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Dear Reader:
For those of you who have finished your shopping, wrapping and are just into celebrating, congratulations. I am betting you are the same people who never had to cram for finals! I, on the other hand, am surrounded by paints for the craft projects I am working on (move over Martha Stewart), consulting lists, plotting menus and counting on getting very little sleep this next week.
One thing I am not sacrificing is reading. I just moved on to holiday themes. If you have not read Grisham's SKIPPING CHRISTMAS, and you are in need of a good laugh, pick it up. And think about giving a copy to the Holiday Whirlwind on your list. I read it and howled. Readers are talking about it on Word Of Mouth this week, too. My eleven-year-old also read it and is now asking why WE do not have a Frosty for the roof. He thinks I should rally the neighbors. My words: Next year!
Another fun escape was Mary and Carol Higgins Clarks' HE SEES YOU WHEN YOU'RE SLEEPING. On the flap they tell you its charm is similar to the classic IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE --- and it is. Light, easy, fun reading for unwind time, or if you are like me, for when the cookies are in the oven.
Unless some news events pre-empts it, Teenreads.com will be featured on CBS This Morning on Thursday, December 20th at 8:17AM ET (love the precision of television). I was interviewed and will be talking about reading, teens and Teenreads.com, another property in The Book Report Network. Tune in if you are home.
Not to be missed: ReadingGroupGuides.com has some terrific new content. Be sure to check out the reading guide for A Desert in Bohemia by Jill Paton Walsh. Here's an outline of the story. "In postwar Central Europe, a terrified young woman seeks refuge in an empty castle. There she discovers an infant, apparently abandoned. Soon others join her, including the castle's ancestral owner and other refugees and exiles, innocents, and zealots, the tragic and the damned. This powerfully written and heartrending story follows the intertwined lives of nine characters as it probes the nature of love and duty... and the consequences of action and inaction."
Also, remember that those signed up for ReadingGroupGuides.com newsletter are eligible to win OUT OF THE NIGHT THAT COVERS ME for their entire group!
Onto this week's lineup...
This Week's Question
What do YOU think is the best book of 2001?
Respond to the question of the week by
sending mail to: Question@bookreporter.com.
Bookreporter Readers Say....
Are you asking for books this holiday season? If so, which ones top your wish list? See how readers responded.
Word of Mouth
Tell us what YOU are reading and you could win a copy of THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien. Need more details on how to participate in Word of Mouth? Click here. Send your replies to WordOfMouth@bookreporter.com.
Publisher's Pick
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New This Week
Author Talk:
With all the buzz on The Lord of the Rings movie, J.R.R. Tolkien, who died in 1973 is back in the spotlight. Here thirteen authors including Terry Brooks, Arthur C. Clark, Anne McCaffery and Anne Perry talk about Tolkien and his place in literary history. Bookreporter.com is pleased to feature their commentary in this special section, LORD OF THE RINGS. Are some of you wondering what J.R.R. stands for? It's John Ronald Reuel.
What to Give, What to Get
This week we've added new topics to our gift ideas for those interested in books on Style and Beauty, Nonfiction, or The Dirty Parts. If you missed our previous weeks selections, be sure to check out our entire feature before you head out to do your holiday shopping.
Features
FIREBREAK by Richard Stark (Mystery)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub and excerpted.
PATIENCE & FORTITUDE: A Roving Chronicle of Book People, Book Places, and Book Culture by Nicholas Basbanes (Nonfiction)
Reviewed by Tony Parker and excerpted.
A COOK'S TOUR: In Search of the Perfect Meal by Anthony Bourdain (Essays)
Reviewed by Fred Kovey and excerpted.
JACKDAWS by Ken Follett (Fiction)
Reviewed by Roz Shea and excerpted.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J. R. R. Tolkien (Fantasy)
Reviewed by Sofrina Hinton and excerpted.
One You Don't Want to Miss
BLOOD by Patricia Traxler
A story of suspense, jealousy, obsession and murder. Norrie Blume is a painter who is participating in a prestigious fellowship program at Radcliffe. She is enveloped in an intense and consuming affair with a married colleague, a relationship that brings her great joy and much sadness, and trying to balance friendships with two other women in the program, a journalist and a poet. Traxler's writing is vivid and full of great imagery. You will never think of the color red the same way when you close this book for the last time.
Cookbooks
Celebrity Chefs
Anita Bunn gathers an inspiring selection from the many quality books written by well known chefs.
Amazon.com
Trying to get into the mood for the holidays?
Here are some wonderful suggestions to give, or get:
A Christmas Carol * Miracle on 34th Street * It's a Wonderful Life
George Balanchine's The Nutcracker * Frosty the Snowman *
Christmas Extraordinaire * Christmas Memories * Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Reviews
I, THE DIVINE: A Novel in First Chapters by Rabih Alameddine (Fiction)
Reviewed by Chuck Leddy
LETTERS TO FATHER: Suor Maria Celeste to Galileo, 1623–1633, Translated and annotated by Dava Sobel (Nonfiction)
Reviewed by Rob Cline
SILENCE IN OCTOBER by Jens Christian Grøndahl (Fiction)
Reviewed by Sarah Egelman
A GAP IN NATURE: Discovering the World's Extinct Animals by Tim Flannery and Peter Schouten (Nonfiction)
Reviewed by Jonathan Shipley
DA CAPO BEST MUSIC WRITING 2001: The Year's Finest Writing on Rock, Pop, Jazz, Country, and More edited by Nick Hornby (Nonfiction)
Reviewed by Bob Ruggiero
Do you love romance books?
If so, be sure to check out BrendaJoyce.com
Sign up for Brenda's newsletter and you would win one of three wonderful
gift baskets filled with some of the beauty products that she loves
and an advanced reading copy of Deadly Pleasure!
Here are the details.
Note that Brenda has FOUR new books coming out in 2002!
Message Boards
For all of you who love to share your thoughts with others on Bookreporter Message Boards (they are only available for AOL members at this time), we have added a new feature for your enjoyment. We've added links in our Message Board area to the author websites featured at AuthorsOnTheWeb.com that have a place for you to post comments and questions. We hope you'll enjoy discovering these websites (if you haven't already) and exchanging thoughts with other fans.
Contests and Giveaways
For this contest we're giving away a copy of THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien to one lucky winner! Submit to Word of Mouth and your name will go in the hat for your chance to win one. By the way, if you would prefer your contribution remain anonymous, just let us know when you send in your submission.
Every month one Bookreporter.com newsletter subscriber wins a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate. To subscribe to the newsletter and automatically be entered to win, send an e-mail to newsletter@bookreporter.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. If you already receive this newsletter in your e-mailbox every week, why not forward it to a friend?
Bookreporter.com marketplace
Take a minute to scroll through our mini-mall of great online shops.
Whether you're looking for elegant writing tools, downloadable reading
materials, or great bargains on books and magazines, you'll find
what you need in our collection of great online stores for readers.
Have a great week....and be sure to stop and enjoy a book amidst the holiday madness.
--- Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@Bookreporter.com)
for The Book Report Network
Bookreporter.com * ReadingGroupGuides.com * AuthorsOnTheWeb.com * Teenreads.com * Kidsreads.com
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