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Bookreporter.com Newsletter |
July 8, 2004 |
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What I Read As I Floated in The Pool |
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A long weekend brings a shorter work week. Ours compressed a tad tighter this week since our intrepid producer, Gena Bland, leaves tomorrow for a much-deserved vacation. Gena is the one responsible for getting all the copy and art up each week on all of our editorial websites. My sincere thanks to her for everything she does to ensure the sites look great each week. Enjoy your vacation, Gena!
I spent most of last weekend just as planned --- reading, sleeping, swimming and grilling. Here is what I read for those of you who are taking notes. Two September titles to keep your eye on --- LITTLE EARTHQUAKES by Jennifer Weiner (you know her from GOOD IN BED fame) and THE SLEEPER by Christopher Dickey.
LITTLE EARTHQUAKES is the story of four women who meet and share the trials and tribulations of being new moms. As I wrote Jennifer this week, everyone tells you minute by minute details of what to expect up to birth. Beyond that no one tells you the one thing that will rock your world more than anything else --- you will be interrupted for the rest of your life! LITTLE EARTHQUAKES is the perfect title for a book all about little people and how they rock your world. Really enjoyed it. THE SLEEPER is novel about Kurt Kurtovic, a former terrorist, who moves around the globe following September 11th taking down his former Al Quaeda comrades. It's chilling and as you read it, you know it can happen --- and it IS happening.
SEE JANE DIE by Erica Spindler is great thriller. Here's the story. As a teenager Jane was hit by a boat while swimming in a lake and always thinks the attack was intentional. Terribly disfigured in the accident she endured years of surgery. Now murders are happening around her, her husband is implicated and she gets a note saying, "I did it on purpose. To hear your screams." Let's just say I was glad I was not near a lake reading this one!
Summer being summer thoughts go to fish and fishing. My two boys just got back from a sailing and fishing trip where they caught a few "big ones" in a pond at their Uncle Moe's house. Each time they tell the story the fish get bigger and bigger --- and there are more fish. Which leads me to agree with Linda Greenlaw whose new one is ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS. (You know Linda from her previous bestsellers THE HUNGRY OCEAN and THE LOBSTER CHRONICLES.) Here is a quote from our reviewer about it, "ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS is a book that will hook readers from the launch and make them glad that they didn't allow it to be the 'one that got away.'" Linda is off on a 60-city tour! See FishingWithLinda.com to see if she will be visiting your neck of the woods.
I now am reading SHADOW DIVERS by Robert Kurson, which kept me up late last night. It's the true story of a diving expedition to find a Nazi U-boat off the coast of New Jersey, which had been undetected until 1991. It's written with the warmth and excitement of a SEABISCUIT or THE PERFECT STORM. I am learning as much as I am enjoying the story. I have never dove (too claustrophobic), but love reading about it. You will hear more about this book here in the weeks to come.
Terrific interviews this week with Tami Hoag and M.J. Rose, along with reviews. For Rose's book, THE HALO EFFECT, we look at it with two reviews --- one from Roberta O'Hara who has read all of her books and another from Joe Hartlaub, our resident Suspense/Thriller reviewer. Joe also reviews KILL THE MESSENGER; his review has a great line about how Hoag surprised him at one point when he "was napping." She got me exactly the same way, Joe.
We also review THE SUMMER GUEST by Justin Cronin this week. Our reviewer, Marie Hashima Lofton, called it "one of her favorite books of 2004." People love this book; I look forward to reading it.
Have a terrific week --- find time to relax and curl up with a great book!
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com) |
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Bookreporter Talks to: Tami Hoag, Author of KILL THE MESSENGER |
Bookreporter.com's Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight Team (Carol Fitzgerald, Joe Hartlaub and Wiley Saichek) recently spoke with Tami Hoag, author of KILL THE MESSENGER. In this interview Hoag talks about her inspiration for writing a book about bike messengers and the research involved. She also discusses her fascination with sibling relationships and how she experiences this bond --- which she never felt in her own life --- through her characters.
KILL THE MESSENGER by Tami Hoag (Suspense)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
En route to delivering a package for one of L.A.'s sleaziest defense attorneys, bike messenger Jace Damon is run down by a car, chased through back alleys and shot at. He suddenly finds himself suspected of murder and is on the run from both the cops and a brutal killer. |
Read our interview with Tami Hoag and a review of KILL THE MESSENGER here.
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Bookreporter.com Talks to M.J. Rose, Author of THE HALO EFFECT |
Joe Hartlaub, Roberta O'Hara and Wiley Saichek of Bookreporter.com interview M.J. Rose, author of the new "Butterfield Institute" series. Rose discusses the first book, THE HALO EFFECT, which is about Dr. Morgan Snow, a therapist who works at a psychiatric therapy center for the treatment of sexual dysfunction. She explains her fascination with human sexuality and why it is a running theme in her novels, and relates how her initial desire to become a therapist led her to the complex, multi-dimensional fiction that she writes today.
