"A good read with a fast-paced narrative with many recognizable names that could be a good one to hand-sell."

--Steve Corrigan, Davis-Kidd Booksellers
Memphis, TN

"There is a war being fought -- a war between the powerful Nephiline, offspring of the fallen angels mentioned in the book of Genesis and the human race. Except most humans are unaware of the angels’ presence. Only the angelologists, a secret society of scholars from around the world are aware of the angels and the danger they pose to humanity. Like J.K. Rowling opened her readers’ eyes to the possibility of magic, Angelology by Danielle Trussoni convincingly creates a world filled with the glory and disgrace of fallen angels. It is a remarkable novel filled with mythology, Biblical history and utterly engaging characters. But it is also a mystery with one of the most surprising endings I have ever read! Highly recommended."

--Patti McCall, Queen Anne Books
Seattle, WA

"This time the angels are the bad guys. Nephilim. Half human, piercingly beautiful, but soulless. They wish to subjugate and destroy humankind. The angelologists are scholars, who have studied the Nephilim for centuries, and fought many battles against them. Evangeline, a cloistered nun living in a convent in upstate New York, finds herself drawn into the world of angels by a young researcher named Verlaine, who has been hired by one of the Nephilim to uncover the lyre of Orpheus, an angelic instrument of immense power. This is an ambitious book, similar in scope to The Historian, and as fast-paced as The DaVinci Code."

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"I’m not sure if the New Zealand board of tourism is aware of Nancy Atherton. If they aren’t, they should be. Aunt Dimity Down Under simultaneously possesses the same delicate humanity most notable in Aunt Dimity’s Christmas and functions as a love song to the islands of New Zealand. Tragedy has struck Finch as the story opens. The seemingly eternal twins, Ruth and Louise Pym have entered their last illness. They ask Lori, and therefore Dimity, to find their lost brother in New Zealand. Fate intervenes as it often does when Dimity is at hand. Instead of a quick delivery to an aged relative, Lori finds herself on a quest through some of the most beautiful areas of an amazingly beautiful and diverse country. Soon she realizes that this trip is about more than tracking down a lost relation or even doing a favor for dearly beloved friends. Lori must open herself to experiences as varied as staying in a hobbit’s hotel room or riding out an earthquake to experiencing a paddock landing in a two-seater plane. Magic, even magic as powerful as that of New Zealand or of love needs an open heart on which to work."

--Sara, Little Professor Book Center
Homewood, AL

"Richard Jury is back in one of Martha Grimes's best mysteries yet! When a high class call girl - who turns out to be the local librarian - is found murdered behind The Black Cat pub, Superintendant Richard Jury is called in on the case. When a second female escort is murdered - and the Black Cat's black cat disappears, replaced by a different black cat - all of Jury's investigative skills are needed in a plot that will keep you guessing until the end."

--Carol Schneck, Schuler Books and Music
Okemos, MI

"The Blind Contessa’s New Machine may turn out to be my favorite book of 2010. And it’s only January. It’s that good. Wallace’s language transports you—not just to a small, Italian town in the 1800s—but to the inner world of the blind contessa who lives there. It’s a story of profound loves, and extraordinary imaginations, and what they do to us. This is one of those rare books that combine beautiful literary achievement with a supremely entertaining tale."

--Mary McDonald, The Learned Owl Book Shop
Hudson, OH

"This wonderful love story is set in 1800s Italy with Jane Austen-like characters. A young contessa who loses her sight, her handsome husband, the eccentric inventor who shows his love for her by creating the world's first typewriter... all based on historical fact. Suspenseful, beautifully descriptive, and a page-turner as well. I read it in two nights."

--Barb Mulford, R.J. Julia Booksellers
Madison, CT

"Nathanial Cade is my new hero! What a fantastic new series, I can’t wait for the next book in the series…it appeals to all of my senses….packed with adventure and danger, Nathaniel Cade is way more of a vampire than Edward will ever be, not only is he a ‘vegetarian’ but he kicks ass and protects the country."

