May 25, 2012

Greg’s graduation last weekend was both a wonderful celebration of his achievement and a walk down memory lane for me. As he had attended Fordham College at Lincoln Center, it was only his second time on the Rose Hill campus where I had spent four years. Lots of construction has happened in the last 34 years --- including a new parking garage, a library, and lots of dorms. I think I totally bored the boys with my nostalgic stories; I feel like I spent the day with my mind whirling from present to the past and back again.

Alumni parents gathered in a room before we lined up outside to join the ceremony procession behind the graduates. Not recognizing anyone in the room, I started shaking hands and introducing myself by my graduation year. There was one couple there; she was the class before mine, and he was the year prior to that. Further in our introduction, I mentioned my name and the woman repeated it, asking “You’re Carol Fitzgerald?” I said, “Yes,” thinking I should have used my maiden name and then she said, “From Bookreporter.com?” Ends up she is Terry Nuzzi, one of our readers! We immediately lapsed into a conversation about books, which was such fun as she was scrolling through her phone to get me up to date on books her book club had read --- and what they had loved, merely liked and not enjoyed. She was passionate about CUTTING FOR STONE by Abraham Verghese. I had her husband take the photo of us above. By the way, she recognized me because in last week’s newsletter I had mentioned that I was going to be wearing turquoise…and she was too. What a nice start to a fun day.

I later met up with my sister’s college roommate Joanie and her husband, Jim, whose daughter also was graduating. We sat together on the dais and did some more reminiscing, and when the alma mater was sung, neither of us recognized it. Ends up for years we thought the Fordham Fight Song was the alma mater! Lots of clapping for Greg, though it was surreal that school for him is done since it feels like just yesterday he was headed to pre-K. In the photo above, which was taken by Cory, you can see Greg with my husband (there was not one smiling photo of him, though trust me, he smiles a LOT!), me, and my parents. Huge congratulations to Greg, who started working full-time at The Book Report Network last Tuesday!

On Sunday, I was emotionally and physically worn out, and there is no better cure for that than reading. So I grabbed CITY OF WOMEN, which I had already dipped into a bit and I finished it sitting by the pool. Brilliantly done book. I felt myself dashing through the streets of Berlin and hiding in the bomb shelters and walking up the stairs with Sigrid to her apartment building where much of the story is set. I cannot imagine a world where you have no idea who to trust and who will betray you. Sigrid is a woman trapped in so many ways…looking for a few moments of joy and happiness. In the end, she is in control of her life as the world continues to spin around her. It’s a story of courage as much as it is of love and longing. So happy to have it on my radar early. It definitely will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.

Then yesterday, I spent two hours at the Sirius/XM studios at a Town Hall featuring Gregg Allman, who was talking about his New York Times bestselling memoir (by the way, it debuted at number two on the list and deserves the accolades). These events have a very limited live attendance from selected listeners who are on the set in “The Fishbowl,” and an equally small group outside this studio. Meg Griffin, the host, clearly enjoyed MY CROSS TO BEAR, Gregg’s memoir, as much as I did, and she provided the framework and perfect setting for him to tell stories about music and his life for two hours. Later, photos were taken with him, and I amused him as I had on hand the songbook to his first solo album, Laid Back. I still am loving that his favorite song is “Queen of Hearts,” something I so agree on. What a lovely day. The photo above is of the book with my souvenir ID badge.

A few years ago, when I was flying to Anaheim for a convention, I was seated next to a father who was traveling with his young son. We got to talking and realized we had some shared history as he had written an advice column for Glamour during the years that I was at Mademoiselle. His wife, Megan, who runs Little Brown Books for Young Readers, was seated elsewhere on the plane with their daughter, Josie. We had a great time talking about parenting, books and life. Dan wrote me earlier this year to share that he had a new book coming out called DAN GETS A MINIVAN: Life at the Intersection of Dude and Dad, where he talks about his life as a stay-at-home dad in the ‘burbs with great humor. His sense of comedic timing is dead on. I was amused to learn that one essay was about their family Disneyland adventure that followed the librarian conference Megan and I attended in Anaheim, and thus I started reading the book there. For the record, our plane conversation was not included. I guess it was not witty enough. For a look at the kind of humor you can expect in this book, watch this video tour of Dan and his minivan.

Meanwhile, it’s been a very busy week at the office!

