May 20, 2011

The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

I am writing today on the train to Washington, DC, where I am speaking tomorrow at the Compleat Biographer Conference. Taking the train meant I am toting one very small carry-on bag with me; I am in luggage withdrawal! Tonight I am going to a fundraiser at Kitty Kelly’s house, which seriously sounds cool, gossipy (I mean that in the BEST sense of the word) and fun. Now there is something wonderful for me about this conference that has a back story.

When I was in college, I took a number of classes where the course outline included reading a book each week, writing a paper about it and discussing it. See a pattern for the future here? I loved these classes since I confess I did not love going to class and preferred the courses where there was limited lecture time. I took courses like “Books that Changed America” and “Books About New York,” and I cannot remember the rest. But I do remember what I read, and one book that I really enjoyed was THE POWER BROKER: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, by Robert Caro (order from Amazon or IndieBound), which was a huge biography that was written back in 1974.

So flash forward something like 34 years, and tomorrow the luncheon speaker at the conference will be none other than Caro. I have to tell you that when I was back at Fordham University in 1978, I never would have dreamed that I would be presenting at an event where Caro was the keynote. I have to track down my old journalism professor, Ray Schroth, and share this story with him! By the way, I accepted the invitation from Charles J. Shields, the author of MOCKINGBIRD: A Portrait of Harper Lee to participate in this conference before Caro’s participation was announced! Anchoring the event will be Stacy Schiff, the author of CLEOPATRA: A Life, which has been getting stunning reviews and praise. Our own review back in November said, "CLEOPATRA is a masterwork --- there is so much information being imparted and yet it never feels stale, fussy or stiff."

By the way, I am fairly sure my copy of THE POWER BROKER is still at my parents’ house, as it’s not on the shelves at my house. So I flipped over to Amazon to check the on-sale date as I could not remember when it came out, and I saw something interesting. There is a deckle-edged version on sale there for a list price of $65. I love this; it’s discounted to $40.95! I have been having a hard time with the way books have been getting cheaper and cheaper. I know a lot of authors, and I know the work --- the research and the writing --- that goes into books. And thus, I hate seeing them priced the same as a 12-pack of paper towels or toilet paper. If you read the Caro book, you would see why this book has VALUE. Trust that great writing does not happen easily or quickly, and it deserves fair compensation. End of sermon. Tomorrow Caro is also the recipient of the BIO Award, which is given to a colleague who has made a major and lasting contribution to the art and craft of biography. I personally can attest to this with my story.

This weekend will be a warm-up to next week, when I spend Monday through Thursday hunkered down at the Javits Center for BookExpo America, the big book trade conference where the staff and I will be racing around to hear about the new fall books. There’s always a rush of excitement to hear about what’s new, what people are talking about, and a race to make predictions of what will be “big” and what hidden gems we can find for our readers.

My younger son is 16, which is not the best age to be a guy reader. For teen girls there are tons of books, but for guys, not the same thing. He’s more than ready for the shelves and shelves of “grownup” books that we have here around the house, but he has not hit his stride with them yet. However, he did pick up Erik Larson's book, IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (order from Amazon or IndieBound), which came out May 10th, and is reading it for his high school “Holocaust and Genocide” class. He had fun when the teacher had not heard of the book when he first suggested doing a paper on it, as it had not been published yet. My husband had read it when we were on vacation and loved it --- and Cory is enjoying it. Eventually it will be MY turn to read it. By the way, our review of IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS is scheduled for June 3rd.

My son Cory has loved LEGOs for years. HOW many nights have I walked through his room and gotten a LEGO block jammed into the instep of my foot. Thus I loved seeing the news that as part of the 100th birthday celebration at the New York Public Library's main building on Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, the library commissioned artist Nathan Sawaya to create LEGO facsimiles of Patience and Fortitude, the mighty lions that stand guard at the front. Watch a video of Sawaya building the lions here. Have to get Cory in to see those.