--Wendy Manning, Third Place Books
Lake Forest Park, WA

"I finished Blood Oath two nights ago. Love the premise and found the characters sufficiently engaging that I’m already anxious to see the next book in the series. I’m sure I saw pieces of David Baldacci, Christopher Moore, Joss Whedon, Dan Brown, and West Wing in the story – as well as other bits and pieces that make us all “buy” the vampire in a recognizable form. What fun!"

--Kimberly M. Stack, Librarian, Collection Development
McHenry, IL

"Very friendly voice, not at all academic but not too dumbed-down either. Full of moving & interesting info about both the bonobos and the people & politics of Congo. (And) I keep having reasons to mention it: Congo comes up in conversation, or chimps, or bonobos. This book has stuck with me.”

--Christie Olson Day, Gallery Books
Mendocino, CA

"A great weekend read. Perfect for fall and winter—the historical descriptions of London weren’t overbearing or distracting from the intriguing plot."

--Christina Meek, Davis-Kidd Booksellers
Memphis, TN

"In the late 1700's in England, Agnes Trussell finds herself pregnant and unwed and leaves home. She finds a job in London with a maker of fireworks and begins learning the trade. I loved this book and can't wait until January 21 when I can put it in the hands of my customers."

--Beth Carpenter, The Country Bookshop
Southern Pines, NC

"Marian Keyes' books contain secrets at their hearts, the revelations of which turn reader's assumptions upside down about characters and the "truths" they tell themselves and each other.

Keyes' works also contain the most honest portrayals of addiction, domestic abuse, grief, betrayal and loving kindness between family and lovers that I have ever read. Like Frank McCourt and Roddy Doyle, Keyes balances emotionally charged scenes with humor that enriches and makes the stuggle of her characters more realistic.

I often find myself finishing a Keyes' novel with a sense of wonder, deeply appreciating the bravery and strength of characters who face adversity with amazing tenacity, humor, and love. The Brightest Star in the Sky is another triumph. The narrative voice is a soul possessed with a distinctly Irish sensibility. As she gazes upon the lives of the tenants of 66 Star Street, the soul finds herself, like the reader to whom she is relating their stories, puzzled, amused, and utterly enthralled.

As I've done with her other books, I no sooner finished this novel than I resolved to read it through again and spend more time with characters I'd' come to love. I was deeply moved by the secret at the heart of this novel, and impressed by the masterful way the secret was revealed hint by hint to the reader and the tenants of 66 Star Street.

I can't wait until January 2010 to start selling Brightest Star in the Sky to my customers!"

--Linda Barrett Knopp, Malaprop's Bookstore/Café
Asheville, NC

"I inhaled the new Marian Keyes novel (read it straight through in one sitting over the weekend) and thought it was one of her best. It will be my new staff pick once it's in the store and I am already telling people about it."

--Heather Elia, Colgate Bookstore
Hamilton, NY

"A TV reporter finds her world turned upside-down when she accuses a social worker of being a child predator and a local girl goes missing. Of course nothing is as it seems in this page-turner, and Caught further cements Coben's name as the master of the suburban thriller."

--Suzanna Hermans, Oblong Books & Music
Millerton, NY

"Set aside any preconceived notions you might have about Committed; read it with an open mind and heart. If you do this, it will inform you, provoke you, enlighten you and, perhaps, change you, as it did me. After a spectacularly painful divorce that ended a mostly happy 27 year marriage, I vowed never to marry again. This book changed my views about marriage and relationships and helped me recognize that expectations often derail our search for love and connection. Elizabeth Gilbert leaves no stone unturned in this thoroughly researched look at marriage. Her trademark humor, candor and ability to connect with the reader are all present as she recounts her reluctant journey back to matrimony. Forget all the relationship and marriage how-to guides out there and read this book. It will be time well spent."

