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August 2008
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Every month, one subscriber to the Bookreporter.com newsletter wins 5 free hardcover books! This month's selection includes ALFRED & EMILY by Doris Lessing, DEVIL BONES by Kathy Reichs, ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE BOURNE SANCTION by Eric Van Lustbader, SMOKE SCREEN by Sandra Brown and THE TURNAROUND by George Pelecanos. (See the complete contest rules.)

Click here to SUBSCRIBE to the
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Also check out our other newsletters on ReadingGroupGuides.com, AuthorsOnTheWeb.com, AuthorYellowPages.com, Teenreads.com, and Kidsreads.com.

Bookreporter.com Newsletter

August 15, 2008

This Week on Bookreporter.com

Olympic Distractions and College Provisions 2008

Bookreporter.com Talks to Matt Rothschild, Author of DUMBFOUNDED

Our Summer Beach Bag Contest: Spotlight This Week on LEFT TO DIE by Lisa Jackson

New Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Tess Gerritsen, Author of THE KEEPSAKE
Now in Stores: SMOKE SCREEN by Sandra Brown

Now in Stores: INSIDE OUT GIRL by Tish Cohen

Featured Historical Fiction Author: Louis Bayard, Author of THE BLACK TOWER

Featured One to Watch Author: Andrew Davidson, Author of THE GARGOYLE

Now Available in Paperback: CONFESSIONS OF A PREP SCHOOL MOMMY HANDLER by Wade Rouse

Now in Stores: TETHERED by Amy MacKinnon
This Week's Graphic Novel Reviews
What's New This Month on ReadingGroupGuides.com

This Week's Reviews

Poll and Question of the Week: Saving Time for Reading

Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading --- THREE Prizes

Quick Links to Features On The Book Report Network

Bookreporter.com
Past Reviews
Can't See the Graphics? Read This Newsletter Online
Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight Promotion
Debut Suspense/Thriller One to Watch Promotion
Mystery Mayhem Promotion

Historical Fiction Promotion

One to Watch Promotion
Books Into Movies
Bestseller Lists
Coming Soon
New in Paperback
ReadingGroupGuides.com

Olympic Distractions and College Provisions 2008

Last weekend I realized that my older son is headed off for college in a few weeks, and we had done nothing to get ready for this. It’s not that I did not remember that he was going to college; the arrival of the tuition bill reminded me all too well of that with its eye-popping balance. It’s just that with my travels I had not whipped myself into the froth and frenzy that typically would accompany this impending move. Instead I bolted up in bed last Sunday (like Allison DuBois pops up on "Medium" when she has one of those premonition dreams of hers) completely focused on…bedding, towels, dishes...and when I talked to him he added to that list: printer, iPod player and laundry bag.

Before you think he is truly focused on laundry, this idea popped into his head since his school is four blocks from our office. He has hatched a plan to get the dirty laundry bag into my car trunk on Thursday nights so the housekeeper can deal with it on Friday and place the clean clothes back in my trunk for him to retrieve on Monday. He truly is thinking this is a solution to laundry. I am thinking he needs laundry detergent for the first Thursday he forgets this, which may be the second or third one. But hey, I give him points for this thinking, which I think means he gets to skip a class or two. Also, I was happy to learn this week that his apartment is on the same floor as the laundry, so it will be fewer steps to the laundry room than to my car, which may influence his time management decisions.

Needless to say, these next few weeks will be full of comedic moments as we both focus on this in our own practical and impractical ways. (In keeping with this, I just added to my list: bring batteries since that is something I always am asked about. Someone said you never will see him once he starts school. Somehow I think I will see him since he has perfected the following conversation: "Hi Mom, insert compliment, insert amazingly nice comment, insert something wonderful he has done, insert can I have some money?” I am sure many of you have had the same kinds of persuasive conversations with your own teenagers. It is fascinating how they can do that. I wonder if they plan these thoughts or if they truly are spontaneous.

In my answer to the current poll question, the Olympics coverage IS keeping me from my usual reading this week. Since I love to swim, I am revolving my evenings around watching Michael Phelps in action. And (yowser!) he swims a lot. He has been in the pool more than me this week because I've been too busy watching him! Until I saw this coverage I did not know that swimmers swim between races in the warm up or cool down pool, so they are doing even more laps than those we see them flying through on screen. Since I needed to find some purpose for neither reading nor swimming, I wrote a blog about how watching Phelps swim got me thinking that he plots his swims like many authors plot books. And yes, I did the blog because I was feeling guilty about not swimming and not reading. Take a look at my thoughts here.

