 |
|
Bookreporter.com Newsletter |
May 29, 2015 |
|
|
|
|
BEA = Books, Authors, Parties and So Much More!
|
 |
After a weekend with beautiful weather, terrific reading and lots of relaxing, this week I have been completely immersed in books and authors at BookExpo America (BEA).
On Tuesday night, Greg and I kicked off the festivities with Nelson DeMille’s fabulous launch party for RADIANT ANGEL. The book is fast-paced and scarily plausible; I so hope he was not prescient. The toasts were flying, and Nelson’s usual wit and humor contributed to making this a really fun evening. When he throws a party, there are industry folks there, as well as his circle of friends, which seems to expand exponentially at each party. Each time we gather (I think this is the sixth party that I have attended), we have a reunion with those who love Nelson, which is a long list! (More on the book in a moment.) You can see a photo of Greg and me with Nelson above.
Afterwards, we hightailed it over to the West Side of town and met up with the GalleyChat librarians from EarlyWord.com and had a great book and author chat, while Greg helped the out-of-town librarians plot their subway trips.
A highlight of the week was on Wednesday at the Book Buzz Panel where editors presented the six titles that had been selected by a committee as books that will be generating attention in the months to come. On Thursday I had the joy of interviewing the six authors of those titles, who you can see pictured above, from left to right: Julie Checkoway, the author of a work of nonfiction, THE THREE-YEAR SWIM CLUB: The Untold Story of Maui's Sugar Ditch Kids and Their Quest for Olympic Glory; Garth Risk Hallberg, with his debut novel, CITY ON FIRE; Dan Marshall, with his memoir, HOME IS BURNING; Ottessa Moshfegh, with her debut novel, EILEEN; Dr. Damon Tweedy, with his nonfiction work, BLACK MAN IN A WHITE COAT: A Doctor's Reflections on Race and Medicine; and Ruth Ware, whose psychological thriller is IN A DARK, DARK WOOD.
Later in the day, I was happy to interview Elisabeth Egan and Bill Clegg, about their respective debut novels, A WINDOW OPENS and DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY, both of which will be Bookreporter.com Bets On selections. You can see a photo of me with Elisabeth and Bill above.
There were a flurry of lunches, dinners and parties with many, many bookish conversations and author meetings. There also were star moments literally, like the one I had meeting Julianne Moore at the Random House Children’s Group party. She had done an event that wowed our staffers Nicole and Emily in the afternoon, and I loved sharing their enthusiasm with her (she eagerly read their texts). And then we had a mutual lovefest about how much we both love Lisa Genova and chatted about the movie Still Alice. Such a fun, fun night.
I am jotting this note off on early Friday morning as I know today is going to be super crazy as we are hosting our Book Group Speed Dating session for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Much more on that in next week’s update. And now on to this week’s update, with my hat off to Tom for getting this done in the midst of an abbreviated week with lots of time out of the office. As always, he amazes me.
Brilliant fan favorite detective John Corey returns in Nelson DeMille’s latest thriller, the aforementioned RADIANT ANGEL. Following his showdown with a notorious terrorist, Corey has taken leave from the FBI to join the Diplomatic Surveillance Group. Although he’s happy to be free from all the chaos of the FBI, his quiet job surveilling Russian diplomats is about to get a lot more exciting. When Vasily Petrov --- a Russian Foreign Intelligence colonel posing as a diplomat --- mysteriously disappears, Corey discovers a potential nuclear threat. Now it is up to him to track down Petrov before America is attacked and a new Cold War begins.
Kate Ayers has our review and raves, “Nelson DeMille has crafted the perfect hero in Corey. To top that off, he knows exactly how to keep suspense ratcheted up and his readers’ hearts racing. In RADIANT ANGEL, he terrified me even more than my other favorite author, Stephen King, and that’s saying a lot. My only problem with this book is its length. It’s much too short, and I didn’t want it to end.” I read it and appreciated the brisk storytelling, though it made me think…a lot!
Although beloved author Kent Haruf passed away last November, readers can look forward to his inimitable work with the posthumous release of OUR SOULS AT NIGHT. In this bittersweet, inspiring story, an elderly man and woman come together to share their life stories. In the town of Holt, Colorado, Addie Moore visits her dear neighbor, Louis Waters. Both have been widowed and separated from their adult children by distance, leaving their nights incredibly lonely. Desperate for company, the two strike up an agreement to sleep together --- not for sex, but for someone to talk to and make the nights bearable. As their relationship blossoms, the two share resonant tales of bravery, pleasure and struggles.
