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March 8, 2013

Bookreporter.com Newsletter March 8, 2013
The ONE Good Thing About the Clocks Springing Ahead
I am a “silver linings” kind of girl. Thus, while I could bemoan the fact that this weekend I will lose an hour of reading time (some of you may complain about losing sleep, but I have my priorities right), I am instead opening up my personal “silver linings playbook” and noting that this means we will lose one hour of time spent in Mercury Retrograde. The last two weeks have turned those in our office who thought this was wacky into real believers as a number of small communication snafus have occurred. Nikki, who is one of our new staffers, actually came up with this “one hour less” notation, and I immediately felt better. The 17th cannot arrive fast enough!

This weekend, I am trying to figure out how to do leg lifts and sit-ups while reading. I have 14 days to get in shape to ski. Turning pages is not going to make turning on the slopes any easier. By the way, among my “vintage” ski paraphernalia, I found my Astraltunes. These were how people listened to music pre-Walkman. You can see a photo above. You would strap this across your chest, pop a cassette tape in the top and wear headphones that looked like a stethoscope. It was padded, so if you face planted, you would not break your ribs but rather just bruise them! And my chin had some dents through the years from falls onto the “stethoscope.” In the iPod world, this really looks antique, like my old skis that I think are going to become bookshelves. The guys at the local ski shop have not encouraged my using them, and my friend Gene has told me that the new skis “turn themselves.” Hmmm….maybe fewer leg lifts and sit-ups will be required. A girl can hope!

In something that is borderline obsessive, I insist on taking a look at every book that we consider for one of our featured spotlights --- and even for ads. We vet them to be sure that we are bringing you titles that “make our cut.” Thus last weekend, I read 100 pages of six titles that we plan to share with you in the weeks and months to come. I joke that I have my “to be read” pile and my “to be finished” pile. By the way, ALL six titles were winners --- and I confess that I went beyond 100 pages in each, though the “to be read” pile was staring me down. But oh, have we got some great plans for the next few months!

One book I finished as I knew it was out this week was THE OBITUARY WRITER by Ann Hood. I had the pleasure of meeting Ann on my trip to Kansas City a couple of weeks ago, and she was just lovely. I do wish I had read this in advance so I could have discussed it with her. And I wish I had talked knitting with her; as I walked away, I remembered that she had written THE KNITTING CIRCLE. Knitting and the women she met in knitting circles were very therapeutic to her when she lost her five-year-old daughter suddenly back in 2002, and THE KNITTING CIRCLE is based on what she learned from those women who gathered together and nurtured each other through various aspects of their lives.

THE OBITUARY WRITER has two storylines that weave themselves together. First, readers are introduced to Claire, who, on the day John F. Kennedy is inaugurated, struggles over the decision of whether to stay in a loveless marriage or follow the man she loves and whose baby she may be carrying. The other character is Vivien Lowe, an obituary writer who lost track of her lover in the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. The book is period-perfect about each time period --- I especially loved the way Claire and her friends were “Jackie fanatics,” taking bets on everything from her Inauguration outfit to her ball gown. Read here why I selected this as a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. We will have our review next week. And for those of you in book groups, we have a discussion guide here.

By the way, am I the only one noting that books set in the ’60s have become quite the rage? Wonder if it has to do with half a century passing by since then.

Terribly sad news this week that Valerie Harper (who we all know as Rhoda) has been given a diagnosis of inoperable brain cancer. Her signature silk scarf wrapped artfully around her head is something we all can picture, as well as her beautiful eyes (that frequently rolled at Mary) and her deadpan humor. In typical Rhoda-style,
she said in People magazine that she doesn't "think of dying" but focuses on "being here now." For those who missed it when it released in January, this may be a good time to pick up her memoir, I, RHODA.

Last month, I told you about the powerfully moving memoir, HER, in which Christa Parravani recounts the tragic death of her identical twin sister, Cara, and her subsequent struggle to survive in the wake of this unthinkable loss. The book released this week, and we have our review from Alexis Burling, who says, “[W]e don’t always pick up a memoir in hopes of enjoying a carefully crafted, expertly plotted read. Instead, we hope for a small glimpse into the inside of someone else’s reality in all its messy glory. With humility and an unbreakable love and respect for her other half, Christa Parravani allows us that in droves.” Alexis also had the chance to interview Christa about the central role the book has played in her healing process and why she feels closer to Cara now than she ever did when her sister was alive. Click here for the interview.

