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Latest Update on Our GoFundMe Campaign
to Expand The Book Report Network
Thank you to those of you who already have donated to our GoFundMe campaign. So far we have raised over $19,000, with online donations and checks! While we are on a roll, we do have further to go, and with your help, we know we can get there. Here are a few of the comments that were shared this week with donations, which mean so much to us.
Ted: "We need more book reviewers who include small presses and know their stuff!"
Leslie: "I've been here since the beginning and look forward to all the recommendations! Thanks Carol, for being my first friend online. Keep up the good work, books are important!!"
Jayme: "Bookreporter.com has been my Saturday morning "de-stress" read for years. Thank you for the book suggestions and increasing my TBR pile!!"
If you have not donated yet, may we ask that you consider it? Any level of donation that you would be comfortable with is sincerely appreciated; $5 and $10 donations add up! Sharing this campaign with others is another way that you can help; GoFundMe makes that easy to do. You can read more about our plans and donate here. If you would rather donate via check, our address is:
The Book Report, Inc.
850 Seventh Avenue - Suite 901
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Thank you again for your consideration and your donation.
P.S. I owe thank-you notes to those who donated this week --- and to anyone who sent a snail mail donation. This week was so hectic. I promise to catch up by next week!
Carol toured Santa Fe, NM with booksellers Luisa Smith from Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA; Wendy Sheanin from Simon & Schuster; Sarah Bagby from Watermark Books in Wichita, KS;
and Sarah's husband, Eric.
Simon & Schuster hosted a dinner at Seasons Rotisserie & Grill in Albuquerque, NM with authors
Armando Lucas Correa (THE DAUGHTER’S TALE), Mary Beth Keane (ASK AGAIN, YES),
Mary Laura Philpott (I MISS YOU WHEN I BLINK), Dana Czapnik (THE FALCONER),
Erin Somers (STAY UP WITH HUGO BEST), Helen Phillips (THE NEED),
and Candice Carty-Williams (QUEENIE)
Carol bought ZiaWoolz's Raindance and Stephanie Hagelberg's specialty yarn
at The Yarn Store at Nob Hill in Albuquerque.
Carol also purchased Chasing Rabbits' Harbor at Miriam's Well in Santa Fe.
A Fabulous Six Days in New Mexico
What a fabulous, but whirlwind, week I had. It started last Saturday with 36 hours in Santa Fe, which was just terrific. Before heading there, I had done some basic research on what to see and do, but my friend Wendy Sheanin and I lucked out on Sunday as Sarah Bagby from Watermark Books in Wichita, KS and her husband, Eric, toured us all over town. They had spent a lot of time there; in fact, they were married there.
Later in the day, Luisa Smith from Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA joined us. She spent summers in Santa Fe when she was growing up, so she also shared her favorite haunts. It was a brilliant couple of days with these folks talking books and life, while we ate, toured and shopped our way through the town. We went to The Shed for dinner, Cafe Pasqual's for breakfast (twice) and Coyote Cafe for lunch. There was also a fun dinner at Maria's with a larger group of booksellers; the menu boasted 200(!) margaritas.
There was lots of window shopping and browsing, as well as a lovely visit to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, which refreshed my memory of what I had learned from reading GEORGIA by Dawn Tripp a couple of years ago.
For humor, we were in one gourmet store and I asked where I might find masa harina for making tortillas. The answer from the bemused shopkeeper: the grocery store. So when we arrived in Albuquerque, I bought that, tamale husks and red pepper jelly. I also picked up blue corn pancake mix at a gourmet store and some decadent bonbons in unique flavors at a store in Santa Fe called Cashmere & Chocolate. I fondled a lot of the cashmere.
On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of spending the day with Sarah Egelman, who has been a reviewer of ours for more than 20 years! She lives in Albuquerque and graciously spent time showing me the city. We both love to knit, so we started out at The Yarn Store at Nob Hill. Then, with a goal to give me as much of a New Mexico experience as possible, we headed over to the Albuquerque Museum, formerly known as The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, which is located in Old Town Albuquerque. As we wandered through the exhibits, Sarah shared more background about the area as she has lived there for decades. We grabbed lunch at one of her favorite local spots. I wish we had had more time; it passed by way too quickly. I am so appreciative that she took the time to give me a tour; there is nothing like seeing a place with someone who knows the area so well. My big regret is that we did not snag a photo together! I felt like I was hanging out with an old friend.
