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August 23, 2013

Bookreporter.com Newsletter August 23, 2013
Bookreporter.com Celebrates 17 Years!

This weekend, we typically head to the Outer Banks for vacation, but for the first time in 14 years, we are not. Cory is off to college orientation next Friday, and thus it did not make sense to drive eight hours each way for what would have been a five-night trip. Instead, for the first time, we are doing a staycation. This is the time of year when the pool and flowers here at the house are lovely --- and always tough to leave --- thus I will be relaxing and reading in a new location.

When we are on OBX, I love floating in the pool reading in one of those big over-sized tubes --- something I never do here at the house. Now I have a blue tube freshly blown up here to make this a different experience from what I do the rest of the summer, vacation reading. I got a note from one of our ReadingGroupGuides.com readers, Nancy, who said, “What an unfortunate near-miss. I'm going to the Outer Banks next week with a high school chum, and just read that you're forgoing your customary visit there.” I was able to give her a list of recommendations of things to do.

Right now, the dining room has been turned into a staging area for “Operation: Cory Goes to College.” Next week, I will get serious about the final checklist of what he needs to bring, but I must say this is physically easier the second time around. The emotions are a whole other story; the throat lump, sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach and tears ready to fall at a moment’s notice that I had five years ago when Greg left are back. My Facebook feed has many posts from friends as they drop their kids off at school. Wendy Corsi Staub had a link to this piece from the Washington Post about children leaving home for college. It really sums it up.

For any of you who have been through or are going to be going through the college entrance process, a debut novel called EARLY DECISION: Based on a True Frenzy by Lacy Crawford is coming out next week. I read it last year in manuscript, and it completely sums up the insanity that occurs around applying to college. Lacy served as a highly discreet independent college admissions counselor for 15 years, so she knows her stuff. My sister does this same thing in Atlanta, and this book is dead-on with the experiences that she has told me about with her students and their parents, especially the mothers. Reading the essays that have been polished and then over-polished made for interesting reading. I loved it!

Next Tuesday marks the 17th anniversary of Bookreporter.com --- another big milestone! Each year when this date rolls around, I find myself reminiscing starting with the early days and then I flip through the memories of staffers, readers, reviewers, books, authors and publishing friends who have made this website --- and in fact all of them in TheBookReportNetwork.com --- so special. It really comes down to the people! I wanted to take this time to hail Tom Donadio, our extraordinary Editorial Director who tirelessly does often triple detail to ensure that what we share with you each week is spot on. I am dedicating this newsletter to him with grateful thanks! I also salute our reviewers whose blended voices make the writing on this site what it is!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on Bookreporter.com --- anything you would like to share, from how you found us to books and authors you discovered to whatever else you care to tell us. Drop me an email at [email protected] with the subject line “Bookreporter.com Anniversary.” By the way, we have gotten some of our best ideas from our readers --- and we have MANY new things on tap for the months ahead. At 17 we are a lot more savvy, but still have a lot of growing to do! I looked up what an appropriate anniversary gift is for 17 years, and it's furniture. Guess it's time to buy more bookshelves!

We were saddened to hear that Elmore Leonard passed away Tuesday at the age of 87. Our reviewer Joe Hartlaub is a huge fan of his entire body of work, which included crime novels and westerns, and offers this special tribute to him. “Justified,” the hit series on FX, is based on Leonard’s character Raylan Givens, who last appeared in 2012’s RAYLAN.

This week, we’re pleased to present reviews of three books (all of which released on Tuesday) that we’ve featured the past few weeks in our Author Spotlights. The first is TAMARACK COUNTY, the latest installment in William Kent Krueger’s series starring sheriff-turned-private investigator Cork O’Connor. Reviewer Joe Hartlaub says, “Krueger continues his practice of mining new story veins from the beautiful and dangerous environs of northern Minnesota, providing his continually growing legion of readers with unforgettable situations and characters wrapped in prose that can be appreciated over and over again.” Read much more about the series in Joe’s interview with Kent here. Kent kicked off his tour with a great launch party at Once Upon A Crime in Minneapolis with two of his very favorite booksellers, Pat Frovarp and Gary Shulze; in fact, he dedicated this book to them.