Along with reading all of our coverage of HER on Bookreporter.com, we encourage you to visit our 20SomethingReads.com site, where we’re awarding a copy of the book to 25 readers. To enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, April 2nd at noon ET.

Switching back over to Bookreporter.com giveaways, have two new ones this week. First up, we have a contest for Susan Wiggs’s upcoming novel, THE APPLE ORCHARD, which is not out until April 30th, but we’re giving 25 readers the opportunity to preview the book now. Here’s the plot: Tess Delaney makes a living restoring stolen treasures to their rightful owners --- people like Annelise Winther, who refuses to sell her long-gone mother's beloved necklace, despite Tess's advice. To Annelise, the jewel's value is in its memories. But Tess's own history is filled with gaps: a father she never met, a mother who spent more time traveling than with her daughter. So Tess is shocked when she discovers the grandfather she never knew is in a coma --- and that she has been named in his will to inherit half of Bella Vista, a hundred-acre apple orchard in the magical Sonoma town called Archangel.

THE APPLE ORCHARD marks a new direction for Wiggs, and one that I enjoyed biting into (I could not resist that). By the way, every time I say this title, I have a craving for a Granny Smith apple, which is my favorite kind of apple. If you’d like to be entered to win a copy, all you have to do is fill out this form by Thursday, March 21st at noon ET.

Deborah Cloyed is the newest writer featured in our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight, and her book, WHAT TEARS US APART, releases on March 26th. When Leda desperately flees her life of privilege to travel to Kenya, she unexpectedly falls for Ita at a boys' orphanage in the slums of Nairobi. Their love should be enough to withstand outside forces, but as political unrest plagues the country, Leda and Ita are left to face the reality that sometimes the most treacherous threat is not the world outside, but the demons within.

WHAT TEARS US APART brings Kenya to life for us armchair travelers, and I look forward to our interview with Deborah in the weeks to come to learn how she came to write this story. We have 25 copies of the book to give away to readers who would like to read and comment on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, March 21st at noon ET.

Meanwhile, we’re continuing giveaways for our other Women’s Fiction Spotlight titles, which we announced in last week’s newsletter. We have 50 copies of FAMILY PICTURES by Jane Green, which releases on March 19th, 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, March 14th at noon ET. And 25 copies of GARDEN OF STONES by Sophie Littlefield are still up for grabs for those interested in reading and commenting on the book. Please fill out this form by Thursday, March 14th at noon ET to submit your entry.

THE GODS OF GOTHAM by Lyndsay Faye is our latest Paperback Spotlight title. In it, we find Timothy Wilde tending bar, saving every dollar in hopes of winning the girl of his dreams. But when his dreams are destroyed by a fire that devastates downtown Manhattan, he is left with little choice but to accept a job in the newly minted New York City Police Department. One night, Tim collides with a young girl covered in blood who claims that dozens of bodies are buried in the forest north of Twenty-Third Street. Tim isn’t sure if he should believe her, but as the image of a brutal killer is slowly revealed and anti-Irish rage infects the city, Tim is engaged in a battle that may cost him everything. It was a big hit in hardcover, and we hope that many more of you discover it in paperback now!

THE GODS OF GOTHAM is one of the books you can find in our New in Paperback roundups for March. Others include CALICO JOE by John Grisham, THE FORGOTTEN by David Baldacci, SPRING FEVER by Mary Kay Andrews, WILD: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed, and PARIS IN LOVE: A Memoir by Eloisa James (which was a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick when it released in hardcover last year). Find out what else is releasing in paperback for the weeks of March 4th, March 11th, March 18th and March 25th.

Speaking of paperbacks, I wanted to call to your attention an ad that we currently have running on Bookreporter.com for YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW by Lisa Jackson, which is now available in paperback. Two years ago, Ava's two-year-old son Noah went missing, and his body has never been found. Ava has spent most of the past two years in and out of Seattle mental institutions, shattered by grief and unable to recall the details of Noah's disappearance. Now she's back at the family estate she once intended to restore to its former grandeur. But she can't shake the feeling that her family and her psychologist know more than they're saying. Click here to read more about the book and here for our review.

Our Books on Screen feature has been updated for March. This month’s highlights include two films inspired by Stephenie Meyer’s books: The Host, the big-screen adaptation of her first adult novel, and the DVD release of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2. Also in theaters this month is Admission starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, which is based on a book by Jean Hanff Korelitz that I thoroughly enjoyed when it released in 2009. Click here for the complete listings.

