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Bookreporter.com Newsletter |
March 18, 2005
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My Bookish Weekend
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I am writing this week from the Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville. This is my favorite bookish event of the year. This is the 5th year that I have attended the Festival. This year I am not presenting or moderating a panel; I am just attending readings, talks and enjoying meeting new authors and old author friends. There is something amazingly fun about spending four days in an environment that is completely immersed in books.
Last night I saw Alexander McCall Smith do an hourlong presentation that was part riff and part talk about his own books. He is incredibly witty and I can see why people flock to see him whenever he makes an appearance. Yesterday he did three events --- a luncheon, a tea and an evening talk. Love seeing an author have that kind of appeal, which usually is reserved for actors and rock stars. Three shows in a day!
Today I went to see Laura Pedersen talk about her books in a standing room only event at the Old Dominion Bookstore. Laura has a presenting style that mirrors a standup comic as she is irreverently funny about herself and her work. She also gives readers a real feel for her characters and why she writes them the way she does. You can learn more about her and her books at LauraPedersenBooks.com.
Tonight is a talk with David Baldacci and Linda Fairstein. Tomorrow is a lineup with five panels that I want to see. Participating authors include Stephen White, Laura Lippman and Kevin Guilfoile, whose debut novel CAST OF SHADOWS is the one that I am just wild about.
Be sure to read the reader comments about Elizabeth Flock's ME & EMMA that we are sharing this week.
Our update next week will be coming to you on Thursday, as I am heading out of town for the Easter holiday. Till then, keep reading.
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com) |
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Special Author Spotlight: Joseph Finder, Author of COMPANY MAN - Editor Talk, An Advance Reader Giveaway and a Contest to Win a $1,200 Chair!
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Keith Kahla edited Joseph Finder's COMPANY MAN. It's the second Joseph Finder novel that Kahla has worked on; the first was last year's New York Times Bestseller PARANOIA. His familiarity with Finder's work goes back a lot further than that. Read on to learn how Kahla became a fan of Finder's work long before he was the editor of his books.
Joseph Finder's COMPANY MAN will be in bookstores on April 19th. Want to be one of 10 advance readers of the book? Then send an e-mail with your name and mailing address to info@josephfinder.com to be eligible by Friday, March 25th.
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Read more about Joseph Finder and COMPANY MAN here.
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THE AMBASSADOR'S SON by Homer Hickam is Now in Stores
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It's 1943 and the Americans and Japanese are fighting a deadly war in the hot, jungle-covered volcanic islands of the South Pacific. The outcome is in doubt and a terrible blow has fallen on American morale. Lieutenant David Armistead, a Marine Corps hero and cousin of the President of the United States, is missing and some say he's gone over to the enemy. Coast Guard Captain Josh Thurlow and his ragtag crew are given the assignment to find Armistead, though not necessarily to bring him back alive. Recruited in the hunt is a tormented and frail PT-boat skipper nicknamed "Shafty" who is also known by another name: John F. Kennedy. When Josh is stranded in the jungles of New Georgia with a mysterious, sensual woman who has a tendency to chop off men's heads, it's up to Kennedy to come to the rescue and complete the mission. But to procure a gunboat, he first has to play high-stakes poker with a young naval supply officer called Nick who happens to be the best gambler in the South Pacific. Nick has another name, too: Richard M. Nixon. Based solidly on historical fact with echoes of James Michener, The Ambassador's Son is a thrilling tale of the South Pacific and adventure fiction at its finest.
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Read more about THE AMBASSADOR'S SON and Homer Hickam here.
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Book Awards
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Many of you have told us that you like to read books that have won awards. We have a feature where we have listed the major book awards --- and some not so major ones too --- that are given out throughout the year. If you like reading the winners, or reading a list of the nominees for upcoming prizes, this is a feature you will want to bookmark.
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Click here to read our Book Awards feature.
