February 28, 2022

February 28, 2022

Book Group Organization: Dream or Reality?

I know many of you have the same feeling that I do. You finish a book and immediately want to tell your book group about it. Our group has a Facebook page where we not only talk about the next meeting, we also drop in books that we are enjoying and chat about them there. We note if we think they would be great for a discussion. I have read their suggestions, and they have read mine.

I am curious how others of you organize your book groups. Do you email each other or call each other? Do you have a group page or a website where you discuss matters related to your group? Click here to answer our survey and let us know what you do. We will share the results with you in our first April newsletter.

We have a lot to tell you about in this newsletter, so let’s get right to it!

Last Wednesday night, we hosted our first "Bookaccino Live" Book Group event of 2022. Our guest was Lisa Scottoline, and we talked about her debut historical novel, ETERNAL, which released in paperback earlier this month. I loved hearing Lisa express her passion for this book, as well as details on her extensive research. It was one memorable and really fun evening! She definitely rocked the house.

A huge thanks to all of you who shared questions, either “on camera” or via the question queue on Zoom, as you helped to enhance the discussion. And a big shout-out to our producer extraordinaire Austin Ruh, who facilitated the Q&A portion of the program. Attendees who were not “on stage” with us submitted over 30 questions, and Austin did a wonderful job selecting which ones to ask Lisa --- and managing not to ask any repeat questions!

If you missed the event, or would like to revisit any part of it, you can watch it here and listen to the podcast here. Trust us, this was a terrific program.

Oh, and I would be remiss if I did not share some of the great feedback we received from our attendees, which made me so happy! Here are just a few of their comments:

• Carol: “I honestly don’t know how I came across this group, and Lisa Scottoline was my first event. She blew my mind away. She’d be one of the five people I’d want to meet in my lifetime. Just having her on a Zoom call was great but not enough. She inspired me as a new writer to get my story out there. There’s so much more I could say, but ‘Thank You’ is the best.”
   
• Mary Lou: “I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the Lisa Scottoline event this week. She is such an interesting author, and as always you did such an incredible job, as did Austin. I simply had no idea of the history of the Nazis and the Italian Jewish community. I loved how Lisa brought the conflict alive with the interesting characters and interpersonal dynamics in the book. Such talent.”
   
• Prof: “This was WONDERFUL. Thanks so much! Carol, I was astounded by how fascinating yesterday's discussion with Lisa was and will thoroughly enjoy watching it again. THANK YOU and Lisa! I'm a college professor (substantially older than Lisa) and will use many of the things she said to share with my students.”
   
• Nancy: “I just had to write that it was most enjoyable and informative with Lisa. I read the book the day it came out in hardcover and couldn’t put it down. Lisa is just so personable, it felt like both of you were in my living room.”
   
• Linda: “What a terrific event! I'm still laughing at Lisa's comments and honesty. Thanks to you and your team for putting this together.”

I am thrilled to announce that Lisa See will be our next “Bookaccino Live” Book Group guest. The event will be held on Wednesday, March 23rd at 8pm ET, and you can sign up for it here. We will be talking about Lisa’s first book, ON GOLD MOUNTAIN, a memoir of her Chinese-American family that will soon be an opera (more on that in a moment). Lisa spent five years collecting the details of her family’s remarkable history. She interviewed nearly 100 relatives --- both Chinese and white, rich and poor --- pored over documents at the National Archives and several historical societies, and searched in countless attics, basements and closets for the intimate nuances of her ancestors’ lives.

Just as we did on Wednesday night, there will be a two-part Q&A session after I talk to Lisa. For the first part, those who are asking a question “on camera” will be featured. If you would like to ask your question "live on screen" this way, please email it to me using the subject line “Question for Lisa See.” For those who are more camera shy, there will be a traditional Q&A segment as well. I have interviewed Lisa before but never about ON GOLD MOUNTAIN, so I am looking forward to what I am sure will be a fascinating discussion.

