February 5, 2010

Up in the Air and Down on the Ground

WINTER GARDEN by Kristin Hannah (Fiction)
Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. But when their beloved father falls ill, these two estranged women will find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother who, even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. On his deathbed, their father extracts one last promise from the women in his life. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

-Click here to read an excerpt from WINTER GARDEN.
-Click here to see Kristin Hannah talk about WINTER GARDEN.
-Visit Kristin Hannah’s official website, www.KristinHannah.com.
 

Now in Stores: ROSES by Leila Meacham

font color="#cc0000">New Featured Romantic Suspense Author: Beverly Barton, Author of DEAD BY MIDNIGHT

New York Times bestselling author Beverly Barton has written over 50 contemporary romance novels and is a two-time Maggie Award winner, a two-time National Readers’ Choice Award winner and the recipient of a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Adventure. In DEAD BY MIDNIGHT, her latest novel, Barton ratchets up the suspense as victims race against time --- literally --- to beat their grim fate when the clock strikes 12.

We have 20 copies of DEAD BY MIDNIGHT to give away to readers who would like to read the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, February 12th at noon ET.

-Click here to read an excerpt from DEAD BY MIDNIGHT.
-Click here to read Beverly Barton's bio.
-Click here to see Beverly Barton's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for DEAD BY MIDNIGHT.
-Visit Beverly Barton's official website, www.beverlybarton.com.

More about DEAD BY MIDNIGHT:
In murder, as in life, timing is everything. With every murder, the killer edges closer, and soon Lorie Hammonds will be the last name left on his list. In the 10 years since her Hollywood career imploded, Lorie has built a good life in her Alabama hometown, but things take a devious turn. She laughs off the first death threat, but the second threat is no joke. Her high school sweetheart, Mike Birkett, is now the small town's sheriff who has tried to keep his distance, but he, too, is drawn into a web of secrets, lies and murders that become increasingly personal.
 

With each new book release, Gregg Olsen's fan base expands as more readers are entranced by his nuanced and gruesome thrillers. His latest, VICTIM SIX, pits two women against a sadistic serial killer whose murderous acts become more depraved with each victim.

We have 20 copies of VICTIM SIX to give away to readers who would like to read the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, February 12th at noon ET.

-Click here to read an excerpt from VICTIM SIX.
-Click here to read Gregg Olsen's bio.
-Click here to see Gregg Olsen's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for VICTIM SIX.
-Visit Gregg Olsen's official website, www.greggolsen.com.

More about VICTIM SIX:
The bodies begin turning up in the marshes and swamps surrounding Puget Sound, each one more gruesome than the previous. The killer has a precision to his killing, carefully targeting, stalking, torturing and disposing of each victim. Two women find themselves unlikely friends as they race to stop the killer before his next strike. However, time is not on their side as the clues seem to place each of them squarely in the killer's crosshairs.
 

Now Available in Paperback: LOOK AGAIN by Featured Suspense/Thriller Author Lisa Scottoline

Bookreporter.com's Valentine's Day Feature: Books to Fall in Love With

Featured One to Watch Author: Sarah Blake, Author of THE POSTMISTRESS

Featured One to Watch Author: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Author of ONE AMAZING THING

ONE AMAZING THING by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is garnering some serious pre-release buzz for its portrayal of strangers uniting in the face of tragedy by each sharing a secret they've never revealed. Shocking and emotional, ONE AMAZING THING will have you wondering about your own secrets.

-Click here to read a third excerpt from ONE AMAZING THING.
-Click here to read Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's bio.
-Click here to see Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for ONE AMAZING THING.
-Visit Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's official website, www.chitradivakaruni.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about ONE AMAZING THING:
Late afternoon sun sneaks through the windows of a passport and visa office in an unnamed American city. Most customers and even most office workers have come and gone, but nine people remain. When an earthquake rips through the afternoon lull, trapping them together, their focus first jolts to their collective struggle to survive. There’s little food. The office begins to flood. As the psychological and emotional stress becomes nearly too much for them to bear, one of them suggests that each tell a personal tale, “one amazing thing” from their lives, which they have never told anyone before. As their surprising stories of romance, marriage, family, political upheaval and self-discovery unfold against the urgency of their life-or-death circumstances, the novel proves the transcendent power of stories and the meaningfulness of human expression itself.
 

