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Bookreporter.com Newsletter |
October 31, 2003 |
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Happy Halloween! |
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Happy Halloween. Here's to scary books and great candy!
A few weeks ago we reviewed BALANCE OF POWER by Richard North Patterson. This week we are adding thoughts and comments from two of our advance readers whose lives have been touched by gun violence --- one had a brother who was a police officer who was shot and killed allegedly by a mentally disturbed man who had a number of guns at his home; the other had a 21 year-old son who obtained a gun from a pawn shop to commit suicide. See our Suspense/Thriller feature to read their comments on BALANCE OF POWER.
Kim Green answers the "Chick Lit Twelve" this week. These are twelve questions we're asking our Chick Lit authors, hoping to get more insight into them and their work. Take a look and see how you might answer some of these questions. Green talks about her favorite time of day, her worst job ever, and her two most memorable dates (we think you'll especially love her recounting of The Ankle Incident).
Not sure if you have heard about the new feature at Amazon called "Search Inside the Book." With this you can search a subject, word or phrase and find it in books listed on Amazon. I tried Bookreporter.com and back came 24 books that included references from Bookreporter.com, typically review blurbs found on the back of books. I then searched for other names, words of phrases, all successfully. It's a great way to take a look at a book before you buy it and see what's there on a particular subject.
I am a real fan of online shopping. My life is hectic and the idea of driving to a store and spending time parking and looking for what I want is not one of my favorite things. At the same time I loathe trolling the search engines looking for ideas on what to buy and getting return responses that are not applicable. For those of you who feel the same --- or those of you who have wondered WHAT you can buy online --- we share with you thepurplebook, A Definitive Guide to Exceptional Online Shopping. Pick up a copy now and plot your holiday shopping --- online. Still need an incentive? Think of all the extra time you will have to READ.
More than 267 of you have voted in our poll about Audiobooks. If you did not yet weigh in, please see below for details on how to vote.
I'm off to trick or treat with my little goblins. Have a great week.
--- Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
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Visit Amazon.com by clicking here.
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Author Talk: David Guterson, Author of OUR LADY OF THE FOREST |
David Guterson's latest book, OUR LADY OF THE FOREST, is about a teenage girl who claims to see the Virgin Mary. In this interview Guterson talks about his decision to write a novel that centers on marian apparitions, the official process by which the Catholic Church investigates reports of such apparitions, and the importance of holding on to individual beliefs.
OUR LADY OF THE FOREST by David Guterson (Fiction)
Reviewed by Judy Gigstad
Ann Holmes appears to be an unlikely candidate for revelation. A sixteen-year-old runaway, Ann is a traveling mushroom picker who lives in a tent. But on a November afternoon, in the foggy woods of North Fork, Washington, the Virgin Mary comes to her as clear as day. |
Read an interview with David Guterson as well as our review of OUR LADY OF THE FOREST.
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Suspense/Thriller Spotlight: Read a Third Excerpt from THE CONSPIRACY CLUB by Jonathan Kellerman |
Jonathan Kellerman, author of THE CONSPIRACY CLUB (due in stores on November 25th)
New This Week:
-Read Chapter Three from THE CONSPIRACY CLUB
In Case You Missed Previous Weeks:
-Read Chapter Two from THE CONSPIRACY CLUB
-Read Fast Facts about Kellerman
-Read Chapter One from THE CONSPIRACY CLUB
-See who our advance readers are
-Read about THE CONSPIRACY CLUB
-Read about Jonathan Kellerman
-Read Jonathan Kellerman's bibliography |
Read our Suspense/Thriller feature here.
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Our Chick Lit Feature: Kim Green, author of IS THAT A MOOSE IN YOUR POCKET? --- Read her replies to the Chick Lit Twelve |
New This WeeK
-Kim Green, author of IS THAT A MOOSE IN YOUR POCKET? answers Bookreporter.com's Chick Lit Twelve: Questions that give readers insight into these authors. Read on as Green talks about her favorite time of day, her worst job ever, and her two most memorable dates (we think you'll especially love her recounting of The Ankle Incident).
-Read Chapter Three of IS THAT A MOOSE IN YOUR POCKET?
In Case You Missed Previous Weeks:
-Read Chapter Two of IS THAT A MOOSE IN YOUR POCKET?
-Read Chapter One of IS THAT A MOOSE IN YOUR POCKET? and see our 20 advance readers.
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Read our Chick Lit feature here.
