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October 2009

2009-10-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

The following features and discussion guides began running on ReadingGroupGuides.com on Thursday, October 8th.

The titles below are also mentioned in the ReadingGroupGuides.com Newsletter Opener, which can be read here:
-The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
-Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls

New and Recommended Fiction

The Lost Symbol
by Dan Brown

In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling --- a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets and unseen truths...all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Chronic City
by Jonathan Lethem

The acclaimed author of Motherless Brooklyn and The Fortress of Solitude returns with a roar with this gorgeous, searing portrayal of Manhattanites wrapped in their own delusions, desires and lies. Like Manhattan itself, Jonathan Lethem's Chronic City is beautiful and tawdry, tragic and forgiving, devastating and antic, a stand-in for the whole world and a place utterly unique.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Concubine's Daughter
by Pai Kit Fai

Take a journey back to early 20th century China in The Concubine's Daughter. Just as Lisa See captivated readers with Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Concubine's Daughter will leave you mesmerized with its passionate tale of love and courage.

From remote mountain refuges to Hong Kong on the eve of World War II, this adventurous tale spanning two generations reveals an amazing cultural journey of a mother and daughter as sweeping changes unfold in 20th century China.

The Concubine's Daughter is destined to be a reading group favorite, so don't miss the extensive bonus content in the back of the book; and click here for a chance to win a free copy!

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Lying With the Dead
by Michael Mewshaw

In this novel, Greek tragedy meets a dysfunctional family from Maryland, when the matriarch calls home her three children. Quinn must fly in from England, putting a new love interest and a career-boosting role on hold. Maury rides in on a bus from his quiet life out west. Candy is already in Maryland, where she takes care of her mother and dreams of retiring to North Carolina with her boyfriend. Once the family is reassembled, Mewshaw invites us into the heart of a family dynamic, exploding prejudices about love, religion and murder.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Book of Fathers
by Miklós Vámos

Now Available in Paperback:
When in 1705 Kornél Csillag's grandfather finds a gold pocket watch gleaming in the mud, the shipwrecked fortunes of the Csillag family suddenly take a new and marvelous turn. The golden watch brings with it the gift of clairvoyance. Passed down from father to firstborn son, the gift is a blessing for some, a curse for others. No matter the outcome, each generation records its astonishing, vivid and revelatory visions in a battered journal that becomes known as The Book of Fathers.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Return
by Victoria Hislop

Sonia knows nothing of Granada's shocking past, but ordering a cup of coffee in a cafe will lead her to the tale of the Ramirez family's fight to survive the horror of the Spanish Civil War 70 years earlier. Four siblings --- a serious teacher, a flamboyant matador, a skilled musician and a spirited flamenco dancer --- must choose whether to submit, fight or attempt escape, and their decisions impact their family forever.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Angel Lane
by Sheila Roberts

Have you ever wanted to change the world for the better?

In this heartwarming novel, three small-town shop owners and best friends set their sights on doing just that. But their aspiration to "keep the heart in Heart Lake" by asking their neighbors to commit one random act of kindness every day leads them to some pretty wild situations, and shows one woman that love can grow from the most unexpected places.

Ripe with irresistible humor, friendship and delicious recipes inspired by the story, Angel Lane teaches the important of kindness, friendship and taking a chance on love.

Click here for a chance to win a free copy of Angel Lane!

Click Here for the reading group guide.

According to Jane
by Marilyn Brant

Jane Austen fans will relish Marilyn Brant's new novel, According to Jane, as the ghost of Jane Austen takes up residence in brainy Ellie Barnett's mind. Follow Ellie's adventures in pride, prejudice and the pursuit of the perfect guy...as she must decide whether to follow her head or her heart to find her own happy ending.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Sunflowers
by Sheramy Bundrick

When love blossoms between Vincent van Gogh and a young prostitute, the artist finds the inspiration he needs to fully invest himself in his paintings. But as time passes, Rachel gains a deeper insight into a man struggling with personal demons. Can Vincent's growing attachment to Rachel save him? And will Rachel find the strength to stand by a man she has come to care for deeply, even as he spirals into darkness?

Click Here for the reading group guide.

New and Recommended Nonfiction

Thin Is the New Happy
by Valerie Frankel

Now Available in Paperback:
For anyone who loves feel-good, relatable memoirs like Eat, Pray, Love. Val Frankel may be a successful novelist and magazine writer, but she was a very unsuccessful dieter: cabbage soup, lemon juice, etc... and she hated herself for it.

Not wanting to pass this legacy to her daughters, Val stopped dieting and started living. Conclusion: unburden yourself from body image, and excess weight dissolves too. Val lost 20 lbs., looks smokin' and, most notably, loves herself more now than ever!

Click here for a chance to win a free copy of Thin is the New Happy.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Ladies' Gallery: A Memoir of Family Secrets
by Irene Vilar

Eleven years after her mother's suicide, 18-year-old Irene Vilar awakens in a psychiatric hospital after her own attempt and begins to face the devastating inheritance of abandonment and suicide passed down to her from grandmother and mother. Alternating between Vilar's notes from the ward and the unraveling of her family's secrets, this lyrical and powerful memoir of three generations of Puerto Rican women is urgent, impassioned and unforgettable.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Impossible Motherhood: Testimony of an Abortion Addict
by Irene Vilar

Impossible Motherhood is a heartrending and ultimately triumphant testimonial as told by a writer pregnant with her 17th child, looking back at her history of addiction. Abortion has never offered any honest person easy answers, and Vilar's journey through self-inflicted wounds, compulsive patterns and historical hauntings revisits the difficulties of this difficult subject, and it prompts an important, much needed discussion --- literary, political, social and philosophical. Impossible Motherhood is at once a fragile coming-of-age story and an affirmation of the spirit.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

For Christian Readers

New Christian Guides

Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Divine Inspirations: Words of God's Love and Grace by Cindy A. Warren

The Jewel of His Heart: Heart of the West, Book 2 by Maggie Brendan

Leaving Carolina by Tamara Leigh

The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey

Thirsty by Tracey Bateman

White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner

Registered Book Club Promotion

For October we have FIVE very special opportunities for Registered Book Groups. Our featured titles this month are The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan, Oxygen by Carol Cassella, Windfall by Penny Vincenzi, Thirsty by Tracey Bateman and Where Grace Abides by BJ Hoff. Groups who have registered with us by Thursday, October 15th have the chance to win author chats and/or free books. If your group is not registered, click here to register.

Click here for details.

New Guides

According to Jane by Marilyn Brant: Jane Austen fans will relish According to Jane, as the ghost of Jane Austen takes up residence in brainy Ellie Barnett's mind. Follow Ellie's adventures in pride, prejudice and the pursuit of the perfect guy.

Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence -- and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process by Irene Pepperberg: Irene was 28 when she bought Alex, a one-year-old African gray parrot. Little did she know that 30 years later Alex would pass away as the smartest --- and most famous --- parrot to ever live.

Alexander and Alestria by Shan Sa: The imaginative tale of the dramatic love affair between Alexander the Great and Alestria, queen of the Amazons, when both are at the height of their powers.

Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World by Suzanne Woods Fisher: Organized around five central themes in Amish life, Amish Peace shows you how you can cultivate a simple life of love, gratitude and faith in the midst of a very complicated world.

America Libre by Raul Ramos y Sanchez: When undercover detectives in San Antonio accidentally kill a young Latina bystander during a botched drug bust, riots erupt across the Southwest.

Angel Lane by Sheila Roberts: With irresistible humor, warmth, affection --- and recipes --- author Sheila Roberts serves up a generous, open-hearted story about the friendships we make, the chances we take, and the lives we touch every day.

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell: With the mob, the government and death itself descending on the hospital, Dr. Peter Brown has to buy time and do whatever it takes to keep his patients, himself, and his last shot at redemption alive. To get through the next eight hours --- and somehow beat the reaper.

Better Because of You by Ginny Hutchinson and Cathy Haffner: Authors Ginny Hutchinson and Cathy Haffner share true-to-life stories that can help you do small things each day to make a big difference in your life.

Blame by Michelle Huneven: Blame is a spellbinding novel of guilt and love, family and shame, sobriety and the lack of it, and the moral ambiguities that ensnare us all.

The Blue Star by Tony Earley: This is a timeless and moving story of discovery, loss and growing up, proving why Tony Earley's writing "radiates with a largeness of heart" (Esquire).

The Book of Fathers by Miklós Vámos: For 300 years, a battered journal is passed down the Csillag family line, in which each generation's firstborn son records his life. Known as The Book of Fathers, the journal bears witness to holocaust and wedding feast alike.

The Boy Next Door by Irene Sabatini: The Way We Were set in Zimbabwe after independence, a moving and powerful love story set against the backdrop of political upheaval.

By the Time You Read This by Lola Jaye: Already a national bestseller in the U.K., Lola Jaye's By the Time You Read This is a profoundly beautiful story of a father's abiding love for the daughter he will never see grow up.

A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve: The new novel about the fragility of a young marriage from one of our greatest chroniclers of the mysteries of the human heart.

Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem: The acclaimed author of The Fortress of Solitude returns with a roar with this gorgeous, searing portrayal of Manhattanites wrapped in their own delusions, desires and lies.

The Concubine's Daughter by Pai Kit Fai: An epic, heartwrenching story of a mother and daughter's journey to their destiny.

Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz: A Quinceañera Club Novel by Belinda Acosta: "...a book about damas of all ages, from teenage girls to the struggling mothers of those teenage girls..." --Julia Alvarez, author of Return to Sender

Divine Inspirations: Words of God's Love and Grace by Cindy A. Warren: This book is a series of love letters spoken from God that expresses the inseparable love that God truly has for all of His creation.

Dutch by Teri Woods: James Bernard Jr., a.k.a. Dutch, has become the most dangerous criminal in New Jersey. Feared by all, and completely fearless, Dutch and his dangerous clique take over the lucrative heroin business of a local African drug lord.

An Eye for an Eye: Heroes of Quantico Series, Book 2 by Irene Hannon: A fast-paced tale of romance, suspense and intrigue, An Eye for an Eye is the exciting second book in the Heroes of Quantico series.

Evenings at the Argentine Club by Julia Amante: Victor and Jaqueline Torres imagined moving to the U.S. would bring happiness and prosperity --- instead they found a world of frustration.

Feelin' the Vibe by Candice Dow: Clark Winston now has to make the most important decision of her life --- choose the man who broke her heart or the one who fixed it.

The Fire by Katherine Neville: The spectacular chess game in The Eight --- which captivated readers with exotic locales, fascinating historic figures and a labyrinthine plot --- returns in force in the dazzling sequel: The Fire!

A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore: A dazzling new novel by the author of Birds of America --- an ambitious book about post-9/11 anxiety, race, war and love.

Generosity: An Enchantment by Richard Powers: From the National Book Award–winning author of The Echo Maker, a playful and provocative novel about the discovery of the happiness gene.

The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother's Memoir by Katrina Kenison: An intimate memoir of a family in transition --- boys becoming teenagers, careers ending and new ones opening up, an attempt to find a deeper sense of place, and a slower pace, in a small New England town.

Girl Trouble: Stories by Holly Goddard Jones: Rona Jaffe Award winner Holly Goddard Jones's debut short story collection, set around small-town Southerners caught in moral and sometimes mortal quandaries.

Have a Little Faith: A True Story by Mitch Albom: A book about a life's purpose; about losing belief and finding it again; about the divine spark inside us all. It is one man's journey, but it is everyone's story.

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb: A profound and heart-rending work of fiction. Wally Lamb proves himself a virtuoso storyteller, assembling a variety of voices and an ensemble of characters rich enough to evoke all of humanity.

I'm So Happy for You: A Novel About Best Friends by Lucinda Rosenfeld: A smart, darkly humorous and uncannily dead-on novel about female friendship.

Impossible Motherhood: Testimony of an Abortion Addict by Irene Vilar: A courageous and extraordinary memoir of one woman's journey through family trauma and self-mutilation, and her determined struggle to prevail into motherhood.

Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea: Filled with unforgettable characters and prose as radiant as the Sinaloan sun, Into the Beautiful North is the story of an irresistible young woman's quest to find herself on both sides of the fence.

The Jewel of His Heart: Heart of the West, Book 2 by Maggie Brendan: Juliana Brady is alone in an 1890s Montana mining town, with few prospects for making a living. But she is determined not to be dependent on the charity of others.

The King's Daughter: A Novel of the First Tudor Queen by Sandra Worth: In this groundbreaking novel, award-winning author Sandra Worth vividly brings to life the people's queen, "Elizabeth the Good."

The Ladies' Gallery: A Memoir of Family Secrets by Irene Vilar: A razor-sharp memoir about the allure of suicide for three generations of women in one Puerto Rican family and the frightening family secrets that have haunted a grandmother, mother and daughter in their search for self.

Leaving Carolina by Tamara Leigh: Piper Wick left her hometown of Pickwick, North Carolina, 12 years ago, and did not look back. Now all of Piper's hard-won happiness is threatened by a reclusive uncle's bout of conscience.

The Longest Trip Home: A Memoir by John Grogan: The funny and poignant memoir of faith, family and identity from John Grogan --- the #1 international bestselling author of the beloved Marley & Me.

The Lost Dog by Michelle de Kretser: Tom Loxley, an Indian-Australian professor, is less concerned with finishing his book on Henry James than with finding his dog, who is lost in the Australian bush.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown: In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer.

Lying with the Dead by Michael Mewshaw: Narrated by three very different siblings --- dutiful but tough Candy, sweet but disturbed Maury, and successful but despondent Quinn --- Lying with the Dead is a moving and darkly humorous story of three adult children and their aging, embittered mother.

Mathilda Savitch by Victor Lodato: A fiercely funny and touching debut novel about a young girl trying to find out the truth behind her sister's death.

A Mercy by Toni Morrison: An ambivalent, disturbing story of a mother and a daughter --- a mother who casts off her daughter in order to save her, and a daughter who may never exorcise that abandonment.

Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini: The Secret Female Pope by Eleanor Herman: A scintillating biography of a powerful yet little-known woman whose remarkable story is ripe with secrets, sex, passion and ambition.

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi: In the tradition of Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City, Douglas Preston weaves a captivating account of crime and punishment in the lush hills of Florence, Italy.

My Name is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare by Jess Winfield: In this retelling of William Shakespeare's youth, his story is paired with that of another Shakespeare: a struggling graduate student in Reagan-era California.

The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos: George Pelecanos achieves in The Night Gardener what his brilliant career has been building toward: a novel that is a perfect union of suspense, character and unstoppable fate.

No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process by Colin Beavan: What would your life be like if you had zero impact on the environment? Colin Beavan tackled this question, embarking on a yearlong experiment with his wife and their toddler.

Once on a Moonless Night by Dai Sijie: From the author of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, a haunting tale of love and the beguiling power of a lost language.

One Foot Wrong by Sofie Laguna: For Hester, the only child of religiously reclusive parents, the outside world is forbidden. But once she catches a glimpse of what she's been missing, escaping her sheltered life becomes something worth fighting for.

The Palace of Strange Girls by Sallie Day: Over a holiday week, the Singletons must struggle to find their place in the shifting world of promenade amusements, illicit sex and stilted afternoon teas in this touching and evocative novel.

The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel by Maureen Lindley: An electrifying epic page-turner, based on the incredible true story of a princess turned spy.

A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison by R. Dwayne Betts: A beautifully, brutally honest memoir about one imprisoned boy's harrowing journey towards freedom and manhood.

A Quiet Belief in Angels by R.J. Ellory: A thrilling --- and often chilling --- tale that not only evokes strong emotions but asks important questions about our own morality.

Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing: Stories by Lydia Peelle: Lydia Peelle brings together eight brilliant stories --- two of which won Pushcart Prizes and one of which won an O. Henry Prize --- that peer straight into the human heart.

The Return by Victoria Hislop: Family betrayals, forbidden love and historical turmoil converge between a family's heartwrenching struggle during the Spanish Civil War and a young woman traveling in present-day Granada.

Requiem of the Human Soul by Jeremy R. Lent: The human race is on trial at the U.N. in the late 22nd century. At stake... its continued existence.

The Sacred Cipher by Terry Brennan: More historically and biblically accurate than The Da Vinci Code and just as adventurous as an Indiana Jones movie, The Sacred Cipher draws readers into a world of ancient secrets and international escapades.

The Sari Shop Widow by Shobhan Bantwal: Shobhan Bantwal's compelling new novel is set on the streets of Edison, New Jersey's Little India, where a young businesswoman rediscovers the magic of love and family.

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan: Each story in this collection is a testament to the wisdom and resilience of children, even in the face of the most agonizing situations our planet can offer.

A Separate Country by Robert Hicks: Set in New Orleans in the years after the Civil War, A Separate Country is based on the incredible life of John Bell Hood, arguably one of the most controversial generals of the Confederate Army --- and one of its most tragic figures.

Serena by Ron Rash: A gothic tale of greed, corruption and revenge set against the backdrop of the 1930s wilderness and America's burgeoning environmental movement.

Shadow Baby by Alison McGhee: In Alison McGhee's stunning novel Shadow Baby, 11-year-old Clara struggles to piece together her family history, while her mother refuses to talk about those people lost to her daughter.

Sisters & Husbands by Connie Briscoe: Ten years have passed since Sisters and Lovers, and Beverly, now 39, is engaged to Julian, a man her family and friends agree is the epitome of a great catch.

Skunk: A Love Story by Justin Courter: This darkly hilarious novel follows a social outcast who develops a bizarre addiction that he eventually overcomes when he discovers love.

Slumberland by Paul Beatty: Critical darling Paul Beatty's highly original, widely praised novel of race, identity and underground music.

Stand the Storm by Breena Clarke: Even though Sewing Annie Coats and her son, Gabriel, have managed to buy their freedom, their lives are still marked by constant struggle and sacrifice.

A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand: Hearts break and emotions are pushed to the limit in this riveting story of one woman's attempt to deal with loves past and present, family, business and high-powered social pressures.

Sunflowers by Sheramy Bundrick: A hauntingly beautiful novel about Vincent van Gogh and his relationship with a mysterious young woman named Rachel and the passion they shared, in a debut novel from art historian Sheramy Bundrick.

Sweetwater Run by Jan Watson: In 1891 in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, two young women stand at a crossroads. As they struggle with the realities of life, both learn to rely on their faith above all else.

The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey: 1944: When a young woman is asked to "courier" a German scientist who is working on the atomic bomb out of enemy territory, the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

A Taste of Fame: The Potluck Catering Club by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson: A Taste of Fame serves up the perfect blend of humor, misadventure and mouthwatering recipes. Fans new and old will love this exciting trip into the wild world of competitive cooking!

Thin is the New Happy by Valerie Frankel: The true story of one woman's quest to exorcise her bad body-image demons, to uncover the truths behind what put them there and to learn how to truly love herself.

Thirsty by Tracey Bateman: Recovering alcoholic Nina Parker wants to start fresh in her Ozark hometown, but a gruesome murder, her shattered family and a 250-year-old stranger's obsession have her torn between surrendering to darkness --- and salvation.

Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch: One morning Jillian wakes up seven years in the past, and armed with 20-20 hindsight, she's free to choose all over again.

To Love What Is: A Marriage Transformed by Alix Kates Shulman: In this elegant memoir, Alix Kates Shulman describes the ongoing anxieties and risks --- and surprising rewards --- she experiences as she reorganizes her world to care for her husband.

Transgression: A Novel of Love and War by James W. Nichol: A beautifully written World War II romance and mystery that follows Adele, a young French woman who falls in love with a German soldier and is cast out of her village as a "horizontal traitor" at the end of the war.

The Truth About Love by Josephine Hart: From the author of Damage, a novel that opens with the accidental death of a teenage boy who commits one final, heartrending act of love.

The Twelve by William Gladstone: What will happen in 2012? The Mayans predicted the end of the world. In his novel The Twelve, William Gladstone forecasts a new beginning as the fate of all humanity rests in the balance.

Under the Cajun Moon by Mindy Starns Clark: Mindy Starns Clark offers an exciting stand-alone novel, one full of Cajun mystery, hidden dangers and the glow of God's unending grace.