The weather in New York this past week has been so gray, rainy and stormy that I feel like we live in Seattle or I should be building an ark. And looking at the weather map, MANY of you feel the same way. Thus to help us cheerlead summer on, I’m thrilled to announce that Mary Kay Andrews’s SUMMER RENTAL is our latest Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight title. I mentioned last week how I got to read her manuscript for her first book, SAVANNAH BLUES, many years ago. Reading someone from those early stages and watching their work get stronger with every book is so rewarding to me as a reader. Mary Kay has sharp humor, and her books are perfect for the spring and summer days and months ahead.

SUMMER RENTAL is about three longtime friends who are all at difficult points in their lives. They decide to rent a summer house on the Outer Banks, but find their rest and relaxation interrupted by two strangers and one budding romance. So knowing how much I LOVE the Outer Banks, can you picture how much I enjoyed this book? I got an early copy of it last fall, and when we were driving through Nags Head over Christmas, I found myself looking for the rental house and these women! We have 20 copies for readers who enter here by Friday, May 27th at noon ET. SUMMER RENTAL will hit stores on June 7th. For those of you with eReaders, you can download Mary Kay’s novel HISSY FIT now for a limited time at $1.99 from Amazon, BN.com, iBooks and the Sony Bookstore.

Steve Berry is another author I’ve been reading for a long time, and his latest, THE JEFFERSON KEY, hit stores this week. Cotton Malone is back again, this time foiling an assassination attempt only to find himself uncovering a secret society that leads him on a cross-country chase and discovering a conspiracy dating back to the Founding Fathers. Berry fans might be surprised to learn that this is actually Cotton’s first American adventure after scrambling through Europe, China, the Middle East and even Antarctica. Review Joe Hartlaub says, “THE JEFFERSON KEY consists of one of those all-too-rare narratives that is full of substance, yet picks you up and carries you along so quickly that you are almost disappointed when the party --- full of explosions, karate and revelations --- is over.” Steve is very passionate about history and preserving national landmarks through his foundation, History Matters, with his lovely wife, Liz. You can read a guest blog about his initiatives from him here.

Our contest for a family to win an author chat with Garth Stein about THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN and the recently-released young reader edition, RACING IN THE RAIN: My Life as a Dog, is still going strong. Be sure to enter by Friday, June 3rd at noon ET as we'll also be picking five runners-up to receive signed books, "I Heart Enzo" T-Shirts and "Go Enzo" caps. Check out our special tribute site here.

On the site you’ll notice we’re running four beautifully designed ads for four very different books. I hope you’ll check them out and click on them to get more info on each title. CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER by Tom Franklin and THE STORY OF BEAUTIFUL GIRL by Rachel Simon have both been personal favorites and Bets On picks. We have our review of THE STORY OF BEAUTIFUL GIRL this week. Norah Piehl says, "THE STORY OF BEAUTIFUL GIRL has a personal angle and a political agenda, to be sure --- just one glimpse at the descriptions of the so-called School and a glance at the author's note, and readers will grow outraged by the atrocities that actually happened not so very long ago. Even more important, however, is the way in which Simon utilizes the inner monologues of Lynnie and Homan to enhance their humanity in a much-needed and too-rare way."

THE SNOWMAN by Jo Nesbø was one of the more enjoyable suspense/thriller novels I’ve read this year. I’m really excited to see Jo getting the attention he deserves, and it looks like another Scandinavian author is poised to conquer American readers in a big way. Although I haven’t read Debbie Macomber’s latest, A TURN IN THE ROAD, I’ve read her over the years and am proud to know her personally. We love offering Bookreporter.com’s services for free, and this is possible from the great support of ads for books like these, so please click to learn more about them!

Earlier this week we mailed our fourth edition of the “On Sale This Week” newsletter. Thank you to all who have registered to receive it; we have gotten fabulous feedback on it! We hope you’ll forward the newsletter on to friends and fellow readers. We really wanted to provide something you could print out and keep with you as go to your store or circle titles to check out. If you’re a librarian or bookseller, we hope you will post “On Sale This Week” on your bulletin board or cash wrap. You can check out the latest edition here and subscribe here.