--Adrian Newell, Warwick's
La Jolla, CA

"Thank you so much for asking me to read Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert. I devoured her new book and was very surprised by the historical and cultural references about marriage in there. I hardly ever read non-fiction, especially memoirs, but I couldn’t put her book down. I want to share it with every woman I know: my mother, my friends, my sister-in-law—they all should read this book! There’s a lot I’ve always wanted to say to women I know about what I’ve learned so far about marriage and it’s all in this book. Gilbert covers a lot- politics, religion, same-sex marriage, feminism—I can’t imagine what the interviews are going to be like. I’m sure there are people who won’t like it because they won’t agree with her logic but I enjoyed every minute of it."

--Christina Meek, Davis-Kidd Booksellers
Memphis, TN

"The most exhilarating, exasperating, inspiring, infuriating and, in the end, unknowable institutions to humans is that of marriage. Elizabeth Gilbert expertly combines an account of her own return to being wedded (which, of course, is not simple) with a general history of marriage in the west to give us a provocative and incisive account of what really is the bedrock of society."

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"Elizabeth Gilbert is back in perfect form as the witty and wise globetrotting woman who now fearlessly explores the institution of marriage in her new book Committed. Gilbert effortlessly and hilariously catalogues all the pleasures, pains, and paradoxes inherent to marriage. Her historical and worldly findings on matrimony are balanced against her own poignant personal struggle to take on, once again, the full emotional and legal obligations of getting hitched. Gilbert's tale is utterly captivating and the woman is seemingly incapable of writing a paragraph that doesn't delight and instruct in equal measure."

--Linda Barrett-Knopp, Malaprop's Bookstore/Café
Asheville, NC

"Through the eyes of Sofonisba Anguissola, we are offered a glimpse of the rich and dangerous 16th Century. Anguissola lived a fascinating life, not only in her own right, as a rare early example of a successful female artist, but because of who she knew. This set of three journals begins with Anguissola's study with Michaelangelo in Rome and ends with her tenure as lady in waiting to Catherine de Medici's daughter Elizabeth, the wife of Felipe II of Spain. I became quickly immersed in the grandeur and intrigue of the century and was reluctant to leave it behind. A well-researched and engaging historical novel, this would be a great book club selection for those interested in art, history or women's studies."

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"The Creation of Eve, despite its historical setting in 16nth Century Spain, allows the reader an intimate introduction into the personal lives of King Phillip II, Michelangelo, and its main character, Sofonisba Anguissola, a woman painter in the Spanish court. Cullen weaves her own well-grounded, persuasive story of life in the Spanish court in such a way that the reader, going beyond simply recognizing such famous names as Michelangelo or Catherine de'Medici, feels like he or she has been witness to the private heartache, acts of friendship and of love, and sacrifices these real-life characters experienced. It is impossible not to admire and respect Sofonisba Anguissola through this book."

--Rebecca Waesch, Joseph-Beth Booksellers

"This will flat out, be the hit of summer 2010. Wendy's story of growing up in the 'Vanderbilt' family is both killingly funny and wretched. We will sell this with a money back guarantee."

--Julie Norcross, McLean and Eakin Booksellers
Petoskey, MI

"I can't thank you enough for sending me Dead End Gene Pool! One night last week as I sat reading it, I was laughing so hard that the book fell and I lost my page. I picked it up and just started reading it all over again! What a wonderful book. The stories are so crazy- yet, I can relate to how Wendy created a world she could exist in to deal with the hurt she endured."

--Greg Szczeszek, Ivy Bookshop
Baltimore, MD

"The larger-than-life story of Henry Smart reaches its stunning conclusion in this brilliant roller-coaster ride of a novel. As always, Roddy Doyle's outstanding ear for the rhythm of language and his eye for humor, especially in the darkest situations, make his books compelling and unforgettable. Highly recommended!"

--Carol Schneck, Schuler Books and Music
Okemos, MI

"The third volume of The Last Roundup trilogy is another masterful imagining of the life of Henry Smart, who is caught up in the writing of The Quiet Man script with John Ford at the beginning of this novel. Henry's continuing involvement with the evolving Irish Republic, the shady characters who are fighting for control of Ireland (and its image) and his reunion with his long-lost wife, Miss O'Shea, provide a thrilling and engaging conclusion to this great story arc."

