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TODAY Book Club kicks off with 'The Bone Season' by Samantha Shannon

Get ready to get your read on! The TODAY Book Club, a fresh and interactive digital and on-air discussion series focused on great reads from up-and-coming authors and old favorites alike, launches August 20. Book lovers will have a chance to share their thoughts and insights with the TODAY anchors, featured authors, and other fans through regular Google Hangouts.First up on the reading list is "Th

Get ready to get your read on! The TODAY Book Club, a fresh and interactive digital and on-air discussion series focused on great reads from up-and-coming authors and old favorites alike, launches August 20. Book lovers will have a chance to share their thoughts and insights with the TODAY anchors, featured authors, and other fans through regular Google Hangouts.

First up on the reading list is "The Bone Season," the much-anticipated work by first-time novelist Samantha Shannon. A recent graduate of Oxford University, the 21-year-old penned this first installment of what will be a seven-part fantasy series to be published by Bloomsbury, while attending college. "So amazing," Shannon told TODAY about being picked for the TODAY Book Club, "I just never imagined that it would get to that kind of level."

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"The Bone Season," which will reach bookstore shelves on August 20, follows the story of a clairvoyant heroine named Paige Mahoney, who rebels against a totalitarian government and its supernatural overlords in a dystopian futuristic London. In this society, clairvoyance has been outlawed, and those with the gift are sent off to a secret penal colony.

Readers will have a chance to chat with Shannon on Monday, September 16 during a Google Hangout hosted by Natalie Morales. Simply sign up for the Hangout. Members can also read an exclusive excerpt of the novel on TODAY.com. In addition, fans sign up for the  book club newsletter and can follow @TODAYsBooks for book club conversation starters and special free giveaways, tweeting insights and favorite quotes using the hashtag #TODAYBookClub.

The TODAY Book Club team will choose more books from a variety of genres in the coming months, and each selection will be announced a few weeks in advance of the discussion. Those who can’t make the Google Hangouts can watch archived versions at TODAY.com/BookClub.

Happy reading!