Reading Presumed Guilty felt like sitting at a table where every chapter slid a new piece of evidence into the middle and dared us all to argue about it. Scott Turow drops us back into Rusty Sabich’s world older, retired, and finally hoping for peace only to yank the rug out from under him in the most Turow way possible.

What I loved most for a book club read is how deeply personal this story is. Rusty isn’t just defending a client he’s defending his fiancée’s son, the fragile future they’re trying to build, and his lifelong faith in the law itself. That tension makes every courtroom scene crackle, because the stakes aren’t abstract. They’re emotional, messy, and painfully human.

Aaron is the kind of character who sparks instant debate. Is he unlucky? Is he reckless? Is he hiding something? And Mae’s disappearance and later, her murder casts a long shadow over the story that had me constantly reevaluating what I thought I knew. Turow is very good at making you feel confident and then quietly pulling that confidence apart.

This book also shines in how it examines presumed guilt not just as a legal concept, but as a social one. Bias, reputation, past mistakes, and public perception all collide, making it impossible to separate truth from assumption. I can already picture the heated book club discussions about whether justice is even possible when the system and the people inside it are so deeply flawed.

Smart, tense, and emotionally loaded, Presumed Guilty is one of those novels that keeps the conversation going long after the last page is turned and might even make you rethink every true crime podcast you’ve ever loved.

❓️When you’re reading a legal thriller, do you trust the system or your gut? ⚖️📚

If Presumed Guilty by Scott Turow had you questioning motives, morality, and the meaning of justice, this one’s for you.

The Presumed Guilty Book Club Kit is now live and it’s designed to take your discussion far beyond the verdict. Inside you’ll find a thoughtful discussion guide, a themed menu with easy recipes, engaging activities, and door prize ideas that perfectly match the novel’s tension and courtroom drama.

👉Tap the link for access and let us handle the planning while you focus on the debate. Your next book club conversation is about to get very interesting.

🔗https://tinyurl.com/4d8fk9ah

❗️And don't forget to come back and tell us all about your book club meeting!

Hi everyone! Hope you are all enjoying the book so far. We have had some great discussion about the book overall, and am really loving the back and forth on Discord. This week, the focus is on parts 2 and 3 (Up through Chapter 12). I also wanted to poll you all regarding an in person discussion option.

Regarding the book, some focused questions - feel free to answer in the comments, or just talk about whatever you want!

• Were you surprised by the tone of the book, or is there anything you were surprised about in terms of the writing?

• How do you feel about the structure (alternating present day and past) now that you have gotten into the meat of the book?

• How do you feel about the level of violence in the book - too much, not enough, just right?

• What do you predict is going to happen in the final section?

• If you DNFd at some point (which is totally ok), when did you stop and why?

• How do you feel about the level of fantasy elements in the book?

As always, feel free to chat about whatever, and for more real time discussion, make sure you're over on Discord! Just remember, if you go to the comments there may be spoilers through chapter 12 and the subsequent interlude.

Regarding an in person discussion, I have a poll below - would love to see if anyone is interested in Doing a wrap up discussion. I would likely do it on a Friday evening, weekend daytime or weekend evening the weekend of January 30 - February 1. Times would be eastern standard time. We can run it through Discord, and I can record it so anyone else interested can watch later.

Thanks again for all the great discussion. I'll be sending out the final post next week, and will start setting up for February!

Thank you #SimonTeen for the digital ARC =) Here is my genuine review: 

Wow. I honestly wasn’t too sure how much I was going to enjoy this read (especially since I’ve never read “Little Women”). However, I am so glad I read this. This mystery thriller was done extremely well. 

Likes: 

I enjoyed the relationships and distinct personalities of the sisters. The timeline jumps from now vs then was also enjoyable to read. It was refreshing to read about many different characters (not just the sisters, but their close relationships) but they were descriptive enough to where it wasn’t just another name for the sake of it.  I truly didn’t know who the killer could be until nearish to the end. The 4 POVs and timeline jumps really helped the story come alive.

