December 7, 2012

Last weekend, while I was browsing in a card store, I saw a couple of cards that had bookmarks as part of their design, which I thought was quite clever. I always think cards are way overpriced, thus I truly loved that these had a dual purpose. Then I was flipping through one of those “Holiday Coupon Books” where children can use their coupons for treats. Coupons included “Get a Story Read to You” and “Good for Buying a New Book.” I loved both of these ideas. It’s nice to see books promoted and referenced outside of bookshelves.

I really need to get thinking about holiday shopping. My boys are dropping very few hints this year, and they are at an age where I can use their suggestions. In a trip down memory lane, the annual postcard came from the toy store where I used to buy their toys years ago touting some of the new things that they are carrying. Every year when it arrives, it brings back memories of my asking the salesperson there for recommendations and ideas. I always got carried away in that store mostly because they stocked the BEST toys out there. Quality toys. The kind you hand down. Or I hope you do since most of them are boxed in the attic for the future generations of Fitzgeralds.

In our town, there is a house with a holiday display where they have 20,000 LED lights synched to holiday music. When you drive up, you tune your radio station to 92.7 and you can hear a welcome message and then three songs that work in harmony with the computer-synched lights. It’s just wonderful to see, and more than that, it really gave me the spirit of the season as the four of us just took some time to sit in the car and enjoy the experience. Too much of the holiday season is about rushing around, and there are moments when I put my life on hold like this that really are special.

Books, as always, were a part of my week, and this week I found myself enjoying two very different ones.

First up, I indulged my fascination with serial killers by reading FEAR COLLECTOR by Gregg Olsen (on sale December 24th). Here Ted Bundy is an obsession of two very different women. One is a police officer whose sister may have been one of Bundy's victims. The other is a woman who corresponded with Bundy in prison --- and then raised her son to seduce young girls with a goal that he would become more notorious than Bundy. How the storylines intersect is so well done by Gregg, and let’s just say it’s not the kind of book I would read alone at home in the dark. I think this may be my favorite of his books.

Then, for a completely different change of pace, I am reading --- and thoroughly enjoying --- CROSSING ON THE PARIS by Dana Gynther. A few years ago, for my son Greg’s high school graduation, we headed across the pond on a cruise on the QE2. I had a blast, though I thought that I would feel confined on a ship. So many memories of that very special trip are coming to mind as I am reading this story of three women who are on a crossing back to the States. One is headed back after an extensive time abroad for the last time, another is a young mother questioning her life as she returns from an abortive trip to lure her sister home from Paris, and the third is a young woman working on the ship who is getting her first taste of freedom. They keep passing each other as one might in a space that contained and confined, and I feel myself rolling on the seas with them as I am enjoying their adventure. In another fun book reference, on board the ship a game is played where the last lines of books are cited, and people are to guess who wrote the book. I am betting it would work with opening lines as well.

On Tuesday night, I attended a celebration of Nelson DeMille’s 30th anniversary in publishing. It was a fun night of toasts, roasts and stories. For me, besides the laughs and the jokes and the genuinely warm feeling in the room, a highlight was getting a specially bound hardcover anniversary edition of WORD OF HONOR, Nelson's first book. I confess I never read this one, and over Christmas break, I look forward to kicking back and enjoying the book that started it all --- of course, I will need to hide it from my husband if I have any hope of reading it first!

We have something that will be of interest to those of you who own an iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Richard Mason has taken his book HISTORY OF A PLEASURE SEEKER, which was one of my Bookreporter.com Bets On selections earlier this year, and created what he has coined as an eLume for it. With this special edition, readers can read the book --- or at any moment get the book read to them by none other than Dan Stevens of "Downton Abbey" fame. You can hear the music that is referenced in the text, music that definitely enhances your reading experience; click to see more photos; and learn more about the history that infuses this novel. It takes the book and makes it a far more robust experience. You can read more about the eLume here.

Now on to this week’s lineup….

Our latest One to Watch author is Rosie Thomas, whose new book, THE KASHMIR SHAWL, releases on January 10th. During World War II, Nerys Watkins accompanies her husband on a missionary posting to India. When he leaves her in the exotic lakeside city of Srinagar to take on a complicated mission elsewhere, Nerys discovers a new world --- and by the time she is reunited with him, she is a different woman. Years later, when Mair Ellis clears out her dead father's house, she finds an exquisite shawl. Tracing her grandparents' roots back to Kashmir, Mair embarks on a quest that will change her life forever. It’s a big sweeping story that takes readers along for an adventure; Thomas’ writing is so descriptive that you will feel you are in Kashmir! We have 50 copies of the book to give away to readers who would like to read and comment on it. All you have to do is fill out this form by Thursday, December 20th at noon ET.