A RATHER CHARMING INVITATION by C.A. Belmond (Romantic Suspense)
American heiress Penny Nichols and her English heir, Jeremy, are getting married --- but not before a series of strange events unfolds threatening to derail the ceremony. From a secret chalet on Lake Geneva, to a nostalgic stop at the opulent Train Bleu, and a winner-take-all gamble in Monte Carlo, Penny and Jeremy are off on another romp...while the clock is ticking down the minutes until they say "I do!"
 

Books into Movies/Books into Movies on DVD for February

With more than 2,850 discussion guides now 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:

-Variety is the Spice of Life
-Starting the Discussion: How Do You Break the Ice?
-Starting the Discussion: Part 2
-Dolen Perkins-Valdez: WENCH
-So Many Books, So Little Time
-Teaching an Old Book Club New Tricks

We are thrilled to announce that our new Coming Soon feature is now live on ReadingGroupGuides.com. Here you can find books that are being published in upcoming months, which are sorted by release dates and whether they are hardcovers or paperbacks. This feature was conceived after we heard in our 2009 Reader Survey about how many of you select books well in advance instead of month-to-month. We will be adding to this page as more publishers share their information with us, so bookmark it and keep checking back.

The following guides are now available on ReadingGroupGuides.com:

ADDITION by Toni Jordan: Grace Lisa Vandenburg, the narrator of this pleasant neurotic-girl-meets-boy debut, is 35 years old and has been addicted to counting since she was eight, but begins rethinking her odd behavior after a chance encounter.
THE BLUE SWEATER: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz: More than just an autobiography or a how-to guide to addressing poverty, THE BLUE SWEATER is a call to action that challenges us to grant dignity to the poor and to rethink our engagement with the world.
THE BREAD OF ANGELS: A Journey to Love and Faith by Stephanie Saldaña: This unforgettable memoir celebrates the beauty of faith, the necessity of self-discovery and the possibility of true love.
ETERNAL ON THE WATER by Joseph Monninger: Set against the rugged wilderness of Maine, the exotic islands of Indonesia, the sweeping panoramas of Yellowstone National Park, and the tranquil villages of rural New England, ETERNAL ON THE WATER is at once heartbreaking and uplifting --- a timeless, beautifully rendered story of true love's power.
GIRL IN TRANSLATION by Jean Kwok: This inspiring debut centers on a young immigrant in America, a smart girl balancing schoolwork and factory labor, custom and desire, a girl who is forced at a young age to take responsibility for her family’s future, with decisions she may later regret.
THE HAPPINESS PROJECT: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin: Rubin chronicles her adventures during the 12 months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier.
HONOLULU by Alan Brennert: With passionate knowledge of people and places far off the tourist track, HONOLULU is a spellbinding tale of four women in a new world, united by dreams, disappointment, sacrifices and friendship.
THE HUNGRY SEASON by T. Greenwood: From the acclaimed author of TWO RIVERS comes THE HUNGRY SEASON, a compelling and beautifully told story of hope, family and, above all, hunger --- for food, sex, love and success --- and for a way back to wholeness when a part of oneself has been lost forever.
LITTLE BEE by Chris Cleave: The lives of an English traveler and a Nigerian girl collide in the aftermath of a horrible accident.
LOOK AGAIN by Lisa Scottoline: A journalist’s world is upended when the boy on a missing child flyer looks suspiciously like her adopted son.
THE LOST SUMMER OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT by Kelly O’Connor McNees: McNees deftly mixes fact and fiction as she imagines a love affair that would threaten Louisa’s writing career --- and inspire the story of Jo and Laurie in LITTLE WOMEN.
LOWBOY by John Wray: A mother desperately searches for her schizophrenic son as he embarks to change the world and stop global warming.
MARRY HIM: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough by Lori Gottlieb: Suddenly finding herself 40 and single, Lori Gottlieb said the unthinkable in her March 2008 article in The Atlantic: Maybe she, and single women everywhere, needed to stop chasing the elusive Prince Charming and instead go for Mr. Good Enough.
THE MEMORY THIEF by Rachel Keener: When Angel sets fire to her childhood home, it isn’t the end --- it’s the beginning as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
ONE GOOD DOG by Susan Wilson: A disgraced man recovers from an embarrassing crime with the help of a dog trying to escape the pit fighting arena.
THE PATIENCE STONE: "SANG-E SABOOR" written by Atiq Rahimi, translated from the French by Polly McLean: Winner of the Prix Goncourt, THE PATIENCE STONE captures with great courage and spare, poetic prose, the reality of everyday life for an intelligent woman under the oppressive weight of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
POSTCARDS FROM A DEAD GIRL by Kirk Farber: POSTCARDS FROM A DEAD GIRL is a touching, almost cinematic debut novel featuring the eccentric, slightly disturbed, and unique character Sid, who finds himself obsessed by the mysterious postcards that arrive in the mail from his missing ex-girlfriend.
THE SPARE ROOM by Helen Garner: In her first novel in 15 years, Helen Garner writes about the joys and limits of female friendship under the transforming pressure of illness.
TALES FROM THE ZIRZAMEEN by Brian Hanson Appleton aka Rasool Aryadust: TALES FROM THE ZIRZAMEEN is a nonfiction collection of short stories in chronological order about the author's experiences in Iran before, during and after the revolution in 1979.
THE THREE WEISSMANNS OF WESTPORT by Cathleen Schine: Overtones of Jane Austen’s SENSE AND SENSIBILITY underscore this story of an estranged wife bonding with her children in the seaside town of Westport, MA.
THE WEIGHT OF HEAVEN by Thrity Umrigar: Filled with satisfying real characters and glowing with local color, THE WEIGHT OF HEAVEN is a rare glimpse of a family and a country struggling under pressures beyond their control.
/span>THE WIFE'S TALE by Lori Lansens: On the eve of their Silver Anniversary, Mary Gooch’s husband disappears. Mary begins a desperate search, and is forced to finally confront personal demons and secrets that have haunted her.
THE WOMEN by T.C. Boyle: Bestselling author T.C. Boyle examines the life of celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his relationships with a few very different women.
THE YELLOW HOUSE by Patricia Falvey: A family's future is in the hands of one very brave young Irishwoman in this debut set between World War I and the growing violence of the Irish war of independence.

