Skip to main content

THE PARIS NOVEL is a Feast for the Senses

A dazzling, heartfelt adventure through the food, art and fashion scenes of 1980s Paris, Ruth Reichl's long-awaited second novel is a testament to living deliciously, taking chances and finding your true home.

DARLING GIRLS is a Thrilling Page-Turner of Sisterhood, Secrets, Love and Murder

When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, three foster sisters turn out to be key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?

Ann Napolitano's 2004 Debut Novel is Now Available in a New Paperback Edition

In WITHIN ARM'S REACH, three generations of a large Catholic family are jarred into crisis by an unexpected pregnancy.

THE HUSBANDS is April's "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club Pick

This exuberant debut delights in asking: How do we navigate life, love and choice in a world of never-ending options?

Enter to Win a Mother's Day Prize Package for You or the Special Lady in Your Life

Each package includes nine wonderful titles that we think moms will love. The deadline for your entries is Monday, May 13th at noon ET.

Latest Features and Contests


Paperback Spotlight: WITHIN ARM'S REACH by Ann Napolitano


Releasing in a new paperback edition, Ann Napolitano’s 2004 debut novel charts the emotional life of three generations of an Irish-Catholic family. Shaken reluctantly into self-examination by the unexpected pregnancy of its youngest member, the McLaughlin family is forced to confront ghosts of both past and present, and to reappraise its values in a world of rapid change. Narrated through six subjective first-person accounts --- the pregnant Gracie, her sister Lila, their parents, their matriarchal grandmother, and a family outsider with a curious connection --- WITHIN ARM’S REACH dissects the markedly variant responses that such supposedly similar people can have to the same events.

» Click here to read more in our Paperback Spotlight.


Bookreporter.com's 19th Annual Mother's Day Contest


Mother’s Day is a time to recognize the woman who raised and nurtured us. To celebrate, we're giving you the opportunity to win books for yourself or the special lady in your life in our 19th annual "Books Mom Will Love" contest. From now through Monday, May 13th at noon ET, readers can enter to win one of our five prize packages, which includes nine great titles that we think moms will love.

» Click here to enter the contest.


Bookreporter.com's 20th Annual Summer Reading Contests and Feature


Summer will be here before you know it! At Bookreporter.com, this means it's time for us to share some great summer book picks with our Summer Reading Contests and Feature. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through early August, so you will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter to win. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.

Our first prize book will be announced on Wednesday, May 1st at noon ET.

» Click here to read all the contest details and learn more about our featured titles.


Bookreporter.com Bets On: DAUGHTER OF MINE by Megan Miranda


Megan Miranda
has ratcheted up her thriller game with DAUGHTER OF MINE. First, let’s pull in a climate/environmental issue with a lake receding as there are days without rain and a clear forecast. Feeling parched as you read? I get it. So what happens when the water recedes? Well, things that were hidden suddenly come to light. Sitting on the edge of your seat yet?

If not, try this. Hazel, the daughter of the local longtime detective of Mirror Lake, inherits her childhood home. Why is this so unexpected? I’m not going to give it away, but there’s twist number one when you get there. Hazel has left town for almost a decade at this point, and she is not ready to race back, even if there is a house waiting for her. She has her own business with two friends, and she’s happy with her new life.

» Click here to read more of Carol's Bets On commentary.


Bookreporter.com Bets On: THE WIVES: A Memoir, by Simone Gorrindo


A couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of attending a pre-publication lunch and talking to Simone Gorrindo about THE WIVES. At the time, I had heard about the book but had not read a word of it. I enjoyed our conversation, and when I was reading it, I found Simone’s voice on the page to be as honest and engaging as she had been in person. I started off listening to the audiobook; I always love it when an author reads his or her memoir. I later picked up the book as I can read faster than I listen.

There are so many moments that I loved here, but what Simone wrote so well is about the camaraderie among these women, all of whom were united by one common thread --- they were the wives of men in combat or training for combat.

» Click here to read more of Carol's Bets On commentary.

Bookreporter Talks To...

As part of our mission to expand The Book Report Network, we have been shooting video interviews with authors and posting them on our YouTube channel. We also have been making them available as podcasts. Carol loves interviewing authors, so this feels like a natural.

Megan Miranda returns to “Bookreporter Talks To” to discuss her new thriller, DAUGHTER OF MINE. When Hazel unexpectedly inherits her family home, she’s drawn back to the place --- and people --- she left behind years earlier. But as the lake level behind the house continues to fall, long-buried secrets suddenly begin to emerge, including evidence that may finally explain the mystery at the heart of her family. Megan shares her inspiration for the novel, which will be a Bets On selection, as well as insight into her creative process. She also explains how she laid out the twists that make this story so special. Megan loves the narrator of the audio edition, Inés del Castillo, as she feels Inés sets the right tone for the book. Watch the video or listen to the podcast.

THE WIVES is Simone Gorrindo's debut memoir and an upcoming Bets On pick. In this interview, Simone explains how she found her way to writing this book when her husband, an Army Special Ops team member, was assigned to a base in Columbus, Georgia. There she found herself with a group of women who had followed their husbands to this area. These wives had one thing in common: their husbands and their work as soldiers. When the men left town, the women would gather together for support, and any of the typical social lines between them would drop as they commiserated about both their day-to-day lives and the larger role that their husbands were playing on a bigger stage. Watch the video or listen to the podcast.