Tom Clancy is back with the fourth title in his techno-thriller series starring Jack Ryan, Jr. In THREAT VECTOR (co-written with Mark Greaney), an aborted coup in the People's Republic of China has left President Wei Zhen Lin with no choice but to agree with the expansionist policies of General Su Ke Qiang. They have declared the South China Sea a protectorate and are planning an invasion of Taiwan. Jack Ryan’s administration is determined to thwart China’s ambitions, but the stakes are dangerously high as a new breed of powerful Chinese anti-ship missile endangers the US Navy's plans to protect the island. Reviewer Joe Hartlaub says, “If you thought that war in cyberspace would be boring, you would be wrong. Clancy and Greaney bring their ‘A’ game to the book, nicely balancing plot and technological data with quirky characters and fast-moving situations that will keep you on the edge of your seats practically from beginning to end.”

We also have a review of Karen Robards’s latest romantic thriller, SHIVER. Danny Panterro was minutes away from dying when Sam found him. Bleeding badly from a gunshot wound, he’d been snatched from protective custody by a vicious gang of drug runners who would stop at nothing to see him dead. With his life on the line, Danny takes Sam hostage. Forcing her to help him, he tries to make her understand that now she’s a target for the killers, too. When they invade her house and threaten her son’s life, she knows that there’s no going back. In her review, Maggie Harding calls the book “a fast-moving, uncomplicated and enjoyable read for fans of the genre.”

Are you in a book group? Or know someone who is? Then you will want to note that until Monday, January 7th at noon ET, we’re featuring a very special book group contest on ReadingGroupGuides.com for ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART by Jane Green (which releases in paperback on February 12th). We’re giving away up to 20 copies each to 250 book groups, provided that they agree to discuss the book at their February or March meeting; email friends and tell them about the book; and post comments or feedback about the book and/or their discussion on Jane Green’s Facebook page, their personal Facebook pages, Twitter accounts or blogs. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, January 7th at noon ET.

We’re also giving 100 readers the opportunity to win a copy of CROSS ROADS by Wm. Paul Young, best known for his mega-bestseller THE SHACK. In his latest novel, we are introduced to Anthony Spencer, an egotistical man who is proud of being a self-made business success at the peak of his game. But when a cerebral hemorrhage leaves him comatose in a hospital ICU, he "awakens" to find himself in a surreal world. It is here that he has vivid interactions with others he assumes are projections of his own subconscious, but whose directions he follows nonetheless with the possibility that they might lead to authenticity and, perhaps, redemption. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, January 14th at noon ET.

And our contest for CITY OF DARK MAGIC by Magnus Flyte continues as part of our Paperback Spotlight feature. Please fill out this form by Thursday, December 13th at noon ET for your chance to be one of 25 winners of the book.

Our New in Paperback roundups have been posted for December. Among our featured titles this month are CATCH ME by Lisa Gardner, RAYLAN by Elmore Leonard, SNUFF: A Novel of Discworld by Terry Pratchett, and THE RULES OF INHERITANCE by Claire Bidwell-Smith, the last of which was one of my Bookreporter.com Bets On selections this year.

We’ve also updated our Books on Screen feature for December. In theaters today is Lay the Favorite, starring Bruce Willis and Catherine Zeta-Jones, which is based on the 2010 memoir of the same name by Beth Raymer. Things really heat up later this month with the releases of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, On the Road, Les Miserables, Horrid Henry and, of course, Jack Reacher. On the small screen, "Dexter" and "Rizzoli & Isles" wrap up their respective seasons, while "Elementary" continues its inaugural season. And this month's DVD releases include The Bourne Legacy, The Dark Knight Rises, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days and Total Recall.

It’s that time of year! With the holidays quickly approaching, our contributor Amy Alessio has assembled a collection of holiday cookbooks to help you plan your menu. From cakes and cookies, to the meaty main courses, our Holiday Cookbooks bookshelf has you covered for all types of parties and special occasions this season. Click here to peruse the shelves and start cooking! By the way, I have been cookbook shopping with Amy, which is just so much fun. Watching her get excited in the stacks at Powell’s when we were in Portland a couple of years ago was a complete and total blast. Her cookbook collection is legendary, thus we have some authority curating this bookshelf for us. Also, she does programming about Vintage Cookbooks in the Chicago area that you can read more about here. She’s in hot demand!

