November 16, 2022

November 16, 2022

Taking Stock of This Year’s Reading Selections

This is the time of year when I wonder: How is it the end of November already?

My book group will be meeting the last week of November to talk about HONOR by Thrity Umrigar, and we are noodling plans for December. One year we watched a movie. I am trying to remember what we did in “the COVID years,” and I am betting we skipped meeting. As we embark on what I call “the race to the new year,” think about taking some time to look back over the books you read this year. What was your favorite...and your least favorite? Which inspired the best discussion? All of this will give you ammo to think about what you want to read next year!

We have just posted our annual contest where you weigh in on your favorite book of the year that you read on your own, and with your book group, to be eligible to win advance copies of six books that we are excited about for early 2023. All the details can be found later in this newsletter.

We are not slowing down yet. We have plenty to share, so read on!

This is your last ReadingGroupGuides newsletter reminder to sign up for this month’s “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event, which will take place on Wednesday, November 30th at 8pm ET.

Our guest will be Charmaine Wilkerson, and we will be talking about her debut novel, BLACK CAKE, a “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick and a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection that releases in paperback the day before the event. Here, 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.

You can register for the event by clicking here. If you would like to ask Charmaine a question on camera during the event and chat with her in our “backstage green room” before the event, please email me with your question using the subject line “Black Cake” by Wednesday the 30th at noon ET. Those who are camera shy can send their questions via the Q&A feature on Zoom.

For our latest “Bookreporter Talks To” interview, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jamie Fiore Higgins about her memoir, BULLY MARKET: My Story of Money and Misogyny at Goldman Sachs, which is a Bets On pick. Jamie explains what drove her to join Goldman Sachs in the late ’90s and the obstacles she faced as she started her career. She shares details about the demands of the job and the cost of her success.

As both her marriage and mental health were tested, Jamie made plans to leave the company, creating a “spreadsheet of freedom” to calculate the moment “she would have enough financial security to quit.” As she moved on from Goldman, she discusses how she worked to redefine herself. We also talk about how the book has been resonating with book groups --- including mine, as I detailed in the last newsletter --- and what they have been reacting to. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.

Announcing Our Special End-of-the-Year Feature and Contest!
As we count down to the final days of 2022, it’s time once again to announce the details of our popular Year-End Feature and Contest, where we ask you and your book group to help us compile our own “Best Books of the Year” list.

Click here to share both your favorite book that you read with your group and your favorite book that you read outside your group this year. One Grand Prize winner will receive six outstanding book group titles releasing in 2023: CODE NAME SAPPHIRE by Pam Jenoff, HELLO BEAUTIFUL by Ann Napolitano, THE HOUSE OF EVE by Sadeqa Johnson, LOYALTY by Lisa Scottoline, THE MITFORD AFFAIR by Marie Benedict, and MOONRISE OVER NEW JESSUP by Jamila Minnicks.

The deadline for your entries is Wednesday, January 11th at noon ET. We will share our reader-compiled "Best Of" list with you shortly after the contest ends. Please note: Your favorite book that you discussed with your group CAN be the same as your favorite book of the year. And they don't need to have been published in 2022.

Our Latest Monthly Contest is Live!
Our new “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest title is THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY by debut novelist (and professional violinist) Brendan Slocumb, which releases in paperback on December 6th. This beautifully rendered and complex novel, with a fast-paced mystery at its heart, was a “Good Morning America” Book Club pick when it released in hardcover in February and a Bets On selection.

Here's the premise: Ray McMillian loves playing the violin more than anything, and nothing will stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a professional musician. When he makes the startling discovery that his great-great-grandfather’s fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, his star begins to rise. Then, with the international Tchaikovsky Competition --- the Olympics of classical music --- fast approaching, his prized family heirloom is stolen. Ray is determined to get it back. But now his family and the descendants of the man who once enslaved Ray’s great-great-grandfather are each claiming that the violin belongs to them. With the odds stacked against him and the pressure mounting, will Ray ever see his beloved violin again?

