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Bookreporter.com Newsletter |
June 29, 2007
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Have a Firecracker Fourth!
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Last weekend's American Library Association Convention in DC was a great experience. Everywhere I turned in the convention center there were wonderfully informed librarians ready to chat up books. They not only knew books, they knew ALL about them. Sitting at various breakfasts and lunches I enjoyed their conversation about plots, themes, recent releases, old favorites and trends. Each title I mentioned was met with informed discussion with none of those awkward silences that usually occur when people meet for the first time.
Two stellar moments stood out for me. The first was the presentation given by Ken Burns on Saturday morning. He shared the background story behind his upcoming PBS documentary, "The War," which will air on September 23rd, 17 years to the day from the airing of the first episode of his series, "The Civil War." We were privileged to see extended clips from the documentary, which were met with a standing ovation from more than 1,000 librarians. Trust that a treat awaits you with this one. The companion book is in stores on September 11th.
Later that same day Lois Lowry accepted the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her outstanding lifetime contribution to writing for teens. In her acceptance speech she spoke at length about THE GIVER, a book that has become a classic. She delivered an acceptance speech that talked about the themes of alienation and loneliness that have this book resonating with today's audiences as much as those from the past.
Between sightseeing adventures in DC, my younger son had his nose buried in THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS by Conn and Hal Iggulden, who are brothers. He's loving this guide to all things male, and I can see vestiges of what he learned on these pages being experimented with all over the house as I find bits of rope and the telltale signs of various experiments and adventures.
This week we have five interviews to share with you, a perfect opportunity for you to meet some authors whose work you may not know. May their words about their work inspire you to read their books. I know I found myself taken somewhere else reading each of them, and though I had read each of these books, their words gave them new meaning to me. One quick note on Lisa See's new book, PEONY IN LOVE, which hits stores this week. You all know her as the author of SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN, a favorite of this site. May you enjoy this one as much as I did. I truly do not love studying history, but weave a story around it and you have drawn me in.
Our latest Mystery Mayhem author is William Kent Krueger, who I had the pleasure of meeting last September when he was honored at the Bouchercon mystery conference in Madison, Wisconsin. The recipient of mystery honors like the Anthony and the Barry, Krueger weaves tales with Cork O'Connor, the former sheriff of Tamarack County and a man of mixed heritage --- part Irish and part Ojibwe as his central character. THUNDER BAY is the story of Cork's attempt to piece together the aftermath of a hopeless love affair between a young Ojibwe guide and a white woman, an affair that ended in treachery, betrayal and murder. We have 20 copies to give away to those who want to read and comment. If you are interested, please fill out this submission form by Friday, July 13th.
Our Summer Beach Bag Contest book this week is QUEEN OF BABBLE IN THE BIG CITY by Meg Cabot. Lizzie Nichols, who many of you remember from QUEEN OF BABBLE last year, is back with a new adventure. Meg's writing always makes me smile --- and laugh --- and this book is no exception. If you missed the first book, which is now in paperback, you may want to note that our beach bag prize oh so smartly includes that book as well as the new hardcover! See more details below.
Note that beginning this week we are using forms for the contests that we run on our websites, instead of mailboxes. This will make the process on our end a lot smoother and it also should ensure that we get all the info we need to enter you. There are so many times that we are missing addresses or parts of addresses!
This weekend the boys are off sailing to Newport with my husband where they are going to tour the tall ships, so I have a glorious weekend free to read and unwind. Though we used to sail a lot on a catamaran that still sits somewhere in the back of our yard, my idea of sailing these days is floating in the pool. I like seeing land; no Christopher Columbus wannabe here. On the 4th the boys and I are headed to Atlanta and then to the mountains of North Carolina to visit my sister and her family. This week "The Essential Paul Simon" was released coinciding with the airing of the PBS broadcasting of his winning the first Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. As my boys and I all are Paul Simon fans, I issued them a challenge --- to create their own essential CD with the versions of each of the Paul Simon songs that they like. They are limited to 36 songs. I am looking forward to the drive and listening to this, as well as creating my own.
Have a great week and a firecracker 4th! And yes...you, like me, can pout that the 4th falls in the middle of the week, thus depriving us of a highly coveted summer long weekend. Fireworks everyone! Read on.
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
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Answer our Harry Potter Poll here.
