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Bookreporter.com Newsletter |
February 8, 2013 |
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A Snowy Weekend Means Bread, Eggs, Milk…and Books
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Forget the snowstorm. The world may be ending. Both Greg and Cory, of their own volition, were cleaning their rooms last weekend. Cory redecorated with the help of his friends, Stephen and Josh. I was summoned after he was done to weigh in, and I was really impressed. I am not sure where this motivation came from, but I hope it continues. Maybe this will be something more exciting than shoveling this weekend. Which IS more exciting? Shoveling or excavating your room?
I have been watching “The Americans” on FX, and two episodes in I still am trying to figure out whether I like it or not. It is a 1980s Cold War show about a group of KGB officers who have been trained to impersonate American citizens, so that each one can become a sleeper agent, with a cover that may even include a spouse and family. As I watch, I keep getting distracted as I am seeing the stars in their former roles --- Keri Russell as Felicity and Matthew Rhys as Kevin Walker from “Brothers & Sisters.” I keep waiting for Sally Field to show up, but wait, she’s now playing Abe Lincoln’s wife. Watching TV shows and movies is so complicated trying to keep all these actors straight. Of course, when I was watching Lincoln, I kept expecting a Boniva commercial to start running with the White House as a backdrop. So much history goes into these careers. And oh, how I cringed for Sally Field at the Golden Globes when Anne Hathaway referenced her role in “The Flying Nun.”
I still am being terrified by “The Following,” though every once in a while I do hum “Footloose” when I see Kevin Bacon on the screen. But then someone gets slashed and brings me right back to reality. It's such a well-done show with so many shockers each week. I still have my eye on the female FBI agent character. I am not trusting her at all!
After many months of talking about the book on the site and with people I know, I’m happy to announce that THE PROMISE OF STARDUST is now in stores and is my latest Bookreporter.com Bets On pick! Priscille Sibley’s debut novel is a love story about a family torn apart by a medical crisis and the ethical dilemma of keeping a pregnant woman with no chance of recovery on life support for months in an attempt to give her unborn baby a chance. After I read the book back in July, I found myself wanting to talk about it with other readers. I loved the way it was crafted, and as the story unfolded, the issues became more and more complicated. While you may have one opinion at the beginning, the more you read, the more it may change. I cannot wait to hear what you think! Click here for more of my thoughts on the book.
Norah Piehl reviews the book this week and says, “THE PROMISE OF STARDUST is tailor-made for great discussions. Be prepared, though, for heated political conversations, as the novel addresses both right-to-die and anti-abortion topics head-on. But there are also plenty of interpersonal topics to explore, as readers can consider and discuss what they would do if they or a loved one faced a similarly impossible decision.” We’ve also posted an interview with Priscille, where she talks about her inspiration for writing a story that deals with huge moral issues and characters caught up in complex ethical dilemmas. Sooooo many of you have been asking when this book would be published after hearing about it last summer, so enjoy! And if you are in a book club, take note of it.
Lisa Gardner takes a break from her Detective D. D. Warren series to write a stand-alone thriller, TOUCH & GO. Investigator Tessa Leoni (who first appeared in Gardner's 2011 book, LOVE YOU MORE) arrives at the crime scene in the home of Justin and Libby Denbe, a couple who seemed to have it all but now appears to have been abducted. Tessa knows better than anyone that even the most perfect façades can hide the darkest secrets. Now she must race against the clock to uncover the Denbes’ innermost dealings, a complex tangle of friendships and betrayal, big business and small sacrifices.
Reviewer Joe Hartlaub has this to say about the book: “Gardner truly pulls out all the stops in TOUCH & GO. Frequent changes in point of view --- from the investigation to the captives and back --- keep things rolling as the narrative shifts reveal just enough to keep the reader a step or two ahead of Tessa, but no more than that.” We also have an interview with Lisa, where she talks about the development of her characters and the anxiety she felt as she toured a prison, which served as part of her research for the book.
Jane Porter’s Brennan Sisters trilogy that began with THE GOOD WOMAN continues in THE GOOD DAUGHTER, which released this week. Good girl Kit Brennan has always put the needs of others ahead of her own. However, the time has arrived when she must decide whether to remain a slave to family and friends, or choose to cut loose and finally live her life on her own terms. We’re giving 25 readers the chance to win both THE GOOD WOMAN and THE GOOD DAUGHTER. All you have to do is fill out this form by Tuesday, February 19th at noon ET.
