September 20, 2013

The harvest moon last night was lovely, even if it is not yet fall, which officially arrives on Sunday at 4:44pm…not that I am keeping track of how many hours are left in summer, or anything! Here the pool heater is on for swimming, and I am hoping to get at least two more weekends of paddling around. Shall see if this plan works! Last weekend, as I sat outside, I had one of those quiet Zen experiences that makes one appreciate nature. As I was reading, a hummingbird flitted from one plant to the next and then alighted on my book and danced on the pages for a while. It was so delicate and moving so peacefully that I wished there was one following me around all day!

Last weekend, I spent a lovely Saturday reading a book that has been getting a lot of buzz, THE HUSBAND’S SECRET by Liane Moriarty. We reviewed it in August, which prompted me to want to read it. Yes, even I am influenced by our reviews! The story was not the one I guessed from the title, and it had one surprise after the other, right through to the epilogue. It’s been selling extremely well for weeks now, thus this is not an early endorsement from me, but I wanted to toss my bravo for it onto the page here. I will have my Bets On report about it next week.

Next, I picked up CARTWHEEL by Jennifer duBois, which also is getting a lot of buzz and in fact is one of our Fall Showcase titles. It comes out this Tuesday, September 24th. Reading it, you will see parallels with the Amanda Knox case, which provides plot inspiration for the story. The story is very, very compelling, and I am deep into the heads of the characters right from the start. We learn the significance of the cartwheel early. For the record, I am one of those people who never could do a good cartwheel; I could do many somersaults in a row. Not sure what that says about my athletic prowess.

Continuing with our goal to keep you on top of the mega publishing season happening this fall, we have for you this week new books from a number of authors whose work we’ve come to know and love. First up is Nicholas Sparks, whose latest surefire bestseller is THE LONGEST RIDE. Here we are introduced to two couples who have little in common, and are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys. Norah Piehl has our review and says, “Readers will keep guessing how the two stories will intersect --- and Sparks provides some surprising twists right up until the very end. His legion of fans will not be disappointed by this latest novel, full of reflections about art, life, courage and, of course, love.”

I started THE LONGEST RIDE last night, and 50 pages in, my thought is that Sparks’s writing is more mature here. Yes, there is the emotion that we have come to know from him, but the writing and crafting of the story seems more polished. And I see why Norah notes the intersecting stories as I am not sure where this is going. I like that and admire the craft of writing that goes into making a story unfold like that. I love “aha” moments.

Nelson DeMille’s latest novel, THE QUEST, originally released in 1975 and is now available in a rewritten and updated version. This deadly adventure pits two journalists and a photographer against the Vatican, murderous tribesmen, shadowy assassins, fanatical Coptic monks and, ultimately, the powers of the Holy Grail itself. Against the backdrop of a legend that has lasted 2,000 years, and with a love affair influencing many decisions, good eventually triumphs --- but at a steep price. Kate Ayers, a huge fan of Nelson’s work, has this to say in her review: “The novel crosses genres with its spiritualism, wit, adventure and romance, not to mention gripping action. Full of DeMille’s characteristic --- and unparalleled --- humor and intelligence, THE QUEST delivers. Boy, does it deliver.”

I caught up with Nelson at a soiree on Monday night where we chatted about the book --- I was 100 pages in and told him not to tell me how it ended. I love that his fans have a new book less than a year after the release of THE PANTHER. He has told me he thinks this is his best book (always tough for me to pick a favorite), and it appears that Kate may agree with him! By the way, savor this one as he's just getting started with his ideas for the next one.

Jeff Lindsay brings back America’s most famous blood splatter analyst in DEXTER’S FINAL CUT. When mega-star Robert Chase and a group of actors descend on the Miami Police Department for "research," Chase becomes fixated on Dexter. To perfect his role, Chase is obsessed with shadowing Dexter's every move and learning what really makes him tick. There’s just one tiny problem: Dexter's favorite hobby involves hunting down the worst killers to escape legal justice, and introducing them to his special brand of playtime. According to reviewer Joe Hartlaub, “Lindsay’s interesting and unique style is in full play and serves him well yet again. He is no particular hurry to unroll the story, preferring to make revelations at his own pace in Dexter’s dark and, yes, weird voice.”

