Today is Leap Day, and I decided to have some fun coming up with a new holiday to celebrate it. You can read my blog about it here. 

Monday night the awards ceremony for Books for a Better Life was held at the Hudson Theatre in New York. I was asked to present three awards that evening, which was a lot of fun. Meredith Viera of "Today Show" fame introduced me for my segment, and I confess to being thrilled. I practiced "Thank you, Meredith" a few times before the evening to be sure I had the right tone and inflection.

I have been on the nominating committee for this award for two years now, and that evening when we get together to discuss literally hundreds of possible contenders for the award is always a great conversation with interesting editors and contributors from trade and consumer magazines. I love hearing their comments about the books and interjecting my own. We celebrate books that actually make a difference in people's lives, and the acceptance speeches that night made the previous evening's Oscar winners look like amateurs. You can see the complete list of winners here. This is not just an illustrious book evening but also a benevolent one, as proceeds from this awards event support national research, as well as vital services and medical programs for those with multiple sclerosis in the metropolitan area. 

Over the past few months we have been working with a truly lovely author, Frances Richey, on her website. Richey has written a beautiful memoir, THE WARRIOR: A Mother's Story of a Son at War. It's 28 poems dedicated to her son, Ben, who served two tours of duty in Iraq. Most of this book was written while he was deployed. Writing became her refuge and a source of hope while she waited for him to come home. This Sunday (March 2nd) The New York Times Magazine will be publishing one of her poems. No matter what your feelings are on the war, this loving tribute from a mother will tug at your heart. Frances welcomes comments from readers at her website, so please write her there if you choose.

For three days, ending tonight at midnight, Random House is offering a free download of BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN by Charles Bock. This story offers a glimpse into a microcosm of America as a couple copes with the disappearance of their son. You can find out more about the book and this special offer by clicking here.

I am thrilled to share that our newest featured author is Linda Fairstein, whose latest thriller, KILLER HEAT, follows a Manhattan D.A.’s desperate hunt for a serial killer. The book hits stores on March 11th. Linda has become a friend to Bookreporter.com over the years, and I always love my conversations with her about books and writing. She is smart, vivacious and just lovely --- and she writes a terrific story. Also, on a personal front, she loves bright colors as much as me, and I always love to see what she is wearing when we get together! We have 20 copies of KILLER HEAT 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, March 14th.

We have received advance reader responses for THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION by Lawrence Goldstone, a forensic thriller taking place in 1880s Philadelphia. You can read their comments here. We also received responses to OBEDIENCE by Will Lavender, a psychological thriller about a group of college students and one very unusual class. You can see our advance readers' comments here. In addition, Beverly Barton, author of THE MURDER GAME, has responded to our advance readers’ questions. Click here to read their questions and her responses.

This week we have two great prizes in our Word of Mouth contest: FIVE readers each will win a copy of CHANGE OF HEART by Jodi Picoult and A PRISONER OF BIRTH by Jeffrey Archer. Tell us what you are reading and rate the titles 1-5 by noon on March 14th to ensure that you are in the running to win these books.

In our new poll, we ask about your buying habits when book shopping, while our question focuses on your favorite bookstore. I always look forward to hearing what you have to say. You may respond to our poll by clicking here and answer our question here.

I am in Florida for Sleuthfest, the convention sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America Florida chapter. Lee Child is being honored as well as Doug Lyle. I am looking forward to hearing both of them speak and participate in the conference. Joan Johnston, who we have been featuring on Bookreporter.com, is speaking, and I look forward to getting to meet her in person.

It's been chillier in Florida than I would like, but yesterday I did snag some pool time and it was nice just to be outside again. As I joked with a friend on the phone, the entire pool staff was dressed in windsuits, while I happily was wearing my bathing suit. The pool was heated like a hot tub, and so long as my towel was right nearby, the swimming was glorious. May it heat up here as I am in town until Sunday! I will get some reading-by-the-pool time.

Enjoy your Leap Day and the week ahead. Make some time for reading.

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

From New York Times bestselling author Joan Johnston comes a new Bitter Creek novel. A STRANGER’S GAME, which hits stores on March 11th, features all of the passion and intrigue in Texas high society mixed with an explosive, spine-tingling tale of murder, wrongful imprisonment and a woman who counts no cost too high to see a killer brought to justice.

-Click here to read a second excerpt from A STRANGER'S GAME.
-Click here to read fast facts about Joan Johnston.
-Click here to read Joan Johnston’s bio.
-Click here to see Joan Johnston's backlist.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.JoanJohnston.com.
-Click here to see our finished copy winners.

More about A STRANGER’S GAME:
With just five days until the president arrives in Austin, Texas, the last thing the FBI needs is a serial killer on the loose, much less a terrorist suspect who will stop at nothing to clear her name. It’s a strange game alright, but why does Agent Grayhawk suspect he’s missing some of the pieces?

MY SOUL TO KEEP by Melanie Wells (Thriller)
A joyful summer afternoon goes south when a little boy is snatched from a neighborhood park. Exploding light bulbs, the deadly buzz of a Texas rattlesnake and the vivid, disturbing dreams of a little girl are just pieces in a long trail of tantalizing clues leading Dylan Foster in her dogged search for the truth.

February’s roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes NINETEEN MINUTES by Jodi Picoult, in which the residents of a small town must come to terms with the role they played in a shocking tragedy; PEONY IN LOVE, Lisa See’s follow-up to SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN that tells of three women in 17th-century China who become emotionally involved with a famous opera known to cause lovesickness and even death; CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT, an ambitious novel from Anne Rice about the early years of Jesus Christ; Sandra Dallas’s TALLGRASS, which revolves around Japanese internment camps during World War II; KOCKROACH, the classic tale of an immigrant's search for the American dream as seen from a new perspective, as Tyler Knox turns Kafka's “The Metamorphosis” on its head; and THE ASSASSIN, Andrew Britton’s second political thriller, in which maverick CIA agent Ryan Kealey must fight against his own agency while the clock is ticking on a devastating terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

Among our nonfiction highlights are GRACE (EVENTUALLY), Anne Lamott’s third book on faith (following TRAVELING MERCIES and PLAN B), an examination of the ways we're caught in life's most daunting predicaments; IN AN INSTANT, a dual memoir by ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff and his wife, Lee, who share their never-before-told story of romance, resilience and survival following the tragedy that transformed their lives; and HARD CALL, in which presidential candidate John McCain and Mark Salter describe the anatomy of great decisions in history by telling the remarkable stories of men and women who have exemplified composure, wisdom and intellect in the face of life's toughest decisions.