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I love to see how clever people are with the refreshments that are served at book groups. For our last meeting, where we discussed THE BERRY PICKERS by Amanda Peters, Julia, who feels like our book group’s honorary baker, made a berry torte, which was terrific. I brought out blue and white striped plates to go with it. For humor, we often use plates that are left over from the birthday party of someone’s child in the group. They always make me smile and remember the themed parties that I did with my boys.
If you want to share some clever refreshments that your group has made in the past, send me a note with “Refreshments” in the subject line. In the email, let me know the name of the book, the author and what was made. Lisa See has a great page of food, drink and decorations from book groups that she has spoken with. You can see those here.
We had so much fun hosting last night’s “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event. Our guest was Shelby Van Pelt, and she talked about her debut novel, REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES, which has been a book group favorite since its release almost two years ago.
Shelby explains how a short piece that she had penned for a writing class became the start of her New York Times bestseller, how growing up with her Swedish grandmother influenced her character, Tova, and why it worked for Marcellus to have his voice in the first person. She shares background on the cover design, as well as what it was like to be a debut author getting a call that she was the “Read with Jenna” selection for May 2022 and her experience being on the set of the “Today” show. She also notes that she is working on something new, but readers will have to wait a while to see it.
It was such a pleasure talking to Shelby, and even though we had just met last night, I felt like we were old friends as we were chatting about the book. And I loved seeing her interact so enthusiastically with her readers. Our attendees hailed from 39 states, and three were from Canada. Click here to watch the video or here to listen to the podcast.
This is your last Reading Group Guides newsletter reminder to sign up for our LIVE “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Kristin Hannah next Wednesday, March 6th at 7pm ET. Please note the time as it is an hour earlier from our usual start time of 8pm ET.
Kristin will be talking about her latest novel, THE WOMEN, and answering questions from those who won a copy of the book in a Bookreporter contest last November. Some of these winners will be asking their question on camera, and I will be asking questions on behalf of those who are camera-shy or are unable to join us live. If you would like to listen in on the conversation, you can register for the event by clicking here.
This Bookreporter.com Bets On selection is a #1 bestseller on the New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times bestseller lists. In this newsletter, we are featuring the discussion guide, along with my Bets On commentary and our review on Bookreporter.
My latest “Bookreporter Talks To” interview is with Hank Phillippi Ryan, whose new psychological thriller, ONE WRONG WORD, is a Bets On pick. We also featured the guide and our Bookreporter review in the last newsletter.
The idea for the book came from something that happened to Hank when she was 19. She talks about crafting the characters and how she tries to keep readers on top of the action by introducing the characters as chapter titles where they are speaking. Hank always writes organically without an outline; both the characters and the action come to her as she writes. She points to various details in the book and explains why it matters that they are presented as they are. And she talks about crisis management, which seems to be at the heart of many news situations today.
I would love Arden Ward to be an ongoing series character. And in the interview, you will find out which New York Times bestselling author would like to see the same thing! That is not what is next for Hank, but she tells us what is coming up in her 16th book, which will be out next year. Hank also comments on the interviews that she conducts with authors and why she loves doing them. Click here to watch the video or here to listen to the podcast.
AFTER ANNIE is Anna Quindlen’s first novel in six years, and it is March’s Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. When Annie Brown dies suddenly, her husband, her four young children and her closest friend are left to struggle without the woman who centered their lives. Written in the author's emotionally resonant voice, and with her deep and generous understanding of people, this beautiful novel is about how adversity can change us in profound ways.
Our Bookreporter reviewer Eileen Zimmerman Nicol says, “As in each of Quindlen’s novels, humanity in all its glory and pettiness is the true subject. Anyone who has lost someone precious will relate to these characters’ grief, heartbreak and ultimate resilience. It is a trip on a road paved with pathos, but it is one well worth taking.” Click here for the full review and here for the guide.
On Tuesday, April 2nd at 3pm ET, B&N will host a live virtual event with Anna, which you can sign up for here. I am reading AFTER ANNIE now and hope to interview Anna as well.