Whatsoever Things are Lovely: Must-Have Accessories for God's Perfect Peace by Rhonda Rhea: Using Philippians 4:8-9 as a springboard, Rhonda Rhea takes you on a fun adventure that can help you lead a more fruitful, blessed and peace-filled life.

Where Grace Abides: The Riverhaven Years by BJ Hoff : Readers loved Rachel's Secret, the first book in The Riverhaven Years, and are eagerly awaiting the continuing story of Rachel and Jeremiah Gant.

White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner: "White Picket Fences is a beautiful yet haunting portrayal of what lies beneath a seemingly perfect suburban family." --Mary E. DeMuth, author of Daisy Chain and A Slow Burn

Windfall by Penny Vincenzi: Windfall is full of the signatures that make Vincenzi's novels irresistible to devoted fans and newcomers alike: a sharp eye for detail, an assortment of loveable and despicable characters, and a titillating, suspenseful plot.

Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:

The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton
The Black Tower by Louis Bayard
A Country Called Home by Kim Barnes
The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Lulu in Marrakech by Diane Johnson
Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh

This month's prize:
Have a Little Faith: A True Story by Mitch Albom

Oprah's Book Club Selection
Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan

Get a Book Club Makeover
Whether your book club is just a few months old or has been around for a while, you might be in need of a Book Club Makeover from ReadingGroupGuides.com. After reading your emails --- and talking to book clubs across the country --- we see that book groups often can fall into a routine and need a bit of livening up. It's ReadingGroupGuides.com to the rescue! We'll select groups each month for makeovers, review the problems, and make suggestions. Interested in a Book Club Makeover for your group? Click here for details.

Click here to read the October 2009 edition of the ReadingGroupGuides.com newsletter.

Click here to visit the ReadingGroupGuides.com homepage.

September 2009

2009-09-14T07:54:00.000-07:00

The following features and discussion guides began running on ReadingGroupGuides.com on Thursday, September 10th.

The titles below are also mentioned in the ReadingGroupGuides.com Newsletter Opener, which can be read here:
-31 Hours by Masha Hamilton
-Apples and Oranges: My Brother and Me, Lost and Found by Marie Brenner
-Confessions of a Falling Woman by Debra Dean
-Day After Night by Anita Diamant
-The Help by Kathryn Stockett
-The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
-The Mercy Rule by Perri Klass
-The Millionaires by Inman Majors
-On Gold Mountain by Lisa See
-Peony in Love by Lisa See
-The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
-Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
-Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Special Features and Contests

Win a Copy of SERENA by Ron Rash for Your Group

Ecco is launching a special contest to celebrate the upcoming paperback release of Ron Rash's acclaimed Serena, a riveting novel of timber barons in Depression-era North Carolina which, at its core, tells of love both honored and betrayed. Twenty-five readers will have the opportunity to each win one copy of the hardcover edition of Serena to consider adopting for their book clubs in paperback, which will be available on September 29th wherever books are sold.

More about Serena:
Serena and George Pemberton arrive in North Carolina in 1929 to build a timber empire for themselves. What follows is an astonishing and gothic tale of greed, power, and the shocking intersection of both violence and beauty. Serena is a fantastic book club pick because, like the best historical fiction, it asks us to draw essential parallels between the events of the past and those that characterize the way we live now.

Click here to read all the contest details.
Click here for the reading group guide.

Win a Copy of A QUIET BELIEF IN ANGELS by R.J. Ellory for Your Group

We are celebrating the American release of A Quiet Belief in Angels by R.J. Ellory --- a beautiful yet haunting novel that blends literary style into a compelling crime story --- with a special contest. 100 readers will have the opportunity to each win one finished copy of A Quiet Belief in Angels, which is now available in stores, for their group.

More about A Quiet Belief in Angels:
Growing up in rural Georgia during the 1940s, Joseph Vaughan finds himself at the center of a series of mutilations and killings of young girls. The killers are never caught, and Joseph, an aspiring writer, continues to be haunted by the murders. Years later he sets out to forge a new life in New York. But even there the past won't leave him alone --- for it seems that the murderer still lives and is killing again, and that the secret to his identity lies in Joseph's own history.

A Quiet Belief in Angels offers readers a thrilling --- and often chilling --- tale that not only evokes strong emotions but asks important questions about our own morality.

Click here to read all the contest details.
Click here for the reading group guide.

New and Recommended Fiction

The Fire
by Katherine Neville

Now Available in Paperback:
Long a book club favorite for the richness of its international themes, The Eight may also have "paved the way" for the reemergence of a timeless genre: the Quest novel (Publishers Weekly).

Today, that same "Game" resumes, in force, in the dazzling sequel: The Fire. When the most critical piece of Charlemagne's chess set, the Black Queen, suddenly emerges, the quest leads us from 8th century Baghdad to the wilds of Colorado, to Albania, Russia, Rome, Morocco and into a secret wilderness no one knows about --- hidden at the very heart of Washington, DC.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Oxygen
by Carol Cassella

Now available in paperback is Carol Cassella's riveting national bestseller --- an "involving debut that's just what the doctor ordered" (People). This gripping novel follows anesthesiologist Dr. Marie Heaton, who seeks to understand the death of a child patient during surgery, while also coping with her own aging father and confronting questions of love and betrayal, family bonds and the price of her own choices. With a final twist as heartrending as it is redeeming, Oxygen is an incredible story.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Once on a Moonless Night
by Dai Sijie

From the author of the beloved bestseller Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, a haunting tale of love and the beguiling power of a lost language. Following the trail of a lost silk scroll said to contain a story originated by the Buddha himself, Once on a Moonless Night opens with emperor Hui Zong, passes through the life of enigmatic French linguist Paul d'Ampère, and ends with a student's search for her lost love.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

A Gate at the Stairs
by Lorrie Moore

The long-awaited new novel --- a book of stunning power --- by the heralded author of Birds of America. Set just after the events of September 2001, about a 20-year-old woman from a small Midwestern farm, making her way, coming of age. Under the novel's languid surface, Lorrie Moore's deft writing brings us up against the heart of racism, the shock of war and the carelessness perpetrated against others in the name of love.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Slumberland
by Paul Beatty

Now Available in Paperback:
Ferocious, bombastic and hilarious, Slumberland is vintage Paul Beatty and belongs on the shelf next to Jonathan Lethem, Colson Whitehead and Junot Diaz. In this widely praised novel of race, identity and underground music, DJ Darky has created the perfect beat. Now, he must seek out Charles Stone, a little known avant-garde jazzman, who can help bring his sonic masterpiece to fruition.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Truth About Love
by Josephine Hart

From the author of Damage, a new novel that opens in a small Irish town in the 1960s with the accidental death of a teenage boy who commits one final, heartrending act of love. Three brilliantly realized voices speak the story into existence. Moment by moment we come to understand how these narrators are shaped in essential ways by the boy's death and by what they learn from one another about loss and love.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

By the Time You Read This
by Lola Jaye

When he found out he only had 6 months to live, Kevin Bates picked up his pen and wrote "The Manual" --- a missive filled with advice to guide his then five-year-old daughter Lois from thirteen to thirty, with entries to be read only on successive birthdays. As the years progress, Lois learns from her father's words in a touching reminder of love's ability to transcend even the most unlikely of obstacles.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Time of My Life
by Allison Winn Scotch

Now Available in Paperback:
Jillian Westfield has a life straight out of the women's magazines she obsessively reads. Yet somehow she can't seem to fix her faltering marriage or stop asking "What if?" Then one morning Jillian wakes up seven years in the past. She's back in her Manhattan apartment. She's back in her fast-paced job. And she's still with Jackson, the ex-boyfriend, and star of her what-if fantasies. Armed with 20-20 hindsight, she's free to choose all over again. Or is she?

Click Here for the reading group guide.

One Foot Wrong
by Sofie Laguna

Hester Wakefield has never spoken to any person other than her parents, or seen the outside world. Her days consist of religious observance, chores and punishments. One day, Hester ventures outside and is overwhelmed by the beauty of sunshine, sky and trees. From this moment on, Hester learns that there are some things she cannot tell her parents. Hester's secrets begin to grow and she keeps them locked away in the shadowy corners of her insular world, waiting until she can find other ways to be free.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Twelve
by William Gladstone

The Twelve is an extraordinary, unforgettable novel about Max Doff, a most unusual man who ventures on a journey of destiny to discover the secret behind the ancient Mayan prophecy about the "end of time," foretold to occur on December 21, 2012. The Twelve, a novel that Eckhart Tolle calls "Entertaining and inspiring," will capture the imagination of a generation as readers embark on a journey to save the world.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Sari Shop Widow
by Shobhan Bantwal

Anjali made her peace with being a widow at 27 --- by pouring her grief into a chic shopper's paradise selling rare ethnic Indian clothing, accessories and jewelry --- until she meets Rishi. Her reluctance to wed again begins to recede, when she realizes it can open a whole new world to her...far beyond the shop, and way beyond Little India.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

New and Recommended Nonfiction

Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence -- and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process
by Irene M. Pepperberg

Irene was 28 when she bought Alex, a one-year old African gray parrot. Little did she know that 30 years later Alex would pass away as the smartest --- and most famous --- parrot to ever live. The first parrot to create words and show emotion, Alex was much more than a pet and research subject. Alex & Me is ultimately a book about the universal truths of relationships, just as much as an astonishing scientific journey.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

For Christian Readers

New Christian Guides

The Believer by Ann H. Gabhart

The Hope of Refuge: An Ada's House Novel by Cindy Woodsmall

June Bug by Chris Fabry

The Justice Game by Randy Singer

The Sacred Cipher by Terry Brennan

Sweet Waters: An Otter Bay Novel by Julie Carobini

Valley of the Shadow by Tom Pawlik

Registered Book Club Promotion

For September we have two very special opportunities for Registered Book Groups. Our featured titles this month are The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel by Maureen Lindley and Under the Cajun Moon by Mindy Starns Clark. Groups who have registered with us by Wednesday, September 16th have the chance to win author chats and/or free books. If your group is not registered, click here to register.

Click here for details.

New Guides

Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence -- and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process by Irene Pepperberg: Irene was 28 when she bought Alex, a one-year-old African gray parrot. Little did she know that 30 years later Alex would pass away as the smartest --- and most famous --- parrot to ever live.
Alexander and Alestria by Shan Sa: The imaginative tale of the dramatic love affair between Alexander the Great and Alestria, queen of the Amazons, when both are at the height of their powers.
America Libre by Raul Ramos y Sanchez: When undercover detectives in San Antonio accidentally kill a young Latina bystander during a botched drug bust, riots erupt across the Southwest.
The Believer by Ann H. Gabhart: A romantic story of two people caught up in the storms of life.
Blame by Michelle Huneven: Blame is a spellbinding novel of guilt and love, family and shame, sobriety and the lack of it, and the moral ambiguities that ensnare us all.
The Blue Star by Tony Earley: This is a timeless and moving story of discovery, loss and growing up, proving why Tony Earley's writing "radiates with a largeness of heart" (Esquire).
The Boy Next Door by Irene Sabatini: The Way We Were set in Zimbabwe after independence, a moving and powerful love story set against the backdrop of political upheaval.
By the Time You Read This by Lola Jaye: Already a national bestseller in the U.K., Lola Jaye's By the Time You Read This is a profoundly beautiful story of a father's abiding love for the daughter he will never see grow up.
A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve: The new novel about the fragility of a young marriage from one of our greatest chroniclers of the mysteries of the human heart.
The Confessions of Edward Day by Valerie Martin: Valerie Martin brilliantly recreates the theater world of 1970s and 1980s New York and plays with the boundary between reality and performance amongst a group of thespians.
Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz: A Quinceañera Club Novel by Belinda Acosta: "...a book about damas of all ages, from teenage girls to the struggling mothers of those teenage girls..." --Julia Alvarez, author of Return to Sender
An Eye for an Eye: Heroes of Quantico Series, Book 2 by Irene Hannon: A fast-paced tale of romance, suspense and intrigue, An Eye for an Eye is the exciting second book in the Heroes of Quantico series.
The Fire by Katherine Neville: The spectacular chess game in The Eight --- which captivated readers with exotic locales, fascinating historic figures and a labyrinthine plot --- returns in force in the dazzling sequel: The Fire!
Fools Rush In: Weddings by Bella, Book 1 by Janice Thompson: Fun, fresh and full of surprises, this flavorful combination of Italian and Tex-Mex highlights the hilarity that ensues when cultures clash.
A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore: A dazzling new novel by the author of Birds of America --- an ambitious book about post-9/11 anxiety, race, war and love.
The Geography of Love by Glenda Burgess: A poignant exploration of the depths of the human heart and our ability to love and to trust no matter the obstacles.
Girl Trouble: Stories by Holly Goddard Jones: Rona Jaffe Award winner Holly Goddard Jones's debut short story collection, set around small-town Southerners caught in moral and sometimes mortal quandaries.
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson: In the electrifying follow-up to the bestselling The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Lisbeth Salander, the troubled genius hacker, is drawn into a murderous hunt.
Good-bye and Amen by Beth Gutcheon: The follow-up to the critically acclaimed novel Leeway Cottage follows the newest generation of the Moss family as they gather at their summer home in Maine.
The Hope of Refuge: An Ada's House Novel by Cindy Woodsmall: Cara and her daughter must run to escape a deadly threat. Can they find refuge in an Amish community with complex, unspoken ties to her family history?
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb: A profound and heart-rending work of fiction. Wally Lamb proves himself a virtuoso storyteller, assembling a variety of voices and an ensemble of characters rich enough to evoke all of humanity.
How Does it Feel to be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America by Moustafa Bayoumi: Moustafa Bayoumi offers a glimpse into the often-ignored struggles a group of twenty-something Arab Americans face.
I'm So Happy for You: A Novel About Best Friends by Lucinda Rosenfeld: A smart, darkly humorous and uncannily dead-on novel about female friendship.
Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea: Filled with unforgettable characters and prose as radiant as the Sinaloan sun, Into the Beautiful North is the story of an irresistible young woman's quest to find herself on both sides of the fence.
In the Heart of the Canyon by Elisabeth Hyde: From the author of The Abortionist's Daughter, a novel about a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon that changes the lives of everyone on board.
Israel is Real: An Obsessive Quest to Understand the Jewish Nation and its History by Rich Cohen: Breaking through the heated polemics and intractable politics, Israel is Real is a fresh voice, a tale of people and ideas, of the background of present-day Israel. It's a new approach to a story we thought we knew.
June Bug by Chris Fabry: Publishers Weekly calls June Bug "a lovely, moving, present-day account of sacrifice."
The Justice Game by Randy Singer: In his new legal thriller, Randy Singer explores the unseen forces controlling two lawyers involved in a lawsuit against a gun company.
The King's Daughter: A Novel of the First Tudor Queen by Sandra Worth: In this groundbreaking novel, award-winning author Sandra Worth vividly brings to life the people's queen, "Elizabeth the Good."
Labor Day by Joyce Maynard: Acclaimed author Joyce Maynard weaves a beautiful, poignant tale of love, sex, adolescence and devastating treachery seen through the eyes of a young teenage boy.
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry: The Lace Reader is a mesmerizing tale that spirals into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies and half-truths.
The Lost Dog by Michelle de Kretser: Tom Loxley, an Indian-Australian professor, is less concerned with finishing his book on Henry James than with finding his dog, who is lost in the Australian bush.
A Mercy by Toni Morrison: An ambivalent, disturbing story of a mother and a daughter --- a mother who casts off her daughter in order to save her, and a daughter who may never exorcise that abandonment.
Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini: The Secret Female Pope by Eleanor Herman: A scintillating biography of a powerful yet little-known woman whose remarkable story is ripe with secrets, sex, passion and ambition.
The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi: In the tradition of Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City, Douglas Preston weaves a captivating account of crime and punishment in the lush hills of Florence, Italy.
My Name is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare by Jess Winfield: In this retelling of William Shakespeare's youth, his story is paired with that of another Shakespeare: a struggling graduate student in Reagan-era California.
The Night Counter by Alia Yunis: Shifting between the U.S. and the Middle East, first-time novelist Alia Yunis pieces together four generations of family secrets in this hilarious, heartwarming debut that creates a vibrant mosaic of modern Arab American life.
The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos: George Pelecanos achieves in The Night Gardener what his brilliant career has been building toward: a novel that is a perfect union of suspense, character and unstoppable fate.
No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process by Colin Beavan: What would your life be like if you had zero impact on the environment? Colin Beavan tackled this question, embarking on a yearlong experiment with his wife and their toddler.
Once on a Moonless Night by Dai Sijie: From the author of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, a haunting tale of love and the beguiling power of a lost language.
One Foot Wrong by Sofie Laguna: For Hester, the only child of religiously reclusive parents, the outside world is forbidden. But once she catches a glimpse of what she's been missing, escaping her sheltered life becomes something worth fighting for.
The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel by Maureen Lindley: An electrifying epic page-turner, based on the incredible true story of a princess turned spy.
A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison by R. Dwayne Betts: A beautifully, brutally honest memoir about one imprisoned boy's harrowing journey towards freedom and manhood.
A Quiet Belief in Angels by R.J. Ellory: A thrilling --- and often chilling --- tale that not only evokes strong emotions but asks important questions about our own morality.
Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing: Stories by Lydia Peelle: Lydia Peelle brings together eight brilliant stories --- two of which won Pushcart Prizes and one of which won an O. Henry Prize --- that peer straight into the human heart.
Requiem of the Human Soul by Jeremy R. Lent: The human race is on trial at the U.N. in the late 22nd century. At stake... its continued existence.
The Sacred Cipher by Terry Brennan: More historically and biblically accurate than The Da Vinci Code and just as adventurous as an Indiana Jones movie, The Sacred Cipher draws readers into a world of ancient secrets and international escapades.
The Sari Shop Widow by Shobhan Bantwal: Shobhan Bantwal's compelling new novel is set on the streets of Edison, New Jersey's Little India, where a young businesswoman rediscovers the magic of love and family.
Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan: Each story in this collection is a testament to the wisdom and resilience of children, even in the face of the most agonizing situations our planet can offer.
A Separate Country by Robert Hicks: Set in New Orleans in the years after the Civil War, A Separate Country is based on the incredible life of John Bell Hood, arguably one of the most controversial generals of the Confederate Army --- and one of its most tragic figures.
Serena by Ron Rash: A gothic tale of greed, corruption and revenge set against the backdrop of the 1930s wilderness and America's burgeoning environmental movement.
Sisters & Husbands by Connie Briscoe: Ten years have passed since Sisters and Lovers, and Beverly, now 39, is engaged to Julian, a man her family and friends agree is the epitome of a great catch.
Skunk: A Love Story by Justin Courter: This darkly hilarious novel follows a social outcast who develops a bizarre addiction that he eventually overcomes when he discovers love.
Slumberland by Paul Beatty: Critical darling Paul Beatty's highly original, widely praised novel of race, identity and underground music.
South of Broad by Pat Conroy: The one and only Pat Conroy returns with a big, sprawling novel that is a love letter to Charleston and an ode to lifelong friendship.
Stand the Storm by Breena Clarke: Even though Sewing Annie Coats and her son, Gabriel, have managed to buy their freedom, their lives are still marked by constant struggle and sacrifice.
A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand: Hearts break and emotions are pushed to the limit in this riveting story of one woman's attempt to deal with loves past and present, family, business and high-powered social pressures.
Sweetwater Run by Jan Watson: In 1891 in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, two young women stand at a crossroads. As they struggle with the realities of life, both learn to rely on their faith above all else.
Sweet Waters: An Otter Bay Novel by Julie Carobini: After returning to her hometown, a young woman begins to uncover shocking secrets about why her family left this heaven on earth all those years ago.
A Taste of Fame: The Potluck Catering Club by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson: A Taste of Fame serves up the perfect blend of humor, misadventure and mouthwatering recipes. Fans new and old will love this exciting trip into the wild world of competitive cooking!
That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo: Richard Russo tells the story of a marriage and all the other ties that bind, from parents and in-laws to children and the promises of youth.
Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch: One morning Jillian wakes up seven years in the past, and armed with 20-20 hindsight, she's free to choose all over again.
To Love What Is: A Marriage Transformed by Alix Kates Shulman: In this elegant memoir, Alix Kates Shulman describes the ongoing anxieties and risks --- and surprising rewards --- she experiences as she reorganizes her world to care for her husband.
The Truth About Love by Josephine Hart: From the author of Damage, a novel that opens with the accidental death of a teenage boy who commits one final, heartrending act of love.
The Twelve by William Gladstone: What will happen in 2012? The Mayans predicted the end of the world. In his novel The Twelve, William Gladstone forecasts a new beginning as the fate of all humanity rests in the balance.
Two Brothers: One North, One South by David H. Jones: Navigated by Walt Whitman and based on real people and events, Two Brothers: One North, One South is the quintessential story of the Civil War.
Under the Cajun Moon by Mindy Starns Clark: Mindy Starns Clark offers an exciting stand-alone novel, one full of Cajun mystery, hidden dangers and the glow of God's unending grace.
Valley of the Shadow by Tom Pawlik: In this sequel to the award-winning novel, Vanish, Tom Pawlik explores the murky world between life and death, where your worst fears can become reality.
The Virgin's Daughters: In the Court of Elizabeth I by Jeane Westin: The story of Elizabeth I, as it's never been told before --- through the eyes of two ladies-in-waiting closest to her...
Wait Until Twilight by Sang Pak: Sang Pak's Wait Until Twilight is a coming-of-age story that explores the complex darkness infecting a damaged psyche in a small Southern town.
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf: Masterfully written and beautifully told, Heather Gudenkauf's debut is a stunning novel of family devotion, honesty and regret that will linger long after the last page is turned.
Whatsoever Things are Lovely: Must-Have Accessories for God's Perfect Peace by Rhonda Rhea: Using Philippians 4:8-9 as a springboard, Rhonda Rhea takes you on a fun adventure that can help you lead a more fruitful, blessed and peace-filled life.
The Widow's Season by Laura Brodie: A lyrical, mysterious novel about a young, seemingly haunted, widow, inspired by Renaissance plays where husbands faked their deaths in order to spy on their wives.
Worldweavers: Cybermage by Alma Alexander: When Thea Winthrop and her friends are called in by the Federal Bureau of Magic to unlock a mysterious cube left behind by Nikola Tesla, they find themselves in a race against time.
www.queenmotorhome.com by Patt Fero: www.queenmotorhome.com is a story about two baby boomer-aged best friends who run away from home in a motor home.

Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:

The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
The Given Day by Dennis Lehane
Goldengrove by Francine Prose
Home by Marilynne Robinson
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
The Various Flavors of Coffee by Anthony Capella

This month's prize:
A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve

Oprah's Book Club Selection*
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

*Oprah's new title will be announced on Friday, September 18th.

Get a Book Club Makeover
Whether your book club is just a few months old or has been around for a while, you might be in need of a Book Club Makeover from ReadingGroupGuides.com. After reading your emails --- and talking to book clubs across the country --- we see that book groups often can fall into a routine and need a bit of livening up. It's ReadingGroupGuides.com to the rescue! We'll select groups each month for makeovers, review the problems, and make suggestions. Interested in a Book Club Makeover for your group? Click here for details.

Click here to read the September 2009 edition of the ReadingGroupGuides.com newsletter.

Click here to visit the ReadingGroupGuides.com homepage.

August 2009

2009-08-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

Special Feature and Contest

Win a signed copy of THE VIRGIN'S DAUGHTERS by Jeane Westin and a bottle of Queen Elizabeth I's perfume for your reading group!

We are celebrating the release of The Virgin's Daughters: In the Court of Elizabeth I by Jeane Westin with a special contest. One Grand Prize winner will have the opportunity to receive a signed copy of The Virgin's Daughters as well as a bottle of Queen Elizabeth I's perfume that was recreated from the monarch's garden. Fifty additional readers will have the opportunity to each win one finished copy of The Virgin's Daughters, which is now available in stores, for their group.

More about The Virgin's Daughters:
In a court filled with repressed sexual longing, scandal and intrigue, Lady Katherine Grey is Elizabeth's most faithful servant. When the young queen is smitten by the dashing Robert Dudley, Katherine must choose between duty and desire --- as her secret passion for a handsome earl threatens to turn Elizabeth against her. Once the queen becomes a bitter and capricious monarch, another lady-in-waiting, Mistress Mary Rogers, offers the queen comfort. But even Mary cannot remain impervious to the court's sexual tension --- and as Elizabeth gives her doomed heart to the mercurial Earl of Essex, Mary is drawn to the queen's rakish godson...

Click here to read all the contest details.
Click here for the reading group guide.

New and Recommended Fiction

That Old Cape Magic
by Richard Russo

This is a novel of deep introspection, with a middle-aged man confronting his parents and their failed marriage, his own troubled one, his daughter's new life and, finally, what it was he thought he wanted and what in fact he has. Moments of great comedy and even hilarity alternate with others of rueful understanding and heart-stopping sadness, and the novel's ending is at once surprising, uplifting and unlike anything Richard Russo has ever written.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Girl Who Played With Fire
by Stieg Larsson

The electrifying follow-up to the phenomenal bestseller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo features Lisbeth Salander --- the troubled, wise-beyond-her-years genius hacker --- as the focus and fierce heart of the story.

"Larsson's two central characters, Salander and Blomkvist, transcend their genre and insinuate themselves in the reader's mind through their oddball individuality, their professional competence and, surprisingly, their emotional vulnerability." --Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

Click Here for the reading group guide.

South of Broad
by Pat Conroy

Against the sumptuous backdrop of Charleston, South Carolina, South of Broad gathers a unique cast of sinners and saints. The ties among them endure for years, surviving marriages happy and troubled, unrequited loves and unspoken longings, hard-won successes and devastating breakdowns, and Charleston's dark legacy of racism and class divisions. But the final test of friendship that brings them to San Francisco is something no one is prepared for. South of Broad is Pat Conroy at his finest.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Lace Reader
by Brunonia Barry

Now Available in Paperback:
This New York Times bestseller has drawn comparisons to Rebecca and The Thirteenth Tale --- a modern-day gothic story that follows Towner Whitney, a troubled woman who can divine the future. Towner hails from a family of Salem women who can read the future in patterns of lace, and who have guarded a history of secrets going back generations. But the disappearance of two women brings Towner home to Salem, and the truth about the death of her twin sister to light.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

In the Heart of the Canyon
by Elisabeth Hyde

From the author of The Abortionist's Daughter, a gripping new novel about a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon that changes the lives of everyone on board. Over 13 days, as various decisions are second-guessed and sometimes regretted, both passengers and guides find that sometimes the most daunting adventures on a Colorado River trip have nothing to do with white-water rapids, and everything to do with reconfiguring the rocky canyons of the heart.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Confessions of Edward Day
by Valerie Martin

In this fictional memoir, Valerie Martin brilliantly re-creates the theater world of 1970s New York. Edward Day, a talented young actor, finds his life forever altered during a weekend party, where he seduces the delicious Madeleine and is saved from drowning by Guy, a man who bears an eerie physical resemblance to Edward. Afterwards, Edward is torn between his desire for Madeleine and his indebtedness to Guy, his rival in love and in art, on stage and off.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

For Christian Readers

The Hope of Refuge: An Ada's House Novel
by Cindy Woodsmall

New Yorker Cara Moore has nothing and is on the run. Young Amish woman Deborah Mast has everything and is on her way to the wedding altar. When their lives collide, neither one will be the same. Can the humility and faith of Ada save either of them?

Click Here for the reading group guide.

New Christian Guides

The Believer by Ann H. Gabhart

The Hope of Refuge: An Ada's House Novel by Cindy Woodsmall

June Bug by Chris Fabry

The Justice Game by Randy Singer

The Sacred Cipher by Terry Brennan

Sweet Waters: An Otter Bay Novel by Julie Carobini

Valley of the Shadow by Tom Pawlik

Registered Book Club Promotion

For August we have two very special opportunities for Registered Book Groups. Our featured titles this month are The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf and The Night Counter by Alia Yunis. Groups who have registered with us by Monday, August 17th have the chance to win author chats and/or free books. If your group is not registered, click here to register.

Click here for details.

New Guides

The Beijing of Possibilities by Jonathan Tel: A surreally realistic chronicle of life in modern-day Beijing, featuring figures from a modern-day Monkey King to a Ming Dynasty princess posting her first online profile.
The Believer by Ann H. Gabhart: A romantic story of two people caught up in the storms of life.
Bertie's War by Barbara Blakey: In the fall of 1961, the world goes crazy --- and takes a young girl with it.
The Best of Times by Penny Vincenzi: Penny Vincenzi delivers another brilliantly crafted page-turner centered on one devastating moment that will change lives forever.
Border Songs by Jim Lynch: By the acclaimed author of The Highest Tide, a novel about a distinctive community straddling the largely invisible boundary between Washington state and British Columbia.
Brodeck by Philippe Claudel: Winner of the 2007 Prix Goncourt des Lycéens, Brodeck is a lyrically dramatic account of a terrifying murder in a small town and the tortured soul chosen to tell the tale.
Certain Jeopardy by Capt. Jeff Struecker, with Alton Gansky: Certain Jeopardy is an immersing and pulsating fictional account of what really happens at every level of a stealth engagement.
Chéri and The Last of Chéri (Movie Tie-in Edition) by Colette: Chéri, now a major motion picture starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Kathy Bates, is one of the most honest, sensual and poignant breakup stories ever written.
The Confessions of Edward Day by Valerie Martin: Valerie Martin brilliantly recreates the theater world of 1970s and 1980s New York and plays with the boundary between reality and performance amongst a group of thespians.
The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells: The long-awaited new novel from Rebecca Wells, New York Times bestselling author of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
A Different Kind of Wild: Is Your Faith Too Tame? by Debbie Alsdorf: Join Debbie Alsdorf as she coaches you into the exhilarating process of developing as a woman of God.
The Distance Between Us by Bart Yates: Award-winning author Bart Yates's powerful and evocative novel of family, friendship...and the dual-edged nature of fame and talent.
Essie in Progress by Marjorie Presten: Told with a unique wit and a genuine Southern sensibility, Essie in Progress is a stirring story about realizing the life God has in store for you.
A Fatal Waltz: A Novel of Suspense by Tasha Alexander: Lady Emily Ashton reluctantly agrees to attend a party at the sprawling English country estate of a man she finds odious. But the despised Lord Fortescue is not to be her greatest problem.
The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz: This epic novel gives you a glimpse into the simple yet daring lives of the pioneers who first crossed the Appalachians.
The Garden of Last Days by Andre Dubus III: In his stunning follow-up to the #1 bestselling House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus draws us into the lives of three deeply flawed, driven people whose paths intersect on a September night in Florida.
The Geography of Love by Glenda Burgess: A poignant exploration of the depths of the human heart and our ability to love and to trust no matter the obstacles.
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson: In the electrifying follow-up to the bestselling The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Lisbeth Salander, the troubled genius hacker, is drawn into a murderous hunt.
Good-bye and Amen by Beth Gutcheon: The follow-up to the critically acclaimed novel Leeway Cottage follows the newest generation of the Moss family as they gather at their summer home in Maine.
A Good Indian Wife by Anne Cherian: First-time novelist Anne Cherian explores how immigrants, caught between two worlds, have to learn to overcome their own suspicions of others in order to find themselves.
Hallie's Heart by Shelly Beach: Winner of a Christy Award in 2008, an eccentric antique dealer and her 15-year-old niece struggle to find healing in this Mitford-type novel.
Happiness Key by Emilie Richards: Meet four women who think they have nothing in common except the oyster shell road that runs between their ramshackle beach cottages on a spit of land called Happiness Key.
The Hope of Refuge: An Ada's House Novel by Cindy Woodsmall: Cara and her daughter must run to escape a deadly threat. Can they find refuge in an Amish community with complex, unspoken ties to her family history?
The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood by Helene Cooper: Helene Cooper's bestselling memoir is an account of her family's flight from Liberia, and her return 20 years later to find a foster sister left behind.
How Does it Feel to be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America by Moustafa Bayoumi: Moustafa Bayoumi offers a glimpse into the often-ignored struggles a group of twenty-something Arab Americans face.
In the Heart of the Canyon by Elisabeth Hyde: From the author of The Abortionist's Daughter, a novel about a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon that changes the lives of everyone on board.
Impossible by Nancy Werlin: A beautifully wrought modern fairy tale from master storyteller and award-winning author Nancy Werlin.
An Irishwoman's Tale by Patti Lacy: Far away from her Irish home, Mary Freeman begins to adapt to life in Midwest America, but family turmoil and her own haunting memories threaten to ruin her future.
Israel is Real: An Obsessive Quest to Understand the Jewish Nation and its History by Rich Cohen: Breaking through the heated polemics and intractable politics, Israel is Real is a fresh voice, a tale of people and ideas, of the background of present-day Israel. It's a new approach to a story we thought we knew.
June Bug by Chris Fabry: Publishers Weekly calls June Bug "a lovely, moving, present-day account of sacrifice."
The Justice Game by Randy Singer: In his new legal thriller, Randy Singer explores the unseen forces controlling two lawyers involved in a lawsuit against a gun company.
Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange by Amanda Smyth: Written with great beauty and economy, Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange is the story of one woman's search for love and identity.
Labor Day by Joyce Maynard: Acclaimed author Joyce Maynard weaves a beautiful, poignant tale of love, sex, adolescence and devastating treachery seen through the eyes of a young teenage boy.
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry: The Lace Reader is a mesmerizing tale that spirals into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies and half-truths.
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore: An entertaining and touching novel about one small-town girl's search for her place in a much bigger world and finding that it was right where she began.
Love's First Light by Jamie Carie: Christophé, the Count of St. Laurent, has lost his entire family to the blood-soaked French Revolution and must flee to an ancient castle along the southern border of France to survive.
Morningsong by Shelly Beach: In this highly-anticipated follow-up to the Christy Award-winning Hallie's Heart, a terrifying accident on the shores of Lake Michigan forces a woman to pick up the pieces of her life.
The Night Counter by Alia Yunis: Shifting between the U.S. and the Middle East, first-time novelist Alia Yunis pieces together four generations of family secrets in this hilarious, heartwarming debut that creates a vibrant mosaic of modern Arab American life.
The Outlander by Gil Adamson: An intoxicating debut novel reminiscent of early Cormac McCarthy, about a young murderess's desperate journey into the 1903 wilderness.
The Painter from Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein: "[An] engrossing story of a woman forced to choose between following her heart and pursuing her art." --Library Journal
Pharmakon by Dirk Wittenborn: Pharmakon is a classic American epic about family, ambition and the price we are willing to pay for happiness.
A Pragmatist and His Free Spirit: The Half-Century Romance of Hu Shi & Edith Clifford Williams by Susan Chan Egan and Chih-p'ing Chou: This is an "East meets West" story, portraying the unconventional love of a Chinese civil rights activist and an American avant-garde artist.
The Sacred Cipher by Terry Brennan: More historically and biblically accurate than The Da Vinci Code and just as adventurous as an Indiana Jones movie, The Sacred Cipher draws readers into a world of ancient secrets and international escapades.
The Secrets of Jin-shei by Alma Alexander: In an ancient kingdom, eight young women are bound together by Jin-shei: a vow of lifelong sisterhood --- a promise that is everlasting, a bond that cannot be broken, whatever the cost.
Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill: Kidnapped from Africa as a child, Aminata Diallo is enslaved in South Carolina but escapes during the chaos of the Revolutionary War.
South of Broad by Pat Conroy: The one and only Pat Conroy returns with a big, sprawling novel that is a love letter to Charleston and an ode to lifelong friendship.
Sweet Waters: An Otter Bay Novel by Julie Carobini: After returning to her hometown, a young woman begins to uncover shocking secrets about why her family left this heaven on earth all those years ago.
Swimming by Nicola Keegan: A spectacular debut about the rise of an Olympic champion --- a novel about competition, the hunger for victory, and a young girl with an unsinkable spirit.
That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo: Richard Russo tells the story of a marriage and all the other ties that bind, from parents and in-laws to children and the promises of youth.
Two Brothers: One North, One South by David H. Jones: Navigated by Walt Whitman and based on real people and events, Two Brothers: One North, One South is the quintessential story of the Civil War.
Trouble by Kate Christensen: A tragicomedy of marriage and friendship from Kate Christensen, the acclaimed author of The Great Man, winner of the 2008 PEN/Faulkner Award.
Valley of the Shadow by Tom Pawlik: In this sequel to the award-winning novel, Vanish, Tom Pawlik explores the murky world between life and death, where your worst fears can become reality.
The Virgin's Daughters: In the Court of Elizabeth I by Jeane Westin: The story of Elizabeth I, as it's never been told before --- through the eyes of two ladies-in-waiting closest to her…
Wait Until Twilight by Sang Pak: Sang Pak's Wait Until Twilight is a coming-of-age story that explores the complex darkness infecting a damaged psyche in a small Southern town.
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf: Masterfully written and beautifully told, Heather Gudenkauf's debut is a stunning novel of family devotion, honesty and regret that will linger long after the last page is turned.
What the Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy: Patti Lacy's second novel exposes the life of Sally, set amid the shadows of prejudice in Louisiana.
The Widow's Season by Laura Brodie: A lyrical, mysterious novel about a young, seemingly haunted, widow, inspired by Renaissance plays where husbands faked their deaths in order to spy on their wives.
Worldweavers: Cybermage by Alma Alexander: When Thea Winthrop and her friends are called in by the Federal Bureau of Magic to unlock a mysterious cube left behind by Nikola Tesla, they find themselves in a race against time.
www.queenmotorhome.com by Patt Fero: www.queenmotorhome.com is a story about two baby boomer-aged best friends who run away from home in a motor home.
The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman: After their zoo was bombed, Polish zookeepers Jan and Antoninia Zabinski managed to save over 300 people from Nazi racism by hiding refugees in the empty animal cages.

Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:

December by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper
July and August by Nancy Clark
The Seamstress by Frances De Pontes Peebles
The Sister by Poppy Adams
So Long at the Fair by Christina Schwarz

This month's prize:
The Geography of Love by Glenda Burgess

Oprah's Book Club Selection
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

Get a Book Club Makeover
Whether your book club is just a few months old or has been around for a while, you might be in need of a Book Club Makeover from ReadingGroupGuides.com. After reading your emails --- and talking to book clubs across the country --- we see that book groups often can fall into a routine and need a bit of livening up. It's ReadingGroupGuides.com to the rescue! We'll select groups each month for makeovers, review the problems, and make suggestions. Interested in a Book Club Makeover for your group? Click here for details.

July 2009

2009-07-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

Special Feature and Contest

Win a Copy of IMPOSSIBLE by Nancy Werlin for Your Group --- And Send Us Your Thoughts!

This month we are running a special contest for Impossible by Nancy Werlin, a riveting novel that combines suspense, fantasy and romance for an intensely page-turning and masterfully original tale. We have 25 finished copies to give away to readers who would like to read the book and comment about it. Impossible will be available in stores on August 11th.

Once the prize copies have been shipped, we will contact our winners and ask them to respond with their thoughts about the book.

More about Impossible:
To break the curse that has plagued the women of her family for generations, Lucy Scarborough must complete the impossible tasks set forth in an old ballad. But can Lucy finish before the curse takes hold of her and she is lost forever?

Nancy Werlin's Impossible is a haunting, thrilling, romantic puzzle with unexpected twists and turns that make it a perfect book club pick.

Click here to read all the contest details.
Click here for the reading group guide.

New and Recommended Fiction

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder
by Rebecca Wells

Known for her beloved Ya-Ya books (including Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood), Rebecca Wells has helped women name, claim and celebrate their shared sisterhood for over a decade.

A tale of family and friendship, tragedy and triumph, loss and love, Wells's new novel, The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder, features the warmth, humor, soul and wonder that have made Wells one of today's most cherished writers, and gives us an unforgettable new heroine to treasure.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Best of Times
by Penny Vincenzi

On a Friday afternoon, on a motorway outside of London, a trailer truck suddenly and violently swerves across fives lanes of traffic --- careening cars into one another like dominoes and leaving a trail of chaos and confusion.

Within the space of a minute, a pileup has amassed, and, as the survivors await help, their stories unfold. In this masterfully crafted page-turner, plot-twist queen Penny Vincenzi vividly captures how the actions of one person can dramatically affect many in the blink of an eye.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Garden of Last Days
by Andre Dubus III

Now Available in Paperback:
What was America like in the moment before the world changed on 9/11?

