Book Club Girl - Book Group Recommendations, Reading Group Guides, Audio Book Club Podcasts

Reminder! Our Book Club Girl on Air Show with Jennifer Haigh Discussing News from Heaven is Tomorrow at 7 pm ET!

Just a reminder that tomorrow night, Monday, February 4th, we are welcoming back Jennifer Haigh to Book Club Girl on Air to discuss her interconnected short story collection, News from Heaven. Check out the reading group guide before the show, and if you haven’t read it already, start here with an excerpt. During the live show you can send in questions via the chat function (be sure to register on the site beforehand - choose the free option) or you can call in and ask Jennifer a question directly by dialing 347-945-6149. Set your reminder for tomorrow night's show at 7 pm ET here and return to that same link to listen live tomorrow night!

Jennifer Haigh Joins Book Club Girl on Air Feb 4th to Discuss News from Heaven!

Book Club Girl On Air is pleased to welcome back book club favorite Jennifer Haigh, whose previous bestselling books include Mrs. Kimble, Baker Towers, The Condition, and Faith. Haigh will be discussing her new literary short story collection, News from Heaven (on sale: Jan. 29) -- a series of interconnected stories that take place in and around the fictional mining town of Bakerton, Pennsylvania, where Haigh’s previous award-winning novel, Baker Towers, was set.

News from Heaven imbues generations of hometown dreamers and their hopes, both realized and not, with a refreshing humanity that is both stark and compassionate. Whether her characters have escaped from small-town life (like the wayward, gambling brother in “A Place in the Sun”) or are resigned to accept it (like the middle-aged, late-bloomer Agnes in “Thrift”), Haigh weaves a beautiful tapestry of ordinary people and ordinary lives.

Early praise for News from Heaven compares her work to the classic short story collection, Winesburg, Ohio:

“The characters in Jennifer Haigh's News From Heaven are so vividly drawn, the inner lives revealed so deftly, with such intelligence and sympathy, that fictional Bakerton, Pennsylvania, takes on the additional weight of, say, Winesburg, Ohio.”-Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls.

We have 10 copies of News from Heaven to give to the first 10 people who comment that they can participate in our show on Monday, February 4^th at 7 pm EST.

We look forward to hearing from you during our live book discussion with Jennifer Haigh on Feb. 4^th (you can set a reminder for the show at this link as well). You've be able to type in questions during the live show via the chat function (be sure to register on the site beforehand - choose the free option) or you can call in and ask her a question directly by dialing 347-945-6149. If you can’t join us, post your question in the Comments section below, and we’ll ask Jennifer on air.

For more details on Jennifer Haigh, visit her website: www.jenniferhaigh.com. 
You can also follow her upcoming blog tour starting Jan. 29, featuring reviews of both works set in Bakerton, PA -- News from Heaven and Baker Towers -- here.

If You Missed Last Night's Live Chat with Meg Cabot - Listen to the Podcast Now!

If you missed last night's live show with Meg Cabot about her newest Heather Wells mystery in more than 5 years, Size 12 and Ready to Rock - among other things - you can listen to, or download, the podcast of the show now! Thanks so much to Meg for joining us, and to everyone who wrote in and called in with their questions and comments!

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Listen to Tonight's Show with Lois Leveen Discussing The Secrets of Mary Bowser Now!

If you missed our live podcast, you can tune in now to hear our great conversation with Lois Leveen about The Secrets of Mary Bowser! Thanks so much to Lois for joining us and to everyone who participated in the chat!

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Reminder! Our Book Club Girl on Air Show with Lois Leveen Discussing The Secrets of Mary Bowser is Tonight!

Just a reminder that tonight we'll welcome Lois Leveen, author of the debut historical novel, The Secrets of Mary Bowser, to Book Club Girl on Air. Join us to talk about this little-known heroine of the Civil War and to learn about Lois' inspiration for the novel. Check out the reading group guide and during the live show you can send in questions via the chat function (be sure to register on the site beforehand - choose the free option) or you can call in and ask her a question directly by dialing 347-945-6149. Set your reminder for tonight's show at 7 pm ET here and return to that same link to listen live tonight!

Meg Cabot Joins Book Club Girl on Air on Tuesday, July 31st at 7pm ET!

It’s been so much fun discussing some of Meg Cabot’s most beloved books as part of our MEG-nificent Meg Cabot Read-Along. Last week we discussed Size 12 is Not Fat, the first Heather Wells mystery, and today, Size 12 and Ready to Rock, the latest book in the series goes on sale. On Tuesday, July 31^st, we’ll be discussing Size 12 and Ready to Rock here on the blog, and on that same day at 7 pm ET, Meg Cabot will be joining Book Club Girl on Air to discuss Size 12 and Ready to Rock and the entire Heather Wells series!