Three groups will win up to 12 paperback copies of THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, January 11th at noon ET. As usual during this time of year, this will be a two-month contest as we know many groups do not meet in December. If you missed my “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Brendan earlier this year, you can watch it here or listen to it here.

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: LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus, HORSE by Geraldine Brooks, THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and THE MAID by Nita Prose. Scroll further down the newsletter to see the Top 15.

THE CLOISTERS, Katy Hays’ debut novel, is November’s Barnes & Noble Book Club selection and Jenna Bush Hager’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick.

Jenna says, “I have recommended it to everybody that I possibly can because I feel like it's the perfect mystery…. The book reminds me of The Talented Mr. Ripley, but with twists that are Gone Girl. It's a story about female ambition and what's permissible when one person is born on Park Avenue and given everything, and the other person has to work hard for what they want.” Click here for the guide and here for our review on Bookreporter.

On Tuesday, December 6th at 3pm ET, Barnes & Noble will host a live virtual event with Katy. She will be joined in the discussion by Shannon DeVito, the Director of Category Management at B&N, and Miwa Messer, B&N’s Editorial Director. Click here to sign up.

We also have added guides for these four books:

• SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX: In Lisa Unger’s new locked-room thriller, an upcoming Bets On pick, three couples rent a luxury cabin in the woods. However, their dream weekend quickly turns into a nightmare --- a deadly storm is brewing, the rental host seems just a little too present, the personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history, and the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep. Don’t miss my Bets On commentary in the next newsletter.
   
• SOMEDAY, MAYBE: This debut novel from Onyi Nwabineli is November’s “Good Morning America” Book Club pick. Here’s how “GMA” describes the book: “The story dives into one of the most harrowing human fears: losing the person you love most to suicide. Nwabineli explores grief, loss and healing from the perspective of a young woman named Eve, who is part of a tight-knit Nigerian family when tragedy strikes. When Eve loses her husband to suicide, her idea of the world --- her happiness, her loving family and her doting husband --- shatters.”
   
• WE ARE THE LIGHT: Matthew Quick's highly anticipated new novel, which is this month's #1 Indie Next pick, is about the quicksand of grief and the daily miracle of love. The humorous, soul-baring story of Lucas Goodgame offers an antidote to toxic masculinity and celebrates the healing power of art. In this tale that will stay with you long after the final page is turned, Quick reminds us that life is full of guardian angels.
   
• GILDED MOUNTAIN: Kate Manning's epic new historical novel is set in the small marble-mining town of Moonstone, Colorado, and tells the story of Sylvie Pelletier, a naive young woman trying to find her place in a climate and world hostile to women. Sylvie’s education is harsh and hopeful, seized by robber barons and built by immigrants’ infinite toil.

Reese’s Book Club pick for November is TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS by Cheryl Strayed, a new edition of which has just released to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Reese says, “At the beginning of her career, Cheryl took on the persona of Sugar and wrote an advice column, Dear Sugar, that became a sensation. Sugar’s advice is no nonsense, poignant, soul-searching, grounded and fierce in so many loving ways. This edition even includes new essays. No matter who I give this book to, the response is always a Big THANK YOU for sharing Sugar’s wisdom and humor.”

For more November selections, including the Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, see our “Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks” feature here.

We hosted our final “Bookaccino Live” preview event of 2022 last Wednesday afternoon. I talked about 26 books releasing between now and the end of the year, along with 13 from January and February, that we wanted to get on your radar. You can watch it here and see a list of the featured titles here.

Our first “Bookaccino Live” preview event of 2023 will be held on Wednesday, January 11th at 2pm ET. The focus will be on books releasing from January 3rd to January 31st, with a look ahead to February and March. Click here to sign up. 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.

We are so excited to announce a very special “Bookaccino Live” event that will take place on Tuesday, December 6th at 8pm ET. Join us as 13 Bookreporter reviewers will be talking about their favorite books of 2022. Our guests will be Kate Ayers, Sarah Rachel Egelman, Megan Elliott, Harvey Freedenberg, Ron Kaplan, Pamela Kramer, Bronwyn Miller, Rebecca Munro, Eileen Zimmerman Nicol, Ray Palen, Norah Piehl, Stuart Shiffman and Jana Siciliano. If you would like to attend and see some of the faces behind the reviews, you can sign up by clicking here. We are looking forward to what promises to be a really fun evening!

