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March-ing to the Beat of Some Great Reading
Quick Note: We are trying something new in this newsletter, breaking up the opener text with photos instead of putting them on top with captions. We thought it might make the reading experience more interesting. Let me know what you think!
I had a feeling that 2021 was going to be a great year for reading, and so far it has been. So many of the books that I have read have been perfect for book group discussions.
First up, we are featuring the discussion guide for Lisa Scottoline's debut historical novel, ETERNAL, a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick that revolves around a love triangle that unfolds in the heart of Rome...in the creeping shadow of Fascism. We also share our rave Bookreporter review from Jana Siciliano, who says, “The characters are so beautifully fleshed out that you feel as if you are reading someone’s family memoir… Elisabetta, Marco and Sandro share a stage that is swift and ever-changing, which makes ETERNAL a truly outstanding work of historical fiction…. Scottoline should be congratulated for taking on such a despicable yet compelling topic and turning it into a searing, thoughtful and emotional story that will thrill her dedicated readers and newcomers alike.” Click here for my Bets On commentary and why I loved it too. I look forward to interviewing Lisa soon!
Since November, Lisa has hosted a terrific series of online events leading up to the launch where she shared short videos that she shot in Italy, all of which inspired the book. Readers can now view those, along with her commentary and an interactive map that lends more information about locations in the book, to make it a more immersive experience. All can be found on her website, and the schedule for her virtual book tour is here.
Rescheduled Event Date!
Sometimes life gets in the way of plans. Last Wednesday, Kim Michele Richardson, author of THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK, broke the news that she would not be able to join us for the “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event that was to take place last Thursday night due to a dental emergency. Thus we have decided to reschedule the event for Thursday, April 22nd at 8pm ET. If you already signed up for the session, there is no need to do so again. If you haven’t and would be interested in attending, you can register here. Also, if you have a question for Kim Michele that you would like to ask on camera, please send me an email with the subject line “Question for Kim Michele.”
This all seems to have turned out for the best, as Kim Michele emailed me last Thursday night (just minutes before the event would have started) to say that tornadoes were moving into her area and they were going to be under a tornado watch until 3am. We look forward to having a healthy Kim Michele join us on April 22nd when hopefully there will be no storms on the horizon!
Earlier this year, 30 book groups won the audio version of Kristin Hannah's latest #1 New York Times bestseller, THE FOUR WINDS, read by Julia Whelan. They were asked to listen to the audiobook and answer some questions about their experience. Their responses are not due to us until late May, but we already have heard from three groups and are happy to share their feedback with you here. We will add more comments as they come in!
My book group read --- and listened to --- THE FOUR WINDS. One of our members finished listening in the parking lot of her office and cried at the last minutes of it. She said she was glad that she was wearing a mask when she walked into the office! We all talked about the hard times in the book, which did not make for easy reading, but at the same time, we learned so much about this time in history --- and how people lived through it. We all agreed this was not a joyful book, but it also made us think. Everyone wants to hear more from Loreda, and we talked about how she was a typical teenager!
Oprah's Latest Book Club Picks
Oprah has selected Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead novels (GILEAD, HOME, LILA and JACK) as her next book club picks. “Marilynne Robinson is one of our greatest living authors,” Oprah says, “and in the Gilead novels she’s written a quartet of masterpieces. The more closely I read them, the more I find to appreciate, and the more they show the way in seeing the beauty in the ordinary. I'm thrilled to share them all with you." Click here for more of her thoughts on these books. Oprah looks forward to interviewing the author on her Apple TV+ series; we will let you know the air date as soon as that information becomes available.
New Guides We've Added --- See more about them later in this newsletter!
A reminder that on Tuesday, April 6th at 3pm ET, Barnes & Noble will host a Facebook Live discussion for their March book club pick, WE BEGIN AT THE END (a Bets On selection), featuring Chris Whitaker in conversation with A.J. Finn. You can catch the event on B&N’s Facebook page.
Special Virtual Programming Note for Booksellers, Librarians and Book Group Leaders
Preparations are now underway for our 10th Annual Book Group Speed Dating event for booksellers, librarians and book group leaders, which will take place virtually on Friday, May 14th from 1pm ET to 3pm ET. More than a dozen publishers will present books releasing this summer and fall that they think will be perfect for book groups to discuss. This is a “trade only” event, and we will be inviting those who previously attended. If you have not joined us before --- and you are a librarian, bookseller or book group leader of multiple book groups --- and would like to attend this program virtually, please tell us about yourself here.
