October 2012

I love meeting our readers. It is lovely to hear feedback on the websites --- and more than that to hear about the books that you love that you discovered on the site and your suggestions, as well. This weekend I traveled to Bouchercon, the world mystery convention in Cleveland, Ohio. This is a true fan conference. Over the weekend, I heard from people who had attended this event for 30 years. As it travels from city to city each year, that is a real commitment from folks. I was there with our mystery/thriller reviewer, Joe Hartlaub.

When we first started our flagship site, Bookreporter.com, we had a hosted chat room called Bookaccino on AOL, where readers gathered to talk about books 24/7. It ended up closing close to a decade ago, but many of the chat hosts still keep in touch. We had had two gatherings with them in Chicago and St. Louis, the last of which was held about 14 years ago. In what can only be called a stroke of total kismet, one of the Chat Coordinators, Candi, was at Bouchercon. I did not know this until I wrote on Facebook that I was there. Liz, a former host, quickly wrote that she and Judy were driving up from the Cincinnati area, and another host from Pennsylvania, Anna, just happened to be driving through at the same time to go to a wedding in Akron.

While there were four convention hotels, we all were staying in the same hotel a couple of blocks away, all done with no advance conversation or planning. We gathered for breakfast on Saturday morning and found ourselves quickly scratching out notes of what we had read and loved. Actually there was a lot of immediate downloading of books that folks enjoyed. It was great to learn that Candi used our discussion guides in her high school contemporary lit class (she just retired this year); she found them a great way to bring up points to engage her students. Really nice to know that teens are being introduced to our guides in this way! We sat talking for two hours, and if we all did not have other plans, we clearly could have been there all day. Talk about an extended book group!

Also, the event that we co-sponsored with the Hachette Book Group on September 29th was a smashing success, again giving me a chance to meet a number of our readers. The author presentations were excellent; many of them I had not heard speak before. But what made the day even more fun was the enthusiasm in that room! I brought along my friends Beverley and Rachel, who thoroughly enjoyed the day, and I saw them too get caught up in the excitement of it. Throughout the day, people were commenting about the books that they loved, the ones they planned to read, and what had resonated with their groups in the past. You can read more about the event and see pictures here. If you ever have the chance to meet with other readers like this, please go. You will thoroughly enjoy the day.

A few months ago, we asked South Florida groups for some feedback about our holding an event in that part of the country. We appreciated your feedback, and we are working on something for Fall 2013, so stay tuned about that. Events like this take a lot of time to plan! For those who are living in the South Florida area, we remind you that the Miami Book Fair, one of the premiere book and author events of the year, will take place from November 11th-18th with a Street Fair from November 16th-18th. Authors of interest to book groups like Junot Diaz, Emma Donahue, Eloisa James, Adam Johnson and many, many more will be in attendance. You can see the list of authors committed to date here, and read more about the Fair here.

And now onto our update, where we are excited to tell you about three new contests that are up and running this month.

The first is for The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan. After the Van Goethem girls lose their father and realize their mother’s small income is disappearing into her alcoholism, these three girls must find a way to make a living of their own in 1878 Paris. The youngest two find their way into the Paris Opera where they are to be trained in the art of ballet, while their older sister finds her way into the circle of Emile Zola and a young man who may not be as savory as she thinks. I am well into this book and am loving it. The story of the relationship between the sisters makes for wonderful discussion and Buchanan is a cinematic writer thus you truly feel you are in France as you read. 50 readers will have the opportunity to each win an advance copy of the book, which will be in stores on January 10th, for their group. The deadline for entries is Monday, November 5th at noon ET. Click here to enter.

We are also celebrating the release of Everything Was Good-bye by Gurjinder Basran. Meena’s father died shortly after her family immigrated to Canada when she was a baby. This left her mother to raise, support and arrange suitable marriages for all six of her daughters on her own. However, the life her sisters have is not what Meena is looking for. This is a riveting and heartbreaking story about the relationship between mothers and daughters and the pain of being caught between two cultures. Besides the storyline I am loving the voice of this book. Voice is so important to me when I read. It’s so interesting when later I think back on books and do not just remember the story, but also the voice. 50 readers will have the opportunity to each win an advance copy of the book, which will be in stores on December 31st, for their group. The deadline for entries is Monday, November 5th at noon ET. Click here to enter.

