September 15, 2023

September 15, 2023

Never Miss a Contest or a Promotion!
Follow and Like Us on Social Media

New Habits

Once I sit down at my desk in the morning, I seem to be plastered there for the day, except for quick runs to the kitchen for lunch. I have perfected things like opening a bagged salad and putting it in a bowl, or adding radishes, mint and pistachios to a bowl of farro, or microwaving multigrain rice from Trader Joe’s for three minutes and adding some veggies to it. My office has a small fridge in it with water chilling in large jugs and ice cubes in the freezer. I keep a stash of salt-free pretzels, as well as a box of great dark chocolates that I try to forget about, but on some days it’s exactly what I need to keep my fingers typing.

First thing in the morning, I read email before I even pop out of bed. This week I tried something new. Before I read one piece of mail, I got into my bathing suit, put on my waterproof leg weights, and walked and stretched in the pool as I read. I found that this hour of early morning reading and moving made me feel a lot better. Sometimes it’s the little things that you need to consider!

We have two new “Bookreporter Talks To” interviews to share with you in this newsletter.

First up is Angie Kim, whose new novel, HAPPINESS FALLS, is September's Barnes & Noble Book Club selection, "Good Morning America" Book Club pick, and an upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On title. It’s a family story with a mystery woven through. Much of the book revolves around 14-year-old Eugene, who has Angelman syndrome, and what he may know about the disappearance of his father.

Angie talks about how long this story was in her head (more than a decade) and why she felt that this was the right time to tell it. She notes that she aimed to look at the impact of someone who is verbally disabled on the entire family. And she wanted to address how those who are different may be in jeopardy when being looked at by law enforcement as they would not be attuned to things like Eugene’s jumping to calm himself or the verbal noises he makes. These cues could keep someone who is disabled from protecting themselves.

Angie also discusses her creative writing work with students who have issues with oral communication and shares how the person who performs Eugene’s part for the audiobook was hand-selected by her from among this group. Click here to watch the video or here to listen to the podcast. My Bets On commentary will appear in next week’s newsletter.

Featured Review: THE VASTER WILDS by Lauren Groff
September's #1 Indie Next Pick

THE VASTER WILDS by Lauren Groff (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by January LaVoy
A servant girl escapes from a colonial settlement in the wilderness. She carries nothing with her but her wits, a few possessions, and the spark of god that burns hot within her. What she finds in this terra incognita is beyond the limits of her imagination and will bend her belief in everything that her own civilization has taught her. THE VASTER WILDS is a work of raw and prophetic power that tells the story of America in miniature, through one girl at a hinge point in history, to ask how --- and if --- we can adapt quickly enough to save ourselves. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review:
AMAZING GRACE ADAMS by Fran Littlewood
September’s “Read with Jenna”
Today Show Book Club Pick

AMAZING GRACE ADAMS by Fran Littlewood (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Claire Skinner
Grace Adams gave birth, blinked, and now suddenly she is 45, perimenopausal and stalled --- the unhappiest age you can be, according to the Guardian. And today she’s really losing it. Stuck in traffic, she finally has had enough. To the astonishment of everyone, Grace gets out of her car and simply walks away. Grace sets off across London, armed with a £200 cake, to win back her estranged teenage daughter on her 16th birthday. Today is the day she’ll remind her daughter that no matter how far we fall, we can always get back up again. Because Grace Adams used to be amazing. Her husband thought so. Her daughter thought so. Even Grace thought so. But everyone seems to have forgotten. Grace is about to remind them...and, most important, remind herself. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com.
- Click here to see why the book is this month's "Read with Jenna" pick.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review: THE SECRET HOURS by Mick Herron

THE SECRET HOURS by Mick Herron (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Gerard Doyle
Two years ago, a hostile Prime Minister launched the Monochrome inquiry, investigating "historical over-reaching" by the British Secret Service. Monochrome’s mission was to ferret out any misconduct by any MI5 officer --- and allowed Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle, the two civil servants seconded to the project, access to all confidential information in the Service archives. Now that the administration that created Monochrome has been ousted, the investigation is a total bust --- and Griselda and Malcolm are stuck watching as their career prospects are washed away. Until the eve of Monochrome’s shuttering, when an MI5 case file appears without explanation. It is the buried history of a classified operation in 1994 Berlin whose cover-up has rewritten 30 years of Service history. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read our review.