DEXTER’S FINAL CUT has been published just in time for the series finale of “Dexter,” which will air this Sunday, September 22nd at 9pm ET/PT. Showtime has released a special trailer that takes a look back at Dexter’s conflicted journey over the past eight seasons and everyone who has ended up on his kill table. Click here for a sneak peek. Even though the TV show is coming to an end, it appears the book series will soldier on (despite what the title of this latest installment may suggest; I can see Jeff having some fun coming up with this title). Indulge me in an oft-shared tale. I met Jeff years ago when the first Dexter title was coming out. He told me his book was about a serial killer who kills serial killers, and it had been optioned for Showtime. I confess I professed my doubts, but seven books and eight seasons later, I realize that I did not call that one right at all.

Other returning authors include Thomas Pynchon (BLEEDING EDGE), J. D. Robb (THANKLESS IN DEATH), Jonathan Lethem (DISSIDENT GARDENS) and Louise Penny (HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel). Click on each of the titles to read our reviews.

Also in stores this week is HELP FOR THE HAUNTED by John Searles, which was one of the books I read during my vacation in August. Years ago on a snowy night, Sylvie Mason’s parents, who were demonologists, had been killed in a church while she waited outside in the car. Who ended their lives is at the heart of this story, but Searles gives us so much more than that in his writing. It’s described aptly as a coming-of-age tale. With Sylvie, we are literally unwrapping characters as we learn more about Rose, Sylvie’s older sister, and their parents, as well as a host of people who have been “treated” by the parents through the years. She is haunted by what happened that night, and until she is able to solve it, her life is in some kind of limbo. The plot unfolds right until the end; it’s completely riveting. And deserving of the praise it’s getting! We look forward to sharing our review next week.

Raymond Khoury returns to our Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight with the October 8th release of RASPUTIN’S SHADOW, the latest historical thriller featuring Sean Reilly. Here, the FBI agent finds himself teamed with Russian Federal Security Service agent Larisa Tchoumitcheva (when we think about authors naming characters, can you imagine the challenge coming up with that name?) to discover why a Russian embassy attaché has apparently committed suicide and a retired Russian physics professor living in Queens has vanished, all of which leads to a small device that could change the world in a deadly way. We have 50 copies of RASPUTIN’S SHADOW 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, October 3rd at noon ET. By the way, after reading this book, I want to read more about Rasputin.

Our new Paperback Spotlight title is BEAUTIFUL LIES by Clare Clark, which was a 2012 hardcover release that will be available in paperback on Tuesday, September 24th. The setting is London 1887. For Maribel Campbell Lowe, the beautiful bohemian wife of a maverick politician, it is the year to make something of herself. A self-proclaimed Chilean heiress educated in Paris, she is torn between poetry and the new art of photography. But it is soon plain that Maribel’s choices are not so simple. As her husband’s career hangs by a thread, her real past, and the family she abandoned, come back to haunt them both. Click here to read more about BEAUTIFUL LIES.

Now that the site is running astronomically faster, we’re so happy to bring back our poll questions (which I’m sure will be music to lots of people’s ears based on the amount of email I got from readers asking where the poll went!). This time, we’re curious about which fiction and nonfiction books releasing in September and October you’re looking forward to reading the most. Click here to let us know!

We got a lot of nice emails about our new History Books Roundup feature. So glad that you are enjoying it; it’s one of the reasons that our Editorial Director, Tom Donadio, created a separate poll for nonfiction above.

Important Tech Note: In the world of “it’s always something,” while the sites are running quickly, we have a new quirk in the load balancing system (do not ask what that is; to me, it is the latest thing I think about at 4am), which sometimes has content not showing, though it’s in the system. Of course, like all tech issues, it’s random. (Think taking the car to the service station and the knocking noise stops in the parking lot.) A reader wrote last weekend seeing “About the Book” copy instead of our review. Soooo here’s our quick fix tip for this. If you are not seeing the content you expect, hit Ctrl+F5 and magically it appears. Now we just need to figure out how to make that happen automatically instead of me feeling like I am toting a magic wand with my mouse.