The latest title in our “What Are You Reading?” Contest is The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe. When Mary Anne Schwalbe returned from a humanitarian trip in 2007 and was feeling ill, her doctors thought she had hepatitis. Months later, she was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer and given at most six months to live. She and her son Will, who at the time was a publishing executive decided to make the most of her time while she was undergoing treatment by starting a book club of two. They thus made the long sedentary times of chemotherapy into book adventures. The result is a profoundly moving tale of loss that is also a joyful, and often humorous, account of a mother and son rediscovering themselves and each other through a love of literature. We have 12 copies of the book, which is now in stores, to give away to three groups. It’s easy to enter to win! Just tell us what your group is reading this month by Monday, November 5th at noon ET for your chance to win copies for you and your group members. Click here to enter.

By the way, I recently picked The End of Your Life Book Club as a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. Click here to see why I consider it to be one of my favorite books of the year. And while you’re there, please take a look at all the other books I’m betting you’ll love.

We also have some additional recommendations for you this month. The first is The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay, which is now available in paperback. In Paris in the 1960s, Emperor Napoleon III had hundreds of houses razed and whole neighborhoods destroyed to make room for Baron Haussmann to completely regenerate Paris into a “modern city.” However, this renovation will erase hundreds of years of French history. One woman will take a stand to save everything that Paris used to be.

Next up is The Round House, Louise Erdrich’s latest novel and a finalist for this year’s National Book Award. In the spring of 1988, Geraldine Coutts is attacked on her reservation in North Dakota. She is traumatized and resists revealing any of the details to the police, her husband, or her 13-year-old son, Joe. Because of this attack, Joe’s life is dramatically changed. He tries to help his mother heal, but as she slips more and more into herself, Joe finds himself in an adult world he isn’t ready for.

Then there is Accelerated by Bronwen Hruska. Sean Benning, a single dad and struggling artist, sends his son, Toby, to the prestigious Bradley School on New York’s Upper East Side. Everything at Bradley is accelerated --- 3rd graders read at the 6th grade level, they have labs and facilities to rival most universities, and the chess champions are the bullies. Sean doesn’t fit in with the typical Bradley parent, but at least Toby is thriving and getting the best education money can buy. Or is he? Is the accelerated life really as beneficial as it’s cracked up to be? We can see the book discussions about this as there are MANY opinions on this topic today!

Finally, we’re spotlighting Heaven Should Fall by Rebecca Coleman. Jill Wagner has been alone since her mother’s death --- until she meets Cade Olmstead, that is. Cade is everything a woman could want in a guy: handsome, ambitious --- the total package. Jill doesn’t even mind having to quit college when she finds out she’s pregnant with Cade’s baby. However, this won’t be the last sacrifice Jill has to make.

We know that MANY adult readers enjoy Young Adult books. Curious as to what spurs people to read, buy and enjoy YA books, as well as to get a profile of YA readers, we are conducting our 2012 YA Readers Survey here. It will take about 25 minutes to do --- but those who complete it are entered to win one of 450 (!) young adult titles that we will be giving away when the survey closes, with thanks to our publisher friends who contributed them. May we also ask you to share this with other YA readers, both adult and teens who you know? The survey is open until November 30th, but we love people who respond early! Once a survey like this goes up, we always are peeking at the replies.

Even though the weather is getting colder, the television and movie scene is just heating up. So be sure to check out our Fall 2012 Books to Screen bookshelf to see what new on-screen adaptations this fall has in store! We are running a poll on Bookreporter.com where we ask what television shows you are watching. Weigh in here and let us know!

In this month’s ReadingGroupGuides.com poll, we’re curious about what percentage of people in your book group actually read the book for your discussion. Click here to weigh in. And be honest!

Here’s to a great month of reading with your book group!

