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Bookreporter.com Newsletter |
August 24, 2007
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This Week on Bookreporter.com |
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Eleven Years and Counting...
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Bookreporter.com Talks to Joseph Finder, Author of POWER PLAY
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Bookreporter.com Talks to Raymond Khoury, Author of THE SANCTUARY
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New Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: John Hart, Author of DOWN RIVER
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New Featured One to Watch Author: David Gibbins, Author of CRUSADER GOLD |
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Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: M.J. Rose, Author of THE REINCARNATIONIST
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Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Mark Gimenez, Author of THE ABDUCTION |
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Featured Debut Suspense/Thriller Author: Chelsea Cain, Author of HEARTSICK
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Featured Debut Suspense/Thriller Author: Emily Benedek, Author of RED SEA
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Featured One to Watch Author: Markus Zusak, Author of THE BOOK THIEF
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Featured One to Watch Author: Sarah Addison Allen, Author of GARDEN SPELLS
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Featured One to Watch Author: Robert Goddard, Author of NEVER GO BACK
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Featured One to Watch Author: Gail Tsukiyama, Author of THE STREET OF A THOUSAND BLOSSOMS
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This Week's Reviews and Features
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Poll, Question and Word of Mouth
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Eleven Years and Counting...
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My suitcase once again is a topic of big discussion around our house today. We are leaving for the Outer Banks, and the usual vacation conversation has begun. My suitcase needs to go in the trunk first for everything else to fit. I somehow never understand this since we have a Yukon XL. HOW can MY bag be so mission-critical? I have learned not to ask questions like this since my husband is an engineer and clearly feels there is some method to this madness.
This is a real beach vacation --- the kind where, if I am honest, I will pack bathing suits, shorts, a week's worth of white t-shirts and some flip flops. But I know that as soon as I get near my closet, the little "what if" fairy is going to hop on my shoulder. I will pack a pair of jeans in case it's cool, then pack two more pairs. I then will pack a jacket or sweater, and then since I cannot decide which I like, there will be three. This will go on and on and on until I am sitting on my suitcase to close it.
Since I have my matching four-piece set of turquoise luggage, here's the plan. Biggest bag for clothes. Second biggest bag for books; I am now down to 6 manuscripts and 10 books for this 10-day trip! Third bag will be knitting supplies. I have about six projects in progress. Why choose? Take them all. Way I see it, I can knit a sweater if the ones I am bringing don't work. Bag four will be the overnight bag for the hotel tomorrow night since we always stop on the way. Somehow I see the roof rack in my future for my bags. Then everyone else can have the rest of the car, and I never again will be asked to have my bag ready first. Will let you know how this little plan flies!
The last weeks have been ridiculously hectic, but each night and early morning I still took time to read. One book I read and just loved was HERE IF YOU NEED ME by Kate Braestrup. It's the story of a woman in Maine who was widowed when her husband who was a state trooper was killed in a car accident. She went on to become a minister who worked on search-and-rescue missions while raising her four children. It's such an uplifting book. I can think of so many people I want to share it with, namely all of you!
I also have been enjoying Ann Packer's new one, SONGS WITHOUT WORDS, which will be in stores September 4th. You remember Packer as the author of THE DIVE FROM CLAUSEN'S PIER, which I just loved. To me, SONGS WITHOUT WORDS is even better. Make a note of it. Also, for all of you who are looking for books that are being published in the next few months, be sure to check out our Coming Soon feature. I know we are late on updating this feature. When our staff was working remotely, the catalogs were in the office while the staff was at home, making this update a tad too difficult to pay off.
Great interviews this week with both Joseph Finder and Raymond Khoury, which I know you are going to enjoy. With POWER PLAY (Finder) and THE SANCTUARY (Khoury) pubbing this week, the end of the summer is anything but dull! We also have our latest featured Suspense/Thriller author to share with you this week, John Hart, the author of DOWN RIVER, which will be in stores on October 2nd. Hart's last book, THE KING OF LIES, completely swept me away, thus I was happy to have this one come my way. I met John at his publisher's office back in January and got to spend some time with him at the Virginia Festival of the Book. He writes a tight and well-plotted story. We have 20 copies to give away to readers. Enter by filling out this form by Friday, September 7th.
We also introduce you to David Gibbins, our new One to Watch author. In CRUSADER GOLD, which will be in stores on September 25th, Gibbins reintroduces readers to marine archaeologist Jack Howard and tells the intriguing story of a discovery that could change the world forever. We have 10 to give away to those who want to read it and share their comments. Enter by filling out this form by Friday, September 7th.