Reviewer Stuart Shiffman calls OUR SOULS AT NIGHT “a fitting conclusion to a remarkable writing career. I suspect that the book will live on as many readers will identify with the issues presented. It is a beautiful, simple and direct story that should be on everyone’s summer reading list. It will not take you long to read, but it will live with you forever.”
Our latest New Release Spotlight features the return of Dr. Samantha Owens in WHAT LIES BEHIND by J.T. Ellison. Although Dr. Owens no longer works as a medical examiner, she is still intrigued by a police investigation in her neighborhood. When her detective friend, Darren Fletcher, invites her to look over the evidence, she immediately realizes the crime scene has been staged. Although it looks like a murder/suicide, the presence of toxic substances indicates something much more sinister. As the two investigate, they learn that high-level state officials are keeping some secrets of their own. Unsure of who to trust, Sam and Darren must tread carefully --- especially when a threat of bioterrorism is exposed.
Our new Paperback Spotlight features THE BOOK OF LIFE by Deborah Harkness, the magical finale to her All Souls Trilogy, which is now available in paperback. In this stunning conclusion, Diana and Matthew return from Elizabethan London to the present. Here they convene with friends and family at Matthew’s ancestral home to prepare for a showdown in the demon world. Facing new and old enemies alike, their search for Ashmole 782 takes the foreground as they fight for their future. We covered THE BOOK OF LIFE when it released in hardcover last year, and you can read our review here.
In this week’s Summer Reading contests, we gave away FRIENDSWOOD by Rene Steinke, GIRL IN THE MOONLIGHT by Charles Dubow, and THE GUEST COTTAGE by Nancy Thayer. Next week’s prize books will be EIGHT HUNDRED GRAPES by Laura Dave, ENCHANTED AUGUST by Brenda Bowen, IT'S YOU by Jane Porter, and LOCAL GIRLS by Caroline Zancan. The first 24-hour contest of the week will appear on the homepage on Monday, June 1st at noon ET.
Please don’t forget to enter our Father’s Day contest, which we’ve brought back for a 10th(!) year. Five readers will be awarded a prize package that includes all of this year’s featured titles, including THE COST OF COURAGE by Charles Kaiser (I am very much looking forward to reading this book) and WINDIGO ISLAND by William Kent Krueger, along with some goodies we know Dad will love. Click here to see the prize books and enter for your chance to win for yourself or for the special man in your life. The deadline for your entries is Monday, June 22nd at noon ET.
We’ve updated our Young Adult Books You Want to Read feature, books we’ve reviewed on Teenreads.com that we think our adult readers will enjoy. This month’s titles are OFF THE PAGE by Jodi Picoult and her daughter, Samantha van Leer; ELENA VANISHING: A Memoir by Elena and Clare B. Dunkle; THE BOYS WHO CHALLENGED HITLER: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club by Phillip Hoose; and KILLER INSTINCT by S. E. Green, along with the sequel, KILLER WITHIN.
Our poll question continues to ask if your reading habits change during the summer. Do you read more, less, or about the same? Click here to take the poll!
Also, please let us know by Friday, June 5th at noon ET what books you’ve finished reading, and you’ll be in the running to win FINDERS KEEPERS by Stephen King, along with the aforementioned RADIANT ANGEL by Nelson DeMille and EIGHT HUNDRED GRAPES by Laura Dave, in our Word of Mouth contest.
News and Pop Culture:
Mary Kay Andrews catches up with Jamie Anderson from Duck’s Cottage and Duck’s Cottage Downtown: Jamie, a longtime bookseller friend, is a huge fan of MKA’s, as we affectionately call Mary Kay Andrews around the office. Jamie and I met over a decade ago when we stopped by her store on the Outer Banks. Asked what websites she read, Jamie quickly mentioned ReadingGroupGuides.com and went on and on about it. Greg nudged me and asked when I was going to tell her we owned it. I enjoyed hearing the unfiltered feedback. We’ve gone on to become pals, and thus when my two friends met up last week in Duck (see the photo above) when MKA was on book tour, I was beaming.
Love Meeting Our Readers: Bobbie Cloud, a longtime reader and another fellow OBX vacationer, came by the office on Tuesday so we FINALLY could meet. We have managed to never be on OBX at the same time! I loved this, talking books and authors and hearing more about her life.
