Where to Find Your Next Great Read

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Debs has gotten us off to a great start on reading in the new year, talking about what we’ve read in 2022, weighing the pros and cons of book journaling, and sharing suggestions on audio narrators you should be listening to. I want to shamelessly piggyback on her excellent work because I kept running into the same issue when I was talking about these things: where do you find your next great read?

In The Before Times, I used to go to one or another of the several independent book stores we’re blessed with in the Portland, Maine area. Or I would spend an hour or two browsing the shelves at one of the local libraries. I often attended professional events like Book Expo America, the American Library Association annual conference, and regional meetings like the New England Booksellers Association’s. In other words, I was encountering newly published, to-be published and new-to-me reads all the time. Or if not all the time, at least often enough to accumulate piles of TBR tomes.

Now? Not so much. All our local libraries offer remote check out - I can order a book and pick it up. The same thing for my favorite bookstores. Call me Overly-Cautious Octavia, but I don’t linger anywhere where the vast public is in, out and hanging around. And even if I were fine with browsing, it feels more like recreational shopping to me, which I was never a fan of, and am less so now. I want to get in, get what I want, and get out. 

All this is a long-winded way of saying I need help finding places for recommended reads! Of course, right here at JRW we have a tremendous resource in all our widely-read members, and every time we have a “what are you reading?” conversation, I’m taking notes. But where else can I go? Where do I get information on the new non-fiction I haven’t heard of, or the most-anticipated science fiction, or upcoming releases of authors I already love but don’t track? 

Reds, what are your resources? Where would you point readers?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I’m completely interested in all of your  answers to this! With Mystery Scene Magazine gone (sigh), and the NYT Sunday Book Review so elite, where do you all go? How do you hear? Of course I read reviewers I love–and some of them are right here on JRW! And I know I can rely on them. So keep those reviews coming, AND if you have a site, you darling reviewers, put it in the comments!

Because of course I am always looking for new, I am so lucky to host CRIME TIME on A Mighty Blaze and First Chapter Fun–and I have to say ,both are wonderful ways of finding new books!  The bookers (big insiders in book/bookstore/publishing world) on Crime Time schedule the interviews, so I get the benefit of their expertise and connections–that’s how I got introduced to Deepti Kapoor, and Jordan Harper, and Brendan Slocumb and Chris Whittaker and Janice Hallett and Lisa Jewell (now my absolute idol) a whole list of other fabulous authors early in the process. The bookers really know their stuff!  

Same on FCF–we get pitched constantly by people/publicists/publishers who want their authors showcased, and so there’s always a stream of new people. And authors who are already favorites will provide advance copies.

So this can work for YOU, too! Just come to CT or FCF and see who you’ll meet. This week, Deepti Kapoor and Mary Kubica on Crime Time and Pam Jenoff on First Chapter Fun. VoiIà. Your next great reads.

HALLIE EPHRON: I swear by CRIME TIME on A Mighty Blaze and First Chapter Fun. Hank you are such a great resource. It somewhat fills the hole left by so many mystery bookstores that have closed. And I depend quite a bit on my fellow Reds and our amazing commenters to cast a wide net. 

Conferences! Gosh I do hope we get back to feeling comfortable about going in person because there’s no better place to meet new authors and talk to a gazillion readers and find out what they’re enthusiastic about.

LUCY BURDETTE: The one place I will not give up shopping is my local bookstores, Books and Books and the Key West Island Bookstore in Key West, and RJ Julia in Connecticut. Besides browsing in the actual stores, I subscribe to all of those newsletters, so I always get the latest on what’s coming out next. I don’t like to buy books from Amazon, but I do use their algorithms (If you liked this, you’ll like that, etc.)

Other than that it’s word of mouth–I adore our reading blogs here–so many good ideas, and you figure out who has similar taste!

 

JULIA: Lucy, I've been to RJ Julia Booksellers several times, but in my head, it always comes out Raul Julia's Book Store! 

JENN McKINLAY: I let the books find me. Seriously, I don’t think I have ever actively looked for a book in my life. That sounds crazy, doesn’t it? It’s just that I grew up in libraries (Mom was a librarian), then I became a librarian, and I don’t know how or why but books just find me, much like every stray critter in south Scottsdale. And usually, the book arrives just when I am meant to read it.

