We are celebrating the paperback release of Little Bee by Chris Cleave --- a harrowing tale of decisions and their repercussions across cultures --- with a special contest. 100 readers will have the opportunity to each win one copy of the paperback edition of Little Bee, which will be in stores on February 16th, for their group.
More about Little Bee:
Little Bee, a young Nigerian refugee, has just been released from the British immigration detention center where she has been held under horrific conditions for the past two years, after narrowly escaping a traumatic fate in her homeland of Nigeria. Alone in a foreign country, without a family member, friend, or pound to call her own, she seeks out the only English person she knows. Sarah is a posh young mother and magazine editor with whom Little Bee shares a dark and tumultuous past.
Click here to read all the contest details. Click here for the reading group guide.
We are celebrating the spring release of Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok --- a fresh, exciting, inspiring debut about the Chinese-American experience --- with a special contest. 100 readers will have the opportunity to each win one advance copy of Girl in Translation, which will be in stores on May 4th, for their group.
More about Girl in Translation:
What is it like to be surrounded every day by a language and culture you only half understand? How would it change your life? Introducing a fresh, exciting Chinese-American voice, Girl in Translation is an inspiring debut about a young immigrant in America, a smart girl balancing schoolwork and factory labor, custom and desire, a girl who is forced at a young age to take responsibility for her family’s future, with decisions she may later regret.
Click here to read all the contest details. Click here for the reading group guide.
We are celebrating the spring release of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees --- a deft mix of fact and fiction that imagines the love affair that inspired the story of Jo and Laurie in Little Women --- with a special contest. 100 readers will have the opportunity to each win one advance copy of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, which will be in stores on April 1st, for their group.
More about The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott:
Readers across generations have fallen in love with Little Women. But how could Louisa May Alcott --- who never had a romance --- write so convincingly of love and heartbreak without experiencing it herself? In The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, Kelly O’Connor McNees deftly mixes fact and fiction as she imagines a love affair that would threaten Louisa’s writing career --- and inspire the story of Jo and Laurie in Little Women.
Click here to read all the contest details. Click here for the reading group guide.
We are celebrating the release of Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger --- a love story that unfolds along some of the world’s most famous rivers --- with a special contest. 50 readers will have the opportunity to each win one copy of Eternal on the Water, which will be in stores on February 16th, for their group.
More about Eternal on the Water :
From the day Cobb and Mary meet kayaking on Maine's Allagash River and fall deeply in love, the two approach life with the same sense of adventure they use to conquer the river's treacherous rapids. But rivers do not let go so easily...and neither does their love. So when Mary's life takes the cruelest turn, she vows to face those rough waters on her own terms and asks Cobb to promise, when the time comes, to help her return to their beloved river for one final journey.
Set against the rugged wilderness of Maine, the exotic islands of Indonesia, the sweeping panoramas of Yellowstone National Park, and the tranquil villages of rural New England, Eternal on the Water is at once heartbreaking and uplifting --- a timeless, beautifully rendered story of true love's power.
Click here to read all the contest details. Click here for the reading group guide.
Now Available in Paperback:
When reporter Ellen Gleeson gets a “Have You Seen This Child?” flyer in the mail, she almost throws it away. But something about it makes her look again, and her heart stops --- the child in the photo is identical to her adopted son, Will. Her adoption was lawful, but she’s a journalist and won’t be able to stop thinking about the photo until she figures out the truth. As she investigates, Ellen uncovers clues that no one was meant to discover, and when she digs too deep, she risks losing her own life --- and that of the son she loves.
Now Available in Paperback:
A successful memoirist returns home to Baltimore to see if she can find a new angle for her next book. She decides that she will braid a modern story about a former classmate, accused of a heinous crime, with a reminiscence of her grade-school years, and turns to old friends for help. But as she digs deeper into the tragedy surrounding her old classmate, she begins to see that everything she thought she knew about her life might be quite different.
Now Available in Paperback:
Having brought to life the eccentric cereal king John Harvey Kellogg in The Road to Wellville and sex researcher Alfred C. Kinsey in The Inner Circle, T.C. Boyle now trains his fictional sights on an even more colorful and outlandish character: Frank Lloyd Wright. Boyle’s account of Wright’s life, as told through the tempestuous experiences of the four women who loved him, blazes with the author’s trademark wit and invention. Wright’s life was one long, howling struggle against the bonds of convention, whether aesthetic, social, moral or romantic. He never did what was expected, and despite the overblown scandals surrounding his amours and very public divorces and the financial disarray that dogged him through his career, he never let anything get in the way of his larger-than-life appetites and visions.
