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As We Resume Life in “The New Normal”
For many these days, vaccinations have taken place and lives are moving into some version of what I am calling “The New Normal.” Perhaps your book group is meeting in person again. Perhaps you are gearing up to take a vacation. I know. What used to seem like things we took for granted are now things we are pondering how to resume. Where DID we leave off?
In that vein, I received an email last week from one of our longtime readers, Denise Neary. She told me that she and eight friends of hers who she met at BookExpo are thinking about going on a three-day reading retreat next May. Before making any definitive plans, she would love to hear from her fellow ReadingGroupGuides readers about their experiences at reading retreats. Where did you go? How did you choose your destination? Was there any structure to the retreat, and what were some of the highlights? Would you have done anything differently?
Please let us know the answers to these questions by filling out this form. We will pass along your ideas to Denise --- and share them on the site. As more of you start making plans to travel again, you just may want to think about going on reading retreats with your group!
Our Upcoming Book Group Speed Dating Event --- Attention Booksellers, Librarians and Book Group Leaders!
This Friday, May 14th from 1pm ET to 3pm ET, we will host our 10th Annual Book Group Speed Dating event. Representatives from 19 publishers will present books releasing this summer and fall that they think will be perfect for book groups to discuss. 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, write me at [email protected] with the subject line "Speed Dating" and tell me about your trade affiliation so we can get you added to the signup list. Please do so by Thursday at noon ET. The full video presentation will be available on our YouTube channel in early June.
Our Latest Monthly Contest is Live!
Our current “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest title is THE LAST FLIGHT by Julie Clark. Newly released in paperback, it is this month’s Target Book Club pick, and I made it a Bets On selection when it released in hardcover last year. I love that this pick has to do with what seems to be an underlying theme in this newsletter --- travel!
Here’s the intriguing premise: A chance meeting at an airport bar brings Claire, who desperately wants to leave her abusive marriage, into contact with Eva, who also wants to run from something in her life. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets --- Claire taking Eva's flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They think this swap will give each of them a chance to start over. But when the flight to Puerto Rico crashes with no survivors, Claire realizes she has been thrust into a very different scenario than she planned. On her own, reading of her assumed death, Claire picks up the pieces of Eva’s life completely unaware of what Eva was running from.
As you can tell from the above description, THE LAST FLIGHT is so well plotted and action-packed. Three groups will win up to 12 copies of the book; to enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, June 9th at noon ET. If you missed my “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Julie that I conducted last year, you can watch it here and listen to the podcast here.
In our previous “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” contest, here are the five books mentioned most frequently as titles that our book groups read: THE FOUR WINDS by Kristin Hannah, THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett, AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins, THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett, and MISS BENSON'S BEETLE by Rachel Joyce. Scroll further down the newsletter to see the Top 15.
Last Chance to Enter Our Special Contest to Win Books and an Author Chat!
This is your last newsletter reminder to enter our contest for Sharon Virts’ debut novel, MASQUE OF HONOR, which is a Bets On pick. Based on historical events of the 1819 duel between brothers-in-law General Armistead Mason and John “Jack” Mason McCarty, this book is a story of courage, conviction and the cost of sacrificing one life to forge another. In Sharon’s hands, history is anything but boring! Three groups will win up to 12 copies of the book AND a Zoom chat with Sharon. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, May 20th at noon ET.
On Sharon’s website is an enhanced book club guide with an opening note from her, 19th-century-inspired food and drink recipes --- including Chicken Liver Pâté and Mint Julep --- instructions on how to host your own high tea for your book club meeting, the “Homes of Masque” that are still standing and those that are lost to the past, and many more fascinating resources.
There is a very interesting backstory to how Sharon came to write this book, which I found out during my "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with her. She and her husband had bought a historic home called Selma with a plan to restore it. It’s fascinating to see how they had a vision to take the place to its present glory. You can read more about it on this website where the progress of rebuilding Selma is documented, including photos of the work done along the way. As she researched the house, she found that what she learned inspired her writing of MASQUE OF HONOR. Just this aspect alone will make for a fascinating conversation with your group.
