Spotlight of The Parisian Chapter by Janet Skeslien Charles

PHOTO SOURCE:

TYPORAMA

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THE PARISIAN CHAPTER

JANET SKESLIEN CHARLES

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF DAYNA JOHNSON |SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER | ATRIA BOOKS | SIMON & SCHUSTER | AND THE PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE

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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library and Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade, THE PARISIAN CHAPTER is a charming and cinematic novel following a young woman from Montana who takes a job in the American Library in Paris, where she discovers the power of storytelling and her own dreams.

Janet Skeslien Charles has penned another beautiful piece of fiction - this time part literary and part historical.

"I was immediately whisked away to the streets of Paris. And if you've read her previous novel THE PARIS LIBRARY, you'll find lots of lovely easter eggs here." - From the e-mail from Dayna Johnson

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May 5, 2026

Atria Books

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PRAISE FOR THE PARISIAN CHAPTER:

“A delightful love letter to the glorious American Library in Paris. If you love Paris, don't hesitate to say 'Oui oui!' to this sparkling, heartfelt ode to libraries—and to the people who make them magical.” —Kristen Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of Meet Me in Paris

“A colorful tapestry shot through with themes of friendship, the power of books, the importance of history, and the joys and trials of an artist’s life. It’s told with charm and flair and filled with genuine joie de vivre. Francophiles, bibliophiles, and anyone who enjoys an engaging story with memorable characters will be delighted.” —Library Journal

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ABOUT THE PARISIAN CHAPTER:

Paris, 1995: It’s been five years since Lily Jacobsen and her best friend Mary Louise arrived in Paris from their small town of Froid, Montana. Determined to establish themselves as artists—Lily, a novelist, and Mary Louise, a painter—they share a tiny walkup and survive on brie and baguettes.

When Mary Louise abruptly moves out, Lily feels alone in the city of light for the first time and must find a new way to support herself. She lands a job as a programs manager at the American Library in Paris, following in the footsteps of Odile, her beloved French neighbor in Montana who told her stories of heroic World War II librarians when Lily was growing up.

Here in the storied halls of the ALP, she meets an incredible cast of characters—her favorite author, quirky coworkers, broke students, trailing spouses, haughty trustees, and devoted volunteers—each with their own stories... and agendas. Lily often seeks solace in the Afterlife, the library’s attic that’s home to hundreds of unpublished manuscripts, and there, she discovers a box of archives that may be a link to the past: to Odile’s own Parisian chapter.

This moving, propulsive story offers a panoramic view of a real historic institution, and revisits characters from both of Janet Skeslien Charles’s beloved novels. Lily’s story is a love letter to the artist’s life, friendship, and leaving home only to find it again.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Photo Credit:  Krystal Kenney

Janet Skeslien Charles is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Paris Library.

Her work has been translated into thirty-seven languages. She has spent a decade researching Jessie Carson (Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade) at The Morgan Library, the NYPL, and archives across France.

Her shorter work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, The Sydney Morning Herald, LitHub, and the anthology Montana Noir. 

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FIND THE AUTHOR AT THE LINK BELOW:

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Spotlight of Never Hide From The Devil by N.T. McQueen

PHOTO SOURCE:

TYPORAMA

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NEVER HIDE FROM THE DEVIL

N.T. MCQUEEN

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR.

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Inspired by a true story of resistance during the Armenian Genocide, this stirring coming-of-age novel is a parable of courage and impossible choices in the midst of unimaginable horror.

