Dear Reader:

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending (and presenting at) the Virginia Festival of the Book, a literary event that draws huge crowds to Charlottesville each March. The first evening David Baldacci and Christopher Whitcomb did a joint talk called "FBI: Fact and Fiction" based on their books LAST MAN STANDING and COLD ZERO. Their banter and comments were so well done that I wish this had been taped. I had read --- and enjoyed --- both books so it was a real pleasure to hear the authors share background on their writing experience. David interviewed Chris for LAST MAN STANDING to ensure that his character Web was accurate.

Throughout the weekend I also met Kathy Trocheck, who wrote one of my favorite new books SAVANNAH BLUES under the pseudonym Mary Kay Andrews, and Homer Hickam, whose books include ROCKET BOYS, THE COALWOOD WAY, SKY OF STONE and WE ARE NOT AFRAID. Wish there had been more time to attend the events, which included a Crime Wave Day where Jeffrey Deaver and George Pelecanos were both participants.

Speaking of Homer Hickam, ROCKET BOYS has become a literature favorite in many schools and colleges and has been picked for a "community-wide read" in Tiffin, Ohio. Several other cities have it on their short lists as well.

Back at Bookreporter.com...this week we have an interview with Shelley Mickle, author of THE TURNING HOUR, a novel about a teen who is recovering from a suicide attempt. I read this book a couple of months ago and was impressed with her take on this important subject. We have a review and excerpt of this book on Teenreads.com. This and the interview will be worth sharing with any teens you may know.

Another book about this subject to make you aware of is HOW I STAYED ALIVE WHEN MY BRAIN WAS TRYING TO KILL ME: One Person's Guide to Suicide Prevention by Susan Blauner. While this will not be published till August, Blauner has a website where she discusses how she found the will to continue living after 18 years of suicidal thoughts and several suicide attempts.  It's HowIStayedAlive.com.

I am taking advantage of my boys being off from school to take an extended weekend on the Outer Banks, one of my favorite places. My stack of books for the trip includes RUIN CREEK by David Payne, which takes place on the Outer Banks, A THOUSAND COUNTRY ROADS (the sequel to THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY due out in May...lots of chit chat about this one since it is being published by a small Texas publisher), THE CHARM SCHOOL by Nelson DeMille (since I never read it and at least two of you told me it is his best!), GOOD IN BED by Jennifer Weiner (friends read and raved and it is now in trade paperback) and Michael Connelly's THE HARRY BOSCH NOVELS (since I have never read him and THE CITY OF BONES is due in April). 

Happy holidays to all of you whether you are celebrating Passover, Easter or April Fool's Day!

This Week's Question

Who is your favorite Classic author?

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Poll:

Before the end of the millennium Bookreporter.com ran a year-long feature highlighting the authors that we felt deserved recognition as Authors of the Twentieth Century. It was difficult to pare down to a manageable list, but we finally settled on these 48 distinguished authors.

Now we'd like to know:
1. Which of these contemporary female authors do you think should be added to the list for their contribution to literature in the 20th and/or 21st centuries?

Maya Angelou
Isabelle Allende
Jean M. Auel
Elizabeth Berg
Maeve Binchy
Louise Erdrich
Diana Gabaldon
Jan Karon
Barbara Kingsolver
Rosamunde Pilcher
E. Annie Proulx
Anne Rice
J. K. Rowling
Anne Rivers Siddons
Anne Tyler
None of the Above ________

2. Which of these contemporary male authors should be added?

Isaac Asimov
James Lee Burke
Orson Scott Card
Tom Clancy
James Clavell
Nelson DeMille
E. L. Doctorow
John Grisham
Tim F. LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
Ha Jin
Elmore Leonard
Michael Crichton
V. S. Naipaul
Jack Prelutsky
Nicholas Sparks
None of the Above _________


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