As I write this, I am in the airport waiting for a flight to Florida where I am meeting up with my friend Starr for a weekend of catching up at the beach. Okay, I confess that this is a trip purely to hit Gold Status on Continental, a quasi "mileage run." I was 1,200 miles short of the required 50,000 miles to "go gold" and decided to do a short trip for pure fun to hit the goal.
 
Starr and I met years ago on a chairlift in Vail when she glanced down at my Crested Butte lift ticket and told me she had a friend who lived there. I said, me too. And you can guess the rest. We both had the same friend, Allen Cox, who runs the Nordic Inn. The following summer, coincidentally, we both were at the Butte on vacation alone, and we teamed up for some hiking and shopping. Okay, more shopping than hiking after we got lost on the mountain, but that is another story. For more than 25 years now we've kept in touch, seeing each other in both Colorado and New York whenever time allows. She is spending the winter in Florida, and after trying to get together four other times this year, I decided life is just too short not to have an adventure.

So I am planning to write Christmas cards on the plane, mail them when I land, and maybe I will do some holiday shopping when we are not at the beach. I want a different kind of a holiday weekend, one where I am enjoying instead of running. Starr loves to read but ordered me to bring a very small suitcase since the trunk on her car is teeny. Thus I spent a chunk of time trying to figure out how to jam the books I want to share with her among the clothes, swimming gear and, of course, yarn. Talk about a challenge! It gave me sympathy for Santa who has to jam ALL those toys in the sleigh. He must be VERY VERY efficient.

One book I really am looking forward to sharing with her is an advance copy of HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jamie Ford, which will be out in January. Note this one; I think you will be hearing a lot about it. By the way, when Starr and I get together, it's always an adventure. One of my friends told me he is sure that this weekend will probably be material for a chapter in a book, if not a whole book, and I think he's right.

I have been thoroughly enjoying the Michael Phelps book, NO LIMITS. His co-author, Alan Abramson, captures Phelps's voice and enthusiasm. It's a story about focus and determination, and the setting of goals and working to achieve them. At a time when I feel like there are a lot of people who just expect things to come easily, and there are people whining about losing a lot of things that truly do not matter these past weeks, there's a lot to be learned from what Phelps did in the years leading up to those eight epic swims. I like one of the philosophies he lives by --- focusing on "what's important NOW," which is how he has learned to stay with a goal honed and driven. When you are in a bookstore, take a look. I am betting you will find someone on your list to share it with. And they do not need to be a swimmer. What he talks about is applicable to whatever your personal Olympics are in life.

Speaking of sharing books, we promised our last Holiday Cheer Contest would be special, and I think we are delivering today. This last contest will be a basket of 13 New York Times bestselling books (who said 13 was an unlucky number?) valued at $300. We have five to give away. The contest is open through Sunday, January 4th, and you can find out more on how to enter here.

There's more contest news. Kristin Hannah has just announced a contest on her website where nine readers will have the opportunity to receive an advance copy of her forthcoming novel, TRUE COLORS, which is releasing in February. Click here for details on how to enter.

Looking for something special for the holidays? Charla Krupp is offering to personally inscribe copies of her book, HOW NOT TO LOOK OLD, for any readers who buy the book and have it shipped to our office by December 16th. I love this book; it's more than a style book. It's about women empowering themselves. See complete details on her website.

I encourage you to take some time this weekend to enjoy our Author Holiday Blogs. This week's authors include Francoise Mouly on her husband Art Spiegelman, Kristin Hannah on the present she always loved best, Wade Rouse on Erma Bombeck, and two authors looking at Dr. Seuss: Ad Hudler on the book that had a message and Joseph Finder on the Seuss character he sees as the perfect villan (hint: he's green). The pieces are short and laced with humor, warm sentiments and lots of ideas on the power of giving and getting a book from those who write them.

Over the last few weeks we have received great feedback for John Lutz's new suspense/thriller novel, NIGHT KILLS. This week we are featuring John's responses to our advance readers' comments, which you can read here.

Okay, they are calling the flight, so I am going to power down. Take some time for you this weekend as you prepare for the holidays. I recommend time browsing in a bookstore for a "to me/from me" gift. Trust me, it will be the one you love best! Now onto writing those holiday cards. They will be mailed when I walk off the plane! Another task done. By the way, my personal philosophy is "always do something." You get a lot more done by not "waiting to do something."

