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In the “life is not dull” category, one morning this week I got a text from my next-door neighbor that read, “There is a bear running in the woods behind your house.” I jumped out of bed tossing my book aside to throw open the drapes to see if I could catch a glimpse of him, but she later told me that she screamed so loudly he took off in a full sprint. When I texted my son, Cory, that this had happened, he asked if there was a piglet, a tiger and a rabbit with him. Loved the book tie-in!
Great reading last weekend with two books coming this summer that will be Bookreporter.com Bets On selections. I started with EMMA IN THE NIGHT by Wendy Walker (in stores August 8th). Here the two Tanner sisters, who were 15 and 17, disappeared three years ago leaving almost no clues behind. Now the younger one, Cass, has returned. But where is Emma, her older sister? Cass, who shares a story of her escape from captors, has many of the clues. Or does she? Here we have the kind of protagonist we all have come to love, the unreliable one. (What does it say about readers today that we gravitate towards these unreliable storytellers?) The story zigs and zags, and along the way we get to know and loathe the girls’ mother, who we come to know is a narcissistic personality. (There is one section about her that is particularly brutal; you will know what I mean when you read it.) On the case to unwind the story is a forensic psychologist, Dr. Abby Winter, who knows from personal experience about how a self-absorbed parent may wend her clout. I was up until 2am reading on Saturday night and then back reading four hours later. It's that good!
Next up, I grabbed B. A. Paris’ THE BREAKDOWN (in stores July 18th). In it, Cass is driving home from a night out, and it’s raining. Against her husband’s caution not to take a shortcut on a road through the woods, she does. She passes a car with a woman sitting inside, but with her husband’s words about the dangers of being there in the rain, she hesitates to stop to help. The following morning, she learns that a woman was killed in those woods. She’s torn up by what happened. Did her not stopping cause this murder? At the same time, Cass finds her memory slipping. Her mother died of Alzheimer’s at a young age, and Cass fears this may be her fate as well. She is safe, but there is a keen sense that someone is watching her and it's unraveling her. I read this book in a day and loved the way it unfolded.
So let’s see how closely you were reading. Did you notice that the protagonists in both of these books have the same first name? You know how they run those lists of the most popular baby names? What if we did the same with book characters each year?
Now I am reading THE DEVIL AND WEBSTER by Jean Hanff Korelitz, which came out this week; we will have our review soon. In it, Naomi Roth is the first female president of Webster College. Webster prides itself on students who are progressive and passionate. In the fall, students assert themselves to protest a popular professor’s denial of tenure. They gather at “The Stump,” forming a tent city there. To complicate things, among the protestors is Naomi’s daughter, a freshman at the college. The leader of this merry band is Omar Khayal, a Palestinian student whose past is flecked with violence. Suddenly Naomi is embroiled in a personal and professional situation that is ripping her apart. Given the high level of anxiety that we are seeing around the country and the passions that have been ignited, this is a very timely book on many levels. And it is smartly written as well. As she did with her earlier novel, ADMISSION, Jean has me thinking a lot more about how colleges and universities function these days. I am looking forward to seeing how it ends.
Next up is THE WOMEN IN THE CASTLE by Jessica Shattuck, which is publishing next week. (I thought this was coming in April --- another reason for our current poll about organizing the books you want to read!) It takes place at the end of World War II in a Bavarian castle that had seen a number of those from German high society living and socializing within its walls. Now we hear from Marianne von Lingenfels and two other widows of resistance fighters, and their stories of what happened after the war. I have heard raves about this and look forward to reading it!
And beyond that, THE MARRIAGE PACT by Michelle Richmond (coming July 25th) is queued up. Melanie, who edits our Word of Mouth and Sounding Off on Audio features for us, does not usually read thrillers, but she read this one and gave it a rave. There is a saying that "in life you can never really know what goes on inside someone else’s marriage," which is true, but in fiction, you can!
And before you think I have some fancy-dancy system here for organizing the books I am reading, I do not. But I need one! Speaking of that, be sure to vote in the aforementioned poll that asks how you organize the books you haven’t read yet. Let us know what you do by clicking here.
