February 11, 2023

February 11, 2023

Sparking a Discussion

Since I have been in a book group, I find myself reading every book thinking about whether or not it will spark a discussion. Do the characters, plot and writing work? Or is there a topic that we can talk about beyond what is on the pages? What did I walk away thinking about the book? Do you find yourselves doing the same thing? Let me know!

Our Latest Monthly Contest is Live!
Our new “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest title is THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST by Allison Pataki, a national bestseller and a Bets On selection that is now available in paperback.

Presidents have come and gone, but Marjorie Merriweather Post has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, and later the heiress to the General Foods fortune, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard --- even while covered in imperial diamonds. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescuing the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie lived an epic life few could imagine. And yet her story was equally marked by challenge and tumult.

Three groups will win up to 12 paperback copies of THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, March 8th at noon ET. If you missed my “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Allison from last 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 by book groups that they have read: LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus, MAD HONEY by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, HORSE by Geraldine Brooks, WEST WITH GIRAFFES by Lynda Rutledge, and THE MAID by Nita Prose. Scroll further down the newsletter to see the Top 15.

Speaking of giveaways, I’d like to tell you about a special contest we have running right now on Bookreporter for THINGS I WISH I TOLD MY MOTHER by Susan Patterson and Susan DiLallo. It’s a really fun book that releases on April 10th and will be a Bets On pick.

Here’s the premise: Laurie is an artist and a collector of experiences. She travels the world with a worn beige duffel bag. “Dr. Liz,” Laurie’s mother, is an elegant perfectionist who travels the world with a matched set of suitcases. A dream vacation to Paris will bring an unexpected sparkle to Liz’s eyes. The scenes in Paris, with the meals and the shopping, are wonderful. The meeting of extended family when they head to Norway unpacks some secrets. This is lovely armchair travel. And there’s a twist at the end.

We’re awarding an advance copy of the book to 50 readers and giving them the chance to share their comments about it with us. To win means that you are committed to reading THINGS I WISH I TOLD MY MOTHER and giving us your feedback on it by Friday, March 31st. If you can do this, please fill out this form by Friday, February 17th at noon ET.

Also, I will be talking to Susan Patterson and Susan DiLallo in April, and the winners will have the option of submitting a question that they would like me to ask them. From all the questions we receive, I will select a few to ask during the interview, which will be available as a video and podcast the week that the book releases.

Sadeqa Johnson’s 2021 novel, YELLOW WIFE, followed an enslaved woman who was forced to barter love and freedom while living in the most infamous slave jail in Virginia. It was a Bets On title, and I had the pleasure of interviewing Sadeqa shortly after it released. So I am thrilled to announce that her latest work of historical fiction, THE HOUSE OF EVE, will be a Bets On pick as well. It also is this month’s Reese’s Book Club selection and Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites pick.

Here's what Reese has to say about the book: “Set in the 1950s, this unforgettable story follows Ruby, who dreams of being the first in her family to attend college, but her first love may derail her plans. And Eleanor, who marries into one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families but struggles to have a baby --- the thing she wants most. Their lives collide in the most unexpected way.” On Monday, February 27th at 1pm ET, members of the Simon & Schuster team will talk to Sadeqa about THE HOUSE OF EVE. You can RSVP by clicking here.

We are featuring the discussion guide in this newsletter and our review on Bookreporter. My Bets On commentary will appear in the late February newsletter, and I will be interviewing Sadeqa again in March.

We also have added guides for these four books:

• SOMEONE ELSE’S SHOES: Who are you when you are forced to walk in someone else’s shoes? That’s the question at the heart of Jojo Moyes’ new novel, which is the story of how just one little thing can suddenly change everything. In her review, our Bookreporter reviewer Norah Piehl says that the book is “funny at times, even with moments of slapstick, but it also deals with more sober issues of mental health, class and emotional abuse.”
   
• MAAME: Jessica George’s much-talked-about debut novel is February’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick. It explores what it feels like to be torn between two homes and cultures --- and it celebrates finally being able to find where you belong. According to Jenna, the voice “felt singular and interesting --- raw and new. I just couldn't believe the author’s talent and the range of emotions I felt while reading it. On one page I was crying, yet on another page, I laughed hysterically.”
   
• RIVER SING ME HOME: Eleanor Shearer’s first novel is this month’s “Good Morning America” Book Club pick. Here’s how “GMA” describes it: “The book follows a mother in the early 1800s, Rachel, and her powerful journey across the Caribbean to find her stolen children in the aftermath of slavery. It offers a look at the ambiguities of British emancipation which left slaves tied to their masters for many years. Are any of Rachel’s five children still alive?”
   