In TELL NO LIES by Gregg Hurwitz, a series of anonymous threats intended for others puts a man --- and everyone he loves --- in the path of a relentless killer. Joe Hartlaub warns, “Don’t let your heart rate relax…because Hurwitz continues to pour on surprises, big and small and in-between, practically until the end.” Joe also had the chance to talk with Gregg, and we'll have that interview for you shortly. I read about Gregg’s book event at Diesel in LA last night with great dismay that I was not there. Among those feting him were Robert Crais, Christopher Rice, Mark Sullivan, Dennis Lehane and Chris Mooney. What an audience lineup! I have said again and again that this is my favorite book of Gregg’s, so now is your chance to read it.

LOOKAWAY, LOOKAWAY is Wilton Barnhardt’s first novel in 15 years. It’s about a family coming apart, a society changing beyond recognition, and an unforgettable woman striving to pull it all together. Bronwyn Miller has our review and calls the book “a wickedly sharp and satiric look at the new South and one desperate family’s obsession with their fading image.” Read more in Bronwyn’s interview with Wilton here. This is a perfect end-of-summer beach read.

Our newest Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight title is THE WEDDING GIFT, a debut novel by Marlen Suyapa Bodden. When prestigious plantation owner Cornelius Allen gives his daughter Clarissa’s hand in marriage, she takes with her a gift: Sarah --- her slave and her half-sister. Raised by an educated mother, Clarissa is not a proper southern belle she appears to be with ambitions of loving who she chooses, and Sarah equally hides behind the façade of being a docile house slave as she plots to escape. We have 35 copies of the book to give away to readers who would like to read and comment on it. All you have to do is fill out this form by Thursday, September 5th at noon ET.

To celebrate the August 27th paperback release of A HUNDRED FLOWERS by Gail Tsukiyama, we’re featuring the book in our Paperback Spotlight. At the beginning of the Chinese Cultural Revolution of 1957, Kai Ying struggles to hold her family together after her husband is sent to a labor camp as punishment for writing a letter criticizing the Communist Party. When her young son breaks his leg, she must come to terms with the shattering reminder of her husband's absence. Meanwhile, other members of the household must face their own guilty secrets and strive to find peace in a world where the old sense of order is failing. Read more about the book, plus a review, in our Paperback Spotlight feature.

We’re continuing our Author Spotlight contests for SONGS OF WILLOW FROST by Jamie Ford, NECESSARY LIES by Diane Chamberlain and NOWHERE SAFE by Nancy Bush. Click on the titles to read all about these novels, and then enter the giveaways for your chance to win the books and comment on them. The deadline for your entries in each of the contests is Tuesday, September 3rd at noon ET.

Stephen White’s long-running series featuring Boulder psychologist Alan Gregory comes to a close with the release of #20, COMPOUND FRACTURES. In this riveting finale, Gregory is forced to acknowledge that the perils that may bring him to his knees are not the dangers he recognizes, nor are they orchestrated by the nemesis he has long feared. Click here to read our review from Joe Hartlaub, and see what the author himself has to say about the end of the series, which debuted 22 years ago, here. I have had the pleasure of spending time with Stephen on more than one occasion, and I look forward to seeing what comes next from what he shares in that interview. For the moment, let’s all give him a round of applause for many years of great reading!

In stores this week is NIGHT FILM, the much-talked-about literary thriller from Marisha Pessl, whose debut, SPECIAL TOPICS IN CALAMITY PHYSICS, was a bestseller in both hardcover and paperback. Ashley Cordova’s death is ruled a suicide, but veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath doesn’t agree. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley’s life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova. For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Click here to read Norah Piehl’s review.

We’re also featuring a review of THE BONE SEASON by 21-year-old debut novelist Samantha Shannon, which the Today Show has picked as its first read for their new book club. This first volume of a seven-book fantasy series introduces readers to Paige Mahoney, a clairvoyant with a valuable skill --- she’s a dreamwalker. Her skill is precious to the underground syndicate she’s a part of, and even more valuable to another group that wants her for their own reasons. When Paige is captured, her abilities take on an entirely new meaning and purpose. Click here to read our review from Amy Gwiazdowski.