Whenever I am in a city, I like to go to yarn shops, as well as bookshops. The goal is to get something from a local yarn company. So ZiaWoolz's Raindance and Stephanie Hagelberg's specialty yarn were bought at the aforementioned Yarn Store at Nob Hill, and Chasing Rabbits' Harbor was bought at Miriam's Well in Santa Fe. It's a nice way to remember the places that I have visited. Note that a few of the yarn shops that I had seen listed as being in Santa Fe were closed or are in the process of closing. Support your local indie businesses, or they may be gone!
I loved both cities and will be back. There is so much to see and do in the area. I highly recommend exploring this part of the country.
On Tuesday night, the American Booksellers Association’s Winter Institute conference officially kicked off with a cocktail reception, where it was such fun to catch up with bookseller and publisher friends from all over the country. There were two speed dating sessions where reps from various publishers shared upcoming titles. There were also panels covering all aspects of bookselling and connecting with readers, and I found myself taking tons of notes and making lists of ideas. You will hear more about these in the weeks to come.
On Wednesday night, there was a lovely dinner hosted by Simon & Schuster with the authors who you see above at Seasons Rotisserie & Grill. Hearing them talk about their craft and seeing their excitement about their upcoming publications made for a memorable evening. I loved seeing Margie Scott Tucker from Books Inc, Gayle Shanks from Changing Hands Bookstore, and Betsy Burton from The King's English Bookshop, among many others. Betsy and I have the same taste in books, and I was joking that we needed to hit the galley room together.
Yesterday morning’s programming kicked off with Margaret Atwood in conversation with Erin Morgenstern, who you will remember as the author of THE NIGHT CIRCUS. They were entertaining and amusing. Note that the cover reveal of Atwood's book, THE TESTIMONY, the sequel to THE HANDMAID’S TALE that releases on September 10th, will happen at the end of the month. She was not allowed to share much about it, but we did learn that there will be three narrators, and it will be set 16 years after THE HANDMAID'S TALE. Erin’s next book, THE STARLESS SEA, is coming out in November, and again not much was revealed. Last night, however, there was a big author signing; the line to get a copy of Erin’s book was wrapping around the room.
During that event, I had the opportunity to say hello to more than 46 authors with upcoming books, including Harlan Coben (RUN AWAY), Sarah Blake (THE GUEST BOOK), Whitney Scharer (THE AGE OF LIGHT), Pam Jenoff (THE LOST GIRLS OF PARIS), and Ruth Reichl (SAVE ME THE PLUMS: My Gourmet Memoir). It was a completely jam-packed week. Whew! I will share much more in the weeks to come.
Now to this week’s update…
Our latest New Release Spotlight title is MAID: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive, which was a Book Expo buzz title last year. At the age of 28, Stephanie Land turned to housekeeping to make ends meet. Determined to provide her daughter with the very best life possible, Stephanie worked days and took classes online to earn a college degree, and began to write relentlessly. She wrote the true stories that weren't being told: the stories of overworked and underpaid Americans. This important book explores the underbelly of upper-middle-class America and the reality of what it's like to be in service to them.
Our reviewer Bianca Ambrosio has this to say about the book: “As Stephanie continues to tell us her story, we are curious to know what steps she will take next and if she will survive living paycheck to paycheck.... We want Stephanie to achieve her goal of becoming a writer, because her story gives us inspiration.” I was lucky enough to interview Stephanie at Book Expo back in May, where we further explored the ideas in her book. As the months have gone on, I have found myself reflecting on passages in this book, as I watch those in service to others move through their daily lives. MAID will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick; don’t miss my commentary in next week’s newsletter. In the meantime, you can check out the discussion guide here on ReadingGroupGuides.com.