I recently heard about an exciting opportunity for book groups courtesy of Book Club Girl and want to make sure it’s on your radar:

“Book Club Girl is looking for the chattiest, most well-read clubs to become official 2023 Book Club Girl Book Clubs! Twelve book clubs will be chosen to receive advance copies of new books, special access to authors, and more. Each month your club will get a menu of 3-5 book options to choose from, and we'll send you enough free copies for your book club! Plus, you'll get special Book Club Girl swag for everyone in your group.”

You can find out all the details and apply here. The deadline for your applications is Wednesday, November 30th.

Voting is now underway for the 14th Annual Goodreads Choice Awards, the only major book awards decided by readers. Two rounds of voting are open to all registered Goodreads members, with the opening round ending on November 27th. Click here to cast your votes in 17 different genre categories, and check out the voting schedule here. The winners will be announced on December 8th.

Lisa Hickman, our Contest Coordinator, told me about a really fun meeting she had with her book group earlier this month: “The Reeds at Shelter Haven in Stone Harbor, NJ hosted The Reeds Reads Book Club on November 2nd. We had a lively, open discussion about MAD HONEY by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. One member, Kathy Early, brought each moderator a jar of Cape Life & Health Raw Wildflower Honey from the Jersey Cape. The Bee’s Knees Cocktail, a recipe from MAD HONEY, was served and enjoyed with small-plate meal specials by many of the 65 attendees. The general feeling amongst the group was that we are more alike than we are different.”

We will be back in December with our next newsletter, so wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s to celebrating with family and friends. And for all of you who, like us, will have fewer members at your holiday table this year, here’s to sharing some great memories as you give thanks.

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])

P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, ReadingGroupGuides.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!

New Special Contest:
Share Your Favorite Books of 2022
and Enter to Win SIX Outstanding Book Group Titles
Releasing in 2023!

This is the time of year when we start seeing “Best Books of the Year” lists. We would like you and your book group to help us compile ours!

Click here to share your favorite books of 2022 and enter the contest.

"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Enter to Win Up to 12 Paperback Copies of
THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY by Brendan Slocumb
for Your Group

New Guide: THE CLOISTERS by Katy Hays
November’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show
Book Club Pick and Barnes & Noble Book Club Selection

THE CLOISTERS by Katy Hays (Literary Thriller)
When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, she expects to spend her summer working as a curatorial associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she finds herself assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval art collection and its group of enigmatic researchers studying the history of divination. But what begins as academic curiosity quickly turns into obsession when Ann discovers a hidden 15th-century deck of tarot cards that might hold the key to predicting the future. When the dangerous game of power, seduction and ambition at The Cloisters turns deadly, Ann becomes locked in a race for answers as the line between the arcane and the modern blurs.

» THE CLOISTERS is this month's Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. On Tuesday, December 6th at 3pm ET, B&N will welcome Katy Hays for a live virtual event to discuss the book. Click here to sign up.

- 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 to see why the book is this month's "Read with Jenna" pick.

Click here for the discussion guide.

New Guide: SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX by Lisa Unger
An Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title

SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX by Lisa Unger (Psychological Thriller)
What could be more restful than a weekend getaway with family and friends? An isolated luxury cabin in the woods, complete with spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s loving and generous tech-mogul brother found the listing online. It’s his birthday gift to Hannah and includes their spouses and another couple. The six friends need this trip with good food, good company and lots of R&R, far from the chatter and pressures of modern life. But the dreamy weekend is about to turn into a nightmare. A deadly storm is brewing. The rental host seems just a little too present. The personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep.

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

Click here for the discussion guide.

SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.
Don't miss Carol's commentary in the next newsletter.

