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January 4, 2013

Bookreporter.com Newsletter January 4, 2013
Happy New Year! May It Be LUCKY ’13 for You!

Did you miss us? While I enjoyed our break, I found myself writing little notes of things I wanted to share with you these past few weeks! First, a bit of trivia. Do you know that 2013 marks the first time since 1987 that a year does not have two or more of the same numbers in it? Leave it to my son Greg to have noted that --- and yes, I can see you all scribbling to see if it’s right. I personally was happy when 2010 hit, and we did away with those silly glasses that everyone peered through on New Year’s Eve from 2000-2009.

We had a great time on the Outer Banks. We decorated the house there just enough that it felt like Christmas, but not so much that we were stressing packing up at the end of the trip. We had not decorated at home at all except for a wreath and candles in the windows, and thus this week has been a lot calmer than usual. My amaryllis and cyclamen plants have made the house feel very festive. Packing these for our trip was quite an adventure. I very smartly put the five plants in the back hallway where we were stacking things to go in the car without a word. Afterwards I heard some very ahem “grownup only” words flying about packing them from the men of the house. I smartly avoided the car-packing strategizing to not be part of this dialogue (my husband engineers this with drill sergeant precision). When they bloomed, I got a consensus vote that they were worth bringing!

The weather in North Carolina was sunny most days and warmer than here. No snow! And thus I had time for looong walks, which I never seem to make time for here. I walked on the beach around the golf community, and in what can only be described as a “good wife” moment, I even walked all 18 on the golf course with Tom on Christmas Day. The course officially is closed that day, but folks can walk it if they'd like. Have no worries, I am not abandoning my books to “chase the little white ball,” but it was nice to see where Tom spends his time every trip!

I got a lot of reading done, including CHANEL BONFIRE, a stunning memoir by Wendy Lawless, which comes out next Tuesday, January 8th. Growing up in the ’70s, Wendy and her sister Robbie had a mom who was unstable (to put it mildly), and the sisters united to take care of themselves while spinning around in a world that was centered on their mother’s eccentricities. Their survival instincts are stunningly smart for girls who were just kids. As an example, when Wendy’s mom took an ax to her sister’s door when it was locked one day, Robbie hung fabric over the hole and Wendy hid the ax so it would not happen again. Over and over again, their mother’s actions (harassing Wendy’s boyfriends, ruining Robbie’s graduation) both stunned and surprised me to the point where I had to remind myself that this was someone’s life, not a novel. The mom was perpetually dressed in a blue nightgown, prompting a blurb from Tim Gunn that he “will never look at a blue nightgown the same way again.” I agree. Something to remember when you read it. How different would this story have been today when we have cell phones and the Internet? We’ll have our review next week.

Also, I am crazy about A CERTAIN SUMMER by Patricia Beard, which will be out on May 21st and will be a perfect summer book. Set in 1948 at an idyllic beach community called
Wauregan, Helen Wadsworth, whose husband has been declared missing since an OSS operation in France during the War, is vacationing with her 14-year-old son, Jack, as they have always done. While she waits for news about what happened to her husband and longs for his return, two other men fall for her, which brings drama to the summer. For anyone who has a summer place that they have adored, this book will bring up memories. Layer in the mystery of what happened in the war, and you have one really satisfying read. Patricia is known for her nonfiction work, and that background definitely infused this work.

Lots more reading happened this trip….but I want to get to this week’s update. While it’s nice that this week started with Wednesday (that should happen more often), we needed to speed things up to bring this update to you.

Here at Bookreporter.com, we know that contests are the perfect way to ring in the new year and welcome you back to the site after our holiday break. And we have PLENTY of them for you this week!

Our first Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight of the year is Melanie Benjamin, who many of you may remember as the author of ALICE I HAVE BEEN and THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MRS. TOM THUMB. Her latest, which I read a couple of months ago and chatted up here as a "winner," is THE AVIATOR’S WIFE and it is all about the complicated marriage of Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. It will be on sale on January 15th.

Anne Morrow, the shy daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, has stood in the shadows of those around her, including her millionaire father and vibrant older sister. Then Anne, a college senior with hidden literary aspirations, travels to Mexico City to spend Christmas with her family. There she meets Colonel Charles Lindbergh, fresh off his celebrated 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic. Enthralled by Charles’s assurance and fame, Anne is certain the celebrated aviator has scarcely noticed her. But she is wrong. Charles sees in Anne a kindred spirit, a fellow adventurer, and her world will be changed forever.

