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End-of-the-Year Contest 2014

End-of-the-Year Celebration

End-of-the-Year Contest 2014

Congratulations to the winners of our 2014 End-of-the-Year Contest! One Grand Prize winner received all 32 of Carol Fitzgerald's Bookreporter.com Bets On picks from 2014, while 32 others won a copy of one of these titles. You can see all the winners below, along with 2014's Bets On selections.

Winners

GRAND PRIZE: Marcia from Omaha, NE
 
ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr: Yvonne from Dry Fork, VA
 
THE BLESSINGS by Elise Juska: Kay from Hales Corners, WI
 
CHARLESTON by Margaret Bradham Thornton: Alison from Saint Charles, IL
 
THE CHILDREN ACT by Ian McEwan: Tim from Las Vegas, NV
 
A CIRCLE OF WIVES by Alice LaPlante: Shawn from Wentzville, MO
 
A DEADLY WANDERING: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention by Matt Richtel: Sheri from Mapleton, UT
 
DELICIOUS! by Ruth Reichl: Tony from Emporia, KS
 
THE DEEPEST SECRET by Carla Buckley: Susan from Goodyear, AZ
 
DOLLBABY by Laura Lane McNeal: Heather from Adrian, MI
 
FIVE DAYS LEFT by Julie Lawson Timmer: Lisa from Algonquin, IL
 
THE FORTUNE HUNTER by Daisy Goodwin: Jenny from Ocean Isle Beach, NC
 
GEMINI by Carol Cassella: Patsy from Aransas Pass, TX
 
THE HIDDEN CHILD by Camilla Lackberg: Kathy from Wendell, NC
 
IN THE BLOOD by Lisa Unger: Laura from Mableton, GA
 
THE INNOCENT SLEEP by Karen Perry: Judy from Crestwood, KY
 
LITTLE MERCIES by Heather Gudenkauf: Randi from Athens, AL
 
THE PARIS ARCHITECT by Charles Belfoure: Rose from Fowlerville, MI
 
THE PEARL THAT BROKE ITS SHELL by Nadia Hashimi: Barbara from Parker, CO
 
RUNNER by Patrick Lee: Patricia from Baltimore, MD
 
THE SHORT AND TRAGIC LIFE OF ROBERT PEACE: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League by Jeff Hobbs: Sandy from Marshalltown, IA
 
SHOTGUN LOVESONGS by Nickolas Butler: Amelia from Phenix City, AL
 
MY SISTER'S GRAVE by Robert Dugoni: Joseph from Milton, MA
 
THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY by Gabrielle Zevin: Lynn from Decatur, MS
 
THAT NIGHT by Chevy Stevens: Susan from Santa Barbara, CA
 
TIL THE WELL RUNS DRY by Lauren Francis-Sharma: Anita from Las Animas, CO
 
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HARRY QUEBERT AFFAIR by Joël Dicker: Teresa from Beckley, WV
 
UNREMARRIED WIDOW: A Memoir by Artis Henderson: Shirley from Folsom, LA
 
UNTIL I SAY GOOD-BYE: My Year of Living with Joy by Susan Spencer-Wendel: Maryann from Hot Springs Village, AR
 
THE VACATIONERS by Emma Straub: Tracy from Southbury, CT
 
WE ARE NOT OURSELVES by Matthew Thomas: Peggy from Oro Valley, AZ
 
WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart: Carol from Coto de Caza, CA
 
YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN by Jean Hanff Korelitz: Jennifer from West Plains, MO
 
 
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - Historical Fiction


Marie-Laure is a young blind girl living in Paris with her father, who is a master of locks at the Museum of Natural History and is in charge of some of their most valued works. When she is 12, the Germans move into the city, and they are forced to flee to the town of Saint-Malo, where a reclusive uncle lives by the sea. In a parallel story, a young orphan boy named Werner lives with his sister in Germany and is tapped to be part of the Hitler Youth, eventually given a role to teach the Resistance.

The Blessings by Elise Juska - Fiction


When John Blessing dies and leaves behind two small children, the loss reverberates across his extended family for years to come. His young widow, Lauren, finds solace in her large clan of in-laws, while his brother's wife Kate pursues motherhood even at the expense of her marriage. Through departures and arrivals, weddings and reunions, THE BLESSINGS reveals the interior worlds of the members of a close-knit Irish-Catholic family and the rituals that unite them.