If you missed our “9 1/2 Annual” event from last November, which covered winter/spring titles from this year, scroll further down the newsletter for links to the entire video, as well as individual publisher presentations, a PowerPoint of the featured titles, and an Excel spreadsheet that lists the books both by publisher and alphabetically by title.
Our next "Bookaccino Live" afternoon event will take place on Wednesday, April 14th at 2pm ET. I will present titles releasing between April 13th and May 4th, along with a few from June, that I think will appeal to you. Click here to sign up. Those attending the live event will be asked to answer a survey about the books from the presentation that they are most interested in reading and will be eligible to win prizes.
We’ll be back in your mailboxes the week of April 12th. Happy Passover, and Happy Easter to those who are celebrating!
Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, ReadingGroupGuides.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
New Guide: ETERNAL by Lisa Scottoline
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
ETERNAL by Lisa Scottoline (Historical Fiction)
Elisabetta, Marco and Sandro grow up as the best of friends despite their differences. Elisabetta is a feisty beauty who dreams of becoming a novelist; Marco the brash and athletic son in a family of professional cyclists; and Sandro a Jewish mathematics prodigy, kindhearted and thoughtful, the son of a lawyer and a doctor. Their friendship blossoms to love, with both Sandro and Marco hoping to win Elisabetta's heart.
But in the autumn of 1937, all of that begins to change as Mussolini asserts his power, aligning Italy's Fascists with Hitler's Nazis and altering the very laws that govern Rome. In time, everything that the three hold dear --- their families, their homes and their connection to one another --- is tested in ways they never could have imagined.
As anti-Semitism takes legal root and World War II erupts, the threesome realizes that Mussolini was only the beginning. The Nazis invade Rome, and with their occupation come new atrocities against the city's Jews, culminating in a final, horrific betrayal. Against this backdrop, the intertwined fates of Elisabetta, Marco, Sandro and their families will be decided, in a heartbreaking story of both the best and the worst that the world has to offer.
Unfolding over decades, ETERNAL is a tale of loyalty and loss, family and food, love and war --- all set in one of the world's most beautiful cities at its darkest moment. This moving novel will be forever etched in the hearts and minds of readers.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Click here to visit Lisa Scottoline's website.
- Click here for "Behind the Book" resources to enhance your reading experience.
- Click here for Lisa Scottoline's virtual book tour schedule.
Click here for the discussion guide.
“What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” Contest: Enter to Win 12 Copies of WHO IS MAUD DIXON?
by Alexandra Andrews --- a Bookreporter.com
Bets On Title --- for Your Group
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.
Our latest prize book is WHO IS MAUD DIXON? by Alexandra Andrews, a taut, twisty and character-driven psychological thriller about a famous novelist and a small-town striver locked in a struggle for fortune and fame. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, April 7th at noon ET.
WHO IS MAUD DIXON? by Alexandra Andrews (Psychological Thriller)
Florence Darrow is a low-level publishing employee who believes that she's destined to be a famous writer. When she stumbles into a job as the assistant to the brilliant, enigmatic novelist known as Maud Dixon --- whose true identity is a secret --- it appears that the universe is finally providing Florence’s big chance.
The arrangement seems perfect. Maud Dixon (whose real name, Florence discovers, is Helen Wilcox) can be prickly, but she is full of pointed wisdom --- not only on how to write, but also on how to live. Florence quickly falls under Helen’s spell and eagerly accompanies her to Morocco, where Helen’s new novel is set. Amidst the colorful streets of Marrakesh and the windswept beaches of the coast, Florence’s life at last feels interesting enough to inspire a novel of her own.
But when Florence wakes up in the hospital after a terrible car accident, with no memory of the previous night --- and no sign of Helen --- she’s tempted to take a shortcut. Instead of hiding in Helen’s shadow, why not upgrade into Helen's life? Not to mention her bestselling pseudonym.
Taut, twisty and viciously entertaining, WHO IS MAUD DIXON? is a stylish psychological thriller about how far into the darkness you’re willing to go to claim the life you always wanted.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Alexandra Andrews.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to enter the contest.
Featured Guide:
WHAT’S MINE AND YOURS by Naima Coster
March’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club Pick
WHAT'S MINE AND YOURS by Naima Coster (Fiction)
A community in the Piedmont of North Carolina rises in outrage as a county initiative draws students from the largely Black east side of town into predominantly white high schools on the west. For two students, Gee and Noelle, the integration sets off a chain of events that will tie their two families together in unexpected ways over the span of the next 20 years.
