Reading Group Choices

09/23/2024

COLEMAN HILL by Kim Coleman Foote as an RGC featured book this month!

In 1916, during the early days of the Great Migration, Celia Coleman and Lucy Grimes flee the racism and poverty of their homes in the post–Civil War South for the “Promised Land” of Vauxhall, New Jersey. But the North possesses its own challenges and bigotries that will shape the fates of the women and their families over the next seventy years. Told through the voices of nine family members—their perspectives at once harmonious and contradictory—Coleman Hill is a penetrating multigenerational debut.

“A masterpiece. Brilliant, vivid, heartbreaking, epic, beautiful, raw and true . . . This is the American story.” —Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less Is Lost

Read more about this feature at the link:
https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/coleman-hill/

09/18/2024

AGNES SHARP AND THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME by Leonie Swann as an RGC featured book this month!

This highly anticipated follow-up to The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp finds Agnes and her octogenarian friends face-to-face with a killer after winning a trip to a beautiful hotel in the seaside town of Cornwall.

The year is rapidly drawing to an end, Hettie the tortoise is hibernating and Agnes, Charlie, Marshall, and the other elderly residents of Sunset Hall are going stir-crazy at home. They’ve had enough of the broken boiler, draughty bedrooms, and Christmas jingles on the radio. And to top it all off, another series of murders is rocking the hamlet of Duck End. It seems like every villager and his dog is trying to make up for all of the thwarted murders of the past thirty years.

“This madcap, quirky, laugh-out-loud funny, thoroughly delightful tale is as charming as it is improbable. It will especially appeal to fans of Richard Osman.” —Booklist

Read more about this feature at the link:
https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/agnes-sharp-and-the-trip-of-a-lifetime/

09/16/2024

A PLACE TO HIDE by Ronald H. Balson as an RGC featured book this month!

From the winner of the National Jewish Book Award

Theodore “Teddy” Hartigan is the scion of a wealthy Washington, D.C. family who place him into a comfortable job at the State Department and a placid diplomat’s career. In 1938, as Hitler’s inexorable rise continues, Teddy is re-assigned to the US Consulate in Amsterdam to replace fleeing staff.

Read more about this feature and grab the discussion questions at the link:
https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/place-to-hide/

08/31/2024

Wrapping up August we have THE COMFORT OF GHOSTS by Jacqueline Winspear as an RGC recommended book this month!

London, 1945: Four adolescent orphans with a dark wartime history are squatting in a vacant Belgravia mansion—the owners having fled London under heavy Luftwaffe bombing. Psychologist and Investigator Maisie Dobbs visits the mansion on behalf of the owners and discovers that a demobilized soldier, gravely ill and reeling from his experiences overseas, has taken shelter with the group.

“Taut, tense, beautifully written . . . What you may not expect is the inventiveness of Winspear’s twists, the on-edge excitement they provoke, or the philosophical issues and psychological depths they all allow her to explore.” —USA Today

Read more about this book at the link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/comfort-of-ghosts/

08/31/2024

Reminder! The window to enter our monthly giveaway ends today! You can win a copy of THE SHADOW KEY by Susan Stokes-Chapman!

Click the link to enter: https://readinggroupchoices.com/giveaways/

08/30/2024

KINDRED by Octavia E. Butler is an RGC featured YA book this month AND you can win a free copy when you enter our monthly giveaway!

Dana, a 1970s Black woman, is celebrating her 26th birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned to save him. Dana is drawn back repeatedly through time to the slave quarters, and each time the stay grows longer, more arduous, and more dangerous until it is uncertain whether or not Dana’s life will end, long before it has a chance to begin.

“Butler’s characters are so vivid and the racist milieu in which they struggle to survive so realistically depicted that one cannot finish Kindred without feeling changed. It is a shattering work of art with much to say about love, hate, slavery, and racial dilemmas, then and now.” —Sam Frank, Los Angeles Herald-Examiner

Read more about this feature at the link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/kindred/

Enter to win a copy of your own here:
https://readinggroupchoices.com/giveaways/

08/29/2024

THE ITALY LETTERS by Vi Khi Nao is an RGC recommended book this month!

