July 10, 2026

July 10, 2026

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Hot Times in the Summertime

Last weekend, when the temperature hit 102 degrees, I retreated to the pool where the water was a glorious 83 degrees. I love reading in the water. I stood poolside with my book, and when I wanted to aqua jog in the deep end, I switched over to an audiobook. Occasionally I had to fight the Polaris, which sweeps the bottom of the pool and wags its tail, resulting in some wet pages. But I also got pretty adept at nudging it away over the three-day weekend.

A wild storm whipped through last Friday night, which seemed to last 10-15 minutes and felled trees, including one on the lower level of our property that hit a fence. It knocked power out, luckily not ours, except for a brief time on Monday when they were bringing other lines back online.

My reading included EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING HURT by Ben Reeves, which I loved so much that it will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. Travis lives in a small town, and “[h]is job is to offer people comfort in their final hours of life, which he does without complaint or judgement.” Then he meets a woman and her young family, and through them he comes to understand what is beautiful in life and what it really means when someone has passed. The writing is lovely, and I hope to interview Ben.

Next up was THE HALF LIFE by Rachel Beanland, which I also loved. Releasing on Tuesday, it takes place on the Italian island of La Maddalena in the 1970s. Rachel lived with her family in La Maddalena when her father was stationed there with the Navy, and she had wanted to set a book there for a while. Her first two novels, FLORENCE ADLER SWIMS FOREVER and THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE, were Bets On picks, just as THE HALF LIFE will be. I interviewed Rachel this week, and our conversation will run in the July 24th newsletter.

I now am just about finished with LITTLE WONDER by Sophie Chen Keller, which is Oprah's latest Book Club pick. This story of a little piano protégé and his mother from whom he is separated is so compelling. I hope to interview Sophie.

As I alluded to above, I came up with a new idea to encourage myself to run in the deep  end of the pool: I listen to an audiobook while I run. Currently, it's A PAIR OF ACES by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, which also is my audiobook for the car. Yes, I weave in books wherever I can throughout the day.

We have two new “Bookreporter Talks To” interviews to share with you in this newsletter.

First up is Jenny Jackson, whose latest novel, THE SHAMPOO EFFECT, was announced as July’s “Read with Jenna” Book Club pick on the day of this interview (it also is this month’s Barnes & Noble Book Club selection). Set in a seaside Massachusetts town inspired by Ipswich, where Jenny grew up, the book explores themes of friendship, romantic entanglement, generational differences, imposter syndrome, and coming of age in one's 30s.

Jenny talks about her writing process and balancing her role as Vice President and Editorial Director of Fiction at Alfred A. Knopf with her writing career. I note the book's layered, unfolding mystery quality, with readers constantly wondering about character connections and motivations. Jenny knew key character traits from the start --- Caroline's complicated relationship with her mother, Bailey's fierce independence, Augusta's traditional old-money conservatism, and Fran's exasperated, low-maintenance personality (partly inspired by her best friend). Rotating points of view is central to Jenny's authorial voice and thematic goals, and the characters’ backstories were largely established before writing.

Jenny discusses how the book captures shifting attitudes toward sexuality and parenting across generations. And she also shares the origins of the title. I selected THE SHAMPOO EFFECT as a Bets On pick, just as I did Jenny's debut novel, PINEAPPLE STREET.

Click here to watch the interview or here to listen to the podcast.

I also had the pleasure of talking to Beatriz Williams about her new novel, WHEN YOU LOVED ME, which will be a Bets On selection.

Set on fictional Winthrop Island, this multilayered story combines historical fiction, mystery, romance and family drama. The Winthrop Island series has allowed Beatriz to build a rich, interconnected world where characters evolve across multiple books. WHEN YOU LOVED ME has a piece that will have readers marveling at how the island’s inhabitants survived during a harsh winter when the snow was unrelenting.

Beatriz talks about the deliberate choices behind the novel's various narrative perspectives, as well as the multicast recording for the audiobook. She shares personal background on her football experience at Stanford, which directly inspired the character of Ben Ressler, an NFL player at the center of the story. And towards the end of our discussion, Beatriz reveals what’s next for her.

Click here to watch the interview or here to listen to the podcast.

We hosted this month’s “Bookaccino Live” book preview afternoon event on Wednesday. I talked about 34 books releasing between now and August 4th, along with 16 from September, that we wanted to get on your radar. You can watch the presentation here and see a list of the featured titles here.

Next month's “Bookaccino Live” book preview afternoon event will take place on Wednesday, August 12th at 2pm ET. The focus will be on books releasing between August 11th and September 1st, in addition to some titles releasing in October, that we think will appeal to you. Click here to sign up.