On the eve of their Silver Anniversary, Mary Gooch’s husband disappears, and she begins a desperate search. For the first time in her life, she boards a plane and flies across the country to find her lost husband. So used to hiding from the world, Mary finds that she is forced to look up from the pavement. Through it all, Mary not only finds kindred spirits, but reunites with a more intimate stranger no longer sequestered by fear and habit: herself.
From the acclaimed author of Two Rivers comes The Hungry Season, a compelling and beautifully told story of hope, family and, above all, hunger --- for food, sex, love and success --- and for a way back to wholeness when a part of oneself has been lost forever.
Now Available in Paperback:
From the bestselling author of Moloka’i comes a rich, unforgettable story of a young “picture bride” who journeys to Hawaii in 1914 in search of a better life. After escaping her oppressive family and in Korea, Jin makes her way to a strange and beautiful small capital just as it’s beginning its maturity into the great multicultural city it is today. But paradise has its dark side, whether it’s the daily struggle for survival in Honolulu’s tenements, or a crime that will become the most infamous in the islands’ history. With passionate knowledge of people and places far off the tourist track, Honolulu is a spellbinding tale of four women in a new world, united by dreams, disappointment, sacrifices and friendship.
In Persian, Syngue Sabour is the name of a magical black stone, a patience stone, which absorbs the plight of those who confide in it. It is believed that the day it explodes, after having received too much hardship and pain, will be the day of the Apocalypse. Winner of the Prix Goncourt, The Patience Stone captures with great courage and spare, poetic prose the reality of everyday life for an intelligent woman under the oppressive weight of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
In this lively, compelling narrative written in the style of Julie and Julia and Eat, Pray, Love, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Gretchen Rubin chronicles her adventures during the 12 months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Filled with practical advice, sharp insight, charm and humor, The Happiness Project manages to be illuminating yet entertaining, profound yet compulsively readable.
The Bread of Angels is a gorgeous memoir of a young woman’s year as a Fulbright scholar in Damascus, where she studied the Muslim Jesus, fled to an ancient desert monastery to heal her past, and unexpectedly found herself in love with a French novice monk. This unforgettable memoir celebrates the beauty of faith, the necessity of self-discovery and the possibility of true love.
For February we have four very special opportunities for Registered Book Groups. Our featured titles this month are Life Sentences by Laura Lippman, One Good Dog by Susan Wilson, The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey and The Memory Thief by Rachel Keener. Groups who have registered with us by Tuesday, February 16th have the chance to win author chats and/or free books. If your group is not registered, click here to register.
36 Arguments for the Existence of God by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein: A satirical look at religion and relationships told through the eyes of a writer deemed “the atheist with a soul.”
Addition by Toni Jordan: Grace Lisa Vandenburg, the narrator of this pleasant neurotic-girl-meets-boy debut, is 35 years old and has been addicted to counting since she was eight, but begins rethinking her odd behavior after a chance encounter.
The Believers by Zoë Heller: A family reconsiders its value and the ties that bind in this searing satire from the author of Notes on a Scandal.
The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig: The heroines of Lauren Willig's bestselling Pink Carnation series have engaged in espionage all over 19th-century Europe. In the sixth stand-alone volume, our fair English heroine travels to India, where she finds freedom --- and risk --- more exciting than she ever imagined.
Blue Water by A. Manette Ansay: From the New York Times bestselling author comes an unforgettable story of two families united by tragedy --- and one woman's deeply emotional journey toward a choice she'd never thought possible.
The Bread of Angels: A Journey to Love and Faith by Stephanie Saldaña: This unforgettable memoir celebrates the beauty of faith, the necessity of self-discovery and the possibility of true love.
The Choice: Lancaster County Secrets, Book 1 by Suzanne Woods Fisher: A tender story of love, forgiveness and looking below the surface, The Choice uncovers the sweet simplicity of the Amish world --- and shows that it’s never too late to find your way back to God.
The Courteous Cad: Miss Pickworth, Book 3 by Catherine Palmer: On her tour of the English countryside, a chance encounter in the streets alerts Miss Prudence Watson to the inhumane working conditions at the worsted mill and its boorish owner.