Now to this week’s lineup:
Lisa See makes her triumphant return to our bookshelves with THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE, her first novel since 2014’s CHINA DOLLS. Here we are introduced to Li-yan and her family, whose lives revolve around the seasons and the farming of tea. When Li-yan has a baby out of wedlock, she eschews tradition and abandons the infant in the nearest city. We soon learn that her daughter, Haley, grows up in California and is leading a privileged life there. Despite Haley’s happiness, she wonders about her origins, while Li-yan longs for the child she parted ways with all those years ago. They both search for and find answers in the tea that has shaped their family’s destiny for generations.
Roz Shea has our review and says, "We follow the parallel lives of Li-yan and Haley through See’s unparalleled storytelling gifts. At the same time, we learn a great deal about rare teas, how they are grown, harvested and aged for a growing world market of tea lovers. This heartwarming and sometimes terrifying story paints a portrait of deep mother-daughter ties." THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE will be a Bets On selection; you can see my commentary in next week’s newsletter. Lisa is on a very extensive tour, the details of which you can see here. Also, once you read this book, you will want to check out Pu'erh tea. You can learn more about that and Lisa’s research here, including how to have a tea tasting with your book group.
We’re giving away the audio version of THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE (read by Ruthie Ann Miles and Kimiko Glenn), along with J.A. Jance's MAN OVERBOARD: An Ali Reynolds Novel (read by Karen Ziemba), in this month’s Sounding Off on Audio contest. Let us know by Monday, April 3rd at noon ET what audiobooks you’ve finished listening to, and you’ll have the opportunity to win both audio titles.
MISSISSIPPI BLOOD is the concluding volume in Greg Iles' Natchez Burning trilogy, which is quite the achievement considering that Iles nearly lost his life six years ago in a car accident that left him in a medically induced coma for eight days. He had just completed NATCHEZ BURNING, but his near-death experience coupled with the subsequent passing of his father inspired him to delve more deeply into his characters and the brutal history of the American South, thus turning what was intended to be one book into an epic trilogy. In this final installment, Penn Cage finds himself defending his father, Dr. Tom Cage, who stands accused of murdering his former lover, an African-American woman. Frustratingly, though, Tom would prefer to plead guilty than reveal the truth of the crime to his son. Penn feels that he must exonerate his father in order to prevent his entire family from being destroyed.
We have a rave review from Ray Palen, who says, “[N]ot since The Lord of the Rings have I enjoyed the closing title in a trilogy this much.... The book deserves to be placed directly on the shelf next to...[Robert Penn Warren’s] ALL THE KING'S MEN and Harper Lee's classic TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD as the finest Gothic Southern novels of the modern age.” My husband echoes Ray; last weekend, he read way into the night to finish this one and pronounced it a brilliant end to the trilogy, with some things he did not see coming.
MISSISSIPPI BLOOD is one of the books we’re giving away in our current Word of Mouth contest; the other is Debbie Macomber’s latest, IF NOT FOR YOU, which is now in stores and will be reviewed next week. Submit your comments about the books you’ve finished reading for your chance to win both novels; the deadline for your submissions is Friday, March 31st at noon ET.
Viola Shipman is the pen name of Wade Rouse, an award-winning memoirist. Wade chose his grandmother’s name as a pseudonym to honor the woman whose charm bracelet and family stories inspired him to write his debut novel, THE CHARM BRACELET. Wade’s second Viola Shipman-authored novel, THE HOPE CHEST, released this week. It revolves around Mattie and Don, who have been married for almost 50 years. Sadly Mattie has been diagnosed with ALS; she isn’t likely to make it past their anniversary, and Don is devastated. But when Rose, Mattie’s new caretaker, and her young daughter, Jeri, enter the couple’s life, happiness and the possibility for new memories return.
Reviewer Carole Turner has this to say: “Although THE HOPE CHEST is fiction, the author movingly and effectively draws upon personal knowledge in selecting the location and in writing about the devastation of ALS and the importance of family heirlooms tucked away in an antique cedar chest.” Wade is passionate about sharing his family stories, and you can learn more about the background on this writing on his Viola Shipman website. Wade also pens a Viola Shipman newsletter, which includes a recipe and a contest in each one. There's a Cherry Chip Cake recipe in the most recent one; I would love to try this. Oh, and the contest there looks fun too, but you can discover that yourself. You can sign up to receive his newsletter in the future here.
