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April 11, 2008

Bookreporter.com Newsletter

April 11, 2008

This Week on Bookreporter.com

Bon Voyage: "The Return of the Pilgrims' Voyage"

Bookreporter.com Talks to Elizabeth Noble, Author of THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW

Bookreporter.com Talks to Gregg Olsen, Author of A COLD DARK PLACE

Bookreporter.com Talks to Francoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman of TOON Books

Author Talk: Frances Richey, Author of THE WARRIOR: A Mother's Story of a Son at War

New Featured One to Watch Author: Jane Porter, Author of MRS. PERFECT

Featured Romantic Suspense Author: Heather Graham, Author of THE DEATH DEALER

Featured Romantic Suspense Author: Karen Robards, Author of GUILTY

Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Linda Fairstein, Author of KILLER HEAT


Now in Stores: SHAKEDOWN by Joel Goldman

Now in Stores: MARY OF NAZARETH by Marek Halter
Have a question for Khaled Hosseini? Ask him.

What's New This Month on ReadingGroupGuides.com

This Week's Reviews

Poll, Question and Word of Mouth

Quick Links to Features On The Book Report Network
 
Bookreporter.com
Past Reviews
Can't See the Graphics? Read This Newsletter Online
Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight Promotion
Debut Suspense/Thriller One to Watch Promotion
Mystery Mayhem Promotion

Historical Fiction Promotion

One to Watch Promotion
Books Into Movies
Bestseller Lists
Coming Soon
New in Paperback
ReadingGroupGuides.com

Bon Voyage: "The Return of the Pilgrims' Voyage"

We are off tomorrow on our family transatlantic crossing on the QE2. I keeping adding books to my stack since I envision a week collapsed on a deck chair reading and musing as I look out on the water. (Lots of water; no land for days...I will know what Columbus felt like.) Six glorious days of literary pleasure. Well that dream was dashed yesterday when my older son flew in with "great news." There is to be a storm the third day that we are at sea. With high waves. I now envision a wet book. I envision myself huddled in our cabin clutching Dramamine. I also saw pictures of said cabin this week. It's 195 square feet; to compare I just googled and learned that the average prison cell is 96 square feet. A friend noted this week that the point of a cruise is not to hang in one's room. On the map of the ship/liner (never boat), I saw that the library is MUCH bigger; maybe there is a couch where I can spread out. The library has 6,000 books, but I am not unpacking any of mine. A reader can never be sure that they will have the RIGHT book.
 
Our trip will culminate in a weekend in London. When we are there, the boys and my husband are planning to attend maritime museums. I plan to visit bookstores. We each have our passions. I am meeting up with Joni Rendon, a good friend who has been living in London for the past three years. She and my friend, Shannon McKenna Schmidt, have a book called NOVEL DESTINATIONS: Literary Landmarks From Jane Austen's Bath to Ernest Hemingway's Key West coming out on May 20th. I could not think of anyone more qualified to show me literary haunts in London. I also am looking forward to meeting Raymond Khoury, who is the author of THE LAST TEMPLAR and THE SANCTUARY. We have been corresponding for years, and it will be great fun to put a face with a name.
 
Months ago I bought a map of London. I lost this map somewhere in the house. It's in one of the 12 boxes now stacked in my bedroom. I have opened six and given up, so today I just will buy a new map. Why all these boxes? Since life is not busy enough I chose this week to paint my office at home, or rather to have it painted. I was going to paint myself, but as I did the first few brush strokes, Greg said, "Mom, put the brush down and call Grandpa to do this. You CANNOT paint." I was a tad insulted and then I looked at the wall and realized that he is right. I cannot paint. There is some mental block in my head on this. I can paint small things very artistically, but walls never look great. They do not even look cool like Jackson Pollock was there. They look like a kindergartner went mad fingerpainting.
 
I called my dad, and as I finished asking him to come help me, he asked, "Are you painting now?" I informed him I had stopped. He told me to put down the brush in the same voice that policemen use to tell suspects to "drop their weapons." Okay, there is a reason for this. I painted a closet once. I used an entire gallon of paint, and by the time I was done, the closet and I were the same color. So was the floor. It was decided that I was much better at things like picking the colors and picking up lunch. I tell myself that these are very useful tasks. But I wish I could paint.
 
