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What Makes for a Great Discussion?
We have added a number of new subscribers in the last few weeks,
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Some of the best book discussions that my group has had is when we come to a meeting “fired up” to talk about a book, whether or not we all liked it. That is what happened this month when we read CLASS: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education by Stephanie Land. A couple of us had read Stephanie's MAID: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive and watched the Netflix series based on it. There was a lot of talk about some of Stephanie’s choices, which spurred a bigger discussion about class in America today. We touched on specific things from the book that had surprised us, as well as what we do as a country for people in Stephanie’s shoes.
I love our group --- for both the smart conversation and how we genuinely enjoy being together and listening to each other’s opinions. I can see CLASS being one of the books that will come up again in later discussions. A few members could not join us (we changed the date due to bad weather), and they were looking forward to sharing their thoughts.
We also are known to reference older books that we have read. But after a few years now, we think we should make a list of what we read so we can recall all of the titles. We are really good at remembering plots.
For our next book, we voted to read THE BERRY PICKERS by Amanda Peters. As it was a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection, I am eager to hear what others think about it.
We often meet at my house as I am the only one without young children, so gathering here assures that everyone has a night out --- and I love company. After they left, my husband commented, “You all really have a great time when you meet. I can hear you laughing, and you always are happy and smiling afterwards.” He is right. I look forward to these two hours every month. Besides discussing the book, we kick back and talk about life. And I love their stories about their children, who are in elementary school or younger. They spark a lot of humorous memories. What I really love is that they are women who are very supportive of one another. There is a camaraderie that I think can be rare these days.
A great group. What could be better? I would love to share some stories about book groups in the next newsletter --- your group and what is special about it. Shoot me a note with the subject line “My Group”, and we will feature some of them.
Updates on Our Year-End Features
Over the last two months, we asked you to tell us your favorite book that you read with your book group and your favorite book that you read outside your group in 2023. The results are in, and we’re happy to share them with you here!
The #1 pick in the first category (book read with your group) is LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus, while the top selection in the second category (book read outside your group) is THE RIVER WE REMEMBER by William Kent Krueger, which has just been nominated for an Edgar Award. Both are Bets On titles, and I am thrilled that our readers loved these books as much as I did! Click here to see the top 10 results in each category.
Congratulations to our contest winner, Loralee K. from Castle Rock, CO! Loralee won six books releasing this year that we think book groups will want to discuss: FINDING MARGARET FULLER by Allison Pataki, FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston, SLOW NOODLES: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes by Chantha Nguon with Kim Green, THE STORM WE MADE by Vanessa Chan, WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA? by Dervla McTiernan, and THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah. Many thanks to all those who participated!
Also, our Most Requested Guides of 2023 are now available. We pulled together the 30 guides that were accessed the most by you last year. In the top five are DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver, HORSE by Geraldine Brooks, HELLO BEAUTIFUL by Ann Napolitano, MAD HONEY by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, and THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. We always love seeing which guides appealed to you the most!
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, January 24th at 8pm ET.
Our guest will be Lisa See, and she will be talking about her #1 New York Times bestseller, LADY TAN'S CIRCLE OF WOMEN, which was a Bets On pick when it released last June. This outstanding novel was inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century China.
You can register for the event by clicking here. If you would like to ask Lisa a question about the book on camera during the event, please email me with your question using the subject line “Lisa” by January 24th at noon ET. Be sure to include your name, city and state, as well as your question. If you do not want to appear on camera but still would like to ask a question, please note that you want to be off camera, and share your question --- adding your name, city and state.
And yes, we will be recording this program. So if you register but cannot attend, know that we will be sharing the video and podcast with all who signed up as soon as it is ready.
Our “Bookreporter Talks To” series resumed this year with Katherine Faulkner as our first guest of 2024. Her latest domestic thriller, THE OTHER MOTHERS, is a Bets On pick (as was her previous book, GREENWICH PARK). We talk about her protagonist Tash, who, like Katherine, was a full-time journalist; she is on the prowl for a great story to jump-start her freelance career.