The Award for Audiobook of the Year went to MANDELA: An Audio History, by Radio Diaries; narrated by Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and Joe Richman. The Distinguished Achievement in Production Award went to THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman; narrated by Gaiman, Derek Jacobi, Robert Madge, Clare Corbett, Miriam Margolyes, Andrew Scott and Julian Rhind-Tutt, published by HarperAudio. A Special Achievement Award was presented posthumously to Edward Herrmann, one of my favorite narrators, which really made me smile. We will have the complete list of winners next week.
"The Astronaut Wives Club," based on the book of the same name, will air on ABC starting on Thursday, June 18th.
Chris Pavone will be throwing out the opening pitch at the Yankees game on Tuesday, June 9th.
Go Rangers, though Game 7 may make the evening commute home Friday night after a final BEA party or two a complete disaster.
I am reading --- and swooning over --- THE SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE by Melanie Benjamin, which releases next January. You probably know her from her last book, THE AVIATOR’S WIFE. It’s a juicy story of the friendship between Truman Capote and socialite Babe Paley. Her friends, known to Truman as “the Swans,” include Slim Keith, C. Z. Guest, Gloria Guinness and Pamela Churchill. The editor advised in her opening note that I would find myself googling all the characters as I read --- and she has been soooo right.
I just started listening to the aforementioned THE GUEST COTTAGE by Nancy Thayer. In a moment of humor, Cory has taken on a part-time job doing valet parking as he takes a couple of summer engineering classes. He reported that last weekend at least four cars had audiobooks on when he jumped in the cars to park them.
On Saturday morning, I am headed back into the city for BookCon, where I will interview Paula McLain, Annie Barrows and Vanessa Diffenbaugh about their new books and their thoughts about book groups.
Fun dinner plans on tap for Saturday night with our friend Dez, though I am hoping I do not fall sound asleep at the table. A massage on Sunday, and then time to read all the goodies that I collected at the show and time to get some long overdue REST!
Much more to report in the weeks ahead. For now, read on and have a great week!
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
P.S. For those of you who shop online, if you use the store links below, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
|
|
|
|
Now in Stores: RADIANT ANGEL by Nelson DeMille
|
RADIANT ANGEL: A John Corey Novel by Nelson DeMille (Thriller/Adventure)
After a showdown with the notorious Yemeni terrorist known as The Panther, John Corey has left the Anti-Terrorist Task Force and returned home to New York City, taking a job with the Diplomatic Surveillance Group. Although Corey's new assignment with the DSG --- surveilling Russian diplomats working at the U.N. Mission --- is thought to be "a quiet end," he is more than happy to be out from under the thumb of the FBI and free from the bureaucracy of office life. But Corey realizes something the U.S. government doesn't: the all-too-real threat of a newly resurgent Russia. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to visit Nelson DeMille’s official website.
|
|
Click here to read a review. |
|
Now in Stores: OUR SOULS AT NIGHT by Kent Haruf
|
OUR SOULS AT NIGHT by Kent Haruf (Fiction)
Addie Moore pays an unexpected visit to a neighbor, Louis Waters. Her husband died years ago, as did his wife, and in such a small town they naturally have known of each other for decades; in fact, Addie was quite fond of Louis’ wife. His daughter lives hours away in Colorado Springs, her son even farther away in Grand Junction, and Addie and Louis have long been living alone in houses now empty of family, the nights so terribly lonely, especially with no one to talk with. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
-Click here to read more about the book.
|
|
Click here to read a review. |
|
|
|
New Release Spotlight: WHAT LIES BEHIND by J.T. Ellison
|
WHAT LIES BEHIND by J.T. Ellison (Thriller)
Waking to sirens in the night is hardly unusual for Samantha Owens. No longer a medical examiner, she doesn't lose sleep over them, but a routine police investigation in her neighborhood has her curious. When her homicide detective friend, Darren Fletcher, invites her to look over the evidence, she jumps at the chance and immediately realizes the crime scene has been staged. What seems to be a clear case of murder/suicide --- a crime of passion --- is anything but. The discovery of toxic substances in hidden vials indicates that something much more sinister is at play…
As Fletch and Sam try to understand what and who they are dealing with, they are summoned to a meeting at the State Department. High-level officials are interested in what they know and seem to be keeping secrets of their own. It's up to Sam and Fletch to uncover what lies behind the deception as the threat of bioterrorism is exposed, and her boyfriend, Xander Whitfield, may be in the line of fire.
