March 28, 2022

March 28, 2022

Book Group Talk BETWEEN Meetings

My book group postponed our March meeting until the first week of April. We still are meeting outside, and last week the weather was a tad bleak for that. So I am looking forward to our discussion of BLACK CAKE by Charmaine Wilkerson.

We have a Facebook group where we talk about upcoming events, make date changes and discuss books in general. We have a somewhat lively conversation in between book discussions that allows us to keep in touch with each other.

Last Chance to Answer Our Survey
You have until Thursday, March 31st at 11:59pm ET to answer our survey about how 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 let us know what you do! We will share the results with you in our next newsletter.

We have had such fun bringing you our “Bookaccino Live” Book Group events. Whether or not you are in a book group, there is a chance to join these discussions with the authors. Read on for more about what we have scheduled for you and our latest program.

March's "Bookaccino Live" Book Group Event
Last Wednesday night, we hosted this month’s "Bookaccino Live" Book Group event. Our guest was Lisa See, and we had a wonderful conversation about her first book, ON GOLD MOUNTAIN, which is the story of the 100-year odyssey of her Chinese American family. It’s being adapted by the LA Opera for performances this May, and Lisa shared some information about that as well. We received so many great questions from our attendees (over 40 questions!), and our producer Austin Ruh did his usual superb job of figuring out which ones to ask Lisa.

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. And if you’re interested in attending the opera, which will be produced in the Chinese Garden at The Huntington Library, Art Museums, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, CA, you can click here for all the details and to purchase your tickets.

Our Next "Bookaccino Live" Book Group Event
I am thrilled to announce that Miranda Cowley Heller will be our next “Bookaccino Live” Book Group guest. The event will be held on Wednesday, April 20th at 8pm ET, and you can sign up here to attend. We will be talking about Miranda’s debut novel, THE PAPER PALACE, an instant New York Times bestseller, a Reese’s Book Club pick and a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. The hardcover released last year, and the paperback will be out the day before the event.

Just as we did on Wednesday night, there will be a two-part Q&A session after I talk to Miranda. For the first part, those who are asking a question “on camera” will be featured. Please note that this includes being able to spend time with the author backstage in our virtual green room before the show starts. Yes, there are perks for on-screen participation! If you would like to ask your question "live on screen" this way, please email it to me using the subject line “Question for Miranda.” For those who are camera shy, there will be a traditional Q&A segment as well. I interviewed Miranda last August, so I am looking forward to catching up with her and having much more conversation about the book.

In this newsletter, we are featuring the discussion guide for Lisa Scottoline’s new thriller, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS, an upcoming Bets On selection that releases tomorrow, March 29th.

Here’s the premise: The Bennetts are a happy family on their way home from their daughter’s lacrosse game. A car is tailing them way too closely. They slow down, but it keeps coming, and then flies around them and stops. Two men leap from the car, and it feels like a carjacking. There’s gunfire, and by the time it’s done, one of the Bennetts is dead and so is one of the gunmen. What just happened? This is only page nine. When the grieving Bennetts get home that night, there is a knock at the door. Two FBI agents tell them that they need to be moved into protective custody. This is page 29, and the action keeps up right until the end. Whew!

Lisa has a number of online events scheduled over the next few weeks to celebrate its publication. It all kicks off TONIGHT, March 28th at 6pm ET with the last of her “Lisa Live” Facebook events, where she has been giving readers fun-filled insider info on the inspiration and research for the book. Later tonight, she’ll be doing events for Murder By The Book and The Poisoned Pen Bookstore. Click here for all the details on these and many other events that will be part of her virtual book tour!

Oh, and if you missed last month’s “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event, where I talked to Lisa about her first historical novel, ETERNAL (which is now in paperback), you can watch it here and listen to the podcast here.

We also are featuring the guide for Susan Mallery’s new novel, THE SUMMER GETAWAY. Robyn Caldwell is a single mom who has always put her family first. But now that her kids are all grown up, she would like to shake things up. So when her great-aunt Lillian invites her to Santa Barbara for the summer, Robyn doesn’t need any convincing. It isn’t long, though, before her loved ones follow her across the country. The more time Robyn spends with free-spirited Lillian, the more she realizes that she can have everything she ever wanted --- if only she is brave enough to take a chance on herself.