--Carl Hoffman, Boswell Book Company
Milwaukee, WI

"Finished reading Everything Is Broken by Emma Larkin yesterday, the book about the 2008 cyclone in Burma. I’ve read a few things about the refugee problems in Burma, but not so much as to the peculiarities of the regime there. All totalitarian states are the same in so many ways, but not allowing rescue workers to enter the country at critical times has to be some kind of low. I remember how the news media just sort of dropped this story after awhile. There were some things about the monks who marched in protest, but then nothing. Larkin picks that story up as well, and, of course, it ended badly.

The tsunami, Katrina, and Haiti have had their detractors in regard to the relief efforts, but compared to Burma, the negligence of the regime is even worse. .

I liked that there was some background material on Burmese history, especially the recent history of the current regime in power. It put the tragedy of the cyclone in perspective."

--Steve Corrigan, Davis-Kidd Booksellers
Memphis, TN

"The Robert Crais novel was awesome. His best in years. More people should read him!"

--Dan Foster, Classic Bookshop
Palm Beach, FL

"Robert Crais has created one of the truly distinctive characters in fiction in Joe Pike. Pike is one of George Orwell's rough men which society, sadly, still needs so often. When a former associate is killed in a home invasion, Pike confronts the Serbian mafia in another of Crais' beautifully crafted morality tales."

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"Jean Kwok has gifted us with a beautifully written journey of the American experience seen through the eyes of a young Chinese girl brought to the United States and made to work alongside her mother doing piece work in a dress factory. This is the story of incredible adversity, of real hunger ,of bone chilling winter cold, familial betrayal and of love and most importantly hope. Not since Min Jin Lee and her novel Free Food for Millionaires has the Chinese American experience been so deftly crafted for our times."

--Calvin Crosby, Books Inc.
, CA

"You will immediately warm to the gentle heroine of this tender and life-affirming coming of age story. A modern-day Tree Grows in Brooklyn, it tells the story of young immigrant Kimberly Chang, and her struggles to integrate into American society, whilst shouldering the responsibility of her family's future. Debut author Jean Kwok opens our eyes to the many challenges of growing up across two worlds, and shows us how dreams can become reality against all the odds."

--Sue Beale, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"This is a lovely debut novel that will move, surprise and delight the reader. In Girl in Translation, Jean Kwok has given us a previously untold immigrant story – about a brilliant young girl who excels at school, works nights in a New York City sweatshop, and lives with her mother in an abandoned apartment with no heat. That elements of the story are based on Kwok’s own life in 1970s America makes Kwok’s accomplished first novel all the more remarkable."

--Chris Higashi, Washington Center for the Book at The Seattle Public Library
Seattle, WA

"The American experience often began at Ellis Island or Angel Island and was later forged by deprivation and hardship. As Kimberly Chang and her mother attempt to navigate an alien society, culture and language they will remind people of the stories of their parents and grandparents. To read this novel is to read a universal description of American immigration and development."

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola’s Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"...The vivid narrative had me RIGHT THERE in the sweatshops, the high school, the sordid apartment...in short, very immersed in the story. Ms Kwok's writing delivers that je ne sais quoi that is invaluable to a good novel. Kwok manages to convey feelings, for instance, about relationships with contemporaries, in such a way that you can identify because you've been there yourself during the teen years! The uncertainty with which Kim approaches the love relationship also resonates. And, the ending isn't saccharine, which I always appreciate."

--Lorayne Burns, Librarian
Lexington, KY

"Get comfortable before you open this book because you might not want to get up until you finish it. Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate to New York City and end up living in squalor in an unheated abandoned building while the mother works in a sweatshop. Eleven year old Kimberly realizes her brains are the only chance she and her mother have of getting out of the situation they find themselves and begins to make decisions that affect the rest of their lives."

