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January 27, 2012

Bookreporter.com Newsletter January 27, 2012
A Week of Convention Travel is Finished --- Back to Reading!

When we left off last week, I was in New Orleans. Thanks to all of you who wrote to tell me how you enjoyed last week’s newsletter about my author and book adventures there. I really appreciated your notes, and I THINK I responded to everyone.

From New Orleans I headed to Dallas, with a quick layover in Houston (the depths that I go to for Continental miles). I shared a cab to the airport with Gillian Kohli, who, with her husband Bill, bought Wellesley Booksmith last year. I love hearing the behind-the-scenes stories of what it takes to run a bookstore.

On the flight to Houston, I chatted with an interesting seatmate who told me his home had been New Orleans until Katrina when employment options for him as an engineer dried up and he moved on to Houston. His brother and sister also were forced to find new homes around the country when their companies folded as employees left the city and never came back.

He told me stories of the days after the levee breach and how his family was separated and then found each other. While we all have read media articles and books about the devastation of Katrina, hearing John’s story showed me one person’s personal side of the tragedy, and I was able to actually have a dialogue about it. The conversation was not all heavy. In fact, he later told me about King Cake and the history of it. A young woman had gotten on the plane and placed one in an overhead bin! I usually read or work most of a flight, but there are moments when slices-of-life conversations like this creep in and they often are memorable ones.

The American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting kicked off for me with a fun session moderating a panel at the Pop Top Mystery Stage with Deborah Crombie, Hank Philippi Ryan, Rosemary Harris and Lucy Burdette. You can see a picture of the five us above. For humor, I was not wearing a watch, and my cell phone and BlackBerry were in my bag. Thus I found myself looking at Hank’s watch as the presentation went on to keep track of time. As sometimes when she talked her hands were moving fast, I was trying not to swivel my head to keep a look at the time. They are a great group that needed no coaching to talk. If you want to learn more about them and their books, check out their Jungle Red blog.

By the way, speaking of mysteries, as I was traveling last week, we failed to share the list of Edgar Nominees that was posted on the Mystery Writers of America site on January 19th, which is Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday. You can see that list here.

The rest of Saturday was a flurry of events, presentations and some good old-fashioned walking the show floor. Then Saturday night, there were two big publishing events, and from there I confess that I was wiped out and headed back to my room and rented The Descendants. I am going to say something that may feel blasphemous to many here, but I wish that that movie did not have George Clooney in it; folks I had dinner with on Sunday night said the same thing. As much as I like him, I felt that he got in the way of the movie as the other actors were not household names. I kept seeing George Clooney and not his character. And I WISH I had read the book first; I know, shame on me. By the way, did you see the Oscar nominations and how many titles were based on BOOKS, including the brilliant Hugo, which captured the most nominations? We will have a Books at the Oscars presentation next week.

You know people often talk about the death of the bookstore, but I cannot tell you how many times I also hear about movie scouts finding books in bookstores that are about subjects that interest them that influence movies. Another reason why we love bookstores.

One of the fun parts about ALA is catching up with my librarian friends. Charlene Rue, who runs collection development at Brooklyn Public Library, is one of my favorite people, and we spent most of Sunday together. We started with a presentation by John Green, whose THE FAULT IN OUR STARS is a YA novel that I am dying to read. From there we headed to some publisher presentations, as well as an event about World Book Night. We wrapped up the afternoon at a two-hour session where teens talked about their thoughts about a list of 120 books. Hearing their enthusiasm --- and their articulate assessments --- of the books that they had read was impressive. Each had read a number of books --- and I know how tough this can be with huge school workloads, so I applaud them.

On Sunday evening, I had a publisher dinner that started around halftime of the Giants/49ers game. The score was 10-7 when I left. At dinner, one of my table companions was feeding me the score from his phone. By the time we had finished dinner, there was a tie score and we adjourned to a sports bar where every screen was showing the game, and thus I felt like I got to see the Giants victory in surround view. This now means that next weekend I am hosting a Super Bowl party!

