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Editorial Content for Twenty-Seven Minutes

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Rebecca Munro

It has been said that the best way to remain famous and popular is to die young, and that is one lesson that the ghost of Phoebe Dean really took to heart. Read More

Teaser

For the last 10 years, the small, claustrophobic town of West Wilmer has been struggling to understand one thing: Why did it take young Grant Dean 27 minutes to call for help on the fateful night of the car accident that took the life of his beloved sister, Phoebe? Someone knows what really happened the night Phoebe died. Someone who is ready to tell the truth. With Phoebe's memorial in just three days, grief, delusion, ambition and regret tornado together with biting gossip in a town full of people obsessed with a long-gone tragedy with four people at its heart --- the caretaker, the secret girlfriend, the missing bad boy and a former football star. Just kids back then, they are forever tied together the fateful rainy night Phoebe died.

Promo

For the last 10 years, the small, claustrophobic town of West Wilmer has been struggling to understand one thing: Why did it take young Grant Dean 27 minutes to call for help on the fateful night of the car accident that took the life of his beloved sister, Phoebe? Someone knows what really happened the night Phoebe died. Someone who is ready to tell the truth. With Phoebe's memorial in just three days, grief, delusion, ambition and regret tornado together with biting gossip in a town full of people obsessed with a long-gone tragedy with four people at its heart --- the caretaker, the secret girlfriend, the missing bad boy and a former football star. Just kids back then, they are forever tied together the fateful rainy night Phoebe died.

About the Book

Phoebe Dean was the most popular girl alive and dead.

For the last 10 years, the small, claustrophobic town of West Wilmer has been struggling to understand one thing: Why did it take young Grant Dean 27 minutes to call for help on the fateful night of the car accident that took the life of his beloved sister, Phoebe?

Someone knows what really happened the night Phoebe died. Someone who is ready to tell the truth.

With Phoebe's memorial in just three days, grief, delusion, ambition and regret tornado together with biting gossip in a town full of people obsessed with a long-gone tragedy with four people at its heart --- the caretaker, the secret girlfriend, the missing bad boy and a former football star. Just kids back then, are forever tied together the fateful rainy night Phoebe died. 

Perfect for fans of Jane Harper and Celeste Ng, Tate's literary suspense, TWENTY-SEVEN MINUTES, is a gripping debut about what happens when grief becomes unbearable and dark secrets are unearthed in a hometown that is all too giddy to eat it up.

Audiobook available, read by Nikki Thomas

Editorial Content for Your Utopia: Stories

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Roberta O'Hara

If one focuses on the word utopia as meaning perfection, you may not find that in YOUR UTOPIA, a collection of short stories by Bora Chung that has been translated from the Korean by Anton Hur. But you will find tales that instill fear --- of technology, our mortality, other people, life and death. And in many cases, you will find the opposite of a utopia. But perhaps that is the point, or the irony, of the title. Read More

Teaser

Bora Chung’s inimitable blend of horror, absurdity and dark humor reaches its peak in these tales of loss and discovery, dystopia and idealism, death and immortality. In a thrilling translation by the acclaimed Anton Hur, readers will experience a variety of possible fates for humanity. In “The Center for Immortality Research,” a low-level employee runs herself ragged planning a fancy gala for donors only to be blamed for the chaos that ensues during the event in front of the mysterious celebrity benefactors hoping to live forever. In “A Song for Sleep,” an AI elevator in an apartment complex develops a tender, one-sided love for an elderly resident. “Seed” traverses the final frontier of capitalism’s destruction of the planet --- but nature always creeps back to life.

Promo

Bora Chung’s inimitable blend of horror, absurdity and dark humor reaches its peak in these tales of loss and discovery, dystopia and idealism, death and immortality. In a thrilling translation by the acclaimed Anton Hur, readers will experience a variety of possible fates for humanity. In “The Center for Immortality Research,” a low-level employee runs herself ragged planning a fancy gala for donors only to be blamed for the chaos that ensues during the event in front of the mysterious celebrity benefactors hoping to live forever. In “A Song for Sleep,” an AI elevator in an apartment complex develops a tender, one-sided love for an elderly resident. “Seed” traverses the final frontier of capitalism’s destruction of the planet --- but nature always creeps back to life.

About the Book

From the acclaimed author and translator of CURSED BUNNY, a fresh, uncanny and utterly profound collection of stories set in near and distant futures that reflect our deepest fears --- and deepest desires.
 

Bora Chung’s inimitable blend of horror, absurdity and dark humor reaches its peak in these tales of loss and discovery, dystopia and idealism, death and immortality. In a thrilling translation by the acclaimed Anton Hur, readers will experience a variety of possible fates for humanity, from total demise via a disease whose only symptom is casual cannibalism to a world in which even dreams can be monitored and used to convict people of crimes.

In “The Center for Immortality Research,” a low-level employee runs herself ragged planning a fancy gala for donors only to be blamed for the chaos that ensues during the event in front of the mysterious celebrity benefactors hoping to live forever. In “A Song for Sleep,” an AI elevator in an apartment complex develops a tender, one-sided love for an elderly resident. “Seed” traverses the final frontier of capitalism’s destruction of the planet --- but nature always creeps back to life.