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

The holiday season is upon us! At Bookreporter.com it's time for us to share the spirit of the season with our Holiday Basket of Cheer Contest. While you're searching for the perfect gifts, we want to remind you that books make affordable, personal and wonderful gifts for EVERYONE on your list --- and are a nice way to treat yourself as well!

For the final contest of our Holiday Basket of Cheer feature, we bring you our special End-of-the-Year Celebration. We've gathered together an outstanding collection of 13 books that were published this year --- thrillers, suspense novels, women's fiction and nonfiction titles we love --- as our prize. It's valued at $300, and we will be giving five away!

The selected titles are: THE BOURNE SANCTION by Eric Van Lustbader; THE COMMISSION by Philip Shenon; DEEP DISH by Mary Kay Andrews; FIRST DAUGHTER by Eric Van Lustbader; FIREFLY LANE by Kristin Hannah; THE GATE HOUSE by Nelson DeMille; THE GEOGRAPHY OF BLISS by Eric Weiner; GUILTY by Karen Robards; HOLLYWOOD CROWS by Joseph Wambaugh; HOW NOT TO LOOK OLD by Charla Krupp; A McKETTRICK CHRISTMAS by Linda Lael Miller; THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY AND THE PERILOUS JOURNEY by Trenton Lee Stewart; and OFF SEASON by Anne Rivers Siddons.

To enter, fill out this form and answer the following question by Sunday, January 4, 2009 at 11:59PM.

Name a book that you think makes an ideal gift. Please note your response does not have to be one of the featured titles in this basket.

See the book descriptions and excerpts here.

T. Greenwood is the author of BREATHING WATER, NEARER THAN THE SKY and UNDRESSING THE MOON, the latter two both Booksense 76 picks. TWO RIVERS, her new novel releasing on December 30th, is a powerful, haunting tale of enduring love, destructive secrets and opportunities that arrive in disguise.

-Click here to read an excerpt from TWO RIVERS.
-Click here to read T. Greenwood’s bio.
-Click here to see T. Greenwood's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for TWO RIVERS.
-Visit T. Greenwood’s official website, www.TGreenwood.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about TWO RIVERS:
In Two Rivers, Vermont, Harper Montgomery is living a life overshadowed by grief and guilt. Since the death of his wife, Betsy, 12 years earlier, Harper has narrowed his world to working at the local railroad and raising his daughter, Shelly, the best way he knows how. Still wracked with sorrow over the loss of his life-long love and plagued by his role in a brutal, long-ago crime, he wants only to make amends for his past mistakes.

Ted Dekker is known for novels that combine adrenaline-laced stories with unexpected plot twists, unforgettable characters and incredible confrontations between good and evil. In KISS, releasing on January 7th, Dekker teams up with editor and debut novelist Erin Healy to weave a suspenseful tale in which a young woman’s memory makes her the target of a group trying to hide a very dark truth.

-Click here to read a second excerpt from KISS.
-Click here to read fast facts about Ted Dekker and Erin Healy.
-Click here to read Ted Dekker’s bio.
-Click here to read Erin Healy’s bio.
-Click here to see Ted Dekker's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for KISS.
-Visit Ted Dekker’s official website, www.TedDekker.com.
-Visit Erin Healy’s official website, www.ErinHealy.com.
-Click here to see our finished copy winners.

More about KISS:
After a car accident puts Shauna McAllister in a coma and wipes out six months of her memory, she returns to her childhood home to recover, but her arrival is fraught with confusion. Leaning on Wayne Spade, a forgotten but hopeful lover who stays by her side, Shauna tries to sort out what happened that night by jarring her memory to life. Instead, she acquires a mysterious mental ability that will either lead her to the truth or get her killed by the people trying to hide it.

Headed out to do some holiday shopping? Before you go, check out our What to Give/What to Get feature with ideas in 13 categories.

In association with the Children’s Book Council (CBC), Teenreads.com is giving teens a very special opportunity to let their voices be heard by telling us their five favorite books of 2008. The five titles that receive the most “votes” will serve as the finalists for the CBC’s 2009 Teen Choice Book Award. Later we will tell readers where they can go vote for them once the five finalists have been determined. The winner will be announced in May 2009.

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