We have comments from our advance readers about PIECES OF MY SISTER'S LIFE by Elizabeth Joy Arnold, which you can read here. I confess that the ending of this book made me cry!
Don't forget to check out our New in Paperback feature, which we've updated for August. Titles include DEAR JOHN by Nicholas Sparks, THE RIGHTEOUS MEN by Sam Bourne and CAGE OF STARS by Jacquelyn Mitchard.
Two good book trailers for you to check out. The first is for THE REINCARNATIONIST, M.J. Rose's book, which is in stores next week. The second is for Chelsea Cain's mind-blowing novel HEARTSICK. I used to make films, so I am very very picky about these. Thus I am happy to share that both of these will get you excited about the books.
Monday it will be 11 years since we launched our first website, The Book Report, which eventually became Bookreporter.com. Each year this date serves as a time for me to do some reflection on how far we have come. There are a lot more of you reading us these days. Since May more than 600,000 readers have been coming to the site each month.
Each year our anniversary coincides with a week where we go on hiatus. Next week there will be no Bookreporter.com update as we all take some much-needed vacation time to read, recoup and relax. It's been quite a summer with our renovation at the office (lots of R words going on here), and I know that getting away for a bit will be wonderful for the staff. See you in September. Read something good while we're away. If you are wondering what to read this last official summer week, may we suggest you consult our Beach Bag of Books selections?
I will be sure to share with you what I enjoyed. Now I am off to pack those blue suitcases. Wish me luck with my plan!
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
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Click here to read our New in Paperback feature for August.
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Bookreporter.com Talks to Joseph Finder, Author of POWER PLAY
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Joseph Finder is the international bestselling author of such thrillers as PARANOIA, COMPANY MAN and KILLER INSTINCT. His latest work of fiction, POWER PLAY, takes the office intrigue for which he is best known out of the boardroom and into a secluded lodge in the wilderness, where a group of executives on a company retreat are held for ransom. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Joe Hartlaub, Finder explains what inspired this change of setting and describes how his natural curiosity and his need to explore new things prompts him to write about a wide range of topics. He also characterizes his protagonists as an exercise in wishful thinking, ponders what he would do differently in his career if he were given the chance, and shares details about his upcoming four-book series.
POWER PLAY by Joseph Finder (Thriller)
In the 15 years since the publication of his first novel, THE MOSCOW CLUB, Joseph Finder has established himself as one of the world’s best and most successful thriller writers. In his latest work, POWER PLAY, executives from an airline company are taken hostage on a corporate retreat --- and the only person who can save them is the one low-level employee who was not originally included on the trip. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
-Click here to read a review of POWER PLAY.
-Click here to read an excerpt from POWER PLAY.
-Visit Joseph Finder's website, www.JosephFinder.com.
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Click here to read our interview with Joseph Finder.
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Bookreporter.com Talks to Raymond Khoury, Author of THE SANCTUARY
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In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Joe Hartlaub, Raymond Khoury --- the author of the international bestseller THE LAST TEMPLAR --- talks about the inspiration behind his second novel, THE SANCTUARY, and further elaborates on some of the scientific elements discussed in the book, such as the pros and cons of expanding one's lifespan. He also recalls a few of his favorite childhood comic book and TV nemeses who have influenced his own literary villains, and compares and contrasts the processes of writing novels and penning screenplays.
THE SANCTUARY by Raymond Khoury (Thriller)
Raymond Khoury's debut novel, THE LAST TEMPLAR, was an international bestseller. In his second work of fiction, THE SANCTUARY, a geneticist and a CIA agent on a deadly quest to find the most dangerous book in the world discover a secret that has destroyed everyone in its path for centuries. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
-Click here to read a review of THE SANCTUARY.
-Click here to read an excerpt from THE SANCTUARY.
-Visit Raymond Khoury's website, www.RaymondKhoury.com.
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Click here to read our interview with Raymond Khoury.
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New Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: John Hart, Author of DOWN RIVER
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Our newest featured Suspense/Thriller author is John Hart, whose first novel, THE KING OF LIES, was a bestseller when it was released in 2006. His second work of fiction is DOWN RIVER, and it tells the haunting story of Adam Chase as he returns to the hometown he was exiled from to reclaim his life. The book will be available beginning October 2nd and promises to be a worth follow-up to his debut.
