February 15, 2013

When we left off last week, snow was in the air. I am pleased to report that the Fitzgerald men enjoyed it with tractor snow blowing (Tom), skiing (Cory) and winter hiking (Greg). I was content to read, knit and bake the Valentine’s Day cake --- and take a walk once the skies turned blue again. I definitely like the snow better when it is set against a blue sky. Gray is such a drag.

There’s been a lot of talk around our office this week about “House of Cards,” which is an original series on Netflix, based on the book by Michael Dobbs. One of our readers, Mary Lou, wrote me about it during the week, which spurred conversation with the staff. Liz finished the whole series and loved it, and Alina is an episode or two ahead of me as I am watching at least two episodes a night. It’s about a Congressman in DC and the very clandestine behind-the-scenes politicking that goes on there to maneuver things the way he wants. While it’s complete fiction, it feels like it could be laced with fact. I understand there is a British production as well also available on Netflix that I now want to check out.

Funny Netflix story. Last weekend we watched Mission: Impossible IV: Ghost Protocol. I completely forgot that I had seen this in the theater with Cory and his friend, Josh, last year as I wanted to see the scenes in Dubai in IMAX. I am here to attest that they are just as scary on the small screen. By the way, this was a case of the misplaced video. I literally have had this in the house since mid-December; it was lost between a stack of newspapers. I often wonder WHAT they think when movies are gone for months on end. By the way, I went to see the original Mission: Impossible in the months before we launched our first site, which went on to become Bookreporter.com. The title seemed so aptly themed!

One more broadcast note before we move on to books. I heard this week that “Do No Harm” was cancelled; it had “a paltry 3.1 million viewers.” This made me laugh; if there were 3.1 million readers of a book, there would be an endless stream of press articles about it as a smashing success instead of it being dashed into disgrace.

Speaking of press about books, I was quoted in a USA Today piece this week where Deirdre Donahue looked at a group of books where the theme seems to be “the women behind the men.” It includes mentions of THE AVIATOR’S WIFE and Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, both of which we have shared with you on this site, as well as ABOVE ALL THINGS by Tanis Rideout, which we are reviewing this week. When George Mallory leaves England to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1924, he leaves his young wife, Ruth, behind. Ruth and the rest of the country wait in anticipation, hoping that his successful expedition will reclaim some of England’s lost glory.

Our reviewer, Melanie Smith, calls ABOVE ALL THINGS “a fantastic novel on a subject that is terrifying, shocking, wondrous, achingly sad, and a part of recorded history. This is an immensely interesting, romantic read that will appeal strongly to mountaineers and nature/adventure seekers of all dispositions.” I have long stood in awe of those who climb tall mountains like Everest and love reading about these climbs. The details to be taken into account to be part of this adventure always intrigue me, and looking at this in 1924 instead of 2013 shows that the power of the mountain has not changed. And seen through Ruth's eyes, the story has a very strong emotional feel. Rideout does a fabulous job of driving this story forward and building anticipation.

We’re excited to share reviews of two other debut novels that have been getting lots of pre-publication buzz and just released in stores this week.

First up is THE HOUSE GIRL by Tara Conklin, which I talked about in the newsletter two weeks ago. Lina Sparrow is a young attorney who is called in by her firm to work on a historic class-action lawsuit seeking reparations for the descendants of American slaves. As she is working on this case, she learns from her father, Oscar, who is a renowned artist, that there is a controversy in the art world. Art historians are saying that the paintings of Lu Anne Bell, an antebellum artist whose work portrayed the slaves working her Virginia tobacco farm, were actually done by her house slave, Josephine. If Lina can find one of Josephine’s descendants, it would bring more credence to her case. The book jumps back and forth between Virginia in 1852 and New York in 2004. And what unfolds are some secrets from Lina’s life, as well as those about the historical mystery of the paintings.

Melanie Smith says this in her review: “THE HOUSE GIRL is a thoughtful work of fiction about freedom, love, and the continued price for former slaves with modern descendants. Conklin creates a convincing case of an unrecognized injustice with a novel that is both legalistic and artistic. This is a story of personal and national identity that you won’t want to miss.” We also bring you an interview with Conklin, where she reveals, among other things, how reading a Virginia Woolf biography helped inspire her to write THE HOUSE GIRL. I really enjoyed this book…and there is much to think about long after you have finished reading it.

The other highly-anticipated debut novel of the week is THREE GRAVES FULL by Jamie Mason. More than a year ago, mild-mannered Jason Getty killed a man he wished he’d never met. Then he planted the problem a little too close to home. But just as he’s learning to live with the undeniable reality of what he’s done, police unearth two bodies on his property --- neither of which is the one Jason buried. Jason races to stay ahead of the consequences of his crime, and while chaos reigns on his lawn, his sanity unravels.

Joe Hartlaub has our review and says, “THREE GRAVES FULL reads more as if it were Mason’s 20th book than her first. Pitch-perfect pacing, unforgettable descriptions, and quirky but realistic characters abound from page to page. It is a perfect one-sit read, not because there aren’t places where you can comfortably stop, but because you simply will want to keep forging ahead.”

On Tuesday, I was invited to meet Helene Wecker, author of THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI, a completely captivating novel that will be in stores on April 23rd. Barbara Hoffert of Library Journal, who is one of my favorite people in publishing, did a brilliant interview with her on video, which we will share with you in the weeks to come. Helene worked on this story about a golem and a jinni for seven years! Listening to her talk, I became more and more impressed with her. The story is a combination of well-told historical fiction and magical fable about two supernatural creatures in turn-of-the-century immigrant New York beginning in 1899. It brings in elements of Jewish and Arab folk myths, and while I am not a fan of anything fantasy, this book totally captivated me. Maybe that is because it is so infused with atmosphere that is based in reality.