Other books we’re reviewing this week include THE RULES DO NOT APPLY, Ariel Levy’s memoir about overcoming dramatic loss and finding reinvention (I read this briskly after I heard about it at a preview!); THE SECRETS YOU KEEP, a psychological thriller from Kate White about a successful self-help author who suddenly finds her life spiraling dangerously out of control; and John Freeman Gill’s THE GARGOYLE HUNTERS, a debut novel that revolves around the relationship between a father and son, and solves the mystery of the theft of an entire historic Manhattan building that stunned New York City back in the ’70s.
We’re following up last week’s review of NEVER LET YOU GO, our latest Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight title, and our interview with the author, Chevy Stevens, with my Bets On commentary. Click here to see why I’m betting you’ll love Chevy’s new stand-alone psychological thriller.
And another contest for you. A few weeks ago, you may remember we ran Jesse Kornbluth’s review of THIS CLOSE TO HAPPY: A Reckoning with Depression by Daphne Merkin. Millions of people struggle with depression, and in this memoir Merkin describes the sadness that has invaded her world as a result of it. It’s a brisk book, just 288 pages, but it’s packed with emotion and lots to discuss on a topic that we need to talk more about. We’re giving five readers the chance to win a copy of the book and share their comments on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, March 27th at noon ET. Please also check out the discussion guide we have for the book on ReadingGroupGuides.com; as you can tell from the book’s description, it would be great for a book group discussion.
In this week’s Spring Preview contests, we gave away FOLLOW ME DOWN by Sherri Smith, in addition to the aforementioned THE HOPE CHEST, IF NOT FOR YOU and THE SECRETS YOU KEEP. Next week’s prize books will be AFTER THE DARK: A Killer Instinct Novel by Cynthia Eden, ALL GROWN UP by Jami Attenberg, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE by Elizabeth Strout, and BEFORE THE FALL by Noah Hawley. Our next contest will be up and running at noon ET on Monday.
We’ve updated our Young Adult Books You Want to Read feature, books we've recently reviewed on Teenreads.com that we think will appeal to an adult audience. This month’s titles are AMERICAN STREET by Ibi Zoboi and ALICE PAUL AND THE FIGHT FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS: From the Vote to the Equal Rights Amendment by Deborah Kops.
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail: Patricia, a contest winner, wrote, “Thanks so much. I already got the book QUICKSAND. I can't wait to read it. I'm always looking forward to the next newsletter from Bookreporter. Thanks for all the great information on upcoming books. This is my go-to for new books on my to-be-read list."
Mary wrote, “I am a follower of ReadingGroupGuides and Bookreporter. Interested to hear that both of our husbands are named Tom Fitzgerald (and my mother-in-law is Carol Fitzgerald!). We had our corned beef and potatoes O’Brien on Saturday. Looking forward to reading more of your book updates. Our book club uses many of these to choose and discuss the books we read.”
Ellyn wrote this about KAROLINA'S TWINS, one of my Bets On titles: “I just finished this book; couldn't put it down. The story of two childhood friends who grew up during the Holocaust and the twins they saved from sure death. Highly recommend it.”
Virginia Festival of the Book: This event is this weekend. Anyone going who wants to report for us, let me know. I attended this festival for something like five years and truly enjoyed it.
NCAA basketball: The games are good, but my favorite part is the halftime show with Charles Barkley. I love his sense of humor...or should that be the way he tells outrageous stories and turns a phrase? And his Capital One commercials are well done, too. I do want to know who is dressing him and the crew there, as they are very dapperly swathed in sartorial splendor. Is the vested suit truly a fashion trend?
CBS Biz Radio – Chicago: On Monday, I did a radio interview with a CBS Radio Business Show in Chicago about the new Amazon store that opened there. Bottom line about bricks and mortar stores: the indies have nailed the customer experience part of book selling. Physical stores are all about customer relations, not just metrics and data. What can you do for them in store that you cannot do online? Will be interesting to watch this and see what Amazon does. Amazon is opening a store a block away from our office in the Time Warner Center, a location where Borders used to be. Remember Borders?
"Big Little Lies" Fashion: Last weekend on the opening scene of the show, I commented that Renata’s white sweater was amazing. Clearly I was not alone at noting this, and an article about how to find it ran on Monday. Now let’s see who adds a knitting pattern for it on Ravelry; it would be a hit!
"Grace and Frankie": They are back on Netflix for Season 3. There goes a few hours this weekend and next!