--Beth Carpenter, The Country Bookshop
Southern Pines, NC

"I absolutely LOVED Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. I was so impressed by the voice of young Kimberly, who narrates their story in crystal clear prose and a tenderness and naivety that's almost charming. I also loved the fact that this will make a perfect young adult crossover, I can't imagine any teen being able to put down this wonderful, precious story. I even experienced that same sort of epiphany while reading it that I did with The Help: THIS IS IT! This is the next great book!"

--Linda Grana, Lafayette Books
Lafayette, CA

"This is a tale simply told, but the narrator speaks with unvarnished authenticity of the experience of immigration. Kimberly and her mother, an accomplished musician, come from Hong Kong to Brooklyn with the aid of her mother's sister. Here, in this land of bounty and opportunity, they are ruthlessly exploited from day one: paying rent for an apartment with no heat and missing windows, working in a sweatshop, struggling with the language barrier. Young Kim observes without passing judgment, and through her eyes we witness not only the sting of injustice, but the simple joy she takes in all that is new and different. A quietly powerful book."

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"Kwok writes with a stripped down elegance that puts you right next to her in the freezing apartment, but still gives you a sense of the inherent dignity of both the protagonist and her mother - and that dignity, combined with grim reality, is what really made the book leap out of my hands. It's been a long time since I read anything with a character I wanted to succeed this badly. Which brings us to the ending: pretty much the definition of an earned happy ending, with just the amount of bittersweet regret to make the whole thing go down smooth."

--Drew Williams, Little Professor Book Center
Homewood, AL

"Shakespearean director Kate Stanley returns in another intricate mixture of murder and the bard. In her latest venture Kate is forced to search for an original manuscript of Macbeth while encountering modern witches wishing to apply the secrets contained within it. The scholarship is impeccable, the plot taut and the entertainment level at the top."

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola’s Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"Sixteen-year-old Sebastian has lived with his grandmother in a geodesic dome for the last ten years. Home-schooled, he has had no virtually no contact with the outside world, except for random tourists who come to view the dome. In preparing him for the future, his Nana has neglected the present and Sebastian is woefully unfit to communicate in the present tense. He doesn't know about grilled cheese or girls or guitars. He doesn't even realize he is lonely until he has a chance encounter with a foul-mouthed, angry punk rock devotee named Jared. Their lack of social skills allows them to forge an uneasy bond, and out of this improbable beginning a punk rock band emerges that is actually quite good.

Bognanni replicates the sheer exuberance of adolescence with compassion and humor This is a joyful addition to contemporary literature."

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"You may visit the Little Bighorn Battlefield. It’s a national monument. The park’s centerpiece is a gentle hill… survivors named it “Last Stand Hill” once the killing finally abated. Breeze ruffles the prairie grass today and the vistas are lovely; you can see down toward the river and the site where Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse’s mighty encampments stood. Neat white stones, each with the name of a fallen member of Custer’s proud troop, dot the slopes leading up to the monument. Custer was buried on the hill initially, but now he rests at West Point.

The breezes did not ruffle on June 25, a stifling Sunday in 1876, nor were vistas lovely. The air was choked with dust and gun-smoke. Foe could barely see foe. The noise must have been overwhelming – the unnerving tremolo cries of the warriors, the shrill of their horn whistles, the screams of horses and men, the confused clatter of gunfire.

We know these things because The Last Stand, Nathaniel Philbrick’s remarkable, pointillistic rendering of that summer day and its terrible surrounds, bring new clarity to our understanding of George Armstrong Custer and the insoluble slurry of brilliance and senselessness that drove him.

What detail! Did you know that Major Marcus Reno was drunk when he led his battalion’s ill-fated charge against the Lakota camp? Or that some Indians were so close to the troopers that they threw rocks and dirt at them. Or that Crazy Horse’s face had been scarred, not in battle, but by the gunshot of a cuckolded husband. Or that squaws, defiling the dead in the wake of battle, pierced Custer’s eardrums with their awls, so that he would hear better in the Other World.

Towering research. Trim, fascinating writing. And a story we never seem to tire of."

