10th Anniversary Page and Pictures

By the way, college hunting was truly fun last weekend. While we heard presentations and took tours, I also was taking notes on something I think few other parents were noting: the school colors. Life at college will bring the following colors into your wardrobe: Syracuse (orange for the Orange, formerly the Orangemen), Fordham (maroon for the Rams) and NYU (purple for the  Fighting Violets). This is something to ponder along with the quality of one's education. I was trying to figure out what color I would be most happy knitting with in a year or so.

I fly back Sunday night in time to catch the end of the Oscars. I have my favorites picked out and I look forward to seeing the results.
 
Have a great week...

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)


List of titles reviewed and featured on February 23rd.

List of titles reviewed and featured on February 16th.

Throughout his six-decade career, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Norman Mailer has written such legendary and sometimes controversial works as THE NAKED AND THE DEAD, THE ARMIES OF THE NIGHT, THE DEER PARK, THE EXECUTIONER'S SONG and HARLOT'S GHOST. His latest novel, THE CASTLE IN THE FOREST, explores the early life and motivations of Adolf Hitler, told from the perspective of an Assistant to the Devil. In this interview conducted by J. Michael Lennon (Mailer's archivist and Emeritus Vice President and Emeritus Professor of English at Wilkes University), Mailer explains why he chose to narrate the story through the voice of this unusual character and describes how doing so was less challenging than his previous attempts at writing omnisciently. He also sheds light on some of the symbolic aspects of the novel and discusses how his cultural background and family history prompted him to write the book.

THE CASTLE IN THE FOREST by Norman Mailer (Historical Fiction)
In his first major work of fiction in more than a decade, Norman Mailer has set out to explore the evil of Adolf Hitler. The narrator, who is later revealed to be an exceptional presence, gives us young Adolf from birth, as well as Hitler's parents, siblings, and the intimate details of his childhood and adolescence. Reviewed by Pauline Finch.

-Click here to read an excerpt from THE CASTLE IN THE FOREST.

We are so excited to be shining our Mystery Mayhem spotlight on New York Times bestselling author Joanne Fluke and her latest culinary whodunit, KEY LIME PIE MURDER, which comes out February 27th.

We have 35(!) advance reader copies of KEY LIME PIE MURDER to give to readers who are interested in reading and commenting on the book. Interested? Send your name and mailing address to Mystery@bookreporter.com by March 2nd.

More about KEY LIME PIE MURDER:
It's Tri-County fair time and Lake Eden, Minnesota, is buzzing with more than mosquitoes. Hannah Swensen, owner of The Cookie Jar, is hot on the trail of a killer whose perfect carnival prize would be getting away with murder...

It promises to be a busy week for Hannah Swensen. Not only is she whipping up treats for the chamber of commerce booth at the fair; she's also judging the baking contest; acting as a magician's assistant for her business partner's husband; trying to coax Moishe, her previously rapacious feline, to end his hunger strike, and performing her own private carnival act by juggling the demands of her mother and sisters.

As fair week draws to a close, Hannah cranks up the heat, hoping that the killer will get rattled and make a mistake. If that happens she intends to be there, even if it means getting on a carnival ride that could very well be her last...

Includes 12 original dessert recipes!

One of our featured Suspense/Thriller authors is David Morrell, whose innovative and award-winning CREEPERS was a hit with critics and readers alike. Morrell's follow-up to CREEPERS is SCAVENGER, coming out March 12th, and it is destined to thrill Morrell fans and garner him new ones as well.

-Click here to see our advance reader copy winners.
-Click here to read David Morrell's backlist.
-Click here to read fast facts about David Morrell.
-Click here to read critical praise for SCAVENGER.

More about SCAVENGER:
David Morrell's CREEPERS was a publishing event in 2005, a powerful, edgy, dark thriller by a master of the genre. A New York Times best-seller, it won the prestigious Bram Stoker Award and earned numerous critical raves. SCAVENGER, Morrell's latest novel, takes us in a harrowing new direction: a desperate high-tech scavenger hunt for a 100-year-old time capsule. Frank Balenger, the resolute but damaged hero of CREEPERS, now finds himself trapped in a nightmarish game of fear and death. To save himself and the woman he loves, he must play by the rules of a god-like Game Master with an obsession for unearthing the past. But sometimes the past is buried for a reason.

SCAVENGER is a brilliant, frightening hunter-hunted tale that layers modern technology over the dusty artifacts of earlier times. The result is a surreal palimpsest, one that contains the secret of survival for Balenger and a handful of unwilling players who race against the game's clock to solve the puzzle of the time capsule, only to discover that time is the true scavenger. Morrell's trademark action sequences are embedded with fascinating historical clues that make SCAVENGER a thrill-a-minute page-turner as well as a mesmerizing literary experience.

Karen Harter, whose lyrical prose and compelling characters where showcased in her debut novel WHERE MERCY FLOWS, is one of our featured One to Watch authors. AUTUMN BLUE is Karen's newest title --- a finely-observed tale of family and community that is coming out in paperback on March 1st.

-Click here to read a new excerpt from AUTUMN BLUE.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about AUTUMN BLUE:
Sidney Walker is doing her best at raising her three children alone. But lately her sweet teenage son, Ty, has become broodingly angry. When the deputy sheriff arrests Ty and later invades their home with a search warrant connected with another local crime, Sidney is overwhelmed. As much as she wants to believe her son is innocent, the evidence is too strong to ignore.

As autumn rolls across the landscape, Sidney fights to save her son from himself and give him renewed hope. Though her options seem to grow more limited, Sidney finds she is not as alone as she thinks, and the solution just may be in the most unlikely of people.