Amie Taylor has our review and says, “While some readers may grow frustrated with Kit's continued ability to put her needs last, others will applaud her selfless love for those around her. No matter which side of the fence you're on, you'll still want to see Kit find the happiness and satisfaction that she so richly deserves after many years of serving others.” I have read both THE GOOD WOMAN and THE GOOD DAUGHTER, and I love the Brennans!
Also out this week is SWOON: Great Seducers and Why Women Love Them by Betsy Prioleau, whose last book, SEDUCTRESS: Women Who Ravished the World and Their Lost Art of Love, was published in 2003. The findings are surprising. Contrary to popular perception, men who beguile women belie the familiar stereotypes --- the rakes, players, and rich providers --- and possess a cache of powerful erotic secrets we haven’t heard about. They answer one of history’s oldest questions: What do women want? Drawing on a wealth of disciplines, SWOON brings ladies’ men to light --- their charisma, characters and amorous arts --- and tells their dramatic stories.
According to reviewer Rebecca Kilberg, “Prioleau covers her bases; she includes information from evolutionary theory, literature, history, popular culture, and primary sources (often in the form of interviews with men who have been identified by anonymous women as Lotharios). For those reading the book for more than its entertainment value, the credibility her research loans the work is a boon. It is also rather unusual to encounter a book that is enjoyable on both sensual and cerebral levels.” We’re also pleased to share this interview with Betsy, where she reveals her motivation for writing both books and names who she thinks today’s ladies’ men are.
I attended the launch party for SWOON last night with two of our staffers, Tom Donadio and Josh Mallory, and we all had a wonderful time. Betsy looked stunning (as you can see in the picture above), and we dished about the men we swoon after while enjoying cocktails. I must further analyze whether Daniel Craig is swoon-worthy. Bring on another viewing of Casino Royale!
This week we introduce our New Release Spotlight, which gives us an opportunity to feature a book the same week as its on-sale date with about the book copy, a review, an excerpt, and information about the author. Our first title for this feature is AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF US by Aria Beth Sloss, which I wrote about a few weeks ago. Coming of age in Pasadena, California during the 1960s, Rebecca Madden and her friend, Alex, dream of lives beyond their mothers' narrow expectations. Their struggle to define themselves against the backdrop of an American cultural revolution unites them early on. But then, on one sweltering evening the summer before their last year of college, a single act of betrayal changes everything. Decades later, Rebecca’s haunting meditation on the past reveals the truth about that night, the years that followed, and the friendship that shaped her.
Terry Miller Shannon has our review and calls AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF US “an immersive and intense experience wherein the reader finds herself actually seeming to live Rebecca's life, feeling her emotions in full living color. The characters are so three-dimensional, they could step off the page. While this is far from a feel-good type of tale, I could barely tear myself away from it --- and I gasped out loud at the conclusion, which is pitch-perfect and tremendously satisfying.” I am cautioning you…NO reading ahead! Read much more about the book in this very insightful interview with the author. Next week, I will share why I am making it a Bets On selection.
Our latest Paperback Spotlight title is A GOOD AMERICAN, which was a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick when it published in hardcover last February and now is available in paperback. Alex George’s debut tells the story of the Meisenheimer family from the perspective of James, a third-generation American living in Beatrice, Missouri. It’s where his German grandparents --- Frederick and Jette --- found themselves after journeying across the turbulent Atlantic, fording the flood-swollen Mississippi, and being brought to a sudden halt by the broken water of the pregnant Jette. A GOOD AMERICAN tells of Jette’s dogged determination to feed a town sauerkraut and soul food; the loves and losses of her children, Joseph and Rosa; and the precocious voices of James and his brothers, sometimes raised in discord, other times in perfect harmony. Click here to read our review, and you can read my thoughts about the book here.
By the way, I am attending the American Booksellers Association’s Winter Institute in Kansas City in two weeks, and there is one book selected for discussion at this event: A GOOD AMERICAN. As the book is set in Missouri, it's perfect. And I can rest easy as I “did my homework” already!
A GOOD AMERICAN is one of the books you can find in our New in Paperback roundups for February. Others include THE FALLEN ANGEL by Daniel Silva, COME HOME by Lisa Scottoline, SO PRETTY IT HURTS: A Bailey Weggins Mystery by Kate White, DEFENDING JACOB by William Landay, and WIFE 22 by Melanie Gideon. Find out what else is releasing in paperback for the weeks of February 4th, February 11th, February 18th and February 25th.