We have 25 copies of THE AVIATOR'S WIFE to give away to those would like to read the book and comment on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, January 17th at noon ET.

Our Sneak Peek: An Early Look at an Upcoming Book feature is back! This time we’re spotlighting ORDINARY GRACE by William Kent Krueger, which I read in manuscript last August when I was on vacation. I came back raving about it on my vacation blog. It’s a departure for Krueger, best known for his Cork O’Connor mysteries, but the writing chops that he has honed with his previous work definitely show through here. For 13-year-old Frank Drum, 1961 was a grim summer in which death visited frequently and assumed many forms. When tragedy unexpectedly strikes his family --- which includes his Methodist minister father; his passionate, artistic mother; Juilliard-bound older sister; and wise-beyond-his-years kid brother --- he finds himself thrust into an adult world full of secrets, lies, adultery and betrayal, suddenly called upon to demonstrate a maturity and gumption beyond his years.

As I said when I read it, “it’s beautifully told in a style that reminds me of some of my favorite Southern writers. It wraps around you and suddenly you look up and wonder where you are as the writing has been so vivid and clear that your sense of place has been redefined.”

ORDINARY GRACE doesn’t release until March 26th, but we have 50 advance copies to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and share their comments about it by Tuesday, February 19th. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, January 17th at noon ET. For our Sneak Peek program, participation is critical, so please only enter this contest if you truly will have time to read ORDINARY GRACE and give us feedback by February 19th. If not, we will have more opportunities like this in the future.

Also releasing March 26th is Therese Anne Fowler’s latest, Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald. Before F. Scott Fitzgerald was a literary darling, he was a young WWI army lieutenant who fell hard for a spirited Southern belle named Zelda Sayre. The life he and Zelda would lead together in New York, Long Island, Paris, Hollywood, and on the French Riviera made them legends even in their own time. Set amidst the glamour of the Jazz Age and the The Lost Generation’s vivid world abroad, Z brings Zelda and Scott’s romantic, tumultuous, extraordinary journey to life. Z has been getting huge early buzz; I’ve read it and I can see why. Just as we were able to see into the life of Hadley, the first Mrs. Hemingway in THE PARIS WIFE, here we meet Zelda, who meant so much to Fitzgerald. Many of the same characters swing in and out of this book, so those who loved THE PARIS WIFE will want to read this.

We’re giving 50 readers the chance to win a copy of Z now. All you have to do is fill out this form by Thursday, January 17th at noon ET.

Our new Paperback Spotlight title is Kristin Hannah’s HOME FRONT, which releases in paperback next Tuesday, January 8th. In this memorable and thought-provoking New York Times #1 bestseller, Michael and Jolene Zarkades must face the pressures of day-to-day life while their 12-year marriage crumbles around them. This isn’t helped when Jolene is deployed into a dangerous war zone. She hates being away from her family, but understands the responsibilities she has toward her country. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his worst fear and fight for what is important to his family. Be sure to take a look at our review, an excerpt, and the reading group guide. For book groups, there is soooo much to talk about here.

We continue our Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight for FEAR COLLECTOR with a review of the book and an interview with author Gregg Olsen. For two women, Ted Bundy --- America’s most notorious serial killer --- is the ultimate obsession. One is a cop whose sister may have been one of Bundy’s victims. The other is a deranged groupie who corresponded with Bundy in prison and raised her son to finish what Bundy started. Reviewer Joe Hartlaub says, “Though a work of fiction, FEAR COLLECTOR is built upon the meticulous research that has become a trademark of Olsen’s true crime works, and is all the more frightening for it.” Click here to see what Gregg has to say about the book’s themes and his future writing plans.

There has been tons of buzz the past month for THE TWELVE TRIBES OF HATTIE, Ayana Mathis’s debut novel and the latest selection for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0. In 1923, 15-year-old Hattie Shepherd flees Georgia and settles in Philadelphia, hoping for a chance at a better life. Instead, she marries a man who will bring her nothing but disappointment and watches helplessly as her firstborn twins succumb to an illness a few pennies could have prevented. Hattie gives birth to nine more children whom she raises with grit and mettle and not an ounce of the tenderness they crave. Melanie Smith has our review and says, “THE TWELVE TRIBES OF HATTIE is a realistic, well-written novel with sound historical appeal, excellent caricatures, and a wide range of unique storylines and experiences. This is a serious, engaging book that offers much food for thought on family matters and heritage, and the importance of simple understanding among loved ones.”

