August 27, 2010

Today marks the 14th anniversary of Bookreporter.com. Whoa. How did that happen? I feel like it was a moment ago when we hosted our launch party at our offices. I remember it well since we had some family and friends on hand all sweltering away with us, as we had forgotten that the air conditioning kicked off at 5:30 and it was a really hot night.

Sitting, tapping this note on my laptop, I have so many great memories flooding over me of the people I have met and the readers who I have corresponded with over the years. The circle of people who I have come to know has been widened and enriched enormously by this adventure. I thank each of you reading this newsletter for being a part of what we have come to think of as one big wonderful bookish conversation.

I am lucky to have an amazing staff, all of whom are really dedicated to making this vision that was started so long ago hit its mark every week. Next week we will take our traditional week off, allowing the editorial team to get a much-needed break. There is a collective sigh that goes out each Friday night when the newsletter gets sent, and I think we all wonder HOW it will come together again the next week to be as good, if not better, but somehow Monday rolls around and we are all gathering ideas on how just that can be done. Thanks to our amazing Editorial Director, Tom Donadio; our Producer, Vicky Kariolic; and our Advertising/Promotion Manager, Stephen Bedford, for getting the train out on time as always. A special thank you this week to Marisa Emralino, our wonderful Editorial Coordinator, who will be leaving us today. Marisa has been on staff for five years and interned with us a year before that, so she has been a longtime part of the family. Her attention to detail has been all over the promos that you see on the site, including Books Into Movies, Question of the Week, Word of Mouth and so many other features. We all wish her wonderful things…and know that she, like others who have left before her, will be back to visit and will check in to read what’s going on. No one ever goes too far!

Last weekend I got together with some friends for a knitting barbeque (love that combo) and learned that a couple of the women had been reading our newsletter for a while now. We had such fun talking books and authors. One woman, Lil, was matching me title-for-title, and I could see we had the same taste. She’s such an avid reader that the librarians in her town ask her what she is reading so they can get ahead of the curve. I love that! And Nan was kind enough to ask her local library to have me come out there to talk to their patrons one night. Book conversation and figuring out knitting patterns…my idea of a fun day!

I admit to having succumbed to reading Sandra Brown’s latest TOUGH CUSTOMER last weekend --- and loving it. As always, it was tightly written and full of the suspense that is Sandra’s trademark. While I was holding a physical book and I thus knew there were X number of pages left, I kept thinking the action had ended and what was going to happen now, and then it got ratcheted up another notch. Nice. And yes, I know, I was going to try to hold off 'til vacation to read this so I could float in the pool reading it as I do with Sandra’s books each summer, but somehow I could not resist. Like I said, books are my version of chocolate --- and hey, no calories. Also, I failed to share that a few weeks ago I read another fun beach-read book called ONE FLIGHT UP by Susan Fales-Hill that Adriana Trigiani turned me onto. Four friends, with very different loves, find themselves with a shared love nest and a smart and juicy story (a tough combo to achieve) that will make this one another for the beach blankets.

Some of you may have seen or heard of Penguin’s current promotion in conjunction with Khaled Hosseini, author of THE KITE RUNNER and A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS. They are asking for photos of you, your friends or book club reading either of Khaled’s titles. For every eligible photo uploaded here, Riverhead Books will donate $2 to The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, which is dedicated to providing humanitarian aid throughout Afghanistan. It’s such a simple gesture that really makes a difference with enough people behind. Click here to learn more or submit a photo. I will be sending mine in, perhaps holding BOTH books! Also, click here for a special flyer to post at your store, library or elsewhere.

This week we have three new author spotlight features. In our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight, we have MAYBE THIS TIME by Jennifer Crusie, which is about a woman who finds herself caring for two rambunctious young children as a favor to her ex-husband, who may or may not be using these kids as a way to win her back. And it just so happens that the house where the children reside may be haunted. Jennifer has built a long and successful career on novels that blend romance, comedy and a little touch of the unusual, and MAYBE THIS TIME is no exception. The book will be in stores August 31st, and we have 20 copies to give away to those who would like to read and comment on it. Enter here by Friday, September 10th at noon ET. Please note we’re keeping our contests open an extra week to cover our break.