Summer break . . . and the livin' ain't easy!

Just because the students at New York College have flown the coop doesn't mean assistant residence hall director Heather Wells can relax. Fischer Hall is busier than ever, filled with squealing thirteen- and fourteen-year-old girls attending the first ever Tania Trace Teen Rock Camp, hosted by pop sensation Tania Trace herself—who just happens to be newly married to Heather's ex-boyfriend, heartthrob Jordan Cartwright. But the real headache begins when the producer of a reality TV show starring Tania winds up dead . . . and it's clear that the star was the intended victim.

Grant Cartwright, head of Cartwright Records, wants to keep his daughter-in-law (and his highest-earning performer) alive. So he hires his oldest son, black sheep of the family and private investigator Cooper Cartwright—who just happens to be Heather's new fiancé. Heather should leave the detecting to Cooper. But with a dorm full of hysterical mini-divas-in-training, she can't help but get involved. And after Tania shares a really shocking secret with her, this reality suddenly becomes more dangerously real than anyone ever anticipated.

I have 10 copies of Size 12 and Ready to Rock to give to the first 10 people who comment that they can participate in the show on Tuesday, July 31^st at 7pm ET. Set your reminder for the show here, and read the first chapter of the book here.  Become a fan of the Heather Wells series on Facebook, and make sure to watch the hilarious book trailer for Size 12 and Ready to Rock. For more with Meg Cabot, visit her website, become a fan on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

Reminder! Join us Tonight to Discuss the Bestselling Bess Crawford Series with the Charles Todd Writing Team!

Just a reminder that tonight at 7pm ET we'll welcome the mother and son writing team of Charles Todd to Book Club Girl on Air in the culmination of our Book Time with Bess Bess Crawford Read Along! I'm so excited to talk with Caroline and Charles about Bess, WWI, and all the books in the series. We hope you can join us and ask your questions (via the chat session or by calling 347-945-6149 in) as well! Set your reminder here and return to that same link tonight to listen and participate live. Be sure to register on the site before 7 tonight to be sure that you can participate from the beginning of the show. Any questions, please ask!

Book Time with Bess - The Bess Crawford Read Along Discussion of An Unmarked Grave

I can't believe we've already come to the end - for now - of the Bess Crawford series! Today we discuss the 4th book in Charles Todd's bestselling series, but our read along is not over yet. After today's discussion here, we still have our live online radio podcast with the Charles Todd writing team this Thursday night, during which we will talk about the entire Bess Crawford series!

I think An Unmarked Grave might have been my favorite Bess mystery so far - it certainly kept me guessing until the end and I loved how much action there was. Bess was on the move the entire time.

An Unmarked Grave

World War I nurse and amateur sleuth Bess Crawford matches wits with a devious killer in this exciting and suspenseful adventure from New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd

In the spring of 1918, the Spanish flu epidemic spreads, killing millions of soldiers and civilians across the globe. Overwhelmed by the constant flow of wounded soldiers coming from the French front, battlefield nurse Bess Crawford must now contend with hundreds of influenza patients as well.

However, war and disease are not the only killers to strike. Bess discovers, concealed among the dead waiting for burial, the body of an officer who has been murdered. Though she is devoted to all her patients, this soldier's death touches her deeply. Not only did the man serve in her father's former regiment, he was also a family friend.

Before she can report the terrible news, Bess falls ill, the latest victim of the flu. By the time she recovers, the murdered officer has been buried, and the only other person who saw the body has hanged himself. Or did he?

Working her father's connections in the military, Bess begins to piece together what little evidence she can find to unmask the elusive killer and see justice served. But she must be as vigilant as she is tenacious. With a determined killer on her heels, each move Bess makes could be her last.

1) In each of the previous books in the series, we saw Simon Brandon take on a increasingly bigger role in investigating crimes with Bess and in this book, the Colonel and Bess' mother are also actively involved in her search for the killer. What did you make of this?

2) Both Bess and Simon fall ill in this novel - Bess from the Spanish Flu epidemic ravaging both France and England and Simon from his wounds. What did you think of each of them in their more vulnerable states and why do you think the authors chose that for them?

3) There were several suspects put forth throughout the course of the novel. How did you feel when the killer, and his motives for killing, was finally revealed?

4) What did you think of Bess' decision to help Hugh Morton in his desertion?

5) I loved the scene of Bess working alongside the doctor to save Sargeant Mitchell, with her father looking on. As far as we know this is the first time he's seen his daughter in action as a nurse and what she can do. What did you think of that scene?