Keeping with the Olympic theme, I think that typing on the keyboard needs to be an Olympic event, along with reading. Seriously folks. Where is the gold for how many pages one reads an hour? Where is the gold for number of emails returned in the time that Michael Phelps swam? Where is my medal for simultaneously IMing, reading email and trolling the web and not getting confused? And this will not require wearing a bikini like the beach volleyball gals. Do not get me started on why they wear bikinis instead of tanks. I know…less tan lines. Yep that’s it. I did have an experience this week that made me wonder about typing in a bikini. My laptop fan would not work. One of the tech gurus who we work with asked me if I use my laptop in bed (answer: only in hotels) or if I have it anywhere near fibers or pets. Well, we have no pets, but I usually put my laptop on my lap and I usually am wearing clothes when I have it on my lap. I drove away thinking, am I now supposed to wear my bathing suit to type so no fabric is in the way? I decided instead that the fan may need to be replaced more often!

As for reading this week, I DID read an advance reading copy of Nelson DeMille’s THE GATE HOUSE, which will be in stores on October 28th….all 666 pages of it. Now how many miles or laps of words is that? DeMille has a way of writing his characters that makes me laugh, especially the “inside the head commentary” of his protagonist, John Sutter, that had me chortling aloud. For those who loved THE GOLD COAST, and I know there are MANY of you who count this as your favorite book, THE GATE HOUSE is the follow-up. And you are in for a treat.

This week our latest Suspense/Thriller featured author is one who many of you know, Tess Gerritsen, whose new book, THE KEEPSAKE, will be in stores on September 9th. In this one Dr. Maura Isles and Boston Homicide Detective Jane Rizzoli are back and are hunting for a twisted killer after
a “centuries-old” mummy turns out to be a modern-day murder victim. Want to be one of our 20 advance readers? Then fill out this form by Friday, August 22nd.

This week's featured title in our Summer Beach Bag of Books Contest is LEFT TO DIE by Lisa Jackson. While we usually try to include items that reflect the book, this time, in the interest of being summer lighthearted instead of murderous, the bag includes a badminton set, a travel mug and metal party lights, among the items. I confess I bought a badminton set for myself too since I love the game. I have not opened it yet but intend to play around with it this weekend!

One of my favorite books of last summer, CONFESSIONS OF A PREP SCHOOL MOMMY HANDLER by Wade Rouse, was released in paperback this week. I laughed so hard reading this one that people were coming over and reading over my shoulder to see what I was laughing about. And I did more than a few read alouds from it as well. And we have a review of MATTERS OF FAITH by Kristy Kiernan, who I had the pleasure of meeting in May when I was at Books & Books in Miami.

Also, to have on your radar, Eric Van Lustbader’s book FIRST DAUGHTER will be in stores on August 19th. You can watch a terrific video ad for it here. By the way, Lustbader’s latest Bourne book, ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE BOURNE SANCTION, hits the New York Times list at number two...and my sources tell me it stays there next week. He has done a great job with it. Here's an interesting thing I heard him mention at a conference. Ludlum never had humor in his books, so when he started writing the series, Lustbader had to be sure that humor was not there in the voice.

I am off to see Garth Stein, author of THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN, tonight at the Clinton Book Shop, which is one of my favorite bookstores. It’s really fun when a favorite author is in a place you love to visit. Here’s to reading days this weekend…before that evening Olympic coverage that will have me cheering along. Have a great week. Read on.

Carol Fitzgerald (
Carol@bookreporter.com)

Click here to read Carol's latest blog entry.


Bookreporter.com Talks to Matt Rothschild, Author of DUMBFOUNDED

In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Shannon Luders-Manuel, Matt Rothschild --- author of the coming-of-age memoir DUMBFOUNDED --- names the famous essayist who inspired him to pen his own story and reflects on how his family would have reacted to his written portrayal of them in his full-length debut. He also discusses his use of humor amidst the rather serious topics covered in the book, offers words of advice to aspiring authors looking to write their own memoirs, and shares ideas for a future book involving his experiences teaching at an inner-city high school.

