June 2013

Last week at BookExpo America (BEA), I got a chance to meet some of our readers at the Speed Dating sessions that we sponsored on Friday and Saturday. One reader said “she wanted to be me” after reading the newsletters for years. A few moments later, when I was toting some big boxes of galleys, I joked, “Still want to be me?” It was amusing as the crazy behind-the-scenes action that rolls the week we are pulling together an update includes a lot of feverish writing and gathering of materials for the books we are featuring. It also means that, by Friday night, I usually decompress by…watching a movie. I am a big Netflix fan, though recently we have queued up films that end abruptly, leaving us to guess the ending, leading my husband to glance at me and say, “Again?” I think that should be included with a rating. “Ends abruptly; be prepared.”

We know that many of you were not able to join us in New York last week, but you still are curious about what fall/winter 2013 books are perfect for book group discussions. Click here to find suggestions from more than 20 publishers. To give you an easy way to mark what you want to suggest at your future meetings, we also are providing a spreadsheet with all the featured titles here. In the weeks to come, we also will have videos from some of the publishers who presented at BEA so you can share those with your book group as well. The abject enthusiasm of the publisher participants, as well as the rapt attention from the attendees, made this a really fun event. We also have shared some pictures so you can see how the day unfolded, including one above.

As we celebrate the imminent start of summer, we have FIVE contests to tell you about, and all feature books that I have read --- and enjoyed. First up is Pastors’ Wives by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. The three women who are at the heart of this story set at a megachurch end up to be women much like many of us, trying to hold hearth and home together. Their troubles are earthly, and there were a lot more humorous moments in this book than I thought I would encounter --- some of which were laugh-out-loud. My favorite character was Candace; I can picture her looks of ice as she maneuvers her way to make Greenleaf thrive. Cullen’s gift as a storyteller is a terrific balancing act between being respectful and also entertaining. There is no overt religious message in this book, and it is not preachy. We’re giving 25 groups the opportunity to win a copy of the book. All you have to do is fill out this form by Tuesday, July 9th at noon ET.

Next up is The Mourning Hours by Paula Treick DeBoard. Kirsten Hammarstrom hasn’t been home ever since the mysterious disappearance of a local teenage girl shattered her family. Kirsten was just nine years old when Stacy Lemke went missing, and the last person to see her alive was her boyfriend, Johnny, Kirsten’s older brother. Years later, a new tragedy forces Kirsten and her siblings to return home, where they must confront the devastating event that shifted the trajectory of their lives. When I read about someone accused or convicted, I often think what it must be like to be related to that person, especially a sibling. Here that role is examined in fiction, as well as how lives are shattered when the truth is buried. We have 25 copies of the book to give away to readers; to enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, July 9th at noon ET.

Meanwhile, we’re giving 100 readers the chance to win a copy of The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti. Michelle got this book into my hands, and I am excited about sharing it with you. If you enjoyed The Kite Runner or In the Shadow of the Banyan, you will want to read The Almond Tree. The story explores the Palestinian/Israeli conflict through the eyes of a young boy who calls a plot of land in the embattled territory --- home. Ichmad Hamid is gifted with a mind that continues to impress the elders in his village, but he struggles with knowing that he can do nothing to save his friends and family. Living on occupied land, his entire village operates in fear of losing their homes, jobs and belongings. But more importantly, they fear losing each other. On Ichmad's 12th birthday, that fear becomes reality. With his father imprisoned, his family's home and possessions confiscated, and his siblings quickly succumbing to hatred in the face of conflict, Ichmad begins an inspiring journey using his intellect to save his poor and dying family. To enter the contest, please fill out this form by Tuesday, July 9th at noon ET.

If you’re a Debbie Macomber fan and looking for a fun summer getaway, have we got an exciting offer for you. Win a trip to Debbie Macomber’s Fan Retreat for you and a friend! It will take place at the Opryland Resort from August 9-11; this is the perfect way to experience all the tastes, sounds and Southern charms of Nashville while also enjoying the company of other fans of Debbie’s --- and spending time with this beloved author. Read on for more about this weekend later in this newsletter, or just click here for more and to enter for your chance to win a FREE pair of tickets to attend this three-day celebration, which includes entry to all the events. (The prize does not include travel or accommodations.) But even if you can’t make it to Nashville, you can still return to the beloved town of Cedar Cove with Debbie’s new Rose Harbor series. Start your journey with The Inn at Rose Harbor, which was published last summer in hardcover and will be out in paperback on July 30th, and don’t miss Rose Harbor in Bloom, out on August 13th!