My latest “Bookreporter Talks To” interview is with Mark Sullivan, whose 2017 novel, BENEATH A SCARLET SKY, was a mega-bestseller and a Bets On pick. His latest work of historical fiction, the eagerly anticipated THE LAST GREEN VALLEY, is now in stores; it, too, is a Bets On selection, and we are featuring the discussion guide this month.
The book opens in Ukraine in 1944, where the Martel family is offered two options: wait for Stalin to arrive, or run with the Nazis who will protect them. Neither is a great choice, but they decide to do the latter. As ethnic Germans, they embark on a trek to travel as far west as they can. I just love this book…and my husband finished reading it the other night, and I heard him talking to his golf buddies about it as they were booking tee times.
Mark explained to me how he came upon their story in his hometown of Bozeman, Montana; talked about his research trip to Ukraine with the two Martel brothers, who are now in their late 70s and 80s; and discussed pacing and what he learned from years of co-writing with James Patterson. You can watch the interview here and listen to the podcast here.
Another new guide and Bets On title we’re featuring this month is THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME by Laura Dave, which is Reese’s Book Club pick for May. This gripping mystery is about a woman who thinks she has found the love of her life --- until he disappears. Reese calls it “a juicy, secret-filled read that you’ll finish in a day and talk about for months.” She goes on to say, “If the thrilling start doesn’t hook you --- a missing husband, a duffel bag of cash, a cryptic note and teenage stepdaughter drama --- wait till you find out how it ends. Warning: there’s so many secrets that you may start to question if you can even trust yourself.” I look forward to interviewing Laura later this month! My book group is reading THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME for our May discussion, and everyone is loving it.
It was announced last year that Julia Roberts will star in and co-produce a limited series adaptation of the novel for Apple TV+. Laura will serve as the executive producer, along with her husband, Academy Award-winning screenwriter Josh Singer (he wrote the screenplay for Spotlight, and it was such fun to see her in the audience with him when he won the Oscar). Click here to find out more about this exciting project from Laura herself.
Chris Bohjalian, who many of you know as the author of the novel that inspired the HBO Max series “The Flight Attendant,” is back with his latest book, HOUR OF THE WITCH, which is this month’s Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. In this timely and twisty historical thriller, a young Puritan woman plots her escape from a violent marriage. Lisa Scottoline calls the book “[a]bsolutely riveting historical fiction that reads like the most page-turning of thrillers, driven by its compelling heroine Mary Deerfield, a young wife who finds the physical and moral courage to stand up for herself in a time when women could be hung as witches... HOUR OF THE WITCH is a woman’s story, a romance, a history lesson, and a legal thriller, all of a piece. I haven’t read a novel like it in recent memory, and I doubt that I will for years to come.” Click here for the guide.
On Tuesday, June 1st at 3pm ET, Chris will be discussing the book live on B&N’s Facebook page with Jodi Picoult. Last week, Kirstin Valdez Quade talked to Karen Russell about THE FIVE WOUNDS, which was April’s B&N selection. If you missed their conversation, you can watch it here.
We also have added guides for these two prominent releases:
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GREAT CIRCLE by Maggie Shipstead: This month’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick tells the story of a daredevil female aviator who is determined to chart her own course in life, no matter the cost. According to Jenna, "Now, more than ever, I love reading about women who chart their own courses. As a mom of two little girls and a young boy, I believe it is important to highlight fictional and nonfictional stories of fierce, independent women who don’t conform to what society says we need to be." She adds: "I have been a fan of Maggie Shipstead for a while. I read her book SEATING ARRANGEMENTS and I just love her writing."
