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Bookreporter.com Newsletter |
November 26, 2003 |
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Happy Thanksgiving |
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Happy Thanksgiving!
This newsletter is arriving in your mailboxes a couple of days early as we are taking the end of the week off to enjoy the holiday. A short week does not mean we are short on news though some of our features are not being refreshed this week giving you a bit more time to enjoy them. We have a wonderful author interview with Walter Anderson, author of MEANT TO BE and our November roundup of new paperback titles.
Nelson DeMille, who is one of my favorite authors shared some news with us. His book, WORD OF HONOR has been made into a movie starring Don Johnson, which will air on TNT December 6th and 7th at 8PM EST. Mark your calendars to watch and click on the cover above for more information about WORD OF HONOR.
Given that the holiday are upon us --- which means meals might be more on the run as you are shopping, wrapping and baking --- we are highlighting a book you will not want to miss, THE DINNER DOCTOR. Written by Anne Byrn of THE CAKE DOCTOR fame (where readers learn how to doctor cake mixes to create wonderful desserts; I confess that this is a book I am addicted to), this book gives you ideas of how to whip up great dinners from the staples you find in your cabinets! More info on this book by clicking on the cover graphic above this letter.
Over the next few weeks we are going to spotlight titles that we think will make great holiday gifts. This week we want you to note JINGLE BOY, which is a fun holiday read for the teens on your list. It's the story of a teenage boy who loves all the secular traditions of Christmas and his Chevy Chase-like adventures the month of December. Consider it a great gift, but sneak a peek yourself as well if you need a couple of laughs.
Thanks to all of you for reading --- it's a pleasure connecting with you each week. I am off to read cookbooks, make pies and chop a whole lot of vegetables. Why couldn't the Pilgrims have eaten pizza? Of course, my family has not forgiven me for the year I talked my mom into serving lobster instead of turkey. I figured that if the Pilgrims were near the water, this must have been on the menu!
Enjoy the long weekend.
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com) |
Read an excerpt of JINGLE BOY and more about the book here.
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Author Talk: Walter Anderson, author of MEANT TO BE |
Walter Anderson is the chairman and CEO of Parade magazine, and the author of five books. His latest, MEANT TO BE, is a touching memoir in which he talks about the emotional and physical abuse he suffered at the hands of his alcoholic father and the question that haunted him for years.
In this interview with Bookreporter.com reviewer Tom Callahan, Anderson discusses the challenges he faced in writing MEANT TO BE and the important role that reading played during his early years of turmoil. He also pays special tribute to two women who each had a major impact on his turbulent life --- his mother and a neighborhood teacher.
MEANT TO BE by Walter Anderson (Memoir)
Reviewed by Tom Callahan
For a number of years, Walter Anderson harbored a deep secret about his heritage and the circumstances of his birth. With the publication of this affecting memoir, he reveals the truth about his life and tells the inspirational story of his rags-to-riches career. |
Read the Author Talk with Walter Anderson here.
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Suspense/Thriller Spotlight: Read our Interview with Jonathan Kellerman and our Review of THE CONSPIRACY CLUB, and See our Joseph Finder/PARANOIA Advance Readers |
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Jonathan Kellerman, author of THE CONSPIRACY CLUB (due in stores on November 25th)
In Case You Missed Last Week:
-An interview with Jonathan Kellerman
Jonathan Kellerman has brought his expertise as a clinical psychologist to a number of his bestselling suspense novels, including those that feature psychologist Alex Delaware. His latest effort, THE CONSPIRACY CLUB, introduces readers to a new character --- a dedicated young psychologist named Jeremy Carrier.
In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight team (Carol Fitzgerald, Joe Hartlaub, and Wiley Saichek), Kellerman talks about his decision to depart briefly from Alex Delaware, the working relationship he has with his wife Faye, and a memorable encounter he had with one of his fans.
-A review of THE CONSPIRACY CLUB
THE CONSPIRACY CLUB by Jonathan Kellerman (Suspense)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Dr. Jeremy Carrier is a dedicated young psychologist whose life is shattered by the grisly killing of nurse Jocelyn Banks, with whom he had a passionate but brief affair. As more women turn up murdered in the same gruesome fashion as Ms. Banks, the suspicion surrounding Jeremy intensifies. Now, the only way to prove his innocence and put his torment to rest is to follow the trail of a cunning psychopath.
In Case You Missed These Features:
-Read Chapters Two and Three from THE CONSPIRACY CLUB
-Read our Advance Readers' comments on THE CONSPIRACY CLUB
In Case You Missed Last Week:
-See our advanced readers of PARANOIA (in stores, January 20, 2004).
-Read about PARANOIA
-Read about Joseph Finder
-Visit ParanoiaNovel.com to play the Paranoia game, take a quiz to find out how paranoid you are and get details on how to win a Paranoia T-shirt by pre-ordering your copy of PARANOIA now! |
Read our Suspense/Thriller feature here.
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Chick Lit: Sophie Kinsella answers the Chick Lit 12; Read an Excerpt of Kinsella's Upcoming Release; and Enter to Win A $100 American Express Gift Cheque |
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In Case You Missed Last Week:
-Sophie Kinsella answers the Chick Lit 12
-Read an excerpt of Kinsella's forthcoming release, CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET? (in stores March 2004)
CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?
Sophie Kinsella's next book has a new protagonist, Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets. Read a preview chapter of this book, which will be released in March 2004.
In Case You Missed These Features:
Interview with Sophie Kinsella: Sophie Kinsella reveals her inspiration for her bestselling Shopaholic series, shares a few of the most memorable letters she has received from readers and talks about her future writing plans --- which include a new stand-alone novel and a fourth Shopaholic book.