Joe Hartlaub (who is working especially hard for us this week) also reviews THE RETURNED by Jason Mott, a debut author who I had the pleasure of meeting at BookExpo America in June. In their old age, Harold and Lucille have settled comfortably into life without their son, who died tragically at his eighth birthday party in 1966. But then one day, Jacob mysteriously appears on their doorstep --- still eight years old. The Hargraves are forced to navigate a mysterious new reality and a conflict that threatens to unravel the very meaning of what it is to be human. Click here to read what Joe has to say about the book, which releases on Tuesday, August 27th.

I’m so excited to share with you THREE new Bookreporter.com Bets On selections. First up is AFTER HER by Joyce Maynard, which is loosely inspired by the Trailside Killer case that terrorized Marin County, California, in the late 1970s. The book traces a young girl's first explorations of sexuality, the loss of innocence, the bond shared by sisters, and the tender but damaged relationship between a girl and her father that endures even beyond the grave. Click here for my thoughts on the book, and read our review from Norah Piehl here. Also, Joyce wrote a fun piece for the Wall Street Journal about real estate as a metaphor for her life, which you can read here.

My next pick is THE GIRL YOU LEFT BEHIND by Jojo Moyes, whose previous novel, ME BEFORE YOU, I named as a Bets On selection just a few weeks ago. Jojo’s latest effort finds artist Edouard Lefevre leaving his young wife, Sophie, to fight at the front. When their small town falls to the Germans in the midst of World War I, Edouard’s portrait of Sophie draws the eye of the new Kommandant. As the officer’s dangerous obsession deepens, Sophie will risk everything to see her husband again. Almost a century later, Sophie’s portrait is given to Liv Halston by her young husband shortly before his sudden death, and a battle begins for who its legitimate owner is. Click here for my Bets On commentary and here for Norah’s review.

My final Bets On title this week is THE BOY ON THE WOODEN BOX, a memoir from Leon Leyson, one of the youngest children to survive the Holocaust on Oskar Schindler’s list. Although the book is being published for children ages 9-14, the message inside is so well done that I want to share it with as broad an audience as possible. Thus we’re featuring the book on four of our sites: Bookreporter, 20SomethingReads, Teenreads and Kidsreads. Click here to find out why I feel so strongly about this extraordinary novel, and read reviewer Sarah Rachel Egelman’s take on Leon’s account here. THE BOY ON THE WOODEN BOX releases on Tuesday, August 27th.

Our Third Annual Fall Preview contests launched this week. The first two prize books we awarded were MY MOTHER’S SECRET by J.L. Witterick and MOONRISE by Cassandra King. We’ll be taking a short break from these contests as we near the unofficial end of summer, but we’ll return with more giveaways after September 9th. Still, you can check out the feature anytime here (we plan on adding more titles in the days to come), and be sure to sign up here to receive the Fall Preview newsletter. And check out the debut of our Fall Showcase feature, which will give you even more ways to win books throughout these fall months. We’ll be adding more books to this in the weeks to come.

We’ve updated our Young Adult Books You Want to Read feature. This month’s titles (which originated from our Teenreads.com site) are TWO BOYS KISSING by David Levithan, THE INFINITE MOMENT OF US by Lauren Myracle and IF YOU COULD BE MINE by Sara Farizan.

We have a new Word of Mouth contest starting this week. Let us know what you’ve been reading, and you could be in the running to win three books. This contest period’s prizes are HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny, NEVER GO BACK: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child, and the aforementioned THE RETURNED by Jason Mott. The deadline for your entries is Friday, September 6th at noon ET.

This is a huge update as next week we will be taking our traditional end-of-summer hiatus to give the staff some well-deserved time off. We will be back with our next newsletter on Friday, September 6th! If I find fun things to share in the next two weeks, I will post them on our Bookreporter.com Facebook page. I just added a movie trailer for The Book Thief, which you can also see here. It comes out November 15th. I also will keep track of what I read and see if I can keep up my vacation “book-a-day” habit here at home.

Thank you for reading and for giving me the opportunity to have the best job that I could imagine. Being a part of your reading world every Friday night/Saturday morning is a pleasure. I toast all of you! Have a great pre-and post-Labor Day week! Read on…

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])

Bookreporter.com Talks to William Kent Krueger, Author of TAMARACK COUNTY

William Kent Krueger is the award-winning author of 13 Cork O’Connor mysteries, as well as the stand-alone title ORDINARY GRACE. In his latest book, TAMARACK COUNTY, private investigator Cork O’Connor begins to detect a pattern of ominous incidents throughout Tamarack County and must break it before his loved ones are forced to pay the ultimate price for the sins of others. In this interview with Bookreporter.com’s Joe Hartlaub, Krueger talks about how this story presented the long-awaited opportunity for him to spotlight Cork's kids, Stephen and Anne. He also reveals how staying true in his fiction to the ever-changing nature of family life --- and life in general --- has kept things interesting for him, and explains why he loves to write about Minnesota, even though he isn’t technically a native.