DUMBFOUNDED by Matt Rothschild (Memoir)
Matt Rothschild's debut memoir is a laugh-out-loud comedy about a boy trying desperately to fit in. Parentless, chubby and sporting a wild "Jew-fro," Rothschild takes his readers from a shoplifting expedition at FAO Schwartz to advice from a prostitute in Times Square to a life-altering decision that will finally make him secure in his own skin. Reviewed by Shannon Luders-Manuel.

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

Click here to read our interview with Matt Rothschild.


Our Summer Beach Bag Contest: Spotlight This Week on LEFT TO DIE by Lisa Jackson

Whether your "beach" is on sand, your backyard deck or a grassy meadow in the country, the summer months mean it's time for "beach reading." Bookreporter.com is celebrating the lazy days of summer reading with our Fourth Annual "Bookreporter.com Beach Bag of Books."

Every week from May 16th through August 29th, a different title or collection of titles will be featured with a review and contest prize --- a beach bag stocked with the featured book(s), plus summertime essentials that tie in to the weekly theme. Five FABULOUS beach bags will be given away each week, as well as five copies of the featured book(s) to additional winners.

This week we’re spotlighting LEFT TO DIE, Lisa Jackson’s new romantic suspense novel in which the police must stop a brutal killer in rural Montana. In a large green and white bag, winners will find a pink and green striped towel, a travel mug with a floral pattern, a matching 60” x 84” oblong outdoor tablecloth, a badminton set in a pink case, metal party lights and H20+ Tango Mango Moisturizing Body Balm and Poolside Shower and Bath Gel, as well as a copy of LEFT TO DIE. We have five to give away, as well as five additional prizes of copies of LEFT TO DIE.

To enter, fill out this form and answer the following question by Thursday, August 21st at 11:59PM. You can find the answer by reading the excerpt
here.

What is Wendy’s captor wearing?


LEFT TO DIE by Lisa Jackson
(Romantic Suspense)
With an arctic wind howling through Bitterroot Mountains near Grizzly Falls, Montana, a deranged serial killer leaves his first victim stripped and staked to a tree. As the Christmas season approaches, more bodies are discovered, and Pinewood County sheriff's detectives Selena Alvarez and Regan Pescoli race against the clock --- and the elements --- to catch the madman before he strikes again. Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt.

-Read more about Lisa Jackson and LEFT TO DIE here.

Click here to read all the details of our Summer Beach Bag Contest.



New Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Tess Gerritsen, Author of THE KEEPSAKE

Tess Gerritsen, the New York Times bestselling author of such novels as HARVEST and THE BONE GARDEN, knows how to expertly dissect a brilliantly suspenseful story, all the while keeping fascinated readers riveted to her side. In THE KEEPSAKE, her new thriller releasing on September 9th, a homicide detective and a medical examiner must hunt down a twisted killer who is familiar with post-mortem rituals.

We have 10 copies of THE KEEPSAKE 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 22nd.

-Click here to read Tess Gerritsen’s bio.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.TessGerritsen.com.

More about THE KEEPSAKE:
For untold years, the perfectly preserved mummy had lain forgotten in the dusty basement of Boston’s Crispin Museum. Now its sudden rediscovery by museum staff is both a major coup and an attention-grabbing mystery. Dubbed “Madam X,” the mummy --- to all appearances, an ancient Egyptian artifact --- seems a ghoulish godsend for the financially struggling institution. But medical examiner Maura Isles soon discovers a macabre message hidden within the corpse --- horrifying proof that this “centuries-old” relic is instead a modern-day murder victim.


Click here to read more about Tess Gerritsen and THE KEEPSAKE.


Now in Stores: SMOKE SCREEN by Sandra Brown
SMOKE SCREEN by Sandra Brown (Thriller)
New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown returns with a tale of corruption and betrayal, revenge and reversal --- where friends are exposed as foes, heroes become criminals in the ultimate abuse of power, and no one can be completely trusted. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read an excerpt from SMOKE SCREEN.

Click here to read a review of SMOKE SCREEN.