We have a new Word of Mouth contest up right now. Let us know what books you’ve read for your opportunity to win three books, all of which release on Tuesday: DOCTOR SLEEP by Stephen King (the much-anticipated sequel to THE SHINING), DEADLINE by Sandra Brown, and THE LOWLAND by Jhumpa Lahiri (a National Book Award longlist finalist; see more about that below). Fill out the form found on this page by Friday, October 4th at noon ET to be entered in our drawing.

We’ve posted advance readers' comments for seven books we recently gave away as part of our Author Spotlights. Click on the book titles to see what our contest winners had to say about LETTERS FROM SKYE by Jessica Brockmole, THE FAVOR by Megan Hart, HER LAST BREATH by Linda Castillo, LOST by S. J. Bolton, SLEEPING IN EDEN by Nicole Baart, THE APPLE ORCHARD by Susan Wiggs, and AND THEN I FOUND YOU by Patti Callahan Henry. Many thanks to all who shared their comments and feedback with us! We love hearing from our readers.

This week, the National Book Foundation announced the 2013 National Book Award Longlists for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People’s Literature. The finalists from each of these lists will be announced on October 16th, and the winners will be revealed at a gala dinner and ceremony in New York on November 20th. Click here for the longlists from all four categories.

This weekend is all about book festivals! The Brooklyn Book Festival will be held on Sunday, while the National Book Festival in Washington, DC will take place on Saturday and Sunday. As always, there will be lots of opportunities here to meet and talk to authors --- and, of course, buy books! If you are attending either of these festivals and would like to be interviewed on the site, drop me a note at Carol@bookreporter.com and I’ll send you some questions to answer!

Our weekend will include my dad’s 84th birthday celebration, one of the reasons I am not at Boucheron, the world mystery convention in Albany this weekend where Sue Grafton, Tess Gerritsen, Anne Perry and Steve Hamilton are being honored. (I am going to seek out coverage for this from a couple of author friends who are madly posting about their festivities on Facebook.) Dad has more energy than men half is age, proudly showed me his latest new car earlier this week, and continues to always be there for me. Cory (making a brief cameo appearance from college) and Greg are joining us for dinner. On Sunday, Greg has Rover Polo, where you play polo with a broom out the window of your Land Rover. He has a ’93 Range Rover Classic, which he dotes on like a mistress, so let the games begin.

THE LONGEST RIDE by Nicholas Sparks (Fiction)
Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. They are two couples who have little in common, and are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
 

-Click here to read more about the book.

THE QUEST by Nelson DeMille (Thriller/Adventure)

THE QUEST is a deadly adventure that pits two journalists and a beautiful photographer against the Vatican, murderous tribesmen, shadowy assassins, fanatical Coptic monks and, ultimately, the powers of the Holy Grail itself. Against the backdrop of a legend that has lasted 2,000 years, and with a love affair influencing many decisions, good eventually triumphs --- but at a steep price. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.

-Click here to read more about the book.

-Click here to read an excerpt.

We have 50 copies of RASPUTIN'S SHADOW by Raymond Khoury, which releases on October 8th, 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, October 3rd at noon ET.

RASPUTIN'S SHADOW by Raymond Khoury (Historical Thriller)
On a cold, bleak day in 1916, all hell breaks loose in a mining pit in the Ural Mountains. Overcome by a strange paranoia, the miners attack one another, savagely and ferociously. Minutes later, two men --- a horrified scientist and Grigory Rasputin, trusted confidant of the tsar --- hit a detonator, blowing up the mine to conceal all evidence of the carnage.

In the present day, FBI agent Sean Reilly’s search for Reed Corrigan, the CIA mind-control spook who brainwashed Reilly’s son, takes a backseat to a new, disturbing case. A Russian embassy attaché seems to have committed suicide by jumping out of a fourth-floor window in Queens. The apartment’s owners, a retired physics teacher from Russia and his wife, have gone missing, and further investigation reveals that the former may not be who the FBI believe him to be.

Joined by Russian Federal Security Service agent Larisa Tchoumitcheva, Reilly’s investigation of the old man’s identity will uncover a desperate search for a small, mysterious device, with consequences that reach back in time and which, in the wrong hands, could have a devastating impact on the modern world.

