 |
|
Bookreporter.com Newsletter |
November 24, 2006
|
|
This Week on Bookreporter.com
|
|
|
|
|
Post-Turkey Musings
|
|
The day after Thanksgiving scares me. I feel like I will leave my driveway and become swept up in Black Friday shopping madness. I feel like all roads lead to the malls. The Y where I swim is near a large mall, so as I try to swim off my Thanksgiving calories, I need to deal with mall traffic. Yet another reason I think we should convert our basement into a swimming pool! Seriously, I have dreams of this like I used to dream of our owning a white Country Squire station wagon with wood on the side when I was a child. I know, who else thinks of things like THAT?
I feel like today people are poised at the starting gate ready to shop, and thus I am happy to share a new feature we launched on Kidsreads.com called "Great Books for Boys." I compiled this list with my 11-year-old son, Cory, who LOVES to read. He and his friend Josh trade books like kids used to trade Matchbox cars. I do not think there has ever been a better time for books for boys, so if there is a young boy in your house, or on your list, you'll want to get a look at this feature. And for those of you who cannot handle shopping, may we suggest Amazon gift certificates for all?
Looking for some holiday reading? We have three, count 'em, THREE new features going up this week --- two One to Watch features and one Fantasy feature. Our featured One to Watch authors are Lalita Tademy, author of RED RIVER, which comes out January 3rd, and Julia Navarro, author of THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE HOLY SHROUD, which comes out December 26th. The stories they tell and their writing styles are exceptionally different but equally mesmerizing, and whether your taste leans more towards twisting family drama or provocative historical epic, you're bound to find that both these writers define "One to Watch."
We have 10 advance copies of both RED RIVER and THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE HOLY SHROUD to give away to readers who are interested in reading and commenting on the books. If you are interested, please send your name and mailing addresses to OnetoWatch@bookreporter.com for RED RIVER and OnetoWatch2@bookreporter.com for THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE HOLY SHROUD (please note the slight changes in the addresses) by Friday, December 1st.
Our Fantasy feature has been dormant for some time, but we're bringing it back with Alan Campbell and SCAR NIGHT, which comes out December 26th. SCAR NIGHT is the dark and intense tale of a mystical city Deepgate and its inhabitants of priests, assassins and the angels. Campbell has been compared to Neil Gaiman, and this absorbing first novel will have plenty of readers anxiously awaiting his follow-up. Readers interested in receiving one of 10 advance copies can write to Fantasy@bookreporter.com by Friday, December 1st.
The Miami BookFair was wonderful --- a real treat for booklovers. I encourage those of you who have not attended, to contemplate it for next year. Wondering what happened? I blog about it here. In my haste to fly south last week, I forgot to include a link to our page with the National Book Award winners, which highlights the recipients of awards in the fiction, nonfiction, young people's and poetry categories.
For those who are wondering how our restaurant Thanksgiving dinner holiday ended up, we all gave it a thumbs up. I got to sleep 'til nearly 11, which I never get to do when I am on "turkey cooking duty." I thoroughly enjoyed root vegetable encrusted veal. And if the Pilgrims did not have this on the menu, they were missing something pretty special. And chocolate mousse cake for dessert had me forgetting all about pie. Now, the lack of leftovers does have me wondering how I can do my traditional day after Thanksgiving turkey BLT, but then I reflect on how lovely it was not to do dishes and I figure the sandwich is not a big deal.
Here's wishing you all a bright start to the holiday season. May your shopping be merry and bright. I am off to set up the decorations around here. After failing at Halloween decorating, I am approaching Christmas with new vigor and excitement. Bring on the extension cords, the timers and all the trim. Here goes my cheerleading to get the boys to get the boxes from the attic. Let the negotiations begin.
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
List of titles reviewed and featured on November 24th.
List of titles reviewed and featured on November 17th.
|
|
|
|
|
Bookreporter.com Talks to Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, Authors of CAPITAL CRIMES
|
 |
Each with a slew of international bestsellers in their repertoires, husband and wife Jonathan and Faye Kellerman are two of the world's most popular suspense/thriller authors today. They recently combined their talents to write CAPITAL CRIMES, a pair of novellas in which their respective signature protagonists, Alex Delaware and Peter Decker, make an appearance. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Joe Hartlaub, the Kellermans reveal why they chose to collaborate at this stage in their careers and describe the methods they use to keep the writing process fruitful and harmonious. They also talk about the accomplishments of their son, author and playwright Jesse Kellerman, and share what future projects are in store for each of them.
