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Literary Families We Would Invite to Our Thanksgiving Dinners

Happy Thanksgiving, book insiders! The NewInBooks team is off celebrating the holiday with our families and friends. We thought it would be fun to dream about which literary families we would invite to our own Thanksgiving celebrations if we had the chance.

We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by people you love!


Chloe: The Bennets from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen


chloe

It would be so fun to sit in a corner and become best friends with Mr. Bennet while we make snide remarks (all beautifully put, of course) about Mrs. Bennet's flustered antics. They're just great. --Chloe


ben

Can we also invite that one pastor dude, Mr. Collins, just because he's ridiculous? He'd be the necessary foil to the Bennets' greatness. --Ben


Anna: The Weasleys from the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling


anna

The Weasleys are a no-brainer. Mrs. Weasley cooks the best food around, the twins will keep you entertained, and who doesn't want a little magic at the dinner table? Except my soulmate was killed off in the books so we'd have to have Thanksgiving before the Battle of Hogwarts. --Anna


Ben: Frankenstein and his Monster from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley


ben

It'd be crazy. They'd just run around the room trying to get at each other. What a hilarious Thanksgiving. I might also invite other literary monsters and their rivals, just to make things interesting. Maybe Bram Stoker's Dracula. --Ben


Taylor: Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare


taylor

I just want to observe their epic banter in-person. I might pick up some awesome new retorts to use on my boyfriend. People say to never meet your heroes, but I'm going to blatantly ignore that advice. Beatrice is my hero and I want to hug her. --Taylor


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Interview with A. Meredith Walters, Author of Butterfly Dreams


Tell us a little bit about your new release, Butterfly Dreams.

Butterfly Dreams is a romance but it is also a story of personal growth for both of the main characters. Corin is a woman who has been dealt with a bad hand in life. She lost both of her parents at an early age and that has fundamentally shaped the person she has become. She is neurotic. She is a hypochondriac. She is sarcastic and blunt. She has walls a mile high. But underneath all of that she is scared and wanting to connect with someone. Beckett on the other hand is a guy who has had his entire life turned upside down as a result of an unexpected heart attack. His world changes. He has to alter the person he was and he's trying to keep a positive outlook. Corin and Beckett are two struggling people who come together to find a reason to live again.

Who are your literary heros working today? Why do you admire them?

Some of my biggest heroes are my friends. People I see who are writing extraordinary stories. Sawyer Bennett, Claire Riley, Brittainy C. Cherry, Penny Reid, LH Cosway, Stacey Lynn. These are fantastic women who are passionate about their stories and have some of the biggest hearts I've ever encountered.

What's rocking your world this month?

I'm reading The Cellar by Natasha Preston. I got to hang out with Natasha at a recent book signing and picked up this book. It's the first story in a long time that has captured my attention.

How did your background as a counselor effect your novels?

My characters and storylines are usually connected to my work as a counselor in someway. I like to write about what I know. About the people I've had the honor of interacting with. One example is the character of Ellie in Reclaiming the Sand. Her entire backstory was based on a young boy I worked with for over five years. I changed a few things here and there, of course, but so much of Ellie was this amazing boy. His story ended happily, just like Ellie's.

What's in your Netflix queue?

I'm currently binge watching The Fringe.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer definitely. But I also wanted to be a counselor and a meteorologist funnily enough.

What's your favorite quote or scene from Butterfly Dreams?

I think my favorite scene is the brief one at the end from Beckett's POV. I can't say much about it without giving away the ending, but there was something about it that I just loved. And this quote has to be a personal favorite. Again it was from Beckett's POV -
"I looked down at Corin and felt an intense pressure in the center of my chest that had nothing to do with a failing heart. And everything to do with it finally finding a reason to beat."

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Never give up. That's the best one and the most important. And don't let negative people get you down. You have to shake them off and move on.


Screen Shot 2015-11-24 at 9.10.23 AMA. Meredith Walters is the author of the new book Butterfly Dreams.

Connect with A. Meredith
Author Website
 Twitter

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What to Read if You Like Susan Mallery Books

Susan Mallery books are delightful contemporary romances that delve into friendship, relationships, and family. They're full of humor and often set in charming small towns. If you're a fan of Susan Mallery books, keep reading! We pulled together a collection of new releases with similar appeal to Susan Mallery books to add to your list.