MAID was one of the books we awarded to the winners of this week’s Winter Reading contests; the others were THE RED ADDRESS BOOK by Sofia Lundberg and THE WARTIME SISTERS by Lynda Cohen Loigman. Next week, we will give away Gregg Hurwitz’s latest Orphan X novel, OUT OF THE DARK. That contest will go live on Tuesday, January 29th at noon ET.
Other books we’re reviewing this week include CRUCIBLE by James Rollins, which finds Sigma Force wrestling with the deepest spiritual mysteries of mankind in the race to save one of their own; LATE IN THE DAY, Tessa Hadley’s novel about two close-knit couples whose lives are irrevocably changed by an untimely death; THE RULE OF LAW, John Lescroart’s latest Dismas Hardy thriller, in which the San Francisco attorney is called to defend the least likely suspect of his career: his longtime, trusted assistant who is suddenly being charged as an accessory to murder; and THE SUSPECT, Fiona Barton’s new work of psychological suspense about every parent’s worst nightmare.
If you haven’t had a chance to enter our Valentine’s Day contest, please consider doing so. We have seven love-themed books (and chocolates!) to give away to five readers. All you have to do is fill out this form by Monday, February 11th at noon ET.
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 TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET by Karen M. McManus, INVENTING VICTORIA by Tonya Bolden, and A SKY FOR US ALONE by Kristin Russell.
Our poll continues to ask which titles releasing in January (we’ve listed 17 of them) you are planning to read. Be sure to vote by Friday, February 1st at noon ET.
You also have until Friday, February 1st at noon ET to enter our Word of Mouth and Sounding Off on Audio contests.
Our Word of Mouth prizes are JUDGMENT by Joseph Finder and the aforementioned OUT OF THE DARK: An Orphan X Novel by Gregg Hurwitz. Submit your comments about the books you’ve finished reading for your chance to win these thrillers, both of which we’ll review in next week’s newsletter.
For Sounding Off on Audio, we’re giving away the audio versions of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen’s AN ANONYMOUS GIRL, read by Barrie Kreinik and Julia Whelan, and Alex Michaelides' THE SILENT PATIENT, read by Jack Hawkins and Louise Brealey. Let us know what audiobooks you’ve listened to, and you’ll be in the running to win both these audio titles.
Mystery Writers of America (MWA) has announced the nominees for the Edgar Allan Poe Awards, which honors the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction and television published or produced in 2018. WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens, a Bets On selection, is one of the finalists in the category “Best First Novel by an American Author.” The awards will be presented to the winners at MWA's 73rd Gala Banquet on April 25th at the Grand Hyatt in New York City.
Also announced this week were the finalists for the 2018 National Book Critics Circle Awards in six categories: Autobiography, Biography, Criticism, Fiction, Nonfiction and Poetry. Two notable finalists are EDUCATED: A Memoir by Tara Westover (Autobiography) and THE MARS ROOM by Rachel Kushner (Fiction), both of which were Bets On picks. The awards will be presented on March 14th at the New School in New York City.
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail: Gretchen wrote, “I just binge watched 'A Discovery of Witches' and was pleased with how it turned out. Of course, I had wished that the screen adaptation could have been more like the book, but having a daughter who is a visual effects producer, I understand the constraints due to cost. I also felt that the casting of Matthew's mother was not what I expected. That being said, I am so happy that it got made and that I got to watch it."
Oscar Nominations: I still need to see Roma, The Favourite and The Wife. Of course, the first two were the ones with the most nominations. I almost watched The Wife on the plane, but I managed to pack my headphones in the overhead bin.
Though I love traveling, it is really nice to be home. The last week has been short on sleep and big on adventures. I am looking forward to being back in my own bed. There will be more marble chocolate cake with chocolate frosting this weekend as Greg’s 29th birthday is Monday (remember, I remain 27).
Depending on his plans, I may go to my one book group on Monday night, where we are discussing BECOMING by Michelle Obama. On Thursday night, I am going to our new neighborhood book group, where we are discussing LILAC GIRLS by Martha Hall Kelly.
My plan for the weekend is to spend lots of time relaxing; the usual combo of reading and knitting sounds perfect. Right now, I am too tired to even think about cooking. For those who were wondering, the amaryllis waited for me to bloom. Score one for me!
