April 2012

I am just back from a week on the Outer Banks, where, though I worked a lot more than I planned, I also read a number of wonderful books. It’s shaping up to be a fabulous year for fiction with a number of books already slated to be added to my Bookreporter.com Bets On list for 2012. I blogged about the first group of books that I read here, and a second blog with the second part of my week’s reading will be posted on Friday.

While on OBX, the timing was perfect for me to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of Duck’s Cottage Downtown in Manteo, which is located where the Manteo Booksellers used to be. Jamie Layton, one of the co-owners, is a longtime friend of ReadingGroupGuides.com. We met years ago --- and, in fact, I am trying to remember just how many --- when I stopped by a store she was managing in Duck, Duck’s Cottage. I mentioned that I owned a group of websites, and Jamie interrupted me, talking about how her favorite site for book groups was a site called ReadingGroupGuides.com.

As she went on and on about it, my older son nudged me and asked when I was going to tell her that I owned it. I did, and from there she did a stint with us as a contributing blogger on this site and also has reviewed for us on Bookreporter.com and interviewed authors. She first got the idea to open this new store in early October and called to chat with me about her ideas for it. I stopped by to see the empty space on New Year’s Eve, and thus it was really exciting to be at the ribbon cutting and see the store opened and busy on Friday night. You can see a photo of me with Jamie, Allen Lehew (owner of Duck’s Cottage in Duck) and her business partner, Paige Griffin. Love moments of book celebrating like this.

Lots of news on ReadingGroupGuides.com this month. We’re giving away 75 copies of True Sisters, which we also are featuring in a Historical Fiction Author Spotlight on Bookreporter.com. True Sisters tells the story of four women, brought together on the harrowing journey of the Martin Handcart Company from Iowa to Salt Lake City as part of the migration of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the LDS Church). Through the ties of female friendships and the strength born from suffering, each one tests the boundaries of her faith and learns the real meaning of survival along the way. I read this book a few months ago and appreciated not only Sandra’s writing, but also the historic details as she is a brilliant researcher. Such a treat, and there is so much to discuss! Click here by Friday, May 4th at noon ET and fill out the form for your chance to win.

We’re also giving away 20 copies of Libby Fischer Hellmann’s A Bitter Veil. I had the pleasure of meeting Libby last September in St. Louis where we talked about the book. I happily read an early manuscript and was impressed with both the well-told story as well as a chance to learn more about the Middle East through the lens of a novel. In the story, Anna and Nouri, both studying in Chicago, fall in love despite their very different backgrounds. Anna, who has never been close to her parents, is more than happy to return with Nouri to his native Iran, to be embraced by his wealthy family. Beginning their married life together in 1978, their world is abruptly turned upside down by the overthrow of the Shah, and the rise of the Islamic Republic. What follows is a harrowing story of what happens to Anna as she finds herself alone in a city filled with hate and accusing eyes. Click here by Friday, May 4th at noon ET and fill out the form for your chance to win.

One of our new Book Group Spotlight interviews is with Jane Blackledge, whose book club, the North Wales Area Library Book Club, read Night Road along with their Young Adult Book Club. In the interview, Jayne talks about how the discussion went and what it was like to hear the opinions of the young adults versus the adults.

And the Kristin Hannah fans in our audience will be happy to hear that 1492 Films, which most recently produced the Oscar-nominated The Help, has acquired rights to Kristin’s #1 New York Times bestseller Home Front with director Chris Columbus attached to direct. As Columbus noted in Deadline.com, “I was blown away by this book, I simply could not put it down. It told the story about the cost of war from a completely unique perspective: what happens when a wife and mother is called into action and how her family adjusts to life without her…and to a changed life upon her return. Home Front not only portrays the great sacrifices our military makes for us, but depicts so powerfully the hidden sacrifices their families make as well.” Very exciting. You can read more about this and Kristin’s other movie news here.

And our other new Book Group Spotlight came from our new website 20SomethingReads.com’s Facebook page! We interviewed Emily Hicks, who responded to one of our posts about book clubs. Here, she talks about her newly formed book club, shares how the group works, and recommends some of her favorite books for twentysomethings.

We have a terrific opportunity for our Registered Book Groups this month. Three groups will have the opportunity to chat with Joshua Henkin and receive 12 copies of The World Without You, which is not in stores until June 19th. 50 additional readers will be awarded a copy of the book. Groups that have registered with us by Tuesday, April 17th will have the chance to win. I read a manuscript of The World Without You in January, and as soon as I finished it, I wanted to chat with others about it, proving it’s a perfect book group title.

In it, it's July 4, 2005, and the Frankel family is descending upon their beloved summer home in the Berkshires for a memorial. Leo, the youngest of the four Frankel siblings and an intrepid journalist and adventurer, was killed one year ago while on assignment in Iraq. Over the course of three days, the Frankels will contend with sibling rivalries and marital feuds, volatile women and silent men, and, ultimately, with the true meaning of family. If your group is not registered with ReadingGroupGuides.com, click here to register so you can be eligible to win this contest!

This month’s lineup illustrates some of the great fiction available this year.