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])

 

We are celebrating the forthcoming release of The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan --- a romantic, exhilarating novel set during Belle Époque Paris and inspired by the real-life model of Degas’s Little Dancer Aged 14 --- with a special contest. 50 readers will have the opportunity to each win an advance copy of the book, which will be in stores on January 10th, for their group. The deadline for entries is Monday, November 5th at noon ET.

More about The Painted Girls:
It is 1878 Paris. Following the death of their father from overwork, the three Van Goethem sisters find their lives upended. Without their father’s wages, and with the small amount their mother earns as a laundress disappearing down the absinthe bottle, eviction from their single boarding room seems imminent. With few options for work available for a girl, bookish 14-year-old Marie and her younger sister Charlotte are dispatched to the Paris Opera, where for a scant 7 francs a week, the girls will be trained to enter the famous Ballet. Their older sister, stubborn and insolent Antoinette, 17, dismissed from the Ballet, finds herself launched into the orbit of Emile Zola and the influence of his notorious Naturalist masterpiece, L’Assommoir --- and into the arms of a young man who may turn out to be a murderer.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
 

We are celebrating the forthcoming release of Everything Was Good-bye by Gurjinder Basran --- a heartbreaking and riveting story about a young woman caught between a clash of cultures and the intricate bond between mothers and daughters that transcends boundaries --- with a special contest. 50 readers will have the opportunity to each win an advance copy of the book, which will be in stores on December 31st, for their group. The deadline for entries is Monday, November 5th at noon ET.

More about Everything Was Good-bye:
We first meet Meena as a 17-year-old girl in her last year of high school. Her family immigrated to Canada when she was still a baby, and soon after that her father was killed in a workplace accident, leaving her mother with the task of raising six daughters on her own. It is an onerous task not only because she must support the family, but she must also ensure that her daughters are all placed in acceptable arranged marriages. As the youngest daughter, Meena is expected to obey her mother and follow in her sisters’ footsteps: “We dressed modestly, hiding our flesh, living somewhere deep inside our skins --- chaste and quiet.” But as a headstrong and rebellious teenager, Meena refuses to accept the role that has been assigned to her.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
 

Let us know what your group is reading in October, and you’ll be entered in a giveaway to win multiple copies of a book for your group! Our latest prize book is The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe, the inspiring true story of a son and his mother who start a “book club” that brings them together as her life comes to a close. We have 12 copies of the book, which is in stores now, to give away to three groups. The deadline for entries is Monday, November 5th at noon ET.

More about The End of Your Life Book Club:
“What are you reading?”

That’s the question Will Schwalbe asks his mother, Mary Anne, as they sit in the waiting room of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. In 2007, Mary Anne returned from a humanitarian trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan suffering from what her doctors believed was a rare type of hepatitis. Months later she was diagnosed with a form of advanced pancreatic cancer, which is almost always fatal, often in six months or less.

This is the inspiring true story of a son and his mother, who start a “book club” that brings them together as her life comes to a close. Over the next two years, Will and Mary Anne carry on conversations that are both wide-ranging and deeply personal, prompted by an eclectic array of books and a shared passion for reading.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
 

Paris, France: 1860s. Hundreds of houses are being razed, whole neighborhoods reduced to ashes. By order of Emperor Napoleon III, Baron Haussmann has set into motion a series of large-scale renovations that will permanently alter the face of old Paris, molding it into a “modern city.” The reforms will erase generations of history --- and in the midst of the tumult, one woman will take a stand.

-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to read more in Bookreporter.com’s Paperback Spotlight.
 

One Sunday in the spring of 1988, a woman living on a reservation in North Dakota is attacked. The details of the crime are slow to surface as Geraldine Coutts is traumatized and reluctant to relive or reveal what happened, either to the police or to her husband, Bazil, and 13-year-old son, Joe. In one day, Joe's life is irrevocably transformed. He tries to heal his mother, but she will not leave her bed and slips into an abyss of solitude. Increasingly alone, Joe finds himself thrust prematurely into an adult world for which he is ill prepared.