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!
New Release Spotlight: MAID by Stephanie Land
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
MAID: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Stephanie Land (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Stephanie Land
At 28, Stephanie Land’s plans of breaking free from the roots of her hometown in the Pacific Northwest to chase her dreams of attending a university and becoming a writer were cut short when a summer fling turned into an unexpected pregnancy. She turned to housekeeping to make ends meet.
With a tenacious grip on her dream to provide her daughter the very best life possible, Stephanie worked days and took classes online to earn a college degree, and began to write relentlessly. She wrote the true stories that weren’t being told: the stories of overworked and underpaid Americans. Of living on food stamps and WIC (Women, Infants and Children) coupons to eat. Of the government programs that provided her housing, but that doubled as halfway houses. The aloof government employees who called her lucky for receiving assistance while she didn’t feel lucky at all. She wrote to remember the fight, to eventually cut through the deep-rooted stigmas of the working poor.
MAID explores the underbelly of upper-middle-class America and the reality of what it’s like to be in service to them. “I’d become a nameless ghost,” Stephanie writes about her relationship with her clients, many of whom do not know her from any other cleaner, but who she learns plenty about. As she begins to discover more about her clients’ lives --- their sadness and love, too --- she begins to find hope in her own path.
Her compassionate, unflinching writing as a journalist gives voice to the “servant” worker, and those pursuing the American Dream from below the poverty line. MAID is Stephanie’s story, but it’s not her alone. It is an inspiring testament to the strength, determination and ultimate triumph of the human spirit.
- Click here to read a review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to watch the book trailer.
- Click here to read Stephanie Land's bio.
- Click here to visit Stephanie Land's website.
- Connect with Stephanie Land on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight.
MAID will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.
Don’t miss Carol’s commentary in next week’s newsletter.
Featured Review: CRUCIBLE by James Rollins
CRUCIBLE by James Rollins (Thriller/Adventure)
Audiobook available, read by Christian Baskous
Arriving home on Christmas Eve, Commander Gray Pierce discovers his house ransacked, his pregnant lover missing, and his best friend’s wife, Kat, unconscious on the kitchen floor. With no shred of evidence to follow, his one hope to find the woman he loves and his unborn child is Kat, the only witness to what happened. But the injured woman is in a semi-comatose state and cannot speak --- until a brilliant neurologist offers a radical approach to "unlock" her mind long enough to ask a few questions. What Pierce learns from Kat sets Sigma Force on a frantic quest for answers that are connected to mysteries reaching back to the Spanish Inquisition and to one of the most reviled and blood-soaked books in human history. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: LATE IN THE DAY by Tessa Hadley
LATE IN THE DAY by Tessa Hadley (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Abigail Thaw
Alexandr, Christine, Zachary and Lydia have been friends since they first met in their 20s. Thirty years later, Alex and Christine are spending a leisurely summer’s evening at home when they receive a call from a distraught Lydia: she is at the hospital. Zach is dead. In the wake of this profound loss, the three friends find themselves unmoored; all agree that Zach, with his generous, grounded spirit, was the irreplaceable one they couldn’t afford to lose. Inconsolable, Lydia moves in with Alex and Christine. But instead of loss bringing them closer, the three of them find over the following months that it warps their relationships, as old entanglements and grievances rise from the past, and love and sorrow give way to anger and bitterness. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: THE RULE OF LAW by John Lescroart
THE RULE OF LAW: A Dismas Hardy Novel by John Lescroart (Legal Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Jacques Roy
Dismas Hardy knows something is amiss with his trusted secretary, Phyllis. Her out-of-character behavior and sudden disappearances concern Hardy, especially when he learns that her convict brother --- a man who had served 25 years in prison for armed robbery and attempted murder --- has just been released. Things take a shocking turn when Phyllis is suddenly arrested at work for allegedly being an accessory to the murder of Hector Valdez, a coyote who’d been smuggling women into this country from El Salvador and Mexico. That is, until recently, when he was shot to death --- on the very same day that Phyllis first disappeared from work. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: THE SUSPECT by Fiona Barton
THE SUSPECT by Fiona Barton (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Susan Duerden, Fiona Hardingham, Nicholas Guy Smith and Katharine McEwan
When two 18-year-old girls go missing in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft and frantic with worry. What were the girls up to before they disappeared? Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth --- and this time is no exception. But she can’t help but think of her own son, whom she hasn’t seen in two years, since he left home to go travelling. As the case of the missing girls unfolds, they all will find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think. Reviewed by Cindy Burnett.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: THE CURRENT by Tim Johnston
THE CURRENT by Tim Johnston (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Sarah Mollo-Christensen
In the dead of winter, state troopers pull two young women and their car from an icy river. One is found downriver, drowned, while the other is found at the scene --- half frozen but alive. What happened was no accident, and news of the crime awakens the community’s memories of another young woman who lost her life in the same river 10 years earlier, and whose killer may still live among them. Determined to find answers, the surviving young woman soon realizes that she’s connected to the earlier unsolved case by more than just a river. The deeper she plunges into her own investigation, the closer she comes to dangerous truths, and to the violence that simmers just below the surface of her hometown. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
Bookreporter.com's 14th Annual
Valentine's Day Contest: Enter to Win Books
and Sweet Treats for Yourself or Your Valentine!