Now in Stores: INSIDE OUT GIRL by Tish Cohen

INSIDE OUT GIRL by Tish Cohen (Fiction)
Tish Cohen, author of TOWN HOUSE, generally writes children's books. INSIDE OUT GIRL is a book for adults about children. It takes a sympathetic and sensitive look at the hidden lives of youngsters, sees what they see and tells us how they feel --- about bullying, pop culture and even being gay. Review by Barbara Bamberger Scott.

-Click here to read an excerpt from INSIDE OUT GIRL.

Click here to read a review of INSIDE OUT GIRL.



Featured Historical Fiction Author: Louis Bayard, Author of THE BLACK TOWER

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.

-Click here to read a second excerpt from THE BLACK TOWER.
-Click here to read Louis Bayard’s bio.
-Click here to see Louis Bayard's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for THE BLACK TOWER.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.LouisBayard.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

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.

Click here to read more about Louis Bayard and THE BLACK TOWER.



Featured One to Watch Author: Andrew Davidson, Author of THE GARGOYLE

Andrew Davidson’s debut novel, THE GARGOYLE, is the product of seven years' worth of research and composition. Releasing on August 5th, THE GARGOYLE weaves a riveting love story about the redemptive power of suffering and a romance that transcends the limits of space and time.

-Click here to read a review of THE GARGOYLE.
-Click here to read an excerpt from
THE GARGOYLE.
-Click here to read our interview with Andrew Davidson.

-Click here to read Andrew Davidson's bio.
-Click here to read critical praise for THE GARGOYLE.
-Visit these two pages about THE GARGOYLE: www.doubleday.com/thegargoyle and www.BurnedByLove.com
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about THE GARGOYLE:
Marianne Engel is a beautiful sculptress of gargoyles who appears in the burn unit one day and tells the narrator of this mesmerizing tale that they were lovers in medieval times, when she was a scribe and he was a mercenary. Is she simply mad? Or is she truly the angel of mercy who will save him from his suicidal despair?

Click here to read more about Andrew Davidson and THE GARGOYLE.


Now Available in Paperback: CONFESSIONS OF A PREP SCHOOL MOMMY HANDLER by Wade Rouse

CONFESSIONS OF A PREP SCHOOL MOMMY HANDLER: A Memoir by Wade Rouse (Memoir)
At an elite prep school, the devil wears Lilly Pulitzer pink.

When Wade Rouse, who grew up more "Hee-Haw" than "Dynasty," was hired as the director of publicity at the prestigious Tate Academy, he quickly discovered his real job: to make the very pretty, very rich, very mean mommies of the elite students very happy.

Following a year in the life of the super rich and super spoiled, CONFESSIONS OF A PREP SCHOOL MOMMY HANDLER is hilarious, heartbreaking and deliciously catty.

-Click here to read a review of CONFESSIONS OF A PREP SCHOOL MOMMY HANDLER.
-Click here to read an excerpt from CONFESSIONS OF A PREP SCHOOL MOMMY HANDLER.
-Visit the author's official website, www.WadeRouse.com.

Click here to read more about CONFESSIONS OF A PREP SCHOOL MOMMY HANDLER.


Now in Stores: TETHERED by Amy MacKinnon
TETHERED by Amy MacKinnon (Suspense)
Clara Marsh is an undertaker who doesn’t believe in God. She spends her solitary life among the dead, preparing their last baths and bidding them farewell with a bouquet from her own garden. Her carefully structured life shifts when she discovers a neglected little girl, Trecie, playing in the funeral parlor, desperate for a friend.

Click here to read more about TETHERED.


This Week's Graphic Novel Reviews
M by Jon J Muth
Writer-illustrator Jon J Muth majestically recreates Fritz Lang’s film, M. Using stunning illustrations based on photographs, Muth has created something new and visionary in his classic reimagining of this story of a serial killer who preys on children and terrorizes an entire town. Reviewed by John Hogan.

LAIKA by Nick Abadzis
Laika was a stray until she became one of three dogs trained to become part of Russia’s new space program in the 1950s. Little is known about her except that she suffered a cruel and lonely death on Sputnik 2. In LAIKA, Nick Abadzis reveals the dog’s story as well as the tale of the Cold War tensions that precipitated her historical journey. Reviewed by John Hogan.

Click here to see all our graphic novel reviews and features.