The latest book in our "What Are You Reading" contest is Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky, which we’ve talked about in previous newsletters. Here, readers meet Charlotte and Nicole, who were once the best of friends but have since grown apart. They eventually reunite, but what both women don't know is that they are each holding a secret that may change their relationship forever. Let us know what your group is reading in June by filling out this form, and you could be one of three winners who will receive 12 copies of Sweet Salt Air (which releases on June 18th) for you and your group members. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, July 9th at noon ET.

Back in February, we offered book clubs the chance to win up to 12 copies each of Sweet Salt Air, provided that members of the winning groups agreed to discuss the book at their April, May or June meeting; email friends and tell them about the book; and post comments about the book and/or their discussion on Barbara Delinsky’s Facebook page, their personal Facebook pages, Twitter accounts or blogs. We’re now pleased to share with you what some of the winning book groups had to say about the book --- along with photos of some of the groups and even a video clip of a group discussing the book. Many thanks to those who have given us their feedback thus far, and we look forward to sharing more reports from our readers in the future!

We have a number of featured guides to tell you about, and we begin with Lionel Shriver’s Big Brother. For Pandora, cooking is a form of love. But her husband, Fletcher, now spurns her “toxic” dishes and devotes hours each day to manic cycling. Then, when Pandora picks up her brother Edison at the airport, she doesn’t recognize him. In the years since they’ve seen one another, the once slim, hip New York jazz pianist has gained hundreds of pounds. After Edison has more than overstayed his welcome, Fletcher delivers his wife an ultimatum: It’s him or me. Click here for the guide and here for our review on Bookreporter.com.

Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan have teamed up for the first time to pen I’ll Be Seeing You, which we’re featuring in our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight on Bookreporter.com. Glory Whitehall and Rita Vincenzo have nothing in common except one powerful bond: the men they love are soldiers fighting in World War II. Brought together by an unlikely twist of fate, they begin a remarkable correspondence as their letters allow them to survive the loneliness and uncertainty of waiting on the home front. Those who read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will appreciate the epistolary format of this book. Read the guide, along with our Bookreporter.com review and interview.

Jami Attenberg’s much-talked-about novel from last year, The Middlesteins, is now available in paperback. For more than 30 years, Edie and Richard Middlestein shared a solid family life together in the suburbs of Chicago. But now things are splintering apart, seemingly for one reason: Edie's enormous girth. When Richard abandons her, it is up to the next generation of Middlesteins to take control. Do Edie's devastating choices rest on her shoulders alone, or are others at fault, too? Read the guide and our Bookreporter.com review.

Available in paperback on June 25th is Luanne Rice’s 2012 novel, Little Night. After serving prison time for assaulting her sister's abusive husband, Clare Burke has become used to living without family. However, when her grown niece, Grit, contacts her, Clare welcomes her with open arms in an attempt to rebuild severed relationships and garner answers to her confusing and painful past. Click here for the guide and here for our review on Bookreporter.com.

In The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro, young newlywed Grace Monroe receives some shocking news: she has inherited a large sum of money from a woman she’s never met. Then, upon discovering her husband may not be who she thought he was, she flees her marriage and finds herself in Paris, embarking upon a journey to find not only the identity of her mysterious benefactor but also the hidden secrets of her own past. Click here for the guide.

Daphne Kalotay, the critically acclaimed author of Russian Winter, is back with a new novel, Sight Reading. Hazel and Remy spot each other for the first time in years. Remy, a gifted violinist, is married to the Scottish composer Nicholas Elk --- once the love of Hazel's life, now struggling with a masterwork he cannot realize. In the 20 years since Hazel's world was tipped on its axis, these three artists have faced unexpected joys, mysterious afflictions and other puzzles of life, their fates irrevocably interlaced. Read the guide and our Bookreporter.com review.

Shohreh Aghdashloo is an Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actress whose prolific work on stage and screen has been lauded for decades in both her native Iran and her adopted home in the United States. American audiences know her from roles as Ben Kingsley’s character’s wife in House of Sand and Fog, in HBO’s acclaimed House of Saddam, and as a terrorist in season 4 of Fox’s “24.” Aghdashloo now shares her personal journey from a childhood in the Shah’s Iran to the red carpets of Hollywood in The Alley of Love and Yellow Jasmines, a memoir of family, faith, revolution and hope. Click here for the guide.