We have 20 copies of DOWN RIVER to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, September 7th.
-Click here to read John Hart’s bio.
-Click here to see John Hart's backlist.
-Visit the author’s website, www.JohnHartFiction.com.
More about DOWN RIVER:
Adam Chase has a violent streak, and not without reason. As a boy growing up in Rowan County, North Carolina, he saw things that no child should see, suffered wounds that cut to the core and scarred thin. The trauma left him passionate and misunderstood --- a fighter. After being narrowly acquitted of a murder charge, Adam is hounded out of the only home he’s ever known, exiled for a sin he did not commit. For five long years he disappears, fades into the faceless gray of New York City. Now he’s back and nobody knows why, not his family or the cops, not the enemies he left behind.
But Adam has his reasons.
Within hours of his return, he is beaten and accosted, confronted by his family and the women he still holds dear. No one knows what to make of Adam’s return, but when bodies start turning up, the small town rises against him and Adam again finds himself embroiled in the fight of his life, not just to prove his own innocence, but to reclaim the only life he’s ever wanted.
Bestselling author John Hart holds nothing back as he strips his characters bare. Secrets explode, emotions tear, and more than one person crosses the brink into deadly behavior as he examines the lengths to which people will go for money, family, and revenge.
A powerful, heart-pounding thriller, DOWN RIVER will haunt your thoughts long after the last page is turned.
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Click here to read more about John Hart and DOWN RIVER.
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New Featured One to Watch Author: David Gibbins, Author of CRUSADER GOLD |
Our newest featured One to Watch author is David Gibbins, whose second novel, CRUSADER GOLD, is a sequel to ATLANTIS. In his latest book, which releases on September 25th, Gibbins reintroduces readers to marine archaeologist Jack Howard and tells the intriguing story of a discovery that could change the world forever.
We have 10 copies of CRUSADER GOLD to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, September 7th.
-Click here to read David Gibbins's bio.
-Click here to see David Gibbins's backlist.
-Visit the author’s website, www.DavidGibbins.com.
More about CRUSADER GOLD:
From the fall of the Roman Empire to the last days of Nazi power, marine archaeologist Jack Howard and his team of adventurers are hot on the trail of history’s most elusive and desired treasure: the lost golden menorah of Jerusalem. And what they discover could change the world forever…
Deep beneath the windswept waters near Istanbul, Jack and his crack team of experts have uncovered a surprising clue to the location of the fabled treasure plundered during the Crusades. Meanwhile, in a dusty cathedral library, someone unearths a long-forgotten medieval map. Together the two discoveries will solve an ancient mystery --- and spark a race to stop a present-day conspiracy of staggering proportions.
From diving into the core of an arctic iceberg to the last stand of a Viking warship to an extraordinary revelation deep in the jungles of Central America, Jack is headed straight into a globe-spanning clash of civilizations, into an astounding underground labyrinth steeped in blood and horrors --- and to a confrontation with a killer on a shattering crusade of his own.
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Click here to read more about David Gibbins and CRUSADER GOLD.
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Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: M.J. Rose, Author of THE REINCARNATIONIST
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M.J. Rose is the international bestselling author of nine novels, including LIP SERVICE and three titles in the Butterfield Institute series: THE HALO EFFECT, THE DELILAH COMPLEX and THE VENUS FIX. Her latest, THE REINCARNATIONIST, is a spellbinding, psychologically riveting epic thriller of secrets, history and murder that will challenge the way we think about who we are and who we were. It will be available in stores on August 28th.
-Click here to read a new excerpt from THE REINCARNATIONIST.
-Click here to read fast facts about M.J. Rose.
-Click here to read M.J. Rose's bio.
-Click here to see M.J. Rose's backlist.
-Click here to view a trailer for THE REINCARNATIONIST.
-Visit the author's official website, www.MJRose.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about THE REINCARNATIONIST:
A bomb in Rome, a flash of bluish-white light and photojournalist Josh Ryder's world exploded. From that instant nothing would ever be the same.
As Josh recovers, his mind is increasingly invaded with thoughts that have the emotion, the intensity, the intimacy of memories. But they are not his memories. They are ancient...and violent. A battery of medical and psychological tests can't explain Josh's baffling symptoms. And the memories have an urgency he can't ignore --- pulling him to save a woman named Sabina...and the treasures she is protecting.
But who is Sabina?