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Bookreporter.com Talks to Anita Amirrezvani, Author of THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS
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Anita Amirrezvani’s debut work of fiction, THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS, chronicles the hardships a young girl faces in 17th-century Persia as she attempts to make a better life for herself after the untimely death of her father. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Sarah Rachel Egelman, Amirrezvani discusses the many factors that prompted her to write this novel and describes how she structured its plot to resemble that of a traditional folk tale. She also explains why she chose to keep her protagonist unnamed, sheds light on the social climate for women during the time in which the book takes place and further elaborates on some of the cultural practices that figure greatly in the story.
THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS by Anita Amirrezvani (Fiction)
In 17th-century Persia, a young woman struggles to make her way in the bustling city after the death of her father. The story in Anita Amirrezvani's debut novel about empowerment and sense of self is told with beauty and skill, which matches that of her rug-weaving characters. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
-Click here to read a review of THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS.
-Click here to read an excerpt from THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS.
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Click here to read our interview with Anita Amirrezvani.
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Bookreporter.com Talks to Adriana Bourgoin, Author of NINE MONTHS IN AUGUST
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Adriana Bourgoin's debut novel, NINE MONTHS IN AUGUST, captures the physical and emotional challenges one woman must experience after learning she is pregnant. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Barbara Bamberger Scott, Bourgoin shares some of her own habits, practices and fears while carrying her two children, and makes comparisons between herself and her protagonist, Gretchen. She also elaborates on the tensions that the pregnancy places on her character's marriage, career and family relationships, and discusses the difficulties every new family faces when they find that their realities differ from the plans they make.
NINE MONTHS IN AUGUST by Adriana Bourgoin (Fiction)
Gretchen Fox is a planner and list-maker by nature, perfectly suited to her job as a hotel catering manager. And in her cautious, look-before-you-leap way, Gretchen was waiting until the time was absolutely perfect before she had a baby. Her body, however, had other ideas. As she spends sleepless nights pondering all the reasons she's not ready to become a mother, Gretchen starts to question every other area of her life as well. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
-Click here to read a review of NINE MONTHS IN AUGUST.
-Click here to read an excerpt from NINE MONTHS IN AUGUST.
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Click here to read our interview with Adriana Bourgoin.
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Bookreporter.com Talks to Katie Roiphe, Author of UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS
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UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS is a nonfiction work that examines seven unconventional marriages from the early 20th-century literary circuit. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Sarah Rachel Egelman, author Katie Roiphe describes the personal circumstances that prompted her to begin researching these historical relationships and elaborates on similar problems that can arise in present-day unions. She also explains how the focus of her book gradually evolved, reveals what surprised her most in her research and shares her thoughts on what kept these tumultuous marriages together.
UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS: Seven Portraits of Married Life in London Literary Circles 1910-1939 by Katie Roiphe (Literary Memoir)
Drawn in part from the private memoirs, personal correspondence and long-forgotten journals of the British literary community from 1910 to the Second World War, here are seven “marriages à la mode” --- each rising to the challenge of intimate relations in more or less creative ways. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
-Click here to read a review of UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS.
-Click here to read an excerpt from UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS.
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Click here to read our interview with Katie Roiphe.
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Bookreporter.com Talks to Brett Battles, Author of THE CLEANER
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Brett Battles's debut novel, THE CLEANER, features an ex-cop who now works for a government intelligence agency, "cleaning" up the traces of violence they leave behind. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Joe Hartlaub, Battles discusses some of the offbeat professions and characters he has encountered in the entertainment business that served as the inspiration for his main character and elaborates on his decision to approach this novel from an angle unique to the thriller genre. He also describes his writing process, explains the travel and research involved in bringing the book's exotic settings to life and cryptically reveals details about a possible sequel.
THE CLEANER by Brett Battles (Suspense)
Jonathan Quinn is a freelance operative and a professional "cleaner" whose job it is to dispose of bodies and tie up loose ends. But in Brett Battles’s debut novel, Quinn’s latest assignment will change everything, igniting a harrowing journey of violence, betrayal and revenge. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
-Click here to read a review of THE CLEANER.
-Click here to read an excerpt from THE CLEANER.
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Click here to read our interview with Brett Battles.
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Author Talk: Lisa See, Author of PEONY IN LOVE
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Lisa See is the author of six books, including the New York Times bestseller SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN and the critically acclaimed memoir ON GOLD MOUNTAIN. In this interview, See explains the significance of ghosts in Asian culture, which figures predominantly in her latest novel PEONY IN LOVE, and elaborates on some of the story's elements that she hopes will resonate with her readers. She also describes how she was inspired to write this work of fiction after discovering immense gaps in women's history and shares her fascination with lost stories --- a common thread present in all of her previous works.
