March 26th, 2013

Spring Break starts sometime the beginning of March and rolls right on to the end of April; this week is one of the biggest weeks with 13% of schools around the country closed for Spring Break.

No matter whether you are in college and shedding your dorm sweats --- or working and hanging up your work wardrobe for a week --- Spring Break means it's time for soaking up some UV rays (don’t forget the sunscreen!) on the pristine white sands of the tropics or shredding powder (wear your goggles!) on the slopes. A couple of weeks ago we created a staff-curated bookshelf with our picks of titles suitable for Spring Break reading. (Keep in mind you don't actually have to go anywhere to drop into a vacation state of mind!)

Included on our lineup are two great book-to-screen titles that you will most definitely want to share with friends --- the highly-anticipated, zombie summer blockbuster WORLD WAR Z and Academy Award-winning, must-see THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (you knew the latter was based on a book, right?). For those more serious-minded, we have AMERICAN SNIPER, the astonishing autobiography of the most lethal Sniper in American military history and for thriller lovers there's the bestselling BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP, a page-turning, jaw-dropping story of a woman documenting her struggle with an unusual form of amnesia. On a lighter, funnier note, comedic writer and "The Office" star Mindy Kaling’s IS EVERYONE HANGING OUT WITHOUT ME? AND OTHER CONCERNS and LET’S PRETEND THIS NEVER HAPPENED by Jenny Lawson will keep you laughing. So when you’ve got your head buried in one of these not-to-be-missed books and you accidentally start boarding the plane going to Cairo instead of Cabo, we’ll let you thank us later for the winning recommendation.

It's BRACKET TIME, BABY! At 20SomethingReads we know how to put a spin on March Madness with a special book twist. We paired alumni and faculty-authored books with their respective NCAA schools, creating a bracket that’s just as useful for the sports-inept book lover as it is for the office pool champion. Scroll down to the “What’s New” section of this newsletter for more details or for those impatient, click here. In the Third Round, FIGHT CLUB by Chuck Palahniuk (Oregon State), I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER IN HELL by Tucker Max (Duke), and WELCOME TO DEAD HOUSE by R.L. Stine (Ohio State) are all doing well. Now how is THAT for sports reporting? By the way OUR bracket got some nice pickup in USA Today last week!

For the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who opened their copies of the Daily News last Monday morning, they were greeted by a full-page photo of one of our beloved staffers, Josh Mallory, our Website Client Relations Coordinator for our Authors on the Web division...and devoted college football enthusiast (he's a 'Bama alum). Josh posed with a copy of the “hipster must read of the moment” THE LOVE SONG OF JONNY VALENTINE. We’re so proud of his stint in the spotlight, from his sexy couch pose in the online edition to his up-close-and-personal, glamour headshot in the print version that made it to the office fridge. To see Josh’s 15 seconds of fame, check out the “Top News” section on our homepage or click here to read a review of this hot title.

After a six-year hiatus, Khaled Hosseini's AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED, the latest of his novels to feature the lush background of Afghanistan upon a tale of personal and social turmoil will be published on May 21st. In this new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations, this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers. Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most. Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe --- from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos --- the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page. We have an ongoing contest through Thursday, April 11th in which readers who comment about Hosseini’s first and second novels, THE KITE RUNNER and A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS, will be entered to win a copy of AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED. Click here to share and enter to win.

We'll be back to you with another update on Wednesday, April 10th before we head out for our own Spring Breaks. Greg is headed to Norway to sail on the Hurtigruten while Nikki flies to California for the Coachella music festival. Read on....and a Happy Passover and Happy Easter to those who celebrate!

--- Greg Fitzgerald ([email protected]) and Nicole Sherman ([email protected])

Special Feature and Contest: The Lunar Chronicles Series by Marissa Meyer
In CINDER: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

In SCARLET: Cinder is in prison and trying to escape, even though escaping means she becomes the most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing when she encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder...

The Contest ends on Thursday, March 28th, so make sure to enter now!

Special Feature and Contest: HER by Christa Parravani
A blazingly passionate memoir of identity and love: when a charismatic and troubled young woman dies tragically, her identical twin must struggle to survive.

The Contest ends on Tuesday, April 2nd, so make sure to enter now!

Special Feature: WINNING BALANCE by Shawn Johnson
The amazing true journey of how the young woman who won an Olympic gold medal on the balance beam became even more balanced.

Bookshelf: Spring Break
The home stretch between the beginning of second semester and the sweet freedom of summer vacation often seems more like a marathon than a sprint, which is exactly why spring break is a much-needed reprieve from the daily grind. And if you're not in school, then surely you crave some downtime from your job or desire a break from your normal routine.

So while you're waiting on a plane, lounging at the beach, or just sleeping on your parents' couch, here are some awesome reads to keep you entertained during this most deserved vacation. Whether you're in the mood for a book that created a hit movie like SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, getting read up for Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, a memoir, a thriller or a book to keep you laughing, this bookshelf has something for you.