The big-screen adaptation of Azar Nafisi’s beloved 2003 memoir, READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN, released today in New York and will be opening in theaters nationwide throughout the month.

Greenwich Entertainment is giving you the chance to win tickets to see the movie at a theater near you. Click here for all the details. We have more info about this exciting offer and the movie later in this newsletter.

I had the opportunity to screen Reading Lolita in Tehran, and I enjoyed it very much. For book group readers who loved the book, you will not want to miss this highly anticipated film. I strongly recommend it! 

Each month on ReadingGroupGuides.com, we compile the discussion guides that our readers have accessed the most. We love seeing which books resonate with them.

In the spirit of learning more about our audience, we're curious about what you'll be reading with your book group this month. Let us know here by Monday, July 27th, and we'll share the top results in our late July Reading Group Guides newsletter.

In LOVE YOU MORE, an emotionally powerful novel from bestselling author Emily Giffin, a woman is newly engaged to a man she adores when she receives a call from her first love with news that shatters her carefully ordered world. It’s a story about the plot twists that life throws at us --- and how love, in all its forms, has the power to change everything.

In her review, Norah Piehl calls the book “a bittersweet romance that will appeal to those who like second-chance love stories.” She goes on to say, “The novel's resolution feels slightly rushed but also inevitable in the best way --- and readers will be rooting for Billie to follow a path that stays true to herself while also sustaining others.”

Ben Reeves’ highly anticipated debut novel, the aforementioned EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING HURT, is July’s #1 Indie Next pick. For fans of Fredrik Backman and Virginia Evans, this timeless story is about finding beauty, hope and meaning in the brevity of life, as narrated by the one who knows it best: Death.

Rebecca Munro has our review and says, “I’d urge readers who are recently bereaved to tread lightly, but EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING HURT is a balm, a salve, a gift. And perhaps, most potently of all, it is an urgent reminder to do the thing that you will wish on your deathbed you could have done one last time. For all you know, you could have only minutes remaining to do it.” Don’t miss my Bets On commentary later this month.

Another upcoming Bets On title is SINGLE GIRLS, which I've talked about in previous newsletters. John Searles’ latest novel revolves around the iconic Helen Gurley Brown’s early years at the helm of Cosmopolitan and the intrepid group of women she took under her wing to create one of the most talked-about magazines of all time.

According to Lorraine W. Shanley in her review, “By interweaving the scenes of Helen's rise to power as an icon of the New Woman with episodes from her childhood and coming of age in Los Angeles, Searles gives his subject a depth that is by turns poignant and tragic.... Searles makes the ending of SINGLE GIRLS dramatic and --- as it concludes on New Year’s Eve, when the 1970s are about to be ushered in --- circular... It’s a satisfying place to leave not just the novel’s characters, but also the decade that defines them.”

We will feature my interview with John in next week’s newsletter, followed by my Bets On commentary the following week.

Other books we’re reviewing this week include:

• MAN OVERBOARD!: A former college swimmer falls off a cruise ship and must keep treading water as memories and regrets wash over him in a funny and moving novel from Kathleen Rooney, the nationally bestselling author of LILLIAN BOXFISH TAKES A WALK.
   
• THE DELIVERY: Gregg Hurwitz, the New York Times bestselling author of the Orphan X series, is back with a tense novella, a psychological thriller about an AI companion that will do anything to serve --- with terrifying consequences.
   
• THE HOUSEMAID’S WEDDING: Wedding bells chime in this thrilling addition to The Housemaid series, a short story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden.

Summer Reading Contest Update
We gave away MOST ARDENTLY YOURS by Freya Sampson and TEACH THE TORCHES TO BURN by Christina Dodd in this week’s Summer Reading contests. Our next two prizes will be HOT GIRL MURDER CLUB by Ashley Winstead and THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING by Lisa Scottoline, the latter of which will be a Bets On title. These contests will be up at noon ET on Tuesday, July 14th and Wednesday, July 15th. I talked to Lisa this week, and we will share the interview with you in two weeks.

Enter Our New Word of Mouth Contest
You also have the chance to win THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING in our new Word of Mouth contest, along with the aforementioned THE HALF LIFE by Rachel Beanland. Let us know by Friday, July 24th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll be in the running to win both these titles.