Our final featured guide is The Way Back to Happiness by Elizabeth Bass. The death of Bev’s estranged sister, Diana, leaves her in a maelstrom of remorse. She longs to provide a stable home for Diana’s 14-year-old daughter, Alabama. All Alabama knows about Aunt Bev is what her mother told her --- and none of it was good. In desperation, Alabama sets out to find her late father’s family. Instead she learns of the complicated history between her mother and aunt, and how guilt can shut down a life. Click here for the guide.

Once again, we’re celebrating dads on Bookreporter.com with our Eighth Annual Father’s Day Contest and Feature. From now through June 10th at noon ET, readers can win a collection of books that are perfect gift-giving suggestions for dad, keeping him busy through the rest of the year. Five winners will receive all the books we’re featuring, along with a cooler that is touted to keep contents cold for two days, a flashlight, and an iTunes gift card. Click here to see all our featured titles and enter for a chance to make your dad one happy camper.

We’re giving away a different book on select days through July 31st in our Summer Reading Contests on Bookreporter.com. This week, we posted giveaways for Sutton by J. R. Moehringer (here’s a great video of J.R. talking about the story behind this book) and Those We Love Most by Lee Woodruff, a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. Next week, we’ve be giving away The Innocents by Francesca Segal and Wisp of a Thing by Alex Bledsoe. Are you signed up for our Summer Reading newsletter so you get word as soon as our contests go live? If not, click here to get signed up!

June is Audiobook Month, and to celebrate, we’re kicking off a month-long blog series on Bookreporter.com with pieces from authors who are avid fans of audiobooks. This week, we heard from Janis Ian, Mary Kay Andrews, Jack Gantos, Francesca Serritella and Gary Dell’Abate. Next week, we look forward to pieces from Aaron Hartzler, Mary Roach, Rainbow Rowell, Joseph Finder and Karin Slaughter.

More news from other sites in The Book Report Network…. Know a teen reader? Then send them over to this link to enter our Teenreads.com Beach Bag Contest, where we are giving away 20(!) books, along with a beach bag and a towel! Know a twentysomething reader? Then send them over to this link to enter our 20SomethingReads.com Beach Bag Contest, where we have 20 books that will appeal to them, along with their own special beach bag and towel. Both sites are full of reading ideas; one of our passions is curating books for readers of all ages.

Rainy, rainy day here, which may be remnants from the first tropical storm of the season, which hit down south. I never am sure about such things. It’s a good day for clearing out all the emails that have little red flags next to them; there are way, way too many of them. Also, I can look at the picture above of the really beautiful hibiscus plant that is being rain-watered on my patio. I love these flowers, and we have MANY of them surrounding us this year.

Here’s to a great month of reading for you and your group….we’ll be back to you next month after the loooong 4th of July weekend as we know many people will be busy with holiday plans the first week in July. We’re leaving our contests up a few extra days to be sure you get to enjoy them!

We are celebrating the release of Pastors’ Wives --- Lisa Takeuchi Cullen’s debut novel that follows three women whose lives converge and intertwine at a Southern evangelical megachurch--- with a special contest. 25 readers will have the opportunity to each win a copy of the book, which is now in stores, for their group. To enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, July 9th at noon ET.

More about Pastors’ Wives:
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen’s debut novel, Pastors’ Wives, follows three women whose lives converge and intertwine at a Southern evangelical megachurch. Ruthie follows her Wall Street husband from New York to Magnolia, a fictional suburb of Atlanta, when he hears a calling to serve at a megachurch called Greenleaf. Candace is Greenleaf’s "First Lady," a force of nature who will stop at nothing to protect her church and her superstar husband. Ginger, married to Candace’s son, struggles to play dutiful wife and mother while burying her calamitous past. All their roads collide in one chaotic event that exposes their true selves.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
 

We are celebrating the upcoming release of The Mourning Hours by debut author Paula Treick DeBoard --- a gripping novel of betrayal and forgiveness as a family is forced to confront the devastating event that changed the trajectory of their lives --- with a special contest. 25 readers will have the opportunity to each win a copy of the book, which will be in stores on June 25th, for their group. To enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, July 9th at noon ET.