RHYS BOWEN: Hank, you are doing us a great favor by hosting A Mighty Blaze and First Chapter Fun. And my fellow Reds are great with recommendations.

I am lucky to live near two magnificent bookstores, Book Passage in Corte Madera and The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, where they have author events every single night. Barbara Peters of the Poisoned Pen will often host a new author with an established one and I’ve learned about quite a few first time books that way. 

 

Also like many of you, I get sent upcoming books to read and blurb. Some of these are just okay but some are wonderful.

But the most fun thing is to browse when I am in UK. WH Smith, bargain table! Such fun finds and books I wouldn’t normally choose.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Oh, I am seconding Rhys on WH Smith in the UK, ditto Waterstone’s. The first thing I do when I fly into London is check the book racks at the airport WH Smith’s. (And the last thing when I fly out, for the plane, of course. Otherwise, books seem to find me. Here on JRW, of course, the biggest source.  FCF and A Mighty Blaze, newsletters from The Poisoned Pen and Murder by the Book and blogs by favorite reviewers. And I have to confess that I am addicted to Bookbub (that is a whole other blog..) and I can’t count how many authors and series I’ve discovered because something was on sale for $1.99 and it sounded interesting.

 

 

JULIA: Dear readers, it's your turn now - where do you find your next read? Is it in real life, online, or in the media? I'll add your suggestions to the front page here as they come in! 

Who Read to You?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Back in August, I happened across this piece in my local newspaper, the Dallas Morning News, by the author Christopher de Vinck. (Hopefully the DMS will allow one article behind the paywall!) It was a celebration of the life of New Jersey journalist, and later educator, Jim Trelease.

In 1982, a year before my daughter was born, Jim published a little book called THE READ ALOUD HANDBOOK. While working for the Springfield Daily News, Jim volunteered to visit local classrooms to talk to students about journalism and art. Jim noticed that the children who read for pleasure came from classrooms where teachers read aloud daily. When he began to research, he discovered that children who were read aloud to also had bigger vocabularies and did better academically. 

Sharing the benefits of reading aloud became Jim's life mission. THE READ ALOUD HANDBOOK spent 17 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list. It is now in its 8th edition, with an updated treasury of book recommendations. (Ordering a copy for my daughter now!)

If I hadn't already been motivated to read to my daughter, this book would have convinced me! And of course children who are read to read to their own children, as my daughter has to my granddaughter.

It's odd but I don't remember either of my parents reading to me. But my grandmother, who lived with us and had been a teacher, did, and I'm sure that had a lot to do with my having been an early reader and developing a lifelong love of books. 

The defining memory of my grade school years was my sixth grade teacher reading A WRINKLE IN TIME aloud to us. I could not wait for the end of the day and that day's chapter!

Now, I put myself to sleep every night listening to audio books, and I'm not the only one!

Michael Buble falls asleep to Matthew McConaughey every night! There is something so enormously comforting about being read to, and I think we process stories and language in a different way. We shouldn't give up being read to just because we're grown up. (And, of course we have Hank and Hannah to read to us twice weekly with their fabulous First Chapter Fun!) 

My fictional characters carry on the tradition, as you can see in this little snippet from A KILLING OF INNOCENTS:

After supper, Kincaid had overseen baths while Gemma did the washing up. Then he’d read a chapter of The Wind in the Willows to Charlotte and Toby. His mother had recently sent him the copy he and Juliet had read as children, with its original Ernest Shepard illustrations.

Kit, who was supposed to be studying, had come in quietly, removing his earbuds as he folded himself into a seat on the floor just inside Charlotte’s doorway.

“Mum read it to me,” Kit said afterwards, when the younger children were tucked up in their beds and just he and Kincaid stood in the hallway between the bedrooms. “I remember thinking that it had been written just for me, that it was my river, and that if I just looked hard enough I’d see Rat or Mole or Toad.”

REDs and readers, who read to you? Did it spark your love of reading? Do you have memories of particular books? 