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of catching up with John Searles, whose new thriller, HER LAST AFFAIR, is a tense and atmospheric novel of love lost and found again. It opens with the sentence "Every marriage has its secrets," and those secrets are what drive the plot. Skyla is a burnt-out nurse stuck with regrets about her long marriage and late husband; Linelle is bored by her spouse; and Jeremy is reminiscing about his first great heartbreak. The book has been compared to a Coen brothers movie, and that description is dead on.

John’s idea for HER LAST AFFAIR first came as he traveled home to see his mom and saw a closed drive-in movie theater. There is something iconic and mysterious about this setting. John and I both worked in the magazine industry, so we spent some time paying homage to magazines and what has changed about them. We used to have gossipy conversations on 57th Street when we worked nearby each other, so this interview is like taking you behind the scenes for one of our dishy chats. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast. And you can see the guide here.

We also have added guides for these three books:

• FRENCH BRAID: This book is being touted as “classic Anne Tyler: a stirring, uncannily insightful novel of tremendous warmth and humor that illuminates the kindnesses and cruelties of our daily lives, the impossibility of breaking free from those who love us, and how close --- yet how unknowable --- every family is to itself.”
   
• THE BOOK OF COLD CASES: Simone St. James’ latest novel follows true crime blogger Shea Collins as she searches for answers to her hometown’s most violent mystery. Our Bookreporter reviewer Sarah Rachel Egelman calls it “an entertaining and suspenseful novel, a Pacific Northwest gothic of dead ends and dysfunction. This outstanding genre mashup with fantastic female leads is not to be missed."
   
• PEACH BLOSSOM SPRING: Spanning continents and generations, Melissa Fu’s debut novel is a bold and moving look at the history of modern China, told through the story of one family. It’s about the power of our past, the hope for a better future, and the haunting question: What would it mean to finally be home?

Last Chance to Enter Our Monthly Contest
Wednesday, April 6th at noon ET is the deadline to enter our current “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest. Three of you will win up to 12 copies of Janet Skeslien Charles’ instant bestseller, THE PARIS LIBRARY, for your group. A Bets On pick when it released in hardcover last February, the book is now available in paperback. According to our Bookreporter reviewer Jana Siciliano, “Janet Skeslien Charles has penned an unforgettable novel that spans 60 years and several generations in the midst of historic turning points as dramatic as those we are living through now…. A passion for literature can lead to courageous acts of defiance during the worst of times, and this novel finds both the historical and heartfelt cores of those experiences.”

THE PARIS LIBRARY is one of TWO March picks for Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites; the other is THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS by Kristin Harmel, which releases in paperback on May 3rd. On Monday, April 4th at 1pm ET, members of the S&S team will talk to Janet and Kristin about their books. Click here to RSVP.

In February, we featured the guide for Brendan Slocumb’s debut novel, THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY, a "Good Morning America" Book Club pick and a Bets On selection. Now we bring you my interview with him. Ray McMillian is determined to become a world-class professional violinist but is unable to afford an instrument of his own. When it is determined that his great-great-grandfather’s beat-up old fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, suddenly a lot of people are paying attention to it --- and to him. Shortly before Ray's appearance at the most prestigious musical competition in the world, the violin is stolen, and he will need millions of dollars to pay the ransom.

In the interview, Brendan explains his inspiration for the book, which he wrote over the course of a few months. He talks about the pacing and many of the characters who mirror people in his own life. He also discusses his career as a musician, the similarities between music and writing, and how he uses music to influence readers. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.

I also chatted recently with Kimberly Belle, whose latest thriller, MY DARLING HUSBAND, we previewed in our "In Case You Missed Them...and a Look Ahead" feature on Bookreporter last October. The book takes a small-scale home invasion that Jade Lasky and her two children face, and ramps it up into a high-octane, life-and-death situation. Jade’s husband, Cam, must come up with a very specific ransom, leading Jade to ask questions about how well she knows her husband and his supposedly successful restaurant business.

In the interview, Kimberly discusses her research, which involved talking to the real “Steak King” of Atlanta about the ins and outs of the restaurant business, and how looks can deceive folks. She explains how she strove to create characters who would be realistic up against these odds. We also chat about the Killer Author Club series that she is doing with Heather Gudenkauf and Kaira Rouda on Facebook and YouTube. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.