Monday morning of Midwinter ALA is when the Youth Awards are announced. The excitement building up to this is palpable as all weekend there is buzz about who the likely winners are. Literally at every booth that I visited, there was a “What have you heard?” conversation going on. I was at the convention center by 7:15 to get a seat at the awards ceremony. Cries of excitement went up from parts of the room as the winners were announced, and thus I could tell where each publishing house was sitting. As one publicist friend wrote, “This day is like Christmas in children’s publishing and everyone wants to see if they got something under the tree.” We have the complete list of winners on Teenreads.com and Kidsreads.com.

On Tuesday morning, I woke to learn the sad news that Charla Krupp, the author of two smart and engaging books for women --- HOW NOT TO LOOK OLD and HOW TO NEVER LOOK FAT AGAIN --- had passed away from breast cancer at the age of 58. I met Charla in the summer of 1978 when I first started working at Conde Nast, and she was always vibrant, upbeat, entertaining and a brilliant mentor. I, along with so many others, will miss her so much. None of my friends knew she was ill, though she had been diagnosed with Stage IV cancer before the second book came out. She toured, did events and presentations while quietly bearing this news in secret. Amazing and so very Charla.

And now on to this week’s update.

Back in September, we did an “Early Look at an Upcoming Book” promotion for BOND GIRL by Erin Duffy that gave 100 readers a sneak peek at this book before it came out and asked them for comments about it. The responses were overwhelmingly positive! People loved this hip new tale about a young girl who starts out on Wall Street --- and quickly becomes disillusioned during the financial crisis. I had thoroughly enjoyed it and was so happy to see others feel the same way. It’s just out, and our reviewer, Roberta O'Hara, says "Duffy draws on her own true life experience (hers in the world of fixed income sales) to flesh out a truly likable heroine who deserves her place on bookshelves."

Years ago, I read THE SPACE BETWEEN US by Thrity Umrigar, and it was one of those books I still find myself thinking about. Thus I am happy to share our review of THE WORLD WE FOUND with you this week. This new novel tells the story of four women, friends from University, who have grown apart, but who are brought together again when a member of their group falls ill. As they reconnect, they learn about all the ways they have changed, and how they have compromised the ideals they lived for when they were young. The book is a lesson in priorities, and reviewer Melanie Smith says, "THE WORLD WE FOUND is a cathartic, deeply engaging book with fascinating details that give insight into India’s past and future. "

The contest in our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight for Nicole Baart's latest book, FAR FROM HERE, is still running. It tells the story of Danica Greene, whose husband, a pilot, mysteriously disappears in his plane. Danica struggles with her new situation as she grapples with how long to hope for her husband’s return. Has she been abandoned? Is she a widow? I read FAR FROM HERE a few months ago and enjoyed how Nicole crafted the story with lots of emotion and uncertainty for Danica. We have 20 copies to give away to readers who enter here by Thursday, February 2nd at noon ET.

The Seventh Annual Valentine’s Day Contest will award five winners each with the following books --- EVERYTHING ROMANCE: A Celebration of Love for Couples by Todd Hafer, HISTORY OF A PLEASURE SEEKER by Richard Mason, THE LUCKY ONE (movie tie-in edition) by Nicholas Sparks, and THE SCENT OF CHERRY BLOSSOMS by Cindy Woodsmall --- and some Godiva chocolate. You have until February 9th to enter to win one of our five prizes --- we want to be sure you have them by the 14th. Enter now!

And by the way, if you know any teenagers, tell them about our FIRST ever Valentine’s Day contest on Teenreads.com. Like the contest on Bookreporter.com, the Teenreads.com contest features five prize packages full of books and other goodies. Click here to read more about the contest and enter.

Next week, we will have reviews of the four titles currently being featured in our other author spotlights --- Kristin Hannah’s HOME FRONT, William Landay’s DEFENDING JACOB, Nelle Davy’s THE LEGACY OF EDEN and Drusilla Campbell’s LITTLE GIRL GONE.

In our poll and question this week, we want to know what percentage of your family and friends read, and why they may say they do not. Yes, we are on a sociological tear here at Bookreporter.com, but we think these results could be very interesting, so please weigh in!