Valentine's Day is only a few heartbeats away. We can't think of a better way to celebrate this special day than to cuddle up with your loved one...and a good book, of course!
We're giving readers the chance to win one of our five Bookreporter.com Valentine's Day prize packages, which includes one copy of each of our featured titles and some delicious chocolates. Be sure to enter between now and Monday, February 11th at noon ET for your opportunity to be a lucky (and beloved!) winner.
If you're feeling frisky, share with us your all-time book character crush. Don't be shy, we all got 'em! We'll post the top 10 literary loves and lusts --- along with the five winners --- shortly after the contest ends.
This year's featured Valentine’s Day titles are:
Click here to enter the contest.
Bookreporter.com's Fifth Annual
Winter Reading Contests and Feature
Our Winter Reading Contests and Feature have returned for a fifth year! On select days between now and Friday, February 15th at noon ET, we are hosting a series of 24-hour contests spotlighting a book releasing this winter (or a book publishing in the spring that we would like to get on your radar now) and giving five lucky readers a chance to win it. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
Our next prize book will be announced on Tuesday, January 29th at noon ET.
This year's featured titles are:
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
LOOKER by Laura Sims (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Katherine Fenton
An unraveling woman, unhappily childless and recently separated, becomes fixated on her neighbor --- the actress. The unnamed narrator can’t help noticing with wry irony that, though she and the actress live just a few doors apart, a chasm of professional success and personal fulfillment lies between them. The actress shares a gleaming brownstone with her husband and their three children, while the narrator, working in a dead-end job, lives in a run-down, three-story walk-up with her ex-husband’s cat. When an interaction with the actress at the annual block party takes a disastrous turn, what began as an innocent preoccupation spirals quickly, and lethally, into a frightening and irretrievable madness. Reviewed by Lorraine W. Shanley.
AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE by JoAnn Chaney (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Christina Delaine
Matt frantically tells park rangers that he and his wife, Marie, were hiking when she fell off a cliff into the raging river below. They start a search, but they aren’t hopeful: no one could have survived that fall. It was a tragic accident. But Matt’s first wife also died under suspicious circumstances. And when the police pull a body out of the river, they have a lot more questions for Matt. Detectives Loren and Spengler want to know if Matt is a grieving, twice-unlucky husband or a cold-blooded murderer. They dig into the couple’s lives to see what they can unearth. And they find that love’s got teeth, it’s got claws, and once it hitches you to a person, it’s tough to rip yourself free. So what happens when you’re done making it work? Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE NIGHT AGENT by Matthew Quirk (Political Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Chris Andrew Ciulla
No one was more surprised than FBI Agent Peter Sutherland when he’s tapped to work in the White House Situation Room. Staffing the night action desk, his job is monitoring an emergency line for a call that has not --- and might never --- come. Until tonight. At 1:05am the phone rings. A terrified young woman named Rose tells Peter that her aunt and uncle have just been murdered and that the killer is still in the house with her. The call thrusts Peter into the heart of a conspiracy years in the making, involving a Russian mole at the highest levels of the government. Anyone in the White House could be the traitor. Anyone could be corrupted. To save the nation, Peter must take the rules into his own hands and do the right thing, no matter the cost. Reviewed by Melanie Reynolds.