Tickets are now on sale for the opera based on the book, which will be produced in the Chinese Garden at The Huntington Library, Art Museums, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, CA, from May 5th to 8th and May 12th to 15th at 7:30 each night. The opera was commissioned and produced 20 years ago by LA Opera. Click here for more details and to purchase your tickets.

We are featuring the discussion guide for ON GOLD MOUNTAIN in this newsletter, along with these guides:

• CIRCUS OF WONDERS: Circus mania sweeps 1860s England in Elizabeth Macneal’s new novel, which is Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites pick for February. Crowds jostle for a glimpse of the lion tamers, the dazzling trapeze artists and the so-called “human wonders.” When Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders pitches its tent in a poor coastal town, the life of one young girl changes forever.
  
  Elizabeth will be talking about the book with members of the S&S team during a live discussion this Wednesday, March 2nd at 12pm ET. Click here to sign up for the event.

These two books are newly released in paperback, and we now have guides for them:

• THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz: Drawing on diaries, original archival documents and once-secret intelligence reports --- some released only recently --- Erik Larson provides a new lens on London’s darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Winston Churchill and his family.
   
• MADHOUSE AT THE END OF THE EARTH: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night by Julian Sancton: In August 1897, young Belgian commandant Adrien de Gerlache set sail for a three-year expedition aboard the good ship Belgica with dreams of glory. His destination was the uncharted end of the earth: the icy continent of Antarctica. But de Gerlache’s plans to be first to the magnetic South Pole would quickly go awry.

We have two new “Bookreporter Talks To” interviews to share with you in this newsletter. First up is Charmaine Wilkerson, whose debut novel, BLACK CAKE, is February’s “Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club pick and a Bets On selection. After their mother's death, Byron and Benny are left a voice recording from her and a black cake that is not to be eaten until they finish listening. The siblings are taken on a journey into their mysterious family history.

Charmaine explains how she approached the novel with small snippets of ideas, which came together to weave a larger story. She also discusses her characters --- how she discovered them and where she took them. And yes, she talks about the preparation of a black cake. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.

My book group is reading BLACK CAKE this month. I already told them that I took a look at the black cake recipe posted in the publisher's enhanced discussion guide, and the last ingredient is adding fruits that have been soaked in rum for four months. Talk about a game stopper. So I let them know about this place where a black cake can be bought. I know, it's cheating a little. Or you can plan your group to meet in four months!

I also had the pleasure of talking to Bonnie Kistler, whose new novel, THE CAGE, is also a Bets On pick, as was her last book, HOUSE ON FIRE. In this incredibly original psychological thriller, two colleagues from a fashion conglomerate enter an elevator together, but only one survives the trip down to the lobby. What happened behind those closed doors --- and why --- forms the backbone for the rest of the book.

Bonnie shares her process for writing thrillers, noting that she spends time making promises in the beginning so that the rest of the story works like dominoes. Also, we discuss how we feel about elevators. Bonnie wrote a piece about that very subject on her website, which you can read here. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.

This is your last ReadingGroupGuides newsletter reminder to sign up for March’s “Bookaccino Live” preview event, which will take place on Wednesday, March 9th at 2pm ET. I will talk about titles releasing between March 8th and April 5th, in addition to a few from May, that I would like to get on your radar. Click here to register. Those attending the live event will be asked to answer a survey about the books from the presentation that they are most interested in reading and will be eligible to win a prize.

Bookreporter Spotlight on Tarryn Fisher’s Books
In our latest “In Case You Missed Them…and a Look Ahead” feature on Bookreporter, we bring to your attention two previous works of psychological suspense from Tarryn Fisher “in case you missed them”: THE WIVES and THE WRONG FAMILY. We also “look ahead” to Tarryn’s upcoming thriller, AN HONEST LIE, which will be in stores on April 26th. We have reviews of the earlier titles, along with excerpts --- and we will review AN HONEST LIE on Bookreporter shortly after its release.

