November 2014

Last week, I traveled down to Toms River for a terrific book group event hosted by the Ocean County Library System where they previewed the latest additions to their very successful Book Club program. Book groups in the county that are registered are eligible to receive “Books in a Bag” for their group. Books are picked up at a local library, and whenever possible the offerings include large print or audiobooks, as needed, for the participating group. We know that programs like this exist throughout the country, and it was nice to hear not only about their offerings, but also audience feedback on some of the suggestions. Above you can see a photo of the two program coordinators, Gigi Hayes (middle) and Melissa Freeman (left), along with Mary Sasso, from HarperCollins (middle), who presented nine of their great book group-friendly titles.

You may want to check your local library to see if they offer a program like this for your group, if you are not taking advantage of this already. I would love to hear feedback from you, if indeed you are using a service like this.

As I was heading down the Parkway in the pouring rain to attend this event, I was wondering if the weather would hurt attendance, thus I was really happy to walk into a very full room of readers. I did not know anyone there, but at check-in I met a woman named Sue who suggested we sit together. We immediately fell into conversation, chatting about books and life, and ended up eagerly talking to the other women at our table. I was rattling off book suggestions as I dropped into “book concierge” mode, and I also loved hearing about the books that had resonated with the groups my tablemates were representing. The program was chock full of information and book group suggestions. We played a lively game of Book Trivia (our table scored eight out of 10). And, for an added bonus, I had the pleasure of meeting Betty, one of our readers, which was really lovely.

The next day, I learned that Toms River bore the brunt of that Saturday storm with the largest rainfall and wind, making me even more impressed with the attendance. Gigi reminded the crowd that two years ago this event had been held the day before the start of Superstorm Sandy, so I guess it’s all relative.

While I was at this event, it got me thinking about events on the local level, which inspired our current poll question (running from now until the end of the year). We’d like to know if you and your group would be interested in attending an event in your community where upcoming book titles are previewed. Let us know by taking the poll here.

We have a terrific lineup this month with three contests…

Our first contest this month is for New York Times bestselling author Jane Green’s latest novel, TEMPTING FATE, which is just out in paperback. It’s the story of a happily married woman who finds herself harmlessly flirting with a younger man --- until the flirtation turns into something more powerful…and more dangerous. We’re giving five groups the chance to win 10 copies, PLUS 50 additional single-copy winners. Enter here by Thursday, December 4th at noon ET. You can also read our review on Bookreporter.com here. I listened to this book on audio, and it’s narrated by Jane, which definitely added to my experience of enjoying the book.

Also, while I am mentioning Jane, please note a special offer for Jane’s upcoming book, SAVING GRACE, which will be in stores on December 30th (we will have more on this in January) where those who pre-order SAVING GRACE will be eligible to receive a copy of Jane’s cookbook, HAPPY FOOD. See details at JaneGreen.com.

Our next contest this month is for Carol Wall’s poignant memoir, MISTER OWITA’S GUIDE TO GARDENING. It’s the true story of her unlikely friendship with an African man who tends her neighbor’s garden. They both hold long-buried secrets that, when revealed, will cement their friendship forever. Carol Wall has been writing popular articles and essays on family life for more than 20 years, but this book is a deeply personal “feature-length” story, and is dedicated to her real friend (and the book’s namesake), Giles Owita. We’re giving away 25 copies. Enter here by Thursday, December 4th at noon ET to win. And click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com. And I strongly urge you to watch this moving video where readers discuss the book. It was shot at the Susan G. Komen Virginia Blue Ridge inaugural Luncheon on September 24th. Carol's husband, Dick, spoke on her behalf, and it was so gratifying to hear the reader praise for this title.