My dad on the other hand is an artist. He also is a very patient man since in this office I have selected four different colors plus a layer of copper tint for the walls. He is Michelangelo, and my office is the Sistine Chapel. Three sections of the wall are turquoise, and we still are negotiating the back of the door being the same color. He thinks it should disappear and be tan; I want it to pop in turquoise. More on these negotiations at a later date!
 
Tuesday night I escaped the paint fumes and went out to see Elizabeth Noble at a local bookstore, The Clinton Book Shop, where she was doing a reading and signing for her new book, THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW. As always, she was fabulously entertaining. She has a wonderful warm sense of humor. When I read her blog I always laugh since she can take mundane moments and completely jazz them up. One of the nicest parts of the evening was when one reader remarked that she was so excited to see Elizabeth that she felt like it was midnight the night a Harry Potter book went on sale. Moments like that are just lovely for authors, as well as readers. It's sparking our Question of the Week, "What book/author would you line up at midnight to get/meet?" You can "meet" Elizabeth this week in our interview with her.

Last night I went to the launch party for TOON Books, a new line of children's comic books that Francoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman co-edited. It was an exciting evening as the creators and writers for the debut titles were available to meet with us. You can read an interview with Francoise below.

Our newest featured author this week is Jane Porter, whose new novel, MRS. PERFECT, will be in stores on May 5th. In this book, a woman must be strong for her family as their fairy-tale lifestyle begins to unravel. We have 10 copies of MRS. PERFECT 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, April 18th. I am a huge fan of Jane's work, and I truly enjoyed reading MRS. PERFECT. I am very happy to be sharing it with you.

We also received some nice feedback for Linda Francis Lee’s new novel, THE EX-DEBUTANTE. See what our advance readers had to say here. You may also remember the great feedback we received for LOST SOULS by Lisa Jackson, which you can read here. This week, we are featuring Lisa’s responses to our advance readers’ questions. Click here to read them.

Kristin Hannah recently ran a "Best Friends" essay contest on her website. The winning entries --- and the others posted there --- definitely reflect the spirit of her bestselling novel, FIREFLY LANE. You can read them here.


The week of April 13-19 is National Library Week. I found it interesting how many of you said you were going to the library more these days, given the current economy. By the way, if you are on the QE2 this crossing, I will be easy to spot. I will be facing backwards as we leave the harbor with my BlackBerry pointed towards the Statue of Liberty trying to seize a few last signals as we pull away from land. It will be my own way of saluting. Then, as we cruise into Southampton, I will be reenacting the famous Titanic scene where Rose holds the necklace high from the deck of the ship. In my case...the BlackBerry will be pointed towards shore trying to pull a signal. Wish me luck.
 
Greg has asssured me that the ship has Wi-Fi and Internet access. He has mumbled each time he has mentioned the price for this. Thus next week's newsletter may be the most expensive one ever sent! If the signal fails, someone on staff will "channel me" and get the news your way. The boys have each confessed that they are a bit worried about what my husband will do on the ship since on most of our vacations he just plays golf. There is a driving range. Stay tuned --- and for this week keep reading. Bon voyage to us. Hail Hail The Queen! Have a great week. Get some reading done.



Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
 

Click here to find out more about NOVEL DESTINATIONS.


 

Bookreporter.com Talks to Elizabeth Noble, Author of THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW

Elizabeth Noble is the bestselling author of THE READING GROUP, THE FRIENDSHIP TEST, ALPHABET WEEKENDS and the newly released THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Kathy Weissman, Noble discusses what inspired her latest novel --- which she describes as a love letter to her children --- and explains which elements from her own life and how those close to her fueled the plot of her story. She also gives insight into how her characters are formed, shares her thoughts on ideas of feminism in today's society and reveals details about her next writing project.

THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW by Elizabeth Noble (Fiction)
Give it to your mother, give it to your daughter, share it with friends. This generous-spirited, sensitive, surprisingly witty female-bonding novel by an endearing British writer tells what happens to a family when they take on the ultimate challenge: how to live on after a great loss. Reviewed by Kathy Weissman.


-Click here to read a review of THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW.
-Click here to read an excerpt from THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW.
-Visit the author's official website, www.ElizabethNobleBooks.com.

 

Click here to read our interview with Elizabeth Noble.

 
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Bookreporter.com Talks to Gregg Olsen, Author of A COLD DARK PLACE

Bookreporter.com's Joe Hartlaub recently spoke with Gregg Olsen, bestselling author of seven true crime books and two novels, including the newly released A COLD DARK PLACE. In this interview, Olsen describes the highly unusual real-life news story that inspired the plot of his latest work of fiction and explains how his family gave him insight into how to portray female characters realistically. He also compares and contrasts writing fiction and nonfiction, shares his thoughts on the influx in television police procedural dramas and reveals who most influenced him in his career.