July’s New in Paperback Roundups
Our New in Paperback roundups for July are now up. We’re featuring paperback fiction reprints from such bestselling authors as William Kent Krueger (APOSTLE’S COVE), the aforementioned Fredrik Backman (MY FRIENDS), Ruth Ware (THE WOMAN IN SUITE 11), Karin Slaughter (WE ARE ALL GUILTY HERE), Ocean Vuong (THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS), and Francesca Serritella (FULL BLOOM); nonfiction titles, including EMPIRE OF THE ELITE: Inside Condé Nast, the Media Dynasty That Reshaped America by Michael M. Grynbaum and THIS HAPPENED TO ME: A Memoir by Kate Price; and paperback originals like AN INFINITE LOVE STORY by Chanel Cleeton and THE STORY KEEPER by Kelly Rimmer.

Books on Screen Offerings for July
We’ve also updated our Books on Screen feature for this month. Along with the aforementioned Reading Lolita in Tehran, July’s roundup includes the film The Odyssey; the series premieres of “The Five Star Weekend” on Peacock, “Little House on the Prairie” on Netflix, and “Elle” on Prime Video; the season premieres of AMC's “The Walking Dead: Dead City” and Apple TV's “Silo”; the conclusion of “Cape Fear” on Apple TV and “The Listeners” on STARZ; the season finale of AMC's “The Vampire Lestat”; the continuation of “House of the Dragon” on HBO; and the DVD/Blu-ray releases of The Devil Wears Prada 2, Animal Farm and All You Need Is Kill.

Vote in Our New Poll --- and Check Out Results from the Last Poll
For our latest poll, we’ve listed 35 titles releasing this month, and we’re asking you which, if any, you’re planning to read. Click here to let us know.

Our previous poll asked what you do about books when you go on vacation. Below are your top five responses, and you can see all the results here.

• I bring physical books (hardcovers or paperbacks) that I have bought (62%)
• I bring e-books that I have bought and downloaded (48%)
• I bring e-books that I have downloaded from the library (41%)
• I bring physical books from the library (31%)
• I buy physical books while I am on vacation (30%)

COUNTRY PEOPLE by Daniel Mason is July’s “Good Morning America” Book Club pick. The book, according to “GMA,” “follows a California family that moves to rural Vermont for a year, where the father hopes to finish his Ph.D. but instead becomes drawn into the town's eccentric characters and mysterious folklore.” Don’t miss our review of the book in next week’s newsletter.

Reese’s Book Club pick for this month is A FOUNDING MOTHER, the publication of which is timed perfectly for the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States. Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie's latest novel is a sweeping, intimate portrayal of Abigail Adams --- wife of one president and mother to another --- whose wit, willpower and wisdom helped shape the fledgling republic.

For more July selections, including the Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, see our “Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks” feature here.

News & Pop Culture

Reader Mail:

Our bookmarks, which have information about our websites, newsletters, live events, videos and podcasts, have been arriving, and we have been getting lovely notes about them. We love giving you a way to share news about what we do. If you want bookmarks to give to your book club or friends, please email me with your name, address and the number of bookmarks you would like. 

One reader wrote, “Thanks for another great presentation yesterday. I am in a book club of 12 people. We have been meeting for over 18 years. At one point we all worked at the same elementary school. Now only one is still working. The rest of us are retired and loving it. We are sending her bookmarks.”

Jennifer wrote, “Delighted to have them to hand out when telling other readers in person about your biz. Here's to you gaining even more devotees!”

Roe wrote, “I received the bookmarks today, and I can’t wait to share them. Thank you so much. You and your team have become like part of my family. I so look forward to your interviews, 'Bookaccino' afternoons and newsletters. I have been a fan for many, many years. I can remember signing on to AOL to see what Bookreporter was recommending. Keep up the wonderful work you do for all of us.”

Elise wrote, “First of all, thanks for the Bookreporter bookmarks! I have shared them with my book club, and everyone was excited to check out your website. I was very interested in your comments about word-of-mouth books that become hits. Currently I've been hearing a lot of buzz about The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion. After reading these wonderful books (all eight of them), I've been on the bandwagon too! You're right; there's nothing like a personal recommendation to spur readership. Thanks for all you do. I've especially been enjoying your author interview podcasts.”

Gerrie wrote about winning IT COULD HAVE BEEN HER and WHEN YOU LOVED ME in a recent Word of Mouth contest: “THANK YOU!!! I am over the moon! I am attaching two photos as I wasn’t sure if you wanted me in there or just the wonderful books. Have a fantastic weekend!” As you can see above, we decided to use both photos!

Sandi wrote, “Thank you, Carol. I just received the galley of THE HALF LIFE yesterday. I love the books I have read by Rachel Beanland and can't wait to tear into this one.” Sandi, once you read it, send us a photo and some thoughts on the book. Also, please share it wherever you usually talk about books!

