March 2014

Daylight Saving Time has arrived, which means for the next few days we will find clocks that did not auto-reset, and we will be turning on lights in the early morning and enjoying glorious natural light in the early evening. Spring is coming, though the wild weather of winter continues in many parts of the country.

Thinking of things bright and wonderful, I am excited to announce that Emily Hoenig has joined the ReadingGroupGuides.com team as Associate Features Editor, and she will be working with me to bring you news and ideas for book clubs. With our redesigned site, our goal is to update the site more frequently, and to add more suggested reading lists and the curated bookshelves that have become much-loved features on other sites in The Book Report Network. I am excited to have her on board; join me in welcoming Emily to her new role.

We have so many exciting contests going on this month --- SEVEN to be exact --- and lots of news! A few weeks ago, I read an advance manuscript of THE FORTUNE HUNTER by New York Times bestselling author Daisy Goodwin (it will be published on July 29th), and I knew it would be a great book club title for those who like historical fiction (how many of us love "Downton Abbey"?), as well as a great story. One of the characters is based on Empress Elizabeth of Austria, known as "Sisi," who was the Princess Diana of 19th-century Europe. Daisy’s interest in the Empress began when she was a young child and was given a jigsaw puzzle based on a portrait of the Empress. She was enamored by the diamond stars that were entwined in the Empress’s hair; details like that captivated her and stayed with her, leading her to write THE FORTUNE HUNTER, where the Empress is a key character.

It’s a lush, irresistible story about a passionate and dangerous love triangle between a beautiful empress, a dashing horseman and a bluestocking heiress that threatens all their futures. And if this did not whet your appetite enough, know that I will be selecting this as a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection, just as I did with Daisy’s previous book, THE AMERICAN HEIRESS. We’re giving 250(!) groups the opportunity to win up to 10 copies of THE FORTUNE HUNTER with a plan that they will discuss the book in May, June or July and share feedback with us, as well as on social media. Enter here by Monday, April 7th at noon ET for your chance to win this special advance opportunity.

Last year, when it was published in hardcover, I immediately selected ORDINARY GRACE by William Kent Krueger as a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection and was happy to see it was chosen as one of your favorite discussion titles for 2013. It just came out in paperback, and we have 200 copies for lucky readers to win. It’s the powerful story of Frank Drum, a 13-year-old boy who, after a series of tragic deaths, must leave his serene, small-town childhood behind and confront the dark nature of the adult world. It’s a beautiful and heartbreaking story that deals with the realities of grief and dares to ask: What solace is there in the ordinary grace of the world? Enter here by Monday, April 7th at noon ET for your chance to win. By the way, you can read my Bets On copy here, as well as what Bookreporter.com readers had to say about ORDINARY GRACE when they read it as a Sneak Peek title here and the Bookreporter.com review here.

We’re also giving 25 readers the opportunity to win a copy of the #1 international bestseller THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED by Jonas Jonasson. Fans of Forrest Gump will love this wickedly funny story about Allan Karlsson, a reluctant centenarian --- who happens to be an explosives expert with a fondness for vodka --- who escapes out the window of his nursing home and goes on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey in his slippers. Quirky and utterly unique, THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED has charmed readers across the world. I had the pleasure of lunching with the very charming Jonas when he was in New York last year, and we had a fun chat about the book. Live life to the fullest, and enter here by Monday, April 7th at noon ET for your chance to win.

In our next contest, we’re giving three groups the chance to win 12 copies of THE HAREM MIDWIFE, the continuation of Roberta Rich’s thrilling debut, THE MIDWIFE OF VENICE. This time, the story follows Hannah Levi, a Venetian exile and the best midwife in Medieval Constantinople, who tends to the harem of Sultan Murat III. But when she is confronted by Zofia, a Jewish peasant girl who has been abducted and sold into the sultan’s harem, Hannah must decide if she will risk the new life she and her husband have built in order to protect Zofia and return her safely home. The deadline for entries is Monday, April 7th at noon ET, and you can enter here.