A COLD DARK PLACE by Gregg Olsen (Thriller)
In a secluded farm house in the Pacific Northwest, a family has been slaughtered --- and a teenage son has disappeared. Single mother and cop Emily Kenyon spearheads a dark hunt for a killer. But Emily’s teenage daughter Jenna knows the boy suspected of murdering his family and wants to help him --- perhaps too much. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read a review of
A COLD DARK PLACE.
 

Click here to read our interview with Gregg Olsen.


 

Bookreporter.com Talks to Francoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman of TOON Books

New Yorker art editor Francoise Mouly and her husband, acclaimed cartoonist Art Spiegelman, recently launched TOON Books, a new line of comics designed for children ages four and up. Its inaugural titles, now available in stores, are BENNY AND PENNY IN JUST PRETEND, SILLY LILLY AND THE FOUR SEASONS and OTTO'S ORANGE DAY. In this interview with Contributing Editor John Hogan, Mouly describes how her son, a reluctant reader, inspired the idea for this line and explains the benefits of these comics over conventional picture books. She also discusses how the books will be incorporated into school reading programs, shares some of the feedback they've received from teachers and librarians, and muses on the constantly changing attitudes towards comics.

-Click here to read a review of the TOON Books debut titles.
 

Click here to read our interview with Francoise Mouly about TOON Books. 


 
strong>Author Talk: Frances Richey, Author of THE WARRIOR: A Mother's Story of a Son at War
Frances Richey is a corporate business woman turned poet, whose award-winning debut collection of poetry, THE BURNING POINT, garnered much critical acclaim. Her newly published second volume, THE WARRIOR, was inspired by the tumultuous emotions she experienced as her son --- a West Point grad and Green Beret --- was deployed to fight in Iraq. In this interview, Richey discusses how her writing has helped open the lines of communication between herself and Ben, despite their conflicting political beliefs, and talks about the emotional impact war has on those involved in combat. She also explains how her poetry functions as a personal survival mechanism and describes how her career changes have shaped her life for the better.

THE WARRIOR: A Mother's Story of a Son at War by Frances Richey (Memoir)
When Frances Richey's son, Ben, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Green Beret, went on the first of his two deployments to Iraq, Richey began to write. THE WARRIOR is her urgent and intensely personal exploration of what a mother is feeling as her only son goes off to war, as she says goodbye to him, misses him, prays for him and waits for him to come home. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.


-Click here to read a review of THE WARRIOR.
-Click here to read an excerpt from THE WARRIOR.
-Visit the author's official website, www.FrancesRichey.com.

 

Click here to read an interview with Frances Richey.


 
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New Featured One to Watch Author: Jane Porter, Author of MRS. PERFECT

Jane Porter is the author of over 20 books, including FLIRTING WITH FORTY, ODD MOM OUT and THE FROG PRINCE. In MRS. PERFECT, her new book releasing on May 5th, a woman’s seemingly perfect life is threatened by a devastating secret. As her fairy-tale lifestyle begins to unravel, she realizes she must become the woman her family truly needs.

We have 10 copies of MRS. PERFECT 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, April 18th.

-Click here to read Jane Porter’s bio.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.JanePorter.com.

More about MRS. PERFECT:
For Taylor Young, life is very good. She has a handsome husband, three gorgeous children and a dream house. Then a devastating secret bursts Taylor’s fairy-tale bubble. Struggling to maintain her alpha image, Taylor finds help from the unlikeliest of people. But to become the woman her family truly needs, Taylor must first believe in the person she is hardest on --- herself.

 

Click here to read more about Jane Porter and MRS. PERFECT.


 
Featured Romantic Suspense Author: Heather Graham, Author of THE DEATH DEALER

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Heather Graham has written over one hundred novels and novellas. In THE DEATH DEALER, the chilling follow-up to THE DEAD ROOM, a woman and a private investigator must get to the bottom of a series of murders mirroring the macabre stories of Edgar Allan Poe. THE DEATH DEALER is now in stores.