Also, one last reminder for you to sign up to be a book giver for World Book Night as signups close on Wednesday, February 1st. World Book Night is a night of book giveaways dedicated to the celebration of books and reading that will be held on April 23rd, simultaneously in the US, the UK and Ireland --- and this week it was announced that Germany is also on board. The 50,000 “Book Givers” will pick up their books at local bookstores or libraries. How does your bookstore or library get involved? Well, the stores and libraries will be selected once the folks at World Book Night see where the “book givers” are coming from. A number of The Book Report Network staff members already have signed up --- it’s a great way to spread the love of reading! Maybe I can get some of my non-reading friends converted. Sign up here now!

This week I received a note from one of our readers, Noel from Sun City West, AZ, who, along with his wife, is a huge P.D. James fan. He told me about how much he enjoyed her new book, DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY, which we reviewed on the site recently. DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY is an extension of Jane Austen’s novel PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, and Noel said after watching the five-hour BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, he could happily claim that James’s new book “captured the style and ambiance of the original story.” He says DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY is a “really great story with a great description of the characters, and of Pemberley itself.” We love it when readers share their own comments about the books they've read.

Also, we heard from a sharp reader named Marion, who figured out that my reference to The Quarter Stitch in New Orleans referred to the store as a bookstore instead of a yarn shop. She picked up on the fact it was yarn being wrapped up, not books. Thank you, Marion. THAT is what happens when I tap on the keys too fast and I am out of town so the staff cannot say no, Carol, you were at a yarn shop, not a bookstore.

On Monday, I was flying home from Dallas, and there was a couple seated across the aisle from me with their 10-day-old baby. I had seen them in the airport and told them to enjoy every moment as it goes by so fast. As people filed onto the plane, literally a dozen of them stopped to tell them the same thing. When we landed and I saw them walking away, I had to hold myself back from chasing after them to say "Enjoy him."

I think I am in such a sentimental mood as we are in “Birthday Week” at our house. Cory turned 17 on Monday --- and got his driver’s license on Tuesday. (Now I have a few months of someone around the house who will leap at the chance to run errands!) And Greg turns 22 tomorrow. Greg, who always loves a themed birthday, has told me that in honor of his love of Scandinavian fiction, he thinks I should prepare a Scandinavian-themed dinner complete with something called a Snake Cake. One year he requested Beef Wellington; another a complete Indian-themed dinner. We are still “negotiating” this. Cory is soooo much easier with a pizza and fudge marble cake request.

Speaking of birthdays --- our BRAND new site 20SomethingReads.com is about to arrive! If you are in your 20s, or still maintain a 20-something mindset, then this new book review site is for you. We've tailored it to cater to the market between old and young, a demographic we do not feel is being well-served in bookstores, online or anywhere! Well, at least in terms of book reviews. Click here to sign up for the 20SomethingReads.com newsletter and be alerted when we go live!

Last weekend I picked up dozens of books. There’s always one book that “gets read first,” and this time it is ALL WOMAN AND SPRINGTIME, a debut novel by Brandon W. Jones, which will be in stores on May 1st. It opens in North Korea where Gi, who grew up in a forced labor camp, and Il-sun, her friend who she describes as “all woman and springtime,” work in a factory where they are held to the rigorous rules of “Dear Leader.” The mental abuse that these girls endure is brutal, but nothing compared to what happens to them as they are trafficked from North to South Korea and then to the United States. I am still reading, but already know this is destined to be a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. Also, I simultaneously am finishing up THE STARBOARD SEA, which I failed to pack for my trip and thus still have 100 pages left to read. I already know that it also will be a Bets On selection.

And then onward to the 46 lbs. of books that I brought back. See what you can learn from checking airline baggage? You know how many pounds of books you have! There are soooo many treats in piles in my office…I cannot wait to get to them and make plans to share them with you.

Happy reading…and next week we will have some exciting news about a new project that we have been working on. Stay tuned.