Tash learns about the unsolved murder of a nanny, whose charge was the daughter of one of the cool and sophisticated group of mothers who Tash has met at her son Finn's school. Katherine shares how she wrote this book and what works for her as she develops a story. And we allude to the many twists that make THE OTHER MOTHERS such a compulsive read. Click here to watch the video or here to listen to the podcast.
I also had the pleasure of interviewing Amanda Peters about her hit debut novel, the aforementioned THE BERRY PICKERS. Amanda, who is a mixed-race of Mi’kmaq and European ancestry, was born and raised in Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia. She explains how a trip with her father to Maine to see the actual site of the blueberry picking that is depicted in the book spurred the story. As he walked her through the fields and showed her the cabin where he and his family had lived during picking season, the story came to her.
Amanda had the opening line very quickly, and from there she wrote the book over a period of four years. For a long time, it was just in the voice of Joe, but she later saw that to have Norma’s story told would bring something else to the novel. She shares how writing THE BERRY PICKERS has brought her closer to her Mi’kmaq roots and her very pleasant surprise at how the book has resonated so well with American readers. Plus, she discusses what she is working on now and offers a look ahead beyond that. Click here to watch the video or here to listen to the podcast.
Ashley Elston, who has written six young adult novels, makes her adult debut with the aforementioned FIRST LIE WINS. Along with being Reese’s Book Club pick for January, this instant New York Times bestseller is an Indie Next selection, a LibraryReads pick, a Book of the Month selection and a Bets On title.
Here’s what Reese has to say about it: “This story follows Evie Porter who is seemingly living the perfect life…until we realize Evie Porter doesn’t actually exist!! This fast-paced read has everything you could want in a thriller: secret identities, a mysterious boss and a cat & mouse game that kept me guessing the whole way through. I did NOT expect that ending!”
We are featuring the discussion guide this month, along with our Bookreporter review and my Bets On commentary. This is one of the most inventive thrillers that I have read! Don’t miss my “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Ashley in the late January newsletter.
We also have added guides for these five books:
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THE HEIRESS: This new work of Gothic suspense is courtesy of Rachel Hawkins, whose previous New York Times bestsellers are THE WIFE UPSTAIRS, RECKLESS GIRLS and THE VILLA. Her latest twisted thriller is about an infamous heiress and the complicated inheritance she left behind.
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THE BOOK OF FIRE: This latest novel from Christy Lefteri --- whose debut, THE BEEKEEPER OF ALEPPO, was a Bets On pick --- is the story of a family in present-day Greece and the reckoning that comes in the wake of a wildfire that consumes their home and shatters the world as they know it.
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THE LOST VAN GOGH: In this stand-alone sequel to 2021’s THE LAST MONA LISA, Jonathan Santlofer spins a riveting tale based on rumors that Van Gogh completed a final self-portrait before his death, one that has since been lost to time --- or the black market.
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MERCURY: A roofing family’s bonds of loyalty are tested when they uncover a long-hidden secret at the heart of their blue-collar town. Amy Jo Burns’ new novel is January’s Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. On Tuesday, February 6th at 3pm ET, B&N will host a live virtual event with Amy Jo, which you can sign up for here.
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YOU ONLY CALL WHEN YOU’RE IN TROUBLE: Stephen McCauley’s latest novel poses the question: Is it ever okay to stop caring for others and start living for yourself? Jane Green says, “This perfect novel has profoundly moving observations of human nature, emotional acuity, and brilliant insights wrapped up in warmth and wit.”
January’s “Good Morning America” Book Club pick is the aforementioned THE STORM WE MADE by debut novelist Vanessa Chan. “GMA” describes the book as “a dazzling saga of a dissatisfied housewife who became an unlikely spy during a pivotal moment in Malaysia's history, leading to disastrous consequences for her family. While diving deep into the meaning of love and the brutality of war, Chan also addresses notions of colonialism, classism, racism and misogyny in her novel.” Click here for our review on Bookreporter.