The Italy Letters is a slim, powerful shot of literary fantasia from one of America’s best-kept secrets. Long an underground favorite, visionary writer Vi Khi Nao weaves an unforgettable and highly distinctive story of a love affair suffused with longing, erotic passion, and heartbreak—all while painting a picture of the gritty underside of Las Vegas.

“Queer, sensual, ‘literary fantasia.'” —Ms Magazine

“Explodes with feeling.” —Publisher’s Weekly

Read more about this feature at the link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/italy-letters/

08/28/2024

WORDHUNTER by Stella Sands is an RGC featured book this month and we a running a giveaway! 10 winners each receive a copy + one grand prize winner wins up to 10 copies!

Tattooed, pierced, and a bit of a mess, Maggie Moore is a surprising genius when it comes to words, a savant able to solve any linguistic puzzle. The top student in her forensic linguistics class, she’s tapped by local police to use her skills to decipher harrowing notes left by a stalker-turned-rapist—and succeeds brilliantly.

“For readers who enjoy chilling mysteries and thrillers. Fans of strong character-building will delight in watching Maggie and Jackson’s partnership bring out their individual strengths.” —Library Journal

Read more about it at the link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/wordhunter/

Enter the giveaway here: https://readinggroupchoices.com/giveaways/

08/27/2024

WANTED: TODDLER’S PERSONAL ASSISTANT by Stephanie Kiser is an RGC featured book this month!

When Stephanie Kiser moves to New York City after college to pursue a career in writing, she quickly learns that her entry-level salary won’t cover the high cost of living—never mind her crushing student loan debt. But there is one in-demand job that pays more than enough to allow Stephanie to stay in the city: nannying for the 1%. Desperate to escape the poverty of her own childhood and jump social classes, Stephanie falls into a job that hijacks her life for the next seven years: a personal assistant to toddlers on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

“Humor and wit pervade her page-turning tales, allowing a lightness to peek through her poignant, pertinent employment experiences… A unique examination of persistent wealth inequality in the U.S.” —Kirkus Reviews

Read more about this feature at the link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/wanted-toddlers-personal-assistant/

08/25/2024

BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN by Daniel Aleman is an RGC YA featured book this month!

Every morning, sixteen-year-old Sol wakes up at the break of dawn in her hometown of Tijuana, Mexico and makes the trip across the border to go to school in the United States. Though the commute is exhausting, this is the best way to achieve her dream: becoming the first person in her family to go to college.

Read more about this feature at the link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/brighter-than-the-sun/

08/23/2024

THAT LIBRARIAN by Amanda Jones is an RGC recommended book this month!

One of the things small town librarian Amanda Jones values most about books is how they can affirm a young person’s sense of self. So in 2022, when she caught wind of a local public hearing that would discuss “book content,” she knew what was at stake. Schools and libraries nationwide have been bombarded by demands for books with LGTBQ+ references, discussions of racism, and more to be purged from the shelves. Amanda would be damned if her community were to ban stories representing minority groups. She spoke out that night at the meeting. Days later, she woke up to a nightmare that is still ongoing.

“A full-throated defense of the freedom to read, to discover, and to think.” —California Review of Books

Read more about it and grab the discussion questions at the link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/that-librarian/

08/20/2024

THE SINGER SISTERS by Sarah Seltzer is an RGC featured book this month!

It’s 1996, and alt-rocker Emma Cantor is on tour, with her sights trained on a record deal. Emma’s got no lack of inspiration for her music — chiefly her mother Judie, a 1960s folk legend whose confessional songs made her an icon before her mysterious withdrawal from the public eye. Emma is baffled by Judie’s coldness, and is deeply shaken when she learns a long-kept secret about their family. When Emma uncovers more about her mother’s past, she is vaulted to new heights as a performer. But the knowledge she gains also propels her toward a musical betrayal that further fractures her relationship with Judie. Increasingly famous, but fragile and isolated, Emma grapples with her mother’s legacy and what it means for her own future.

