I know I have a one track mind when the email from the Gap says, "Get Great Deals on Summer's Bestsellers" and I open it thinking it's about books!

Last weekend's Book Expo in Washington, D.C. was fabulous --- a real booklover's feast. While the focus of the show typically is on fall/winter books, one of the most talked about titles of this show came out this week --- WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen. I read this back in March and loved it and thus I was thrilled to see all the attention it received. This week we have an essay from Sara about her research for it, as well as a terrific review by our own Jennifer Krieger. This is a good example of why not to judge a book by its topic. Most of it takes place at the circus, which I do not love. And it takes place during the Depression, which is not my favorite period to read about. That said, it's one of my favorite books! Thanks to Mitch Kaplan from Books & Books in Coral Gables for telling me not to miss it.

What's on the horizon for Fall 2006? I am going to list SOME of what I saw, with a promise that I know I am not telling you everything. The hottest debut thriller at the show was THE INTERPRETATION OF MURDER by Jed Rubenfeld, which comes out in September and is historical fiction about Sigmund Freud's visit to New York in 1909. I caught up with Nelson DeMille, whose new one, WILD FIRE, is due November 6th, and I have that galley beckoning to me from my nightstand. Note to fans: John Corey is back. I saw Mitch Albom read and talk about his new one, FOR ONE MORE DAY, which comes out September 26th. It's a story about the relationship between a mother and her son. I look forward to that. Dennis Lehane was at my Booksense lunch table on Friday and his collection of short stories, CORONADO, also is on my reading pile. Beyond this there's also THIRTEEN MOONS, Charles Frazier's first novel in eleven years. The last was COLD MOUNTAIN. Quick Note: As I was walking around I could not help but think back to the first Book Expo show that I attended in 1996 where I knew NO ONE in publishing. We've come a long way!

This week we have an interview with Meg Cabot, whose QUEEN OF BABBLE is the book you want to tuck in your beach bag this holiday weekend. This also is our featured beach bag title this week. The prize bags have one of my FAVORITE items in it --- cookie cutters shaped like fashion items and accessories, including a tiara. These are just too cute and they would be loved by Meg's character, Lizzie, who studies fashion and is a whiz at designing. Enter here!

We also kick off our Father's Day promotion with our Duffel Bag of Books Contest, which includes six titles: KILLER INSTINCT by Joseph Finder, MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN by Bob Mitchell, MEXICAN DAYS by Tony Cohan, THE MILLIONAIRES' UNIT by Marc Wortman, POP CULTURE by Christopher Healy and THE RABBIT FACTORY by Marshall Karp, as well as items dads will love. Enter here.

Our new One to Watch title is THE ABORTIONIST'S DAUGHTER by Elisabeth Hyde. I read this one a couple of weeks ago and it had me from the first line. It's a complex read with a number of social messages. Megan, who is the daughter, is a victim on so many levels. We have 10 copies to give away to advance readers who want to read and comment about it. Interested? To enter, send a note to OneToWatch@bookreporter.com by Friday, June 2nd.

We have added our May roundup of New in Paperback titles, which includes Harlan Coben's THE INNOCENT, SUPERSTITION by Karen Robards, CAST OF SHADOWS by Kevin Guilfoile, A LONG WAY DOWN by Nick Hornby, ADORED by Tilly Bagshawe, A WEDDING IN DECEMBER by Anita Shreve and GOODNIGHT NOBODY, Jennifer Weiner's story of a young mother's move to a postcard-perfect Connecticut town and the secrets she uncovers there.

Lots of great reading no matter where you are headed this weekend. I am going no further than the pool in the yard after a rather crazy month of traveling. It's time to get out the floating chair with stops at the hammock when the pooltime is over. So enter our contests and then have a great weekend.

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

List of titles reviewed and featured on May 26th.

List of titles reviewed and featured on May 19th.