This month’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick is THE WATERS, Bonnie Jo Campbell’s first novel in 13 years. Jenna calls the book “beautiful” and goes on to say, “It is about a matriarch and healer and what happens when one of her three daughters brings home a baby. You will fall in love with the girl she grows up to be. She’s one of the most funny, interesting characters of all time. It’s about mothers and daughters. A book for anyone who loves nature, land and where we find beauty and magic. I promise you’ll pick up this book and fall in love.”
For more January selections, including the Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, see our “Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks” feature here.
Announcing This Year’s Winter Reading Feature on Bookreporter
Bookreporter.com's Winter Reading feature is back for a ninth year! On select days in January and February, we will be 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 will be sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
Our first prize book will be THE LAST SUMMER AT CHELSEA BEACH by Pam Jenoff, a 2015 novel that is being re-released with a brand-new cover. From the sandy shores of America to the battered streets of London, one woman's search for love and redemption will defy all odds. The contest for this book will go live on Tuesday, January 23rd at noon ET on the Bookreporter homepage.
We hosted our first “Bookaccino Live” book preview event of 2024 last Wednesday afternoon. I talked about 34 books releasing between now and February 6th, plus 12 from March, that we wanted to get on your radar. You can watch the presentation here and see a list of the featured titles here.
Next month's “Bookaccino Live” book preview event will take place on Wednesday, February 14th at 2pm ET. I will present titles releasing between February 13th and March 5th, in addition to a few from April, 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.
Register for the Buzz Books Editors and Authors Panel
On Wednesday, January 24th at 7pm ET, Leigh Haber will host the Buzz Books Editors and Authors Panel, a free virtual event sponsored by Publishers Lunch and the American Booksellers Association.
Five breakout authors will chat with their editors about their forthcoming titles: Isabel Banta (HONEY), Essie Chambers (SWIFT RIVER), Terah Shelton Harris (LONG AFTER WE ARE GONE), Alejandro Puyana (FREEDOM IS A FEAST), and Lily Samson (THE SWITCH). Be sure to sign up for the event by clicking here.
Have a great discussion with your group this month!
Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
P.S. For those of you who shop online, if you use the store links that appear on our site for shopping, ReadingGroupGuides.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and IndieBound. As you check out the discussion guides and various features on our site, we would appreciate your considering this as you buy!
Our Reader-Selected Best Books of 2023
In our special year-end feature, we asked you to tell us your favorite book that you read with your book group and your favorite book that you read outside your group in 2023.
The results are now in! Below is a preview of the books that stood out to you the most last year. You can see the top 10 titles in each category here.
Top Books Read with Your Group:
Top Books Read Outside Your Group:
A special congratulations to our contest winner, Loralee K. from Castle Rock, CO, who won six titles releasing in the first quarter of this year that we think will be great for book group discussions: FINDING MARGARET FULLER by Allison Pataki, FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston, SLOW NOODLES: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes by Chantha Nguon with Kim Green, THE STORM WE MADE by Vanessa Chan, WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA? by Dervla McTiernan, and THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah.
Click here for our Reader-Selected Best Books of 2023.
Most Requested Guides of 2023
Our Most Requested Guides feature for 2023 has been updated. We took a look at all of the guides that you accessed last year, and from there we pulled together a list of the top 30 titles. Below are the 10 most popular guides, and you can click here for the full list. We love seeing which books resonated the most with you and your group!
Click here for the Top 30 Most Requested Guides of 2023.
New Guide: FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston
Reese’s Book Club Pick for January
and a Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston (Psychological Thriller)
The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss, Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job. Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job will be different. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes --- especially after what happened last time. Because the one thing she’s worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to --- her real identity --- just walked right into this town. Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Click here to visit Ashley Elston's website.
- Click here to visit the Reese's Book Club website.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Don't miss Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview
with Ashley Elston in the late January newsletter.
New Guide: THE HEIRESS by Rachel Hawkins
THE HEIRESS by Rachel Hawkins (Gothic Thriller)
When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge Mountains. But in the aftermath of Ruby’s death, her adopted son, Camden, wants little to do with the house or the money --- and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Ten years later, his uncle’s death pulls Camden and his wife, Jules, back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but the legacy of Ruby is inescapable. And as Ashby House tightens its grip on Camden and Jules, questions about the infamous heiress come to light.