New Guide: SOMEDAY, MAYBE by Onyi Nwabineli
November’s “Good Morning America” Book Club Pick

SOMEDAY, MAYBE by Onyi Nwabineli (Fiction)
Here are three things you should know about my husband: 1) He was the great love of my life despite his penchant for going incommunicado, 2) He was, as far as I and everyone else could tell, perfectly happy. Which is significant because… 3) On New Year’s Eve, he killed himself. And here is one thing you should know about me: I found him. Bonus fact: No. I am not okay. SOMEDAY, MAYBE is a debut novel about a young woman’s emotional journey through unimaginable loss, pulled along by her tight-knit Nigerian family, a posse of friends, and the love and laughter she shared with her husband.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to see why the book is this month's "Good Morning America" Book Club pick.

Click here for the discussion guide.

New Guide: WE ARE THE LIGHT by Matthew Quick
November's #1 Indie Next Pick

WE ARE THE LIGHT by Matthew Quick (Fiction)
Lucas Goodgame lives in Majestic, Pennsylvania, a quaint suburb that has been torn apart by a recent tragedy. Everyone in Majestic sees Lucas as a hero --- everyone, that is, except Lucas himself. Insisting that his deceased wife, Darcy, visits him every night in the form of an angel, Lucas spends his time writing letters to his former Jungian analyst, Karl. It is only when Eli, an 18-year-old young man whom the community has ostracized, begins camping out in Lucas’ backyard that an unlikely alliance takes shape and the two embark on a journey to heal their neighbors and, most importantly, themselves.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here for the discussion guide.

New Guide: GILDED MOUNTAIN by Kate Manning

GILDED MOUNTAIN by Kate Manning (Historical Fiction)
Sylvie Pelletier recounts leaving her family’s snowbound mountain cabin to work in a manor house for the Padgetts, owners of the marble-mining company that employs her father. Her fairy-tale ideas of romance take a dark turn when she realizes the Padgetts’ lofty philosophical talk is at odds with the unfair labor practices that have enriched them. Outside the manor walls, the town of Moonstone is roiling with discontent. The editor of the local newspaper --- a bold woman who takes Sylvie on as an apprentice --- is publishing unflattering accounts of the Padgett Company. Sylvie navigates vastly different worlds and struggles to find her way amid conflicting loyalties. When the harsh winter brings tragedy, Sylvie must choose between silence and revenge.

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

Click here for the discussion guide.

Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks for November

Each month, we share top book picks from Indie Next and LibraryReads, as well as the Target Book Club title and Costco's "Buyer's Pick." We also feature a number of other prominent picks, including Oprah’s Book Club, the Barnes & Noble Book Club, Reese's Book Club, Jenna Bush Hager's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club, the "Good Morning America" Book Club, and Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites.

Below is a preview of November'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: WE ARE THE LIGHT by Matthew Quick
NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO PANIC by Kevin Wilson
SIGNAL FIRES by Dani Shapiro
DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver
THE CLOISTERS by Katy Hays

LibraryReads
Top Pick: ASTRID PARKER DOESN'T FAIL by Ashley Herring Blake
THE BANNED BOOKSHOP OF MAGGIE BANKS by Shauna Robinson
THE CLOISTERS by Katy Hays
KISS HER ONCE FOR ME by Alison Cochrun
LEGENDS & LATTES: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes by Travis Baldree

Target Book Club
WHITE HORSE by Erika T. Wurth

Costco's "Buyer's Pick"
GOING ROGUE: A Stephanie Plum Novel by Janet Evanovich

Barnes & Noble Book Club
THE CLOISTERS by Katy Hays

Reese's Book Club
TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS: Advice from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed

Jenna Bush Hager's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club
THE CLOISTERS by Katy Hays

"Good Morning America" Book Club
SOMEDAY, MAYBE by Onyi Nwabineli

Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites
IT STARTS WITH US by Colleen Hoover

Our Most Popular Book Group Selections for October’s "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest

In October's “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest, here are the 15 books mentioned most frequently as titles that our book groups read:

• LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus
• HORSE by Geraldine Brooks
• THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
• THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• THE MAID by Nita Prose
• THE FOUR WINDS by Kristin Hannah
• THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig
• THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST by Allison Pataki
• OUR MISSING HEARTS by Celeste Ng
• REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt
• THE LOST GIRLS OF WILLOWBROOK by Ellen Marie Wiseman
• HONOR by Thrity Umrigar
• APPLES NEVER FALL by Liane Moriarty
• ONE TWO THREE by Laurie Frankel
• KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE by Deanna Raybourn

New November Releases of Interest to Book Groups

Below are a number of books that released in November 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.