Our second feature this week is for Beverly Barton’s DON’T CRY, our latest Romantic Suspense Author Spotlight. We have featured many of Beverly’s titles over the years, and it’s always a pleasure when a new one arrives as she has such a loyal following. In DON’T CRY, detective J.D. Cass and family counselor Audrey Sherrod are forced to work side-by-side to solve a string of murders. The two detest each other at first, but the friction fades when Audrey befriends J.D.’s young daughter. Beverly now has dozens of titles in print, and in this interesting video interview you can hear how she plots and paces each novel. I always love insights like this. DON’T CRY is in stores now, but we have 20 copies available for those who would like to read and comment on it. Enter here by Friday, September 10th at noon ET.

We are also featuring one of our longtime favorites, William Kent Krueger, in our Mystery Mayhem Author Spotlight. His latest novel, VERMILION DRIFT, is the 10th installment in his Cork O'Connor series and will be in stores September 7th. As with past books in the series, Kent really brings his native Minnesota landscape to life with vivid descriptions underscoring a tightly-wound mystery.

Also, don’t forget about our Sneak Peek: An Early Look Inside a Book feature for Kristin Hannah’s NIGHT ROAD, which I really enjoyed and cannot wait to hear YOUR reactions to. The book won’t be out until March 2011, but 100 lucky winners will be chosen to receive a specially formatted early edition to read. We will then have a series of questions for the lucky 100 to answer about the book. Kristin’s career has really taken off over the last few years as she’s gained lots of new fans with FIREFLY LANE, TRUE COLORS and WINTER GARDEN, and NIGHT ROAD will bring her even more. You can answer a few questions here to be entered to win your special advance copy of NIGHT ROAD. Please enter only if you will be able to finish the book and provide feedback by early October.

Our final Beach Bag of Books contest is open until September 7th, featuring five titles: CHEF by Jaspreet Singh, THE FAMILY MAN by Elinor Lipman, THE GO-BETWEEN: A Novel of the Kennedy Years by Frederick Turner, THE LIES WE TOLD by Diane Chamberlain and OUTSIDE THE ORDINARY WORLD by Dori Ostermiller. Five grand prize winners will receive copies of each book and a beach bag stocked with a striped towel, Crystal Light lemonade, Banana Boat sunblock, festive pinwheel napkins, a sports bottle with neoprene sleeve, a polka-dot pillowcase, a striped roll-up beach mat that can double as a picnic blanket, and multicolored picnic plates. Five runners-up will receive copies of the books. Enter here by Tuesday, September 7th at noon ET.

The BIG book release this week was MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins. Jordana Frankel from our staff was at Books of Wonder Monday night at midnight to meet Suzanne Collins, and you can read her breathless blog post about this experience here. Norah Piehl reviews MOCKINGJAY for us and proclaims, "MOCKINGJAY is here, and a satisfactory conclusion it is indeed."

New this week as well is our interview with Anne Fortier about her novel JULIET, an imaginative re-interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic ROMEO & JULIET, which is a beautifully descriptive book that will have you feel like you have been dropped into Italy. Anne discusses the trip that inspired her new take on the love story as well as her creative process behind the book. Norah Piehl says, “JULIET is a rip-roaring adventure story, mystery, and foreseeable but satisfying romance, all rolled into one.”

Jane Porter’s SHE’S GONE COUNTRY is reviewed this week, and here’s what Terry Miller Shannon had to say about it: "Readers are likely to appreciate that lighter issues are balanced and deepened with more serious ones in this enjoyable read." I love Jane’s voice that infuses her writing and makes me feel like her characters are sitting beside me." You can actually win a copy of SHE’S GONE COUNTRY over on ReadingGroupGuides.com by entering here.

