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Brit Bennett (author of The Mothers) | 8 Great Questions – Author Brit Bennett answers eight great book-y questions! 

THE MOTHERS by Brit Bennett

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
NBCC John Leonard First Novel Prize Finalist
PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction Finalist
New York Public Library Young Lions Award Finalist
An NPR Best Book of 2016
An Entertainment Weekly Best Book of 2016
A Vogue Magazine Best Book of the Year
A Goodreads Choice Award Finalist
One of Elle.com’s Best Books of the Year

“Ferociously moving … despite Bennett’s thrumming plot, despite the snap of her pacing, it’s the always deepening complexity of her characters that provides the book’s urgency.” –The New York Times Book Review

“Luminous… engrossing and poignant, this is one not to miss.” –People, Pick of the Week

“Fantastic… a book that feels alive on the page.” –The Washi

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ngton Post

A dazzling debut novel from an exciting new voice, The Mothers is a surprising story about young love, a big secret in a small community—and the things that ultimately haunt us most.

Set within a contemporary black community in Southern California, Brit Bennett’s mesmerizing first novel is an emotionally perceptive story about community, love, and ambition. It begins with a secret.

“All good secrets have a taste before you tell them, and if we’d taken a moment to swish this one around our mouths, we might have noticed the sourness of an unripe secret, plucked too soon, stolen and passed around before its season.”

It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother’s recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor’s son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it’s not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance—and the subsequent cover-up—will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt.

In entrancing, lyrical prose, The Mothers asks whether a “what if” can be more powerful than an experience itself. If, as time passes, we must always live in servitude to the decisions of our younger selves, to the communities that have parented us, and to the decisions we make that shape our lives forever.

Author Cole Horton (STAR WARS: THE VISUAL ENCYCLOPEDIA) discusses writing college history papers, avoiding social media when working, and why he reads every Star Wars book he can find.

STAR WARS: THE VISUAL ENCYCLOPEDIA by by Adam Bray and Cole Horton

Covering more than 2,500 characters, creatures, planets, vehicles, Droids™, weapons, technology, and more from the Star Wars™

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universe, this visual tour is the ultimate compendium for the epic saga and beyond.

Take a stunning visual tour of Star Wars with DK’s comprehensive pictorial guide to the galaxy far, far away!

From lightsabers to beasts to food and clothing, Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia is a virtual museum in a book. Explore beautiful galleries with more than 2,500 images, and discover facts about Star Wars culture, science, and geography.

With a full history of the galactic politics, the Jedi Council, and the Empire, Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia walks fans through the entire timeline of Star Wars.  See the blasters of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope™, look at the stormtroopers of Star Wars: The Force Awakens™, and study the geography of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story™.

Each section of the book focuses on different topics to dedicate special attention and detail to every part of the universe, no matter how small. From the planets in the outer rim to Padmé’s bridal wear, nothing is missed.

A celebration of all things Star Wars, this compendium is the perfect addition to any fan’s bookshelf.

Author John Gimlette – Sri Lanka is home to 7,500 elephants. Author John Gimlette (ELEPHANT COMPLEX) looks at what makes this species unique, and how they reflect the character and history of Sri Lanka.

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ELEPHANT COMPLEX by John Gimlette

Travels in Sri Lanka

“Brilliant.” —The Daily Telegraph

No one sees the world quite like John Gimlette. In Elephant Complex, he ventures into Sri Lanka, a country only now emerging from twenty-six years of civil war.

Beginning in the exuberant capital, Colombo, Gimlette ventures out in all directions: to the dry zones where the island’s 5,800 wild elephants congregate around ancient reservoirs; through cinnamon country with its Portuguese forts; to the “Bible Belt” of Buddhism; then up into Kandy, the country’s eccentric, aristocratic Shangri-la. In the course of his journey, Gimlette meets farmers, war heroes, cricketers, terrorists, a former president, survivors of great massacres—and perhaps some of their perpetrators. That’s to say nothing of the island’s beguiling fauna: elephants, crocodiles, snakes, storks, and the greatest concentration of leopards on Earth.

Here is a land of beauty and devastation, a place at once heavenly and hellish—all brought to vibrant, fascinating life here on the page.

The innovation technique Disney used to rewrite FROZEN | Charles Duhigg – Charles Duhigg (author of SMARTER FASTER BETTER) looks at the creative process Disney used when rewriting FROZEN, making it into a huge success.

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SMARTER FASTER BETTER by Charles Duhigg

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of The Power of Habit comes a fascinating book that explores the science of productivity, and why managing how you think is more important than what you think—with an appendix of real-world lessons to apply to your life.

At the core of Smarter Faster Better are eight key productivity concepts—from motivation and goal setting to focus and decision making—that explain why some people and companies get so much done. Drawing on the latest findings in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics—as well as the experiences of CEOs, educational reformers, four-star generals, FBI agents, airplane pilots, and Broadway songwriters—this painstakingly researched book explains that the most productive people, companies, and organizations don’t merely act differently.