-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read Raymond Khoury’s bio.
-Click here to visit Raymond Khoury’s official website.

BEAUTIFUL LIES by Clare Clark (Historical Fiction)
London 1887. For Maribel Campbell Lowe, the beautiful bohemian wife of a maverick politician, it is the year to make something of herself. A self-proclaimed Chilean heiress educated in Paris, she is torn between poetry and the new art of photography. But it is soon plain that Maribel’s choices are not so simple. As her husband’s career hangs by a thread, her real past, and the family she abandoned, come back to haunt them both. When the notorious newspaper editor Alfred Webster begins to take an uncommon interest in Maribel, she fears he will not only destroy Edward’s career but both of their reputations.

BEAUTIFUL LIES will be available in paperback on September 24th.

-Click here to read Clare Clark’s bio.
 

BLEEDING EDGE by Thomas Pynchon (Fiction)

It is 2001 in New York City, in the lull between the collapse of the dot-com boom and the terrible events of September 11th. Silicon Alley is a ghost town, Web 1.0 is having adolescent angst, Google has yet to IPO, Microsoft is still considered the Evil Empire. There may not be quite as much money around as there was at the height of the tech bubble, but there's no shortage of swindlers looking to grab a piece of what's left. Reviewed by Alexis Burling.

-Click here to read more about the book.

DEXTER'S FINAL CUT by Jeff Lindsay (Thriller)

When mega-star Robert Chase and a group of actors descend on the Miami Police Department for "research," Chase becomes fixated on blood spatter analyst Dexter Morgan. To perfect his role, Chase is obsessed with shadowing Dexter's every move and learning what really makes him tick. There is just one tiny problem: Dexter's favorite hobby involves hunting down the worst killers to escape legal justice, and introducing them to his special brand of playtime. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read more about the book.

THANKLESS IN DEATH by J. D. Robb (Thriller)
The Reinholds lie in their home stabbed and bludgeoned almost beyond recognition. Those who knew them are stunned by the evidence that they were murdered by their own son, Jerry. With the money he’s stolen from his parents and a long list of grievances, he intends to finally make his mark on the world. Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her team already know the who, how and why of this murder. What they need to pinpoint is where Jerry is going to strike next. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read more about the book.
 

DISSIDENT GARDENS by Jonathan Lethem (Fiction)
At the center of Jonathan Lethem’s new novel stand two extraordinary women: Rose Zimmer, an unreconstructed Communist and mercurial tyrant, and her daughter, Miriam, who flees Rose’s suffocating influence and embraces the Age of Aquarius counterculture of Greenwich Village. Both women cast spells that entrance or enchain the men in their lives. These flawed, idealistic people all struggle to follow their own utopian dreams in an America where radicalism is viewed with bemusement, hostility, or indifference. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.

-Click here to read more about the book.
 

MEN WE REAPED: A Memoir by Jesmyn Ward (Memoir)
In five years, Jesmyn Ward lost five young men in her life --- to drugs, accidents, suicide, and the bad luck that can follow people who live in poverty, particularly black men. Dealing with these losses, one after another, made Jesmyn ask the question: Why? And as she began to write about the experience of living through all the dying, she realized the truth --- and it took her breath away. Reviewed by Alexis Burling.

-Click here to read more about the book.

A GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED by Dara Horn (Fiction)
Software prodigy Josie Ashkenazi has invented an application that records everything its users do. When an Egyptian library invites her to visit as a consultant, her jealous sister Judith persuades her to go. But in Egypt’s post-revolutionary chaos, Josie is abducted --- leaving Judith free to take over Josie’s life at home, including her husband and daughter, while Josie’s talent for preserving memories becomes a surprising test of her empathy and her only means of escape. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

-Click here to read more about the book.
 

THE WEDDING GIFT by Marlen Suyapa Bodden (Historical Fiction)
When Cornelius Allen gives his daughter Clarissa’s hand in marriage, he presents her with a wedding gift: the young slave she grew up with, Sarah. Sarah is also Allen’s daughter and Clarissa’s sister, a product of his longtime relationship with his house slave, Emmeline. When Clarissa’s husband suspects that their newborn son is illegitimate, Clarissa and Sarah are sent back to her parents, Cornelius and Theodora, in shame, setting in motion a series of events that will destroy this once powerful family.

