2024 Bookreporter Bets On Selections: Books We're Betting You'll Love
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Carol Fitzgerald shares commentary about her 40 Bookreporter Bets On selections from 2024. These are books that she is betting Bookreporter readers will love! (* means a video/podcast interview with that author is available.) The Women by Kristin Hannah * The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali * First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston * Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews * Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams * The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff * The Stolen Child by Ann Hood * Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris * The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan What Does It Feel Like?...
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"Bookaccino Live": Our Reviewers' Top Book Picks of 2024
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Carol Fitzgerald and Tom Donadio talked to seven Bookreporter reviewers about two of their favorite books of 2024. Our guests were Kate Ayers, Harvey Freedenberg, Pamela Kramer, Bronwyn Miller, Rebecca Munro, Ray Palen and Stuart Shiffman. Four reviewers — Sarah Rachel Egelman, Megan Elliott, Eileen Zimmerman Nicol and Norah Piehl — were not able to join us, so we presented their top picks and their comments about them in a slideshow. Their selections cover a wide variety of genres, and there may be a few books you haven’t heard of that you will want to check out. You can see a...
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"Bookaccino Live" Book Group: Ariel Lawhon
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Ariel Lawhon joined us for a “Bookaccino Live” Book Group discussion of THE FROZEN RIVER, which was a “Good Morning America” Book Club pick and an NPR Book of the Year when it was published in hardcover last December. It is now available in paperback and is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Our reviewer Pamela Kramer has this to say about the book, and it is so dead-on: "A book club would have myriad topics to discuss after reading this thoughtful novel about a time when the health care of women was often better left entirely to women themselves." Ariel talks about Martha Ballard, a...
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Sharon Virts: The Grays of Truth
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Carol Fitzgerald talks to Sharon Virts about her latest historical mystery, THE GRAYS OF TRUTH. This Bookreporter Bets On selection was inspired by true events involving one of Baltimore’s most powerful families. Sharon discusses why the Reconstruction era is such a poignant time in American history. She also explains the challenges of creating Jane, her protagonist, and the Edgar Allan Poe quotes that lead off sections of the book. In addition to giving us hints about what is next for her, Sharon talks about the work of the Selma Farm Foundation, as well as the large online book club that...
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Paula Hawkins: The Blue Hour
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Paula Hawkins joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest novel, THE BLUE HOUR, which is November’s “Good Morning America” Book Club pick and a Bookreporter Bets On selection. She discusses her inspiration for the book’s setting, which she had when she was on vacation, as well as her love of art. The characters and the way they move in and out of each other’s lives is key to the storylines, and she explains how their roles changed as the book went on. Paula also shares where the title came from and what she loves about the cover. Our Latest “Bookreporter Talks To” Interviews:...
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Bookaccino Book Club: Amanda Peters
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Amanda Peters joined us for October’s “Bookaccino Live” Book Group to discuss THE BERRY PICKERS, which was the 2023 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize winner and was awarded the 2024 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. It also was a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Amanda talks about her inspiration for the novel, which involved a trip to Maine with her father to show her where his family who was part of the Mi'kmaq tribe came from. She shares that the story was first written in only one voice and explains when she made the decision to change that. The audience questions flew...
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Susan Rieger: Like Mother, Like Mother
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Susan Rieger joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest novel, LIKE MOTHER, LIKE MOTHER, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. She shares what drove her to write this book and why it is structured as a mystery, with the feel of literary Russian nesting dolls. Susan also reveals which was her favorite character to write and discusses the use of genealogy, as well as DNA. And she talks about what it was like to start writing fiction late in life. Our Latest “Bookreporter Talks To” Interviews: Jean Hanff Korelitz: Laura Dave: Chris Whitaker: T.J. Newman: Dawn...
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Jean Hanff Korelitz: The Sequel
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Jean Hanff Korelitz joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest book, THE SEQUEL, the appropriately titled follow-up to THE PLOT. In it, Anna, the widow of Jacob Finch Bonner, is enjoying the riches of being a literary widow and has written a debut novel called THE AFTERWORD. But, ah, Anna has a secret to hide. Jean shares the fun she had layering wry humor into the book, as well as how she satirizes the publishing industry in juicy detail. Yes, there is film news talk, as well as what’s next for Jean. Our Latest “Bookreporter Talks To” Interviews: Shelley Read:...
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Bookaccino Book Club: Shelley Read
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Shelley Read was our guest for September’s “Bookaccino Live” Book Group. As this was a book group-style program, we did talk spoilers. Four audience members joined us to ask her questions, all of which looked at GO AS A RIVER from different angles. Shelley shared her inspiration for the book and how she created her characters. She talked about prejudice and how it influenced her work. As a fifth-generation Coloradan, she explained how that history in her family gave her a perspective on her writing. The conversation was insightful, and readers clearly were passionate about this book. Our...
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Laura Dave: The Night We Lost Him
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Laura Dave talks to Carol Fitzgerald about her latest novel, THE NIGHT WE LOST HIM, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. At the heart of this story is a secret that has been hidden for years — one that may have caused the death of Liam Noone, a successful hotel magnate. Nora, his daughter from one of his marriages, is convinced by Sam, his son from another marriage, to join together to see if his death was accidental or something more sinister. Laura talks about Liam’s unique hotel properties and what inspired them, and how research finds its way into her writing. She...
info_outlineChris Whitaker joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about his New York Times bestseller, ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Chris explains how he developed the book by spending a year writing just dialogue to get a feel for his characters, Patch and Saint. Once he had a good grasp of their voices, he could write around that. Chris went through trauma in his youth that overshadowed his life, and it fueled his writing here. He shares how he researches the locations that he uses in his novels and talks about the joy of having Edoardo Ballerini as a narrator for the audiobook. And yes, he addresses the book’s 261 chapters that are just one to three pages long.
Our Latest “Bookreporter Talks To” Interviews:
T.J. Newman: https://youtu.be/DOfl2RAdcB8
Dawn Tripp: https://youtu.be/OgaYC7kSlok
Amy Neff: https://youtu.be/DAWwbUcGGLg
Beatriz Williams: https://youtu.be/vGnD2jPxdVY
Caro Carver: https://youtu.be/a4cg_dIeXHo
Our Latest “Bookaccino Live” Book Group Events:
William Kent Krueger: https://youtu.be/IsIQJn3vYNI
Ann Napolitano: https://youtu.be/VNYNugzjVbo
Kate Morton: https://youtu.be/P8nwLRTAaFg
Shelby Van Pelt: https://youtu.be/V2RbvnDn_rs
Lisa See: https://youtu.be/GV3G-szlWHU
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Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald
Edited by Jordan Redd Productions