Next week we'll also be posting our Summer Reading promotion (which used to be called Beach Bag of Books) to get you all ready for a summer of reading like we did for Holiday Cheer with daily newsletter alerts. You can click here or on the beach graphic above to subscribe to this special daily newsletter. It will mail Monday thru Thursday and begin soon! We have a great list of titles to share with you, and every day is a chance to win one!

Speaking of new things, we are VERY close to releasing the redesigned version of Bookreporter.com that we have been talking about since late last year. The project has taken a tad longer than we planned as we’ve been trying to develop something that will not only deliver the news about books and authors that you love, but also ways to share and talk about it. In the next few weeks we are going to be looking for some folks to beta-test the site, so if you would be interested in doing this, drop Erin Quinn a note at Redesigns@bookreporter.com by Monday, May 30th.

Last week, in the rush to get the newsletter to you, I failed to include a link I wanted to share. At a Paul Simon concert in Toronto, a young woman in the audience yelled out that she wanted him to play “Duncan” as she had learned to play guitar playing that song. Paul called her on stage, handed her one of his guitars, and you can see what happened next here. How much fun would it have been to have been at THAT show? I have a guitar here at the house that I never did learn to play; my sister got a set of drums the same year, which was pretty amusing. The boys tease that I keep it around just in case Paul Simon comes to dinner. I know…they think they are VERY funny.

For those who are wondering, the pool at my house still is not open. My husband was in a golf tournament last weekend where he played two days --- and won. Well, he won the chance to play again this weekend for the semifinals and maybe then the finals. I think this much chasing the little white ball should include cash compensation --- for me! So I can hire someone to do all the things around the house that are not being done as my husband chases the ball. Last weekend, when the rain was still a novelty, I dashed between the raindrops planting seeds for plants that will grow up some trellis. Great concept til the monsoon rains hit. When my neighbors have beautiful flowers, as I am sure the seeds floated down the street, I will be transplanting.

Here’s to sun soon, lots of great stories about books you love, and reading even in the rain.

Carol Fitzgerald (a href="mailto:carol@bookreporter.com" target="_blank" style="color: #0000ff;">Carol@bookreporter.com)
 

Now in Stores: THE JEFFERSON KEY by Steve Berry

THE JEFFERSON KEY by Steve Berry (Thriller)
Four United States presidents have been assassinated, each murder seemingly unrelated and separated by time. But what if they were all killed for the same reason: a clause in the Constitution that would shock Americans? This question is what faces former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone as he finds himself at dangerous odds with the Commonwealth. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read an excerpt from THE JEFFERSON KEY.
 

10th ANNIVERSARY by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Thriller)
Detective Lindsay Boxer is called to investigate a horrendous crime: a badly injured teenage girl is left for dead, and her newborn baby is nowhere to be found. At the same time, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano is prosecuting the case of a woman accused of murdering her husband in front of her two young children. When Lindsay finds evidence that could save the defendant, Yuki must choose between trusting her friend and following her instinct. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read an excerpt from 10th ANNIVERSARY.
 

Bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews returns with SUMMER RENTAL, a story of three friends who rent a house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, only to find love, trouble, friendship and understanding throughout one life-changing summer.

We have 20 copies of SUMMER RENTAL, which will be in stores June 7th, 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, May 27th at noon ET.

-Click here to read an excerpt from SUMMER RENTAL.
-Click here to read critical praise for SUMMER RENTAL.
-Click here to read Mary Kay Andrews’s bio.
-Click here to see Mary Kay Andrews’s backlist.
-Visit Mary Kay Andrews’s official website, www.MaryKayAndrews.com.

More about SUMMER RENTAL:
Ellis, Julia and Dorie. Best friends since Catholic grade school, they now find themselves, in their mid-30s, at the crossroads of life and love. Ellis, recently fired from a job she gave everything to, is rudderless and now beginning to question the choices she's made over the past decade of her life. Julia --- whose caustic wit covers up her wounds --- has a man who loves her and is offering her the world, but she can't hide from how deeply insecure she feels about her looks, her brains, her life. And Dorie has just been shockingly betrayed by the man she loved and trusted the most in the world…though this is just the tip of the iceberg of her problems and secrets. A month in North Carolina's Outer Banks is just what each of them needs.
 

