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End-of-the-Year Contest 2016

Congratulations to the winners of our 2016 End-of-the-Year Contest! One Grand Prize winner received all 40 of Carol Fitzgerald's Bookreporter.com Bets On picks from 2016, while eight others won a selection of five of these titles. You can see all the winners below, along with 2016's Bets On selections.

Ann Hood, author of The Book That Matters Most

Ava’s 25-year marriage has fallen apart, and her two grown children are pursuing their own lives outside of the country. Ava joins a book group, not only for her love of reading but also out of sheer desperation for companionship. The group’s goal throughout the year is for each member to present the book that matters most to them. Alternating with Ava’s story is that of her troubled daughter Maggie, who, living in Paris, descends into a destructive relationship with an older man.

The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood

August 2016

THE BOOK THAT MATTERS MOST by Ann Hood works on so many levels. First, it’s a delightful read. Second, it’s full of great book suggestions. And third, it’s inspiration for book groups.

In it, Ava is recently separated from her husband of 25 years and nursing some powerful pain from this. A coveted spot in a select book group finally opens up, and she is invited to join. The group’s theme that year is “the book that mattered most to each of them.” I loved seeing what each of the characters selected, and I enjoyed the chance to “eavesdrop” on their recommendations. Ava selects a book and promises to bring the author to the discussion, which her fellow readers are excited about. One problem: She has no idea how to find this author. Every lead has come to a dead end. But there are some lovely surprises ahead for this.

Week of July 31, 2017

Paperback releases for the week of July 31st include FAITHFUL by Alice Hoffman, a soul-searching story about a young woman struggling to redefine herself; DAMAGED, the fourth installment in Lisa Scottoline's legal thriller series starring Philadelphia lawyers Bennie Rosato and Mary DiNunzio; THE BOOK THAT MATTERS MOST, an enthralling novel from Ann Hood about love, loss, secrets, friendship and the healing power of literature; I’M SUPPOSED TO PROTECT YOU FROM ALL THIS by Nadja Spiegelman, a memoir of mothers and daughters --- and mothers as daughters --- traced through four generations; and INCARCERATION NATIONS, in which Baz Dreisinger goes behind bars in nine countries to investigate the current conditions in prisons worldwide.