Pulitzer Prize finalist Tommy Orange’s highly anticipated follow-up to his 2018 debut novel, THERE THERE, is now in stores and is March’s #1 Indie Next pick. WANDERING STARS traces the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School through three generations of a family in a story that is by turns shattering and wondrous.
In his review on Bookreporter, Harvey Freedenberg calls the book “a moving family story and an excavation of historic wrongs that reveals how trauma reverberates down through the generations until it must be confronted in the present.” He goes on to say, “Orange skillfully shifts viewpoints among the members of this loving but troubled family to reveal how both the personal and historic pasts echoes in their lives.” Click here to read more of Harvey’s thoughts on the book and here for the guide. I have started WANDERING STARS and am loving Orange’s writing.
It was announced this week that THE MANY LIVES OF MAMA LOVE is Oprah’s latest Book Club pick. This heartbreaking and tender memoir recounts Lara Love Hardin's slide from soccer mom to opioid addict to convicted felon --- and her unlikely comeback as a highly successful ghostwriter. Oprah says that the book is “about redemption, about joy, about hope, about claiming yourself and what you rightly deserve in life.”
On Tuesday, Lara appeared with Oprah on “CBS Mornings” to talk about her heartbreaking and tender journey from shame to redemption, despite a system that makes it almost impossible for us to move beyond the worst thing we have ever done. Click here to watch the interview.
Be sure to read along with Oprah’s Book Club by following the schedule on this page. You also can join in on weekly discussions on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. In the meantime, the guide can be found here.
We also have added guides for these three books:
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THE PHOENIX CROWN: Kate Quinn and Janie Chang’s new novel is about the intertwined lives of two wronged women, spanning from the chaos of the San Francisco earthquake to the glittering palaces of Versailles.
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THE SUMMER BOOK CLUB: This summer, three friends find the courage to step into the next chapter of their lives in Susan Mallery's heartwarming new novel. Doing so can be terrifying, but it also can be exhilarating.
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SLOW NOODLES: In this haunting and inspiring memoir written with Kim Green, Chantha Nguon recounts her life as a Cambodian refugee who lost everything but the memories of her mother’s kitchen.
Don’t forget to sign up for our next “Bookaccino Live” book preview event, which will take place on Wednesday, March 13th at 2pm ET.
The focus will be on titles releasing between March 12th and April 2nd, in addition to a few from May, that we would like to tell you about. Click here to register. Those attending the live event will be asked to answer a survey about the books from the presentation that they are most interested in reading and will be eligible to win a prize.
The following week, on Wednesday, March 20th at 8pm ET, will be a special “Bookaccino Live” Spring Preview evening program. I will be talking about a number of books releasing this spring that we think you will enjoy reading over the next few months. You can sign up for this event by clicking here.
Bookreporter Contest Announcements
In anticipation of the April 9th release of Leigh Bardugo’s new historical fantasy for adults, THE FAMILIAR, we are giving 25 readers the opportunity to win a copy of the book in a special Bookreporter contest. The deadline for your entries is Friday, March 15th at noon ET. Scroll further down the newsletter for all the details. I look forward to interviewing Leigh as the release date draws closer.
We also have launched our 13th annual Spring Preview feature on Bookreporter. We will be spotlighting a number of new and upcoming releases (including THE FAMILIAR) that we think people will be talking about this spring --- and beyond. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through mid-April; five readers will be awarded the book that we are giving away that day. You can sign up here for alerts so you will be notified as soon as these giveaways are up. The first contest will go live on Tuesday, March 5th at noon ET.
Next up for my book group, we are reading THE WOMEN, and I know a lot of other book groups are as well. I have been hearing from so many readers about how much they love this book.
Here’s to a great discussion with your group!
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!