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THE LIES OF GEORGE W. BUSH: Mastering the Politics of Deception by David Corn |
THE LIES OF GEORGE W. BUSH: Mastering the Politics of Deception by David Corn (Current Affairs)
Reviewed by Jesse Kornbluth and Joe Hartlaub
In this scathing indictment of President George W. Bush and his inner circle, David Corn, the Washington editor of The Nation, reveals and examines the deceptions that he believes are at the heart of the Bush presidency. Jesse Kornbluth calls the book "closely argued" and "intensely factual," while Joe Hartlaub believes it is "without a kernel of Truth." |
Read our dueling reviews of THE LIES OF GEORGE W. BUSH.
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Don't Miss: thepurplebook, The Definitive Guide to Exceptional Online Shopping by Hillary Mendelsohn |
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Just in time for holiday shopping...the
thepurplebook: The Definitive Guide to Exceptional Online Shopping.
Frustrated by the seemingly random results generated by most Internet search engines, marketing consultant Hillary Mendelsohn decided to create a comprehensive resource to help online shoppers like herself find the best merchandise and services available on the Internet.
thepurplebook --- the product of Mendelsohn's exhaustive efforts --- is a consumer haven, consisting of more than 1,600 of the best Internet shopping sites. Each website was selected according to specific criteria, including how easy the site is to navigate, how good its selection is, the prices, and the site's download time. This informative and easy-to-use guide is divided into 19 categories that reflect the most common shopping needs of consumers. They include Entertainment, Health & Beauty, Home & Garden, Pets, Shoes & Accessories, and Travel. A review of each site is provided, along with information regarding shipping costs, gift certificates, user friendliness, and much more.
So never again will you need to waste valuable time looking for reliable e-commerce retailers --- because Hillary Mendelsohn and her colleagues have truly written "the definitive guide to exceptional online shopping." |
Read more about THEPURPLEBOOK here.
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This Week's Book Reviews and Features |
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THE TRISTAN BETRAYAL by Robert Ludlum (Thriller)
Reviewed by Kate Ayers
Imagine, as Robert Ludlum has, that the course of history might have been changed by courageous individuals like American Stephen Metcalfe and his Russian lover. Here, he presents a scenario of redemption and suggests how a heroic couple such as this one saved mankind from an ugly future.
WHERE I WAS FROM by Joan Didion (Nonfiction)
Reviewed by Stephen M. Deusner
A sixth-generation Californian, Joan Didion examines the self-serving myths of her home state in this moving book, which is haunted by family memories and personal loss.
THE GEORGETOWN LADIES' SOCIAL CLUB: Power, Passion, and Politics in the Nation's Capital by C. David Heymann (Biography/History)
Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick
Five women over five decades --- that's the basic material historian C. David Heymann covers in this insider's look at Washington, D.C. What makes his book compulsively readable is that these women influenced scores of men, from spies to congressmen to presidents.
EVERY STEP YOU TAKE by Judith Kelman (Thriller)
Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum
Judith Kelman spins a tale of identity theft juxtaposed against the actions of a mad killer, while introducing a forensics group whose combined knowledge is presented in accessible language.
MIRROR MIRROR by Gregory Maguire (Fiction)
Reviewed by Norah Piehl
Forget about cuddly forest animals and jolly singing dwarves. Gregory Maguire reinvents the story of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" like you've never seen it before in this dark and sinister book.
THIS BOOK WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE by Ben Carey and Henrik Delehag (Humor)
Reviewed by Maggie Harding
Are you expecting the upcoming year to be similar to this one? Are you sick and tired of following the same routine day in and day out? If so, then this book may be just what the doctor ordered, as Ben Carey and Henrik Delehag offer 365 ways to "spice up" your life. |
Read this week's reviews and features here.
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Poll: All About Audiobooks |
Do you listen to audiobooks?
Yes, I listen to them all the time.
Yes, I listen to them, but only when I am doing select activities
No, I have tried them and I do not like them.
I have never listened to an audiobook.
Where do you listen to audiobooks?
On car trips
While exercising
While working
While walking
While doing hobbies like gardening and painting
While doing mundane tasks like laundry, ironing and mowing the lawn
I listen while doing other activities than those you have listed
I do not listen to audiobooks.
What kind of books do you listen to?
The same kinds of books that I typically read
Different genres than I usually read
I am not sure what I do
I do not listen to audiobooks
How do you listen?
Using CDs or tapes
Using Mp3 player
Using iPod
Other
Have you ever downloaded a book?
Yes, I have.
No, but that would be interesting to me.
I am not sure.
I have no interest in audiobooks. |
Answer the Poll here.
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Question of the Week |
Here's our question of the week:
Tell us about one of your best audiobook experiences --- either a book you listened to, or a trip or moment that was made more special by listening to an audiobook while you were experiencing it. |
Answer the Question of the Week.
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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 BALANCE OF POWER by Richard North Patterson and HELLO, DARKNESS by Sandra Brown.
Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on November 14th. |
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 the general mailbox at Bookreporter.com, please write to: Mail@bookreporter.com. 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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