In anticipation of the January 16, 2015 release of the film adaptation, our latest “What’s Your Book Group Reading?” prize is Lisa Genova's powerful debut, STILL ALICE. This was one of my Bets On selections when it released in hardcover, and so it’s such fun to hear Oscar buzz swirling around for Julianne Moore, who is starring in the film. STILL ALICE is a novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease that captures, in remarkable detail, what's it's like to literally lose your mind. Lisa is a neuroscientist who makes the science behind this disease accessible. We KNOW our readers like to read the book before the movie comes out, so this is your chance to enter to win copies for your group to do just this. All we need is for you to share what YOUR book group is reading for November. Enter here by Thursday, December 4th at noon ET. By the way, if you live in New York or LA, the movie opens for a limited run on December 5th. Wouldn't it be fun to go to the movies with your book after reading the book?

We’re featuring the guide for New York Times bestselling author David Nicholls’ US. From the author of the #1 bestseller ONE DAY comes a witty and touching story about a man surprised to find his marriage crumbling. When he takes his family on a last trip to Europe, he experiences a powerful awakening of his own --- which might just inspire him to turn his marriage, and maybe even his whole life, around. Click here for the featured guide and here for our review on Bookreporter.com.

Thanks to input from our readers, we can now share with you our unofficial guide for Donna Tartt’s THE GOLDFINCH --- crowdsourced by ReadingGroupGuides.com readers! In September, we asked you to submit questions for discussion, and we heard from readers with some excellent suggestions. You can see the guide and its contributors here. Whether you have read THE GOLDFINCH on your own or with your group, these questions are worth looking at. May there never be another guide-less GOLDFINCH discussion for our readers! And in case you find yourself without a guide for another book, we’ve created discussion questions in 10 genres for you to reference if no guide is available. You can find those here.

Over at Bookreporter.com, today we kick off the holiday season in style with our Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature. This year’s Holiday Cheer titles include books that you will want to give and get, as well as a couple of “hot” 2015 titles. The contests kick off at noon ET on select days in November and December, and run for just 24 hours, so you will have to check the site to see what is being featured. As always, we’ll be sending our special Holiday Cheer newsletter on the days when there are contests. Click here to sign up for these email alerts. If you have trouble registering, please reach out to John Maher at [email protected], and he will get you set up!

We believe in getting children started early on the path to reading; indeed our Kidsreads.com website does that each month with reviews and features of new children’s titles. Now we have word of a new online community for moms and dads (and grandparents!) who are connected by their love of reading and their dedication to inspiring that passion in their children, called Brightly. Do you have children you read with, or children who read on their own? If so, we’d like to know more about what’s important to you, and how you encourage them to love reading as much as you do. Answer the survey here by December 31st and you'll be entered to win one of 50 copies of one of my newish favorite kids’ books, THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT, written by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. They are looking for feedback from parents and grandparents of children 0-13, so if you fit the bill, enter away!

As we continue to explore the world of audiobooks, we’re asking readers to complete our Audiobook Survey. We want to hear from you whether or not you listen to audiobooks as we are trying to learn more about your listening habits, or why this format has not intrigued you. I am a recent convert and never thought I would enjoy listening the way that I am, so please DO weigh in whether you are a listener or not. Finish the survey, and you can enter a drawing for a chance to win one of 25 books or audiobooks. There will be 25 prizes for listeners and 25 prizes for non-listeners. Click here to take the survey, which will be up until December 1st at noon ET. And please share it with others as well. We want to learn as much as we can about your opinions concerning this format.

A few months ago, we added a feature called Reading Roundup to the site, which highlights selected titles from Indie Booksellers (Indie Next Picks), Librarians (LibraryReads), Target and Costco. See this month’s roundup here.

The other week, in my endless quest to get more reading into my day, I listened to a book called KNITTING YARNS, which is a collection of stories by authors about their experiences with knitting that is edited by Ann Hood. Of course, I enjoyed these pieces enormously. A few weeks ago, I was speaking with Kelly Link, the author of the upcoming short story collection, GET IN TROUBLE. She told me something about short stories that I had not considered. Typically you will not love every story in a collection. Some will resonate with you; others will not. The joy of short stories is that you can skip around. Good advice!

Speaking of knitting, if you are a knitter, can you let me know where you live and what yarn shop you usually shop in near your home? Send me a note with the subject line: RGG Knitter – My Yarn Shop. I am working on a long overdue plan for next year. Please also let me know if you are in a book group and tell me a bit about your group. As we know, a few of the readers of this newsletter are “lapsed book group members,” so feel free to respond even if your book group participation is on hiatus!

