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Book Club Fiction

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Nina Morgan Clark has put up with more than her share of BS in life. She’s been overworked and stressed for the past year—and has proven that she can achieve just as much as a white man, but backward and in heels. And now, a few years on the other side of her milestone fortieth birthday, she is finally coming into her own. Which is, of course, when life throws Nina a dramatic curveball, causing her to face an unexpected choice...

I related so much to Nina, a woman who is in control of her own fate, unafraid and proud and confident. And isn’t that true for so many women these days? We are stepping up, putting voice to our needs, no longer suffering in silence. Designing the lives we want to live instead of the lives we’re told we should want. Applying the lessons we learned (sometimes the hard way!) in our twenties and thirties to improve our forties and fifties. Even faced with a surprise, Nina teeters but never falls.

I’m so excited for you to read this book, which Mindy Kaling calls “charming, laugh-out-loud funny, and honest.” I couldn’t have said it better myself!

—Alison Dasho, Editor

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Back in the late 1990s, I worked as a reporter on the police beat in suburban Northern California. Now, I’m always excited to read fiction featuring a journalist on the trail of a major villain. Add a smart, conflicted investigator and an incredibly atmospheric setting and you’re describing my perfect read. Black River checks all these boxes and then some. I devoured it in one sitting.

The Sydney of Matthew Spencer’s debut is not the beachy Australian metropolis of travel posters. Muggy, menacing, and in the sweaty grip of a killer, it’s a city on edge. No one feels that tension more than Detective Rose Riley, a young and ambitious cop who sees connections between a series of murders in the city’s upscale riverfront neighborhoods and the discovery of a young woman’s body on the grounds of a local boarding school. No one, that is, except reporter Adam Bowman, whose troubled history makes him a valuable ally—though potentially not an entirely trustworthy one—as Riley wades into a web of corrupt politics, society secrets, and family trauma to stop the killer before they strike again.

Spencer, a former journalist himself, has crafted a moody, suspenseful mystery that will appeal to fans of Michael Connelly and Jane Harper’s The Dry, with a truly surprising conclusion that left me eager for Riley’s next case.

—Grace Doyle, Editor

(402)

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When I think of the 1920s, the first things that generally come to mind are flappers and prohibition. However, that’s not the focus of Anita Abriel’s 1920s historical fiction novel, The Life She Wanted. Though there’s a hint of Great Gatsby opulence, Abriel’s novel focuses on the story of a young woman named Pandora who is determined to make her dreams of becoming a fashion designer come true, no matter what challenges confront her.

Though Pandora spent her entire life surrounded by luxury, it was always as an outsider. Her father, a former tennis star, now gives lessons to the wealthy, and though Pandora admires the beautiful clothing of those around her, she has no access to the materials or schooling to pursue a career in the industry. When she meets a handsome man from a wealthy background who falls in love with her, she thinks perhaps all her dreams are coming true at once. But even the best laid plans often veer awry. When tragedy strikes, she’ll have to start over from scratch yet again.

With the atmosphere and luxuriousness of The Gilded Age and the class dynamics of Downton Abbey, Anita Abriel’s The Life She Wanted sweeps readers back in time to a world of decadence, grit, and determination against the odds.

—Alicia Clancy, Editor

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Acclaimed author Jordan Farmer’s Lighthouse Burning, the first book in his new series, beautifully combines the gritty tension of S. A. Cosby with the chilling atmosphere of a Paul Tremblay novel.

In a small Appalachian town, where the law is scarce and the people police themselves, Harlan Winter is tasked with keeping order. He’s trying his best to keep the peace in a community ruled by The Lighthouse, the local cult masquerading as a church that wants to take control. But Harlan is plagued by visions of the ghosts of his past—shadows that creep into his sanity at the most inopportune moments.

As mysterious fires plague the community with no leads in site, Harlan worries order is long gone. And now, with a young local couple missing, he must overcome his own fears to protect his home.

I was captivated as I unfurled the inner workings of The Lighthouse and Harlan Winter—a man at risk of losing his mind...and his life.

—Megha Parekh, Editor

(170)

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This novel had me dreaming of leaving my life behind and starting over in Paris. An unputdownable summer read, La Vie, According to Rose takes readers on a journey from a dead-end job in Silicon Valley to Paris and luxurious getaways to the south of France...and also through the grief of losing a parent.

Rose ends up in Paris, but it’s not the fairy tale she imagined. Something is amiss. In the back of her mind, she’s revisiting memories of her father. Along with the endearing and eclectic cast of supporting characters, including a dreamy tour guide and a self-help guru, Rose hooked me with her hyper-relatable story and voice; I could not put this book down until I saw her win.