For the third week of our Spring Preview Feature, we hosted 24-hour contests for THE TALE OF RAW HEAD AND BLOODY BONES by Jack Wolf and VIRUS THIRTEEN by Joshua Alan Parry. You can see the lucky winners of these and our other Spring Preview contests here. Next week’s prize books will be LIFE AFTER LIFE by Jill McCorkle and Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler, with the first contest of the week kicking off on Tuesday, March 12th at noon ET. If you’d like to receive our Spring Preview newsletter in which we announce each day’s title, you can sign up for those contest alerts here.

Our poll question continues to ask what types of nonfiction books, if any, you typically like to read. And you have until Friday, March 15th at noon ET to enter our current Word of Mouth contest. Let us know what you’re reading for a chance to win BENEDICTION by Kent Haruf, THE STILL POINT OF THE TURNING WORLD by Emily Rapp and UNTIL I SAY GOOD-BYE: My Year of Living with Joy by Susan Spencer-Wendel with Bret Witter.

Thanks to those of you who have been spreading the word about your favorite features via social networking, Yes, we have noticed. Just a quick reminder for those who many not know: On each of our review and feature pages, we have links for you to share the reviews that you love on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites via the "Share" buttons located near each feature. See something you like? Then click and share. We love gathering new readers, and we have found that this is a terrific way to make that happen. So click away. Also, a reminder that during the week we add items of interest to our Facebook and Twitter feeds, so if you are not following us, think about “Liking” us. We post contest reminders and fun book-inspired news that we find during the week.

Some housekeeping notes. We know our websites have been running slowly in the last month or so. One reason is increased traffic to the sites, which we should be happy about, but in this case it is requiring some major tech upgrades. We are working on some big solutions to speed things up, but as I have learned with ANYTHING involving technology in the last 17 years, nothing happens easily. There are days that I think it might be easier for you to call in and have me read aloud than try to forge a new solution with our programmers! Bear with us as I think we are close to getting our speed groove back!

For those of you who have trouble entering contests (we mostly hear from readers who are accessing us via AOL where we have been working with them on a solution, to endless frustration), please note that you want to bookmark this link if you have trouble entering. It has alternate instructions on how to enter contests.

My hour-shorter weekend here will include Saturday night dinner with my parents and my niece who is in town visiting them. I made a killer dinner last weekend with a spicy Indian steak dish with a ginger raita from ONE SPICE, TWO SPICE, one of my favorite cookbooks, and a Farro salad that had the menfolk in the house declaring to be quite good, even if it was made with “healthy wheat grains.” It’s calling for a repeat!

Read on….and here’s to a great week ahead. I am off to my “to be read” and “to be finished” piles.

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
Now in Stores: THE ACCURSED by Joyce Carol Oates
THE ACCURSED by Joyce Carol Oates (Historical Gothic Romance)
Princeton, New Jersey, at the turn of the 20th century: a tranquil place to raise a family, a genteel town for genteel souls. But something dark and dangerous lurks at the edges of the town, corrupting and infecting its residents. A young bride on the verge of the altar is seduced and abducted by a shape-shifting, vaguely European prince who might just be the devil. When the bride's brother sets out against all odds to find her, his path will cross those of Princeton's most formidable people. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

-Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read a review.
Bookreporter.com Talks to Christa Parravani, Author of HER
HER is writer and photographer Christa Parravani’s powerfully moving memoir in which she recounts the tragic death of her identical twin sister, Cara, and her subsequent struggle to survive in the wake of this unthinkable loss. In this interview, conducted by Bookreporter.com's Alexis Burling, Parravani discusses the central role that writing this book played in her healing process and why she feels closer to Cara now than she ever did when her sister was alive. She also talks about the origin of the book’s cover image, her close relationship with her mentor, novelist Jayne Anne Phillips, and how Cara might have reacted to HER if she was still living.

HER: A Memoir by Christa Parravani (Memoir)
Christa Parravani and her identical twin, Cara, were linked by a bond that went beyond sisterhood or friendship. But haunted by childhood experiences with father figures and further damaged by being raped as a young adult, Cara descended into depression, drugs and a shocking early death. A few years later, Christa read that when an identical twin dies, 50 percent of the time the surviving twin dies within two years. First, Christa fought to stop her sister's downward spiral; suddenly, she was struggling to keep herself alive. Reviewed by Alexis Burling.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to enter to win a copy of the book in our 20SomethingReads.com contest.

