Skip to main content

December 17, 2010

Bookreporter.com Newsletter December 17, 2010
 

Here Come the Holidays...Happy New Year!

Since 'tis the season….we created this holiday greeting for you, which we hope you enjoy with much appreciation from me and the entire staff at Bookreporter.com. It is “constructed” from my Bets On Picks and other books we featured prominently this year. The idea was inspired by some wreaths created by students that I saw in the windows of the Academy of Art University when I was in San Francisco earlier this month. Click on the image to the right to see a larger version of it.

This is holiday “crunch time” for me. My lists have lists, I am trying to think of great, clever presents for people, and I am making piles of things to bring to the Outer Banks on Tuesday where I am ducking out to vacation for two weeks of reading, watching movies, knitting and chillaxing, as my younger son says. But 'til then, there is nary a dull moment. Last year, the owners of the house we rent there told us we could leave our tree there as we have rented the same house every year for six years; then in January, the house was sold. Luckily we are able to rent from the new owners this year, and the tree will be waiting for us, so we dodged a holiday snowball.

The last minute-shopping is making me dizzy. I stand in awe of those folks who have everything bought and wrapped by Thanksgiving! We are not that together around here. After telling me that they needed “nothing,” Cory, my younger son, drummed up some ideas last weekend, and Greg, my older one, emailed me a list today. My niece Sara, who is a college freshman, changed her mind about wanting a gift certificate to a clothing store and instead sent me a list of books that she wanted. You can imagine my glee!

Well, I was all set to click on over to Amazon to shop, or hit the local chain store, and then I realized that I wanted to support my local Indie and shop local at the Clinton Book Shop in Clinton, N.J. I emailed Harvey and Rob my list on Wednesday and asked if they had them all in the store. They needed to order one book, it came in this morning, and I am going to drive out there as soon as I finish writing this newsletter to pick up all the books. For those of you who want to “shop local” and support local small businesses, think about doing this with your local Indie store. While clicking is easy, I like to spread my purchases around. After all, I want to see books available EVERYWHERE and ANYWHERE we can buy them. I will regret it if that choice goes away! And this will give me a chance to say hi to Harvey and Rob, too. You can click the IndieBound logo below to find the store nearest to you!

It amused me that at the top of Sara’s list was THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO! As many of you saw last week, we named THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST by Stieg Larsson as the Bookreporter.com Book of the Year and his Millennium trilogy as our Series of the Decade. We developed a special Millennium website to celebrate, and we’re absolutely thrilled we were able to create such a dynamic, reader-friendly resource. Here you can find reviews, reading guides and film trailers, as well as a series of articles about the books, Stieg Larsson, the series’ impact on Sweden and his legacy.

This week we’re adding another special feature to the Millennium website: a special survey that you can fill out about the books, the characters and so on. Not only will you be sharing your thoughts with other fans, three lucky responders will win one of the special Millennium boxed sets that includes all three novels --- THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE and THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST --- as well as ON STIEG LARSSON, a collection of essays by and about the author. The novels feature special covers and handy maps to further help you follow the story. Fill out the survey here by Monday, January 31st for a chance to win.

You can also comment here on our Millennium question of the week via Facebook. This week we’re asking: “Rumors persist that Stieg Larsson left a nearly-complete manuscript for a fourth Millennium book. Tell us where you would like to see the story go next!”

One of the questions in our survey asks “How did you read the books?” as we’re curious to know if people read them in book form, listened to them or read them on an eReader. Over the past few weeks, we’ve asked readers to share how they use eReaders, and we’ve received some great responses. Please continue to share your feedback, comments and suggestions by sending them to eReaders@bookreporter.com. We’ll be sharing reader comments in January. Also, for those with eReaders, HarperCollins has recently re-released a collection of specially-priced titles for the holidays from authors including James Rollins, Ted Bell, Meg Cabot and Dorothea Benton Frank. Of note is STORMING THE CASTLE, an eBook original novella from Eloisa James, and THE KIDNAPPING, a short story from Charles Todd.