Our Books on Screen feature has also been updated for February. The highlights for this month include Safe Haven, an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’s bestselller starring Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough that releases on Valentine’s Day; the season three resumption of “The Walking Dead,” which premieres this Sunday at 9:00pm ET/PT on AMC (I am looking forward to this); and the DVD release of Lincoln on February 26th. Click here for the complete listings.
We’ve extended the deadline for our Valentine’s Day contests on Bookreporter.com and Teenreads.com to give you until Monday to enter. On this site, we’re giving five people the opportunity to win 10 love-themed books along with some delicious Ghirardelli chocolate. All you have to do is click here and let us know which character from a book you’d like to share a Valentine moment with. You now can enter by Monday, February 11th at noon ET for your chance to win.
If you know any teenagers, please spread the word to them about the Valentine’s Day Contest on Teenreads.com. Like the promotion on Bookreporter.com, teens can enter for their chance to win some great titles, plus a "Story Crush" coffee mug, heart-shaped Peeps, and Dove chocolates. Have them click here to enter by Monday, February 11th at noon ET and let us know which character from a book they would like to share a Valentine moment with.
Our poll continues where we ask how close to your home (and, if you work, your office) your nearest bookstore is. Click here to vote!
Our current Word of Mouth contest ends next Friday, February 15th at noon ET. Let us know what you’re reading before then for your chance to win TOUCH & GO, along with A WEEK IN WINTER (the late Maeve Binchy’s last novel) and THE HOUSE GIRL by Tara Conklin.
We’re approaching the launch of our Spring Preview Contests; the first one will start on February 19th! If you would like to be alerted as to what the featured prize book of the day will be, then click here to sign up for the Spring Preview Contest newsletter. It’s also a great way to get a jump on the books we KNOW people will be talking about in the months ahead.
Speaking of books releasing in the months ahead, Jamie Ford, author of HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET, stopped by our office on Wednesday, and you can see us pictured above. (Lest you think I did not change clothes all week, Wednesday was also the night of Betsy's party...hence the same outfit!) It was wonderful catching up with him, and he shared the title of his next novel, SONGS OF WILLOW FROST, which releases on September 10th. I did not ask him much about it; I don’t like to pry when a book is still being hatched, and I also like to be surprised, but from what he told me, I can see that those who loved HOTEL the way that I did will be adding this to their “to be read” piles. We'll have much more about this book leading up to its publication date!
The Grammys air this Sunday, and each year they give out an award for Best Spoken Word Album. This year the five nominated titles in this category are AMERICAN GROWN: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America, by Michelle Obama; BACK TO WORK: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy, by Bill Clinton; DRIFT: The Unmooring of American Military Power, by Rachel Maddow, SERIOUSLY...I’M KIDDING by Ellen DeGeneres; and SOCIETY’S CHILD: My Autobiography, by Janis Ian.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all! May Cupid pull back his arrow and shoot books to your bookshelves and eReaders. Around our house, we have the gorgeous red amaryllis that you see above in full bloom. This is what happens when you plant the slow-growing bulbs in early December. They strut their stuff for Valentine’s Day! Think about this for all of you who love to get flowers. Trust me….a bloom like this is hard to beat with a dozen roses.
Speaking of BIG flowers, I was driving into the city the other day listening to CNN on Sirius/XM, and I heard about a place where you can get 6’ roses and 6’ teddy bears for Valentine’s Day. Now I personally find books are far more practical and wise as a choice, but I had to share this link for pure humor. Remember, roses die…and stuffed bears take up a lot of room, but books live on --- and you can get many books for the price of those roses and bears!
Here’s to cocooning on the couch with a book this weekend as the winds howl, the flurries fly, and the snow dumps! 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
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An Interview with Priscille Sibley, Author of THE PROMISE OF STARDUST --- Our Latest "Bookreporter.com Bets On" Title
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Priscille Sibley’s debut novel, THE PROMISE OF STARDUST, is a love story about a family torn apart by a medical crisis and the ethical dilemma of keeping a pregnant woman with no chance of recovery on life support for months in an attempt to give her unborn baby a chance. In this interview, Sibley talks about her inspiration for writing a story that deals with tough and at times unimaginable moral issues, the challenges she faced in capturing the perspective and voice of her male character, and the ways in which the book can be considered somewhat autobiographical.