Mary wrote, “I just finished DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON by Lisa See and was delighted to see YOU named in the credits at the end (yes, I know it’s probably weird to read the thank-yous at the end, but sometimes there is additional interesting material there). Congratulations on getting your contributions to the world of books and publishing acknowledged in this way.” Mary, I am so honored that Lisa shared that. I feel the same way about her.

Judy wrote, “Carol, I was on the Zoom meeting last week and greatly appreciated you asking for names and what you are reading being put in the chat. I am recovering from surgery and reading extensively. I copied down the names of the books being read by others attending the Zoom and now have a terrific reading list. I hope you will continue that for future meetings. Thanks.” We do this at all of our events! 

Sandy wrote, “As luck would have it, I had a conflict and was unable to attend the event with Bruce Holsinger, so I was pleased to be able to watch it after the fact. My book club will be talking about CULPABILITY next Wednesday, and I will be facilitating the discussion. So not only was the video interesting, it also was informative and will provide additional insights when we meet. Thank you to you and Bruce Holsinger.”

Denise kindly wrote about THEO OF GOLDEN and our event with Allen Levi: “I wish the Wall Street Journal talked about where I --- and lots of other devoted readers --- first encountered this book. That was such a great conversation, and one more example of the joy you bring to so many.” Denise was referring to this article from the Wall Street Journal, which I shared in the last newsletter.

Michele wrote, “Good evening. I love reading your newsletters, answering the polls and entering the contests. If you can forward a few bookmarks to share with my reading friends, I’d appreciate it. My girlfriend and I always choose a book to read together when we travel. In October, we are traveling with a third friend who has also agreed to read the same book (WHISTLER by Ann Patchett), so the bookmarks would come in handy for this. Keep up the great work with your newsletter!”

“The Five Star Weekend” on Peacock: Last night, I watched the first two episodes of this series, which is based on Elin Hilderbrand's book.

Next up, I am reading Nadia Hashimi's CITY OF WIDOWS. I loved Nadia's THE PEARL THAT BROKE ITS SHELL and SPARKS LIKE STARS, so I am very much looking forward to this one. 

This weekend, I know that Editorial Director Tom, as opposed to Husband Tom, will be watching the Wimbledon finals. I have a busy weekend on tap. Tomorrow, Husband Tom and I are headed to Lisa Scottoline's farm in Pennsylvania for a pre-publication party for the aforementioned THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING. Tom's sister arrives on Sunday and will stay until Tuesday. Then on Thursday, our friend Cathy (also known as Dez) is here for the night. Yes, it is the Fitzgerald B&B for the week. I am hoping to grab pool time on Sunday!

Read on, and have a great week.

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

P.S. For those of you who shop online, if you use the store links that appear on our site for shopping, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop/IndieBound. As you read our reviews and features, we would appreciate your considering this as you buy!

Featured Review: LOVE YOU MORE by Emily Giffin

LOVE YOU MORE by Emily Giffin (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Jessica Luza
Billie has built the perfect life. Her medical practice in New York City is thriving, and she’s finally found the right partner in Dean after years spent trying to move on from her high-school sweetheart, Mick. Their young love had been intense and true, but distance and ambition pulled them apart when she left Wisconsin for medical school. Then one morning, just after she’s accepted Dean’s romantic marriage proposal, Billie’s phone rings. It’s Mick --- calling for the first time in nearly a decade. His news is urgent. In a moment, everything changes. As Billie boards a plane back to Wisconsin, her past comes rushing in --- her hometown friendships, the love she and Mick shared, and the choices that shaped them all. What awaits her is a reckoning with what she’s lost, what she’s built, and what she still wants. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review: EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL
AND NOTHING HURT by Ben Reeves
July's #1 Indie Next Pick and an Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title

EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING HURT by Ben Reeves (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Mike Frankland
Travis is Death in the modern world. He lives with his cat in a small, gray town. His job is to offer people comfort in their final hours of life, which he does without complaint or judgment. He’s stoic, gentle and a little naive, despite who he is, but he never tries to change anyone’s fate. He is responsible for maintaining the balance of nature, and every life eventually must end. Then Travis meets Dalia, a midwife, and her boisterous eight-year-old daughter, Layla, who live across the hall. Despite his best attempts to keep his distance, he finds himself wholeheartedly embraced by other people for the first time. So it is with this seemingly unremarkable family that Travis begins to understand what it means to be truly alive --- and what might be irrevocably lost in death. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide on ReadingGroupGuides.com.

Click here to read our review.

EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING HURT will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.
Don't miss Carol's commentary later this month.