We have a little more than a week left in our latest Sneak Peek contest for Beth McMullen’s ORIGINAL SIN. The book won’t be in stores until July, but you can read an advance edition by answering some questions here by Wednesday, December 29th. Please only enter if you will be able to read and answer some questions about the book by January 21st. That shouldn’t be a problem as the character of Sally Sin makes the story fly by! She’s an original with a great voice, one of a mother handling a mischievous toddler and trying to cover up her former life as a spy. This will be the perfect summertime read, and just as good if you have a holiday or winter vacation planned!

Proving that bookishness runs in our family, on Tuesday my older son, Greg, the self-described "ship geek," took a break from exams and went to a book signing for legendary ocean liner historian John Maxtone-Graham's new book, FRANCE/NORWAY: France's Last Liner/Norway's First Mega Cruise Ship, at the South Street Seaport; Greg is a huge fan of Maxtone-Graham’s. You can see a photo of them above. He tells me that the book is a great portrait of the ship that was first the longest ocean liner in the world as the France in the 1960s, then the first Caribbean mega-cruise ship as the Norway in the 1980s. Maxtone-Graham gave an hour-long slide presentation to 100 people from the Seaport Museum New York membership and the World Ship Society: Port of New York Branch, infused with personal and historical photos and stories of the ship, many of which are in the book. For those who may have sailed on the France/Norway at some point, it's a beautiful volume to remember the ship by; for those of us who didn't, Maxtone-Graham makes you feel like you were onboard anyway. Definitely an offbeat but very nice selection in this month's new releases.

This is our last newsletter of the year. We are all taking a much-needed three-week hiatus to re-coup, read and relax. We will be back with a new update on Friday, January 7th. We leave you with a lot to read --- and do.

In addition to the above contests, we’re entering the final week of our Holiday Cheer Daily Contest and Feature with just three more titles for you to win. You’ll have to check back Monday at noon ET to see our next daily contest. Our final daily Holiday Cheer email will go out Wednesday when we will announce a very special contest with a HUGE prize you won’t want to miss, so be sure to open it. Not signed up for our daily Holiday Cheer emails? Then sign up here, or be sure to check back Wednesday at noon ET when we unveil our Grand Prize. You can check out all our featured titles here. A huge shoutout to Stephen Bedford in our office, who pulled these daily contests together, along with Vicky Kariolic and Alexandra Cannon in our production department.

Our Author Holiday Blog series also will continue right through New Year’s Day. Hopefully you’ve been able to keep up with our daily posts, but if not, you can read through the entire series here. I am so looking forward to taking some time during my trip to just read through all of them. We have pieces from Heidi W. Durrow, Chelsea Cain, Nelson DeMille and Daniel Silva still to come, so stay tuned! Many thanks to our newest staffer, Elizabeth Bruce, who coordinated these blog posts!

If you’re scrambling for last-minute ideas for the reader in your family or at your office, check out our "What to Give, What to Get" Gift Guide. We’re featuring more than 100 titles across 14 categories, so there’s bound to be a great choice in there for someone on your list!

Also, this week we have our annual staff picks. You can check out all our staff’s favorite reads from 2010 here. I look forward to checking these out because as much as we all discuss what we’re reading, we never get a chance to put our favorites down on paper and share with each other. We also asked our reviewers to let us know their top picks of the year, and you can read their varied lists of titles here. Thanks to each and every one of them for sharing their writing with us throughout the year and helping to make our updates as robust and informative as possible week after week. And let's not forget all our author interviews from 2010, which we've archived for you here. As always, our Editorial Director, Tom Donadio, gets a round of loud applause and appreciation for all he has done this year to make sure you have the reviews and interviews you want to read each week. He makes every week special for all of us.

Wishing you all the merriest of holiday seasons and all good things for 2011; we thank you all for reading and for your notes, comments and enthusiasm for what we do. We look forward to seeing you all next year!

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
 

Click here to see our special holiday greeting for you.

 

Now in Stores: AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN edited by Harriet Elinor Smith and other editors of the Mark Twain Project

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN: The Complete and Authoritative Edition, Volume 1 edited by Harriet Elinor Smith and other editors of the Mark Twain Project (Autobiography)
After dozens of false starts, Mark Twain finally devised his “Final (and Right) Plan” for the story of his life. He wanted his thoughts to range freely --- and remain unpublished for 100 years. 2010 marks the centennial of Twain’s death. In celebration of this milestone, the editors of this book are offering his uncensored autobiography exactly as he left it. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
 

Click here to read a review of AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN.