Being part of Rose’s journey back to herself was a satisfying ride. It turned out Paris was the catalyst and Rose herself was her answer. With travel, adventure, friendship, healing, and a love story, this charmer of a novel left me completely inspired—both to change my life and to plan my next vacation!

—Melissa Valentine, Editor

(57)

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At its heart, this is a story of belonging. But it’s the details in Brandon’s story that really touched my heart. A Place for Us is the powerful combination of coming-of-age story and activist memoir, giving readers a glimpse into what it’s like to grow up as a multiracial child, to be queer, and to survive a devastating violence, like the one that inspired Brandon’s advocacy for gun safety. Brandon recounts his first brave step, leaving behind a community that never felt like home for a new one where he flourishes and comes into his own, with real friends and relationships that affirm his identity. Experiencing the tragedy at Pulse nightclub strips away what’s left of Brandon’s youth but gives him the courage and determination to use the painful experience to help others see we’re all deserving of love, safety, and community. Activist Brandon J. Wolf writes with profound insight and an intensity that will stay with you long after the last page of this stunning memoir.

A Place for Us is a heartbreaking call to action, for all of us to remember that we’re in this world together and it’s up to us to build a safe and loving community for ourselves and future generations.

—Selena James, Editor

(179)

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Doomsday Match proves that Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler can do it all. He never ceases to surprise me. Now, he’s written a sweeping thriller adventure that’s The Da Vinci Code with magic, about a regular family caught up in an apocalyptic prophecy controlled by a supernatural enemy.

Novelist Jonathon Roth is looking forward to relaxing on a Mexican beach with his wife and children for Christmas. What the Roths don’t know, however, is that they’ve been lured to the exclusive, private resort for a sinister purpose. And unless they can escape in time, they’ll be forced to compete in an ancient blood sport against another family—a series of games that are meant to set off the first step in a plan for total world domination.

From the mountains of Montana to the jungles of Latin America, the Roth family is on the run from a force that’s been waiting hundreds of years to be free. I could barely catch my breath. I hope you have as much fun trying to keep up as I did!

—Adrienne Procaccini, Editor

(446)

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When first reading Call the Canaries Home, I immediately felt a personal connection to the story. As someone who grew up in the American South, in a family of all daughters (including a twin sister of my own), with somewhat quirky grandmothers, I found I had a lot in common with the family introduced in Laura Barrow’s debut novel.

Nearly three decades before, when the now-adult sisters were just girls, one of the twin sisters goes missing. From there, their entire family unravels. Here, in the present day, the other three sisters have spread out across the country, and none of them are close. However, when their childhood pact to dig up their old time capsule reunites them at their eccentric grandmother’s home, a photograph is discovered that provides a clue into the day their missing sister disappeared, reopening old wounds. This new challenge may be all it takes to finally fracture their family for good, or it may be just the thing to bring them all back together.

The sisters, Meemaw, the local Louisiana residents, and even the town itself quickly became like extended family to me. They are all unique, memorable, and familiar in the best way possible (though I count myself very lucky that my family never went through a similar tragedy). I hope that if you read Call the Canaries Home, you too will find the feeling that, after too long away, you’ve finally, finally been welcomed home into open arms.

—Alicia Clancy, Editor

(260)

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Hear ye, hear ye, all romance readers and lovers of love, and hear tell of a legendarily cozy Gen X love story!

Okay, is it just us? Phew! Nice to see you again, fellow reader of modern, inclusive love stories. Have I got a treat for you: Role Playing by Cathy Yardley is the whoops-I-almost-brained-my-love-interest-with-a-frying-pan-due-to-mistaken-identity and I’ll-teach-you-to-risk-your-heart-again-I-promise-I’ll-keep-it-safe book of my dreams.

Author Cathy Yardley never fails to delight me with her romances, and here she’s outdone herself. There are nods to several of my beloved nerd fandoms (the characters first meet while online gaming, for instance), and the hero and heroine are adults with some real past heartbreak, so their relationship develops at an easy pace as they get to know each other and depend on each other’s friendship before realizing how much they’re in love. #slowburngoals #genXromance

If you, like me, are in dire need of some warm fuzzies, give this one a try. You may just discover that Cathy is your new favorite author!

—Alison Dasho, Editor

Mindy's Book Studio | The Better Half by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans | Read and listen free with Prime.

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Book Club Fiction

Police Procedural

Historical Fiction

Crime Thriller

Women's Fiction

Memoir

Supernatural Thriller

Family Drama

Romantic Comedy