We’ve updated our New in Paperback feature for January. Among the books releasing in paperback this month are THE COLUMBUS AFFAIR by Steve Berry, CRIMINAL by Karin Slaughter, HOME by Toni Morrison, THE LIFEBOAT by Charlotte Rogan, HEADING OUT TO WONDERFUL by Robert Goolrick, CROSSING THE BORDERS OF TIME: A True Love Story of War, Exile, and Love Reclaimed by Leslie Maitland, and THE STARBOARD SEA by Amber Dermont.

The highly anticipated third season of “Downton Abbey” premieres this Sunday, January 6th at 9pm ET on PBS. To celebrate, we’ve assembled a bookshelf for all you die-hard fans: an assortment of 20 items related to the series, including DVD sets of all three seasons (the third season has already aired in the UK, and the DVD will be available on January 29th here), soundtracks of the show’s original music, and a number of books about the real-life people and places that inspired one of Masterpiece Classic’s most critically acclaimed features. I am looking forward to seeing where the storyline is headed. I did no peeking ahead!

For this week’s poll, we’d like to know if you belong to Goodreads. Thanks to all who answered our year-end poll question, where we asked how many books you read in 2012. 25% of you read 26-50 books, 20% read 51-75, and 10% read a whopping 150+ books. Click here for the full results.

We’ve extended our Question of the Week to Friday, January 18th at noon ET. What do you consider “The Book of the Year” in 2012? Let us know!

Over at ReadingGroupGuides.com, we’re asking a similar question of book groups: What are your favorite books of 2012 that you read with your group? Share your picks (you can name up to three) between now and January 31st by filling out the form found here. Please share this link with the members of your group as we want as many people to weigh in as possible. We’ll give you the results in February.

We have a new Word of Mouth contest this week. Let us know what you’re reading by Friday, January 18th at noon ET for your chance to win ASHENDEN by Elizabeth Wilhide, the aforementioned CHANEL BONFIRE by Wendy Lawless and THE FIFTH ASSASSIN by Brad Meltzer.

We’d like to fill you in on the details of World Book Night U.S., a celebration of books and reading held on April 23rd. On this night, 25,000 volunteers across America will be giving away 20 paperback books each from a select list within their communities to those who don’t regularly read. Last year, World Book Night was celebrated in the U.S., the UK, Ireland and Germany, and saw over 80,000 people gift more than 2.5 million books. You can see the complete list of this year’s titles, which were selected by a committee, here.

If you’re interested in becoming a World Book Night U.S. book giver, all you have to do is fill out the online application. Click here for all the details. You will be asked what your first, second and third book choices are, why you wish to share these books, and where you will go to personally hand out the books. The deadline for all applications is Wednesday, January 23rd. My application is in!

While we were away, Tom, Greg and I went to see Les Misérables, and I confess that none of us were fond of it. Perhaps I should have known better as I am not a huge fan of musicals or Broadway theater. Somehow Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman singing did not work for me, and I really should not have watched Batman two nights before we went to the theater as I saw Anne Hathaway and pictured Catwoman, not Fantine. Heresy I am sure to all Les Miz lovers. I would love to know what you thought if you saw it. And if any of you saw Jack Reacher, I would love to know what you thought. As I mentioned before, I got over the “Tom Cruise is not Jack Reacher” stumbling block and just enjoyed the movie, and I have heard many of you say the same thing.

I have been watching college football way, way too many nights this week. On all of the games I watched thus far, I noted that there are male sports commentators in the box and a woman on the field doing the commentary from there. Trying to figure out what that is about. In the office, Eric Rhodes is a loyal Notre Dame fan, while Josh Mallory is a diehard Alabama alum. They sit next to each other, and I can just imagine the conversation Tuesday morning after the National Championship game. The way I see it, someone is not going to be happy. I am pulling for Notre Dame.

