This week we’re spotlighting a collection of titles from Penguin Group (USA), including LOVE AND BIOLOGY AT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE by Jennie Shortridge, THE LAST SUMMER (OF YOU & ME) by Ann Brashares and LOTTERY by Patricia Wood. In a white canvas beach tote with red trim, winners will find two blue THE LAST SUMMER (OF YOU AND ME) towels, navy and aqua beach pillows, two cocktail glasses, blue plaid flip-flops, a bottle of H2O+ Grapefruit Bergamot Shimmering Body Souffle, blue and green novelty lights, an icicle pop mold, a blow-up spring float that pops out into a raft for the pool and a novelty cookie with a summer theme, as well as a copy of LOVE AND BIOLOGY AT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE, THE LAST SUMMER (OF YOU & ME) and LOTTERY. We have five to give away, as well as five additional prizes of copies of LOVE AND BIOLOGY AT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE, THE LAST SUMMER (OF YOU & ME) and LOTTERY.

To enter, fill out this form and answer the following question by Thursday, August 7th at 11:59PM. You can find the answer by reading an excerpt from LOVE AND BIOLOGY AT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE here.

What is the name of Mira's husband's shop?

LOVE AND BIOLOGY AT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE by Jennie Shortridge (Fiction)
Running away from home is usually reserved for children, but nobody told 45-year-old Mira Serafino. Faced with an unfaithful husband, a wayward daughter and a phony life that no longer fits her, Mira sets out on her own in a delightful journey of self-discovery. Reviewed by Amie Taylor.

-Read more about Jennie Shortridge and LOVE AND BIOLOGY AT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE here.

THE LAST SUMMER (OF YOU & ME) by Ann Brashares (Fiction)
Can Alice and Paul, two people who were emotionally brother and sister, continue to love each other as adults while leaping the divide into romantic intimacy? And what of the third "sibling," tomboy Riley? Find out in this first adult novel from the bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

-Read more about Ann Brashares and THE LAST SUMMER (OF YOU & ME) here.

LOTTERY by Patricia Wood (Fiction)
Perry L. Crandall knows what it's like to be an outsider. With an IQ of 76, he's an easy mark. Before his grandmother died, she armed Perry well with what he'd need to know: the importance of words and writing things down, and how to play the lottery. Most important, she taught him whom to trust --- a crucial lesson for Perry when he wins the multimillion-dollar jackpot. Reviewed by Alexis Burling.

-Read more about Patricia Wood and LOTTERY here.

In Heather Terrell's second novel, THE MAP THIEF, Mara Coyne --- the protagonist of 2007's historical thriller THE CHRYSALIS --- returns with a new art-related mystery, this time involving stolen artifacts from an archaeological dig that may reveal more about history than expected. In this interview, Terrell describes what inspired the original plot and explains how she first became interested in Chinese Admiral Zheng He, who may have "unofficially discovered" the world decades before the European explorers typically credited for these feats. She also draws parallels between the Ming Dynasty's Forbidden City and present-day Beijing, and shares what she has in store for Mara in her next work, THE BOOK OF KILDARE.

THE MAP THIEF by Heather Terrell (Thriller)
From Hong Kong to the Italian countryside, from Lisbon to the remote reaches of Communist China, and literally around the world on the ships of 15th-century explorers, Heather Terrell --- following up on the success of her debut novel, THE CHRYSALIS --- takes readers on a globe-trotting adventure of epic proportions. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read a review of THE MAP THIEF.
-Click here to read an excerpt from THE MAP THIEF.
-Visit the author's official website, www.HeatherTerrell.com.

THE TURNAROUND by George Pelecanos (Mystery)
Noted mystery writer and independent film producer George Pelecanos's latest novel is a provocative exploration of the consequences of a crime committed a generation earlier. THE TURNAROUND is a worthy addition to a growing body of widely admired work by this talented novelist. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.

-Click here to read an excerpt from THE TURNAROUND.

Louis Bayard is the author of THE PALE BLUE EYE, a national bestseller nominated for both the Edgar and Dagger awards, and MR. TIMOTHY, a New York Times Notable Book and one of People magazine's 10 best books of 2003. In THE BLACK TOWER, which releases on August 26th, Bayard weaves a suspenseful historical novel about a lost king and the real-life convict who transformed himself into the world’s first modern detective.

We have 10 copies of THE BLACK TOWER to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, August 8th.

-Click here to read Louis Bayard’s bio.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.LouisBayard.com.

More about THE BLACK TOWER:
1818. Hector Carpentier, a medical student, lives with his widowed mother in Paris’s Latin Quarter. When his name is found in the pocket of a murdered man, the case is turned over to Eugène François Vidocq, the most feared man in the Paris police. At first suspicious of Hector’s role in the murder, Vidocq gradually draws him into an exhilarating --- and dangerous --- search that leads them to the true story of what happened to the son of the murdered royal family.

In his debut memoir, DUMBFOUNDED, Matt Rothschild writes a laugh-out-loud narrative of a precocious and sexually confused boy raised by his grandparents --- the only Jews in an elite Manhattan apartment building. DUMBFOUNDED will be available in stores on August 12th.

-Click here to read a second excerpt from DUMBFOUNDED.
-Click here to read Matt Rothschild’s bio.
-Click here to read critical praise for DUMBFOUNDED.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.MattRothschild.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about DUMBFOUNDED:
The only Jewish family in a luxury Fifth Avenue building of WASPs, the senior Rothschilds took over the responsibility of raising their grandson, Matt, after his mother left him for Italy and a fourth husband. But rearing Matt was no small task --- even for his sharp-tongued grandmother, a cross between Lauren Bacall and Bea Arthur, and a lady who Matt grew to love deeply.

Poll:

Have increased gas costs changed your bookbuying habits?
 
Yes, I am buying more online.
Yes, I am shopping more locally rather than traveling long distances to shop.
Yes, I am trying to plan my bookbuying trips in advance.
Yes, I am buying fewer books.
Yes, I am going to the library more.
I have always used the library, so there is no change.
No, there has been no change in my bookbuying habits.
I am not sure about this.

-Click here to answer our poll.


Question:

Name up to three authors whose books you HAVE to have, no matter how tight your budget is.

-Click here to answer our question.