- 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: THE BOOK OF FIRE by Christy Lefteri
THE BOOK OF FIRE by Christy Lefteri (Fiction)
In present-day Greece, deep in an ancient forest, lives a family: Irini, a musician, who teaches children to read and play music; her husband, Tasso, who paints pictures of the forest, his greatest muse; and Chara, their young daughter, whose name means joy. On the fateful day that will forever alter the trajectory of their lives, flames chase fleeing birds across the sky. The wildfire that will consume their home, and their lives as they know it, races toward them. Months later, as the village tries to rebuild, Irini stumbles upon the man who started the fire, a land speculator who had intended only a small, controlled burn to clear forestland to build on but instead ignited a catastrophe. He is dying, although the cause is unclear, and in her anger at all he took from them, Irini makes a split-second decision that will haunt her.
- 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: THE LOST VAN GOGH by Jonathan Santlofer
THE LOST VAN GOGH by Jonathan Santlofer (Thriller)
For years, there have been whispers that, before his death, Van Gogh completed a final self-portrait. Curators and art historians have savored this rumor, hoping it could illuminate some of the troubled artist's many secrets, but even they have to concede that the missing painting is likely lost forever. But when Luke Perrone, artist and great-grandson of the man who stole the Mona Lisa, and Alexis Verde, daughter of a notorious art thief, discover what may be the missing portrait, they are drawn into a most epic art puzzle. When only days later the painting disappears again, they are reunited with INTERPOL agent John Washington Smith in a dangerous and deadly search that will not only expose secrets of the artist's last days but draw them into one of history's darkest eras.
- 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: MERCURY by Amy Jo Burns
January’s Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick
MERCURY by Amy Jo Burns (Fiction)
It’s 1990, and 17-year-old Marley West is blazing into the river valley town of Mercury, Pennsylvania. A perpetual loner, she seeks a place at someone’s table and a family of her own. The first thing she sees when she arrives in town is three men standing on a rooftop. The Joseph brothers become Marley’s whole world before she can blink. Soon, she is young wife to one, The One Who Got Away to another, and adopted mother to them all. As their own mother fades away and their roofing business crumbles under the weight of their unwieldy father’s inflated ego, Marley steps in to shepherd these unruly men. Years later, an eerie discovery in the church attic causes old wounds to resurface, and suddenly the family’s survival hangs in the balance.
» MERCURY is January's Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. On Tuesday, February 6th at 3pm ET, B&N will host a live virtual event with Amy Jo Burns. 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 for the discussion guide.
New Guide: YOU ONLY CALL WHEN
YOU’RE IN TROUBLE by Stephen McCauley
YOU ONLY CALL WHEN YOU'RE IN TROUBLE by Stephen McCauley (Fiction)
After a lifetime of taking care of his impossible but irresistible sister and his cherished niece, Tom is ready to put himself first. An architect specializing in tiny houses, he finally has an opportunity to build his masterpiece. Assuming, that is, he can stick to his resolution to keep the demands of his needy family at bay. Naturally, that’s when his phone rings. His niece, Cecily --- the real love of Tom’s life, as his boyfriend reminded him when moving out --- is embroiled in a Title IX investigation at the college where she teaches that threatens her career and relationship. And after decades of lying, his sister wants him to help her tell Cecily the real identity of her father. Tom does what he’s always done --- answers the call. Thus begins a journey that will change everyone’s life.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks for January
Each month, we share top book picks from Indie Next and LibraryReads. We also feature a number of other prominent selections, including the Barnes & Noble Book Club, the "Good Morning America" Book Club, Oprah’s Book Club, the "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club, Reese's Book Club, Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites, and the Target Book Club.