Slam Dunk: Reading Through the Madness
As the NCAA brackets were announced, we decided to have some fun with the lineups. While everyone was searching stats and scoring potential, we naturally looked at the selected schools another way, as bookworms are apt to do.

We researched alumni and faculty from each school --- as well as some notable facts. From there we culled a list of authors --- and their books --- and chose one to represent each school on our version of the “bracket.” On our lineup you will see well-known authors and titles, and names that will be a lot less familiar. See how many you’ve read --- and how many you should add to your “to be read” list. Just like the books you find on our seven websites in TheBookReportNetwork.com, there’s something for every kind of reader whether you’re a benchwarmer or a superstar. We make it easy to score great books!

Look now and then follow along as we advance each title with its team throughout the tournament…SWISH!

BLOG: Visiting Northshire Books, Manchester, Vermont
Nicole Sherman goes book shopping on vacation.

BLOG: Anticipating INFERNO...
Greg Fitzgerald reflects on what's next for Dan Brown's Robert Langdon.

BLOG: When It's Time to LEAN IN
Carol Fitzgerald discusses Sheryl Sandberg's buzz-making new title.

BLOG: IT'S YOUR MOVE: The Trials and Triumphs of Dating Through Literary Consultation
Nicole Sherman asks: Can Love Systems dating bootcamp creator Nick Savoy help women find a winning match?

BLOG: Kimberly McCreight, Author of RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA: On Determination
"I wrote my first story by accident. Junior year in high school, my English teacher assigned an essay about A TALE OF TWO CITIES. And I had nothing. I mean, total and complete blank."

Bookshelf: Books to Bring Home to Mom --- Gifts for Mother's Day (April)

Bookshelf: All Grown Up --- Graduation Books (April)

SIX YEARS by Harlan Coben (Thriller)
Six years have passed since Jake Fisher watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. When Jake comes across Todd’s obituary, he can’t keep himself away from the funeral. There he gets the glimpse of Todd’s wife he’s hoping for…but she is not Natalie. Whoever the mourning widow is, she’s been married to Todd for almost two decades, and with that fact everything Jake thought he knew about the best time of his life is turned completely inside out. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE UNCHANGEABLE SPOTS OF LEOPARDS by Kristopher Jansma (Fiction)
From the jazz clubs of Manhattan to the villages of Sri Lanka, Kristopher Jansma’s narrator will be inspired and haunted by the success of his greatest friend and rival in writing, Julian McGann, and endlessly enamored with Julian’s friend, Evelyn, the green-eyed girl who got away. After the trio has a disastrous falling out, desperate to tell the truth in his writing and to figure out who he really is, Jansma’s narrator finds himself caught in a never-ending web of lies. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

NIGHT MOVES: A Doc Ford Novel by Randy Wayne White (Thriller)
While trying to solve one of Florida’s most profound secrets, Doc Ford is the target of a murder attempt by someone who wants to make it look like an accident. Or is the target actually his friend, Tomlinson? What their small family of friends don’t know is that their secret pasts make it impossible for the two of them to go to the law for help. There is an assassin on the loose, and it is up to them to find the killer --- before he (or she) finishes the job. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

OLEANDER GIRL by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Fiction)
Orphaned at birth, 17-year-old Korobi Roy has been troubled by the silence that surrounds her parents’ deaths. She dreams of one day finding a love as powerful as her parents’, and it seems her wish has come true when she meets the charming Rajat, the only son of a high-profile family. But shortly after their engagement, a heart attack kills Korobi’s grandfather, revealing serious financial problems and a devastating secret about Korobi's past. Reviewed by Jane Krebs.

THE SUITORS by Cecile David-Weill (Fiction)
After Laure and Marie learn of their parents’ plan to sell the family’s summer retreat, L’Agapanthe, they devise a scheme for attracting a wealthy suitor who can afford to purchase the estate. This place of charm and nostalgia is the perfect venue to exercise proper etiquette and intellect, though not all its visitors are socially savvy, especially when it’s a matter of understanding the relationships between old money and the nouveau riche. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

BANISHED: Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church by Lauren Drain with Lisa Pulitzer (Memoir)
For the first 14 years of her life, Lauren Drain's childhood was fairly normal. However, once her atheist father was seduced by the charismatic leaders of the Westboro Baptist Church, her life suddenly became a frightening experience of religious fanaticism and cult-like mind control that lasted for years before she was banished from the group and forced out on her own. Reviewed by Amie Taylor.

