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November 2, 2012

Bookreporter.com Newsletter November 2, 2012
Who Turned the Lights Out? Sandy!

Well, my plan that if Tom got a generator we would not get hit by the storm was foiled, but I am VERY glad we have the generator. However, I feel like we are in an episode of "The Walking Dead" sans the zombies. Around our house, discussions about where to get gasoline and how much we have is the topic of the day. I am ready to do ads for Verizon's My Wi-Fi, which allows five people to be online together.

For the office staff, we seem to fall into three categories --- those without power who can walk to the office, those with power who cannot get here as the mass transit is shut down, and those without power and crazy commutes. Greg and I are in the latter class. Yesterday we were on the road to NY by 5:45am; neither of us are morning people, so this was interesting. He could not believe we were driving in that early. We did get to see a beautiful sunrise over the West Side Highway; it’s the little things, folks.

That said, I have to tell you that the staff has been amazing; I am so very, very grateful for them and their dedication. This week we got newsletters out, content up, and chatted away about books on social networking with everyone pitching in doing whatever needed to be done. Tom Donadio, our Editorial Director, slept at the office two nights instead of commuting to his home. I think I need to buy a pull-out couch for the office! Thank you to all of our readers who wrote to check in on us. I think I got back to all of you!

We personally lost four 40-year-old pine trees (that made me feel like I was in Colorado when I looked at them), and there is a tree hanging that my husband wishes would just fall since he knows the tree services are way, way over-burdened. All that said, we are VERY lucky --- and we know it. We hope that you who were in Sandy's path are safe as well.

Okay…some photos. Above, Nelson DeMille celebrated Halloween as “The Wizard of Words,” and we had to show you his costume, which we loved. Yes, the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller THE PANTHER clearly knows how to have fun. I loved seeing costumes on Facebook since no doorbells were ringing in our neighborhood. Above is “The Crane” hanging on 57th Street from the storm. Our office is on the right; the crane is on the left. The lobby of our office is Command Central for how to get the crane down, and it’s packed with Office of Emergency Management personnel since I have been told that we have “the safest building in the area.” Whew. THAT makes me feel better!

All this said….we are still reading away…and are bringing you a robust lineup.

Our newest One to Watch author is Ian McEwan, whose upcoming novel, SWEET TOOTH, features his first female protagonist since 2001’s ATONEMENT. Set in 1972 during the Cold War, England's legendary intelligence agency MI5 embarks on an operation code-named "Sweet Tooth" to fund writers whose politics align with those of the government. Cambridge student Serena Frome is hired to infiltrate the literary circle of a promising young writer named Tom Haley. But when she begins to fall in love with him, she wonders how long she can conceal her undercover life. We have 50 copies to give away to those who would like to read the book and comment on it. Enter here by Thursday, November 15th at noon ET for your chance to win.

I have been reading --- and enjoying --- SWEET TOOTH; the one nice thing is I have more time for reading since there is no television or movie viewing going on.

Our latest Paperback Spotlight feature is DEAD ASLEEP, the fourth book in Jamie Freveletti’s series featuring biochemist Emma Caldridge, which is in stores now. Emma comes to a remote tropical island in the Caribbean in search of minerals believed to reverse the aging process. What she finds instead are the bloody remnants of a bizarre religious ritual. And here, where the local people speak in whispers about sea monsters, ancient voodoo curses and rampaging evil, she discovers something far more real...and more terrifying. We will have our review soon!

Leading off this week’s review lineup is ELSEWHERE, Richard Russo’s first work of nonfiction. Russo grew up in the close-knit community of Gloversville. But by the time of his childhood in the 1950s, prosperity was replaced by poverty and illness, with everyone barely scraping by under a very low horizon. A world elsewhere was the dream his mother instilled in him, and strived for herself, and their subsequent adventures and tribulations in achieving that goal were to prove lifelong, as would Gloversville's fearsome grasp on them both. Reviewer Harvey Freedenberg says, “ELSEWHERE is notable for its lack of sentimentality. That doesn't mean it's lacking in emotion. There are deep feelings coursing through this book. As we learn some of the story of Richard Russo's life, we can begin to appreciate the roots of his skill in transforming it into fiction.”

Emma Donoghue, whose 2010 novel ROOM was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize and an international bestseller, is back with ASTRAY, a short story collection in which each of the characters have all gone astray. They are emigrants, runaways, drifters, lovers old and new; gold miners and counterfeiters, attorneys and slaves; and they cross other borders such as race, law, sex and sanity. According to reviewer Michael Magras, “The most satisfying aspects of ROOM were her empathy for her characters and her ability to dig deep into each character’s personality and make us feel their internal struggles. All of these new stories feature her lyrical prose…. ASTRAY is an assemblage of beautiful prose and fascinating premises, an experimental combination of fiction and history.”