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OLYMPUS, TEXAS by Stacey Swann: In this much-talked-about debut novel, which is the “Good Morning America” Book Club pick for May, marriages struggle, rivalries flare and secrets explode, all with a clever wink toward classical mythology. Swann told “GMA,” "These are characters that you can really sink your teeth into. They have flaws --- really big flaws, actually --- but they also really love each other. And they want to do right by each other and the conflict between those two things makes them easy to root for even when they're driving you nuts."
Please keep in mind that on Thursday, May 27th at 1pm ET, members of the Simon & Schuster team will discuss this month’s Book Club Favorites pick, SUMMER DARLINGS, with author Brooke Lea Foster. Click here to RSVP for the event.
For more May selections, including the Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, see our “Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks” feature here.
A reminder that our next “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event will take place next Thursday, May 20th at 8pm ET. Robert Kolker will be our special guest, and I will talk to him about HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD: Inside the Mind of an American Family, his #1 New York Times bestseller that recently released in paperback. He also will be answering questions from those in attendance, including a select few who will join us “on stage.” Click here to register. If you have a question for Robert that you would like to ask on camera, please send me an email with the subject line “Question for Robert Kolker.”
Next month’s "Bookaccino Live" afternoon event will take place on Wednesday, June 9th at 2pm ET. I will present titles releasing between June 8th and July 6th, along with a few from August, 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 a prize.
If you missed this week’s event, where I talked about 30 books coming out from May 11th to June 1st, along with seven July releases, you can catch it on our YouTube channel early next week. In the meantime, you can see a list of the featured titles here.
Our Bookreporter Summer Reading Contests are Back!
On select days through the end of August, we are hosting a series of 24-hour giveaways and on each of the contest days awarding five readers a book that we think is a great summer read. You will have to check Bookreporter 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.
For those who have been asking, we are planning to keep our virtual events as we move towards “The New Normal.” We enjoy connecting with our readers this way, and we appreciate that there are many people in parts of the country where bookish events are not a way of life --- and thus we are happy to bring book conversation to you this way.
Enjoy your discussion with your book group this month!
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: THE LAST GREEN VALLEY by Mark Sullivan
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE LAST GREEN VALLEY by Mark Sullivan (Historical Fiction)
In late March 1944, as Stalin’s forces push into Ukraine, young Emil and Adeline Martel must make a terrible decision: Do they wait for the Soviet bear’s intrusion and risk being sent to Siberia? Or do they reluctantly follow the wolves --- murderous Nazi officers who have pledged to protect “pure-blood” Germans? The Martels are one of many families of German heritage whose ancestors have farmed in Ukraine for more than a century. But after already living under Stalin’s horrifying regime, Emil and Adeline decide they must run in retreat from their land with the wolves they despise to escape the Soviets and go in search of freedom.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Mark Sullivan.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
- Click here to visit Mark Sullivan's website.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME by Laura Dave
Reese’s Book Club Pick for May
and a Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME by Laura Dave (Domestic Thriller/Mystery)
Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers: Owen’s 16-year-old daughter, Bailey. As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity --- and why he really disappeared. Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they’re also building a new future --- one neither of them could have anticipated.
- 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 to visit the Reese's Book Club website.
Click here for the discussion guide.
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest: Enter to Win Up to 12 Paperback Copies of
THE LAST FLIGHT by Julie Clark, May’s Target Book Club Pick and 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 up to 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 THE LAST FLIGHT by Julie Clark, a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection that is now available in paperback and is May's Target Book Club pick. This instant New York Times bestseller is the story of two women --- both alone, both scared --- and one agonizing decision that will change the trajectory of both of their lives. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, June 9th at noon ET.
THE LAST FLIGHT by Julie Clark (Psychological Thriller)
Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of 10, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems, and she has worked for months on a plan to vanish. A chance meeting in an airport bar brings Claire together with Eva, whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets, believing that the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away. But when one of the flights goes down, Claire realizes it's no longer a head start but a new life. With the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva's identity --- and, along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to read Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentary.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Julie Clark.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to enter the contest.
