January 2007

Happy New Year!

Here's hoping your holiday season was filled with great reveling and good cheer, as well as a few good books. I was on the Outer Banks for the holidays where we had some sunny days with temperatures in the mid-60s and crystal clear skies. I happily sat on the deck reading away like it was summertime. It was a perfect break.
 
Back here in the New York area the weather was so warm last weekend that the parks and hiking trails were busy. I just looked out the window now and snow flurries were falling lightly. While I am a huge fan of warm sunny days, snow and cold make me long for a good book, the couch and a roaring fire. That to me is what reading in January is all about. Of course, I can write perfect reading scenarios for every month of the year and I happily move from one to the next as the year goes on. I am sure you can do the same.
 
Those of you who have been reading this newsletter also know I am passionate about cooking. Thus I am very happy to share The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. It will be a great inspiration to any groups who are looking to pair great dishes from around the world with the titles that they are reading. This month and next, we will be giving you some ideas and recommendations for such pairings, but we know if you browse these pages, there will be many other ideas fostered by the recipes you are reading. If you are signed up for this newsletter by January 31st (and if you are getting this in your mailbox you already are), your group is automatically eligible to win one of 20 copies of The Best Recipes in the World.
 
Also, this month we will be sharing the first of several fiction titles from a publisher called Viking that we will be spotlighting in the months to come. These are titles that they feel are wonderful book club selections. In April we will be featuring a special contest with these titles.
 
Our other featured titles give you a wonderful range of ideas of books to read with your groups, including The Sunday List of Dreams by Kris Radish, an author who is a book club favorite, and Crippen by John Boyne, an author who many of you enjoyed when you read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. We have two special offers for our Registered Book Clubs this month: an author chat and a book giveaway for both Elizabeth Crook and The Night Journal and Karen Essex and Leonardo's Swans. Sign your group up by Monday, January 15th to be eligible for these.
 
Our poll question this month is about libraries and how you work with them for your book club.
 
Have a group that wants to be interviewed and featured on ReadingGroupGuides.com? Then click here. If you are a bookseller or librarian who would like to share what happens in your store or library, see these links: Bookseller Interview Questions and Librarian Interview Questions.
 
Here's to a wonderful January. Enjoy meeting with your group.

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])

THE NIGHT JOURNAL by Elizabeth Crook

A mesmerizing novel of four generations of Southwestern women bound to a mythical legacy.

With its family secrets and hallowed texts containing explosive truths, The Night Journal suggests A. S. Byatt's Possession transplanted to the raw and beautiful landscape of the American Southwest. Meg Mabry has spent her life oppressed by her family's legacy --- a heritage beginning with the journals written by her great-grandmother in the 1890s and solidified by her grandmother Bassie, a famous historian who published them to great acclaim. Until now, Meg has stubbornly refused to read the journals. But when she concedes to accompany the elderly and vipertongued Bassie on a return trip to the fabled land of her childhood in New Mexico, Meg finally succumbs to the allure of her great-grandmother's story --- and soon everything she believed about her family is turned upside down.

Click here to read our guide for The Night Journal.

THE SUNDAY LIST OF DREAMS by Kris Radish 

Click here to read our guide for The Sunday List of Dreams.

LEONARDO'S SWANS by Karen Essex

Isabelle d'Este, daughter of the Duke of Ferrara, born into privilege and the political and artistic turbulence of Renaissance Italy, is a stunning black-eyed blond and an art lover and collector. A haunting novel of rivalry, love, and betrayal that transports you back to Renaissance Italy, Leonardo's Swans will have you dashing to the works of the great master --- not for clues to a mystery but to contemplate the secrets of the human heart.

Click here to read the guide for Leonardo's Swans.

THE BEST RECIPES IN THE WORLD by Mark Bittman

Mark Bittman traveled the world to find and bring back the best recipes of home cooks from 44 countries. This bountiful collection of new, easy, and ultra-flavorful dishes will add exciting new tastes and cosmopolitan flair to your everyday cooking and entertaining.

The Best Recipes in the World is a perfect resource for book clubs that like to coordinate what they're reading to the food they serve at their meetings. Here are some suggestions for regions, dishes and the books that go perfectly with them.

1. Region: Central and Eastern Europe
Recipe: Roast Chicken With Paprika (Click here for the recipe)
Book: Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

2. Region: China
Recipe: Minced Shrimp in Lettuce Wrappers (Click here for the recipe)
Book: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

3. Region: France
Recipe: Pears Poached with Butter and Cream (Click here for the recipe)
Book: Le Divorce by Diane Johnson

CRIPPEN by John Boyne

July 1910: A gruesome discovery has been made at 39 Hilldrop Crescent, Camden.