Told through alternating viewpoints of Sarah and Theodora Allen, Cornelius’ wife, THE WEDDING GIFT is a stunning novel that shows where the complicated and compelling bonds and relationships between women explored in novels like THE HELP and THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES began. It is an intimate portrait that shows where this particular American story and dynamic all started and will leave readers breathless.

THE WEDDING GIFT releases on September 24th.

-Click here to read an excerpt.

-Click here to read Marlen Suyapa Bodden’s bio.

SALINGER by David Shields and Shane Salerno (Biography)
In the eight years since SALINGER was begun, and especially in the three years since J.D. Salinger’s death, David Shields and Shane Salerno interviewed on five continents more than 200 people, many of whom had previously refused to go on the record about their relationship with Salinger. This oral biography offers direct eyewitness accounts from Salinger’s World War II brothers-in-arms, his family members, his close friends, his lovers, his classmates, his neighbors, his editors, his publishers, and more. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.

HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny (Mystery)
When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache receives a message from Myrna Landers that a longtime friend has failed to arrive for Christmas in the village of Three Pines, he welcomes the chance to get away from the city. Mystified by Myrna's reluctance to reveal her friend's name, Gamache soon discovers the missing woman was once one of the most famous people in the world, and now goes unrecognized by virtually everyone except the mad, brilliant poet Ruth Zardo. Reviewed by Roz Shea.

THE BONES OF PARIS by Laurie R. King (Historical Mystery)
Summer, 1929. Global financial ruin may be on the horizon, but in Paris, decadence is synonymous with freedom. The American expat community of artists, musicians and writers is joined by Harris Stuyvesant, private inquiry agent and former officer with the American Bureau of Investigation. Stuyvesant is investigating a missing American girl, whose disappearance may be one of many, and possibly linked to a series of murders. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THE FOUNTAIN OF ST. JAMES COURT; OR, PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS AN OLD WOMAN by Sena Jeter Naslund (Historical Fiction)
Kathryn Callaghan has just finished her novel about painter Élisabeth Vigée-LeBrun, a survivor of the French Revolution hated for her sympathetic portraits of Marie Antoinette. Though still haunted by the story she has written, Kathryn must leave the 18th-century European world she has researched and made vivid in order to return to her own life as an American in 2012. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THE FACADES by Eric Lundgren (Comic Mystery)
One night, in the once-great Midwestern city of Trude, the theater’s most celebrated mezzo-soprano vanishes during rehearsal. When police come up empty-handed, the star’s husband, a disconsolate legal clerk named Sven Norberg, must take up the quest on his own. But to discover the secret of his wife’s disappearance, Norberg must descend into Trude’s underworld and confront the menacing and bizarre citizens of his hometown. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

MISS ANNE IN HARLEM: The White Women of the Black Renaissance by Carla Kaplan (Historical Fiction)
The 1920s in New York City was a time of freedom, experimentation and passion --- with Harlem at the epicenter. White men could go uptown to see jazz and modern dance, but women who embraced black culture too enthusiastically could be ostracized. MISS ANNE IN HARLEM focuses on six of the unconventional, free-thinking women who crossed race lines and defied social conventions to become a part of the culture and heartbeat of Harlem. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.

UNBEATABLE: Notre Dame's 1988 Championship and the Last Great College Football Season by Jerry Barca (Sports History)
UNBEATABLE is the first book to tell the complete story of the incredible 1988 season that brought the fledgling Fighting Irish back to the top of college sports in what many consider to be the greatest unbeaten season of college football ever played. With a completely unlikely but forever memorable cast of characters, Notre Dame whipped millions of fans into a frenzy. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.

JAPANTOWN by Barry Lancet (Thriller)
In Barry Lancet’s debut thriller, readers are introduced to Jim Brodie, an American antique dealer-turned-reluctant-private eye who must use his knowledge of Japanese culture to unravel a major murder in San Francisco --- even as he and his daughter, Jenny, become targets for the same mysterious killer. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

WAYWARD: A Wayward Pines Thriller by Blake Crouch (Dystopian Thriller)

Which fiction and nonfiction titles releasing in September and October are you planning to read?