THE HALO EFFECT by M.J. Rose (Thriller)
Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara and Joe Hartlaub
This first book in M.J. Rose's new series features the sex therapy clinic The Butterfield Institute and psychiatrist Dr. Morgan Snow. The novel, with its seductive mix of psychological suspense, intrigue and adventure, takes a provocative look at sexual crime through the eyes of a woman who has devoted her career to studying and talking about them. |
Read our interview with M.J. Rose here as well as two reviews of THE HALO EFFECT.
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Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight: Perri O'Shaughnessy, author of UNLUCKY IN LAW |
UNLUCKY IN LAW by Perri O'Shaughnessy will be in stores July 13th. Be sure to check back next week for our review and interview with O'Shaughnessy.
New This Week:
-More comments from our Advance Readers
UNLUCKY IN LAW
Nina Reilly takes on the most dangerous and difficult case of her career in New York Times bestselling author Perri O'Shaughnessy's latest thriller. An ingenious blend of forensic science, history, and gripping suspense, UNLUCKY IN LAW pits the tough but compassionate attorney against the most unbeatable adversary of all: the law. |
Read more about UNLUCKY IN LAW and Perri O'Shaughnessy here.
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ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS by Linda Greenlaw |
ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS: True Tales from the Dry Dock Bar by Linda Greenlaw (Nonfiction)
Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon
Two fishermen buddies meet to eat lunch. The author, swordfishing captain Linda Greenlaw, is determined to suggest to her best friend, "cantankerous old curmudgeon" Alden, that he end his fishing career due to his health. One salty tale of life at sea leads to another in this enjoyable collection.
See details about Linda's 60-city tour at FishingWithLinda.com! |
Click here to read a review of ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS.
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MYSTERY MAYHEM Author Spotlight: Leslie Forbes, Author of WAKING RAPHAEL |
Leslie Forbes is our latest Mystery Mayhem Author. While she has written two literary fiction titles, WAKING RAPHAEL, which is now in stores is her first mystery title.
Here is more about the book:
Amidst a country rocked by scandal and corruption, inhabitants of the idyllic city of Urbino, Italy, birthplace of Raphael, are more concerned with a sudden outbreak of miracles than with politics. What unspeakable secret lies hidden in Raphael's enigmatic painting? Its restoration will drive a living mute to a shocking act of violence and spark an investigation into a nearly forgotten war crime and a series of events that will shatter the silence gripping this community forever.
New This Week:
Read a second excerpt of WAKING RAPHAEL. |
Read more about Leslie Forbes and WAKING RAPHAEL here.
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This Week's Book Reviews and Features |
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THE SUMMER GUEST by Justin Cronin (Fiction)
Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton
Family secrets are revealed when Harry Wainwright, a wealthy financier, returns to his beloved fishing camp in Maine one last time before he dies.
LITTLE SCARLET: An Easy Rawlins Mystery by Walter Mosley (Mystery)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Following the devastating riots that tore through Los Angeles in 1965, Easy Rawlins has been called upon to search for a man suspected of murdering a redheaded woman known as Little Scarlet. What Easy finds is a killer whose rage, like that which burned in the city for weeks, is intrinsically woven around deep-set passions --- feelings that are held by Easy himself.
MEMORIAL DAY by Vince Flynn (Thriller)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Fearless counterterrorism operative Mitch Rapp is called upon to fight against the world's most deadly terrorists in this harrowing political thriller by New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn.
THE DROWNING TREE by Carol Goodman (Suspense)
Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum
Carol Goodman has crafted a well-plotted thriller mired in madness, murder and Machiavellian machinations. Lush prose, reminiscent of Henry James, converges with strongly etched characters and challenges the reader's notions of mystery fiction.
WEDDING RING by Emilie Richards (Fiction)
Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton
In the first of a trilogy of novels based on life in the poverty-stricken Shenandoah Valley, three generations of women come to terms with each other and the death of a family member.
AWAKE by Elizabeth Graver (Fiction)
Reviewed by Norah Piehl
What starts out as a family getaway to a special camp for her chronically ill son ultimately sends Anna Simon on an inner journey of personal reflection. Even as she grows more and more isolated from her family, Anna meditates on all she has lost --- and gained --- by becoming a wife and a mother. |
Read the reviews and features here.
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Poll: Do You Give Books As Hostess Gifts? |
Do you give books as hostess gifts?
Yes
No, but that is a good idea.
No |
Answer the Poll here.
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Question of the Week: Hostess Gifts |
Our question is inspired by summer visiting. I always joke that I wish I liked the presents that I received as much as the ones that I give! With that in mind...
What book would you like to receive as a hostess gift if someone came to visit you?
Our next question update will be on July 23rd. |
Answer the Question of the Week.
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Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading -- TWO Prizes! |
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 KILL THE MESSENGER by Tami Hoag and ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS by Linda Greenlaw. Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on July 23rd. |
Need more details about Word of Mouth? Click here.
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Happy reading! Don't forget to forward this newsletter to a friend or to visit our other websites from TheBookReportNetwork.com: ReadingGroupGuides.com, AuthorsOnTheWeb.com, FaithfulReader.com, AuthorYellowPages.com, Teenreads.com, and Kidsreads.com.
--- Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
The Book Report Network
250 W. 57th Street - Suite 1228
New York, New York 10107 |
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