ALL THE BROKEN PLACES by John Boyne (Historical Fiction)
New York Times bestselling author John Boyne has penned a devastating, beautiful story about a woman who must confront the sins of her own terrible past, and a present in which it is never too late for bravery.

A CHRISTMAS MEMORY by Richard Paul Evans (Fiction)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE CHRISTMAS BOX and the Noel Collection comes A CHRISTMAS MEMORY, a poignant, deeply felt novel about loss, grief, the healing power of forgiveness, and the true meaning of the holiday season.

DAWNLANDS by Philippa Gregory (Historical Fiction)
Philippa Gregory’s Fairmile series continues as the fiercely independent Alinor and her family find themselves entangled in palace intrigue and political upheaval in 17th-century England.

FLIGHT by Lynn Steger Strong (Fiction)
Following WANT, Lynn Steger Strong once again turns her attention to the structural and systemic failings that are haunting Americans, but also to the ways in which family, friends and strangers can support each other through the gaps.

THE LAST PARTY by Clare Mackintosh (Psychological Thriller)
This first installment in Clare Mackintosh’s new DC Ffion Morgan series is about the murder of a local celebrity in small-town Wales --- a man everyone in the village had good cause to murder.

NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO PANIC by Kevin Wilson (Fiction)
This exuberant, big-hearted novel is about two teenage misfits who spectacularly collide one fateful summer, and the art they make that changes their lives forever.

THE PRISONER by B. A. Paris (Psychological Thriller)
With BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, B. A. Paris took the psychological thriller to shocking new heights. Now she’ll hold you captive with THE PRISONER, a stunning new thriller about one woman wed into a family with deadly intentions.

A QUIET LIFE by Ethan Joella (Fiction)
Set in a close-knit Pennsylvania suburb in the grip of winter, A QUIET LIFE follows three people grappling with loss and finding a tender wisdom in their grief.

THE WHITTIERS by Danielle Steel (Fiction)
In this heartwarming novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel, adult siblings find their way back home --- and back to each other --- after loss.

A WISH FOR WINTER by Viola Shipman (Fiction)
With echoes of classic Hollywood love stories like Serendipity and An Affair to Remember, Viola Shipman’s latest winter charmer following the USA Today bestseller THE SECRET OF SNOW is sure to tug on heartstrings and delight readers who love books about books, missed connections and the magic of Christmas.

Announcing Bookreporter.com’s
Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature

At Bookreporter.com, we kick off the holiday season in style with our Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature. As our gift to you, on select days in November and December, we are spotlighting a book and giving five lucky readers the chance to win it. You have to visit the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter the 24-hour contest. As always, we are sending our special Holiday Cheer newsletter on the days when there are contests. Click here to sign up for these email alerts.

This year's contest titles are:

• THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT by Debbie Macomber
• THE LIGHT PIRATE by Lily Brooks-Dalton
• MARPLE: Twelve New Mysteries by various authors
• OUR MISSING HEARTS by Celeste Ng
• THE QUEEN: Her Life by Andrew Morton
• A QUILT FOR CHRISTMAS: A Christmas Novella by Melody Carlson
• WEALTH MANAGEMENT by Edward Zuckerman
• A WISH FOR WINTER by Viola Shipman

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

Bookreporter.com Bets On:
MAD HONEY by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
and COUNT THE WAYS by Joyce Maynard

MAD HONEY by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan (Fiction)
MAD HONEY had its origins in a very different way. In 2017, Jennifer Finney Boylan had a dream that she wrote a book with Jodi Picoult, and she tweeted about it. Jodi got wind of this and said, “Let’s do it.” Previously her only co-writer was her daughter, Samantha van Leer. What Jodi and Jennifer created together is a novel that takes on an issue as Jodi’s books are wont to do. At the same time, it blends in experiences that Jennifer knows all too well as she is transgender. Told in alternating narratives, we get to know these characters, yet we do not see from the start exactly how they will impact one another.