New Release Spotlight:
THE RIVER WE REMEMBER by William Kent Krueger
An Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title

THE RIVER WE REMEMBER by William Kent Krueger (Historical Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by CJ Wilson
On Memorial Day, as the people of Jewel, Minnesota, gather to remember and honor the sacrifice of so many sons in the wars of the past, the half-clothed body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast.

Investigation of the murder falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Even before Dern has the results of the autopsy, vicious rumors begin to circulate that the killer must be Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran who recently has returned to Jewel with a Japanese wife. As suspicions and accusations mount and the town teeters on the edge of more violence, Dern struggles not only to find the truth of Quinn’s murder but also to put to rest the demons from his own past.

Caught up in the torrent of anger that sweeps through Jewel are a war widow and her adolescent son, the intrepid publisher of the local newspaper, an aging deputy and a crusading female lawyer, all of whom struggle with their own tragic histories and harbor secrets that Quinn’s death threatens to expose.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com.
- Click here to read William Kent Krueger's bio.
- Click here to visit William Kent Krueger's website.
- Click here for William Kent Krueger's book tour schedule.
- Connect with William Kent Krueger on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Click here for readers' comments about the book.

Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight.

THE RIVER WE REMEMBER will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.
Don't miss Carol's commentary in next week's newsletter.

Bookreporter.com Bets On:
THE WHISPERS by Ashley Audrain

THE WHISPERS by Ashley Audrain (Domestic Thriller)
A couple of years ago, I read Ashley Audrain’s debut novel, THE PUSH, and joked that I never will look at little pink mittens the same way again. I read THE WHISPERS over our summer holiday break, and once again she has nailed the young mother domestic thriller. It’s set in an upscale neighborhood where there are oversized new houses that were teardowns, as well as original homes that are smaller-sized, all on the same block. Harlow Street is the kind of place where you know your neighbors and socialize with them, then talk about them.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com.

Click here to read more of Carol's commentary.

Don't miss Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with
Ashley Audrain in next week's newsletter.

Featured Review:
THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE by Carissa Orlando
September’s Top LibraryReads Pick

THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE by Carissa Orlando (Supernatural Thriller/Horror)
Audiobook available, read by Kimberly Farr
When Margaret and her husband, Hal, bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street, they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. Margaret is not most people. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine --- who knows nothing about the hauntings --- arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review:
WHILE YOU WERE OUT by Meg Kissinger

WHILE YOU WERE OUT: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence by Meg Kissinger (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Meg Kissinger
Growing up in the 1960s, Meg Kissinger’s family seemed to live a charmed life. With eight kids and two loving parents, the Kissingers radiated a warm, boisterous energy. But behind closed doors, a harsher reality was unfolding --- a heavily medicated mother hospitalized for anxiety and depression, a manic father prone to violence, and children in the throes of bipolar disorder and depression, two of whom would take their own lives. Through it all, the Kissingers faced the world with their signature dark humor and the unspoken family rule: never talk about it. WHILE YOU WERE OUT begins as the personal story of one family’s struggles and then opens outward, as Kissinger details how childhood tragedy catalyzed a journalism career focused on exposing our country’s flawed mental health care. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review: LARRY McMURTRY by Tracy Daugherty

LARRY McMURTRY: A Life by Tracy Daugherty (Biography)
Audiobook available, read by Matt Godfrey
In over 40 books, in a career that spanned over 60 years, Larry McMurtry staked his claim as a superior chronicler of the American West, and as the Great Plains’ keenest witness since Willa Cather and Wallace Stegner. Tracy Daugherty's latest book traces his origins as one of the last American writers who had direct contact with this country’s pioneer traditions. It follows his astonishing career as bestselling novelist, Pulitzer Prize winner, author of the beloved LONESOME DOVE, Academy Award-winning screenwriter, public intellectual and passionate bookseller. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read our review.

