Why am I passionate about this?

Like all writers, I am first and foremost a reader, with deep appreciation for a great story. I’m also a veteran book club member who meets with book clubs all over the U.S. and Canada (usually via Zoom) three or four times a week to discuss my own work. They are, as I am, invariably pleased by a plot twist. It All Comes Back to You delivers a big one, along with emotional involvement in two worlds, as it’s a dual timeline. I consider myself an expert as a result of hundreds (thousands?) of hours discussing books with groups who are, without exception, smart, fun, funny women who educate me.


I wrote

It All Comes Back to You

By Beth Duke,

Book cover of It All Comes Back to You

What is my book about?

Alabama, 1947. War's over, cherry-print dresses, parking above the city lights. Beautiful, seventeen-year-old Violet lives in a perfect world. Everybody…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Beth Duke Why did I love this book?

This is classic Southern Fiction, loaded with razor-sharp humor and Flagg’s trademark lyrical prose.

You’ll never forget the characters and there’s a stunning revelation that is guaranteed to unhinge the jaw of the most jaded reader. Fried Green Tomatoes stands the test of time; I loved it and it definitely inspired and informed my writing.

This is a journey to my home state of Alabama you’re sure to enjoy!

By Fannie Flagg,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Folksy and fresh, endearing and affecting, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is a now-classic novel about two women: Evelyn, who’s in the sad slump of middle age, and gray-headed Mrs. Threadgoode, who’s telling her life story. Her tale includes two more women—the irrepressibly daredevilish tomboy Idgie and her friend Ruth—who back in the thirties ran a little place in Whistle Stop, Alabama, offering good coffee, southern barbecue, and all kinds of love and laughter—even an occasional murder. And as the past unfolds, the present will never be quite the same again.
 
Praise for Fried Green Tomatoes at…


Book cover of My Sister's Keeper

Beth Duke Why did I love this book?

I remember the shock and awe I experienced when I read this. I remember the tears.

Our book club discussed it for a good two hours; that’s how it is when you’re so emotionally involved and a book bomb revelation drops on you.

Highly recommended for those who love a well-crafted plot twist!

By Jodi Picoult,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked My Sister's Keeper as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sara and Brian Fitzgerald's life with their young son and their two-year-old daughter, Kate, is forever altered when they learn that Kate has leukemia. The parents' only hope is to conceive another child, specifically intended to save Kate's life. For some, such genetic engineering would raise both moral and ethical questions; for the Fitzgeralds, Sara in particular, there is no choice but to do whatever it takes to keep Kate alive. And what it takes is Anna. Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) and Anna (Abigail Breslin) share a bond closer than most sisters: though Kate is older, she relies on her little…


Book cover of In Five Years

Beth Duke Why did I love this book?

Upmarket Women’s Fiction at its finest! Women’s Fiction isn’t, incidentally, fiction written by or necessarily for women.

It comprises rich stories in which the plot is driven by the protagonist’s emotional journey. You’ll always witness external events creating an interesting and lasting impact from beginning to end, changing our main character inside forever. 

In Five Years excels at that, and packs a devastating, shocking, powerful punch in the process. I cried, but experiencing this story was worth it.

By Rebecca Serle,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked In Five Years as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'SMART, EMOTIONAL, INTRIGUING AND COMPELLING - I LOVED IT!' JILL MANSELL

'Full of twists and turns, this is a heart-breaking yet uplifting story about love and friendship, and is one of this year's must-reads' Heat magazine *****

Dannie Kohan has held true to her meticulously crafted 5-year plan since she understood the concept. On the day that she nails the most important interview of her career and gets engaged to the perfect man, she's well on her way to fulfilling her life goals.

But that night Dannie falls asleep and dreams of a night five years in the future where…


Book cover of Where the Crawdads Sing

Beth Duke Why did I love this book?

If you’re one of the two people on the planet who haven’t read this book, pick it up.

Owens presents an extremely unlikely scenario—its premise alone makes it worthwhile—with an intriguing mystery and a big surprise. There’s a lot here to discuss, and I think every book club should dissect this one.

By Delia Owens,

Why should I read it?

54 authors picked Where the Crawdads Sing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

OVER 12 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
A NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

For years, rumours of the 'Marsh Girl' have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be…


Book cover of The Double Bind

Beth Duke Why did I love this book?

This book rocked my world with a stunning disclosure at the end.

I remember staring at its pages, befuddled and eager to find someone to discuss it with. The Double Bind is perfect for book clubs, with a rich story that draws you in from the first pages.

I would call it “unforgettable.”

By Chris Bohjalian,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Double Bind as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Throughout his career, Chris Bohjalian has earned a reputation for writing novels that examine some of the most important issues of our time. With Midwives, he explored the literal and metaphoric place of birth in our culture. In The Buffalo Soldier, he introduced us to one of contemporary literature’s most beloved foster children. And in Before You Know Kindness, he plumbed animal rights, gun control, and what it means to be a parent.

Chris Bohjalian’s riveting fiction keeps us awake deep into the night. As The New York Times has said, “Few writers can manipulate a plot with Bohjalian’s grace…


Explore my book 😀

It All Comes Back to You

By Beth Duke,

Book cover of It All Comes Back to You

What is my book about?

Alabama, 1947. War's over, cherry-print dresses, parking above the city lights. Beautiful, seventeen-year-old Violet lives in a perfect world. Everybody loves her. In 2012, she's still beautiful, charming, and surrounded by admirers.

Ronni Johnson meets Violet in the assisted living facility where Violet requires no assistance, just lots of male attention. When she dies, she leaves Ronni a generous bequest―only if Ronni completes a book about her life within one year. As she's drawn into the world of young Violet, Ronni is mesmerized. She juggles her patients, a new boyfriend, and a Samsonite factory of emotional baggage as she tries to craft a manuscript before her deadline. But then the secrets start to emerge, some of them in person. And they don't stop. Everything changes.

Book cover of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
Book cover of My Sister's Keeper
Book cover of In Five Years

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Gabriel Ruesso

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