Desperate for answers, Josh turns to the world-renowned Phoenix Foundation --- a research facility that scientifically documents cases of past life experiences. His findings there lead him to an archaeological dig and to Professor Gabriella Chase, who has discovered an ancient tomb --- a tomb with a powerful secret that threatens to merge the past with the present. Here, the dead call out to the living, and murders of the past become murders of the present.
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Click here to read more about M.J. Rose and THE REINCARNATIONIST.
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Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Mark Gimenez, Author of THE ABDUCTION |
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Another featured Suspense/Thriller author is Mark Gimenez, who wrote the bestselling THE COLOR OF LAW. His second novel, THE ABDUCTION, is an explosive thriller that revolves around the kidnapping of a young girl and the reunion of an estranged father and son who race against time to try to rescue her. The book will be available in stores beginning August 28th.
-Click here to read an excerpt from THE ABDUCTION.
-Click here to read fast facts about Mark Gimenez.
-Click here to read Mark Gimenez's bio.
-Click here to read critical praise for THE ABDUCTION.
-Visit the author's official website, www.MarkGimenez.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about THE ABDUCTION:
Ben Brice lives alone in the New Mexico wilderness where he battles memories of Vietnam with oceans of Jim Beam. Miles away in Texas, his estranged son, John, an Internet geek-turned-billionaire, half watches his daughter Gracie's soccer game while conducting business on his cell phone. When her mother Elizabeth arrives, the coach reports that her uncle has already collected Gracie. But Gracie has no uncle --- she was kidnapped.
From international bestselling author Mark Gimenez comes a terrifying child-in-jeopardy thriller in which dark family secrets make the finding of ten-year-old Gracie Brice more uncertain with every passing minute. And so begins a furious race against time to save Gracie from unknown kidnappers. With the FBI camped out in the Brice mansion, the family offers a reward of $25 million. Somehow, Ben and John Brice must find Gracie before it is too late. As the story unfolds with riveting twists and turns, the reader discovers that behind the kidnapping is an extraordinary government plot that could change the course of American history. And time is running out…
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Click here to read more about Mark Gimenez and THE ABDUCTION.
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Featured Debut Suspense/Thriller Author: Chelsea Cain, Author of HEARTSICK
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In Chelsea Cain's first novel, HEARTSICK, which releases on September 4th, Portland detective Archie Sheridan is finding it difficult to stay away from the beautiful serial killer who tortured him for 10 days before turning herself in. When another killer begins snatching teenage girls off the streets of Portland, Archie has to pull himself together enough to lead the new task force investigating the murders.
-Click here to read a third excerpt from HEARTSICK.
-Click here to read critical praise for HEARTSICK.
-Click here to read Chelsea Cain's bio.
-Click here to view a trailer for HEARTSICK.
-Visit the author's official website, www.ChelseaCain.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about HEARTSICK:
Damaged Portland detective Archie Sheridan spent ten years tracking Gretchen Lowell, a beautiful serial killer, but in the end she was the one who caught him. Two years ago, Gretchen kidnapped Archie and tortured him for ten days, but instead of killing him, she mysteriously decided to let him go. She turned herself in, and now Gretchen has been locked away for the rest of her life, while Archie is in a prison of another kind --- addicted to pain pills, unable to return to his old life, powerless to get those ten horrific days off his mind. Archie’s a different person, his estranged wife says, and he knows she’s right. He continues to visit Gretchen in prison once a week, saying that only he can get her to confess as to the whereabouts of more of her victims, but even he knows the truth --- he can’t stay away.
When another killer begins snatching teenage girls off the streets of Portland, Archie has to pull himself together enough to lead the new task force investigating the murders. A hungry young newspaper reporter, Susan Ward, begins profiling Archie and the investigation, which sparks a deadly game between Archie, Susan, the new killer, and even Gretchen. They need to catch a killer, and maybe somehow then Archie can free himself from Gretchen, once and for all. Either way, HEARTSICK makes for one of the most extraordinary suspense debuts in recent memory.
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Click here to read more about Chelsea Cain and HEARTSICK.
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Featured Debut Suspense/Thriller Author: Emily Benedek, Author of RED SEA
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Another featured Debut Suspense/Thriller author is Emily Benedek, whose first novel, RED SEA, releases on September 18th. Its main character, Julian Granot, is based on a real-life elite commando leader and counter-terror expert with whom Benedek came into contact as a journalist reporting on counterterrorism for Newsweek.