We are excited to feature Lisa T. Bergren in our new Historical Fiction Author Spotlight. Lisa is the author of GLAMOROUS ILLUSIONS: The Grand Tour Series, Book 1, which will be in stores on June 1st. As the book opens, Cora Kensington learns that she is not the daughter of the man who she and her mother buried, but rather the illegitimate daughter of a copper king. He takes her from her small Montana town to introduce her to her step-siblings, and they all head on a Grand Tour of Europe. As the book opens in 1913, fans of “Downton Abbey” will appreciate the setting of this thoroughly enjoyable read. We have 25 copies to give away to readers who enter here by Thursday, June 7th at noon ET.

There’s still time to enter our contest to win a copy of SPRING FEVER by Mary Kay Andrews, which will be in stores on June 5th, in our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight. In SPRING FEVER, Annajane thinks she's over her ex-husband, Mason. But when she attends his wedding, everything changes, and she realizes she might want him back. Enter here to win a copy by Thursday, May 31st at noon ET.

The Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight feature continues for Melanie Gideon’s WIFE 22, about a married woman who is drawn into an anonymous online study that will change her life, and Emylia Hall’s THE BOOK OF SUMMERS, about a young woman torn between her parents’ two vastly different worlds. Be sure to stay on the lookout for reviews and interviews for both of these books, which will run next week.

And we are previewing our Summer Reading Feature and Daily Contests this week as well, as it would not be summer without this special collection of summer reading suggestions. And starting next Tuesday, we will be spotlighting a different Summer Reading title each day from Monday through Thursday, offering a daily contest that starts at noon ET where you can win one of five copies of the book! You must enter each contest each day, so sign up for our Summer Reading Contest newsletter to be sure you get our daily mailings with entry info. You also can check the site each day. Next week’s contest titles are The Cranes Dance by Meg Howrey, Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close and Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan. Click here for details on these books and how to enter. Please note that more books will be added in the weeks to come.

This week, we also kick off Bookreporter.com's Seventh Annual Father's Day Contest and Feature with a great collection of TEN books that are perfect gift-giving suggestions for Dad, including THE COLDEST NIGHT by Robert Olmstead, DAMAGE CONTROL by John Gilstrap, THE FAMILY CORLEONE by Ed Falco, IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson, LEHRTER STATION by David Downing, MAN MADE: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity by Joel Stein, ON PAR: The Everyday Golfer's Survival Guide by Bill Pennington, ONE SHOT AT FOREVER: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season by Chris Ballard, OPERATION NAPOLEON by Arnaldur Indridason, and TO THE LAST BREATH: A Memoir of Going to Extremes by Francis Slakey. Five winners will receive all the books we’re featuring, along with a cooler that is touted to keep contents cold for two days, a striped beach towel, sunblock and Dunkin' Donuts coffee. There is a theme going here of items that can keep dads reading poolside and wide awake to read at night. Enter to win here by Tuesday, June 12th at noon ET.

This week, we have a review of CANADA by Richard Ford. When 15-year-old Dell Parsons' mother and father rob a bank, his sense of a happy, knowable life is forever shattered. Undone by his parents' criminal actions and arrest, Dell struggles to remake himself and define the adults he thought he knew. Reviewer Norah Piehl says, “CANADA is not a happy novel, but it is a beautifully introspective one. The way that Ford unfolds his story with care, restraint and the utmost thoughtfulness is a model of storytelling by a writer completely in control of his craft.”

We also have a review of THE PASSAGE OF POWER. This fourth volume in Robert A. Caro’s series on Lyndon Johnson follows Johnson through both the most frustrating and the most triumphant periods of his career --- 1958 to 1964. Reviewer Stuart Shiffman says, “It is difficult to find words to describe THE PASSAGE OF POWER. All of us at one time have engaged in a theoretical discussion of what books we would take with us if we were stranded on a desert island. Caro’s biography of Lyndon Johnson certainly would be in my box of desert island books. Should I travel there soon, I hope that the UPS man will be able to deliver the final volume.”

We have a new poll for you this week; this time, we want to know how many shelves of books you have in your house or apartment. (Note: We are referencing shelves on bookcases here each as an individual shelf.) Be sure to weigh in here. I am counting 20 shelves in our family room, just one of the rooms in the house where books make their homes. Oh, and these 20 are all shelved double-deep!