Here's a quick reminder about next month's “Bookaccino Live” preview event, which is scheduled for Wednesday, April 13th at 2pm ET. The focus will be on titles releasing between April 12th and May 3rd, in addition to a few from June, 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.

Please keep in mind that this Thursday, March 31st at 8pm ET, I will be moderating Simon & Schuster’s Spring 2022 AuthorFest event featuring Janet Evanovich and Nelson DeMille. Janet and Nelson have created some of the most iconic recurring characters in fiction, and I’ll be talking to them about how they pull this off, book after book. Janet’s newly released thriller, THE RECOVERY AGENT, kicks off a brand-new series introducing recovery agent Gabriela Rose. Nelson’s next book is THE MAZE, which marks the long-awaited return of former NYPD homicide detective John Corey and will be in stores on October 11th. Click here to RSVP for the event.

Our reader Muriel Logan was at the Tucson Festival of Books a couple of weeks ago and wrote this fabulous piece for us about her experiences there. She attended three author panels and heard from Fiona Davis, William Kent Krueger, Nick Petrie, Beatriz Williams and more. Many thanks to Muriel for her very thorough reporting!

Whew…yes, we have a lot going on! Here’s to a great discussion with your book group in April.

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:
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS
by Lisa Scottoline
An Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS by Lisa Scottoline (Thriller)
Jason Bennett is driving his family home after his daughter’s field hockey game when a pickup truck begins tailgating them. Suddenly two men jump from the pickup and pull guns on Jason, demanding the car. A horrific flash of violence changes his life forever. Later that awful night, Jason and his family receive a visit from the FBI. The carjackers were members of a dangerous drug-trafficking organization, and now Jason and his family are in their crosshairs. The agents advise them to enter the witness protection program, and they have no choice but to agree. The Bennetts begin to fall apart at the seams. Then Jason learns a shocking truth and realizes that he has to take matters into his own hands.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to visit Lisa Scottoline's website.
- Click here for Lisa Scottoline's virtual book tour schedule.

Click here for the discussion guide.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS will be a Bookreporter.com
Bets On pick. Don't miss Carol's commentary in the next newsletter.

New Featured Guide: THE SUMMER GETAWAY
by Susan Mallery

THE SUMMER GETAWAY by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
Single mom Robyn Caldwell has always put her family first. Now, with her kids grown, she yearns for a change. When her great-aunt Lillian invites her to Santa Barbara for the summer, Robyn hops on the first plane to sunny California. But it’s hard to get away when you’re the heart of the family. One by one, everyone she loves follows her across the country. Somehow, their baggage doesn’t feel as heavy in the sun-drenched, mishmash mansion. The more time Robyn spends with free-spirited Lillian, the more possibilities she sees --- for dreams, love, family. She can have everything she ever wanted, if only she can muster the courage to take a chance on herself.

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

Click here for the featured guide.

New Guide: FRENCH BRAID by Anne Tyler

FRENCH BRAID by Anne Tyler (Fiction)
The Garretts take their first and last family vacation in the summer of 1959. They hardly ever leave home, but in some ways they have never been farther apart. Mercy has trouble resisting the siren call of her aspirations to be a painter, which means less time keeping house for her husband, Robin. Their teenage daughters, steady Alice and boy-crazy Lily, could not have less in common. Their youngest, David, is already intent on escaping his family's orbit, for reasons none of them understand. Yet, as these lives advance across decades, the Garretts' influences on one another ripple ineffably but unmistakably through each generation.

- 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.

"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Enter to Win Up to 12 Copies of THE PARIS LIBRARY
by Janet Skeslien Charles for Your Group

Each month in our "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" feature, 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 up to 12 copies of that month’s prize book for their group. Note: To be eligible to win, let us know the title of the book that YOUR book group is CURRENTLY reading, NOT the title we are giving away.

Our latest prize book is THE PARIS LIBRARY by Janet Skeslien Charles, a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick that is now available in paperback. Based on the true World War II story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris, this instant New York Times, Washington Post and USA TODAY bestseller is an unforgettable story of romance, friendship, family and the power of literature to bring us together. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, April 6th at noon ET.

THE PARIS LIBRARY by Janet Skeslien Charles (Historical Fiction)
Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet has it all: her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into Paris, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library. Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal. Montana, 1983: Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, the same longings and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- 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 Janet Skeslien Charles.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.