Click here to read our interview.
New Featured Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight and Contest: WHAT TEARS US APART by Deborah Cloyed
We have 25 copies of WHAT TEARS US APART by Deborah Cloyed, which releases on March 26th, 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, March 21st at noon ET.

WHAT TEARS US APART by Deborah Cloyed (Romance)
The real world. That’s what Leda desperately seeks when she flees her life of privilege to travel to Kenya. She finds it at a boys' orphanage in the slums of Nairobi. What she doesn’t expect is to fall for Ita, the charismatic and thoughtful man who gave up his dreams so as to offer children a haven in the midst of turmoil.

Their love should be enough for each other --- it embodies the soul-deep connection both have always craved. But it is threatened by Ita’s troubled childhood friend, Chege, a gang leader with whom he shares a complex history. As political unrest reaches a boiling point and the slum erupts in violence, Leda is attacked…and forced to put her trust in Chege, the one person who otherwise inspires anything but.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read Deborah Cloyed’s bio.
-Click here to visit Deborah Cloyed’s official website.
-Connect with Deborah Cloyed on Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to read more in our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight and enter the contest.
Special Contest: Win a Copy of THE APPLE ORCHARD by Susan Wiggs Before It Releases on April 30th
We are celebrating the April 30th release of THE APPLE ORCHARD by Susan Wiggs --- a novel of sisters, friendship, and how memories are woven like a spell around us --- with a special contest that will give 25 readers the opportunity to win an advance copy of the book. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, March 21st at noon ET.

THE APPLE ORCHARD by Susan Wiggs (Romance)
Tess Delaney makes a living restoring stolen treasures to their rightful owners. People like Annelise Winther, who refuses to sell her long-gone mother’s beloved necklace --- despite Tess’s advice. To Annelise, the jewel’s value is in its memories.

But Tess’s own history is filled with gaps: a father she never met, a mother who spent more time traveling than with her daughter. So Tess is shocked when she discovers the grandfather she never knew is in a coma. And that she has been named in his will to inherit half of Bella Vista, a hundred-acre apple orchard in the magical Sonoma town called Archangel.

The rest is willed to Isabel Johansen. A half sister she’s never heard of.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read Susan Wiggs’s bio.
-Click here to visit Susan Wiggs’s official website.
-Connect with Susan Wiggs on Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to enter the contest.
New Featured Paperback Spotlight: THE GODS OF GOTHAM by Lyndsay Faye
THE GODS OF GOTHAM by Lyndsay Faye (Historical Mystery/Thriller)
Timothy Wilde tends bar, saving every dollar in hopes of winning the girl of his dreams. But when his dreams are destroyed by a fire that devastates downtown Manhattan, he is left with little choice but to accept a job in the newly minted New York City Police Department.

Returning exhausted from his rounds one night, Tim collides with a girl no more than 10 years old…covered in blood. She claims that dozens of bodies are buried in the forest north of Twenty-Third Street. Timothy isn’t sure whether to believe her, but as the image of a brutal killer is slowly revealed and anti-Irish rage infects the city, the reluctant copper star is engaged in a battle that may cost him everything…

THE GODS OF GOTHAM is now available in paperback.

-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read Lyndsay Faye’s bio.
-Click here to visit Lyndsay Faye’s official website.
-Connect with Lyndsay Faye on Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to read more in our Paperback Spotlight.
Bookreporter.com Bets On: THE OBITUARY WRITER by Ann Hood
THE OBITUARY WRITER by Ann Hood (Historical Fiction)
Looking at the cover of Ann Hood’s THE OBITUARY WRITER, I was not sure what to expect. I know that she is well known for her works THE KNITTING CIRCLE and THE RED THREAD, but this looked very different.

It opens in 1960 when the country is caught up in the Kennedy/Nixon election. Claire is a young mother who, along with her friends, idolizes Jackie O. Over dinner parties and cocktails, couples are caught up in the moment when the country feels young and vibrant and ready for a change. Young housewives are greeting their husbands as they come home from dinner, but as they move through their routines, they also are restless. And Claire’s restlessness prompts her to start an affair that unlocks parts of her that makes her feel alive. She also finds herself pregnant, which leads to new questions.