• THE SNOW HARE: Exploring motherhood, marriage, consequences and our incredible human capacity for hope, this month’s Barnes & Noble Book Club pick is the story of a woman who dares to love and to dream in the face of impossible odds, and of the peace we each must make with our choices, even long after the years have gone by.
  
  On Tuesday, March 14th at 3:30pm ET, Barnes & Noble will host a live virtual event with Paula Lichtarowicz to talk about THE SNOW HARE. 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. You can sign up by clicking here.

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

We hosted this month’s “Bookaccino Live” preview event on Wednesday afternoon. I talked about 21 books releasing in February, along with 16 from March and April, that we wanted to get on your radar. You can watch it here and see a list of the featured titles here.

Our next “Bookaccino Live” preview event will take place on Wednesday, March 8th at 2pm ET. I will present titles releasing between March 7th and April 4th, in addition to a few from May, that we think will appeal to you. 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. Tom and I love doing this event each month. If you have not attended in the past, please join us. And if you have been there before, invite a friend to join you next month!

My group is meeting on Wednesday night to discuss THE MITFORD AFFAIR by Marie Benedict. I am hoping it sparks a good conversation. Have a great discussion with your book group!

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])

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

"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Enter to Win Up to 12 Paperback Copies of
THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST
by Allison Pataki for Your Group

New Guide: THE HOUSE OF EVE by Sadeqa Johnson
Reese’s Book Club Pick for February
and an Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title

THE HOUSE OF EVE by Sadeqa Johnson (Historical Fiction)
1950s Philadelphia: Fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college, in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising a daughter. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright. Eleanor Quarles arrives in Washington, DC, with ambition and secrets. When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his par¬ents don’t let just anyone into their fold. Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William’s family and grant her the life she’s been searching for. But having a baby --- and fitting in --- is easier said than done.

» THE HOUSE OF EVE is this month’s pick for Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites. On Monday, February 27th at 1pm ET, members of the S&S team will talk to Sadeqa Johnson about 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 visit the Reese's Book Club website.

Click here for the discussion guide.

THE HOUSE OF EVE will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.
Don't miss Carol's commentary in the next newsletter.

New Guide: SOMEONE ELSE’S SHOES by Jojo Moyes

SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES by Jojo Moyes (Fiction)
Nisha Cantor lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband announces a divorce and cuts her off. Nisha is determined to hang onto her glamorous life. But in the meantime, she must scramble to cope --- she doesn’t even have the shoes she was, until a moment ago, standing in. That’s because Sam Kemp --- in the bleakest point of her life --- has accidentally taken Nisha’s gym bag. But Sam hardly has time to worry about a lost gym bag --- she’s struggling to keep herself and her family afloat. When she tries on Nisha’s six-inch-high Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes, the resulting jolt of confidence makes her realize something must change --- and that thing is herself.

- 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: MAAME by Jessica George
February’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club Pick

MAAME by Jessica George (Fiction)
It’s fair to say that Maddie’s life in London is far from rewarding. With a mother who spends most of her time in Ghana (yet still somehow manages to be overbearing), Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father, who suffers from advanced stage Parkinson’s. At work, her boss is a nightmare and Maddie is tired of always being the only Black person in every meeting. When her mum returns from her latest trip to Ghana, Maddie leaps at the chance to get out of the family home and finally start living. A self-acknowledged late bloomer, she’s ready to experience some important “firsts.” But it's not long before tragedy strikes, forcing Maddie to face the true nature of her unconventional family, and the perils --- and rewards --- of putting her heart on the line.

- 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: RIVER SING ME HOME by Eleanor Shearer
February’s “Good Morning America” Book Club Pick

RIVER SING ME HOME by Eleanor Shearer (Historical Fiction)
The master of the Providence plantation in Barbados gathers his slaves and announces that the king has decreed an end to slavery. As of the following day, the Emancipation Act of 1834 will come into effect. The cries of joy fall silent when he announces that they are no longer his slaves; they are now his apprentices. No one can leave. They must work for him for another six years. Freedom is just another name for the life they have always lived. So Rachel runs. Away from Providence, she begins a desperate search to find her children --- the five who survived birth and were sold. Are any of them still alive? Rachel has to know. She is driven on by the certainty that a mother cannot be truly free without knowing what has become of her children, even if the answer is more than she can bear.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- 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: THE SNOW HARE by Paula Lichtarowicz
February’s Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick

THE SNOW HARE by Paula Lichtarowicz (Historical Fiction)
Lena has lived a long, quiet life on her farm in Wales, alongside her husband and child. But as her end approaches, buried memories begin to return. Of her childhood in Poland, and her passion for science. Of the early days of her marriage, reluctant wife to an army officer. Of the birth of her daughter, whose arrival changed everything. Memories less welcome return, too. Her Polish village, transformed overnight by the Soviets, and the war that doomed her entire family to the frigid work camps of the Siberian tundra. And buried in that blinding snow, amongst the darkness of survival, the most haunting memory of all: that of an extraordinary new love.

