As a child I believed in Santa Claus, but gave little credence to the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy. The concept of a giant rabbit hopping around the world with baskets of eggs and candy did not seem feasible. After all, Santa had the sleigh and reindeer to help HIM out! And the floaty Tooth Fairy beaming in while I slept did not seem very plausible either...though I always imagined her outfit was pretty cute and somehow I thought she had a wand too.

These days the pastel colors of Easter make me happy since they herald that the gray winter may be drawing to a close. I am ready to dye eggs later today with these great cake dye colors that work wonderfully (note to self: wear rubber gloves lest my hands turn multi-color) and make an Easter Egg cake and cupcakes shaped like Easter baskets. A friend quipped a few weeks ago that I may be "Martha Stewart's lost love child" when I get on creative rolls like this. He could be right!

I bought the most adorable duck-shaped marshmallows and sour-citrus candy in the shape of bunnies at Williams-Sonoma the other day, both of which are over the top for those of you wanting something besides a chocolate bunny this weekend. I always had trouble eating the bunny. Whacking the head off or any other body part just seemed brutal. The other day I saw these cute bunny candles in the Illuminations catalog and all I could think was....hmmm...when those burn, are little kids going to be traumatized or WHAT? Basically the bunny's head melts before you. Okay, that is festive!

For those of you who want something less stressful, may I suggest a book? No calories...and I do think there is some exercise merit in turning the pages, especially if you read FAST! And we have a lot of suggestions this week to help you find a book to exercise with.

Our first new featured author this week is Gregg Olsen, whose new thriller, A COLD DARK PLACE (available in stores on March 25th), follows a police officer as she tracks down a murderer targeting families throughout the country. We have 20 copies of A COLD DARK PLACE 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, April 4th. Here's what I love. I had not read Olsen before, so I am discovering him along with you. I love moments like this.

We are also launching a new feature for Heather Graham, whose new romantic suspense, THE DEATH DEALER, will be in stores on March 25th. In this chilling novel, a woman and a private investigator are on the hunt for a serial killer who is targeting members of a literary society devoted to Edgar Allan Poe. We have 10 copies of THE DEATH DEALER 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 28th. I had the pleasure of catching up with Heather last month in Florida so I feel like I am passing a friend on to you.

We also received some great feedback for Joan Johnston's new romantic suspense, A STRANGER'S GAME. See what our advance readers had to say here. Andrew Britton offers more insight about his new thriller, THE INVISIBLE, in his answers to advance readers' questions. You may read his responses here.

The nominees for the Thriller Award from the International Thriller Writers Organization were announced yesterday. I had the fun of being the one to tell Linwood Barclay that he was one of the nominees for his book, NO TIME FOR GOODBYE. I was writing to set up a time to see him at a conference that I am going to next week and mentioned it in my note. I loved learning that he had not yet heard the news. Also, we are pleased to announce the results of the 2008 Book Sense Book of the Year Awards. These awards recognize the titles independent booksellers most enjoyed handselling during 2007. Click here to see the award winners and honorable mentions.

Yesterday my older son, Greg, and I went on the Queen Mary 2 for a media event sponsored by the PEN Organization and Cunard to tout PEN's Festival of International Literature in New York from April 29th to May 4th. I will blog about this adventure with photos over the weekend. Greg took me --- and my colleagues from Cosmopolitan and Publishers Weekly --- on a tour of the ship where he sounded like a docent. He loves ships and had read a ton about this one before we went, but had never been on board the ship before. The inspiration for his love of ships? About 10 years ago he was in my office and saw a coffee table book called LOST LINERS. He loved reading these stories. It just proves that one never knows what can trigger a passion or a hobby.

Politicians and the announcement of their sexual indiscretions --- quite a week for those --- sparked a blog post this week that you can read here.

Next week I am in Minneapolis for the week at the Public Library Association National Conference. I am looking forward to the panels and author events. I am not looking forward to the prospect of snow and cold, but the ever-optimistic me does have a pair of snow boots I love --- and I look forward to wearing them a few more times. I am pretty sure my wish will be granted.

Happy Easter to those who are celebrating...Happy weekend to the rest of you. Read on....

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

Linda Fairstein’s bestselling legal thriller series featuring Alexandra Cooper continues with its 10th installment, KILLER HEAT. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Carol Fitzgerald and Joe Hartlaub, Fairstein sheds light on how sex offenders choose their victims, based on her experiences heading the Sex Crimes Unit in Manhattan's District Attorney's Office, and explains why she chose to set the plot of her latest work of fiction in little-known New York locations. She also reveals her pet peeve about crime novels and films, and shares which books in her repertoire remain her personal favorites.