“I devoured Sarah Seltzer’s debut novel The Singer Sisters as it swung between the 1960s folk scene and the 1990s alt rock scene. Seltzer spins a profound web, showing the complex intergenerational push and pull between mothers, daughters, sisters. Long kept secrets are revealed through songs and albums and mysterious strangers.” —Bethany Ball, author of The Pessimists

Read more about this feature at the link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/singer-sisters/

08/16/2024

THE WISDOM OF THE WILLOW by Nancy Chadwick is an RGC recommended book this month!

In the backyard of Margaret and Joe Dowling’s new house in the north suburbs of Chicago, Joe plants a young willow tree as a symbol of home, belonging, and growth. As the years pass, the willow becomes a place for Margaret to share life’s wisdom with their four young daughters.

“The understandings and grievances of sisterhood, its rivalries and love, bind the women together. . . a richly layered, beautifully written, and deeply satisfying novel.” —Lynn Sloan, author of Midstream

Read more about this feature at the link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/wisdom-of-the-willow/

08/15/2024

RICKY & OTHER LOVE STORIES by Whitney Collins is an RGC featured book this month!

From Whitney Collins, the award-winning author of Big Bad, arrives a new collection of dark, derelict, and hilarious tales about—you guessed it—love.

“Rippling with l***y eccentrics and village witches and any number of go-for-broke schemers, Ricky & Other Love Stories is the kind of wickedly funny book that, whenever you throw your head back in laughter, drops a fierce capsule of truth into the pink of your throat.” —Karen Tucker, author of Bewilderness

Read more about this feature and get the discussion questions at the link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/ricky-and-other-love-stories/

08/12/2024

THE HOUSEKEEPER’S SECRET by Iona Grey is an RGC featured book this month and it comes out tomorrow (August 13th)!

Standing in the remote windswept moors of Northern England, Coldwell Hall is the perfect place to hide. For the past five years, Kate Furniss has maintained her professional mask so carefully that she almost believes she is the character she has created: Coldwell’s respectable housekeeper.

“A fervent upstairs-downstairs drama…Grey’s insightful narrative sheds light on ways in which the war ‘jolted [Britain’s servant class] out of their ‘torpor,’ as one former Coldwell servant puts it, opening new opportunities for factory work and military service. This will keep readers turning the pages.” —Publishers Weekly

Read more about this feature at the link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/housekeepers-secret/

08/12/2024

ICYMI! We released a stellar newsletter last week.

Check out this link to catch up with Reading Group Choices! https://mailchi.mp/readinggroupchoices/august-2024-newsletter

A metaphorically rich and reflective tale of sisterhood and strength, The Wisdom of the Willow is a story of hope and healing, of the choices that shape our lives, and the challenges we all face as we seek to find our places in the world.

07/31/2024

THE BURNING by Kate Burkholder is an RGC featured audio book this month!

Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates a gruesome murder that reveals a little-known chapter of early Amish history in this next riveting installment of the bestselling series by Linda Castillo.

“A brutal, gripping look at murder in a self-enclosed community with many secrets to hide.” —Kirkus Reviews

Read more about this feature at the link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/burning/

07/31/2024

Hello all! ICYMI we have another giveaway this month! 10 winners will each receive an audiobook download of WILLKIE SPRINT by Kerry Hellmuth!

In the triumphal spirit of Breaking Away comes the unforgettable true story of the first women’s Little 500 race at Indiana University.

“Woven through this gripping story of a bicycle race are threads of a larger and longer story about women’s struggle to gain the rights and opportunities enjoyed by men. Kerry Hellmuth and her cycling teammates, along with all the other competitors in that historic race, helped move our nation forward on the difficult, generations-long path toward gender equity. This lively memoir invites us along for the ride.” —Scott Russell Sanders, author of Small Marvels

Sign up to win your copy at this link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/giveaways/

07/30/2024

A CERTAIN KIND OF STARLIGHT by Heather Webber is an RGC featured audio book this month!
Everyone knows that Addie Fullbright can’t keep a secret. Yet, twelve years ago, as her best friend lay dying, she entrusted Addie with the biggest secret of all. One so shattering that Addie felt she had to leave her hometown of Starlight, Alabama, to keep from revealing a devastating truth to someone she cares for deeply.