» THE SNOW HARE is this month's Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. On Tuesday, March 14th at 3:30pm ET, B&N will welcome Paula Lichtarowicz for a live virtual event to discuss the book. Click here to sign up.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here for the discussion guide.

New Special Contest on Bookreporter.com:
Enter to Win an Advance Copy of THINGS I WISH I TOLD MY MOTHER by Susan Patterson and Susan DiLallo, Releasing April 10th, and Share Your Comments on It

A mother and daughter on vacation in Paris unpack a lifetime of secrets and hopes --- with a giant Pattersonian twist at the end. That's the premise of Susan Patterson's debut novel, THINGS I WISH I TOLD MY MOTHER, which she wrote with Susan DiLallo and her husband, James Patterson.

The book doesn't release until April 10th, but we have 50 advance copies to give away to those who would like to read it and give us their feedback on it by Friday, March 31st. The winners also will have the option of sharing a question that they would like Carol to ask Susan Patterson and Susan DiLallo during an upcoming "Bookreporter Talks To" interview. To enter, please fill out this form by Friday, February 17th at noon ET.

THINGS I WISH I TOLD MY MOTHER by Susan Patterson and Susan DiLallo, with James Patterson (Fiction)
Every daughter has her own distinctive voice, her inimitable style, and her secrets.
Laurie is an artist, a collector of experiences. She travels the world with a worn beige duffel bag.
 
Every mother has her own distinctive voice, her inimitable style, and her secrets.
“Dr. Liz,” Laurie’s mother, is an elegant perfectionist who travels the world with a matched set of suitcases.

When Laurie surprises her mother with a dream vacation, it brings an unexpected sparkle to her eyes. So begins THINGS I WISH I TOLD MY MOTHER. You will wish this novel never ends.

Click here to enter the contest.

Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks for February

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 February'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: HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE by Grady Hendrix
BIG SWISS by Jen Beagin
EXILES by Jane Harper
DON'T FEAR THE REAPER by Stephen Graham Jones
SECRETLY YOURS by Tessa Bailey

LibraryReads
Top Pick: THE WRITING RETREAT by Julia Bartz
THE CRANE HUSBAND by Kelly Barnhill
A DAY OF FALLEN NIGHT by Samantha Shannon
FOR HER CONSIDERATION by Amy Spalding
THE HOUSE OF EVE by Sadeqa Johnson

Target Book Club
THE MEMORY LIBRARIAN: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer, by Janelle Monáe

Costco's "Buyer's Pick"
SOMETHING WILDER by Christina Lauren

Barnes & Noble Book Club
THE SNOW HARE by Paula Lichtarowicz

Reese's Book Club
THE HOUSE OF EVE by Sadeqa Johnson

Jenna Bush Hager's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club
MAAME by Jessica George

"Good Morning America" Book Club
RIVER SING ME HOME by Eleanor Shearer

Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites
THE HOUSE OF EVE by Sadeqa Johnson

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

In January's “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest, here are the 15 books mentioned most frequently by book groups that they have read:

• LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus
• MAD HONEY by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
• HORSE by Geraldine Brooks
• WEST WITH GIRAFFES by Lynda Rutledge
• THE MAID by Nita Prose
• REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt
• DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver
• THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
• BLACK CAKE by Charmaine Wilkerson
• THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME by Laura Dave
• HONOR by Thrity Umrigar
• THE MEASURE by Nikki Erlick
• THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT by Maggie O'Farrell
• THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS by Kristin Harmel
• THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY by Brendan Slocumb

Bookreporter.com Bets On:
EXILES by Jane Harper
and THE HOUSE GUEST by Hank Phillippi Ryan

EXILES by Jane Harper (Mystery/Thriller)
EXILES wraps up Jane Harper’s trilogy featuring Aaron Falk. I had read her last stand-alone novel, THE SURVIVORS, and none of the Falk books, but I picked up this one and slid right into his world. Jane did a terrific job of creating enough backstory for me to appreciate his character and understand what makes him tick. He is a federal forensic accountant who has solved many a case.