We’re also giving three groups the chance to win 12 copies of Janie Chang’s captivating debut novel, THREE SOULS. Set in 1935 China, the ghost of a young woman watches her own funeral from above and wonders why she is being denied entry into the afterlife. With the help of her three souls --- stern and scholarly yang; impulsive, romantic yin; and wise, shining hun--- she will revisit key moments in her life and discover what she must do to be released from limbo and make amends for the choices she made --- and those she did not. A story of revenge and betrayal, forbidden love, family loyalty and freedom, THREE SOULS is perfect fodder for a lively book group conversation, so enter here by Monday, April 7th at noon ET for the chance to win. Our Bookreporter.com review is here.

In the last but certainly not the least of our special contests, we’re giving three groups the opportunity to win 12 copies of EVENING STARS: A Blackberry Island Novel by Susan Mallery. Small-town nurse Nina Wentworth sacrificed medical school --- and her first love --- so her sister could break free. Which is why she isn’t exactly thrilled to see Averil back on Blackberry Island, especially when Nina’s life has suddenly become complicated. To enter the contest, please fill out this form by Tuesday, April 1st at noon ET. As an added bonus, you can click here to download a copy of the EVENING STARS book club kit.

If you didn’t catch THE INNOCENTS, Francesca Segal’s stylish, smart debut when it was released in paperback last year, now’s your chance to win a copy in March’s “What’s Your Book Group Reading This Month?” Contest. Set in a Jewish enclave of modern-day London, the book is about Adam Newman, who is finally marrying his high school sweetheart, Rachel. But as the wedding nears, Adam becomes less sure of his choices --- and his growing uncertainty is only exacerbated when Rachel’s younger, wilder cousin moves home and challenges everything Adam thinks he believes in. The story is a modern retelling of THE AGE OF INNOCENCE by Edith Wharton, and it was a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. You also can see our Bookreporter.com review here. We have 12 copies of the book to give away to three groups. Enter here by Monday, April 7th at noon ET, and let us know what YOUR book group is reading in March for your chance to win. Please note that we want to know the title that your group will be discussing this month.

We also are bringing you titles that readers have rated as being "good book group selections" in our “Rate Books for Book Groups” feature. This gives you more to browse as you look for ideas for your book group discussions. You can see them here. These don’t necessarily need to be books that you have read with your book clubs --- they can simply be titles that you think would be great for discussion! Consider this another section of the site for you to get suggestions. And it’s easy to participate: All you need to do is rate the books you’ve read --- whether personally or with your book group --- so readers will know whether or not they would be good selections for book groups. All entries will be posted shortly after the April 7th deadline.

We have three featured guides to share with you this month. The first is GEMINI by Carol Cassella. Carol once again brings her medical experience to the page in this story about Dr. Charlotte Reese’s growing involvement with a mysterious patient --- the unidentifiable victim of a hit-and-run. When Charlotte’s search for answers reveals links between herself and her patient, the repercussions will forever change her life. Click here for the guide, here for our Bookreporter.com review, and here for an in-depth Q&A with the author. I will post my Bets On commentary about this book on Friday.

Next up is a book that has been getting LOTS of buzz --- it was a BEA buzz book last year: Award-winning journalist Jennifer Senior’s spirited examination of the relationship between parents and their children, ALL JOY AND NO FUN: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood. There are plenty of books out there about the effect parents have on children, but this one brings to light a new and crucial aspect of parenting: What are the effects children have on their parents? In this book Jennifer tackles this question, isolating and analyzing the many ways in which children reshape their parents' lives, whether it's their marriages, their jobs, their habits, their hobbies, their friendships or their internal senses of self, and forcing us to reconsider some of our culture’s most basic beliefs about parenting. Jennifer gave a great interview on NPR, well worth listening to, here, and you can watch all of her television and radio interviews here. Click here for the guide and here for an interesting Q&A with the author, with questions from Curtis Sittenfeld (the author of PREP).