TAMARACK COUNTY by William Kent Krueger (Mystery)
As a blizzard swells just days before Christmas, the car belonging to the wife of a retired local judge is discovered abandoned on a rural road. When the beloved pet dog of a friend is found decapitated, private investigator Cork O’Connor begins to detect a startling pattern of ominous incidents throughout the area. Then Cork’s son is nearly killed, and he knows this is no trick of his imagination. Someone is spinning a deadly web in Tamarack County. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
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Click here to read an excerpt.
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Click here to read William Kent Krueger’s bio.
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Click here to visit William Kent Krueger’s official website.
-Connect with William Kent Krueger on
Facebook and Twitter.
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Click here to see the 25 winners who were selected to read and comment on the book.
-Click here to read more in our Mystery Mayhem Author Spotlight.

Click here to read our interview.
Now in Stores: TELL NO LIES by Gregg Hurwitz

TELL NO LIES by Gregg Hurwitz (Thriller)
Daniel Brasher finds an envelope in his department mailbox --- one intended for someone else that was placed in his slot by accident. Inside it is an unsigned piece of paper, a note that says only “admit what you’ve done or you will bleed for it. you have 'til november 15 at midnite.” The deadline has already passed, and the person to whom the envelope was addressed was brutally murdered. But this first warning is only the beginning. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-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 Gregg Hurwitz’s bio.
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Click here to visit Gregg Hurwitz’s official website.
-Connect with Gregg Hurwitz on Facebook and Twitter.
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Click here to see the 25 winners who were selected to read and comment on the book.
-Click here to read more in our Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight.

Click here to read a review.
Bookreporter.com Talks to Wilton Barnhardt, Author of LOOKAWAY, LOOKAWAY

In LOOKAWAY, LOOKAWAY, his first novel in 15 years, Wilton Barnhardt introduces readers to Jerene Jarvis Johnston and her husband, Duke, exemplars of Charlotte, North Carolina’s high society. Jerene works tirelessly to preserve her family's legacy, even if her loved ones aren't cooperating. Bookreporter.com's Bronwyn Miller gets Barnhardt to open up about his inspiration for this proud-to-a-fault Southern matriarch, and the delicacy with which he had to write her in order to avoid any camp or irony. Barnhardt also discusses his own liberal brand of Southern pride, the interesting --- sometimes jarring --- way the South's past and present seem to intersect, and why he and his book-loving family started the Barnhardt Family Fund at Warren Wilson College.

LOOKAWAY, LOOKAWAY by Wilton Barnhardt (Historical Fiction)
Jerene Jarvis Johnston and her husband, Duke, are exemplars of Charlotte, North Carolina’s high society, where old Southern money --- and older Southern secrets --- meet the new wealth of bankers, boom-era speculators, and carpetbagging social climbers. Jerene must prove tireless in preserving the family's legacy, Duke’s fragile honor, and what's left of the dwindling family fortune. But is it too much to ask for one ounce of cooperation from her heedless family? Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
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Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read Wilton Barnhardt’s bio.
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Click here to see the 25 winners who were selected to read and comment on the book.
-Click here to read more in our Southern Writers Author Spotlight.

Click here to read our interview.
New Women's Fiction Author Spotlight & Contest: THE WEDDING GIFT by Marlen Suyapa Bodden

We have 35 advance copies of THE WEDDING GIFT by Marlen Suyapa Bodden, which releases on September 24th, to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, September 5th at noon ET.

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.


-Click here to read an excerpt.

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

-Connect with Marlen Suyapa Bodden on Facebook and Twitter.
 