New Guide: AFTER ANNIE by Anna Quindlen
March's Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick
AFTER ANNIE by Anna Quindlen (Fiction)
When Annie Brown dies suddenly, her husband, children and closest friend are left to find a way forward without the woman who has been the linchpin of all their lives. Bill is overwhelmed without his beloved wife, and Annemarie wrestles with the bad habits her best friend had helped her overcome. And Ali, the eldest of Annie’s children, has to grow up overnight, to care for her younger brothers and even her father and to puzzle out for herself many of the mysteries of adult life. Over the course of the next year, what saves them all is Annie --- ever-present in their minds, loving but not sentimental, caring but nobody’s fool, a voice in their heads that is funny, sharp and remarkably clear. The power she has given to those who loved her is the power to go on without her. The lesson they learn is that no one beloved is ever truly gone.
» AFTER ANNIE is March's Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. On Tuesday, April 2nd at 3pm ET, B&N will host a live virtual event with Anna Quindlen. 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: WANDERING STARS by Tommy Orange
March's #1 Indie Next Pick
WANDERING STARS by Tommy Orange (Fiction)
Colorado, 1864. Star, a young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre, is brought to the Fort Marion prison castle, where he is forced to learn English and practice Christianity by Richard Henry Pratt, an evangelical prison guard who will go on to found the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, an institution dedicated to the eradication of Native history, culture and identity. A generation later, Star’s son, Charles, is sent to the school, where he is brutalized by the man who was once his father’s jailer. Under Pratt’s harsh treatment, Charles clings to moments he shares with a young fellow student, Opal Viola, as the two envision a future away from the institutional violence that follows their bloodlines.
- 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: THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)
Women can be heroes. When 20-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.
- 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 read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Click here for readers' comments about the book.
- Click here to visit Kristin Hannah's website.
- Click here to sign up for our LIVE "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Kristin Hannah on Wednesday, March 6th at 7pm ET.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE MANY LIVES OF MAMA LOVE
by Lara Love Hardin
Oprah’s Latest Book Club Pick
THE MANY LIVES OF MAMA LOVE: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing by Lara Love Hardin (Memoir)
No one expects the police to knock on the million-dollar, two-story home of the perfect cul-de-sac housewife. But soccer mom Lara Love Hardin has been hiding a shady secret: she is funding her heroin addiction by stealing her neighbors’ credit cards. Lara is convicted of 32 felonies. She learns that jail is a class system with a power structure that is somewhere between an adolescent sleepover party and LORD OF THE FLIES. But Lara brings love and healing to her fellow inmates as she climbs the social ladder to become the “shot caller.” When she’s released, she reinvents herself as a ghostwriter. Now, she’s legally co-opting other people’s identities and getting to meet Oprah, meditate with The Dalai Lama, and have dinner with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. But the shadow of her past follows her.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to see why the book is Oprah's latest Book Club pick.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE PHOENIX CROWN
by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang
THE PHOENIX CROWN by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang (Historical Fiction)
San Francisco, 1906. Two very different women hope to change their fortunes: Gemma, a golden-haired, silver-voiced soprano, and Suling, a petite and resolute Chinatown embroideress. Their paths cross when they are drawn into the orbit of Henry Thornton, a charming railroad magnate whose extraordinary collection of Chinese antiques includes the fabled Phoenix Crown, a legendary relic of Beijing’s fallen Summer Palace. His patronage offers Gemma and Suling the chance of a lifetime, but their lives are thrown into turmoil when a devastating earthquake rips San Francisco apart and Thornton disappears, leaving behind a mystery reaching further than anyone could have imagined…until the Phoenix Crown reappears five years later at a sumptuous Paris costume ball, drawing Gemma and Suling together in one last desperate quest for justice.