Special Contest:
Enter to Win Up to 12 Copies of MASQUE OF HONOR,
a Bookreporter.com Bets On Title, for Your Group
and the Opportunity to Chat with Author Sharon Virts
In MASQUE OF HONOR, a coming-of-age tale set in early 19th-century America, two sons of the Virginia aristocracy risk it all to defend their dreams and determine their own destinies. We are giving three groups the chance to win up to 12 copies of this Bookreporter.com Bets On pick, plus the opportunity to chat with its author, Sharon Virts, via Zoom. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, May 20th at noon ET.
MASQUE OF HONOR: A Historical Novel of the American South by Sharon Virts (Historical Fiction)
General Armistead Mason and John “Jack” Mason McCarty are brothers-in-law, second cousins and descendants of founding father George Mason IV. Ambitious and headstrong, together they set out to find love, acceptance and honor on their own merit. Armistead --- by nature a politician --- demands respect and strives for perfection. Jack --- by inclination a rover --- looks to forge his own path. When Armistead is challenged by corruption in the political machine and is denied a seat in the US Congress, the two become embroiled in a bitter dispute that sets in motion an irrevocable chain of events, leading them to the dueling grounds and an outcome that changes everything.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here for the enhanced book club guide, which includes "Behind the Book" material, food and drink recipes, and more.
- 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 Sharon Virts.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.
Click here to enter the contest.
New Guide: HOUR OF THE WITCH by Chris Bohjalian
May’s Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick
HOUR OF THE WITCH by Chris Bohjalian (Historical Thriller)
Boston, 1662. Mary Deerfield is the second wife of Thomas Deerfield, a man as cruel as he is powerful. When Thomas drives a three-tined fork into the back of Mary's hand, she resolves that she must divorce him to save her life. But in a world where every neighbor is watching for signs of the devil, a woman like Mary --- who harbors secret desires and finds it difficult to tolerate the brazen hypocrisy of so many men in the colony --- soon becomes herself the object of suspicion and rumor. When tainted objects are discovered buried in Mary's garden, when a boy she has treated with herbs and simples dies, and when their servant girl runs screaming in fright from her home, Mary must fight to escape not only her marriage, but also the gallows.
- 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 details on Barnes & Noble's virtual Book Club event on Tuesday, June 1st at 3pm ET.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: GREAT CIRCLE by Maggie Shipstead
May’s “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club Pick
GREAT CIRCLE by Maggie Shipstead (Historical Fiction)
After being rescued as infants from a sinking ocean liner in 1914, Marian and Jamie Graves are raised by their dissolute uncle in Missoula, Montana. There, Marian commences her lifelong love affair with flight. At 14, she drops out of school and finds an unexpected and dangerous patron in a wealthy bootlegger who provides a plane and subsidizes her lessons, an arrangement that will haunt her for the rest of her life, even as it allows her to fulfill her destiny: circumnavigating the globe by flying over the North and South Poles. A century later, Hadley Baxter is cast to play Marian in a film that centers on Marian's disappearance in Antarctica. Her immersion into the character of Marian unfolds alongside Marian's own story, as the two women's fates collide.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
- Click here to see why the book is May's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club pick.
Click here for the discussion guide.
New Guide: OLYMPUS, TEXAS by Stacey Swann
May’s “Good Morning America” Book Club Pick
OLYMPUS, TEXAS by Stacey Swann (Fiction)
The Briscoe family is once again the talk of their small town when March returns to East Texas two years after he was caught having an affair with his brother's wife. His mother, June, hardly welcomes him back with open arms. Her husband's own past affairs have made her tired of being the long-suffering spouse. Is it, perhaps, time for a change? Within days of March's arrival, someone is dead, marriages are upended, and even the strongest of alliances are shattered. In the end, the ties that hold them together might be exactly what drag them all down.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to see why the book is May's "GMA" Book Club pick.
