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Enhancing the Reading Experience
While talking about books with other readers enhances the reading experience, I love when the conversation includes an author as well. My book group was lucky enough to have Nadia Hashimi join us on Monday night to discuss her latest novel, CITY OF WIDOWS (see the photo above). The book follows three characters as the calendar is turning to August 31, 2021, when we were evacuating people from Afghanistan. For those who worked with the United States --- and those who spoke out against the Taliban --- there is a race to get on one of the final US flights leaving the country.
The book flashes back in time to show readers what the last two decades had been like for women, who enjoyed more freedoms than they had seen their entire lives. At the same time, there is growing fear as the Taliban rises in the background, and they are back on their trucks with guns as the days tick down.
Nadia shared how she had worked to get women to the States and what has happened to them as they establish new lives. Their accomplishments here bear witness to how important it was to have them secure their freedom. She had noted to me that we were her first book group discussion since the book came out at the end of July. If your group would like to book time with her, you can reach her here.
My group is not meeting in October, but we have lined up Rachel Beanland for November to discuss her new novel, THE HALF LIFE, with us.
Both Nadia and Rachel will be at the Morristown Festival of Books on October 10th. You can see the schedule here. For those who missed my recent “Bookreporter Talks To” interviews with these authors, be sure to check out these links:
Talking about book groups and authors makes sense here, as our September “Bookaccino Live” Book Group guest was Lisa See. Over the years, Lisa has met with as many as five groups in a day! Authors can bring a whole new perspective to the writing as Lisa did last night. She has visited with us before, and I am so glad that we were able to once again talk spoilers --- and delve more deeply into DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON, which is a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection.
Click here to watch the event or here to listen to the podcast.
Lisa has terrific “Step Inside” sections on her website where readers can learn more about her work. And she also has curated teas that can enhance the reading experience. I ordered one of the individual tea kits and was going to have some tea during our conversation. However, I realized that hot water and a laptop was not a good combination, so I decided to play it safe and hold off. But do know that I will be enjoying tea very soon!
As we announced in a previous newsletter, Kathryn Stockett will be joining us for our October “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event on Wednesday, October 28th at 8pm ET. We will talk about her most recent novel, THE CALAMITY CLUB, which is a #1 New York Times bestseller and a Bets On pick.
This bighearted novel from the multimillion-copy-selling author of THE HELP is about a group of unbreakable women fighting for what’s rightfully theirs --- and the power of friendship to change everything. In her Bookreporter review, Pamela Kramer says, “I think the power of THE CALAMITY CLUB lies in the beauty of the narration, the touching story, the display of the historic mistreatment of women, and the fact that these women hold the power --- even if it's just for a while.”
I will talk to Kathryn before handing it off to readers who would like to share a question for her on screen (we have special sign-in directions for these attendees, and they will get to chat with Kathryn in our “backstage green room” before the program starts), followed by audience questions. Click here to sign up.
For those who want to ask Kathryn a question, be sure to fill out this form by Wednesday, October 28th at noon ET. Please include your name, city, state, email address and phone number, as well as your question. And let us know if you would like to be on camera or off.
As we grow up, experiences with family and friends shape us into who we are. While we do not feature a lot of nonfiction on this site, when we find a book that we think readers will respond to, we love to share it with you.
This time, we are calling out COME CLOSER: Childhood Wounds, Adult Love, and the Secrets of Emotional Intimacy by Dr. Galit Atlas. In it, she has identified six child archetypes --- the frightened child, the melancholic child, the ashamed child, the invisible child, the guilty child, and the chosen child --- and shows how each childhood wound plays out in our adult relationships.
We are giving away 20 copies of the book with an idea that you can read it and then schedule a discussion of it with either your book group or a collection of your friends and/or relatives. Be sure to fill out the contest form here by Wednesday, October 28th at noon ET. We also are featuring the discussion guide, which you can take a look at here.
Finding out which of the “children” you are in COME CLOSER can lead you to better understand how you view life and the choices you have made in adulthood. While I am not going to share it here, it was very clear which of the children I am. It was fascinating to uncover that.
We want to hear from you!
Be sure to let us know what you read with your book group in September. All you have to do is fill out this form by Wednesday, October 14th at noon ET, and we’ll share some of these selections with you in the next newsletter.
The more we know about what you and your group are doing, the more we can ensure that we are getting the books and programs that you want sent your way!