Click here to read more in our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight and enter the contest.
New Paperback Spotlight: A HUNDRED FLOWERS by Gail Tsukiyama

A HUNDRED FLOWERS by Gail Tsukiyama (Historical Fiction)
China, 1957. Chairman Mao has declared a new openness in society: “Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend.” Many intellectuals fear it is only a trick, and Kai Ying’s husband, Sheng, a teacher, has promised not to jeopardize their safety or that of their young son, Tao. But one July morning, just before his sixth birthday, Tao watches helplessly as Sheng is dragged away for writing a letter criticizing the Communist Party and sent to a labor camp for “reeducation.”


A year later, still missing his father desperately, Tao climbs to the top of the hundred-year-old kapok tree in front of their home, wanting to see the mountain peaks in the distance. But Tao slips and tumbles 30 feet to the courtyard below, badly breaking his leg.

As Kai Ying struggles to hold her small family together in the face of this shattering reminder of her husband’s absence, other members of the household must face their own guilty secrets and strive to find peace in a world where the old sense of order is falling. Once again, Tsukiyama brings us a powerfully moving story of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with grace and courage.

A HUNDRED FLOWERS will be available in paperback on August 27th.

-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read Gail Tsukiyama’s bio.

-Click here to connect with Gail Tsukiyama on Facebook.

Click here to read more in our Paperback Spotlight.
An Interview with Stephen White, Author of COMPOUND FRACTURES, the Final Book in His Alan Gregory Series

New York Times bestselling author Stephen White draws upon over 15 years of clinical practice as a psychologist to create intriguing plots and complex, believable characters. In COMPOUND FRACTURES, the riveting conclusion to his Alan Gregory series, the Boulder psychologist is forced to acknowledge that the perils that may bring him to his knees are not the dangers he recognizes, nor are they orchestrated by the nemesis he has long feared. In this interview, White discusses what he will miss most about the series now that it’s drawing to a close with its 20th installment, as well as why leaving home --- metaphorically, of course --- can be a good thing, even for an old man. He also opens up about the similarities between himself and his protagonist, how closely based on his own life some of the early stories were, and what he plans to work on next.

COMPOUND FRACTURES by Stephen White (Psychological Thriller)
In this riveting conclusion to Stephen White’s Alan Gregory series, the Boulder psychologist is forced to acknowledge that the perils that may bring him to his knees are not the dangers he recognizes, nor are they orchestrated by the nemesis he has long feared. Instead, he is confronted by unexpected threats from unanticipated adversaries and by intimate betrayal from those who have been closest to him. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to read the interview.
Now in Stores: NIGHT FILM by Marisha Pessl

NIGHT FILM by Marisha Pessl (Literary Thriller)
Ashley Cordova’s death is ruled a suicide, but veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley’s life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova. For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to read a review.
Now in Stores: THE BONE SEASON by Samantha Shannon

THE BONE SEASON by Samantha Shannon (Urban Fantasy)
In the year 2059, several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing. But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister than even Scion. Reviewed by Amy Gwiazdowski.

-Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read a review.
In Stores August 27th: THE RETURNED by Jason Mott

THE RETURNED by Jason Mott (Thriller)
In their old age, Harold and Lucille have settled comfortably into life without their son, who died tragically at his eighth birthday party in 1966. But then one day, Jacob mysteriously appears on their doorstep --- still eight years old. All over the world, people's loved ones are returning from beyond. The Hargraves are forced to navigate a mysterious new reality and a conflict that threatens to unravel the very meaning of what it is to be human. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read a review.
Bookreporter.com Bets On: AFTER HER, THE GIRL YOU LEFT BEHIND and THE BOY ON THE WOODEN BOX

AFTER HER by Joyce Maynard (Fiction)
I have been a fan of Joyce Maynard’s for years. While she is a household name --- and I try to reserve Bets On selections for less-known writers --- I am selecting AFTER HER as a Bets On selection as my homage to Maynard. This novel is loosely inspired by the Trailside Killer case that terrorized the people of Marin County, California, in the late 1970s. In the summer of 1979, Rachel and her younger sister, Patty, are having an idyllic summer as they play on the mountains behind their home --- the same mountains where their detective father is hunting for a killer. What begins as one act of violence quickly escalates to the markings of a serial killer. Pressure escalates on their dad as no one can get any solid leads on the culprit.

-Click here to read more of Carol’s thoughts on the book.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.