Click here for the discussion guide.
Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks for May
Each month, we share top book picks from Indie Next and LibraryReads, as well as the Target Book Club title and Pennie's Pick for Costco. We also feature a number of other prominent picks, including Oprah’s Book Club, the Barnes & Noble Book Club, Reese's Book Club, Jenna Bush Hager's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club, the "Good Morning America" Book Club, and Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites.
Below is a preview of May's "Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks." For the complete Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, as well as additional links pertaining to this month's selections, please click here.
Indie Next
#1 Pick: GREAT CIRCLE by Maggie Shipstead
PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir
PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION by Emily Henry
CRYING IN H MART: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner
THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME by Laura Dave
LibraryReads
Top Pick: PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION by Emily Henry
ARSENIC AND ADOBO: A Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery by Mia P. Manansala
THE BOOKSHOP OF SECOND CHANCES by Jackie Fraser
THE GUNCLE by Steven Rowley
THE INVISIBLE HUSBAND OF FRICK ISLAND by Colleen Oakley
Target Book Club
THE LAST FLIGHT by Julie Clark
Pennie's Pick for Costco
WHEN THE APRICOTS BLOOM by Gina Wilkinson
Barnes & Noble Book Club
HOUR OF THE WITCH by Chris Bohjalian
Reese's Book Club
THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME by Laura Dave
Jenna Bush Hager's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club
GREAT CIRCLE by Maggie Shipstead
"Good Morning America" Book Club
OLYMPUS, TEXAS by Stacey Swann
Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites
SUMMER DARLINGS by Brooke Lea Foster
Our Most Popular Book Group Selections for April’s
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" Contest
Bookreporter.com's 17th Annual
Summer Reading Contests and Feature
Summer will be here before you know it! At Bookreporter.com, this means it's time for us to share some great summer book picks with our Summer Reading Contests and Feature. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through the end of August, 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 prize books include:
Click here to read all the contest details and learn more about our prize books.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
FIND YOU FIRST by Linwood Barclay
FIND YOU FIRST by Linwood Barclay (Psychological Thriller)
Our longtime readers know that I have been a fan of Linwood Barclay’s books for years. FIND YOU FIRST has ratcheted up his writing and plotting to a whole new level.
Miles Cookson is a tech millionaire who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, one that can be genetically passed along, and there’s a 50 percent chance that his children will get the disease. He has not had any kids of his own that he knows of, but when he was young he was a sperm donor --- leading to the possibility that as many as nine children are out there who may have the gene. His goal is to find them so he can warn them and also leave them his fortune. But as quickly as he tries to track them down, they are disappearing or being found dead. What is happening?
ReadingGroupGuides.com’s "9 1/2 Annual" Book Group Speed Dating Event --- and a Look Ahead to
Our 10th Annual Event on May 14th
Last November, we hosted our “9 1/2 Annual” Book Group Speed Dating event for booksellers, librarians and book group leaders. More than 70 books that would make great book group selections for winter/spring 2021 were presented by 18 publishers.
You can take a look at the entire video of the presentation here, or watch individual publisher presentations by clicking on the links below.
Bloomsbury • Grove Atlantic • Harlequin • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Ingram • Knopf • Random House • Simon & Schuster • Soho Press
Sourcebooks • Tin House • William Morrow • W. W. Norton
If you would like to know more about these books, here’s a link to a page with the PowerPoint presentation of the featured titles, as well as an Excel spreadsheet that lists the books both by publisher and alphabetically by title.
Our 10th Annual Book Group Speed Dating Event is Right Around the Corner!
This Friday, May 14th from 1pm ET to 3pm ET, we will host our 10th Annual Book Group Speed Dating event. Representatives from 19 publishers will present titles perfect for book groups that will be published between June and November of this year.