There’s still time to register yourself or your group for the Miami Book Fair! For those of you in the Miami area between November 16th and 23rd, the Center for Literate and Theatre at Miami Dade College is offering a number of special benefits to book groups who attend the Fair. This is one of the premier book festivals in the country offering a chance to see hundreds of authors in a two-day period. Click here for more information, and here to register for the event. If you are attending, please let me know so I can interview you. Sadly, I’m going to miss it this year, but I'm happy to share that Cory’s friend, Josh, who we call Son 2A, is going to cover the event for me; he’s at the University of Miami and is one avid reader. A few weeks ago, he went to one of my favorite book paradises, Books & Books in Coral Gables, and he texted me right after his visit, clearly excited about it. I love seeing the next generation excited about books and reading!

Make sure to also visit our “Rate Books for Book Groups” feature. As always, we encourage you to share books you think would be good for books groups, and check out books other readers suggest. Please note that these don’t necessarily need to be books that you have read with your book clubs --- they can simply be titles that you think would be great for discussion! Some of the books you rated highly last month were WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE? by Maria Semple and THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HARRY QUEBERT AFFAIR by Joel Dicker. Keep letting us know what books you're enjoying!

Another reminder about a wonderful opportunity to connect your book group to Mitch Albom for a chat! To celebrate the paperback release of #1 New York Times bestselling author Mitch Albom’s THE FIRST PHONE CALL FROM HEAVEN, one book club will have the chance to win copies of the book, PLUS a phone call or Skype chat with the author. Mitch is the author of the mega bestsellers TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE and THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN. You can enter here before Sunday, November 30th to win.

For those of you in the Tri-State area, will I see you this Friday at the “Open House at Random House”? I’ll be attending with Nicole Sherman from our staff and Rebecca Munro, our intern, and we’re all looking forward to it! Here, readers will be treated to a full day of interactive author panels and book signings at Random House’s New York offices. Tickets are $60 and include an autographed copy of THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL by Brooke Shields, an advance readers edition of THE SAME SKY by Amanda Eyre Ward (I have read this, and it will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection), a canvas tote bag full of books and goodies, and so much more. Click here for more details about the event and to buy your ticket. I am currently power-reading BLOOD, BONES & BUTTER in anticipation of meeting Gabrielle Hamilton!

And one more heads up: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance selected CITIZENS CREEK by Lalita Tademy for One Book, One South, "a Southern-wide book club discussion taking place at independent bookstores across the South and online at ReaderMeetWriter.com." During November, indie booksellers and ReaderMeetWriter.com will sponsor discussions about the novel, culminating in a live Q&A with the author on the ReaderMeetWriter Facebook page November 20th.

For those of you who aren't signed up for our registered newsletter, have a very happy Thanksgiving! And for those of you who are, see you the week of the 24th where will share more about the National Book Award winners!

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])

 

We're giving five groups the chance to win 10 copies of New York Times bestselling author Jane Green's TEMPTING FATE, a riveting new novel about the events leading up to one woman's affair --- and its aftermath. We're also giving away an additional 50 individual copies. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, December 4th at noon ET.

TEMPTING FATE by Jane Green (Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of such beloved novels as JEMIMA J, THE BEACH HOUSE and ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART comes an enthralling and emotional story about how much we really understand the temptations that can threaten even the most idyllic of relationships…

Gabby and Elliott have been happily married for 18 years. They have two teenaged daughters. They have built a life together. Forty-three year old Gabby is the last person to have an affair. She can’t relate to the way her friends desperately try to cling to the beauty and allure of their younger years…And yet, she too knows her youth is quickly slipping away. She could never imagine how good it would feel to have a handsome younger man show interest in her --- until the night it happens. Matt makes Gabby feel sparkling, fascinating, alive --- something she hasn't felt in years. What begins as a long-distance friendship soon develops into an emotional affair as Gabby discovers her limits and boundaries are not where she expects them to be. Intoxicated, she has no choice but to step ever deeper into the allure of attraction and attention, never foreseeing the life-changing consequences that lie ahead. If she makes one wrong move she could lose everything --- and find out what really matters most.