 
Bookreporter.com’s Book of the Year and Series of the Decade --- and Announcing the Millennium Series Survey and Contest!

THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST, the third volume in Stieg Larsson’s international bestselling Millennium series, is Bookreporter.com’s Book of the Year. This is just as much a celebration of the book as it is Larsson’s trilogy, which includes THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO and THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE. There was no denying the series’ global impact upon the release of THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST. A copy of one of Larsson’s books seemed to be everywhere you turned --- in cafés, trains, buses, airports, pools, parks, and so on.

We hope you enjoy this special Bookreporter.com feature and tribute to the crusading journalist and his cyberhacking sidekick who have captivated readers and book lovers all over the globe. Here you will find information about all three novels, as well as the special deluxe boxed set, including reviews, reading guides, the official film trailers, and links to articles and information of interest to fans of the series.

In honor of this feature, we are giving away three boxed sets of The Millennium Trilogy. All you have to do is take our Millennium Series Survey, answering a few questions to share your thoughts on the series, and you are automatically entered in the random drawing to win one of three boxed sets.

-Click here to take the survey and enter the contest.

 
Click here to see our special feature for The Millennium Trilogy.

 
Bookreporter.com’s Favorite Books of 2010: Staff and Reviewer Picks
Bookreporter.com Staff Picks
Before ringing in the new year, we at The Book Report Network reflect on some of our favorite books published for the first time in 2010. Though it was difficult to narrow down, each staff member chose up to five books that he or she enjoyed the most this year. Take a look and see if any of our selections match yours --- and which titles you may want to consider reading in the future.

-Click here to see our 2010 staff picks.

Bookreporter.com Reviewer Picks
Recently we asked our reviewers to provide us with a list of some of their favorite books from 2010. Included is a mix of fiction and nonfiction titles, all published this year. Take a moment to read these varied lists of titles and see if you agree with their selections! Please note that due to personal and professional commitments, some reviewers were not able to participate in this feature.

-Click here to see our 2010 reviewer picks.


 
Bookreporter.com’s Author Interviews of 2010

As 2010 comes to a close, we invite you to take a look at the author interviews that were featured throughout the year on Bookreporter.com. This is a great way to catch up on the discussions you may have missed --- and to re-read what some of your favorite authors had to say about their books.
 

Click here to see our roundup of 2010 interviews.

 
Bookreporter.com's Sneak Peek Feature: Our Latest Featured Title: ORIGINAL SIN by Beth McMullen

At Bookreporter.com, we have the opportunity to read many great books well in advance of their release dates. Now, with our Sneak Peek Feature and Contest, we are offering our readers the chance to preview select early picks --- and share feedback on them. We know that readers champion books that they love, and we want you to be part of the excitement of upcoming releases as early as possible.

Our latest Sneak Peek Feature spotlights ORIGINAL SIN: A Sally Sin Adventure --- about a former U.S. spy turned stay-at-home mother of a toddler who is called back into the field --- which releases in July 2011. We have 50 specially formatted early reader editions of Beth McMullenrsquo;s debut novel to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and share their comments about it.
We really want to hear what you have to say about ORIGINAL SIN, so if you will have time to read it and answer some questions by Friday, January 21st, please enter this contest. If not, we plan to have more opportunities like this in the future.

More about ORIGINAL SIN: A Sally Sin Adventure:
Seeing Lucy Hamilton, you would think she is just like any other stay-at-home San Francisco mom. She takes her three-year-old son Theo to the beach, playground, and the zoo. She makes organic applesauce, folds laundry, and plays on the floor with Matchbox cars until her knees ache. What no one knows about Lucy, not even her adoring husband Will, is that for nine years she was known as Sally Sin, a spy for the USAWMD (United States Agency for Weapons of Mass Destruction). And that’s just the way Lucy wants to keep it --- a secret.

-Click here to read an excerpt from ORIGINAL SIN

 

Click here to read all the details of our Sneak Peek Feature and Contest.

