Archives - Weekly Update

Happy Halloween. Here's to scary books and great candy! A few weeks ago we reviewed BALANCE OF POWER by Richard North Patterson. This week we are adding thoughts and comments from two of our advance readers whose lives have been touched by gun violence --- one had a brother who was a police officer who was shot and killed allegedly by a mentally disturbed man who had a number of guns at his home; the other had a 21 year-old son who obtained a gun from a pawn shop to commit suicide. See our Suspense/Thriller feature to read their comments on BALANCE OF POWER.

Last weekend's Bouchercon Mystery Convention in Las Vegas gave me the opportunity to meet a number of mystery/suspense/thriller authors and listen to them share stories about their inspiration, their characters and their passion for the written word. It was like being at a four-day book signing event!

Greetings from Las Vegas where I am attending the Bouchercon Mystery Conference. The attendees at this event are a wonderful mix of authors, publishers and readers of the mystery/suspense/thriller genre. There are author panels throughout each day, and endless conversations about books and writing into the night.

Baseball this October has special significance. No, I am not talking about the fact that the Red Sox and the Cubs are in the playoffs, but rather that this year the World Series celebrates its 100th anniversary. Our favorite baseball aficionado, Ron Kaplan, shares six great baseball titles this week for all those with pennant fever!

There are some books that make you feel and pause to remember what really matters in life. NOT FADE AWAY, by Peter Barton and Laurence Shames, which we are featuring this week, did that for me. It's the story of Peter Barton, who died in his 50s of cancer. A few of you may have heard of him; he ran Liberty Media. Most of you will not have, and it will not matter. Peter's story is his, but you will take away something from it to make your own. Peter's life and the legacy he shares in this book will spur you to think of the people in your life that make it matter. It also will spur you to think about how you may need to change it to matter more.