-Click here to read a third excerpt from THE DEATH DEALER.
-Click here to read Heather Graham’s bio.
-Click here to read Heather Graham's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for THE DEATH DEALER.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.TheOriginalHeatherGraham.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about THE DEATH DEALER:
Genevieve O'Brien knows all about nightmares. She survived for two months as the prisoner of a deranged killer. Now a new menace is stalking the streets of New York. The media is buzzing about the “Poe Killings,” a string of homicides mirroring the author's macabre stories --- and Genevieve’s own mother may be in danger...

Spooked by the bizarre slayings, Genevieve turns toward the one who rescued her --- private investigator Joe Connolly.

 

Click here to read more about Heather Graham and THE DEATH DEALER.


 

Featured Romantic Suspense Author: Karen Robards, Author of GUILTY

Karen Robards is the New York Times bestselling author of over 30 books, including OBSESSION and VANISHED. In GUILTY, her new romantic suspense now available in stores, a feisty female attorney's life is threatened when her hidden past resurfaces in an unexpected way.

-Click here to read a review of GUILTY.
-Click here to read a third excerpt from GUILTY.
-Click here to read an interview with Karen Robards.
-Click here to read fast facts about Karen Robards.
-Click here to read Karen Robards’s bio.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.KarenRobards.com.
-Click here to view a trailer for GUILTY.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.


More about GUILTY:
Sixteen years after she and her friends committed an unspeakable crime, Kat --- now Kate --- has built a new life for herself. Now a single mom, she works as a prosecutor in the Philadelphia DA's office. But her dark past rears its head when she walks into court one day and discovers that she is to prosecute Mario Castellanos, one of her friends from that terrible night 16 years earlier. And that is only where the trouble begins...

 

Click here to read more about Karen Robards and GUILTY.

 

Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Linda Fairstein, Author of KILLER HEAT

Bestselling author Linda Fairstein is one of America's foremost legal experts on crimes of sexual assault and domestic violence. Her bestselling legal thriller series featuring Alexandra Cooper continues with its 10th installment, KILLER HEAT. In this latest thriller, which is now available in stores, Fairstein orchestrates a page-turning mix of cutting-edge legal issues and forensics, New York City history and spine-tingling suspense.

-Click here to read a review of KILLER HEAT.
-Click here to read a third excerpt from KILLER HEAT.
-Click here to read an interview with Linda Fairstein.
-Click here to read fast facts about Linda Fairstein.

-Click here to read Linda Fairstein’s bio.
-Click here to see Linda Fairstein's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for Linda Fairstein and KILLER HEAT.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.LindaFairstein.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.


More about KILLER HEAT:
Just as Manhattan D.A. Alex Cooper is claiming an especially gratifying victory in a rape case, she’s informed that the body of a young woman has been found in an abandoned building. The brutality of the murder is disturbing enough, but when a second body, beaten and disposed of in exactly the same manner, is found off the Belt Parkway, the city’s top brass want the killer found fast, before the tabloids can start churning out ghoulish serial killer headlines. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
 

Click here to read more about Linda Fairstein and KILLER HEAT.


 

Now in Stores: SHAKEDOWN by Joel Goldman

SHAKEDOWN by Joel Goldman (Thriller)
The lives of three people collide over mass murder at a Kansas City residence that Special Agent Jack Davis has carefully staked out for weeks. Half-blinded by an imploding personal life, and someone on his own side leaking crucial information, Jack is headed straight for the ultimate danger zone --- where truth lies at the heart of betrayal.  br />
Publishers Weekly
calls SHAKEDOWN "terrific…fascinating and compelling." Michael Connelly says "page for page, I loved it" and Linda Fairstein calls it "a chillingly realistic crime novel."


-Click here to read a review of SHAKEDOWN.
-Click here to read an excerpt from SHAKEDOWN.
-Click here to read an interview with Joel Goldman.

 

Visit the author's official website, www.JoelGoldman.com.


 
Now in Stores: MARY OF NAZARETH by Marek Halter
MARY OF NAZARETH by Marek Halter (Historical Fiction)
The ancient world and its politics come to life through the eyes of a young Jewish woman in Marek Halter’s novel, MARY OF NAZARETH. Based on extensive historical and biblical scholarship,
MARY OF NAZARETH is a revealing, utterly captivating portrait of a woman whose story we only thought we knew.
Click here to read more about MARY OF NAZARETH.

 
Have a question for Khaled Hosseini? Ask him.
Throughout the month, readers can submit questions to Khaled Hosseini --- author A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS, the #1 bestselling novel of 2007 --- about his books, his writing and Afghanistan.
 