-Click here to read an excerpt from RED SEA.
-Click here to read Emily Benedek's bio.
-Visit the author's official website, www.EmilyBenedek.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about RED SEA:
After four commercial airliners are blown out of the sky in international airspace, retired Israeli Special Forces commander Julian Granot is called in to investigate. With the help of an intrepid American journalist, Marie Peterssen, and Morgan Ensley, a maverick FBI agent, Granot makes the horrifying discovery that the crashes were meant to conceal a more diabolical attack. Through an investigation that leads from Jordan to Iraq, through London and Cyprus to New York, Granot and his unorthodox team uncover plans for a scenario that has frightened American security experts for years: a nuclear bomb slipped onto a container and rigged to explode in a major US seaport. Meanwhile, Marie discovers a startling personal connection to the Islamist terrorist behind the plot, a secret that jeopardizes her life and the entire mission.
Based on a real-life elite commando leader and counter-terror expert, Julian Granot is a mysterious, ruthless, but ultimately human and sympathetic spymaster extraordinaire. Marie is a fully-drawn female hero who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty --- or fall in love.
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Click here to read more about Emily Benedek and RED SEA.
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Featured One to Watch Author: Markus Zusak, Author of THE BOOK THIEF
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One of our featured One to Watch authors is Markus Zusak, whose New York Times bestseller THE BOOK THIEF will be available in paperback on September 11th. This unforgettable story, set during World War II in Germany, is about a girl who steals to survive and discovers the power of books with the help of her accordion-playing foster father.
-Click here to read a second excerpt from THE BOOK THIEF.
-Click here to see the reading group guide for THE BOOK THIEF.
-Click here to read fast facts about Markus Zusak.
-Click here to read Markus Zusak's bio.
-Click here to see Markus Zusak's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for THE BOOK THIEF.
-Visit the author's official website, www.MarkusZusak.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about THE BOOK THIEF:
It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery....
Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist --- books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.
This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.
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Click here to read more about Markus Zusak and THE BOOK THIEF.
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Featured One to Watch Author: Sarah Addison Allen, Author of GARDEN SPELLS
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Sarah Addison Allen's debut novel, GARDEN SPELLS, hits stores on August 28th. In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a small, quiet house in an even smaller town, is an apple tree that is rumored to bear a very special sort of fruit. Sarah Addison Allen tells the story of that enchanted tree, and the extraordinary people who tend it.
-Click here to read a third excerpt from GARDEN SPELLS.
-Click here to read Sarah Addison Allen's bio.
-Visit the author's official website, www.SarahAddisonAllen.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about GARDEN SPELLS:
The Waverleys have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures.
A successful caterer, Claire Waverley prepares dishes made with her mystical plants --- from the nasturtiums that aid in keeping secrets and the pansies that make children thoughtful, to the snapdragons intended to discourage the attentions of her amorous neighbor. Meanwhile, her elderly cousin, Evanelle, is known for distributing unexpected gifts whose uses become uncannily clear. They are the last of the Waverleys --- except for Claire’s rebellious sister, Sydney, who fled Bascom the moment she could, abandoning Claire, as their own mother had years before.
When Sydney suddenly returns home with a young daughter of her own, Claire’s quiet life is turned upside down --- along with the protective boundary she has so carefully constructed around her heart. Together again in the house they grew up in, Sydney takes stock of all she left behind, as Claire struggles to heal the wounds of the past. And soon the sisters realize they must deal with their common legacy --- if they are ever to feel at home in Bascom --- or with each other.
Enchanting and heartfelt, this captivating novel is sure to cast a spell with a style all its own…
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Click here to read more about Sarah Addison Allen and GARDEN SPELLS.
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Featured One to Watch Author: Robert Goddard, Author of NEVER GO BACK
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Robert Goddard's latest novel, NEVER GO BACK, will be available on August 28th. In this spellbinding mystery by the master of “the clever twist,” a group of ex-RAF comrades journey to a Scottish castle for a reunion. But by the time they reach their destination, two of them are dead.
-Click here to read a third excerpt from NEVER GO BACK.
-Click here to read Robert Goddard's bio.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about NEVER GO BACK:
Harry Barnett is leading a contented life in Vancouver with his wife and daughter when he is brought back to England by the death of his mother. He intends to spend just a few days sorting out her affairs when a chance meeting he will regret for the rest of his life makes him change his plans. Two old acquaintances from his National Service days track Harry down to his mother’s house --- the last address they had for him. A lavish reunion has been organized to mark the fiftieth anniversary of their RAF days. Harry decides to go.