PEONY IN LOVE --- the extraordinary new novel from the author of SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN --- tells of three women in 17th-century China who become emotionally involved with a famous opera called The Peony Pavilion, which was known to cause lovesickness and even death. Reviewed by Jamie Layton.
-Click here to read a review of PEONY IN LOVE.
-Click here to read an excerpt from PEONY IN LOVE.
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Click here to read an interview with Lisa See.
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Our Summer Beach Bag Contest: Spotlight This Week on QUEEN OF BABBLE IN THE BIG CITY by Meg Cabot
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Every week from May 18th through August 24th a different title in the Bookreporter.com Beach Bag of Books promotion will be featured with a review and contest prize --- a beach bag stocked with that book, plus summertime essentials that tie in to its theme. Five FABULOUS beach bags will be given away each week, as well as five copies of the book to additional winners.
Our seventh spotlighted title is QUEEN OF BABBLE IN THE BIG CITY by Meg Cabot. It's the followup to last summer's New York Times bestselling title QUEEN OF BABBLE, and readers will be happy to catch up with Lizzie on her latest adventure. In a polka-dotted beach bag, winners will find a purple and white striped towel, a polka-dotted pitcher with four matching glasses and napkins for fashionable entertaining, a copy of US magazine, a small sewing kit, snazzy snack treats --- Devil Dogs, Yodels, Twizzlers and popcorn you can munch along with Lizzie --- as well as copies of both QUEEN OF BABBLE IN THE BIG CITY and QUEEN OF BABBLE, which is now available in paperback. We have five to give away, as well as five additional prizes of copies of QUEEN OF BABBLE IN THE BIG CITY as well as a copy of QUEEN OF BABBLE.
To enter to win, answer the question below:
Where is Luke's mom's apartment located?
You can find the answer by reading an excerpt here.
Send your answer to the question above using this submission form by Thursday, July 5th at 11:59PM.
QUEEN OF BABBLE IN THE BIG CITY by Meg Cabot (Fiction)
Luckily for fans of Meg Cabot’s QUEEN OF BABBLE, Lizzie Nichols's big mouth continues to get her into more trouble/fun as she joins her prince in New York City, pursuing her dream of owning a wedding gown restoration shop. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.
-Read more about QUEEN OF BABBLE IN THE BIG CITY and Meg Cabot here.
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Click here to read all the details of our Summer Beach Bag Contest.
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New Featured Mystery Mayhem Author: William Kent Krueger, Author of THUNDER BAY
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Our newest featured Mystery Mayhem author is William Kent Krueger, whose book THUNDER BAY --- which releases on July 24th --- is the seventh action-packed suspense novel in his award-winning mystery series featuring Cork O'Connor, the former sheriff of Aurora, Minnesota, and a man of mixed heritage --- part Irish and part Ojibwe. This is the story of Cork's attempt to piece together the aftermath of a hopeless love affair between a young Ojibwe guide and a white woman, an affair that ended in treachery, betrayal and murder.
We have 20 copies of THUNDER BAY to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this submission form by Friday, July 13th.
More about THUNDER BAY:
Happy and content in his hometown of Aurora, Minnesota, Cork O'Connor has left his badge behind and is ready for a life of relative peace, setting up shop as a private investigator. But his newfound state of calm is soon interrupted when Henry Meloux, the Ojibwe medicine man and Cork's spiritual adviser, makes a request: Will Cork find the son that Henry fathered long ago?
With little to go on, Cork uses his investigative skills to locate Henry Wellington, a wealthy and reclusive industrialist living in Thunder Bay, Ontario. When a murder attempt is made on old Meloux's life, all clues point north across the border. But why would Wellington want his father dead? This question takes Cork on a journey through time as he unravels the story of Meloux's 1920s adventure in the ore-rich wilderness of Canada, where his love for a beautiful woman, far outside his culture, led him into a trap of treachery, greed, and murder.
The past and present collide along the rocky shores of Thunder Bay, where a father's unconditional love is tested by a son's deeply felt resentment, and where jealousy and revenge remain the code among men. As Cork hastens to uncover the truth and save his friend, he soon discovers that his own life is in danger and is reminded that the promises we keep --- even for the best of friends --- can sometimes place us in the hands of our worst enemies.