Click here to enter the contest.

New Guide: HER LAST AFFAIR by John Searles

HER LAST AFFAIR by John Searles (Psychological Thriller)
Ever since her husband’s death in a freak accident the year before, Skyla spends her nights ruminating about the regrets and deceptions in her long marriage. That is, until she rents a cottage to a charming British man, Teddy Cornwell. A thousand miles away, Linelle is about to turn 50. Bored by her spouse and fired from her job, her only source of joy is an online affair with her very first love, a man she’s not seen in nearly 30 years, Teddy Cornwell. While in New York City, Jeremy, a failed and bitter writer, accepts an assignment to review a new restaurant in Providence. Years ago, Providence was the site of his first great love and first great heartbreak --- and maybe, just maybe, he’ll look her up when he’s back in town.

- 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 John Searles.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.

Click here for the discussion guide.

New Guide: THE BOOK OF COLD CASES
by Simone St. James

THE BOOK OF COLD CASES by Simone St. James (Supernatural Thriller)
In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders. Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect, but she was acquitted and retreated to the isolation of her mansion. Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist who runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea’s surprise, Beth says yes. They meet regularly at Beth’s mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?

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

Click here for the discussion guide.

New Guide: PEACH BLOSSOM SPRING by Melissa Fu

PEACH BLOSSOM SPRING by Melissa Fu (Historical Fiction)
It is 1938 in China. As a young wife, Meilin’s future is bright. But with the Japanese army approaching, Meilin and her four-year-old son, Renshu, are forced to flee their home. Relying on little but their wits and a beautifully illustrated hand scroll, filled with ancient fables that offer solace and wisdom, they must travel through a ravaged country, seeking refuge. Years later, Renshu has settled in America as Henry Dao. Though his daughter is desperate to understand her heritage, he refuses to talk about his childhood. How can he keep his family safe in this new land when the weight of his history threatens to drag them down? Yet how can Lily learn who she is if she can never know her family’s story?

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

Click here for the discussion guide.

New March Releases of Interest to Book Groups

Below are a number of books releasing in March 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.

BOOTH by Karen Joy Fowler (Historical Fiction)
From the Man Booker finalist and bestselling author of WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY BESIDE OURSELVES comes an epic and intimate novel about the family behind one of the most infamous figures in American history: John Wilkes Booth.

THE DIAMOND EYE by Kate Quinn (Historical Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling author of THE ROSE CODE returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet librarian who becomes history’s deadliest female sniper.

THE DICKENS BOY by Thomas Keneally (Historical Fiction)
The award-winning author of modern classics such as SCHINDLER'S LIST and NAPOLEON'S LAST ISLAND is at his triumphant best with this vibrant and engaging novel about the adventures of Charles Dickens’ son in the Australian Outback during the 1860s.

FENCING WITH THE KING by Diana Abu-Jaber (Fiction)
With sharp insight into modern politics and family dynamics, taboos around mental illness, and our inescapable relationship to the past, FENCING WITH THE KING asks how we contend with inheritance: familial and cultural, hidden and openly contested.

THE GOLDEN COUPLE by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (Psychological Thriller)
THE GOLDEN COUPLE is the next electrifying novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author duo behind THE WIFE BETWEEN US, AN ANONYMOUS GIRL and YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

HIGH STAKES by Danielle Steel (Fiction)
In this captivating novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel, five successful women play for high stakes in their careers at a boutique literary and talent agency.

IN LOVE: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom (Memoir)
This powerful memoir by New York Times bestselling author Amy Bloom is an illuminating story of two people whose love leads them to find a courageous way to part --- and of a woman’s struggle to go forward in the face of loss.

THE LAST CONFESSIONS OF SYLVIA P. by Lee Kravetz (Historical Fiction/Literary Mystery)
Blending past and present, and told through three unique interwoven narratives that build on one another, this daring and brilliant debut novel reimagines a chapter in the life of Sylvia Plath, telling the story behind the creation of her classic semi-autobiographical novel, THE BELL JAR.

THE LONG WEEKEND by Gilly Macmillan (Psychological Thriller)
In this pulse-pounding thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of THE NANNY, a group of women travel to the most remote place in England for a weekend escape, only to discover a startling note that one of their husbands will be killed before they return home.