"Billions," "Homeland" and "The Americans": Enjoying this season of the first two, and miraculously "The Americans" is back on track after what I felt was a very weak season opener.
Cooking/Recipe Update: The Scalloped Potatoes from Mary Kay Andrews’ THE BEACH HOUSE COOKBOOK were great with the corned beef and cabbage. On Saturday night, Tom and I attempted to make Hunan Orange Beef from a recipe that we found online. While it was an interesting effort, we think dialing and ordering is a lot easier for this dish, and it tastes a lot better too. I did make a coconut rice with lime to go with it, which was excellent; I also added some shredded coconut. I wish I had made it with ginger as well. I want to try mashed cauliflower, which people say tastes like mashed potatoes; will see about that.
I had some outdoor weekend plans that I fear are going to be dashed by the weather. But there’s spring cleaning to do here at the house, because, after all, spring has sprung!
I am hoping for an appearance by Cory this weekend; Greg has curling. And yes, there are just a few basketball games as part of the Elite Eight. I will let you know how the mashed cauliflower turns out. One of the best parts of the weekend is cooking great dinners. And in knitting, I will be working to perfect the left twist stitch and the right twist stitch. This is not a homage to Chuck Berry, but maybe it should be. I have a pattern calling for this that has written it sooooo complicated. I watched four videos and think I know what to do. There are times in knitting that watching is better than reading; blasphemy, I know, that anything is better than reading!
Read on, and have a great week.
Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
Featured Review:
THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE by Lisa See
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE by Lisa See (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Ruthie Ann Miles and Kimiko Glenn
Li-yan and her family align their lives around the seasons and the farming of tea. There is ritual and routine, and it has been ever thus for generations. When Li-yan has a baby outside of wedlock, rather than stand by tradition, she wraps her daughter in a blanket and abandons her in the nearest city. While Li-yan slowly emerges from the insularity of her village to encounter modern life, her daughter Haley grows up a privileged and well-loved California girl. Despite Haley’s happy home life, she wonders about her origins, and Li-yan longs for her lost daughter. They both search for and find answers in the tea that has shaped their family’s destiny for generations. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. Read Carol's commentary in the March 31st newsletter.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to watch Lisa See talk about the book.
- Click here to visit Lisa See's website, where you can find details about how to have your own tea tasting, as well as background on Lisa's research.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: MISSISSIPPI BLOOD by Greg Iles
MISSISSIPPI BLOOD by Greg Iles (Thriller)
Audiobook available, performed by Scott Brick
In this concluding volume to Greg Iles’ Natchez Burning trilogy, Penn Cage sees his family and his world collapsing around him. The woman he loves is gone, his principles have been irrevocably compromised, and his father, once a paragon of the community that Penn leads as mayor, is about to be tried for the murder of a former lover. Despite Penn's experience as a prosecutor in major murder trials, his father has frozen him out of the trial preparations --- preferring to risk dying in prison to revealing the truth of the crime to his son. The trial sets a terrible clock in motion, and unless Penn can pierce the veil of the past and exonerate his father, his family will be destroyed. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
NEVER LET YOU GO by Chevy Stevens
A Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight Title
NEVER LET YOU GO by Chevy Stevens (Psychological Thriller)
In NEVER LET YOU GO, Chevy Stevens shows how she has matured the writing chops for which I came to know her in STILL MISSING, which was her debut novel. The protagonist, Lindsey Nash, was the victim of an abusive relationship. Eleven years ago, she fled one night with her young daughter, Sophie. Her ex-husband, Andrew, was sent to prison for something that happened that evening that was not related to her flight. Flash forward and he’s set free, and while she thinks she has covered her tracks very carefully, she gets the feeling she is being watched. Her home has been broken into. She goes through her days consumed with unease, knowing something is not right.
At the same time, Sophie, who is now 17, is longing for a relationship with her dad, and she does not understand why her mother is so worried about him. Andrew is manipulative, constantly shaping those around him to suit his needs. But Lindsey knows all too well what he is like in his core. She also knows what really happened the night they fled, a secret she has been harboring. Andrew is not the only person who Lindsey needs to be afraid of, and her obsessive fear of him keeps her from seeing other clues of harm that may come her way.