Our Word of Mouth contest continues this week, so be sure to let us know what you’re reading here for a chance to win A BLAZE OF GLORY: A Novel of the Battle of Shiloh by Jeff Shaara, THE CHAPERONE by Laura Moriarty (this also will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection) and ROBERT LUDLUM’S THE BOURNE IMPERATIVE by Eric Van Lustbader.

BookExpo America (BEA) is held each year with an eye on sharing with booksellers, librarians, book group leaders and bloggers the upcoming fall/winter titles. I attended my first BEA in May 1996 in Chicago, a few months before we launched our first website, and I still remember the excitement of that experience as I saw an entire show floor filled with books that were coming out in the months ahead. For the first time ever, this year the show (which is being held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City) will be open to the general public on Thursday, June 7th from 9:00-3:00 for a select group of “Power Readers,” which is comprised of avid readers from the book reader community. As the BEA folks know our readers are “Power Readers,” they have given us a special link where you can sign up to attend this event at a special rate of $45.

The day promises to be exciting with many opportunities to hear about books and authors, and there will be swag bags from Random House Publishers, who are sponsoring this day.

Want to attend? Then go to this link, click “Activate My Invite & Register” and then "Activate my Invite, Register Now." Use our special code WL48X and enter “Book Reporter” for Bookstore Name (and no, we are not a store, but the system is set up like this).

We know this opportunity will be limited to those located in the Tri-State area, unless you're scheduled to be in NY during this time. But we will have some other ways to share the excitement of BEA with our far-flung readers, which I will be sharing more about in the weeks ahead!

Sad news yesterday that Kathi Kamen Goldmark, a well-known book enthusiast and publicist located on the West Coast, who also was one of the founding members of the Rock Bottom Remainders, which featured some rocking authors, has passed away. Kathi had the brightest smile, always had a kind word, and spent her life making so many people happy. Thoughts are with her husband, Sam Barry (whose brother is Dave Barry); there are many authors, readers, publicists and publishing friends who will miss her energy and enthusiasm.

I am really looking forward to the long weekend! The office is closing half day today, and I am hitting a couple of the local nurseries later this afternoon to get some plant shopping done. I have been way too busy to get spring planting under control. There are packages of seeds on the counter and a whole array of colorful pots sitting upside-down on the patio. Ahhhh, this is what three-day weekends are for. On the flip side, there are so many great books on my “to be read” stack that I can see I will be “speed planting” this holiday weekend to allow for lots of hammock time and poolside reading. There are some truly fabulous books coming in the next few months.

We will be tuning into the A&E Network tonight (Friday, May 25th at 10 PM ET/PT) as they present the world television premiere of "Paul Simon's Graceland Journey: Under African Skies," a documentary commemorating the 25th anniversary of the legendary Graceland album. Directed by two-time Emmy and Peabody Award winner and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger, “the film travels with Paul Simon back to South Africa 25 years after his first visit, reuniting him with the original Graceland musicians for a reunion concert, while also exploring the story of the turbulent birth of the album.” The original film was excellent, so I am looking forward to seeing this. Also, for “Nurse Jackie” fans out there, this has been one great season. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a screener of the entire season and finished watching it last night. The writing and plotting on that show is so well done. I love watching series with one episode after the next. Still need to watch a couple of “Game of Thrones” episodes….more great viewing for the weekend!

On Sunday, we are attending a going-away party for the son-in-law of a friend who is being deployed to Afghanistan in June. Moments like this rarely touch our lives, and it’s significant to be wishing him Godspeed on Memorial Day weekend. And on Monday, we will be at the parade in town that is hokey, and yes, I will tear up when they fly the missing man formation overhead. Gets me every time.

Here’s wishing you a weekend of great reading, picnics, family gatherings, and time to kick it back a notch and enjoy! See you next week.

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

CANADA by Richard Ford (Fiction)
When 15-year-old Dell Parsons' mother and father rob a bank, his sense of a happy, knowable life is forever shattered. Undone by the calamity of his parents' criminal actions and arrest, Dell struggles under the vast prairie sky to remake himself and define the adults he thought he knew. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

-Click here to read more about the book.

THE PASSAGE OF POWER: The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A. Caro (Biography)
The fourth volume in Robert A. Caro’s series on Lyndon Johnson follows Johnson through both the most frustrating and the most triumphant periods of his career --- 1958 to 1964. It is a time that would see him trade the extraordinary power he had created for himself as Senate Majority Leader for what became the wretched powerlessness of a Vice President in an administration that disdained and distrusted him. Yet it was also the time in which the presidency, the goal he had always pursued, would be thrust upon him. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.