That's a Wrap

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Well, here it is two days to Christmas and I am less organized than I have ever been!! Somewhere in the distant past, I had the house decorated, cards sent, packages wrapped, all well before Christmas. There was a year or two when I even made cards by hand. What an idea!

We bought our tree on the first of December, a week earlier than I like but we were afraid our favorite tree lot would sell out. (Last year I waited too long and it was slim pickings.) But even starting early this year, it took me ten days to get the lights on and another few before I got all the ornaments hung. 

Here is a cheat photo of LAST year's Christmas tree with wrapped presents!

Last Saturday I did manage to decorate the mantel, which is one of my favorite Christmas things. But the dining room is still bare, and my lovely Santa collection that normally graces the little writing desk in the living room is still slumbering in an attic box.

Here's last year's table. I love my little woodland critters, the fox and the hedgehog, frolicking among the garlands, but they don't really show up in the photo.

I did actually finish a last bit of Christmas shopping yesterday, all online. (Can you say TWO DAY SHIPPING?)

But wrapping, oh heavens, I shudder to think of it. I vow every year that I will not, WILL NOT, end up wrapping on Christmas Eve. But there I fear I will be. I suspect there is going to be lot of stuffing things in dilapidated Christmas gift bags left over from previous years.

Yes, I save gift bags. And package decorations. And ribbon. Frugal and environmentally friendly, but mostly I just can't bear to throw a pretty piece of wired silk ribbon in the trash. I'm a good wrapper, however. In my family it was my dad who did the wrapping and he taught me early. My mom, conveniently for her, was a disaster at it.

There is a certain zen to wrapping, which I don't think my mom ever got. The trick is to get everything out that you need (especially good scissors and a good tape dispenser), make a cup of hot chocolate (or pour a glass of wine!), put on some Christmas music, and enjoy. On pre-Covid Christmases, my daughter and I would wrap together and I have really missed that.

So, REDs and readers, have you checked everything off your Christmas to-do list? Are you a wrapper or a bagger? Or a stick a gift card in an envelop-er?

Give us a status report!

And don't forget to tune in to First Chapter Fun today for Hank and Hannah's special Christmas reads!

Ho ho holiday reading! A very special treat on Hank's First Chapter Fun – – you know it, right?  Every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:30 PM ET on Facebook and Instagram live, Hank and Canadian Bestseller Hannah Mary McKinnon read the first chapter of a brand new book out loud. (As Hank always says: it's live! What could go wrong?) 

Tomorrow: Episode 223 – – can you believe it? – – is a special holiday reading. You’ll hear some holiday classics, so don’t miss it!

Join the private Facebook group here today https://www.facebook.com/groups/firstchapterfun/ so you can be in on the fun.

Or view on @FirstChapterFun on Instagram. 

It's the perfect lunchtime break!

 

 

How's YOUR Zoom level?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  How are you feeling about Zoom? It has gone through many incarnations, hasn’t it? 

First it was what the heck is Zoom?

Then, how do you work this Zoom thing?  

Then oh, Zoom, got it, that’s pretty cool. 

Then: I need lighting! I need a microphone! I need a background! I will rearrange my entire office so it looks good on zoom! What do I wear? Make up, make up, make up! Oh no, the lighting for Streamyard is different than the lighting for Zoom! Now what do I do? 

Then it was: wow, all the cool people I can see! Then wow, I can do three events in one day! Amazing!

Then wow.  My eyes are hurting. My rear is hurting. I am tired of staring at the screen. I do not care who is on it.

 

Bye, bye, Zoom.

 

But wait. Don’t go. I embrace Zoom, and the like, I really do.

 

And I hope that when the pandemic is over, we will still use it for all the wonderful things it provides.

 

For instance! ALL OF THE REDS are going to be (via Zoom on Facebook)  at the iconic Poisoned Pen Bookstore on Thursday, December 9 at 7:00 PM ET!  

 

ALL of the Reds! You could not do that without Zoom. And we cannot do it without you, so we hope you will join us live on Facebook on the Poisoned Pen page. And there will be PRIZES! 