A heartfelt and complex story, TEMPTING FATE will have readers gripped until they reach the very last page and have them thinking about the characters long after they put the book down.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
 

We're giving away 25 copies of MISTER OWITA'S GUIDE TO GARDENING, Carol Wall's moving memoir about friendship, love and loss. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, December 4th at noon ET.

MISTER OWITA'S GUIDE TO GARDENING by Carol Wall (Memoir)
Carol Wall, a white woman living in a lily-white neighborhood in Middle America, was at a crossroads in her life. Her children were grown; she had success; had overcome illness; her beloved parents were getting older. One day she notices a dark-skinned African man tending her neighbor's yard. His name is Giles Owita. He bags groceries at the supermarket. He comes from Kenya. And he's very good at gardening.

Before long Giles is transforming not only Carol's yard, but her life. Though they are seemingly quite different, a caring bond grows between them. But they both hold long-buried secrets that, when revealed, will cement their friendship forever.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
 

Each month, we ask book groups to share the titles they are reading that month and rate them. From all entries, three winners will be selected, and each will win 12 copies of that month’s prize book for their group. Note: To be eligible to win, let us know the title of the book that YOUR book group is CURRENTLY reading, NOT the title we are giving away.

In anticipation of the January 2015 release of the film adaptation, our latest prize book is Lisa Genova's powerful debut, STILL ALICE. It's a novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease that captures in remarkable detail what's it's like to literally lose your mind. Enter here by Thursday, December 4th at noon ET.

STILL ALICE by Lisa Genova (Fiction)
Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heartbreaking, inspiring and terrifying, STILL ALICE captures in remarkable detail what's it's like to literally lose your mind...

Reminiscent of A BEAUTIFUL MIND, ORDINARY PEOPLE and THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, STILL ALICE packs a powerful emotional punch and marks the arrival of a strong new voice in fiction.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
 

US by David Nicholls (Fiction)
David Nicholls brings the wit and intelligence that graced his enormously popular New York Times bestseller, ONE DAY, to a compellingly human, deftly funny new novel about what holds marriages and families together --- and what happens, and what we learn about ourselves, when everything threatens to fall apart.

Douglas Petersen may be mild-mannered, but behind his reserve lies a sense of humor that, against all odds, seduces beautiful Connie into a second date…and eventually into marriage. Now, almost three decades after their relationship first blossomed in London, they live more or less happily in the suburbs with their moody 17-year-old son, Albie. Then Connie tells him she thinks she wants a divorce.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Hoping to encourage her son’s artistic interests, Connie has planned a month-long tour of European capitals, a chance to experience the world’s greatest works of art as a family, and she can’t bring herself to cancel. And maybe going ahead with the original plan is for the best anyway? Douglas is privately convinced that this landmark trip will rekindle the romance in the marriage, and might even help him to bond with Albie.

Narrated from Douglas’s endearingly honest, slyly witty and at times achingly optimistic point of view, US is the story of a man trying to rescue his relationship with the woman he loves, and learning how to get closer to a son who’s always felt like a stranger. US is a moving meditation on the demands of marriage and parenthood, the regrets of abandoning youth for middle age and the intricate relationship between the heart and the head. And in David Nicholls’s gifted hands, Douglas’s odyssey brings Europe --- from the streets of Amsterdam to the famed museums of Paris, from the cafés of Venice to the beaches of Barcelona --- to vivid life just as he experiences a powerful awakening of his own. Will this summer be his last as a husband, or the moment when he turns his marriage, and maybe even his whole life, around?
 

We receive tons of "Request a Guide" notes on a daily basis, but we've noticed that the absolute most popular book you'd like discussion questions for is Donna Tartt's Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller, THE GOLDFINCH. There is currently no official guide available for the 700-plus page-turner, but that doesn't mean we can't come up with our own book group discussion questions. Thanks to our brilliant readers, we now have our own unofficial guide, which you can see here.