I pride myself on cracking the clues in thrillers, but here Chevy completely surprised me. It has many twists and turns, and once again she has proven to be an amazing plot master. This was a complete ride of a read.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read a review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read our interview with Chevy Stevens.
- Click here to read Chevy Stevens’ bio.
- Click here to visit Chevy Stevens’ website.
- Connect with Chevy Stevens on Facebook and Twitter.
- Click here to see the 25 winners selected to read and comment on the book.
- Click here to read more in our Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight.
Featured Review: THE RULES DO NOT APPLY
by Ariel Levy
THE RULES DO NOT APPLY: A Memoir by Ariel Levy (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Ariel Levy
When 38-year-old New Yorker writer Ariel Levy left for a reporting trip to Mongolia in 2012, she was pregnant, married, financially secure and successful on her own terms. A month later, none of that was true. Levy picks you up and hurls you through the story of how she built an unconventional life and then watched it fall apart with astonishing speed. Like much of her generation, she was raised to resist traditional rules --- about work, about love, and about womanhood. Reviewed by Allison Sharp.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: THE SECRETS YOU KEEP by Kate White
THE SECRETS YOU KEEP by Kate White (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, performed by Amy McFadden
Bryn Harper, an accomplished self-help author, already has plenty to deal with. She’s still recovering from a devastating car accident that has left her haunted by recurring, smoke-filled nightmares. Worse still, she can’t shake the ominous feeling that her dreams contain a warning. In the beginning, Bryn’s husband Guy couldn’t have been more supportive. But after moving into a new house together, disturbing incidents occur, and Guy grows evasive and secretive. Then a woman hired to cater their dinner party is brutally murdered. As Bryn’s world unravels --- and yet another woman in town is slain --- she must summon her old strength to find answers and protect her own life. Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: THE HOPE CHEST by Viola Shipman
THE HOPE CHEST by Viola Shipman (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Andi Arndt
Ever since she was diagnosed with ALS, fiercely independent Mattie doesn’t feel like herself. Her devoted husband, Don, doesn’t want to imagine life without his wife of nearly 50 years, but Mattie isn’t likely to make it past their anniversary. But when Rose, Mattie’s new caretaker, and her young daughter, Jeri, enter the couple’s life, happiness and the possibility for new memories return. Together they form a family, and Mattie is finally able to pass on her memories from the hope chest she received from her mother. Reviewed by Carole Turner.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to visit Viola Shipman's website.
Click here to read the review.
Bookreporter.com's Sixth 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 sixth 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 20th. 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.
Our next prize book will be announced on Monday, March 27th at noon ET.
This year's featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
What's New This Month on ReadingGroupGuides.com
Here are the contests currently running on ReadingGroupGuides.com:
Win 12 Copies of LILAC GIRLS by Martha Hall Kelly for Your Group
Based on a true story of a New York socialite who championed a group of concentration camp survivors known as the Rabbits, LILAC GIRLS, Martha Hall Kelly's acclaimed debut novel, reveals a story of love, redemption and terrible secrets that were hidden for decades. We are celebrating its recent paperback release by giving three groups the chance to win 12 copies of the book. Enter here by Thursday, April 6th at noon ET.
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?": Win 12 Copies of the Movie Tie-In Edition of THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS for Your Group
Each month in our "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month" contest, 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. Our current prize book is the movie tie-in edition of THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS, Rebecca Skloot's #1 New York Times bestseller that captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences. Enter here by Thursday, April 6th at noon ET. The film adaptation, starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne, will premiere on Saturday, April 22nd at 8pm on HBO.
The following guides are now available:
Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:
Click here to visit ReadingGroupGuides.com.
VICIOUS CIRCLE: A Joe Pickett Novel by C. J. Box (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by David Chandler
The Cates family had always been a bad lot. Game warden Joe Pickett had been able to strike a fierce blow against them when the life of his daughter April had been endangered, but he’d always wondered if there’d be a day of reckoning. He’s not wondering any longer. Joe knows they’re coming after him and his family now. He has his friend Nate by his side, but will that be enough this time? All he can do is prepare...and wait for them to make the first move. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE GARGOYLE HUNTERS by John Freeman Gill (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by John Freeman Gill
With both his family and his city fracturing, 13-year-old Griffin Watts is recruited into his estranged father’s illicit and dangerous architectural salvage business. He is charged with stealing exuberantly expressive 19th-century architectural sculptures --- gargoyles --- right off the faces of unsung tenements and iconic skyscrapers all over town. These gargoyles, carved and cast by immigrant artisans during the city’s architectural glory days, are an endangered species in this era of sweeping urban renewal. As his father grows increasingly possessive of both Griffin’s mother and his scavenged touchstones of the lost city, Griffin must learn how to build himself into the person he wants to become and discover which parts of his life can be salvaged --- and which parts must be let go. Reviewed by Austin Manchester.
