I am writing from Toronto where I am speaking at the Book Expo Canada conference today. It's a very quick trip where I am not seeing much more than the CN Tower out the window of my hotel and the swimming pool at the health club (which is one of my favorites). At this conference I look forward to hearing more about what is happening with books and readers in Canada.

With this update of FaithfulReader.com we celebrate the past, the present and the future. We honor fathers for their contribution in and enrichment of the lives of their children, for their love, wisdom and support. Looking for the perfect gift to show dad how much he means to you? Take a look at the FaithfulReader.com Father's Day Roundup --- a list of books perfect for Dad to relax with as he celebrates his special day. Among these titles are heartwarming stories about the unique relationship between fathers and their children, spiritually enriching devotionals, and how-to's for becoming the best parent you can be, in addition to exciting and provocative novels and memoirs.

Last night I went to a signing for a book I am excited to share with you --- THRILLER: Stories to Keep You Up All Night. It has 30 original short stories from 32 members of the International Thriller Writers and is edited by James Patterson. I have been reading this one over the past few weeks and am loving it. Many of the writers have used characters or plotlines from their previous work and incorporated them into these original stories. I found that as I read writers I had not previously known, I was drawn to want to read more of their work.

ReadingGroupGuides.com Editor Shannon McKenna and I had a lovely meeting last week with a New York area book group, Zagati Literati (named because they "love great eating and memorable books"), at Trattoria Alaba in the city. What a terrific and welcoming group of women! They discussed Atonement, which had many angles to explore both in the plot and the characters. We were impressed with the way they handled their discussion. There were no "egos" at the table, but rather a terrific conversation in which everyone's voice counted. Our contribution: giving them suggestions for their upcoming discussions, as they said they were tired of reading about "dysfunctional families." Given their love of eating and reading (and probably inspired by the terrific Italian meal), we suggested Lucia Lucia by Adriana Trigiani for their next read. And then, for their following title, we suggested Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, which we have been raving about at Bookreporter.com.