On one side of the integration debate is Jade, Gee's steely, ambitious mother. In the aftermath of a harrowing loss, she is determined to give her son the tools he'll need to survive in America as a sensitive, anxious, young Black man. On the other side is Noelle's headstrong mother, Lacey May, a white woman who refuses to see her half-Latina daughters as anything but white. She strives to protect them as she couldn't protect herself from the influence of their charming but unreliable father, Robbie.
When Gee and Noelle join the school play meant to bridge the divide between new and old students, their paths collide, and their two seemingly disconnected families begin to form deeply knotted, messy ties that will shape the trajectory of their adult lives. And their mothers --- each determined to see her child inherit a better life --- will make choices that will haunt them for decades to come.
As love is built and lost, and the past never too far behind, WHAT'S MINE AND YOURS is an expansive, vibrant tapestry that moves between the years, from the foothills of North Carolina, to Atlanta, Los Angeles and Paris. It explores the unique organism that is every family: what breaks them apart and how they come back together.
- Click here to see why the book is March's "Read with Jenna" pick.
Click here for the featured guide.
Oprah’s Latest Book Club Picks:
The Gilead Novels by Marilynne Robinson
GILEAD by Marilynne Robinson (Fiction)
In 1956, toward the end of Reverend John Ames' life, he begins a letter to his young son, an account of himself and his forebears. Ames is the son of an Iowan preacher and the grandson of a minister who, as a young man in Maine, saw a vision of Christ bound in chains and came west to Kansas to fight for abolition: He "preached men into the Civil War," then, at age 50, became a chaplain in the Union Army, losing his right eye in battle. Reverend Ames writes to his son about the tension between his father --- an ardent pacifist --- and his grandfather, whose pistol and bloody shirts, concealed in an army blanket, may be relics from the fight between the abolitionists and those settlers who wanted to vote Kansas into the union as a slave state.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
HOME by Marilynne Robinson (Fiction)
The Reverend Boughton's hell-raising son, Jack, has come home after 20 years away. Artful and devious in his youth, now an alcoholic carrying two decades worth of secrets, he is perpetually at odds with his traditionalist father, though he remains his most beloved child. As Jack tries to make peace with his father, he begins to forge an intense bond with his sister Glory, herself returning home with a broken heart and turbulent past.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
LILA by Marilynne Robinson (Fiction)
Lila, homeless and alone after years of roaming the countryside, steps inside a small-town Iowa church --- the only available shelter from the rain --- and ignites a romance and a debate that will reshape her life. She becomes the wife of a minister and begins a new existence while trying to make sense of the days of suffering that preceded her newfound security. In LILA, Marilynne Robinson revisits the beloved characters and setting of her Pulitzer Prize-winning GILEAD, and HOME, a National Book Award finalist.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
JACK by Marilynne Robinson (Fiction)
Marilynne Robinson’s mythical world of Gilead, Iowa --- the setting of her novels GILEAD, HOME and LILA --- and its beloved characters have illuminated and interrogated the complexities of American history, the power of our emotions and the wonders of a sacred world. JACK is the fourth novel in this now-classic series. In it, Robinson tells the story of John Ames Boughton, the prodigal son of Gilead’s Presbyterian minister, and his romance with Della Miles, a high school teacher who is also the child of a preacher. Their deeply felt, tormented, star-crossed interracial romance resonates with all the paradoxes of American life, then and now.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to see why the Gilead novels are
Oprah's latest book club selections.
New Guide: THE LOST APOTHECARY by Sarah Penner
March’s LibraryReads Top Pick
THE LOST APOTHECARY by Sarah Penner (Historical Fiction)
Hidden in the depths of 18th-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious 12-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.
Meanwhile, in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her 10th wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London 200 years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate --- and not everyone will survive.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: SURVIVING SAVANNAH by Patti Callahan
SURVIVING SAVANNAH by Patti Callahan (Historical Fiction)
When Savannah history professor Everly Winthrop is asked to guest-curate a new museum collection focusing on artifacts recovered from the steamship Pulaski, she's shocked. The ship sank after a boiler explosion in 1838, and the wreckage was just discovered, 180 years later. Everly can't resist the opportunity to try to solve some of the mysteries and myths surrounding the devastating night of its sinking.