THE GIRL YOU LEFT BEHIND by Jojo Moyes (Fiction)
Determined not to be “behind” this time, I read THE GIRL YOU LEFT BEHIND by Jojo Moyes last weekend; it just came out this week. And yes, this is the first time I have selected two Bets On titles by the same author in the same month (the other was ME BEFORE YOU, which is now available in paperback). The title references a painting done by an artist named Edouard Lefevre of his wife, Sophie, in France in 1916. He is off to the front in World War I, and shortly afterwards their town is captured by the Germans. Sophie and her sister are forced to prepare meals for German soldiers each evening at their inn, while during the day the townspeople frequent the place. Sophie takes a huge risk to see her husband again --- one that will endanger her life and put her at odds with the entire town.

-Click here to read more of Carol’s thoughts on the book.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read an interview with Jojo Moyes.

THE BOY ON THE WOODEN BOX by Leon Leyson (Memoir)
I attend a lot of previews where publishers present their upcoming titles. Typically, one will catch my eye, and I will paw through my advance reading copies to find it later. This happened with THE BOY ON THE WOODEN BOX by Leon Leyson. A few weeks ago, I heard on the news that a copy of Schindler’s List was being auctioned on eBay with an opening bid of $3 million. It made me think about the people whose names were on that list. THE BOY ON THE WOODEN BOX is a memoir by one of the youngest people to be saved by Schindler. I literally sat and read it in one sitting. It’s being published for children, but it’s the kind of book that can be read at any age.

-Click here to read more of Carol’s thoughts on the book.
-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.

Women's Fiction Author Spotlight & Contest: SONGS OF WILLOW FROST by Jamie Ford

We have 50 advance copies of SONGS OF WILLOW FROST by Jamie Ford, which releases on September 10th, to give away to readers who would like to read the book and comment on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, September 3rd at noon ET.

SONGS OF WILLOW FROST by Jamie Ford (Historical Fiction)
Twelve-year-old William Eng, a Chinese American boy, has lived at Seattle’s Sacred Heart Orphanage ever since his mother’s listless body was carried away from their small apartment five years ago. On his birthday --- or rather, the day the nuns designate as his birthday --- William and the other orphans are taken to the historical Moore Theatre, where William glimpses an actress on the silver screen who goes by the name of Willow Frost. Struck by her features, William is convinced that the movie star is his mother, Liu Song.

Determined to find Willow and prove that his mother is still alive, William escapes from Sacred Heart with his friend Charlotte. The pair navigate the streets of Seattle, where they must not only survive but confront the mysteries of William’s past and his connection to the exotic film star. The story of Willow Frost, however, is far more complicated than the Hollywood fantasy William sees onscreen.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read Jamie Ford’s bio.
-Click here to visit Jamie Ford’s official website.

-Connect with Jamie Ford on Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to read more in our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight and enter the contest.
Women's Fiction Author Spotlight & Contest: NECESSARY LIES by Diane Chamberlain

We have 35 copies of NECESSARY LIES by Diane Chamberlain, which releases on September 3rd, to give away to readers who would like to read the book and comment on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, September 3rd at noon ET.

NECESSARY LIES by Diane Chamberlain (Historical Fiction)
Bestselling author Diane Chamberlain delivers a breakout book about a small southern town 50 years ago, and the darkest --- and most hopeful --- places in the human heart.

After losing her parents, 15-year-old Ivy Hart is left to care for her grandmother, older sister and nephew as tenants on a small tobacco farm. As she struggles with her grandmother’s aging, her sister’s mental illness and her own epilepsy, she realizes they might need more than she can give.


When Jane Forrester takes a position as Grace County’s newest social worker, she doesn’t realize just how much her help is needed. She quickly becomes emotionally invested in her clients' lives, causing tension with her boss and her new husband. But as Jane is drawn in by the Hart women, she begins to discover the secrets of the small farm --- secrets much darker than she would have guessed. Soon, she must decide whether to take drastic action to help them, or risk losing the battle against everything she believes is wrong.

-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read Diane Chamberlain’s bio.

-Connect with Diane Chamberlain on Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to read more in our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight and enter the contest.
Romantic Suspense Author Spotlight & Contest: NOWHERE SAFE by Nancy Bush

We have 25 copies of NOWHERE SAFE by Nancy Bush, which releases on August 27th, to give away to readers who would like to read the book and comment on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, September 3rd at noon ET.