Karen Harter grew up in Seattle, Washington. From her parents, she learned early to appreciate the beauties and intricacies of family, nature and God which are prevalent themes in her writing. With her family of six she spent countless hours exploring, camping and fishing, often singing together around campfires or as they drove in the car.

We are thrilled to bring you Brenda Rickman Vantrease as one of our featured One to Watch authors. Vantrease's first novel, THE ILLUMINATOR, established her as a master of evocative historical fiction. Her latest title, THE MERCY SELLER, hits stores on March 6th and is a sweeping and glorious tale, steeped in history, romance and mystery.

-Click here to read an excerpt from THE MERCY SELLER.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
-Click here to read critical praise for Brenda Rickman Vantrease.

More about THE MERCY SELLER:
In the fifteenth century, with religious intolerance spreading like wildfire across Europe, English-born Anna Bookman and her grandfather, Finn, earn a living in Prague by illuminating precious books, including forbidden translations of the Bible. Finn subscribes to the heresy that people ought to be able to read the Word of God for themselves, without having to pay a priest for the privilege, but holding that belief is becoming more and more hazardous. When the authorities start burning books and slaughtering heretics --- including the man Anna was to marry --- Finn urges her to seek sanctuary in England, but her passage abroad will be anything but easy.

In London, Friar Gabriel dutifully obeys church doctrine by granting pardons . . . for a small fee. But then he is sent undercover on a spying mission to France, where Anna has set up a temporary stall as a bookseller. Anna has no way of knowing that the wealthy young merchant frequenting her stall is actually a priest --- just as Gabriel does not know he has met the woman who will cause him to doubt his vows.

As Anna continues her journey to England, where the movement to stamp out heresy is growing ever fiercer, Brenda Rickman Vantrease brings us a richly imagined and immensely rewarding novel of love, faith, and dangerous secrets.

We are thrilled to introduce you to Tim Maleeny, our newest featured Debut Suspense/Thriller author. Tim's first dark and compelling page-turner is STEALING THE DRAGON, which hits shelves March 1st. Called "Tough, original, compelling - a perfect thriller debut" by Lee Child, STEALING THE DRAGON is bound to put Tim Maleeny's name on the map.

-Click here to see our signed copy winners.
-Click here to read a new excerpt from STEALING THE DRAGON.
-Click here to read critical praise for STEALING THE DRAGON.

More about STEALING THE DRAGON:
A container ship smuggling Chinese refugees runs aground on Alcatraz, its crew murdered with deadly precision. While the police and FBI search for clues, private investigator Cape Weathers suspects his partner Sally might be involved. But she's gone missing, and when Cape starts asking questions about her past, someone puts a dead body in his trunk and a price on his head. From the back alleys of San Francisco to the secret societies of Hong Kong's criminal underworld, Cape soon discovers that sometimes the only justice is revenge.

We have advance reader comments for DAMAGE CONTROL by Robert Dugoni and THE NIGHT JOURNAL by Elizabeth Crook.

DAMAGE CONTROL by Robert Dugoni (Thriller)
With his New York Times bestselling debut novel, THE JURY MASTER, Robert Dugoni was compared to a young John Grisham. Now this brilliant storyteller returns with a thriller about a gifted attorney whose perfect world is torn apart by secrets and a crime only she can solve --- if she can stay alive. Read our interview with Robert Dugoni and a review of DAMAGE CONTROL.

-Click here to see advance reader comments for DAMAGE CONTROL.

THE NIGHT JOURNAL by Elizabeth Crook (Fiction)
Four generations of headstrong women in the American Southwest, each with their own secrets, discover that it's their shared past that ultimately binds them together. Told alternately between a modern-day story and journals from the late 19th century, THE NIGHT JOURNAL illuminates the true history of the women in the Bass family. Read our interview with Elizabeth Crook and a review of THE NIGHT JOURNAL.

-Click here to see advance reader comments for THE NIGHT JOURNAL.

February's roundup of New in Paperback titles includes THE DIVIDE by Nicholas Evans, which delves into the dynamics of a fractured family and their struggle with the pain of lost happiness; NO GOOD DEEDS, the ninth entry in Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan series, in which a decision made by the Baltimore PI could have dire consequences; SOUR PUSS, the 13th Mrs. Murphy mystery from Rita Mae Brown and her feline partner-in-crime-detection, Sneaky Pie Brown; THE REBELS OF IRELAND, the final novel in Edward Rutherford's bestselling Dublin saga; and THE AMERICAN, Andrew Britton's riveting debut thriller in which maverick CIA agent Ryan Kealey is called upon to track down his longtime nemesis and former fellow soldier, who is now on an extended mission of terror against the United States.

Among our nonfiction highlights are the National Book Award-winning THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING, Joan Didion's powerful memoir that will speak to anyone who has ever lost a spouse or child; HANGING CAPTAIN GORDON by Ron Soodalter, which chronicles for the first time the trial and execution of the only man in history to face conviction for slave trading; and James L. Swanson's MANHUNT: The 12-Day Search for Lincoln's Killer, a fully documented, fascinating tale of murder, intrigue and betrayal, and a gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters.

Avid readers can be "influencers," people to whom friends, colleagues and families turn for suggestions. Are you an influencer?
 
-Yes, I am an influencer.
-I had not thought of myself like that, but I guess I am.
-I am not an influencer.
-I am not sure what I am.

What book have you most recommended to people?

Tell us what books YOU are reading and loving --- or even those you don't.

This week we have two great prizes: FIVE readers each will win a copy of SHOPAHOLIC & BABY by Sophie Kinsella and TEN DAYS IN THE HILLS by Jane Smiley.

Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on March 2nd.