I hope that you are all enjoying your summer as much as I am! We have a wonderful lineup of books and contests in this month's edition.
YOU know that your book club discussions are thought provoking and satisfying, now you have the opportunity to share your creativity with the rest of the Random House Reader's Circle. Don't miss the Collective Challenge for E.L. Doctorow's new novel HOMER & LANGLEY. You and your book club could win the chance to create the discussion questions for this amazing new novel!
One of my favorite authors, Sarah Dunant, is back with SACRED HEARTS. Both a love story and a tale of the strong bonds of female friendship, this new novel, set in Renaissance Italy, describes a convent that is completely disrupted by the arrival of a 16-year-old girl — confined against her will — for the rest of her life. Will she stay in her lonely prison or will she find a way out to her one true love?
David Liss' THE WHISKEY REBELS is a story of conspiracy, politics and... whiskey. Learn about post Revolutionary War America, Presidents Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton and the fragile young nation's first real financial institution: the Bank of the United States. As always, Liss has crafted a gripping and enthralling novel of historical intrigue and suspense.
If you are a fan of Kristin Hannah's current New York Times bestsellers TRUE COLORS and FIREFLY LANE, you will love her classic novel, ON MYSTIC LAKE, now in a fabulous new Random House Reader's Circle edition. A story of love and loss, dealing with the past and looking forward to your future. It's sure to grab at your heart.
To celebrate the upcoming publication of SOUTH OF BROAD the new novel by #1 bestselling author Pat Conroy, The Dial Press is re-releasing Conroy's acclaimed backlist. So, if you have never read THE PRINCE OF TIDES, BEACH MUSIC or THE WATER IS WIDE, now would be the perfect time! My personal favorite happens to be THE WATER IS WIDE, but let me know yours!
And, on that note, in case you've missed any of John Irving's classics, now is your chance! Ballantine is reissuing four of Irving's renowned novels with beautiful new covers to celebrate his new hardcover, LAST NIGHT IN TWISTED RIVER, out this fall.
Enjoy!
Your fellow book lover,
Kathleen
kmcauliffe@randomhouse.com
"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." - Henry David Thoreau
AUTHOR NEWS
Enter for a chance to win a trip to Guernsey with your book club! Visit www.takeyourbookclubtoguernsey.com for details, official sweepstakes rules, and restrictions.
No purchase necessary. US residents over the age of 18 only. Residents of Florida, New York, and Rhode Island not eligible. All travel must be completed by December 31st, 2009. Other restrictions apply.
Janelle Brown, author of The New York Times bestselling ALL WE EVER WANTED WAS EVERYTHING will be chatting with fans via her GoodReads account. Check in every Wednesday from now until the end of the summer and see what she has to say!
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Imagine an author visiting you in your very own living room (by phone, of course).
Enter your book club to win a phone chat with
David Liss, author of
THE WHISKEY REBELS,
or
Michelle Richmond, author of
NO ONE YOU KNOW
David Liss
Photo © Trishi Monite
Michelle Richmond
Photo © Misty Richmond
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The Random House Reader's Circle Summer Reading Collection!
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SACRED HEARTS
by Sarah Dunant
Sarah Dunant, the bestselling author of THE BIRTH OF VENUS and IN THE COMPANY OF THE COURTESAN once again brings the Renaissance to life in her gripping new novel SACRED HEARTS.
It's 1570 in the northern Italian city of Ferrara. Serafina, a sharp, emotional, and defiant sixteen-year-old daughter of a noble family is forced into the convent of Santa Caterina against her will. This sets in motion a chain of events that will shake the institution to its core. Amid tangled threads of scandal and conspiracy, secrets lie within secrets. And ordinary though no less glorious miracles happen when least expected. Thoroughly researched and beautifully written, SACRED HEARTS is a rich and suspenseful story that will surely spark a lively discussion with your book club.
Watch the video trailer for SACRED HEARTS.
Sample the first four chapters of SACRED HEARTS on BookGlutton.com right now! Type in your thoughts as you read, learn about Sarah Dunant's research for the book and ask her questions!
 THE WHISKEY REBELS
by David Liss
"A wondrous weaving of fact with imagination, propelling the reader back to a time when America was young... David Liss is a clear master of historical fiction."
— Steve Berry, author of The Charlemagne Pursuit
"What a wonderful book. Historical fiction is notoriously difficult to do well, but David Liss has mastered the art, and The Whiskey Rebels is an absorbing and entertaining novel of the American Revolution."
— Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion |
David Liss, award winning author of A CONSPIRACY OF PAPER brings his extraordinary brand of historical suspense to an American setting for the first time. Ethan Saunders, once among General Washington's most valued spies, is living in disgrace after an accusation of treason cost him his reputation. But an opportunity for redemption comes calling when Saunders's old enemy, Alexander Hamilton, draws him into a struggle with bitter rival Thomas Jefferson over the creation of the Bank of the United States.
Meanwhile, on the western Pennsylvania frontier, Joan Maycott and her husband, a Revolutionary War veteran, hope for a better life and a chance for prosperity. But the Maycotts' success on an isolated frontier attracts the brutal attention of men who threaten to destroy them.
Read an excerpt of THE WHISKEY REBELS.
Learn more about THE DEVIL'S COMPANY, Liss' new hardcover, now on sale.
Invite David to discuss his novel with your book club.