Busy weekend on tap. My sister is going to be in town, so we are getting together to celebrate "post-New Year." As she is born on January 1st, we truly have a mishmash of holidays we can celebrate here. I am two-thirds of the way through making a sweater for her. It would be done if the very complicated pattern did not have the direction “now reverse” instead of actual directions written into it. Pattern writing often can take on the tone of a badly written or badly edited novel. And I fantasize about typing the designer up in yarn. We also are celebrating the holiday with my mother-in-law tomorrow night, and since it’s not yet January 6th, we are still within the 12 Days of Christmas.

Here’s wishing you all happy reading and happy contest entering! Oh, and we will have the winners of the Bookreporter.com Bets On Year-End Contest for you next week! Drum roll to precede that one!

Read on….

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

PS. When you use the following links 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!


Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

New Featured Women's Fiction Author: Melanie Benjamin, Author of THE AVIATOR’S WIFE

We have 25 copies of THE AVIATOR'S WIFE by Melanie Benjamin, which will be in stores January 15th, 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, January 17th at noon ET.

THE AVIATOR'S WIFE by Melanie Benjamin (Historical Fiction)
For much of her life, Anne Morrow, the shy daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, has stood in the shadows of those around her, including her millionaire father and vibrant older sister, who often steals the spotlight. Then Anne, a college senior with hidden literary aspirations, travels to Mexico City to spend Christmas with her family. There she meets Colonel Charles Lindbergh, fresh off his celebrated 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic. Enthralled by Charles’s assurance and fame, Anne is certain the celebrated aviator has scarcely noticed her. But she is wrong. Charles sees in Anne a kindred spirit, a fellow adventurer, and her world will be changed forever.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read Melanie Benjamin’s bio.
-Click here to visit Melanie Benjamin’s official website.

-Connect with Melanie Benjamin on Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to read more in our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight and enter the contest.
Sneak Peek: An Early Look at an Upcoming Book --- Our Latest Featured Title: ORDINARY GRACE by William Kent Krueger
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 ORDINARY GRACE by William Kent Krueger, a brilliant new novel about a young man, a small town, and murder in the summer of 1961. We have 50 advance copies to give away to readers who would like to preview the book, which releases on March 26th, and share their comments on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, January 17th at noon ET.

We really want to hear what you have to say about ORDINARY GRACE, so if you will have time to read it and answer some questions by Tuesday, February 19th, please enter this contest. If not, we will have more opportunities like this in the future.

ORDINARY GRACE by William Kent Krueger (Historical Mystery)
New Bremen, Minnesota, 1961. The Twins were playing their debut season, ice-cold root beers were selling out at the soda counter of Halderson’s Drugstore, and Hot Stuff comic books were a mainstay on every barbershop magazine rack. It was a time of innocence and hope for a country with a new, young president. But for 13-year-old Frank Drum it was a grim summer in which death visited frequently and assumed many forms.

Frank begins the season preoccupied with the concerns of any teenage boy, but when tragedy unexpectedly strikes his family --- which includes his Methodist minister father, his passionate, artistic mother, Juilliard-bound older sister, and wise-beyond-his-years kid brother --- he finds himself thrust into an adult world full of secrets, lies, adultery and betrayal, suddenly called upon to demonstrate a maturity and gumption beyond his years.


-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read William Kent Krueger’s bio.
-Click here to visit William Kent Krueger’s official website.
-Click here to connect with William Kent Krueger on Facebook.
-Click here to go behind the scenes of Atria's Great Mystery Bus Tour.

 
Click here to read more in our Sneak Peek Feature and enter the contest.
Special Contest: Win a Copy of Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler
We are celebrating the March 26th release of Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler with a special contest that will give 50 readers the opportunity to win an advance copy of the book. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, January 17th at noon ET.

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler (Historical Fiction)
When beautiful, reckless Southern belle Zelda Sayre meets F. Scott Fitzgerald at a country club dance in 1918, she is 17 years old and he is a young army lieutenant stationed in Alabama. Before long, the “ungettable” Zelda has fallen for him despite his unsuitability: Scott isn’t wealthy or prominent or even a Southerner, and keeps insisting, absurdly, that his writing will bring him both fortune and fame. Her father is deeply unimpressed. But after Scott sells his first novel, This Side of Paradise, to Scribner’s, Zelda optimistically boards a train north, to marry him in the vestry of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and take the rest as it comes. What comes, here at the dawn of the Jazz Age, is unimagined attention and success and celebrity that will make Scott and Zelda legends in their own time.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read Therese Anne Fowler’s bio.
-Click here to visit Therese Anne Fowler’s official website.