THE GOLDFINCH by Donna Tartt (Fiction)
It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.

As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love-and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

THE GOLDFINCH is a novel of shocking narrative energy and power. It combines unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and breathtaking suspense, while plumbing with a philosopher's calm the deepest mysteries of love, identity, and art. It is a beautiful, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the ruthless machinations of fate.
 

At Bookreporter.com, we kick off the holiday season in style with our Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature. This year’s Holiday Cheer titles include books that you want to give and get, as well as a couple of “hot” 2015 titles. The contests kick off at noon ET on select days in November and December, and run for just 24 hours, so you will have to check the site to see what is being featured. As always, we’ll be sending our special Holiday Cheer newsletter on the days when there are contests. Click here to sign up for these email alerts.

This year's featured titles are:

• THE 13TH GIFT: A True Story of a Christmas Miracle by Joanne Huist Smith
• THE BROTHERS' KEEPERS by NLB Horton
• A BUNCH OF PRETTY THINGS I DID NOT BUY by Sarah Lazarovic
• BY WINTER'S LIGHT: A Cynster Novel by Stephanie Laurens
• THE DEEPEST SECRET by Carla Buckley
• DOLLBABY by Laura Lane McNeal
• THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN by Paula Hawkins
• HELLO FROM THE GILLESPIES by Monica McInerney
• HORRORSTÖR by Grady Hendrix
• LEAVING TIME by Jodi Picoult
• MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH EATING: From Paris Bistros to Farmhouse Kitchens, Lessons in Food and Love by Ann Mah
• THE MILL RIVER REDEMPTION by Darcie Chan
• MR. MIRACLE: A Christmas Novel by Debbie Macomber
• A QUILT FOR CHRISTMAS by Sandra Dallas
• SHOPAHOLIC TO THE STARS by Sophie Kinsella
• THE SOCIAL CLIMBER'S BIBLE by Dirk Wittenborn and Jazz Johnson
• MY SUNSHINE AWAY by M.O. Walsh
• STILL ALICE by Lisa Genova
• UNBROKEN: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
• UNDER THE WIDE AND STARRY SKY by Nancy Horan
   

Do you listen to audiobooks? If you have a smartphone, you can easily listen to an audiobook, so we want to know if you are tuned into them or not. We would like to hear from both listeners and non-listeners, so chime in with your thoughts in our Bookreporter.com Audiobook Survey. The questions have been designed so you can respond either way. Finish the survey, and you can enter a drawing for the chance to win one of 25 books or audiobooks on CD. There will be 25 prizes for listeners and 25 prizes for non-listeners.

The survey will be open until Monday, December 1st at noon ET. Please note that prizes are limited to respondents in the U.S. and Canada.

-Click here for the official rules.
 

Enjoy the 31st edition of Miami Book Fair International, the nation’s finest and largest literary gathering presented by the Florida Center for the Literary Arts at Miami Dade College.

The Fair, an eight-day literary party, will open Sunday, November 16th with the popular "Evenings With…" series, featuring six nights of readings and discussions with noted authors from the United States and around the world. This year's participants include Anne Rice, Patricia Cornwell, Joyce Carol Oates, Alexander McCall Smith, Walter Isaacson, Barbara Ehrenreich, Dave Barry, and many others. The “Evenings With...” tickets are now on sale.

Click here for the full schedule of events and here for all the authors who will be in attendance.

On Friday, November 21st, the Street Fair gets underway. The highlight is the Festival of Authors, with more than 450 authors reading and discussing their work. During Street Fair weekend, more than 250 publishers and booksellers exhibit and sell books, with special features like the antiquarians, who showcase signed first editions, original manuscripts and other collectibles.