We continue receiving some wonderful essays from the authors who are participating in this year’s Author Holiday Blogs. This week, we heard from Will Schwalbe, Karen Robards, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Karen Kingsbury and David Abrams. This weekend, you can read pieces from Rebecca Coleman and Elizabeth Wilhide. Still to come are contributions from Lisa Genova, Eric Van Lustbader, Paula McLain, Mark Sullivan, Charles Todd, Cindy Woodsmall, and many more.

Our Holiday Cheer contests continued this week with CAPTURING CAMELOT by Kitty Kelley, SWEET TOOTH by Ian McEwan, TO HEAVEN AND BACK by Mary C. Neal, M.D., and four books by Lisa Jackson: UNSPOKEN, AFRAID TO DIE, YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW and BEACH SEASON (co-written by Cathy Lamb, Holly Chamberlin and Rosalind Noonan). The contests begin at noon ET Monday through Thursday (with the last giveaway ending on December 14th at noon ET) and run for just 24 hours, so you will have to check the site each day to see what is being featured. As always, we’re sending our special Holiday Cheer newsletter on the days when there are contests. If you would like to sign up for these email alerts, click here.

Next week, our final four prize books will be ANGELS AT THE TABLE by Debbie Macomber, THE CHRISTMAS PLAINS by Joseph Bottum, HOW I CAME TO SPARKLE AGAIN by Kaya McLaren, and ZOOBORNS: THE NEXT GENERATION by Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland. And be on the lookout next week for our end-of-the-year giveaway, featuring ALL of my Bookreporter.com Bets On selections from this year!

Stuck on what to give your family and friends for the holidays? Thinking about presents that YOU would want for yourself? Then you must check out our What to Give, What to Get Guide with suggestions for everyone on your holiday list! Our selections cover a wide variety of genres, including thrillers, mysteries, historical fiction, romances, memoirs and biographies.

And speaking of which, we’re always curious about whether or not you are giving or receiving books for the holidays. So once again we’re asking you these questions in our latest poll.

Our current Word of Mouth contest continues for one more week. Let us know what you’re reading by Friday, December 14th at noon ET for your chance to win the aforementioned SHIVER by Karen Robards, along with THE BLACK BOX by Michael Connelly and INVISIBLE by Carla Buckley.

Today is my birthday. Once again I will be turning 27…funny how my calendar works like that on December 7th; it’s the one day of the year where time freezes. For once, I have no plans as it sort of snuck up on me, but I intend to celebrate for three days, kicking it off with dinner tonight. I stretch out being the Birthday Princess as long as I can, which is something those of us with December birthdays have learned to perfect! For those of our readers celebrating Hanukkah, enjoy the candle lighting tomorrow evening. Ahhhh, as candles around the world will be lit, I love the birthday weekend coincidence.

Here’s to shopping lists being checked once, then twice…and lots of books being wrapped for giving --- and getting. And to finding some time for reading and relaxing in between the cookie baking and the decorating. See you next week. Read on….

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

PS. When you use the links below to purchase books, you also support Bookreporter.com as we have affiliate arrangements with each of them. Please consider this when shopping for books online!

THREAT VECTOR by Tom Clancy with Mark Greaney (Thriller/Adventure)
An aborted coup in the People's Republic of China has left President Wei Zhen Lin with no choice but to agree with the expansionist policies of General Su Ke Qiang. They have declared the South China Sea a protectorate and are planning an invasion of Taiwan. Jack Ryan’s administration is determined to thwart China’s ambitions, but the stakes are dangerously high as a new breed of powerful Chinese anti-ship missile endangers the US Navy's plans to protect the island. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read more about the book.

SHIVER by Karen Robards (Thriller/Romance)
Danny Panterro was minutes away from dying when Sam found him. Bleeding badly from a gunshot wound, he’d been snatched from protective custody by a vicious gang of drug runners who would stop at nothing to see him dead. With his life on the line, Danny takes Sam hostage. Forcing her to help him, he tries to make her understand that now she’s a target for the killers, too. When they invade her house and threaten her son’s life, she knows that there’s no going back. Reviewed by Maggie Harding.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to visit Karen Robards’s official website.