 
Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Dean Koontz, Author of WHAT THE NIGHT KNOWS

Suspense master Dean Koontz returns with WHAT THE NIGHT KNOWS, a gripping thriller about a detective who finds himself investigating a series of murders nearly identical to the ones that haunted and destroyed his childhood.

-Click here to read a third excerpt from WHAT THE NIGHT KNOWS.
-Click here to watch a trailer for WHAT THE NIGHT KNOWS.

-Click here to read Dean Koontz’s bio.
-Click here to see Dean Koontz’s backlist.
-Visit Dean Koontz’s official website, www.DeanKoontz.com.
-Click here to see our finished copy winners.


More about WHAT THE NIGHT KNOWS:
In the late summer of a long ago year, a killer arrived in a small city. His name was Alton Turner Blackwood, and in the space of a few months he brutally murdered four families. His savage spree ended only when he himself was killed by the last survivor of the last family, a 14-year-old boy. Half a continent away and two decades later, someone is murdering families again, recreating in detail Blackwood’s crimes. Homicide detective John Calvino is certain that his own family --- his wife and three children --- will be targets in the fourth crime, just as his parents and sisters were victims on that distant night when he was 14 and killed their slayer.

Here is ghost story like no other you have read. In the Calvinos, Dean Koontz brings to life a family that might be your own, in a war for their survival against an adversary more malevolent than any he has yet created, with their own home the battleground. Of all his acclaimed novels, none exceeds WHAT THE NIGHT KNOWS in power, in chilling suspense, and in sheer mesmerizing storytelling.

 

Click here to read more about Dean Koontz and WHAT THE NIGHT KNOWS.

 
Bookreporter.com’s Holiday Cheer Contest and Feature
/font>

The holiday season is upon us! At Bookreporter.com, this means it's time for us to share the spirit of the season with you with our Holiday Cheer Contest and Feature. This year, we're spotlighting a different title or two on select days through December 23rd, so you will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book(s) and enter. We also are sending a special daily newsletter to announce the day's title(s), which you can sign up for here. Some days may feature special bonus prizes, including gourmet treats, holiday items, or even some of Carol's Bets On picks from this year.

Our next prize book will be announced on Monday, December 20th at noon ET.


This year's featured titles are:


-ARTISAN BREAD IN FIVE MINUTES A DAY by Jeff Herzberg, MD, and Zoë François
-ATLAS OF REMOTE ISLANDS by Judith Schalansky
-BLIND YOUR PONIES by Stanley Gordon West
-CHRISTMAS EVE AT FRIDAY HARBOR by Lisa Kleypas
-THE CHRISTMAS JOURNEY by Donna VanLiere
-THE COLLECTIBLES by James J. Kaufman
-DELIRIOUS by Daniel Palmer
-EVERYTHING CHRISTMAS by David Bordon and Tom Winters
-
HEALTHY BREAD IN FIVE MINUTES A DAY by Jeff Herzberg, MD, and Zoë François
-IF YOU LIVED HERE, YOU'D BE HOME NOW by Claire LaZebnik
-KNIT THE SEASON by Kate Jacobs
-LADY IN WAITING by Susan Meissner
-THE LOST DOGS by Jim Gorant
-MY NEST ISN'T EMPTY, IT JUST HAS MORE CLOSET SPACE by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Scottoline Serritella
-PRAYERS AND LIES by Sherri Wood Emmons
-SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT by Beth Hoffman
-THE SIXTH SURRENDER by Hana Samek Norton
-TEH ITTEH BITTEH BOOK OF KITTEHS by icanhascheezburger.com
-THIS GLITTERING WORLD by T. Greenwood
-TRUE GRIT: Movie Tie-In Edition by Charles Portis
-WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DOG MAKES by Dana Jennings
-WHERE THERE IS LOVE, THERE IS GOD by Mother Teres

 

Click here to read all the details of Bookreporter.com's Holiday Cheer Contest and Feature.

 
Bookreporter.com's Author Holiday Blogs --- Authors Write About Their Bookish Holiday Memories

Between now and New Year's Day, 50 authors will be sharing their favorite memories of giving or receiving a book at the holidays.

