March 2011

Reading My Way Through March --- And a Special Offer for Book Club Leaders and Facilitators

March is the bridge month between winter and spring. In most parts of the country, there’s still some time to lay a fire in the fireplace and curl up with a book, but there are also days where you feel the sun shining brightly and a few birds starting to chirp, and you realize spring IS on the way. The clocks change this weekend, which means we get one less hour to read, but somehow the words "Daylight Saving Time" just seems to brighten my mood.

Also making me smile were the thousands of book groups that responded to our request that they share their monthly selections during 2010 so we could compile our Top 25 Book Picks for 2010. Not unexpectedly, The Help was the runaway first choice! The entire list is stellar, and we look forward to delving into these lists more in the weeks to come so we can explore interesting themes and ideas. I know what is on all of your minds is “was my group a winner?” We have the list of winners here as well as the titles that were prizes here. Thank you to all of our publishing partners who helped made this program such a success by contributing prizes.

In the world of coincidences, earlier this month I heard news that The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery has sold close to a million copies since it was released in 2008! I remember how much I loved this book about a precocious girl observing the comings and goings in a posh Paris hotel, and thus asked our team to be sure that we had the guide for you with this update. Well, that was made all the more special when I reviewed our Top 25 list last night and saw that it was in the top 15 book group selections of 2010. What also was interesting is that your reporting definitely shows this book has “legs” as it was one of the oldest titles mentioned on our Top 25 List. I always love when coincidences like that happen.

I was overjoyed to see Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife debut at No. 9 on the New York Times bestseller list and No. 1 on the IndieBound list. This has been one of my recent favorites and my latest Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. It’s a book I’ve been talking about since the summer, and to see it do so well out of the gate makes me quite happy. What has made me even more excited is to receive notes from so many of you telling me how much you enjoyed it. I was lucky enough to meet Paula in the fall, and she is more than deserving of all her success. We featured a two-part interview with Paula on the ReadingGroupGuides.com Blog. You can read Part I here and Part II here.

Paula’s interview was just one of the great pieces we’ve been featuring on the blog lately. Cathleen Schine, author of The Three Weissmanns of Westport, updates us on life after the paperback release of her bestseller, as well as her inspiration for writing it here. We also have a great post from David Vann here about his trip that inspired Caribou Island, and William Boyd shares the books that helped him research London for his literary thriller, Ordinary Thunderstorms, here. Lincoln Child also shared an original post about how he and collaborator Douglas Preston created their new Gideon Crew character, who debuts in Gideon’s Sword. It’s an interesting insight into one of the most successful suspense/thriller tandems in a long time.

This month we’re hosting two special contests featuring two very different books. Fifty readers will win a paperback copy of Geneen Roth’s Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything. This is an interesting book built on years and years of Geneen’s studies about how what we eat influences our decisions and reflects our moods. She really examines the relationship between food and mood, happiness and spirituality. I’m not sure quite what to make of all that, but I’m definitely curious to learn more! Enter here by Wednesday, April 6th at noon ET for your chance to win.

Our second contest book this month is Home to Woefield by Susan Juby, who may be familiar to some of you as the author of the Alice MacLeod series for young adults. This adult fiction debut focuses on Prudence Barns and the family farm she inherits. The farm itself is barely functioning, complete with scrub brush for pastures, a barn about to collapse and plenty of bills. Prudence meets the challenges head-on and is determined to resurrect the farm. This one really sounds charming, and I love the cover image of the chicken. We have 15 copies for readers who enter here by Wednesday, April 6th at noon ET. Susan was also a recent contributor to the blog. Read Part I of her piece here and Part II here.

This month we’re also adding more than 25 new guides, including Minding Frankie, the latest from Maeve Binchy, and Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin, which is also our monthly newsletter prize. Just make sure you're signed up to receive our newsletter here, and your group could win 20 paperback copies of Heart of the Matter, which will be in stores on March 15th.

We have two contests for our registered readers. Ten groups will have the chance to chat with Patricia Falvey about her latest, The Linen Queen. We featured Patricia here last year with The Yellow House and received some great feedback. She once again visits the Irish countryside during the tumultuous time between World War I and World War II. In addition, three groups will have the chance to chat with Lisa Harris via Skype about her book, Blood Covenant, the second installment of her Mission Hope series. These novels follow missionaries and aid workers working in Africa, confronting disease and uprisings along the way. Lisa lives overseas, so please only register if you're familiar and comfortable with using Skype.

