Monday I flew to Minneapolis for the Public Library Association National Conference. I had been to Minneapolis many years ago when I worked at Mademoiselle magazine when I did a series of fashion shows/makeover events at some Dayton Hudson stores. That trip was a blur with something like six makeover events in six cities in North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin in six days. I should have known that this was just training for my whirlwind life today.

Tuesday I attended a terrific daylong seminar on "getting boys to read" that was shepherded by Jon Scieszka, whose Guys Read program has been gathering steam and acolytes. Wednesday afternoon I had lunch with my pal Nora Rawlinson, who has just founded a website for librarians called EarlyWord.com. Nora has been endlessly kind in introducing me to folks in the library world. She invited along Cecilia Konchar Farr, whose book READING OPRAH: How Oprah's Book Club Changed the Way America Reads was interesting reading, and Nancy Pearl, the well-known librarian and well-respected author of BOOK LUST, MORE BOOK LUST and BOOK CRUSH: For Kids and Teens - Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment and Interest. It was great fun to talk books, authors and the book business with this group.

That night I caught up with my old friend Leslie, who I had worked with in my magazine days as she now lives here in Minneapolis. She treated me to a quick tour of the city where I got a look at the Mary Tyler Moore house (though I missed the statue of the lovely Mary tossing her hat in the air by the lake). We visited the Wild Rumpus Children's Bookstore, a store that publishers and authors have been telling me about for years --- and it did not disappoint. From the front door, which had a smaller door --- purple, of course --- cut into the frame of the larger door, everything about the place was designed to delight children. Throughout the store there are animals, including a tailless cat, cages of birds and chinchillas, and a spot in the floor where you can peek through and see some long-tailed rats. Such fun! We went on to dinner at Lucia's in the "Uptown" part of the city and had a wonderful meal.

Yesterday I attended a few authors events, walked the show floor and then hopped in a car to visit the Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota, where there is a wonderfully robust collection of manuscripts and illustrations from the work of children's authors and illustrators. Many of the original manuscripts have notes on them and markups that make you feel you are in the author's world as you read them. I will share more about this in a blog next week. On the way back I had the driver take me into St. Paul, where I visited The Red Balloon Bookshop, which is a favorite of Mary Dubbs, one of our staffers who hails from Minneapolis. I can see why she loves it, as it too was an impressive children's bookstore where I felt like I was in a live version of our Kidsreads.com and Teenreads.com websites.

Last night was a dinner with friends from the graphic novel and manga world at a very cool space called Open Book, and this morning my Minneapolis bookish adventure was capped with a Mystery panel featuring T. Jefferson Parker, C.J. Box, Linwood Barclay, Karen Rose and Laura Lippman. I have seen a number of mystery/suspense/thriller events in my day, but I am very happy to report that THIS one was one of the VERY BEST that I ever have been to. Each author had great stories and shared wonderful background on his or her writing. What a pleasure. There were at least 600 librarians at this event, and many of them lined up afterwards to meet the authors. Just fabulous...and I ended the show on a real high note.

Keeping my focus on libraries, our poll and question this week ask readers about their library habits. With the tight economy these days, we are wondering if you are visiting libraries more these days, how often you visit and what you do when you are there. Our Word of Mouth titles are CERTAIN GIRLS by Jennifer Weiner and WHERE ARE YOU NOW? by Mary Higgins Clark, both of which will be in stores on April 8th. Tell us what you are reading and rate the titles 1-5 by noon on April 11th to ensure that you are in the running to win these books.

This week we are bringing you interviews with Lisa Jackson, who has become a Bookreporter.com favorite, as well as with Lisa Tucker and Joseph Wambaugh. Lisa writes such original stories, so I enjoyed this interview where she talks about her inspiration for THE CURE FOR MODERN LIFE. I loved reading how something she saw sparked this story. Joseph Wambaugh does not tour much, but I had the pleasure of hearing him speak at the Los Angeles Book Festival last year. Thus this interview is one I am happy to share with you since it will give you a look inside his work.

The finalists for the Hugo Awards and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer are available online here. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Saturday, August 9th, during Denvention 3, the 66th World Science Fiction Convention.

In other book news... To celebrate the 35th anniversary of Erica Jong's bestselling first novel FEAR OF FLYING (I did not know it was that long since this was published), the Columbia University Institute for Research on Women and Gender and the Center for Research on Women at Barnard College welcomed the acclaimed novelist, poet, essayist and bestselling author, along with a group of distinguished writers and critics, during a half-day conference today entitled “Fear of Flying: Can a Feminist Classic be a Classic?”

We wanted to remind you that April is National Poetry Month. To celebrate, beginning Tuesday we are featuring famous quotes from poets throughout the month in our Quote of the Day feature.

We have updated our New in Paperback feature for March. Titles being spotlighted include POWER PLAY by Joseph Finder, MARLEY & ME by John Grogan, BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE by Lee Child, BACK ON BLOSSOM STREET by Debbie Macomber, SLIVER OF TRUTH by Lisa Unger and NO! I DON’T WANT TO JOIN A BOOK CLUB by Virginia Ironside. Click here to see our New in Paperback feature.