ROOM NO. 10: A Chief Inspector Erik Winter Novel by Åke Edwardson (Mystery)
A woman is discovered hanged in a hotel room in Gothenburg, Sweden. Chief Inspector Erik Winter wonders whether her family is holding back some secret that might help identify the murderer. At the same time, Winter becomes convinced that there may be a connection between this crime and one of his first cases as a young detective that concerned a young woman who disappeared --- from the same room in the same hotel. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

MURDER BELOW MONTPARNASSE: An Aimee Leduc Investigation by Cara Black (Mystery)
Yuri Volodya, a mysterious old Russian man, hires Aimée Leduc to protect a painting. By the time she gets to his Montparnasse atelier, the precious painting has already been stolen. The next day, Yuri is found tortured to death. Some very dangerous people are threatening Aimée and her co-workers, and witnesses are dropping like flies. Now Aimée has to find the painting, stop her attackers, and figure out what her long-missing mother has to do with all this. Reviewed by Greg Fitzgerald.

DARK TIDE by Elizabeth Haynes (Thriller)
Genevieve has finally escaped the stressful demands of her sales job and begun a new life aboard a houseboat in Kent. Not many people know that she financed her fresh start by working weekends as a dancer at a less-than-reputable gentlemen's club, and she's determined to keep it that way. But on the night of her housewarming party, the past intrudes when a body washes up beside the boat, and Genevieve recognizes the victim as a fellow dancer. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE DEMONOLOGIST by Andrew Pyper (Horror/Thriller)
Professor David Ullman doesn’t believe in demons, though his extensive knowledge of the literature of the demonic --- especially Milton’s PARADISE LOST--- has won him wide acclaim. When he is lured to Venice on a mysterious journey, he loses his 12-year-old daughter to an ancient evil that will force him to come face to face with all he knows about the underworld and the faith required to defeat it. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

TELLING THE BEES by Peggy Hesketh (Fiction)
Albert Honig’s most constant companions have always been his bees. Deeply acquainted with the workings of the hives, Albert is less versed in the ways of people, especially his friend Claire, whose presence and absence in his life have never been reconciled. When Claire is killed in a seemingly senseless accident during a burglary gone wrong, Albert is haunted by the loss, and by the secrets and silence that hovered between them for so long. Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.

LITTLE ELVISES: A Junior Bender Mystery by Timothy Hallinan (Mystery)
LA burglar Junior Bender is being bullied into proving that aging music industry mogul Vinnie DiGaudio is innocent of the murder of a nasty tabloid journalist he had threatened to kill. It doesn’t help that the dead journalist’s pretty widow is trying to get Junior to mix pleasure with business. Just as the investigation is spiraling out of control, Junior's hard-drinking landlady begs him to solve the disappearance of her daughter, who got involved with a very questionable character. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

ANGEL'S GATE: A Shortcut Man Novel by p.g. sturges (Thriller)
Dick Henry --- aka the Shortcut Man --- becomes involved in a case featuring aging movie mogul Howard Hogue, who keeps a stable of young starlets available for his highly ritualized attentions. After Hogue’s star director assaults one of these women in a drug-fueled romp, Henry is drawn into a deeper mystery from years past involving a mysterious death on a boat and a missing screenplay written by what appears to be a homeless man. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

LUCKY STIFF: A Mattie Winston Mystery by Annelise Ryan (Mystery)
Deputy coroner Mattie Winston is at the burnt remains of a house where a charred body has been found. The victim is none other than Jack Allen, a paraplegic who recently won a huge casino jackpot. Upon closer inspection, Mattie and detective Steve Hurley are convinced Jack was murdered to steal his winnings, but as Mattie investigates, even her cutting-edge forensic skills keep coming up short in a case with as many suspects as twists. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

WHEN WE WAKE by Karen Healey (Science Fiction)
On what should have been the best day of 16-year-old Tegan's life, she dies and wakes up 100 years in the future, locked in a government facility with no idea what happened. Tegan is the first government guinea pig to be cryonically frozen and successfully revived. But the future isn't all she hoped it would be, and when appalling secrets come to light, Tegan must make a choice. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

ORLEANS by Sherri L. Smith (Science Fiction)
After a string of devastating hurricanes and a severe outbreak of Delta Fever, the Gulf Coast has been quarantined. Years later, a new primitive society has been born. Fen de la Guerre is living with the O-Positive blood tribe in the Delta when they are ambushed. Left with her tribe leader’s newborn, Fen is determined to get the baby to a better life over the wall before her blood becomes tainted. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

ESCAPE THEORY by Margaux Froley (Mystery)
In her debut novel, ESCAPE THEORY, Margaux Froley gives the boarding school novel a West Coast twist in this suspenseful and complex mystery. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

PERIOD 8 by Chris Crutcher (Fiction)
Period 8. An hour a day. You can hang out. You can eat your lunch. You can talk. Or listen. Or neither. Or both. Nothing is off-limits. The only rule is that you keep it real; that you tell the truth. But someone in Period 8 is lying. And when a classmate goes missing and the mystery of her disappearance seeps beyond P-8 and into every hour of the day, all hell breaks loose. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

GOING VINTAGE by Lindsey Leavitt (Romance)
When Mallory discovers that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is cheating on her with an online girlfriend, she swears off boys. She also swears off modern technology. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to "go vintage" and return to a simpler time. The list is trickier than it looks. But with the help of her sister, she'll get it done. Somehow. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.