Announcing Bookreporter’s Spring Preview Contests
We launched our 11th annual Spring Preview feature on Bookreporter last week. As we have done for the last 10 years, we are spotlighting a number of new and upcoming releases that we think people will be talking about this spring --- and beyond. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these books on select days in March and April; five readers will be awarded the book that we are giving away that day. You can sign up here for alerts so you will be notified as soon as these giveaways are up. The first contest will go live TOMORROW, Tuesday, March 1st at noon ET.

Vote in Our Bookreporter Poll
For our latest poll on Bookreporter, we’re curious about the paid subscription services you may or may not subscribe to (Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.). Click here to let us know. Note that we asked this question in 2018, and we see how many more options there are now! Be sure to cast your votes by this Friday, March 4th at noon ET.

I received a lovely note from Amy, the winner of our End-of-the-Year Contest, who won eight great book group titles that released over these last two months. She said, "I was thrilled to be a winner in the Year-End Contest. I thank you and the publishers for such a wonderful selection of books. Many of these titles were already on my to-read list thanks to the great information about new releases found on ReadingGroupGuides.com and Bookreporter.com. I plan to share these books with other readers as I finish them." You can see her above with all eight of her prizes!

I am hoping to “see you” at one of our upcoming virtual events! And here’s to a great discussion with your book group in March.

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: ON GOLD MOUNTAIN by Lisa See
Soon to Be an Opera in Los Angeles!

ON GOLD MOUNTAIN by Lisa See (Memoir)
In 1867, Lisa See’s great-great-grandfather arrived in America, where he prescribed herbal remedies to immigrant laborers who were treated little better than slaves. His son, Fong See, later built a mercantile empire and married a Caucasian woman, in spite of laws prohibiting interracial marriage. Lisa herself grew up playing in her family’s antiques store in Los Angeles’s Chinatown, listening to stories of missionaries and prostitutes, movie stars and Chinese baseball teams. With these stories and her own years of research, Lisa See chronicles the 100-year-odyssey of her Chinese-American family, a history that encompasses racism, romance, secret marriages, entrepreneurial genius and much more, as two distinctly different cultures meet in a new world.

The "On Gold Mountain" Opera is Coming in May
Tickets are now on sale for the opera based on ON GOLD MOUNTAIN, which will be produced in the Chinese Garden at The Huntington Library, Art Museums, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, CA, from May 5th to 8th and May 12th to 15th at 7:30 each night. The opera was commissioned and produced 20 years ago by LA Opera. Click here for more details and to purchase your tickets.

Sign Up for Our Next "Bookaccino Live" Book Group Event with Lisa See
For our next "Bookaccino Live" Book Group event, which will take place on Wednesday, March 23rd at 8pm ET, Carol will talk to Lisa See about ON GOLD MOUNTAIN. Lisa also will answer questions from guests who will be "on stage," as well as from other members of the audience. Click here to register. If you would like to be one of our featured audience guests and ask Lisa a question on camera, please send Carol an email with the subject line “Question for Lisa See.”

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to visit Lisa See's website.

Click here for the discussion guide.

New Guide: CIRCUS OF WONDERS by Elizabeth Macneal
Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites Pick for February

CIRCUS OF WONDERS by Elizabeth Macneal (Historical Fiction)
In 1860s England, circus mania is sweeping the nation. When Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders pitches its tent in a poor coastal town, the life of one young girl changes forever. Sold to the ringmaster as a “leopard girl” because of the birthmarks that cover her body, Nell is utterly devastated. But as she grows close to the other performers, she finds herself enchanted by the glittering freedom of the circus, and by her own role as the Queen of the Moon and Stars. Before long, Nell’s fame spreads across the world --- and with it, a chance for Jasper Jupiter to grow his own name and fortune. But what happens when her fame begins to eclipse his own, when even Jasper’s loyal brother, Toby, becomes captivated by Nell?

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.

» On Wednesday, March 2nd at 3pm ET, members of the Simon & Schuster team will talk to Elizabeth Macneal about CIRCUS OF WONDERS, February's Book Club Favorites pick. Click here to RSVP for the event.

Click here for the discussion guide.