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May 5, 2026

Cynren Press

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Historical / Military & Wars

Social Themes / Prejudice & Racism

Coming of Age

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PRAISE FOR NEVER HIDE FROM THE DEVIL:

Never Hide from the Devil is not merely a historical reconstruction; it is a jagged piece of shrapnel from 1915 Van, pulsing with the frantic, localized energy of a city under siege.—The Armenian Weekly

Vividly written, this moving story reminds us that resistance against tyranny and oppression is possible. Costs may be high, but courage can prevail. A real tour de force!—Ronald Grigor Suny, William H. Sewell, Jr. Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of History, The University of Michigan

The horrors perpetrators commit are only half the story of genocide. The other half is the resistance of its victims. N.T. McQueen delivers a powerful novel of courage and defiance in the face of annihilation.—Dr. Khatchig Mouradian, Columbia University, author of The Resistance Network

Written with short and compelling chapters, this novel plunges the reader with authenticity into this little-known act of defiance during the 20th century’s first genocide.—Marsha Skrypuch, author of Making Bombs for Hitler and the Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy

Through the eyes of a young boy, McQueen crafts a devastating and unforgettable portrait of the 1915 Defense of Van—a story of resilience against impossible odds that delivers the history of the Armenian Genocide to a new generation.—Eric Z. Weintraub, author of South of Sepharad

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ABOUT NEVER HIDE FROM THE DEVIL:

The government wants them dead.

Fourteen-year-old Suren Simonian, an Armenian, lives as most boys his age do in the city of Van, eastern Anatolia. He goes to school, gawks at boys’ fistfights, and does his best to avoid the Turkish gendarmes. Most days he spends with his Turkish best friend, Hamza.

But in spring 1915, rumors spread through Van of Turkish massacres of Armenian villages.

Now Turkish troops have massed outside Van with one goal—to exterminate the city’s Armenians.

As Suren struggles to understand what it means to be a man, he knows one thing for sure:

When everything you’ve known and loved is at stake, the only answer is to fight back. You can never hide from the devil.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

N.T. McQueen is an avid writer and dedicated college lecturer. 

With a master’s degree in fiction from California State University, Sacramento, McQueen has brought unique perspectives on human nature to readers in his captivating novels Never Hide from the Devil Devil (Cennan, 2026), The Cry of Dry Bones (2021), and Between Lions and Lambs (2011).

His writing has been featured in North American Review, Stonecoast Review, Entropy, Sunlight Press, Atticus Review, Dappled Things, Grief Digest Magazine, and Foreword Magazine.

He lives in California with his wife and daughters and enjoys fishing, traveling, and a tasty cup of coffee.

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FIND THE AUTHOR AT THE LINKS BELOW:

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Book Blogger Hop - 5/8/2026

                                        

Question of the Week:

If you designed a cover for a beloved book, how would it look, and how would it reflect the story? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer) 

My Answer:

It would reflect the beauty of what's inside and be pretty colorful.

Covers draw me in so I would want this cover to be one that pulls readers in.

Friendly Fill-Ins - 5/8/2026

                                                    

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FRIENDLY FILL-INS:

1. I know I am having a good day when ________.

2. I _______when I am ___________.

3. _________ makes me feel helpless.

4. I have a lot of confidence in my ability to _________.

MY ANSWERS:

1.  I know I am having a good day when I wake up and see the sunshine which means I can spend some time outside.

2.  I love when I am reading.

3.  Carpentery skills make me feel helpless.

4.  I have a lot of confidence in my ability to knowing I am perfect about my grammar.

 

Spotlight of A Little Bit Bad by Cassandra Neyenesch

PHOTO SOURCE:

TYPORAMA
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A LITTLE BIT BAD

CASSANDRA NEYENESCH

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF AN E-MAIL FROM ANNA SKRABACZ | ASSOCIATE MARKETING DIRECTOR | SUMMIT BOOKS AND SIMON AND SCHUSTER'S WEB PAGE.

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Perdita Jungfrau thought she was going to be married to her husband forever, so falling in love with Nando, her neighbor’s anarcho-Marxist roofer, is a crisis. 

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May 5 2026

Summit Books

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PRAISE FOR A LITTLE BIT BAD:

“A feisty true-crime obsessive’s erotic awakening.” —Ada Calhoun, author of Crush

A “compulsively readable” (Sophie Stava, author of Count My Lies) novel about a San Diego housewife whose love affair with her neighbor’s roofer is interrupted by a murder.

The wickedly funny, “compulsively readable” (Sophie Stava, author of Count My Lies) novel about a San Diego housewife whose obsessive love affair with her neighbor’s roofer is interrupted by a murder.