Unsure who to trust, Sam and Fletch find themselves up against very powerful people at every stage in the investigation. No one is who they appear to be and with every minute that passes, the danger escalates. It's Sam's most complex case yet and the terrifying reality is beyond anything she could have imagined.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read J.T. Ellison’s bio.
-Click here to visit J.T. Ellison’s official website.
-Connect with J.T. Ellison on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Flickr.
|
|
Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight. |
|
|
|
New Paperback Spotlight: THE BOOK OF LIFE by Deborah Harkness
|
THE BOOK OF LIFE by Deborah Harkness (Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy)
Fans of the All Souls Trilogy sent this highly anticipated finale straight to #1 on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list. Bringing the series’ magic and suspense to a deeply satisfying conclusion, THE BOOK OF LIFE is poised to become an even bigger phenomenon in paperback.
Diana and Matthew time-travel back from Elizabethan London to make a dramatic return to the present --- facing new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home, Sept-Tours, they reunite with the beloved cast of characters from A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES --- with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read Deborah Harkness’ bio.
-Click here to visit Deborah Harkness’ official website.
-Connect with Deborah Harkness on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr.
|
|
Click here to read more in our Paperback Spotlight. |
|
|
|
Bookreporter.com's 10th Annual Father's Day Contest and Feature: Best Books for Dad
|
|
Father’s Day is a time to celebrate the men in our lives who have raised and loved us. Why not show him your appreciation by inspiring him with a great book? In our 10th annual "Best Books for Dad" contest, we have eight titles that are perfect gift-giving suggestions for Dad, keeping him busy through the rest of the year. Five readers will be awarded a prize package that includes these titles, along with some special treats.
To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, June 22nd at noon ET.
This year's featured titles are:
|
|
Click here to enter the contest and see our featured titles. |
|
|
|
Bookreporter.com's Summer Reading Contests and Feature
|
Summer will be here before you know it! At Bookreporter.com, this means it's time for us to share some great summer book picks with our Summer Reading Contests and Feature. We will be hosting a number of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days throughout the summer, so you will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter to win. We also will be sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
Our next prize book will be announced on Monday, June 1st at noon ET.
This year's featured titles include:
|
|
Click here to read all the contest details and see our featured titles. |
|
Now in Stores: Memoirs from Former Major Leaguers Pedro Martinez and Jorge Posada
|
PEDRO by Pedro Martinez and Michael Silverman (Memoir)
Before Pedro Martinez was an eight-time All Star, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, and a World Series champion, before stadiums full of fans chanted his name, he was just a little kid from the Dominican Republic who sat under a mango tree and dreamed of playing pro ball. Now in PEDRO, the charismatic and always colorful pitcher opens up for the first time to tell his remarkable story.
THE JOURNEY HOME: My Life in Pinstripes by Jorge Posada, with Gary Brozek (Memoir)
Legendary New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada discusses the key moments and plays that shaped teams and forged a legacy that came to define Yankee baseball for a generation. With pitch-by-pitch recall, he looks back across the years, explaining how he helped to reestablish the Yankees as a dynasty and win five World Series. Going beyond his all-star career, Jorge also shares his life in full for the first time, examining how his remarkable journey to the big leagues began in the most unexpected of ways.
-Read more about PEDRO and THE JOURNEY HOME.
|
|
Click here to read Ron Kaplan's dual review. |
|
Now in Stores: DIETLAND by Sarai Walker
|
DIETLAND by Sarai Walker (Fiction)
Plum Kettle does her best not to be noticed --- because when you’re fat, to be noticed is to be judged, mocked, or worse. With her job answering fan mail for a popular teen girls’ magazine, she is biding her time until her weight-loss surgery. Then, when a mysterious woman starts following her, Plum finds herself falling down a rabbit hole and into an underground community of women who live life on their own terms. There Plum agrees to a series of challenges that force her to deal with her past, her doubts, and the real costs of becoming “beautiful.” Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
-Click here to read more about the book.
|
|
Click here to read a review. |
|
Now in Stores: UPROOTED by Naomi Novik
|
UPROOTED by Naomi Novik (Fantasy/Romance)
Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for 10 years. Agnieszka is afraid that the Dragon will take Kasia, her dearest friend in the world. But when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose. Reviewed by Kathy Weissman.