In addition to authoring popular teen series like The Princess Diaries and All-American Girl, Meg Cabot has written numerous novels for adults, including SIZE 12 IS NOT FAT and the recently released QUEEN OF BABBLE. In this interview with Carol Fitzgerald, Wiley Saichek and Terry Miller Shannon, Cabot describes the disparities of writing for different age groups, explains how she's honed her sense of humor, and shares her favorite step in the writing process. She also dishes on favorite clothes, exes, and her inability to keep secrets.

QUEEN OF BABBLE by Meg Cabot (Chick Lit)
Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon
When Lizzie graduates from college (well, actually, she doesn't quite graduate), she heads for London to spend a month with her teacher boyfriend Andrew, who turns out not to be a teacher after all. Instead, he is a gambling, government-cheating, red-leather-jacket-wearing, bad-mouthing loser. Can Lizzie recover from a broken heart, all alone in Europe?

Sara Gruen, author of RIDING LESSONS and FLYING CHANGES, recently had her third novel published, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS --- a tale of life and love in a traveling circus during the 1930s. In this essay, Gruen describes her journey with this latest endeavor, from the newspaper article that sparked her imagination to the "mourning period" she experienced once she completed the novel. Read on to learn more about the intensive research she conducted, her delicate writing process, and the fascinating anecdotes from circus history she encountered along the way.

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen (Fiction)
Reviewed by Jennifer Krieger
Sara Gruen weaves an evocative and compelling tale of the frenzied, lawless and cruelly beautiful world of the Depression-era traveling circus. From the striking first scene to the unexpected ending, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS will have readers mesmerized.

From May 26th through June 9th readers will have the chance to win one of five Father's Day Duffel Bags stocked with great gadgets and items that dad will love as well as one copy of ALL SIX of our featured books --- KILLER INSTINCT by Joseph Finder, MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN by Bob Mitchell, MEXICAN DAYS by Tony Cohan, THE MILLIONAIRES' UNIT by Marc Wortman, POP CULTURE by Christopher Healy and THE RABBIT FACTORY by Marshall Karp --- in our Father's Day Duffel Bag of Books Contest.

From May 26th through June 9th, readers will have the chance to win one of our five Father's Day Duffel Bags. Our sturdy grey Champion Duffel Bags are stocked with handy and fun items for dad. Along with copies of KILLER INSTINCT by Joseph Finder, MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN by Bob Mitchell, MEXICAN DAYS by Tony Cohan, THE MILLIONAIRES' UNIT by Marc Wortman, POP CULTURE by Christopher Healy and THE RABBIT FACTORY by Marshall Karp --- dad will be thrilled to receive a handy 12-can cooler, a portable thermos for his morning brew, a brushed silver stainless steel picture frame for his favorite memories, waterproof playing cards with a billiard design, a divet tool and ball marker for golf-loving dads, a scrumptious cookie shaped like a barbecue grill, and a zip drive, which the dad in your life is bound to appreciate, whether he is computer savvy or a technophobe.

Gayle Lynds, the New York Times bestselling author of THE COIL, MASQUERADE, MOSAIC and MESMERIZED, is our newest featured Suspense/Thriller author. Her latest tale of intrigue and espionage is THE LAST SPYMASTER, which hits shelves May 30th and re-establishes her title of "The Queen of the International Spy Thriller."

-Click here to see our Advance Copy Winners.
-Click here to read a new excerpt from THE LAST SPYMASTER.
-Click here to read Gayle Lynds's Backlist.
-Click here to read Fast Facts about Gayle Lynds.
-Click here to read praise for Gayle Lynds.

More about THE LAST SPYMASTER:
Charles "Jay" Tice was a spy's spy. The chief of the CIA's elite Clandestine Services, he was a legend throughout the world of international intelligence. But secretly he was also a traitor, reputedly selling information that will seriously compromise the security of the United States for decades to come. Since his treachery was exposed, Tice has been kept under strict surveillance in a maximum security prison.

