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ReadingGroupGuides.com Newsletter |
July 2007
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Summer Reading...
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Greetings from Atlanta. I have spent the last week on the road for business and pleasure visiting both Atlanta and the mountains of North Carolina. Along the way I got to visit Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe in Asheville, North Carolina and Coffee Buy the Book in Roswell, Georgia. This afternoon we are touring the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta, giving this trip a true literary flavor. I hope that you too are finding some terrific places to read this summer.
I am headed back to New York today, and I will be at Thriller Fest, the International Thriller Writers Convention through Saturday. Monday night I am looking forward to seeing Lisa See do a reading at the Barnes & Noble store on the Upper West Side where she will be talking about her new book, Peony in Love, which I loved. Our reviewer, Jamie Layton, also gave it a rave!
For those of you who did not have time to explore the NEW design on ReadingGroupGuides.com last month, be sure to take a look! Our goal was to make all of our features more readily accessible from dropdown navigation on the top of the site. We feel that there are a lot of features that you were not able to find easily in the past. Also, this will give us a chance to expand the site with even more content in the months to come.
For July we have two very special opportunities for Registered Book Groups. Our featured titles are The Rug Merchant by Meg Mullins and The Devil in the Junior League by Linda Francis Lee. Registered groups have the chance to win author chats and free books. Click here for more information. You have until Monday, July 16th to register your group, if you have not done so already, to be eligible to enter these contests.
We welcome your ideas about things your clubs do that are different. This month our book club interviews are with Jennie Mulhall, who is the leader and one of the founding members of The Gamma Girls Book Club of Louisville, KY, and Glenda Smith is the spokesperson for The Gresford Book Club of Gresford, NSW, Australia.
Here's a reminder that our Third Annual Summer Beach Bag of Books promotion is running on one of our other websites, Bookreporter.com. Check out these WEEKLY contests on this page, or sign up for the Bookreporter.com newsletter here to be sure you don't miss these. Our Poll asks if your group has ever discussed the Harry Potter books. We are running a survey on Bookreporter.com that asks readers about their thoughts on the Harry Potter books and movies. Weigh in here.
Here's to some great reading this month...happy trails if you are traveling.
Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
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Answer our Harry Potter Survey here.
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Special Feature and Contest: Win THE OFFICE OF DESIRE by Martha Moody for Your Group
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Fifty readers will have the opportunity to each win one copy of The Office of Desire by Martha Moody, which will be in stores on August 2nd, for their group. Enter between now and Friday, July 27th by filling out the form found here.
More About The Office of Desire:
From the author of the runaway bestselling novel Best Friends, a smart, touching novel about the intimate yet fragile relationships among five very different people, thrown together in a small medical office, and how each life affects the others.
Alicia, Brice, and Caroline are the ABCs --- three close friends who have been brought together while working at the cozy medical practice of Drs. Markowitz and Strub in Midburg, Ohio. But when Alicia and Dr. Strub begin an affair, a dramatic chain of events ensues that gradually but drastically alters the office environment --- ultimately requiring all five coworkers to redefine their relationships to one another. Warm, moving, and witty, The Office of Desire offers an insightful look at human nature that will appeal to those who loved Moody's previous novel and anyone else who has worked in an office.
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Click here to read the guide for The Office of Desire.
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Special Feature and Contest: Win LOTTERY by Patricia Wood for Your Group
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Fifty readers will have the opportunity to each win TWO copies of Lottery by Patricia Wood, which will be in stores on August 2nd, for their group. Our thought is that you can read one copy and give one away! Enter between now and Friday, July 27th by filling out the form found here.
More About Lottery:
Perry's IQ is only 76, but he's not stupid. His grandmother taught him everything he needs to know to survive: She taught him to write things down so he won't forget them. She taught him to play the lottery every week. And, most important, she taught him whom to trust. When Gram dies, Perry is left orphaned and bereft at the age of thirty-one. Then his weekly Washington State Lottery ticket wins him 12 million dollars, and he finds he has more family than he knows what to do with. Peopled with characters both wicked and heroic who leap off the pages, Lottery is a deeply satisfying, gorgeously rendered novel about trust, loyalty, and what distinguishes us as capable.
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Click here to read the guide for Lottery.
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Special Feature and Contest: Win THE BOOK THIEF by Marcus Zusak for Your Group
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Twenty readers will have the opportunity to each win one copy of the New York Times bestselller The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak, which will be in stores in paperback on September 11th, for their group. Enter between now and Friday, July 27th by filling out the form found here.