Andre Dubus III, a master of gripping psychological realism (author of the bestselling House of Sand and Fog), captures a world on the brink of disaster through the story of several aching lives in south Florida. Jean, a widow, tends her lush, vibrant garden and babysits adorable, three-year-old Franny --- whose proud, ambitious mother, April, works in a strip club to save money to move on to better things. AJ, estranged from his wife and young son, is back living with his mother and looking for someone to blame. Lonnie, a dyslexic bouncer, awaits his chance to shine. And Bassam, a young foreigner with a violent mission, struggles against the yearnings of the flesh.

One warm September night, their lives will intersect.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Border Songs
by Jim Lynch

Border Songs is a riveting novel about a distinctive community straddling the largely invisible boundary between Washington state and British Columbia. Rich in characters contending with a swiftly changing world and their own elusive hopes and dreams, Jim Lynch as written "an antidote to the 21st century: a kind of metaphorical insistence on hope and simplicity and art in the face of a surrounding storm" (Kent Haruf).

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Trouble
by Kate Christensen

Trouble is a vibrant story of female friendship and midlife sexual awakening from Kate Christensen, the acclaimed author of The Great Man, winner of the 2008 PEN/Faulkner Award. A tragicomedy of marriage and friendship, Trouble is a funny, piercing and moving examination of the battle between the need for connection and the quest for freedom that every modern woman must fight.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Pharmakon
by Dirk Wittenborn

Now Available in Paperback:
William Friedrich, an ambitious professor of psychology at Yale in 1952, has stumbled upon a drug that promises happiness --- and that can make him a famous man. When his experiment goes awry, and a research subject commits murder, the consequences will haunt him and his family forever.

Honest, insightful and ruefully funny, Pharmakon captures formative moments of the 20th century, the quirks of an American family and will enthrall fans of the novels of John Irving.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Swimming
by Nicola Keegan

A spectacular debut about the rise of an Olympic champion --- a novel about competition, the hunger for victory and a young girl with an unsinkable spirit.

"I loved Swimming. It's the most original novel I've read all year. I can't get Pip's voice out of my mind. Give yourself a treat this summer --- read this book." --Judy Blume

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange
by Amanda Smyth

Written with great beauty and economy, Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange is the story of one woman's search for love and identity.

"The Caribbean's tropical sights and smells permeate Smyth's moving debut novel, but all is not paradise... Smyth paints a vivid portrait of a naive young girl who learns some hard truths about herself and her family, but though Celia's story is not always happy, it's arresting and powerful, a shining testament to human resilience." --The Miami Herald

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Brodeck
by Philippe Claudel

"Claudel's style is very visual and evocative (he also wrote and directed the film I've Loved You So Long), and this novel, like the brothers Grimm fables, is full of terror, horror, and beauty and wonder." --Starred Review, Publishers Weekly

"Deeply wise and classically beautiful... Brodeck won the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens in the original French and John Cullen's English translation is as clear as a mountain stream. It is a modern masterpiece." --The Daily Telegraph

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Beijing of Possibilities
by Jonathan Tel

Blending humor with carefully observed details of life in Beijing, Jonathan Tel's short stories offer a rich and entertaining guide to the city and its many and varied inhabitants --- from a modern-day Monkey King to an equally contemporary indentured servant, from a boy tasting his first cotton candy to a Ming Dynasty princess posting her first online profile.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Chéri and The Last of Chéri (Movie Tie-in Edition)
by Colette

First published in 1920 and now a major motion picture starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Chéri is one of Colette's most admired novels and one of the most honest, sensual and poignant breakup stories ever written. Known as Chéri, Fred Peloux is a young playboy under the spell of Léa de Lonval, a courtesan twice his age. Once famous for her beauty and charisma, she must confront the reality of her fading good looks, along with Chéri's intention to marry a wealthy girl. Yet Chéri is deeply attached to Léa, and the feeling is mutual --- a realization neither lover can fully comprehend until they have abandoned their affair.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Distance Between Us
by Bart Yates

Now Available in Paperback:
Award-winning author Bart Yates's powerful and evocative novel of family, friendship...and the dual-edged nature of fame and talent.

After her bitter divorce at age 71, Hester rents her attic to a troubled young man, Alex. And along with her equally troubled children, she unwittingly exposes all the old family wounds. After a month of anguish and painful revealing memories, her budding friendship with Alex slowly allows her to come to terms with herself and her family. Their friendship provides her with the strength to fix what she can, and open her heart once again to love.

"Absorbing...brims with quiet intensity." --Publishers Weekly

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Outlander
by Gil Adamson

Now Available in Paperback:
In 1903 a mysterious young woman flees alone across the west, one heart-pounding step ahead of the law. At 19, she has just become a widow --- and her husband's murderer. As bloodhounds track Mary Boulton through the mountains, she is tormented by mad visions and by the knowledge that her two cold-blooded brothers-in-law are hot on her trail. As she flees further and further into the wilderness, and into the wilds of her own mind, she encounters an unforgettable cast of eccentrics along the way.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

For Christian Readers

A Different Kind of Wild: Is Your Faith Too Tame?
by Debbie Alsdorf

You were born to be WILD.

Not bad wild --- good wild, with a new zest for life, for Jesus, and for his thrilling, bold and creative plans for you. So grab your cheetah-print gear and start living the WILD life God has imagined for you --- a life bigger and grander than you ever thought possible.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

New Christian Guides

Bertie's War by Barbara Blakey

Certain Jeopardy by Capt. Jeff Struecker, with Alton Gansky

A Different Kind of Wild: Is Your Faith Too Tame? by Debbie Alsdorf

Essie in Progress by Marjorie Presten

The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz

Hallie's Heart by Shelly Beach

An Irishwoman's Tale by Patti Lacy

Love's First Light by Jamie Carie

Morningsong by Shelly Beach

Registered Book Club Promotion

For July we have three very special opportunities for Registered Book Groups. Our featured titles this month are Happiness Key by Emilie Richards, The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper and Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange by Amanda Smyth. Groups who have registered with us by Wednesday, July 15th have the chance to win author chats and/or free books. If your group is not registered, click here to register.

Click here for details.

New Guides

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale: A very different kind of fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Shannon Hale.

The Air We Breathe by Andrea Barrett: Andrea Barrett masterfully sets this luminous novel in a historical period of great progress in science and medicine --- even in the art of war.

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón: From master storyteller Carlos Ruiz Zafón comes The Angel's Game --- a dazzling new page-turner about the perilous nature of obsession, in literature and in love.

Beginner's Greek by James Collins: Beginner's Greek is a romantic comedy of the highest order, with characters who are perfectly, charmingly real as they swerve and stumble from fairy tale to social satire and back again.

The Beijing of Possibilities by Jonathan Tel: A surreally realistic chronicle of life in modern-day Beijing, featuring figures from a modern-day Monkey King to a Ming Dynasty princess posting her first online profile.

Bertie's War by Barbara Blakey: In the fall of 1961, the world goes crazy --- and takes a young girl with it.

The Best of Times by Penny Vincenzi: Penny Vincenzi delivers another brilliantly crafted page-turner centered on one devastating moment that will change lives forever.

Border Songs by Jim Lynch: By the acclaimed author of The Highest Tide, a novel about a distinctive community straddling the largely invisible boundary between Washington state and British Columbia.

Brodeck by Philippe Claudel: Winner of the 2007 Prix Goncourt des Lycéens, Brodeck is a lyrically dramatic account of a terrifying murder in a small town and the tortured soul chosen to tell the tale.

Censoring an Iranian Love Story written by Shahriar Mandanipour, translated by Sara Khalili: From one of Iran's most acclaimed writers, a dazzlingly inventive novel about what it's like to live, love and be an artist in today's Iran.

Certain Jeopardy by Capt. Jeff Struecker, with Alton Gansky: Certain Jeopardy is an immersing and pulsating fictional account of what really happens at every level of a stealth engagement.

Chéri and The Last of Chéri (Movie Tie-in Edition) by Colette: Chéri, now a major motion picture starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Kathy Bates, is one of the most honest, sensual and poignant breakup stories ever written.

Come Sunday by Isla Morley: Come Sunday, set in the hills of Hawaii and the veldt of South Africa, is that joyous, special thing: a saga that captivates from the very first page, breaking our hearts while making our spirits soar.

The Compass by Tammy Kling and John Spencer Ellis: The Compass is a life-transforming novel that will take you from where you are to where you want to be.

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells: The long-awaited new novel from Rebecca Wells, New York Times bestselling author of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

A Different Kind of Wild: Is Your Faith Too Tame? by Debbie Alsdorf: Join Debbie Alsdorf as she coaches you into the exhilarating process of developing as a woman of God.

The Distance Between Us by Bart Yates: Award-winning author Bart Yates's powerful and evocative novel of family, friendship...and the dual-edged nature of fame and talent.

An Elegy for Easterly by Petina Gappah: Set in the chaos and confusion of everyday life in Zimbabwe, Petina Gappah's debut collection, An Elegy for Easterly, is full of verve, wit and compassion.

Essie in Progress by Marjorie Presten: Told with a unique wit and a genuine Southern sensibility, Essie in Progress is a stirring story about realizing the life God has in store for you.

A Fatal Waltz: A Novel of Suspense by Tasha Alexander: Lady Emily Ashton reluctantly agrees to attend a party at the sprawling English country estate of a man she finds odious. But the despised Lord Fortescue is not to be her greatest problem.

Forsaken by James David Jordan: What would it take for you to renounce your faith in Christ? Author James David Jordan confronts readers with this challenging question in his new book, Forsaken.

The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz: This epic novel gives you a glimpse into the simple yet daring lives of the pioneers who first crossed the Appalachians.

The Garden of Last Days by Andre Dubus III: In his stunning follow-up to the #1 bestselling House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus draws us into the lives of three deeply flawed, driven people whose paths intersect on a September night in Florida.

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson: "A vivid, smartly calibrated achievement...a ghost story, family psychodrama, and murder mystery all in one." -- Entertainment Weekly

The Glassblower of Murano by Marina Fiorato: In this international bestseller, a woman leaves her life in London to embark on a grand exploration of life and love as a glassblower in the city of her ancestors: Venice.

A Good Indian Wife by Anne Cherian: First-time novelist Anne Cherian explores how immigrants, caught between two worlds, have to learn to overcome their own suspicions of others in order to find themselves.

Hallie's Heart by Shelly Beach: Winner of a Christy Award in 2008, an eccentric antique dealer and her 15-year-old niece struggle to find healing in this Mitford-type novel.

Happiness Key by Emilie Richards: Meet four women who think they have nothing in common except the oyster shell road that runs between their ramshackle beach cottages on a spit of land called Happiness Key.

The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood by Helene Cooper: Helene Cooper's bestselling memoir is an account of her family's flight from Liberia, and her return 20 years later to find a foster sister left behind.

Impossible by Nancy Werlin: A beautifully wrought modern fairy tale from master storyteller and award-winning author Nancy Werlin.

An Irishwoman's Tale by Patti Lacy: Far away from her Irish home, Mary Freeman begins to adapt to life in Midwest America, but family turmoil and her own haunting memories threaten to ruin her future.

The Late, Lamented Molly Marx by Sally Koslow: Exploring the bonds of fidelity, family and friendship, The Late, Lamented Molly Marx is a hilarious, deeply moving and thought-provoking novel that is part mystery, part love story and all heart.

The Likeness by Tana French: With her richly nuanced characters and deep psychological insight, Tana French explores themes of self-invention, deception and the ways truth can emerge from even the most convincing disguises.

Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange by Amanda Smyth: Written with great beauty and economy, Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange is the story of one woman's search for love and identity.

Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore: An entertaining and touching novel about one small-town girl's search for her place in a much bigger world and finding that it was right where she began.

Love's First Light by Jamie Carie: Christophé, the Count of St. Laurent, has lost his entire family to the blood-soaked French Revolution and must flee to an ancient castle along the southern border of France to survive.

Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida by Debby Mayne: Can Amanda, whose mother and sister refuse to grow up, and Jerry, primary caretaker of aging parents, find the treasure of unconditional love?

Made in the U.S.A. by Billie Letts: The bestselling author of Where the Heart Is returns with a heartrending tale of two children in search of a place to call home.

Morningsong by Shelly Beach: In this highly-anticipated follow-up to the Christy Award-winning Hallie's Heart, a terrifying accident on the shores of Lake Michigan forces a woman to pick up the pieces of her life.

The Nine Lessons: A Novel of Love, Fatherhood, and Second Chances by Kevin Milne: August Witte is firmly against having children. But after seven years of marriage, his wife is delighted when she realizes she is unexpectedly pregnant.

The Outlander by Gil Adamson: An intoxicating debut novel reminiscent of early Cormac McCarthy, about a young murderess's desperate journey into the 1903 wilderness.

Oxygen by Carol Cassella: Oxygen is a riveting new novel by a real-life anesthesiologist, an intimate story of relationships and family that collides with a high-stakes medical drama.

The Painter from Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein: "[An] engrossing story of a woman forced to choose between following her heart and pursuing her art." --Library Journal

Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal by Julie Metz: Perfection is the story of coming to terms with painful truths, of rebuilding both a life and an identity after betrayal and widowhood.

Pharmakon by Dirk Wittenborn: Pharmakon is a classic American epic about family, ambition and the price we are willing to pay for happiness.

A Pragmatist and His Free Spirit: The Half-Century Romance of Hu Shi & Edith Clifford Williams by Susan Chan Egan and Chih-p'ing Chou: This is an "East meets West" story, portraying the unconventional love of a Chinese civil rights activist and an American avant-garde artist.

The Road Home by Rose Tremain: In the wake of factory closings and his beloved wife's death, Lev makes his way from Eastern Europe to London, seeking work to support his mother and his little daughter.

The Secrets of Jin-shei by Alma Alexander: In an ancient kingdom, eight young women are bound together by Jin-shei: a vow of lifelong sisterhood --- a promise that is everlasting, a bond that cannot be broken, whatever the cost.

Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill: Kidnapped from Africa as a child, Aminata Diallo is enslaved in South Carolina but escapes during the chaos of the Revolutionary War.

Swimming by Nicola Keegan: A spectacular debut about the rise of an Olympic champion --- a novel about competition, the hunger for victory, and a young girl with an unsinkable spirit.

Talking to the Dead by Bonnie Grove: In this tender, quirky novel about embracing life, Grove patiently walks readers through the depths and mysteries of extreme sorrow after the death of a loved one.

Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson: Every family --- and every house --- has its secrets. Jo-Lynn Hunter isn't sure she wants to know the truth, but sometimes the truth has a way of making itself known.

A Thread of Truth by Marie Bostwick: Marie Bostwick's new novel A Thread of Truth weaves together new beginnings, old friends, and the rich, varied tapestry of lives fully lived. It's the perfect pick for books clubs as diverse and yet connected as sewing circles.

Trouble by Kate Christensen: A tragicomedy of marriage and friendship from Kate Christensen, the acclaimed author of The Great Man, winner of the 2008 PEN/Faulkner Award.

The Unit written by Ninni Holmqvist, translated by Marlaine Delargy: When Dorrit Weger turns 50, she is checked into the Unit. She is single, childless, and considered "dispensable" to society. But what happens when Dorrit falls in love inside the Unit? What will she do to get out?

What the Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy: Patti Lacy's second novel exposes the life of Sally, set amid the shadows of prejudice in Louisiana.

What We Remember by Michael Thomas Ford: Award-winning author Michael Thomas Ford's ambitious new novel will appeal to his core readership, but also fans of Julia Glass, Chris Bohjalian and Jodi Picoult.

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman: After their zoo was bombed, Polish zookeepers Jan and Antoninia Zabinski managed to save over 300 people from Nazi racism by hiding refugees in the empty animal cages.

Please note that these titles, for which we already had the guides when they appeared in hardcover, are now available in paperback:

Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons
Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

This month's prize:
The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells

Oprah's Book Club Selection
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

Get a Book Club Makeover
Whether your book club is just a few months old or has been around for a while, you might be in need of a Book Club Makeover from ReadingGroupGuides.com. After reading your emails --- and talking to book clubs across the country --- we see that book groups often can fall into a routine and need a bit of livening up. It's ReadingGroupGuides.com to the rescue! We'll select groups each month for makeovers, review the problems, and make suggestions. Interested in a Book Club Makeover for your group? Click here for details.

June 2009

2009-06-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

Special Features and Contests

Win a Copy of PERFECTION by Julie Metz for Your Group

We are celebrating the release of Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal by Julie Metz with a special contest. Ten readers will have the opportunity to each win one finished copy of Perfection, which will be in stores on June 9th, for their group.

More About Perfection:
A breathtakingly honest, gloriously written memoir about the complexities of forgiveness --- the story of a young widow who discovers her husband's secret life only after his sudden death.

Julie Metz's life changes forever on one ordinary January afternoon when her husband, Henry, collapses on the kitchen floor and dies in her arms. Suddenly, this mother of a six-year-old is the young widow in a bucolic small town. And this is only the beginning. Seven months after Henry's death, just when Julie thinks she is emerging from the worst of it, comes the rest of it: she discovers that what had appeared to be the reality of her marriage was but a half truth. Henry had hidden another life from her. Perfection is the story of Metz's journey through chaos and transformation, as she creates a different life for herself and for her young daughter. It is the story of coming to terms with painful truths, of rebuilding both a life and an identity after betrayal and widowhood. It is a story of rebirth and happiness --- if not perfection.

Click here to read all the contest details.
Click here for the reading group guide.

New and Recommended Fiction

The Angel's Game
by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

In the turbulent and surreal Barcelona of the 1920s, David Martin, a young novelist obsessed with a forbidden love, receives an offer from an enigmatic publisher to write a book like no other before --- a book for which "people will live and die." In return, he is promised a fortune and, perhaps, much more.

Soon David begins to see frightening parallels between the book he's been commissioned to write and an old religious manuscript retrieved from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Once again, Zafón takes us into a dark, gothic universe first seen in The Shadow of the Wind and creates a breathtaking adventure of intrigue, romance and tragedy.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Actor and the Housewife
by Shannon Hale

Seven months pregnant and far from home, Becky Jack walks into the office of a Hollywood producer to sell her first screenplay and, much to her shock, meets silver screen heartthrob (and the object of her celebrity affection) Felix Callahan. They spend an awkward and unexpected day together, and, though his cursing and drinking contradict her strict Mormon values, Felix and Becky somehow form an unshakable friendship.

Through the next decade, Felix and Becky experience tests of their bond they could never have anticipated.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Late, Lamented Molly Marx
by Sally Koslow

Exploring the bonds of fidelity, family and friendship, and narrated by a memorable and endearing character, The Late, Lamented Molly Marx is a hilarious, deeply moving and thought-provoking novel that is part mystery, part love story and all heart.

"Equal parts self-deprecating, wry and sassy, Molly is honest about her faults and equally forgiving of the others' as she reviews her life with a hearty dose of honesty and humor... The narrative's heavy dose of hilarity and heartbreak will win readers over." -- Publishers Weekly

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Censoring an Iranian Love Story
by Shahriar Mandanipour

A dazzlingly inventive novel about what it's like to live, love and be an artist in today's Iran. A writer named Shahriar --- the author's fictional alter ego --- sets out to write a bewitching love story, yet writing freely of his protagonists' forbidden encounters would put him in as much peril as his lovers. Thus we read not just the scenes Shahriar has written, but also the sentences and words he's crossed out or merely imagined, knowing they can never be published.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Likeness
by Tana French

Now Available in Paperback:
With her richly nuanced characters and deep psychological insight, Tana French explores themes of self-invention, deception and the ways truth can emerge from even the most convincing disguises. Set against a backdrop of tightly knit class and cultural tensions, The Likeness goes beyond the conventions of the whodunit to comment on the inequities and misguided values of modern society.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Unit
written by Ninni Holmqvist, translated by Marlaine Delargy

One day in early spring, Dorrit Weger is checked into the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material. Here, women over the age of 50 and men over 60 --- single, childless, and without jobs in progressive industries --- are expected to contribute themselves for the good of society. Despite the ruthless nature of this practice, Dorrit finds her conditions pleasant and comfortable. But when she meets a man and falls in love, the extraordinary becomes a reality and Dorrit is faced with compliance or escape.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

What We Remember
by Michael Thomas Ford

What We Remember paints a compelling, thought-provoking portrait of a family as ordinary, as unique, as comforting and strange as our own. With unerring insight and candor, Michael Thomas Ford explores the complex ties --- between fathers and sons, brothers and sisters, mother and child --- that we may strive to leave behind but are compelled to carry with us, revealing how little we can ever know with certainty...especially about those closest to us.