To follow up on last week's newsletter --- the Easter basket cupcakes and Easter egg cake were a huge hit. And the Easter egg dying was a great success after I studied how to hardboil eggs on the Internet. Yes, this was a skill I did not possess. I also am not great at making packaged macaroni and cheese. I go in instead for things like souffles and complicated recipes with many steps. My friend Cathy and I took our roles as Easter hostesses very seriously and wore rabbit ear headbands all day. As I was writing this I was thinking back on how the Playboy bunnies wore ears. Ours were much cuter. We also did not have cotton tails. (Photos will follow next week.)

This weekend will be about unpacking the books that I picked up in Minneapolis, including a title called THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN by Garth Stein, who I had the pleasure of meeting. Since my husband drummed into my head the purpose of rain tires on the track over the years (he is an amateur race car driver in his free time), I want to see what else I can learn from this book that is narrated by --- a dog. You know, that little guy Marley sure made folks perk up about the value of canines in books! A bow and a wow to him!

Here's to finding a book you love here at Bookreporter.com. Hmmmm...wondering if I can find that statue of Mary Tyler Moore on the way to the airport and toss my hat in the air as well. Of course, I do not have as fashionable a hat as Mary. Have a great week.

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

Bookreporter.com's Stephen Hubbard recently spoke to romantic suspense novelist Lisa Jackson, author of such bestselling novels as ABSOLUTE FEAR, SHIVER and FATAL BURN, about what inspired her most recent publication, LOST SOULS. In this interview, Jackson also shares her thoughts on the popular allure of vampires in books --- which figures predominantly in her latest work --- discusses her participation on a virtual cable network called Second Life and reveals details about future projects, including a collaboration with her sister, Nancy Bush.

LOST SOULS by Lisa Jackson (Romantic Suspense)
All Saints College finds itself embroiled in a case of four missing female students. Are they merely runaways who couldn't cut the course requirements, or is there something more sinister lurking within the school itself? Kristi Bentz wants to find out, even though she may well be the next victim. Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard.

-Click here to read a review of LOST SOULS.
-Click here to read an excerpt from LOST SOULS.

Aside from exploring the complex personal relationships of its main characters, THE CURE FOR MODERN LIFE --- the latest work of fiction from bestselling author Lisa Tucker --- also examines the timely social issues of drug abuse, homelessness, corporate ethics and distinguishing right from wrong in today's seemingly morally ambiguous society. In this interview, Tucker describes the event that inspired the idea for this novel and elaborates on one of its main themes, which revolves around the ethical lines people cross for the sake of their professions. She also reveals what she discovered in her research on large pharmaceutical companies and shares what she hopes readers will take away from this book.

THE CURE FOR MODERN LIFE by Lisa Tucker (Fiction)
In her ambitious fourth work of fiction, Lisa Tucker --- the critically acclaimed author of ONCE UPON A DAY and THE SONG READER --- offers readers a wise, thought-provoking and morally compelling novel that raises questions about major social issues and the unpredictability of human relationships. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

-Click here to read a review of THE CURE FOR MODERN LIFE.
-Click here to read an excerpt from THE CURE FOR MODERN LIFE.
-Visit the author's official website, www.LisaTucker.com.

Karen Robards is the New York Times bestselling author of over 30 books, including OBSESSION and VANISHED. In GUILTY, her new romantic suspense that hits stores on April 1st, a feisty female attorney's life is threatened when her hidden past resurfaces in an unexpected way.

-Click here to read an excerpt from GUILTY.
-Click here to read fast facts about Karen Robards.
-Click here to read Karen Robards’s bio.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.KarenRobards.com.
-Click here to view a trailer for GUILTY.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about GUILTY:
Sixteen years after she and her friends committed an unspeakable crime, Kat --- now Kate --- has built a new life for herself. Now a single mom, she works as a prosecutor in the Philadelphia DA's office. But her dark past rears its head when she walks into court one day and discovers that she is to prosecute Mario Castellanos, one of her friends from that terrible night 16 years earlier. And that is only where the trouble begins...

Elizabeth Noble is the author of three internationally bestselling novels: THE READING GROUP, THE FRIENDSHIP TEST and ALPHABET WEEKENDS. In THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW, her new book releasing on April 8th, Noble crafts a heartfelt story that celebrates the love between a dying mother and her daughters and the endless possibilities of life.

-Click here to read a second excerpt from THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW.
-Click here to read Elizabeth Noble’s bio.
-Click here to see Elizabeth Noble's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.ElizabethNobleBooks.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW:
When Barbara realizes time is running out, she writes letters to her four daughters, aware that they'll be facing the trials and triumphs of life without her at their side. But how can she leave them when they still have so much growing up to do? By drawing on the wisdom in Barbara's letters, the girls might just find a way to cope with their loss. And in coming to terms with their bereavement, can they also set themselves free to enjoy their lives with all the passion and love each deserves?

MULBERRY PARK by Judy Duarte (Fiction)
Every letter deserves a reply --- even when the questions it contains are difficult to answer. In Judy Duarte’s heartwarming and inspiring novel, a woman shattered by grief responds to a little girl’s urgent note to God and sets in motion a chain of events that helps to heal the lives of all those around her, in wholly unexpected ways…

“MULBERRY PARK is tender and touching…this novel will stay with you long after you have read the last page.”
--- Dorothy Garlock, New York Times bestselling author

“A touching story of grief, love and forgiveness. Reminding us that God is everywhere if we forgive ourselves and let him in our hearts.”
--- Sally Smith O’Rourke, author of THE MAN WHO LOVED JANE AUSTEN