More About The Book Thief:
It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery....
Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist --- books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.
This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.
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Click here to read the guide for The Book Thief.
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THE POE SHADOW by Matthew Pearl -- Now in Paperback
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Following his phenomenal debut novel, The Dante Club, Matthew Pearl once again crossed pitch-perfect literary history with innovative mystery to create a beautifully detailed, ingeniously plotted tale of suspense, The Poe Shadow, his second New York Times bestselller. The body of Edgar Allan Poe has been buried in an unmarked grave. The public, the press, even Poe's own family and friends accept the conclusion that Poe was a second-rate writer who met a disgraceful end as a drunkard. But none of this deters a young Baltimore lawyer named Quentin Clark.
Quentin, an ardent admirer, discovers that Poe's last days are riddled with vital unanswered questions that the police may be covering up. Just when Poe's death seems destined to remain a mystery, inspiration strikes --- in the form of Poe's own stories. In short order, Quentin finds himself enmeshed in sinister machinations and with his own future hanging in the balance, he must turn master investigator himself to unchain his now imperiled fate from that of Poe.
The Poe Shadow's groundbreaking research opens a new window on the truth behind Poe's demise, literary history's most persistent enigma, with documented material never published before.
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Click here to read the guide for The Poe Shadow.
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THE GUY NOT TAKEN: Stories by Jennifer Weiner is Now in Paperback
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Have you ever wondered...about The Guy Not Taken? Read Jennifer Weiner’s unforgettable New York Times bestseller --- now in paperback!
More About The Guy Not Taken:
Jennifer Weiner's talent shines like never before in this collection of short stories, following the tender, often hilarious, progress of love and relationships over the course of a lifetime.
We meet Marlie Davidow, home alone with her new baby late one night, when she wanders onto her ex's online wedding registry and wonders what if she had wound up with the guy not taken. We find Jessica Norton listing her beloved river-view apartment in the hope of winning her broker's heart. And we follow an unlikely friendship between two very different new mothers, and the choices that bring them together --- and pull them apart.
-Click here to read the guide for The Guy Not Taken.
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Read more about Jennifer Weiner and her books here.
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HOW TO TALK TO A WIDOWER by Jonathan Tropper
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Jonathan Tropper has earned wild acclaim --- and comparisons to Nick Hornby and Tom Perrotta --- for his biting humor and insightful portrayals of families in crisis and men behaving badly. Now the acclaimed author of The Book of Joe and Everything Changes tackles love, lust, and lost in the suburbs --- in a stunning novel that is by turns heartfelt and riotously funny.
Doug Parker is a widower at age twenty-nine, and in his quiet suburban town, that makes him something of a celebrity --- the object of sympathy, curiosity, and, in some cases, unbridled desire. But Doug has other things on his mind which include his sixteen year-old stepson, Russ, his sisters: his bossy twin, Clair, who's just left he husband and moved in with Doug, and Debbie, who's engaged to Doug's ex-best friend. Soon Doug's entire nuclear family is in his face. And when he starts dipping his toes into the shark-infested waters of the second-time around dating scene, it isn't long before his new life is spinning hopelessly out of control, cutting a harrowing and often hilarious swath of sexual missteps and escalating chaos across the suburban landscape.
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Click here to read the guide for How to Talk to a Widower.
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THE RUG MERCHANT by Meg Mullins -- Now in Paperback
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At the heart of this debut novel is one of the most touchingly believable characters in recent fiction, a gentle soul in the body of an Iranian exile in New York. Ushman Khan sells exquisite hand-woven rugs to a wealthy clientele that he treats with perfect rectitude. He is lonely, and his loneliness becomes unbearable when he learns that his wife in Iran is leaving him. But when a young woman named Stella comes into his store, what ensues is a love story that is all the more moving because its protagonists understand tragedy. The Rug Merchant will sweep readers away with its inspiring, character-rich tale about shaking free from disappointment and finding connection and acceptance in whatever form they appear. |
Click here to read the guide for The Rug Merchant.
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ROOTS: The Saga of an American Family, by Alex Haley -- The 30th Anniversary Edition
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One of the most important books and television series ever to appear, Roots, galvanized the nation, and created an extraordinary political, racial, social and cultural dialogue that hadn't been seen since the publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin. The book sold over one million copies in the first year, and the miniseries was watched by an astonishing 130 million people. It also won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
Roots fostered a remarkable dialogue about not just the past, but the then present day 1970s and how America had fared since the days portrayed in Roots. This edition reminds the generation that originally read it that there are issues that still need to be discussed and debated, and introduces a new and younger generation, to a book that will help them understand, perhaps for the first time, the reality of what took place during the time of Roots.
