Bookreporter.com Newsletter

As we are in week two of our office renovation, my days go something like this. I drive to New York. I then work amidst banging, pounding, drilling and grinding until 3:00 with interruptions for questions, phone calls and messengers. Then it becomes so stunningly quiet that I actually find myself spending a half an hour getting used to the silence. The workers and I have gotten into a rhythm where they have learned I am agile enough to make it across the floor without stepping on nails, I have come to appreciate their suggestions and changes, we all seem to like the same music and they are kind enough not to smoke when I am around. I really am tired of sheetrock dust, but the plan is evolving the way I envisioned it, and that keeps me going through the late nights and early mornings when I try to catch up on everything that does not happen for the first half of the day.

Today there was an amusing moment when they removed the door that was the entrance to our office as we are moving our doorway to that of the suite that we are adding next door. (Same address though, which was the point of this move!) For the rest of the day I found myself walking into the new wall that replaced the door each time I went to head out to the hallway. You would think I would learn, but 11 years of conditioning seems to override logic.

It's not fun with our staff working from home. I miss them and their comraderie. Thus once again this week's update is being brought to you by AOL Instant Messenger. I read their emails and hear their voices. If all goes as planned this project will wrap up next week, the exact timing yet to come. Our update does not suffer from our farflung workstations, and we are delivering a full menu again this week. We begin with four advance reading offers, each of which brings to readers a title that I have been enjoying.

We cue up with our latest Suspense/Thriller author, Mark Gimenez, whose book THE ABDUCTION will be in stores on August 28th. It opens with a soccer match where a dad watches his young daughter, who is the star of her soccer team, while he cradles his cellphone working on a deal to take his company public. Zap forward a few scenes and dad's still on the phone, but the girl is gone. The action does not slow down from there, and the tension throughout is palpable with an intense family drama working its way into the suspense. We have 20 copies to give away to readers who fill out this form by Friday, August 17th.

Finding new voices always excites me. Our latest Debut Suspense/Thriller author is Chelsea Cain, whose book HEARTSICK found its way onto my desk and its blood red cover immediately caught my eye. The tagline on this one: "Love hurts. Sometimes it's torture." Cain's writing is taut and graphic. She drags you right into Detective Archie Sheridan's nightmare, and from there, you, like him, are tortured and feel this story of a detective who is healing from his own abduction by a vicious killer as he unravels a new string of murders. Cain's inspiration was the true story of the capture of the Green River killer. HEARTSICK will be in stores on September 4th, but we have 10 copies to share with readers who fill out this form by Friday, August 10th.

There's a part of me who feels like an honorary Southerner, thus our latest One to Watch title --- GARDEN SPELLS, by debut author Sarah Addison Allen, which is set in the fictitious town of Bascom, North Carolina --- had me settling in for a good read, and it did not disappoint. The Waverleys always have been outsiders, even in their hometown. The last of the Waverleys --- Claire, Evanelle and Sydney --- are characters who draw readers to want to hear the story of their lives because they just know there are a few delicious pieces missing. Claire is a caterer, and reading had me want to prepare some meals with flowers as ingredients, though none of my nasturtiums or snapdragons seem to possess the magical powers that are found in Claire's. If you, like me, want to spend an afternoon in the hammock with this one, before it hits stores on August 28th, fill out this form by Friday, August 10th as we have 10 copies to give away.

Our fourth new title is NEVER GO BACK by Robert Goddard, which reprises the character of Harry Barnett, who many readers came to know in INTO THE BLUE and OUT OF THE SUN. Barnett has a chance to reunite with his fellow retired RAF soldiers, but instead of the relaxing weekend they came to expect in a Scottish castle, they are confronted by deaths that feel anything but accidental and thrown into a moment of searching for the truth of what they really were up to on their past missions. The action is fast-paced, and just when you think you have it figured out, there's another twist. This One to Watch title is in stores on August 28th, but 10 readers will have copies for the asking by filling out this form by Friday, August 10th.

Our featured Beach Bag of Books title this week is ALMOST DEAD by Lisa Jackson, an author who has really hit her stride this past year. In this sequel to IF SHE ONLY KNEW, a woman who wants to get even will do whatever it takes for revenge --- including murder. Since death does not lend itself to many beachy thoughts, I took a different tack yesterday when I was working on this week's beach bag prize. I saw an item I had to have for it --- a three-piece set with weights, a flotation belt and resistance runners just like the one I use for water aerobics. When I walked over to the checkout counter with five boxes piled in my cart, I had the clerk looking at me curiously. The rest of the bag carries through on this poolside theme, and the colors of the cover match just right with cool blue water. See details below on how to enter.

Advance readers also weigh in this week with their comments about Jonathan Tropper's One to Watch title, HOW TO TALK TO A WIDOWER, and William Kent Krueger's mystery, THUNDER BAY. Good reading.

With temperatures soaring this week, the movies may be a great place to escape this weekend. Our own Marisa Emralino brings you a terrific lineup of Books Into Movies selections this month, which is headlined by the new Bourne film, The Bourne Ultimatum. Eric Van Lustbader is continuing to keep Ludlum's Bourne character alive in new works, including his latest, THE BOURNE BETRAYAL. The book celebrates its eighth week on the New York Times bestseller list next Sunday. Here Lustbader shares his thoughts on the latest Bourne film.

A cinema that shows only vintage films sets the stage for Valerie Block's new book, DON'T MAKE A SCENE. Both Lourdes Orive and I loved Block's wit and comedic style. Once you close it, you'll want to rent a few movies and lay in some popcorn. Consider yourself a movie buff? Then try your hand at the Movie Trivia Contest that Valerie Block created to celebrate this book by entering here.

Last weekend I needed an adventure as I was a tad tired of thinking about construction and moving boxes around. I indulged my knitting addiction by shopping at a store I had not been to before, Accents on Knits, in Morristown. Hope and Barry Blazer run a store with a relaxing atmosphere that gave me the escape I needed. I spent a terrific couple of hours with some knitters there talking books and yarn, which was a lot of fun. Hope has created some wonderful pieces with some of my favorite yarns, and I walked away with ideas for a few projects. This weekend I am looking forward to delving into some of them along with some quiet time for reading. Here's hoping that this week you too find space in your life for a book you want to get into. May we inspire you with some of the selections that follow!