Monday night I was a presenter at the Books for a Better Life Awards. I always enjoy this evening as we recognize authors who have written books that motivate and change people’s lives. Now having an awards ceremony the night after the Oscars had me in a mindset where I had perfected my “may I have the envelope please” line. 

I was wearing a pair of really great turquoise, brown and beige shoes that I had picked up for a song. You know, the kind of shoes that look fabulous in the store and then you get home and realize that they match nothing that you own, so you then have to get creative to wear them, and it usually means more shopping, but you figure it out. Well, when you try shoes on in the store, you walk around about 10, maybe 20 feet and way overanalyze them in the same way you do when the eye doctor asks "Is that better, or worse?" as he flips new lenses in front of your eyes (when you swear he’s doing the same thing and he's trying to trick you, but I digress.)

So the shoes that worked in the store were a tad different on New York pavement. I literally almost walked out of them. Thus, as soon as I got to the hotel where the event was taking place, I headed for the ladies room and summoned up an old-fashioned trick stuffing tissue in the toes of them. Now when I get into a fix-it mode where I need to do something like this, I am fairly oblivious to what is happening around me. So when I looked up, I saw that Alissa Torres, the author of AMERICAN WIDOW, one of the nominated books, was in the room. We had a nice chat about her pieces on ReadingGroupGuides.com and GraphicNovelReporter.com, and I headed out to the event.

Later in the evening, as I was congratulating Kelly Corrigan on her Best First Book award for THE MIDDLE PLACE (and for the record, she is just as friendly in person as she looks on her video), she thanked me and said, “Nice shoe tip in the ladies room stuffing the tissue in the shoes. I was checking that out.” I could not stop laughing. So much for poise and grace! I clearly do not just float into the room like, let’s say, Angelina Jolie.

Books for a Better Life raises money for The National MS Society. During the evening, Hall of Fame inductees Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen, authors of the YOU series, offered a donation of up to $10,000 to match pledges received from others. So whether someone donates $20, $200 or $2,000, the doctors will double it. We wanted to share this with our readers who might be interested in giving. Click here for details.

Tuesday night I went to see James Taylor with my friend Gene Carr at a benefit for Musicians on Call, a terrific organization that gets musicians into hospitals to sing for patients. Sooo humming “I've seen fire and I've seen rain. I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end,” I walked down to the Hard Rock Café where we had incredible seats at a table up front for this event. Since I love moments where I am at the coolest table in the house, this one saying “Friends of James Taylor,” I was having a blast.

Taylor was amazing. Humorous segue to this one. In the summer of I think it was 1979, Taylor was appearing at the Garden State Arts Center. Moments before he was to take the stage, a freakish storm rolled through and knocked out the power. He came out and told us they had to cancel, the date could not be rescheduled and refunds would be issued. So now, 30 years later, I had my own personal makeup event. I also left that evening thinking how cool it would be if there was an Authors On Call program where authors would read to patients in hospitals. Reading, like singing, can be incredibly healing. Need to get some folks to ponder that one with me!

We have many exciting new reviews and features to share with you this week. We are launching a new Suspense/Thriller feature for New York Times bestselling author Kyle Mills. In LORDS OF CORRUPTION, his new political thriller releasing on March 24th, Kyle explores the complex violence plaguing African politics. We have 10 copies of LORDS OF CORRUPTION 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, March 6th.

You may remember the Romantic Suspense feature we ran last year for LOST SOULS by Lisa Jackson. We are pleased to announce that the novel, which became a New York Times bestseller, is now available in paperback. Read on to see our review of the title, our interview with Lisa, and more!

I love hearing stories on the lengths to which readers go to get books. We have a blog post on ReadingGroupGuides.com with very humorous stories on what two groups did to get the books that they wanted to read. You can read it here.  

For those planning March bookish adventures, note that I am planning to be in Charlottesville for the Virginia Festival of the Book event the weekend of March 19-22. Featured guests include John Grisham, David Baldacci, Adriana Trigiani, Katherine Neville, and a whole host of others who you can read about here. If you are planning to be there, let me know!

I am hoping March does the lamb/lamb thing instead of the lion/lamb or lamb/lion thing, so I am not the least bit excited to see a forecast for SNOW for Sunday. For me the forecast is a weekend of reading. I started Mary Kay Andrews’s next one, THE FIXER UPPER, which will be in stores in June. Hanging out with Dempsey, her new character, is on my agenda for the weekend. I am ready for some great laughs and some decorating adventures. When I finish one of Andrews’s books, I ALWAYS am ready to redecorate the house!

Here’s wishing you a great weekend…and a lambish entry into March.