From left to right: Louise Penny, Lisa Scottoline, Colleen Hoover

Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events

As many book and author events are still 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.

Every Monday night at 7:30pm ET: “Lisa Live!”: Join Lisa Scottoline every Monday night as she hosts her weekly “Talking LOYALTY” video series and Facebook Live events leading up to the publication of her historical novel, LOYALTY, on March 28, 2023. And be sure to enter the LOYALTY Pre-order Sweepstakes!

Monday, November 21st at 1pm ET: Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites: Colleen Hoover will discuss her new novel, IT STARTS WITH US, which is November's pick for Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites. Joining the conversation will be Mackenzie Newcomb from Bad B*tch Book Club.

Monday, November 21st at 7pm ET: Page 158 Books: Page 158 Books is pleased to welcome bestselling and award-winning memoirist Wade Rouse for a digital author event discussing his latest novel, A WISH FOR WINTER, which he wrote under his Viola Shipman pseudonym.

Wednesday, November 23rd at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": Join the "Friends and Fiction" authors --- Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey and Patti Callahan Henry --- for a special Thanksgiving show featuring beloved indie booksellers.

Wednesday, November 30th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will talk to Kevin Wilson about his new book, NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO PANIC, a nuanced exploration of young love, identity and the power of art. Appearing on the Aftershow will be Sheila Roberts, whose latest novel is THE ROAD TO CHRISTMAS.

Wednesday, November 30th at 8pm ET: "Bookaccino Live" Book Group: Carol Fitzgerald will talk to Charmaine Wilkerson about her debut novel, BLACK CAKE, which releases in paperback on November 29th. Charmaine also will answer questions from guests who will be "on stage," as well as from other members of the audience. If you would like to be one of our featured audience guests and ask Charmaine a question on camera, please send Carol an email with the subject line “Black Cake” by Wednesday the 30th at noon ET.

Monday, December 5th at 7pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome #1 New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny for a live virtual event to discuss A WORLD OF CURIOSITIES, the 18th spellbinding novel in her beloved series, featuring the return of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache.

Monday, December 5th at 8:30pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Richard Paul Evans will talk about his latest book, A CHRISTMAS MEMORY, a poignant, deeply felt novel about loss, grief, the healing power of forgiveness, and the true meaning of the holiday season.

Tuesday, December 6th at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble Book Club: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome Katy Hays for a live virtual event to discuss THE CLOISTERS, November's B&N Book Club pick. She will be in conversation with Shannon DeVito, the Director of Category Management at B&N, and Miwa Messer, B&N’s Editorial Director.

Tuesday, December 6th at 8pm ET: "Bookaccino Live" Reviewer Event: Join us for a special “Bookaccino Live” evening event as 13 Bookreporter reviewers will be talking about their favorite books of 2022. Our guests will be Kate Ayers, Sarah Rachel Egelman, Megan Elliott, Harvey Freedenberg, Ron Kaplan, Pamela Kramer, Bronwyn Miller, Rebecca Munro, Eileen Zimmerman Nicol, Ray Palen, Norah Piehl, Stuart Shiffman and Jana Siciliano.

Wednesday, December 7th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will talk to Louise Penny about A WORLD OF CURIOSITIES, her 18th mystery featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Appearing on the Aftershow will be Rae Meadows, whose new novel is WINTERLAND.

Wednesday, December 14th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": Join the "Friends and Fiction" authors for a special Christmas show featuring the queen of holiday stories, Debbie Macomber, whose latest novel is THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT.

