Happy Labor Day Week! This week means we all get to work harder because five days of work were crammed into four, since we had Monday off to celebrate Labor Day. If you think about it, it’s pretty amusing.

As if to mark the passing of time as I write this, a few leaves are falling from the trees harkening that summer IS winding down. I am fighting a temptation to grab them and glue them back on the branches. When I was in the pool this morning there were leaves floating around. I was grabbing them and throwing them on the coping. Gee, I wonder if I should suggest that to Michael Phelps as a way to increase his workouts. But wait, grabbing leaves does not happen in indoor pools. No wonder he goes so fast!

The week at the beach was nice, but it was not the best trip. There was underlying anxiety about Greg leaving for school on all of our parts. I am definitely emotional, so running through my head were things like, “This is our last dinner as a family before he goes to school.” At some point during the week, I read a book that was sad and I started crying as I read it. You know those cries where you start getting all emotional about one thing and then you just layer it all on from there? Well, I had one of those cries. By the time I was done, Greg was moving away with his wife and three children to the west coast and we were seeing each other for Christmas once a year. Later, when I realized he only was going to college, I felt a lot better. I do recommend cries like this when reading books since you then get a lot of emotion out of the way. Maybe I should develop a list of books that help get the tears flowing. This morning I blogged about the beach and the week there; I have been told it’s funny, so take a look.

Well, we got back from the beach, and a scant 11 hours later we were back in the car hastening into the city to take Greg to school. We did change cars, so we did not drive up in the car with the sand splashed on the side from driving on the beach. I wanted to extend a first appearance that we had been home plugging away getting that bedding all together and testing out the laptop just in case they started grading as soon as we drove up. Parting went smoother than I planned. Of course the pomegranate margarita I tossed back at Rosa Mexicano during the free hour we had on the orientation agenda MIGHT have helped. Fordham did this really smart thing. There was an army of upperclassmen (like 75 of them) there to unload the cars and help with moving in. I kid you not. I have stayed at hotels where the service was not this amazing. One guy even carried out an EMPTY box for me. It eliminated a lot of stress walking into unfamiliar turf. If other schools do not do this, they should consider it.

We got back home and my younger son became “the only child.” Separately and unbeknownst to the other, both my husband and I found our way up to his room to say hi to him at one point. He looked up and said, “Okay, we need to talk. This is WAY WAY too much attention.” It was pretty funny. The next morning he FLED to a friend’s house, and since school started yesterday he has had friends over for dinner both nights. He’s a smart one.

I kicked the sand from between my toes and headed back to the office on Tuesday a little more suntanned and a lot more well read. For some reason on this trip I read a number of books that are not coming out until 2009. They included HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET, a debut title by Jamie Ford (I am crazy about this one), TRUE COLORS by Kristin Hannah (definitely her best!), TRUST NO ONE by Gregg Hurwitz (very strong plot line), KISS by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy (still reading but enjoying this one), ROOFTOPS OF TEHRAN by Mahbod Seraji (another wonderful debut that had me feeling like I was IN Tehran), as well as THE SHAPE OF MERCY by Susan Meissner (a lovely story that takes place now and in Salem during the witch trials), which will be in stores in September. It was a GREAT week of reading. There was not a dud in the bunch, which was really nice to see.

Tuesday night I went to see Brad Meltzer at the Barnes & Noble store on Union Square with John Hogan, our Contributing Editor. What a terrific event. Brad is a class act, and he truly made each and every reader feel welcome. Lots of family and friends were there, many with small children in tow. Afterwards he did this really smart thing. He quickly signed 50 copies of his new book, THE BOOK OF LIES, with just his name, so those who needed to leave quickly could do so with a signed book. Sure it was not personalized, but it was signed. I loved that we were in the crowd that stayed behind to say hi. One plot line in the new book centers on a fictitious story about the origins of Superman. In the course of his research, Brad discovered that the house where Superman was written is in shambles. He is enlisting readers to join together to restore the house. You can read more about this project at a website he has developed called OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld.com. He takes you on a video tour of the house, which will show you why the cause is so important and he shares ways you can contribute.

There are two other big books to have on your radar this week. The first is AMERICAN WIFE by Curtis Sittenfeld. Read it and you will look at those in the public eye a new way. Avideh Bashirrad blogged about it earlier this week on ReadingGroupGuides.com, which you can read here. Readers will be interested to read her post to see why you might skip it --- and why you would not want to miss it, as well as why it works for book clubs. As Harvey Freedenberg, our reviewer, said, “What she (Sittenfeld) has done, and what elevates this book to the realm of true art, is to create a nuanced portrait of how it feels to be the wife of a major political figure, or indeed any celebrity. Fulfilling Hemingway’s definition of a good story, AMERICAN WIFE feels ‘more true than what really happened.’ That’s the highest compliment one can pay to this thoroughly absorbing novel.”

Last year, one of my favorite thrillers was HEARTSICK by Chelsea Cain. Well, her second book, SWEETHEART, is just out, and it is amazing. As Joe Hartlaub, our reviewer, said, “For all of its incredible plotting and pitch-perfect narrative, however, the heart of the book (SWEETHEART) is its characterization. You walk away not only understanding Sheridan’s obsession with Lowell, but also feeling just a bit of that obsession yourself.” You can view a trailer for this book here.

We’re launching two new author features this week, both of whom will be recognizable names to our readers. The first is for Beverly Barton, whose new romantic suspense, COLD HEARTED, is now in stores. In this story, a private investigator must unravel the mystery behind a string of cold-blooded murders. We have 10 copies of COLD HEARTED 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, September 12th. We also are launching a feature for the international bestselling author Alex Kava, whose new suspense/thriller novel, EXPOSED, brings the much-anticipated return of FBI Agent Maggie O’Dell. We have 10 copies of EXPOSED 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, September 12th.

Full disclosure. Usually on Friday afternoons I would call Greg over to my office at the house (I work home Fridays) to read the newsletter opener to make sure it works. Missed that this week. Another first. Time marches on. Here’s to hurricanes blowing themselves out to sea and lots of great reading. We’ll see you next week...read on....

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

Now in Stores: AMERICAN WIFE by Curtis Sittenfeld

New Featured Romantic Suspense Author: Beverly Barton, Author of COLD HEARTED

Now in Stores: RED KNIFE by William Kent Krueger

Poll and Question of the Week: Library Card Sign-up Month