The story then moves back to 1919, and we meet Vivien Lowe, who is wondering what happened to her lover who disappeared in the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Vivien has made a name for herself writing very personal obituaries in which she brings out the best of those who have passed, giving their loved ones something special to remember them by. All the time, she herself is mourning.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to see all the books we’re betting you’ll love.

Click here to read more of Carol’s thoughts on the book.
Featured Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight and Contest: FAMILY PICTURES by Jane Green
We have 50 copies of FAMILY PICTURES by Jane Green, which releases on March 19th, 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, March 14th at noon ET.

FAMILY PICTURES by Jane Green (Fiction)
From the author of ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART comes FAMILY PICTURES, the gripping story of two women who live on opposite coasts but whose lives are connected in ways they never could have imagined. Both women are wives and mothers to children who are about to leave the nest for school. They are both in their 40s and have husbands who travel more than either of them would like. They are both feeling an emptiness neither had expected. But when a shocking secret is exposed, their lives are blown apart. As dark truths from the past reveal themselves, will these two women be able to learn to forgive, for the sake of their children, if not for themselves?

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Click here to read more about the book.
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Click here to read an excerpt.
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Click here to read Jane Green’s bio.
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Click here to visit Jane Green’s official website.
-Connect with Jane Green on
Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to read more in our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight and enter the contest.
Featured Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight and Contest: GARDEN OF STONES by Sophie Littlefield
We have 25 copies of GARDEN OF STONES by Sophie Littlefield, which is in stores now, 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, March 14th at noon ET.

GARDEN OF STONES by Sophie Littlefield (Fiction)
Lucy Takeda is just 14 years old, living in Los Angeles, when the bombs rain down on Pearl Harbor. Within weeks, she and her mother, Miyako, are ripped from their home, rounded up --- along with thousands of other innocent Japanese-Americans --- and taken to the Manzanar prison camp.

Buffeted by blistering heat and choking dust, Lucy and Miyako must endure the harsh living conditions of the camp. Corruption and abuse creep into every corner of Manzanar, eventually ensnaring beautiful, vulnerable Miyako. Ruined and unwilling to surrender her daughter to the same fate, Miyako soon breaks. Her final act of desperation will stay with Lucy forever…and spur her to sins of her own.

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Click here to read more about the book.
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Click here to read a review.
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Click here to read an excerpt.
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Click here to read critical praise.
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Click here to read Sophie Littlefield’s bio.
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Click here to visit Sophie Littlefield’s official website.
-Connect with Sophie Littlefield on
Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to read more in our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight and enter the contest.
Special Contest: Win a Copy of AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED by Khaled Hosseini Before It Releases on May 21st
In January, we introduced our Enduring Bestseller Spotlight, which gives us a chance to go back and revisit books from years past that have affected us deeply --- books that have moved us, made us laugh, or struck other emotional chords. Our debut titles for this exciting new feature were THE KITE RUNNER and A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS by Khaled Hosseini --- and now we have a giveaway to tell you about that you won't want to miss out on.

If you’ve read one or both of Hosseini's books, we’d love for you to share your thoughts about them, which we then will post on the site. Please fill out
this form by Thursday, April 11th at noon ET, and you will be entered to win one of 25 copies of Hosseini’s highly anticipated forthcoming novel, AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED, which releases on May 21st.

AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED by Khaled Hosseini (Fiction)
Khaled Hosseini has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations. In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most. Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe --- from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos --- the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page.

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Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to enter the contest.
Featured Debut Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight: RAGE AGAINST THE DYING by Becky Masterman
RAGE AGAINST THE DYING by Becky Masterman (Thriller)
Brigid Quinn's experiences in hunting sexual predators for the FBI have left her with memories she wishes she didn’t have and lethal skills she hopes never to need again. Having been pushed into early retirement by events she thinks she's put firmly behind her, Brigid keeps telling herself she is settling down nicely in Tucson with a wonderful new husband, Carlo, and their dogs.

But the past intervenes when a man named Floyd Lynch confesses to the worst unsolved case of Brigid’s career --- the disappearance and presumed murder of her young protégée, Jessica. Floyd knows things about that terrible night that were never made public, and offers to lead the cops to Jessica's body in return for a plea bargain.

It should finally be the end of a dark chapter in Brigid’s life. But it's not.

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Click here to read more about the book.
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Click here to read an excerpt.
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Click here to read critical praise.
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Click here to read Becky Masterman’s bio.
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Click here to connect with Becky Masterman on Facebook.