Damaged by Kia DuPree: In the style of urban literary greats Teri Woods and Vicky Stringer, Kia DuPree tells an engrossing and heart-wrenching story about a young woman living on the streets of Washington D.C.
Deeper Than the Dead by Tami Hoag: The No. 1 New York Times bestselling author returns with the thriller her millions of fans have been awaiting for two years.
A Distant Melody: Wings of Glory, Book One by Sarah Sundin: Walt and Allie meet at a wedding and instantly connect, setting in motion a relationship that unfolds through letters between Walt’s bomber base in England during World War II and Allie’s palatial mansion.
Dream House by Valerie Laken: This riveting debut novel tells the story of a domestic drama that will irrevocably affect the lives of two families.
Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger: Set against the rugged wilderness of Maine, the exotic islands of Indonesia, the sweeping panoramas of Yellowstone National Park, and the tranquil villages of rural New England, Eternal on the Water is at once heartbreaking and uplifting --- a timeless, beautifully rendered story of true love's power.
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok: This inspiring debut centers on a young immigrant in America, a smart girl balancing schoolwork and factory labor, custom and desire, a girl who is forced at a young age to take responsibility for her family’s future, with decisions she may later regret.
Good Things I Wish You by A. Manette Ansay: The acclaimed author of Vinegar Hill returns with a story of two unlikely romances --- one historical, the other modern-day --- separated by thousands of miles and well over a century.
Honolulu by Alan Brennert: With passionate knowledge of people and places far off the tourist track, Honolulu is a spellbinding tale of four women in a new world, united by dreams, disappointment, sacrifices and friendship.
The Hungry Season by T. Greenwood: From the acclaimed author of Two Rivers comes The Hungry Season, a compelling and beautifully told story of hope, family and, above all, hunger --- for food, sex, love and success --- and for a way back to wholeness when a part of oneself has been lost forever.
Imperfect Birds by Anne Lamott: A husband and wife discover that their daughter is not the girl they thought she was in this novel of parents, children and trust.
Little Bee by Chris Cleave: The lives of an English traveler and a Nigerian girl collide in the aftermath of a horrible accident.
Listen by Rene Gutteridge: Nothing ever happens in the small town of Marlo…until the residents begin seeing their private conversations posted online for everyone to read.
Look Again by Lisa Scottoline: A journalist’s world is upended when the boy on a missing child flyer looks suspiciously like her adopted son.
Lone Star Legend by Gwendolyn Zepeda: An aspiring young journalist stuck blogging for a gossip site stumbles across a story that gives new meaning to the word legendary.
The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees: McNees deftly mixes fact and fiction as she imagines a love affair that would threaten Louisa’s writing career --- and inspire the story of Jo and Laurie in Little Women.
Lowboy by John Wray: A mother desperately searches for her schizophrenic son as he embarks to change the world and stop global warming.
The Lunatic, the Lover, and the Poet by Myrlin A. Hermes: A Divinity scholar at Wittenburg University, Horatio prides himself on his ability to argue both sides of any intellectual debate, but as a result is a born skeptic, never able to fully buy into one particular philosophy. That is, until he meets Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark.
Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough by Lori Gottlieb: Suddenly finding herself 40 and single, Lori Gottlieb said the unthinkable in her March 2008 article in The Atlantic: Maybe she, and single women everywhere, needed to stop chasing the elusive Prince Charming and instead go for Mr. Good Enough.
The Memory Thief by Rachel Keener: When Angel sets fire to her childhood home, it isn’t the end --- it’s the beginning as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler: A retired schoolteacher awakens in a hospital with no recollection of how he arrived there, and is determined to piece together those missing hours.
Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky: A teenage pregnancy pact shakes up a closeknit community and raises questions about what it truly means to be a mother.
One Good Dog by Susan Wilson: A disgraced man recovers from an embarrassing crime with the help of a dog trying to escape the pit fighting arena.
The Patience Stone: “Sang-e Saboor” written by Atiq Rahimi, translated from the French by Polly McLean: Winner of the Prix Goncourt, The Patience Stone captures with great courage and spare, poetic prose, the reality of everyday life for an intelligent woman under the oppressive weight of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee: Set in Hong Kong during the outbreak of World War II, the lives of two very different women intertwine during the next 10 years against the ravages of war and the opulence of high society.