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 write Carol at [email protected] and tell her about your trade affiliation so we can get you added to the signup list. Please do so by Thursday at noon ET.
Click here to watch our "9 1/2 Annual" Book Group Speed Dating event.
From left to right: Jennifer Weiner, Jean Hanff Korelitz, Pam Jenoff
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.
Thursday, May 13th at 7pm ET: BookHampton: Join BookHampton for an evening of dizzying plot twists and family drama as Laura Dave will be in conversation with THE LAST FLIGHT author Julie Clark about her latest novel, THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME, which is Reese's Book Club pick for this month.
Thursday, May 13th at 8pm ET: Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Jean Hanff Korelitz will talk to fellow New York Times bestselling author Joseph Finder about her latest novel, THE PLOT.
Monday, May 17th at 7pm ET: BookHampton: BookHampton presents a virtual event with Mary Alice Monroe, author of THE SUMMER OF LOST AND FOUND. She will be in conversation with Patti Callahan Henry.
Tuesday, May 18th at 8pm ET: Warwick's: Warwick's will host Julie Clark as she discusses the new paperback edition of her book, THE LAST FLIGHT (this month's Target Book Club pick), with Chandler Baker.
Wednesday, May 19th at 4pm ET: Book Passage: Join acclaimed author Jennifer Weiner to celebrate the release of her new novel, THAT SUMMER. She will be in conversation with fellow New York Times bestselling author Kristy Woodson Harvey.
Wednesday, May 19th 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 Pam Jenoff, whose new historical novel is THE WOMAN WITH THE BLUE STAR.
Wednesday, May 19th at 7pm ET: Warwick's: Warwick's will host Lauren Weisberger as she discusses her new book, WHERE THE GRASS IS GREEN AND THE GIRLS ARE PRETTY, in conversation with Hank Phillippi Ryan.
Thursday, May 20th at 5pm ET: History Book Festival: For the History Book Festival's keynote event, Lisa Scottoline and Martha Hall Kelly will be in conversation about their latest novels, ETERNAL and SUNFLOWER SISTERS.
Thursday, May 20th at 6pm ET: Darien Library: Darien Library and The Friends of The Ferguson Library present an evening with bestselling author Chris Bohjalian in conversation with Cristina Alger. Chris and Cristina will be discussing things that go bump in the night in their books, including Chris’ new novel, HOUR OF THE WITCH.
Thursday, May 20th at 6:30pm ET: "Wine & Words with Wade": On his popular Facebook show, Wade Rouse will talk to Mary Kay Andrews about her latest beach read, THE NEWCOMER.
Thursday, May 20th at 8pm ET: "Bookaccino Live" Book Group Event: Carol Fitzgerald will talk to Robert Kolker about HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD. Robert also will answer questions from guests who will be "on stage," as well as from other members of the audience. Click here to register. If you have a question for Robert that you would like to ask on camera, please send Carol an email with the subject line “Question for Robert Kolker.”
Monday, May 24th at 7pm ET: Baltimore County Public Library: Join the Baltimore County Public Library as they welcome New York Times bestselling authors Pam Jenoff and Karen White. Jenoff introduces her latest historical novel, THE WOMAN WITH THE BLUE STAR, a riveting tale of courage and unlikely friendship during World War II.
Monday, May 24th at 7pm ET: The Strand Book Store: Join Ayad Akhtar for the paperback launch of his latest book, HOMELAND ELEGIES. In conversation with Ayad will be HOUR OF THE WITCH author Chris Bohjalian.
Wednesday, May 26th at 7pm ET: The National Arts Club: How does it feel when the novel you wrote is adapted for TV --- and becomes a hit HBO series with Hugh Grant and Nicole Kidman? Jean Hanff Korelitz, author of THE UNDOING, talks shop with fellow thriller writer Scott Turow in this special event. They’ll be discussing thriller plots, screen adaptations, Korelitz’s original novel, and her newest cliffhanger, THE PLOT.