THE ARRANGEMENT by Sarah Dunn (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Ellen Archer
Lucy and Owen have taken the plunge, trading in their crazy life in a cramped apartment for Beekman, a bucolic Hudson Valley exurb. When friends at a wine-soaked dinner party reveal they've made their marriage open, sensible Lucy balks. There's a part of her, though, that's intrigued. Why not try a short marital experiment? Six months, clear ground rules, zero questions asked. When an affair with a man in the city begins to seem more enticing than the happily-ever-after she's known for the past nine years, Lucy must decide what truly makes her happy --- "real life" or the "experiment"? Reviewed by Katherine B. Weissman.
THE WIDOW’S HOUSE by Carol Goodman (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, performed by Cassandra Campbell
When Jess and Clare Martin move from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to their former college town in the Hudson River valley, they are hoping for rejuvenation --- of their marriage, their savings, and Jess' writing career. They take a caretaker's job at Riven House, a crumbling estate and the home of their old college writing professor. But there is a haunting pall that hangs over Riven House like a funeral veil. Soon, Clare begins to hear babies crying at night and see strange figures in fog at the edge of their property. Diving into the history of the area, she realizes that Riven House has a dark and anguished past. And whatever this thing is --- this menacing force that destroys the inhabitants of the estate --- it seems to be after Clare next. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THE WANDERERS by Meg Howrey (Science Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Mozhan Marno
In four years, aerospace giant Prime Space will put the first humans on Mars. Helen Kane, Yoshihiro Tanaka and Sergei Kuznetsov must prove they’re the crew for the historic voyage by spending 17 months in the most realistic simulation ever created. Constantly observed by Prime Space’s team of "Obbers," Helen, Yoshi and Sergei must appear ever in control. But as their surreal pantomime progresses, each soon realizes that the complications of inner space are no less fraught than those of outer space. The borders between what is real and unreal begin to blur, and each astronaut is forced to confront demons past and present, even as they struggle to navigate their increasingly claustrophobic quarters --- and each other. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
GIRL IN DISGUISE by Greer Macallister (Historical Mystery/Adventure)
Audiobook available, read by Stephanie Cozart
With no money and no husband, Kate Warne finds herself with few choices. The streets of 1856 Chicago offer a desperate widow mostly trouble and ruin --- unless that widow has a knack for manipulation and an unusually quick mind. In a bold move that no other woman has tried, Kate convinces the legendary Allan Pinkerton to hire her as a detective. Battling criminals and co-workers alike, Kate immerses herself in the dangerous life of an operative, winning the right to tackle some of the agency's toughest investigations. But is the woman she's becoming --- capable of any and all lies, swapping identities like dresses --- the true Kate? Or has the real disguise been the good girl she always thought she was? Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
DEAD MAN SWITCH by Matthew Quirk (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Peter Coleman
A deadly fall on a rugged stretch of California coast. A burglary gone wrong in Virginia. These incidents seem unrelated, but the victims were living undercover, their true identities closely held secrets. They are members of a classified team, the last line of defense against foreign threats. Now, someone is assassinating them, taking out family members and innocent bystanders to make the deaths seem like accidents. Captain John Hayes, a special operations legend, has left the military to settle down with his family. But when he pieces together a pattern behind the murders and discovers that his protégée Claire Rhodes, a brilliant assassin, is the prime suspect, he returns to duty to unmask the attackers. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
MORE ALIVE AND LESS LONELY: On Books and Writers written by Jonathan Lethem, edited by Christopher Boucher (Literary Criticism/Essays)
MORE ALIVE AND LESS LONELY collects over a decade of Jonathan Lethem’s finest writing on writing, with new and previously unpublished material, including: impassioned appreciations of forgotten writers and overlooked books, razor-sharp critical essays, and personal accounts of his most extraordinary literary encounters and discoveries. Only Lethem, with his love of cult favorites and the canon alike, can write with equal insight into classic writers like Charles Dickens and Herman Melville, modern masters like Lorrie Moore and Thomas Pynchon, graphic novelist Chester Brown, and science fiction outlier Philip K. Dick. Reviewed by Jane Krebs.