THE PROMISE OF STARDUST by Priscille Sibley (Fiction)
I enjoy reading novels that both entertain and pose an idea that makes me think. Priscille Sibley’s debut novel, THE PROMISE OF STARDUST, does just that. It is the story of a family torn apart by a medical crisis and the ethical dilemma that erupts from it. Matt Beaulieu and Elle McClure were childhood friends who grew up and got married. But after an accident leaves her with severe brain damage and no hope of recovery, Matt agrees to take her off life support until he finds out that she is pregnant. Not everyone believes it is possible to save the baby Elle is carrying, and some believe it is morally wrong to keep her on the ventilator because she has an advanced health care directive that states that she would never want extraordinary measures taken to extend her life.
-Click here to read more of Carol's thoughts on the book.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here for advance reader comments about the book.
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Click here to read the interview. |
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An Interview with Lisa Gardner, Author of TOUCH & GO
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Lisa Gardner takes a break from her Detective D. D. Warren series to write TOUCH & GO, a stand-alone novel that marks the return of private investigator Tessa Leoni, who was introduced to readers two years ago in LOVE YOU MORE. In this interview, Gardner explains where the idea for her latest thriller originated and describes the anxiety she felt as she toured a recently built prison, which served as part of her research for the book. She also talks about the development of her characters, sheds light on her writing schedule, and reveals her literary role models.
TOUCH & GO by Lisa Gardner (Thriller)
Investigator Tessa Leoni arrives at the crime scene in the home of Justin and Libby Denbe, a couple who seemed to have it all but now appears to have been abducted. Tessa knows better than anyone that even the most perfect façades can hide the darkest secrets. Now she must race against the clock to uncover the Denbes’ innermost dealings, a complex tangle of friendships and betrayal, big business and small sacrifices. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
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Click here to read the interview. |
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Special Contest: Win a Copy of THE GOOD WOMAN and THE GOOD DAUGHTER by Jane Porter
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We are celebrating the release of THE GOOD DAUGHTER, the second book in Jane Porter's Brennan Sisters trilogy, with a special contest that will give 25 readers the opportunity to win a copy of the novel, along with the first book in the series, THE GOOD WOMAN.
To enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, February 19th at noon ET.
THE GOOD WOMAN by Jane Porter (Fiction)
Years of being “the good woman” have taken a toll on Meg; she feels burned out and empty, and more disconnected than ever from her increasingly distant husband. Lonely and disheartened, she attends the London Wine Fair with her boss, Chad Hallahan. It’s here, alone together in an exotic city, that Chad confesses his long-standing desire for Meg. An overwhelmed Meg returns home, only to suddenly question every choice she’s ever made.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
THE GOOD DAUGHTER by Jane Porter (Fiction)
Kit Brennan has always been the most grounded of her sisters. A Catholic school English teacher for 17 years, Kit's decisions have always been sound --- but not too satisfying. When a girls' weekend away gives Kit a much-needed reprieve, she meets a dangerous man who challenges everything she thought she was --- or should be. Now Kit must decide: will she finally let her desires take flight, or will she continue to be the good daughter?
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
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Click here to enter the contest. |
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Introducing Bookreporter.com's New Release Spotlight: Our First Featured Title --- AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF US by Aria Beth Sloss
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Our New Release Spotlight gives us an opportunity to feature a book the same week as its on-sale date with an about the book summary, a review, an excerpt, and author information.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF US by Aria Beth Sloss (Fiction)
Coming of age in the patrician neighborhood of Pasadena, California during the 1960s, Rebecca Madden and her beautiful, reckless friend Alex dream of lives beyond their mothers' narrow expectations. Their struggle to define themselves against the backdrop of an American cultural revolution unites them early on, until one sweltering evening the summer before their last year of college, when a single act of betrayal changes everything. Decades later, Rebecca’s haunting meditation on the past reveals the truth about that night, the years that followed, and the friendship that shaped her.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read Aria Beth Sloss’s bio.
-Click here to read an interview with Aria Beth Sloss.
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Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight. |
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New Paperback Spotlight: A GOOD AMERICAN by Alex George
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A GOOD AMERICAN by Alex George (Historical Fiction)
This is the story of the Meisenheimer family, told by James, a third-generation American living in Beatrice, Missouri. It’s where his German grandparents --- Frederick and Jette --- found themselves after journeying across the turbulent Atlantic, fording the flood-swollen Mississippi, and being brought to a sudden halt by the broken water of the pregnant Jette. A GOOD AMERICAN tells of Jette’s dogged determination to feed a town sauerkraut and soul food; the loves and losses of her children, Joseph and Rosa; and the precocious voices of James and his brothers, sometimes raised in discord…sometimes in perfect harmony.