In THE CHRISTMAS KID, bestselling author and legendary journalist Pete Hamill has collected here in a book for the first time 36 of his short stories about his hometown of Brooklyn, New York. He writes about a Lost World where work and love mattered more than anything else and the Dodgers were still playing in Ebbets Field. Tom Callahan has our review and says, “In page after page, you see the work of a master craftsman. And what is even more amazing is to realize that these stories were written under the inflexible deadline pressure of a newspaper. Hamill writes like the great Sugar Ray Robinson could punch: with incredible power, style and grace. That is why other professional writers study him and consider him a teacher.”

We also have an exclusive interview with Hamill that Tom conducted recently. Here, he talks about the genesis of this project, New York City’s own brand of nostalgia, his optimism regarding the future of short fiction, and much more. Click here for the full interview.

Can love and honor conquer all? Mark Helprin’s new novel springs from this deceptively simple question, and from the sight of a beautiful young woman dressed in white on the Staten Island Ferry at the beginning of summer 1946. We spotlighted IN SUNLIGHT AND IN SHADOW in our Fall Preview feature, and now Curtis Edmonds has our review. He says, “IN SUNLIGHT AND IN SHADOW is not so much about Helprin’s narrative skills as it is about his command of the language and his intimate knowledge of postwar New York and its environs. When the intricacy of the detail combines with the complexity and the structure of the prose, the result is beauty matched with eloquence.”

Move over, Lisa Genova. We have yet another author who will be making her THIRD appearance in our Bookreporter.com Bets On feature! I bestowed this honor on Juliette Fay for her first two novels, SHELTER ME and DEEP DOWN TRUE, and am happy to do so again with her latest effort, THE SHORTEST WAY HOME. Sean has spent 20 years in Third World war zones and natural disaster areas. But when burnout sets in, he is reluctantly drawn home to Belham, Massachusetts. There, he discovers that his steely aunt, overly dramatic sister and quirky nephew are having a little natural disaster of their own. When he reconnects with a woman from his past, Sean has to wonder if the bonds of love and loyalty might just rewrite his destiny. Reviewer Norah Piehl says, “Full of humorous and tender moments as well as subtle revelations, THE SHORTEST WAY HOME is a quietly powerful exploration of one man's journey back to himself.” Click here to see why I’m making Juliette Fay a THREE-time Bets On author.

Because of the hurricane and its aftermath, we know many of you lost Internet access, which means you might not have had the chance to answer our poll question or enter our Word of Mouth contest. Therefore, we’re extending the current poll and contest to Friday, November 9th at noon ET. As a reminder, we’re asking about the kinds of books, if any, that you download for free, and which of those you have actually read. And we’re offering these books as Word of Mouth prizes: FLIGHT BEHAVIOR by Barbara Kingsolver, LOOKING FOR YESTERDAY: A Sharon McCone Mystery by Marcia Muller, and THE RACKETEER by John Grisham.

During this week of doom and gloom, it was reported that Khaled Hosseini’s new novel, AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED, will release on May 21st from Riverhead Books. According to Hosseini,
"My earlier novels [THE KITE RUNNER and A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS] were at heart tales of fatherhood and motherhood. My new novel is a multi-generational family story as well, this time revolving around brothers and sisters, and the ways in which they love, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for each other. I am thrilled at the chance to share this book with my readers."

Here's to the power returning soon, though I am getting very good at "Executive Camping." You can make a lot on a griddle and a grill. I can write a new cookbook.

The forecast this upcoming week is for a Nor'easter; how lovely. And Mercury goes retrograde on Tuesday at 6:04pm, so who knows what next week is going to bring. I have a stack of books and my iPad loaded so I am ready for reading. I figure my younger son will be at high school until the day college starts to make up these days. I am just glad his college applications are done!

Have a great weekend...and a great November ahead!

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])

PS. When you use the links below to purchase books, you also support Bookreporter.com as we have affiliate arrangements with each of them. Please consider this when shopping for books online!

Now in Stores: ELSEWHERE by Richard Russo

ELSEWHERE: A Memoir by Richard Russo (Memoir)
After eight commanding works of fiction, Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Russo now turns to memoir in a hilarious, moving and always surprising account of his life, his parents, and the upstate New York town they all struggled variously to escape. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.

-Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read a review.
Now in Stores: ASTRAY by Emma Donoghue

ASTRAY by Emma Donoghue (Historical Fiction/Short Stories)
Emma Donoghue’s follow-up to her riveting novel ROOM is a collection of 14 works of short fiction. The stories in ASTRAY occur in various cities throughout England, Canada and the United States, from colonial America in 1639 to Ontario in the late 1960s. The protagonists are outsiders who feel removed from their surroundings: immigrants who pine for home, women who dress as men, adventurers in search of a better life. Reviewed by Michael Magras.

-Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read a review.
Bookreporter.com Talks to Pete Hamill, Author of THE CHRISTMAS KID

Pete Hamill is an American journalist, novelist, essayist, editor and educator. Born in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, New York, most of his writing --- both fiction and nonfiction --- perfectly captures the Big Apple. His latest collection of short stories, THE CHRISTMAS KID, is no exception. The book brings together here for the first time 36 of his short stories about Brooklyn. They cover the streets where Hamill grew up at a time when work and love mattered more than anything else and the Dodgers still played in Ebbets Field.

In this interview, conducted by Bookreporter.com’s Tom Callahan, Hamill talks about the genesis of this project, New York City’s own brand of nostalgia, and his optimism regarding the future of short fiction.

THE CHRISTMAS KID: And Other Brooklyn Stories by Pete Hamill (Fiction/Short Stories)
Never before collected in one volume, here are Pete Hamill's stories about Brooklyn, the borough in which he was born and grew up, and the one closest to his heart. These are stories of a New York almost lost but not forgotten, brimming over with nostalgia --- for the world after the war, the city before heroin and crack, the days of the Dodgers and Giants, even, for some, the world of the Depression. Reviewed by Tom Callahan.

 

-Click here to read more about the book.

-Click here to read a review.
 

Click here to read our interview.
New Featured One to Watch Author: Ian McEwan, Author of SWEET TOOTH

We have 50 copies of SWEET TOOTH by Ian McEwan, which will be in stores November 13th, to give away to readers who would like to read the book and comment on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, November 15th at noon ET.

SWEET TOOTH by Ian McEwan (Historical Romance)
Cambridge student Serena Frome’s beauty and intelligence make her the ideal recruit for MI5. The year is 1972. The Cold War is far from over. England’s legendary intelligence agency is determined to manipulate the cultural conversation by funding writers whose politics align with those of the government. The operation is code named “Sweet Tooth.”

Serena, a compulsive reader of novels, is the perfect candidate to infiltrate the literary circle of a promising young writer named Tom Haley. At first, she loves his stories. Then she begins to love the man. How long can she conceal her undercover life? To answer that question, Serena must abandon the first rule of espionage: trust no one.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read critical praise.

-Click here to read Ian McEwan’s bio.

Click here to read more in our One to Watch Author Spotlight.
New Paperback Spotlight: DEAD ASLEEP by Jamie Freveletti

DEAD ASLEEP by Jamie Freveletti (Thriller)
Biochemist Emma Caldridge comes to a remote tropical island in the Caribbean in search of minerals believed to reverse the aging process. What she finds instead are the bloody remnants of a bizarre religious ritual. And here, where the local people speak in whispers about sea monsters, ancient voodoo curses, and rampaging evil, she discovers something far more real...and more terrifying. One by one the island's innocent inhabitants are descending into a paralyzing sleep of the dead --- victims of a long-dormant, terrifying and incurable pandemic that could once again wreak unimaginable havoc if it escapes from the island to spread like wildfire across the globe.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to watch the book trailer.
-Click here to read
Jamie Freveletti’s bio.
-Click here to visit Jamie Freveletti’s official website.
-Connect with Jamie Freveletti on Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to read more in our Paperback Spotlight.
Bookreporter.com Bets On: THE SHORTEST WAY HOME by Juliette Fay

THE SHORTEST WAY HOME by Juliette Fay (Fiction)
I have been a longtime fan of Juliette Fay’s. Her previous books --- SHELTER ME and DEEP DOWN TRUE --- were both Bets On selections, thus when THE SHORTEST WAY HOME came across my desk, I was excited to read it.