New Guide: THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE by Erik Larson Now Available in Paperback

THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson (History)
On Winston Churchill’s first day as prime minister, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next 12 months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold his country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally --- and willing to fight to the end. In THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE, Erik Larson shows, in cinematic detail, how Churchill taught the British people “the art of being fearless."

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.

Click here for the discussion guide.

New Guide: MADHOUSE AT THE END OF THE EARTH
by Julian Sancton
Now Available in Paperback

MADHOUSE AT THE END OF THE EARTH: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night by Julian Sancton (History)
In August 1897, the young Belgian commandant Adrien de Gerlache set sail for a three-year expedition aboard the good ship Belgica with dreams of glory. His destination was the uncharted end of the earth: the icy continent of Antarctica. But de Gerlache’s plans to be first to the magnetic South Pole would swiftly go awry. After a series of costly setbacks, the commandant faced two bad options: turn back in defeat and spare his men the devastating Antarctic winter, or recklessly chase fame by sailing deeper into the freezing waters. De Gerlache sailed on, and soon the Belgica was stuck fast in the icy hold of the Bellingshausen Sea. The ship’s occupants were plagued by a mysterious illness and descended into madness. In this epic tale, Julian Sancton unfolds a story of adventure and horror for the ages.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here for the discussion guide.

New February Releases of Interest to Book Groups

Below are a number of books releasing in February for the first time (which we aren't currently featuring on the site or in the newsletter) that we think will be of interest to book groups.

THE CAGE by Bonnie Kistler (Psychological Thriller)
Combining the propulsive narrative drive of THE FIRM with the psychological complexity of THE SILENT PATIENT, THE CAGE is a gripping and original thriller about two professional women --- colleagues at an international fashion conglomerate --- who enter an elevator together...but only one is alive when they reach the ground floor.

THE FAMILY CHAO by Lan Samantha Chang (Literary Mystery)
An acclaimed storyteller returns with “a gorgeous and gripping literary mystery” that explores “family, betrayal, passion, race, culture and the American Dream” (Jean Kwok).

HOME/LAND: A Memoir of Departure and Return by Rebecca Mead (Memoir)
HOME/LAND is a moving reflection on the complicated nature of home and homeland, and the heartache and adventure of leaving an adopted country in order to return to your native land.

LIFE WITHOUT CHILDREN: Stories by Roddy Doyle (Fiction/Short Stories)
LIFE WITHOUT CHILDREN is a brilliantly warm and witty portrait of our pandemic lives, told in 10 heartrending short stories, from the Booker Prize–winning author of PADDY CLARKE HA HA HA.

LOVE IN THE TIME OF BERTIE: A 44 Scotland Street Novel by Alexander McCall Smith (Fiction)
This latest installment in Alexander McCall Smith’s delightful 44 Scotland Street series finds all our favorite residents up to their usual hilarious hijinks.

THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST by Allison Pataki (Historical Fiction)
Bestselling and acclaimed author Allison Pataki has crafted an intimate portrait of a larger-than-life woman, a powerful story of one woman falling in love with her own voice and embracing her own power while shaping history in the process.

THE PARIS APARTMENT by Lucy Foley (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
From the New York Times bestselling author of THE GUEST LIST comes a new locked room mystery, set in a Paris apartment building in which every resident has something to hide.

SCOUNDREL: How a Convicted Murderer Persuaded the Women Who Loved Him, the Conservative Establishment, and the Courts to Set Him Free by Sarah Weinman (True Crime)
From the author of THE REAL LOLITA and editor of UNSPEAKABLE ACTS comes the astonishing story of a murderer who conned the people around him --- including conservative thinker William F. Buckley --- into helping set him free.

THE SWIMMERS by Julie Otsuka (Fiction)
From the bestselling, award-winning author of THE BUDDHA IN THE ATTIC and WHEN THE EMPEROR WAS DIVINE comes a novel about what happens to a group of obsessed recreational swimmers when a crack appears at the bottom of their local pool.

VLADIMIR by Julia May Jonas (Fiction)
This provocative, razor-sharp and timely debut novel is about a beloved English professor facing a slew of accusations against her professor husband by former students --- a situation that becomes more complicated when she herself develops an obsession of her own.