MOUTHFUL OF BIRDS: Stories written by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available, read by a full cast
Samanta Schweblin haunts and mesmerizes in this extraordinary collection featuring women on the edge, men turned upside down, the natural world at odds with reality. We think life is one way, but often it’s not --- our expectations for how people act, love and fear can all be upended. Each character in MOUTHFUL OF BIRDS must contend with the unexpected, whether a family coming apart at the seams or a child transforming or a ghostly hellscape or a murder. Schweblin’s stories have the feel of a sleepless night, where every shadow and bump in the dark take on huge implications, leaving your pulse racing, and the line between the real and the strange blurs. Reviewed by Maya Gittelman.
FREEDOM ROAD by William Lashner (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by James Daniels
Oliver Cross is fresh out of jail. When he finds out that his granddaughter, a wild child who reminds him of his late wife, has vanished, Oliver jumps parole. With a sketchy teen and an abandoned dog, he hits the blacktop to find her. On the road and on the run from a vengeful Russian drug dealer, Oliver finds himself on a trip across America and into his own past, fueled by fumes from a Ford F-250 and a reason to live. But from an exclusive club in Chicago to a seedy commune in the Rockies, a series of disastrous choices sends Oliver spiraling further from his goal and deeper into danger. It’s a journey that could all end in redemption or a hail of bullets. And either is okay by him. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE COMING STORM by Mark Alpert (Post-Apocalyptic Technothriller/Adventure)
Audiobook available, read by Josh Bloomberg
New York City, 2023: Rising seas and superstorms have ravaged the land. Food and electricity are scarce. A dangerous Washington regime has terrorized the city, forcing the most vulnerable and defenseless people into the flood-ravaged neighborhoods. The new laws are enforced by an army of genetically enhanced soldiers, designed to be the fiercest and cruelest of killers. Genetic scientist Dr. Jenna Khan knows too much about how these super-soldiers were engineered: by altering the DNA sequence in ways that could change the fabric of humanity. Escaping arrest and on the run, Jenna joins forces with a genetically enhanced soldier gone rogue and a Brooklyn gang kingpin to resist the government’s plan to manipulate the DNA of all Americans. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
TAKE-OUT: And Other Tales of Culinary Crime by Rob Hart (Crime Fiction/Short Stories)
In TAKE-OUT, Rob Hart has collected 16 stories of culinary crime and noir that will have you savoring every deadly bite. In the title story, a gambler falls into debt with the enigmatic owner of a Chinatown gambling parlor, and must run odd --- and sometimes dangerous --- deliveries to clear his ledger. In "How to Make the Perfect New York Bagel," the owner of one of New York City's last old-school bagel shops has to defend his storefront --- in the past, from the mob, and in the present, from a bank. In "Creampuff," a bakery with the hottest pastry in town has to hire a bouncer to control the unruly line, with tragic results. Reviewed by Pauline Finch.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on January 29th
Below are some notable titles releasing on January 29th 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 available the week of January 28th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
AT THE WOLF'S TABLE by Rosella Postorino (Historical Fiction)
AT THE WOLF'S TABLE is the internationally bestselling novel based on the untold true story of the women conscripted to be Hitler’s food tasters.
GOLDEN CHILD by Claire Adam (Fiction)
Set in Trinidad, Claire Adam’s deeply affecting debut novel follows the lives of a family as they navigate impossible choices about scarcity, loyalty and love.
JUDGMENT by Joseph Finder (Legal Thriller)
New York Times bestselling author Joseph Finder returns with an explosive new thriller about a female judge and the one personal misstep that could lead to her --- and her family's --- downfall.
THE LINE BETWEEN by Tosca Lee (Dystopian Thriller)
An extinct disease re-emerges from the melting Alaskan permafrost to cause madness in its victims. For recent apocalyptic cult escapee Wynter Roth, it’s the end she’d always been told was coming.