Everly's research leads her to the astounding history of a family of 11 who boarded the Pulaski together, and the extraordinary stories of two women from this family: a known survivor, Augusta Longstreet, and her niece, Lilly Forsyth, who was never found, along with her child. These aristocratic women were part of Savannah's society, but when the ship exploded, each was faced with difficult and heartbreaking decisions. This is a moving and powerful exploration of what women will do to endure in the face of tragedy, the role fate plays, and the myriad ways we survive the surviving.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: HOW BEAUTIFUL WE WERE by Imbolo Mbue
HOW BEAUTIFUL WE WERE by Imbolo Mbue (Fiction)
We should have known the end was near. So begins Imbolo Mbue’s powerful second novel, HOW BEAUTIFUL WE WERE. Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, it tells of a people living in fear amid environmental degradation wrought by an American oil company. Pipeline spills have rendered farmlands infertile. Children are dying from drinking toxic water. Promises of cleanup and financial reparations to the villagers are made --- and ignored. The country’s government, led by a brazen dictator, exists to serve its own interests. Left with few choices, the people of Kosawa decide to fight back. Their struggle will last for decades and come at a steep price.
Told from the perspective of a generation of children and the family of a girl named Thula who grows up to become a revolutionary, HOW BEAUTIFUL WE WERE is a masterful exploration of what happens when the reckless drive for profit, coupled with the ghost of colonialism, comes up against one community’s determination to hold on to its ancestral land and a young woman’s willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of her people’s freedom.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New March Releases of Interest to Book Groups
Below are a number of books releasing in March 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 AFFAIR by Danielle Steel (Fiction)
In this riveting novel, Danielle Steel explores a high-profile affair that reverberates throughout an entire family, from the wounded wife to her husband --- torn between two women --- to the wife’s close-knit sisters and their mother.
HER DARK LIES by J.T. Ellison (Psychological Thriller)
Fast-paced and brilliantly unpredictable, J.T. Ellison’s breathtaking new novel invites you to a wedding none will forget --- and some won’t survive.
THE HOUSE UPTOWN by Melissa Ginsburg (Fiction)
Melissa Ginsburg's THE HOUSE UPTOWN is an emotional coming-of-age novel about a young girl who goes to live with her eccentric grandmother in New Orleans after the death of her mother.
MEANT TO BE by Jude Deveraux (Romance)
Two headstrong sisters are bound by tradition but long to forge their own path, in this inspiring new family saga by New York Times bestselling author Jude Deveraux.
OF WOMEN AND SALT by Gabriela Garcia (Fiction)
This sweeping, masterful debut is about a daughter's fateful choice, a mother motivated by her own past, and a family legacy that begins in Cuba before either of them were born.
THE PATH TO SUNSHINE COVE by RaeAnne Thayne (Fiction)
With the emotional pull of Debbie Macomber, Barbara Delinsky and Susan Wiggs, RaeAnne Thayne brings readers an uplifting, brand new story told with her trademark charm and heart.
THE ROSE CODE by Kate Quinn (Historical Fiction)
The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of THE HUNTRESS and THE ALICE NETWORK returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.
SPARKS LIKE STARS by Nadia Hashimi (Fiction)
An Afghan American woman returns to Kabul to learn the truth about her family and the tragedy that destroyed their lives in this brilliant and compelling novel from the bestselling author of THE PEARL THAT BROKE ITS SHELL, THE HOUSE WITHOUT WINDOWS and WHEN THE MOON IS LOW.
SUNFLOWER SISTERS by Martha Hall Kelly (Historical Fiction)
Martha Hall Kelly’s million-copy bestseller LILAC GIRLS introduced readers to Caroline Ferriday. Now, in SUNFLOWER SISTERS, Kelly tells the story of Ferriday’s ancestor Georgeanna Woolsey, a Union nurse during the Civil War whose calling leads her to cross paths with Jemma, a young enslaved girl who is sold off and conscripted into the army, and Anne-May Wilson, a Southern plantation mistress whose husband enlists.
ReadingGroupGuides.com’s "9 1/2 Annual" Book Group Speed Dating Event: Great Books for Book Groups
Bookreporter.com’s 10th Annual
Spring Preview Contests and Feature
Spring is in the air! We’ve caught the fever --- and it’s being fueled by some wonderful new and upcoming releases. Our 10th 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 April 23rd at noon ET. 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.