-Click here to take 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 September 20th to October 4th, FIVE lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of DEADLINE by Sandra Brown, DOCTOR SLEEP by Stephen King, and THE LOWLAND by Jhumpa Lahiri.

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.

Please note: You must enter your full address, using correct capitalization and filling in all fields if you would like to be eligible to win a prize.

Also, we realize that many times, your opinion of a book will change as you get further along into the story. Thus, to ensure that your comments and ratings accurately reflect your entire reading experience, we ask that you finish reading the book before you submit your comments about it.

One important technical note: If you're using an iPad or another iOS device to access the Word of Mouth page and you would like to enter the contest, you must wait for the page to fully load before you can rate your book. Only then will the stars be clickable.

-Click here to enter the contest.
-To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.

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

MOONRISE by Cassandra King
We are celebrating the release of MOONRISE --- in which a newlywed discovers a secret that forces her to decide if she can ever trust or love again --- with an exciting contest. Three groups will win 10 SIGNED first editions of the book with special bookplates, along with an opportunity to chat with the author, Cassandra King, via phone or Skype. The deadline for entries is Thursday, October 3rd at noon ET.

ACCELERATED by Bronwen Hruska
We are celebrating the paperback release of ACCELERATED --- in which a single dad and his son discover what lies beneath the gilded facade of an elite Upper East Side private school --- with a special contest. Six groups will receive 12 copies of the book, and four of these groups also will win a Skype chat with the author, Bronwen Hruska. The deadline for entries is Thursday, October 3rd at noon ET.

HAVANA LOST by Libby Fischer Hellmann

We are celebrating the release of HAVANA LOST --- an epic thriller set largely in Cuba that spans three generations of the same Mafia family --- with a special contest. Fifteen groups will receive one copy of the book, while three other groups will win three copies of the book AND a Skype chat with the author, Libby Fischer Hellmann. The deadline for entries is Thursday, October 3rd at noon ET.

"What Are You Reading?" Monthly Contest Feature
Let us know what your group is reading in September, and you will be entered in a giveaway to win multiple copies of a book for your group! Our latest prize book is THE ROUND HOUSE by Louise Erdrich, the National Book Award-winning novel about a boy on the cusp of manhood who seeks justice and understanding in the wake of a terrible crime that upends and forever transforms his family. We have 12 copies of the book, which will be available in paperback on September 24th, to give away to three groups. The deadline for entries is Thursday, October 3rd at noon ET.

Kidsreads.com

SAMMY KEYES AND THE KILLER CRUISE by Wendelin Van Draanen

Sammy Keyes knew that getting to know her new dad on a cruise would be a little uncomfortable. But when an heiress disappears from the ship, it turns out everyone is in for a rocky ride. We’re celebrating the release of SAMMY KEYES AND THE KILLER CRUISE, Wendelin Van Draanen’s penultimate Sammy Keyes mystery, with a special contest that will give five readers the opportunity to win a SIGNED copy of the book. The deadline for entries is Wednesday, October 16th at noon ET.

DUKE by Kirby Larson

Eleven-year-old Hobie Hanson is determined to do his part to help his family and his country during World War II, even if it means giving up his beloved German shepherd, Duke. We’re celebrating the release of DUKE by Kirby Larson with a special contest that will give 15 readers the opportunity to win a copy of the book. The deadline for entries is Monday, September 30th at noon ET.

FaithfulReader.com

THE SECRET KEEPER: Home to Hickory Hollow, Book 4 by Beverly Lewis
We are celebrating the release of THE SECRET KEEPER with a special contest that will give 30 readers the opportunity to win a copy of this fourth installment in Beverly Lewis's Home to Hickory Hollow series. The deadline for entries is Wednesday, October 16th at noon ET.

THE PRAYER BOX by Lisa Wingate

We are celebrating the release of THE PRAYER BOX with a special contest that will give five readers the opportunity to win a copy of Lisa Wingate's latest book. The deadline for entries is Wednesday, October 16th at noon ET.

FaithfulReader.com’s Monthly Contest