The Round House is a finalist for this year's National Book Award.
 

Every afternoon Sean Benning picks up his son, Toby, on the marble steps that lead into the prestigious Bradley School. Everything at Bradley is accelerated --- 3rd graders read at the 6th grade level, they have labs and facilities to rival most universities, and the chess champions are the bullies. A single dad and struggling artist, Sean sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the power-soccer-mom cliques and ladies-who-lunch that congregate on the steps every afternoon. But at least Toby is thriving and getting the best education money can buy. Or is he?

-Click here to read a review.
 

Alone since her mother’s death, Jill Wagner wants to eat, sleep and breathe Cade Olmstead when he bursts upon her life --- golden, handsome and ambitious. Even putting college on hold feels like a minor sacrifice when she discovers she’s pregnant with Cade’s baby. But it won’t be the last one she’ll have to make.

-Click here to read a review.
-Click here to read more in Bookreporter.com’s Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight.
 

Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler: A True Love Story Rediscovered by Trudi Kanter
A version of Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler by Trudi Kanter had been self-published in 1984 and was re-discovered by a British editor in 2011. This will be the first time it is available to a wide audience. It’s a memoir of Trudi’s life growing up as a fashionable hat designer in Vienna. She falls for a man named Walter Ehrlich, who sweeps her off her feet. Life is lovely until Hitler rolls into Austria, and this Jewish couple is desperate to leave the country any way they can. They learn of visas being given to those who want to leave, but time is running out quickly as the tanks march into town.

-Click here to read more of Carol's thoughts about the book.

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
In 2007, Mary Anne Schwalbe was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which already had metastasized to her liver by the time her diagnosis was made. As she began to undergo chemotherapy treatment, her son Will, then a New York publishing executive, joined her for her sessions. They discussed what they were reading to pass the time. Both avid readers, they decided to form a book club of two, sharing books while the medication dripped. They both fell in love with some books, while others were not shared joys.

-Click here to read more of Carol's thoughts about the book.

Love Anthony by Lisa Genova
Readers may recall that I selected both Still Alice and Left Neglected by Lisa Genova as Bookreporter.com Bets On selections in previous years. I am very pleased to share that Lisa will be the first author to grab a slot with a third Bets On selection with her latest novel, Love Anthony. Lisa is a brainy author --- literally. She has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University and infuses her novels with stories of how the brain works. Along the way, she creates some very vivid and memorable writing while making the reader “smarter” --- so much that you are surprised about what you have learned.

-Click here to read more of Carol's thoughts about the book.

The Devoted: A Love Story by Jonathan Hull
Nine years is a long time to wait for a book from a favorite author. And that’s just what happened to me with Jonathan Hull. After loving Losing Julia (2000) and The Distance from Normandy (2003), there was no new book from Jonathan Hull until a few weeks ago. When The Devoted crossed my desk, I made a quick visit to his website and saw a note that he has been suffering from the long-term effects of a bout with Lyme disease, which has affected his writing stamina. But ah, The Devoted is a treat worth waiting for as Jonathan proves that the story writing chops he had with his prior work is still in evidence.

-Click here to read more of Carol’s thoughts about the book.

Those We Love Most by Lee Woodruff
If I could describe Those We Love Most by Lee Woodruff in one phrase, it’s about the seasons of marriage. Anyone married a while knows that feelings ebb and flow over time. This happens in long relationships as well as shorter ones. Here, a family is brought together when a crisis hits that has them circling the wagons and grieving together before they spiral back into the larger world with a new view of their lives. Two of these couples will re-examine their marriages in light of what has happened --- and how they have changed.

The multi-layered story unfolds with pitch precision --- one small act of distraction will be the catalyst for all that comes later. It’s a book that would be perfect for book club discussions; there are so many ways that this discussion could go!

-Click here to read more of Carol’s thoughts about the book.

Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay
Typically, Bookreporter.com Bets On selections are based on books that I love, but in the case of Trust Your Eyes, a thriller by Linwood Barclay, my husband and son, Greg, are voting with me. I have been a huge fan of Linwood’s for years, but the depth of his talent is shown in a whole new way in this book. There were so many aha moments, twists, turns and surprises that even a quarter of the way through I was thinking this is sooooo cleverly done. The plot revolves around two brothers. One is a schizophrenic and rarely leaves the house. Instead he explores the world through a website called Whirl360 (very similar to the Street View on Google Maps). As he “wanders” down a street in New York City "visits," he sees what appears to be a murder. He convinces his brother to investigate it further, and from there the action gets really wild. NONE of us could put this book down once we started it.

-Click here to read more of Carol’s thoughts about the book.
 

October’s New in Paperback roundups include the following highlights for book groups:

The Sisters by Nancy Jensen
Growing up without a mother in hardscrabble Kentucky in the 1920s, Bertie Fischer and her older sister, Mabel, have only each other --- with perhaps a sweetheart for Bertie waiting in the wings. But on the day that Bertie graduates from eighth grade, good intentions go terribly wrong, setting off a chain of misunderstandings that will change the lives of the next three generations.

Carry the One by Carol Anshaw
Carry the One begins in the hours following Carmen’s wedding reception, when a car filled with stoned, drunk and sleepy guests accidentally hits and kills a girl on a dark country road. For the next 25 years, those involved, including Carmen and her brother and sister, craft their lives in response to this single tragic moment.

The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great by Eva Stachniak
Eva Stachniak's new novel tells the epic story of Catherine the Great’s improbable rise to power, as seen through the ever-watchful eyes of Varvara, an all-but-invisible servant close to the throne. Stachniak depicts Varvara’s secret alliance with Catherine as the princess grows into a legend --- through an enforced marriage, illicit seductions, and, at last, the shocking coup to assume the throne of all of Russia.

Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience by Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly
On January 8, 2011, while meeting with her constituents in Tucson, Arizona, Gabrielle Giffords was the victim of an assassination attempt that left six people dead and 13 wounded. GABBY provides an unflinching look at the overwhelming challenges of brain injury, the painstaking process of learning to communicate again, and the responsibilities that fall to a loving spouse who wants the best possible treatment for his wife.

-Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of October 1st, October 8th, October 15th, October 22nd and October 29th.

 

October’s Book on Screen feature on Bookreporter.com includes the following highlights:

Alex Cross
In Theaters October 19th
Based on Cross by James Patterson
Resuming the title character played by Morgan Freeman in Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider, Tyler Perry is the seminal young homicide detective in this taut, exciting origin story where Alex Cross meets his match in a ferociously skilled serial killer. The two face off in a psychological struggle of epic proportions, where Cross is pushed to the edge of his moral and physical limits.

Cloud Atlas
In Theaters October 26th
Based on Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Cloud Atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave dramatically through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future.

The Girl
Airs October 20th at 9PM ET on HBO
Based on Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies by Donald Spoto
Iconic English director Alfred Hitchcock, considered by many The Master of Suspense, is revered as one of the greatest creative minds in the history of cinema. Known for his psychological thrillers, Hitchcock focused on characters in peril, on the run, or under suspicion. His leading men were handsome but compromised; his leading ladies were cool, beautiful and preferably blonde. One such actress was Tippi Hedren, an unknown fashion model given her big break when Hitchcock’s wife saw her on a TV commercial.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
On DVD October 23rd
Based on Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter explores the secret life of our greatest president, and the untold story that shaped our nation. Visionary filmmakers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (director of Wanted) bring a fresh and visceral voice to the bloodthirsty lore of the vampire, imagining Lincoln as history's greatest hunter of the undead.
 

Teenreads.com’s 2012 YA Readers Survey asks you what you think about books and authors --- as well as your thoughts about a whole lot more happening in pop media culture! Your responses will help us shape our editorial features: we really value your feedback.

This survey is for everyone who loves reading YA who is over 10 years old and is living in the U.S. (many of the questions are so U.S-based that those residing elsewhere would not be able to reply). So make sure you spread the word to your friends, family and any adults who read YA! If you are under 13, there will be a form your parents must complete in order to be eligible to win a prize.