NOWHERE SAFE by Nancy Bush (Romantic Suspense)
She senses their twisted desires before she meets them. It’s as if fate is helping her stop these monsters from preying on others the way she was preyed upon. And after she has delivered brutal justice, she’ll let the whole world see their guilt.

“I must pay for what I’ve done.” The first victim --- naked, bound, frozen to death --- wore the note strung around his neck. Now there’s another note --- this one attached to Detective September Rafferty’s own stepbrother. Stefan survives, but September is sure he knows more than he’s saying. Someone is eliminating suspected sexual predators. And the only thing more dangerous than a madman is a killer who’s ruthlessly sane.

Racing to predict the next target, September finds herself drawn into a harrowing and deeply personal case. For this time, there are no innocents --- only the one who kills, and those condemned to die.

-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read Nancy Bush’s bio.
-Click here to visit Nancy Bush’s official website.

-Connect with Nancy Bush on Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to read more in our Romantic Suspense Author Spotlight and enter the contest.
More Reviews This Week

BONES OF THE LOST by Kathy Reichs (Thriller)
In Stores August 27th

While investigating a mysterious hit-and-run that claimed the life of a teenage girl, Temperance Brennan must also examine a bundle of Peruvian dog mummies confiscated by U.S. Customs. A Desert Storm veteran named Dominick Rockett stands accused of smuggling the objects into the country. Could there be some connection between the trafficking of antiquities and the trafficking of humans? Reviewed by Ray Palen.

SWEET THUNDER by Ivan Doig (Historical Fiction)
In the winter of 1920, Morrie Morgan is drawn back to Butte, Montana, from a year-long honeymoon with his bride. But the town itself, with its polyglot army of miners struggling to extricate themselves from the stranglehold of the ruthless Anaconda Copper Mining Company, seems --- like the new couple’s fast-diminishing finances --- on the verge of implosion. These twin dilemmas catapult Morrie into his new career as editorialist for the Thunder, the fledgling union newspaper that dares to play David to Anaconda’s Goliath. Reviewed by Jennifer McCord.

THE BOOKSTORE by Deborah Meyler (Fiction)
When Mitchell van Leuven captures Esme Garland’s heart, life seems truly glorious. Before she has a chance to tell Mitchell about her pregnancy, however, he ends their relationship. He eventually recants his criticism, and his passion and promises are hard to resist. But if Esme gives him a second chance, will she, like the struggling book­store at which she works, lose more than she can handle? Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

HOLY ORDERS: A Quirke Novel by Benjamin Black (Mystery)
In 1950s Ireland, the Catholic Church controls the lives of nearly everyone. But when Quirke’s daughter Phoebe loses her close friend Jimmy Minor to murder, Quirke can no longer play by the Church’s rules. Along with Inspector Hackett, his sometime partner, Quirke investigates Jimmy’s death and learns just how far the Church and its supporters will go to protect their own interests. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

HUMAN REMAINS by Elizabeth Haynes (Psychological Thriller)
Police analyst Annabel wouldn't describe herself as lonely. Her work and the needs of her aging mother keep her busy. But Annabel is shocked when she discovers her neighbor's decomposing body in the house next door, and she is appalled to think that no one, including herself, noticed the woman's absence. Annabel sets out to investigate, despite her colleagues' lack of interest, and discovers that such cases are frighteningly common in her hometown. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE GRAVITY OF BIRDS by Tracy Guzeman (Fiction)
THE GRAVITY OF BIRDS is a debut novel that combines an unimaginable betrayal and a complicated plot involving two sisters, their relationships with a charming, self-centered artist, and a missing painting. A tangled web of continual lies and lives drastically altered by those lies finally unravels with many surprises. Reviewed by Carole Turner.

TUMBLEDOWN by Robert Boswell (Fiction)
James Candler seems to be well on the road to success at age 33. But the reality is that he’s falling in love with another woman, he’s underwater on his mortgage, and he’s put his hapless best friend in charge of his signature therapeutic program. And his clients are struggling in their own hilarious, heartbreaking ways to keep their lives on track. How can he help them if he can’t help himself? Reviewed by Eileen Zimmerman Nicol.

MARCH, Book One written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell (Graphic Novel Memoir)
Opening on the morning of President Obama’s inauguration in January 2009, MARCH is a vivid first-hand account of Congressman John Lewis's lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis's personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement. Reviewed by John Hogan.


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