Here, Sean Doran has spent 20 years overseas in the third world helping others. Tired of his work and in need of a break, he comes home to Belham, Massachusetts, where he sees that life for his elderly aunt, his sister and his nephew is in need of some of his attention. He assesses what is going on with the same methodical techniques he learned overseas, only to come to see that he too is in need of attention. He sees that he has been avoiding a lot of things in his own life, including dealing with the loss of his mom from Huntington’s Disease and his dad, who left his three young children with the aunt and went away. An old crush crosses paths with him, as well as a young woman who was a wallflower in high school who walks back into his life, and suddenly feelings of attachment start to creep up when he least expected them.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to see all the books we’re betting you’ll love.

Click here to read more of Carol’s thoughts about the book.
Now in Stores: THE SINS OF THE MOTHER by Danielle Steel
THE SINS OF THE MOTHER by Danielle Steel (Fiction)
Everything Olivia Grayson touches in the business world turns to gold. Now, though, she reflects upon her life and wishes she'd invested in her family as much as she did in her business. Eager to atone for past sins, Olivia does her utmost to support each of her children as they struggle through mid-life crises. Together, the Grayson dynasty will confront conflicts past and present as Olivia takes them on a climactic family vacation. Reviewed by Amie Taylor.

-Click here to read more about the book.

 
Click here to read a review.
Now in Stores: THE UNCOMMON APPEAL OF CLOUDS by Alexander McCall Smith

THE UNCOMMON APPEAL OF CLOUDS: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel by Alexander McCall Smith (Mystery)
In this ninth installment of Alexander McCall Smith’s Isabel Dalhousie series, the Edinburgh philosopher and amateur sleuth answers an unexpected appeal from a wealthy Scottish collector who has been robbed of a valuable painting. She soon discovers that the thieves may be closer to the owner than he ever would have expected. Against the backdrop of this intriguing case, Isabel copes with life’s issues, large and small. Reviewed by Roz Shea.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to read a review.
Now in Stores: IN SUNLIGHT AND IN SHADOW by Mark Helprin

IN SUNLIGHT AND IN SHADOW by Mark Helprin (Historical Fiction)
Harry Copeland, an elite paratrooper who fought behind enemy lines in Europe, returns home to run the family business. In a single, magical encounter on the Staten Island ferry, the young singer and heiress Catherine Thomas Hale falls for him in an instant, too late to prevent her engagement to a much older man. Harry and Catherine pursue one another in a romance played out in postwar America's Broadway theaters, Long Island mansions, the offices of financiers, and the haunts of gangsters. Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to read a review.
Miami Book Fair International: November 11-18, 2012

Miami Book Fair International
November 11-18, 2012
Street Fair: November 16-18
The Center for Literature and Theater @ Miami Dade College

Enjoy the 29th edition of the nation’s finest and largest literary gathering presented by the Florida Center for the Literary Arts at Miami Dade College.

Come see hundreds of great authors like Tom Wolfe, who will be talking about his new novel, BACK TO BLOOD, on Sunday, November 11th at 6pm; Junot Diaz, author of THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE HER, who will speak on Monday, November 12th at 6:30pm; and Robert A. Caro, who will be discussing his latest bestseller, THE PASSAGE OF POWER, on Thursday, November 15th at 6:30pm. Click here to see the complete list of authors who will be in attendance.

There will be a number of intriguing panel discussions and conversations on literature, politics and more. They include “On the Book Beat: Meet the Reporters Who Cover the Book Business,” “Kurt Vonnegut: Life and Letters,” “So Spoke the Earth: Giving Haiti Voice,” and “On Tolkien’s The Hobbit.”

On Friday, November 16th, the Street Fair gets underway. The highlight is the Festival of Authors, with more than 350 authors reading and discussing their work. During Street Fair weekend, more than 250 publishers and booksellers exhibit and sell books, with special features like the antiquarians, who showcase signed first editions, original manuscripts and other collectibles.

In addition, our Kidsreads.com, Teenreads.com and GraphicNovelReporter.com websites are sponsors of a Day of Education for Teachers and Librarians called “Teacher Fun Day: Perfect Your Craft and Inspire Creativity --- A Full Day of Programming for Teachers, Librarians and Educators, which will be held on Thursday, November 15th from 10am-3pm. We have four speakers lined up: Chris Grabenstein, Matthew Reinhart, Scott Hutchins and Raina Telgemeier. You can read more about this event here.

-Click here for the full schedule of events.

Click here for more information about Miami Book Fair International.
This Week’s Reviews

PEACHES FOR FATHER FRANCIS by Joanne Harris (Fiction)
When Vianne Rocher receives a letter from beyond the grave, she has no choice but to go back to Lansquenet, where she opened a chocolate shop eight years ago. But she finds the once-beautiful French village changed in unexpected ways. Most surprising of all, her old nemesis, Father Francis Reynaud, desperately needs her help. Can Vianne work her magic once again? Reviewed by Ray Palen.