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Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight: Francine Mathews, Author of BLOWN
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Our latest Suspense/Thriller Author is Francine Mathews whose new book, BLOWN, will be in stores on April 26, 2005. In the opening chapters a crazed killer hands cups of tainted water to runners participating in a Marine-sponsored marathon. From there Mathews' character Caroline Carmichael is called in --- and from there the action is non-stop.
We have 20 advanced reading copies of BLOWN by Francine Mathews to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. A description can be found by clicking the link below. If you are interested, please send your name and mailing address to SuspenseThriller@bookreporter.com by Thursday, March 24, 2005.
BLOWN by Francine Mathews (Suspense)
On Sale: April 26, 2005
Former CIA analyst Francine Mathews has created "one of the toughest female secret agents we've seen in a long time." (USA Today) Using her firsthand expertise of international espionage, Mathews offers another brilliantly realized suspense novel so intense, so authentic, it lethally blurs the line between fact and fiction. In BLOWN, Caroline Carmichael returns in a white-hot tale of terror on the streets of Washington, where one woman must gamble her life to save her country.
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Read more about Francine Mathews and BLOWN here.
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Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight: Jess Walter, Author of CITIZEN VINCE
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New This Week:
About the Book:
ONE DAY YOU KNOW MORE DEAD PEOPLE THAN LIVE ONES.
It's the fall of 1980, eight days before the presidential election that pits a beleaguered hangdog Democrat against a suspiciously sunny Republican. In the Pacific Northwest, a small-time thief named Vince Camden is headed to his witness-protection job at Donut Make You Hungry. But Vince is about to learn that it's not so easy to leave your old self behind --- especially when your old self is being hunted by a killer. Over the next unforgettable week, Vince will find himself enmeshed in a local politician's troubles, torn between a beautiful young law clerk and a neurotic prostitute, playing poker with a not-yet-celebrated New York Mafioso, and looking for redemption in --- of all places --- a voting booth.
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Read more about Jess Walter and CITIZEN VINCE here.
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One to Watch: Victor Gischler, Author of SUICIDE SQUEEZE
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New This Week:
The Edgar Award-nominated author of GUN MONKEYS delivers an adrenaline rush of a novel that features a special appearance by Joe DiMaggio. The high spot of Teddy Folger's life was the day in 1954 that he got an autographed baseball card from Joe DiMaggio himself. It's been downhill ever since.
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Read more about Victor Gischler and SUICIDE SQUEEZE here.
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One to Watch: Philip Beard, Author of DEAR ZOE
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Philip Beard is one of our featured One to Watch authors, whose book DEAR ZOE will be in stores March 24th.
-Read a second excerpt from DEAR ZOE.
Here's more about DEAR ZOE:
Beard's stunning debut is an epistolary novel written from 15-year-old Tess DeNunzio to her little sister Zoe. After Zoe's accidental death on September 11, 2001--a day so many others died--Tess's family is numbed by their personal tragedy. Not since THE LOVELY BONES has there been a study of grief, adolescence, and healing that rings as true as DEAR ZOE.
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Read more about Philip Beard and DEAR ZOE here.
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One to Watch: Alicia Erian, Author of TOWELHEAD
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Alicia Erian's book, TOWELHEAD, which will be in stores on April 1st, is set during the first Gulf War. A young woman is being raised by her Lebanese dad in Texas in a story that crosses traditions with new values and innocence with budding sexuality.
-Read an excerpt from TOWELHEAD.
More about TOWELHEAD:
Painfully funny, tender, and sexually charged, TOWELHEAD is that rare thing: a gloriously readable novel unafraid to take risks. The story of a girl failed by her parents and by a conflicted America, TOWELHEAD is an ultimately redemptive and moving work that none of us can afford to ignore.
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Click here to read more about Alicia Erian and TOWELHEAD.