 

More great Zoom? Tonight! I’ll be hosting The Back Room with co-host Karen Dionne, and with  the psychological suspense queen Kimberley Belle; the fascinating Brian Andrews who was here this week on Jungle Red (the submarine guy); Vera Kurian, a debut author whose thriller is astonishing; and Scott Shepherd, who you will adore: his Inspector Grant mysteries are perfect for fans of Morse and all those Scotland Yard detectives we love.  Space is limited, but there are a few Zoom spots left for this up close and personal event. 

 

And be sure you look at the other panels coming up – – amazing people like Yasmin Angoe, Alafair Burke, Kellye Garrett, Cheryl Head, Lisa Gardner, Wylie Cash, Bob Dugoni and Heather Gudenkauf and more.  Do not miss these!

 

And you know about A Mighty Blaze? I do a weekly mystery interview, and the authors are astonishing. Coming up December 7 at 4 PM live on Facebook, the incredible Hannah Morrissey. Her book, HELLO, TRANSCRIBER, is absolutely terrific. I mean--one of my favorite books of the year. I hope you will join us on A Mighty Blaze on facebook to hear all about it.

 

And can you believe that First Chapter Fun is getting ready for episode 218? Every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:30 PM ET, Hannah Mary McKinnon and I read the first chapter of a fabulous new book live on Facebook and Instagram! On Tuesday is Stephanie Storey, with a literary fiction about the rivalry between Rafael and Michelangelo;  and on Thursday, Megan Miranda! No introduction needed.  Join us!  (It’s a private Facebook group, so you have to join--but do!)

 

So yes, yay, Zoom. Streamyard, Crowdcast. It brings us all of the wonderful events from independent bookstores, too! 

 

Reds and Readers, how’s your Zoom level? Do you go to Zooms? Do you keep track of them? And question I truly love to know the answer to--when do you decide to go? Well in advance? Or spur of the moment? What do you think,  Reds and Readers? 

And will you be there on Thursday?

Fun with First Chapter Fun

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  If we were lucky when we were little, someone put us on their lap and said “Once upon a time.” 

And we knew what would happen next: we were about to hear a story. We would be transported into another world, and find out  something new, and meet someone new, and go on an adventure.

And now, there is story time for grown-ups! Have you visited us at First Chapter Fun? Let me tell you the history.

Back when the pandemic started (Six months ago. Sigh.), a best-selling Canadian author named Hannah Mary MacKinnon (more on her in a minute), worried that her writer pals were going to get the book-tour rug pulled out from under them. No one could travel, and events were canceled, and it was/is horrible.  How would anyone learn about new books?  

As she puts it, she said to a couple of her unhappy pals: what if I just read your first chapter out loud on Facebook?

Turned out, her off-the-cuff idea got an instant positive response from her friends, and she decided to try it.

So starting in March, every day at 11:30 AM--I mean every single day--Hannah read the first chapter of a new book out loud. She paved the way, and figured out how to do it, with rights and permissions and graphics and all kinds of things that you might not ordinarily have thought of.

(Meanwhile, in Boston, I had exactly the same idea. (First I thought I would read my book out loud, a chapter a day. Then I thought no--no one wants to hear that.) Then I thought about reading other people’s books!  Then I thought no, there would be so many problems with rights and permissions that it be SO complicated that it would never work. And my book was due.

Then I heard about Hannah, and I thought--oh, hurray, she’s actually doing it! Brilliant. (And, as I soon learned, it was indeed terrifically complicated.)

I started listening to First Chapter Fun absolutely every day, and was completely hooked.

So then, because the world is amazing, my author friend Samantha Bailey suggested to Hannah that she read THE MURDER LIST, and she did! Incredible to hear her read it.  She has a mesmerizingly wonderful reading voice.

Then after 53 days in a row --– can you believe it, 53 days in a row at 11:30 precisely every day reading the first chapter out loud? How much work that is?-- Hannah announced she was going to end it.

And I didn’t blame her. It was an incredibly time-consuming and undertaking. 

But--I have to admit that I said to her:  don’t stop! I told her:  Everyone loves this, it’s such a benefit to writers, and the pandemic is still underway, and --I am happy to help.

Long story short, we now do it together, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and it is so much fun!  Live on Instagram and live on Facebook—at the same time! (it is hilarious, and live, and quite the technical juggle.