"Ford's fast-moving yet thoughtful exploration of family love and the things we do in its name." -- Booklist

Click Here for the reading group guide.

One in a Million
by Kimberla Lawson Roby

Now Available in Paperback:
Kennedi and Blake Mason have a good marriage. At least, Kennedi thinks they do --- until one fateful day. It starts out so well. Kennedi gets what she considers the best news ever and can't wait to tell her husband because it's something he's always dreamed about and wanted.

But when Blake arrives home that evening, he has some news of his own, which shocks Kennedi into silence.

Sometimes what we think we have and what we think we want aren't real at all.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Compass
by Tammy Kling and John Spencer Ellis

The Compass is a life-transforming novel that will guide you on a journey of self-discovery. New York Times bestselling author Brian Tracy raves: "The Compass will take you from where you are now to that place you've been destined to reach. It will help you achieve your goals and dreams."

Click Here for the reading group guide.

New and Recommended Nonfiction

The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women & a Forty-Year Friendship
by Jeffrey Zaslow

The New York Times bestseller hailed as "a testament to how women bond." (NPR's "On Point")

Meet the Girls from Ames --- the true story of a group of ordinary women who formed an extraordinary friendship --- and discover a moving portrait of a generation.

The Wall Street Journal called it, "A moving example of friendship at its best --- forgiving, accepting, offering enduring respite and support."

This summer you'll want to share it with the friends in your life.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

For Christian Readers

New Christian Guides

Come Sunday by Isla Morley

Forsaken by James David Jordan

Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida by Debby Mayne

Talking to the Dead by Bonnie Grove

Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson

Registered Book Club Promotion

For June we have three very special opportunities for Registered Book Groups. Our featured titles this month are The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson, Apples and Oranges by Marie Brenner and A Thread of Truth by Marie Bostwick. Groups who have registered with us by Monday, June 15th have the chance to win author chats and/or free books. If your group is not registered, click here to register.

Click here for details.

New Guides

An Accidental Light by Elizabeth Diamond: A car accident takes the life of a 13-year-old girl, and the ripple effects of a single moment of tragedy become a journey from sorrow to hope, and even, ultimately to joy.

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale: A very different kind of fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Shannon Hale.

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon: From master storyteller Carlos Ruiz Zafon comes The Angel's Game --- a dazzling new page-turner about the perilous nature of obsession, in literature and in love.

The Air Between Us by Deborah Johnson: A novel with the appeal of The Secret Life of Bees that explores the interactions of a small town in 1960s Missouri as it struggles with integration.

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown: A smart, comic page-turner about a Silicon Valley family in free fall over the course of one eventful summer.

Appassionata by Eva Hoffman: On tour in Europe, Isabel Merton, a renowned concert pianist, becomes ensnared in a passionate love affair with a Chechen political exile.

Atlas of Unknowns by Tania James: A funny and blazingly original novel about sisterhood, the tantalizing dream of America and the secret histories of families everywhere.

The Compass by Tammy Kling and John Spencer Ellis: The Compass is a life-transforming novel that will take you from where you are to where you want to be.

The Divorce Party by Laura Dave: An insightful and funny multi-generational story, this deeply moving novel is sure to touch anyone whose heart has weathered an unexpected storm.

An Elegy for Easterly by Petina Gappah: Set in the chaos and confusion of everyday life in Zimbabwe, Petina Gappah's debut collection, An Elegy for Easterly, is full of verve, wit and compassion.

Enduring Love: Sydney Cove Series, Book 3 by Bonnie Leon: The suspenseful conclusion to the Sydney Cove series, Enduring Love is a gripping story laced with the tender romance and hope that readers have come to expect from Bonnie Leon.

Entertaining Angels by Judy Duarte: From the author of the heartwarming Mulberry Park comes an uplifting, unforgettable new novel.

Finding Sara by Linda Hope Lee: A young woman's cross country journey to avoid marrying a man she does not love takes an unexpected turn when she finds herself stranded and alone.

Foreign Tongue: A Novel of Life and Love in Paris by Vanina Marsot: A young woman is forced to confront her notions of love, language and culture when, in the wake of a breakup, she moves to Paris and begins work translating a mysterious erotic novel.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton: From the internationally bestselling author of The House at Riverton, an unforgettable new novel that transports the reader from the back alleys of poverty of pre-World War I London to the shores of colonial Australia.

Forsaken by James David Jordan: What would it take for you to renounce your faith in Christ? Author James David Jordan confronts readers with this challenging question in his new book, Forsaken.

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson: "A vivid, smartly calibrated achievement...a ghost story, family psychodrama, and murder mystery all in one." -- Entertainment Weekly

The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and Friendship by Jeffrey Zaslow: From the co-author of the million-copy bestseller The Last Lecture comes a moving tribute to female friendships, with the inspiring story of 11 girls and the 10 women they became.

A Girl's Guide to Modern European Philosophy by Charlotte Greig: Philosophy student Susannah Jones stumbles through 1970s university life the only way she knows how: with the help of some of the most important philosophers of modern times.

God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens: In the tradition of Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris's recent bestseller, The End of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion.

High: Confessions of an International Drug Smuggler by Brian O'Dea: High weaves together extracts from Brian O'Dea prison diary with the vivid recounting of his outlaw years as one of the world's most efficient marijuana traffickers.

Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg: The bestselling author of The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted and The Year of Pleasures returns with a wonderful novel about a woman, a daughter, and a surprising change in life.

The House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey: Two unlikely college friends form a lifelong bond, bringing them mutual good luck for years; but now that they've both found "true love," tragedy threatens to strike.

The Household Guide to Dying by Debra Adelaide: A gorgeously crafted, witty and uplifting novel that captures the reader --- heart and mind --- and expands our understanding of a meaningful life.

How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson: A playful, witty and remarkably accomplished debut novel about --- of all things --- how reading can save your life.

Made in the U.S.A. by Billie Letts: The bestselling author of Where the Heart Is returns with a heartrending tale of two children in search of a place to call home.

Nothing But Trouble: PJ Sugar Series, Book 1 by Susan May Warren: Award-winning author Susan May Warren returns with Nothing But Trouble, the first novel in a new series for Christian fans of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum.

Oxygen by Carol Cassella: Oxygen is a riveting new novel by a real-life anesthesiologist, an intimate story of relationships and family that collides with a high-stakes medical drama.

Parenting Your Teen and Loving It: Being the Mom Your Kid Needs by Susie Davis: Davis's unfailing advice and encouragement will help you be the best mom you can be by empowering you to parent your teenagers with wisdom.

A Passion Denied: The Daughters of Boston, Book 3 by Julie Lessman: Brimming with romance, longing and redemption, A Passion Denied, will quicken your pulse and gladden your heart with a riveting story of the true power of love.

Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal by Julie Metz: Perfection is the story of coming to terms with painful truths, of rebuilding both a life and an identity after betrayal and widowhood.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick: With echoes of Wuthering Heights and Rebecca, Robert Goolrick's intoxicating debut novel delivers a classic tale of suspenseful seduction, set in a world that seems to have gone temporarily off its axis.

Right of Thirst by Frank Huyler: In this haunting, resonant tour de force, an American doctor's search for redemption lands him halfway across the world on a relief mission that goes horribly awry.

The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly: Jack McEvoy decides to use his final days at the Los Angeles Times to write the definitive murder story of his career.

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry: An epic story of family, love and unavoidable tragedy from the two-time Man Booker Prize finalist.

Secrets She Left Behind by Diane Chamberlain: One afternoon, single mother Sara Weston says that she's going to the store --- and never returns. In her absence, she leaves her teenaged son alone with his damaged past and a legacy of secrets.

The Turnaround by George Pelecanos: A novel of fathers and sons, wives and husbands, loss, victory and violent redemption, The Turnaround is another compelling, highly charged novel from George Pelecanos, "the best crime novelist in America." --Oregonian

Up at the College by Michele Andrea Bowen: After her marriage of 15 years ends, Yvonne Fountain Copeland returns to her hometown of Durham, North Carolina in search of peace and joy.

Valeria's Last Stand by Marc Fitten: A wry folktale about life, love and capitalism in a tiny village off the map of Hungary.

We Are Our Mothers' Daughters: Revised and Expanded Edition by Cokie Roberts: In this 10th-anniversary edition of We Are Our Mothers' Daughters, renowned political commentator Cokie Roberts once again examines the nature of women's roles through the revealing lens of her personal experience.

We Are Rich: Stories by Dori Carter: A novel in stories, We Are Rich presents a fresh look on the burdens of wealth, class and the unwitting arsonists of the American Dream.

The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels: Anne Michaels, author of Fugitive Pieces, writes a love story of extraordinary depth that juxtaposes an intriguing bit of history with the intimate moments of individual lives.

Oprah's Book Club Selection
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

This month's prize:
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Get a Book Club Makeover
Whether your book club is just a few months old or has been around for a while, you might be in need of a Book Club Makeover from ReadingGroupGuides.com. After reading your emails --- and talking to book clubs across the country --- we see that book groups often can fall into a routine and need a bit of livening up. It's ReadingGroupGuides.com to the rescue! We'll select groups each month for makeovers, review the problems, and make suggestions. Interested in a Book Club Makeover for your group? Click here for details.

May 2009

2009-05-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

Special Features and Contests

Win a Copy of THE HOUSEHOLD GUIDE TO DYING by Debra Adelaide for Your Group

We are celebrating the release of The Household Guide to Dying by Debra Adelaide --- a gorgeously crafted, witty and uplifting novel that captures the reader and expands one's understanding of a meaningful life --- with a special contest. Eighty-five readers will have the opportunity to each win one advance copy of The Household Guide to Dying, which is now available in stores, for their group.

More About The Household Guide to Dying:
The Household Guide to Dying is a freshly insightful, hopeful and dramatic novel full of heart and life --- told from the perspective of a household advice columnist, wife and mother who is determined to finish a lifetime's worth of tasks even though she doesn't have a lifetime left to live.

"I think you'll love this life-affirming novel. I did."
--- Wally Lamb, author of The Hour I First Believed

Click here to read all the contest details.
Click here for the reading group guide.

New and Recommended Fiction

The Secret Scripture
by Sebastian Barry

Now Available in Paperback:
In The Secret Scripture, Sebastian Barry revisits County Sligo, Ireland, the setting for his previous three books, to tell the unforgettable story of Roseanne McNulty. Once one of the most beguiling women in Sligo, she is now a resident of Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital and nearing her hundredth year. Set against an Ireland besieged by conflict, The Secret Scripture is an engrossing tale of one woman's life, and a vivid reminder of the stranglehold that the Catholic Church had on individuals throughout much of the 20th century.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Winter Vault
by Anne Michaels

From the author of Fugitive Pieces, an exquisite second novel about enduring love; about memory keeping faith with the past; and about human desire. It is 1964, and Avery is one of the engineers responsible for dismantling and reconstructing Abu Simbel before the Aswan Dam submerges the Egyptian flood site. Jean is his newlywed wife, a botanist who enters the life of Lucjan, a Polish émigré who draws her away from her husband --- but closer to a more essential life.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

A Reliable Wife
by Robert Goolrick

Rural Wisconsin, 1909. In the bitter cold, Ralph Truitt, a successful businessman, stands alone on a train platform waiting for the woman who answered his newspaper advertisement for "a reliable wife." But when Catherine Land steps off the train from Chicago, she's not the "simple, honest woman" that Ralph is expecting. Isolated on a remote estate and imprisoned by relentless snow, the story of Ralph and Catherine unfolds in unimaginable ways.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Atlas of Unknowns
by Tania James

In the wake of their mother's mysterious death, Linno and Anju Vallara are raised in Kerala by their father and grandmother. As a teenager, Anju wins a scholarship to a Manhattan prep school with an act of betrayal that severs her relationship with Linno. But when Anju finds herself ensnared with her own lies, she runs away. Desperate to find Anju, Linno embarks on a journey of her own, toward her sister, toward America and toward forgiveness.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Divorce Party
by Laura Dave

Now Available in Paperback:
Laura Dave is widely recognized as an up-and-coming talent in women's fiction. Now, with her characteristic wit and warmth, she captures a much-discussed cultural phenomenon that has never been profiled in fiction before --- divorce celebrations. Set in Hamptons high society, The Divorce Party features two women --- one newly engaged and one at the end of her marriage --- trying to answer the same question: when should you fight to save a relationship, and when should you let go?

Click Here for the reading group guide.

A Girl's Guide to Modern European Philosophy
by Charlotte Greig

Philosophy student Susannah Jones stumbles through 1970s university life the only way she knows how: with the help of some of the most important philosophers of modern times. She falls in love, breaks up, and dabbles in feminism and sexual freedom. But circumstances become more complicated than Susannah would like when she finds herself in a particularly impossible dilemma: she becomes pregnant.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Appassionata
by Eva Hoffman

A renowned concert pianist at the height of her career, Isabel Merton feels increasingly dissatisfied with her itinerant artist's life. On a European tour, she meets a political exile from war-torn Chechnya. As their paths cross in several cities, they are drawn to each other both by their differences, and their seemingly parallel passions until a menacing incident throws her into a creative crisis, and forces her to re-evaluate his actions, and her own motives.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Last Days of the Lacuna Cabal
by Sean Dixon

The Lacuna Cabal Montreal Young Women's Book Club loves to bring to life the books they read. But when they begin to enact the Epic of Gilgamesh, in the early days of the Iraq War, the book begins to enact them instead, sending the Cabalists across the globe in search of a wise man who will hopefully have all the answers.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Valeria's Last Stand
by Marc Fitten

There are big fish in small ponds, and then there is Valeria --- a whale in a puddle. She harrumphs her daily way through her backwater Hungarian village, finding equal fault with the new, the old, the foreign, and the familiar. Her decades of universal contempt have turned her into a touchstone of her little community --- whatever she scorns the least must truly be the best. But one day, on a day like any other, her spinster's heart is struck by an unlikely arrow: the village potter, long known and little noticed, captures her fancy, and Valeria finds herself playing an uncomfortable new role.

With humor and sensitivity, author Marc Fitten delivers an unexpected and entirely inspiring debut novel --- a celebration of late-flowering love that's sure to warm the hearts of even the most committed curmudgeons.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

We Are Rich
by Dori Carter

With the same unerring eye that made her a Los Angeles Times bestseller with Beautiful Wasps Having Sex, Dori Carter trains her incautious wit on the burdens of wealth, class and the unwitting arsonists of the American Dream in this collection of short stories. As if foreshadowing our current economic graveyard, We Are Rich shows us where the bodies are buried as we watch the hillsides of paradise quite literally go up in smoke.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

An Accidental Light
by Elizabeth Diamond

On a quiet road just outside London, a fatal car accident takes the life of 13-year-old Laura Jenkins, and her death changes the lives of two families forever. In this poignant and heart-warming debut novel, Elizabeth Diamond explores the ripple effects of a single moment of tragedy --- the journey from guilt to peace, from vengeance to forgiveness, from sorrow to hope --- and even, ultimately, to joy. An Accidental Light is a tender and deeply affecting story that is not easily forgotten.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Killer Cruise: A Jaine Austen Mystery
by Laura Levine

Jaine Austen's ship has finally come in! Her new teaching gig is on a fancy cruise line where she nabs a free vacation --- and access to a 24-hour buffet! But her all-expenses-paid trip to the Mexican Riviera seems destined to be a wreck…

Click Here for the reading group guide.

New and Recommended Nonfiction

High: Confessions of an International Drug Smuggler
by Brian O'Dea

In the early 1980s, Brian O'Dea was operating a $100 million a year, 120-man drug smuggling business, and had developed a terrifying cocaine addiction. Under increasing threat from the DEA for importing 75 tons of marijuana into the United States, he quit the trade --- and the drugs --- and began working with recovering addicts. Despite his life change, the authorities caught up with him years later and O'Dea was sentenced to 10 years in prison. High weaves together extracts from his prison diary with the vivid recounting of his outlaw years and the daunting recognition of those things in life worth living for.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

For Christian Readers

The Moment Between
by Nicole Baart

Abigail Bennett was completely in control of her life until tragedy suddenly pushed her to the brink of something she's never experienced: obsession. Now, she's given up everything to chase down the object of that obsession. His name is Tyler Kamp.

The Moment Between is a complex novel about the emotional risks of relationships between a 30-year-old unmarried accountant looking to reinvent herself, her troubled sister, and the man who becomes, for very different reasons, their shared obsession.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Entertaining Angels
by Judy Duarte

As a teen, Kristy Smith spent her nights dreaming of a college scholarship --- dreams that ended abruptly when she became pregnant. When Craig Houston became a pastor, he envisioned making a difference in some distant, poverty-stricken country, not dealing with youth groups and shut-ins in a tidy suburb like Fairbrook. But things aren't always what they seem. One by one, the residents of Fairbrook are about to learn that the future can surprise and redeem us, especially when there is courage and true friendship in abundance, and a little help from an unexpected source.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Parenting Your Teen and Loving It: Being the Mom Your Kid Needs
by Susie Davis

Cell phones and Facebook. Slammed doors and mood swings. Somehow, your sweet child changed into a baffling bunch of hormones you barely recognize. You love your teen but worry about being the mom you need to be.

Susie Davis can help. She gives you the information you need to understand where your teen is emotionally, intellectually, physically and spiritually. With humor and transparency, this seasoned mother of teens answers your big questions.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

New Christian Guides

Enduring Love: Sydney Cove Series, Book 3 by Bonnie Leon

Jillian Dare by Melanie M. Jeschke

The Moment Between by Nicole Baart

Nothing But Trouble: PJ Sugar Series, Book 1 by Susan May Warren

A Passion Denied: The Daughters of Boston, Book 3 by Julie Lessman

Registered Book Club Promotion

For May we have three very special opportunities for Registered Book Groups. Our featured titles this month are The No 1. Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, Secrets She Left Behind by Diane Chamberlain and The Killing Tree by Rachel Keener. Groups who have registered with us by Wednesday, May 13th have the chance to win author chats and/or free books. If your group is not registered, click here to register.

Click here for details.

New Guides

7th Heaven: A Women's Murder Club Novel by James Patterson: Frightened for her life and torn between two men, Lindsay Boxer must find a way to solve the most daunting dilemmas she's ever faced --- at work and at home.

All the Living by C. E. Morgan: An unforgettable novel from a mesmerizing new voice in fiction, All the Living defies the traditional notions of a love story.

The Air Between Us by Deborah Johnson: A novel with the appeal of The Secret Life of Bees that explores the interactions of a small town in 1960s Missouri as it struggles with integration.

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown: A smart, comic page-turner about a Silicon Valley family in free fall over the course of one eventful summer.

Appassionata by Eva Hoffman: On tour in Europe, Isabel Merton, a renowned concert pianist, becomes ensnared in a passionate love affair with a Chechen political exile.

Atlas of Unknowns by Tania James: A funny and blazingly original novel about sisterhood, the tantalizing dream of America and the secret histories of families everywhere.

B as in Beauty by Alberto Ferreras: Everyone in the world, it seems, is either prettier or thinner (or both) than Beauty Marie Zavala.

City of Thieves by David Benioff: A gripping, cinematic World War II adventure and an intimate coming-of-age story with a contemporary feel for how boys become men.

The Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles: In 1863, the War Between the States creeps slowly yet inevitably toward its bloody conclusion --- and eastern thoughts are already turning to different wars and enemies.

The Diary by Eileen Goudge: The Diary is a love story. It's also the story of the unshakable bond between a mother and her daughters.

The Divorce Party by Laura Dave: An insightful and funny multi-generational story, this deeply moving novel is sure to touch anyone whose heart has weathered an unexpected storm.

Entertaining Angels by Judy Duarte: From the author of the heartwarming Mulberry Park comes an uplifting, unforgettable new novel.

