May 7, 2024
This Bookreporter.com Special Newsletter spotlights a book that we think is a great summer reading selection. Read more about it, and enter our Summer Reading Contest by Wednesday, May 8th at noon ET for a chance to win one of five copies of SUMMERS AT THE SAINT by Mary Kay Andrews, which is now available and will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Please note that each contest is only open for 24 hours, so you will need to act quickly!
Inspired by her own family story, DAUGHTERS OF SHANDONG is Eve J. Chung’s propulsive debut novel about a mother and her daughters’ harrowing escape to Taiwan as the Communist revolution sweeps through China. For the longest time, Eve was under the impression that her mom didn’t like to read, even though she made sure that Eve made frequent trips to the library. It wasn’t until later in life that Eve, a voracious reader, realized she had so much more in common with her mom than she ever thought, which has made their relationship even stronger.
Holly Gramazio’s recently released novel, THE HUSBANDS, is an instant New York Times bestseller and a “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick. This exuberant debut delights in asking: How do we navigate life, love and choice in a world of never-ending options? As a child, Holly had plenty of options when it came to books. And for a few years, her mum would read to her almost every night. It was only when Holly was 9 or 10, and she began reading to her brothers, that she gained a greater appreciation for everything her mum did to foster her love of reading at a young age.
Editorial Content for Lucky
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Eileen Zimmerman Nicol
LUCKY is a novel about folk singer Jodie Rattler, told in her own voice. Born in 1949, Jodie comes of age with “the four J's” --- Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Janis Joplin. Growing up in St. Louis, she becomes a connoisseur of its streets and neighborhoods (Skinker, Webster, Kirkwood), homes (shacks next to brick mansions) and the overall kaleidoscopic vibe of her city. She lives with her single mother but counts on a loving extended family, particularly her uncle Drew. Read More
Teaser
Before Jodie Rattler became a star, she was a girl growing up in St. Louis. One day in 1955, when she was just six years old, her uncle Drew took her to the racetrack, where she got lucky --- and that roll of two-dollar bills she won has never since left her side. Jodie thrived in the warmth of her extended family, and then --- through a combination of hard work and serendipity --- she started a singing career, which catapulted her from St. Louis to New York City, from the English countryside to the tropical beaches of St. Thomas, from Cleveland to Los Angeles, and back again. Jodie comes of age in recording studios, backstage and on tour, and she tries to hold her own in the wake of Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell. Yet it feels like something is missing. Could it be true love? Or is that not actually what Jodie is looking for?
Promo
Before Jodie Rattler became a star, she was a girl growing up in St. Louis. One day in 1955, when she was just six years old, her uncle Drew took her to the racetrack, where she got lucky --- and that roll of two-dollar bills she won has never since left her side. Jodie thrived in the warmth of her extended family, and then --- through a combination of hard work and serendipity --- she started a singing career, which catapulted her from St. Louis to New York City, from the English countryside to the tropical beaches of St. Thomas, from Cleveland to Los Angeles, and back again. Jodie comes of age in recording studios, backstage and on tour, and she tries to hold her own in the wake of Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell. Yet it feels like something is missing. Could it be true love? Or is that not actually what Jodie is looking for?
About the Book
From the bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, a soaring, soulful novel about a folk musician who rises to fame across our changing times.
Before Jodie Rattler became a star, she was a girl growing up in St. Louis. One day in 1955, when she was just six years old, her uncle Drew took her to the racetrack, where she got lucky --- and that roll of two-dollar bills she won has never since left her side. Jodie thrived in the warmth of her extended family, and then --- through a combination of hard work and serendipity --- she started a singing career, which catapulted her from St. Louis to New York City, from the English countryside to the tropical beaches of St. Thomas, from Cleveland to Los Angeles, and back again.
Jodie comes of age in recording studios, backstage and on tour, and she tries to hold her own in the wake of Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell. Yet it feels like something is missing. Could it be true love? Or is that not actually what Jodie is looking for?
Full of atmosphere, shot through with longing and exuberance, romance and rock 'n' roll, LUCKY is a story of chance and grit and the glitter of real talent, a colorful portrait of one woman's journey in search of herself.
Audiobook available, read by Stina Nielsen