And, to reward your efforts, by completing this survey you are eligible to enter a contest to win one of 450 FREE books. We assume it will take between 20-30 minutes to complete the questions. Please allow the appropriate amount of time to complete this survey. We had a group of teens test out the survey for us, and they told us that it was fun to fill out and they actually learned more ways to find great YA! We did our last survey in 2009 and the input we received was invaluable. With your help, this year's survey will be even better than last time!
 

Bookreporter.com

Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie
Our latest Sneak Peek Feature spotlights Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie, a riveting psychological thriller about a grieving mother who finds out years after her daughter’s death that her child may still be alive. We have 25 specially formatted early reader editions to give away to readers who would like to preview the book, which releases in July 2013, and share their comments about it. The deadline for entries is Thursday, October 18th at noon ET.

Word of Mouth
Tell us your current reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from October 5th to October 19th, FIVE lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of The Panther by Nelson DeMille, Red Rain by R.L. Stine, and The Twelve by Justin Cronin.

Teenreads.com

Book O'Lantern
We are celebrating the season of ghouls and ghosts with our Third Annual Book O'Lantern Contest! Between now and Friday, October 19th, teens can enter to win a bag perfect for trick-or-treating, filled with a few special sweet treats, plus some spooky reads that will help make the scariest season of them all last well beyond Halloween.

The Crimson Shard by Teresa Flavin
We are celebrating the release of The Crimson Shard --- in which two children step through a doorway into 18th-century England during a seemingly normal museum visit --- with a special contest. Fifteen readers will have the opportunity to win a copy of Teresa Flavin's follow-up to The Blackhope Enigma. The deadline for entries is Friday, October 19th at noon ET.

Grab Bag of Books
Winners of our latest Grab Bag of Books contest will each receive a copy of The Dead Girls Detective Agency by Suzy Cox, Fang Girl by Helen Keeble and Safekeeping by Karen Hesse. The deadline for entries is Thursday, November 1st at noon ET.

Word of Mouth
Send us your current reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. This contest period, one teen reader will be randomly chosen to win a copy of Son by Lois Lowry and Zom-B by Darren Shan. The deadline for entries is Thursday, November 1st at noon ET.

Kidsreads.com

The Golden Door by Emily Rodda
To celebrate the release of The Golden Door, the start of a stirring fantasy trilogy from the internationally bestselling author of the Dragons of Deltora series, Kidsreads.com is giving 25 readers the chance to win a copy of the book. The deadline for entries is Monday, November 5th at noon ET.

Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
To celebrate the release of Splendors and Glooms, a Victorian gothic thriller from Newbery Medal winner Laura Amy Schlitz, Kidsreads.com is giving 15 readers the chance to win a copy of the book. The deadline for entries is Monday, October 15th at noon ET.

FaithfulReader.com

Secrets of the Cross Trilogy by Elizabeth Musser
We are celebrating the release of Two Destinies, the conclusion to Elizabeth Musser's Secrets of the Cross Trilogy, with a special contest that will give 25 readers the opportunity to win all three books in the series (which also includes Two Crosses and Two Testaments). In addition, one of these winners will be awarded a Huguenot cross that Elizabeth herself is providing. The deadline for entries is Monday, October 15th at noon ET.

The Breakthrough: A Precinct 11 Novel by Jerry B. Jenkins
We are celebrating the release of The Breakthrough with a special contest that will give 10 readers the opportunity to win a copy of this conclusion to Jerry B. Jenkins' Precinct 11 trilogy. The deadline for entries is Monday, October 15th at noon ET.

A Plain and Simple Heart: The Amish of Apple Grove, Book 1 by Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith
We are celebrating the release of A Plain and Simple Heart with a special contest that will give 75 readers the opportunity to win a copy of this first installment in Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith's The Amish of Apple Grove series. The deadline for entries is Monday, October 15th at noon ET.