CAPITAL CRIMES by Jonathan & Faye Kellerman (Thriller)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Husband and wife Jonathan and Faye Kellerman team up for a powerful one-two punch with CAPITAL CRIMES, a gripping pair of original crime thrillers set in two cities rich in atmosphere, and featuring appearances by the authors' signature heroes: LAPD lieutenant Peter Decker and psychologist sleuth Dr. Alex Delaware.
|
Click here to read our interview with Jonathan and Faye Kellerman and a review of CAPITAL CRIMES.
|
|
|
Now in Stores: DEAR JOHN by Nicholas Sparks
|
|
DEAR JOHN by Nicholas Sparks (Fiction)
Reviewed by Judy Gigstad
Internationally bestselling author Nicholas Sparks explores the complexities of love -- how it survives time and heartbreak, and how it transforms us forever --- in this incredibly moving novel about a young couple whose commitment to one another is put to the test.
-Click here to read an excerpt from DEAR JOHN.
|
|
Click here to read a review of DEAR JOHN.
|
|
|
|
|
Holiday Basket of Cheer Contest on Bookreporter.com --- Spotlight on COLD AS ICE by Anne Stuart
|
|
Each week from November 3rd through December 15th we will spotlight a different title, and readers will have the chance to win one of five holiday baskets filled with winter-themed items as well as two copies of the featured book. Why two? One is to keep, of course, and one is for someone on your holiday gift list. We will also include festive wrapping paper and a ribbon to make the gift-giving hassle-free.
Our fourth featured title is COLD AS ICE by Anne Stuart --- a sexy and suspenseful thriller that will keep you up all night, turning the pages. Along with two copies of COLD AS ICE and green-and-tan checkered wrapping paper and coordinating ribbon --- winners will receive a Cinnamon Sugar Scented Illuminations candle, Ghirardelli Rich Dark Hot Chocolate mix, gourmet vanilla marshmallows, sweet-smelling cinnamon sticks, delicious Chewy Peps peppermint candies, adorable winter-themed cookies, a snowman-themed wooden tray and soft comfy fluffy socks (colors on this may vary from what is pictured).
To enter to win, answer the question below:
What is the name of Harry Van Dorn's boat?
You can find the answer by reading an excerpt here.
COLD AS ICE by Anne Stuart (Romantic Thriller)
Reviewed by Eileen Zimmerman Nicol
The job was supposed to be easy: hand-deliver some legal papers to billionaire philanthropist Harry Van Dorn's extravagant yacht and get his signature. But Manhattan lawyer Genevieve Spenser soon realizes she's in the wrong place at the wrong time and that People magazine's "Sexiest Man of the Year" has a sick, vicious side.
|
|
Click here to read all the details of our Holiday Basket of Cheer feature.
|
|
|
|
|
New Featured One to Watch Author: Lalita Tademy, Author of RED RIVER
|
|
One of our two new featured One to Watch authors is Lalita Tademy, whose newest title, RED RIVER, is a powerful tale of racial strife and the bonds of family that hits bookstores on January 3rd.
We have 10 advance copies of RED RIVER to share with readers who would like to read the book and comment on it. Interested? Then send your name and mailing address to OnetoWatch@bookreporter.com by Friday, December 1st.
More about RED RIVER:
Hailed as "powerful," "accomplished," and "spellbinding," Lalita Tademy's first novel CANE RIVER was a New York Times bestseller and the 2001 Oprah Book Club Summer Selection. Now with her evocative, luminous style and painstaking research, she takes her family's story even further, back to a little-chronicled, deliberately-forgotten time...and the struggle of three extraordinary generations of African-American men to forge brutal injustice and shattered promise into a limitless future for their children... RED RIVER.
|
Click here to read more about Lalita Tademy and RED RIVER.
|
|
|
New Featured One to Watch Author: Julia Navarro, Author of THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE HOLY SHROUD
|
 |
Our second featured One to Watch author is Julia Navarro --- a Madrid-based journalist whose mesmerizing biblically-inflected tale, THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE HOLY SHROUD, was a publishing phenomonen in Spain. The English translation of the novel hits shelves on December 26th and is bound to garner a whole new audience for the talented and fiercely intelligent writer.
We have 10 advance copies of THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE HOLY SHROUD to share with readers who would like to read the book and comment on it. Interested? Then send your name and mailing address to OnetoWatch2@bookreporter.com by Friday, December 1st. (Please note the slightly different mailbox address.)
More about THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE HOLY SHROUD:
A fire at the Cathedral of Turin and the discovery of a strangely mutilated body attract the attention of Italy's special Art Crimes Department. For the fire is only the latest in a troubling series of arsons and break-ins at the cathedral, which houses what millions believe to be the authentic burial shroud of Jesus Christ.