- 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: THE SUMMER BOOK CLUB by Susan Mallery
THE SUMMER BOOK CLUB by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
Besties Laurel and Paris are excited to welcome Cassie to the group. This year, the book club is all about fill-your-heart reads, an escape from the chaos of the everyday --- running a business, raising a family, juggling a hundred to-dos. Since Laurel’s divorce, she feels like the Worst Mom Ever. Her skepticism of men may have scarred her vulnerable daughters. Cassie has an unfortunate habit of falling for ridiculous man-boys who dump her once she fixes them. Paris knows good men exist. She’s still reeling after chasing off the only one brave enough --- and foolish enough --- to marry her. Inspired by the heroines who risk everything for fulfillment, Laurel, Paris and Cassie begin to take big chances in life and in love. Facing an unwritten chapter can be terrifying. But it also can be exhilarating if only they can find the courage to change.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: SLOW NOODLES
by Chantha Nguon with Kim Green
SLOW NOODLES: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes by Chantha Nguon with Kim Green (Memoir)
In SLOW NOODLES, Chantha Nguon recounts her life as a Cambodian refugee who loses everything and everyone --- her home, her family, her country --- all but the remembered tastes and aromas of her mother’s kitchen. She summons the quiet rhythms of 1960s Battambang, her provincial hometown, before the dictator Pol Pot tore her country apart and killed more than a million Cambodians, many of them ethnic Vietnamese like Nguon and her family. Then, as an immigrant in Saigon, Nguon loses her mother, brothers and sister and eventually flees to a refugee camp in Thailand. For two decades in exile, she survives by cooking in a brothel, serving drinks in a nightclub, making and selling street food, becoming a suture nurse and weaving silk.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New February Releases of Interest to Book Groups
Here are a number of books releasing in February 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.
END OF STORY by A. J. Finn (Psychological Thriller)
For fans of Knives Out comes a spellbinding thriller from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW.
THE FOX WIFE by Yangsze Choo (Historical Fiction)
Epic in scope and full of singular, unforgettable characters, THE FOX WIFE is a stunning novel about old loves and second chances, the depths of maternal love, and ancient folktales that may very well be true.
GRIEF IS FOR PEOPLE by Sloane Crosley (Memoir)
Disarmingly witty and poignant, Sloane Crosley’s memoir explores multiple kinds of loss following the death of her closest friend.
THE GUEST by B. A. Paris (Domestic Thriller)
New York Times bestselling author B. A. Paris captivated psychological thriller readers everywhere with BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. Now she invites you into another home full of heart-pounding secrets.
LEAVING by Roxana Robinson (Fiction)
Roxana Robinson demonstrates her “trademark gifts as an intelligent, sensitive analyst of family life” (Wendy Smith, Chicago Tribune) in an engrossing exploration of the vows we make to one another, the tensile relationships between parents and their children, and what we owe to others and ourselves.
A MURDER IN HOLLYWOOD: The Untold Story of Tinseltown's Most Shocking Crime by Casey Sherman (True Crime)
New York Times bestselling author Casey Sherman pulls back Tinseltown's velvet curtain to reveal the dark underbelly of celebrity, rife with toxic masculinity and casual violence against women, and tells the story of Lana Turner and her daughter, who finally stood up to the abuse that plagued their family for years.
THE PERFECT PASSION COMPANY by Alexander McCall Smith (Romance/Humor)
From the beloved author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series comes a fabulous new novel in three parts --- tender tales of love and companionship from Scotland’s most low-key dating agency.
THE ROAD FROM BELHAVEN by Margot Livesey (Historical Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of THE FLIGHT OF GEMMA HARDY comes a novel about a young woman whose gift of second sight complicates her coming of age in late-19th-century Scotland.
SPLINTERS: Another Kind of Love Story by Leslie Jamison (Memoir)
In her first memoir, Leslie Jamison turns her unrivaled powers of perception on some of the most intimate relationships of her life: her consuming love for her young daughter, a ruptured marriage once swollen with hope, and the shaping legacy of her own parents’ complicated bond.
THE TROUBLE WITH YOU by Ellen Feldman (Historical Fiction)
In an exuberant post-WWII New York City, a young woman is forced to reinvent her life and choose between the safe and the ethical, and the men who represent each.
