I write this from Charlottesville, where I am in town for the Virginia Festival of the Book. I drove down yesterday (long ago I decided that any trip six hours or less was a driving trip, not a flying trip, with the interminable airline delays, etc.). The first event, Wine and Words, was held at Enoteca Wine & Panini Bar and featured David Baldacci and Adriana Trigiani. David has made appearances at the Festival since its inception 15 years ago. He was there with his beaming smile talking about his latest project, Feeding Body & Mind, which collects new and used books to be distributed to the recipients of Feeding America™ emergency food assistance through their nationwide network of Food Banks, thus helping feed both the body and the mind.

Adriana, who has the force and presence of a rock star, then took center stage and gave a warm welcome to the crowd. Her mom and sisters were on hand, as well as her in-laws. She grew up in Virginia, and the event had the tone of a homecoming. Local book club members, as well as readers and even one of her former teachers, were in the crowd. She very kindly introduced me, and it was fun to see how many in the audience knew Bookreporter.com.

I already had had the opportunity to meet one of our readers, Katherine Schulz, who has been facilitating book groups at an assisted living facility and had some wonderful stories to share about the way books have been brightening the lives of the residents and enhancing their social experience. We had been corresponding via email this last week, and it was fun to put a face with a name as she found me by spotting my turquoise vest.

The event provided one of those moments where everyone was united by the fact that we were readers. Since we were on common ground, there was lots of conversation. I was chatting with a woman whose son was in school at Princeton. The next event I was attending was featuring Jean Hanff Korelitz, the author of ADMISSION, a novel coming out on April 13th that is about the process of getting admitted to Princeton. I had a galley in my bag, showed it to her, and she scurried across the downtown mall to the New Dominion Book Shop to pick up a copy and even was able to get it signed before the event, making it the first copy that Jean sold/signed. Fun moment.

I started reading ADMISSION the other night and have been thoroughly enjoying it. Longtime readers will remember that last year I was going through the college admission process with my son. I vowed not to get swept up in the insanity of it. ADMISSION truly captures how the experience of applying to college has become an obsession --- not only creating a good story, but through fiction also delivering a social commentary on what has happened in this process.

I ducked out to dinner at a favorite restaurant, Tastings, where there is a crab casserole that is just heavenly, and okay, the mushroom soup and chocolate mousse were amazing too. (Lots of laps in the pool happened this morning to make up for this.) I had the pleasure of meeting a delightful woman named Mary there who owns a bookstore in Chincoteague, a charming town on the eastern shore of Virginia that I have visited!

This morning I dashed over to the University of Virginia Bookstore for an event called Fateful Acts, where three authors discussed novels in which individual acts have lasting consequences. For me the draw was Philipp Meyer, whose debut AMERICAN RUST has been getting raves. To prep for this event, I had started it and read enough this week to get into the "fateful act." Before you give me high marks, note it happens at the beginning. Hearing him I look forward to finishing it. Also, as happens at these events, the other two authors’ presentations prompted me to want to read their books as well: DREAM HOUSE by Valerie Laken and EAST HOPE by Katharine Davis. This panel was exceptional as each author was extremely well-spoken and also shared ideas about back story, character as place and their personal experiences that drove interest in their work.

The panel was moderated by Kelly Miller, who works at the University of Virginia Library and shared details of their Poe exhibit that is presently on display celebrating his 200th birthday. I wish my schedule had time for this; I may just have to linger a bit longer to see it!

We are launching new features this week for two authors we really love. Our first is for Sandra Dallas, whose new novel, PRAYERS FOR SALE, will be available in stores on April 14th. This is a remarkable story about two women who, enduring the harsh conditions of the Great Depression, form an unlikely yet strong friendship. We have 10 copies of PRAYERS FOR SALE 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 27th.

For years you have been writing asking us if there will be a new book from Jilliane Hoffman, as many of you loved her debut, RETRIBUTION. So I am very happy to share that we are launching a new Suspense/Thriller feature for Jilliane Hoffman spotlighting PLEA OF INSANITY, which releases on April 14th. This novel is a tense legal thriller in which a young, ambitious prosecutor must embark on a terrifying personal journey to bring a killer to justice. We have 10 copies of PLEA OF INSANITY 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 27th.