Now in Stores: BURIED PREY by John Sandford

BURIED PREY by John Sandford (Thriller)
A house demolition leads to the discovery of the bodies of two girls wrapped in plastic. It looks like they've been there a long time, and Lucas Davenport knows exactly how long. They disappeared in 1985, when he was a young cop, and his bosses ultimately declared the case closed, though he never agreed. Now Davenport has a chance to investigate and finally learn the truth. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read an excerpt from BURIED PREY.
 

Now in Stores: THE FINAL STORM by Jeff Shaara

THE FINAL STORM: A Novel of the War in the Pacific by Jeff Shaara (Historical Fiction)
As World War II winds down in the wake of the Normandy invasion, the United States turns its vast military resources toward an all-out effort against the Japanese. Jeff Shaara tells the story of the three-month battle for Okinawa through the eyes of combatants on both sides. With the fights raging across the Pacific, a different kind of campaign is being waged: the development of a weapon so powerful, not even the scientists know just what they’re about to unleash. Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard.

-Click here to read an excerpt from THE FINAL STORM.
 

Now in Stores: THE STORY OF BEAUTIFUL GIRL by Rachel Simon

THE STORY OF BEAUTIFUL GIRL by Rachel Simon (Fiction)
It is 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution. They escape and find refuge --- along with their newborn girl --- in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. When the authorities catch up to them that same night, Homan escapes into the darkness, and Lynnie is caught. But before she is forced back into the institution, she whispers two words to Martha: "Hide her." Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

-Click here to read about THE STORY OF BEAUTIFUL GIRL in Bookreporter.com’s Bets On feature.
-Click here to read Rachel Simon's ReadingGroupGuides.com blog post about THE STORY OF BEAUTIFUL GIRL.
 

Sisters Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush team up once again to write WICKED LIES, the sequel to their 2009 supernatural thriller, WICKED GAME. Psychopath Justice Turnbull is on a mission fueled by a vicious murder two decades ago --- and Laura Adderley can sense that he’s coming, intent on destroying her.

-Click here to read a second excerpt from WICKED LIES.
-Click here to read critical praise for WICKED LIES.
-Click here to watch a special trailer for WICKED LIES.
-Read bios of Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush.
-Read the backlists of Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush.
-Visit the official websites of Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush.
-Click here to see the 20 winners selected to read and comment on WICKED LIES.

More about WICKED LIES:
For two years, Justice Turnbull has paced his room at Halo Valley Security Hospital, planning to escape. Justice has a mission --- one that began with a vicious murder two decades ago. And there are so many others who must be sent back to the hell that spawned them…

Laura Adderley didn’t plan to get pregnant by her soon-to-be ex-husband, though she’ll do anything to protect her baby. But now reporter Harrison Frost is asking questions about the mysterious group of women who live at Siren Song lodge. Harrison hasn’t figured out Laura’s connection to the story yet. But Justice knows. And he is coming…

All her life, Laura has been able to sense approaching evil. But that won’t stop a psychopath bent on destroying her. Justice has been unleashed, and this time, there will be no place safe to hide...
 

Paperback Spotlight: FRAGILE by Lisa Unger

FRAGILE by Lisa Unger (Mystery)
Everybody knows everybody in The Hollows, a quaint, charming town outside of New York City. It’s a place where neighbors keep an eye on one another’s kids, where people say hello in the grocery store, and where high school cliques and antics are never quite forgotten. As a child, Maggie found living under the microscope of small-town life stifling. But as a wife and mother, she has happily returned to The Hollows’s insular embrace. As a psychologist, her knowledge of family histories provides powerful insights into her patients’ lives. So when the girlfriend of her teenage son, Rick, disappears, Maggie’s intuitive gift proves useful to the case --- and also dangerous.

-Click here to read a review of FRAGILE.
-Click here to read an excerpt from FRAGILE.
-Click here to read critical praise for FRAGILE.
-Click here to read Lisa Unger’s bio.
-Click here to see Lisa Unger’s backlist.
-Visit Lisa Unger’s official website, www.LisaUnger.com.
 