THE UNCHARTED FLIGHT OF OLIVIA WEST by Sara Ackerman (Historical Fiction)
This extraordinary novel, inspired by real events, tells the story of a female aviator who defies the odds to embark on a daring air race across the Pacific.
New Special Contest on Bookreporter.com:
Enter to Win One of 25 Copies of THE FAMILIAR
by Leigh Bardugo, Releasing April 9th
Set in the Spanish Golden Age, THE FAMILIAR by Leigh Bardugo follows Luzia, a servant in the household of an impoverished Spanish nobleman who reveals a talent for little miracles. Her social‑climbing mistress demands Luzia use her gifts to win over Madrid’s most powerful players. But what begins as simple amusement takes a dangerous turn.
We have 25 copies of THE FAMILIAR to give away to those who would like to read the book, which releases on April 9th. To enter, please fill out this form by Friday, March 15th at noon ET.
THE FAMILIAR by Leigh Bardugo (Historical Fantasy)
In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to improve the family's social position.
What begins as simple amusement for the nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen --- and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor.
Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the lines between magic, science and fraud are never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive --- even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santángel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.
Click here to enter the contest.
Announcing Bookreporter.com's 13th Annual
Spring Preview Contests and Feature
Spring is in the air (or will be very soon)! We’ve already caught the fever --- and it’s being fueled by some wonderful new and upcoming releases.
Our 13th annual Spring Preview Contests and Feature spotlights many of these picks, which we know people will be talking about over the next few months. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through mid-April. You will need to check the site to see the featured book and enter to win.
We also are sending a special newsletter to announce each title, which you can sign up for here.
Our first prize book will be announced on Tuesday, March 5th 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
From left to right: Tana French, Kristin Hannah, Dolly Alderton
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, March 4th at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome Simone St. James for a live virtual discussion of MURDER ROAD as part of their Midday Mystery Virtual Event series. Simone will be in conversation with the bestselling author of THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE, Riley Sager.
Tuesday, March 5th at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble Book Club: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome Dolly Alderton for a live virtual event to discuss GOOD MATERIAL, February's B&N Book Club pick. Dolly will be in conversation with Lexie Smyth, B&N's Fiction Category Manager, and Jenna Seery, the Associate Producer of B&N's "Poured Over" podcast.
Tuesday, March 5th at 6pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Yangsze Choo will talk about her latest novel, THE FOX WIFE, with fellow New York Times bestselling author Lisa See. This stunning novel is about old loves and second chances, the depths of maternal love, and ancient folktales that may very well be true.
Tuesday, March 5th at 7pm ET: Brookline Booksmith, Copperfield’s Books, and Elliott Bay Book Company: Celebrate the release of THE HUNTER with New York Times bestselling author Tana French, who will appear live online at a cross-indie bookstore event. Bestselling author Lev Grossman will join Tana in conversation.
Wednesday, March 6th at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome Tana French for a live virtual discussion of THE HUNTER as part of their Midday Mystery Virtual Event series. Tana will be in conversation with bestselling author Sophie Hannah.
Wednesday, March 6th at 7pm ET: "Bookreporter Talks To": Join us for a special LIVE "Bookreporter Talks To" program where our guest will be Kristin Hannah. She will discuss her latest novel, THE WOMEN, and answer questions submitted by the winners of a recent Bookreporter contest.
Wednesday, March 6th 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 Rebecca Serle about her latest novel, EXPIRATION DATES.
Monday, March 11th at 4pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Deanna Raybourn will talk about her new historical mystery, A GRAVE ROBBERY, in which Veronica Speedwell and Stoker discover that not all fairy tales have happy endings. Some end in murder.
Wednesday, March 13th at 2pm ET: "Bookaccino Live" Book Preview: Carol Fitzgerald will present titles releasing between March 12th and April 2nd, along with a few from May, that she would like to get on your radar.
Wednesday, March 13th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will talk to Chris Bohjalian about his new book, THE PRINCESS OF LAS VEGAS, which is the F&F Pick of the Month.