Click here to read more in our Debut Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight.
March’s New in Paperback Roundups
March’s New in Paperback roundups include the following highlights:

CALICO JOE by John Grisham (Fiction)
In the summer of 1973, Joe Castle quickly became the idol of every baseball fan in America, including Paul Tracey, the young son of a hard-partying and hard-throwing Mets pitcher. On the day that Warren Tracey finally faced Calico Joe, Paul was in the stands, rooting for his idol but also for his dad. Then Warren threw a fastball that would change their lives forever.

THE FORGOTTEN by David Baldacci (Thriller)
Army Special Agent John Puller is the best there is, and he’s the one the U.S. Army relies on to investigate the toughest crimes. Now he has a new case, but this time, the crime is personal: His aunt has been found dead in Paradise, Florida. Before she died, she mailed a letter to Puller's father, telling him that Paradise is not all it seems to be. What Puller finds convinces him that his aunt's death was no accident but a cold-blooded murder.

SPRING FEVER by Mary Kay Andrews (Fiction)
Annajane thinks she's over her ex-husband, Mason. But when she attends his wedding, everything changes, and she realizes she might want him back. Even if there are people determined to keep Annajane from getting what she wants, happiness might be hers for the taking, and the life she once had with Mason in this sleepy lake town might be in her future.

THE PRISONER OF HEAVEN by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Historical Fiction)
It’s Christmas of 1957 in Barcelona, and Daniel Sempere and his wife, Bea, are celebrating their new beautiful son, Julian, and the engagement of close friend Fermín Romero de Torres. But a mysterious stranger threatens all of it when he visits the Sempere bookshop and tries to expose a terrible secret that has been buried in the city’s past. His appearance plunges Fermín and Daniel into an adventure that takes them back to the 1940s and the early days of Franco’s dictatorship.

WILD: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (Memoir)
At 22, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State --- and she would do it alone.

PARIS IN LOVE: A Memoir by Eloisa James (Memoir)
In 2009, New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James took a leap that many people dream about: she sold her house, took a sabbatical from her job as a Shakespeare professor, and moved her family to Paris. PARIS IN LOVE chronicles her joyful year in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

-Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of March 4th, March 11th, March 18th and March 25th.
Bookreporter.com's Spring Preview Contests and Feature
Spring is in the air (or will be very soon)! We’ve already caught the fever --- and it’s being fueled by a list of great upcoming books! Here are some picks that we know people will be talking about over the next few months. We will be hosting a number of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through mid-March. You will need to check the site to see the featured book and enter to win. We also will be sending a special newsletter to announce each title, which you can sign up for here.

Our next prize book will be announced on Tuesday, March 12th at noon ET.

This year's featured titles include:

-Click here to see the winners of this year’s Spring Preview contests.

Click here to see our Spring Preview feature and sign up for our special newsletter.
This Week’s Reviews
THE STILL POINT OF THE TURNING WORLD by Emily Rapp (Memoir)
Like all mothers, Emily Rapp had ambitious plans for her first and only child, Ronan. But that all changed when Ronan was diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease, a rare and always-fatal degenerative disorder. Rapp and her husband were forced to re-evaluate everything they thought they knew about parenting. THE STILL POINT OF THE TURNING WORLD is the story of a mother’s journey through grief and beyond it. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

THE FUN PARTS: Stories by Sam Lipsyte (Fiction/Short Stories)
Sam Lipsyte’s second collection of short stories features the characters you would expect to see in a Lipsyte book: wise-cracking slackers from New York and New Jersey, most of them male, with drug and commitment problems. But you also get well-rounded female characters, touching moments between dying parents and their adult progeny, and surprisingly poetic writing. THE FUN PARTS fulfills the promise of VENUS DRIVE, Lipsyte’s vivid first collection. Reviewed by Michael Magras.

THE BOYFRIEND by Thomas Perry (Thriller)
Jack Till, who has retired from the LAPD after a respected career as a homicide detective, now works as a private investigator. But when the parents of a recently murdered young girl ask for his help when the police come up empty, Till reluctantly takes the case. It turns out the victim is just one of several young female escorts killed in different cities in the exact same way. Till must risk his life to find a seductive and ruthless killer whose murderous spree masks a far deadlier agenda. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

LONG SHOT by Mike Piazza with Lonnie Wheeler (Autobiography)
Mike Piazza’s autobiography is the candid story of the greatest hitting catcher in the history of baseball, from his inauspicious draft selection to his Hall of Fame-worthy achievements and the unusual controversies that marked his career. Among other He addresses the steroid controversy that hovered around him and Major League Baseball during his time and describes the thrill of his game-winning home run on September 21, 2001. Reviewed by Ron Kaplan.