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

NIGHT AND DAY: A Jesse Stone Novel by Robert B. Parker (Mystery)
Police Chief Jesse Stone is called to the junior high school when reports of lewd conduct by the school’s principal, Betsy Ingersoll, filter into the station. Ingersoll claims she was protecting the propriety of her students when she inspected each girl’s undergarments in the locker room. Jesse would like nothing more than to see Ingersoll punished, but her high-powered attorney husband stands in the way. At the same time, the women of Paradise are faced with a threat to their sense of security with the emergence of a tormented voyeur, dubbed “The Night Hawk.” Reviewed by Tom Callahan.

A New York Times bestselling author, Gregg Olsen has written seven nonfiction books, three novels and contributed a short story to a collection edited by Lee Child. As a journalist and true crime author, Olsen has received numerous awards and much critical acclaim for his writing. In HEART OF ICE, his new thriller now available in stores, Sherriff Emily Kenyon, who were were introduced to in  must stop a serial killer who is targeting young women.

-Click here to read a second excerpt from HEART OF ICE.
-Click here to read Gregg Olsen’s bio.
-Click here to see Gregg Olsen's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for HEART OF ICE.
-Visit Gregg Olsen’s official website, www.GreggOlsen.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about HEART OF ICE:
Cherrystone, Washington is the kind of small town where strangers are few and gossip is plentiful. Sheriff Emily Kenyon is investigating the murder of a pregnant young woman whose husband is the prime suspect, yet nagging doubts remain. Immersed in uncovering the truth, Emily doesn’t realize she’s become involved in something much bigger --- a case both dark and horrifying, one that will pit her against a killer whose vengeance knows no limits, and whose next target is chillingly close.

February’s roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes AMERICAN WIFE by Curtis Sittenfeld, an intimate and revealing portrait of the marriage of George and Laura Bush through their fictional alter egos; DEEP DISH, a hilarious and delightful romp from Mary Kay Andrews that finds local cooking show hosts Gina Foxton and Tate Moody facing off in a reality show competition; Chris Bohjalian’s SKELETONS AT THE FEAST, which recounts the final months of World War II from the point of view of a German family fleeing East Prussia and heading west in an effort to escape the oncoming Russian army; NOTORIOUS, Michele Martinez’s fourth thriller featuring Melanie Vargas, a New York City prosecutor who specializes in narcotics-related crimes; and SOUVENIR by Therese Fowler, the heartbreaking story of a woman who made what she thought was a responsible decision, only to have to live with the consequences.

Among our nonfiction highlights are THE COMMISSION, in which New York Times reporter Philip Shenon scrutinizes the investigation of 9/11 and tells the inside story of the most important federal commission since the Warren Commission; THE TEN-CENT PLAGUE, David Hajdu’s insightful examination of the effect of McCarthyism on comic books; and HOPE’S BOY by Andrew Bridge, a harrowing memoir of a little boy lost --- taken away by the system and then trapped in it, abandoned not by his mom but by departments and laws and social servants.

FaithfulReader.com is our website for Christian readers, with monthly updates of reviews and interviews, as well as discussion guides, book excerpts, a monthly newsletter and more. A special feature on the site is the Faithful Fifteen, in which authors answer a series of questions about writing and faith.

Here are some of the titles being featured this month on FaithfulReader.com:

-AGAINST ALL ODDS: Heroes of Quantico Series, Book 1 by Irene Hannon
-AGE BEFORE BEAUTY: Sister-to-Sister, Book 2 by Virginia Smith
-CHRISTIANITY IN CRISIS: The 21st Century by Hank Hanegraaff
-THE DESIRES OF HER HEART: Texas: Star of Destiny, Book 1 by Lyn Cote
-EVE: A Novel of the First Woman by Elissa Elliott
-THE FIGHT OF YOUR LIFE: Why Your Teen Is at Risk and What Only You Can Do About It by Jeffrey Dean
-FINDING GOD IN THE SHACK: Conversations on an Unforgettable Weekend by Randal Rauser
-FROM ANGER TO INTIMACY: How Forgiveness Can Transform Your Marriage by Gary Smalley and Ted Cunningham
-GINGHAM MOUNTAIN: Lassoed in Texas, Book 3 by Mary Connealy
-THE GOD I DON’T UNDERSTAND: Reflections on Tough Questions of Faith by Christopher J. H. Wright
-KISS ME IF YOU DARE: Patricia Amble Mysteries, Book Three by Nicole Young
-THE RETURNING by Ann Tatlock
-TUCK: King Raven Trilogy, Book Three - The Legend Triumphs by Stephen R. Lawhead
-UNCOMMON: Finding Your Path to Significance by Tony Dungy with Nathan Whitaker

We are also featuring a special giveaway in which 50 readers will have a chance to win an advance copy of A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE: The Sisters of Bethlehem Springs by Robin Lee Hatcher. Please click here for contest details.