Featured Review: SINGLE GIRLS by John Searles
An Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title

SINGLE GIRLS by John Searles (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Amy Ryan
In 1965, Helen Gurley Brown is fresh off the runaway success of her book, SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL. Upon its publication, half the country is outraged, and the other half will follow her anywhere. Moved by the thousands of letters arriving at her doorstep from readers desperate for advice, she marches from one Manhattan magazine conglomerate to another, looking for a perch from which to dispense her unconventional wisdom. At her last stop, she finally gets her shot: just three issues to turn around the flailing magazine Cosmopolitan. SINGLE GIRLS begins at the dawn of Helen’s storied tenure and journeys back to her youth, envisioning the devastations and people who forged her into a controversial legend. Reviewed by Lorraine W. Shanley.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read our review.

SINGLE GIRLS will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.
Don't miss Carol's interview with John Searles in next week's newsletter,
followed by her Bets On commentary in the July 24th newsletter.

Win Tickets to a Screening of Reading Lolita in Tehran
at a Theater Near You!

Featured Review: MAN OVERBOARD! by Kathleen Rooney

Featured Review: THE DELIVERY by Gregg Hurwitz

Featured Review:
THE HOUSEMAID’S WEDDING by Freida McFadden

Bookreporter.com's 22nd Annual
Summer Reading Contests and Feature

Summer is here! 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 mid-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 next two contests will be up at noon ET on Tuesday, July 14th and Wednesday, July 15th. The prize books will be HOT GIRL MURDER CLUB by Ashley Winstead and THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING by Lisa Scottoline.

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

July’s New in Paperback Roundups

July's roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes APOSTLE'S COVE, the 21st installment in William Kent Krueger's New York Times bestselling series featuring Cork O'Connor, who revisits a case from his past and confronts mysterious deaths in the present; MY FRIENDS by Fredrik Backman, an unforgettably funny and deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life 25 years later; THE WOMAN IN SUITE 11, the follow-up to Ruth Ware’s multi-million-copy mega-hit, THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10, in which Lo Blacklock returns to attend the opening of a luxury hotel, only to find herself in a white-knuckled race across Europe; and Francesca Serritella's FULL BLOOM, a stunning novel about ambition and untapped desire that finds a woman's life forever changed by a mysterious perfume.

Among our nonfiction highlights are EMPIRE OF THE ELITE, Michael M. Grynbaum's dishy history of the Condé Nast magazine empire --- home of Vogue, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and more --- focusing on its glitzy heyday from the 1980s through the 2000s; JFK: Public, Private, Secret, J. Randy Taraborrelli's deeply researched and authoritative biography of John F. Kennedy; NORMAL WOMEN, a landmark work of feminist nonfiction from Philippa Gregory that radically redefines our understanding of the extraordinary roles ordinary women played throughout British history; and THIS HAPPENED TO ME, a transformative, exquisitely rendered memoir in which Kate Price describes how she broke free of that which had defined her childhood and went on to create a purpose-driven life and family, on her own terms.

Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of
July 6th, July 13th, July 20th and July 27th.

July’s Books on Screen Feature

Here is a preview of this month's movies, TV shows and DVDs/Blu-rays that are based on books. For a complete list of July's offerings, please click here.
 

Film Releases

Reading Lolita in Tehran
Release Dates: Friday, July 10th (New York); Friday, July 17th (Los Angeles); Friday, July 24th (wide release in theaters)
Based on: READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi

The Odyssey
Release Date: Friday, July 17th (wide release in theaters)
Based on: THE ODYSSEY by Homer
 

Series Premieres

"The Five Star Weekend" (8-episode limited series)
Release Date: Thursday, July 9th on Peacock (all episodes of the series are available)
Based on: THE FIVE-STAR WEEKEND by Elin Hilderbrand

"Little House on the Prairie"
Release Date: Thursday, July 9th on Netflix (all episodes of Season 1 are available)
Based on: The Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder 

"Lucky" (7-episode limited series)
Air Dates: Wednesdays on Apple TV; Series Premiere on July 15th (the first two episodes will be available)
Based on: LUCKY by Marissa Stapley
 

Season Premieres

"Silo"
Release Dates: Fridays on Apple TV; Season 3 Premiere on July 3rd
Based on: The Silo series by Hugh Howey

"The Walking Dead: Dead City"
Air Dates: Sundays at 9pm ET/PT on AMC; Season 3 Premiere on July 26th
Based on: The comic book series The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard
 

Series Finale

"Cape Fear" (10-episode limited series)
Release Dates: Fridays on Apple TV; Series Finale on July 31st
Based on: THE EXECUTIONERS by John D. MacDonald
 

Season Finale

"The Vampire Lestat"
Air Dates: Sundays at 9pm ET/PT on AMC; Season 3 Finale on July 19th
Based on: INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE by Anne Rice
 

On DVD and Blu-ray

Animal Farm
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: Tuesday, July 14th
Based on: ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell

The Devil Wears Prada 2
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: Tuesday, July 28th
Based on: Characters created by Lauren Weisberger
 

Click here to see our Books on Screen feature for July.