--Bill McGrane, The Bookstall at Chestnut Court
Winnetka, IL

"I was impressed with the amount of detail in the narrative, as well as the extent of the backpages. The amount of research was tremendous, many primary resources were consulted from both white and Indian testimony. In some ways the book reminded me of Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides in that the narrative shifted from the white to the Indian point of view throughout, which gave it complexity and depth. A Terrible Glory supplied a re-evaluation of Custer’s career and legacy and The Last Stand extends that and includes the career and legacy of Sitting Bull as well. Both greatly enhance the literature of the Little Big Horn.

This will easily be one of my favorite books of 2010. Thoroughly satisfying and enjoyable."

--Steve Corrigan, Davis-Kidd Booksellers
Memphis, TN

"Custer at the Little Bighorn holds a permanent fascination for Americans, but Nathaniel Philbrick does much to bring a human quality to the established myths. He shows a group of people, including Custer and Sitting Bull, caught up in events they cannot control and poignantly portrays the fact that long ago day in Montana was really the last stand for an entire culture."

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"McNees deftly tells the fictional story of summer the Alcott family spends in rural New Hampshire that changed young Louisa forever. A tale of love and loss that is a must read for the generations of women who cherish their dog-eared copies of Little Women."

--Sam Droke-Dickinson, Aaron’s Books
Lititz, PA

"This book gives the reader a real sense of time and place during a fictional summer of Louisa May Alcott. Descriptions of her family life and the individual members are especially telling and must have greatly influenced her later writing. It is a time when she is just beginning to break away from family and become what she has wanted all along, to be a writer and to be on her own on her own terms. I really enjoyed spending the summer with Louisa May!"

--Susan Diffenderfer, Tall Tales Bookshop
Atlanta, GA

"I don't think I can find the words for how very much I loved this book. McNees worked from several biographies and Alcott's own journals to create this fictionalized account of a rumored love affair that the intensely private L.M.A. covered up. In these pages blooms the walking, talking inspirations for the characters in Little Women and some of Alcott's other books. It is at once very familiar and very new, and every page was rivoting for me--I lost a lot of sleep to this book. I felt the echo of my much younger self, that girl who marveled at her first (but not her last) reading of Little Women and then her voracious consumption of all things Alcott one muggy Ohio summer. Louisa May Alcott was an amazing if rather brittle woman, and this book shows her in all of her complexity. I simply cannot recommend this book enough."

--Jackie Blem, Tattered Cover
Denver, CO

"If you loved Little Women, read this fictional account of one summer in the life of Louisa May Alcott. Her family spends this summer in a home of a relative, and it turns out to be a pivotal time in Louisa's and her sisters' lives."

--Beth Carpenter, The Country Bookshop
Southern Pines, NC

"Ron Rash was right when he read eight pages and told Mr. Young he had a novel. The reader is immersed in the story immediately and the novel is just gripping in its intensity. This is on account of characters battling not just the enemy, the terrain and the elements but, also, themselves. I doubt seriously there has been better fiction to have come out of the Afghanistan conflict so far."

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"Ariana Franklin has established the Mistress of the Art of Death series as one of the absolute finest in the historical fiction genre and her latest effort is no exception. As Adelia Aguilar accompanies Henry II's daughter, Joanna, to Sicily, Franklin uses the journey to plot suspense, mystery and throughout illuminate an era headed further into ignorance that can offer a lesson to today's society."

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"I thought the book was completely absorbing, very real, brought the reader into the Civil War. Her writing is not fancy but neither is it sentimental.

I am quite certain that My Name will be a bestseller. It has everything: strong woman, believable historic setting, Civil War, history of medicine."

--Carla Cohen, Politics and Prose
Washington, DC

"This is a story of an amazing woman in a remarkable time. With the Civil War looming, an acclaimed midwife yearns to become a surgeon in defiance of society’s views on women and acceptable occupations. Mary Sutter battles conflict in her own life, while all around her, the battles of a nation are fought. Her quest for knowledge leads her on a dangerous path through the grim realities of war, where her strength and courage are called upon in ways she never imagined."