Figures in Silk by Vanora Bennett: Two sisters discover passion during the War of the Roses --- one in the arms of the king, the other in the world of silk.

Finding Sara by Linda Hope Lee: A young woman's cross country journey to avoid marrying a man she does not love takes an unexpected turn when she finds herself stranded and alone.

A Flickering Light: Portraits of the Heart, Book 1 by Jane Kirkpatrick: Aspiring photographer Jessie Gaebele fights a growing attraction to her employer by fleeing toward the rugged frontier, but the shadows of temptation aren't easily left behind.

The Household Guide to Dying by Debra Adelaide: A gorgeously crafted, witty and uplifting novel that captures the reader --- heart and mind --- and expands our understanding of a meaningful life.

The House in Grosvenor Square: A Regency Inspirational Romance by Linore Rose Burkard: Jane Austen readers and fans of Regency romances everywhere will love The House in Grosvenor Square.

How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson: A playful, witty and remarkably accomplished debut novel about --- of all things --- how reading can save your life.

The Inn at Eagle Point by Sherryl Woods: The Inn at Eagle Point launches New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods's new Chesapeake Shores series featuring another complex family, another charming town.

Jillian Dare by Melanie Jeschke: This contemporary story, inspired by the well-loved classic Jane Eyre, will capture your heart with its timeless romance and the mystery of love.

Killer Cruise: A Jaine Austen Mystery by Laura Levine: Laura Levine's latest mystery featuring wordsmith-turned-sleuth, Jaine Austen --- who's about to dive into her most dangerous case yet --- she's far beyond any ordinary Bon Voyage.

The Killing Tree by Rachel Keener: A powerful and surprising first novel that is commercial and suspenseful in tone while deep and lyrical in its prose, The Killing Tree will wrap you deeply in the folds of contemporary Appalachian culture.

The Last Days of the Lacuna Cabal by Sean Dixon: An offbeat rites-of-passage novel that follows the members of a shallow, squabbling, time-wasting, protracted-adolescent book club as they find themselves transformed through the alchemy of the storyteller's art.

Love Begins in Winter: Five Stories by Simon Van Booy: A new collection of intimate, redemptive short stories from award-winning writer Simon Van Booy, exposing beauty in sadness, and pain in love.

Love in Bloom by Sheila Roberts: A woman can grow a lot at a community garden, even friendship. Hope Walker's new friends help her learn to live life to the fullest.

The Moment Between by Nicole Baart: A breathtaking story about the emotional risks of relationships, The Moment Between explores the cost of regret, the desire for revenge, and the redemptive power of forgiveness.

The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton: A re-discovered classic and timeless bestseller, this beloved family saga of the American heartland was recommended by Jane Smiley as one of the hundred classic novels everyone should read.

My Son, John by Kathi Macias: After a brutal murder, a family searches for answers. Can God bring healing to a family torn apart by a brutal crime?

The Ocean Inside by Janna McMahan: The Ocean Inside explores what it means to hope, love and fight for what matters most…even in the face of overwhelming odds.

Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas: Sandra Dallas, author of the critically acclaimed Tallgrass, has created an unforgettable tale of a friendship between two women --- one that is ultimately a revelation of the finest parts of the human spirit.

Right of Thirst by Frank Huyler: In this haunting, resonant tour de force, an American doctor's search for redemption lands him halfway across the world on a relief mission that goes horribly awry.

River of Heaven by Lee Martin: River of Heaven is a story of love and loss, loneliness and connection as one man tries to find a way to reconcile his past.

Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji: An emotionally engaging debut novel from a talented new writer --- a coming-of-age story set in Iran in the 1970s that is funny, insightful, tragic and ultimately uplifting.

The Sacred Well by Antoinette May: Two women, both writers, living 80 years apart, stumble into uncertain territory in love --- and perhaps an ancient Mayan curse --- when their careers bring them to the Yucatan and the ruins of Chichen Itza.

The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly: Jack McEvoy decides to use his final days at the Los Angeles Times to write the definitive murder story of his career.

Secrets to Happiness by Sarah Dunn: A big-hearted, knife-sharp and hilariously entertaining story about the perils of love and friendship, sex and betrayal --- and a thoroughly modern take on our struggle to be happy.

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry: An epic story of family, love and unavoidable tragedy from the two-time Man Booker Prize finalist.

Serendipity by Louise Shaffer: Louise Shaffer brings to life three generations of Italian American women in this stunning novel of surprises, secrets and serendipity.

Somebody Else's Daughter by Elizabeth Brundage: Elizabeth Brundage, the author of The Doctor's Wife, has given us another electric, suspenseful tale of conflicted characters and the fractured landscape of the American psyche.

The Sorrows of an American by Siri Hustvedt: When Erik Davidsen and his sister, Inga, find a disturbing note among their late father's papers, they believe he may be implicated in a mysterious death.

The Story of Forgetting by Stefan Merrill Block: Now available in paperback, Stefan Merrill Block's extraordinary first novel illuminates the hard-learned truth that only through the loss of what we consider precious can we understand the value of what remains.

Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber: It swept to the top of the bestseller lists and riveted the consciousness of the world. Sybil is the story of a survivor of terrifying childhood abuse, victim of sudden and mystifying blackouts, and the first case of multiple personality ever to be psychoanalyzed.

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman: A hilarious and harrowing post-college journey to China, a modern heart of darkness filled with Communist operatives, backpackers and pancakes.

Up at the College by Michele Andrea Bowen: After her marriage of 15 years ends, Yvonne Fountain Copeland returns to her hometown of Durham, North Carolina in search of peace and joy.

Valeria's Last Stand by Marc Fitten: A wry folktale about life, love and capitalism in a tiny village off the map of Hungary.

We Are Rich: Stories by Dori Carter: A novel in stories, We Are Rich presents a fresh look on the burdens of wealth, class and the unwitting arsonists of the American Dream.

A Widow's Hope: The Miller Family Series by Mary Ellis: A bright new voice shares a tender love story set in the rolling green fields of Ohio Amish country.

A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father by Augusten Burroughs: Augusten Burroughs's memoir re-creates the unspeakably terrifying relationship between a sociopathic father and a son yearning for unconditional love.

Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong: The winner of the inaugural Man Asian Literary prize, Wolf Totem is the fictionalized memoir of author Jiang Rong.

Now Available in Paperback

An Absolute Scandal by Penny Vincenzi
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Testimony by Anita Shreve
The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton
Wit's End by Karen Joy Fowler

Oprah's Book Club Selection
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

This month's prize:
Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg

Get a Book Club Makeover
Whether your book club is just a few months old or has been around for a while, you might be in need of a Book Club Makeover from ReadingGroupGuides.com. After reading your emails --- and talking to book clubs across the country --- we see that book groups often can fall into a routine and need a bit of livening up. It's ReadingGroupGuides.com to the rescue! We'll select groups each month for makeovers, review the problems, and make suggestions. Interested in a Book Club Makeover for your group? Click here for details.

April 2009

2009-04-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

ReadingGroupGuides.com's 2009 Book Group Survey -- Give Us Your Input and Receive a Complementary Book!

ReadingGroupGuides.com is conducting a survey of book groups. Our goal is to identify trends and topics that are of interest to book groups that we can share with publishers and authors, so they can provide the information and resources to enhance your meetings and discussions. We have not done a survey since 2001, and we know that a lot has changed in the last eight years! Thus, we would love to hear from you.

We estimate it will take 12-15 minutes to complete the survey. As your time is valuable to us, as a token of our appreciation for completing the survey, EACH survey participant will receive ONE of 28 books that appear at the bottom of this page.

We thank our publishing colleagues who graciously provided these incentives for you to share your thoughts with us. Please note that each of these titles would be worthy of a book club discussion! Prize titles will be selected at random and sent to you from the participating publisher. Your name will not be used for any other mailing. If you know people in other book clubs, may we suggest that you forward this link to them? The more voices that are heard for this, the more we will be able to have your comments shared with publishers and authors.

The survey will close on April 30th, or as soon as we have 2,500 prizes awarded, so click here to answer the survey NOW.

One quick note: Given customs and mailing restrictions, the prize offerings are only available to residents of the United States and Canada. To our international readers, we welcome your participation and regret we cannot send prizes overseas.

-Click here for more information about the survey and the 28 prize books.

Special Features and Contests

Win a Copy of THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN and the Chance to Have an IN-PERSON Chat with Garth Stein!

We are celebrating the upcoming paperback release of The Art of Racing in the Rain --- Garth Stein's New York Times bestselling novel about family, love, loyalty and hope --- with a very special two-part contest. 100 readers will receive a copy of The Art of Racing in the Rain for their book club as well as an Art of Racing in the Rain buzz kit. We will then contact our 100 winning groups and ask them to tell us how they would creatively use some or all of the items included in this kit in their book discussion. One Grand Prize Winner will have an IN-PERSON chat with Garth Stein. Two runners-up will receive the opportunity to chat with Garth Stein by phone. The Art of Racing in the Rain will be available in paperback on June 9th.

More About The Art of Racing in the Rain:
On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through. Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul, he has educated himself by watching television and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.

Click here to read all the contest details.
Click here for the reading group guide.

Win a Copy of ROOFTOPS OF TEHRAN by Mahbod Seraji for Your Group

We are celebrating the upcoming release of Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji --- a coming-of-age story set in Iran in the 1970s that is funny, insightful, tragic and ultimately uplifting --- with a special contest. 50 readers will have the opportunity to each win one finished copy of Rooftops of Tehran, which will be in stores on May 5th, for their group.

More About Rooftops of Tehran:
In a middle-class neighborhood of Iran's sprawling capital city, 17-year-old Pasha Shahed spends the summer of 1973 on his rooftop with his best friend Ahmed, joking around one minute and asking burning questions about life the next. He also hides a secret love for his beautiful neighbor Zari, who has been betrothed since birth to another man. But the bliss of Pasha and Zari's stolen time together is shattered when Pasha unwittingly acts as a beacon for the Shah's secret police. The violent consequences awaken him to the reality of living under a powerful despot, and lead Zari to make a shocking choice...

Click here to read all the contest details.
Click here for the reading group guide.

New and Recommended Fiction

City of Thieves
by David Benioff

Now Available in Paperback:
"This spellbinding story perfectly blends tragedy and comedy." --USA Today

During the Nazis' brutal siege of Leningrad, Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and thrown into the same cell as a handsome deserter named Kolya. Instead of being executed, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful Soviet colonel to use in his daughter's wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and behind enemy lines to find the impossible.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

River of Heaven
by Lee Martin

Now Available in Paperback:
On an April evening in 1955, Dewey Finn died on the railroad tracks outside Mt. Gilead, Illinois, and the mystery of his death still confounds the people of this small town.

River of Heaven begins some fifty years later and centers on the story of Dewey's boyhood friend Sam Brady, whose solitary adult life is much formed by what really went on in the days leading up to that evening at the tracks. It's a story he'd do anything to keep from telling, but when his brother, Cal, returns to Mt. Gilead after decades of self-exile, it threatens to come to the surface.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Diary
by Eileen Goudge

When sisters Sarah and Emily stumble across an old diary while cleaning out their mother's attic, they are stunned to learn she was in love with another man before their dad. As they read on, they are left with more questions than answers. What made the youthful Elizabeth chose their dad in the end? What became of the mysterious AJ? The answers may surprise you --- and have you asking, "How well do I know my parents?"

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Somebody Else's Daughter
by Elizabeth Brundage

Now Available in Paperback:
"[A] deft balancing act of taut plot and richly drawn characters... Brundage is a storyteller supreme" --Wally Lamb

Two young drifters, Nate and Cat, are forced by stress and circumstance to give up their infant daughter Willa for adoption. For 17 years, Willa has lived in elegant prosperity with Joe and Candace Golding, her adoptive parents, in the Massachusetts Berkshires, where she attends the elite, private Pioneer School. But the Goldings have fled a mysterious past, and when a cleaned-up Nate arrives at Pioneer to teach English, the well-varnished façade of an idyllic small town begins to crack.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Love in Bloom
by Sheila Roberts

"Sheila Roberts makes me laugh. I read her books and come away inspired, hopeful, and happy." --Debbie Macomber, New York Times bestselling author

When Hope Walker stakes out a plot of ground at Heart Lake's community garden, she finds that a woman can grow all sorts of things there: flowers, vegetables, and even friendship. As she gets to know the two women who share neighboring plots, they discover that they can learn a lot from one another --- not just about gardening but about life.

To learn more about Sheila Roberts and Love in Bloom visit her website, www.sheilasplace.com. There you'll also find great contests, recipes and more.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Ocean Inside
by Janna McMahan

Life changes in an instant. One day, Emmett and Lauren's biggest worries are of escalating taxes on their gorgeous Victorian beach house on Pawley's Island, SC. The next, they're facing a devastating crisis. From the acclaimed author of Calling Home comes the compelling new novel about the bonds between husband and wife, parents and children, and the strength that lies within. The Ocean Inside explores what it means to fight for what matters most...even in the face of overwhelming odds.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

For Christian Readers

New Christian Guides

The House in Grosvenor Square: A Regency Inspirational Romance by Linore Rose Burkard

My Son, John by Kathi Macias

A Widow's Hope: The Miller Family Series by Mary Ellis

Registered Book Club Promotion

For April we have FIVE very special opportunities for Registered Book Groups. Our featured titles this month are Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas, Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos, A Flickering Light by Jane Kirkpatrick, A Widow's Hope by Mary Ellis and The House in Grosvenor Square by Linore Rose Burkard. Groups who have registered with us by Monday, April 13th have the chance to win author chats and/or free books. If your group is not registered, click here to register.

Click here for details.

New Guides

All the Living by C. E. Morgan: An unforgettable novel from a mesmerizing new voice in fiction, All the Living defies the traditional notions of a love story.

B as in Beauty by Alberto Ferreras: Everyone in the world, it seems, is either prettier or thinner (or both) than Beauty Marie Zavala.

City of Thieves by David Benioff: A gripping, cinematic World War II adventure and an intimate coming-of-age story with a contemporary feel for how boys become men.

The Diary by Eileen Goudge: The Diary is a love story. It's also the story of the unshakable bond between a mother and her daughters.

Figures in Silk by Vanora Bennett: Two sisters discover passion during the War of the Roses --- one in the arms of the king, the other in the world of silk.

The House in Grosvenor Square: A Regency Inspirational Romance by Linore Rose Burkard: Jane Austen readers and fans of Regency romances everywhere will love The House in Grosvenor Square.

Love in Bloom by Sheila Roberts: A woman can grow a lot at a community garden, even friendship. Hope Walker's new friends help her learn to live life to the fullest.

My Son, John by Kathi Macias: After a brutal murder, a family searches for answers. Can God bring healing to a family torn apart by a brutal crime?

The Ocean Inside by Janna McMahan: The Ocean Inside explores what it means to hope, love and fight for what matters most...even in the face of overwhelming odds.

River of Heaven by Lee Martin: River of Heaven is a story of love and loss, loneliness and connection as one man tries to find a way to reconcile his past.

Serendipity by Louise Shaffer: Louise Shaffer brings to life three generations of Italian American women in this stunning novel of surprises, secrets and serendipity.

The Sorrows of an American by Siri Hustvedt: When Erik Davidsen and his sister, Inga, find a disturbing note among their late father's papers, they believe he may be implicated in a mysterious death.

A Widow's Hope: The Miller Family Series by Mary Ellis: A bright new voice shares a tender love story set in the rolling green fields of Ohio Amish country.

Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong: The winner of the inaugural Man Asian Literary prize, Wolf Totem is the fictionalized memoir of author Jiang Rong.

Now Available in Paperback

Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos
Bound by Sally Gunning
Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not: A Memoir of Finding Faith, Hope, and Happily Ever After by Trish Ryan
Lady MacBeth by Susan Fraser King
The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
Turning Tables by Heather and Rose MacDowell
Unaccustomed Earth: Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri

Oprah's Book Club Selection
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

This month's prize:
Serendipity by Louise Shaffer

Get a Book Club Makeover
Whether your book club is just a few months old or has been around for a while, you might be in need of a Book Club Makeover from ReadingGroupGuides.com. After reading your emails --- and talking to book clubs across the country --- we see that book groups often can fall into a routine and need a bit of livening up. It's ReadingGroupGuides.com to the rescue! We'll select groups each month for makeovers, review the problems, and make suggestions. Interested in a Book Club Makeover for your group? Click here for details.

March 2009

2009-03-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

American Wife
by Curtis Sittenfeld

Now Available in Paperback:
"[Sittenfeld] succeeds in creating a memorable and sympathetic heroine... Nimble... Wickedly hilarious."
-- Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

A kind, bookish only child born in the 1940s, Alice Lindgren has no idea that she will one day end up in the White House, married to the president. In her small Wisconsin hometown, she learns the virtues of politeness, but a tragic accident when she is 17 shatters her identity and changes the trajectory of her life. More than a decade later, when the charismatic son of a powerful Republican family sweeps her off her feet, she is surprised to find herself admitted into a world of privilege.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Deep Dish
by Mary Kay Andrews

Now Available in Paperback:
Local cooking show hosts Gina Foxton and Tate Moody face off in a reality show competition. The prize is the starring role in his or her own series on the Cooking Channel. As much as Gina and Tate yearn to win, they reluctantly find themselves distracted by their attraction to each other, in this hilarious and delightful romp from bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Heart and Soul
by Maeve Binchy

With the insight, humor and compassion we have come to expect from her, Maeve Binchy tells a story of family, friends, patients and staff who are part of a heart clinic in a community caught between the old and the new Ireland. In this clinic, lives are saved, courage is rewarded, and humor and optimism triumph over greed and self-pity. Heart and Soul is Maeve Binchy at her storytelling best.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Mudbound
by Hillary Jordan

Now Available in Paperback:
"This is storytelling at the height of its powers. Hillary Jordan writes with the force of a Delta storm."
-- Barbara Kingsolver

March 17th marks the official publication date of the paperback release of Hillary Jordan's award-winning novel Mudbound. Hailed by The Washington Post as a compelling family tragedy, a confluence of romantic attraction and racial hatred that falls like an avalanche," this powerful novel will make for engaging book club discussions. For fans of timeless classics like To Kill a Mockingbird and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.

Click here for the reading group guide.

The Forgery of Venus
by Michael Gruber

Now Available in Paperback:
An artist born outside his time, Chaz Wilmot can paint like Leonardo, Goya, Gainsborough --- and he refuses to shape his talent to fit the fashion of the day. His unique abilities attract the attention of Werner Krebs, an art dealer with a dark past and shadier present, and soon Wilmot is working with a fervor he hasn't felt in years. But his creative burst is accompanied by strange interludes --- memories that are not memories... and he begins to wonder if he is really the person he believes he is.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Anatomy of Wings
by Karen Foxlee

A powerful novel about the pain of grief that is as unexpectedly funny as it is wise. Discover the award-winning novel with your book club.

"Foxlee captures the small ways that humans reveal themselves, the mysterious intensity of female adolescence, and the surreal quiet of a grieving house, which slowly and with astonishing resilience fills again with sound and music."
-- Starred Review, Booklist

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Terra Incognita
by Ruth Downie

Now Available in Paperback:
Following her widely acclaimed New York Times bestselling debut, Ruth Downie sends beleaguered army doctor Gaius Petrius Ruso to the uncivilized borders of the Roman Empire, where the Roman-controlled Britannia meets the independent tribes of the north. Ruso, unwillingly pulled into the murder investigation, is appalled to find that his slave Tilla is spending time with the prime suspect. Soon both Ruso's and Tilla's lives are in jeopardy, as is the future of their burgeoning romance.