"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:
Other authors we've interviewed include:
Upcoming interviews include:
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Tamron Hall (WATCH WHERE THEY HIDE: A Jordan Manning Novel)
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Kristin Hannah (THE WOMEN)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
AFTER ANNIE by Anna Quindlen (Fiction)
Anna Quindlen’s trademark wisdom on family, friendship and the ties that bind us are at the center of this novel about the power of love to transcend loss and triumph over adversity.
BELONGING by Jill Fordyce (Fiction)
Appealing to readers of Delia Owens’ WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, Kristin Hannah’s FIREFLY LANE and Ann Packer’s THE DIVE FROM CLAUSEN'S PIER, BELONGING is a heartbreaking and hopeful coming-of-age story that traverses lifelong friendship, first love and a young woman’s fierce desire to transcend her traumatic childhood.
COME AND GET IT by Kiley Reid (Fiction)
From the celebrated New York Times bestselling author of SUCH A FUN AGE comes a fresh and provocative story about a residential assistant and her messy entanglement with a professor and three unruly students.
GOOD MATERIAL by Dolly Alderton (Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of GHOSTS and EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LOVE comes a story of heartbreak and friendship and how to survive both.
A LOVE SONG FOR RICKI WILDE by Tia Williams (Romance)
In this enchanting love story from the New York Times bestselling author of SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE, a free-spirited florist and an enigmatic musician are irreversibly linked through the history, art and magic of Harlem.
THE MANY LIVES OF MAMA LOVE: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing by Lara Love Hardin (Memoir)
New York Times bestselling author Lara Love Hardin recounts her slide from soccer mom to opioid addict to jailhouse shot-caller and her unlikely comeback as a highly successful ghostwriter in this harrowing, hilarious, no-holds-barred memoir.
ONE WRONG WORD by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Psychological Thriller)
Hank Phillippi Ryan's heart-racing psychological thriller explores the insidious nature of gossip, scandal and lies --- and how careers, friendships and even marriages can be shattered forever.
THE PHOENIX CROWN by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang (Historical Fiction)
Bestselling authors Kate Quinn and Janie Chang have penned a thrilling and unforgettable narrative about the intertwined lives of two wronged women, spanning from the chaos of the San Francisco earthquake to the glittering palaces of Versailles.
REDWOOD COURT by DéLana R. A. Dameron (Fiction)
Award-winning poet DéLana R. A. Dameron’s debut novel is about one unforgettable Southern Black family and its youngest daughter’s coming of age in the 1990s.
SLOW NOODLES: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes by Chantha Nguon with Kim Green (Memoir)
SLOW NOODLES is a haunting and beautiful memoir from a Cambodian refugee who lost her country and her family during Pol Pot's genocide in the 1970s but who finds hope by reclaiming the recipes she tasted in her mother's kitchen.
THE SUMMER BOOK CLUB by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
This summer, three friends find the courage to step into the next chapter of their lives in Susan Mallery's heartwarming novel, THE SUMMER BOOK CLUB.
WANDERING STARS by Tommy Orange (Fiction)
In a novel that is by turns shattering and wondrous, Tommy Orange has conjured the ancestors of the family readers first fell in love with in THERE THERE --- warriors, drunks, outlaws, addicts --- asking what it means to be the children and grandchildren of massacre.
THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)
From the celebrated author of THE NIGHTINGALE and THE FOUR WINDS comes Kristin Hannah's THE WOMEN --- at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
CAMP ZERO by Michelle Min Sterling (Dystopian/Science Fiction)
In a near-future northern settlement, the fates of a young woman, a professor and a mysterious collective of climate researchers collide in this mesmerizing and transportive debut.
I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU by Rebecca Makkai (Fiction)
Award-winning author Rebecca Makkai has crafted her most irresistible novel yet: a stirring investigation into collective memory and a deeply felt examination of one woman’s reckoning with her past, with a transfixing mystery at its heart.
WEYWARD by Emilia Hart (Historical Fiction/Magical Realism)
Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's WEYWARD is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.
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