In late May, Khaled will respond to questions in a series of videos posted on his website.

 
For details and to submit a question, visit KhaledHosseini.com.

 

What's New This Month on ReadingGroupGuides.com

With more than 2,300 discussion guides available, ReadingGroupGuides.com continues to be the leading place for book clubs to find all the resources they need on the web.

Our
ReadingGroupGuides.com Blog continues to be a big hit among our readers. Throughout the month we are sharing postings from regular contributors --- including authors, librarians, book club facilitators, booksellers and experts in the publishing industry --- as well as special guests. The latest blog can be found here, and here are quick links to some recent posts:

-Book Club Activism
-An Author's Book Club Discovery
-The Appeal of Young Adult Literature to the Not So Young
-Approaching Authors, Dead and Otherwise
-Regroup Your Book Group
-Decisions, Decisions
-Bliss at the Cheesecake Factory, Part I: The Author's Perspective

-Bliss at the Cheesecake Factory, Part II: The Book Group's Perspective

The following guides are now available on ReadingGroupGuides.com:

ALL SAINTS by Liam Callanan
THE ARCHIVIST'S STORY by Travis Hollandbr />ASK AGAIN LATER by Jill A. Davis
BOUND by Sally Gunning
BULLS ISLAND by Dorothea Benton Frank
CHANGE OF HEART by Jodi Picoult
GIRLS IN TRUCKS by Katie Crouch
THE JANUARY GIRL by Goldie Taylor
KNOCK YOURSELF UP: No Man? No Problem!: A Tell-All Guide to Becoming a Single Mom by Louise Sloan
LIBERATION by Joanna Scott
THE LIZARD CAGE by Karen Connelly
MENTOR: The Kid & The CEO: A Simple Story of Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Significance by Tom Pace with Walter Jenkins
MONIQUE AND THE MANGO RAINS: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway
MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL by Dorothy Koomson
NAMES MY SISTERS CALL ME by Megan Crane
THE NEXT THING ON MY LIST by Jill Smolinski
NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN by Brian Copeland
OPTING IN: Having a Child Without Losing Yourself by Amy Richards
PATRIOTISM, PEACE AND VIETNAM: A Memoir by Peggy Hanna
THE RIVER, BY MOONLIGHT by Camille Marchetta
SEARCHING FOR PARADISE IN PARKER, PA by Kris Radish
SLIVER OF TRUTH by Lisa Unger
STEWARDS OF THE FLAME by Sylvia Engdahl
THE STORY OF A MARRIAGE by Andrew Sean Greer
THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW by Elizabeth Noble
TRAVELER by Ron McLarty
TURNING TABLES by Heather & Rose MacDowell
WE PLAN, GOD LAUGHS: 10 Steps to Finding Your Divine Path When Life is Not Turning Out Like You Wanted by Sherre Hirsch
WHAT IS LIFE?: Investigating the Nature of Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology by Ed Regis


Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:

BACK ON BLOSSOM STREET by Debbie Macomber
FOR ONE MORE DAY by Mitch Albom
I FEEL BAD ABOUT MY NECK: And Other Thoughts On Being a Woman by Nora Ephron
THE MERCY SELLER by Brenda Rickman Vantrease
THE MISTRESS'S DAUGHTER by A.M. Homes
NO! I DON'T WANT TO JOIN A BOOK CLUB by Virginia Ironside
THE PENNY by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford
PETROPOLIS by Anya Ulinich

PORTRAIT OF AN UNKNOWN WOMAN by Vanora Bennett
SHEER ABANDON by Penny Vincenzi

We have the following new guides for Christian book groups:

BETRAYED by Jeanette Windle
CHRIST THE LORD: The Road to Cana by Anne Rice
HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT: A Memoir of Finding Faith, Hope, and Happily Ever After by Trish Ryan
 
Click here to visit ReadingGroupGuides.com.

 

This Week's Reviews

WHERE ARE YOU NOW? by Mary Higgins Clark (Thriller)
Carolyn MacKenzie was 16 when her older brother Charles “Mack” MacKenzie Jr. disappeared. For 10 years, his only contact has been his annual Mother’s Day phone call. When he gets in touch with his mom this Mother’s Day, Carolyn grabs the extension and tells Mack she will find him --- but her quest for the truth puts her life in danger. Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt.
 
