October 2005

Dear Readers,

It's such a pleasure to be the bearer of good news. If you haven't already heard, E.L. Doctorow's new novel THE MARCH has been nominated for the National Book Award. Recognition from the National Book Foundation just reinforces our boundless enthusiasm for this remarkable novel. Those of you who participated in the recent Collective Challenge will find more to talk about as you dig further into this month's newsletter.

On the film front, several big-screen releases this fall serve as good reminders to read the book before seeing the movie. Director Roman Polanski's adaptation of the classic Dickens tale OLIVER TWIST is in theaters now. A novel by Rupert Holmes called WHERE THE TRUTH LIES is the basis of a new film (of the same name) starring Kevin Bacon and Collin Firth. And Philip Seymour Hoffman's widely praised performance in Capote, should spark your interest in this bit of news... there's a new book by Truman Capote is in stores this month! Thought to be lost for over 50 years, SUMMER CROSSING is the first novel ever written by Capote, and was recently discovered among a cache of the authors papers. I read SUMMER CROSSING in one sitting and LOVED it.

Carol Goodman, bestselling author of the critically acclaimed THE LAKE OF DEAD LANGUAGES, has a new novel coming soon called THE GHOST ORCHID. If you'd like to read an advance copy and send us your review, submit your request at BPGmarketing@randomhouse.com with the subject "THE GHOST ORCHID" and be sure to include your snail mail address. Entries must be received by October 30th.

There's lots more to say, so keep reading...

Happy reading!

Your BRC Tour Guide,
Avi Bashirrad
abashirrad@randomhouse.com

MAYBE A MIRACLE by Brian Strause

Readers, please indulge me while I take a moment to GUSH over this new novel. Comic and heartbreaking, intimate and universal, familiar and extraordinary, Brian Strause's captivating debut is a tale about a family in crisis. Get ready to meet Monroe Anderson, one of most endearing, engaging heroes in contemporary literature.MAYBE A MIRACLE will draw you in from the first page and not let you go until the very last-it's an absolute must-read! (Note to all book clubs, but mother-daughter or mother-son book clubs in particular: add this to the reading list...you will not be disappointed!)

A few months ago, we asked some of you to read advance copies of MAYBE A MIRACLE. Here are some of the responses we received:

Cindy Nolte from Atlanta, GA:
"A wonderfully enjoyable and ultimately uplifting book with humor, tenderness, truth and the power of love to heal, forgive and strengthen relationships and understand ones that are toxic. I didn't want to put it down!"

David Overton from Savage, MN:
"Maybe A Miracle was an outstanding book! I could not put it down. The author's characters were compelling and I just could not wait to see how it was going to end. I have already been telling people about this book. Definitely one to buy. I can't wait for his next book!"

Mary Ward from Newark, CA:
"I just loved this book! It was told in such a matter-of-fact form. It was a great story about family and what makes us family and keeps us going as a family. I will recommend this book to everyone."

To read more rave reviews from our early readers, click here.

For a discussion guide or Q&A with the author, click here.

To find Brian Strause on tour, click here.

Pick up this book, and you will have an unforgettable reading experience. THE MARCH is war novel written with the power, insight, and compassion we have come to expect from Pulitzer Prize wining author E.L. Doctorow. Your book club will find much to talk about in this wonderful novel, especially the awesome relevance of the subject matter to our own times.

We recently enlisted some of you in a Collective Challenge—an opportunity for book clubs to read advance copies of THE MARCH and develop some good discussion questions for other book club to use. The response we received from participating book clubs was overwhelming... many thanks to you all for your energy and enthusiasm.



Here's what Sally LeSage said:
The High Point Mom's Book Club, from Atlanta, Georgia met on a sunny September afternoon at Tanyard Creek Park, a landmark in the Civil War Battle of Peachtree Creek in July 1864. The creek and park area were the scene of bitter fighting in the battle for Atlanta. A federal general who witnessed that bloodshed said, "Few battlefields of the war have been strewn so thickly with dead and wounded as they lay that evening around Collier's Mill." In this historic place, we discussed THE MARCH and finalized our list of discussion questions. More than half our group members were "born and raised" in the South, and the others are "from off," but we all wondered if readers from other places in the country would be as interested in or as passionate about this book as we were. As you can see, we all enjoyed reading this book, and were more than up to the "Collective Challenge!"

Click here to read just some of these thoughtful discussion questions.

Last month we asked you: Do you visit any blogs? If so, which blogs do you visit and how often?? Here's what our lucky winners said:

Jan Munstedt from Spokane WA:
I mostly visit blogs of friends of mine because it's easier to keep in touch by writing one blog rather than several emails. I would definitely visit a blog site that was about books - especially one that had recommendations for book groups. Our book group is always looking for books that will help us have interesting discussions.

Amy Berson from Palo Alto, CA:
I visit two blogs. My bother's travel blog of his adventures winemaking across the world and also my daughter's summer camp kept a blog so I could know how much fun she was having. I have been considering turning my book journal into a blog. I would most probably read another blog about books.

Amellia Hansen from Omaha, NE:
No, at this time I don't visit any blogs. Maybe I need to experience them before I make judgment, but, what happened to journals or diaries where a person's thoughts were private? I'm 31 so maybe that means I'm getting old! I can't imagine anyone wanting to listen to my daily routine, I can't imagine anyone's daily routine I'd really care to hear about. Ok, maybe, just maybe I'd be willing to read about books. Since I find time to read all about books from my favorite sites, I'd probably find time to see what people are reading, liking and disliking.

ENTER TO WIN!
Each month we'll ask you, our readers, to share something with us about your book club or about your personal reading habits. By responding, you will automatically be entered to win FREE books. PLEASE NOTE: you must include your mailing address in your response in order to qualify. Your address will not be used for any promotions or shared with anyone else.

QUESTION:
Inspired by the High Point Mom's Book Club, we'd like to know more about our readers. Tell us how long you've been meeting with your book club? Have you planned any special events together? Which book ignited your best discussion? By the way, photos of your book club are welcome. Share your thoughts by writing to us at: bpgmarketing@randomhouse.com

A Thousand Days in Tuscany is set in one of the most beautiful places on earth and de Blasi explores the warmth of the people and their long-valued tradition of living in simplicity.

Combining biography, politics, social history, and consummate storytelling, Nightingales is a dazzling portrait of an amazing woman, her difficult but loving family, and the high Victorian era they so perfectly epitomized. Beautifully written, witty, and irresistible, Nightingales is truly a tour de force.

Spanning decades and following complex characters on their impassioned pursuits through America and Europe, this is a novel of grand scope, about love and deception, idealism and accommodation, the lies we live, and the truths we cannot avoid.

Set during the Civil War era in the Appalachian mountains, this is a timeless story of a devastating love triangle.

Did you know that the songs in MY OLD TRUE LOVE are authentic examples of what the residents of Sodom, North Carolina sang in the 19th Century? Sheila Kay Adams performs all of these traditional ballads from the book on her CD, ALL THE FINE THINGS. We have a limited number of CD's available for giveaway - if you'd like one, send a e-mail to BPGmarketing@randomhouse.com with the subject "My Old True Love." Please include your full name and address in the body of the e-mail. If you are among the randomly selected winners, we will notify you by e-mail. All submissions must be received BEFORE 12:01 AM on Monday, October 31st.

This book is a brilliant achievement by an author who, grappling with the strains and discords of contemporary American culture, achieves a special understanding of how family members love and lose and find one another every day.

Angel Falls is a moving portrayal of marriage and commitment, and of an ordinary man who risks everything in the name of love.