Summer Beach Bag of Books Promotion

Last Saturday morning, after getting up earlier than I would have liked to see my older son off to the SATs, I sat down in my home office and started "wandering around" on the Internet. You know what I mean by this. You sit down and think about something. From there you start clicking, and you keep clicking, and all of a sudden you are searching things you never thought about looking for online, like turquoise cowboy boots.

For years now I have said that I wanted turquoise cowboy boots. I have no idea why I wanted these so much, but it's been an idea stuck in my head for a while. When I really want my way I think about stamping my foot, and I think this moment would be a lot more dramatic in cowboy boots. Mind you, I never do stamp my foot, but thinking about it is empowering. As many of you know, turquoise is my favorite color, and finding these boots became my mission for the morning, probably because I was too half asleep to do much else before I headed to my younger son's game. Actually I had a zillion things to do, and this probably was really about procrastinating. But somehow I decided that, no matter what, I was "allowing myself" this time.

I googled and trolled around looking at various styles and prices. Finally on eBay I saw a pair of "gently worn" boots that looked perfect. I have never bid on eBay, so I consulted my husband, who has bought LOTS of golf clubs and equipment via eBay, on how to do this. There was one bid on the boots at $14.99. I decided to hang back and watch the bidding over the weekend and plot my move. Watching this auction I became addicted to this page, and I started to understand my author pals who monitor their Amazon numbers hourly! The bidding got up to $24.99 on Monday with four bids. By that night I realized I REALLY wanted these boots, and I went into a frenzy that someone else was going to get them. I know, soooo not the eBay mentality that one needs to have. I entered a bid of $50.00 hoping to preempt all other bidders. Tuesday I was sweating that someone would bid at the last minute. I was in the middle of a meeting when my husband called to let me know...the boots were mine! I now am waiting for them to arrive so I can try them on. Many people have asked what I will do if they do not fit. My reply: then they will go up on a shelf in my office where I can look at them and smile and remember my "winning" bid, and just looking at them will be like stamping my foot a whole new way.

What is funny about this whole experience is that I am not someone who is shoe crazy. Earlier this week I quipped that I reacted to the new Richard Russo book, BRIDGE OF SIGHS, like some women react to a new pair of Jimmy Choos. But I AM book crazy. Last weekend I spent a huge chunk of time moving books from my office and bedroom to the bookshelves in our family room, which are now three rows deep in places. I clearly need more shelves because these books are not going away. Looking at my shelves I see stories about these books. I can remember where I was when I read many of them more than I can remember the characters or plots. The shelves reflect how my reading tastes have changed and matured over the years, but those older titles still have a home here since they remind me of who I was in another time. Many of these books were written by authors who I have heard speak or come to know, while others remind me of how many authors I still would love to hear or meet. This weekend take some time to gaze at your own shelves and see what the books there say about you.

This weekend I am off to Baltimore for the North Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association trade show. It's a nice chance to catch up with author pals like William Lashner and Laura Lippman, and meet authors with whom I have been corresponding, like Eric Weiner, whose book THE GEOGRAPHY OF BLISS will be in stores in January. Also, I will get to chat with booksellers and hear about their customers and the books that they love --- and yes, I also will pick up LOTS of new books to read. Monday night I am attending a screening of The Kite Runner before I drive home, and I will share my thoughts on that next week.

Readers last week told us how much they enjoyed CRUSADER GOLD by David Gibbins. This week we have an interview with Gibbins that will give them insight into how this marine archaeologist came to write fiction. We also talk to Peter Pezzelli, whose book ITALIAN LESSONS will have you inspired to travel to Italy or create an Italian experience for yourself here at home.

We are launching a new One to Watch feature this week for Marie Bostwick, author of ON WINGS OF THE MORNING. In her new novel, which comes out on November 6th, Bostwick explores how love perseveres during times of national struggle. Given all the attention that THE WAR gave to this subject, Bostwick's book is oh so timely. I enjoy Marie's writing, and I look forward to our interview with her since I have had the pleasure of speaking with her on a number of occasions. We have 20 copies of ON WINGS OF THE MORNING to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, October 19th.