Below is a preview of January'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: THE FURY by Alex Michaelides
THE STORM WE MADE by Vanessa Chan
MERCURY by Amy Jo Burns
THE HEIRESS by Rachel Hawkins
MIDNIGHT RUIN by Katee Robert
LibraryReads
Top Pick: EMILY WILDE'S MAP OF THE OTHERLANDS by Heather Fawcett
THE BUSY BODY by Kemper Donovan
FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston
DIVA by Daisy Goodwin
THE DJINN WAITS A HUNDRED YEARS by Shubnum Khan
Barnes & Noble Book Club
MERCURY by Amy Jo Burns
"Good Morning America" Book Club
THE STORM WE MADE by Vanessa Chan
"Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club
THE WATERS by Bonnie Jo Campbell
Reese's Book Club
FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston
Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites
THE STORM WE MADE by Vanessa Chan
Target Book Club
WHERE THE DEAD SLEEP by Joshua Moehling
Announcing Bookreporter.com's Ninth Annual
Winter Reading Contests and Feature
At Bookreporter.com, we are kicking off 2024 with our ninth annual Winter Reading Contests and Feature! On select days in January and 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.
Our first prize book will be announced on Tuesday, January 23rd at noon ET.
This year's contest titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
ReadingGroupGuides.com’s 12 ½ Annual Book Group Speed Dating Event: Great Books for Book Groups
Register for the Buzz Books Editors and Authors Panel
on Wednesday, January 24th: A Free Virtual Event
From left to right: Lisa See, Janice Hallett, Vanessa Chan
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
Here are 10 upcoming virtual book and author events that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links for more info and to register.
Monday, January 22nd at 6pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Join Larissa Ackerman and Vida Engstrand for a preview of Kensington Books' Spring Mystery & Crime list, hosted by John Charles. One of the premier publishers of mystery and crime fiction, Kensington is known for a wide variety of styles, from traditional mysteries and cozies to historical crime novels and thrillers.
Tuesday, January 23rd at 1pm ET: Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites: Vanessa Chan will join members of the Simon & Schuster team to discuss her debut novel, THE STORM WE MADE, which is January's pick for S&S's Book Club Favorites.
Tuesday, January 23rd at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Stephen Hunter will talk about his latest book, FRONT SIGHT, a collection of three interconnected novellas that follows each generation of the iconic Swagger family.
Wednesday, January 24th at 3pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Janice Hallett will talk about her new mystery, THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE ALPERTON ANGELS, in which a true crime journalist revives a long-buried case about a cult --- and finds herself too close to the story.
Wednesday, January 24th 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 Abbott Kahler about her spellbinding fiction debut, WHERE YOU END.
Wednesday, January 24th at 7pm ET: Publishers Lunch/American Booksellers Association: Leigh Haber will host the Buzz Books Editors and Authors Panel, a virtual event sponsored by Publishers Lunch and the American Booksellers Association. Five breakout authors will chat with their editors about their forthcoming titles.
Wednesday, January 24th at 8pm ET: "Bookaccino Live" Book Group: Carol Fitzgerald will talk to Lisa See about her novel, LADY TAN'S CIRCLE OF WOMEN, a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Lisa 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 Lisa a question on camera, please send Carol an email with the subject line “Lisa” by January 24th at noon ET.
Monday, January 29th at 6pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Mariah Fredericks will talk to special guest host Karen Odden about her mesmerizing new novel, THE WHARTON PLOT, which follows renowned novelist Edith Wharton in the twilight years of the Gilded Age in New York as she tracks a killer.
Wednesday, January 31st at 6pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Benjamin Stevenson will talk about his second mystery novel, EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT, following the 2023 publication of the indie darling EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE.
Wednesday, January 31st at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will talk to Jennifer Moorman about her latest enchanting novel, THE MAGIC ALL AROUND, in which a treasure hunt through the past reveals one woman’s extraordinary gift for arranging the future.
"Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts
“Bookreporter Talks To” is a video and podcast series that delivers a long-form, in-depth author interview every week. For years, Carol has moderated book festivals and author events around the country. But we know that readers often do not live where they can attend an author event. Our goal is to bring these author interviews to readers, wherever they may be. Watch on video, or listen as a podcast. (The podcasts include audio excerpts.)
Here are our latest interviews:
Other authors we've interviewed include:
Upcoming interviews include:
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Ashley Elston (FIRST LIE WINS)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
BEFORE WE WERE INNOCENT by Ella Berman (Psychological Thriller)
BEFORE WE WERE INNOCENT is a compulsive, twisty suspense novel about three best friends’ summer abroad in Greece that ends in murder and what happens 10 years later when history appears to repeat itself.