"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 is our latest interview:

• Jamie Fiore Higgins (BULLY MARKET: My Story of Money and Misogyny at Goldman Sachs) Video | Podcast

Other authors we've interviewed include:

• Julie Clark (THE LIES I TELL) Video | Podcast
• Alli Frank and Asha Youmans (NEVER MEANT TO MEET YOU) Video | Podcast
• Bonnie Garmus (LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY) Video | Podcast
• Jennifer Hillier (THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK) Video | Podcast
• Sally Koslow (THE REAL MRS. TOBIAS) Video | Podcast
• Lynda Cohen Loigman (THE MATCHMAKER'S GIFT) Video | Podcast
• Sarah McCoy (MUSTIQUE ISLAND) Video | Podcast
• Meg Mitchell Moore (VACATIONLAND) Video | Podcast
• Chris Pavone (TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON) Video | Podcast
• Tom Perrotta (TRACY FLICK CAN'T WIN) Video | Podcast
• Kim Michele Richardson (THE BOOK WOMAN'S DAUGHTER) Podcast
• Katie Runde (THE SHORE) Video | Podcast
• Casey Sherman (HELLTOWN: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer on Cape Cod)
  Video | Podcast
• Thrity Umrigar (HONOR) Video | Podcast
• Amanda Eyre Ward (THE LIFEGUARDS) Video | Podcast

Upcoming interviews include:

• Clare Mackintosh (THE LAST PARTY)
• Scott Shepherd (SHOULD I FALL)

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 CLOISTERS by Katy Hays (Literary Thriller)
In this haunting and magical debut novel, a circle of researchers uncover a mysterious deck of tarot cards and shocking secrets in New York’s famed Met Cloisters.

CROSSROADS by Jonathan Franzen (Fiction)
A tour de force of interwoven perspectives and sustained suspense, its action largely unfolding on a single winter day, CROSSROADS is the story of a Midwestern family at a pivotal moment of moral crisis.

DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver (Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of UNSHELTERED and FLIGHT BEHAVIOR comes a brilliant novel that enthralls, compels and captures the heart as it evokes a young hero’s unforgettable journey to maturity.

GILDED MOUNTAIN by Kate Manning (Historical Fiction)
Set in early 1900s Colorado, GILDED MOUNTAIN is the unforgettable tale of a young woman who bravely faces the consequences of speaking out against injustice.

HESTER by Laurie Lico Albanese (Historical Fiction)
Laurie Lico Albanese's HESTER is a vivid reimagining of the woman who inspired Hester Prynne, the tragic heroine of Nathaniel Hawthorne's THE SCARLET LETTER, and a journey into the enduring legacy of New England's witchcraft trials.

THE POSTMISTRESS OF PARIS by Meg Waite Clayton (Historical Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling author of THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON revisits the dark early days of the German occupation in France in this haunting novel --- a love story and a tale of high-stakes danger and incomparable courage --- about a young American heiress who helps artists hunted by the Nazis escape from war-torn Europe.

THE SANTA SUIT by Mary Kay Andrews (Fiction)
From Mary Kay Andrews, the New York Times bestselling author of HELLO, SUMMER, comes a novella celebrating the magic of Christmas and second chances in THE SANTA SUIT.

SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX by Lisa Unger (Psychological Thriller)
Three couples rent a luxury cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway to die for in this chilling locked-room thriller by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger.

SOMEDAY, MAYBE by Onyi Nwabineli (Fiction)
SOMEDAY, MAYBE is a stunning, witty debut novel about a young woman’s emotional journey through unimaginable loss, pulled along by her tight-knit Nigerian family, a posse of friends, and the love and laughter she shared with her husband.

THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY by Brendan Slocumb (Mystery/Thriller)
Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician on the rise --- undeterred by the pressure and prejudice of the classical music world --- when a shocking theft sends him on a desperate quest to recover his great-great-grandfather’s heirloom violin on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world.

WE ARE THE LIGHT by Matthew Quick (Fiction)
From Matthew Quick, the New York Times bestselling author of THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, comes a poignant and hopeful novel about a widower who takes in a grieving teenager and inspires a magical revival in their small town.

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