the lens of a story about one family, from a heartland town in America to palatial suites in Central Europe to guerrilla lookouts in the mountains of Afghanistan, and spares no one --- least of all himself --- in the process.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read our interview with Ayad Akhtar.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE FOURTEENTH OF SEPTEMBER
by Rita Dragonette
THE FOURTEENTH OF SEPTEMBER by Rita Dragonette (Historical Fiction)
Inspired by the fact that so little was known of the female stories of the Vietnam War years and determined to give voice to the women of her generation, debut novelist Rita Dragonette drew upon her personal experiences as a student on an army scholarship in 1969-1970 and crafted this compelling, coming-of-age historical novel.
Private First Class Judy Talton celebrates her 19th birthday by secretly joining the antiwar movement on her college campus. As the recipient of an army scholarship and the daughter of a military family, Judy has a lot to lose. But her doubts about the ethics of war have escalated, especially after her birthdate is pulled as the first in the new draft lottery. If she were a man, she would have been among the first off to Vietnam with an under-fire life expectancy measured in seconds. The stakes become clear for Judy as she is propelled towards a life-altering choice as fateful as that of any lottery draftee, yet also finds herself down a path of self-discovery and, ultimately, a “coming of conscience."
Kirkus Reviews called this debut “an often fresh take on the collegiate anti-war movement in small-town America.”
Please note: From now until September 19th, the ebook is just 99 cents on Kindle and Nook.
- Click here to read an interview with Rita Dragonette.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: DON’T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker
An Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
DON'T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker (Psychological Thriller)
They called it a “walk away.” The car abandoned miles from home. The note found at a nearby hotel. The shattered family. It happens all the time. Women disappear, desperate to start over. But what really happened to Molly Clarke?
When a new lead comes in two weeks after the search has ended, Molly’s daughter, Nicole, begins to wonder. In spite of their strained relationship and the tragedy that rocked their world, nothing about her mother’s disappearance makes sense.
Against her father’s wishes, Nicole returns to the small, desolate town where her mother was last seen, determined to find the truth. The locals are sympathetic and eager to help. The innkeeper. The bartender. Even the police. Until secrets begin to reveal themselves. When Nicole learns about another woman who vanished from town, then discovers a small hole cut into a fence guarding a mysterious, secluded property, she comes closer to the truth about that night --- and the danger surrounding her.
The night Molly disappeared began with a storm, running out of gas, and a man in a truck offering her a ride to town. With him is a little girl who reminds her of the daughter she lost years ago. It feels like a sign. It feels safe. And Molly is overcome with the desire to be home, with her family --- no matter how broken it is. She accepts the ride. But when the doors lock shut, Molly begins to suspect she has made a terrible mistake.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Wendy Walker.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
- Click here to visit Wendy Walker's website.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Don't miss our review of the book in the September 18th
Bookreporter Weekly Update newsletter and Carol's Bets On commentary
in the September 25th Bookreporter newsletter.
New Guide: THE LAST STORY OF MINA LEE
by Nancy Jooyoun Kim
September’s Reese Witherspoon x
Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick
THE LAST STORY OF MINA LEE by Nancy Jooyoun Kim (Fiction)
Margot Lee's mother, Mina, isn't returning her calls. It's a mystery to 26-year-old Margot, until she visits her childhood apartment in Koreatown, LA, and finds that her mother has suspiciously died. The discovery sends Margot digging through the past, unraveling the tenuous invisible strings that held together her single mother's life as a Korean War orphan and an undocumented immigrant, only to realize how little she truly knew about her mother.
Interwoven with Margot's present-day search is Mina's story of her first year in Los Angeles as she navigates the promises and perils of the American myth of reinvention. While she's barely earning a living by stocking shelves at a Korean grocery store, the last thing Mina ever expects is to fall in love. But that love story sets in motion a series of events that have consequences for years to come, leading up to the truth of what happened the night of her death.
Told through the intimate lens of a mother and daughter who have struggled all their lives to understand each other, THE LAST STORY OF MINA LEE is a powerful and exquisitely woven debut novel that explores identity, family, secrets and what it truly means to belong.