They view the world, and their choices, in profoundly different ways.

A young woman drops out of a PhD program and starts playing poker. By training herself to envision contradictory futures, she learns to anticipate her opponents’ missteps—and becomes one of the most successful players in the world.

A group of data scientists at Google embark on a four-year study of how the best teams function, and find that how a group interacts is more important than who is in the group—a principle, it turns out, that also helps explain why Saturday Night Live became a hit.

A Marine Corps general, faced with low morale among recruits, reimagines boot camp—and discovers that instilling a “bias toward action” can turn even the most directionless teenagers into self-motivating achievers.

The filmmakers behind Disney’s Frozen are nearly out of time and on the brink of catastrophe—until they shake up their team in just the right way, spurring a creative breakthrough that leads to one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.

What do these people have in common?

They know that productivity relies on making certain choices. The way we frame our daily decisions; the big ambitions we embrace and the easy goals we ignore; the cultures we establish as leaders to drive innovation; the way we interact with data: These are the things that separate the merely busy from the genuinely productive.

In The Power of Habit, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Charles Duhigg explained why we do what we do. In Smarter Faster Better, he applies the same relentless curiosity, deep reporting, and rich storytelling to explain how we can improve at the things we do. It’s a groundbreaking exploration of the science of productivity, one that can help anyone learn to succeed with less stress and struggle, and to get more done without sacrificing what we care about most—to become smarter, faster, and better at everything we do.

Praise for Smarter Faster Better

“A pleasure to read . . . Duhigg’s skill as a storyteller makes his book so engaging to read.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Not only will Smarter Faster Better make you more efficient if you heed its tips, it will also save you the effort of reading many productivity books dedicated to the ideas inside.”—Bloomberg Businessweek

“Duhigg pairs relatable anecdotes with the research behind why some people and businesses are not as efficient as others.”—Chicago Tribune

“The book covers a lot of ground through meticulous reporting and deft analysis, presenting a wide range of case studies . . . with insights that apply to the rest of us.”—The Wall Street Journal

Romance Writers of America Announces 2017 Contest Finalists

Romance Writers of America (RWA), the trade association for romance fiction authors, announces the finalists for the 2017 RITA^® and Golden Heart^® Awards. The RITA — the highest award of distinction in romance fiction — recognizes excellence in published romance novels and novellas. The Golden Heart recognizes excellence in unpublished romance manuscripts.

Up to 2,000 romance novels are entered in the RITA competition. A novel may be entered either by the author or by the book’s publisher in one of the contest categories. After the first round of judging by published romance authors, entries that meet the qualifications to become a finalist then advance to the final round.

The winners will be announced July 27 at the 2017 RWA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Congratulations to the finalists!

RITA Finalists

Best First Book
Alterations by Stephanie Scott

Before Goodbye by Mimi Cross

Close to You by Kara Isaac

The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt

Once and For All: An American Valor Novel by Cheryl Etchison

Summer of Supernovas by Darcy Woods

Contemporary Romance: Long
Always a Bridesmaid by Lizzie Shane

Hot in Hellcat Canyon by Julie Anne Long

Make Me Sin by J. T. Geissinger

Miracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan

Pansies by Alexis Hall

Snowfall on Haven Point by RaeAnne Thayne

Tender Is the Night by Barbara Freethy

Contemporary Romance: Mid-Length
Back in the Saddle by Karen Templeton

Barefoot at Midnight by Roxanne St. Claire

Carolina Dreaming by Virginia Kantra

Fast Connection by Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell

Lone Heart Pass by Jodi Thomas

Off the Hook by Laura Drewry

Once and For All: An American Valor Novel by Cheryl Etchison

Tell Me How This Ends by Victoria De La O

The Turning Point by Marie Meyer

Wanderlust by Roni Loren

Contemporary Romance: Short
APB: Baby by Julie Miller

Breaking Good by Madeline Ash

Christmas on Crimson Mountain by Michelle Major

Falling for the Rancher by Tanya Michaels

Far from Home by Lorelie Brown

His Stolen Bride by Barbara Dunlop

A Malibu Kind of Romance by Synithia Williams

Overwhelming Force by Janie Crouch

Searching for Disaster by Jennifer Probst

Two Doctors & a Baby by Brenda Harlen

Erotic Romance
The Dirty Secret by Kira A. Gold

The Master by Tara Sue Me

Off the Clock by Roni Loren

Ravenous by M. S. Force

Three Sweet Nothings by Nikki Sloane

Historical Romance: Long
Dukes Prefer Blondes by Loretta Chase

How I Married a Marquess by Anna Harrington

No Mistress of Mine by Laura Lee Guhrke

Susana and the Scot by Sabrina York

Historical Romance: Short
Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare

Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt

A Duke to Remember by Kelly Bowen

Left at the Altar by Margaret Brownley

The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries

Taming the Highlander by May McGoldrick

Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance
The Color of a Promise by Julianne MacLean

The Depth of Beauty by A. B. Michaels

The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel

Now That It’s You by Tawna Fenske

Paranormal Romance
Bayou Shadow Hunter by Debbie Herbert

The Beast by J R Ward

The Champion of Barésh by Susan Grant

Enchanted Warrior by Sharon Ashwood

Ghost Gifts by Laura Spinella

The Leopard King by Ann Aguirre

The Pages of the Mind by Jeffe Kennedy

Where the Wild Things Bite by Molly Harper

Romance Novella
Her Every Wish by Courtney Milan

“The Husband Maneuver” by Karen Witemeyer

Let It Snow by Jeanette Grey

“Let Us Dream” by Alyssa Cole

Searching for Mine by Jennifer Probst

Tycoon by Joanna Shupe

Wild in Rio by Lyssa Kay Adams

Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements
Close to You by Kara Isaac

Keeper of the Stars by Robin Lee Hatcher

My Hope Next Door by Tammy L. Gray

Trust My Heart by Carol J. Post

Romantic Suspense
All the Dead Girls by Rita Herron

Atone by Beth Yarnall

Field of Graves by J. T. Ellison

Killer Countdown by Amelia Autin

Mr. and Mr. Smith by HelenKay Dimon

One Minute to Midnight by Nico Rosso

Repressed by Elisabeth Naughton

Tall, Dark and Damaged by Sarah Andre

Young Adult Romance
Affective Needs by Rebecca Taylor

The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Summer of Supernovas by Darcy Woods

Golden Heart Finalists

Contemporary Romance
“Always Sunny” by Kimberly MacCarron

“Far-Fetched Love” by Priscilla Cook

“Framed” by Susan J. Bickford

“Mounting the Marquis” by Kelli Newby

“No Man Left Behind” by Penelope Leas

“Sometimes You Need a Sexy Scot” by Melonie Johnson

“Take the Lead” by Alexis Daria

“Tempting Fate” by Jeri Black

“Things I’ll Never Say” by Christina Hovland

“This Child Is Mine” by Jo Anne Banker

Contemporary Romance: Short
“Job Opening: Billionaire’s Wife” by Susannah Erwin

“A Love Wide Open” by JoAnn Sky

“Princess of Meridian” by Catherine Stuart

“What Would Ginger Do?” by Kimberly MacCarron

Historical Romance
“Confess, Your Grace” by Scarlett Peckham

“The Governess’s Glance” by Jennifer Henderson

“How to Train Your Baron” by Diana Lloyd

“Lord Lion and the Lady Publisher” by Laurel Kerr

“The Lost Chord” by Suzanne M. Turner

“The Price of Desire” by Emily Sullivan

“Unmasked” by Elizabeth Rue

“With Love in Sight” by Christina Britton

Paranormal Romance
“Beryl Blue, Time Cop” by Janet Halpin

“Bless Your Heart and Other Southern Curses” by Heather Leonard

“Constant Craving” by Kari W. Cole

“Fire’s Rising” by Grace Adams

“The Mer Chronicles: Love’s Diplomatic Act” by Kate Ramirez

“Soul Affinity” by A. Y. Chao

Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements
“Dangerous Exposure” by Dianna Shuford

“Fair Haven” by Laura Conner Kestner

“Wings of Love” by Pamela Ferguson

Romantic Suspense
“The Fire Beckons” by Lynnette Labelle

“The Guide” by Sarah Morgenthaler

“Seductive Strokes” by Patty Hoffman

“Semper Fi” by Meta Carroll

“Shot Down” by Tracy Brody

“Vengeance” by Diana Belchase

Young Adult Romance
“All the Feels” by Kimberly MacCarron

“Listen” by Jennifer Camiccia

“Mouthful” by C R Grissom

“Swimming through Fog” by Nicole Hohmann

Read It Forward editors Abbe and Emma give six recommendations for debut novels! If you’re not familiar with the website, you really should check it out, there is some great content there for readers.

SYMPATHY by Olivia Sudjic

A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE by Brittany Cavallaro

RICH AND PRETTY by Rumaan Alam

THE NEST by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

THE CHILBURY LADIES’ CHOIR by Jennifer Ryan

DODGERS by Bill Beverly

Author Andrea Davis Pinkney on her career before writing, and writing process | Author Shorts– Author Andrea Davis Pinkney (A POEM FOR PETER) discusses her job as an editor at a mechanics magazine and where she finds inspiration for her characters.

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A POEM FOR PETER by Andrea Davis Pinkney

The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creation of The Snowy Day

Illustrated by Steve Johnson

A celebration of the extraordinary life of Ezra Jack Keats, creator of The Snowy Day.