"Downie's attention to day-in-the-life period details, judiciously doled-out twists, and dry British humor make Incognita one hell of a toga party."
-- Entertainment Weekly

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Pictures at an Exhibition
by Sara Houghteling

Set in a Paris darkened by World War II, Sara Houghteling's sweeping and sensuous debut novel tells the story of a son's quest to recover his family's lost masterpieces, looted by the Nazis during the occupation. Written with luminous historical detail, and as haunting as the paintings that are reprinted on its pages, Houghteling's novel conjures a mesmerizing world of art and artists, the melancholy of an end of an era, and a timeless story of fathers and sons.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Crossing the Hudson
by Peter Stephan Jungk

While driving from the airport with his widowed mother to his vacation house in New York, Gustav Rubin --- distracted by his kvetching mother --- makes a wrong turn and ends up on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, and mother and son get caught in a traffic jam of epic proportions on the Tappan Zee Bridge, leading to the crisis that will finally force Gustav, at 45, to grow up.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The King's Daughter
by Barbara Kyle

Upon the death of her father, Henry VIII, Queen Mary assumes the throne after a long exile. Her first order of business is to wed the devout Prince Philip of Spain, creating a powerful alliance that will transform Mary's fanatical dream of ridding England of Protestantism into terrifying reality. And so begins the reign of Bloody Mary...

Filled with lavish period detail and fascinating characters, The King's Daughter mesmerizes readers as it takes them into a riveting world of riches, pageantry, passion and danger...

Click Here for the reading group guide.

New and Recommended Nonfiction

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective
by Kate Summerscale

Now Available in Paperback:
With the brisk pace of an old-fashioned murder mystery, The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher re-creates the fascinating case that dominated the pages of newspapers and detective novels alike, inspiring some of the best mystery writers of the Victorian era and beyond.

"If you are a mystery lover, or if you have ever wondered how the modern love of the genre began, you'll enjoy Summerscale's tracing of the early days of the profession and the fascination it exerted...a fascinating look at Victorian life, death and detection."
-- Associated Press

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Hats & Eyeglasses: A Memoir
by Martha Frankel

Now Available in Paperback:
Martha Frankel grew up in a warm, loving family of diehard gamblers, where her father's poker games and her mother's mah-jongg blended happily with big pots of delicious food and endless gossip. In this "fast-paced and amazingly funny" (The Times - Picayune) memoir, Frankel traces her love affair with poker, an obsession that didn't hit until her mid-40s. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Hats & Eyeglasses is a tale of passion, addiction --- and those times in life when we almost lose our shirt.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

For Christian Readers

New Christian Guides

Breach of Trust: Call of Duty Series, Book 1 by DiAnn Mills

The Desires of Her Heart: Texas: Star of Destiny, Book 1 by Lyn Cote

Michal: The Wives of King David, Book 1 by Jill Eileen Smith

Red, White and Blue: America Series, Book 2 by Laura Hayden

She's in a Better Place: The Fairlawn Series, Book 3 by Angela Elwell Hunt

Wind of the Spirit: The American Patriot Series, Book 3 by J. M. Hochstetler

Registered Book Club Promotion

For March we have two very special opportunities for Registered Book Groups. Our featured titles this month are Murder at the Academy Awards(R): A Red Carpet Murder Mystery by Joan Rivers with Jerrilyn Farmer and The Anatomy of Wings by Karen Foxlee. Groups who have registered with us by Monday, March 16th have the chance to win author chats and/or free books. If your group is not registered, click here to register.

Click here for details.

New Guides

Against All Odds: Heroes of Quantico Series, Book 1 by Irene Hannon

Age Before Beauty: Sister-to-Sister, Book 2 by Virginia Smith

The Anatomy of Wings by Karen Foxlee

Between Here and April by Deborah Copaken Kogan

The Big Love by Sarah Dunn

The Bishop's Daughter by Tiffany L. Warren

Breach of Trust: Call of Duty Series, Book 1 by DiAnn Mills

Brida by Paulo Coelho

Coal Black Horse by Robert Olmstead

The Cradle by Patrick Somerville

Crossing the Hudson by Peter Stephan Jungk

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews

The Desires of Her Heart: Texas: Star of Destiny, Book 1 by Lyn Cote

The End of My Addiction by Olivier Ameisen, M.D.

The End of the 19th Century by Eric Larsen

Eve: A Novel of the First Woman by Elissa Elliott

The Forgery of Venus by Michael Gruber

A Gift from Brittany: A Memoir of Love and Loss in the French Countryside by Marjorie Price

The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano

The Guru Next Door: A Teacher's Legacy by Wendy Dolber

Hats & Eyeglasses: A Memoir by Martha Frankel

Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy

Heart in the Right Place by Carolyn Jourdan

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Hungry Woman in Paris by Josefina López

The Italian Lover by Robert Hellenga

The King's Daughter by Barbara Kyle

Kiss Me if You Dare: A Patricia Amble Mystery by Nicole Young

The Laws of Harmony by Judith R. Hendricks

Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstein

Life Sentences by Laura Lippman

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

The Long Journey Home by Laurel Means

Men, Money, & Gold Diggers by Je'Caryous Johnson

Michal: The Wives of King David, Book 1 by Jill Eileen Smith

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

Murder at the Academy Awards®: A Red Carpet Murder Mystery by Joan Rivers with Jerrilyn Farmer

Pictures at an Exhibition by Sara Houghteling

A Pigeon and a Boy by Meir Shalev

Red, White and Blue: America Series, Book 2 by Laura Hayden

Rock Bottom by Michael Shilling

Shadows of Lancaster County by Mindy Starns Clark

She's in a Better Place: The Fairlawn Series, Book 3 by Angela Hunt

Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn

Sima's Undergarments for Women by Ilana Stanger-Ross

Sleepwalking in Daylight by Elizabeth Flock

The Slide by Kyle Beachy

The Sound of Hope: A True Story of an Adoptee's Quest for her Origins by Anne Bauer

Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale

Sway by Zachary Lazar

The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig

Terra Incognita: A Novel of the Roman Empire by Ruth Downie

This Side of Heaven by Karen Kingsbury

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

We Take This Man by Candice Dow and Daaimah S. Poole

The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey

Wind of the Spirit: The American Patriot Series, Book 3 by J. M. Hochstetler

Winter in Madrid by C. J. Sansom

Now Available in Paperback

Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana by Anne Rice
The Expeditions by Karl Iagnemma
Resistance by Owen Sheers
The Ten-Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer

Oprah's Book Club Selection
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

This month's prize:
Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn

Get a Book Club Makeover
Whether your book club is just a few months old or has been around for a while, you might be in need of a Book Club Makeover from ReadingGroupGuides.com. After reading your emails --- and talking to book clubs across the country --- we see that book groups often can fall into a routine and need a bit of livening up. It's ReadingGroupGuides.com to the rescue! We'll select groups each month for makeovers, review the problems, and make suggestions. Interested in a Book Club Makeover for your group? Click here for details.

February 2009

2009-02-10T07:58:00.000-08:00

Special Feature

Hey Book Clubs! Join the Circus!

Enter the Water for Elephants Sweepstakes, sponsored by PARADE Magazine, for a chance to win an exciting trip for you and your book club (maximum five members). You could be whisked off to a mountain getaway weekend in Asheville, North Carolina where you'll meet and dine with author Sara Gruen. The prize includes two nights lodging at the Inn on Biltmore Estate, round-trip airfare to Asheville, dinner with the author, and signed copies of Water for Elephants! The sweepstakes ends on March 6, 2009.

See official rules and enter today at www.parade.com/elephants.

New and Recommended Fiction

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
by Jamie Ford

"An impressive, bitter, and sweet debut."
-- Lisa See, bestselling author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is a love story about two people who come from totally different worlds. Their story is about the conflicts between generations and cultures and how decades later they can heal the barriers and betrayals that separate them.

Inspired by history and his own family story, Jamie Ford's debut novel is a perfect read for book clubs and introduces a talented new literary voice.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Things I Want My Daughters to Know
by Elizabeth Noble

Now Available in Paperback:
Now available in paperback, this heartfelt novel by bestselling author Elizabeth Noble celebrates family, friends... and the glorious, endless possibilities of life.

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.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Cutting for Stone
by Abraham Verghese

From the 1940s to the present; from a convent in India to a cargo ship bound for Yemen; from an operating room in Ethiopia to a hospital in the Bronx: an epic debut novel of doctors and patients, temptation and redemption, home and exile --- and a riveting family story that grabs you from the first page and never lets you go.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

A Pigeon and a Boy
by Meir Shalev

Now Available in Paperback:
Now in paperback, the internationally acclaimed Israeli writer's mesmerizing novel --- two love stories separated by half a century, yet connected by a single wondrous act of devotion. During Israel's 1948 War of Independence --- when pigeons are still used to deliver battlefield messages --- a gifted young bird handler dispatches one last pigeon moments before his death. The bird carries his extraordinary gift to the girl he has loved since adolescence --- a gift that will bear unexpected fruit half a century later.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Wilderness
by Samantha Harvey

It's Jake's birthday. He is sitting in a small plane, being flown over the landscape that has been the backdrop to his life --- his childhood, his marriage, his work, his passions. Now he is in his mid-60s, and he isn't quite the man he used to be. He has lost his wife, his son is in prison, and he is about to lose his past. Jake has Alzheimer's.

Arrestingly understated and wise, The Wilderness is a courageous novel from an extraordinarily gifted writer.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

A Version of the Truth
by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack

Now Available in Paperback:
In the wilds of Topanga Canyon, Cassie Shaw has always felt right at home in the midst of nature, but everywhere else, life seems to be a little harder. At the age of 30, newly single and without a college degree, Cassie is in serious need of a paycheck. So in a desperate move, she lies on her resume when applying for an office job at an elite university. When she finds herself employed by two eccentric professors, Cassie begins to reinvent herself --- and soon encounters some very unexpected consequences.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Lethal Legacy
by Linda Fairstein

When Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper is summoned to Tina Barr's apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side, she finds a neighbor convinced that the young woman was assaulted. But the terrified victim, a conservator of rare books and maps, refuses to cooperate with investigators. Then another woman is found murdered in that same apartment with an extremely valuable book, believed to have been stolen. As Alex pursues the murderer, she is drawn into the strange and privileged world of the Hunt family, major benefactors of the New York Public Library and passionate rare book collectors.

Click Here for the reading group guide.
Click here to see our Suspense/Thriller feature for Linda Fairstein and Lethal Legacy on Bookreporter.com.

For Christian Readers

New Christian Guides

Against All Odds: Heroes of Quantico Series, Book 1 by Irene Hannon

Age Before Beauty: Sister-to-Sister, Book 2 by Virginia Smith

Eve: A Novel of the First Woman by Elissa Elliott

Kiss Me if You Dare: A Patricia Amble Mystery by Nicole Young

Shadows of Lancaster County by Mindy Starns Clark

Registered Book Club Promotion

For February we have two very special opportunities for Registered Book Groups. Our featured titles this month are Sleepwalking in Daylight by Elizabeth Flock and Shadows of Lancaster County by Mindy Starns Clark. Groups who have registered with us by Monday, February 16th have the chance to win author chats and/or free books. If your group is not registered, click here to register.

Click here for details.

New Guides

Against All Odds: Heroes of Quantico Series, Book 1 by Irene Hannon
Age Before Beauty: Sister-to-Sister, Book 2 by Virginia Smith
All I Need is Jesus and a Good Pair of Jeans: The Tired Supergirl's Search for Grace by Susanna Foth Aughtmon
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Between Here and April by Deborah Copaken Kogan
The Bishop's Daughter by Tiffany L. Warren
The Break-Up Diet: A Memoir by Annette Fix
Coal Black Horse by Robert Olmstead
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
The Edge of Light: At Home in Beldon Grove, Book 1 by Ann Shorey
The End of My Addiction by Olivier Ameisen, M.D.
The End of the 19th Century by Eric Larsen
Eve: A Novel of the First Woman by Elissa Elliott
Finding Iris Chang: Friendship, Ambition, and the Loss of an Extraordinary Mind by Paula Kamen
Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent
Firmin by Sam Savage
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Going to See the Elephant by Rodes Fishburne
Heart in the Right Place by Carolyn Jourdan
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Houston, We Have a Problema by Gwendolyn Zepeda
How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets by Garth Stein
An Incomplete Revenge: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear
Kiss Me if You Dare: A Patricia Amble Mystery by Nicole Young
The Ladies' Lending Library by Janice Kulyk Keefer
Lark & Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips
The Laws of Harmony by Judith R. Hendricks
Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstein
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
Lima Nights by Marie Arana
The Long Journey Home by Laurel Means
The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O'Neal
Love and Other Natural Disasters by Holly Shumas
Loving Cee Cee Johnson by Linda Leigh Hargrove
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
No Place for a Lady: Heart of the West Series, Book 1 by Maggie Brendan
Paper Roses: Texas Dreams Trilogy, Book 1 by Amanda Cabot
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
A Pigeon and a Boy by Meir Shalev
Prayer Power: 30 Days to a Stronger Connection with God by Peter Lundell
Rock Bottom by Michael Shilling
See You in a Hundred Years: Discover One Young Family's Search for a Simpler Life...Four Seasons of Living in the Year 1900 by Logan Ward
Shadows of Lancaster County by Mindy Starns Clark
Sima's Undergarments for Women by Ilana Stanger-Ross
Sleepwalking in Daylight by Elizabeth Flock
The Slide by Kyle Beachy
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig
This Side of Heaven by Karen Kingsbury
The Third Chapter: Passion, Risk, and Adventure in the 25 Years After 50 by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot
This One is Mine by Maria Semple
Two Rivers by T. Greenwood
We Take This Man by Candice Dow and Daaimah S. Poole
What I Was by Meg Rosoff
The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey
Winter in Madrid by C. J. Sansom

Now Available in Paperback

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein
The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Things I Want My Daughters to Know by Elizabeth Noble
A Version of the Truth by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack

Oprah's Book Club Selection
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

This month's prize:
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Get a Book Club Makeover
Whether your book club is just a few months old or has been around for a while, you might be in need of a Book Club Makeover from ReadingGroupGuides.com. After reading your emails --- and talking to book clubs across the country --- we see that book groups often can fall into a routine and need a bit of livening up. It's ReadingGroupGuides.com to the rescue! We'll select groups each month for makeovers, review the problems, and make suggestions. Interested in a Book Club Makeover for your group? Click here for details.

January 2009

2009-01-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

New and Recommended Fiction

People of the Book
by Geraldine Brooks
Now Available in Paperback:

Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. When Hanna discovers a series of tiny artifacts in its ancient binding, she begins to unlock the book's mysteries.

Inspired by a true story, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks takes the reader on a journey of a rare illuminated manuscript through centuries of exile and war.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Lark & Termite
by Jayne Anne Phillips

From admired writer Jayne Anne Phillips comes a rich, wonderfully alive novel. Lark & Termite is set during the 1950s in West Virginia and Korea. It is a story of the power of loss and love, the echoing ramifications of war, family secrets, dreams and ghosts, and the unseen, almost magical bonds that unite and sustain us. Told with deep feeling, the novel invites us to enter into the hearts and thoughts of the leading characters.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The God of Small Things
by Arundhati Roy

Compared favorably to the works of Faulkner and Dickens, Arundhati Roy's debut novel is a modern classic that has been read and loved worldwide. Equal parts powerful family saga, forbidden love story, and piercing political drama, it is the story of an affluent Indian family forever changed by one fateful day in 1969.

The God of Small Things is an award-winning landmark that started for its author an esteemed career of fiction and political commentary that continues unabated.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Ladies' Lending Library
by Janice Kulyk Keefer

It is August of 1963. The women of the Kalyna Beach cottage community gather for gin and gossip, trading the current racy bestsellers among themselves as they seek a brief escape from the predictable rhythms of children and chores. But dramatic change is coming this summer as innocence falters and the desire for change reaches a boiling point, threatening to disrupt the warm, sweet, heady days and the lives of parents and children, family and friends, forever.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Two Rivers
by T. Greenwood

In Two Rivers, Vermont, Harper Montgomery is living a life overshadowed by grief and guilt. Since the death of his wife 12 years earlier, Harper has narrowed his world to working at the local railroad and raising his daughter the best way he knows how. Still wracked with sorrow over the loss of his life-long love and plagued by his role in a brutal, long-ago crime, he wants only to make amends for his past mistakes. Then one fall day, Harper finds an unexpected chance at atonement.

Click Here for the reading group guide.
Click here to see our One to Watch feature for T. Greenwood and Two Rivers on Bookreporter.com.

The Lost Recipe for Happiness
by Barbara O'Neal

It's the opportunity Elena Alvarez has been waiting for --- the challenge of running her own kitchen in a world-class restaurant. Haunted by an accident of which she was the lone survivor, Elena knows better than anyone how to survive the odds. With her faithful dog, Alvin, and her grandmother's recipes, Elena arrives in Colorado to find a restaurant in as desperate need of a fresh start as she is --- and a man whose passionate approach to food and life rivals her own.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

For Christian Readers

New Christian Guides:

All I Need is Jesus and a Good Pair of Jeans: The Tired Supergirl's Search for Grace by Susanna Foth Aughtmon

The Edge of Light: At Home in Beldon Grove, Book 1 by Ann Shorey

Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent

Loving Cee Cee Johnson by Linda Leigh Hargrove

No Place for a Lady: Heart of the West Series, Book 1 by Maggie Brendan

Paper Roses: Texas Dreams Trilogy, Book 1 by Amanda Cabot

Prayer Power: 30 Days to a Stronger Connection with God by Peter Lundell

Registered Book Club Promotion

For January we have two very special opportunities for Registered Book Groups. Our featured titles this month are Matrimony by Joshua Henkin and Still Alice by Lisa Genova. Groups who have registered with us by Wednesday, January 14th have the chance to win author chats and/or free books. If your group is not registered, click here to register.

Click here for details.

New Guides

All I Need is Jesus and a Good Pair of Jeans: The Tired Supergirl's Search for Grace by Susanna Foth Aughtmon
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The Break-Up Diet: A Memoir by Annette Fix
The Edge of Light: At Home in Beldon Grove, Book 1 by Ann Shorey
Finding Iris Chang: Friendship, Ambition, and the Loss of an Extraordinary Mind by Paula Kamen
Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent
Firmin by Sam Savage
The Flower of Grass by James E. Robinson
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
Going to See the Elephant by Rodes Fishburne
Hazardous Duty: Squeaky Clean Mysteries, Book 1 by Christy Barritt
Houston, We Have a Problema by Gwendolyn Zepeda
How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets by Garth Stein
An Incomplete Revenge: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear
Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst
The Ladies' Lending Library by Janice Kulyk Keefer
Lark & Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips
Lima Nights by Marie Arana
The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O'Neal
Love and Other Natural Disasters by Holly Shumas
Loving Cee Cee Johnson by Linda Leigh Hargrove
No Place for a Lady: Heart of the West Series, Book 1 by Maggie Brendan
Paper Roses: Texas Dreams Trilogy, Book 1 by Amanda Cabot
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Prayer Power: 30 Days to a Stronger Connection with God by Peter Lundell
The Pre-Nup by Beth Kendrick
See You in a Hundred Years: Discover One Young Family's Search for a Simpler Life...Four Seasons of Living in the Year 1900 by Logan Ward
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Suspicious Minds: Squeaky Clean Series, Book 2 by Christy Barritt
The Third Chapter: Passion, Risk, and Adventure in the 25 Years After 50 by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot
This One is Mine by Maria Semple
Two Rivers by T. Greenwood
What I Was by Meg Rosoff
When Southern Girls Grow Old: Three Homecomings by Elizabeth Doak Sherman
White Bird Black Bird by Val Wake

Oprah's Book Club Selection
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

This month's prize:
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Get a Book Club Makeover
Whether your book club is just a few months old or has been around for a while, you might be in need of a Book Club Makeover from ReadingGroupGuides.com. After reading your emails --- and talking to book clubs across the country --- we see that book groups often can fall into a routine and need a bit of livening up. It's ReadingGroupGuides.com to the rescue! We'll select groups each month for makeovers, review the problems, and make suggestions. Interested in a Book Club Makeover for your group? Click here for details.

December 2008

2008-12-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

New and Recommended Fiction

The Pre-Nup
by Beth Kendrick

For the residents of swanky Mayfair Estates, a pre-nup is just another item on the wedding to-do checklist --- but three friends get more than they bargained for when they promise to love, cherish... and sign on the dotted line.