Special Contest: Win a Chat with Garth Stein for Your Family to Celebrate the Release of RACING IN THE RAIN

"The race is long. It is better to drive within oneself and finish the race behind the other than it is to drive too hard and crash."

That's the wisdom of Enzo, a dog with a lot to say about cars and life. When THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN --- Garth Stein's novel about Enzo and his owners --- was published in 2008, readers immediately fell in love with Enzo, and the book has been a New York Times bestseller ever since. That's because, once people finish reading the novel, they want to tell everybody about it.

Now the whole family can read about Enzo together --- RACING IN THE RAIN: My Life as a Dog is now available in an edition for junior readers.

Consider this site your “Enzo pit stop” with information about the books as well as a special RACING IN THE RAIN contest, where your family can win a chat with Garth Stein, signed books and “I Heart Enzo” T-shirts and “Go Enzo” baseball caps from the Enzo Store.
 

What’s New This Month on ReadingGroupGuides.com

With more than 3,350 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:

-Now the whole family can enjoy Enzo!
-Rachel Simon: THE STORY OF BEAUTIFUL GIRL
-An Interview with Lily King, Author of FATHER OF THE RAIN
-Leah Hager Cohen: Grief as an Inspiration
-An Interview with Therese Fowler, Author of EXPOSURE
-Reading: THE GIRL'S GUIDE TO HOMELESSNESS: A Memoir by Brianna Karp
-An Interview with Sandra Dallas, Author of THE BRIDE'S HOUSE
-A Ticket Booth in the Trees

The following guides are now available on ReadingGroupGuides.com:

THE BRIDE'S HOUSE by Sandra Dallas
THE COUNCIL OF DADS: A Story of Family, Friendship & Learning How to Live by Bruce Feiler
CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER by Tom Franklin
THE DAUGHTER'S WALK by Jane Kirkpatrick
THE GIRL'S GUIDE TO HOMELESSNESS: A Memoir by Brianna Karp
THE GREAT NIGHT by Chris Adrian
THE GRIEF OF OTHERS by Leah Hager Cohen
HUSBAND AND WIFE by Leah Stewart
span style="color: #0000ff;">THE LOST GIRLS: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World by Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett and Amanda Pressner
LOVE FRAUD: How Marriage to a Sociopath Fulfilled My Spiritual Path by Donna Andersen
MISS NEW INDIA by Bharati Mukherjee
THE NINTH WIFE by Amy Stolls
NO BIKING IN THE HOUSE WITHOUT A HELMET by Melissa Fay Greene
RIVALS IN THE TUDOR COURT by D.L. Bogdan
SKINNY by Diana Spechler
THE STORMCHASERS by Jenna Blum
THE SUMMER OF US by Holly Chamberlin
WHEN GOD WAS A RABBIT by Sarah Winman
WHEN WE DANCED ON WATER by Evan Fallenberg
A YOUNG MAN'S GUIDE TO LATE CAPITALISM by Peter Mountford

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

BACKSEAT SAINTS by Joshilyn Jackson
GIRL IN TRANSLATION by Jean Kwok
THE LOST SUMMER OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT by Kelly O'Connor McNees
THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE by Aimee Bender
THE SWIMMING POOL by Holly LeCraw
WHAT IS LEFT THE DAUGHTER by Howard Norman
WHERE THE RIVER ENDS by Charles Martin

The following guides are now available for Christian book groups:

THE GIFT: Chiveis Trilogy, Book 2 by Bryan M. Litfin
A GREAT CATCH: Lake Manawa Summers, Book 2 by Lorna Seilstad
A HEART DIVIDED: Heart of the Rockies, Book 1 by Kathleen Morgan
A KILLER AMONG US: Women of Justice, Book 3 by Lynette Eason
LILIES IN THE MOONLIGHT by Allison Pittman
MY FOOLISH HEART: Deep Haven, Book 4 by Susan May Warren
 

This Week's Reviews

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