During the war, Harry and his fellow RAF conscripts spent three months in a Scottish castle where they acted as guinea pigs in a psychological experiment. The reunion is to take place in the same castle. It will be a chance to see friends, settle old scores and lay a few ghosts to rest.
The party begins on the train up to Aberdeen, until the apparent suicide of one of their number shatters the holiday atmosphere. Their arrival in Scotland seems under a cloud, and when another comrade dies soon after their arrival, Harry is gripped by a sense of foreboding. As well, the recollections of the old comrades of their time in the castle are frighteningly different, and unexplained events from 1955 still haunt them. As Harry tries to solve the mystery of what really happened fifty years ago, he uncovers an extraordinary secret that convinces him he will never leave the castle alive.
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Click here to read more about Robert Goddard and NEVER GO BACK.
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Featured One to Watch Author: Gail Tsukiyama, Author of THE STREET OF A THOUSAND BLOSSOMS
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Gail Tsukiyama has written such bestsellers as WOMEN OF THE SILK and THE SAMURAI'S GARDEN. Her latest novel, THE STREET OF A THOUSAND BLOSSOMS, takes place in Tokyo, where two orphaned brothers are growing up with their loving grandparents. Life seems full of promise for these ambitious young men --- but then the attack on Pearl Harbor changes everything. This incredibly moving story that spans almost 30 years will be available in stores on September 4th.
-Click here to read a second excerpt from THE STREET OF A THOUSAND BLOSSOMS.
-Click here to read Gail Tsukiyama's bio.
-Click here to see Gail Tsukiyama's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for THE STREET OF A THOUSAND BLOSSOMS.
-Click here to visit the author's official website.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about THE STREET OF A THOUSAND BLOSSOMS:
It is Tokyo in 1939. On the Street of a Thousand Blossoms, two orphaned brothers are growing up with their loving grandparents, who inspire them to dream of a future firmly rooted in tradition. The older boy, Hiroshi, shows unusual skill at the national obsession of sumo wrestling, while Kenji is fascinated by the art of creating hand-carved masks for actors in the Noh theater.
Across town, a renowned sumo master, Sho Tanaka, lives with his wife and their two young daughters: the delicate, daydreaming Aki and her independent sister, Haru. Life seems full of promise as Kenji begins an informal apprenticeship with the most famous mask-maker in Japan and Hiroshi receives a coveted invitation to train with Tanaka. But then Pearl Harbor changes everything. As the ripples of war spread to both families’ quiet neighborhoods, all of the generations must put their dreams on hold --- and then find their way in a new Japan.
In an exquisitely moving story that spans almost thirty years, Gail Tsukiyama draws us irresistibly into the world of the brothers and the women who love them. It is a world of tradition and change, of heartbreaking loss and surprising hope, and of the impact of events beyond their control on ordinary, decent men and women. Above all, THE STREET OF A THOUSAND BLOSSOMS is a masterpiece about love and family from a glorious storyteller at the height of her powers.
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Click here to read more about Gail Tsukiyama and THE STREET OF A THOUSAND BLOSSOMS.
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This Week's Reviews and Features
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PLAY DIRTY by Sandra Brown (Mystery/Romance)
It’s not too late for a great summer read from prolific author Sandra Brown. She delivers another exciting novel that pulls the reader in from the first page, as the story unfolds of a fallen football star seeking to restore his life in a town where he committed the unpardonable sin. Reviewed by Maggie Harding.
-Click here to read an excerpt from PLAY DIRTY.
STILL SUMMER by Jacquelyn Mitchard (Fiction)
Twenty years after a group of friends bonded in high school, they take the cruise of a lifetime together. The unthinkable happens --- leaving the women to fend for themselves, lost and alone on the high seas --- in a gripping tale of adventure, love and friendship. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.
-Click here to read an excerpt from STILL SUMMER.
THE BURNT HOUSE: A Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus Novel by Faye Kellerman (Thriller)
A plane crash leads Peter Decker in search of a missing body, but instead he finds the victim of a 30-year-old murder. This installment in Faye Kellerman’s popular Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series finds Decker and crew looking into the sour marriage of a missing woman, and the investigation takes them to Santa Fe and back again. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
-Click here to read an excerpt from THE BURNT HOUSE.