6) What new word did you learn from this mystery? For me it was "sappers" - which refers to either a military specialist in field fortification work or a military demolitions specialist.

More than anything, this novel drove home for me, even more than the previous three, the toll that the war is taking, as it drags on - on soldiers, nurses and the people of England and France. There was a haunting sense of the loss and devastation and the hopelessness that the end is not in sight. I found this audio recording of Roses of Picardy - the song that Bess hears a soldier playing on a mouth organ when she is working in Ypres: "I thought how homesick he must be, letting the instrument put into words what he couldn't, that the war had last far too long and there was still no end in sight. He had lost heart, and I couldn't fault him for that."

I look forward to seeing your answers to the above questions, and then, our Book Time with Bess Read Along isn't quite over yet! Please join us on Thursday night, June 28th at 7pm ET, as we welcome the writing team of Charles Todd to Book Club Girl on Air to answer all our questions about the entire Bess Crawford series - as well as anything else you'd like to ask them about their Inspector Ian Rutledge series and researching and writing the war in general. Set your reminder for the show here!

If You Missed Our Live Discussion with Zoe Fishman about Saving Ruth, Listen in Now!

If you missed our live Book Club Girl on Air Show with Zoe Fishman, on which she discussed her newest novel, Saving Ruth, listen in now to the show. Thanks so much to Zoe for joining us and to all of you who participated as well! Our next show is Thursday, June 28th with the Charles Todd writing team, who will join us to discuss their Bess Crawford series, including the newest, An Unmarked Grave. Set a reminder for that show, and see all the upcoming shows, here!

 

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Book Club Girl on Air Welcomes Lois Leveen to Discuss The Secrets of Mary Bowser!

I'm thrilled to announce that on Thursday July 12th, Lois Leveen will join us on Book Club Girl on Air to discuss her novel, The Secrets of Mary Bowser. I just loved this book and after having pitched it last week at the Book Club Speed Dating session at BEA, I'm more excited than ever to discuss it with Lois and all of you!

Based on a remarkable true story, The Secrets of Mary Bowser is an inspiring tale of one daring woman's willingness to sacrifice her own freedom to change the course of history

All her life, Mary has been a slave to the wealthy Van Lew family of Richmond, Virginia. But when Bet, the willful Van Lew daughter, decides to send Mary to Philadelphia to be educated, she must leave her family to seize her freedom.

Life in the North brings new friendships, a courtship, and a far different education than Mary ever expected, one that leads her into the heart of the abolition movement. With the nation edging toward war, she defies Virginia law by returning to Richmond to care for her ailing father—and to fight for emancipation. Posing as a slave in the Confederate White House in order to spy on President Jefferson Davis, Mary deceives even those who are closest to her to aid the Union command.

Just when it seems that all her courageous gambles to end slavery will pay off, Mary discovers that everything comes at a cost—even freedom.

"This book has "best seller" written all over it. The Secrets of Mary Bowser is not only fascinating reading, but also historical fiction of the highest caliber." says The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Browse inside The Secrets of Mary Bowser and set your reminder for the show here. I have 10 copies of the book to give away to the first 10 people who comment that they can participate in the live show with Lois Leveen on Thursday, July 12th at 7pm ET. Visit Lois Leveen's website, follow her on Twitter and friend her on Facebook.

Reminder! Our Book Club Girl on Air Show with Zoe Fishman to Discuss Saving Ruth is Tomorrow at 7 pm ET!

Just a reminder that our Book Club Girl on Air show with Zoe Fishman to discuss Saving Ruth is tomorrow night, Tuesday, June 12th, at 7 pm ET!

Set your reminder for the show here and return to that same link live tomorrow evening to participate. During the show you’ll be able to ask questions of Zoe by sending in questions via the chat session (you can also chat with other listeners in the chat session). Or you can call in and ask Zoe questions directly by dialing 347-945-6149.

Be sure to register on the site (select "free account" under the first 3 options you see) before 7 o'clock to be sure you can participate in the chat from the beginning of the show.

Can't wait to talk to all of you tomorrow evening!

Charles Todd Joins Book Club Girl on Air on Thursday, June 28th at 7pm ET!

The Book Time with Bess Read Along is rolling along - check out the discussion of A Bitter Truth from last Monday. Next up is the newest and fourth book in the series, An Unmarked Grave, which goes on sale on Tuesday, June 5th. We'll discuss An Unmarked Grave on here the blog on June 25th and we'll discuss it and the entire Bess Crawford series with the Charles Todd writing team live on Book Club Girl on Air on Thursday, June 28th at 7pm ET!