Here are links to some recent posts from authors who already have shared their stories:


-Raymond Khoury: Thousands of Miles Away, Only a Book Apart
-Mary Jane Clark: "It Begins With a P and Ends With a T"
-Stephanie O'Dea on Making a Difference
-Holly McQueen on Camouflaged Christmas Miracles
-M.L. Malcolm on Fake Trees and Real Writers
-C.J. Box: Christmas Uncles
-Margaret George: The Ebenezer Scrooge Fan Club
-Wade Rouse: Father Christmas
-Elizabeth Rosner: Books That Saved Me
-Kelly Simmons on Being Spoiled


-Click here to subscribe to the Bookreporter.com Blog via RSS.
-Click here to subscribe to the Bookreporter.com Blog via Email.

 

Click here to read Bookreporter.com's Author Holiday Blogs.

 
What to Give, What to Get: A Holiday Shopping Suggestion Guide

Headed out to do some holiday shopping? Before you go, check out our What to Give, What to Get feature with ideas in 14 categories.

This year's featured categories are:

-Eat, Drink & Be Merry: Cookbooks, Entertaining Guides and Culinary Tales
-Faces & Places: Biography, Memoir and History
-Graphic Reads: Graphic Novels to Enjoy
-Great Choices for Booklovers: Fiction and Nonfiction Highlights
-Healthy, Wealthy & Wise: Advice and How-To
-Holiday Spirit: Perfect Selections for Holiday Reading
-Inspirational: Christian Fiction and Nonfiction Highlights
-Just for Fun: Humor Books
-Kids' Finds: Books Kids Will Love
-Mystery Madness & Thrilling Reads: Mysteries, Thrillers and Suspense
-News, Events & Popular Culture: Current Events and Pop Culture
-Slam Dunks: Sports Titles
-Stocking Stuffers: Books Small Enough to Put in Stockings or Buy in Quantity
-Teens’ Choice: For Teens

 

Click here to see our "What to Give, What to Get" Gift Guide.

 
Share the List of What Your Book Group Read in 2010 --- And You Could Win Books for Your Group!

ReadingGroupGuides.com is interested in gathering a collective list of what groups read in 2010, so we want to know what books your book group discussed in 2010. Click here and give us a list of what your group read month by month. If you did not meet in a particular month, just write “Did Not Meet” in that slot. Also, you do not need to have attended the group discussion --- or read the book --- to add it. After all, we know many people’s schedules are hectic, and they may miss a month or two. Just include on the list what your group read each month.

Besides getting an opportunity to see the Most Discussed Titles in 2010, which we will release in late February or early March, we will be awarding prizes. Thirty-three participating groups will be eligible to win 12 copies of a recently published or soon-to-be published book that is “book group perfect.” You can see the entire list of books here. Note that prizes will be selected at random. This opportunity will be available until January 31, 2011 at 11:59PM ET, but may we suggest you click here now to list your titles? Please note that only U.S. and Canada residents are eligible to enter.

 

Click here to share your group's 2010 year-end selections.

 
This Week’s Reviews

CRESCENT DAWN: A Dirk Pitt Novel by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler (Thriller/Action & Adventure)
In A.D. 327, a Roman galley barely escapes a pirate attack with its extraordinary cargo. In 1916, a British warship erupts in flames in the middle of the North Sea. In the present day, important mosques in Turkey and Egypt are being wracked by explosions. Does anything tie them together? NUMA director Dirk Pitt is about to find out. Reviewed by Judy Gigstad.


TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT: Book Thirteen of The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (Fantasy)
The Last Battle has started. The seals on the Dark One’s prison are crumbling. The Pattern itself is unraveling, and the armies of the Shadow are boiling out of the Blight. The sun has begun to set upon the Third Age. Perrin Aybara is hunted by specters of his past, while Matrim Cauthon prepares for the most difficult challenge of his life. Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard.

HOLLYWOOD HILLS by Joseph Wambaugh (Mystery)
Everyone's dreams are just within reach --- the only problem is, it’s Hollywood. A circle of teenage burglars dubbed The Bling Ring has been robbing Hollywood celebutants. When a pair of drug-addled copycats stumbles on an art dealer’s heist, they set off an epic disaster. For LAPD veteran “Hollywood Nate” Weiss, it all amounts to a deadly situation. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.


