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End-of-the-Year Contest 2014

Congratulations to the winners of our 2014 End-of-the-Year Contest! One Grand Prize winner received all 32 of Carol Fitzgerald's Bookreporter.com Bets On picks from 2014, while 32 others won a copy of one of these titles. You can see all the winners below, along with 2014's Bets On selections.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

A. J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died; his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history; and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island . Then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore --- an unexpected arrival that gives A.J. the opportunity to make his life over and the ability to see everything anew.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

April 2014

I am wild, wild, wild about Gabrielle Zevin’s THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY, a brilliantly smart --- and fun --- novel that has as its protagonist a charming indie bookseller named A.J.

On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage on Alice Island, which houses the store, is the motto "No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World." As the book opens, A.J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means. Left on his doorstep is a baby girl who wins her way into this widower’s heart and changes his world. Layer in the people who live in the town and visit the shop --- including Ismay, his sister-in-law who is determined to get him back into the world; Amelia, his favorite sales rep from Knightley Press; and Lambiase, the town policeman --- and you have a quick but memorable read.

Week of December 1, 2014

Releases for the week of December 1st include THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY, Gabrielle Zevin's love letter to the world of books --- an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love; THE DEATH OF SANTINI, a powerful and intimate memoir in which Pat Conroy and his father, the inspiration for THE GREAT SANTINI, find some common ground at long last; ON SUCH A FULL SEA by Chang-rae Lee, a highly provocative, deeply affecting story of one woman’s legendary quest in a shocking, future America; and TROUBLE IN MIND, a dazzling collection of 12 short stories from Jeffery Deaver, who proves once again his genius for the unexpected --- in his world, appearances are always deceiving.

October 2022

October's Books on Screen roundup includes the series premieres of "Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire" on AMC, "Magpie Murders" on PBS "Masterpiece" and "The Peripheral" on Amazon Prime Video; the continuation of the 11th and final season of AMC's "The Walking Dead"; the conclusion of Hallmark Channel's "Chesapeake Shores"; the season one finales of "House of the Dragon" on HBO and "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" on Amazon Prime Video; the films The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, Luckiest Girl Alive, Mr. Harrigan's Phone and All Quiet on the Western Front; and the DVD releases of DC League of Super-Pets and Bullet Train.

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