We have two new “Bookreporter Talks To” interviews to share with you in this newsletter.
First up is Amanda Peters, whose new novel, THE BIRTHING TREE, is an instant national bestseller. Like her debut, THE BERRY PICKERS, it is a Bets On pick.
Amanda shares the personal and professional inspirations behind the book. They include a childhood memory involving her grandmother, who had dementia and told her about a tree near the water where Mi'kmaq women used to give birth, as well as Amanda’s work with Nova Scotia's midwifery regulation committee.
Our conversation explores the importance of preserving Mi'kmaq traditions, intergenerational storytelling, and Amanda's personal journey reconnecting with her Indigenous heritage.
Click here to watch the interview or here to listen to the podcast. We featured the guide and our Bookreporter review in the last newsletter, so do take a look at those if you haven’t already.
I also had the pleasure of talking to Jonathan Santlofer about his new thriller, TEN PERFECT GUESTS, which is a Bets On pick.
Jonathan describes the book as a classic whodunit featuring 10 characters brought to an isolated island for a memorial, with an inheritance at stake. He wanted to use all classic tropes --- locked room, large cast, hidden motives --- without a detective figure. He explains that managing so many distinct characters was more difficult than anticipated, requiring a character chart and careful differentiation so readers would not need to look back.
The novel is written in the third-person omniscient perspective, allowing access to all characters' inner thoughts, with the final section shifting to the killer's point of view — which expanded unexpectedly to 35 pages.
Click here to watch the interview or here to listen to the podcast. We also are featuring the guide and our Bookreporter review in this newsletter.
AMERICAN HAGWON is Min Jin Lee’s first novel since her 2017 international bestseller and National Book Award finalist, PACHINKO. It also is an upcoming Bets On title. “The rules of engagement have changed already.” So begins the story of John and Helen Koh and their three children. Through years of careful discipline, elite education and self-sacrifice, John and Helen have reached relative financial security when their lives are upended: first by a shocking betrayal by John’s oldest friend, and then by the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
Eileen Zimmerman Nicol has this to say in her review on Bookreporter: “We feel for the Koh family because we know what they are facing…. The narrative seamlessly travels between the omniscient and close third-person points of view. This rich detail provides an immersive setting and illuminates the lives and choices of a Korean family that readers will not only relate to but care about.” Click here for the guide and here for the full review. I will share my Bets On commentary in the next newsletter. I really loved this book!
Molly Fitzgerald was two months old on 9/11 when her mother went to a doctor’s appointment and never came home. Twenty-five years later, Molly is Rhode Island’s director of emergency preparedness. Just as she and her husband are expecting their first child, something happens that makes her question everything she believes. That’s the intriguing premise of Jodi Picoult’s 30th novel, HOLLOW BONES.
Pamela Kramer has our review on Bookreporter and says, “What makes HOLLOW BONES...thrilling, gripping, emotional and heartrending is her incredible ability to take impeccable research and combine it with characters we admire and empathize with as they are put in situations that we can't turn away from. They may be heart-stopping, gut-wrenching and tear-inducing, but they hold us riveted to the pages of the story...” Click here for more of Pamela’s thoughts on the book and here for the guide.
Most books about Adolf Hitler are about the years after the world knew who he was. But THE MUNICH AFFAIR by James Patterson and David Ellis is set in Munich in 1931 before Hitler rose to power and before the world fully understood what was coming. The novel, a Bets On pick, centers on the mysterious death of Hitler's half-niece, which remains one of the most debated and haunting mysteries of the 20th century.
According to Bookreporter reviewer Ray Palen, “THE MUNICH AFFAIR is a wild ride across familiar territory, but it feels brand-new in the hands of Patterson and Ellis. The fact that the book is being released at a time when antisemitic feelings seem to be on the rise globally makes the reading experience extra chilling, but also important and necessary for all of us to absorb and understand.” Click here for the guide and here for the full review.
An upcoming Bets On title, THE VANISHING FAMILY: Love, Fate, and the Quest to End Dementia by Robert Kolker is a compelling read about a family’s rare form of FTD (frontotemporal dementia), which affects a number of the adult family members as early as when they are in their 40s. However, studying this rare genetic trait might lead to “a breakthrough in the prevention and treatment of all dementia --- including the scourge of Alzheimer’s disease.”