THE LOST GIRLS OF PARIS by Pam Jenoff (Historical Fiction)
From the author of the runaway bestseller THE ORPHAN'S TALE comes a remarkable story of friendship and courage centered on three women and a ring of female secret agents during World War II.
OUT OF THE DARK: An Orphan X Novel by Gregg Hurwitz (Thriller)
In Gregg Hurwitz’s fourth Orphan X thriller, Evan Smoak has to protect himself against the deadliest of opponents. It's Orphan vs. Orphan, with the future of the country --- even the world --- on the line.
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 reviewed on Teenreads.com that we think will appeal to an adult audience:
TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET by Karen M. McManus (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Sophie Amoss and Kirby Heyborne
Ellery has never been to Echo Ridge, but she has heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age 17. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows. The town is picture-perfect, but it's hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone has declared open season on homecoming, and another girl goes missing. The longer she's in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. Secrets are dangerous, and most people aren't good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it's safest to keep your secrets to yourself.
INVENTING VICTORIA by Tonya Bolden (Historical Fiction)
As a young black woman in 1880s Savannah, Essie's dreams are very much at odds with her reality. Ashamed of her beginnings, but unwilling to accept the path currently available to her, Essie is trapped between the life she has and the life she wants. Until she meets a lady named Dorcas Vashon, the richest and most cultured black woman she's ever encountered. When Dorcas makes Essie an offer she can't refuse, she becomes Victoria. Transformed by a fine wardrobe, a classic education and the rules of etiquette, Victoria is soon welcomed in the upper echelons of black society in Washington, D.C. But when the life she desires is finally within her grasp, Victoria must decide how much of herself she is truly willing to surrender.
A SKY FOR US ALONE by Kristin Russell (Fiction)
In Strickland County --- a forgotten stretch of land in Southern Appalachia --- there isn’t a lot of anything to go around. But when 18-year-old Harlowe Compton’s brother is killed by the Praters --- the family who controls everything, from the mines to the law to the opioid trade --- he wonders if the future will ever hold more than loss. Until he meets Tennessee Moore. Even as she struggles with the worst of the cards she’s been dealt, Tennessee makes Harlowe believe that they can dare to forge their own path. But as Harlowe searches for the answers behind his brother’s death, his town’s decay and his family’s dysfunction, he discovers truths about the people he loves --- and himself --- that are darker than he ever expected.
Click here for more young adult books we recommend you read.
Our Latest Poll: January Releases to Anticipate
Which of the following books releasing in January are you planning to read? Please check all that apply.
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THE ACCIDENTAL FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN by Jonas Jonasson
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AN ANONYMOUS GIRL by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
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CRUCIBLE by James Rollins
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THE FIRST CONSPIRACY: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington, by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch
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FREEDOM ROAD by William Lashner
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INHERITANCE: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love, by Dani Shapiro
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JUDGMENT by Joseph Finder
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LIAR LIAR by James Patterson and Candice Fox
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THE LOST GIRLS OF PARIS by Pam Jenoff
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MAID: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive, by Stephanie Land
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THE NEW IBERIA BLUES: A Dave Robicheaux Novel, by James Lee Burke
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NO SUNSCREEN FOR THE DEAD by Tim Dorsey
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THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM by Marie Benedict
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OUT OF THE DARK: An Orphan X Novel, by Gregg Hurwitz
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THE RULE OF LAW: A Dismas Hardy Novel, by John Lescroart
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THE SUSPECT by Fiona Barton
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YOU KNOW YOU WANT THIS: "Cat Person" and Other Stories, by Kristen Roupenian
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None of these
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, February 1st at noon ET.
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 January 18th to February 1st at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of JUDGMENT by Joseph Finder and OUT OF THE DARK: An Orphan X Novel by Gregg Hurwitz.
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 January 2nd to February 1st at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen's AN ANONYMOUS GIRL, read by Barrie Kreinik and Julia Whelan, and Alex Michaelides' THE SILENT PATIENT, read by Jack Hawkins and Louise Brealey.
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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