Then one morning, his cell is discovered empty. Jay Tice has vanished --- without tripping an alarm or leaving any trace of his passing.

Elaine Cunningham is a hunter --- a CIA operative who specializes in finding people who don't want to be found.  Young, gifted and a maverick, she is assigned to track Tice and bring him to ground before he disappears forever. But as she matches wits in a perilous game with one of the greatest spymasters of all time, she discovers there is far more at stake than an old spy's last run for freedom.

Lurking in the shadows are other hidden players with their own lethal agendas and, from Geneva to Washington, Berlin to New York City, a deadly conspiracy is coalescing. With only a few hours to go, and the future of millions in the balance, she must uncover the truth behind the legend of the last spymaster.

With THE LAST SPYMASTER, New York Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds has created her masterwork --- a compelling thriller of loyalty, betrayal, and the wheels-within-wheels world of modern espionage. Once again, she proves herself to be one of the most original and exciting writers in the field today.

Daniel Judson, whose noirish page-turner THE DARKEST PLACE comes out May 30th, is our newest featured Debut Suspense/Thriller author. With a virtuoso's touch and a diabolical ability to layer suspense, plot, and character study into an engrossing crime novel, Judson makes a name for himself with THE DARKEST PLACE.

-Click here to read a new excerpt from THE DARKEST PLACE.
-Click here to see our Advance Copy Winners.
-Click here to read Daniel Judson's backlist.

More about THE DARKEST PLACE:
From Daniel Judson, Shamus Award winner and emerging master of the modern literary thriller, comes a riveting and accomplished crime novel set in the seedy underside of a celebrated beach town.

During a bone-chilling snap of record cold, a series of enigmatic drowning deaths plays out in a small Hamptons community on Long Island's Shinnecock Bay. Local college professor Deacon Kane, himself recovering from the accidental drowning of his only son years ago --- recovering slowly, with the help of alcohol and an addictive, messy affair with a married woman --- is implicated in the deaths.

As the police and several other interested parties watch his every move, Kane befriends a hypnotically alluring bartender named Colette and quickly continues his brutal downward spiral with little regard for self-preservation. How --- and whether --- Kane is connected to the young men is the question everyone wants the answer to. As it becomes clear that Kane himself may not know the extent of his own involvement, all must admit that something dark and sinister is at work in Southampton.

Dean Koontz Website Sweepstakes:
One lucky Dean Koontz fan will win a free 60 GB iPod completely loaded with a Dean Koontz audibook library, an autographed copy of THE HUSBAND, and a set of seven signed and numbered special edition Dean Koontz hardcovers. Click here to visit Koontz's website and read all the contest details.

And stay tuned to Bookreporter.com for our upcoming contest featuring THE HUSBAND!

More about THE HUSBAND:
With each and every new novel, Dean Koontz raises the stakes --- and the pulse rate --- higher than any other author. Now, in what may be his most suspenseful and heartfelt novel ever, he brings us the story of an ordinary man whose extraordinary commitment to his wife will take him on a harrowing journey of adventure, sacrifice, and redemption to the mystery of love itself --- and to a showdown with the darkness that would destroy it forever.

What would you do for love? Would you die? Would you kill?

From its tense opening to its shattering climax, THE HUSBAND is a thriller that will hold you in its relentless grip for every twist, every shock, every revelation...until it lets you go, unmistakably changed. This is a Dean Koontz novel, after all. And there's no other experience quite like it.

THE MAN OF MY DREAMS by Curtis Sittenfeld (Fiction)
Reviewed by Alexis Burling
In her acclaimed debut novel, PREP, Curtis Sittenfeld created a touchstone with her pitch-perfect portrayal of adolescence. Her prose is as intensely realistic and compelling as ever in THE MAN OF MY DREAMS, a disarmingly candid and sympathetic novel about the collision of a young woman's fantasies of family and love with the challenges and realities of adult life.