If you haven’t yet experienced the fruits of Chung’s singular imagination, YOUR UTOPIA is waiting.

Editorial Content for My Favorite Scar

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

I am always intrigued by novels set in other countries. They expose readers to a different way of life and challenges in an area that may be quite foreign to them. Argentinian author Nicolás Ferraro does just that with his latest book, MY FAVORITE SCAR, which is translated by Mallory N. Craig-Kuhn. Read More

Teaser

Fifteen-year-old Ámbar has never known any parent other than her father, Víctor Mondragón, nor any life other than his. On any given Friday night, Ámbar longs to be at the arcade or a rock concert, but she’s more likely to be patching up Víctor’s latest bullet hole in a dingy motel or creating a new set of fake identities for the both of them. When a tattooed mercenary kills Víctor’s best friend and vows that Víctor is next, father and daughter set off on a joyride across Argentina in search of bloody retribution. But Ámbar’s growing pains hurt worse than her beloved sawed-off shotgun’s kickback as she begins to question the structure of her world. How much is her father not telling her? Could her life ever be different? And will she survive long enough to find out?

Promo

Fifteen-year-old Ámbar has never known any parent other than her father, Víctor Mondragón, nor any life other than his. On any given Friday night, Ámbar longs to be at the arcade or a rock concert, but she’s more likely to be patching up Víctor’s latest bullet hole in a dingy motel or creating a new set of fake identities for the both of them. When a tattooed mercenary kills Víctor’s best friend and vows that Víctor is next, father and daughter set off on a joyride across Argentina in search of bloody retribution. But Ámbar’s growing pains hurt worse than her beloved sawed-off shotgun’s kickback as she begins to question the structure of her world. How much is her father not telling her? Could her life ever be different? And will she survive long enough to find out?

About the Book

A teenage girl and her gangster father embark on a road trip toward revenge in this award-winning coming-of-age Argentinian noir.

Fifteen-year-old Ámbar has never known any parent other than her father, Víctor Mondragón, nor any life other than his. On any given Friday night, Ámbar longs to be at the arcade or a rock concert, but she’s more likely to be patching up Víctor’s latest bullet hole in a dingy motel or creating a new set of fake identities for the both of them.

When a tattooed mercenary kills Víctor’s best friend and vows that Víctor is next, father and daughter set off on a joyride across Argentina in search of bloody retribution. But Ámbar’s growing pains hurt worse than her beloved sawed-off shotgun’s kickback as she begins to question the structure of her world. How much is her father not telling her? Could her life ever be different? And will she survive long enough to find out?

It’s kill or be killed in this gritty, devastating coming-of-age thriller from the king of Argentine neo-noir.

Audiobook available, read by Stacy Gonzalez

February 2, 2024

I am not sure why, but January felt like it lasted a year. And now February is here, bringing with it 29 days, as happens every four years. I know at least two people whose birthdays only happen every four years. What a great way to stay forever young!

I planted a lot of amaryllis bulbs in December, as well as giving them as gifts. Also, I bought a number of them at Trader Joe’s that had the wax bases. Above you can see a side table with them in various stages of bloom in our family room. A very tall peach-colored one is in another room. There is a pink one in my office, too! I love the way they add color this time of year. Oh, and I leave the tags on to see if they bloom the way I thought they would!

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

February 2024

When I started reading THE FURY by Alex Michaelides, it was a blustery cold weekend. I was more than ready for a vacation on a privately owned Greek island named Aura with a movie star and her friends. The island had been given to the actress as a wedding present from her now-deceased husband. I loved that sentiment. So I settled in to be told a story from the perspective of Elliot Chase, our narrator.

Which of this year’s Oscar-nominated movies that are based on books have you seen or do you plan to see? Please check all that apply.

February 2, 2024, 667 voters

February 2, 2024 - February 16, 2024

Here are reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for the contest period of February 2 - February 16.

February 2024

February's Books on Screen roundup includes the series premieres of "Tracker" on CBS, "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live" on AMC, and "One Day" on Netflix; the season two premiere of ABC's "Will Trent"; the conclusion of "Expats" on Prime Video; the films Argylle and Lisa Frankenstein in theaters; four Hallmark movies inspired by the life and work of Jane Austen (Paging Mr. Darcy, Love & Jane, An American in Austen and Sense and Sensibility); and the DVD releases of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Wonka and Priscilla.

One Wrong Word by Hank Phillippi Ryan

One wrong word can ruin your life. And no one knows that better than savvy crisis management expert Arden Ward. Problem is, she's now forced to handle a shocking crisis of her own. Unfairly accused of having an affair with a powerful client, Arden’s life and dreams are about to crash and burn. Then Arden is given an ultimatum. She has just two weeks to save her career and her reputation.

Is Cordelia Bannister the answer to her prayers?

January 31, 2024

One of the things I love about my book group is that we adapt. Our book group leader will say that a night we planned to meet does not work for her, and then we will chime in on what alternatives are available to make our meeting happen. We often vote on a night to meet. We also vote on what to read. And if someone misses a meeting, we will have a conversation about the book that they missed when we get together again.