MY DARLING HUSBAND by Kimberly Belle (Psychological Thriller)
The bestselling author of DEAR WIFE and THE MARRIAGE LIE, Kimberly Belle returns with her most heart-pounding thriller to date, as a masked home invader reveals the cracks in a marriage.

OCEAN STATE by Stewart O'Nan (Fiction)
Set in a working-class town on the Rhode Island coast, Stewart O’Nan’s latest is a crushing, beautifully written and profoundly compelling novel about sisters, mothers, daughters and the terrible things love makes us do.

THE SHOP ON ROYAL STREET by Karen White (Mystery)
Nola Trenholm is hopeful for a fresh start in the Big Easy but must deal with ghosts from her past --- as well as new ones --- in this first book in a spinoff series of Karen White's New York Times bestselling Tradd Street novels.

THE UNSINKABLE GRETA JAMES by Jennifer E. Smith (Fiction)
An indie musician reeling from tragedy and a public breakdown reconnects with her father on a weeklong cruise in “a pitch-perfect story about the ways we recover love in the strangest places” (Rebecca Serle).

THE WEDDING VEIL by Kristy Woodson Harvey (Fiction)
In the vein of Therese Anne Fowler’s A WELL-BEHAVED WOMAN and Jennifer Robson’s THE GOWN, THE WEDDING VEIL brings to vivid life a group of remarkable women forging their own paths --- and explores the mystery of a national heirloom lost to time.

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

Spring is in the air! We’ve 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.

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

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

From left to right: Lisa Scottoline, Kate Quinn, Kristy Woodson Harvey

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.

Monday, March 28th at 6pm ET: “Lisa Live”: Join Lisa Scottoline on her Facebook page to celebrate the publication of her new pulse-pounding novel, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS.

Monday, March 28th at 7pm ET: Murder By The Book: Lisa Scottoline will talk about her new novel, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS, with Mystery & Thriller Maven’s Sara DiVello.

Monday, March 28th at 9pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Lisa Scottoline looks forward to discussing her latest thriller, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS, the premise of which is this: Your family has been attacked, never again to be the same. Now you have to choose between law…and justice.

Tuesday, March 29th at 7pm ET: Cuyahoga Public Library: Join Cuyahoga Public Library for a conversation with John Searles about his latest novel, HER LAST AFFAIR.

Tuesday, March 29th at 7pm ET: Reads & Company Bookshop: Join Lisa Scottoline for a special publication day virtual celebration for WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS, her latest domestic thriller. Lisa will be joining Reads & Company to celebrate the launch of what surely will be one of the hottest books of the spring.

Wednesday, March 30th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors --- Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey and Patti Callahan Henry --- will throw a launch party for Kristy's new book, THE WEDDING VEIL.

Wednesday, March 30th at 7pm ET: RJ Julia Booksellers: Join Lisa Scottoline for the launch of her new book, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS.

Thursday, March 31st at 7pm ET: Warwick's: Warwick's, in partnership with William Morrow, will host Kate Quinn as she discusses her new book, THE DIAMOND EYE.

Thursday, March 31st at 8pm ET: Simon & Schuster's Spring 2022 AuthorFest: Simon & Schuster partners with the book festival community each season to bring exclusive author programming to readers across the US. Their Spring 2022 AuthorFest event will feature #1 internationally bestselling authors Nelson DeMille and Janet Evanovich in conversation with Carol Fitzgerald.

Thursday, March 31st at 8:30pm ET: Book Passage: Join Book Passage for an evening with Lisa Scottoline, who will be in conversation with Luisa Smith about her new novel, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS.

Friday, April 1st at 7pm ET: Cuyahoga Public Library: Join Cuyahoga Public Library for a conversation with Lisa Scottoline about her latest thriller, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS.

Sunday, April 3rd at 4pm ET: Towne Book Center: Join Towne Book Center for a virtual event with Lisa Scottoline on their YouTube channel. She'll be talking about her latest thriller, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS.

Sunday, April 3rd at 7pm ET: The Back Room: Join authors Amy Impellizzieri, Gilly Macmillan, Mia Manansala and Lisa Scottoline, along with Back Room hosts Karen Dionne and Hank Phillippi Ryan, for an evening of great conversation.