Jane T. Krebs has this to say in her Bookreporter review: “It...is an enormous undertaking to keep track of the siblings and their marriages and families, to record distinguishing patterns of behavior, to make sense of employment and education, to document moves, houses and apartments over a great deal of the United States. But Kolker pulls this off brilliantly.” Click here for more of Jane’s thoughts on the book and here for the guide.
I look forward to interviewing Robert at the Morristown Festival of Books on October 10th and for “Bookreporter Talks To” shortly after that. We will share the “Talks To” interview and my Bets On commentary over the next few weeks.
We also have added guides for these two books:
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THE WEIGHT OF ANGELS: Irish playwright, poet and novelist Oscar Wilde died tragically young at 46 following imprisonment for “gross indecency.” But what if he had avoided his famous libel trial and early death, and instead lived on? That is the premise of this fascinating new novel from John Boyne, who you may know as the author of THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS and THE HEART'S INVISIBLE FURIES.
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RESTORATION: In 1984, an American architect travels to rural England to oversee the restoration of a centuries-old barn. The assignment promises to be a professional challenge and a welcome escape from the unresolved tensions of her life at home. But the work quickly becomes something more complicated. Carol Davis’ debut novel is about grief, inheritance, and the quiet ways that the past shapes the structures we build --- and the ones we must rebuild.
This is your last Reading Group Guides newsletter reminder to sign up for October’s “Bookaccino Live” book preview afternoon event, which will take place on Wednesday, October 14th at 2pm ET.
The focus will be on titles releasing between October 13th and November 3rd, along with a few from December, plus January 2027, that we think will appeal to you. Click here to sign up. Those who join us live 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.
As you can see, we have LOTS for you to enjoy in this update. Read on, and have a wonderful discussion with your book group.
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
P.S. For those of you who shop online, if you use the store links that appear on our site for shopping, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop/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: AMERICAN HAGWON by Min Jin Lee
An Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
AMERICAN HAGWON by Min Jin Lee (Fiction)
The men, women and children in AMERICAN HAGWON struggle to find satisfaction and meaning in a world that seems to grow less forgiving with each passing year. Once comfortably middle class in Korea, John and Helen Koh and their three children find their lives upended --- first by a shocking betrayal by John’s oldest friend, then by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Desperately striving to regain their footing, they leave Seoul for Sydney and eventually settle in Southern California --- where new vistas of opportunity open up for the children as their parents, strangers in a strange land, must adjust to a new life in which their experience and education mean little, and they set their sights on whatever it takes to provide for their children’s futures.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
AMERICAN HAGWON will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.
Don't miss Carol's commentary in the next newsletter.
New Guide: HOLLOW BONES by Jodi Picoult
HOLLOW BONES by Jodi Picoult (Fiction)
On September 11, 2001, when Molly Fitzgerald was only two months old, her mother went to an appointment at the World Trade Center and never came home. Her father and the stepmother who raised her couldn’t have loved her more, but she still grew up with a healthy dread of disasters. Now an adult, Molly runs the Rhode Island Department for Emergency Preparedness, mapping out ways to save lives during storms, epidemics and airplane crashes. She and her husband, Jesse --- a police polygraph expert with his own history of crisis --- have found a love that is a solace in a dangerous world. But then the unexpected upends their new marriage, leading them both to question everything they thought they knew.
- 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 Special Contest: Win a Copy of
COME CLOSER: Childhood Wounds, Adult Love, and the Secrets of Emotional Intimacy, by Dr. Galit Atlas
What is the secret of emotional intimacy? How can understanding our childhood experiences give us the insights we need to be close to others in a truly satisfying, longer lasting and more meaningful way?
In COME CLOSER: Childhood Wounds, Adult Love, and the Secrets of Emotional Intimacy, Dr. Galit Atlas invites us inside the private lives of her patients --- and into her own --- to offer new, life-changing answers to these important questions.
We are giving 20 readers the opportunity to win a copy of COME CLOSER, which is now available and would be a great book to talk about with your book group or with your family. To enter the contest, please fill out this form by Wednesday, October 28th at noon ET.
COME CLOSER: Childhood Wounds, Adult Love, and the Secrets of Emotional Intimacy by Dr. Galit Atlas (Psychology/Personal Growth)
In COME CLOSER, Dr. Galit Atlas has identified six child archetypes --- the frightened child, the melancholic child, the ashamed child, the invisible child, the guilty child, and the chosen child --- and in these pages, she shows how each childhood wound plays out in our adult relationships.