Our featured guides this month include Iron House by John Hart, a book that was part of a contest offering in February, and we look forward to hearing from the readers who participated in that! John is a wonderful speaker, and if you are interested in chatting with him, please note that he will be doing a Goodreads.com Chat about Iron House on April 20th. Here are details.

Eileen Goudge is an author who many of you are familiar with as we have featured her work here in the past. The Replacement Wife is a tearjerker about Camille Hart, one of Manhattan’s most sought-after matchmakers who decides to put her matchmaking expertise to the test for one final job --- to find a wife for her husband, as she knows she is terminally ill. As always, Eileen writes a beautiful story. And in a blog post that you can read here, she talks about how she came to write the book and drew inspiration from her own marriage.

Ever thought about spending a year with your family in a foreign country seeing the place as a resident, not as a tourist? That is what Eloisa James did in 2009, as told in Paris in Love, her new memoir of the year she spent abroad in France. Eloisa took a leap that many people dream about: she sold her house, took a sabbatical from her job as a Shakespeare professor, and moved her family to Paris. Paris in Love chronicles her joyful year in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I’ve selected this book as a Bookreporter.com Bets On title. If the number of fabulous books this year keeps up, this list is going to be HUGE by December!

Also featured this month is The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin, which is now available in paperback. This was a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection last year. Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the 20th century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash --- whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts' --- suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage. The American Heiress is this month's newsletter contest book. If you are signed up to receive this newsletter, you are automatically entered to win a copy.

Deborah Copaken Kogan’s The Red Book is the story of Clover, Addison, Mia and Jane, who were roommates at Harvard until their graduation in 1989. Twenty years later, they’ve kept abreast of one another via the Red Book, which contains brief autobiographical essays by fellow alumni. But there’s the story we tell the world, and then there’s the real story, as these former classmates will learn during their 20th reunion weekend. Kogan was interviewed on "The Today Show," which you can see here. By the way, I have a theory that women get more honest as the years go on. In our 20s and 30s, we extol the perfect moments of our lives whereas by the time we hit 40 I think we are all a bit more comfortable noting that things are not so perfect. And this book looks beyond that veneer!

In Anne Tyler's new book, The Beginner’s Goodbye, readers are introduced to a middle-aged man grieving his wife. Crippled in his right arm and leg, Aaron spent his childhood fending off a sister who wants to manage him. So when he meets Dorothy, an outspoken, self-dependent young woman, she is like a breath of fresh air. He marries her, and they have a relatively happy marriage. But when a tree crashes into their house and Dorothy is killed, Aaron feels as though he has been erased forever. Only her unexpected appearances from the dead help him to live in the moment and to find some peace.

West of Here by Jonathan Evison got a lot of attention as a BEA Book Buzz selection when it came out in hardcover, and thus we are very happy to have the paperback for you. Set in the fictional town of Port Bonita, on Washington State’s rugged Pacific coast, one segment of the narrative focuses on the town’s founders circa 1890 and another shows the lives of their descendants in 2006. The novel develops as a kind of conversation between two epochs, one rushing blindly toward the future and the other struggling to undo the damage of the past.

And in Kathy Hepinstall's Blue Asylum, set during the Civil War, Virginia plantation wife Iris Dunleavy is put on trial and convicted of madness and sent away to Sanibel Asylum. Iris knows, though, that her husband is the true criminal; she is no lunatic, only guilty of disagreeing with him. On this remote Florida island, Iris meets a wonderful collection of residents --- some seemingly sane, some dangerously unstable. One of these is Ambrose Weller, the war-haunted Confederate soldier whose memories terrorize him into wild fits that can only be calmed by the color blue, but whose gentleness and dark eyes beckon to Iris.

We also have a couple of other new blog posts for you.

Claire Bidwell Smith, who wrote The Rules of Inheritance, writes about why she chose a non-linear structure for her memoir.

And Kate Alcott, author of The Dressmaker, shares her research process and inspiration to write a fictional story about the Titanic.

Please take a few moments and weigh in on our latest poll, where we are asking your thoughts about some features that we are considering adding to ReadingGroupGuides.com as part of our redesign. We appreciate your feedback, so please weigh in!

We know that many readers of our site are fans of Adriana Trigiani. Her new book, The Shoemaker's Wife, came out last Tuesday. I wanted to share both a link to "The Today Show" where she talks about the book, and another link to a "CBS Morning Show" segment where she talks about the Adriana Trigiani Tours that she has put together, where readers can visit the locations she talks about in her books. What a great way for a book group to spend some time together --- and maybe even invite some other reader friends to join as well.

Finally, I would like to tell you about BookExpo America, the big book trade show, which will be held in New York from June 5th-7th. Book Club Leaders/Facilitators (You must lead an official book group of at least 10 members and meet at least 10 times a year at a minimum.) are eligible to attend this industry-only event. You can see details on how to register here. Of special note to book groups, I will be moderating an event the morning of Wednesday, June 6th beginning at 9AM, which will give a look at the upcoming fall/winter books. We are still working out details for this program, which we are expanding from the format we have been using the last two years. More on this to come, but note you must be registered to attend the show in order to attend this session.

