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Bookreporter.com Newsletter |
July 16, 2004 |
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Diving...and Reading Outdoors... |
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On summer evenings I love reading outside. Last Friday night I curled up on a chaise lounge on the deck. The evening was cool so I wrapped myself in a blanket; for light, I dragged a lamp from my son's room outside. I was reading SHADOW DIVERS, which is one of the most captivating books I have read in a while. It's the story of two divers who risked everything to solve a mystery about a Nazi sub found off the coast of New Jersey. While the subject matter is interesting, the writing style of the author and the way he tells the story is what makes it memorable.
I woke early Saturday morning and finished it --- and then spent an hour on the Internet looking for more information about what I had read. I enjoy books where I explore a topic that I know little about, as well as am told a great story. It also spurred me to want to read THE LAST DIVE: A Father and Son's Fatal Descent to the Ocean's Depths. I like when a book does that leading me on a new journey.
Now I am reading BAIT AND SWITCH by Larry Brooks, which is a perfect beach book. It's even a mass market paperback original for those of you who loathe bringing hardcovers anywhere near sand and surf. See more about this book below. Don't read too much more about it before you pick it up so the story is not ruined for you. Will say that if you enjoyed PARANOIA by Joseph Finder earlier this year, I think you'll like this one.
Lots on this week's lineup including three interviews that you won't want to miss.
I am headed to the beach this weekend for a family reunion as my sister is in town. I am hoping to snag some time to drive over to Brielle to see some of the locations described in SHADOW DIVERS. I saw these places one way as I read; I want to see how close my vision was to what is there.
Have a great week. And try an evening of outdoor reading. It's one of the best pleasures of summer.
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com) |
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Bookreporter Talks to: Perri O'Shaughnessy, Author of UNLUCKY IN LAW |
Bookreporter.com's Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight Team (Carol Fitzgerald, Joe Hartlaub and Wiley Saichek) recently spoke with Pam and Mary O'Shaughnessy, who write under the pen name, Perri O'Shaughnessy. Pam and Mary discuss their fascination with Russian history, which inspired them to write UNLUCKY IN LAW, the tenth installment in their Nina Reilly series. They also talk about how they began writing together --- and have continued their collaboration for so many years --- and offer a sneak peak at their upcoming book, which will take Nina Reilly to Germany to unravel the mystery of three missing college students.
UNLUCKY IN LAW by Perri O'Shaughnessy (Suspense)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Nina Reilly takes on the most dangerous and difficult case of her career in 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 our interview with Perri O'Shaughnessy and a review of UNLUCKY IN LAW here.
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Bookreporter.com Talks to Adriana Trigiani, Author of THE QUEEN OF THE BIG TIME |
Lourdes Orive and Carol Fitzgerald of Bookreporter.com talk with Adriana Trigiani about her inspiration for her latest work, THE QUEEN OF THE BIG TIME, as well as the challenges and rewards of converting her novels into screenplays. Trigiani also discusses her love for cooking and the joy she experiences when speaking with book clubs --- even when members somehow forget she's there!
THE QUEEN OF THE BIG TIME by Adriana Trigiani (Fiction)
Reviewed by Lourdes Orive
Adriana Trigiani, author of the Big Stone Gap trilogy and the instant New York Times bestseller LUCIA, LUCIA, has written this heartfelt story of the limits and power of love, chronicling the remarkable life of the Nella Castelluca and her Italian-American family, over the course of three generations. |
Read our interview with Adriana Trigiani here as well as a review of THE QUEEN OF THE BIG TIME.
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Author Talk: Carl Hiaasen, Author of SKINNY DIP |
In this interview Carl Hiaasen, author of SKINNY DIP, discusses his career as a journalist and how his experience at a large newspaper helped him become a better writer. He also talks about the writers who have influenced him over the years, describes some of his favorite characters in his newest novel, and explains why he was so shocked at the success of his children's book, HOOT.
SKINNY DIP by Carl Hiaasen (Thriller)
Reviewed by Roz Shea
Marine biologist Chaz Perrone thinks his wife Joey is a goner when he tosses her overboard from a cruise liner into the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately for Chaz, Joey survives the fall --- and his not-so-dead wife, unbeknownst to him, is determined to avenge this unforgivable crime. |
Read an interview with Carl Hiaasen here and a review of SKINNY DIP.