Falk has come to a town in Southern Australia for a christening, not on an assignment. It’s an event that was postponed last summer after a young woman, a friend of the family named Kim Gillespie, went missing at the annual wine festival. Her baby daughter, Zoe, was found tucked up in her pram. Since then, her husband, Rohan, has been raising his daughter on his own back in Adelaide. People have been looking for Kim for a year, but nothing has been found except her sneakers near a drop-off to the water on some grounds beyond the festival area --- a place where teens regularly gather to hang out and drink.

- 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 watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Jane Harper.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.

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

THE HOUSE GUEST by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Psychological Thriller)
Hank Phillippi Ryan gives readers a total treat in THE HOUSE GUEST!

Here’s how it sets up. Alyssa Macallan’s husband has left her. Suddenly her very posh and elegant lifestyle is being tugged away from her. When she married Bill, she gave up her friends and work to live life on his terms. It was a glittering fun world of the country club set, but now it’s a very lonely one. He has the friends. For the moment she still has the house, actually two of them, but all the other trappings of a cushy lifestyle are vanishing. And she is really not sure what is going to come next.

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

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

Don't miss Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview
with Hank Phillippi Ryan in the next newsletter.

Bookreporter.com's Eighth Annual
Winter Reading Contests and Feature

Bookreporter.com's Winter Reading Contests have returned for an eighth year! On select days through mid-February, we are hosting a series of 24-hour contests spotlighting a book releasing this winter and giving five lucky readers the chance to win it. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.

This year's contest titles are:

• CLYTEMNESTRA by Costanza Casati
• EXILES by Jane Harper
• THE HOUSE GUEST by Hank Phillippi Ryan
• IT'S ONE OF US by J.T. Ellison
• REEF ROAD by Deborah Goodrich Royce

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

From left to right: Sadeqa Johnson, Joshua Moehling, Fiona Davis

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 28th. And be sure to enter the LOYALTY Pre-order Sweepstakes!

Monday, February 13th at 5pm ET: RJ Julia Booksellers and Parnassus Books: Jojo Moyes will be in conversation with Lisa Taddeo about her latest novel, SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES, a story of mix-ups, mess-ups and making the most of second chances.

Wednesday, February 15th at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome debut author Joshua Moehling for a live virtual discussion of AND THERE HE KEPT HER (now available in paperback) as part of the B&N Midday Mystery Virtual Event series. Moehling will be in conversation with the author of THE OVERNIGHT GUEST, Heather Gudenkauf.

Wednesday, February 15th 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 J.T. Ellison about her latest thriller, IT'S ONE OF US. Appearing on the Aftershow will be Jill Santopolo, whose new novel is STARS IN AN ITALIAN SKY.

Wednesday, February 22nd at 2pm ET: Anderson's Bookshop and Midtown Scholar Bookstore: Join Anderson's Bookshop in partnership with Midtown Scholar for a virtual event with Jojo Moyes to celebrate the release of her new book, SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES. She will be in conversation with fellow New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell.

Wednesday, February 22nd at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will talk to Sadeqa Johnson about THE HOUSE OF EVE (Reese's Book Club pick for February) and Lynn Cullen about THE WOMAN WITH THE CURE.

Wednesday, February 22nd at 8pm ET: "Bookaccino Live" Book Group: Carol Fitzgerald will talk to Fiona Davis about her novel, THE MAGNOLIA PALACE, which is now in paperback. Fiona 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 Fiona a question on camera, please send Carol an email with the subject line “Magnolia” by Wednesday the 22nd at noon ET.

"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:

• Jane Harper (EXILES) Video | Podcast

Other authors we've interviewed include:

• Alli Frank and Asha Youmans (NEVER MEANT TO MEET YOU) Video | Podcast
• Bonnie Garmus (LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY) Video | Podcast
• Allegra Goodman (SAM) Video | Podcast
• Jamie Fiore Higgins (BULLY MARKET: My Story of Money and Misogyny at Goldman Sachs) 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
• Clare Mackintosh (THE LAST PARTY) Video | Podcast
• Meg Mitchell Moore (VACATIONLAND) Video | Podcast
• Tom Perrotta (TRACY FLICK CAN'T WIN) Video | Podcast
• Deborah Goodrich Royce (REEF ROAD) Video | Podcast
• Katie Runde (THE SHORE) Video | Podcast
• Dani Shapiro (SIGNAL FIRES) Video | Podcast
• Casey Sherman (HELLTOWN: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer on Cape Cod)
  Video | Podcast
• Thrity Umrigar (HONOR) Video | Podcast

Upcoming interviews include:

• Sadeqa Johnson (THE HOUSE OF EVE)
• Susan Patterson and Susan DiLallo (THINGS I WISH I TOLD MY MOTHER)
• Shelley Read (GO AS A RIVER)
• Hank Phillippi Ryan (THE HOUSE GUEST)

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 HOUSE OF EVE by Sadeqa Johnson (Historical Fiction)
From the award-winning author of YELLOW WIFE comes a daring, beautiful and redemptive novel that explores what it means to be a woman and a mother, and how much one is willing to sacrifice to achieve her greatest goal.