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

Now in Stores: BOND GIRL by Erin Duffy

BOND GIRL by Erin Duffy (Fiction)
Alex Garrett has always dreamed of conquering the high-powered world of Wall Street. And though she's prepared to fight her way into an elitist boys' club, she quickly realizes she's in over her head. No matter. She's determined to make it in bond sales at Cromwell Pierce, one of the Street's most esteemed brokerage firms. Reviewed by Roberta O’Hara.

-Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to read a review.
Now in Stores: TAKEN by Robert Crais

TAKEN by Robert Crais (Thriller)
When the police tell a wealthy industrialist that her missing son has faked his own kidnapping, she hires Elvis Cole and Joe Pike --- and Cole soon determines that it was no fake. The boy and his secret girlfriend have been taken, and are now lost in the dark world of the professional border kidnappers who prey not only on innocent victims, but also on one another. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read an excerpt.

 

Click here to read a review.
Now in Stores: THE FLIGHT OF GEMMA HARDY by Margot Livesey
THE FLIGHT OF GEMMA HARDY by Margot Livesey (Fiction)
When Gemma Hardy is orphaned and left to fend for herself, she moves to the Orkney Islands, where she is hired as an au pair for the niece of charming London businessman Hugh Sinclair. Everyone in the island community, including Gemma, is intrigued by the enigmatic Hugh, and soon, Gemma and Hugh begin a complex relationship that will change Gemma’s life forever. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

 
Click here to read a review.
Now in Stores: THE WORLD WE FOUND by Thrity Umrigar

THE WORLD WE FOUND by Thrity Umrigar (Fiction)
Open your mind to possibilities as you explore India, first in real time and then back into the volatile past of India’s revolution in the 1970s. THE WORLD WE FOUND is the tale of four Indian women, activists in their youth who in middle age now plan a reunion in America. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

Click here to read a review.
Bookreporter.com's Seventh Annual Valentine's Day Contest --- Enter to Win Some Sweet Treats for Yourself or Your Valentine
The countdown to Valentine's Day is on! Stuck on what to buy your Valentine? We have the bookish answer. From now through February 9th, readers will have the chance to win one of our five Bookreporter.com Valentine's Day prize packages, which includes one copy of each of our featured books and some delicious chocolate from Godiva.

Our featured Valentine’s Day titles are:

-EVERYTHING ROMANCE: A Celebration of Love for Couples by Todd Hafer
-HISTORY OF A PLEASURE SEEKER by Richard Mason
-THE LUCKY ONE (movie tie-in edition) by Nicholas Sparks
-THE SCENT OF CHERRY BLOSSOMS by Cindy Woodsmall

 
Click here to read all the contest details and enter to win.
Featured Women's Fiction Author: Nicole Baart, Author of FAR FROM HERE
Danica Greene's happy marriage to a pilot crashes when her husband, Etsell, goes missing in Alaska. While she awaits news of his whereabouts, she must confront her hometown's wild speculation and her growing attraction to her single neighbor, a pastor named Ben. Finally Etsell's mystery is solved, and Danica must decide whether her life is about loss or love.

We have 20 copies of FAR FROM HERE by Nicole Baart, which will be in stores February 7th, to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment on it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Thursday, February 2nd at noon ET.

More about FAR FROM HERE:
Danica Greene has always hated flying, so it was almost laughable that the boy of her dreams was a pilot. She married him anyway, and together, she and Etsell settled into a life where love really did seem to conquer all. Danica is firmly rooted on the ground in Blackhawk, the small town in northern Iowa where they grew up, and the wide slashes of sky that stretch endlessly across the prairie seem more than enough for Etsell. But when the opportunity to spend three weeks in Alaska helping a pilot friend presents itself, Etsell accepts and their idyllic world is turned upside down.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read critical praise.
-Click here to read Nicole Baart's bio.
-Click here to visit Nicole Baart's official website.
-Click here to connect with Nicole Baart on Facebook.