In remarkably compelling and dramatic stories of both therapist and patient, Atlas illustrates how the child within us drives our love lives, forming patterns we repeat without awareness. Each narrative will have you on the edge of your seat, living the mystery alongside Atlas and her patients, uncovering roots, drawing parallels, and reaching insights and revelations just as they do.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to visit Dr. Galit Atlas' website.
- Connect with Dr. Galit Atlas on Facebook and Instagram.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Guide: THE MUNICH AFFAIR
by James Patterson and David Ellis
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE MUNICH AFFAIR by James Patterson and David Ellis (Historical Thriller)
Spanning a century, THE MUNICH AFFAIR is set in motion by the murder of Adolf Hitler's young lover by his own hand. A determined detective, Thomas Bauer, obsessively pursues Hitler --- putting Bauer’s Jewish wife and children in grave danger. A courageous journalist, Fritz Gerlich, writes story after story detailing the murder --- making Gerlich a target for Hitler’s Gestapo. An American professor, Eleanor Robbins, picks up the trail of evidence from present-day Neo-Nazis guarding the Führer’s long-held secrets to the death.
- 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 for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE VANISHING FAMILY by Robert Kolker
An Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE VANISHING FAMILY: Love, Fate, and the Quest to End Dementia by Robert Kolker (Science/Biography)
In Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania, there lived a family with nine siblings, the youngest a girl named Barb. As the older children headed off to college, only Barb was home to see their mother fall under a gothic spell, changing into someone she didn’t recognize. We learn that this family has a genetic mutation that causes dementia, but with an especially cruel twist. As early as their 40s, formerly loving parents and hard-driving executives will lose their jobs, have affairs, take up drinking, and become people their families hardly know. Their former personalities seem to vanish --- and there is a 50-50 chance that it will happen to their children, too. THE VANISHING FAMILY unfolds like a heartbreaking thriller as the siblings begin to realize that what happened to their mother is happening to them.
- 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.
THE VANISHING FAMILY will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.
Don't miss Carol's “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Robert Kolker
and her Bets On commentary in October.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
THE BIRTHING TREE by Amanda Peters
THE BIRTHING TREE by Amanda Peters (Fiction)
I had enjoyed THE BERRY PICKERS, so I was looking forward to THE BIRTHING TREE. Once again, Amanda Peters brings us to the Mi’kmaq community in Nova Scotia.
Aliet Paul was born under a tree in a small Nova Scotia town, delivered by her grandmother, Kiju. Her mother died during childbirth, and her father remains unknown except to a select few. She was raised by Kiju, who, in addition to being a midwife, knew of the use of herbs to heal various ailments. One family that came each year had a boy named John, who was a friend to Aliet and then much more. She wrote him letters when he returned home, and there was a real bond between them. Reading about young love can be such fun as we remember waiting for the mail when life was a lot less immediate than it is today.
- Click here to read the book description.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to watch Carol's “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Amanda Peters.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to read more of Carol's Bets On commentary.
New Guide: TEN PERFECT GUESTS by Jonathan Santlofer
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
TEN PERFECT GUESTS by Jonathan Santlofer (Psychological Thriller)
When celebrated and enigmatic artist Victor D'Arcangelo dies unexpectedly, his nearest and dearest receive an irresistible summons: attend his weekend memorial --- or forfeit their inheritance. But once they arrive, the paradise begins to feel more like a prison. Someone knows their secrets. Someone wants revenge. As the weekend spirals into chaos, one question hangs in the sultry, tropical air: Who, if anyone, will survive? This time, the masterpiece may be murder.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to watch Carol's “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Jonathan Santlofer.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE WEIGHT OF ANGELS by John Boyne
THE WEIGHT OF ANGELS by John Boyne (Alternate History)
When the Marquess of Queensberry left his calling card at the Albemarle Club in February 1895, it bore only his name and five words: “For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite.” The most celebrated playwright of his day famously sued for libel, which led to his arrest, criminal prosecution and, ultimately, prison. From then on, his gilded existence spiraled into public disgrace, humiliation and an early death. But what if he had simply ignored the insult? What direction might his life have taken? Rather than dying in penury in Paris at age 46, what if Wilde had lived to bear witness to the momentous events and cataclysmic changes of the first part of the 20th century, and even influence some of them? What if the second half of his life was as dramatic, tumultuous and exhilarating as the first?