World War I nurse and amateur sleuth Bess Crawford matches wits with a devious killer in this exciting and suspenseful adventure from New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd

In the spring of 1918, the Spanish flu epidemic spreads, killing millions of soldiers and civilians across the globe. Overwhelmed by the constant flow of wounded soldiers coming from the French front, battlefield nurse Bess Crawford must now contend with hundreds of influenza patients as well.

However, war and disease are not the only killers to strike. Bess discovers, concealed among the dead waiting for burial, the body of an officer who has been murdered. Though she is devoted to all her patients, this soldier's death touches her deeply. Not only did the man serve in her father's former regiment, he was also a family friend.

Before she can report the terrible news, Bess falls ill, the latest victim of the flu. By the time she recovers, the murdered officer has been buried, and the only other person who saw the body has hanged himself. Or did he?

Working her father's connections in the military, Bess begins to piece together what little evidence she can find to unmask the elusive killer and see justice served. But she must be as vigilant as she is tenacious. With a determined killer on her heels, each move Bess makes could be her last.

“Readers who can’t get enough of Jacqueline Winspear’s novels, or Hester Latterly, who saw action in the Crimean War in a series of novels by Anne Perry, are bound to be caught up in the adventures of Bess Crawford.”
—New York Times Book Review

Don't worry if you haven't read the first books in the series - you can jump in at any moment - so if you're looking for a cure to your WWI era Downton Abbey-less blues, sign up for this discussion!

Browse inside An Unmarked Grave now. I have 10 copies of the book to give away to the first 10 people who comment that they can participate in the show on June 28th. And set your reminder for the show here.

Book Club Girl's eBook Bonanza! 12 Great eBooks Just $2.99 Each for the Month of May!

For the entire month of May, the following 12 ebooks that are great for book clubs are just $2.99 each - plus you can download a free podcast of the author discussing their book on Book Club Girl on Air to listen to with your group! Click on your favorite e-retailer below to purchase and click the Book Club Girl on Air link below each book to access the author interview. And make sure to share this deal with your book club too! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reminder! Our Book Club Girl on Air Show with Meg Donohue to Discuss How to Eat a Cupcake is Tonight at 7 pm ET!

Just a reminder that our Book Club Girl on Air show with Meg Donohue to discuss her debut novel How to Eat a Cupcake is tonight, Tuesday, April 24^th at 7 pm ET!

Set your reminder for the show here and return to that same link live this evening to participate. During the show you’ll be able to ask questions of Meg by sending in questions via the chat session (you can also chat with other listeners in the chat session). Or you can call in and ask Meg questions directly by dialing 347-945-6149.

Be sure to register on the site (select "free account" under the first 3 options you see) before 7 o'clock to be sure you can participate in the chat from the beginning of the show.

Check out the reading group guide before the show.  Can't wait to talk to all of you tonight!

Listen to our Show with Ashley Ream Discussing Losing Clementine Now!

If you missed Tuesday night's live discussion with Ashley Ream about her debut novel Losing Clementine, you can listen to (or download) the podcast now. Thanks to Ashley for being our guest, to Mary for hosting and to everyone who joined in the discussion!

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Reminder! Our Book Club Girl on Air Show with Ashley Ream to Discuss Losing Clementine is Tomorrow Night at 8 pm ET!

Just a reminder that our Book Club Girl on Air show with Ashley Ream to discuss her debut novel Losing Clementine is tomorrow, Tuesday, April 10th at 8 pm ET!

Set your reminder for the show here and return to that same link live tomorrow evening to participate. During the show you'll be able to ask questions of Ashley by sending in questions via the chat session (you can also chat with other listeners in the chat session). Or you can call in and ask Ashley questions directly by dialing 347-945-6149.

Be sure to register on the site (select "free account" under the first 3 options you see) before 8 o'clock tomorrow to be sure you can participate in the chat from the beginning of the show.

Check out the reading group guide before the show.  Can't wait to talk to all of you tomorrow night!

Book Club Girl on Air Welcomes Mary Kay McComas to Discuss What Happened to Hannah!

I'm so excited to welcome Mary Kay McComas to Book Club Girl on Air on Wednesday, March 14 at 7pm ET to discuss her new novel, What Happened to Hannah!  The book has already received praise from Nora Roberts, who says that "Mary Kay McComas weaves stories that brighten the heart."

As a teenager, Hannah Benson ran away from home in order to save herself. Now, twenty years later, the past comes calling and delivers life-changing news: her mother and sister have passed away, leaving Hannah the guardian of her fifteen-year-old niece.