Our third featured guide this month is Rene Denfeld’s beautiful, transcendent debut novel, THE ENCHANTED. Set in a stark world where evil and magic coincide, it’s about a death row inmate who finds escape in his books and in re-imagining life around him. Two outsiders venture to his ancient stone prison: a fallen priest and the Lady, an investigator who searches for buried information from prisoners’ pasts that can save those soon-to-be-executed. As she digs into the background of a killer named York, she uncovers wrenching truths that challenge familiar notions of guilt and innocence --- and ultimately reveal shocking secrets of her own. Click here for the guide.

And a reminder that at the beginning of each month, we compile a list of the Most Requested Guides in the categories of New Favorites, Ongoing Favorites and Enduring Favorites, along with an overall list of Top 50 Requests. Here is the list from January, and here is the most recent list from February. Check back in early April for March’s list!

We've posted a brand new poll question. Approximately what percentage of your book group members reads the books you discuss on an eReader? Click here to let us know by Monday, April 7th at noon ET. In our previous poll, we asked you to describe your book group meetings. A whopping 75% of you discuss the book AND socialize, while 20% just focus on discussing the book. Click here for the full results.

Although spring may not have officially sprung yet, Spring Preview is in full bloom on Bookreporter.com! Be sure to sign up for our daily newsletters --- featuring a different book coming this spring on select days --- so you don’t miss a chance to win one of five copies. The feature only lasts until March 20th, so enter now to win a book to get you through April showers. Scroll down for more details about the books that are being featured.

Last night, I was at the Books for a Better Life Awards ceremony where Tara and Todd Storch won in the Inspirational Memoir category for their heartfelt memoir, TAYLOR’S GIFT, which we recently featured on ReadingGroupGuides.com. The heartwrenching story of their daughter’s death after a ski accident, how her life was “outlived” with the donation of her organs to five recipients, and how it inspired them to start a foundation to support organ donation is one that has stayed with me. I was thrilled to be in the audience celebrating them last night!

I came across a trailer for Unbroken, the film that Angelina Jolie is adapting from the mega-bestselling book by Laura Hillenbrand. It will be in theaters at Christmas, and given that Louis Zamperini, the main character, was an Olympic athlete, it makes sense that this debuted during the Olympics. My friend T.K. has told me again and again that this is his favorite book of all time --- and everyone that he has shared it with has loved it the same way. He gave the trailer a thumbs up. We’ll be talking more about this in the months to come.

We wanted to alert you to our new “Share Bar,” which appears on the lefthand side of every page on the site. This allows you to easily share guides and features with your book group members, friends, family and fellow readers. For those of you on Goodreads, the icon to share books there will appear on any page where a book appears, though you will not see this on the homepage. So share, share away. You are our best ambassadors for bringing new readers to the site.

This newsletter now goes out to 18,500 people. May we also ask that you forward it to everyone in your book group, or friends who read? It’s very easy to do via the link found on the top right of this newsletter if you are reading it from email received in your mailbox. With your help, we know our audience can grow even bigger, so thank you in advance for passing us along! One more note on this: For Facebook, we are working on managing the art associated with each feature/article/interview, etc. It needs a bunch of tech tweaks since what happens changes with each content type, but know that we are on this!

Whew…quite a month again at ReadingGroupGuides.com! Read on for much, much more…

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])

THE FORTUNE HUNTER by Daisy Goodwin (Historical Fiction)
Captain Bay Middleton is dashing, and the finest horseman in England. He is also impoverished, with no hope of buying the horse needed to win the Grand National --- until he meets Charlotte Baird. A clever, plainspoken heiress, Charlotte falls in love with Bay, the first man to really notice her. When beautiful Empress Elizabeth “Sisi” of Austria joins the legendary hunt organized by Earl Spencer in England, Bay is asked to guide her on the treacherous course. Their shared passion for riding leads to an infatuation that threatens the growing bond between Bay and Charlotte, and all of their futures.

-Click here for the reading group guide.

We're giving three groups the opportunity to win 12 copies of THE HAREM MIDWIFE, the opulent, riveting and suspenseful continuation of Roberta Rich's thrilling debut THE MIDWIFE OF VENICE set in Medieval Constantinople. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, April 7th at noon ET.

