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November 2006

ReadingGroupGuides.com Newsletter

November 2006

This Month on ReadingGroupGuides.com

The Story Behind the Book...

Special Author Chat Opportunity and Book Giveaway: Deborah Noyes, Author of ANGEL AND APOSTLE

Exclusive ReadingGroupGuides.com Interview: Diane Loevy, Author of THE BOOK CLUB COMPANION

THE BIG SHUFFLE by Laura Pedersen

THE WOMAN AT THE WASHINGTON ZOO by Marjorie Williams, edited by Timothy Noah

SARAH'S QUILT by Nancy E. Turner

Special Opportunity for Registered Readers: I, MONA LISA by Jeanne Kalogridis

"At Home With Adriana Trigiani" --- A Special DVD for Book Groups

Don't Miss Our Basket of Holiday Cheer Contest on Bookreporter.com!!!

Coming Soon: Our What to Give/What to Get Suggestions and Holiday Basket for Teens Promotion

Guides Now Available

How to Register Your Group With ReadingGroupGuides.com

New Interviews With Book Groups

Poll

Tip for November and December

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The Story Behind the Book...

One of my favorite things is hearing authors talk about their books and their inspiration for them. Whether it be with readings or media interviews, hearing the story behind the book always sheds a new light on an author's work for me. This week I got a real treat when I received a copy of a DVD that Adriana Trigiani has done for her book clubs, which has Adriana talking about not just one book, but all of her books. She also offers readers a tour of Greenwich Village, where she lives and whose Commerce Street formed the backdrop to one of my favorite books of hers, Lucia, Lucia.
 
We have details below on how groups can get a copy of this DVD. Adriana has long said that book clubs and book club readers form her key fan base. In fact, she appeared on "The Today Show" to promo the book with a few of these readers. This DVD is a gift back to them. Whether your group has read her in the past, or is looking to explore her, this DVD is a real treat.
 
Last month a book about book clubs came across my desk, The Book Club Companion by Diana Loevy, and as I was reading it, I knew we had to interview the author to learn more. We share that interview with you this month and recommend this book to those of you who are looking for more ideas on how to make your book club, and your book discussions, more interesting. Also, 20 ReadingGroupGuides.com newsletter subscribers each will be eligible to win a copy of the book, just for being subscribers to this newsletter!
 
I love reading essays from people about their take on life. Recently I have found myself exploring The Woman at the Washington Zoo by Marjorie Williams, a brilliant collection of thoughtful and witty essays on not only Washington, but also life. There's tons here for discussion from a writer who sadly died of liver cancer way too young.
 
Here's wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and a great kick off to the holiday season. Here's to great bookish shopping. Just think...there's a book for everyone on your list.

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
 

Click here to read our Newsletter Contest details.
 

Special Author Chat Opportunity and Book Giveaway: Deborah Noyes, Author of ANGEL AND APOSTLE

At the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, we know that Pearl, the elf-child daughter of Hester Prynne, is somewhere in Europe, comfortable, well set, and a mother herself now. But it could not have been easy for her to arrive at such a place when she begins life as the bastard child of a woman publicly humiliated, again and again, in an unrelentingly judgmental Puritan world.

Three lucky winners will receive up to 12 copies of Angel and Apostle for their group and a chat with Deborah Noyes! Interested? Send your name, mailing address, and a brief description of your reading group to [email protected]. All entries must be received by 11:59PM on December 3, 2006.

-Click here to read our guide for Angel and Apostle.

 

Click here for all the contest details.


 

Exclusive ReadingGroupGuides.com Interview: Diane Loevy, Author of THE BOOK CLUB COMPANION

 
Writer, entrepreneur and editorial executive Diana Loevy has published The Book Club Companion --- the ultimate guide for reading groups that encompasses everything from advice on starting and maintaining a club and tips for keeping conversations lively, to reading selections and ideas for themed gatherings. In this interview with ReadingGroupGuides.com's Shannon McKenna, Loevy discusses the elements that make up the ideal book club book and describes the various sources from which she pulled together her lists of "Indispensable Titles." She also explains the benefits of actively participating in more than one reading group and even sheds light on the social history of book clubs in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Click here to read our interview with Diana Loevy.