Returning home to bitter memories and devastating secrets, Hannah must overcome her painful past to pave a future with her niece, the last best chance at a family for both of them. She begins to create a new, happier life with her niece and rekindles a relationship with Grady Steadman, one of the few people she's ever called a friend.

But she can't forget what she cannot forgive, or lay to rest those ghosts that will not die. Will love and trust--and the truth--give her the strength to stand her ground and fight for what she deserves?

I have 10 copies of What Happened to Hannah to give to the first 10 people who comment that they'd like to participate in the show on Wednesday, March 14 at 7pm ET. Set your reminder for the show, read the first chapter of the book, and check out the reading group guide. For more with Mary Kay, become a fan on Facebook.


Book Club Girl on Air Welcomes Robert Barclay to Discuss More Than Words Can Say on Tuesday, February 7th!

I'm thrilled to announce that Robert Barclay, author of If Wishes Were Horses, will join me to discuss his new novel, More than Words Can Say, on Book Club Girl on Air on Tuesday, February 7th at 7 pm ET!

From the author of If Wishes Were Horses comes a novel of long-buried secrets and self-discovery, showing us that sometimes what goes unsaid is more powerful than words. . . .

Chelsea Enright never expected to inherit her grandmother's lakeside cottage deep in the Adirondacks—a serene getaway that had been mysteriously closed up decades ago. This is no simple bequest, however, because when Chelsea finds her grandmother's WWII diaries, she's stunned to discover that they hold secrets she never suspected . . . and they have the power to turn her own life upside down.

Even more surprising is the compelling presence of local doctor Brandon "Yale, and Chelsea soon finds her "short stay" has stretched into the entire summer. She cannot put this cottage and her family's past behind her easily—and the more she learns about the woman her grandmother truly was, the more Chelsea's own life begins to change . . . and nothing will ever be the same again.

I have 10 copies of More than Words Can Say to give away to the first 10 people who comment that they can participate in the show on Tuesday, February 7th at 7 pm ET. Browse inside More than Words Can Say, set your reminder for the show and friend Robert on Facebook.

Book Club Girl on Air Welcomes Conor Grennan to Discuss Little Princes on Tuesday, January 31st!

I’m so excited to welcome Conor Grennan to Book Club Girl on Air on Tuesday, January 31^st at 7pm ET to discuss his memoir, Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal. 

One Person Can Make a Difference

In search of adventure, twenty-nine-year-old Conor Grennan traded his day job for a year-long trip around the globe, a journey that began with a three-month stint volunteering at the Little Princes Children’s Home, an orphanage in war-torn Nepal.

Conor was initially reluctant to volunteer, unsure whether he had the proper skill, or enough passion, to get involved in a developing country in the middle of a civil war. But he was soon overcome by the herd of rambunctious, resilient children who would challenge and reward him in a way that he had never imagined. When Conor learned the unthinkable truth about their situation, he was stunned: The children were not orphans at all. Child traffickers were promising families in remote villages to protect their children from the civil war—for a huge fee—by taking them to safety. They would then abandon the children far from home, in the chaos of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu.

For Conor, what began as a footloose adventure becomes a commitment to reunite the children he had grown to love with their families, but this would be no small task. He would risk his life on a journey through the legendary mountains of Nepal, facing the dangers of a bloody civil war and a debilitating injury. Waiting for Conor back in Kathmandu, and hopeful he would make it out before being trapped in by snow, was the woman who would eventually become his wife and share his life’s work.

Little Princes is a true story of families and children, and what one person is capable of when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds. At turns tragic, joyful, and hilarious, Little Princes is a testament to the power of faith and the ability of love to carry us beyond our wildest expectations.

I have 10 copies of Little Princes to give out to the first 10 people who comment that they can participate in the show on Tuesday, January 31 at 7pm ET. Set your reminder for the show, browse inside Little Princes and check out the reading group guide. To learn more about Conor, become a fan on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and visit his website and the Next Generation Nepal website.

 

Reminder! Our Book Club Girl On Air Show with Anna David Discussing Falling for Me is Tonight!

Just a reminder that our Book Club Girl On Air show with Anna David, during which we'll discuss her new memoir Falling for Me is tonight, November 21st at 7pm ET!

Set your reminder for the show here and return to that same link tonight to participate. During the show you'll be able to ask questions of Anna by sending in questions via the chat session (you can also talk with other listeners in the chat session). Or you can call in and ask Anna questions directly by dialing 347-945-6149.

Be sure to register on the site before tonight so you can participate in the chat from the beginning of the show. 

Browse inside Falling for Me and check out the reading group guide. We can't wait to talk to Anna and all of you tonight!