To celebrate the mass market release of CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC, Bookreporter.com is hosting a special contest sure to delight readers --- and shoppers! One lucky reader will win a $100 American Express Gift Cheque for holiday shopping.
To enter the contest, please send an email to ChickLit@bookreporter.com sharing a favorite shopping story by December 5, 2003. The subject line should read CHICK LIT CONTEST. This can be a story about something you enjoyed the experience of buying, or a time where your shopping habits, like Becky Bloomwood's got WAY ahead of your financial means. |
Read our Chick Lit feature here.
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Julia Leigh is Toni Morrison's Protégée in the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative |
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Literature may soon have a new star. She is Julia Leigh, a 33-year-old Australian novelist who has just completed a year as the Protégée of Nobel Prize-winner Toni Morrison as part of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Launched in 2002, this international philanthropic programme pairs extraordinarily gifted young artists with renowned artists in their fields, allowing them to working closely together over the course of a year. |
Read more about the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, and Toni Morrison's Protégée here.
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New in Paperback for November |
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This month's roundup features efforts from bestselling authors Christina Schwarz, Rohinton Mistry and Pete Hamill, whose 2002 novel FOREVER spent six weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Our nonfiction selections include JOINED AT THE HEART by Al and Tipper Gore; John Feinstein's THE PUNCH, which appeared on the New York Times extended bestseller list for seven weeks; and SAMUEL PEPYS, a biography of the famed diarist and recipient of Britain's Whitbread Award. |
Read our New in Paperback feature here.
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Re-view These Book Reviews and Features |
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POMPEII by Robert Harris (Fiction)
Reviewed by Eileen Zimmerman-Nicol
All along the Mediterranean coast, the Roman empire's richest citizens are relaxing in their luxurious villas, enjoying the last days of summer, and the tourists are spending their money in the seaside resorts of Baiae, Herculaneum and Pompeii. But the carefree lifestyle and gorgeous weather belie an impending cataclysm, and only one man --- young engineer Marcus Attilius Primus --- is worried.
BLACK SHEEP by R. J. Kaiser (Fiction)
Reviewed by Bob Rhubart
Jonas Lamb is a lost sheep. He has always taken risks and played by his own rules. Now, after a trail of broken marriages and an endless rollercoaster ride from fortune to bankruptcy and back again, Jonas has one last chance to turn his life around.
THE LITTLE WOMEN by Katharine Weber (Fiction)
Reviewed by Melissa A. Martin
The adolescent Green sisters --- Meg, Jo and Amy --- lead a charmed life until they discover that their apparently perfect family is far more fragile than they had ever thought.
TO PUNISH & PROTECT: A DA's Fight Against a System That Coddles Criminals by Jeanine Pirro, with Catherine Whitney (Current Affairs)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Jeanine Pirro, the District Attorney of Westchester County, New York, takes us inside the violent world of modern crime fighting. She brings readers face to face with the gruesome realities of her daily battles and tells the true, heartbreaking stories of the victims.
THE STRANGER AND THE STATESMAN: James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America's Greatest Museum: The Smithsonian by Nina Burleigh (History)
Reviewed by Ron Kaplan
In this illuminating and dramatic biography, Nina Burleigh reveals a little-known slice of social and intellectual history in the life and times of the man responsible for the creation of the United States' principal cultural institution, the Smithsonian.
SONGBOOK by Nick Hornby (Current Affairs)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Nick Hornby, who has a passion for music, provides readers with his ultimate list of 31 all-time favorite songs, along with smart, funny and very personal essays about them.
BECKHAM: Both Feet on the Ground - An Autobiography by David Beckham and Tom Watt (Autobiography)
Reviewed by Vin Patel
Legendary soccer player David Beckham talks candidly about the pressures of celebrity, his roles as a husband and father, the behind-the-scenes stories of his most memorable career moments, and his love of America.
THE BREATHTAKER by Alice Blanchard (Suspense)
Reviewed by Kate Ayers
A serial killer uses the chaos of tornadoes to mask his murders, and the local police chief battles almost superhuman odds to try to catch him. |
Read the reviews and features here.
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Poll: Holiday Shopping |
Do you buy books as holiday presents?
Yes
No
Not sure
When do you start your holiday shopping?
At the last possible moment
Sometime in mid-December
Sometime in early December
Right after Thanksgiving
I already started shopping.
(And for those of you who do this, go ahead and tell us) I already am finished shopping.
I do not buy holiday presents.
Other (Please specify) |
Answer the Poll here.
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Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading -- TWO Prizes This Week! |
Tell us what books YOU are reading and loving --- or even those you don't.
This week we have some great prizes: FIVE readers each will win a copy of WOLVES OF THE CALLA: The Dark Tower V by Stephen King and THE BIG BAD WOLF by James Patterson.
Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on December 5th. |
Need more details about Word of Mouth? Click here.
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As always, here are a few housekeeping notes. If you are seeing this newsletter in a text version, and would prefer to see the graphics, you can either read it online (see the link on the upper right) or change your preferences below.
Those of you who wish to send mail to Bookreporter.com, please see the form on the Write to Us page. We were forced to move to this format after we were inundated with SPAM at the other address. If you would like to reach me, please write Carol@bookreporter.com. Writing any of the respond buttons below will not get to us.
Quick observation --- we have noticed that many of you have been changing your Internet providers in the past month. If you do, please be sure to "take us along" by signing up for the newsletter in your new name!
Happy reading....and don't forget to forward this newsletter to a friend.
--- Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com) |
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