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Click here to read more about William Kent Krueger and THUNDER BAY.
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Featured One to Watch Author: Jonathan Tropper, Author of HOW TO TALK TO A WIDOWER
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Jonathan Tropper has earned wild acclaim --- and comparisons to Nick Hornby and Tom Perrotta --- for his biting humor and insightful portrayals of families in crisis and men behaving badly. Now the acclaimed author of THE BOOK OF JOE and EVERYTHING CHANGES tackles love, lust and loss in the suburbs in HOW TO TALK TO WIDOWER, a stunning novel that is by turns heartfelt and riotously funny. It releases on July 17th.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
-Click here to read an excerpt from HOW TO TALK TO A WIDOWER.
-Click here to read Jonathan Tropper's bio.
-Click here to see Jonathan Tropper's backlist.
More about HOW TO TALK TO A WIDOWER:
Doug Parker is a widower at age twenty-nine, and in his quiet suburban town, that makes him something of a celebrity --- the object of sympathy, curiosity, and, in some cases, unbridled desire. But Doug has other things on his mind. First there's his sixteen year-old stepson, Russ: a once-sweet kid who gets into increasingly serious trouble on a daily basis. Then there are Doug's sisters: his bossy twin, Claire, who's just left her husband and moved in with Doug, determined to rouse him from his grieving stupor. And Debbie, who's engaged to Doug's ex-best friend and maniacally determined to pull off the perfect wedding at any cost.
Soon Doug's entire nuclear family is in his face. And when he starts dipping his toes into the shark-infested waters of the second-time-around dating scene, it isn't long before his new life is spinning hopelessly out of control, cutting a harrowing and often hilarious swath of sexual missteps and escalating chaos across the suburban landscape.
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Click here to read more about Jonathan Tropper and HOW TO TALK TO A WIDOWER.
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Featured One to Watch Author: Eileen Goudge, Author of WOMAN IN RED
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Another author to watch is New York Times bestselling author Eileen Goudge, who has written WOMAN IN RED, a powerful story of love and redemption and what one woman will do to overcome the buried secrets of her past.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
-Click here to read a second excerpt from WOMAN IN RED.
-Click here to read critical praise for WOMAN IN RED.
-Click here to read Eileen Goudge's bio.
-Click here to see Eileen Goudge's backlist.
More about WOMAN IN RED:
Alice Kessler spent nine years in prison for the attempted murder of the drunk driver who killed her son. Now she’s returned home to Gray’s Island to reconnect with the son she left behind. Her boy, Jeremy, now a sullen teenager, is wrongly accused of rape, and mother and son are thrown together in a desperate attempt to prove his innocence. She’s aided by Colin McGinty, a recovering alcoholic and 9/11 widower, also recently returned to the island in the aftermath of his grandfather’s death. Colin’s grandfather, a famous artist, is best known for his haunting portrait, “Woman in Red,” which happens to be of Alice’s grandmother.
In a tale that weaves the past with the present, we come to know the story behind the portrait, of the forbidden wartime romance between William McGinty and Eleanor Styles, and the deadly secret that bound them more tightly than even their love for each other. A secret that, more than half a century later, is about to be unburied, as Alice and Colin are drawn into a fragile romance of their own and the ghost of an enemy from long ago surfaces in the form of his grandson, the very man responsible for sending Alice to prison.
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Click here to read more about Eileen Goudge and WOMAN IN RED.
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Now in Paperback: FOOL ME ONCE by Fern Michaels
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FOOL ME ONCE by Fern Michaels (Fiction)
Fern Michaels' New York Times bestseller, FOOL ME ONCE, is now available in paperback! Don't miss this heartwarming story about a woman's search for the truth about her mother, the things we'll do for those we love, and the unexpected joy that life can bring. |
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Click here to read more about FOOL ME ONCE.
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June's New in Paperback Roundup
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June's roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes June's roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes LISEY'S STORY, a powerful novel by Stephen King, whose protagonist must face the demons of her deceased husband on a nearly fatal journey into the darkness he inhabited; TWELVE SHARP, Janet Evanovich's 12th book featuring bounty hunter Stephanie Plum; VANISHED by Karen Robards, in which a shocking phone call leads a mother to believe that her daughter, who disappeared without a trace a decade ago, is still alive; Jennifer Weiner's THE GUY NOT TAKEN, a collection of 11 stories that follows the tender and often hilarious progress of love and relationships over the course of a lifetime; MESSENGER OF TRUTH, Jacqueline Winspear's fourth historical mystery featuring psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs; and THE AFGHAN CAMPAIGN, a riveting novel by Steven Pressfield that recreates Alexander the Great's invasion of the Afghan kingdoms in 330 B.C.