An accomplished, intricately plotted novel, Crippen brilliantly reimagines the amazing escape attempt of one of history's most notorious killers and marks the outstanding American debut of one of Ireland's best young novelists, which was published in 2004. Many of you may know him as the author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

Featured Viking Flights of Fiction Title: THE SAFFRON KITCHEN by Yasmin Crowther

In what is certain to be one of the most talked-about fiction debuts of the year, Yasmin Crowther paints a magnificent portrait of betrayal and retribution set against a backdrop of Iran's tumultuous history, dramatic landscapes and cultural beauty. The story begins on a blustery day in London, when Maryam Mazar's dark secrets and troubled past surface violently with tragic consequences for her pregnant daughter, Sara. Burdened by guilt, Maryam leaves her comfortable English home for the remote village in Iran where she was raised and disowned by her father. When Sara decides to follow her she learns the price that her mother had to pay for her freedom and of the love she left behind.

Poetic, haunting and brilliantly crafted, The Saffron Kitchen is sure to entrance fans of Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake and Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club.

-Click here to read more about Viking's Flights of Fiction series.

Click here to read the guide for The Saffron Kitchen.

RECLAIMING NICK by Susan May Warren

Nick Noble hadn't planned on being the prodigal son. But when his father dies and leaves half of Silver Buckle --- the Noble family ranch --- to Nick's former best friend, he must return home to face his mistakes, and guarantee that the Silver Buckle stays in the Noble family. Award-winning journalist Piper Sullivan believes Nick framed her brother for murder, and she's determined to find justice. But following Nick to the Silver Buckle and posing as a ranch cook proves more challenging than she thinks. So does resisting his charming smile. As Nick seeks to overturn his father's will --- and Piper digs for answers --- family secrets surface that send Nick's life into a tailspin. But there's someone who's out to take the Silver Buckle from the Noble family, and he'll stop at nothing --- even murder --- to make it happen.

Now Available in Paperback: LOVE WALKED IN by Marisa de los Santos

Love Walked In, the first novel by award-winning poet Marisa de los Santos, is bursting with keen insight and beautifully rendered prose. Invoking classic movies to illuminate the mystery and wonder of love in all its permutations, Love Walked In is an uplifting debut that marks the entrance of an enchanting literary voice.

Special Opportunities for Registered Book Groups

This month we have the following very special opportunities for Book Groups that have registered with us by Monday, January 15th.

The Night Journal by Elizabeth Crook --- Author Chat and Book Giveaway: 10 groups will win 12 copies of the book and the opportunity to chat with Elizabeth Crook.

More about The Night Journal:
A mesmerizing novel of four generations of Southwestern women bound to a mythical legacy.

With its family secrets and hallowed texts containing explosive truths, The Night Journal suggests A. S. Byatt's Possession transplanted to the raw and beautiful landscape of the American Southwest. Meg Mabry has spent her life oppressed by her family's legacy --- a heritage beginning with the journals written by her great-grandmother in the 1890s and solidified by her grandmother Bassie, a famous historian who published them to great acclaim. Until now, Meg has stubbornly refused to read the journals. But when she concedes to accompany the elderly and vipertongued Bassie on a return trip to the fabled land of her childhood in New Mexico, Meg finally succumbs to the allure of her great-grandmother's story --- and soon everything she believed about her family is turned upside down.

Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex --- Author Chat and Book Giveaway: 3 groups will win 12 copies of the book and the opportunity to chat with Karen Essex.

More about Leonardo's Swans:
Isabelle d'Este, daughter of the Duke of Ferrara, born into privilege and the political and artistic turbulence of Renaissance Italy, is a stunning black-eyed blond and an art lover and collector. A haunting novel of rivalry, love, and betrayal that transports you back to Renaissance Italy, Leonardo's Swans will have you dashing to the works of the great master --- not for clues to a mystery but to contemplate the secrets of the human heart.

New Interview

We have the following new Book Club Interview:

Sheila Dalton, the moderator of Book Buzz from Toronto, Ontario.

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

Guides Now Available

The following guides are now available on ReadingGroupGuides.com:

A Day of Small Beginnings by Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum
Around the Next Corner by Elizabeth Wrenn
Crippen by John Boyne
The Diviners by Rick Moody
The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Jane Austen in Scarsdale by Paula Marantz Cohen
Jesus Land: A Memoir by Julia Scheeres
The Night Journal by Elizabeth Crook
Red River by Lalita Tademy
The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther
The Sunday List of Dreams by Kris Radish
Sun Storm by Asa Larsson
The Suspect by John Lescroart

The following guides for Christian Book Groups are now available:

Reclaiming Nick by Susan May Warren
Tangerine by Marilynn Griffith

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

The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits by Ayelet Waldman
 

Poll

Does your library offer a list of selections for book clubs?

Yes
No
I am not sure.

Does your library host a book club?

Yes
No
I am not sure.

Click here to answer our poll.

Tip for February

Tip for February: In honor of Black History Month, share lists of titles from some of your favorite African-American authors. 
 

This Month's Contest: Win a Copy of THE BEST RECIPES IN THE WORLD by Mark Bittman

A subscription to our newsletter is all you need to be entered in our monthly contest. This month, 20 lucky readers will win one copy of The Best Recipes in the World for his or her entire reading group.

-Click here to read more about The Best Recipes in the World.