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A Terrific Summer Read: BAIT AND SWITCH by Larry Brooks |
Named the first of five July "Editor's Choice" novels by PW Daily ("intoxicating and intelligent," starred review), BAIT AND SWITCH is the beach read of the summer if you like chuckles with your thrills. Think a male Evanovich; Leonard meets DeMille.
Wolfgang Schmitt: former model, newly single, habitual wise-ass, who's writing a book called Bullshit in America. Good looks, serious swagger... he's the perfect pawn. When Billionaire Nelson Scott offers Schmitt a million bucks (four if he succeeds) to seduce his wife to nullify a pricey pre-nup agreement, Schmitt says no, until a couple of Feds crash the party. Schmitt's soon dealing with a lot more than seducing Scott's wife, like dead bodies and secret agendas behind the grand facade. But in the big leagues of money and power, Schmitt happens . . |
Click here to read more about BAIT AND SWITCH.
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Register Your Book Club |
Do you belong to a book club? If you do, Register Your Group with ReadingGroupGuides.com. More than 675 groups have registered in the past two months!
Registered groups will be eligible for special author chats, book giveaways and other promotional offers from publishers and authors.
Share this opportunity with friends who you know are in groups. |
Register your book club here.
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This Week's Book Reviews and Features |
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BY A SPIDER'S THREAD by Laura Lippman (Mystery)
Reviewed by Andi Shechter
The sudden disappearance of Mark Rubin's wife and children makes Baltimore P.I. Tess Monaghan realize that nothing is what it seems, and no one can be trusted to tell the truth.
MY LIFE by Bill Clinton (Memoir)
Reviewed by Robert Finn
William Jefferson Clinton, one of the most controversial Presidents of recent years, tells all --- or at least his version of "all" --- in an autobiography of unprecedented length and scope.
THE BOURNE LEGACY by Eric Van Lustbader (Thriller)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Jason Bourne appeared in three of Robert Ludlum's #1 bestselling novels --- THE BOURNE IDENTITY, THE BOURNE SUPREMACY and THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM. Now, for the first time ever, the Estate of Robert Ludlum has turned to Eric Van Lustbader to bring the deadly CIA agent back to life in this thrilling new novel.
THE CAT'S PAJAMAS: Stories by Ray Bradbury (Fiction/Short Stories)
Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman
In this wonderful short story collection, Ray Bradbury, who ranks among the most beloved and widely read of American authors, takes us on an amazing walk through his six-decade career, presenting twenty-two tales --- all but two of which have never before been published.
AT MESA'S EDGE: Cooking and Ranching in Colorado's North Fork Valley by Eugenia Bone (Travel/Cooking)
Reviewed by Jesse Kornbluth
Eugenia Bone's husband bought a 45-acre ranch in Colorado. AT MESA'S EDGE, her book about that adventure, establishes her as the Peter Mayle of the West.
THE SUMMER I DARED by Barbara Delinsky (Fiction)
Reviewed by Amie Taylor
When Julia Bechtel embarked on what was to be a relaxing two-week vacation, she never dreamed that her journey to an isolated Maine island would not only be life-changing but also life-endangering.
MURDER SUICIDE by Keith Ablow (Thriller)
Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum
John Snow, a brilliant MIT scientist, has a brain disease, a rare form of epilepsy that threatens his most valuable possession --- his mind. But the night before he is scheduled to undergo a controversial neurosurgical procedure, he is found near the Massachusetts General Hospital, dead of a gunshot wound. Did he commit suicide, as the police suspect --- or was he murdered?
FOUR SOULS by Louise Erdrich (Fiction)
Reviewed by Roz Shea
Fleur Pillager adopts her mother's name, Four Souls, and walks from her Ojibwe reservation to the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. She is seeking restitution from and revenge on the lumber baron who has stripped her reservation. But revenge is never simple, and she quickly finds her intentions complicated by her own dangerous compassion for the man who wronged her.
AN UNFINISHED SEASON by Ward Just (Fiction)
Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman
Set in rural Quarterday, on Chicago's North Shore in the 1950s, nineteen-year-old Wilson Ravan graduates from high school and is preparing to enter the University of Chicago. He spends his summer working as a copy boy at a tabloid newspaper --- and falls in love with the willful daughter of a renowned psychiatrist with a frightful past in World War II.
A MOMENT ON THE EDGE: 100 Years of Crime Stories by Women, by Elizabeth George (Mystery)
Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon
Bestselling novelist Elizabeth George concocts a huge feast of female-authored short crime stories in chronological order, starting with the 1917 tale, "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell. On the menu, you'll find everything from cozies to outright terror.
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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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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.
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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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