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: RESTORATION by Carol Davis
RESTORATION by Carol Davis (Historical Fiction)
It is 1984, and Risa Meier has built a successful life in San Francisco. But when her estranged mother unexpectedly reenters her life after nearly a decade of silence, old wounds resurface. As a series of personal tragedies force Risa to confront the past, she begins to question everything she thought she knew about her family, herself and the future she carefully planned. Seeking distance and a fresh start, Risa accepts an opportunity in rural England, where she is tasked with restoring a centuries-old barn. As hidden histories emerge through letters, memories and the landscape itself, the restoration becomes more than a professional challenge. The deeper she digs into the building's past, the more she is forced to confront her own inheritance of grief, loss and longing.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an interview with Carol Davis.
- Click here to visit Carol Davis' website.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New September Releases of Interest to Book Groups
Here are a number of books releasing in September 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.
THE BIG CATS DANCE PARTY: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (27) by Alexander McCall Smith (Mystery)
In this latest installment of Alexander McCall Smith’s beloved No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series, Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi volunteer for an important case up north involving an elephant sanctuary, leaving assistant detective Charlie to manage a complicated and potentially risky new one back home.
THE DISAPPEARERS by Marlon James (Fiction)
From Marlon James, author of the Booker Prize–winning A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS, comes a propulsive novel about the murder of a gay man in 1980s Jamaica and its tragic consequences.
EXIT PARTY by Emily St. John Mandel (Dystopian/Speculative Mystery)
The award-winning, bestselling author of STATION ELEVEN and SEA OF TRANQUILITY returns with a breathtaking novel of doubles, shadow worlds and fractured timelines as a man disappears from a glittering Los Angeles party, and a woman --- a gunrunner, an art collector, an operative of the State --- searches for answers.
FALLING FOR PEACHTREE BLUFF by Kristy Woodson Harvey (Fiction)
Welcome to Peachtree Bluff, a cozy coastal town where family secrets refuse to be washed away by the tide and close-knit community is everything. New York Times bestselling author Kristy Woodson Harvey reunites the Murphy crew just in time for pumpkin spice season.
HOLLYWOOD, ENDING by John Green (Fiction)
#1 bestselling author John Green makes his much-anticipated return to fiction with a behind-the-scenes Hollywood love story about finding someone to trust in an untrustworthy world.
THE MANY PRIVATE LIVES OF MISSY COOKE by Jane Green (Fiction)
From New York Times bestselling author Jane Green comes her most poignant and timely novel yet --- the story of a tech titan’s daughter, who, in the face of family crisis, must step into her own power to redefine a legacy.
PLY by Hernan Diaz (Fiction)
The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of TRUST turns to the future with a novel that examines the place of technology in the American imagination.
QUEENIE IS WORKING ON IT by Candice Carty-Williams (Fiction)
Candice Carty-Williams, the internationally bestselling author of QUEENIE (now a television series on Hulu), reunites us with the iconic character nearly 10 years on, facing new chaotic choices in life and love with cherished old friends and family.
RUTHLESS by Danielle Steel (Fiction)
A journalist and the shipping magnate she is assigned to profile find themselves on a collision course in this powerful novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel.
SOPHIE, STANDING THERE by Meg Mason (Fiction)
The much beloved author of the critically acclaimed SORROW AND BLISS returns with a tender and hilarious novel about heartbreak and the journey from isolation and loneliness towards love.
SWITZY by Emma Cline (Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of THE GIRLS and THE GUEST comes a mesmerizing portrait of an aging man’s last pilgrimage.
THE THOROUGHBREDS by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham (Fiction)
Class is back in session! The New York Times bestselling authors of THE ACADEMY return with THE THOROUGHBREDS. What has more high-stakes drama, tension and intrigue than senior year at a New England boarding school?
AN UNEXPECTED LIFE: A Memoir by Gloria Steinem (Memoir)
In her final memoir, Gloria Steinem offers a candid, inspiring portrait of her early life and journey as an activist, while looking ahead to the next chapters of the fight for equality --- a rare opportunity to learn directly from one of feminism’s most enduring voices.
Bookreporter.com's 16th Annual
Fall Reading Contests and Feature
Fall is known as the biggest season of the year for books. The titles that release during this latter part of the year often become holiday gifts, and many are blockbusters. In Bookreporter.com's Fall Reading Contests and Feature, we are spotlighting a number of outstanding books that we know people will be talking about this fall.