One more contest to check out is on Bookreporter.com, where we're hosting a Sneak Peek contest for Rebecca Coleman's The Kingdom of Childhood. I read this one last weekend. It's dark and suspenseful as there's a lot of psychological tension in the storyline about a teacher and student who embark on a relationship together for very different reasons. It won't be out until August, but 50 readers can preview it and share their feedback on it. Please answer some questions about your reading habits here by Friday, March 18th at noon ET.

Our latest poll question asks, “Beyond what you read with your book group for discussions, do you spend time during your meetings just talking about books you love?” You can vote here. I would love to see book groups each put aside 10 minutes for this each meeting. Think how many books you could hear about from your fellow book group members. More than 500 of you responded to last month’s question: “How does your book group plan its selections?” I’m always curious about how groups plot their reading. About 40 percent of you said you select month-by-month, which means that 60 percent of you are doing more long-term planning. We will be looking at more ways to help you facilitate that going forward.

One opportunity we would like to get on your radar is BookExpo America, the industry's premier book trade show that is held from May 23rd-26th in New York at the Javits Center. While this show is not open to the public, book club facilitators and group leaders are invited to register to attend. To be eligible, you must lead an official book group of at least 10 members and meet at least 10 times a year. Proof of your book club, its location and meeting schedule will be required. You can read more about the conference here and see pricing here. I am going to be moderating two panels --- one about upcoming fall titles and a second where book group facilitators and leaders will share how they work with their groups. If you will be attending, please let me know as I still have some panel slots open for the latter presentation.

If you have a teen in your house over at Teenreads.com, we have released an update of the Teen Ultimate Reading List with close to 400 titles that we think teens will enjoy. Summer is just around the corner with lots of time for them to do some pleasure reading.

I have been on a wonderful roll of reading, cruising from one terrific book to the next. While the focus of this newsletter remains on books for book groups, I want to encourage you to sign up for the Bookreporter.com newsletter where every Friday I write about the books that I am currently reading. If you have not signed up for it, click here if you are interested. And here are links to the last three newsletters featuring upcoming titles that I have been reading:

-March 4th edition
-February 25th edition
-February 18th edition

Also, we are planning a new newsletter that will be coming out every two weeks where the sole focus will be a listing of what’s just been published. We plan to start that in early April, so if you want to keep on top of new releases, sign up here.

While there is so much conversation these days about eBooks and reading devices, I love the chance to talk just about books and authors. That said, if any of you have an iPad, I would love to get some feedback from you. If you have time to answer some questions by Tuesday, March 15th, drop a note to Maureen Linehan ([email protected]) and she can send you a link to the survey.

Here’s looking forward to crocuses popping up in the garden! And here’s to much more great reading.

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
 

We are celebrating the release of Home to Woefield by Susan Juby --- a wry, witty look at a neglected farm and its creatures, and the hopeful young woman determined to turn it all around --- with a special contest. 15 readers will have the opportunity to each win one copy of the book, which is in stores now, for their group. The deadline for entries is Wednesday, April 6th at noon ET.

More about Home to Woefield:
Prudence Burns, a well-intentioned New Yorker full of back-to-the-land ideals, just inherited Woefield Farm --- 30 acres of scrubland, dilapidated buildings, and one half-sheared sheep. But the bank is about to foreclose, so Prudence must turn things around fast! Fortunately she'll have help from Earl, her banjo-playing foreman with a family secret; Seth, the neighbor who hasn't left the house since a high school scandal; and Sara Spratt, an 11-year-old who's looking for a home for her prize-winning chickens. Home to Woefield is about learning how to take on a challenge, face your fears, and find friendship in the most unlikely of places.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
 

We are celebrating the paperback release of Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything by Geneen Roth --- a timeless and seminal work that shows how going beyond the food and the feelings takes you deeper into realms of spirit and soul --- with a special contest. 50 readers will have the opportunity to each win one paperback copy of the book, which is in stores now, for their group. The deadline for entries is Wednesday, April 6th at noon ET.