Our Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks for July

Each month, we share top book picks from Indie Next and LibraryReads. We also feature a number of other prominent selections, including the Barnes & Noble Book Club, the “Good Morning America” Book Club, Oprah’s Book Club, the PBS Books Readers Club, the “Read with Jenna” Book Club, Reese's Book Club, and the Target Book Club.

Below is a preview of July's “Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks.” For the complete Indie Next and LibraryReads lists, as well as additional links pertaining to this month's selections, please click here.

Indie Next
#1 Pick: EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING HURT by Ben Reeves
COUNTRY PEOPLE by Daniel Mason
THE SHAMPOO EFFECT by Jenny Jackson
A REAL ANIMAL by Emeline Atwood
IN STORMY WEATHER by Chelsea Curto

LibraryReads
Top Pick: THE STORY KEEPER by Kelly Rimmer
IN STORMY WEATHER by Chelsea Curto
IF BOOKS COULD KILL by Kate Eberle
THE EXQUISITE TORMENT OF LOVING YOUR ENEMY by Brigitte Knightley
HELPLESS by Jessica Knoll

Barnes & Noble Book Club
THE SHAMPOO EFFECT by Jenny Jackson

“Good Morning America” Book Club
COUNTRY PEOPLE by Daniel Mason

PBS Books Readers Club
As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, join PBS Books Readers Club on Thursday, July 30th at 8pm ET for “Booking It Across America”. Hosts Fred Nahhat and Lauren Smith highlight several contemporary authors from across the nation whose work helps form the rich tapestry of American storytelling.

“Read with Jenna” Book Club
THE SHAMPOO EFFECT by Jenny Jackson

Reese's Book Club
A FOUNDING MOTHER: A Novel of Abigail Adams by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

Target Book Club
EVERY VERSION OF YOU by Natalie Messier

Click here for July's Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks.

More Reviews This Week

HEATHER by Caitlin Mullen (Mystery)
Audiobook available; read by Bailey Carr, Christine Lakin and Mia Wurgaft
1990. In the myth-riddled woods of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, 16-year-old Annabelle Riley's twin sister, Sabrina, has been having an affair with a mysterious older man, and Annabelle is determined to uncover what's going on. Then, inexplicably, both sisters disappear. In this same town years later, newly instated police chief Callie Hauser makes an arrest that unexpectedly resurrects details from a heartbreaking cold case. As she digs deeper, the past and the present collide, challenging everything Callie believes about right and wrong, who she is, and the town she's always called home. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.

DEAD BUT DREAMING OF ELECTRIC SHEEP by Paul Tremblay (Psychological Thriller/Dystopian Horror)
Audiobook available; read by Sophie Amoss, Graham Halstead, John Pirhalla and Dan Bittner
Julia Flang is a twenty-something former semi-professional gamer. Out of the blue, her estranged mother offers her a temp job with a payday she can’t refuse. One sham interview later, she’s offered the job: to chaperone a man in a vegetative state --- one with proprietary AI implanted in his head --- from California to the East Coast. A middle-aged man wakes within a disorienting hellscape filled with monstrous grotesqueries. He has no memory of who he is, but he knows that he must find a certain person. Using a cell phone modeled after a video game controller, Julia fumblingly navigates the man she calls “Bernie” from the company campus and onto planes and through one of the largest airports in America. All the while, the man endures an ever-changing and worsening nightmare that offers clues as to who he was --- and who he must track down. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

THE WRECK OF THE MENTOR: A True Story of Death, Despair, and Deliverance in the Age of Sail by Eric Jay Dolin (History) 
Audiobook available, read by L.J. Ganser
From the bestselling author of BLACK FLAGS, BLUE WATERS comes the story of the American whaleship Mentor, wrecked in 1832 on a remote reef in the western Pacific. With supplies dwindling, the 11 surviving crewmen face not only the miseries of shipwreck in unfamiliar territory but also the profound uncertainty of contact with the Indigenous people of the Micronesian archipelago of Palau, who within days approach the deserted men brandishing axes, clubs and spears. In this gripping saga of cultural collision, tribal wars and dashed hopes, award–winning historian Eric Jay Dolin vividly reconstructs the Mentor’s doomed voyage, the years of perilous captivity, and the delicate negotiations and fraught naval rescue mission that followed. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.