AWAY by Amy Bloom (Fiction)
Amy Bloom’s second novel offers a frank portrayal of the underside of American life in the Roaring Twenties. Told through the eyes of a young Jewish immigrant starting out life in a new land, AWAY is also a heartrending and uplifting story of the power of one mother’s love. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
-Click here to read an excerpt from AWAY.
THE CAREFUL USE OF COMPLIMENTS: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel by Alexander McCall Smith (Mystery)
When philosopher-sleuth Isabel Dalhousie attends an art auction, she finds an irresistible puzzle: two paintings attributed to a now-deceased artist appear on the market at the same time, and both of them exhibit some unusual characteristics. Are these paintings forgeries? This proves to be sufficient fodder for Isabel's inquisitiveness, and an investigation begins. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
HERE IF YOU NEED ME: A True Story by Kate Braestrup (Memoir)
In HERE IF YOU NEED ME, Kate Braestrup, chaplain for the Maine Warden Service, offers a thought-provoking, generous examination of faith, love, loss, wilderness and the fascinating men and women who embody godliness in their daily lives and work. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
HARD CALL: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them by John McCain with Mark Salter (History)
Acclaimed authors John McCain and Mark Salter describe the anatomy of great decisions in history by telling the remarkable stories of men and women who have exemplified composure, wisdom and intellect in the face of life's toughest decisions. Reviewed by Ron Kaplan.
-For more, visit the official website of Twelve, www.TwelveBooks.com.
MALICE by Robert K. Tanenbaum (Thriller)
Robert K. Tanenbaum’s newest Butch Karp novel is set in New York City and rural Idaho. Karp and his wife and daughter become involved in a rape case, a murder and a vicious scheme to ruin a man’s life. As usual, Tannenbaum brings a complicated plot to his readers and carries the whole affair off with panache. Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum.
LAST BREATH: A Sherry Moore Novel by George D. Shuman (Mystery)
Although physically blind, Sherry Moore can see the last 18 seconds of a deceased person's memory. When she’s called in to provide that service for three dead women found in a meat-packing shed, her sanity is tested in this terrifying and fast-paced novel. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.
VIVALDI'S VIRGINS by Barbara Quick (Historical Fiction)
Pairing the seductive appeal of a legendary composer with the coming of age of a violin prodigy, Barbara Quick’s new novel recreates Vivaldi’s Venice at the height of its splendor and decadence. Readers gain entrance to this lost, exotic world where --- for fully half the year, masked and clothed in anonymity --- the entire city gave itself over to the revelry of Carnival. Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds.
THE GENESIS CODE by Christopher Forrest (Thriller)
Nobel Prize-winning geneticist Joshua Ambergris has made an astounding discovery that will shake the foundations of science: He has found a coded text hidden in human DNA. Before Ambergris can change the course of history by announcing his incredible discovery, he is brutally murdered. But he has left behind a labyrinthine series of clues that ultimately reveals the truth. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
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Read this week's reviews and features here.
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Poll, Question and Word of Mouth
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Poll:
If you are not driving, can you read in the car?
Yes, I always do.
I listen to audiobooks more than I read.
I wish I could read in the car, but I usually am the one driving.
I wish I could read in the car, but motion makes reading and riding not a great combo.
I have no interest in reading when I am in the car.
-Click here to answer our poll.
Question:
What book can you recall reading while on a road trip?
-Click here to answer our Question of the Week.
Word of Mouth:
Tell us what books YOU are reading and loving --- or even those you don't.
This week we have three great prizes: FIVE readers each will win a copy of BONES TO ASHES by Kathy Reichs, A KILLER'S KISS by William Lashner and THE VIEW FROM MOUNT JOY by Lorna Landvik.
Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on September 7th.
-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 August 31, 2007 automatically are entered in our Monthly Newsletter Contest. This month one winner will be selected to win the following five books: BEYOND REACH by Karin Slaughter, BONES TO ASHES by Kathy Reichs, THE CAREFUL USE OF COMPLIMENTS: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel by Alexander McCall Smith, PLAY DIRTY by Sandra Brown and SPOOK COUNTRY by William Gibson. Tara from Ballston Lake, NY was last month's newsletter winner. She won THE SECRET SERVANT by Daniel Silva, THE EVER-RUNNING MAN: A Sharon McCone Mystery by Marcia Muller, KILLER WEEKEND by Ridley Pearson, THE QUICKIE by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge and THE WATER'S LOVELY by Ruth Rendell.
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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