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

CUTTING FOR STONE by Abraham Verghese: An epic novel that spans continents and generations, CUTTING FOR STONE is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal, compassion and redemption, exile and home that unfolds across five decades in India, Ethiopia and America.
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION by Sara Houghteling: Set in a Paris darkened by World War II, Sara Houghteling’s sweeping and sensuous debut novel tells the story of a son’s quest to recover his family’s lost masterpieces, looted by the Nazis during the occupation.
PRAYERS FOR SALE by Sandra Dallas: A journey through love and sorrow, forgiveness and redemption, PRAYERS FOR SALE is ultimately a revelation of the finest parts of the human spirit --- and a novel no reader will soon forget.
A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://bookreporter.pmailus.com/pmailweb/ct?d=ANMAAQAAWZUAA5np">THE SCARECROW by Michael Connelly: Forced out of the Los Angeles Times amid the latest budget cuts, newspaperman Jack McEvoy decides to go out with a bang, using his final days at the paper to write the definitive murder story of his career.

The following new guides are now available for Christian book groups:

A DISTANT MELODY: Wings of Glory, Book One by Sarah Sundin: Walt and Allie meet at a wedding and instantly connect, setting in motion a relationship that unfolds through letters between Walt’s bomber base in England during World War II and Allie’s palatial mansion.
THE PROMISE OF MORNING: At Home in Beldon Grove, Book 2 by Ann Shorey: Ellie Craig grieves the loss of three infant children, and when long-hidden secrets are brought to light, she must find a way to contact the family of her long-lost father while her husband, Matthew, loses grasp of his church.
SCATTERED PETALS: Texas Dreams, Book 2 by Amanda Cabot: Longing for adventure, Priscilla Morton leaves Boston and heads for Texas, never dreaming that the adventure she seeks will leave her badly injured and her parents dead nor that she’ll begin the healing process with a handsome cowboy.
 

Poll:

If you don’t like a book written by an author who you typically read, will you continue reading books by that author?

Yes
Yes, but if that author disappoints me a second time, then I will stop reading his or her books
No
Not sure
I have never been disappointed by authors who I typically read.

-Click here to answer our poll.


Question:

Name up to five authors of ongoing series books who never disappoint you.

-Click here to answer our question.


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 BRAVA, VALENTINE by Adriana Trigiani, THE GIRL WHO FELL FROM THE SKY by Heidi W. Durrow and LAST SNOW by Eric Van Lustbader. Tell us what you are reading and rate the titles 1-5 by noon ET on Friday, February 19th to ensure that you are in the running to win these books.