Monday, April 4th at 1pm ET: Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites: Janet Skeslien Charles and Kristin Harmel will join members of the Simon & Schuster team for a live historical fiction discussion about THE PARIS LIBRARY and THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS, which are March's picks for S&S's Book Club Favorites.

Tuesday, April 5th at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble Book Club: Barnes & Noble will host a virtual discussion for their March Book Club selection, ONE ITALIAN SUMMER, featuring Rebecca Serle.

Tuesday, April 5th at 7pm ET: Gramercy Books: Join #1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline as she launches her latest book --- a pulse-pounding new novel, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS, where a family must choose between law and justice.

"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:

• Kimberly Belle (MY DARLING HUSBAND) Video | Podcast
• John Searles (HER LAST AFFAIR) Video | Podcast
• Brendan Slocumb (THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY) 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
• Bonnie Kistler (THE CAGE) Video | Podcast
• Jacquelyn Mitchard (THE GOOD SON) Video | Podcast
• Allison Pataki (THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST) Video | Podcast
• Nita Prose (THE MAID) Video | Podcast
• James Rollins (THE STARLESS CROWN) Video | Podcast
• Viola Shipman (THE SECRET OF SNOW) Video | Podcast
• Wendy Corsi Staub (THE OTHER FAMILY) Video | Podcast
• Karen White (THE ATTIC ON QUEEN STREET) Video | Podcast
• Charmaine Wilkerson (BLACK CAKE) Video | Podcast

Upcoming interviews include:

• Jane Green (SISTER STARDUST)
• Gilly Macmillan (THE LONG WEEKEND)

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:

THE BOOK OF COLD CASES by Simone St. James (Supernatural Thriller)
A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of THE SUN DOWN MOTEL.

THE CLUB by Ellery Lloyd (Mystery/Thriller)
From the author of PEOPLE LIKE HER comes a smart and sinister murder mystery set in the secretive world of exclusive celebrity clubs.

FRENCH BRAID by Anne Tyler (Fiction)
From beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning author Anne Tyler comes a funny, joyful and brilliantly perceptive journey deep into one Baltimore family’s foibles --- from a boyfriend with a red Chevy in the 1950s up to a longed-for reunion with a grandchild in our pandemic present.

HER LAST AFFAIR by John Searles (Psychological Thriller)
Part page-turning thriller, part homage to film noir, and dazzling in its insight into the often desperate desires of the human heart, HER LAST AFFAIR is a tense and atmospheric novel of love lost and found again.

THE LOVE OF MY LIFE by Rosie Walsh (Mystery/Thriller)
From the New York Times bestselling author of GHOSTED comes a love story wrapped in a mystery --- an up-all-night page-turner with a dark secret at its core.

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.

ONE ITALIAN SUMMER by Rebecca Serle (Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling author of IN FIVE YEARS returns with a moving and unforgettable exploration of the powerful bond between mother and daughter set on the breathtaking Amalfi Coast.

PEACH BLOSSOM SPRING by Melissa Fu (Historical Fiction)
A bold and moving novel about war, migration and the power of telling our stories, PEACH BLOSSOM SPRING follows three generations of a Chinese family on their search for a place to call home.

THE SUMMER GETAWAY by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
One woman takes the vacation of a lifetime in this poignant and heartwarming story about the threads that hold a family together from #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery.

THE TOBACCO WIVES by Adele Myers (Historical Fiction)
For fans of Fiona Davis and Lisa Wingate, THE TOBACCO WIVES is a vibrant historical debut, set in 1946 North Carolina, following a young female seamstress who uncovers dangerous truths about Big Tobacco.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS by Lisa Scottoline (Thriller)
From #1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline comes a pulse-pounding new novel. Your family has been attacked, never again to be the same. Now you have to choose between law...and justice.

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

GOOD COMPANY by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney (Fiction)
GOOD COMPANY is a warm, incisive novel about the enduring bonds of marriage and friendship from Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of the instant New York Times bestseller THE NEST.

THE PARIS LIBRARY by Janet Skeslien Charles (Historical Fiction)
Based on the true World War II story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris, this is an unforgettable story of romance, friendship, family and the power of literature to bring us together, perfect for fans of LILAC GIRLS and THE PARIS WIFE.

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