AS ALWAYS, JULIA: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto edited by Joan Reardon (Letters & Correspondence)
When Julia Child wrote a fan letter to Bernard DeVoto after reading his Harper's article on knives, she received a letter from his wife, Avis. This correspondence was just the beginning of a life-long pen pal friendship filled with joy and support --- that would ultimately provide lucky readers with this fascinating and revealing collection of letters. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.


FRANK: THE VOICE by James Kaplan (Biography)
Despite Frank Sinatra’s mammoth fame, the man himself has remained an enigma. But James Kaplan recreates his life in glistening detail, with the story of Sinatra’s journey from the streets of Hoboken, to his fall from celebrity, to his Oscar-winning return. Readers will feel what it was like to be Ol’ Blue Eyes --- as man, as musician, as tortured genius. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.

COLONEL ROOSEVELT by Edmund Morris (Biography)
This biography by Edmond Morris is the completion of a trilogy that will stand as definitive as Theodore Roosevelt himself. Packed with more adventure, drama and tragedy than a novel, it recounts the last decade of perhaps the most amazing life in American history. What other president has written 40 books, hunted lions and survived an assassin’s bullet? Reviewed by Ron Kaplan.


CRAZY by William Peter Blatty (Fiction)
New York, 1941: Joey El Bueno is just a smart-aleck kid when he first meets Jane Bent, a freckle-faced girl with red pigtails and yellow smiley-face barrettes who seems to know him better than he knows himself. A magical afternoon at the movies, watching Cary Grant in Gunga Din, is the beginning of a puzzling friendship that soon leaves Joey baffled and bewildered. Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt.

DANIEL by Henning Mankell span>(Historical Fiction)
In the 1870s, Hans Bengler arrives in Cape Town with one desire: to discover an insect and name it after himself. Instead, he impulsively adopts an orphan, christens him Daniel and brings him back to Sweden. But Daniel is haunted by visions of his murdered parents calling him to Africa. The only way back is by sea --- so he decides to learn to walk on water. Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum.


THE MEMORY CHALET by Tony Judt (Memoir/Essays)
In the two years preceding his death from ALS, historian Tony Judt produced this volume of more than two dozen essays --- insightful, reflective, caustic, humorous --- that range over the course of a vital, productive, if too brief, life. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.


/font>NIGHTS OF THE RED MOON by Milton T. Burton (Mystery)
For Sheriff Bo Handel, keeping Caddo County in line is easy. But when the body of the local minister’s wife is dumped on the church’s front, Bo suddenly has his hands full. Finding her killer won’t be easy…and when he discovers that she was a drug addict and having an affair with the worst man in town, the days of his past become a distant memory. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.


MR. HOOLIGAN by Ian Vasquez (Mystery)
Riley James was small-time --- a money-runner for the Monsanto Brothers, the real players in Belize City. Then a slip in judgment left two men dead…and put Riley in the Mansantos’ debt forever. But now, years later, he is a pro and wants out for good. A deal with the Monsantos is Riley’s last chance to get back to even --- a place he hasn’t been since he was a kid. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.


CORRAG by Susan Fletcher (Historical Fiction)
CORRAG is a story of the slaughter of innocents in one event history names the Massacre of Glencoe, which tells of one woman who was tried and convicted of practicing witchcraft. Based on actual events, an herbalist named Corrag has become a legend that survives three centuries after her death in the local folklore and tales of the Scottish Highlands. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.


CHASING THE SUN: The Epic Story of the Star That Gives Us Life by Richard Cohen (History)
"Please take your chairs. It is time for blastoff." With this fitting sentiment, Richard Cohen's historical account begins, centering on one star that makes all earthly life possible. We depend upon it for our comfort and subsistence, and it guides and inspires us. Cohen pays homage to the Sun's importance in this elegant and insightful historical account, sharing evidence and deductions on why our Sun has meant so much. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

 

Click here to read this week's reviews.

 
Young Adult Books You Won’t Want to Miss

As you may or may not know, our company, The Book Report Network, has a number of websites about books and authors in addition to Bookreporter.com. Throughout the year, Bookreporter.com features adult books on Teenreads.com, our site for young adult readers, that we think will have definite appeal to a teen audience. In the spirit of sharing, we are now spotlighting a selection of titles each month from Teenreads.com that we believe are great reads that you might enjoy.