As romance collides with real life, three very different women turn to each other for moral support and insights about how to safeguard their most valuable assets: their hearts.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Home to Holly Springs: Father Tim, Book 1 by Jan Karon

Now Available in Paperback:
Jan Karon enchants us with the story of the newly retired priest's spur-of-the-moment adventure. For the first time in decades, Father Tim returns to his birthplace, Holly Springs, Mississippi, in response to a mysterious, unsigned note saying simply: "Come home." Little does he know how much these two words will change his life. A story of long-buried secrets, forgiveness and the wonder of discovering new people, places and depth of feeling, Home to Holly Springs will enthrall new readers and longtime fans alike.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

A Dog Named Christmas
by Greg Kincaid

Todd McCray is a developmentally challenged young man living with his parents on their Kansas farm. While listening to the radio one day, Todd hears that the local animal shelter is seeking temporary homes for dogs during the Christmas week; Todd immediately wants to participate. Once Todd wins over his reluctant father, George, the McCray family find themselves with Christmas, a loyal, obedient dog that weaves his way into the hearts of the McCray family and their friends. When the time comes to give Christmas back, however, it is George who finds he is having a hard time letting go.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Good Luck
by Whitney Gaskell

After life as she knows it falls apart, Lucy Parker heads off to Palm Beach to hide out at the home of an old college friend. But just as Lucy begins to envision a new life for herself, the past catches up with her. Lucy would give up every penny to have her old life back ---- but just as she's ready to cash it all in, fate has one last surprise in store for her... one that will show her exactly what she's worth.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Special Contests and Features

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

We celebrated the paperback release of Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay --- a mesmerizing story in which a mysterious past unfolds, the present is torn apart and the future is irrevocably altered --- with a special contest. Ten groups had the opportunity to each win up to 12 finished copies of Sarah's Key, which is now in stores, for their group. Click here to see our winners.

More About Sarah's Key:
Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten-year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door to door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard --- their secret hiding place --- and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released.

Six years later: Sarah's story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research Julia stumbles onto a trail of family secrets that link her to Sarah and to questions about her own future.

Click here for the reading group guide.

Shelter Me by Juliette Fay

We celebrated the upcoming release of Shelter Me by Juliette Fay --- a beautifully written debut novel about heartbreaking loss and emotional redemption --- with a special contest. Thirty-five readers had the opportunity to each win one advance copy of Shelter Me, which will be in stores on December 30th, for their group. Click here to see our winners.

More About Shelter Me:
After the sudden death of her husband, Janie LaMarche is swamped by tides of grief and rage. Yet she's forced to confront the onward march of her life by an unlikely cast of interventionists: her two small children, her Ipecac-toting aunt, the "unflinchingly nice" parish priest and the contractor hired by her husband to build her a porch, whose involvement in her family's life becomes more ingrained with every beam he installs.

This stirring debut from author Juliette Fay is filled with insight on how we carry on after a loved one's death --- and how we must often force ourselves to embrace solace from those who show up to help us weather the tides of our grief.

Click here for the reading group guide.

For Christian Readers

New Christian Guides:

The Flower of Grass by James E. Robinson

Hazardous Duty: Squeaky Clean Mysteries, Book 1 by Christy Barritt

Suspicious Minds: Squeaky Clean Series, Book 2 by Christy Barritt

Registered Book Club Promotion

There are no registered book club contests for December. Please check back next month. If your group is not registered, and you are interested in future monthly contests, click here to register.

New Guides

The Art of Social War by Jodi Wing
Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki
The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly
Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid
The Flower of Grass by James E. Robinson
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
Good Luck by Whitney Gaskell
Hazardous Duty: Squeaky Clean Mysteries, Book 1 by Christy Barritt
Home to Holly Springs: Father Tim, Book 1 by Jan Karon
It's Not About Me: Second Glances Series, Book 1 by Michelle Sutton
Listening Is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project, edited and with an introduction by Dave Isay
Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst
One Holy Night by J. M. Hochstetler
The Paper Bag Christmas by Kevin Alan Milne
The Pre-Nup by Beth Kendrick
Reporting the War: Freedom of the Press from the American Revolution to the War on Terrorism by John Byrne Cooke
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
The Saturday Wife by Naomi Ragen
Shelter Me by Juliette Fay
The Smart One and the Pretty One by Claire LaZebnik
The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama
Suspicious Minds: Squeaky Clean Series, Book 2 by Christy Barritt
This One is Mine by Maria Semple
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Three Minutes on Love by Roccie Hill
When Southern Girls Grow Old: Three Homecomings by Elizabeth Doak Sherman
While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky
White Bird Black Bird by Val Wake
The Whitest Wall by Jodee Kulp

Oprah's Book Club Selection
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

This month's prize:
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Get a Book Club Makeover
Whether your book club is just a few months old or has been around for a while, you might be in need of a Book Club Makeover from ReadingGroupGuides.com. After reading your emails --- and talking to book clubs across the country --- we see that book groups often can fall into a routine and need a bit of livening up. It's ReadingGroupGuides.com to the rescue! We'll select groups each month for makeovers, review the problems, and make suggestions. Interested in a Book Club Makeover for your group? Click here for details.

November 2008

2008-11-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Get a Book Club Makeover

Whether your book club is just a few months old or has been around for a while, you might be in need of a Book Club Makeover from ReadingGroupGuides.com. After reading your emails --- and talking to book clubs across the country --- we see that book groups often can fall into a routine and need a bit of livening up. It's ReadingGroupGuides.com to the rescue! We'll select groups each month for makeovers, review the problems, and make suggestions. Interested in a Book Club Makeover for your group? Click here for details.

Special Contests and Features

Win a Copy of SARAH'S KEY by Tatiana de Rosnay for Your Group

We are celebrating the paperback release of Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay --- a mesmerizing story in which a mysterious past unfolds, the present is torn apart and the future is irrevocably altered --- with a special contest. Ten groups will have the opportunity to each win up to 12 finished copies of Sarah's Key, which is now in stores, for their group.

More About Sarah's Key:
Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a 10-year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door to door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard --- their secret hiding place --- and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released.

Six years later: Sarah's story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research Julia stumbles onto a trail of family secrets that link her to Sarah and to questions about her own future.

Click here to read all the contest details.
Click here for the reading group guide.

Win a Copy of SHELTER ME by Juliette Fay for Your Group

We are celebrating the release of Shelter Me by Juliette Fay --- a beautifully written debut novel about heartbreaking loss and emotional redemption --- with a special contest. Thirty-five readers will have the opportunity to each win one advance copy of Shelter Me, which will be in stores on December 30th, for their group.

More About Shelter Me:
After the sudden death of her husband, Janie LaMarche is swamped by tides of grief and rage. Yet she's forced to confront the onward march of her life by an unlikely cast of interventionists: her two small children, her Ipecac-toting aunt, the "unflinchingly nice" parish priest and the contractor hired by her husband to build her a porch, whose involvement in her family's life becomes more ingrained with every beam he installs.

This stirring debut from author Juliette Fay is filled with insight on how we carry on after a loved one's death --- and how we must often force ourselves to embrace solace from those who show up to help us weather the tides of our grief.

Click here to read all the contest details.
Click here for the reading group guide.

New and Recommended Fiction

Home to Holly Springs: Father Tim, Book 1 by Jan Karon

Now Available in Paperback:
Jan Karon enchants us with the story of the newly retired priest's spur-of-the-moment adventure. For the first time in decades, Father Tim returns to his birthplace, Holly Springs, Mississippi, in response to a mysterious, unsigned note saying simply: "Come home." Little does he know how much these two words will change his life. A story of long-buried secrets, forgiveness and the wonder of discovering new people, places and depth of feeling, Home to Holly Springs will enthrall new readers and longtime fans alike.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

A Dog Named Christmas
by Greg Kincaid

Todd McCray is a developmentally challenged young man living with his parents on their Kansas farm. While listening to the radio one day, Todd hears that the local animal shelter is seeking temporary homes for dogs during the Christmas week; Todd immediately wants to participate. Once Todd wins over his reluctant father, George, the McCray family find themselves with Christmas, a loyal, obedient dog that weaves his way into the hearts of the McCray family and their friends. When the time comes to give Christmas back, however, it is George who finds he is having a hard time letting go.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Good Luck
by Whitney Gaskell

After life as she knows it falls apart, Lucy Parker heads off to Palm Beach to hide out at the home of an old college friend. But just as Lucy begins to envision a new life for herself, the past catches up with her. Lucy would give up every penny to have her old life back ---- but just as she's ready to cash it all in, fate has one last surprise in store for her... one that will show her exactly what she's worth.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

For Christian Readers

New Christian Guides:

One Holy Night by J. M. Hochstetler

It's Not About Me: Second Glances Series, Book 1 by Michelle Sutton

Registered Book Club Promotion

For November we have a very special opportunity for Registered Book Groups. Our featured title this month is While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky. Groups who have registered with us by Friday, November 14th have the chance to win free books for their entire group. If your group is not registered, click here to register.

New Guides

The 7th Victim by Alan Jacobson
The Art of Social War by Jodi Wing
Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki
The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly
Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
Carry Me Home by Sandra Kring
The Common Bond by Donigan Merritt
A Country Called Home by Kim Barnes
A Cut Above: Shop-Til-U-Drop, Book 3 by Ginny Aiken
Dancing in the Lowcountry by James Villas
Dead Boys: Stories by Richard Lange
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid
The Forbidden Daughter by Shobhan Bantwal
The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters by Lorraine López
Goldengrove by Francine Prose
Good Luck by Whitney Gaskell
Home Another Way by Christa Parrish
Home to Holly Springs: Father Tim, Book 1 by Jan Karon
It's Not About Me: Second Glances Series, Book 1 by Michelle Sutton
John 3:16 by Nancy Moser
The Letters by Luanne Rice and Joseph Monninger
Listening Is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project, edited and with an introduction by Dave Isay
Longings of the Heart: Sydney Cove Series, Book 2 by Bonnie Leon
Lulu in Marrakech by Diane Johnson
My Sister Dilly by Maureen Lang
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
One Holy Night by J. M. Hochstetler
One Perfect Day by Lauraine Snelling
Out of Her Hands by Megan DiMaria
The Paper Bag Christmas by Kevin Alan Milne
Reporting the War: Freedom of the Press from the American Revolution to the War on Terrorism by John Byrne Cooke
Rhapsody in Red by Donn Taylor
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
Seal Woman by Solveig Eggerz
The Saturday Wife by Naomi Ragen
Shelter Me by Juliette Fay
A Silent Ocean Away: Colette's Dominion, by DeVa Gantt
Sinful Too by Victor McGlothin
The Smart One and the Pretty One by Claire LaZebnik
The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama
Testimony by Anita Shreve
Thank You for All Things by Sandra Kring
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Three Minutes on Love by Roccie Hill
Tuesday Night at the Blue Moon by Debbie Fuller Thomas
Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin
A Week in October by Elizabeth Subercaseaux
While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky
The Whitest Wall by Jodee Kulp

Oprah's Book Club Selection
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

This month's prize:
The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama

October 2008

2008-10-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

Win a Copy of THE SECRET BETWEEN US by Barbara Delinsky for Your Group

We celebrated the paperback release of The Secret Between Us by Barbara Delinsky --- an unforgettable story about making bad choices for the right reasons and the bond between a mother and daughter --- with a special contest. 200 readers had the opportunity to each win one finished copy of The Secret Between Us, which is now available in stores, for their group. Click here to see our winners.

More About The Secret Between Us:
Deborah Monroe and her daughter, Grace, are driving home from a party when their car hits a man running in the dark. Grace was at the wheel, but Deborah sends her home before the police arrive, determined to shoulder the blame for the accident. Her decision then turns into a deception that takes on a life of its own and threatens the special bond between mother and daughter.

Click here to read all the contest details.
Click here for the reading group guide.

Win a Book Club T-Shirt from Unshelved

Declare your book club pride! We're celebrating National Reading Group Month with a special contest. We're giving away five witty Book Club T-Shirts from Unshelved designed for the book club enthusiast. In pink print on black cotton, the front of the t-shirt says "Book Club" while the back lists "The Rules of Book Club," which is a humorous take on Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk's novel that was later adapted into a major motion picture. Click here to see our winners.

Click here to read all the contest details.

New and Recommended Fiction

Goldengrove
by Francine Prose

At the center of Francine Prose's profoundly moving new novel is a young girl facing the consequences of sudden loss after the death of her sister. As her parents drift toward their own risky consolations, 13-year-old Nico is left alone to grope toward understanding and clarity, falling into a seductive, dangerous relationship with her sister's enigmatic boyfriend.

Over one haunted summer, Nico must face that life-changing moment when children realize their parents can no longer help them.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Thank You For All Things
by Sandra Kring

At 12, Lucy Marie McGowan already knows she'll be a psychologist when she grows up. And her quirky and conflicted family provides plenty of opportunity for her to practice her calling. Now Lucy, her "profoundly gifted" twin brother, Milo, her commitment-phobic mother, and her New Age grandmother are leaving Chicago for Timber Falls, Wisconsin, to care for her dying grandfather --- a complex and difficult man whose failure as a husband and father still painfully echoes down through the years.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

A Country Called Home
by Kim Barnes

Thomas had always dreamed of living by a wild river, and when he marries Helen and convinces her to move to Idaho with him --- and to buy a broken-down farm, sight unseen --- it would seem his dream had come true. The year is 1960, and the young couple is fleeing the East Coast and the stifling influence of Helen's wealthy parents. But once they arrive in Idaho things begin quickly to go wrong.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

The Forbidden Daughter
by Shobhan Bantwal

For most young couples, news of their unborn child's gender brings joyful anticipation. But not for Isha Tilak and her husband, Nikhil. They already have a beloved daughter --- and Nikhil's parents, hard-wired to favor male children above all. A wonderful follow-up to The Dowry Bride, Shobhan Bantwal's debut novel, The Forbidden Daughter takes on the very real, controversial and dramatic subject of gender-selective abortion in India today. This gripping new novel asks: Where can a woman turn when life's greatest blessing is seen as a curse?

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Dancing in the Lowcountry
by James Villas

Ella Dubose is a Southern lady of a certain age --- an age at which memories of youth can rush in at every turn and overwhelm the present. But while Ella's two younger children are concerned for her health and want to limit her independence, Ella --- elegant, unconventional and unrepentantly willful --- has very different ideas. And she's not about to be controlled by anyone, not when there are tasks she needs to complete and loose ends that must be tied.

Click Here for the reading group guide.
Click here to see our Southern Writers feature for James Villas and Dancing in the Lowcountry on Bookreporter.com.

The Common Bond
by Donigan Merritt

When Morgan Cary flies home to Hawaii after a decade spent in California, he arrives with a broken heart and an overwhelming sense of guilt surrounding the death of his wife. As he spirals further into his grief, the hope of a deliverance into the future appears through an unexpected friendship with a native Hawaiian family, and forces Morgan to sift through the worst of his memories as he searches for his life in the solace of the sea.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

A Week in October
Written by Elizabeth Subercaseaux, Translated by Marina Harss

The beautiful wife of a successful Chilean architect courageously confronts her illness, mastectomy and treatment while recording her thoughts and experiences in her journal. What develops is a thinly veiled version of her own life, her disappointment with their cold marriage, her reminiscences of childhood, and the death that seems to surround her.

A bestselling Latin American author, A Week in October is Elizabeth Subercaseaux's first novel to be translated into English.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

For Christian Readers

John 3:16
by Nancy Moser

In Nancy Moser's latest release, unexpected tragedy hits a college town. And in its wake, the resulting string of events brings together a group of desperate people, each looking for a reason to keep living.

As these lives intersect on a sunny, fall day, one of them will hold up a sign at a football game: John 3:16. This simple act of faith has the power to change lives forever.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Out Of Her Hands
by Megan DiMaria

Linda Revere's grown children are poised to launch into life, and, like all parents, she only wants the best for them. She's been praying for her children's future spouses since they were small. Confident that her prayers will be answered, Linda isn't prepared for the young woman her son brings home. Will Linda be able to trust that God is in control when the situation is out of her hands?

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Tuesday Night at the Blue Moon
by Debbie Fuller Thomas

When Marty Winslow's 13-year-old daughter dies of a devastating genetic disease, she discovers the truth --- her precious middle child had been switched at birth. After learning that her actual biological daughter was recently orphaned, she decides to fight for custody. Winning the court case would prove to be the easy part.

This still-grieving, single mom is torn between memories and realities. And she wants desperately for God to heal her family.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

Rhapsody in Red
by Donn Taylor

It certainly was a bad day to find a corpse on campus. So, recluse professor Preston Barclay and an outcast co-worker must form an unlikely alliance to stay ahead of the police, the college's wary and incompetent administration, and whoever is trying to get away with murder. Or else they both might end up unemployed, behind bars, or worse…

Click Here for the reading group guide.

My Sister Dilly
by Maureen Lang

When Hannah Williams decides to step in as her sister's keeper and makes the move back to her rural hometown from a fast-paced life in California, she ends up finding more than she bargained for. As she sees her sister experiencing freedom far beyond what her release from prison offers, Hannah begins to wonder if the God she's ignored for so long could, and would, give her the same redemption.

Click Here for the reading group guide.

New Christian Guides:
A Cut Above: Shop-Til-U-Drop, Book 3 by Ginny Aiken
Home Another Way by Christa Parrish
Longings of the Heart: Sydney Cove Series, Book 2 by Bonnie Leon
Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin

Registered Book Club Promotion

For October we have three very special opportunities for Registered Book Groups. Our featured titles this month are Testimony by Anita Shreve, A Silent Ocean Away by DeVa Gantt and Home Another Way by Christa Parrish. Groups who have registered with us by Wednesday, October 15th have the chance to win author chats and/or free books. If your group is not registered, click here to register.

New Guides

The 7th Victim by Alan Jacobson
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
Beside a Burning Sea by John Shors
The Black Tower by Louis Bayard
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures: Stories by Vincent Lam
Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
The Careful Use of Compliments by Alexander McCall Smith
Carry Me Home by Sandra Kring
Cloud Nine by Luanne Rice
The Common Bond by Donigan Merritt
A Country Called Home by Kim Barnes
A Cut Above: Shop-Til-U-Drop, Book 3 by Ginny Aiken
Dancing in the Lowcountry by James Villas
Dead Boys: Stories by Richard Lange
Dream Country by Luanne Rice
The Forbidden Daughter by Shobhan Bantwal
The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters by Lorraine López
Goldengrove by Francine Prose
He Loves Me!: Learning to Live in the Father's Affection by Wayne Jacobsen
Here at the End of the World We Learn to Dance by Lloyd Jones
The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
Home by Marilynne Robinson
Home Another Way by Christa Parrish
Hometown Favorite by Bill Barton and Henry O. Arnold
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution -- and How It Can Renew America by Thomas L. Friedman
The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt
Interred with Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell
John 3:16 by Nancy Moser
Land of a Hundred Wonders by Lesley Kagen
The Letters by Luanne Rice and Joseph Monninger
Longings of the Heart: Sydney Cove Series, Book 2 by Bonnie Leon
Lookin' Back, Texas by Leanna Ellis
Lulu in Marrakech by Diane Johnson
Messy Faith: Daring to Live by Grace by A. J. Gregory
My Sister Dilly by Maureen Lang
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
One Perfect Day by Lauraine Snelling
Out of Her Hands by Megan DiMaria
A Passion Redeemed: The Daughters of Boston, Book 2 by Julie Lessman
The Queen of Sleepy Eye by Patti Hill
Rhapsody in Red by Donn Taylor
The Seamstress by Frances de Pontes Peebles
Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
Seal Woman by Solveig Eggerz
The Secret's in the Sauce: The Potluck Catering Club, Book 1 by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson
Shadow of Colossus: Seven Wonders Series, Book 1 by T. L. Higley
A Silent Ocean Away: Colette's Dominion, by DeVa Gantt
Sinful Too by Victor McGlothin
Swim to Me by Betsy Carter
Testimony by Anita Shreve
Thank You for All Things by Sandra Kring
Train to Trieste by Domnica Radulescu
Tuesday Night at the Blue Moon by Debbie Fuller Thomas
Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin
The Various Flavors of Coffee by Anthony Capella
A Week in October by Elizabeth Subercaseaux
When the Soul Mends: Sisters of the Quilt, Book 3 by Cindy Woodsmall
Wounded: A Love Story by Claudia Mair Burney

Oprah's Book Club Selection
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

This month's prize:
The View from Mount Joy by Lorna Landvik