And Then She Was Gone by Rosalind Noonan 

Eleven-year-old Lauren O'Neil vanished one sunny afternoon as she walked home from school. Six years later, her parents Rachel and Dan still tirelessly scour their Oregon hometown and beyond, always believing Lauren will be found. Then one day, the call comes. Lauren has been rescued from a secluded farm mere miles away, and her abductor has confessed. Yet her return is nothing like Rachel imagined. Though the revelations about what Lauren endured are shocking, most heartbreaking of all is to see the bright-eyed, assertive daughter she knew transformed into a wary, polite stranger. Lauren's first instinct is to flee. For years she's been told her parents forgot her; now she doubts the pieces of her life can ever fit together again. But Rachel refuses to lose her a second time. Little by little they must relearn what it means to be a family, trusting that their bond is strong enough to guide them back to each other.  

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An Unexpected Grace by Kristin von Kreisler 

Lila Elliot knows she's lucky. A shooting rampage at her office left several colleagues dead and others seriously wounded. Lila's injuries will heal in time. Yet though she gratefully retreats to her best friend's house to recuperate, Lila can't quite move past her fear and anger. Being drafted into caring for Grace--a shaggy, formerly abused golden retriever--only adds to her stress. Lila has been terrified of dogs since childhood. But Grace, like Lila, needs time and space to recover. Grace keeps her distance, sensing Lila's wariness, and only perks up for Adam, the neighbor who rescued her. Though struggling to make sense of her recent tragedy, Lila, an accomplished artist, begins to see beauty in Grace's wisps of fur and haunted eyes. As Adam points out, Grace, too, has suffered through no fault of her own. And in helping Grace to trust, Lila is being gently nudged toward the courage she needs to do the same.  

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What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman

In this stunning new novel, the acclaimed author of The Plum Tree merges the past and present into a haunting story about the nature of love and loyalty--and the lengths we will go to protect those who need us most. Ten years ago, Izzy Stone's mother fatally shot her father while he slept. Devastated by her mother's apparent insanity, Izzy, now seventeen, refuses to visit her in prison. But her new foster parents, employees at the local museum, have enlisted Izzy's help in cataloging items at a long-shuttered state asylum. There, amid piles of abandoned belongings, Izzy discovers a stack of unopened letters, a decades-old journal, and a window into her own past. Illuminating and provocative, What She Left Behind is a masterful novel about the yearning to belong--and the mysteries that can belie even the most ordinary life.   

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Perhaps your book group would like to discuss a book that you all listen to, instead of read, in 2014. It might add a new dimension to your discussion as you compare reactions to the narrator or glean new insights from an inflection. If you would like to try it, we have a suggestion. Since June is AudioBook Month, Reading Group Choices, in conjunctions with Macmillan Audio, will distribute FREE audiobooks of either Jane Green's Tempting Fate or Lisa Scottoline's Keep Quiet to all groups who sign up on our Random Drawing Webpage. Your group will receive the audiobooks at the end of April, giving everyone in your group time to do their listening before your June meeting.

Tempting Fate by Jane Green
Read by author

Gabby and Elliott have been happily married for eighteen years. They have two teenaged daughters; they have built a life together. So why does she even look at the handsome guy--ten years younger--at the other end of the bar one night? Gabby is the last person to have an affair--a physical one, at least. But Matt makes her feel sparkling, fascinating--something she hasn't felt in years. Surely there's no harm in continuing a long-distance friendship? Surely there's no harm in an emotional affair? As Gabby steps ever deeper into the allure of attraction and attention, things turn perilous. If she makes one wrong move she could lose everything--and find out what really matters most.

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Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline
Read by Ron Livingston

Jake Whitmore is enjoying a rare bonding moment with his sixteen-year-old son, Ryan, when disaster strikes. They get in a terrible car accident that threatens to derail not only Ryan's chances at college, but his entire future. Jake makes a split-second decision that saves his son from formal punishment, but plunges them both into a world of guilt, lies, and secrecy. Just when Jake thinks he has everything under control, a malevolent outsider comes forward with the power to expose Jake's secret and taunts him to the breaking point. Lisa Scottoline's Keep Quiet is the powerful and gut-wrenching tale of the unraveling--and the ultimate redemption--of a family. 

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A recent  Buzzfeed.com article lists books that will be movies in 2014. Among the 16 book-to-movies are five Reading Group Choices Discussible Picks!

LABOR DAY by Joyce Maynard
Starring: Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin
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Over the course of a Labor Day weekend in the late '80s, 13-year-old Henry and his depressed mother Adele's lives change when they harbor fugitive Frank Chambers at home. Frank fills a fatherless void for Henry and brings out life in Adele, all while the police are on the hunt for the escaped murderer. It's a deeply moving read with unpredictable twists, and Kate Winslet is bound to shine as Adele in the film.

DARK PLACES by Gillian Flynn
Starring: Chlo� Grace Moretz, Nicholas Hoult, Charlize Theron, Christina Hendricks

Libby Day was 7 when her mother and two sisters were brutally murdered in an event known as "The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas." She testified that the person responsible for the cruel acts was in fact her 15-year-old brother, Ben. Fast-forward about 25 years and Libby is approached by the Kill Club, a group of people obsessed with solving notorious crimes. They believe Ben was wrongly accused, and she is eventually sucked into the investigation to uncover the twisted truth. Christina Hendricks plays Charlize Theron's mom, so that should be interesting!  

GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike

It's Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary when Amy mysteriously disappears. Nick is oddly evasive and evidence is slowly going against him, but did he really kill his wife? Gillian Flynn's novel is packed with suspense, twists, and plenty of emotions. Readers are pretty split on their feelings about the end, but the entire book is definitely thrilling and the movie will probably be just as captivating. 

UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand
Starring: Garrett Hedlund, Jai Courtney, Domhnall Gleeson

This true story follows Louis Zamperini, a track star from the '30s and a participant in the Berlin Olympics. Zamperini became an airman in WWII and in May of 1943, his plane was shot down, leaving him adrift in the Pacific Ocean with nothing but a raft. Facing starvation, dangerous waters, and a situation in which he is taken prisoner by Japanese forces, this fascinating account is both vivid and powerful. The film is directed by Angelina Jolie.

 

WILD by Cheryl Strayed
Starring: Reese Witherspoon

Twentysomething Cheryl Strayed lost her mother and her marriage all in a short amount of time. Four years later, with nothing to lose, Strayed took an 1,100-mile solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail in order to deal with her catastrophic past. This honest memoir is filled with suspense and humor, a journey worth the read. Reese Witherspoon takes on the role of Strayed and she'll probably be her usual charming self.