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Features and Contests


Bookreporter.com's Eighth Annual Mother's Day Contest

Mother’s Day is a time to recognize the woman who raised and nurtured us. Why not brighten her special day with some great books? From now through May 6th, readers will have the chance to win one of our five Bookreporter.com Mother’s Day tote bags. Each bag is filled with a selection of nine varied and wonderful books, along with a variety of gifts to treat Mom: Godiva dark chocolate truffles, a bath sponge shaped like a flower, and an eye mask that can be either chilled or heated. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, May 6th at noon ET.


Women's Fiction Author Spotlight Contest: SLEEPING IN EDEN by Nicole Baart

We have 50 copies of SLEEPING IN EDEN by Nicole Baart, which releases on May 21st, to give away to readers who would like to read the book and comment on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, May 9th at noon ET.


Special Contest: SWEET SALT AIR by Barbara Delinsky

We are celebrating the June 18th release of SWEET SALT AIR by Barbara Delinsky with a special contest that will give 25 readers the opportunity to win an advance copy of the book and comment on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, May 2nd at noon ET.


Paperback Spotlight: WHEN SHE CAME HOME by Drusilla Campbell

After bravely serving her country in Iraq, Frankie Byrne Tennyson finally comes home. Home to a husband whose lingering feelings of abandonment make her wonder if their lives can ever be the same. Home to a daughter whose painful encounters with bullies can only be healed by a mother's love. And home to a father who still can't accept his daughter's decision to serve. But the most difficult part about coming home lies within Frankie herself. To save everything she holds dear, she must face the toughest battle of her life.


Women's Fiction Author Spotlight: FLY AWAY by Kristin Hannah

FLY AWAY is the story of three women who have lost their way and need each other --- plus a miracle --- to transform their lives. An emotionally complex, heart-wrenching novel about love, motherhood, loss and new beginnings, this long-awaited follow-up to FIREFLY LANE reminds us that where there is life, there is hope, and where there is love, there is forgiveness.

Latest Reviews

Paris: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd - Historical Fiction

In this breathtaking saga of love, war, art and intrigue, Edward Rutherfurd has set his sights on the most magnificent city in the world: Paris. Moving back and forth in time across centuries, the story unfolds through intimate and vivid tales of self-discovery, divided loyalties, passion, and long-kept secrets of characters both fictional and real, all set against the backdrop of the glorious city.

From the unique perspective of David Sedaris comes a new book of essays taking his readers on a bizarre and stimulating world tour. From the perils of French dentistry to the eating habits of the Australian kookaburra, from the squat-style toilets of Beijing to the particular wilderness of a North Carolina Costco, we learn about the absurdity and delight of a curious traveler's experiences.

Neglected by her parents, 19-year-old Maya Nidal has grown up in a rambling old house in Berkeley with her grandparents. When her grandfather dies of cancer, Maya turns to drugs, alcohol and petty crime. Her one chance for survival is Nini, who helps her escape to a remote island off the coast of Chile. Here Maya tries to make sense of the past, unravels mysterious truths about life and about her family, and embarks on her greatest adventure: the journey into her own soul.

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker - Historical Fantasy

A lonely man’s desire for a wife is the catalyst for the creation of a golem like no other. When she’s left master-less on the streets of New York City, she fights her ingrained impulse to help and protect those around her. A jinni, captured and enslaved hundreds of years ago, is free of his flask but not truly free as the iron cuff that keeps him in human form remains on his wrist. The golem and the jinni are drawn to each other, kindred spirits of long-forgotten fairy tales.

All That Is by James Salter - Historical Fiction

From his experiences as a young naval officer in battles off Okinawa, Philip Bowman returns to America and finds a position as a book editor. But despite his success, what eludes him is love. His first marriage goes bad, another fails to happen, and finally he meets a woman who enthralls him --- before setting him on a course he never could have imagined for himself.

After surviving a shooting at her high school, Linnea is packed off to live with her estranged father. His neighbor, Christie, is a nurse distracted by an eccentric patient, Mrs. Foster, who has given Christie the reins to her Humanity Project, a bizarre and well-endowed charity fund. Meanwhile, Conner, the Fosters’ handyman, has become the one person in which Linnea can confide. As these characters and many more hurtle toward their fates, the Humanity Project is born: Can you indeed pay someone to be good? At what price?

The year is 1975, and Reno has come to New York intent on turning her fascination with motorcycles and speed into art. There, she begins an affair with an artist named Sandro Valera, the semi-estranged scion of an Italian tire and motorcycle empire. When they visit Sandro’s family home in Italy, Reno falls in with members of the radical movement that overtook Italy in the ’70s. Betrayal sends her reeling into a clandestine undertow.

Of the 15,000 children brought to Terezín and later deported to Auschwitz, only 100 survived. Helga Weiss was one of them. Reconstructed from her original notebooks, Helga’s diary is presented here in its entirety. With an introduction by Francine Prose, a revealing interview between translator Neil Bermel and Helga, and the artwork Helga made during her time at Terezín, HELGA’S DIARY stands as a vivid and utterly unique historical document.

Trudy has been raised to marry her childhood friend and assume a life of bourgeois comfort in Milwaukee. She knows she should be pleased, but is restless instead, yearning for something she lacks even the vocabulary to articulate. When she falls in love with enigmatic and ambitious Oskar, she believes she has found her escape from the banality of her preordained life. But escape turns out to be more fraught than Trudy had imagined.

Jerome Cardy knew he was going to die and that it would be made to appear like an accident. He might not be able to prevent it, but he was determined to make sure that someone knew what was going to happen. After he is found beaten to death, Ash is unable to forget Jerome’s last awkward words to him: “I had a dog once. Othello. That was its name. Othello.” Certain there is a hidden message in these words, Ash is determined to discover the truth.

Wolfhound Century by Peter Higgins - Historical Thriller/Fantasy

Investigator Vissarion Lom has been summoned to the capital in order to catch a terrorist --- and ordered to report directly to the head of the secret police. A totalitarian state, worn down by an endless war, must be seen to crush home-grown insurgents with an iron fist. Lom has been chosen because he is an outsider, not involved in the struggle for power within the party. And because of the sliver of angel stone implanted in his head.

This comprehensive manual covers the methods, technologies, thought processes and judgments that a director must use throughout the fascinating process of making a film. The core of the book is the human, psychological and technical knowledge that every director needs, the enduring elements of the craft that remain vital.