More about Women Food and God:
No matter how sophisticated or wealthy or broke or enlightened you are, how you eat tells all. After three decades of studying, teaching and writing about our compulsions with food, bestselling author Geneen Roth adds a powerful new dimension to her work in Women Food and God. She begins with her most basic concept: The way you eat is inseparable from your core beliefs about being alive. Your relationship with food is an exact mirror of your feelings about love, fear, anger, meaning, transformation and, yes, even God.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
 

This enchanting New York Times and international bestseller is about life, art, literature, philosophy, culture, class, privilege and power, seen through the eyes of a 54-year-old French concierge and a precocious but troubled 12-year-old girl. The Elegance of the Hedgehog is a moving, funny, triumphant novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us.
 

Maeve Binchy is back with a tale of joy, heartbreak and hope, about a motherless girl collectively raised by a close-knit Dublin community. When Noel learns that his terminally ill former flame is pregnant with his child, he agrees to take guardianship of the baby girl once she’s born. But as a single father battling demons of his own, Noel can’t do it alone. Fortunately, he has a competent, caring network of friends, family and neighbors. But not everyone is pleased with the unconventional arrangement, especially a nosy social worker, Moira, who is convinced that Frankie would be better off in a foster home. Now it’s up to Noel to persuade her that everyone in town has something special to offer when it comes to minding Frankie.
 

Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. "The days are long, but the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter." In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project. In this lively and compelling account, Rubin chronicles her adventures during the 12 months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference.
 

Maxwell Sim can’t seem to make a single meaningful connection. His absent father was always more interested in poetry; he maintains an e-mail correspondence with his estranged wife, though under a false identity; his incomprehensible teenage daughter prefers her BlackBerry to his conversation; and his best friend since childhood is refusing to return his calls. He has 74 friends on Facebook, but nobody to talk to. A humane satire and modern-day picaresque, The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim is a gently comic and rollickingly entertaining novel about the paradoxical difficulties of making genuine attachments in a world of advanced communications technology and rampant social networking.
 

An intense psychological drama that echoes sophisticated entertainments like Gorky Park and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Nick Platt is a British lawyer working in Moscow in the early 2000s --- a place where the cascade of oil money, the tightening grip of the government, the jostling of the oligarchs, and the loosening of Soviet social mores have led to a culture where corruption, decadence, violence, and betrayal define everyday life. Nick doesn’t ask too many questions about the shady deals he works on --- he’s too busy enjoying the exotic, surreally sinful nightlife Moscow has to offer.
 

Now Available in Paperback: DEAD END GENE POOL by Wendy Burden

For generations the Burdens were one of the wealthiest families in New York, thanks to the inherited fortune of Cornelius "The Commodore" Vanderbilt. By 1955, the year of Wendy's birth, the Burdens were on the verge of financial and moral decline. We watch Wendy's family unravel as she travels between Fifth Avenue, Virginia horse country, Mount Desert Island in Maine, the Jupiter Island Club, London, and boarding school, coming through all of it surprisingly intact. Rife with humor, heartbreak, family intrigue and booze, Dead End Gene Pool offers a glimpse into the eccentric excess of old money and gives truth to the old maxim: The rich are different.
 

In Washington, D.C., life inside the Goldstein home is as tumultuous as the swiftly changing times. In 1979, the Cold War is waning and the age of protest has come and gone, leaving a once radical family to face a new set of challenges. Dennis, whose government job often takes him to Moscow, struggles both to succeed in a career he doesn’t quite believe in and to live up to his father’s leftist legacy. Sharon, a caterer for the Washington elite, joins a cultlike group in search of the fulfillment she once felt. Happy-go-lucky Benjamin is heading off to college, there to experience an awakening of social conscience, and sixteen-year-old Vanessa finds a cure for alienation in D.C.’s hardcore music scene. As each of them follows separate trajectories of personal protest and compromise along the edge of a new decade, radical traditions long dormant in their family awaken once again, with shocking, far-reaching results.
 

Our ReadingGroupGuides.com Blog continues to be a big hit among our readers. Throughout the month we are sharing postings from regular contributors --- including authors, librarians, book club facilitators, booksellers and experts in the publishing industry --- as well as special guests. The latest blog can be found here, and here are quick links to some recent posts:

-Susan Juby: Directed Studies, Part I
-Susan Juby: Directed Studies, Part II
-William Boyd: ORDINARY THUNDERSTORMS
-Cathleen Schine: THE THREE WEISSMANNS OF WESTPORT
-An Interview with Paula McLain, Author of THE PARIS WIFE --- Part I
-An Interview with Paula McLain, Author of THE PARIS WIFE --- Part II
-Lisa Verge Higgins: THE PROPER CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF FRIENDSHIP
-An Interview with Beth Powning, Author of THE SEA CAPTAIN'S WIFE
-David Vann: Genesis
-An Interview with Karen Russell, Author of SWAMPLANDIA!
-Lincoln Child: GIDEON'S SWORD

For those of you who use RSS feeds to keep track of your favorite blogs, you can now add the ReadingGroupGuides.com blog to your list by clicking the link on the blog page. Also, receive updates by email here. The blog is also shared on the ReadingGroupGuides.com Facebook page.
 