Man in the Blue Moon by Michael Morris
We are celebrating the release of Man in the Blue Moon by Michael Morris --- in which hypocrisy and murder shake the coastal town of Apalachicola --- with a special contest that will give 10 readers the opportunity to win a copy of the book. The deadline for entries is Monday, October 15th at noon ET.

FaithfulReader.com's Monthly Contest: Taming the Wind: Land of the Lone Star, Book 3 by Tracie Peterson
In our latest monthly contest, 30 readers each will be awarded a copy of Taming the Wind, the third installment of Tracie Peterson's Land of the Lone Star series. The deadline for entries is Monday, October 15th at noon ET.

Accelerated by Bronwen Hruska: A single father and his son discover what lies beneath the gilded façade of a tony Upper East Side private school in this warm yet piercing debut novel by Bronwen Hruska.
Everything Was Good-bye by Gurjinder Basran: This is the heartbreaking and riveting story of a young woman caught between a clash of cultures and the intricate bond between mothers and daughters that transcends boundaries.
The Heart Broke In by James Meek: With The Heart Broke In, James Meek brings us an epic for our time, melding topics such as gene therapy, tabloid journalism, and the search for solace in an alienating world.
Heaven Should Fall by Rebecca Coleman: In Rebecca Coleman’s dark and compelling second novel, a woman's boyfriend turns from the golden boy she thought he was to a desperate, dangerous man.
The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay: A widow relives memories of her husband and family in the house she has come to love as much as the people who inhabited it.
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan: Sweeping from Europe’s legendary Renaissance book printers to the new frontiers of the Information Age, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is a rollicking adventure and an inspiring ode to the published word.
The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan: The Painted Girls is a romantic, exhilarating novel set during Belle Époque Paris and inspired by the real-life model of Degas’s Little Dancer Aged 14.
The Round House by Louise Erdrich: A major new novel from the New York Times bestselling author, The Round House is Louise Erdrich’s most accessible and commercial work of fiction yet.

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

Holy Ghost Girl: A Memoir by Donna M. Johnson: Recounted with deadpan observations and surreal detail, Holy Ghost Girl bypasses easy judgment to articulate a rich world in which the mystery of faith and human frailty share a surprising and humorous coexistence.
The Magic Room: A Story About the Love We Wish for Our Daughters by Jeffrey Zaslow: For thousands of women, Becker's Bridal in Fowler, Michigan, is the site of some of the most important moments of their lives. Illuminating the poignant aspects of a woman's journey to the altar, The Magic Room tells the stories of a diverse group of memorable women on the brink of commitment.
River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh: In the second installment of the Ibis trilogy, set during the opium trade of the early 19th century, we’re taken on a voyage through epic power struggles between East and West in an irresistible page-turner of a novel.
The Secret Lives of Wives: Women Share What It Really Takes to Stay Married by Iris Krasnow: A bestselling, groundbreaking author investigates successful long-term marriages, interviewing wives and their uncensored strategies for staying married.

The following new guides are now available for Christian book groups:

All Things New by Lynn Austin: Lynn Austin brings to life the difficult years of the Reconstruction era by interweaving the stories of three women --- daughter, mother and freed slave --- in a riveting tale.
A Flight of Fancy: The Daughters of Bainbridge House, Book 2 by Laurie Alice Eakes: In this regency romance, a young woman caught between tradition and her dreams is jilted by her fiancé and left to deal with her broken heart.
A Love Surrendered: Winds of Change, Book 3 by Julie Lessman: When Annie Kennedy falls hard for Steven O'Connor, the man who broke an engagement to her sister, Annie is worried. Will he break her heart too when he discovers who she really is?
A Promise to Love by Serena B. Miller: A young woman struggling to find a new life in the north woods frontier proposes a marriage of convenience to a widower with five young children.
Twice Promised: The Blue Willow Brides, Book 2 by Maggie Brendan: In 1880s Colorado, a mail order bride is full of doubts when another mail order bride arrives to marry the same man.

 

What is the percentage of people in your book group who actually read the book for your discussion?

100%
75%
50%
25%
10%
Less than 10%
We get together to socialize more than to talk about the book.
I am not in a book group.