 ON MYSTIC LAKE
by Kristin Hannah
Annie Colwater's husband has just confessed that he's in love with a younger woman. Devastated, Annie retreats to the small town where she grew up. There, she is reunited with her first love, Nick Delacroix, a recent widower who is unable to cope with his silent, emotionally scarred young daughter. Together, the three of them begin to heal. But just when Annie believes she's been given a second chance at happiness, her world is turned upside down again, and she is forced to make a choice that no woman in
love should ever have to make.
Read an excerpt from ON MYSTIC LAKE.
Noelle Oxenhandler is inspiring book clubs across the country with her memoir, THE WISHING YEAR: A House, a Man, My Soul A Memoir of Fulfilled Desire. Start your own Wishing Year book club by meeting with friends to discuss your wishes and desires. Gather at the same time next year to reflect on how your year of wishing unfolds.
 THE BLUE NOTEBOOK
by James Levine, MD
"A deeply moving story and a searing reminder of the resilience of the human spirit."
—Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.
THE BLUE NOTEBOOK is a haunting novel that tells the story of Batuk, an Indian girl who is taken to Mumbai from the countryside and sold into prostitution by her father. In her blue notebook—a diary that allows her to write down memories of her early childhood and life on the Common Street—she creates fantastic stories that allow her to escape from the harsh realities of the world she lives in.
Read an excerpt from THE BLUE NOTEBOOK.
 SUMMER HOUSE
by Nancy Thayer
Bringing together three generations of strong-willed women, each wrestling with life-changing decisions, Nancy Thayer's luminous new novel, SUMMER HOUSE, shows that no matter where life's path may lead, love always finds a way back home.
Thayer's previous novel is now out in paperback! MOON SHELL BEACH is an irresistible tale of two women who struggle to rekindle a childhood friendship damaged by lies and betrayal.
Read and excerpt from SUMMER HOUSE or MOON SHELL BEACH now!
 WIFE OF THE GODS
by Kwei Quartey
Readers of Alexander McCall Smith will enjoy this mystery set in West Africa that introduces us to Detective Inspector Darko Dawson, a dedicated family man, rebel in the office, and ace in the field, who is called in to solve the murder of a medical student. Dawson is one of the most intriguing literary sleuths to come along in years!
Watch a video trailer, view photos from Ghana, read an excerpt, and find discussion questions — all on Kwei Quartey's website!
See what early readers are saying about WIFE OF THE GODS.
 GREETINGS FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE
by Monica McInerney
Lainey Byrne is a master at controlled chaos. But, when her aunt passes away and she has to move to Ireland to take over the family bed & breakfast, her life spins out of control. Between running a B&B, worrying about her family from afar, adjusting to country life, and dealing with the complications of long-distance love, Lainey is feeling that she's in way over her head. Then a reunion with a childhood friend sparks unexpected complications, and Lainey realizes that fate may have another path for her—a direction she never imagined.
Read an excerpt from the book.
Discuss GREETINGS FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE with your book group.
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COLLECTIVE CHALLENGE
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Back by popular demand. . . The Random House Reader's Circle Collective Challenge! It's been a while since we enlisted you in a Collective Challenge and isn't it about time your club pulled together as a team to tackle a task? Here's how it works: we have limited advance copies of E.L. Doctorow's new novel HOMER & LANGLEY which will not be available in stores until September 2009. We'll select 5 book clubs that want to read the book, discuss it, and devise a handful of compelling discussion questions. If your book club is willing to meet the challenge, send an email to RHRC@randomhouse.com with the subject "Challenge" and include your name, address, and the number of people in your book club. If selected, we'll send you free advance reading copies and we'll share your discussion questions in a future newsletter!
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Last month, we asked you if your book club met in the same place each month. Here's a sampling of what you had to say!
Dawn from St. Paul, MN:
During the summer months our book club loves to enjoy the nice weather. In Minnesota, for only three months of the year we will meet on a pontoon and enjoy a lake view. During the winter months we meet at the same restaurant.
Barbara from Maryland Heights, MO:
Our book club, Such Great Heights, meets 11 out of 12 months. 5 to 6 of those meetings are hosted by members in their homes and the remaining months the group meets at our Community Center. June and July are hosted by members with a planned outdoor setting and are two of the most popular months due to the lovely weather (most of the time anyway) and the settings overlooking a large wooded area and the other around a pool with lots of flowers and gardens. The December meeting is always special with the group meeting at a particular member's home. Members bring a children's book to donate to a reading program in lieu of discussing a book and the group selects the upcoming year's book picks. Although the Community Center is a great spot, the favorite meeting sites are the ones held in one of our member's homes.
Monika from Freemont, CA:
Our group meets at a different member's house each month. We also go to a restaurant at least once a year. Christmas is always a white elephant gift exchange along with the book discussion, but we try and read a light easy book that month as it is usually very hectic! The host picks the book for the following month. During the summer, one member always hosts an outdoor event with dinner and swimming as well as great conversation around the fire!! It's a real treat!
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.
What is your favorite classic novel? What books have been on your list that you have never had the chance to read? If you truly love a book, do you read it more than once?
Submit your entries to: rhrc@randomhouse.com
And keep sending in your tips and suggestions for running a smooth book club meeting. Hints are always helpful, and always appreciated! Or if you have a specific problem or concern with how to run a meeting or how to start a club, write in and we'll try to help. Please write in about your experience and also, continue to write in with any more problems or suggestions! |