Summer is just around the corner! At Bookreporter.com, this means it's time for us to share some great summer book picks with our Summer Reading Contest and Feature. We will be spotlighting a different title on select days through July 31st, so you will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter. We also will be sending a special daily newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.

Our first prize book will be announced on Tuesday, May 29th at noon ET.

This year’s featured titles include:

• Beach Season by Lisa Jackson, Cathy Lamb, Holly Chamberlin and Rosalind Noonan
• The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje
• The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
• The Color of Tea by Hannah Tunnicliffe
• The Cranes Dance by Meg Howrey
• Father's Day: A Journey into the Mind and Heart of My Extraordinary Son by Buzz Bissinger
• The Girl in the Garden by Kamala Nair
• Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
• Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
• Night Watch by Linda Fairstein
• Park Lane by Frances Osborne
• The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile by C. W. Gortner
• To Be Sung Underwater by Tom McNeal
• Tumbleweeds by Leila Meacham

Father’s Day is a time to celebrate the men in our lives who have raised and loved us. Why not show him your appreciation by inspiring him with a great book? From now through June 12th, readers will have the chance to win a collection of 10 books that are perfect gift-giving suggestions for Dad, keeping him busy through the rest of the year. Five winners will receive all the books we’re featuring, along with a cooler that is touted to keep contents cold for two days, a striped beach towel, sunblock and Dunkin' Donuts coffee.

This year's featured titles are:

• THE COLDEST NIGHT by Robert Olmstead
• DAMAGE CONTROL by John Gilstrap
• THE FAMILY CORLEONE by Ed Falco
• IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson
• LEHRTER STATION by David Downing
• MAN MADE: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity by Joel Stein
• ON PAR: The Everyday Golfer's Survival Guide by Bill Pennington
• ONE SHOT AT FOREVER: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season by Chris Ballard
• OPERATION NAPOLEON by Arnaldur Indridason
• TO THE LAST BREATH: A Memoir of Going to Extremes by Francis Slakey

We have 25 copies of GLAMOROUS ILLUSIONS, the first installment of Lisa T. Bergren's Grand Tour series, to give away to readers who would like to read the book and comment on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, June 7th at noon ET.

GLAMOROUS ILLUSIONS by Lisa T. Bergren (Historical Romance)
It’s the summer of 1913, and Cora Kensington’s life on the family farm has taken a dark turn. Not only are the crops failing, but someone dear to Cora is failing as well.

In one fateful afternoon, a stranger comes to call, and Cora discovers a terrible secret about her past…a secret that will radically change her future.

The first book in the Grand Tour series will take readers on a journey of cultural refinement, but moreover, explores what truly informs a person’s sense of identity.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to see the book trailer.
-Click here to read Lisa T. Bergren’s bio.
-Click here to visit Lisa T. Bergren’s official website.
-Click here to connect with Lisa T. Bergren on Facebook.

THE ROAD TO GRACE by Richard Paul Evans (Fiction)
Alan Christoffersen, a loving husband and successful advertising executive, has lost his wife, business, home and car. To escape his heartbreaking situation, he decides to walk from Seattle to Key West. As he travels from South Dakota to St. Louis, he crosses unfamiliar landscape on his quest for healing. Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt.

-Click here to read more about the book.

WIFE 22 by Melanie Gideon (Fiction)
Maybe it was those extra five pounds I’d gained. Maybe it was because I was about to turn the same age my mother was when I lost her. Maybe it was because after almost 20 years of marriage my husband and I seemed to be running out of things to say to each other.

But when the anonymous online study called “Marriage in the 21st Century” showed up in my inbox, I had no idea how profoundly it would change my life. It wasn’t long before I was assigned both a pseudonym (Wife 22) and a caseworker (Researcher 101).

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read Melanie Gideon’s bio.
-Click here to see the 25 readers who were selected to read and comment on the book.

THE BOOK OF SUMMERS by Emylia Hall (Fiction)
For nine-year-old Beth Lowe, it should have been a magical summer --- sun-kissed days lounging in rickety deck chairs, nights gathered around the fire. But what begins as an innocent vacation to Hungary ends with the devastating separation of her parents. Beth and her father return home alone, leaving her mother, Marika, behind.