Charleston by Margaret Bradham Thornton - Fiction


Eliza Poinsett, an art historian in London with a charming Etonian boyfriend who adores her, is unnerved when she runs into Henry, her childhood love, at a wedding in the English countryside. Her carefully guarded equilibrium is shattered when she meets Henry again in Charleston, where she has come for her stepsister’s debut. Eliza has to decide if she is willing to risk everything for which she has worked so hard to be with the only man she has ever truly loved.

The Children Act by Ian McEwan - Fiction


Two days after her husband of 30 years tells her he plans to have an affair, Fiona Maye, a High Court judge who regrets her childlessness, must decide whether or not to grant a hospital’s emergency request to give a blood transfusion to a 17-year-old boy dying of leukemia. He and his parents are Jehovah’s Witnesses who have refused the treatment on religious grounds. McEwan’s latest novel is a powerful reminder that one’s actions often have unforeseen repercussions.
 

A Circle of Wives by Alice LaPlante - Psychological Thriller


When Dr. John Taylor is found dead in a hotel room in his hometown, the local police find enough incriminating evidence to suspect foul play. Detective Samantha Adams is innocently thrown into a high-profile murder case that is more intricately intertwined than she ever could imagine. It turns out that Dr. Taylor was married to three very different women in three separate cities. And when these three unsuspecting ladies show up at his funeral, suspicions run high.

A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age by Matt Richtel - Social Science/Technology


Matt Richtel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the New York Times, examines the impact of technology on our lives through the story of Utah college student Reggie Shaw, who killed two scientists while texting and driving. Richtel follows Reggie through the tragedy, the police investigation, his prosecution and, ultimately, his redemption. In the wake of his experience, Reggie has become a leading advocate against “distracted driving.”

Delicious! by Ruth Reichl - Fiction


Soon after Billie Breslin takes a job at Delicious!, New York’s most iconic food magazine is abruptly shut down. Billie agrees to stay on in the empty office, maintaining the hotline for reader complaints in order to pay her bills. In a hidden room in the magazine’s library, Billie finds a cache of letters written during World War II. They provide her with a feeling of deep connection to the young writer whose courage in the face of hardship inspires her to come to terms with her fears.

The Deepest Secret by Carla Buckley - Psychological Suspense


Eve Lattimore’s son has a rare medical condition that makes him fatally sensitive to light, which means he can never leave the house except at night. For Eve, only constant vigilance stands between an increasingly restless teenage son and the dangers of the outside world. But when tragedy strikes, it becomes clear that there are some crises Eve cannot control --- and some secrets that not even love can conceal.

Dollbaby by Laura Lane McNeal - Historical Fiction


When Ibby Bell’s father dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1964, her mother unceremoniously deposits Ibby with her eccentric grandmother, Fannie. Fannie’s New Orleans house is like no place Ibby has ever been --- and Fannie, who has a tendency to end up in the local asylum --- is like no one she has ever met. Fortunately, Fannie’s black cook, Queenie, and her smart-mouthed daughter, Dollbaby, take it upon themselves to initiate Ibby into the ways of the South, both its grand traditions and its darkest secrets.

Five Days Left by Julie Lawson Timmer - Fiction


The lives of two people will forever change in five days. Minutes, hours and days tick by with ominous urgency. Mara Nichols is determined to control her future after a devastating medical diagnosis, but she faces an impossible decision. Meanwhile, her online friend, Scott Coffman, is helplessly suffering the impending loss of a young foster child he loves.

The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin - Historical Fiction

A clever, plainspoken heiress whose money gives her a choice among suitors, Charlotte Baird falls in love with Captain Bay Middleton, the first man to really notice her. When Empress Elizabeth of Austria joins the legendary hunt organized by Earl Spencer in England, Bay is asked to guide her on the treacherous course. Their shared passion for riding leads to an infatuation that jeopardizes the growing bond between Bay and Charlotte, and threatens all of their futures.