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Click here to read the guide for Roots.
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MR. SEBASTIAN AND THE NEGRO MAGICIAN by Daniel Wallace
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From one of the most imaginative novelists of his generation comes the tale of Henry Walker, a magician with extraordinary powers, extraordinary heartache, and a lifetime of illusions so remarkable you’ll not believe your eyes.
It’s 1954 when we first meet Henry. Once a world-famous magician, he seems to have lost his touch. As he travels through the South his act draws more laughs than awe. He’s a far cry from the spellbinding illusionist he once was, having learned magic from a mysterious gentleman named Mr. Sebastian --- surely the disguised devil himself. On these pages you will hear from Henry’s circus friends --- Jenny, the Ossified Girl; Rudy, the Strongest Man in the Entire World; and JJ, the Barker --- who will recount Henry’s greatest feats, leading you on one of the greatest adventures ever told, with a stunning revelation at the end that exposes the truth about a master of trickery.
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Click here to read the guide for Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician.
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This Month's Book Club Interviews
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Jennie Mulhall is the leader and one of the founding members of The Gamma Girls Book Club of Louisville, KY. As she describes in this interview, friendship comes first with this closely knit group of women, and they make it a point to spend time together apart from their book discussions. Read on to learn more about how they keep things fun --- both in and out of their monthly meetings --- their eclectic reading habits and the story behind their unique name.
Glenda Smith is the spokesperson for The Gresford Book Club of Gresford, NSW, Australia. In this interview, Glenda explains how this laid-back, all-female group maintains a relaxed atmosphere during their meetings and shares how they plan to use a blog to supplement their discussions. She also describes the club's active participation in the community, as well as with the CWA, a large women's organization in Australia.
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Click here to read all our book club interviews.
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Registered Book Club Offers
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For July we have two very special opportunities for Registered Book Groups. Our featured titles are The Rug Merchant by Meg Mullins and The Devil in the Junior League by Linda Francis Lee. Groups who have registered with us by Monday, July 16th have the chance to win author chats and free books. If your group is not registered, click here to register.
The Rug Merchant by Meg Mullins --- Author Chat and Book Giveaway: 10-15 groups will have the opportunity to chat with Meg Mullins and receive 12 copies of the book.
More About The Rug Merchant:
At the heart of this debut novel is one of the most touchingly believable characters in recent fiction, a gentle soul in the body of an Iranian exile in New York. Ushman Khan sells exquisite hand-woven rugs to a wealthy clientele that he treats with perfect rectitude. He is lonely, and his loneliness becomes unbearable when he learns that his wife in Iran is leaving him. But when a young woman named Stella comes into his store, what ensues is a love story that is all the more moving because its protagonists understand tragedy. The Rug Merchant will sweep readers away with its inspiring, character-rich tale about shaking free from disappointment and finding connection and acceptance in whatever form they appear.
The Junior League of Willow Creek, Texas, is tres exclusive. Undesirables need not apply. Fredericka Mercedes Hildebrand Ware (Frede to her friends) is a member beyond reproach...until her life begins to unravel. When her husband betrays her, steals her money, and runs off to places unknown, it's something Frede would rather keep under wraps. The last thing she needs is to become fodder for the JLWC gossip mill. Linda Francis Lee has written an hysterical novel about the creme de la creme of Texas society, the lengths to which one woman goes to bring her cheating husband to justice, and how taking on what seems like a "Mission Impossible" can change you in ways you could never have imagined.
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Click here to register your group.
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This Month's Contest Book
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Win The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl for your reading group!
To be a group to win 20 free copies of this book, all you have to do is sign up for the ReadingGroupGuides.com newsletter by August 1, 2007. If you are receiving this newsletter in your mailbox, you already are signed up!
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Click here to read contest details and rules.
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Poll and Tip
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Poll: Discussing Harry Potter
Would your group discuss any Harry Potter titles?
-Yes, we have done this in the past.
-Yes, we will do this now that the series is over.
-We had not thought about this, but it might be a good idea.
-No, our group is not interested in this.
Click here to answer the Poll.
Tip for July:
The One-Book Book Club: Think about selecting a book to read with friends who you summer with at the beach, the pool or in the mountains, and make this a special one-time book discussion event.
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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
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