ONE FOR THE BOOKS by Joe Queenan (Humor)
Joe Queenan became a voracious reader as a means of escape from a joyless childhood in a Philadelphia housing project. In the years since then, he has dedicated himself to an assortment of idiosyncratic reading challenges: spending a year reading only short books, spending a year reading books he always suspected he would hate, spending a year reading books he picked with his eyes closed. In ONE FOR THE BOOKS, Queenan tries to come to terms with his own eccentric reading style. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE SPYMASTERS: A Men at War Novel by W. E. B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV (Thriller/Adventure)
Two of the Allies’ most important plans for winning World War II are at grave risk. A furious FDR turns to OSS spy chief Wild Bill Donovan --- and Donovan turns to his top agent, Dick Canidy, and his team. In the weeks to come, they must fight not only the enemy in the field, but the enemy within. If the Soviets build their own atomic bomb, who knows where that might lead? Reviewed by Judy Gigstad.

THE ELEPHANT KEEPERS' CHILDREN by Peter Høeg (Fiction)
Fourteen-year-old Peter and his two siblings live on the fictional island of Finø, where people of all religious faiths coexist peacefully. Yet nothing is as it seems. When their eccentric and profoundly devout mother and father suddenly disappear, they must question whether their parents' relentless quest to boost church attendance has put them in danger. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

THE VANISHING POINT by Val McDermid (Thriller)
Young Jimmy Higgins is snatched from an airport security checkpoint while his guardian, Stephanie Harker, watches helplessly. Assisting the FBI in their attempt to recover the missing boy, Stephanie reaches into the past to uncover the motive for the abduction. Has Jimmy been taken by his own relatives? Is Stephanie’s obsessive ex-lover trying to teach her a lesson? Has a stalker of Jimmy’s mother come back to haunt them all? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE HOT COUNTRY: A Christopher Marlowe Cobb Thriller by Robert Olen Butler (Historical Thriller)
Christopher "Kit" Marlowe Cobb, a swashbuckling American war correspondent, travels to Veracruz in 1914 to cover the multi-sided civil war known as the Mexican Revolution. While simultaneously trying to uncover the identity of a sniper and discern the motives behind the mysterious maneuverings of German officials stationed in the city, he falls in love with a young Mexican laundress who is not as innocent as she seems. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

VALLEY OF ASHES by Cornelia Read (Mystery)
Madeline Dare trades New York's gritty streets for the tree-lined avenues of Boulder, Colorado, when her husband lands a promising job. But Boulder isn't nearly as tranquil as it seems: there's a serial arsonist at large in the city. As Madeline closes in on the culprit, the fires turn deadly --- and the stakes tragically personal. She'll need every ounce of strength and courage she has to keep the flames from reaching her own doorstep, threatening all she holds most dear. Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds.

THE SPY LOVER by Kiana Davenport (Historical Fiction)
Era Tom is leading a double life. Desperate to find her father --- a Chinese immigrant who has been promised US citizenship in exchange for serving in the Union army --- she agrees to work as a nurse at a Confederate camp while spying for the Union. But when she falls in love with a Confederate cavalryman, her loyalties are divided between the father she adores in the North and the love that sustains her in the South.
Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

Contests Running on Other Sites in TheBookReportNetwork.com

We have a number of contests currently running on our other sites in TheBookReportNetwork.com. Please take a look at them below, and enter for your chance to win some fabulous books!


ReadingGroupGuides.com

THE PAINTED GIRLS by Cathy Marie Buchanan
We are celebrating the forthcoming release of THE PAINTED GIRLS by Cathy Marie Buchanan --- a romantic, exhilarating novel set during Belle Époque Paris and inspired by the real-life model of Degas’s Little Dancer Aged 14 --- with a special contest. 50 readers will have the opportunity to each win an advance copy of the book, which will be in stores on January 10th, for their group. The deadline for entries is Monday, November 5th at noon ET.

EVERYTHING WAS GOOD-BYE by Gurjinder Basran
We are celebrating the forthcoming release of EVERYTHING WAS GOOD-BYE by Gurjinder Basran --- a heartbreaking and riveting story about a young woman caught between a clash of cultures and the intricate bond between mothers and daughters that transcends boundaries --- with a special contest. 50 readers will have the opportunity to each win an advance copy of the book, which will be in stores on December 31st, for their group. The deadline for entries is Monday, November 5th at noon ET.