-Click here to read an excerpt from WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
 
THE GIRL WITH NO SHADOW by Joanne Harris (Fiction)
The long-awaited sequel to CHOCOLAT brings back Vianne Rocher and her daughter, Anouk, both of whom have left the French countryside for the busy and energetic streets of Paris. Vianne has taken on a new identity --- that of a young widowed mother --- in an attempt to escape her past. When a seductive and enigmatic stranger enters Vianne and Anouk’s quiet world, their lives are soon in danger of being changed forever. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
 
-Click here to read an excerpt from THE GIRL WITH NO SHADOW.

WINTER STUDY by Nevada Barr (Mystery)
National Park ranger/sleuth Anna Pigeon returns to bookstores after a three-year hiatus by her creator, Nevada Barr. Barr moved to New Orleans just before Hurricane Katrina; she took time off from fictional danger and suspense to become a real-life observer of Mother Nature and to clean up and repair her damaged home. She’s back with what may be the best Anna Pigeon adventure in her long string of successes.  Reviewed by Roz Shea.

THE SORROWS OF AN AMERICAN by Siri Hustvedt (Fiction)
When Erik Davidsen and his sister, Inga, find a disturbing note from an unknown woman among their dead father’s papers, they believe he may be implicated in a mysterious death. THE SORROWS OF AN AMERICAN tells the story of the Davidsen family as brother and sister uncover its secrets and unbandage its wounds in the year following their father’s funeral. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.

BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN by Charles Bock (Fiction)
Newell Ewing is a typical 12-year-old boy, of no special interest to anyone, until he disappears in the desert outside of Las Vegas. BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN examines several characters whose actions, seemingly disparate and unrelated, illuminate Newell’s mysterious path. Reviewed by Colleen Quinn.
 
WIT'S END by Karen Joy Fowler (Fiction)
In this charmingly off-kilter tale, Rima Lanisell visits her famous mystery novelist godmother, hoping to unravel the truth about her own family mysteries. As she probes, both online and within the city of Santa Cruz, Rima discovers connections between real people and fictional characters that make her (and the reader) question the dividing line between the two. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

LOSING YOU by Nicci French (Thriller)
LOSING YOU is a fast-paced thriller from the husband and wife team of Nicci Gerard and Sean French that tells the story of a mother who must find her missing child before nightfall. With their usual skill and panache, these authors offer readers a full tilt ride into a parent’s worst nightmare. Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum.
 
OLIVE KITTERIDGE by Elizabeth Strout (Fiction)
Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher in a remote town on the coast of Maine,  learns a lot about life and herself by shrewdly observing the goings-on of her neighbors and loved ones. New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Strout binds together 13 narratives through the presence of this larger-than-life character. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.

THREE GIRLS AND THEIR BROTHER by Theresa Rebeck (Fiction)
In her fiction debut, playwright Theresa Rebeck turns her sharp eye on the fickle nature of fame and how it affects three sisters, who skyrocket to overnight success, and their fragile brother, who is left behind in their wake. Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.

 

Read this week's reviews here.

 
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strong>Poll, Question and Word of Mouth

Poll:

How many authors have you met?
None
1-2
3-5
6-10
11-24
25 or more
 
After meeting an author, did you feel you knew his or her work better?

Yes
No
Not sure
I never have met an author.


-Click here to answer our poll.


Question:

What book/author would you line up at midnight to get/meet?


-Click here to answer our question.


Word of Mouth:

T
ell 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 HOLD TIGHT by Harlan Coben, THE WARRIOR: A Mother's Story of a Son at War by Frances Richey and THE WHOLE TRUTH by David Baldacci. Tell us what you are reading and rate the titles 1-5 by noon on April 25th to ensure that you are in the running to win these books.

Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on April 25th.
 
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 April 30, 2008 automatically are entered in our Monthly Newsletter Contest. This month one winner will be selected to win the following five books: THE GIRL WITH NO SHADOW by Joanne Harris, HOLD TIGHT by Harlan Coben, SEPULCHRE by Kate Mosse, WHERE ARE YOU NOW? by Mary Higgins Clark and THE WHOLE TRUTH by David Baldacci. Joanne from Jessup, PA
was last month's newsletter winner. She won ANOTHER THING TO FALL: A Tess Monaghan Novel by Laura Lippman, CHANGE OF HEART by Jodi Picoult, THE CURE FOR MODERN LIFE by Lisa Tucker, HOLLYWOOD CROWS by Joseph Wambaugh and A PRISONER OF BIRTH by Jeffrey Archer.

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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