Thursday, May 27th at 1pm ET: Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites: Brooke Lea Foster will join members of the Simon & Schuster team for a Facebook Live Book Club chat about SUMMER DARLINGS, which is May's pick for S&S's Book Club Favorites.
"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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Linwood Barclay (FIND YOU FIRST)
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Elizabeth Brundage (THE VANISHING POINT)
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Laura Dave (THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME)
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Zakiya Dalila Harris (THE OTHER BLACK GIRL)
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Pam Jenoff (THE WOMAN WITH THE BLUE STAR)
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Dianna Rostad (YOU BELONG HERE NOW)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
We currently are featuring the following guides on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
GREAT CIRCLE by Maggie Shipstead (Historical Fiction)
An unforgettable story of a daredevil female aviator determined to chart her own course in life, at any cost, GREAT CIRCLE spans Prohibition-era Montana, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, New Zealand, wartime London and modern-day Los Angeles.
HOUR OF THE WITCH by Chris Bohjalian (Historical Thriller)
A young Puritan woman --- faithful and resourceful, but afraid of the demons that dog her soul --- plots her escape from a violent marriage in this riveting and propulsive novel of historical suspense from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT.
THE LAST GREEN VALLEY by Mark Sullivan (Historical Fiction)
From the author of the #1 bestseller BENEATH A SCARLET SKY comes a new historical novel inspired by one family’s incredible story of daring, survival and triumph.
THE LAST NIGHT IN LONDON by Karen White (Historical Fiction)
New York Times bestselling author Karen White weaves a captivating story of friendship, love and betrayal that moves between war-torn London during the Blitz and the present day.
THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME by Laura Dave (Domestic Thriller/Mystery)
With its breakneck pacing, dizzying plot twists and evocative family drama, THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME is a gripping mystery about a woman who thinks she’s found the love of her life --- until he disappears.
MASQUE OF HONOR: A Historical Novel of the American South by Sharon Virts (Historical Fiction)
In this coming-of-age tale set in early 19th-century America, two sons of the Virginia aristocracy risk it all to defend their dreams and determine their own destinies.
THE NINE LIVES OF ROSE NAPOLITANO by Donna Freitas (Fiction)
A stunning novel about love, loss, betrayal, divorce, death, a woman's career and her identity, THE NINE LIVES OF ROSE NAPOLITANO is about finding one's way into a future that wasn't the future one planned, and the ways that fate intercedes when we least expect it.
OLYMPUS, TEXAS by Stacey Swann (Fiction)
OLYMPUS, TEXAS is a bighearted debut with technicolor characters, plenty of Texas swagger, and a powder keg of a plot in which marriages struggle, rivalries flare and secrets explode, all with a clever wink toward classical mythology.
SUNFLOWER SISTERS by Martha Hall Kelly (Historical Fiction)
Martha Hall Kelly’s 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.
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
THE GIVER OF STARS by Jojo Moyes (Historical Fiction)
Set in Depression-era America, THE GIVER OF STARS is a breathtaking story of five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond.
THE LAST FLIGHT by Julie Clark (Psychological Thriller)
For fans of Lisa Jewell and Liv Constantine, THE LAST FLIGHT is the story of two women --- both alone, both scared --- and one agonizing decision that will change the trajectory of both of their lives.
MONOGAMY by Sue Miller (Fiction)
MONOGAMY is a brilliantly insightful, engrossing and haunting novel --- about marriage, love, family, happiness and sorrow --- from New York Times bestselling author Sue Miller.
ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware (Psychological Thriller)
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE TURN OF THE KEY and IN A DARK, DARK WOOD returns with another suspenseful thriller set on a snow-covered mountain.
THE PARIS HOURS by Alex George (Historical Fiction)
Told over the course of a single day in 1927, THE PARIS HOURS takes four ordinary people whose stories, told together, are as extraordinary as the glorious city they inhabit.
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