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Liz Moore

Liz Moore is the author of the acclaimed novels HEFT and THE UNSEEN WORLD. A winner of the 2014 Rome Prize in Literature, she lives in Philadelphia.

Joseph E. Levine

You can fool all the people all the time if the advertising is right and the budget is big enough.

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Joseph E. Levine

"Best Of" 2019 Lists

This is the time of year when “Best Of” lists are everywhere. These annual roundups always seem to spark lively discussions among readers as they reflect on their favorite books of the year. Although we at Bookreporter.com don’t have a “Best Of” list of our own, we’ve compiled a number of them for you here. See which of your top picks appear on these lists and which titles you feel should've been included but weren't. Perhaps you’ll even find some books to add to your reading list as we head into the new year!

December 17, 2019

In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of December 16th, December 30th and January 6th that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers, along with Bonus News, where we call out a contest, feature or review that we want to let you know about so you have it on your radar.

This week, we are calling attention to our very special contest on ReadingGroupGuides.com, where we are giving readers the opportunity to share their favorite book that they read with their group this year and their favorite book that they read outside their group. One Grand Prize winner will receive six outstanding book group titles releasing early next year: AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins, A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD by Therese Anne Fowler, LADY CLEMENTINE by Marie Benedict, LONG BRIGHT RIVER by Liz Moore, THE QUEEN'S FORTUNE: A Novel of Desiree, Napoleon, and the Dynasty That Outlasted the Empire by Allison Pataki, and SAINT X by Alexis Schaitkin. Be sure to enter by Monday, February 3rd at noon ET.

Also, please keep in mind our End-of-the-Year contest featuring Carol Fitzgerald’s Bookreporter.com Bets On picks from 2019. One Grand Prize winner will be awarded all 52 books, while 13 other winners will receive a selection of four of these titles. The deadline for your entries is Monday, January 6th at noon ET.

And be sure to check out our Holiday Author Blogs, which have returned for a 12th consecutive year. We are featuring a new blog post from an author on select days through Thursday, December 19th talking about the books that she has given and/or received during the holidays. This year's contributors are Alena Dillon, Marjan Kamali, Jean Kwok, Sarah McCoy, Liz Moore, Kim Michele Richardson, Wendy Wax and Karen White.

Jean Kwok is the New York Times and international bestselling author of GIRL IN TRANSLATION, MAMBO IN CHINATOWN and her latest novel, SEARCHING FOR SYLVIE LEE, which untangles the complicated ties binding three women --- two sisters and their mother --- in one Chinese immigrant family, and explores what happens when the eldest daughter disappears and a series of family secrets emerge. In this touching holiday blog post, Jean talks about immigrating to New York City from Hong Kong with her family at the age of five, the hardships they had to endure, and her very first Christmas, which turned out to be more special than she ever could have imagined.

Bernard Malamud

We didn't starve, but we didn't eat chicken unless we were sick, or the chicken was. 

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Bernard Malamud

Jean Kwok

Jean Kwok is the New York Times and international bestselling author of SEARCHING FOR SYLVIE LEE, MAMBO IN CHINATOWN and GIRL IN TRANSLATION. Her work has been published in 18 countries and is taught in universities, colleges and high schools across the world. She has been selected for numerous honors, including the American Library Association Alex Award, the Chinese American Librarians Association Best Book Award, and the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award international shortlist.

Anthony Powell

Self-love seems so often unrequited.

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Anthony Powell
Earlier this year, Marjan Kamali followed up her debut novel, TOGETHER TEA, with THE STATIONERY SHOP, a beautiful and timely exploration of devastating loss, unbreakable family bonds and the overwhelming power of love. Marjan spent her childhood in Kenya, Germany, Turkey, Iran and the United States. Her family thought it was important to create a sense of belonging --- and they achieved that by participating in the traditions and holidays of the many places in which they lived. In her holiday blog post, Marjan recalls returning to Iran at the age of nine and the critical role that books played during their first Christmas back --- and in the years that followed.

Marjan Kamali

Marjan Kamali, born in Turkey to Iranian parents, spent her childhood in Kenya, Germany, Turkey, Iran and the United States. She holds degrees from UC Berkeley, Columbia University and New York University. Her work has also been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and published in two anthologies: TREMORS and LET ME TELL YOU WHERE I'VE BEEN. An excerpt from THE STATIONERY SHOP was published in Solstice Literary Magazine and nominated for a Pushcart Prize.