THE GOOD DAUGHTERS by Joyce Maynard is one of the books I am packing for vacation. As Harvey Freedenberg says in his review, "[I]t’s hard to deny there’s a genuine emotional payoff in the book’s climactic scenes. Those who have admired Maynard’s previous work likely won’t be disappointed this time around." As always, we share much of our content and contests on our Facebook page, which you can join here, or read our weekly posts here.

So we clearly are leaving you lots to enjoy while we are gone!

Also, we are now down to just a few days left to enter our ReadingGroupGuides.com 10th Anniversary Contest; it closes Tuesday, August 31st. Time’s running out for book groups to name their Top 10 Favorite Discussion Books to be qualified to win one of fifty $200 gift cards! Click here for more details, or click here to go directly to the entry form.

As I’ve mentioned in previous newsletters, we’re seriously considering launching a new site targeting readers from the ages of 17 to 30 as we feel it’s an underserved readership online, and we’re gathering a lot of information to build the best site possible. We’re calling this project CO-20. If you are in this age range --- or know an avid reader who is ---- please have them fill out our special CO-20 survey. All who submit a survey will be entered to win one of our $25 gift cards.

I am off to pack as I am Outer Banks-bound --- let’s see…BOOKS…yarn…swim stuff…and yes, bathing suits. Tomorrow I am lucky enough to be meeting Judy, one of our readers. Coincidentally, her brother and his wife own the house next to the one where we stay each winter and spring; we figured this out a couple of years ago. She has never been around when we were there, thus this time I am thrilled we will have a chance to meet! Like I said…it’s one very interesting bookish conversation. Thank you again for allowing us to drop into your mailbox each week. Read on, and we will be back on Friday, September 10th with my report on “What I Read on My Summer Vacation!”

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

 

Writing for the first time in English, Danish author Anne Fortier brings Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy to life in her debut novel, JULIET, which follows a young American as she journeys to Siena, only to discover that she’s a direct descendent of the woman who inspired ROMEO AND JULIET. In this interview, Fortier discusses the challenge of taking on Shakespeare and the difficulty of writing a historical novel, elaborating on the differences between the past and the present and how she managed to weave the two together. She also sheds light on how she was able to write about Siena from the other side of the Atlantic and reflects on the childhood experiences that moved her to master the English language and submit her first manuscript at the age of 13.

JULIET by Anne Fortier (Fiction)
When Julie Jacobs inherits a key to a safety-deposit box in Siena, Italy, she is told it will lead her to an old family treasure. Soon she is launched on a winding and perilous journey into the history of her ancestor Giulietta, whose legendary love for a young man named Romeo rocked the foundations of medieval Siena. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

-Click here to read a review of JULIET.
-Click here to read an excerpt from JULIET.
 

An Interview with Suzanne Collins, Author of MOCKINGJAY

Suzanne Collins’s newly released MOCKINGJAY is the third and final installment in the hit series The Hunger Games, and follows reluctant revolutionary Katniss Everdeen in her fight against the ruthless Capitol. In this updated interview, Collins talks about how easy it was to return to the dystopian setting of Panem and describes her involvement with the screenplay for an upcoming big-screen adaptation of the first book in the series. She also explains what prompted her to take on weighty topics in the books, like poverty and oppression, speculates on the current fascination with reality TV, and muses on what’s next for her now that the trilogy has come to a close.

MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins (Science Fiction/Fantasy)
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry and wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.

-Click here to read a review of MOCKINGJAY.
-Click here to watch a trailer for MOCKINGJAY.
-Click here to visit the official website of The Hunger Games series.
 