Spanning centuries and continents, from the storm-rent skies over Calvary, through the glories of Byzantium and the intrigue and treachery of the Crusades, to the modern-day citadels of Istanbul, New York, London, Paris, and Rome, BROTHERHOOD OF THE HOLY SHROUD is a provocative page-turner of the highest order-one that will challenge you to believe.
|
|
Click here to read more about Julia Navarro and THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE HOLY SHROUD.
|
|
|
|
|
New Featured Fantasy Author: Alan Campbell, Author of SCAR NIGHT
|
|
We're bringing back our Fantasy Feature with Alan Campbell and SCAR NIGHT, which comes out December 26th and is Campbell's first novel. With its distinctive blend of mystery, thrills and the fantastic, Campbell is destined to make a name for himself in the fantasy genre.
We have 10 advance copies of SCAR NIGHT to share with readers who would like to read the book and comment on it. Interested? Then send your name and mailing address to Fantasy@bookreporter.com by Friday, December 1st.
More about SCAR NIGHT:
Suspended by chains over a seemingly bottomless abyss, the ancient city of Deepgate is home to a young angel, an assassin, and a psychotic murderer hungry for revenge --- or redemption. But soon a shocking betrayal will unite all three in a desperate quest.....
|
Click here to read more about Alan Campbell and SCAR NIGHT.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This Week's Reviews and Features
|
|
LIMITATIONS by Scott Turow (Mystery)
Reviewed by Kathy Weissman
Scott Turow has written a compelling legal thriller --- originally commissioned and published in the New York Times Magazine --- that lets us spy on the inner chambers of the court system and the private life of a judge who struggles with ethical quandaries, personal griefs and guilty memories.
A CHRISTMAS SECRET by Anne Perry (Mystery)
Reviewed by Jennifer McCord
Anne Perry, well known and loved as a mystery writer, offers readers a wonderful holiday tonic with A CHRISTMAS SECRET. In her new book, Perry brings back two secondary characters from her Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels, and gives them their own story.
THE VIEW FROM CASTLE ROCK: Stories by Alice Munro (Fiction/Short Stories)
Reviewed by Alexis Burling
In her latest short story collection, Alice Munro turns her attention inward and delves deeper into her own experiences than ever before. These 12 stories are slight variations and half-true fabrications of actual events that took place over the last few centuries on one side of her family's history.
QUEEN OF FASHION: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber (Biography)
Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman
Caroline Weber approaches the life story of Marie Antoinette from a totally unique perspective: what the queen chose to wear (and what was chosen for her to wear) at various stages in her life. Weber suggests that her fashion choices reflect her attempts to assert her identity and to gain power in a culture where she was expected to be a passive representative of the throne.
BLOOD AND THUNDER: An Epic of the American West by Hampton Sides (History)
Reviewed by Ron Kaplan
In his powerful examination of politics, racism, religion, adventure and history, Hampton Sides weaves an intricate tale with Christopher "Kit" Carson --- the legendary trapper, scout and soldier who embodies all the contradictions and ambiguities of the American experience in the West --- as the focal point.
|
Click here to read our reviews and features.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bookreporter.com Poll: Holiday Shopping Schedule
|
|
When do you start your holiday shopping?
I already started.
I start right after Thanksgiving.
I wait until December.
I wait until the absolute last minute.
I already am done.
I do not do holiday shopping.
|
Answer the Poll here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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 two great prizes: FIVE readers each will win a copy of BROTHER ODD by Dean Koontz and HOLLYWOOD STATION by Joseph Wambaugh.
Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on December 1st.
|
Need more details about Word of Mouth? Click here.
|
|
|
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.
Those who are subscribed to the Bookreporter.com newsletter by November 30, 2006 automatically are entered in our Monthly Newsletter Contest. This month one winner will be selected to win the following five books: THE BOSS by Stan Pottinger, BROTHER ODD by Dean Koontz, DEAR JOHN by Nicholas Sparks, NATURE GIRL by Carl Hiaasen and WILD FIRE by Nelson DeMille. Last month's winner was Edward from Green Lake, PA, who won THE COLLECTORS by David Baldacci, ECHO PARK by Michael Connelly, FAREWELL SUMMER by Ray Bradbury, THE INNOCENT MAN by John Grisham and MOTOR MOUTH by Janet Evanovich.
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.
The Book Report Network
250 W. 57th Street - Suite 1228
New York, New York 10107
Back to top.
|