More about The Mourning Hours:
Kirsten Hammarstrom hasn’t been home to her tiny corner of rural Wisconsin in years --- not since the mysterious disappearance of a local teenage girl rocked the town and shattered her family. Kirsten was just nine years old when Stacy Lemke went missing, and the last person to see her alive was her boyfriend, Johnny--- the high school wrestling star and Kirsten’s older brother. No one knows what to believe --- not even those closest to Johnny --- but the event unhinges the quiet farming community and pins Kirsten’s family beneath the crushing weight of suspicion. Now, years later, a new tragedy forces Kirsten and her siblings to return home, where they must confront the devastating event that shifted the trajectory of their lives.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
 

More about The Almond Tree:
The Almond Tree is a big-hearted story of a small Palestinian boy who learns to survive in a brutal environment and doesn’t simply endure, but emerges from the fire with the wisdom gleaned from the example of a father who has taught him that all men have value, even their enemies. This is a tale of innocence moving through a vicious world, compassion learned against an environment of daily horrors, and wisdom forged through a boy’s journey through a life we would never wish upon our own children.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
 

Let us know what your group is reading in June, and you will be entered in a giveaway to win multiple copies of a book for your group! Our latest prize book is Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky, the story of a woman who has a secret that may save the life of her best friend's husband --- or destroy him. We have 12 copies of the book, which will be in stores on June 18th, to give away to three groups. Enter here by Tuesday, July 9th at noon ET for your chance to win copies for you and your group members.

More about Sweet Salt Air:
Charlotte and Nicole were once the best of friends, spending summers together in Nicole's family's island house, but they have since grown apart. A successful travel writer, Charlotte lives on the road, while Nicole, a food blogger, lives in Philadelphia with her surgeon-husband, Julian. When Nicole returns to the island house in order to write a book about island food, she invites her old friend Charlotte for both sentimental and practical reasons. Outgoing and passionate, Charlotte has a gift for talking to people and making friends, and Nicole would like her help interviewing locals for her book. Missing a genuine connection, Charlotte agrees.

But what both women don't know is that they are each holding a secret that may change their relationship forever. Are the bonds of friendship strong enough to weather past indiscretions and betrayals? Can love survive an honest mistake?

For Pandora, cooking is a form of love. Alas, her husband, Fletcher, a self-employed cabinetmaker who crafts high-end, one-of-a-kind furniture, now spurns the “toxic” dishes that he’d savored through their courtship, and loses hours a day to manic cycling. But the couple’s comfortable, if sometimes strained, routine is about to implode. When Pandora picks up her older brother Edison at her local Iowa airport, she literally doesn’t recognize him. In the four years since the grown siblings last saw one another, the once slim, hip New York jazz pianist has gained hundreds of pounds. What happened?

-Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
 

It's January 1943 when Rita Vincenzo receives her first letter from Glory Whitehall. Glory is an effervescent young mother, impulsive and free as a bird. Rita is a sensible professor's wife with a love of gardening and a generous, old soul. Glory comes from New England society; Rita lives in Iowa, trying to make ends meet. They have nothing in common except one powerful bond: the men they love are fighting in a war a world away from home. Brought together by an unlikely twist of fate, Glory and Rita begin a remarkable correspondence.

-Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
-Click here to read our interview on Bookreporter.com.
 

For more than 30 years, Edie and Richard Middlestein shared a solid family life together in the suburbs of Chicago. But things are splintering apart, for one reason, it seems: Edie is fixated on food --- thinking about it, eating it --- and if she doesn’t stop, she won’t have much longer to live. When Richard abandons his wife, it is up to their distant daughter, easygoing son and perfectionist daughter-in-law to save Edie’s life.

-Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
 

Clare Burke’s life took a devastating turn when she defended her sister, Anne, from an abusive husband and ended up serving prison time for assault. Nearly 20 years later --- long estranged from her sister --- Clare is living a quiet life in Manhattan as an urban birder and nature blogger, when Anne’s daughter, Grit, shows up on her doorstep. When it appears that Anne has followed Grit, each woman wonders what their long-awaited reunion will bring.

-Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
 

On a Boston street one warm spring day, Hazel and Remy spot each other for the first time in years. Although their brief meeting may seem insignificant, behind them lie two decades in which their life paths have crisscrossed, diverged and ultimately interlaced. As their story unfolds from 1987 to 2007, from Europe to America, from conservatory life to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, each discovers the surprising ways in which the quest to create something real and true can lead to the most personal of revelations.

-Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.