MISTER MEMORY by Marcus Sedgwick (Historical Mystery)
In Paris in the year 1899, Marcel Després is arrested for the murder of his wife and transferred to the famous Salpetriere Asylum. The doctor assigned to his care soon realizes this is no ordinary patient: Marcel Després, Mister Memory, is a man who cannot forget. And the policeman assigned to his case soon realizes that something else is at stake: For why else would the criminal have been hurried off to the hospital, and why are his superiors so keen for the whole affair to be closed? This crime involves something bigger and stranger than a lovers' fight, something with links to the highest and lowest establishments in France. The policeman and the doctor between them must unravel the mystery, but the answers lie inside Marcel's head. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE LOVING HUSBAND by Christobel Kent (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Clare Corbett
In a dilapidated farmhouse out in the vast waterlogged plains of the English Fenlands, Fran awakes groggily to her baby’s cries one February night and finds the bed empty beside her. Her husband, Nathan, is gone. Moving uneasily through the drafty rooms, searching for her husband, Fran soon makes a devastating discovery that upends her marriage and any semblance of safety. As she tries desperately to make sense of what happened to Nathan, Fran is forced to delve dangerously into the undercurrents of his claustrophobic hometown and question how well she knew him in the first place. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
LUCKY by Henry Chang (Hard-boiled Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Feodor Chin
Chinatown gang leader “Lucky” Louie was shot outside of a Chinatown off-track betting establishment and lay in a coma for 88 days, waking on Easter Sunday. The number 88 is a double-helix, double-lucky Chinese number; religion and superstition all lean Lucky’s way. But Detective Jack Yu, Lucky’s boyhood blood brother, fears his friend’s luck is about to run out. When Lucky embarks on a complex and daring series of crimes against the Chinatown criminal underground, Jack races to stop him before his Jacket Design by Janine Agro enemies do so --- permanently. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
SOME SMALL MAGIC by Billy Coffey (Fiction)
All Abel wants is a little bit of magic in his life. Enough money so his mom doesn’t cry at night. Healing for his broken body. And maybe a few answers about his past. When Abel discovers letters to him from the father he believed dead, he wonders if magic has come to the hills of Mattingly, Virginia, after all. But not everything is as it seems. With a lot of questions and a little bit of hope, Abel decides to run away to find the truth. But danger follows him from the moment he jumps his first boxcar, forcing him to rely on his simpleminded friend Willie --- a man wanted for murder who knows more about truth than most --- and a beautiful young woman they met on the train. Reviewed by Melanie Reynolds.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on March 27th and 28th
Below are some notable titles releasing on March 27th and 28th that we would like to make you aware of. We will have more on many of these books in the weeks to come. For a list of additional hardcovers and paperbacks releasing the week of March 27th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
March 27th
THE BLACK BOOK by James Patterson and David Ellis (Thriller)
A horrifying murder leads investigators to an exclusive brothel that caters to Chicago's most powerful citizens. There's plenty of incriminating evidence on the scene, but what matters most is what's missing: the madam's black book. Now shock waves are rippling through the city's elite, and everyone is desperate to find it.
March 28th
BONE WHITE: Mundy's Landing Book Three by Wendy Corsi Staub (Thriller)
Emerson Mundy travels to her ancestral hometown to trace her past. In Mundy’s Landing, she connects with long-lost relatives --- and a closet full of skeletons going back centuries. Someone has unearthed blood-drenched secrets in a disembodied skull, and is hacking away at the Mundy family tree, branch by branch.
BUM LUCK by Paul Levine (Thriller)
Jake Lassiter’s client, Miami Dolphins’ running back Thunder Thurston, has been cleared of murdering his wife. Jake didn’t expect to win (or want to win) since he is sure his client is guilty. When Thurston walks free, Lassiter vows to seek his own kind of justice. Law partners Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord beg Lassiter to seek treatment, but fear they may be too late to help.