Gemini by Carol Cassella - Mystery


When an unidentified Jane Doe, the victim of a hit-and-run, arrives in Dr. Charlotte Reese’s intensive care unit, she brings with her mysteries --- both medical and personal. As Charlotte cares for Jane, she becomes increasingly caught up in the questions of her patient’s identity and what led to her accident. When Charlotte’s search for answers reveals links between Charlotte and her patient, the repercussions will forever change her life and her understanding of what love can make possible.

The Hidden Child by Camilla Läckberg - Psychological Thriller


Crime writer Erica Falck is shocked to discover a Nazi medal among her late mother’s possessions. To uncover her family's past, Erica must read her mother’s wartime diaries. Could what little knowledge she has be enough to endanger her husband and newborn baby? The dark past is coming to light, and no one will escape the truth of how they came to be.

In the Blood by Lisa Unger - Psychological Thriller


A woman boards a plane in the African country of Burkina Faso having just completed a targeted assassination for the state of Israel. Two minutes later, her plane is blown out of the sky. Over 6,000 miles away, former Navy SEAL James Reece watches the names and pictures of the victims on cable news. One face triggers a distant memory of a Mossad operative attached to the CIA years earlier in Iraq --- a woman with ties to the intelligence services of two nations…a woman Reece thought he would never see again. Reece enlists friends new and old across the globe to track down her killer, unaware that he may be walking into a deadly trap.

The Innocent Sleep by Karen Perry - Thriller


Five years after the presumed death of their son, Dillon, Harry and Robin have settled into a new kind of life. Their grief will always be with them, but lately it feels as if they're ready for a fresh start. However, when Harry gets a glimpse of Dillon on the crowded streets of Dublin, the past comes rushing back at both of them. Has Dillon been alive all these years? Or was what Harry saw just a figment of his guilt-ridden imagination?

Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf - Fiction


Veteran social worker Ellen Moore has seen the worst side of humanity --- the vilest acts one person can commit against another. She is a fiercely dedicated children's advocate and a devoted mother and wife. But one blistering summer day, a simple moment of distraction will have repercussions that Ellen could never have imagined, threatening to shatter everything she holds dear, and trapping her between the gears of the system for which she works. 

The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure - Historical Thriller


In 1942 Paris, gifted architect Lucien Bernard accepts a commission that will bring him a great deal of money --- and maybe get him killed. All he has to do is design a secret hiding place for a wealthy Jewish man, a space so invisible that even the most determined German officer won't find it. But when one of his hiding spaces fails horribly, and the problem of where to hide a Jew becomes terribly personal, Lucien can no longer ignore what's at stake.

The Pearl that Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi - Fiction


In Kabul, 2007, Rahima and her sisters can only sporadically attend school and can rarely leave the house. Their only hope lies in the ancient custom of bacha posh, which allows young Rahima to dress and be treated as a boy until she is of marriageable age. A century earlier, her great-aunt, Shekiba, saved herself and built a new life the same way. Crisscrossing in time, THE PEARL THAT BROKE ITS SHELL interweaves the tales of these two women separated by a century who share similar destinies.

Runner by Patrick Lee - Thriller


Sam Dryden, retired special forces, encounters a young girl who is running from a group of heavily armed men intent on killing her. He learns that the 11-year-old has been kept in a secret prison by forces within the government. She only remembers the past two months of her life and that she has a skill that makes her very dangerous to these men. Dryden agrees to help her try to unravel her own past and make sense of it, to protect her from the people who are moving heaven and earth to find them both.

The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League by Jeff Hobbs - Biography


When author Jeff Hobbs arrived at Yale University, he became fast friends with the man who would be his college roommate for four years, Robert Peace. Robert’s life was rough from the beginning in the crime-ridden streets of Newark in the 1980s. But Robert was a brilliant student, and it was supposed to get easier when he was accepted to Yale. But it didn’t get easier. Robert carried with him the difficult dual nature of his existence, “fronting” in Yale and at home.

Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler - Fiction


Hank, Leland, Kip and Ronny were all born and raised in the same Wisconsin town --- Little Wing --- and are now coming into their own (or not) as husbands and fathers. Seamlessly woven into their patchwork is Beth, whose presence among them --- both then and now --- fuels the kind of passion one comes to expect of lovesongs and rivalries. Now all four are home, in hopes of finding what could be real purchase in the world.