“What Are You Reading?” Monthly Contest Feature
Let us know what your group is reading in October, and you’ll be entered in a giveaway to win multiple copies of a book for your group! Our latest prize book is THE END OF YOUR LIFE BOOK CLUB by Will Schwalbe, the inspiring true story of a son and his mother who start a “book club” that brings them together as her life comes to a close. We have 12 copies of the book, which is in stores now, to give away to three groups. The deadline for entries is Monday, November 5th at noon ET.

Teenreads.com

Fierce Reads
This month, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group gets Fierce...again! Fierce Reads is an online home and a brand where teens can interact with books they love and be a part of the discovery of new books. Fierce Reads will promote books across all of Macmillan's publishing divisions, with a mix of debut and well-known authors. To celebrate the release of six books that are being featured in this exciting campaign, we're giving five readers the opportunity to win them all!

Word of Mouth

Send us your current reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. This contest period, one teen reader will be randomly chosen to win a copy of PERRY'S KILLER PLAYLIST by Joe Schreiber and REACHED: Matched Trilogy, Book 3 by Ally Condie. The deadline for entries is Friday, November 30th at noon ET.

Kidsreads.com

THE GOLDEN DOOR
by Emily Rodda

To celebrate the release of THE GOLDEN DOOR, the start of a stirring fantasy trilogy from the internationally bestselling author of the Dragons of Deltora series, Kidsreads.com is giving 25 readers the chance to win a copy of the book. The deadline for entries is Monday, November 5th at noon ET.

FaithfulReader.com

RIVER OF MERCY: The Riverhaven Years, Book 3
by BJ Hoff

We are celebrating the release of RIVER OF MERCY with a special contest that will give 75 readers the opportunity to win a copy of this conclusion to BJ Hoff's Riverhaven Years trilogy. The deadline for entries is Monday, November 12th at noon ET.

BORDERS OF THE HEART by Chris Fabry
We are celebrating the release of BORDERS OF THE HEART by Chris Fabry with a special contest that will give 10 readers the opportunity to win a copy of the book, which centers on the relationship between a man and a mysterious girl he feels compelled to save. The deadline for entries is Monday, November 12th at noon ET.

The Reluctant Prophet Series by Nancy Rue
We are celebrating the release of TOO FAR TO SAY FAR ENOUGH, the conclusion to Nancy Rue's The Reluctant Prophet trilogy, with a special contest that will give 25 readers the opportunity to win all three books in the series (which also includes THE RELUCTANT PROPHET and UNEXPECTED DISMOUNTS). The deadline for entries is Monday, November 12th at noon ET.

FaithfulReader.com’s Monthly Contest
In our latest monthly contest, 10 readers will be awarded a copy of all four books in Mona Hodgson's historical romance series, The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek: TWO BRIDES TOO MANY, TOO RICH FOR A BRIDE, THE BRIDE WORE BLUE and TWICE A BRIDE. The deadline for entries is Monday, November 12th at noon ET.

This Week’s Poll

Which of the following do you download for free? Please check as many as apply.

Full-length eBooks
eShorts/Novellas written by authors you are familiar with
eShorts/Novellas that are part of a series you are familiar with
eShorts/Novellas written by authors whose work you are not familiar with as you would like to sample it
I do not download free eBooks.
I do not download eBooks.
Other (Please specify)


What percentage of the free eBooks that you have downloaded have you actually read?

100%
75%
50%
25%
Less than 25%
None
I do not download free eBooks.
I do not download eBooks.

Click here to answer the poll.
Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading --- and You Could Win THREE Books!

Tell us your current reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from October 19th to November 9th, FIVE lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of FLIGHT BEHAVIOR by Barbara Kingsolver, LOOKING FOR YESTERDAY: A Sharon McCone Mystery by Marcia Muller, and THE RACKETEER by John Grisham.

To make sure other readers will be able to find the books you write about, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For complete rules and guidelines, click here.

-To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.

Click here to enter the contest.

As always, here are a few housekeeping notes. If you are seeing this newsletter in a text version, and would prefer to see the graphics, you can either read it online or change your preferences below.

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Happy reading! Don't forget to forward this newsletter to a friend or to visit our other websites from TheBookReportNetwork.com: www.20SomethingReads.com, www.Teenreads.com, www.Kidsreads.com, www.ReadingGroupGuides.com, www.GraphicNovelReporter.com, www.FaithfulReader.com and www.AuthorsOnTheWeb.com.

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