More Reviews This Week

HEMLOCK ISLAND by Kelley Armstrong (Horror)
Audiobook available, read by Angela Dawe
Laney Kilpatrick has been renting her vacation home to strangers. But broken belongings and campfires that nearly burn down the house have escalated to bloody bones, hex circles, and terrified renters who have fled after finding blood and nail marks all over the guest room closet. When Laney shows up to investigate with her teenage niece in tow, she discovers that her ex, Kit, has also been informed and is there with Jayla, his sister and her former best friend. Then Sadie, another old high school friend, charters over with her brother, who’s now a cop. There are tensions and secrets, whispers in the woods and, before long, the discovery of a hand poking up from the earth. Then the body that goes with it. But by that time, someone has taken off with their one and only means off the island. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.

THE TRAITOR AMONG US: An Elena Standish Novel by Anne Perry (Historical Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Susan Lyons
Not far from the sprawling grounds of Wyndham Hall, the body of longtime MI6 agent John Repton is found, shot dead with a single bullet to the heart. Repton was killed while surveilling the members of a household with alleged ties to fascists who threaten the security of the country, as Hitler’s influence spreads across Europe. Elena Standish is assigned the case, thanks to her new connection to the Wyndham family: Her older sister, Margot, is being courted by Lady Wyndham’s brother. As Elena and her colleague, James Allenby, dig deeper into the Wyndham family’s nefarious connections, Margot grows suspicious. Can Elena reconcile her political and professional obligations with her loyalty and love for her sister? Will Elena and Allenby uncover their colleague’s killer? Reviewed by Ray Palen.

HOW I WON A NOBEL PRIZE by Julius Taranto (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Lauren Fortgang
Helen is a young physicist on a path to solve high-temperature superconductivity (which could save the planet). When she discovers that her brilliant adviser is involved in a sex scandal, Helen is torn. Should she give up on her work with him? Or should she accompany him to a controversial university, founded by a provocateur billionaire, that hosts academics other schools have thrown out? Helen decides she must go. She brings along her partner, Hew, who is much less sanguine about living on an island where the disgraced and deplorable get to operate with impunity. On campus, Helen finds herself drawn to an iconoclastic older novelist, while Hew stews in an increasingly radical protest movement. Their rift deepens until both confront choices that will reshape their lives --- and maybe the world. Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds.

WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL: A History in 50 Moments by Joe Posnanski (Sports/History)
Audiobook available, read by Ellen Adair
In WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL, Joe Posnanski writes of major moments that created legends, and of forgotten moments almost lost to time. It's Willie Mays’ catch, Babe Ruth’s called shot and Kirk Gibson’s limping home run; the slickest steals; the biggest bombs; and the most triumphant no-hitters. But these are also moments raw with the humanity of the game, the unheralded heroes and the mesmerizing mistakes drenched in pine tar. Every story, from the immortal to the obscure, is told from a unique perspective. Whether of a real fan who witnessed it, or the pitcher who gave up the home run, the umpire, the coach, the opposing player --- these are fresh takes on moments so powerful they almost feel like myth. Reviewed by Ron Kaplan (www.RonKaplansBaseballBookshelf.com).

THIS IS HOW WE END THINGS by R.J. Jacobs (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Chelsea Stephens
Forest, North Carolina. Under the instruction of enigmatic Professor Joe Lyons, five graduate students are studying the tedious science behind the acts of lying. But discovering the secrets of deception isn't making any of the students more honest. Instead, it's making it easier for them to guard their own secrets --- and they all have something to hide. When a test goes awry and one of them is found dead, the students find themselves trapped by a snowstorm on an abandoned campus with a local detective on the case. As harbored secrets begin to break the surface, the graduates must find out who's lying, who isn't, and who may have been capable of committing murder. It turns out deception is even more dangerous than they thought. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.

DEARBORN: Stories by Ghassan Zeineddine (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available, read by Sarab Kamoo and Qarie Marshall
Ghassan Zeineddine’s debut collection examines the diverse range and complexities of the Arab American community in Dearborn, Michigan. In 10 tragicomic stories, Zeineddine explores themes of identity, generational conflicts, war trauma, migration, sexuality, queerness, home and belonging, and more. A father teaches his son how to cheat the IRS and hide their cash earnings inside of frozen chickens. Tensions heighten within a close-knit group of couples when a mysterious man begins to frequent the local gym pool, dressed in Speedos printed with nostalgic images of Lebanon. And a failed stage actor attempts to drive a young Lebanese man with ambitions of becoming a Hollywood action hero to LA, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have other plans. Reviewed by Jane T. Krebs.