Our advance readers really enjoyed FAULT LINE by Barry Eisler (who from all reports was feted wonderfully as the Guest of Honor at Left Coast Crime in Hawaii last week) and HEART OF ICE by Gregg Olsen. Click on the authors' names to read what our readers had to say.

For those of you looking for a puppy update... We are going to attend the Puppy Meeting on April 20th to learn more about the program. Many thanks for your words of caution about the trials of raising a puppy; they were much appreciated. One reader even cited a book about this very kind of experience, called AROUND THE NEXT CORNER, which is on its way to me.

Okay, I am off to more Festival of the Book events. Oh, one more thing. My older son has been blogging from his Maine lighthouse trip this past week, which has been fun to follow. He’s a few days behind, but I wanted to share a link to this and some amazing photos he has taken. Click here to read about his journey. Here’s wishing you all a great week as we welcome spring (I saw lovely pansies outside my hotel!). May the weather begin to match the calendar! Happy reading...

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

HEART AND SOUL by Maeve Binchy (Fiction)
Bestselling author Maeve Binchy is the undisputed modern-day mother of Irish fiction. In her latest novel, HEART AND SOUL, she once again taps into the very soul of the Irish people, portraying in her characters their often irreverent wit, tough stoic exteriors and soft sensitivities. Reviewed by Roberta O’Hara.

-Click here to read an excerpt from HEART AND SOUL.
-Click here to see the reading group guide for HEART AND SOUL.

Kyle Mills is the New York Times bestselling author of 10 books, including DARKNESS FALLS and THE SECOND HORSEMAN. Over the years he has consistently impressed critics with his insightful and entertaining contemporary political thrillers. In LORDS OF CORRUPTION, his new novel releasing on March 24th, Mills delivers a pulse-pounding, yet sophisticated, examination of the political turmoil in Africa.

-Click here to read a third excerpt from LORDS OF CORRUPTION.
-Click here to read Kyle Mills's bio.
-Click here to see Kyle Mills's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for LORDS OF CORRUPTION.
-Visit Kyle Mills's official website, www.KyleMills.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about LORDS OF CORRUPTION:
When Josh Hagarty is recruited by an obscure charity to manage a farming project in a war-torn region of Africa, he is eager to sign on and atone for a past he regrets. However, before he can even settle into his new life, he begins to suspect that his new employer may not be the philanthropic organization it portrays. Josh tries to lose himself in his work, but soon the precariousness of his situation becomes impossible to ignore.

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson has written over 75 novels, and more than 12 million copies of her books are in print. In MALICE, her new novel releasing on March 31st, Jackson crafts a riveting edge-of-your-seat thriller of deception and betrayal as a New Orleans detective is forced to confront the ghosts of his past --- and a killer's twisted vengeance.

-Click here to read an excerpt from MALICE.
-Click here to read Lisa Jackson’s bio.
-Click here to see Lisa Jackson's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for MALICE.
-Visit Lisa Jackson's official website, www.LisaJackson.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners for MALICE.

More about MALICE:
The scent is unmistakable --- gardenias, the same perfume that his beautiful first wife, Jennifer, always wore. Opening his eyes in the hospital room where he is recovering from an accident, New Orleans detective Rick Bentz sees her standing in the doorway. She blows him a kiss and disappears. But Jennifer died 12 years ago...

The murders begin soon after this peculiar encounter. Each victim is a part of Jennifer’s past, and each grisly corpse points to Bentz as the prime suspect.

ReadingGroupGuides.com is conducting a survey of book groups. Our goal is to identify trends and topics that are of interest to book groups that we can share with publishers and authors, so they can provide the information and resources to enhance your meetings and discussions. We have not done a survey since 2001, and we know that a lot has changed in the last eight years! Thus, we would love to hear from you.