 

THE BIG SHUFFLE by Laura Pedersen

When the death of her father leaves her mother in a state of shock, card shark Hallie Palmer --- the fiery protagonist from Beginner's Luck and Heart's Desire --- returns home from college to bravely deal herself in as head of a chaotic household and care for her eight younger siblings.

-Click here to visit Laura Pedersen's website, LauraPedersenBooks.com.

Click here to read the guide for The Big Shuffle.


 

THE WOMAN AT THE WASHINGTON ZOO by Marjorie Williams, edited by Timothy Noah

Marjorie Williams knew Washington from top to bottom. Beloved for her sharp analysis, elegant prose and exceptional ability to intuit character, Williams wrote political profiles for the Washington Post and Vanity Fair that came to be considered the final word on the capital's most powerful figures. Marjorie Williams was a woman in a man's town, an outsider reporting on the political elite. She was, like the narrator in Randall Jarrell's classic poem, The Woman at the Washington Zoo, an observer of a strange and exotic culture. This splendid collection --- at once insightful, funny and sad --- digs into the psyche of the nation's capital, revealing not only the hidden selves of the people that run it, but the messy lives that the rest of us lead.

Be sure to check out womanatthewashingtonzoo.com for exclusive information for Book Groups.

 

 

Click here to read our guide for The Woman at the Washington Zoo.
 

SARAH'S QUILT by Nancy E. Turner

In These Is My Words, Sarah Agnes Prine told the spellbinding story of an extraordinary pioneer woman and her struggle to make a home in the Arizona Territories. Now, in this mesmerizing sequel, a three-year drought has made Sarah desperate for water. And just when it seems that life couldn't get worse, she learns that her brother and his family are trapped in the Great San Francisco Earthquake. A heartwarming blend of stubbornness and compassion, Sarah Agnes Prine will once again capture the hearts of readers everywhere.

 

 

Click here to read our guide for Sarah's Quilt.


 

Special Opportunity for Registered Readers: I, MONA LISA by Jeanne Kalogridis

This month we have the following very special opportunity for Book Groups that have registered with us by Tuesday, November 14th.

Book Giveaway and Author Chat --- 10 groups will win the opportunity to chat with Jeanne Kalogridis and receive 12 books for their group.

More about I, Mona Lisa:
Florence, April 1478. The handsome Giuliano de' Medici, brother of Lorenzo the Magnificent, is brutally assassinated in Florence's majestic Duomo. The shock of the murder is felt throughout the great city, from the most renowned artists like Leonardo da Vinci to a wealthy wool merchant and his exquisitely elegant wife.  The Medici family is the lifeblood of the city, and the death of one of its golden heirs will be felt throughout time, but nowhere more so than in the life of that wool merchant's daughter: the strikingly beautiful Madonna Lisa. 

Click here to register your group.


 

"At Home With Adriana Trigiani" --- A Special DVD for Book Groups

Even after a great discussion, we know that the best books leave your book club hungering for more. That's why Ballantine Books is offering "At Home with Adriana Trigiani," a new DVD featuring the author of Big Stone Gap, Big Cherry Holler, Milk Glass Moon, Lucia, Lucia, The Queen of the Big Time, and Rococo, Home to Big Stone Gap and Cooking with My Sisters, FREE to book groups who will be discussing her books. Now your book club --- led by Adriana herself --- can take a tour of the Manhattan haunts frequented by Adriana's most beloved characters, and hear exclusive tidbits about all of her books, including her new release Home to Big Stone Gap.

Book Clubs can request a copy at:
http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/adrianatrigiani/adriana_dvd.html

Check out a trailer from the DVD:
http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/adrianatrigiani/trailer.html

 

Don't Miss Our Basket of Holiday Cheer Contest on Bookreporter.com!!!

The holiday season is upon us! At Bookreporter.com this means it's time for us to share the spirit of the season with you with our Holiday Basket of Cheer Contest.

Each week from November 3rd through December 15th we will spotlight a different title, and readers will have the chance to win one of five holiday baskets filled with winter-themed items as well as two copies of the featured book. Why two? One is to keep, of course, and one is for someone on your holiday gift list. We will also include festive wrapping paper to make the gift-giving hassle-free.