-Click here to read an Author Talk with Curtis Sittenfeld.
-Click here to read an excerpt from THE MAN OF MY DREAMS.

AT RISK by Patricia Cornwell (Thriller)
Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum
The attractive but hard-charging district attorney of Massachusetts intends to run for governor and is planning to use a new crime initiative called At Risk. Its motto: "Any crime, any time." In particular, she's been looking for a way to employ cutting-edge DNA technology, and she thinks she's found the perfect subject in an unsolved 20-year-old murder --- in Tennessee.

EVERYMAN by Philip Roth (Fiction)
Reviewed by Scott Handwerker
In Phillip Roth's new novel, EVERYMAN, a moribund character faces disillusion, isolation and continuing ailments in a very quick and dark story that mirrors the plot of a late fifteenth century morality play. The protagonist's suffering allows Roth to create a discussion of the paradox that humans live only to die. 

TELEGRAPH DAYS by Larry McMurtry (Western)
Reviewed by Roz Shea
When Nellie and her brother Jackson are unexpectedly orphaned by their father's suicide on his new and unprosperous ranch, they make their way to the nearby town of Rita Blanca, where Jackson manages to secure a job as a sheriff's deputy, while Nellie becomes the town's telegrapher. They inadvertently put Rita Blanca on the map in a novel full of life, love, shootings, real Western heroes and villains.

THE BIG BAM: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth by Leigh Montville (Biography)
Reviewed by Ron Kaplan
Leigh Montville, whose recent New York Times bestselling biography of Ted Williams garnered glowing reviews and offered an exceptionally intimate look at Williams's life, brings his trademark touch to this groundbreaking, revelatory portrait of the Babe.

I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER by E. Lynn Harris (Fiction)
Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton
Chauncey Greer, a gay African American man, finds his past catching up with his present in this short but intense novel. His church is about to sponsor a huge Christian gathering called "Day of Absence," and one of the ministers who will participate is the now-famous Bishop Upchurch, who happens to be a man from Chauncey's past.

THE JESUS DYNASTY by James D. Tabor (Church History)
Reviewed by Judy Gigstad
Based on a careful analysis of the earliest Christian documents and recent archaeological discoveries, THE JESUS DYNASTY offers a bold new interpretation of the life of Jesus and the origins of Christianity. Biblical scholar James Tabor brings us closer than ever to the historical Jesus.

A FIELD OF DARKNESS by Cornelia Read (Mystery)
Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds
Madeline Dare isn't your average detective. But when a set of long-buried dog tags link her favorite cousin to the scene of a vicious double homicide, Maddie --- who is drawn by the desire to clear her cousin's name --- uncovers a startling web of intrigue and family secrets that could prove even more deadly.

THE DISPOSABLE AMERICAN: Layoffs and Their Consequences by Louis Uchitelle (Business & Economics)
Reviewed by Marge Fletcher
This compelling narrative by the award-winning New York Times economics writer is an eye-opening account of layoffs in America --- their questionable necessity, their overuse, and their devastating impact on individuals at all income levels. Yet despite all this, they are accelerating.

THE TRAVELING DEATH AND RESURRECTION SHOW by Ariel Gore (Fiction)Reviewed by Cindy Crosby
Frankka, a 28-year-old lapsed Catholic, crisscrosses the country with "The Death and Resurrection Show," a Catholic-themed traveling freak show and cast of misfits who have quickly become her new family. But when a reporter from the Los Angeles Times shows up to review the show, Frankka finds herself on the front page of the newspaper --- the unwitting center of a religious debate.

Question: What book are you most looking forward to reading this summer?

Please note our Question of the Week will update June 9th.

Tell us what books YOU are reading and loving --- or even those you don't.

This week we have two great prizes: FIVE readers each will win a copy of THE COLD MOON by Jeffery Deaver and THE BOOK OF THE DEAD by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on June 9th.