“Mordantly funny and perfectly pitched….Original and hilarious.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)
 
“So charismatic and confiding; I felt as if I'd found my new (and very bad) best friend” —Eleanor Catton, award-winning author of The Luminaries

“In the enthralling A Little Bit Bad, a feisty true-crime obsessive's erotic awakening in the canyons of California embroils her in her very own murder mystery. Pretty much the platonic-ideal beach read.” —Ada Calhoun, New York Times bestselling author of Crush

“A Little Bit Bad is wholly original and compulsively readable. It’s fresh, dark, subversive and wildly compelling. I can’t stop thinking about it. Neyenesch turns the suspense genre on its head in the best way; I couldn’t get enough.” —Sophie Stava, author of Count My Lies

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ABOUT A LITTLE BIT BAD:

Perdita Jungfrau thought she was going to be married to her husband forever, so falling in love with Nando, her neighbor’s anarcho-Marxist roofer, is a crisis. 

Life seems to put every possible obstacle in their way: she’s pregnant, he has a girlfriend, he’s fifteen years younger, she’s terrified of messing up her children and equally drawn towards this magnetic man who entrusts her with his deepest secret.

Now it’s three years later and Nando has been murdered.

As her bewildered husband tries to make sense of the wildly unpredictable person his wife has become, Perdita has other things on her mind.

For starters, who is the mysterious woman sitting outside her house in a parked car all day?

How can she stop her adored baby brother from being pulled under by his opioid addiction?

Can someone with a childhood like hers ever be the mother her children deserve?

And most of all, what should she do with the searing memories of the affair which turned her life upside down?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Photo Credit:  Lo Dersin

Cassandra Neyenesch is a Brooklyn-based writer, activist, and curator.

Neyenesch’s reviews and cultural pieces have appeared in The Guardian, Brooklyn Rail, HuffPost, Public Books, The International Herald Tribune, and Art in America.

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SOCIAL MEDIA:

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Spotlight of Your Promise by Camille Laurens

PHOTO SOURCE:
TYPORAMA
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YOUR PROMISE

CAMILLE LAURENS

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF ANNE RINALDI • ASSOCIATE PUBLICIST • OTHER PRESS

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An ingenious legal thriller in the vein of Anatomy of a Fall. 

Laurens explores the mechanics of a volatile romantic relationship in a gripping story that melds psychological thriller with courtroom drama.

YOUR PROMISE asks readers to contend with the gap between who we are and who we seem to be.

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May 5, 2026

Other Press Trade Paperback

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ABOUT YOUR PROMISE:

When novelist Claire Lancel’s relationship with Gilles Fabian began, it felt like a dream, an idyllic love story. 6 months in, during a romantic dinner by the sea, he asked her to make him a promise, which she did: She would never write about him.

Why, after years together, is Claire finally breaking her promise? What could have happened in their relationship that brought her to the witness stand, defending herself in court?

Through Claire’s own testimony and the conflicting accounts of friends, YOUR PROMISE offers a brilliant reconstruction of a crime, and a stinging portrayal of modern narcissism. I hope to stay in touch with you about this page-turning new work of psychological mastery from Prix Femina winner Camille Laurens.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND TRANSLATOR:

Photo Courtesy of:  © Catherine Hélie 

About the Author: Camille Laurens is an award-winning French novelist and essayist.

She received the Prix Femina, one of France’s most prestigious literary prizes, in 2000 for Dans ces bras-là, which was published in the United States as In His Arms in 2004.

Her previous books include Who You Think I Am (Other Press, 2017), Little Dancer Aged Fourteen (Other Press, 2018), and Girl (Other Press, 2022).

She lives in Paris.

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About the Translator: Adriana Hunter studied French and Drama at the University of London.

She has translated more than ninety books, including Marc Petitjean’s The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris and Hervé Le Tellier’s The Anomaly and Eléctrico W, winner of the French-American Foundation’s 2013 Translation Prize in Fiction.

She lives in Kent, England.

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