The six featured titles are:

-Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
-The Big Shuffle by Laura Pedersen
-Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book by Deirdre Dolan
-Cold As Ice by Anne Stuart
-Sugar and Spice by Fern Michaels, Beverly Barton, Joanne Fluke and Shirley Jump
-A Very Merry Christmas by Lori Foster, Gemma Bruce and Janice Maynard

Click here for all the contest details.
 

Coming Soon: Our What to Give/What to Get Suggestions and Holiday Basket for Teens Promotion

Have a teen in your life? Our Holiday Basket for Teens kicks off next week. Five winners will each receive a basket that includes up to 10 books, along with holiday-themed items such as holiday goodies and a kit to make a gingerbread house and more! 

Stumped on what to get for all the people on your Holiday List? Get a jump on holiday shopping with our What to Give, What to Get Holiday Gift Guide, which spotlights books in a host of popular categories such as cookbooks, humor, sports, games, stocking stuffers, fiction, mysteries, and more. It will be live on Friday, November 17th. It also includes holiday gift ideas for kids and teens!

 

Guides Now Available

The following guides are now available on ReadingGroupGuides.com:

Angel and Apostle by Deborah Noyes
The Big Shuffle by Laura Pedersen
The Days of Summer by Jill Barnett
The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig
Earthly Vows by Patricia Hickman
Echo Park by Michael Connelly
Edges: O Israel, O Palestine by Leora Skolkin-Smith
Farther Than I Meant To Go, Longer Than I Meant To Stay by Tiffany L. Warren
Fire With Fire by Allan Kahane
For One More Day by Mitch Albom
Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston
I, Mona Lisa by Jeanne Kalogridis
Kabbalah: A Love Story by Lawrence Kushner
Love and Louis XIV by Antonia Fraser
Magic Time by Doug Marlette
My Lucky Star by Joe Keenan
Piece of Work by Laura Zigman
The River of Doubt by Candice Millard
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
Sarah's Quilt by Nancy E. Turner
The Sense of Paper by Taylor Holden
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Truth of the Matter by Robb Forman Dew
The Uses of Enchantment by Heidi Julavits
Vertigo by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
When Madeline Was Young by Jane Hamilton
The Women at the Washington Zoo by Marjorie Williams, edited by Timothy Noah

The following Christian Guide is now available:

Before I Wake by Dee Henderson
A Woman's Place by Lynn Austin

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

The Alchemist's Daughter by Katharine McMahon
The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

 

How to Register Your Group With ReadingGroupGuides.com

Each month book clubs that are registered with ReadingGroupGuides.com are offered exciting opportunities that include chats with authors, book giveaways and more.

ReadingGroupGuides.com offers registered groups the chance to enhance the experience of being part of a book club with these kinds of exclusive offers. Also, since Spring 2006 Registered Groups have received additional exclusive content each month in their Registered Book Club newsletters.

More than 4,600 groups already are registered with us. Registration is free and easy. Along with the regular ReadingGroupGuides.com newsletter, registered readers receive an exclusive monthly mailing with descriptions for all the giveaways going on that month and details on how to enter.

Click here to register your group.


 

New Interviews With Book Groups

We have the following interviews with Book Clubs currently running:

-Karen Rossi of The Players' Wives from Wilbraham, MA.
-Maryann Aidikoff of The Bookies from Syosset, NY.
-Mary Bass of The ELCAN Book Club from Mesquite, TX.


-Click here to read all our Book Club interviews.
-Click here to read our Bookseller interviews.
-Click here to read our Librarian interviews.

Want your group to be interviewed? Click here for all the details.
 
Poll

Do you read different types of books with your group than you read on your own?

-Yes
-No
-Not sure




 

Click here to answer the poll.
 

Tip for November and December

November's Tip:
Share the title of a book that you love to give to others.

December's Tip:
Each bring a children's book to your meeting and donate it to a local school or shelter.

Click here for more tips.
 

Do you like what you see here, and want to forward it to a friend? Then click our link on the bottom of the page to do just that!

Happy reading. We'll see you next month.

Don't forget to visit our other websites from TheBookReportNetwork.com: Bookreporter.com, AuthorsOnTheWeb.com, FaithfulReader.com, AuthorYellowPages.com, Teenreads.com, and Kidsreads.com.

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])

The Book Report Network
250 W. 57th Street - Suite 1228
New York, New York 10107