What's New This Month on ReadingGroupGuides.com
With more than 2,300 discussion guides available, ReadingGroupGuides.com continues to be the leading place for book clubs to find all the resources they need on the web.

Our
ReadingGroupGuides.com Blog continues to be a big hit among our readers. Throughout the month we are sharing postings from regular contributors --- including authors, librarians, book club facilitators, booksellers and experts in the publishing industry --- as well as special guests. The latest blog can be found here, and here are quick links to some recent posts:

-Amy Bloom's Dessert Lasagna Recipe
-Amy Bloom's Lasagna Recipe
-Deborah Rodriguez: Unexpected Book Club Bounty
-Lisa See: How Book Clubs Have Changed
-A Mother/Daughter Book Club

-Mindy Schneider: Lunch at Camp was Never this Good...
-Jennie Shortridge: Book Group Biology
-Patricia Wood: Getting the Book Club Ball Rolling
-D. L. Wilson: An Author's First Experience with a Reading Group
-When an Author Joins a Discussion

The following guides are now available on ReadingGroupGuides.com:


THE BIBLE SALESMAN by Clyde Edgerton
BY GEORGE by Wesley Stace
EVERYTHING NICE by Ellen Shanman
FIRE IN THE BLOOD by Irene Nemirovsky
FORGIVEN by P M Kulseth
THE GARGOYLE by Andrew Davidson
THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
HOUSE OF DAUGHTERS by Sarah-Kate Lynch
INSIDE OUT GIRL by Tish Cohen
JACK WITH A TWIST by Brenda Janowitz
THE LAST KISS by Luanne Rice
OFF SEASON by Anne Rivers Siddons
THE ORGAN GRINDER AND THE MONKEY by Sam Moffie
THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE by Rebecca Miller
THE QUEEN'S LADY by Barbara Kyle
RESONANCE by A. J. Scudiere
RIGHT LIVELIHOODS by Rick Moody
RIVEN by Jerry B. Jenkins
SIN IN THE SECOND CITY: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul by Karen Abbott
THE VIEW FROM GARDEN CITY by Carolyn Baugh
WHAT WAS LOST by Catherine O'Flynn
THE YEAR OF LIVING BIBLICALLY: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A. J. Jacobs

Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:

BRIDGE OF SIGHS by Richard Russo
CONSUMPTION: A Novel of the Arctic by Kevin Patterson
A LONG WAY GONE: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
MR. SEBASTIAN AND THE NEGRO MAGICIAN by Daniel Wallace
SONGS WITHOUT WORDS by Ann Packer


We have the following new guides for Christian book groups:

DOGWOOD by Chris Fabry
THE OUTSIDER by Ann H. Gabhart
UNCHRISTIAN AMERICA: Living with Faith in a Nation That Was Never Under God by Michael Babcock

Click here to visit ReadingGroupGuides.com.


This Week's Reviews

WHAT I TALK ABOUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT RUNNING: A Memoir written by Haruki Murakami and translated by Philip Gabriel (Memoir)
In this slim, entertaining memoir, noted Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami discourses on his passion for distance running and the way in which that passion has influenced his writing and his view of life itself. It is one man's wry and refreshing look at how vocation and hobby sometimes unite to form a seamless whole. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.

-Click here to read an excerpt from WHAT I TALK ABOUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT RUNNING.

THE NIGHT VILLA by Carol Goodman (Literary Thriller)
It begins with a tragic shooting on the University of Texas campus and moves to the uncovering of an ancient mystery on the island of Capri in Italy. This is the setup for Carol Goodman's latest novel, THE NIGHT VILLA, an evocative tale of intrigue, romance and treachery. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

-Click here to read an excerpt from THE NIGHT VILLA.
 
A SUMMER AFFAIR by Elin Hilderbrand (Fiction)
A Nantucket housewife and part-time artist struggles with family life and her yearnings for more fulfillment, both creatively and on the homefront. When appointed as co-chair to a big, local charity event's summer gala, she attempts to get her old flame, now a huge rock star with his own set of problems, to perform at the benefit. Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.
 
MATTERS OF FAITH by Kristy Kiernan (Fiction)
Chloe Tobias thinks she has a handle on her family. Her marriage to Cal, a fishing guide, is steadily losing its luster; her young adult son, Marshall, is a deep soul looking for a connection with God; and her daughter, Meghan, lives in constant peril because of deadly food allergies. Chloe is the glue that holds the family together. She thinks. Then she thinks again. Reviewed by Pat Morris.
 