Bookreporter.com's "In Case You Missed Them…and a Look Ahead" Spotlight, Featuring Tarryn Fisher’s Books

Sometimes you hear about a book and just do not have time to read it. Other times, you have missed hearing about a book, and we would like to tell you about it. We do not want you to miss books that we think you will enjoy! In this feature, we are sharing books that you might not have read, and we also are getting the author’s next book on your radar. So then you never will need to say, “I missed them!”

In our latest "In Case You Missed Them...and a Look Ahead" feature, we are spotlighting three psychological thrillers by Tarryn Fisher: the previously released THE WIVES and THE WRONG FAMILY, and the forthcoming AN HONEST LIE, which will be in stores on April 26th.

THE WIVES: Imagine that your husband has two other wives. You’ve never met the other wives, and none of you know each other. One day, you find a scrap of paper in his pocket --- an appointment reminder for a woman named Hannah, and you just know it’s another of the wives. You thought you were fine with your arrangement, but you can’t help yourself: you track her down, and, under false pretenses, you strike up a friendship. Hannah has no idea who you really are.

THE WRONG FAMILY: Juno was wrong about Winnie Crouch. Before moving in with the Crouch family, Juno thought Winnie and her husband, Nigel, had the perfect life. Only now that she’s living in their beautiful house, she sees the cracks in the crumbling facade are too deep to ignore. Still, she isn’t one to judge. After her grim diagnosis, the retired therapist simply wants a place to live out the rest of her days in peace. But that peace is shattered the day Juno overhears a chilling conversation between Winnie and Nigel.

Announcing Bookreporter.com’s 11th Annual
Spring Preview Contests and Feature

Spring is in the air (or will be very soon)! We’ve already caught the fever --- and it’s being fueled by some wonderful new and upcoming releases. Our 11th annual Spring Preview Contests and Feature spotlights many of these picks, which we know people will be talking about over the next few months. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days in March and April. You will need to check the site to see the featured book and enter to win. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce each title, which you can sign up for here.

Our first prize book will be announced on Tuesday, March 1st at noon ET.

This year's featured titles include:

• THE CATCH by Alison Fairbrother
• JOAN: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Katherine J. Chen
• THE MASTER CRAFTSMAN by Kelli Stuart
• SUMMER AT THE CAPE by RaeAnne Thayne
• WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS by Lisa Scottoline

* Please note that more books will be added in the days and weeks to come.

Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.

Bookreporter.com Bets On:
THE CAGE by Bonnie Kistler
and THE OTHER FAMILY by Wendy Corsi Staub

THE CAGE by Bonnie Kistler (Psychological Thriller)
I read THE CAGE by Bonnie Kistler a few months ago. The story was so well written that writing this I feel like I read it yesterday. The setup is great. Two women are working late at a high-end fashion company on a Sunday night. They get on the same elevator. The lights go out, and the elevator stalls. Help is called. By the time they get to the lobby and the doors open, one woman is dead. Was it a murder or a suicide? The survivor is Shay Lambert, the company’s newest lawyer; the deceased is Lucy Barton-Jones, their seemingly unflappable human resources director. Shay immediately calls it a suicide, but Lucy’s husband is stumped.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Bonnie Kistler.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.

Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE CAGE.
 

THE OTHER FAMILY by Wendy Corsi Staub (Psychological Suspense)
THE OTHER FAMILY by Wendy Corsi Staub has secrets cleverly layered in it that will keep readers guessing. The Howells have relocated from California to Brooklyn. While they thought they would end up in a cramped apartment, this family of four, including two teenage daughters, finds itself in a beautiful brownstone with a backyard and a garden. Quickly they start to assimilate into the neighborhood, meeting a family on the street with children almost the same ages as theirs. While the girls go to school and their dad heads off to work, their mother putters around the house gardening and trying to make it feel like home.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Wendy Corsi Staub.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.

Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE OTHER FAMILY.

From left to right: Karen Joy Fowler, Margaret Atwood, Rosie Walsh

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.