Over the next seven summers, Beth walks a tightrope between worlds, fleeing her quiet home and distant father to bask in the intoxicating Hungarian countryside with Marika. It is during these enthralling summers that Beth comes to life and learns to love. But at 16, she uncovers a life-shattering secret, bringing her sacred summers with Marika abruptly to an end.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read Emylia Hall’s bio.
-Click here to see the 25 readers who were selected to read and comment on the book.

We have a number of contests currently running on our other sites in TheBookReportNetwork.com. Please take a look at them below, and enter for your chance to win some fabulous books!

Teenreads.com

Short Story Writing Contest
Inspired by ANOTHER JEKYLL, ANOTHER HYDE by Daniel and Dina Nayeri, Teenreads.com is inviting readers (and aspiring writers!) to write a story in which you reinvent a classic story or character, making it modern and, most importantly, your own! Write your story in no more than 1,200 words. The deadline for entries is Friday, June 15th at noon ET.

Kidsreads.com

JUSTIN CASE: SHELLS, SMELLS, AND THE HORRIBLE FLIP-FLOPS OF DOOM written by Rachel Vail, illustrated by Matthew Cordell
Justin is going to start fourth grade --- but first, he has to survive the summer. Kidsreads.com is giving 5 readers the chance to win a copy of JUSTIN CASE: SHELLS, SMELLS, AND THE HORRIBLE FLIP-FLOPS OF DOOM. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, June 5th at noon ET.

ALEX AND THE AMAZING TIME MACHINE written by Rich Cohen, illustrated by Kelly Murphy
Alex Trumble is a pretty ordinary kid --- except for the fact that his IQ borders on genius, and he loves to read books on vortexes and time travel. But when two angry hit men kidnap his big brother, Alex’s life changes fast. Kidsreads.com is giving 5 readers the chance to win a copy of ALEX AND THE AMAZING TIME MACHINE. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, June 5th at noon ET.

ReadingGroupGuides.com

THE CHAPERONE by Laura Moriarty
ReadingGroupGuides.com is celebrating the upcoming release of THE CHAPERONE by Laura Moriarty --- a captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922, and the summer that would change them both --- with a special contest. 40 readers will have the opportunity to each win an advance copy of the book, which will be in stores June 5th, for their group. The deadline for entries is Friday, June 8th at noon ET.

GOLD by Chris Cleave
ReadingGroupGuides.com is celebrating the upcoming release of GOLD by Chris Cleave --- the story of two longtime friends and rivals who each desperately want to win gold at the 2012 Olympics --- with a special contest. 50 readers will have the opportunity to each win a copy of the book, which will be in stores July 3rd, for their group. The deadline for entries is Friday, June 8th at noon ET.

NEXT TO LOVE by Ellen Feldman
NEXT TO LOVE by Ellen Feldman follows the lives of three young women and their men during the years of World War II, beginning with the men going off to war and ending a generation later, when their children are on the cusp of their own adulthood. The paperback edition releases on May 15th, and ReadingGroupGuides.com is celebrating with a special contest. One group will receive 12 paperback copies of NEXT TO LOVE, while 25 additional readers will be awarded a copy of the book. The deadline for entries is Friday, June 8th at noon ET.

SILVER SPARROW by Tayari Jones
ReadingGroupGuides.com is celebrating the paperback release of SILVER SPARROW by Tayari Jones --- a breathtaking story about a man’s deception, a family’s complicity, and the two teenage girls caught in the middle --- with a special contest. One group will receive 12 paperback copies of SILVER SPARROW, while 25 additional readers will be awarded a copy of the book. The deadline for entries is Friday, June 8th at noon ET.

THE COTTAGE AT GLASS BEACH by Heather Barbieri
To be a group to win 20 free copies of THE COTTAGE AT GLASS BEACH by Heather Barbieri, all you have to do is sign up for the ReadingGroupGuides.com newsletter by Friday, June 1st at 11:59PM ET.

FaithfulReader.com

STARDUST by Carla Stewart
An East Texas widow, determined to start over, inherits a rundown motel. But when her first guest is her dead husband's mistress, pregnant and stricken with polio, a change of plans leads to a change of heart. FaithfulReader.com is celebrating the release of STARDUST with a special contest that will give 10 readers the opportunity to win a copy of Carla Stewart’s latest novel. The deadline for entries is Friday, June 15th at noon ET.

SUBMERGED: Alaskan Courage, Book One by Dani Pettrey
FaithfulReader.com is celebrating the release of SUBMERGED, which kicks off the Alaskan Courage series, with a special contest. 50 readers will have the opportunity to each win a copy of Dani Pettrey's debut novel. The deadline for entries is Friday, June 15th at noon ET.