CASEY STENGEL: Baseball's Greatest Character by Marty Appel (Sports/Biography)
Acclaimed New York Yankees' historian Marty Appel digs into Casey Stengel's quirks and foibles, unearthing a tremendous trove of baseball stories, perspective and history. Weaving in never-before-published family documents, Appel creates an intimate portrait of a private man who was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966 and named "Baseball's Greatest Character" by MLB Network's “Prime 9.”
THE CUBS WAY: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse by Tom Verducci (Sports)
With inside access and reporting, Sports Illustrated senior baseball writer and FOX Sports analyst Tom Verducci reveals how Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon built, led and inspired the Chicago Cubs team that broke the longest championship drought in sports, chronicling their epic journey to become World Series champions.
OLD SCHOOL: Life in the Sane Lane by Bill O'Reilly and Bruce Feirstein (Politics/Sociology)
You have probably heard the term Old School, but what you might not know is that there is a concentrated effort to tear that school down. The anti-Old School forces believe that the traditional way of looking at life is oppressive. The Old School way may harbor microaggressions. Therefore, Old School philosophy must be diminished.
RICHARD NIXON: The Life by John A. Farrell (Biography)
RICHARD NIXON opens with young Navy lieutenant "Nick" Nixon returning from the Pacific and setting his cap at Congress, an idealistic dreamer seeking to build a better world. Yet amid the turns of that now-legendary 1946 campaign, Nixon's finer attributes quickly gave way to unapologetic ruthlessness. It is a stunning overture to John A. Farrell's magisterial portrait of a man who embodied postwar American cynicism.
THE TWELVE LIVES OF SAMUEL HAWLEY by Hannah Tinti (Literary Thriller)
A loner who spent years living on the run, Samuel Hawley raised his daughter, Loo, on the road, always watching his back. Now that Loo is a teenager, Hawley wants only to give her a normal life. But as Loo uncovers a family history that’s darker than she could have known, the demons of her father’s past spill over into the present --- and together both Hawley and Loo must face a reckoning yet to come.
THE WOMEN IN THE CASTLE by Jessica Shattuck (Historical Fiction)
Amid the ashes of Nazi Germany’s defeat, Marianne von Lingenfels returns to the once-grand castle of her husband’s ancestors. The widow of a resister murdered in the failed July 20, 1944 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Marianne plans to uphold the promise she made to her husband’s brave conspirators: to find and protect their wives, her fellow resistance widows.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
Young Adult Books You Want to Read
Here are this month's books we featured on Teenreads.com that we think will appeal to an adult audience:
AMERICAN STREET by Ibi Zoboi (Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Robin Miles
On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie --- a good life. But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit’s west side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own. Just as she finds her footing in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola soon realizes that freedom comes at a cost.
ALICE PAUL AND THE FIGHT FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS: From the Vote to the Equal Rights Amendment by Deborah Kops (Biography/History)
Here is the story of extraordinary leader Alice Paul, from the woman suffrage movement --- the long struggle for votes for women --- to the “second wave,” when women demanded full equality with men. Paul made a significant impact on both. She reignited the sleepy suffrage movement with dramatic demonstrations and provocative banners. After women won the vote in 1920, Paul wrote the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which would make all the laws that discriminated against women unconstitutional.
Click here for more young adult books we recommend you read.
Our Latest Poll: Organizing Your To-Be-Read Books
How do you organize the books you have not yet read?
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By publication date
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Alphabetically by author
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Alphabetically by title
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By genre
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It depends on how much I am anticipating reading each of the books.
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Who has time to organize what I have not yet read? I just read them!
Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What You're
Reading --- and You Can Win Two Books!
Tell us about the books you’ve finished reading with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from March 17th to March 31st at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of IF NOT FOR YOU by Debbie Macomber and MISSISSIPPI BLOOD by Greg Iles.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the books you write about, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For rules and guidelines, click here.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
Sounding Off on Audio Contest: Tell Us What You're Listening to --- and You Can Win Two Audiobooks!
Tell us about the audiobooks you’ve finished listening to with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for both the performance and the content. During the contest period from March 1st to April 3rd at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Lisa See's THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE, read by Ruthie Ann Miles and Kimiko Glenn, and J.A. Jance's MAN OVERBOARD: An Ali Reynolds Novel, read by Karen Ziemba.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the audiobook, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For complete rules and guidelines, click here.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
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