Tuesday, March 1st at 8pm ET: Square Books: Square Books is pleased to partner with Books & Books and other indie bookstores across the country to present "An Evening with Margaret Atwood and Judy Blume" in celebration of the publication of Atwood's essay collection, BURNING QUESTIONS: Essays and Occasional Pieces, 2004-2021.

Tuesday, March 1st at 9pm ET: Live Talks Los Angeles: Roddy Doyle will be in conversation with Lorrie Moore discussing his new collection of stories, LIFE WITHOUT CHILDREN, a brilliantly warm and witty portrait of our pandemic lives.

Wednesday, March 2nd at 12pm ET: Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites: Elizabeth Macneal will join members of the Simon & Schuster team for a Facebook Live Book Club chat about CIRCUS OF WONDERS, which is February's pick for S&S's Book Club Favorites.

Wednesday, March 2nd at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors --- Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey and Patti Callahan Henry --- will talk to Colleen Hoover about her latest novel, REMINDERS OF HIM.

Wednesday, March 2nd at 9pm ET: Vroman's Bookstore: "Vroman's Live!" presents Jennifer E. Smith in conversation with Lauren Graham about her first novel for adults, THE UNSINKABLE GRETA JAMES.

Thursday, March 3rd at 3pm ET: Warwick's: Warwick's will host Rosie Walsh as she discusses her new book, THE LOVE OF MY LIFE, with Ashley Audrain, the bestselling author of THE PUSH.

Monday, March 7th at 10pm ET: Third Place Books:Third Place Books is proud to partner with Elliott Bay Book Company and Village Books to present Karen Joy Fowler for a virtual presentation of her new novel, BOOTH. She will be joined in conversation by Jess Walter, the bestselling author of THE COLD MILLIONS.

Tuesday, March 8th at 11:30am ET: Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center: Lisa Scottoline will join Temple Emanu-El upon the releases of the paperback edition of her first work of historical fiction, ETERNAL, and her upcoming thriller, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS.

Tuesday, March 8th at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble Book Club: Barnes & Noble will host a virtual discussion for their February Book Club selection, THE FAMILY CHAO, featuring Lan Samantha Chang.

Wednesday, March 9th at 2pm ET: "Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books": Carol Fitzgerald will present titles releasing between March 8th and April 5th, along with a few from May, that she would like to get on your radar.

Wednesday, March 9th at 3pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Sarah Weinman will discuss her new book, SCOUNDREL: How a Convicted Murderer Persuaded the Women Who Loved Him, the Conservative Establishment, and the Courts to Set Him Free.

Wednesday, March 9th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will talk to historical fiction writers Lisa Barr (WOMAN ON FIRE) and Erika Robuck (SISTERS OF NIGHT AND FOG).

Thursday, March 10th at 7pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Brendan Slocumb will discuss his debut novel, THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY (February's "Good Morning America" Book Club pick), with special guest host Tess Gerritsen.

Friday, March 11th at 8pm ET: Boswell Book Company: Boswell presents an evening with Man Booker finalist Karen Joy Fowler, who will be in conversation with Wisconsin-based author Jane Hamilton about her latest work of fiction, BOOTH.

"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:

• Bonnie Kistler (THE CAGE) Video | Podcast
• Charmaine Wilkerson (BLACK CAKE) Video | Podcast

Other authors we've interviewed include:

• Nicole Baart (EVERYTHING WE DIDN'T SAY) Video | Podcast
• Katherine Faulkner (GREENWICH PARK) Video | Podcast
• Alison Gaylin (THE COLLECTIVE) Video | Podcast
• Christopher Golden (ROAD OF BONES) Video | Podcast
• Xochitl Gonzalez (OLGA DIES DREAMING) Video | Podcast
• Heather Gudenkauf (THE OVERNIGHT GUEST) Video | Podcast
• Lisa Jewell (THE NIGHT SHE DISAPPEARED) Video | Podcast
• Stephanie Land (MAID: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive)
  Video | Podcast
• Nita Prose (THE MAID) Video | Podcast
• James Rollins (THE STARLESS CROWN) Video | Podcast
• Sarah Ruhl (SMILE: The Story of a Face) Video | Podcast
• Viola Shipman (THE SECRET OF SNOW) Video | Podcast
• Wendy Corsi Staub (THE OTHER FAMILY) Video | Podcast
• Lisa Unger (LAST GIRL GHOSTED) Video | Podcast
• Karen White (THE ATTIC ON QUEEN STREET) Video | Podcast

Upcoming interviews include:

• Jacquelyn Mitchard (THE GOOD SON)
• Allison Pataki (THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST)

Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.