What to Read if You Like Susan Mallery Books


Should've Said No: A Thistle Bend Novel

Tracy March

Release Date: November 24, 2015

Why fans of Susan Mallery books will like it: small town setting, secrets revealed, charming tone, rugged man meets businesswoman

A Pain in the Tuchis

Forever This Time (An Echo Lake Novel)

Maggie McGinnis

Release Day: November 3, 2015

Why fans of Susan Mallery books will like it: painful past meets swoonworthy future, charming small town, second chance love


The Harder You Fall (Original Heartbreakers)

Gena Showalter

Release Date: November 24, 2015

Why fans of Susan Mallery books will like it: bad boy falls for southern belle, big city character moves to small town, escaping memories of the past

One Step Away: Once Upon a Proposal

Sherryl Woods

Release Date: November 24, 2015

Why fans of Susan Mallery books will like it: second chance love, small picturesque town, businesswoman and reckless bachelor


Heartsong Cottage (Eternity Springs)

Emily March

Release Date: November 3, 2015

Why fans of Susan Mallery books will like it: strangers finding solace in a small town, second chance love, heartwrenching and sweet

Where the Heart Leads (What the Heart Wants)

Jeanell Bolton

Release Date: November 17, 2015

Why fans of Susan Mallery books will like it: new beginnings, small town solace, rugged man and city girl, sweet and deep love story


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New Book Releases in Literary Fiction | November 24

Poignant tales of family feuds, close ties, love and forgiveness await in this week's literary releases. Along the Infinite Sea is a perfect new book to read for historical fiction lovers, while All of Us and Everything is a more contemporary musing on the effects of an absentee father.



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New Romance Novels | November 24

Sweetness and suspense await in this week's new release romance books. For something edgy, check out Butterfly Dreams, for something sweet, pick up Should've Said No.






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Best Fantasy Books to Gift to the Wannabe Wizard

So many of the top fantasy books feature magic or sword and sorcery - and for good reason. Magic is awesome. If you need gifts for book lovers who waited for their Hogwarts letter, watched Sword in the Stone on repeat, and dressed up as a knight every year for Halloween, keep reading. We've pulled together the best fantasy books with magic, nobility, knights, and epic quests to gift to fantasy readers in 2015. All of these books are new this Fall!

Best Fantasy Books to Gift to the Wannabe Wizard


A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

George R. R. Martin

True, Game of Thrones is a little more sword than sorcery. Fantasy readers shouldn't miss George R.R. Martin's new release in the Game of Thrones universe. This book takes place a century prior to Eddard Stark's beheading and features the Targaryen family's era of rule. The memory of dragons is still raw amongst Westeros, and adventures are awaiting.

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Rules for a Knight

Ethan Hawke

Ethan Hawke (yes, as in the Oscar-nominated actor) wrote a new book that blends the metaphysical with life lessons - all in the frame of a knight's quest. This book is an excellent gift for book lovers who are into philosophy. Fun fact: two of Ethan Hawke's Academy Award nominations are for writing.

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Shadows of Self (Mistborn)

Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson's books are favorites among fantasy fans, and his new epic fantasy release will delight book lovers. Shadows of Self exists in a realm that mirrors late 19th-century America. The protagonists are legendary magical figures in a world where magic and technology mix and collide. Don't miss this powerful read.

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Gatefather: A Novel of the Mithermages

Orson Scott Card

The Mither Mages series by Orson Scott Card (of Ender's Game fame) follows a group of exiled Mages in our world. Magic is heavily engrained into the microsociety in western Virginia where our protagonist lives. Gatefather is book 3 in the series (and is brand new). A bundle of all three books is a great gift idea for fantasy readers!

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Bohemian Gospel: A Novel

Dana Chamblee Carpenter

Bohemian Gospel follows a girl named Mouse in thirteenth-century Prague - hardly the ideal time and place to be a young woman. Mouse has an incredible intellect and unnatural abilities that further threaten her. This original tale will appeal to readers who love historical fiction, fantasy, female protagonists, and magical realism.

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Looking for more gifts for book lovers? Check out our entire collection here.

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