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Best Books of the Month: October 2018

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All News & Interviews | Popular this month

Giveaways

Saving Vengeance (Rob Madden #2)
by

John Witzel (Goodreads Author)

Release date: May 10, 2018

Rob Madden has a score to settle, and he is saving vengeance for maximum impact.

"Do you hear me, Rob? We know who killed your wife and daughters and w ...more

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Format: Kindle book

Giveaway ends in: a

Availability: 100 copies available, 308 people requesting

Giveaway dates: Nov 21 - Dec 21, 2018

Countries available: U.S.

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Top Reviews This Week

Emily May's review of So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson

" I thought this was fascinating.

It's not a perfect book. In fact, Ronson goes wandering down a number of paths that don't seem that relevant to the main topic - such as that whole section with the shame-eradication group - and yet it is still quite fu I thought this was fascinating.

It's not a perfect book. In fact, Ronson goes wandering down a number of paths that don't seem that relevant to the main topic - such as that whole section with the shame-eradication group - and yet it is still quite fun to go on the journey with him. I guess, in the end, there is just something so morbidly fascinating about public-shaming and embarrassment.

The resurgence of public-shaming on social media really interests me. As Ronson points out, public punishments were phased out over a century ago in the United States and Western Europe, but they have recently been making a comeback.

I've heard it described as "vigilante justice" and "herd mentality" (I think I might have called it the latter myself), but whatever you call it, you've probably seen it in some form or other. Someone is outed online for saying something dumb or controversial, for plagiarizing, for whatever, and suddenly it blows up. Twitter piles on and destroys the person. Jobs have been lost; lives have been ruined.

It leaves a lot of people feeling conflicted because, on the one hand, it can be used for good. Social media users rally together and take on giant companies or powerful individuals. The inspirational taglines write themselves: "Together, anything is possible."

But what does someone really deserve for making a bad taste joke online? To lose their job and livelihood? To never be given a chance at their career again? Rape threats? Ronson goes to meet a variety of people who have been publicly-shamed in a number of different ways. He then takes it further and speaks with psychiatrists, governors and law enforcement officials.

What is interesting is the conclusion he reaches about the damage caused by public-shaming. There's a very good reason we no longer see value in publicly humiliating criminals, and Ronson looks into that here. A very interesting book. It's scary that we don't look poised to take his advice anytime soon.

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New Releases in History & Biography

A Short History of Europe: From Pericles to Putin

A Misunderstood Friendship: Mao Zedong, Kim Il-Sung, and Sino-North Korean Relations, 1949-1976

Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom

Little Dancer Aged Fourteen: The True Story Behind Degas's Masterpiece

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New Releases in Fantasy

A Royal Masquerade (The Tales of Ambia #3)

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New Releases in Graphic Novels & Comics

暁のヨナ 28 [Akatsuki no Yona 28] (Yona of the Dawn, #28)

ブラッククローバー 18 [Burakku Kurōbā 18] (Black Clover, #18)

七つの大罪 34 [Nanatsu no Taizai 34] (The Seven Deadly Sins, #34)

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New Releases This Year

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Author Interviews

Barbara Kingsolver

What happens when you've done everything right, but you still can't get by? That's one of the questions Barbara Kingsolver probes in her new novel, Unsheltered. She talked to Goodreads about weaving together the present and past to tell the story of two families living through different moments of American cultural crisis.

141 likes · 36 comments

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Romance Author Interviews

Kendall Ryan

Kendall Ryan, the bestselling author of Hard to Love and Filthy Beautiful Lies, introduces us to a seriously seductive friendship in Flirting with Forever. She talked to us about irresistible banter, book boyfriends, and favorite romance tropes.

21 likes · 5 comments

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