Bookreporter.com's Final Beach Bag Contest of 2010: CHEF, THE FAMILY MAN, THE GO-BETWEEN, THE LIES WE TOLD and OUTSIDE THE ORDINARY WORLD

Whether your "beach" is on sand, your backyard deck, or a grassy meadow in the country, the summer months mean it's time for "beach reading." Bookreporter.com has been celebrating the lazy days of summer reading with our Sixth Annual Bookreporter.com Beach Bag of Books feature and contests.

Throughout the summer, we have been highlighting a different book or collection of books from these featured titles with a contest prize --- a beach bag stocked with the featured book(s) and summertime essentials. Five FABULOUS beach bags have been given away each week, as well as five copies of the featured book(s) to additional winners.

Our final Beach Bag contest of 2010 spotlights five works of literary fiction:

CHEF by Jaspreet Singh (Fiction)
Mesmeric, mournful and intensely lyrical, CHEF is a brave and compassionate debut about hope, love and memory set against the devastatingly beautiful, war-scarred backdrop of occupied Kashmir.

THE FAMILY MAN by Elinor Lipman (Fiction)
In this warm-hearted comedy, Henry Archer reunites with Thalia, the stepdaughter he adopted and then lost 25 years before during his divorce. Henry is delighted to assist his newfound, highly cherished daughter as she negotiates love interests --- both genuine and false, complete with tabloid appearances and paparazzi.

THE GO-BETWEEN: A Novel of the Kennedy Years by Frederick Turner (Fiction)
One day, a faded newspaperman finds the scoop of a lifetime in a Chicago basement: diaries belonging to the infamous Judith Campbell Exner. As our Narrator pieces the notebooks into a coherent story, he finds mob connections, rigged primaries, assassination plots and trysts.

THE LIES WE TOLD by Diane Chamberlain (Fiction)
When they were teenagers, Rebecca and Maya’s parents were murdered. That incident --- and the lies each of them told about what happened --- will always haunt them. Now, while working as part of a medical aide team after a hurricane destroys part of Wilmington, North Carolina, Maya is in a helicopter crash. Rebecca and Maya’s husband, Adam, believe she is dead, but Maya is actually trapped in an area with a few people who, for some reason, seem intent on keeping her there.

OUTSIDE THE ORDINARY WORLD by Dori Ostermiller (Fiction)
OUTSIDE THE ORDINARY WORLD reveals what lies beneath the surface of infidelity. But at its heart, it is the story of the powerful, sometimes disturbing bond between mothers and daughters, and the shimmering line between self-revelation and self-destruction.
 

Jennifer Crusie's latest novel, MAYBE THIS TIME, puts a quirky, supernatural twist on a love story when Andie agrees to a favor from her ex-husband in hopes of finally gaining closure between them. Instead, a flood of emotions overcome Andie, a pair of rambunctious kids are on the loose, and an exorcist is called.

MAYBE THIS TIME is releasing on August 31st, but we have 20 copies 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, September 10th at noon ET.

-Click here to read an excerpt from MAYBE THIS TIME.
-Click here to read Jennifer Crusie’s bio.
-Click here to see Jennifer Crusie’s backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for MAYBE THIS TIME.

More about MAYBE THIS TIME:
Andie Miller is ready to move on in life. She wants to marry her fiancé and leave behind everything in her past, especially her ex-husband, North Archer. But when Andie tries to gain closure with him, he asks one final favor of her before they go their separate ways forever. A very distant cousin of his has died and left North as the guardian of two orphans who have driven out three nannies already, and things are getting worse. He needs a very special person to take care of the situation and he knows Andie can handle anything. What follows is a hilarious adventure in exorcism, including a self-doubting parapsychologist, an annoyed medium, her Tarot-card reading mother, an avenging ex-mother-in-law, and, of course, her jealous fiancé. And just when she thinks things couldn’t get more complicated, North shows up on the doorstep making her wonder if maybe this time things could be different between them.
 

New Featured Mystery Mayhem Author: William Kent Krueger, Author of VERMILION DRIFT

VERMILION DRIFT finds Corcoran O'Connor digging deep into his family's past to uncover the truth behind a series of murders known in Minnesota's Tamarack County as "The Vanishings." This latest installment in William Kent Krueger's award-winning series will be in stores September 7th.