IN THE TIME OF OUR HISTORY by Susanne Pari (Fiction)
Inspired by her own family’s experiences following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Susanne Pari explores the entangled lives within an Iranian American family grappling with generational culture clashes, the roles imposed on women, and a tragic accident that forces them to reconcile their guilt or forfeit their already tenuous bonds.

MAAME by Jessica George (Fiction)
Smart, funny and deeply affecting, Jessica George's MAAME deals with the themes of our time with humor and poignancy: from familial duty and racism, to female pleasure, the complexity of love and the life-saving power of friendship.

THE MITFORD AFFAIR by Marie Benedict (Historical Fiction)
From New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict comes an explosive novel of history's most notorious sisters, one of whom will have to choose: her country or her sisters?

THE NEW LIFE by Tom Crewe (Historical Fiction)
In the tradition of Alan Hollinghurst and Colm Tóibín, this brilliant and captivating debut novel is about two marriages, two forbidden love affairs, and the passionate search for social and sexual freedom in late-19th-century London.

THE NIGHT TRAVELERS by Armando Lucas Correa (Historical Fiction)
Four generations of women experience love, loss, war and hope from the rise of Nazism to the Cuban Revolution and, finally, the fall of the Berlin Wall in this sweeping novel from the bestselling author of THE GERMAN GIRL.

REEF ROAD by Deborah Goodrich Royce (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
When a severed hand washes ashore in the wealthy enclave of Palm Beach, Florida, the lives of two women --- a lonely writer obsessed with the unsolved murder of her mother’s best friend and a panicked wife whose husband has disappeared with their children --- collide as the world shutters in the pandemic lockdown of 2020.

RIVER SING ME HOME by Eleanor Shearer (Historical Fiction)
Rare. Moving. Powerful. This beautiful, page-turning and redemptive story of a mother’s gripping journey across the Caribbean to find her stolen children in the aftermath of slavery is a remarkable debut.

THE SNOW HARE by Paula Lichtarowicz (Historical Fiction)
In Paula Lichtarowicz's novel of love and consequences, a woman dreams of becoming a doctor until World War II leads her instead into an astonishing love --- and a fateful choice.

SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES by Jojo Moyes (Fiction)
A story of mix-ups, mess-ups and making the most of second chances, this is the new novel from Jojo Moyes, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ME BEFORE YOU and THE GIVER OF STARS.

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

AND THERE HE KEPT HER by Joshua Moehling (Mystery/Thriller)
Unrelentingly suspenseful and written with a piercing gaze into the dark depths of the human soul, AND THERE HE KEPT HER is a thrilling page-turner that introduces readers to a complicated new hero and forces us to consider the true nature of evil.

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.

FIGHT NIGHT by Miriam Toews (Fiction)
From the bestselling author of WOMEN TALKING and ALL MY PUNY SORROWS comes a compassionate, darkly humorous and deeply wise novel about three generations of women.

JOAN IS OKAY by Weike Wang (Fiction)
From the award-winning author of CHEMISTRY comes a witty, moving, piercingly insightful novel about a marvelously complicated woman who can’t be anyone but herself.

THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST by Allison Pataki (Historical Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of SISI comes an epic reimagining of the remarkable life of Marjorie Merriweather Post, the American heiress and trailblazing leader of the 20th century.

OLGA DIES DREAMING by Xochitl Gonzalez (Fiction)
A blazing talent debuts with the tale of a status-driven wedding planner grappling with her social ambitions, absent mother and Puerto Rican roots --- all in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

SANKOFA by Chibundu Onuzo (Fiction)
A woman wondering who she really is goes in search of a father she never knew --- only to find something far more complicated than she ever expected --- in this moving and hopeful novel of self-discovery for readers of AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE.

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD MOTHERS by Jessamine Chan (Fiction)
In this taut and explosive debut novel, one lapse in judgment lands a young mother in a government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance.

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