ICARUS 17: A BOX 88 Thriller by Charles Cumming (Thriller)
Max Radinsky thought he was living the perfect life in Athens. But when his girlfriend, Yasmine, is forced to flee the city, Max joins her on a desperate journey across Greece. What begins as an escape becomes a fight for survival as the young couple are targeted by an international manhunt. Lachlan Kite, head of covert intelligence service BOX 88, hasn’t seen his former lover, Martha Raine, for more than 20 years. But when Martha begs his help in finding her missing son, Kite has no choice but to act. It turns out that Yasmine is carrying a secret that could destabilize the Middle East for a generation --- and a team of merciless Israeli intelligence agents have been given orders to kill her on sight. To save Max --- and stop a global crisis --- Kite and Martha must reach the young couple before their pursuers close in. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

A REAL ANIMAL by Emeline Atwood (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Anna Caputo
A REAL ANIMAL follows Lucy through the decade dividing college and real adulthood, as she navigates three distinct romantic relationships, reckons with the false promise of family intimacy, and seeks connection with the sublime and natural worlds. As a senior in college struggling to quell the destructive effects of a sexual assault, she gets a glimpse of a different plane of existence --- more wild, physical, animal. She moves away from home, breaks up with her long-term boyfriend, stops speaking to her mother, and starts dating a complicated, violent man. As she changes cities, friends and partners, there is a persistent sense of wildness in Lucy and in her world that’s only ever barely being controlled. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

BIRDS OF PREY edited by Harlan Coben and C. J. Box (Thriller/Short Stories)
Audiobook available, read by a full cast
It all started with a simple yet sneakily difficult challenge from global bestselling author Harlan Coben: Pick a bird of prey, then use it as the inspiration for a brand-new story. The response from some of the best writers on the planet: Game on! The result: Eleven stories that are twisty, scary, surprising and bursting with imagination. An egg worth more than its weight in gold. A mysterious operative known only as Owl. An eagle-watcher who sees more than she should. Even a story that somehow places the Maltese Falcon in a nursing home. Commissioned by International Thriller Writers, BIRDS OF PREY is a highly bingeable anthology that is a treat for thriller fans. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

BLOOD RIVER WITCH by T.J. Martinson (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Jeannie Sheneman 
Deputy Sheriff Alicia Moore is thrust into the center of a chilling murder investigation when she discovers a victim identifiable only by his hauntingly familiar tattoo --- her name inked onto the knuckles of her ex-fiancé, Jake. Years earlier, Alicia’s father had arrested a teenage occultist for a nearly identical murder, believed to be driven by the suspect’s worship of demonic entities. Now, with Jake’s murder mirroring that past crime, doubts arise about whether the true culprit was ever caught. The mystery deepens with the arrival of Lucas Masterson, a Criminology PhD student studying the confluence between religious trauma and occult crime. As Lucas delves into the case, his profound knowledge of the town’s grim history and his outsider perspective strain the local social fabric, while Alicia grapples with her suspicion towards his unsettling familiarity with the crimes. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

A SOCIOPATH'S GUIDE TO A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE by M.K. Oliver (Domestic Thriller/Dark Humor) 
Audiobook available, read by Perdita Weeks
Lalla Rook has a lot on her to-do list: help her husband make partner by flattering his masculinity, secure her dream home in Hampstead, get her daughter into private school, host her four-year-old’s birthday party, and remove the dead body from her living room. Lalla can’t pretend she hasn’t missed the adrenaline rush that comes with transgressing. And, as a wife and mother, she’s already an expert multitasker. So disposing of a body, framing a friend and being the world’s best homemaker should be easy to achieve. It’s just that her husband seems distracted, her daughter faces an uncertain academic future, and then there is the unexpected intruder in her living room, a stranger she has stabbed seven times. Avoiding the law is the least of her worries --- not when she has a past to keep hidden. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.

Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on July 13th and 14th

Below are some notable titles releasing on July 13th and 14th that we would like to make you aware of. We will have more on many of these books in the weeks to come. For a list of additional hardcovers and paperbacks available the week of July 13th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.

July 13th

THE COUNTRY ROAD MURDERS by James Patterson and Mike Lupica (Thriller)
After a shocking accident, Silas Tucker’s legendary football career is suddenly over in this action-packed sports thriller powered by loyalty, competition and family.

July 14th

CATCH THE DEVIL: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast by Pamela Colloff (True Crime)
CATCH THE DEVIL is the riveting true story of an audacious con man who helped send another man to death row for a murder he did not commit.