-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 see why we're betting you'll love this book.
-Click here to read Alex George’s bio.
-Click here to read an interview with Alex George.
-Click here to visit Alex George’s official website.
-Click here to connect with Alex George on Facebook.
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Click here to read more in our Paperback Spotlight. |
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Paperback Spotlight: AGENT 6 by Tom Rob Smith
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AGENT 6 by Tom Rob Smith (Historical Thriller)
Tom Rob Smith's debut, CHILD 44, was an immediate publishing sensation and marked the arrival of a major new talent in contemporary fiction. Named one of top 100 thrillers of all time by NPR, it hit bestseller lists around the world, won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award and the ITW Thriller Award for Best First Novel, and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
In this spellbinding new novel, Tom Rob Smith probes the tenuous border between love and obsession as Leo Demidov struggles to untangle the threads of a devastating conspiracy that shatters everything he holds dear. Deftly capturing the claustrophobic intensity of the Cold War-era Soviet Union, it's at once a heart-pounding thriller and a richly atmospheric novel of extraordinary depth.
AGENT 6, which released last year in hardcover, is now available in paperback.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read critical praise.
-Click here to watch the book trailer.
-Click here to visit the publisher’s book page.
-Click here to read Tom Rob Smith’s bio.
-Click here to visit Tom Rob Smith’s official website.
-Connect with Tom Rob Smith on Facebook and Twitter.
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Click here to read more in our Paperback Spotlight. |
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Paperback Spotlight: FIREFLY LANE by Kristin Hannah --- Read it Now Before the Follow-up, FLY AWAY, Releases on April 23rd
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Typically in our Paperback Spotlights, we feature either paperback originals or paperback reprints of hardcovers that recently released. FIREFLY LANE by Kristin Hannah doesn't fall into either category as it was published in paperback in 2009. But we wanted to bring this book to your attention in anticipation of the April 23rd release of its follow-up, FLY AWAY, where readers will have a chance to revisit the characters from FIREFLY LANE --- or meet them for the first time. The backstory is so well-told that FLY AWAY can easily work as a stand-alone, but if you haven't read FIREFLY LANE yet, we suggest you do so before the new novel's publication. And you will understand why those who read it five years ago are so eager to see what happened to these characters.
FIREFLY LANE by Kristin Hannah (Fiction)
In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all --- beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable.
So begins Kristin Hannah’s magnificent novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, FIREFLY LANE is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.
-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 critical praise.
-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.
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Click here to read more in our Paperback Spotlight. |
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An Interview with Betsy Prioleau, Author of SWOON
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In 2003’s SEDUCTRESS, Betsy Prioleau examined history’s most powerful sirens --- women who used their smarts, charm and desirability to conquer and fascinate the men of their choosing. Ten years later, she has written about their male counterparts in SWOON: Great Seducers and Why Women Love Them. In this interview, Prioleau discusses her fascination with people who always seem to get lucky in love and enchant everyone around them. She also compares and contrasts the ladies’ men of yesterday and today, talks about the findings that surprised her the most from her research, and explains why she believes women need ladies’ men now more than ever.
SWOON: Great Seducers and Why Women Love Them by Betsy Prioleau (Relationships/Gender Studies)
Contrary to popular myth and dogma, the men who consistently beguile women belie the familiar stereotypes. As Betsy Prioleau points out, legendary ladies’ men are a different, complex species altogether, often without looks or money. Prioleau cuts through the cultural lore and reveals who these master lovers really are and the arts they practice to enswoon women. Reviewed by Rebecca Kilberg.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to visit Betsy Prioleau’s official website.
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Click here to read the interview. |
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February’s New in Paperback Roundups
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February’s New in Paperback roundups include the following highlights:
THE FALLEN ANGEL by Daniel Silva (Thriller)
Called on to investigate the death of a beautiful woman in Rome, Gabriel Allon fights against police who have already ruled her death a suicide and the Vatican’s “don’t ask too many questions” rule to uncover the truth. But along the way, he must also penetrate a criminal smuggling network and encounter an old enemy plotting revenge that puts himself and those he holds dear on the razor’s edge of danger.