Here are our latest featured titles:


VIRALS by Kathy Reichs (Mystery/Thriller)
The niece of acclaimed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, Tory is the leader of a band of teenage “sci-philes.” But when they’re exposed to a canine parvovirus, their lives are changed forever. Now they must use their new gifts to solve a suddenly hot cold-case --- if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killer’s scent.


VIXEN by Jillian Larkin (Historical Romance)
In this first installment of a new series set in the dangerous and exciting world of Chicago’s Prohibition-era speakeasies, an aspiring singer named Gloria embarks on a series of clandestine adventures, ultimately leading her into the arms of a black pianist. Meanwhile, Lorraine is hurt by her best friend’s secrecy and plans on ruining the reputation of Gloria’s country cousin, Clara. But nothing is as it appears: Clara hides a secret life of her own, and Lorraine is getting the attention she craves from all the wrong places.


PATHFINDER by Orson Scott Card (Science Fiction)
Rigg has been well trained in his special skill of seeing paths from people’s pasts. What he couldn’t see, though, was the trouble he would find himself in after people learned he could be a future king. Following paths won’t help Rigg this time as he struggles to learn his destiny.


FIXING DELILAH by Sarah Ockler (Fiction)
Delilah Hannaford’s life is falling apart. A compromising picture of her is posted on her school’s website, and none of her friends will talk to her anymore. Her grades are falling, she’s just been caught shoplifting, and her grandmother has died. As she, her mother, and her aunt work to clear and repair the family home, Delilah begins to uncover her family’s secrets. Will Delilah find the answers she needs to fix her life?


HUSH by Eishes Chayil (Fiction)
Inside the closed community of Borough Park, the Chassidim way of life is determined by an ancient script --- and abuse has never been a part of it. But when Gittel learns that her best friend has been abused by one of her own family members, she is forced to remain silent --- and begins to question everything she was raised to believe.

 

Click here to see all the young adult titles you won't want to miss.

 

Poll and Question of the Week: YOUR Book of the Year

Poll:

How many books did you read in 2010?

1-25
26-50
51-75
76-100
More than 100
None
I’m not sure.

-Click here to answer our poll.


Question:

What book that released for the first time in 2010 do you think was “The Book of the Year”? Since we know you may have trouble selecting just one, you can name up to three.

-Click here to answer our question.


 

Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading --- and You Can Win THREE Books!
Tell us what books YOU are reading and loving --- or even those you don't.

This week we have three great prizes: FIVE readers each will win a copy of DAMAGE by John Lescroart, FAMILY AFFAIR by Debbie Macomber and LEFT NEGLECTED by Lisa Genova. Tell us what you are reading here and rate the titles 1-5 by noon ET on Friday, January 7th to ensure that you are in the running to win these books.

 
Click here for more details about Word of Mouth.
 


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 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. If you would like to reach me, please write Carol@bookreporter.com. Writing any of the respond buttons below will not get to us.

Those who are subscribed to the Bookreporter.com newsletter by December 31, 2010 automatically are entered in our Monthly Newsletter Contest. This month, one winner will be selected to win the following five books: OF LOVE AND EVIL: The Songs of the Seraphim, Book Two by Anne Rice, RESCUE by Anita Shreve, SECRETS TO THE GRAVE by Tami Hoag, UNBROKEN: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand, and WHAT THE NIGHT KNOWS by Dean Koontz. Marya from Centerville, IA was last month's winner. She won THE EMPEROR'S TOMB by Steve Berry, FULL DARK, NO STARS by Stephen King, HELL'S CORNER by David Baldacci, INDULGENCE IN DEATH by J.D. Robb, and MOONLIGHT MILE by Dennis Lehane.

Happy reading! Don't forget to forward this newsletter to a friend or to visit our other websites from TheBookReportNetwork.com: ReadingGroupGuides.com, GraphicNovelReporter.com, FaithfulReader.com, Teenreads.com, Kidsreads.com, AuthorsOnTheWeb.com and AuthorYellowPages.com.

The Book Report Network
250 W. 57th Street - Suite 1228
New York, New York 10107