-Click here to read an excerpt from VERMILION DRIFT.
-Click here to read William Kent Krueger’s bio.
-Click here to see William Kent Krueger’s backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for VERMILION DRIFT.

More about VERMILION DRIFT:
William Kent Krueger’s gripping tale of suspense begins with a recurring nightmare, a gun, and a wound in the earth so deep and horrific that it has a name: Vermilion Drift. When the Department of Energy puts an underground iron mine on its short list of potential sites for storage of nuclear waste, a barrage of protest erupts in Tamarack County, Minnesota, and Cork is hired as a security consultant. Deep in the mine during his first day on the job, Cork stumbles across a secret room that contains the remains of six murder victims. Five appear to be nearly half a century old --- connected to what the media once dubbed "The Vanishings," a series of unsolved disappearances in the summer of 1964, when Cork’s father was sheriff in Tamarack County. But the sixth has been dead less than a week. What’s worse, two of the bodies --- including the most recent victim --- were killed using Cork’s own gun, one handed down to him from his father.
 

New Featured Romantic Suspense Author: Beverly Barton, Author of DON’T CRY

Master of romantic suspense Beverly Barton returns with DON'T CRY, a taut thriller that finds detective J.D. Cass teamed with a family counselor he can't stand. But the two put aside their differences to track down a brutal killer and find they have more in common than they care to admit.

DON'T CRY is releasing on August 31st, but we have 20 copies 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 10th at noon ET.

-Click here to read an excerpt from DON’T CRY.
-Click here to watch a book trailer for DON’T CRY.
-Click here to watch an interview with Beverly Barton.
-Click here to read Beverly Barton’s bio.
-Click here to see Beverly Barton’s backlist.
-Visit Beverly Barton's official website, www.BeverlyBarton.com.

More about DON'T CRY:
The crime scenes are horrifying: the victims arranged with deliberate care, posed to appear alive despite their agonized last moments and the shocking nature of their deaths. Chattanooga grief counselor Audrey Sherrod moonlights for the local police. It’s clear to her, and to Special Agent J.D. Cass, that the murders are the work of a deranged serial killer. At first, the only link is the victims’ similar physical appearance. But then another connection emerges, tying them to a long-ago series of horrifying crimes Audrey hoped would never resurface --- crimes that hit all too close to home. Each grisly new discovery proves the past has not been forgotten, and the worst is yet to come. Audrey went looking for the truth and she’s about to find it…and it will be more twisted and more terrifying than she ever imagined.
 

At Bookreporter.com, we have the opportunity to read many great books well in advance of their release dates. Now, with our Sneak Peek Feature/Contest, we are offering our readers the chance to preview select early picks --- and share feedback on them. We know that readers champion books that they love, and we want you to be part of the excitement of upcoming releases as early as possible.

Our latest Sneak Peek Feature spotlights NIGHT ROAD by Kristin Hannah, a novel that raises profound questions about motherhood, loss, identity and forgiveness, which releases in March 2011. We have 100 specially formatted early reader editions to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and share their comments about it. We really want to hear what you have to say about NIGHT ROAD, so if you will have time to read and comment on the book by Tuesday, October 12th, please enter this contest. If not, we plan to have more opportunities like this in the future.

More about NIGHT ROAD:
Jude Farraday is a happily married, stay-at-home mom who puts everyone’s needs above her own. Her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill enters their lives, no one is more supportive than Jude. A former foster child with a dark past, Lexi quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable. But senior year of high school brings unexpected dangers, and one night Jude’s worst fears are confirmed: there is an accident. In an instant, her idyllic life is shattered and her close-knit community is torn apart. People --- and Jude --- demand justice, and when the finger of blame is pointed, it lands solely on 18-year-old Lexi Baill.
 