 
Click here to enter the contest.
New Paperback Spotlight: HOME FRONT by Kristin Hannah
HOME FRONT by Kristin Hannah (Fiction)
Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life --- children, careers, bills, chores --- even as their 12-year marriage is falling apart. Then an unexpected deployment sends Jolene deep into harm’s way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a solider she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own --- for everything that matters to his family.

HOME FRONT releases in paperback on January 8th.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to read Kristin Hannah’s bio.
-Visit Kristin Hannah’s official website and blog.
-Click here to connect with Kristin Hannah on Facebook.

 
Click here to read more in our Paperback Spotlight.
Now in Stores: THE TWELVE TRIBES OF HATTIE by Ayana Mathis --- The Newest Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 Selection
THE TWELVE TRIBES OF HATTIE by Ayana Mathis (Historical Fiction)
In 1923, 15-year-old Hattie Shepherd flees Georgia and settles in Philadelphia, hoping for a chance at a better life. Instead, she marries a man who will bring her nothing but disappointment and watches helplessly as her firstborn twins succumb to an illness a few pennies could have prevented. Hattie gives birth to nine more children whom she raises with grit and mettle and not an ounce of the tenderness they crave. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here for the reading group guide.

 
Click here to read a review.
Bookreporter.com Talks to Gregg Olsen, Author of FEAR COLLECTOR
New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen has written eight nonfiction books, six novels, and has contributed a short story to a collection edited by Lee Child. In this interview, conducted by Bookreporter.com’s Joe Hartlaub, Olsen talks about his latest thriller, FEAR COLLECTOR, which tells the story of two women obsessed with notorious serial killer Ted Bundy, and the many projects in which he is currently involved.

FEAR COLLECTOR by Gregg Olsen (Thriller)
For two women, Ted Bundy --- America’s most notorious serial killer --- is the ultimate obsession. One is a cop whose sister may have been one of Bundy’s victims. The other is a deranged groupie who corresponded with Bundy in prison and raised her son to finish what Bundy started. To charm and seduce innocent girls. To kidnap and brutalize more women than any serial killer in history. And to lure one obsessed cop into a trap as sick and demented as Bundy himself. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to read Gregg Olsen’s bio.
-Click here to read more in our Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight.

 
Click here to read our interview.
January’s New in Paperback Roundups
January’s New in Paperback roundups include the following highlights:

THE COLUMBUS AFFAIR by Steve Berry (Thriller)
When a controversial report from a war-torn region is exposed as a fraud, investigative journalist Tom Sagan's professional reputation crashes and burns. He is haunted by bad decisions and the shocking truth he can never prove: that his downfall was a deliberate act of sabotage by an unknown enemy. But before Sagan can end his life, fate intervenes in the form of an enigmatic stranger with a request that cannot be ignored.

CRIMINAL by Karin Slaughter (Mystery/Thriller)
Will Trent, an agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, has finally gotten his personal life in order. For the first time, he is starting to gain a life outside of solving the hardest --- and often darkest --- cases. But GBI’s newest investigation and its long-buried crimes threaten his new life and change everything he thought he knew about his past.

HOME by Toni Morrison (Historical Fiction)
Frank Money is an angry, self-loathing veteran of the Korean War who finds himself back in racist America with more than just physical scars. His home may seem alien to him, but he is shocked out of his crippling apathy by the need to rescue his medically abused younger sister and take her back to the small Georgia town that he’s hated all his life.

HEADING OUT TO WONDERFUL by Robert Goolrick (Fiction)
Recently back from the war in Europe, Charlie Beale shows up in the quiet town of Brownsburg, Virginia. His job at the local butcher shop gives him the opportunity to meet all the townsfolk, including a beautiful teenage bride. Ultimately, Charlie’s obsession with Sylvan Glass threatens to destroy everything and everyone in its path.

CROSSING THE BORDERS OF TIME: A True Love Story of War, Exile, and Love Reclaimed by Leslie Maitland (Memoir)
Leslie Maitland’s mother and grandparents fled Germany in 1938 for France, where, as Jews, they spent four years as refugees, the last two under risk of Nazi deportation. This sweeping account of one family’s escape from the turmoil of war-torn Europe hangs upon the intimate and deeply personal story of Maitland’s mother’s passionate romance with a Catholic Frenchman.

-Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of December 31st, January 7th, January 14th, January 21st and January 28th.
Featured One to Watch Author: Rosie Thomas, Author of THE KASHMIR SHAWL
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.

THE KASHMIR SHAWL releases on January 10th.

-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.

 
Click here to read more in our One to Watch Author Spotlight.
Celebrate World Book Night on April 23rd!
World Book Night U.S. is a celebration of books and reading held on April 23rd. On this night, 25,000 volunteers across America will be giving away 20 paperback books each from a select list within their communities to those who don’t regularly read. Last year, World Book Night was celebrated in the U.S., the UK, Ireland and Germany, and saw over 80,000 people gift more than 2.5 million books. You can see the complete list of this year’s titles, which were selected by a committee, here. They include books from authors like Margaret Atwood, Ray Bradbury, John Green, John Grisham, Hillary Jordan, Lisa Scottoline, David Sedaris, and many more.

If you’re interested in becoming a World Book Night U.S. book giver, all you have to do is fill out the online application. Click here for all the details. You will be asked what your first, second and third book choices are, why you wish to share these books, and where you will go to personally hand out the books. The deadline for all applications is Wednesday, January 23rd.

 
Click here to read more about World Book Night and to sign up to be a "book giver."
Share Your Group's Favorite Books of 2012!
This is the time of year when “Best Of” lists are everywhere. While we could compile one for ReadingGroupGuides.com, we prefer to hear what YOU have to say about this topic. What was your favorite book that your group read in 2012? We know it’s difficult for many of you to pick just one title, so feel free to select up to three. All you have to do is fill out the form on this page by Thursday, January 31st, and we’ll share the results in February. Please spread the word about this special opportunity to the members of your group as we want as many people to weigh in as possible.
 
Click here to share your group’s 2012 picks.
This Week’s Reviews
EMPIRE AND HONOR: An Honor Bound Novel by W. E. B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV (Thriller/Adventure)
In the closing months of World War II, the United States made a secret deal with the head of German intelligence’s Soviet section. In exchange for a treasure trove of intelligence, his people would be spirited to safety. If word got out, the U.S. would lose some of its best sources, not to mention its most valuable secrets. It’s up to Cletus Frade and his colleagues in the OSS to keep them all safe. But some people have other ideas. Reviewed by Judy Gigstad.

THE INTERCEPT: A Jeremy Fisk Novel by Dick Wolf (Thriller)
“Law & Order” creator Dick Wolf introduces NYPD intelligence officer Jeremy Fisk, who must unravel a tricky bombing plot cooked up by Osama bin Laden before his death. A few days before a Fourth of July gala at the new Freedom Tower building, five airline passengers and a female flight attendant overcome what appears to be a lone terrorist aiming to crash their plane in New York. Fisk determines that the bomber actually acted as a decoy for a Saudi nationalist on the plane who goes missing. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE WRATH OF ANGELS: A Charlie Parker Thriller by John Connolly (Thriller)
In the depths of the Maine woods, the wreckage of a plane is discovered. What it conceals is a list of names, a record of those who have struck a deal with the devil. Now a battle is about to commence between those who want the list to remain secret and those for whom it represents a crucial weapon in the struggle against the forces of darkness. The race to secure the prize draws in private detective Charlie Parker, who fears that his own name may be on the list. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE HOLY OR THE BROKEN: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of "Hallelujah" by Alan Light (Music)
When music legend Leonard Cohen first wrote and recorded “Hallelujah,” it was for an album rejected by his longtime record label. A decade later, Jeff Buckley reimagined the song for his much-anticipated debut album. Three years after that, Buckley would be dead, his album largely unknown, and “Hallelujah” still unreleased as a single. How did one obscure song become an international anthem for human triumph and tragedy? Reviewed by Jane Krebs.

TOO BRIGHT TO HEAR TOO LOUD TO SEE by Juliann Garey (Fiction)
Greyson Todd is a successful Hollywood studio executive who leaves his wife and young daughter, and for a decade travels the world giving free reign to the bipolar disorder he's been forced to keep hidden for almost 20 years. This novel intricately weaves together three timelines: the story of Greyson's travels; the progressive unraveling of his own father seen through Greyson's eyes as a child; and the intimacies and estrangements of his marriage. Reviewed by Carole Turner.

