Blog

We wrap up this year’s Mother’s Day Author Blog series with Casey Sherman, whose latest book, THE KILLER AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT, releases on May 26th. Here, he delves beyond the myth of Frank Lloyd Wright's genius to reveal a man of relentless ambition, consuming passion and devastating loss. Throughout his career, Casey has shared the stories of many inspirational people. But his personal hero has been and always will be his mother, Diane Sullivan Dodd, whose love, support and guidance literally saved his life.

Laurie Frankel’s sixth book, ENORMOUS WINGS, is an exuberant and timely novel about female agency and bodily autonomy, morality and mortality. It’s about motherhood and family, sex and love and friendship, and how those bedrocks --- even so late in the day --- can still change, and then change everything. Laurie and her sister inherited a love of reading from their parents and grandmothers. They, in turn, have passed down their passion for books to their own children. Reading has been and always will be a family affair for Laurie and her loved ones. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

Releasing on May 19th, THE GULF OF LIONS is a stand-alone sequel to acclaimed author Caitlin Shetterly’s PETE AND ALICE IN MAINE. Recovering from the trauma of breast cancer and a mastectomy, Alice takes a once-in-a-lifetime trip across France with her two daughters. During all the years of reading books to her children, Caitlin realized that there were so many stories where the mother was either dead or was dying. So when it came time to start writing THE GULF OF LIONS, she was determined to flip the script on this disconcerting trope. Six months after sending the novel off to her editor, Caitlin received shocking news and turned to her protagonist for some much-needed comfort.

Marie Benedict is back with her latest work of historical fiction, DAUGHTER OF EGYPT, a sweeping tale of a young woman who unearths the truth about a forgotten pharaoh --- rewriting both of their legacies forever. As a child, Marie always looked forward to spending Saturday mornings with her mother at the library, where a treasure trove of books awaited her.

THE FOUNTAIN, Casey Scieszka’s debut novel, blends the spectacular with the everyday in a tale about eternity and mortality that asks what it would mean to live forever. Casey’s mother developed an appreciation for the octopus after watching a documentary and reading Sy Montgomery’s bestseller about this surprisingly complex creature. Years later, another book about an octopus would take on an even greater and deeper meaning for Casey and her mother.

We are kicking off this year’s Mother’s Day Author Blog series with Devi S. Laskar. Her third novel, MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR, is about a reporter chasing the biggest story of her career as she contends with a tense newsroom, a dangerous global conflict, and all the problems she’s running away from at home. The book’s release has been bittersweet for Devi, as she explains in this heartwarming tribute to her family of voracious readers. She is especially eager to hear what her mother thinks of her latest work.

Clive Cussler was the author of more than 70 books in five bestselling series, beginning with THE MEDITERRANEAN CAPER, the opening installment in the Dirk Pitt adventure series, which debuted in 1973. A second Dirk Pitt novel followed, but it was the third one --- RAISE THE TITANIC! --- that paved the way for a new level of success. The book reached number two on the New York Times bestseller list following its publication on October 26, 1976, and Clive’s career would never be the same again.

On Wednesday, December 10th, we hosted our year-end “Bookaccino Live” event featuring eight Bookreporter reviewers: Sarah Rachel Egelman, Megan Elliott, Harvey Freedenberg, Pamela Kramer, Bronwyn Miller, Rebecca Munro, Norah Piehl and Stuart Shiffman. Each talked about two of their favorite books of 2025. Kate Ayers and Ray Palen, who have appeared on previous programs, were not able to join us live. But we showed Ray’s presentation on video, and we shared Kate’s picks, along with brief excerpts from her reviews of those books.

We wrap up this year’s Holiday Author Blog series with Terah Shelton Harris, whose latest work of fiction, WHERE THE WILDFLOWERS GROW, releases on February 17th. This poignant story of survival and redemption questions what it means to stop existing and start living. In 2023, Terah gave her friend a copy of her debut novel, ONE SUMMER IN SAVANNAH. Read on to find out why she considers it to be the best book she has ever gifted.

Set amongst the glittering backdrop of London's iconic Savoy hotel, LAST CALL AT THE SAVOY is Brisa Carleton’s debut novel and a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. In it, a young woman is forced to confront her troubled past as she uncovers the story of the hotel’s first female bartender who has been erased from the history books. In her holiday blog post, Brisa explains how reading THE NUTCRACKER and performing in her town’s ballet production of E. T. A. Hoffmann’s classic tale ignited her passion for the theater and led to an award-winning career as a Broadway producer.