Francine Rivers returns with HER DAUGHTER'S DREAM, the much-anticipated sequel to her New York Times bestselling novel HER MOTHER'S HOPE. With HER DAUGHTER'S DREAM, Rivers tells the story of Carolyn, the granddaughter of HER MOTHER'S HOPE's Marta, as she navigates a turbulent youth in this sweeping epic of mothers and daughters.

-Click here to read an excerpt from HER DAUGHTER'S DREAM.
-Click here to read Francine Rivers's bio.
-Click here to see Francine Rivers’s backlist.
-Visit Francine Rivers’s official website, www.FrancineRivers.com.
-Click here to see our finished copy winners.

More about HER DAUGHTER'S DREAM:
Growing up isn’t easy for little Carolyn Arundel. With her mother, Hildemara, quarantined to her room with tuberculosis, Carolyn forms a special bond with her oma, Marta, who moves in to care for the household. But as tensions between Hildie and Marta escalate, Carolyn believes she is to blame. When Hildie returns to work and Marta leaves, Carolyn and her brother grow up as latchkey kids in a world gripped by the fear of the Cold War. College offers Carolyn the chance to find herself, but a family tragedy shatters her newfound independence. Rather than return home, she cuts all ties and disappears into the heady counterculture of San Francisco. When she reemerges two years later, more lost than ever, she reluctantly turns to her family to help rebuild a life for her and her own daughter, May Flower Dawn.
 

Tatiana de Rosnay follows her acclaimed bestseller SARAH’S KEY with the tension-filled A SECRET KEPT. A brother and sister return to their childhood vacation home to celebrate a birthday until a car crash triggers a series of strange events and memories.

-Click here to read a second excerpt from A SECRET KEPT.
-Click here to read Tatiana de Rosnay’s bio.
-Click here to see Tatiana de Rosnay’s backlist.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about A SECRET KEPT:
This stunning new novel from Tatiana de Rosnay, author of the acclaimed New York Times bestseller SARAH’S KEY, plumbs the depths of complex family relationships and the power of a past secret to change everything in the present. It all began with a simple seaside vacation, a brother and sister recapturing their childhood. Antoine Rey thought he had the perfect surprise for his sister Mélanie’s birthday: a weekend by the sea at Noirmoutier Island, where the pair spent many happy childhood summers playing on the beach. But on the drive home to Paris, Mélanie finally summons the courage to reveal a dark secret to Antoine, her emotions overcome her and she loses control of the car.
 

Michael Walsh introduced the special National Security Agency operative known only as Devlin in last year's HOSTILE INTENT. EARLY WARNING marks the return of Devlin, who is racing the clock to stop a group of cyber-terrorists and militant insurgents from plunging America into anarchy.

-Click here to read a second excerpt from EARLY WARNING.
-Click here to read Michael Walsh’s bio.
-Click here to see Michael Walsh’s backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for EARLY WARNING.
-Click here to watch a trailer for EARLY WARNING.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about EARLY WARNING:
"All Enemies Foreign And Domestic" is the National Security Agency's motto. The NSA's most lethal weapon is back. Codenamed Devlin, he operates in the darkest recesses of the US government. When international cyber-terrorists allow a deadly and cunning band of radical insurgents to breach the highest levels of national security, Devlin must take down an enemy bent on destroying America --- an enemy more violent and ruthless than the world has ever known.
 

SPIDER BONES by Kathy Reichs (Thriller)
Kathy Reichs’s 13th novel in her Temperance Brennan series finds the forensic anthropologist traveling between Canada, North Carolina and Hawaii in an effort to uncover the intriguing mystery linking three different corpses found at each respective location. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

Poll:

Did you read as much as you wanted this summer?

Yes, I am very pleased with the books I read.
No, I wanted to read more.
I am not sure how I feel about my summer reading.

-Click here to answer our poll.


Question:

What do you think was THE best book of Summer 2010?

-Click here to answer our question.