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NewzBundlz (Monthly newsletter, dedicated to what's happening on the site and in the Book Club World.)

Books Unleashed (Twice monthly updates on the bestsellers, what's hot and what's new in the book world.)

Newbie Books to Note:


Glaciers
Glaciers
By Alexis Smith
(1/17/2012)

Isabel is a single, twentysomething thrift-store shopper and collector of remnants, things cast off or left behind by others. Glaciers follows Isabel through a day in her life in which work with damaged books in the basement of a library, unrequited love for the former soldier who fixes her computer, and dreams of the perfect vintage dress move over a backdrop of deteriorating urban architecture and the imminent loss of the glaciers she knew as a young girl in Alaska. Glaciers unfolds internally, the action shaped by Isabel’s sense of history, memory, and place, recalling the work of writers such as Jean Rhys, Marguerite Duras, and Virginia Woolf. For Isabel, the fleeting moments of one day can reveal an entire life. While she contemplates loss and the intricate fissures it creates in our lives, she accumulates the stories?the remnants?of those around her and she begins to tell her own story.


Love in a Nutshell
Love in a Nutshell
By Janet Evanovich & Dorien Kelly
(1/3/2012)

Number one bestselling author Janet Evanovich teams up with award-winning author Dorien Kelly to deliver a sparkling novel of romantic suspense, small-town antics, secretive sabotage, and lots and lots of beer
 
Kate Appleton needs a job. Her husband has left her, she’s been fired from her position as a magazine editor, and the only place she wants to go is to her parents’ summer house, The Nutshell, in Keene’s Harbor, Michigan. Kate’s plan is to turn The Nutshell into a Bed and Breakfast. Problem is, she needs cash, and the only job she can land is less than savory.
Matt Culhane wants Kate to spy on his brewery employees. Someone has been sabotaging his company, and Kate is just new enough in town that she can insert herself into Culhane’s business and snoop around for him. If Kate finds the culprit, Matt will pay her a $20,000 bonus. Needless to say, Kate is highly motivated. But several problems present themselves. Kate despises beer. No one seems to trust her. And she is falling hard for her boss. Can these two smoke out a saboteur, save Kate’s family home, and keep a killer from closing in…all while resisting their undeniable attraction to one another? Filled with humor, heart, and loveable characters, Love in a Nutshell is delicious fun.

Fellow book lovers, enjoy...

Do You Belong in a Book Club? Book Club Personality Quiz
by Emlyn Chand, from the blog of Terri Giuliano Long


I love to read.

You probably do too, given that you’re reading an article about book clubs.

Let me ask you, gentle reader:  how many times have you read a book and felt the urgent need to discuss it with somebody else? For me, this happens about once per week whenever I finish my latest read. If not for my book club friends, I’d never have a chance to talk about any of them –my husband is just not interested in Irving’s depiction of Owen Meany as a Christ figure. Go figure…

Maybe you’re eager to join a club but aren’t sure where to find one. Perhaps you and your friends want to start a brand new club together. Or, you might consider the reading experience private and would rather not discuss every little detail of every single book you read with others. Touché.

Not sure what to think? Take a few moments to respond to the quiz below, and we’ll give you our honest assessment as to whether a book club is right for you.

Ready?... Click here to take the book club personality quiz.



Don't miss our
Interview with Author
Terri Giulano Long

10. Where did the inspiration for your book come from?
Years ago, I wrote a series of feature articles about families with drug and alcohol-addicted teens. The moms talked candidly about their children, their heartbreaking struggles. Those stories stayed with me...
Read the Rest of the Interview

Chocolate Truffles and More Chocolate Gifts at Chocolate.com

Weekly Featured Book:

The Gilder
The Gilder
By Kathryn Kay

Art restorer Marina Nesmith's life seems flawless, at least on the surface. But more and more, Marina is conscious of what she lacks - most especially, the courage to tell her teenage daughter, Zoe, the truth about her father. Then Marina is invited to return to Florence, where she learned her trade as a gilder years ago. In those heady days, she wandered the city's picturesque streets and struck up a friendship with Thomas, an American photographer. He and his wife, Sarah, introduced Marina to a thrilling, bohemian world of art and beauty. Through them, she also learned about love, lies, and the way one mistake can multiply into many. Now, as past and present collide, Marina must move beyond the intricate veneer she's crafted around herself and find the life that she - and Zoe - have been looking for...

Tips for Staging Rut-Busting Book Club Discussions
by Cindy Hudson

It’s easy to settle into a routine with your book club when it’s time to discuss the book. We’re all creatures of habit, and there’s something comforting about knowing what to expect when you show up at your reading group meeting. Routine has the advantage of making it easier for you when you’re the one in charge of leading the discussion, too. If you follow an established formula, you can be relatively sure that book talk will go smoothly.

Yet sometimes following an expected pattern can get boring, and your predictable group may run the risk of its members losing interest. That’s why it’s good to liven up your discussions every now and then. Here are a few ideas for ways to bust out of your meeting ruts and get everybody energized. Click here to read the ideas to energize YOUR book club


Ellen Meister
Don't miss our
Interview with Author Ellen Meister

10. Where did the inspiration for your book come from?
THE OTHER LIFE grew out of a fleeting thought I had when sitting down to write. I was contemplating the notion that each day, when my husband left for work and the children left for school, I got to escape into this fantasy world I was creating with my fiction. That got me wondering what would happen if a married woman like me had the ultimate escape . the ability to slip through a portal to the life she would have had if she had made completely different choices...
Read the Rest of the Interview


Creating Bookworms: Five Ways to Raise a Reader this Summer
by Dawn Little

The lazy days of summer are the perfect time to help children create a reading habit. Intrinsic motivation is necessary if we want to build lifelong readers. When children are motivated to read, it shows. They find pleasure in reading that comes from within. Here are five ways you can help motivate children to read and raise a reader this summer... Click here to turn your child into a bookworm

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 How to Be a Good Book Club Member
by Cindy Hudson

When book club members get together you can usually count on good fun, good company and great socializing. What’s not to like? But with all the fun you have at meetings, it may be easy to forget that you need to exert a little effort too if you want to have good discussions. You may balk at the idea that book club has to be work at all. Sometimes what you’re looking for after a long day at work or with the kids is just to escape. The last thing you may want is another obligation hanging over your head.. Click here to find out more about how to be a good book club member

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