- Click here to see why the book is this month's Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club pick.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks for September
Each month, we share top book picks from Indie Next and LibraryReads, as well as the Target Book Club title and Pennie's Pick for Costco. We also feature a number of other prominent picks, including Oprah’s Book Club, the Barnes & Noble Book Club, the Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club, Jenna Bush Hager's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club, the "Good Morning America" Book Club, the PBS NewsHour-New York Times “Now Read This” Book Club, and Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites.
Below is a preview of September's "Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks." For the complete Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, as well as additional links pertaining to this month's selections, please click here.
Indie Next
#1 Pick: ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman
TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM by Yaa Gyasi
PIRANESI by Susanna Clarke
THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline
HOMELAND ELEGIES by Ayad Akhtar
LibraryReads
LibraryReads Top Pick: WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING by Alyssa Cole
BATTLE GROUND: A Novel of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig
MONOGAMY by Sue Miller
PIRANESI by Susanna Clarke
Target Book Club
THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW by Alice Hoffman
Pennie's Pick (Costco)
THE SILVER ARROW by Lev Grossman
Barnes & Noble Book Club
TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM by Yaa Gyasi
Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club
THE LAST STORY OF MINA LEE by Nancy Jooyoun Kim
Jenna Bush Hager's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club
TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM by Yaa Gyasi
"Good Morning America" Book Club
FIFTY WORDS FOR RAIN by Asha Lemmie
PBS NewsHour-New York Times “Now Read This” Book Club
BEATEN DOWN, WORKED UP: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor, by Steven Greenhouse
Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites
THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW by Alice Hoffman
Our Most Popular Book Group Selections for July/August’s "What's Your Book Group
Reading This Month?" Contest
September’s New in Paperback Roundups
on Bookreporter.com
September's roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles on Bookreporter.com includes THE TESTAMENTS, the long-awaited sequel to Margaret Atwood’s classic 1985 novel, THE HANDMAID’S TALE, in which the lives of three radically different women converge, with potentially explosive results; WHAT HAPPENS IN PARADISE, the New York Times bestselling follow-up to Elin Hilderbrand's WINTER IN PARADISE, in which secret lives and new loves emerge under the bright Caribbean sky; CILKA’S JOURNEY, a novel based on a riveting true story of love and resilience, from the author of the multi-million-copy bestseller THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ, Heather Morris; and THE TOPEKA SCHOOL by Ben Lerner, a tender and expansive family drama set in the American Midwest at the turn of the century --- a tale of adolescence, transgression and the conditions that have given rise to the trolls and tyrants of the New Right.
Among our nonfiction highlights are FURIOUS HOURS, in which Casey Cep masterfully brings together the tales of a serial killer in 1970s Alabama and of Harper Lee, the beloved author of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, who tried to write his story; YEAR OF THE MONKEY, Patti Smith's profound, beautifully realized memoir in which dreams and reality are vividly woven into a tapestry of one transformative year; and two books commemorating September 11, 2001 --- FALL AND RISE, Mitchell Zuckoff's mesmerizing, minute-by-minute account of that terrible day that masterfully weaves together multiple strands of the events in New York, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania; and THE ONLY PLANE IN THE SKY by Garrett M. Graff, the first comprehensive oral history of 9/11, deftly woven and told in the voices of ordinary people grappling with extraordinary events.
Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of
August 31st, September 7th, September 14th,
September 21st and September 28th.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
MONOGAMY, THE EXILES,
THE VANISHING HALF and THE NIGHT SWIM
MONOGAMY by Sue Miller (Historical Fiction)
I heard about MONOGAMY by Sue Miller at a few publisher previews --- and shared it with our readers at a “Bookaccino Live” event. I loved it, and in fact I stayed up until 3am one night to finish it. It’s the story of a marriage, of vows and promises broken. Annie is married to Graham, but when he passes away, she learns a cruel secret about him, one that will have her questioning so much of her life. The character of Annie unpeels a lot of layers in her life --- who she was with the men in her life and who she is now. And, along the way, she tries to unearth who Graham was.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on MONOGAMY.
THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline (Historical Fiction)
I confess to knowing nothing about the penal colonies in Australia before reading THE EXILES. In it, Christina Baker Kline takes us to Australia in the mid-1800s when the country was being populated with convicts from the UK, who were sent there by ship, in droves. She tells the story through the eyes of three young women: one from England, one from Wales and one from Tasmania. She gives us such a strong sense of the country, which was so primitive.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Christina Baker Kline.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE EXILES.
THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett (Fiction)
Brit Bennett’s THE VANISHING HALF has been solidly on bestseller lists since it came out in early June. And I see why. It’s about twin sisters who are born in the town of Mallard, Louisiana. The townspeople there are all light-skinned blacks who can pass as white. The town has prided itself on this tradition. The sisters leave town determined to strike off on their own instead of staying in a stifling place. When they depart, one marries a dark black man; the other marries white, and “passes.” And they have no contact for years. Through their children, a connection is made that will shake up both of their lives. It’s timely --- and smartly done.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE VANISHING HALF.
THE NIGHT SWIM by Megan Goldin (Fiction)
THE NIGHT SWIM by Megan Goldin is a book that I missed when it first came out in August. In it, Rachel is a true-crime podcast reporter heading into a town to report on the trial of a local athlete who is accused of rape. While she is there, a woman reaches out to ask her to investigate her sister’s death, which had been written off as a drowning accident when it happened decades ago. Something never felt right about this. Both stories have Rachel on her toes. Who is lying? What is the truth?
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE NIGHT SWIM.
Announcing Bookreporter.com's 10th Annual
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.
From left to right: Jodi Picoult, Ayad Akhtar, Wendy Walker
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
As so many book and author events are happening online these days, we are highlighting a number of them that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links below for more info and to register.
Friday, September 18th at 6:30pm ET: BookTowne Virtual Event: Join BookTowne on Zoom with Wendy Walker, author of DON'T LOOK FOR ME, in conversation with Karen Dionne, whose latest novel is THE WICKED SISTER.
Monday, September 21st at 9pm ET: Elliott Bay Books Virtual Event: One of the year’s most anticipated novels, prize-winning novelist and playwright Ayad Akhtar’s HOMELAND ELEGIES, gets virtually welcomed to readers, with much-loved Seattle author Maria Semple joining in conversation.
Tuesday, September 22nd at 1pm ET: Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites Online Event: Alice Hoffman will join members of the Simon & Schuster team for a Facebook Live Book Club chat about THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW, which is now in paperback and is this month's pick for S&S's Book Club Favorites.
Tuesday, September 22nd at 8pm ET: Norwich Bookstore Virtual Event: Join Norwich Bookstore for "An Evening with Jodi Picoult." Picoult, whose new novel is THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS, will be in conversation with Brit Bennett, author of THE VANISHING HALF.
Wednesday, September 23rd at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": Every Wednesday, Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry and Mary Alice Monroe talk books and writing on their "Friends and Fiction" Facebook group page.
Thursday, September 24th at 7pm ET: Book Passage Virtual Event: Join Jodi Picoult live on the occasion of the release of her new book, THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS. She will be in conversation with Jojo Moyes, whose most recent novel is THE GIVER OF STARS.
Sunday, September 27th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": In a special Sunday edition, the "Friends and Fiction" authors will talk to Christina Lauren, whose soon-to-be-released novel is HOLIDAZE.
Tuesday, September 29th at 7pm ET: McNally Jackson Virtual Event: McNally Jackson presents Bill Clegg and David Ebershoff in conversation. Clegg will discuss his new novel, THE END OF THE DAY.
Wednesday, September 30th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will talk to Kathy Reichs, whose latest Temperance Brennan novel is A CONSPIRACY OF BONES.
Wednesday, September 30th at 7pm ET: Warwick's Virtual Event: Warwick's will host Nicholas Sparks, in conversation with Elin Hilderbrand, as he discusses his new book, THE RETURN.
Wednesday, September 30th at 8pm ET: Murder By The Book Virtual Event: Join Murder By The Book for an online event featuring Wendy Walker, whose new psychological thriller is DON'T LOOK FOR ME, and Aimee Molloy, whose upcoming novel is GOODNIGHT BEAUTIFUL.
"Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts
“Bookreporter Talks To” is a video and podcast series that delivers a long-form, in-depth author interview every week. For years, Carol has moderated book festivals and author events around the country. But we know that readers often do not live where they can attend an author event. Our goal is to bring these author interviews to readers, wherever they may be. Watch on video, or listen as a podcast. (The podcasts include audio excerpts.)
Here are our latest interviews:
Other authors we've interviewed include:
Upcoming interviews include:
-
Robert Dugoni (THE LAST AGENT)
-
Suzanne Skyvara, the Vice President of Marketing & Editorial at Goodreads, and Danny Feekes, their Managing Editor
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
Enter Bookreporter.com’s 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 11th to September 25th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of DON'T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker and THE LAST AGENT by Robert Dugoni.
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.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
Click here to enter the contest.
Important Note about Bookreporter's "Sounding Off on Audio" Feature
We made a decision to discontinue our monthly Sounding Off on Audio contest. When we first started this feature, audiobooks were still growing as a format. These days, audio has taken off so exponentially that we are seeing readers quickly navigating between print, ebooks and audio, especially digital audio. Each represents its own very valuable part of the reading sales pie.
But do not fear if you are an audio lover. We now encourage you to let us know what audiobooks you are listening to in Word of Mouth. Please share your thoughts on both the narrator and the storyline in the comments section. And if you still would like to see what readers have listened to in the past, you can check out previous Sounding Off on Audio entries here.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman (Fiction)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A MAN CALLED OVE comes a poignant, charming novel about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.
DON'T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker (Psychological Thriller)
In Wendy Walker's new psychological thriller, DON'T LOOK FOR ME, the greatest risk isn’t running away. It’s running out of time.
THE FOURTEENTH OF SEPTEMBER by Rita Dragonette (Historical Fiction)
THE FOURTEENTH OF SEPTEMBER portrays a pivotal time at the peak of the Vietnam War through the rare perspective of a young woman, tracing her path of self-discovery and a “coming of conscience.”
HOMELAND ELEGIES by Ayad Akhtar (Fiction)
A deeply personal work about identity and belonging in a nation coming apart at the seams, HOMELAND ELEGIES blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of longing and dispossession in the world that 9/11 made.
THE LAST STORY OF MINA LEE by Nancy Jooyoun Kim (Fiction)
A profoundly moving and unconventional mother-daughter saga, THE LAST STORY OF MINA LEE illustrates the devastating realities of being an immigrant in America.
ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware (Psychological Thriller)
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE TURN OF THE KEY and IN A DARK, DARK WOOD returns with another suspenseful thriller set on a snow-covered mountain.
TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM by Yaa Gyasi (Fiction)
Yaa Gyasi's stunning follow-up to her acclaimed national bestseller HOMEGOING is a powerful, raw, intimate and deeply layered novel about a Ghanaian family in Alabama.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
DOMINICANA by Angie Cruz (Historical Fiction)
In bright, musical prose that reflects the energy of New York City, Angie Cruz's DOMINICANA is a vital portrait of the immigrant experience and the timeless coming-of-age story of a young woman finding her voice in the world.
THE TESTAMENTS by Margaret Atwood (Dystopian Fiction)
THE TESTAMENTS is a modern masterpiece, a powerful novel that can be read on its own or as a companion to Margaret Atwood’s classic, THE HANDMAID'S TALE.
TO THE LAND OF LONG LOST FRIENDS: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (20) by Alexander McCall Smith (Mystery)
Precious Ramotswe takes on a case for a childhood acquaintance and finds that family relationships are always a tricky proposition --- even for Botswana's premier female detective.
WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS by Andrew David MacDonald (Fiction)
WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS is an uplifting debut novel about an unlikely heroine whose journey will leave you wanting to embark on a quest of your own...because, after all, we are all legends of our own making.
THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW by Alice Hoffman (Historical Fiction/Magical Realism)
On the brink of World War II, with the Nazis tightening their grip on Berlin, a mother’s act of courage and love offers her daughter a chance of survival.
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