-Click here to read more about the book.
|
|
Click here to read a review. |
|
Now in Stores: Two Thrillers from Daniel Palmer --- TRAUMA (Co-written by the Late Michael Palmer) and CONSTANT FEAR
|
TRAUMA by Michael Palmer and Daniel Palmer (Thriller)
After quitting her residency following two operations gone terribly wrong, Dr. Carrie Bryant learns about an experimental program exploring the use of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) that could forever cure the emotional and memory trauma of PTSD. Her first surgery appears to be a success until her patient mysteriously vanishes. When a second patient also goes missing, Carrie employs the investigative skills of reporter David Hoffman, and together they descend into a labyrinth of murder and corruption. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
CONSTANT FEAR by Daniel Palmer (Thriller)
When Jake Dent’s dreams of baseball glory fell apart, his marriage did too. A popular survivalist blog ended up helping to restore his sense of control, and he raised his diabetic son, Andy, to be ready for any sudden catastrophe. Now a student at a prestigious academy where Jake works as a custodian, Andy has a secret --- he’s part of a computer club that redistributes money from the obscenely wealthy to the needy. But this time, they’ve stolen from the wrong people: a vicious drug cartel that is coming to get its money back. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review. |
|
|
|
More Reviews This Week
|
INDEPENDENCE DAY: A Dewey Andreas Novel by Ben Coes (Thriller)
Dewey Andreas, former Delta and newly recruited intelligence agent, is sidelined after screwing up his last two operations. A high-level Russian hacker, known only as Cloud, is believed to be routing large amounts of money to various Al Qaeda terror cells, and the mission is to capture and render harmless Cloud. At the same time, a back-up team is sent after the only known associate of Cloud, a ballerina believed to be his girlfriend. Unwilling to sit out the mission as ordered, Dewey defies his superiors, surreptitiously following and tracking the two teams. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE WONDER GARDEN by Lauren Acampora (Fiction)
A man strikes an under-the-table deal with a surgeon to spend a few quiet seconds closer to his wife than he's ever been; a young soon-to-be mother looks on in paralyzing astonishment as her husband walks away from a 20-year career in advertising at the urging of his spirit animal; an elderly artist risks more than he knows when he's commissioned by his newly arrived neighbors to produce the work of a lifetime. In her debut collection, Lauren Acampora brings to the page the myriad lives of a suburban town and lays them bare. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
JOAN OF ARC: A History by Helen Castor (Biography/History)
Helen Castor tells afresh the gripping story of the peasant girl from Domremy who hears voices from God, leads the French army to victory, is burned at the stake for heresy, and eventually becomes a saint. But unlike the traditional narrative, a story already shaped by the knowledge of what Joan would become and told in hindsight, Castor’s book takes us back to 15th-century France and tells the story forwards. Instead of an icon, she gives us a living, breathing woman confronting the challenges of faith and doubt. Reviewed by Pauline Finch.
THE ICE TWINS by S. K. Tremayne (Psychological Thriller)
A year after one of their identical twin daughters, Lydia, dies in an accident, Angus and Sarah Moorcroft move to the tiny Scottish island Angus inherited from his grandmother, hoping to put together the pieces of their shattered lives. But when their surviving daughter, Kirstie, claims they have mistaken her identity --- that she, in fact, is Lydia --- their world comes crashing down once again. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
ENGLAND AND OTHER STORIES by Graham Swift (Fiction/Short Stories)
Meet Dr. Shah, who has never been to India, and Mrs. Kaminski, on her way to Poland; meet Holly and Polly, who have come to their own Anglo-Irish understanding, and Charlie and Don, who have seen the docks turn into Docklands; Daisy Baker, who is terrified of Yorkshire; and Johnny Dewhurst, stranded on Exmoor. Graham Swift steers us from the 17th century to the present day, from world-shaking events to the secret dramas lived out in rooms, workplaces and homes. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
YOU CAN TRUST ME by Sophie McKenzie (Psychological Thriller)
Livy arrives at her best friend Julia's flat for a lunch date only to find her dead. Though all the evidence supports it, Livy cannot accept the official ruling of suicide. The suspicious circumstances cause Livy to dig further, and she is suddenly forced to confront a horrifying possibility: that Julia was murdered, by the same man who killed Livy's sister, Kara, 18 years ago. When Livy finally faces her sister's killer, and he traps her with one horrible, impossible choice, she must finally decide: Is she strong enough to trust herself? Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.