13, rue Thérèse by Elena Mauli Shapiro: An American professor in Paris falls in love with two women, one of whom he can only imagine, in this magical debut novel.
And I Shall Have Some Peace There: Trading in the Fast Lane for My Own Dirt Road by Margaret Roach: A beautifully written memoir, And I Shall Have Some Peace There follows the journey of a woman who leaves her big city corporate life to find solitude and authenticity in nature.
Becoming George Sand by Rosalind Brackenbury: Maria Jameson is having an affair --- a passionate, life-changing affair. She asks: Is it possible to love two men at once? Must this new romance mean an end to love with her husband?
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery: An enchanting New York Times and international bestseller about life, art, literature, philosophy, culture, class, privilege and power, seen through the eyes of a 54-year-old French concierge and a precocious but troubled 12-year-old girl.
Finally Out: Letting Go of Living Straight, a Psychiatrist's Own Story by Loren A. Olson, M.D.: A powerful exploration of human sexuality particularly that of mature men who, like Dr. Olson, lived a large part of their lives as straight men.
Harlem is Nowhere: A Journey to the Mecca of Black America by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts: A fascinating look at America's most storied black community, past and present, from a vastly talented young writer.
Home to Woefield by Susan Juby: A hilarious, wildly original, and wonderfully insightful tale of a not-so-ordinary life down on the farm.
House Divided by Raul Ramos y Sanchez: The struggle that divided a nation now threatens to divide a family in this second novel from award-winning author Raul Ramos y Sanchez.
Invisible River by Helena McEwen: The American debut of a remarkable talent --- a mesmerizing novel of a young painter’s coming-of-age, of family ties and first love.
The Linen Queen by Patricia Falvey: A beauty queen hopes to use her prize money to escape her dreary hometown in Northern Ireland until the outbreak of World War II interrupts her plans.
Love, Honor, and Betray by Kimberla Lawson Roby: In this eighth installment of the Reverend Curtis Black series, Curtis and Charlotte find themselves at total odds with one another --- yet again.
A Matter of Conscience: Redemption of a Hometown Hero, Bobby Hoppe by Sherry Lee Hoppe and Dennie B. Burke: A wife reflects on her husband’s fateful choice that forever changed a small Southern town.
Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale by Carolyn Turgeon: A surprising take on the classic tale, Mermaid is the story of two women with everything to lose.
Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy: Maeve Binchy is back with a tale of joy, heartbreak and hope, about a motherless girl collectively raised by a close-knit Dublin community.
The Sea Captain’s Wife by Beth Powning: A young girl imagines a wondrous life at sea when she enlists upon a ship, and soon catches the captain’s eye.
Snowdrops by A.D. Miller: An intense psychological drama that echoes sophisticated entertainments like Gorky Park and The Talented Mr. Ripley.
Something Red by Jennifer Gilmore: A poignant story of husbands and wives, parents and children, activists and spies, Something Red is a masterly novel that unfurls with suspense, humor and insight.
The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim by Jonathan Coe: A humane satire and modern-day picaresque, The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim is a gently comic and rollickingly entertaining novel about the paradoxical difficulties of making genuine attachments in a world of advanced communications technology and rampant social networking.
Tiger, Tiger by Margaux Fragoso: Margaux Fragoso reflects on her traumatic childhood as a sexual predator stalked and manipulated both her and her mother.
Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything by Geneen Roth: A timeless and seminal work, Women Food and God shows how going beyond the food and the feelings takes you deeper into realms of spirit and soul --- to the bright center of your own life.

Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:

Dead End Gene Pool: A Memoir by Wendy Burden: The great-great-great-great granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt takes a look at the decline of her wealthy blue-blooded family in this irreverent and wickedly funny memoir.
The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin: In this lively and compelling account, Gretchen Rubin chronicles her adventures during the 12 months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier.
Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin: In alternating, pitch-perfect points of view, New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin creates a moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances.
Imperfect Endings: A Daughter’s Tale of Life and Death by Zoe FitzGerald Carter: Capturing the stresses and the joys of the "sandwich generation" while bringing a provocative new perspective to the assisted suicide debate, Imperfect Endings is the uplifting story of a woman determined to die on her own terms.
A Separate Country: A Story of Redemption in the Aftermath of the Civil War by Robert Hicks: Set in New Orleans in the years after the Civil War, A Separate Country is based on the incredible life of John Bell Hood, arguably one of the most controversial generals of the Confederate Army
The Surrendered by Chang-rae Lee: A stunning story about how love and war inalterably change the lives of those they touch, The Surrendered is elegant, suspenseful and unforgettable.
Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas: From The New York Times bestselling author comes the moving and powerful story of a small town after a devastating avalanche, and the life-changing effects it has on the people who live there.

The following guides are now available for Christian book groups:

Bake Until Golden: The Potluck Catering Club, Book 4 by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson: When a shocking event rocks their small town, the ladies of the Potluck Catering Club are stunned --- especially when the fingers start pointing at one of them. Will old friends stick together through their trials? Or will they be torn apart by tragedy?
Bathsheba: The Wives of King David, Book 3 by Jill Eileen Smith: With her husband away fighting the king’s wars, loneliness claws at Bathsheba’s soul --- and makes it frighteningly easy to succumb to the advances of King David.
Blood Covenant: Mission Hope Series, Book 2 by Lisa Harris: From the explosive first pages, Lisa Harris weaves a tale of heart-stopping suspense and adventure with her second book in the Mission Hope Series.
Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews: Mesu Andrews weaves an emotional and stirring account of Job and Dinah, breathing life, romance and passion into the classic biblical story of suffering and steadfast faith.
 

Check out these great contests happening on Bookreporter.com and Teenreads.com!

The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman
Bookreporter.com's latest Sneak Peek Feature spotlights The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman --- about a teenager and a teacher who find comfort in each other until their relationship edges toward dangerous territory --- which releases in October. We have 50 specially formatted early reader editions to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and share their comments about it. The deadline for entries is Friday, March 18th at noon ET.

-Click here to read all the contest details.

Fracture by Megan Miranda
Teenreads.com's latest Sneak Peek Feature spotlights Fracture, a supernatural thriller from debut author Megan Miranda. It's about Delaney Maxwell, a 17-year-old girl who falls through ice and into near freezing waters. When she’s pulled out, she’s dead. Or at least she should be. Upon waking up, Delaney finds that her mind has been changed in ways she never could have imagined --- she is drawn to the dying and can tell who’s next. Or is Delaney the cause? The book releases in January 2012, but we have 50 specially formatted early reader editions to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and share their comments about it. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, March 15th at noon ET.

-Click here to read all the contest details.

Sequins, Secrets, and Silver Linings by Sophia Bennett
To celebrate the release of Sequins, Secrets, and Silver Linings --- Sophia Bennett’s debut novel about three very different girls who take up a cause that they never saw coming --- Teenreads.com is giving 100 readers the chance to win a copy of the book. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, March 22nd at noon ET.

-Click here to read all the contest details.

 

Poll:

Beyond what you read with your book group for discussions, do you spend time during your meetings just talking about books you love?

Yes, we do this formally.
Yes, we do this informally.
No, but this is a good idea.
No, I am not interested in this.
I am not sure what we do.
I am not in a book group.

-Click here to answer our poll.


Newsletter Contest:

Win a copy of Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin for your reading group!

To be a group to win 20 free copies of this book, all you have to do is sign up for the ReadingGroupGuides.com newsletter by April 1, 2011. If you are receiving this newsletter in your mailbox, you already are signed up!

More about Heart of the Matter:
Tessa Russo is the mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Despite her mother’s warnings, Tessa has recently given up her career to focus on her family and the pursuit of domestic happiness. From the outside, she seems destined to live a charmed life.

Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie --- a boy who has never known his father. After too many disappointments, she has given up on romance --- and even, to some degree, friendships --- believing that it is always safer not to expect too much.

In alternating, pitch-perfect points of view, Emily Giffin creates a moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most.

-Click here to read all the contest details.