COME HOME by Lisa Scottoline (Fiction)
Jill Farrow is a typical suburban mom who has finally gotten her and her daughter's lives back on track after a divorce. But Jill’s life is turned upside down when her ex-stepdaughter, Abby, shows up on her doorstep late one night and delivers shocking news: Jill’s ex-husband is dead.
SO PRETTY IT HURTS: A Bailey Weggins Mystery by Kate White (Mystery)
When crime reporter Bailey Weggins attends a celebrity-filled weekend house party in the New York countryside, the sudden death of supermodel Devon Barr during an impromptu snowstorm lands Bailey in the midst of a murder investigation that threatens her personal safety and the future of her career with the gossip magazine Buzz.
DEFENDING JACOB by William Landay (Psychological Thriller)
Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than 20 years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a crime shatters their New England town, Andy is shocked to learn that Jacob is charged with the murder of a fellow student.
WIFE 22 by Melanie Gideon (Fiction)
Alice Buckle sees herself as a wife, mother, drama teacher, Facebook chatter, downloader of memories and Googler of solutions. Then an anonymous online study called “Marriage in the 21st Century” shows up in her inbox. She becomes Wife 22 and is assigned a caseworker (Researcher 101). Along the way, she shares her innermost thoughts and secrets in this survey, and her confessions end up making some sparks fly.
-Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of February 4th, February 11th, February 18th and February 25th.
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Books on Screen for February
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February’s Book on Screen feature includes the following highlights:
Safe Haven
In Theaters February 14th
Based on SAFE HAVEN by Nicholas Sparks
A young woman with a mysterious past movies to Southport, North Carolina. She plans to try to move on and forget her past, but when she finds herself falling in love with a widower, she will be forced to confront the secrets that haunt her.
Beautiful Creatures
In Theaters February 14th
Based on BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Seventeen-year-old Ethan Wate has a recurring dream where he is trying to reach a mysterious girl on a Civil War battlefield. Every time he has this dream, he feels an unknown danger, and before he can reach her, he is always killed by a lightning bolt. However, this dream is preferable to Ethan’s real life with his withdrawn father in a small, behind-the-times South Carolina town. At least until Lena Duchannes arrives. Lena is a Caster, and a curse looms for her as she approaches her 16th birthday. Will this curse drag Lena and Ethan into a web from which they cannot escape?
“The Walking Dead”
Season 3 resumes on Sunday, February 10th at 9pm ET/PT
Based on THE WALKING DEAD by Robert Kirkman
Based on one of the most successful and popular comic books of all time, written by Robert Kirkman, AMC’s "The Walking Dead" captures the ongoing human drama following a zombie apocalypse. The series follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln (Love Actually, Teachers, Strike Back), who are traveling in search of a safe and secure home. However, instead of the zombies, it is the living who remain that truly become the walking dead.
“Parade’s End”
Airs February 26th (9:00-11:05pm ET/PT), 27th (9:00-11:05pm) and 28th (9:00-10:00pm)
Based on PARADE’S END by Ford Madox Ford
From the reliable comforts of Edwardian England to the chaos and destruction of the First World War, the early 20th century was a defining era in history, a time of unprecedented change, when old certainties were being torn down. The long golden afternoons of the pre-war years would be shattered by the most destructive war the world had ever known, and countless lives would be changed forever. Set against this backdrop of impending catastrophe is the story of English aristocrat Christopher Tietjens, trapped in a marriage to an unfaithful wife, and caught between his commitment to the values of Toryism and his unspoken love for a fearless young suffragette.
Lincoln
On DVD February 26th
Based on TEAM OF RIVALS by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Steven Spielberg directs two-time Academy Award® winner Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln, a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President’s tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.
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Click here to see all the movies, TV shows and DVDs featured in February's Books on Screen. |
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Bookreporter.com's Eighth Annual Valentine's Day Contest --- The Deadline Has Been Extended to Monday, February 11th at noon ET!
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Valentine's Day is right around the corner! Are you stuck on what to buy your Valentine? Or perhaps you’re looking to treat yourself to something special? We have the bookish answer. From now through February 11th, readers will have the chance to win one of our five Bookreporter.com Valentine's Day prize packages, which includes one copy of each of our featured books and some delicious Ghirardelli chocolate.
To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, February 11th at noon ET and let us know which character from a book you’d like to spend a Valentine moment with.