THE BOOK OF FIRE by Christy Lefteri (Fiction)
Gorgeously written, sweeping in scope and intimate in tone, THE BOOK OF FIRE is a masterful work about the search for meaning in the wake of tragedy, as well as the universal ties that bind people together, and to the land that they call home.
FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston (Psychological Thriller)
Evie Porter has everything a nice Southern girl could want: a perfect, doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, and a fancy group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.
THE FROZEN RIVER by Ariel Lawhon (Historical Mystery)
From the New York Times bestselling author of I WAS ANASTASIA and CODE NAME HÉLÈNE comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.
HALF A CUP OF SAND AND SKY by Nadine Bjursten (Fiction)
A finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, HALF A CUP OF SAND AND SKY is a moving portrait of one woman’s search for love and belonging cast against a nuanced backdrop of political turmoil.
THE HEIRESS by Rachel Hawkins (Gothic Thriller)
New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins returns with a twisted new gothic suspense about an infamous heiress and the complicated inheritance she left behind.
THE LOST VAN GOGH by Jonathan Santlofer (Thriller)
From the author of the much-praised THE LAST MONA LISA comes another thrilling story of masterpieces, masterminds and mystery.
MERCURY by Amy Jo Burns (Fiction)
A roofing family’s bonds of loyalty are tested when they uncover a long-hidden secret at the heart of their blue-collar town.
THE MYSTERY GUEST: A Maid Novel by Nita Prose (Mystery)
A new mess. A new mystery. It’s up to Molly the maid to uncover the truth, no matter how dirty, in this stand-alone novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE MAID, a "Good Morning America" Book Club pick.
THE OTHER MOTHERS by Katherine Faulkner (Domestic Thriller)
The author of the twisty, whip-smart GREENWICH PARK returns with a fresh and deftly paced thriller about murder, class and motherhood in an exclusive London community.
WE MUST NOT THINK OF OURSELVES by Lauren Grodstein (Historical Fiction)
Inspired by a little-known piece of history --- the underground group that kept an archive to ensure that the lives of Jewish occupants of the Warsaw Ghetto in World War II were not lost to history --- this is a heart-wrenching novel of love and defiance that People calls "gripping, emotional, and against all odds, hopeful."
YOU ONLY CALL WHEN YOU'RE IN TROUBLE by Stephen McCauley (Fiction)
Warm, funny and deeply moving, YOU ONLY CALL WHEN YOU'RE IN TROUBLE is an unforgettable showcase for Stephen McCauley’s distinctive voice and unique ability to create complex characters that jump off the page and straight into your heart.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
AGE OF VICE by Deepti Kapoor (Thriller)
Equal parts crime thriller and family saga, transporting readers from the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the urban energy of New Delhi, AGE OF VICE is an intoxicating novel of gangsters and lovers, false friendships, forbidden romance and the consequences of corruption.
THE BANDIT QUEENS by Parini Shroff (Fiction)
A young Indian woman finds the false rumors that she killed her husband surprisingly useful --- until other women in the village start asking for her help getting rid of their own husbands --- in this razor-sharp debut.
HORSE by Geraldine Brooks (Historical Fiction)
A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history. From these strands, Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession and injustice across American history.
THE LOST ENGLISH GIRL by Julia Kelly (Historical Fiction)
The acclaimed author of the “sweeping and beautifully written novel” (Woman’s World) THE LIGHT OVER LONDON weaves an epic saga of love, motherhood and betrayal set against World War II.
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.
WHERE THE DEAD SLEEP by Joshua Moehling (Mystery/Thriller)
A small town's dark secrets turn deadly in Joshua Moehling’s second novel, which marks the return of Deputy Ben Packard, to whom readers were introduced in AND THERE HE KEPT HER.
THE WRITING RETREAT by Julia Bartz (Psychological Thriller)
A young author is invited to an exclusive writer’s retreat that soon descends into a pulse-pounding nightmare --- in the vein of THE PLOT and PLEASE JOIN US.
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