Carol had the pleasure of talking to Anna Quindlen about her new novel, AFTER ANNIE. The idea for the opening of the book came to Anna in a moment, which she explains. She thought for a while about just writing from the point of view of Ali, Annie’s 13-year-old daughter, but she changed her mind as she realized that she could not see the complete purview of a person that age. Instead, she layered in Annie’s husband, Bill, and her best friend, Annemarie, to give readers a fuller picture of the impact of Annie’s life even after her death. Surprisingly, AFTER ANNIE was not always the title, and the cover was not an immediate choice either. Anna also talks about what she does every day when she ends a writing session. Watch the video or listen to the podcast.

» Click here for a complete list of our "Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts, along with upcoming interviews.

Latest Reviews

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez - Romantic Comedy

Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up. It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected --- including catching real feelings for each other.

The Backyard Bird Chronicles written and illustrated by Amy Tan - Nature/Memoir

In 2016, Amy Tan grew overwhelmed by the state of the world: Hatred and misinformation became a daily presence on social media, and the country felt more divisive than ever. In search of peace, Tan turned toward the natural world just beyond her window and, specifically, the birds visiting her yard. But what began as an attempt to find solace turned into something far greater --- an opportunity to savor quiet moments during a volatile time, connect to nature in a meaningful way, and imagine the intricate lives of the birds she admired.

When ex-cop Bill Robinson takes over The Inn by the Sea, all he wants is a quiet escape from the city. But when a crime boss moves into town and begins terrorizing Bill's friends, he can't just sit back and watch. It's not long before local criminals are turning up dead and The Inn comes under attack. With the help of The Inn's fearless residents, Bill must do everything he can to defend his town, his chosen family and his home.

Helen Zhang hasn’t seen Grant Shepard once in the 13 years since the tragic accident that bound their lives together forever. Now a bestselling author, Helen pours everything into her career. She’s even scored a coveted spot in the writers’ room of the TV adaptation of her popular young adult novels. Grant has done everything in his power to move on from the past. And while the panic attacks have never quite gone away, he’s well-liked around town as a screenwriter. He knows he shouldn’t have taken the job on Helen’s show, but it will open doors to developing his own projects. But when secrets come to light, they must reckon with the fact that theirs was never meant to be any kind of love story. Yet the key to making peace with their past --- and themselves --- just might lie in holding on to each other in the present.

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh - Psychological Thriller

Stranded in the Welsh mountains, seven reality show contestants have no idea what they've signed up for. Each of these strangers has a secret. If another player can guess the truth, they won't just be eliminated --- they'll be exposed live on air. The stakes are higher than they'd ever imagined, and they're trapped. The disappearance of a contestant wasn't supposed to be part of the drama. Detective Ffion Morgan has to put aside what she's watched on screen and find out who these people really are --- knowing she can't trust any of them. And when a murderer strikes, Ffion knows every one of her suspects has an alibi…and a secret worth killing for.

The Gathering by C. J. Tudor - Supernatural Thriller/Horror

In a small Alaska town, a boy is found with his throat ripped out and all the blood drained from his body. The inhabitants of Deadhart know who’s responsible: a member of the Colony, an ostracized community of vampyrs living in an old mine settlement deep in the woods. Detective Barbara Atkins, a specialist in vampyr killings, is called in to officially determine if this is a Colony killing --- and authorize a cull. Determined to find the truth, she enlists the help of a former Deadhart sheriff, Jenson Tucker, whose investigation into the previous murder almost cost him his life. Since then, Tucker has become a recluse. But he knows the Colony better than almost anyone. As the pair delve into the town’s history, they uncover secrets darker than they could have imagined. And then another body is found.

Our society is obsessed with achievement. Young people are pushed toward the next test or the “best” grammar school, high school or college they can get into. Adults push themselves toward the highest-paying, most prestigious jobs, seeking promotions and public recognition. As Adam Gopnik points out, the result is not so much a rat race as a rat maze, with no way out. Except one: to choose accomplishment over achievement. Achievement, Gopnik argues, is the completion of the task imposed from outside. Accomplishment, by contrast, is the end point of an engulfing activity one engages in for its own sake. In ALL THAT HAPPINESS IS, Gopnik demonstrates that while self-directed passions sometimes do lead to a career, the contentment that flows from accomplishment is available to each of us.

Agent Seventeen, the most infamous hit man in the world, has quit. But whoever wants to become Assassin Eighteen must track him down and kill him first. So when a bullet hits the glass inches from his face, he knows who fired it. Doesn't he? It turns out that the sniper isn't the hardened killer he was expecting. It's Mireille, a mysterious silent child abandoned in the woods with instructions to pull the trigger. Reuniting with his spiky lover, Kat, Seventeen has to protect Mireille and discover who sent her to kill him and why. But the road he must travel is littered with bodies. And the answer, when it comes, will blow apart everything Seventeen thought he knew.

When Kate Summerlin was 11 years old, she climbed out her bedroom window looking for a taste of freedom. But what she found as she wandered in the woods near her house was something else: the body of a beautiful young woman, the first of Merkury’s victims. And before she could come to grips with what she was seeing, she heard a voice behind her --- the killer’s voice --- saying: “Don’t turn around.” Now, Kate is a successful true crime writer, but she has never told anyone the truth about what happened on that long-ago night. When Merkury claims yet another victim, a college student, Kate finds herself drawn back to the town where everything started. She sets out to make sense of this latest crime, but the deeper she gets into the story, the more she comes to realize that it’s far from over.