DOMINION: The Silk and Iron Trilogy, Book One by Jean Kwok (Fantasy/Romance) 
FOURTH WING --- by way of Chinese mythology --- meets THE HUNGER GAMES in a perilous world where a young woman with no memory and little magic may hold the key to uniting the Dominions and saving the mortal realm.

THE HALF LIFE by Rachel Beanland (Historical Fiction)
From the author of FLORENCE ADLER SWIMS FOREVER and THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE comes a novel set on a remote Italian island about a navy wife’s reckoning with power, love and the price of staying silent in the Atomic Age.

HOT GIRL MURDER CLUB by Ashley Winstead (Psychological Thriller)
From nationally bestselling author Ashley Winstead comes a buzzy, bloody new thriller about success, sisterhood, and demanding justice...by any means necessary.

IN WONDERLAND by Joyce Maynard (Psychological Thriller)
In one golden summer, Frances trades her working-class world for an elite Maine lakeside estate --- where privilege and betrayal turn into a deadly game.

THE INTRIGUE by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Historical/Noir Thriller)
From the New York Times bestselling author of MEXICAN GOTHIC and VELVET WAS THE NIGHT comes a sizzling noir about desire, danger and greed, in which seduction is the ultimate con.

IT WILL COME BACK TO YOU: Collected Stories by Sigrid Nunez (Fiction/Short Stories)
IT WILL COME BACK TO YOU is the first-ever collection of short stories from the New York Times bestselling, National Book Award-winning author of THE FRIEND.

THE PARISIAN HEIST by Jo Piazza (Historical Mystery/Thriller)
From the bestselling author of THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE and EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU comes a propulsive dual-timeline mystery drenched in art-world intrigue and brimming with family secrets, betrayal and the intoxicating lure of power.

RANSOM by Daniel Silva (Thriller/Adventure)
Art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon searches for the missing wife of a British billionaire in this electrifying new tale of greed, corruption and betrayal from #1 New York Times bestselling novelist Daniel Silva.

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING by Lisa Scottoline (Psychological Thriller)
In this “riveting, deeply felt and empowering thriller” (Laura Dave) from #1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, a woman risks her life to help her best friend find justice for a tragic crime --- and realizes she has more power than she ever knew.

Click here to see the latest “On Sale This Week” newsletter.

From left to right: Ben Reeves, Arvind Ethan David

Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events

Here are two upcoming virtual book and author events that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links for more info and to register.

Tuesday, July 14th at 4pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Arvind Ethan David will talk to special guest host Lesley Klinger about his debut prose novel, THE GREAT GAME, in which an outsider in London investigates a series of brutal murders targeting English aristocrats.

Wednesday, July 15th at 7pm ET: “Friends & Fiction”: Join “Friends & Fiction” for a conversation with Ben Reeves about his debut novel, EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING HURT. This timeless story is about appreciating life, accepting its end, and finding our place in the universe --- especially when it feels most impossible.

 "Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts

“Bookreporter Talks To” is a video and podcast series that delivers long-form, in-depth author interviews. For years, Carol has moderated book festivals and author events around the country. But we know that readers often do not live where they can attend an author event. Our goal is to bring these author interviews to readers, wherever they may be. Watch on video, or listen as a podcast. (The podcasts include audio excerpts.)

Here are our latest interviews:

• Jenny Jackson (THE SHAMPOO EFFECT) Video | Podcast
• Beatriz Williams (WHEN YOU LOVED ME) Video | Podcast

Other authors we've interviewed recently include:

• Patricia Finn (THE GOLDEN BOY) Video | Podcast
• Lori Foster (THE LAKE HOUSE: A Firefly Summer Novel) Video | Podcast
• Jane Harper (LAST ONE OUT) Video | Podcast
• Sadeqa Johnson (KEEPER OF LOST CHILDREN) Video | Podcast
• Devi S. Laskar (MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR) Video | Podcast
• Allison Pataki (IT GIRL) Video | Podcast
• Susan Patterson (THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB) Video | Podcast
• Lisa See (DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON) Video | Podcast
• Ruta Sepetys (A FORTUNE OF SAND) Video | Podcast
• Kathryn Stockett (THE CALAMITY CLUB) Video | Podcast

Upcoming interviews include:

• Rachel Beanland (THE HALF LIFE)
• Lisa Scottoline (THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING)
• John Searles (SINGLE GIRLS)

Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.

Our Latest Poll: July Releases to Anticipate

Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, July 24th at noon ET.

Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What
You've Read --- and You Can Win Two Books!

Click here to enter the contest.

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