 
Click here to read more about Nicole Baart and FAR FROM HERE in our Women's Fiction feature.
Featured Women’s Fiction Author: Kristin Hannah, Author of HOME FRONT

HOME FRONT by Kristin Hannah (Fiction)
From a distance, Michael and Joleen Zarkades seem to have it all: a solid marriage, two exciting careers, and children they adore. But after 12 years together, the couple has lost their way; they are unhappy and edging toward divorce. Then the Iraq war starts. An unexpected deployment will tear their already fragile family apart, sending one of them deep into harm’s way and leaving the other at home, waiting for news. When the worst happens, each must face their darkest fear and fight for the future of their family.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a third excerpt.
-Click here to read Kristin Hannah's bio.
-Click here to visit Kristin Hannah's official website.
-Click here to see Kristin Hannah's blog.

 

Click here to read more about Kristin Hannah and HOME FRONT in our Women's Fiction feature.
Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: William Landay, Author of DEFENDING JACOB

DEFENDING JACOB by William Landay (Legal Thriller)
Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than 20 years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His 14-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read William Landay's piece on “The Unwritten Rules of the Legal Thriller.”
-Click here to read William Landay's bio.
-Click here to visit William Landay's official website.
-Click here to see William Landay's Facebook page.

 

Click here to read more about William Landay and DEFENDING JACOB in our Suspense/Thriller feature.
Featured One to Watch Author: Nelle Davy, Author of THE LEGACY OF EDEN

THE LEGACY OF EDEN by Nelle Davy (Fiction)
For generations, Aurelia was the crowning glory of the Hathaways --- thousands of acres of Iowa farmland and golden cornfields. Now the last inhabitant of the decaying old home has died --- alone. None of the surviving family members want anything to do with the farm, the land or the memories. But with the receipt of a pleading letter, Meredith Pincetti is again thrust into conflict with the legacy that destroyed her family's once-great name. Back at the farm, Meredith must confront the rise and fall of Aurelia…and her own part in its mottled history.


-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a third excerpt.
-Click here to read critical praise
-Click here to Nelle Davy's bio.
-Click here to read Nelle Davy’s essay on getting published
-Click here to see Nelle Davy talk about the book.
-Click here to visit Nelle Davy's official website.
 

Click here to read more about Nelle Davy and THE LEGACY OF EDEN in our One to Watch feature.
Paperback Spotlight: LITTLE GIRL GONE by Drusilla Campbell

LITTLE GIRL GONE by Drusilla Campbell (Fiction)
Madora was 17 and headed for a load of trouble when Willis rescued her. Alienated from family and friends, she ran away with him, and for five years they have lived alone in near isolation. When he kidnaps a pregnant teenager and imprisons her in a trailer behind the house, Madora is torn between her love for Willis and her sense of right and wrong. Then a pit bull named Foo brings another unexpected person into Madora’s life --- Django Jones, a brilliant but troubled 12-year-old orphan. As Django tries to understand his place in the world, Madora is forced to face what her life has become...and fights to transform it into the life she wants.

LITTLE GIRL GONE will be in stores January 31st.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to read Drusilla Campbell's bio.

Click here to read more about LITTLE GIRL GONE in our Paperback Spotlight.
This Week's Reviews
ALL I DID WAS SHOOT MY MAN: A Leonid McGill Mystery by Walter Mosley (Mystery)
In this fourth installment of Walter Mosley’s series featuring Leonid McGill, the New York private eye helps get a woman he framed for a $58 million robbery out of prison. But that sets off a series of murders that come right to the doorstep of his troubled home as people start thinking McGill has the stolen money or knows where it is. Reviewed by Tom Callahan.

BREAKDOWN: A V.I. Warshawski Novel by Sara Paretsky (Mystery)
Carmilla, Queen of the Night, is a shape-shifting raven whose fictional exploits thrill girls all over the world. When Chicago tweens hold an initiation ritual in an abandoned cemetery, they stumble on an actual corpse, a man stabbed through the heart in a vampire-style slaying. Is the killing linked to a hostile media campaign against Sophy Durango? Or to Chaim Salanter's childhood in Nazi-occupied Lithuania? Reviewed by Jennifer McCord.