ATMOSPHERIC DISTURBANCES by Rivka Galchen (Psychological Suspense)
When Dr. Leo Liebenstein's wife disappears, she leaves behind a single, confounding clue: a woman who looks, talks and behaves exactly like her --- or almost exactly like her --- and even audaciously claims to be her. While everyone else is fooled by this imposter, Leo knows better than to trust his senses in matters of the heart. Certain that the original Rema is alive and in hiding, Leo embarks on a quixotic journey to reclaim his lost love. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
 
FINDING NOUF by Zoe Ferraris (Literary Mystery)
Life in Saudi Arabia is notoriously opaque. Closed to most outsiders and with women covered and often kept isolated, it is hard to imagine, much less penetrate, the social and personal customs and daily lives of the people who live there. First-time author Zoë Ferraris takes readers inside Saudi society with her exciting novel. It is a tale of secrets and sensuality, propriety and identity --- and it is a good mystery as well. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
 
DEAD SILVER by Neil McMahon (Thriller)
DEAD SILVER begins with a distraught call to Hugh Davoren from the daughter of a famous professor when she finds a wooden box containing disturbing photos and an earring that belonged to her stepmother, murdered after protesting the opening of a silver mine. McMahon brings in a cast of colorful characters who support and oppose Hugh and his friend Madbird --- plenty of people who may have had a hand in the murder cases that these photos have reopened. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
 
BLUE SKY JULY: A Mother's Story of Hope and Healing by Nia Wyn (Memoir)
A child is born with brain damage and severe cerebral palsy. His mother, a former newspaper reporter who is adept at research and knows how to get difficult questions answered, is determined that her son Joe, her only child, will have as normal a life as possible, in spite of what all the medical experts tell her. The author battles heartbreak, depression and conventional wisdom in this chronicle of the first seven years of Joe's remarkable life. Reviewed by Carole Turner.

Read this week's reviews here.


Poll and Question of the Week: Saving Time for Reading

Poll:

Will the Olympics and political convention coverage take away from your reading time? (Check as many as apply.)

NOTHING takes me away from my reading time.
The Olympics coverage may keep me from my usual reading.
The Democratic Convention may keep me from my usual reading.
The Republican Convention may keep me from my usual reading.
I am not sure about this.

-Click here to answer our poll.


Question
:

What book have you ever faked reading to look smart? Okay, you can name up to three.

-Click here to answer our question.


Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading --- THREE Prizes

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

This week we have three great prizes: FIVE readers each will win a copy of FIRST DAUGHTER by Eric Van Lustbader, THE GEOGRAPHY OF LOVE by Glenda Burgess and SMOKE SCREEN by Sandra Brown. Tell us what you are reading and rate the titles 1-5 by noon on August 22nd to ensure that you are in the running to win these books.

Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on August 22nd.

Need more details about Word of Mouth? Click here.



As always, here are a few housekeeping notes. If you are seeing this newsletter in a text version, and would prefer to see the graphics, you can either read it online or change your preferences below.

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Those who are subscribed to the Bookreporter.com newsletter by August 31, 2008 automatically are entered in our Monthly Newsletter Contest. This month one winner will be selected to win the following five books: ALFRED & EMILY by Doris Lessing, DEVIL BONES by Kathy Reichs, ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE BOURNE SANCTION by Eric Van Lustbader, SMOKE SCREEN by Sandra Brown and THE TURNAROUND by George Pelecanos. Ely from Los Angeles, CA
was last month's newsletter winner. She won AT FIRST SIGHT: A Novel of Obsession by Stephen J. Cannell, FISHERMAN'S BEND: A Jane Bunker Novel by Linda Greenlaw, KILLER VIEW by Ridley Pearson, MOSCOW RULES by Daniel Silva and SAY GOODBYE by Lisa Gardner.

Happy reading! Don't forget to forward this newsletter to a friend or to visit our other websites from TheBookReportNetwork.com: ReadingGroupGuides.com, AuthorsOnTheWeb.com, FaithfulReader.com, AuthorYellowPages.com, Teenreads.com, and Kidsreads.com.

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