RATLINES by Stuart Neville (Historical Mystery)
As the Irish people prepare to welcome President John F. Kennedy to the land of his ancestors, a German national is murdered. This is the third foreigner to die within a few days, and Minister for Justice Charles Haughey wants the killing to end lest a shameful secret be exposed: the dead men were all Nazis granted asylum by the Irish government in the years following World War II. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE DEATH OF BEES by Lisa O'Donnell (Fiction)
After their parents die, sisters Marnie and Nelly are on their own. Only they know what happened to their parents, and they aren't telling. When Lennie, the old man next door, realizes his young neighbors are alone and need help, he offers to take them in. But questions from their friends, teachers and the authorities soon threaten to bring dark secrets about the girls' family to the surface. Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy.

ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes (Romance)
Lou Clark is living a pleasant but not extraordinary existence in her tiny British village when she must take the only decent job offered her --- as caretaker for a quadriplegic man named Will Traynor. She could never suspect that this career change will knock her off her expected life trajectory in the most profound way. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

ME AND THE DEVIL by Nick Tosches (Fiction)
An aging New Yorker, a writer named Nick, feels life ebbing out of him. One evening, at a dimly lit bar, he meets a tantalizing young woman, and the night that follows is the most extraordinary of his life. Propelled by uncontrollable, primordial desires, he tastes human blood for the first time and is filled with a sexual and spiritual ecstasy. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

MARGARET FROM MAINE by Joseph Monninger (Romance)
Margaret Kennedy lives on a dairy farm in rural Maine. Her husband Thomas --- injured in a war overseas --- will never be the man he was. When the President signs a bill in support of wounded veterans, Margaret is invited to the nation’s capital. Charlie King, a handsome Foreign Service officer, volunteers to escort her. As the rhododendron blossoms along the Blue Ridge Highway, the unlikely pair fall in love --- but Margaret cannot ignore the tug of her marriage vows. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

-Click here to see why we’re betting you’ll love this book.
Contests Running on Other Sites in TheBookReportNetwork.com
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!

ReadingGroupGuides.com

THE FEVER TREE by Jennifer McVeigh
We are celebrating the forthcoming release of THE FEVER TREE by Jennifer McVeigh --- a compelling portrait of colonial South Africa and a love story about how fear can blind us to the truth --- with a special contest. 50 readers will have the opportunity to each win an advance copy of the book, which will be in stores on April 4th, for their group. The deadline for entries is Monday, February 4th at noon ET.

ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART by Jane Green
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.

Teenreads.com


Word of Mouth
Send us your current reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. This contest period, one teen reader will be randomly chosen to win a copy of JANIE FACE TO FACE by Caroline B. Cooney and VICTORIA REBELS by Carolyn Meyer. The deadline for entries is Thursday, January 31st at noon ET.

FaithfulReader.com

CROSS ROADS by Wm. Paul Young
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.

FaithfulReader.com’s Monthly Contest

In our latest monthly contest, five readers will receive a copy of VANISHED, the first installment in Irene Hannon’s romantic suspense series, Private Justice. The deadline for entries is Monday, January 14th at noon ET.
This Week’s Poll and Question
Poll:

Do you belong to Goodreads?


Yes
No, but I am thinking of joining.
I was a member, but I no longer am.
I am a member, but I do not keep up with it.
No, I am not interested in this.
I do not know what Goodreads is.

-Click here to answer our poll.


Question:

What book that released for the first time in 2012 do you think was “The Book of the Year”? Since we know you may have trouble selecting just one, you can name up to three.

-Click here to answer our question.


Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading --- and You Could Win THREE Books!
Tell us your current reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from January 4th to January 18th, FIVE lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of ASHENDEN by Elizabeth Wilhide, CHANEL BONFIRE: A Memoir by Wendy Lawless and THE FIFTH ASSASSIN by Brad Meltzer.

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.

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Happy reading! Don't forget to forward this newsletter to a friend or to visit our other websites from TheBookReportNetwork.com: www.20SomethingReads.com, www.Teenreads.com, www.Kidsreads.com, www.ReadingGroupGuides.com, www.GraphicNovelReporter.com, www.FaithfulReader.com and www.AuthorsOnTheWeb.com.

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