http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc/ Home of the Random House Reader's Circle, a place for readers and book clubs. Fri, 25 May 2012 12:21:21 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en What does a publisher at the world’s biggest publishing house read for pleasure? (And how does she find the time?) Jane von Mehren is the Senior Vice President and Publisher of Trade Paperbacks at the Random House Publishing Group. Every now and then, she’ll be featuring her favorite reads in ... http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc//2012/05/24/janes-bookshelf-historical-fiction-as-a-window-to-the-past/ “Fans of historical fiction will eat this one up. It’s engaging, smart and authentic.”—January Magazine A captivating novel of rich spectacle and royal scandal, Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow spans fifteen years in the fateful reign of Marie Antoinette, France’s most legendary and notorious queen. Paris, 1774. At the tender ... http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc//2012/05/23/enter-for-the-chance-to-win-days-of-splendor-days-of-sorrow-by-juliet-grey/ Behind the Book My father-in-law was a pilot. During World War II, he was shot down in a B-17 over Belgium. With the help of the French Resistance, he made his way through Occupied France and back to his base in England. Ordinary citizens hid ... http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc//2012/05/18/the-girl-in-the-blue-beret-by-bobbie-ann-mason-a-readers-guide/ A captivating return to the world Diana Gabaldon created in her Outlander and Lord John series, The Scottish Prisoner is a masterpiece of epic history, wicked deceit, and scores that can only be settled in blood. London, 1760. For Jamie Fraser, paroled prisoner-of-war, life is coming apart at the seams. In ... http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc//2012/05/15/enter-to-win-a-copy-of-diana-gabaldons-the-scottish-prisoner/ Anna Quindlen: The first thing I have to ask you about is the structure of the book, because it’s so much more like the way we think about things, as opposed to the linear way in which books like this are usually constructed. I kept wondering whether you pictured it ... http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc//2012/05/11/a-conversation-between-anna-quindlen-and-diane-keaton/ Still looking for the perfect Mother's Day gift?  Haven't had time to go shopping?  Well, look no more because Random House Reader's Circle brings you a late-breaking giveaway with the chance to win a copy of ELIZABETH THE QUEEN by Sally Bedell Smith just in time for May 13th. Copies of ... http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc//2012/05/10/win-elizabeth-the-queen-in-time-for-mothers-day/ Deborah Moggach is the author of sixteen successful novels including most recently THESE FOOLISH THINGS and the best-selling TULIP FEVER. No stranger to on-screen entertainment, she wrote the screenplays for the film of “Pride and Prejudice” and TV’s acclaimed “Love in a Cold Climate.” Here, she shares the tale ... http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc//2012/05/02/deborah-moggach-author-of-the-best-exotic-marigold-hotel-on-writing/ For your next book club pick, why not address head on the thing that we have the most trouble talking about? (Hint: It’s not sex.) MONEY! A lot of different topics can come up in a book club, but does yours ever discuss money? Do you have financial concerns you’re afraid ... http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc//2012/04/26/enter-for-a-chance-to-win-a-call-with-suze-orman-and-your-book-club/ Discussion Questions for LOTS OF CANDLES, PLENTY OF CAKE 1. In the opening lines of the book, Anna Quindlen says about the arc of her life: “First I was who I was. Then I didn’t know who I was. Then I invented someone, and became her.” Looking back over your own ... http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc//2012/04/24/lots-of-candles-plenty-of-cake-by-anna-quindlen/ Dawn Tripp on Game of Secrets My novels  start  in pieces—on the  page  for months—fragments of character, story, scene. I write longhand, in notebooks  or on scraps of paper, the backs of receipts, the leftover white space of a grocery list—which I then  transcribe into  my  laptop.  Some  of those  first ... http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc//2012/04/16/game-of-secrets-by-dawn-tripp/