This year's featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
SPARKS LIKE STARS by Nadia Hashimi
SPARKS LIKE STARS by Nadia Hashimi (Fiction)
I have been a huge fan of Nadia Hashimi’s earlier books, so I was very excited to read her latest, SPARKS LIKE STARS.
The novel opens in 1978. Sitara Zamani is a 10-year-old Afghan girl living a privileged life in Kabul. Her family is warm and loving. There was sadness in the past, as they lost a daughter before Sitara was born, but these days she lives a happy and carefree life with her mother, father and younger brother.
However, their peaceful existence is upended when a coup takes place, and in one terrifying evening, Sitara's entire family is slain.She is squired away by one of the attackers and left in the hands of an American foreign government worker who assumes the role of getting her to safety.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary.
Don't miss Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Nadia Hashimi
in the April 2nd Bookreporter Weekly Update newsletter.
From left to right: Martha Hall Kelly, Paula McLain, Gabriela Garcia
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
As so many book and author events are happening online these days, we are highlighting a number of them that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links below for more info and to register.
Wednesday, March 31st at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors --- Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry and Mary Alice Monroe --- will talk to Stephanie Dray and Kate Quinn about their latest historical novels, THE WOMEN OF CHATEAU LAFAYETTE and THE ROSE CODE.
Wednesday, March 31st at 7pm ET: The Mark Twain House & Museum: In this latest edition of the "Mark My Words" series, Lisa Scottoline will be in conversation with iHeartMedia’s Renee DiNino about her first historical novel, ETERNAL.
Wednesday, March 31st at 8pm ET: Book Passage: Martha Hall Kelly will talk about her new novel, SUNFLOWER SISTERS, with USA Today bestselling author Meg Donohue.
Thursday, April 1st at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will talk to Lisa Scottoline about her latest book, ETERNAL.
Thursday, April 1st at 7pm ET: An Unlikely Story Bookstore & Café: Martha Hall Kelly will share her stunning new work of historical fiction, SUNFLOWER SISTERS, as she will be in conversation with Pam Jenoff, whose upcoming novel is THE WOMAN WITH THE BLUE STAR.
Thursday, April 1st at 7pm ET: Word Up Community Bookshop: Join Word Up for a reading and discussion about Gabriela Garcia's first novel, OF WOMEN AND SALT, featuring fellow author Roxane Gay. There will be a DJ set before the event and a Q&A after the discussion.
Tuesday, April 6th at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble Virtual Book Club Event: Barnes & Noble will host a Facebook Live discussion for their March book club pick, WE BEGIN AT THE END, featuring Chris Whitaker in conversation with A. J. Finn.
Tuesday, April 6th at 7pm ET: Parnassus Books: Parnassus Books is pleased to welcome Martha Hall Kelly to celebrate her new novel, SUNFLOWER SISTERS. She will be in conversation with ETERNAL author Lisa Scottoline.
Wednesday, April 7th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will talk to Joshilyn Jackson about her new psychological thriller, MOTHER MAY I.
Monday, April 12th at 7pm ET: Cuyahoga County Public Library: This is the first event on Paula McLain’s virtual book tour for WHEN THE STARS GO DARK! She will be in conversation with Kristin Hannah.
Tuesday, April 13th at 7pm ET: Wellesley Books: Paula McLain presents WHEN THE STARS GO DARK, an atmospheric novel of intertwined destinies and heart-wrenching suspense. Paula will be in conversation with Dani Shapiro, author of INHERITANCE.
Wednesday, April 14th at 2pm ET: "Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books": Carol Fitzgerald will present titles releasing between April 13th and May 4th, along with a few from June, that she would like to get on your radar.
Wednesday, April 14th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will celebrate their one-year anniversary with special guest Jodi Picoult.
Wednesday, April 14th at 7pm ET: Warwick's: Warwick's will host Paula McLain as she discusses her new book, WHEN THE STARS GO DARK, in conversation with Christina Baker Kline.
Thursday, April 15th at 6pm ET: Square Books: Join Square Books for an evening with Martha Hall Kelly and Lisa Wingate as they discuss Kelly's newest book, SUNFLOWER SISTERS.
"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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Gabriela Garcia (OF WOMEN AND SALT)
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Nadia Hashimi (SPARKS LIKE STARS)
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Dianna Rostad (YOU BELONG HERE NOW)
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Lisa Scottoline (ETERNAL)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
BAND OF SISTERS by Lauren Willig (Historical Fiction)
A group of young women from Smith College risk their lives in France at the height of World War I in this sweeping novel based on a true story --- a skillful blend of "Call the Midwife" and THE ALICE NETWORK --- from New York Times bestselling author Lauren Willig.