THE ODDS: A Love Story by Stewart O'Nan (Fiction)
Jobless, with their home approaching foreclosure and their marriage on the brink of collapse, Art and Marion Fowler liquidate their savings account and book a bridal suite at Niagara Falls' ritziest casino for a second honeymoon. While they sightsee like tourists during the day, at night they risk it all at the roulette wheel to fix their finances --- and save their marriage. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

FAIRY TALE INTERRUPTED: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Loss by RoseMarie Terenzio (Memoir)
Take one savvy, Bronx-raised young Italian woman from a blue-collar family and place her at the center of the high-profile life of the most famous young man in America, John F. Kennedy, Jr. The end result is FAIRY TALE INTERRUPTED, a behind-the-scenes look at the last five years of John's life by his publicist, confidante and close friend, RoseMarie Terenzio. Reviewed by Carole Turner.

PINEAPPLE GRENADE by Tim Dorsey (Fiction)
Gloriously unrepentant Florida serial killer Serge Storms is back --- and he’s finagled his way into becoming a secret agent in Miami. The incomparable Serge takes up spying for the president of a Banana Republic, and now Homeland Security wants to bring him down. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

ALL NECESSARY FORCE by Brad Taylor (Thriller)
The CIA, FBI and Department of Defense systems have spiked, but traditional intel is going nowhere. It falls to the Taskforce --- a top-secret team that exists outside the bounds of U.S. law and is charged with finding and destroying asymmetric threats --- to stop the unknown conspirators. Pike Logan and his partner, Jennifer Cahill, are forced to helm the increasingly convoluted and dangerous mission. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE LIVES OF MARGARET FULLER: A Biography by John Matteson (Biography)
Writer and social critic Margaret Fuller was the leading female figure in the transcendentalist movement, wrote a celebrated column for Horace Greeley’s newspaper, and served as the first foreign correspondent for an American newspaper. Despite her brilliance, however, Fuller suffered from self-doubt and was plagued by ill health. John Matteson captures Fuller’s longing to become ever better, reflected by the changing lives she led. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.

HEFT by Liz Moore (Fiction)
In this compelling tale, two characters yearn for family. One is Arthur Opp, an obese recluse living in his family home in Brooklyn. The other is Yonkers teen baseball star Kel Keller, who has a remote connection to Arthur. Can these strangers triumph over loneliness? Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

CITY OF FORTUNE: How Venice Ruled the Seas by Roger Crowley (History)
Tracing the full arc of the Venetian imperial saga for the first time, CITY OF FORTUNE is framed around two of the great collisions of world history: the ill-fated Fourth Crusade, which culminated in the sacking of Constantinople and the carve-up of the Byzantine Empire in 1204, and the Ottoman-Venetian War of 1499–1503, which saw the Ottoman Turks supplant the Venetians as the preeminent naval power in the Mediterranean. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
Young Adult Books You Want to Read
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:

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green
(Fiction)
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel is still terminal. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

WHY WE BROKE UP written by Daniel Handler, art by Maira Kalman (Fiction)
Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THERE IS NO DOG by Meg Rosoff (Fiction)
Like most teenage boys, Bob has convinced himself he’s in love. Unlike other teenage boys, Bob happens to be the creator of the world. As the earth and its weather patterns reflect his mood, mankind better watch out, because Bob is head over heels --- or at least he thinks he is. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

 
Click here to see all the young adult books we recommend you read.
This Week's Poll and Question
Poll:

Approximately what percentage of your family members and close friends read?

100%
75%
50%
25%
Less than 25%
I’m not sure.

-Click here to answer the poll.


Question:

What is the leading reason (name up to 3) that family members and friends say they do not read?

-Click here to answer the question.
Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading --- and You Could Win THREE Books!
Tell us your current reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from January 20th to February 3rd, FIVE lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of CATCH ME by Lisa Gardner, DEFENDING JACOB by William Landay and HOME FRONT by Kristin Hannah.

-To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.

 
Click here to enter the Word of Mouth contest.

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.

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, and AuthorsOnTheWeb.com.

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