Here’s to a great month of reading.

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])

 

We are celebrating the release of True Sisters by Sandra Dallas --- the story of four women, seeking the promise of salvation and prosperity in a new land, who come together on a harrowing journey --- with a special contest. Seventy-five (75) readers will have the opportunity to each win a copy of the book, which will be in stores April 24th, for their group. The deadline for entries is Friday, May 4th at noon ET.

More about True Sisters:
In order to encourage Mormon converts to emigrate to the promised land (Salt Lake City), a plan was implemented by Brigham Young himself: emigrants were outfitted with two-wheeled handcarts. The settlers were then expected to walk, pushing the handcarts, for the 1,300-mile journey from Iowa City. Several “companies,” as they were called, completed this perilous trek and successfully reached Salt Lake City. But for the Martin Company, one of the very last groups to leave from Iowa City that year, the trip proved disastrous.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
 

Four Harvard grads have kept abreast of one another via the red book, a class report published every five years, containing brief autobiographical essays by fellow alumni. But there’s the story we tell the world, and then there’s the real story, as these former classmates will learn during their 20th reunion weekend, when they arrive with their families, their histories, their dashed dreams, and their secret yearnings to a relationship-changing, score-settling, unforgettable weekend.
 

Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the 20th century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts', suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage.
 

Julian survives at the Iron Mountain Home for Boys only because his older brother, Michael, is both feared and fiercely protective. When an older boy is brutally killed, Michael makes the ultimate sacrifice to protect his brother: He flees the orphanage and takes the blame with him. For two decades, Michael thrives on the streets of New York, eventually clawing his way to a world of wealth, fear and respect. But the life he’s fought to build unravels when he meets a woman who knows nothing of his past or sins.
 

Camille Hart, one of Manhattan’s most sought-after matchmakers, has survived more than her fair share of hardships. Now in her 40s, she has already survived cancer once, though the battle revealed just how ill-equipped her husband Edward is to be a single parent. So when doctors tell Camille that her cancer is back --- and this time it’s terminal --- she decides to put her matchmaking expertise to the test for one final job. Seeking stability for her children and happiness for her husband, Camille sets out to find the perfect woman to replace her when she’s gone.
 

For April, we have a very special opportunity for Registered Book Groups. Three groups will win a chat with Joshua Henkin and receive 12 copies of his forthcoming book, The World Without You, which releases on June 19th. Fifty (50) additional readers will be awarded a copy of the book. Groups that have registered with us by Tuesday, April 17th will have the chance to win. If your group is not registered with ReadingGroupGuides.com, click here to register.

More about The World Without You:
It’s July 4, 2005, and the Frankel family is descending upon their beloved summer home in the Berkshires. But this is no ordinary holiday. The family has gathered to memorialize Leo, the youngest of the four siblings, an intrepid journalist and adventurer who was killed on that day in 2004, while on assignment in Iraq.

The parents, Marilyn and David, are adrift in grief. Their 40-year marriage is falling apart. Clarissa, the eldest sibling and a former cello prodigy, has settled into an ambivalent domesticity and is struggling at 39 to become pregnant. Lily, a fiery-tempered lawyer and the family contrarian, is angry at everyone. And Noelle, whose teenage years were shadowed by promiscuity and school expulsions, has moved to Jerusalem and become a born-again Orthodox Jew. The last person to see Leo alive, Noelle has flown back for the memorial with her husband and four children, but she feels entirely out of place. And Thisbe --- Leo’s widow and mother of their three-year-old son --- has come from California bearing her own secret.

Set against the backdrop of American Independence Day and the Iraq War, The World Without You is a novel about sibling rivalries and marital feuds, about volatile women and silent men, and, ultimately, about the true meaning of family.
 

Poll:

We are working on a redesign of ReadingGroupGuides.com and would like to know if you are interested in our adding any of the following features to the site. Please note that we already are working on a plan for a new system for our Registered Book Groups to keep their information updated. Please check as many of the following as apply.

A place for you to be able to post your book group's monthly selection, which then has your group eligible for a special monthly prize or prizes.
A place to note additional discussion questions that your group talked about to the discussion guide section.
A place for you to add special things you incorporated into your discussion (special meals/additional materials/other notes, etc.)
A way for you to note on a guide page that your group will be reading the book.
A way for you to note the books you are interested in reading for personal enjoyment.
Other (Please specify)

-Click here to answer our poll.


Newsletter Contest Book:

Win copies of The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin for your 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 May 1st. If you are receiving this newsletter in your mailbox, you already are signed up!

More about The American Heiress:
Be careful what you wish for. Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the 20th century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts', suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage.

Witty, moving, and brilliantly entertaining, Cora's story marks the debut of a glorious storyteller who brings a fresh new spirit to the world of Edith Wharton and Henry James.

"For daughters of the new American billionaires of the 19th century, it was the ultimate deal: marriage to a cash-strapped British Aristocrat in return for a title and social status. But money didn't always buy them happiness." --- Daisy Goodwin in The Daily Mail

The American Heiress was originally sold and distributed in the UK as My Last Duchess.

-Click here to read all the contest details.