Postcards from a Dead Girl by Kirk Farber: Postcards from a Dead Girl is a touching, almost cinematic debut novel featuring the eccentric, slightly disturbed, and unique character Sid, who finds himself obsessed by the mysterious postcards that arrive in the mail from his missing ex-girlfriend.
The Promise of Morning: At Home in Beldon Grove, Book 2 by Ann Shorey: Ellie Craig grieves the loss of three infant children, and when long-hidden secrets are brought to light, she must find a way to contact the family of her long-lost father while her husband, Matthew, loses grasp of his church.
Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier: A voyage of discoveries, a meeting of two remarkable women, an extraordinary time and place enrich bestselling author Tracy Chevalier’s enthralling new novel.
Searching for Tina Turner by Jacqueline E. Luckett: In this breathtaking debut novel reminiscent of early Terry McMillan, Lena Spencer is going through a mid-life crisis and looks to singer Tina Turner for strength.
Scattered Petals: Texas Dreams, Book 2 by Amanda Cabot: Longing for adventure, Priscilla Morton leaves Boston and heads for Texas, never dreaming that the adventure she seeks will leave her badly injured and her parents dead nor that she’ll begin the healing process with a handsome cowboy.
The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen: Moving, mysterious and romantic, The Silent Governess takes readers inside the intriguing life of a 19th-century governess in an English manor house where all is not as it appears.
The Spare Room by Helen Garner: In her first novel in 15 years, Helen Garner writes about the joys and limits of female friendship under the transforming pressure of illness.
The Summer We Fell Apart by Robin Antalek: The four children of a once-brilliant playwright and struggling actress reunite at their father’s deathbed, confronting their troubling, chaotic childhoods.
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova: A psychiatrist begins treating a celebrated painter only to be led down a dark path uncovering the painter’s tormented past and twisted inspirations.
Swinging on a Star: Weddings by Bella, Book Two by Janice Thompson: Bella is planning a Renaissance-themed wedding that can make her career, except the best man just happens to be Hollywood’s hottest hunk, and he’s staying at her house.
Tales from the Zirzameen by Brian Hanson Appleton aka Rasool Aryadust: Tales from the Zirzameen is a nonfiction collection of short stories in chronological order about the author's experiences in Iran before, during and after the revolution in 1979.
Thicker Than Blood by C. J. Darlington: Christy Williams is being framed for a crime she didn’t commit and has nowhere to turn except to her estranged younger sister.
Third Time’s a Charm: Sister-to-Sister Series, Book 3 by Virginia Smith: Tori Sanderson has the professional opportunity of a lifetime. If she can prove she’s executive material, she’s in line for a big promotion. But there’s only room for one new account executive, and her co-worker has his eye on the job…and on Tori.
The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine: Overtones of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility underscore this story of an estranged wife bonding with her children in the seaside town of Westport, MA.
The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar: Filled with satisfying real characters and glowing with local color, The Weight of Heaven is a rare glimpse of a family and a country struggling under pressures beyond their control.
The Wife’s Tale by Lori Lansens: On the eve of their Silver Anniversary, Mary Gooch’s husband disappears. Mary begins a desperate search, and is forced to finally confront personal demons and secrets that have haunted her.
When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson: One of the most exuberantly acclaimed books of 2009 was Atkinson's third novel featuring the beloved private investigator Jackson Brodie.
The Women by T.C. Boyle: Bestselling author T.C. Boyle examines the life of celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his relationships with a few very different women.
The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey: A family's future is in the hands of one very brave young Irishwoman in this debut set between World War I and the growing violence of the Irish war of independence.
Whether your book club is just a few months old or has been around for a while, you might be in need of a Book Club Makeover from ReadingGroupGuides.com. After reading your emails --- and talking to book clubs across the country --- we see that book groups often can fall into a routine and need a bit of livening up. It’s ReadingGroupGuides.com to the rescue! We’ll select groups each month for makeovers, review the problems, and make suggestions. Interested in a Book Club Makeover for your group? Click here for details.
Win a Copy of LITTLE BEE by Chris Cleave for Your Group
Win an Advance Copy of GIRL IN TRANSLATION by Jean Kwok for Your Group
Win an Advance Copy of THE LOST SUMMER OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT by Kelly O’Connor McNees for Your Group
Win a Copy of ETERNAL ON THE WATER by Joseph Monninger for Your Group