We have 50 copies of THE KASHMIR SHAWL by Rosie Thomas, which will be in stores January 10th, 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, December 20th at noon ET.

THE KASHMIR SHAWL by Rosie Thomas (Fiction)
It is the eve of 1941 and World War II is engulfing the globe. Newlywed Nerys Watkins leaves rural Britain to accompany her husband on a missionary posting to India, but when he leaves her in the exotic lakeside city of Srinagar to take on a complicated mission elsewhere, she discovers a new world. Here, in the heart of Kashmir, the British dance, flirt and gossip against the backdrop of war, and Nerys soon becomes caught up in a dangerous liaison. By the time she is reunited with her husband, she is a very different woman.

Years later, Nerys’s granddaughter, Mair Ellis, clears out her dead father’s house and finds an exquisite shawl --- a kaleidoscope of silvery blues and greens. Wrapped in the folds of this delicate object is a lock of a child’s curly hair. With nothing else to go on, Mair decides to trace her grandparents’ roots back to Kashmir, embarking on a quest that will change her own life forever.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to watch the book trailer.
-Click here to read Rosie Thomas’s bio.
-Click here to visit Rosie Thomas’s official website.
-Click here to connect with Rosie Thomas on Facebook.

We currently are offering a very special opportunity to our readers. 250 book clubs have the chance to win a copy of ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART by Jane Green --- which releases in paperback on February 12th --- for each member of their group (up to 20), provided that they agree to discuss the book at their February or March meeting; email friends and tell them about the book; and post comments or feedback about the book and/or their discussion on Jane Green’s Facebook page, their personal Facebook pages, Twitter accounts or blogs. The deadline for entries is Monday, January 7th at noon ET.

ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART by Jane Green (Fiction)
Andi has spent much of her adult life looking for the perfect man, and at 37, she's finally found him. Ethan --- divorced with two daughters, Emily and Sophia --- is a devoted father and even better husband. Always hoping one day she would be a mother, Andi embraces the girls like they were her own. But in Emily’s eyes, Andi is an obstacle to her father’s love, and Emily will do whatever it takes to break her down. When the dynamics between the two escalate, they threaten everything Andi believes about love, family, and motherhood --- leaving both women standing at a crossroad in their lives…and in their hearts.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here for the reading group guide.

We are celebrating the release of CROSS ROADS by Wm. Paul Young (author of the mega-bestseller THE SHACK) with a special contest that will give 100 readers the opportunity to win a copy of the book. The deadline for entries is Monday, January 14th at noon ET.

CROSS ROADS by Wm. Paul Young (Fiction)
Anthony Spencer is egotistical, proud of being a self-made business success at the peak of his game, even though the cost of winning was painfully high. A cerebral hemorrhage leaves Tony comatose in a hospital ICU. He "awakens" to find himself in a surreal world, a "living" landscape that mirrors dimensions of his earthly life, from the beautiful to the corrupt. It is here that he has vivid interactions with others he assumes are projections of his own subconscious, but whose directions he follows nonetheless with the possibility that they might lead to authenticity and, perhaps, redemption. The adventure draws Tony into deep relational entanglements where he is able to "see" through the literal eyes and experiences of others, but is "blind" to the consequences of hiding his personal agenda and loss that emerge to war against the processes of healing and trust.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to watch the book trailer.
-Click here to visit the official website of the book.
-Click here to read Wm. Paul Young’s bio.
-Click here to connect with Wm. Paul Young on Facebook.

At Bookreporter.com, we are celebrating the holidays in style with our Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature. As our gift to you, on select days this holiday season, we will spotlight a book and give five lucky readers a chance to win it. You have to visit the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter the contest. If you think you will forget to check the site, no worries: we also send a special newsletter to announce the day's title.