UNDIVIDED: A Muslim Daughter, Her Christian Mother, Their Path to Peace by Patricia Raybon and Alana Raybon (Memoir)
They didn’t talk. Not for 10 years. Not about faith anyway. Instead, a mother and daughter tiptoed with pain around the deepest gulf in their lives --- the daughter’s choice to leave the church, convert to Islam and become a practicing Muslim. UNDIVIDED is a real-time story of healing and understanding with alternating narratives from each as they struggle to learn how to love each other in a whole new way. Reviewed by Evelyn Bence.
WRITTEN IN THE BLOOD by Stephen Lloyd Jones (Thriller/Horror)
See the girl. Leah Wilde is 24, a runaway on a black motorbike, hunting for answers while changing her identity with each new Central European town. See the man, Izsák, having come of age in extraordinary suffering and tragedy in 19th-century Budapest; witness to horror, love, death, and the wrath of a true monster. See the monster, a beautiful, seemingly young woman who stalks the American West, seeking the young and the strong to feed upon, desperate to return to Europe where her coven calls. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman. |
|
|
|
Young Adult Books You Want To Read
|
|
Here are this month's books we reviewed on Teenreads.com that we think will appeal to an adult audience:
OFF THE PAGE by Jodi Picoult (Romance/Fantasy)
Meet Oliver, a prince literally taken from the pages of a fairy tale and transported into the real world. Meet Delilah, the girl who wished Oliver into being. It’s a miracle that seems perfect at first --- but there are complications. To exist in Delilah’s world, Oliver must take the place of a regular boy. Enter Edgar, who agrees to play Oliver’s role in the pages of Delilah’s favorite book. But just when it seems that the plan will work, everything gets turned upside down.
ELENA VANISHING: A Memoir by Elena Dunkle (Memoir)
Seventeen-year-old Elena is vanishing. Every day means renewed determination, so every day means fewer calories. This is the story of a girl whose armor against anxiety becomes artillery against herself as she battles on both sides of a lose-lose war in a struggle with anorexia. Told entirely from Elena's perspective over a five-year period and co-written with her mother, award-winning author Clare B. Dunkle, Elena's memoir is a fascinating and intimate look at a deadly disease, and a must-read for anyone who knows someone suffering from an eating disorder.
THE BOYS WHO CHALLENGED HITLER: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club by Phillip Hoose (History)
At the outset of World War II, Denmark did not resist German occupation. Deeply ashamed of his nation's leaders, 15-year-old Knud Pedersen resolved with his brother and a handful of schoolmates to take action against the Nazis if the adults would not. Naming their secret club after the fiery British leader, the young patriots in the Churchill Club committed countless acts of sabotage, infuriating the Germans, who eventually had the boys arrested. Nevertheless, the boys' exploits and eventual imprisonment helped spark a full-blown Danish resistance.
KILLER INSTINCT by S. E. Green (Thriller)
Lane is a teen who channels her dark impulses by hunting criminals and delivering justice when the law fails. The vigilantism stops shy of murder, but with each visceral rush, the line of self-control blurs. And when a young preschool teacher goes missing --- and returns in pieces --- Lane gets a little too excited about tracking down “the Decapitator,” the vicious serial murderer who has come to her hometown.
KILLER WITHIN: A Killer Instinct Novel by S. E. Green (Thriller)
It’s been three months since Lane made her first kill --- the sadistic Decapitator --- and now she feels both closer and more alienated than ever from her united, grieving family. Haunted by conflicting memories of her mother, Lane resumes her role as the vigilante Masked Savior out of a feeling of obligation --- but her heart just isn’t in it anymore. Now that Lane has felt the rush of deeper, darker thrills, a growing part of her wants to revisit its seductive power, and she’s not sure how long she can resist.
|
|
Click here for more young adult books we recommend you read. |
|
|
|
Our Latest Poll: Your Summer Reading Habits
|
Do your reading habits change during the summer?
I read more books during the summer.
I read fewer books during the summer.
My reading habits do not change during the summer.
|
|
Click here to answer the poll. |
|
Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What You're Reading --- and You Can 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 May 22nd to June 5th, FIVE lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of EIGHT HUNDRED GRAPES by Laura Dave, FINDERS KEEPERS by Stephen King, and RADIANT ANGEL: A John Corey Novel by Nelson DeMille.
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 this 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, your review WILL NOT be posted if you have not finished the book.
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.
-To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
|
|
Click here to enter the contest. |
|
As always, here are a few housekeeping notes. If you are seeing this newsletter in a text version, and would prefer to see the graphics, you can either read it online or change your preferences below.
|
|
|