--Patty Rodeheffer, Appalachian State University Bookstore
Boone, NC

"A highly skilled midwife must choose between her family, including a pregnant twin sister, and her strong desire to become a surgeon. Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, this historical novel follows Mary Sutter as she breaks down barriers and prejudices facing women in the 19th century."

--Barb Schmidt, Books & Company
Oconomowoc, WI

"I have not left Mary Sutter's side since I opened this book, My Name Is Mary Sutter, midwife in upstate New York, 20 years old who desperately want to be a surgeon but no medical school will admit her because she is woman. And then the horrific Civil War begins and Mary Sutter makes this bloody arena her training ground- her apprenticeship. You will be astounded at debut novelist Robin Oliveira's research and her prodigious gift of storytelling. Mary Sutter is a marvellous and mesmerizing heroine and you, the reader will not her side for a moment. Everyone read The Helpin 2009. in 2010 everyone will be reading My Name Is Mary Sutter."

--Diane Garrett, Diane's Books of Greenwich
Greenwich, CT

"A fascinating adult novel about a man named Daniel who reincarnates but remembers all his past lives and retains the same soul each time. Through each life he searches for his soul mate, Sophia who never remembers him. After centuries, the finally meet at the right place, in the right time, only to have their past catch up with them. An adventurous love story I couldn’t put down!"

--Christina Meek, Davis-Kidd Booksellers
Memphis, TN

"The level of eerie is jacked from page one. In the Sierra Madre, our old friend, Joe Pickett, is winding up a job that will leave him free to return to his family at last. One little loose end to tie up, and he's gone for good. But what happens in the mountains shakes his confidence to the core. No spoilers here, just take a deep breath--you're about to go on a wild ride!"

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"I devoured this debut novel in large gulps, needing to know how Rachel DuPree, African-American pioneer, would sustain her strength, protect her children, pluck food from a parched earth and a dry cow, all the time attempting to understand her proud, stubborn, aloof husband. My image of the West, the Native Americans, the racism in its various iterations that spreads with emigration, is forever impacted by her story."

--Cheryl McKeon, Third Place Books
Lake Forest Park, WA

"This is what it's all about.

I absolutely loved The Postmistress. Like The Help, The Postmistress deals with a crucial period in history told from the perspective of women: how they are impacted by the events both large and small and what they can or can't do in the face of the inevitable. The Postmistress humanizes these events in a thoughtful and powerful fashion. I have read a lot of novels about WWII and somehow The Postmistress made it more horrifying and sad by its focus on the individuals. It might have been unbearable if it wasn't so beautiful. I guess it gave me hope. It certainly opened my heart.

Each of the three main characters brings her own perspective to the impending war. Sarah Blake created real, complicated, conflicted women, and men, I should add. I was tremendously moved by this novel, and though I am not easily brought to tears, The Postmistress sent me to my tissue box time and again. A moving story well told."

--Cathy Langer, Tattered Cover
Denver, CO

"WOW! I was mesmerized. The scenes in the small Cape Cod community contrasted with the bombings in London and the Jews trying to escape from Europe brought home the early days of WWII. Sarah Blake made the period so real that I thought I was there; chatting in the post office, seeing Will and Emma begin their marriage, huddled underground with the masses of exhausted Londoners during the Blitz, on the train with the people fleeing the Nazis, and listening to the radio as Edward R. Murrow and Frankie brought the reality of the war to the American people.

I can't wait to start talking to my customers about The Postmistress. Sarah Blake has given us a wonderful and important novel."

--Elaine Petrocelli, Book Passage
Corte Madera, CA

"The Postmistress takes you back to the time of trains, letters and radio, when news was not as immediate as it is today. Folks at home could wait in a time warp believing a loved one was safe even as they continued to write letters wishing them home. . Thousands of people could also be shuffled into a line to await their death months before anyone was aware of it.