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This Week's Reviews and Features
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THE AMBASSADOR'S SON by Homer Hickam (Historical Fiction)
Reviewed by Roz Shea
It's 1943 and the Americans and Japanese are fighting a deadly war in the hot, jungle-covered volcanic islands of the South Pacific. Lieutenant David Armistead, a Marine Corps hero and cousin of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, is missing. Coast Guard Captain Josh Thurlow and his ragtag crew are given the assignment to find Armistead, though not necessarily to bring him back alive.
DISNEYWAR by James B. Stewart (Nonfiction)
Reviewed by Andrew Musicus
Drawing on unprecedented access to both Michael Eisner and Roy Disney, current and former Disney executives and board members, as well as thousands of pages of never-before-seen letters, memos and transcripts, acclaimed writer and reporter James B. Stewart reveals what drove America's best-known entertainment company to civil war.
WITH NO ONE AS WITNESS by Elizabeth George (Mystery)
Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum
Elizabeth George delivers another of her intricately plotted police procedurals. In the wake of the kidnapping, torture and death of adolescent boys, her characters must not only find the killer, but also must face devastating catastrophes in their own lives.
TEN LITTLE NEW YORKERS by Kinky Friedman (Mystery)
Reviewed by Kate Ayers
Kinky Friedman has come up with the ultimate Kinky Friedman mystery, setting Kinky up as the lead suspect in a string of murders. Clearing himself is, shall we say, more than a bit problematic.
THE DISAPPOINTMENT ARTIST by Jonathan Lethem (Essays)
Reviewed by Colleen Quinn
In this collection of essays, Jonathan Lethem examines some of the influences that have shaped him, both as an artist and as a person --- including films, books, music, and his family and childhood environment.
THE SHOOTING SCRIPT: A Novel in Suspense by Laurence Klavan (Mystery/Suspense)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Roy Milano, who is obsessed with movie trivia, receives a cryptic phone call from a stranger concerning a long-sought copy of Jerry Lewis's famous unreleased drama, The Day the Clown Cried. This leads Milano to a somewhat manic and madcap pursuit of the movie, shadowed all the while by a mystery man who will stop at nothing to get the film for himself.
DATING IS MURDER by Harley Jane Kozak (Mystery)
Reviewed by Andi Shechter
Wollie Shelley believes that her friend, who has vanished into thin air, is in grave danger. But when she reports the disappearance to the Los Angeles Police Department, the detective assigned to the case seems more interested in dating Wollie than in finding her friend. So she decides to take matters into her own hands.
FASCINATION: Stories by William Boyd (Fiction/Short Stories)
Reviewed by Alexis Burling
William Boyd --- the award-winning author of eight novels, three short story collections, and twelve screenplays --- returns with a new collection of stories about love and life.
THE ILLUMINATOR by Brenda Rickman Vantrease (Historical Fiction)
Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds
Lady Kathryn is the mistress of Blackingham Manor and a widow who finds herself caught between the King's taxes and the Church's tithes in late fourteenth-century England. To protect her sons' inheritance, she strikes a bargain with the abbot --- Kathryn will house a master illuminator named Finn along with his daughter, and gain the monastery's protection. But Finn has a secret that could endanger the lives of those closest to him.
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Click here to read this week's review and features.
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Poll: How do you keep your place in your book? |
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For keeping your place in a book, do you use a bookmark or fold down the pages?
Use a bookmark
Flip the cover jacket into the page I am reading when I stop
Fold down the pages
Not sure what I do
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Answer the Poll here.
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Question of the Week: Pass Along Reading |
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Question: Name the last book that you passed along to someone and said, "You have to read this."
Please note: Our next question update will be on April 8th.
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Answer the Question of the Week here.
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Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading -- TWO Prizes! |
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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 DRAMA CITY by George Pelecanos and THE AMBASSADOR'S SON by Homer Hickam. Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on April 8th.
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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 Bookreporter.com, please see the form on the Write to Us page. We were forced to move to this format after we were inundated with SPAM at the other address. 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! 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
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