Dislikes:

I don’t have any. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I think YA and beyond would enjoy this book. 

Highly recommend. 

#SimonTeenInfluencer #BethisDeadBook 

Hi friends! Thank you for joining my Bindery!

I just wanted make sure everyone understood that they have access to member only Discord. Even if you're a free member you are able to join :)

Steps to Join Discord:

1. Click on the discord icon at the top of the page

   

2. Accept the invite

1. You should be able to see the discord & start participating!

If these steps don't make sense, or you're not sure how to get to the discord, please comment on this post and we can try to figure it out. Thank you for being here!

The biggest honour for us is when someone says they picked a book up because of our recommendation. It is so rewarding when someone picks something up because of us and enjoys it. Our aim is to spread the love of reading and just share the books that make us tick. So, what convinces you to pick up a book, and what could get more people into reading?

 Here are some questions provided by Matthew Harffy, the author himself, to engage with the content of Wolf of Wessex! Let us know your thoughts here or on the Discord!

1.     The novel’s chapters alternate between the point of view of Dunston and Aedwen. Who do you think is the true protagonist, or are they both jointly main characters?

2.     Dunston often finds himself forced into brutal situations, leading him to break the vow he made to his late wife to turn his back on violence. How consistent is his personal moral code, and where do you see it tested—or compromised—most strongly?

3.     The novel portrays violence as a frequently unavoidable part of life in 9th-century England. Do you feel the book presents violence as glorified, necessary, or tragic—or a mixture of all three?

4.     How effectively did the novel immerse you in Anglo-Saxon England? What particular details, scenes, or customs made the setting feel especially vivid or authentic?

5.     To what extent do you think Dunston’s life is shaped by fate, and to what extent by his own decisions? Are there moments in the story where a single different choice could have changed everything?

6.     Several characters seek justice through personal vengeance rather than the law. How does the novel challenge or endorse that idea, and what consequences are there to such actions?

7.     By the end of the novel both Aedwen and Dunston have been transformed by their experiences. Which of them has undergone the largest changes in your opinion?

8.     How satisfying did you find the novel’s ending? Were there story lines or character arcs you felt were missing from the conclusion?

Are zombies coming back?

For me personally, they never left. Zombies in media have definitely played a huge factor in my horror journey. Train to Busan, Resident Evil, The Walking Dead, and more are all media that I've loved.

In honor of the release of This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers, I wanted to dive deeper into a few zombie novels that I have either loved or are high on my tbr.

This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers-(currently reading)-Pitched as The Breakfast Club meets 28 Days Later, the book follows a group of teens that barricade themselves in a highschool during the zombie apocalypse. Warning, this one does dive into some heavy themes such as abuse and thoughts of suicide.

The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey (read)--This one follows a world plagued by a fungal zombie apocalypse. It involves a teacher, a young girl, and the military in a journey for a cure.

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland (read)--In an alternate history, black girls are forced to attend a school to become "attendants" who protect white society from the undead. This book tackles racism and classicism.

One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford (tbr)--This one is a post apocalyptic novel that follows a scientist who hides her undead husband in hopes for a cure.

And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin (read)--Not a typical zombie novel. This is an apocalyptic novel that focuses on a hallucinatory virus that leads you to see everyone around you as monsters.

Zone One by Colson Whitehead (tbr)--This one follows a group of people clearing out underground manhattan of zombies and rebuilding civilization.

World War Z by Max Brooks (tbr)--A history of the zombie apocalypse told as a post war historical document.

Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay (tbr)--A tense novel following a rabies-like virus. It focuses on a pediatrician who races to help her friend who is eight months pregnant and has been bitten by an infected. She must get the vaccine quick if she wants to save both her self and her unborn baby.

Agnes At The End Of The World by Kelly McWilliams (read)-- A young girl escapes a fundamentalist cult only to get throw into a pandemic in the outside world.

What’s your favorite zombie novel/movie?