We also have received advance readers’ comments for MATRIMONY by Joshua Henkin (Did you see the wonderful review of this book in the New York Times this week?) and THE DOWRY BRIDE by Shobhan Bantwal, both of which readers enjoyed. Speaking of interviews, I enjoyed listening to podcasts this week from Linwood Barclay, who talked about his book NO TIME FOR GOODBYE, which we reviewed a couple of weeks ago, and Sarah Addison Allen, the author of GARDEN SPELLS, who was one of our recent One to Watch authors. You can listen to both of these podcasts here.

This morning as I swam I was skimming leaves from the top of the pool that had not yet made their way to the skimmers. As I was counting 10 to 12 leaves a lap, I knew that my backyard pool days would be wrapping up this weekend. It got me swimming a few extra laps as I tried to make this moment last, as I am sure that by the time my car gets to the top of the driveway on Saturday my husband will have the winterizing kit out. Ah well, I will exchange my floating chair for the couch in the family room with a view of the bookshelves to continue reading Nicholas Sparks's new one, THE CHOICE. By the way, I am enjoying this one and I already see where this book is going to shelved when I am done.

Here's hoping you find a few books for your bookshelves this week. And when you gaze upon them in future years, you will remember that you first heard about them on Bookreporter.com. Read on...

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

Bestselling author David Gibbins drew from his experiences as a marine archaeologist to write his latest work of fiction, CRUSADER GOLD, in which a group of scientists set out to find one of the great lost treasures of the world --- a gold menorah looted from the Temple of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Colleen Quinn, Gibbins describes why he chose to tell this historically-based tale through the perspective of characters living in the present day and provides background information on some of the elements that figure greatly in the book, such as the Norse King Harald Hardrada and the practices of the Nazis' Department of Ancestral Heritage. He also compares archaeology to writing fiction and shares details about future projects.

CRUSADER GOLD by David Gibbins (Fiction/Action & Adventure)
From the fall of the Roman Empire to the last days of Nazi power, marine archaeologist Jack Howard and his team of adventurers are hot on the trail of history’s most elusive and desired treasure: the lost golden menorah of Jerusalem. And what they discover could change the world forever. Reviewed by Colleen Quinn.

-Click here to read a review of CRUSADER GOLD.
-Click here to read an excerpt from CRUSADER GOLD.

J.D. Robb, aka Nora Roberts, has written over 100 books in her illustrious career. On November 6th, CREATION IN DEATH, the 25th installment in her bestselling In Death series, will be released. As Eve Dallas --- a lieutenant in the New York Police and Security Department --- hunts for a killer known as “The Groom,” who plagued the city nine years earlier, she realizes that this new wave of attacks is becoming alarmingly personal.

-Click here to read fast facts about J.D. Robb.
-Click here to read J.D. Robb’s bio.
-Click here to see J.D. Robb's backlist.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.JDRobb.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about CREATION IN DEATH:
NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas keeps the streets of a near-future New York City safe in this extraordinary series. But even she makes mistakes, and is haunted by those she couldn't save --- and the killers she couldn't capture. When the body of a young brunette is found in East River Park, artfully positioned and marked by signs of prolonged and painful torture, Eve is catapulted back to a case nine years earlier. When it becomes apparent that a gruesome killer known as “The Groom” has returned, Eve is determined to finish him once and for all.

FaithfulReader.com is our website for Christian readers with monthly updates of reviews and interviews, as well as discussion guides, book excerpts, a monthly newsletter and more. A special feature on the site is the Faithful Fifteen, in which authors answer a series of questions about writing and faith.

Here are some of the titles being featured this month on FaithfulReader.com:

AND IF I DIE: The Black or White Chronicles, Book Three by John Aubrey Anderson
EVERY SECRET THING by Ann Tatlock
FINDING HOME: An Imperfect Path to Faith and Family by Jim Daly with Bob DeMoss
FOR PARENTS ONLY: Getting Inside the Head of Your Kid by Shaunti Feldhahn and Lisa A. Rice
THE FOUR SEASONS OF MARRIAGE by Gary Chapman
THE PARTING: The Courtship of Nellie Fisher #1 by Beverly Lewis
PRICED TO MOVE: Shop-Til-U-Drop Series #1 by Ginny Aiken
A PROMISE TO REMEMBER by Kathryn Cushman
SCREAMFREE PARENTING: The Revolutionary Approach to Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your Cool by Hal Edward Runkel
SEARCHING FOR ETERNITY by Elizabeth Musser
THE YADA YADA PRAYER GROUP GETS DECKED OUT by Neta Jackson