Among our nonfiction highlights are THE BOY WHO FELL OUT OF THE SKY, an emotionally charged memoir in which Ken Dornstein interweaves the story of his own coming-of-age with the promise of greatness his brother never lived to fulfill; THE FAITH CLUB, the engaging story of three women --- Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner --- their three religions, and their urgent quest to understand one another; and SALA'S GIFT by Ann Kirschner, who was inspired to write this unique and moving book when Kirschner's mother broke her 50-year silence and revealed to her family that she had spent five years in Nazi slave labor camps during the Holocaust. |
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Click here to read this month's New in Paperback feature.
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This Week's Reviews and Features
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DROP DEAD BEAUTIFUL by Jackie Collins (Fiction)
DROP DEAD BEAUTIFUL, Jackie Collins’s 25th novel, marks the return of Lucky Santangelo. This time, the beloved character sets her sights on developing a luxury resort in Las Vegas, but someone is hell-bent on thwarting her --- perhaps even killing her. Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.
-Click here to read an excerpt from DROP DEAD BEAUTIFUL.
THE LADY IN BLUE by Javier Sierra (Fiction)
A priest in Italy, a journalist in Spain and a woman frustrated by persistent dreams in LA work from different angles to figure out what a centuries-old vision called the Lady in Blue has to do with the Church, a dead man and themselves. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
MICHAEL TOLLIVER LIVES by Armistead Maupin (Fiction)
Michael Tolliver is the sweet-spirited Southerner in Armistead Maupin's classic Tales of the City series. Now, almost 20 years after ending his groundbreaking saga of San Francisco life, Maupin revisits his all-too-human hero, letting the 55-year-old gardener tell his story in his own voice. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
RIGHT LIVELIHOODS: Three Novellas by Rick Moody (Fiction)
In three novellas Rick Moody delivers a penetrating look into the state of the American psyche, present and future. In his previous works he has shown that he is attuned to the offbeat nuances of American culture, and this collection is no exception, with its edgy look at the world in which we live today and the one we may inhabit someday. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
FOUR SEASONS IN ROME: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World by Anthony Doerr (Memoir)
Anthony Doerr, the award-winning author of THE SHELL COLLECTOR and ABOUT GRACE, has written an evocative memoir of the timeless beauty of Rome and the day-to-day wonderment of living, writing and raising twin boys in a foreign city. Reviewed by Shannon Luders-Manuel.
A WELCOME GRAVE by Michael Koryta (Mystery)
A WELCOME GRAVE is the third novel to feature Cleveland private investigator Lincoln Perry, who is accused of murder after the husband of Perry’s former fiance is found dead. The skillful plot twists, vivid descriptions, crisp dialogue and deftly drawn characters make this story a compelling read. Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt.
BLACKMAILER by George Axelrod (Mystery)
When a New York publisher gets involved in the hunt for a bestselling author’s posthumous, unpublished manuscript, he finds himself in a deadly crossfire. This is a breathtaking story of murder and mischief from the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S and THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
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Read this week's reviews and features here.
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Poll and Question of the Week: Vacation Books and the "Big Book" of Summer
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Poll:
For a week's vacation how many books would you pack?
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For a week's vacation how many books would you actually read?
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-Click here to answer our poll.
Question:
Besides HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, what do you think will be remembered as the "BIG BOOK" of summer 2007?
-Click here to answer our Question of the Week.
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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 two great prizes: FIVE readers each will win a copy of
NORTH RIVER by Pete Hamill and PEONY IN LOVE by Lisa See.
Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on July 6th.
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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 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 July 1, 2007 automatically are entered in our Monthly Newsletter Contest. This month one winner will be selected to win the following five books: LEAN MEAN THIRTEEN by Janet Evanovich, NORTH RIVER by Pete Hamill, ON CHESIL BEACH by Ian McEwan, ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE BOURNE BETRAYAL by Eric Van Lustbader and THE SLEEPING DOLL by Jeffery Deaver. Madeline from Chattanooga, TN was last month's newsletter winner. She won BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child, THE GOOD GUY by Dean Koontz, LETHALLY BLOND by Kate White, LYING WITH STRANGERS by James Grippando and THE OVERLOOK by Michael Connelly.
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.
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