November’s roundups of New in Paperback titles include Steve Berry's THE LINCOLN MYTH, a Cotton Malone adventure involving a flaw in the United States Constitution, a mystery about Abraham Lincoln, and a political issue that’s as explosive as it is timely; TEMPTING FATE by Jane Green, an enthralling and emotional story about how much we really understand the temptations that can threaten even the most idyllic of relationships; THE SPOOK LIGHTS AFFAIR, the second installment in the Carpenter and Quincannon historical mystery series from MWA Grandmasters Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini; MY VENICE AND OTHER ESSAYS, Donna Leon's collection of 50 funny, charming, passionate and insightful essays that range from battles over garbage in the canals to the troubles with rehabbing Venetian real estate; and MOZART, a biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from acclaimed historian Paul Johnson, who charts Mozart's life from age three through to his later years --- when he penned The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni.

-Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of November 3rd, November 10th & 17th, and November 24th.

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MY SISTER'S GRAVE by Robert Dugoni (Mystery/Thriller)
I have been a longtime fan of Robert Dugoni, and his talent has only improved with time. MY SISTER’S GRAVE has everything: terrific plotting, well-drawn characters and solid writing. It’s a cross between a legal thriller and a police procedural. While reading it, I was dropped into a zone with a fast-paced story that grabbed me and wrapped me up in the adventure and storyline.

In it, Tracy Crosswhite is a Seattle homicide detective who is convinced that the man who was convicted of murdering her sister, Sarah, is not the right person. When Sarah’s remains are found in a lake bed 20 years after her death, Tracy’s theory becomes more sound. Her childhood friend collaborates with her to take a fresh look at the crime, and the action ramps up fast.

While some compare Dugoni to Grisham, I also am seeing touches of Sandra Brown as he writes relationships so well. He’s the kind of author who always delivers for me. I already am looking forward to his next book!

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
 

The following guides are now available on ReadingGroupGuides.com:

THE FIRST PHONE CALL FROM HEAVEN by Mitch Albom (Fiction)
Now in paperback: From the beloved author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE and THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN comes his most thrilling and magical novel yet --- a page-turning mystery and a meditation on the power of human connection.

THE GOLDFINCH by Donna Tartt (Fiction)
THE GOLDFINCH is a novel of shocking narrative energy and power, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the ruthless machinations of fate.

MISTER OWITA'S GUIDE TO GARDENING: How I Learned the Unexpected Joy of a Green Thumb and an Open Heart by Carol Wall (Memoir)
A true story of a unique friendship between two people who had nothing --- and ultimately everything --- in common.

PROOF OF ANGELS by Mary Curran Hackett (Fiction)
From Mary Curran Hackett --- the critically acclaimed author of PROOF OF HEAVEN --- comes an unforgettable novel about hope, renewal and the gift of angels among us.

STILL ALICE by Lisa Genova (Fiction)
STILL ALICE is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, and captures in remarkable detail what's it's like to literally lose your mind.

TEMPTING FATE by Jane Green (Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART comes a riveting new novel about the events leading up to one woman's affair --- and its aftermath.

THREE MINUTES IN POLAND: Discovering a Lost World in a 1938 Family Film by Glenn Kurtz (Nonfiction)
THREE MINUTES IN POLAND traces Glenn Kurtz’s remarkable journey to identify the people in a home movie he found in his parents’ closet --- that had been made by his grandfather during a 1938 European tour one year before the outbreak of World War II.

US by David Nicholls (Fiction)
The highly anticipated new novel from David Nicholls, author of the mega-bestselling fiction sensation ONE DAY, which follows one man’s efforts to salvage his marriage --- and repair his troubled relationship with his teenaged son --- during the course of a trip around Europe.

WANT YOU DEAD by Peter James (Thriller)
WANT YOU DEAD follows Red Westwood, a woman who is stalked by her ex-lover, and Detective Roy Grace who tries to crack the case in this 10th novel in the Roy Grace series.


Please note that the following title, for which we already had the guide when it appeared in hardcover, is now available in paperback:

HILD by Nicola Griffith (Historical Fiction)
Hild is the king’s youngest niece, and she has a glimmering mind and a natural, noble authority. She will become a fascinating woman and one of the pivotal figures of the Middle Ages: Saint Hilda of Whitby.