We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through mid-October, so you will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter to win. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
This year's featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
From left to right: Joanne Harris, Bonnie Garmus, Barbara Kingsolver
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
Here are eight upcoming virtual book and author events that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links for more info and to register.
Tuesday, October 6th at 6pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Barbara Kingsolver to discuss her new book, PARTITA, on a live B&N “Poured Over” podcast taping from Barnes & Noble Union Square in New York City. Barbara will be in conversation with “Poured Over” cohost Miwa Messer.
Wednesday, October 7th at 5pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Joanne Harris will talk about her new novel, SLEEPERS IN THE SNOW, a gripping and powerful suspense story of love, loss and the mysteries of memory.
Wednesday, October 7th at 7pm ET: “Friends & Fiction”: Join “Friends & Fiction” for a conversation with Annie Hartnett about her most recent book, THE ROAD TO TENDER HEARTS. This darkly comic and warmhearted novel is about an old man on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush --- bringing together his adult daughter, two orphaned kids and a cat who can predict death.
Monday, October 12th at 3pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Jeffrey Archer will talk about his final novel, ADAM AND EVE, a breathtaking epic of courage, sacrifice and love forged in Britain's darkest hour.
Tuesday, October 13th at 6pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome #1 bestselling author Bonnie Garmus to discuss her new book, PECK & PECK, on a live B&N “Poured Over” podcast taping from Barnes & Noble Union Square in New York City. Bonnie will be in conversation with “Poured Over” cohost Miwa Messer.
Tuesday, October 13th at 9pm ET: Killer Author Club: Kimberly Belle, Heather Gudenkauf and Kaira Rouda will talk to Sara Paretsky about her new book, BAD COMPANY, a powerful novel about love, power, corruption, aging, trust...and revenge.
Wednesday, October 14th at 2pm ET: “Bookaccino Live” Book Preview Afternoon Event: Carol Fitzgerald will present titles releasing between October 13th and November 3rd, along with a few from December, plus January 2027, that we would like to get on your radar.
Wednesday, October 14th at 7pm ET: “Friends & Fiction”: Join “Friends & Fiction” for a conversation with Bonnie Garmus about her new novel, PECK & PECK, which is set in the publishing world of 1980s New York City. A young man's life is turned upside down when he is hired by the most prestigious, secretive and dysfunctional poetry journal in the world: the renowned Peck & Peck.
"Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts
“Bookreporter Talks To” is a video and podcast series that delivers long-form, in-depth author interviews. 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 recently include:
Upcoming interviews include:
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Bonnie Garmus (PECK & PECK)
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Robert Kolker (THE VANISHING FAMILY: Love, Fate, and the Quest to End Dementia)
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John Mutter (FORTUNE AND GLASS)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
AMERICAN HAGWON by Min Jin Lee (Fiction)
The National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author of PACHINKO returns with a breathtaking contemporary epic: a masterpiece by turns sweeping and intimate that reckons with ambition and moderation, lust and loyalty, personal dreams and familial duty.
THE BARMAN OF THE RITZ by Philippe Collin (Historical Fiction)
A celebrated bartender at the Ritz Hotel during the Nazi occupation of Paris harbors a dangerous secret in this international bestseller based on a true story.
BIG LITTLE TRUTHS by Liane Moriarty (Domestic Thriller/Mystery)
In this highly anticipated sequel to BIG LITTLE LIES, Liane Moriarty examines the complexities of modern women’s lives, shining light on family dynamics and long-hidden truths with wit and compassion.
THE BIRTHING TREE by Amanda Peters (Fiction)
The bestselling author of THE BERRY PICKERS has penned an unforgettable novel about a woman who must confront her family’s buried truths and memories of passionate young love when her grandmother’s death leaves her as the only guide to her community’s future.
COME CLOSER: Childhood Wounds, Adult Love, and the Secrets of Emotional Intimacy by Dr. Galit Atlas (Psychology/Personal Growth)
COME CLOSER is a profound and eye-opening book by Dr. Galit Atlas, a psychoanalyst and the internationally bestselling author of EMOTIONAL INHERITANCE, that reveals how our childhood wounds hold the key to understanding our adult relationships.
HOLLOW BONES by Jodi Picoult (Fiction)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of BY ANY OTHER NAME comes a riveting novel about the risks we take to protect the ones we love in a world where crisis is always just around the corner.