The story of The Snowy Day begins more than one hundred years ago, when Ezra Jack Keats was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. The family were struggling Polish immigrants, and despite Keats’s obvious talent, his father worried that Ezra’s dream of being an artist was an unrealistic one. But Ezra was determined. By high school he was winning prizes and scholarships. Later, jobs followed with the WPA and Marvel comics. But it was many years before Keats’s greatest dream was realized and he had the opportunity to write and illustrate his own book.

For more than two decades, Ezra had kept pinned to his wall a series of photographs of an adorable African American child. In Keats’s hands, the boy morphed into Peter, a boy in a red snowsuit, out enjoying the pristine snow; the book became The Snowy Day, winner of the Caldecott Medal, the first mainstream book to feature an African American child. It was also the first of many books featuring Peter and the children of his — and Keats’s — neighborhood.

Andrea Davis Pinkney’s lyrical narrative tells the inspiring story of a boy who pursued a dream, and who, in turn, inspired generations of other dreamers.

A POEM FOR PETER by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Viking Books for Young Readers (November 1, 2016).  ISBN 978-0425287682. 60p.

THE HEARTS OF MEN by Nickolas Butler | Judge a Book – Play along as Judge a Book contestants at the Brooklyn Book Festival try to figure out what Nickolas Butler’s THE HEARTS OF MEN is about ONLY by looking at its cover. Boy Scouts? An affair? Oppression?

Finalist for the 2016 Prix Médicis Etrangere*

An epic novel of intertwining friendships and families set in the Northwoods of Wisconsin at a beloved Boy Scout summer camp—from the bestselling author of Shotgun Lovesongs

Camp Chippewa, 1962. Nelson Doughty, age thirteen, social outcast and overachiever, is the Bugler, sounding the reveille proudly each morning. Yet this particular summer marks the beginning of an uncertain and tenuous friendship with a popular boy named Jonathan.

Over the years, Nelson, irrevocably scarred from the Vietnam War, becomes Scoutmaster of Camp Chippewa, while Jonathan marries, divorces, and turns his father’s business into a highly profitable company. And when something unthinkable happens at a camp get-together with Nelson as Scoutmaster and Jonathan’s teenage grandson and daughter-in-law as campers, the aftermath demonstrates the depths—and the limits—of Nelson’s selflessness and bravery.

The Hearts of Men is a sweeping, panoramic novel about the slippery definitions of good and evil, family and fidelity, the challenges and rewards of lifelong friendships, the bounds of morality—and redemption.

Author Pierce Brown (The Red Rising Series) answers eight great questions! All about books, naturally.

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RED RISING by Pierce Brown

The book that started it all. “A dystopian science fiction tale set on a terraformed Mars, [that] actually exceeds its prepublication praise. It will be one of the most immersive and memorable books you’ll read,” Barnes & Noble
 
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, BUZZFEED, AND SHELF AWARENESS

“Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow.”—Scott Sigler
 
Pierce Brown’s relentlessly entertaining debut channels the excitement of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.

“I live for the dream that my children will be born free,” she says. “That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them.”

Eo kisses my cheek. “Then you must live for more.”

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and lush wilds spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power.  He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Red Rising Series

3 defining moments of Emperor Nero’s life | Author Margaret George

Author Margaret George (THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NERO) looks at three moments in Emperor Nero’s life where he made decisions that broke with tradition.

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THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NERO by Margaret George

The New York Times bestselling and legendary author of Helen of Troy and Elizabeth I now turns her gaze on Emperor Nero, one of the most notorious and misunderstood figures in history.

Built on the backs of those who fell before it, Julius Caesar’s imperial dynasty is only as strong as the next person who seeks to control it. In the Roman Empire no one is safe from the sting of betrayal: man, woman—or child.

As a boy, Nero’s royal heritage becomes a threat to his very life, first when the mad emperor Caligula tries to drown him, then when his great aunt attempts to secure her own son’s inheritance. Faced with shocking acts of treachery, young Nero is dealt a harsh lesson: it is better to be cruel than dead.

While Nero idealizes the artistic and athletic principles of Greece, his very survival rests on his ability to navigate the sea of vipers that is Rome. The most lethal of all is his own mother, a cold-blooded woman whose singular goal is to control the empire. With cunning and poison, the obstacles fall one by one. But as Agrippina’s machinations earn her son a title he is both tempted and terrified to assume, Nero’s determination to escape her thrall will shape him into the man he was fated to become—an Emperor who became legendary.

With impeccable research and captivating prose, The Confessions of Young Nero is the story of a boy’s ruthless ascension to the throne. Detailing his journey from innocent youth to infamous ruler, it is an epic tale of the lengths to which man will go in the ultimate quest for power and survival.