HOW LITERATURE SAVED MY LIFE by David Shields (Essays)
Blending confessional criticism and anthropological autobiography, David Shields explores the power of literature to make life survivable, maybe even endurable. He evokes his deeply divided personality, character flaws, woes, and serious despairs. Books are his life, but when they come to feel unlifelike and archaic, he revels in a new kind of art that is based heavily on quotation and consciousness and self-consciousness. Reviewed by Pauline Finch.

AIRTIGHT by David Rosenfelt (Thriller)
When a judge is murdered, the police catch the killer right away. Or so they thought. The lead cop on the case starts to have doubts, especially when the killer’s brother threatens a loved one. The motive turns out to be much more complicated than a criminal trying to escape punishment. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.

WITH OR WITHOUT YOU: A Memoir by Domenica Ruta (Memoir)
Domenica Ruta grew up with her mother, a drug dealer and user who raised Domenica on a steady diet of Oxycontin. She knew she was far smarter and worse dressed than everyone else she knew, but found solace in writing and reading. As her mother's behavior grew increasingly outrageous and her home life increasingly untenable, Domenica fled her hometown only to become ensnared by the demons of addiction. Reviewed by Alexis Burling.

GUN MACHINE by Warren Ellis (Thriller)
After a shootout claims the life of his partner, Detective John Tallow unwittingly stumbles across an apartment stacked high with guns. When examined, each weapon leads to a different, previously unsolved murder. Confronted with the sudden emergence of hundreds of unsolved homicides, Tallow soon discovers a hunter who may be the most prolific murderer in New York City's history. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

EXTINCTION by Mark Alpert (Thriller)
Jim Pierce hasn't heard from his daughter in years, ever since she rejected his military past and started working as a hacker. But when a Chinese assassin shows up at Jim's lab looking for her, he knows that she has cracked some serious military secrets. Now, her life is on the line if he doesn't find her first. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

ALL NATURAL MURDER: A Blossom Valley Mystery by Staci McLaughlin (Mystery)
When Dana Lewis learns about the death of Monster Truck driver Bobby Joe Jones, frequent philanderer and boyfriend to Dana's sister, Ashlee, she has no choice but to wipe up the mess. Especially when witnesses last saw Ashlee angrily up in Bobby Joe's grill at the fairgrounds. With dizzying speed, Dana's life skids out of control. What else can she do but go into overdrive to save Ashlee's soy bacon and stop a deadly killer in his tracks. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

A WALK OF SNIPES: A Cade Blackstone Mystery by Kate Ayers (Mystery)
A group of privileged car fanatics takes an overnight trip to the Oregon coast. One of them doesn't come back. The missing man was a high-profile Portland attorney with well-publicized shady tactics. Did his new wife get tired of him? Did he have a girlfriend? Or which of his many dissatisfied clients offed him? It falls to Carlton's wise-cracking PI Cade Blackstone to find out, but the stakes are higher than anyone imagined. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
Contests Running on Other Sites in TheBookReportNetwork.com
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

“What Are You Reading?” Monthly Contest Feature
Let us know what your group is reading in March, and you will be entered in a giveaway to win multiple copies of a book for your group! Our latest prize book is UNTIL I SAY GOOD-BYE: My Year of Living with Joy by Susan Spencer-Wendel and Bret Witter, a moving and inspirational memoir by a woman who makes the most of her final days after discovering she has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We have 12 copies of the book, which releases on March 12th, to give away to three groups. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, April 2nd at noon ET.

20SomethingReads.com

HER: A Memoir by Christa Parravani
When a charismatic and troubled young woman dies tragically, her identical twin must struggle to survive. We are celebrating the March 5th release of Christa Parravani's memoir, HER, with a special contest that will give 25 readers the opportunity to win a copy of the book. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, April 2nd at noon ET.

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.


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

FaithfulReader.com’s Monthly Contest
In our latest monthly contest, 25 readers will be awarded the first two books in Sigmund Brouwer's fantasy/adventure series, Merlin's Immortals: THE ORPHAN KING and FORTRESS OF MIST. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, March 12th at noon ET.



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