KILLER HEAT by Linda Fairstein (Legal Thriller)
Just as Manhattan D.A. Alex Cooper is claiming an especially gratifying victory in a rape case, she’s informed that the body of a young woman has been found in an abandoned building. The brutality of the murder is disturbing enough, but when a second body, beaten and disposed of in exactly the same manner, is found off the Belt Parkway, the city’s top brass want the killer found fast, before the tabloids can start churning out ghoulish serial killer headlines. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read a review of KILLER HEAT.
-Click here to read fast facts about Linda Fairstein.
-Click here to read Linda Fairstein’s bio.
-Click here to see Linda Fairstein's backlist.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.LindaFairstein.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

Philip Shenon --- an investigative journalist with The New York Times --- is the author of THE COMMISSION, which is based on his research as the lead reporter on the investigation of the 9/11 Commission. In this interview, Shenon describes the extensive research he performed in order to write this book, and highlights some of the surprising details he uncovered, such as the questionable relationship between the Commission's director and the Bush administration and the amount of evidence ultimately excluded from the final report. He also discusses some of the questions that were left unanswered and provides a list of reading material for those interested in researching this topic further.

THE COMMISSION: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation by Philip Shenon (Current Events)
New York Times reporter Philip Shenon scrutinizes the investigation of 9/11 and tells the inside story of the most important federal commission since the Warren Commission. Shenon uncovers startling new information about the inner workings of the 9/11 Commission and its relationship with the Bush White House. Reviewed by Ron Kaplan.

-Click here to read a review of THE COMMISSION.
-Visit the author's official website, www.PhilipShenon.com.
-Visit the publisher's website, www.TwelveBooks.com.

Karen Robards is the New York Times bestselling author of over 30 books, including OBSESSION and VANISHED. In GUILTY, her new romantic suspense that hits stores on April 1st, a feisty female attorney's life is threatened when her hidden past resurfaces in an unexpected way.

We have 20 copies of GUILTY 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 28th.

-Click here to read Karen Robards’s bio.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.KarenRobards.com.

More about GUILTY:
Sixteen years after she and her friends committed an unspeakable crime, Kat --- now Kate --- has built a new life for herself. Now a single mom, she works as a prosecutor in the Philadelphia DA's office. But her dark past rears its head when she walks into court one day and discovers that she is to prosecute Mario Castellanos, one of her friends from that terrible night 16 years earlier. And that is only where the trouble begins…

Lisa Jackson, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 75 novels ---including ABSOLUTE FEAR and SHIVER --- delivers another harrowing thriller. In LOST SOULS, which hits stores on March 25th, a young woman’s determined hunt for a serial killer draws her into a twisted psychopath’s terrifying web.

-Click here to read a third excerpt from LOST SOULS.
-Click here to read fast facts about Lisa Jackson.
-Click here to read Lisa Jackson’s bio.
-Click here to see Lisa Jackson's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for Lisa Jackson's books.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.LisaJackson.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about LOST SOULS:
Kristi Bentz wants to write true crime. All she needs is that one case that will take her to the top. She finds it when she enrolls at All Saints College after learning that three troubled girls have disappeared in one term. When the bodies are found, all blood drained from their bodies, rumors abound that vampires are on the loose. Are they? Or is there a new serial killer in New Orleans --- one more cunning than any that Detectives Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya have gone up against before?

Elizabeth Noble is the author of three internationally bestselling novels: THE READING GROUP, THE FRIENDSHIP TEST and ALPHABET WEEKENDS. In THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW, her new book releasing on April 8th, Noble crafts a heartfelt story that celebrates the love between a dying mother and her daughters and the endless possibilities of life.

-Click here to read an excerpt from THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW.
-Click here to read Elizabeth Noble’s bio.
-Click here to see Elizabeth Noble's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.ElizabethNobleBooks.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW:
When Barbara realizes time is running out, she writes letters to her four daughters, aware that they'll be facing the trials and triumphs of life without her at their side. But how can she leave them when they still have so much growing up to do? By drawing on the wisdom in Barbara's letters, the girls might just find a way to cope with their loss. And in coming to terms with their bereavement, can they also set themselves free to enjoy their lives with all the passion and love each deserves?

Poll:

Outside of a formal book group discussion, do you talk about books with your friends?
 
All of the time
Some of the time
Never
I would love to do this, but I do not.

-Click here to answer our poll.


Question:

What book (name up to three) that you recently read would you most like to talk about with a friend?

-Click here to answer our question.