MOTHER DAUGHTER SISTER STRANGER by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Psychological Thriller)
What if your own family history turns out to be a terrifying lie? Every family has its story, and this one’s deadly. Two sisters. One secret. And a race against time to find the explosive truth in this twisty and captivating thriller by USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan.
THE MUNICH AFFAIR by James Patterson and David Ellis (Historical Thriller)
Spanning a century, this suspenseful thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling authors James Patterson and David Ellis is set in motion by the murder of Adolf Hitler's young lover by his own hand.
PAPER GHOSTS by Sarah Addison Allen (Fiction/Magical Realism)
Part ghost story, part love story and steeped in magical realism, PAPER GHOSTS will transport you to a place where old secrets echo through the years and love finds a way of bringing us home.
THE PIRATE QUEEN by Ariel Lawhon (Historical Thriller/Adventure)
THE PIRATE QUEEN is a sweeping historical adventure inspired by the life of Grace O’Malley, the legendary Irish folk heroine who risked everything to defend her people.
RESTORATION by Carol Davis (Historical Fiction)
RESTORATION is an evocative novel about an American architect who travels to rural England to restore a centuries-old barn --- and finds herself rebuilding the fractured story of her own family.
TEN PERFECT GUESTS by Jonathan Santlofer (Psychological Thriller)
When celebrated and enigmatic artist Victor D’Arcangelo dies unexpectedly, his nearest and dearest receive an irresistible summons: attend his weekend memorial --- or forfeit their inheritance. But once they arrive, the paradise begins to feel more like a prison.
UNDER STORY by Chloe Benjamin (Fiction)
A breathless page-turner and a love letter to our planet, UNDER STORY grapples with the great questions of our time: human hubris, the precarity of the natural world, and the mysterious webs of consciousness that bind us.
THE VANISHING FAMILY: Love, Fate, and the Quest to End Dementia by Robert Kolker (Science/Biography)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD comes the heart-wrenching journey of a family facing an unthinkable destiny, whose flawed genetic code might hold the long-sought key to a cure for dementia.
THE WEIGHT OF ANGELS by John Boyne (Alternate History)
In imagining the life that Oscar Wilde never had, John Boyne has written one of the great what-if stories of modern literature, giving the iconic Anglo-Irish poet and playwright a fresh new voice and the opportunity to take an entirely different path.
THE WITCHES OF CAMBRIDGE by Alice Hoffman (Historical Fiction)
This brand-new series from the bestselling author of PRACTICAL MAGIC follows two brilliant young women in 1950s Cambridge, Massachusetts, as they become immersed in a mysterious secret group of witches at Radcliffe known as the Lilith Society.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they released in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
ALL THE WAY TO THE RIVER: Love, Loss, and Liberation by Elizabeth Gilbert (Memoir/Self-Help)
In her first nonfiction book in a decade, the #1 bestselling writer who taught millions of readers to live authentically (EAT PRAY LOVE) and creatively (BIG MAGIC) shows how to break free.
AT LAST by Marisa Silver (Historical Fiction)
From the bestselling author of MARY COIN comes a rich family saga set in midcentury America centered on two fierce and competitive matriarchs whose intertwined lives reflect the complexities of family, tradition and personal ambition.
THE IRISH GOODBYE by Heather Aimee O'Neill (Fiction)
An Irish American family with three adult sisters returns home to Long Island to face tension-filled dinners, ghosts from their pasts, and family secrets in a gripping novel full of biting wit and profound heart.
LUCKY NIGHT by Eliza Kennedy (Fiction)
Two people, one hotel room, and all the choices and complications that make up a life. This existential page-turner seamlessly shifts between Nick and Jenny’s perspectives as the reality of their situation becomes apparent, and all their secrets, evasions and regrets come spilling out.
TIME OF THE CHILD by Niall Williams (Historical Fiction)
From the author of THIS IS HAPPINESS comes a compassionate, life-affirming novel about the Christmas season that transforms the small Irish town of Faha.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO LORI LOVELY? by Sarah McCoy (Historical Fiction)
From New York Times bestselling author Sarah McCoy comes a spellbinding novel based on a true story: a beautiful young movie star of Hollywood’s Golden Age gives up her bright career to become a nun.
THE WILDERNESS by Angela Flournoy (Fiction)
THE WILDERNESS is an era-defining novel about five Black women over the course of their 20-year friendship, as they move through the dizzying and sometimes precarious period between young adulthood and midlife.
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