(You can find us here on Facebook  and on Instagram at @FirstChapterFun. You need to join the Facebook group, so just sign up and I will confirm you instantly.)

Today at 11:30 AM EST, we will be reading from JT Ellison’s GOOD GIRLS LIE. And, astonishingly, that is episode 89, can you believe it?

 And we archive all of our readings on Facebook videos, and in Instagram on IG TV. 

So you can catch up on – as of now – – 88 first chapters! We have read Elly Griffiths, Christina Alger and Lisa Unger and Kate White, Liz Constantine, Angie Kim, Heather Gudenkauf,  Damyanti Biswas, Samantha Downing...so many wonderful authors!

Oh, and Jenn McKinlay, and Deborah Crombie, and Hallie Ephron, and Rhys Bowen, with Lucy Burdette to come, and trying to wrangle Julia Spencer-Fleming!

And so many more fantastic authors already scheduled—Gilly Macmillan and SJ Bolton, and  Mike Chen and Andrea Bartz and Rick Mofina and Jennifer Chow--and we’re booking WAY into next year!

(I also make a video for each book, which is drawing on new skills! Here is one I did for today's reading.)

Have you tried First Chapter Fun? I’d adore you to come visit today! I bet you’ll be hooked. And starting next Tuesday, there’s a big time change: because Hannah’s children have school, we’re changing our time to 12:30 EST.

So grab some tea or a second cup of coffee, and come join us.  It lasts about 30 minutes, and the author is generally there, and everyone chats in the comments. SO fun! 

Do you like hearing books out loud? When was the last time you read something out loud to someone?

And a copy of Hannah's  super-best-selling SISTER DEAR to one lucky commenter! 

We Should Talk About This!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  SO I just read the BEST book! It’s sinister, and simmering, and so incredibly unexpected, and I’d so love to talk to you about it…

And that’s true, specifically—and more on that in a moment. But how many times have you thought that? It’s fun to TELL someone about a good book, but so much more  fun to talk WITH someone about it, comparing notes, and expectations, and opinions.

And usually in book clubs you go to someone’s house (True! I know it sound crazy, but it used to happen all the time) and share food (Again, true, I’ve even split things with other people!) and wine (from the same bottles!)

But now many of us are home, but that doesn’t stop us from wanting to talk about books.

Now. The book I was talking about above is SISTER DEAR, by the amazing Hannah Mary McKinnon. (She’s my partner in crime on First Chapter Fun—see below at * for the wonderful details! And you can check it out today!)  But here on Jungle Red—for those who might be tempted to have a book club no matter what—she has some ideas for how to make that work!

And see **for a wonderful GIVEAWAY!

SO, YOU WANT TO START A VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB?

by Hannah Mary McKinnon

As an author, I’ve had the pleasure of being invited as a guest to a number of book clubs, in person and online. Each time has been an absolute pleasure, and what struck me the most was the camaraderie amongst the members, so much so that I decided to start my own book club earlier this year.

Enter the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures, which means in-person book club meetings must be postponed, and it might seem crazy to even think of starting a new club. Except we need human connections and something to look forward to more than ever right now, and a virtual book club could add to the comfort we so desperately need. The solution? A virtual book club. Here are some tips to get you started:

1)    Find members

You can’t have a book club without members but where to find them? I posted in a local Facebook mom’s group and was immediately inundated with replies. Expecting a handful of participants, I couldn’t believe it when over 60 women indicated their interest. That number settled at 17 members after people couldn’t make it because of family and/or scheduling conflicts. 17 is quite a large number for a virtual book club, and I’d suggest having around 10 members so it’s easier to chat with one another online.

2)    Have an introductory meeting online

Make it a “meet-and-greet” where you introduce yourselves, chat about the genre of books you enjoy (or don’t care for), and talk about the structure of the group. To do this, use a videoconferencing tool such as Zoom (www.zoom.us). A “pro” subscription for up to 100 participants per meeting costs $20/month, but maybe one of your members has already signed up, and they can set the meetings up and share the link with the members. Participants can mute their mic when not talking to minimize background noise.