Our featured Valentine’s Day titles are:
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Click here to enter the contest. |
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This Week’s Reviews
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SCHRODER by Amity Gaige (Fiction)
Attending a New England summer camp, young Eric Schroder adopts the last name Kennedy to more easily fit in. SCHRODER relates the story of Eric's urgent escape years later to Lake Champlain, Vermont, with his six-year-old daughter in an attempt to outrun the authorities amid a heated custody battle with his wife, who will soon discover that her husband is not who he says he is. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
INSANE CITY by Dave Barry (Humor/Suspense)
Seth Weinstein knew Tina was way out of his league, so it’s astonishing that he was on the plane now for their destination wedding in Florida. In the next several hours, he and his friends will become embroiled with rioters, Russian gangsters, angry strippers, a pimp as big as the Death Star, a very desperate Haitian refugee on the run with her two children from some very bad men, and an 11-foot albino Burmese python named Blossom. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
THE BURN PALACE by Stephen Dobyns (Thriller)
One night, Alice Alessio --- also known as Nurse Spandex --- is given the surprise of her life. Coming back from a secret tryst with a doctor, she peeks in to check on the newborn baby she was supposed to be watching, and finds a huge, writhing red-and-yellow snake in the bassinet instead. So begins the series of strange and disturbing events that start to plague a sleepy little community and confound the police. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
TENTH OF DECEMBER: Stories by George Saunders (Fiction/Short Stories)
The 10 stories in George Saunders’s latest collection demonstrate why he is considered a modern master of short fiction. From “Victory Lap,” the tale of an attempted abduction, to “The Semplica Girl Diaries,” in which families employ Asian women as live garden ornaments, Saunders’s gift for inventive plots and vivid detail and his ability to home in on moments that quickly define character have never been used to more stunning effect. Believe the hype. Reviewed by Michael Magras.
FRANCONA: The Red Sox Years by Terry Francona and Dan Shaughnessy (Sports)
From 2004 to 2011, Terry Francona managed the Boston Red Sox, one of the most talked-about and scrutinized teams in all of sports. In FRANCONA, the legendary manager opens up for the first time about his eight years there, as they went from cursed franchise to one of the most successful and profitable in baseball history. Reviewed by Ron Kaplan.
THE LOVE SONG OF JONNY VALENTINE by Teddy Wayne (Fiction)
Eleven-year-old megastar Jonny Valentine knows that the fans don’t love him for who he is. But within the marketing machine, somewhere, this talented singer is still a vulnerable little boy, perplexed by his budding sexuality and his heartthrob status, dependent on his hard-partying manager-mother, and endlessly searching for his absent father in Internet fan sites, lonely emails, and the crowds of faceless fans. Reviewed by Josh Mallory.
THE GOLDEN CALF: An Inspector Irene Huss Investigation by Helene Tursten (Mystery)
Three men have been shot in one of Göteborg's most fashionable neighborhoods, sending Detective Inspector Irene Huss and her colleagues on a goose chase through a tony world of expensive cars and fancy homes. All three victims seem to be tied to one person, the glamorous dot-com darling Sanna Kaegler-Ceder. But Sanna is not speaking, even when her own life seems to be at stake. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
ALL THIS TALK OF LOVE by Christopher Castellani (Fiction)
It’s been 50 years since Antonio Grasso married Maddalena and brought her to America. Their daughter, Prima, hatches the idea to take the entire family back to Italy --- hoping to reunite Maddalena with her estranged sister and let her parents see their homeland one last time. It is an idea that threatens to tear the Grasso family apart, until fate deals them some unwelcome surprises, and their trip home becomes a necessary journey. Reviewed by Jennifer Romanello.
THE CLOUD by Matt Richtel (Thriller)
Disoriented and bloodied after a near-deadly fall onto the subway tracks, freelance journalist Nat Idle is positive that the man who had barreled into him did not do so accidentally. On a quest to find out why this was done to him, Nat uncovers a slew of mysterious deaths and a bizarre neurological disorder that is affecting the minds of Bay Area children. Can Nat solve the mystery without being able to trust his own mind? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
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Contests Running on Other Sites in TheBookReportNetwork.com
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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
SWEET SALT AIR by Barbara Delinsky
We currently are offering a very special opportunity to our readers. 250 book clubs have the chance to win up to 12 advance copies each of SWEET SALT AIRby Barbara Delinsky --- which releases on June 18th --- provided that members of the winning groups agree to discuss the book at their April, May or June meeting; email friends and tell them about the book; and post comments or feedback about the book and/or their discussion on Barbara Delinsky’s Facebook page, their personal Facebook pages, Twitter accounts or blogs. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, March 5th at noon ET.