THE HAREM MIDWIFE by Roberta Rich (Historical Fiction)
Hannah and Isaac Levi, Venetians in exile, have set up a new life for themselves in Constantinople. Isaac runs a newly established business in the growing silk trade, while Hannah, the best midwife in all of Constantinople, tends to the harem of Sultan Murat III. But one night, when Hannah is unexpectedly summoned to the palace, she is confronted with Zofia, a Jewish peasant girl who has been abducted and sold into the sultan’s harem. Will Hannah risk her life and livelihood to protect Zofia and return her safely home, or will she prioritize her high esteem in the eye of the sultan?

-Click here for the reading group guide.

We're giving three groups the opportunity to win 12 copies of Janie Chang's debut novel, THREE SOULS, a captivating tale, set in 1935 China, about the ghost of a woman who learns she must make amends for her earthly mistakes in order to gain entry to the afterlife. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, April 7th at noon ET.

THREE SOULS by Janie Chang (Historical Fiction)
We have three souls, or so I'd been told. But only in death could I confirm this.... So begins the haunting and captivating tale, set in 1935 China, of the ghost of a young woman named Leiyin, who watches her own funeral from above and wonders why she is being denied entry to the afterlife. Beside her are three souls --- stern and scholarly yang; impulsive, romantic yin; and wise, shining hun --- who will guide her toward understanding. She must, they tell her, make amends.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.

We're giving three groups the opportunity to win 12 copies of EVENING STARS: A Blackberry Island Novel by New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery, the poignant tale of two sisters on the verge of claiming their dreams. To enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, April 1st at noon ET.

EVENING STARS: A Blackberry Island Novel by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
Small-town nurse Nina Wentworth has made a career out of being a caretaker. More “Mom” than their mother ever was, she sacrificed medical school --- and her first love --- so her sister could break free. Which is why she isn’t exactly thrilled to see Averil back on Blackberry Island, especially when Nina’s life has suddenly become…complicated. Nina is starting to realize that the control she once had is slipping out of her fingers, and her hopes of getting off the island seem to be stretching further away…until her mother makes a discovery that could change everything forever.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
-Click here to read our interview with Susan Mallery on Bookreporter.com.

Let us know what your group is reading in March, and you will be entered in a giveaway to win multiple copies of a book for your group! Our latest prize book is THE INNOCENTS by Francesca Segal, a triumphant and beautifully executed recasting of Edith Wharton’s THE AGE OF INNOCENCE. We have 12 copies of the book, which is now available in paperback, to give away to three groups. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Monday, April 7th at noon ET.

THE INNOCENTS by Francesca Segal (Fiction)
Adam Newman has been dating Rachel Gilbert since they were both 16, and now they are finally planning to marry. But as the vast machinery of the wedding gathers momentum, Adam feels the first faint touches of claustrophobia. And when Rachel’s younger cousin moves home, Adam starts questioning everything, suddenly torn between security and exhilaration, tradition and independence.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
-Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.
-Click here to see why Bookreporter.com is betting you'll love this book.

GEMINI by Carol Cassella (Mystery)
When an unidentified Jane Doe, the victim of a hit-and-run, arrives in Dr. Charlotte Reese’s intensive care unit, she brings with her mysteries --- both medical and personal. As Charlotte cares for Jane, she becomes increasingly caught up in the questions of her patient’s identity and what led to her accident. When Charlotte’s search for answers reveals links between Charlotte and her patient, the repercussions will forever change her life and her understanding of what love can make possible.

-Click here to read our review on Bookreporter.com.

This year's featured titles are:

• THE COLD SONG by Linn Ullmann
• THE COTTAGE ON JUNIPER RIDGE: Life in Icicle Falls by Sheila Roberts
• FAR GONE by Laura Griffin
• THE FORGOTTEN SEAMSTRESS by Liz Trenow
• A HUNDRED SUMMERS by Beatriz Williams
• THE KRAKEN PROJECT by Douglas Preston
• LOVERS AT THE CHAMELEON CLUB, PARIS 1932 by Francine Prose
• THE OTHER TYPIST by Suzanne Rindell
• THE RENTAL SISTER by Jeff Backhaus
• THE SHELF: From LEQ to LES: Adventures in Extreme Reading by Phyllis Rose
• THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS by Elizabeth Gilbert
• THE SNOW QUEEN by Michael Cunningham
• TOMORROW THERE WILL BE APRICOTS by Jessica Soffer
• WHIRLWIND by Rick Mofina

The following guides are now available on ReadingGroupGuides.com:

THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED by Jonas Jonasson (Fiction)
A reluctant centenarian much like Forrest Gump (if Gump were an explosives expert with a fondness for vodka) decides it's not too late to start over.