“Lyrical, magical and as sweet and rich as one of Aunt Bean’s cakes, Heather Webber’s latest deserves a place in your home and heart. That glow you feel when you finish? It’s your soul thanking you for reading A Certain Kind of Starlight and for always choosing the light over the dark.” —Viola Shipman, USA Today bestselling author of The Page Turner

To learn more check out this link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/a-certain-kind-of-starlight/

Additionally,
THE HOUSE OF FORTUNE by Jessie Burton is an RGC recommended book this month!

In Amsterdam in 1705, Thea Brandt is coming of age, trying to grapple with her family’s secrets and her own identity as a young Dutch African woman. She’s drawn to the theater and an artistic life, but with her family in serious financial decline, pressure is on Thea to marry up in society.

“The Dutch setting is masterfully evoked, both indoors and out, and the Brandts and their secrets are shrewdly depicted . . . Captivating.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune]

Check out the discussion questions at this link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/house-of-fortune/

07/26/2024

THE HAUNTING OF HECATE CAVENDISH by Paula Brackston is an RGC recommended audio book this month!

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish is book one in New York Times bestselling author Paula Brackston’s new, magic-infused series about Hecate Cavendish, an eccentric and feisty young woman who can see ghosts.

“Brackston seamlessly blends horror, fantasy, and mystery…readers with a penchant for gothic fantasy won’t want to miss this.” —Publisher’s Weekly

To learn more about it check out this link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/haunting-of-hecate-cavendish/

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish is a Reading Group Choices favorite featured book for book groups for July.

07/19/2024

We’re so thrilled that HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN by Joyce Maynard is an RGC recommended book this month!

From New York Times bestselling author Joyce Maynard comes the eagerly anticipated follow-up to her beloved novel Count the Ways—a complex story of three generations of a family and its remarkable, resilient, indomitable matriarch, Eleanor.

“Readers will sink into Maynard’s masterful portrait of one woman’s life in this decades-spanning family saga.” –– Library Journal (starred review)

Check out the discussion questions at this link: https://readinggroupchoices.com/books/how-the-light-gets-in/

How the Light Gets In is a best book club book for discussion. Eleanor tries to rebuild her life after the passing of her husband.

07/19/2024

ATTENTION MONTANA BOOK LOVERS!

Check out River Arts and Books and help them bring this book shop to reality!

"We are seeking donations and grants to bring River Arts & Books to reality. We aim to open in 2024 with our book shop and a full program of events. Until then, we’re hosting pop-up events, fundraisers, and work parties to engage our community. Donate below, and check out our Events page to come join in. "

Click this link to learn more: https://www.riverartsandbooks.org/

07/15/2024

Remember last week's feature if IT'S NOT HYSTERIA by Dr. Karen Tang? Well you can win a copy! We are so excited about this give away.

Click this link to enter to win: https://readinggroupchoices.com/giveaways/

07/11/2024

This week's newsletter is top-notch!

We are so excite to have one of our recommended books this week be NO TWO PERSONS by Erica Bauermeister.

One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister’s No Two Persons is “a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives.”

“Gorgeous, nuanced, and intimate, No Two Persons will stay with you well after the last page is turned.”
—Anna Quinn, author of The Night Child

To see more of our recommended books check out this link: https://mailchi.mp/readinggroupchoices/july-2024-newsletter

07/11/2024

Have you ever dreamed of owning a charming bookstore in a beautiful seaport town? Well, here is your opportunity to take the reins of a successful business that has been operating in Port Townsend for nearly 50 years! Centrally located in historic downtown, The Imprint Bookstore & Writers' Workshop has been serving locals and tourists alike with a well-curated selection of new books, creative writing workshops & engaging, one-of-a-kind events. With a strong online presence and exciting potential for growth, this business is primed and ready for its next chapter. Please view with discretion and do not disturb staff.

More details can be found here: https://imprintbookstore.wreproperty.com/index.html

To request more information, reach out to Sophie Elan at [email protected]