THE GOOD DAUGHTER by Jane Porter
We are celebrating the release of THE GOOD DAUGHTER, the second installment in Jane Porter’s Brennan Sisters trilogy (following THE GOOD WOMAN), with a contest that we have never done before. Here, Jane will fly to meet with one book group and take them to dinner to discuss The Good Daughter. You’ll select a mutually acceptable date in May, June or July, and Jane will host an evening with you at a restaurant local to your group. Also, each member of the group will be awarded a copy of the book, which will be shipped in early March once the contest ends. Three other groups will win 12 copies of the book, along with an opportunity to chat with Jane via phone or Skype at a mutually convenient time. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, March 5th at noon ET.
“What Are You Reading?” Monthly Contest Feature
Let us know what your group is reading in February, and you will be entered in a giveaway to win multiple copies of a book for your group! Our latest prize book is THE PROMISE OF STARDUST by Priscille Sibley, an emotionally resonant and thought-provoking novel that raises profound questions about life, death, faith and medicine, and gracefully illuminates the power of love to hurt and to heal. We have 12 copies of the book, which is now in stores, to give away to three groups. The deadline for entries is Monday, March 4th at noon ET.
20SomethingReads.com
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
In anticipation of the February 5th release of SCARLET --- the second book in Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series, which retells the story of Little Red Riding Hood --- we’re giving five readers the opportunity to win a copy of both CINDER and SCARLET. The deadline for entries is Thursday, March 28th at noon ET.
Teenreads.com
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
In anticipation of the February 5th release of SCARLET --- the second book in Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series, which retells the story of Little Red Riding Hood --- we’re giving five readers the opportunity to win a copy of both CINDER and SCARLET. The deadline for entries is Thursday, March 28th at noon ET.
Valentine’s Day Contest and Feature
The countdown to February 14th is on! And we're spreading the love with our Valentine's Day Contest and Feature. From now through February 11th at noon ET, readers will have the chance to win one of our five Teenreads.com Valentine's Day prize packages, which includes one copy of each of our featured books, along with a “Story Crush” coffee mug, heart-shaped Peeps and Dove chocolates.
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 CRASH AND BURN by Michael Hassan and OUT OF THE EASY by Ruta Sepetys. The deadline for entries is Friday, March 1st at noon ET.
Kidsreads.com
HOKEY POKEY by Jerry Spinelli
To celebrate the release of HOKEY POKEY, Jerry Spinelli's fable of leaving childhood behind and entering the new adventures of adolescence, Kidsreads.com is giving 10 readers the chance to win a copy of the book. The deadline for entries is Friday, March 15th at noon ET.
FaithfulReader.com
HOME RUN by Travis Thrasher
We are celebrating the March 1st release of HOME RUN by Travis Thrasher with a special contest that will give 25 readers the opportunity to win a copy of the book, which is based on the major motion picture starring Vivica A. Fox and Scott Elrod. In addition, one of these winners will be awarded a Fandango gift card so he or she can take four friends to see the film when it opens on April 19th. The deadline for entries is Friday, March 8th at noon ET.
FaithfulReader.com’s Monthly Contest
In our latest monthly contest, 10 readers will receive a copy of BEYOND ORDINARY: When a Good Marriage Just Isn't Good Enough, in which Justin and Trisha Davis reveal how they turned their ordinary marriage into a truly extraordinary one. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, February 12th at noon ET. |
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This Week’s Poll and Word of Mouth Contest
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Poll:
How close to your home is your nearest physical bookstore? (This can be a chain or an indie.)
1-10 minutes
11-20 minutes
21-30 minutes
31-45 minutes
46-60 minutes
More than one hour away
I’m not sure.
If you work, how close to your office is your nearest physical bookstore? (This can be a chain or an indie.)
1-10 minutes
11-20 minutes
21-30 minutes
31-45 minutes
46-60 minutes
More than one hour away
I’m not sure.
I do not work.
-Click here to answer the 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 February 1st to February 15th, FIVE lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE HOUSE GIRL by Tara Conklin, TOUCH & GO by Lisa Gardner and A WEEK IN WINTER by Maeve Binchy.
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.
-Click here to enter the contest.
-To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
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