Above is a photo of me with Helene, who I expect you will be hearing a lot more about in the months to come. And for the record, I did NOT dress to match the book cover, but it seems to have happened that way!

Moving from debuts, we have the final book from one of the best-loved storytellers with A WEEK IN WINTER by Maeve Binchy, who passed away last July. Here we are introduced to Chicky Starr, who decides to take an old, decaying mansion set high on the cliffs overlooking the windswept Atlantic Ocean and turn it into a restful place for a holiday by the sea. Everyone thinks she’s crazy. But helped by Rigger, a bad boy turned good, and her niece, Orla, Chicky is finally ready to welcome the first guests to Stone House’s big warm kitchen, log fires, and understated elegant bedrooms.

Reviewer Jennifer McCord says, “Maeve Binchy again has created a sense of place, with each character having his or her own unique part of the overall story and a feeling of coming home to Ireland. This reviewer is ready to book her next vacation on the Irish Coast. As always, after reading a Maeve Binchy book, there is a feeling of hope, warmth and renewal. She is a storyteller who will not be forgotten.” I am so glad we had another chance to celebrate her.

Last week, we featured AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF US by Aria Beth Sloss in our New Release Spotlight, which included a review and an interview with the author. This week, as promised, I’m letting you know why the book is my latest Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. Click here for my thoughts on this outstanding debut novel. It's so tightly written with great mood shifts and so well done.

We’re just about a month away from the official start of spring, and to get you in the mood for this season of renewal, we’re launching our Spring Preview Feature, where we spotlight a number of hot new books releasing in the spring that you will want to consider adding to your reading list. Starting Tuesday, February 19th and continuing through Tuesday, March 19th, we will be hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these books. You’ll have to check the site each day to see which title is being given away --- or you can sign up for our Spring Preview newsletter to be notified when contests go live. Next week we’ll be awarding BROKEN HARBOR by Tana French and CINNAMON AND GUNPOWDER by Eli Brown to the winners of our first two contests. It just so happens that my favorite colors are gracing many of the book covers. Click here to see what I mean!

I confess I was not crazy about the Grammys the other night, but did want to note that Janis Ian won the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word album for the audiobook edition of her memoir, SOCIETY’S CHILD: My Autobiography. It’s always nice when an awards show has a books category.

Speaking of books and awards, in anticipation of the 85th Annual Academy Awards, which will be presented on Sunday, February 24th, we’d like to know which of the Oscar-nominated films you’ve seen or plan to see. We’re also curious as to which of the Oscar-nominated films based on books were your favorites. Let us know by taking part in our latest poll.

Our previous poll asked, “How close to your home (or office, if you work) is your nearest physical bookstore?” It was nice to see that 73% of you have your closest bookstore within 20 minutes of your house, while only 2% have one that’s more than an hour away and 36% know of a bookstore that’s within 20 minutes of your office. Click here for the complete results.

We have a new Word of Mouth contest this week. Let us know what you’re reading by Friday, March 1st at noon ET for your chance to win FUSE by Julianna Baggott, THE SILENCE OF BONAVENTURE ARROW by Rita Leganski and THE STORYTELLER by Jodi Picoult.

“Downton Abbey” wraps up Season Three this weekend, which happened way too fast. I read an interesting piece the other day where Maggie Smith shared that she never watches the show. She feels she will be too critical of her performance. What she's missing! I heard this week that author Wendy Wax, who has been a friend of Bookreporter.com for years, has a new book coming on April 2nd called WHILE WE WERE WATCHING DOWNTON ABBEY. When the concierge of The Alexander, a historic Atlanta apartment building, invites his fellow residents to join him for weekly screenings of “Downton Abbey,” four very different people find themselves connecting with the addictive drama, and --- even more unexpectedly --- with each other. You can read more about it here.

This weekend has three days without a huge agenda. We are going to be celebrating my mother-in-law’s 85th birthday, which is a milestone to be noted. We are debating the menu, and thus the cookbooks are on the counter. This will be balanced by plotting how to get in shape to go skiing in late March out in Colorado. (Talk about yin and yang.) Each of the boys gets to pick a vacation for his Senior Year graduation present. Five years ago, Greg cajoled us into a huge adventure on the QE2. Cory wants to go skiing, which is going to take some getting in shape as the last time I skied was before he was born. Thus the other night, I was clomping around in the ski boots that have been tucked in the back of my closet and hauling out all my cold weather gear. WHY can I not have a child who thinks that snorkeling in the Caribbean would be a great escape? Ah, the reading I would do!

Oh, and I also will be catching up on "The Walking Dead" this weekend as there has not been time for that during the week.

Annoyingly Cory will be in school Monday as part of the “makeup days” for the storm in the fall. I have to say I really feel for the kids and the teachers. I think there is something nice about breaks for family time --- and pleasure reading. But ah, life goes on. And now…please 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!

• BROKEN HARBOR by Tana French
• CINNAMON AND GUNPOWDER by Eli Brown
• THE CONDITIONS OF LOVE by Dale M. Kushner
• GRAVE CONSEQUENCES: The Grand Tour Series, Book 2 by Lisa T. Bergren
• THE TALE OF RAW HEAD AND BLOODY BONES by Jack Wolf
• VIRUS THIRTEEN by Joshua Alan Parry