Our Latest Guides

We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:

BLACK CAKE by Charmaine Wilkerson (Fiction)
In this moving debut novel, two estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother’s death and her hidden past --- a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California and ends with her famous black cake.

THE CHRISTIE AFFAIR by Nina de Gramont (Historical Fiction)
Nina de Gramont's THE CHRISTIE AFFAIR is a beguiling novel of star-crossed lovers, heartbreak, revenge and murder --- and a brilliant reimagination of one of the most talked-about unsolved mysteries of the 20th century.

CIRCUS OF WONDERS by Elizabeth Macneal (Historical Fiction)
From the #1 internationally bestselling author of THE DOLL FACTORY comes an atmospheric and spectacular novel in which one woman’s life is transformed by the arrival of a Victorian circus of wonders.

EDUCATED: A Memoir by Tara Westover (Memoir)
EDUCATED is an unforgettable memoir about a young woman who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University.

THE LADY'S MINE by Francine Rivers (Historical Romance)
New York Times bestselling author Francine Rivers returns to the California frontier in this sweeping, romantic tale of a displaced New England suffragette, a former Union soldier disinherited by his Southern family, and the town they join forces to save.

MADHOUSE AT THE END OF THE EARTH: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night by Julian Sancton (History)
MADHOUSE AT THE END OF THE EARTH is the harrowing true survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly awry --- with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter.

ON GOLD MOUNTAIN by Lisa See (Memoir)
Lisa See chronicles the 100-year-odyssey of her Chinese-American family, a history that encompasses racism, romance, secret marriages, entrepreneurial genius and much more, as two distinctly different cultures meet in a new world.

THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson (History)
The author of THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY and DEAD WAKE delivers an intimate chronicle of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz --- an inspiring portrait of courage and leadership in a time of unprecedented crisis.

VERY COLD PEOPLE by Sarah Manguso (Fiction)
In her eagerly anticipated debut novel, Sarah Manguso has written, with characteristic precision, a masterwork on growing up in --- and out of --- the suffocating constraints of a very old, and very cold, small town.

THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY by Brendan Slocumb (Mystery/Thriller)
THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY is a riveting page-turner about a Black classical musician’s desperate quest to recover his lost violin on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world.

Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:

THE KITCHEN FRONT by Jennifer Ryan (Historical Fiction)
From the bestselling author of THE CHILBURY LADIES’ CHOIR comes an unforgettable novel of a BBC-sponsored wartime cooking competition and the four women who enter for a chance to better their lives.

THE LAST NIGHT IN LONDON by Karen White (Historical Fiction)
New York Times bestselling author Karen White weaves a captivating story of friendship, love and betrayal that moves between war-torn London during the Blitz and the present day.

THE LOST APOTHECARY by Sarah Penner (Historical Fiction)
With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters and searing insight, THE LOST APOTHECARY is a subversive and intoxicating debut novel of secrets, vengeance, and the remarkable ways women can save each other despite the barrier of time.

OUTLAWED by Anna North (Western/Adventure)
THE CRUCIBLE meets True Grit in this riveting adventure story of a fugitive girl, a mysterious gang of robbers and their dangerous mission to transform the Wild West.

THE WOMAN THEY COULD NOT SILENCE: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore (Biography)
From the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of THE RADIUM GIRLS comes another dark and dramatic but ultimately uplifting tale of a forgotten woman whose inspirational journey sparked lasting change for women's rights and exposed injustices that still resonate today.

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