This year’s featured titles are:

• AFRAID TO DIE: A Selena Alvarez/Regan Pescoli Novel by Lisa Jackson
• ANGELS AT THE TABLE: A Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy Christmas Story by Debbie Macomber
• BEACH SEASON by Lisa Jackson, Cathy Lamb, Holly Chamberlin and Rosalind Noonan
• BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE: Life in Icicle Falls by Sheila Roberts
• CAPTURING CAMELOT: Stanley Tretick's Iconic Images of the Kennedys by Kitty Kelley
• THE CHRISTMAS PLAINS by Joseph Bottum
• THE CHRONICLES OF DOWNTON ABBEY: A New Era by Jessica Fellowes and Matthew Sturgis
• HOW I CAME TO SPARKLE AGAIN by Kaya McLaren
• MERRY EX-MAS: Life in Icicle Falls by Sheila Roberts
• THE PARIS WIFE by Paula McLain
• SWEET TOOTH by Ian McEwan
• TO HEAVEN AND BACK: A Doctor's Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again: A True Story by Mary C. Neal, M.D.
• UNSPOKEN by Lisa Jackson
• YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW by Lisa Jackson
• ZOOBORNS: The Next Generation: Newer, Cuter, More Exotic Animals from the World's Zoos and Aquariums by Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland

Our next prize book will be announced on Monday, December 10th at noon ET.

Next week's featured titles will be ANGELS AT THE TABLE by Debbie Macomber, THE CHRISTMAS PLAINS by Joseph Bottum, HOW I CAME TO SPARKLE AGAIN by Kaya McLaren, and ZOOBORNS: THE NEXT GENERATION by Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland.

-Click here to sign up for our Holiday Cheer Daily Featured Book and Contest alerts.

Bookreporter.com knows that readers crave ideas for gift-giving --- and getting --- at the holidays. With this in mind, we're offering a What to Give, What to Get Guide with suggestions for everyone on your holiday list! Our selections cover a wide variety of genres, including thrillers, mysteries, historical fiction, romances, memoirs and biographies. And while you're looking for gifts for others, may we suggest you jot down notes for books YOU want?

This year’s featured titles include:

• BRING UP THE BODIES by Hilary Mantel
• CHRISTMAS IN APPLE RIDGE by Cindy Woodsmall
• THE CHRISTMAS PLAINS by Joseph Bottum
• A FOOL’S GOLD CHRISTMAS by Susan Mallery
• THE PARIS WIFE by Paula McLain
• PERIL IN PAPERBACK: A Bibliophile Mystery by Kate Carlisle
• A POSSIBLE LIFE: A Novel in Five Parts by Sebastian Faulks
• SWEET TOOTH by Ian McEwan
• TO HEAVEN AND BACK: A Doctor's Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again: A True Story by Mary C. Neal, M.D.

We are celebrating the release of CITY OF DARK MAGIC by Magnus Flyte with a special contest that will give 25 readers the opportunity to win a copy of the book. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, December 13th at noon ET.

CITY OF DARK MAGIC by Magnus Flyte (Urban Fantasy/Thriller)
Once a city of enormous wealth and culture, Prague was home to emperors, alchemists, astronomers, and, as it’s whispered, hell portals. When music student Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven’s manuscripts, she has no idea how dangerous her life is about to become. Prague is a threshold, Sarah is warned, and it is steeped in blood.

Soon after Sarah arrives, strange things begin to happen. She learns that her mentor, who was working at the castle, may not have committed suicide after all. Could his cryptic notes be warnings? As Sarah parses his clues about Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,” she manages to get arrested, to have tantric sex in a public fountain, and to discover a time-warping drug. She also catches the attention of a four-hundred-year-old dwarf, the handsome Prince Max, and a powerful U.S. senator with secrets she will do anything to hide.

-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to see the book trailer.
-Click here to read Magnus Flyte's bio.
-Click here to visit Magnus Flyte's official website.
-Connect with Magnus Flyte on Facebook and Twitter.

Poll:

Are you planning to give books as gifts this holiday season? Please check as many as apply.

Yes, I am planning to give print books (hardcovers/paperbacks).
Yes, I am planning to give eBooks.
Yes, I am planning to give audiobooks.
Yes, I am planning to give a gift card that will allow the recipient to buy a print book, eBook or audiobook.
No, I am not planning to give any books or book gift cards this year.
I am not sure what I am doing.

Are you hoping to receive books as gifts this holiday season? Please check as many as apply.

Yes, I am hoping to receive print books (hardcovers/paperbacks).
Yes, I am hoping to receive eBooks.
Yes, I am hoping to receive audiobooks.
Yes, I am hoping to receive a gift card so I can buy a print book, eBook or audiobook.
No, I would not like to receive any books or book gift cards this year.
I am not sure.

-Click here to answer our poll.


Word of Mouth:

Tell us your current reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from November 30th to December 14th, FIVE lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE BLACK BOX by Michael Connelly, INVISIBLE by Carla Buckley and SHIVER by Karen Robards.

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.

-Click here to enter the contest.