ALL JOY AND NO FUN: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood by Jennifer Senior (Parenting)
Thousands of books have examined the effects of parents on their children. But almost none have thought to ask: What are the effects of children on their parents?

THE ENCHANTED by Rene Denfeld (Fiction)
This wondrous and redemptive novel, for readers of Alice Sebold and Toni Morrison, is told from the point of view of a convict whose magical interpretations of prison life allow him to find absolute joy while isolated from the rest of humanity and a female investigator who experiences her own personal salvation in her work.

EVENING STARS: A Blackberry Island Novel by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery returns to Blackberry Island with the poignant tale of two sisters on the verge of claiming their dreams.

THE FORTUNE HUNTER by Daisy Goodwin (Historical Fiction)
A beautiful empress, a handsome horseman and a bluestocking heiress form a passionate love triangle in this historical novel from the New York Times bestselling author of THE AMERICAN HEIRESS.

GEMINI by Carol Cassella (Mystery)
When an unidentified Jane Doe, the victim of a hit-and-run, arrives in Dr. Charlotte Reese’s intensive care unit, she brings with her mysteries --- both medical and personal.

THE HAREM MIDWIFE by Roberta Rich (Historical Fiction)
Hannah and Isaac return in this opulent, riveting and suspenseful tale --- a continuation of Roberta Rich's thrilling debut THE MIDWIFE OF VENICE set in Medieval Constantinople.

HER: A Memoir by Christa Parravani (Memoir)
A blazingly passionate memoir of identity and love: When a charismatic and troubled young woman dies tragically, her identical twin must struggle to survive.

NOT WITHOUT YOU by Harriet Evans (Fiction)
NOT WITHOUT YOU is an absorbing and intriguing new novel about a famous modern-day actress whose fate becomes entwined with that of a glamorous movie star from the 1950s who vanished many years earlier.

ORDINARY GRACE by William Kent Krueger (Historical Mystery)
Thirteen-year-old Frank Drum’s serene, small-town life is thrown into turmoil as a series of tragic deaths lead him and his family on a hunt for terrible truths.

OVERWHELMED: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time by Brigid Schulte (Sociology/Marriage & Family)
Can working parents in America --- or anywhere --- ever find true leisure time?

THREE SOULS by Janie Chang (Historical Fiction)
THREE SOULS is a captivating tale, set in 1935 China, of the ghost of a young woman who watches her own funeral from above and learns she has been denied entry to the afterlife until she makes amends for her earthly mistakes under the guidance of her three souls --- yang, yin and hun.

THE UNCHANGEABLE SPOTS OF LEOPARDS by Kristopher Jansma (Fiction)
"F. Scott Fitzgerald meets Wes Anderson" (The Village Voice) in this inventive and witty debut about a young man’s quest to become a writer and the misadventures in life and love that take him around the globe.


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

JACOB'S FOLLY by Rebecca Miller (Historical Fiction)
Set in 18th-century Paris and full of unexpected characters, Rebecca Miller’s rollicking novel takes on desire, faith, love, acting and reincarnation while exploring change in all its different guises --- personal, spiritual, literal.

SONGS OF WILLOW FROST by Jamie Ford (Historical Fiction)
Set against the backdrop of Depression-era Seattle, SONGS OF WILLOW FROST is a powerful tale of two souls --- a boy with dreams for his future and a woman escaping her haunted past --- both seeking love, hope and forgiveness.

UNTIL I SAY GOOD-BYE: My Year of Living with Joy by Susan Spencer-Wendel with Bret Witter (Memoir)
UNTIL I SAY GOOD-BYE contains moving and inspirational reflections on life from one woman making the most of her final days with family and friends.