FAIR ROSALINE by Natasha Solomons (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Sheila Atim
The first time Romeo Montague sees young Rosaline Capulet, he falls instantly in love. Rosaline, headstrong and independent, is unsure of Romeo's attentions, but with her father determined that she join a convent, this handsome and charming stranger offers her the chance of a different life. Soon, though, Rosaline begins to doubt all that Romeo has told her. She breaks off the match, only for Romeo's gaze to turn towards her cousin, 13-year-old Juliet. Gradually Rosaline realizes that it is not only Juliet's reputation at stake, but her life. With only hours remaining before she will be banished behind the nunnery walls, will Rosaline save Juliet from her Romeo? Or can this story only ever end one way? Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.

BARBARA ISN’T DYING written by Alina Bronsky, translated by Tim Mohr (Fiction/Dark Humor)
Walter Schmidt has lived his whole life within the narrow “comfortable” confines of traditional gender roles: he has made it to retirement without learning how to fry an egg or use a vacuum cleaner. After all, he could always count on his wife, Barbara. But when one morning she can’t get up from bed anymore, everything changes. With biting humor and great warmth, Alina Bronsky writes about how Walter, nearing the end of his life, is suddenly forced to reinvent himself as a caregiver and house-husband, and become the caring partner he never was in all his years with Barbara. Little by little, Walter’s rough facade begins to crumble --- and with it his old certainties about his life and family. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.

Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on September 19th

Below are some notable titles releasing on September 19th 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 September 18th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.

ASTOR: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe (History)
The #1 New York Times bestselling authors of VANDERBILT return with another riveting history of a legendary American family, the Astors, and how they built and lavished their fortune.

BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN by Jessica Knoll (Psychological Thriller)
Two women from opposite sides of the country are brought together by violent acts of the same man. They become allies and sisters in arms as they pursue the justice that otherwise would elude them.

DEAD ON TARGET: An Agatha Raisin Mystery by M. C. Beaton with R.W. Green (Mystery)
Beloved New York Times bestselling author M. C. Beaton's cranky, crafty Agatha Raisin --- the star of her own hit TV series --- is back on the case again in DEAD ON TARGET.

THE LAND OF LOST THINGS by John Connolly (Supernatural Thriller)
The redemptive power of stories and family is revealed in New York Times bestselling author John Connolly’s atmospheric tale set in the same magical universe as THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS.

THE LAST DEVIL TO DIE: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery by Richard Osman (Mystery)
A new mystery is afoot in this fourth installment of the Thursday Murder Club series from million-copy bestselling author Richard Osman.

THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF RUDOLF DIESEL: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I by Douglas Brunt (History)
The hidden history of one of the world’s greatest inventors, a man who disrupted the status quo and then disappeared into thin air on the eve of World War I, this book answers the hundred-year-old mystery of what really became of Rudolf Diesel.

NIGHT WATCH by Jayne Anne Phillips (Historical Fiction)
From one of our most accomplished novelists comes a mesmerizing story about a mother and daughter seeking refuge in the chaotic aftermath of the Civil War --- and a brilliant portrait of family endurance against all odds.

TURNING PAGES: The Adventures and Misadventures of a Publisher by John Sargent (Memoir)
Take a peek behind the curtain of some of the biggest publishing moments in the past several decades with 40-year industry veteran John Sargent.

WANDERING THROUGH LIFE: A Memoir by Donna Leon (Memoir)
The internationally bestselling author of the Guido Brunetti mysteries tells her own adventurous life story as she enters her 80s.

WELLNESS by Nathan Hill (Fiction)
The New York Times bestselling author of THE NIX is back with a poignant and witty novel about marriage, the often baffling pursuit of health and happiness, and the stories that bind us together

THE WREN, THE WREN by Anne Enright (Fiction)
This incandescent novel from one of our greatest living novelists (The Times) is about the inheritance of trauma, wonder and love across three generations of women.

Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.

From left to right: Anderson Cooper, Nina Simon, Lou Berney

Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events

Here are five upcoming virtual book and author events that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links for more info and to register.

Monday, September 18th at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Lou Berney will talk about his new thriller, DARK RIDE. Hardy “Hardly” Reed is drifting through life. When he encounters two children who are being physically abused, he's stirred to action for the first time in his life. However, he'll have to become smarter and more capable than he's ever been if he wants to save the kids --- and himself.

Wednesday, September 20th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors --- Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey and Patti Callahan Henry --- will talk to Sarah Pekkanen and Etaf Rum about their latest novels: Sarah's GONE TONIGHT and Etaf's EVIL EYE.

Wednesday, September 20th at 8pm ET: "Bookaccino Live" Fall Preview Event: Carol Fitzgerald will talk about a number of books releasing this fall that we think you will enjoy reading over the next few months.

Wednesday, September 20th at 10pm ET: Friends of the Alameda Free Library: Join Friends of the Alameda Free Library for a talk with Nina Simon about her debut novel, MOTHER-DAUGHTER MURDER NIGHT. This lighthearted whodunit is about a grandmother-mother-daughter trio of amateur sleuths.

Thursday, September 21st at 8pm ET: Book Passage: Anderson Cooper will be in conversation with Katherine Howe about their new book, ASTOR, a riveting history of a legendary American family --- the Astors --- and how they built and lavished their fortune.

 "Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts

“Bookreporter Talks To” is a video and podcast series that delivers a long-form, in-depth author interview every week. For years, Carol has moderated book festivals and author events around the country. But we know that readers often do not live where they can attend an author event. Our goal is to bring these author interviews to readers, wherever they may be. Watch on video, or listen as a podcast. (The podcasts include audio excerpts.)

Here are our latest interviews:

• Angie Kim (HAPPINESS FALLS) Video | Podcast
• Sarah Pekkanen (GONE TONIGHT) Video | Podcast

Other authors we've interviewed include:

• Linwood Barclay (THE LIE MAKER) Video | Podcast
• Rachel Beanland (THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE) Video | Podcast
• Melanie Benjamin (CALIFORNIA GOLDEN) Video | Podcast
• Adrienne Brodeur (LITTLE MONSTERS) Video | Podcast
• Alice Elliott Dark (FELLOWSHIP POINT) Video | Podcast
• Alli Frank and Asha Youmans (THE BETTER HALF) Video | Podcast
• Naomi Hirahara (EVERGREEN: A Japantown Mystery) Video | Podcast
• Nancy Horan (THE HOUSE OF LINCOLN) Video | Podcast
• Tracey Lange (THE CONNELLYS OF COUNTY DOWN) Video | Podcast
• Shari Lapena (EVERYONE HERE IS LYING) Video | Podcast
• Carolyn Mackler (THE WIFE APP) Video | Podcast
• Kate Morton (HOMECOMING) Video | Podcast
• Liz Nugent (STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND) Video | Podcast
• Susan Patterson and Susan DiLallo (THINGS I WISH I TOLD MY MOTHER)
  Video | Podcast
• Lisa See (LADY TAN'S CIRCLE OF WOMEN) Video | Podcast

Upcoming interviews include:

• Ashley Audrain (THE WHISPERS)
• Tess Gerritsen (THE SPY COAST)
• William Kent Krueger (THE RIVER WE REMEMBER)
• Jean Kwok (THE LEFTOVER WOMAN)
• John Sargent (TURNING PAGES: The Adventures and Misadventures of a Publisher)

Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.

Our Latest Poll:
September Fiction Releases to Anticipate

Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, September 22nd at noon ET.

Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What
You're Reading --- and You Can Win Two Books!

Click here to enter the contest.

Quick Links to Features on Bookreporter.com

Reviews | Features | Bookreporter.com Bets On | Upcoming Bets On
Contests | Poll | Word of Mouth | Coming Soon
  On Sale This Week | New in Paperback | Books on Screen
"Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts | "Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books"
  Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks | Book Festivals

Please visit the other websites in TheBookReportNetwork.com: ReadingGroupGuides.com and AuthorsOnTheWeb.com.

And be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.