3)    Figure out how to pick books

In my book club, we decided to have five rotating genres: Book Club Picks, Suspense/Thriller, Women’s Fiction, Historical Fiction and “Wild Card” where anything goes. We plan the books two months ahead, members make suggestions on which we vote afterward, so people have the chance to look up the books first. Having themes means we read a variety of genres, and don’t have the same one multiple months in a row. Alternatively you could have the host pick the book for the next (online) gathering, or go in alphabetical order instead. Maybe you pluck books out of a (virtual) hat. There are many different ways that allow each member to give input.

4)    Create a Facebook Group

While I initially managed all communication via email, it was much easier to shift everything to a Facebook group. The group is hidden, meaning only members have access, and I scheduled all our events for the rest of the year. The group is also an easy place to share information about upcoming reads, where to find books, and to create the monthly book pick polls on which members can vote.

5)    Invite authors

Admittedly, this is easier to do when you’re an author yourself and you’ve made connections with other writers, but you might be surprised by how many authors love to be a guest at a book club. The wonders of technology mean you can beam them straight into your chosen location, again by using Zoom. Whether they charge for their time depends on the author, but regardless, sharing photos and reviews of their novels on social media will no doubt be greatly appreciated. Still unsure about inviting an author? A brand new initiative called www.theauthorsbookclub.ca connects book clubs with Canadian writers who are happy to join your meeting—all you need to do is ask.

Creating a book club has been a wonderful experience and an excellent way to find like-minded friends with whom I can share my love of books. We’re living through an unprecedented crisis, and many of us in isolation, feeling disconnected from the world. A virtual book club might be another way for you to make new online connections, and have a ready-made new set of friends you can meet IRL once the pandemic is over. Are you in a book club? What other tips and tricks can you suggest?

HANK: I’m in a few! And I do enjoy them…including one on Facebook called Book Club with Style where Hannah is the featured guest next month and we’re all reading SISTER DEAR! (Although that's not publicly announced yet...) Small world!

Even if I don’t finish the whole book (wince) it’s still so much fun to hear the authors and listen to the chat. I always hear something that I hadn’t thought of before.

How about you, reds and readers? Book clubs—do you think virtual ones work? Are you part of any of them? What’s your experience? Any additional hints and tips?

**And a copy of SISTER DEAR to one lucky commenter!

*FIRST CHAPTER FUN—Every Tuesday and Thursday (days that begin with T) at 11:30 AM est, LIVE on Instagram and Facebook, Hannah and I read the first chapter of a wonderful new book out loud!   It is SO much fun, takes about fifteen minutes total ,but it’s like being able to get a fun preview of  a book you might love! We’ve read Hallie’s CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, and Rhys and Jenn and Lucy  and Debs are coming up over the next few weeks,  and Julia too, if she hurries up and gets me her paperwork. (hint hint) PLUS coming soon Kate White and Christina Alger and Laurie King and SO many more—you’ll adore it. And all the videos are archived, so if you miss them live, you can catch up any time you want. 

Here’s the link for Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/groups/firstchapterfun/

And Insta @FirstChapterFun

Hannah Mary McKinnon was born in the U.K., grew up in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 2010. After a successful career in recruitment, she quit the corporate world in favor of writing.  SISTER DEAR is Hannah Mary’s fourth novel. She lives in Oakville, ON, Canada, with her husband and three sons. For more visit www.hannahmarymckinnon.com

Sister Dear 

Beauty. Wealth. Success.

She’s got it all.

And it all should’ve been mine.

When Eleanor Hardwicke’s beloved father dies, her world is further shattered by a gut-wrenching secret: the man she’s grieving isn’t really her dad. Eleanor was the product of an affair and her biological father is still out there, living blissfully with the family he chose. With her personal life spiraling, a desperate Eleanor seeks him out, leading her to uncover another branch on her family tree—an infuriatingly enviable half sister.

Perfectly perfect Victoria has everything Eleanor could ever dream of. Loving childhood, luxury home, devoted husband. All of it stolen from Eleanor, who plans to take it back. After all, good sisters are supposed to share. And quiet little Eleanor has been waiting far too long for her turn to play.