My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni - Mystery/Thriller


Tracy Crosswhite has spent 20 years questioning the facts surrounding her sister Sarah’s disappearance and the murder trial that followed. When Sarah’s remains are finally discovered near their hometown in the northern Cascade mountains of Washington State, Tracy is determined to get the answers she’s been seeking. As she searches for the real killer, she unearths dark, long-kept secrets that will forever change her relationship to her past --- and open the door to deadly danger.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin - Fiction


A.J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died; his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history; and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island . Then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore --- an unexpected arrival that gives A.J. the opportunity to make his life over and the ability to see everything anew.

That Night by Chevy Stevens - Psychological Thriller


Toni Murphy was 18 when she and her boyfriend, Ryan, were wrongly convicted of the murder of her younger sister. Now she is 34 and back in her hometown, working every day to forge and adjust to a new life on the outside. She's doing everything in her power to avoid violating her parole and going back to prison. But nothing is making that easy. Before Toni can truly move on, she must risk everything to find out the truth and clear her name.

'Til the Well Runs Dry by Lauren Francis-Sharma - Historical Fiction


Young Marcia Garcia, a gifted and smart-mouthed 16-year-old seamstress, lives alone, raising two small boys and guarding a family secret. When she meets Farouk Karam, an ambitious young policeman, the risks and rewards in Marcia’s life amplify forever. The novel follows Marcia and Farouk from their amusing and passionate courtship through personal and historical events that threaten Marcia’s secret, entangle the couple and their children in a scandal, and endanger the future for all of them.

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker - Literary Thriller


THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HARRY QUEBERT AFFAIR is the #1 internationally bestselling thriller, and ingenious book within a book, about the disappearance of a 15-year-old New Hampshire girl and, 33 years later, a young American writer’s determination to clear his mentor’s name --- and find the inspiration for his next bestseller.

Unremarried Widow: A Memoir by Artis Henderson - Memoir


In her memoir, Artis Henderson not only recounts the unlikely love story she shared with her husband, Miles, and her unfathomable recovery in the wake of his death --- from the dark hours following the military notification to the first fumbling attempts at new love --- but also reveals how Miles’ death mirrored her father’s death in a plane crash, which Artis survived when she was five years old and left her own mother a young widow.

Until I Say Good-Bye: My Year of Living with Joy by Susan Spencer-Wendel with Bret Witter - Memoir


Susan Spencer-Wendel’s UNTIL I SAY GOOD-BYE is a moving and inspirational memoir by a woman who makes the most of her final days after discovering she has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Co-written with Bret Witter, the book is Spencer-Wendel’s account of living a full life with humor, courage and love, but also accepting death with grace and dignity.

The Vacationers by Emma Straub - Fiction


For the Posts, a two-week trip to the Balearic island of Mallorca with their extended family and friends is a celebration: Franny and Jim are observing their 35th wedding anniversary, and their daughter, Sylvia, has graduated from high school. But all does not go according to plan. Over the course of the vacation, secrets come to light, old and new humiliations are experienced, childhood rivalries resurface, and ancient wounds are exacerbated.

We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas - Fiction


When Eileen Tumulty meets Ed Leary, a scientist whose bearing is nothing like those of the men she grew up with in Woolside, Queens, she thinks she’s found the perfect partner to deliver her to the cosmopolitan world she longs to inhabit. They marry, and Eileen quickly discovers that Ed doesn’t aspire to the same, ever bigger, stakes in the American Dream. She encourages him to want more, but as years pass, it becomes clear that his growing reluctance is part of a deeper psychological shift.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - Mystery/Thriller


A beautiful and distinguished family. A private island. A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy. A group of four friends --- the Liars --- whose friendship turns destructive. A revolution. An accident. A secret. Lies upon lies. True love. The truth. Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz - Literary Mystery


Grace Reinhart Sachs is the author of You Should Have Known, a book that cautions women to really hear what men are trying to tell them. But weeks before the book is published, a chasm opens in her own life: a violent death, a missing husband, and, in the place of a man Grace thought she knew, only an ongoing chain of terrible revelations. Left behind in the wake of a spreading and very public disaster, Grace must dismantle one life and create another for her child and herself.