RELENTLESS PURSUIT: Secrets of Roux River Bayou, Book 3 by Kathy Herman
In FaithfulReader.com's latest monthly contest, 25 readers will be awarded a copy of RELENTLESS PURSUIT, the final book in Kathy Herman's Secrets of Roux River Bayou suspense series. As an added bonus, one of these lucky winners will receive a Cajun-themed gift basket, "From The Bayou," which represents a collage of what makes Louisiana cuisine unique. The deadline for entries is Friday, June 15th at noon ET.

THE CHEMISTRY OF TEARS by Peter Carey (Fiction)
In two-time Booker Prize winner Peter Carey’s latest novel, an automaton --- in its beautiful, uncanny imitation of life --- will link two strangers confronted with the mysteries of creation, the miracle and catastrophe of human invention, and the body’s astonishing chemistry of love and feeling. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

WAITING FOR SUNRISE by William Boyd (Historical Thriller)
When readers pick up one of William Boyd’s books, they’ve come to expect a smart, skillfully plotted story that doesn’t sacrifice moral complexity to the demands of a fast-moving narrative. His 10th novel is no exception. Set in Vienna, London and Geneva as Europe slides from a world dominated by a 19th-century sensibility into the nightmare of World War One, it’s packed with seduction, betrayal and a teasingly intricate spy puzzle.Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.

THE UNINVITED GUESTS by Sadie Jones (Historical Fiction)
Emerald Torrington didn't plan anything special for her 20th birthday. With her stepfather away on family business, it was just to be her siblings, her mother and an old friend. But a gift from a suitor, an unexpected reunion, a pony in the house, and a terrible train wreck destroy Emerald's careful plans and create a night of havoc, horror, revealed secrets and romance. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

PRAGUE FATALE: A Bernie Gunther Novel by Philip Kerr (Historical Mystery/Thriller)
In the fall of 1941, Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich orders Berlin police detective Bernie Gunther to come to his confiscated estate in what used to be Czechoslovakia. Once there, Bernie is soon involved in a locked-door murder mystery in a house filled with high-ranking Nazis.Reviewed by Tom Callahan.

LAST CALL FOR THE LIVING by Peter Farris (Thriller)
For bank teller Charlie Colquitt, it was just another Saturday. For Hobe Hicklin, an ex-con with nothing to lose, it was just another score. For Hobe's drug-addled, sex-crazed girlfriend, it was just more lust, violence and drugs. But in this gripping narrative, nothing is as it seems. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

RED CELL by Mark Henshaw (Thriller/Adventure)
The CIA Red Cell is a real “devil’s advocate” analysis unit created on September 13, 2001 by then CIA Director George Tenet to “tell me what no one else is telling me.” Mark Henshaw is a CIA analyst and based his debut novel on Tenet’s red cell premise. RED CELL follows two CIA outcasts brought together to stop a secret Chinese weapon that threatens to provoke a world war. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

ALPHA by Greg Rucka (Thriller/Adventure)
For the visitors to Wilsonville, the largest theme park in the world, the day began with a smile. By the end, they wonder if they'll be able to escape with their lives. Retired Delta Force operator Master Sergeant Jonathan "Jad" Bell is Wilsonville's lead undercover security officer. The threat begins with the announcement of a hidden dirty bomb, but quickly becomes something far, far worse. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

JEZEBEL by Irène Némirovsky (Fiction)
You think you’re afraid of getting older? Meet Gladys Eysenach, the beauty-obsessed protagonist of Irène Némirovsky’s posthumous novel. Sixty-year-old Gladys is on trial for the murder of a 20-year-old student thought to be one of her many lovers. Over the course of the novel, we learn the circumstances that led to the killing. In Gladys, Némirovsky has created a glamorous woman terrified of losing her youth and willing to do almost anything to preserve it. Reviewed by Michael Magras.

Tell us your current reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from May 18th to June 1st, FIVE lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of A BLAZE OF GLORY: A Novel of the Battle of Shiloh by Jeff Shaara, THE CHAPERONE by Laura Moriarty, and ROBERT LUDLUM’S THE BOURNE IMPERATIVE by Eric Van Lustbader.

To make sure other readers will be able to find the books you write about, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For complete rules and guidelines, click here.

-To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.