ETERNAL by Lisa Scottoline (Historical Fiction)
#1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline offers a sweeping and shattering epic of historical fiction fueled by shocking true events, the tale of a love triangle that unfolds in the heart of Rome...in the creeping shadow of Fascism.
HOW BEAUTIFUL WE WERE by Imbolo Mbue (Fiction)
From the celebrated author of the New York Times bestseller BEHOLD THE DREAMERS comes a sweeping, wrenching story about the collision of a small African village and an American oil company.
INFINITE COUNTRY by Patricia Engel (Fiction)
For readers of Valeria Luiselli and Edwidge Danticat, INFINITE COUNTRY is an urgent and lyrical novel about a Colombian family fractured by deportation, offering an intimate perspective on an experience that so many have endured --- and are enduring right now.
KLARA AND THE SUN by Kazuo Ishiguro (Fiction)
KLARA AND THE SUN, the first novel by Kazuo Ishiguro since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: What does it mean to love?
THE LOST APOTHECARY by Sarah Penner (Historical Fiction)
With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters and searing insight, THE LOST APOTHECARY is a subversive and intoxicating debut novel of secrets, vengeance, and the remarkable ways women can save each other despite the barrier of time.
SURVIVING SAVANNAH by Patti Callahan (Historical Fiction)
It was called "The Titanic of the South." The luxury steamship sank in 1838 with Savannah's elite on board. Through time, their fates were forgotten --- until the wreck was found, and now their story is finally being told in this breathtaking novel from the New York Times bestselling author of BECOMING MRS. LEWIS.
WE BEGIN AT THE END by Chris Whitaker (Mystery/Thriller)
With WE BEGIN AT THE END, Chris Whitaker has written an extraordinary novel about people who deserve so much more than life serves them. At times devastating, with flashes of humor and hope throughout, it is ultimately an inspiring tale of how the human spirit prevails and how, in the end, love --- in all its different guises --- wins.
WHAT'S MINE AND YOURS by Naima Coster (Fiction)
From the author of HALSEY STREET comes a sweeping novel of legacy, identity, the American family, and the ways that race affects even our most intimate relationships.
WHO IS MAUD DIXON? by Alexandra Andrews (Psychological Thriller)
WHO IS MAUD DIXON? is a taut, twisty and character-driven psychological thriller about a famous novelist and a small-town striver locked in a struggle for fortune and fame.
THE WINDSOR KNOT by SJ Bennett (Mystery)
THE WINDSOR KNOT is the first book in a highly original and delightfully clever crime series in which Queen Elizabeth II secretly solves crimes while carrying out her royal duties.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
THE BOOK OF LONGINGS by Sue Monk Kidd (Fiction)
Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus's life that focuses on his humanity, THE BOOK OF LONGINGS is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman's bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place and culture devised to silence her.
THE FRIENDSHIP LIST by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
THE FRIENDSHIP LIST is a witty, heartfelt and irresistible story about two best friends determined to help one another shake things up and live life to the fullest in a summer that will change them forever.
HIS & HERS by Alice Feeney (Psychological Thriller)
HIS & HERS is a twisty and smart psychological thriller --- a gripping tale of suspense, told by expertly drawn narrators that will keep readers guessing until the very end.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW WE'RE STILL HERE: A Post-Holocaust Memoir by Esther Safran Foer (Memoir)
When Esther Safran Foer’s mother casually mentions an astonishing revelation --- that Esther's father had a previous wife and daughter, both killed in the Holocaust --- Esther resolves to find out who they were, and how her father survived.
THE JETSETTERS by Amanda Eyre Ward (Fiction)
In the vein of THE NEST and THE VACATIONERS, THE JETSETTERS is a delicious and intelligent novel about the courage it takes to reveal our true selves, the pleasures and perils of family, and how we navigate the seas of adulthood.
THE NIGHT WATCHMAN by Louise Erdrich (Historical Fiction)
Based on the extraordinary life of Louise Erdrich’s grandfather --- who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, D.C. --- this powerful novel explores themes of love and death with lightness and gravity, and unfolds with the elegant prose, sly humor and depth of feeling of a master craftsman.
WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens (Fiction)
WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder.
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