The beautiful prose of this novel lasts long after you have finished the page. I found myself thinking of the scenes Sarah Blake had painted in my mind. The characters were real and I cared about what would become of them, from Emma, the young doctor's wife, wishing she could "stretch time like taffy" as she said good-bye to her husband, to the vivid descriptions from the radio reporter Frankie, as she "collected" voices for her stories. And then there is Iris, the postmaster, who fervently believes that if she does her job, she helps keep order in the world.

The beginning of World War II is the time frame of this book, and as life ends on the other side of the globe, it continues to cheerfully go on in Cape Cod, not because of human nature, but as Frankie calls it, "American nature."

As I read, I found myself jotting down phrases so that I could remember them long after I read this tale. I want to be able, as I remember one line stating, to "pay attention." I finished this book with tears in my eyes, not only because of the story, but because of the sadness that a wonderful story was over!!"

--Nona Camuel, CoffeeTree Books
Morehead, KY

"This book will not be published until Feb., but I can't wait to hand sell it. I truly loved this beautifully written and thought-provoking story with absolutely wonderful characters; and the backdrop of the time period in our history is so relevant. It takes place in 1940-1941 before the U.S. entered W.W.II and while war is raging in Europe. Postmistress Iris James is such an admirable and strong character, as is Frankie Bard, a reporter working for CBS during the bombings in London. Edward R. Morrow is her boss. I loved that! When will the U.S. enter the war? Will it be too late? This is a must read and one of my favorites since, yes, The Help. I could say so much more, but I don't want to give anything away. Please, just read it!"

--Carol Katsoulis, Anderson's Bookshop
Naperville, IL

"A postmistress in Cape Cod and reporter Frankie Bard have letters to deliver, both of which were written to the wife of a doctor serving in England during the Blitz. The postmistress prides herself on her dedication to her work, and Bard had vowed to deliver her letter. But unforeseen circumstances make both stop and wonder if they should make their delivery. This is a wonderful story of the secrets we choose to keep and the effects of war on our everyday lives."

--Beth Carpenter, The Country Bookshop
Southern Pines, NC

"The Postmistress--I finished it last night and can't get some of those scenes out of my head. It is a wonderful piece of writing. The descriptions of the Blitz and the scenes on the trains are vivid and gut wrenching. The scenes and the character of Frankie Bard are so carefully and tightly drawn--Emma and Iris also are so alive and well put together. Franklin-Provincetown-is also carefully and accurately described as are the characters living there. I can't wait to sell this book. We all loved The Help and this book is as good - if not better. Many thanks for the chance to read The Postmistress and my congratulations to Sarah Blake for a wonderful piece of writing.

IT'S A WINNER!!"

--Nancy Landon, Brewster Bookstore
Brewster, MA

"I just finished The Postmistress and simply loved it. Blake has an uncanny ability to send the reader back to WWI (or early 1900s as in Grange House) and to feel the horror and sadness of the lives of the people she writes about."

--Mary K. Cowen, Anderson's Bookshop
Naperville, IL

"The period right before World War Two is the perfect time frame to set a beautiful story, and small town America is the perfect place. A truly remarkable writer, Sarah Blake has birthed a compelling baby in The Postmistress, and the brilliant editor, Amy Einhorn, served as the perfect midwife. We anticipate The Postmistress will be one of our top hand sellers for 2010. The one word that obviously continues to surface when we think of this book is "perfect". It is not just coincidence, that Kathryn Stockett's The Help, the title that lead our store in 2009 was another piece of Amy Einhorn's magic."

--Jake Reiss, The Alabama Booksmith
Birmingham, AL

"The Postmistress explores the many languages of love and how one letter and one woman's decision can effect many relationships. The Postmistress is a powerful book about the choices made by the heart. It is a great book and I can't wait to get it in the store."

--Fred Powell, Main Street Books
Frostburg, MD

"I truly was captured on page 1. Mixed in with the up close and personal history of the war is a beautifully written examination of human relationships. What stands out and makes this such an initmate look at the realities of war is the consideration of close relationships as well as relationships with strangers--both recurring strangers and those that just pass through your life and are gone. I found myself talking to this book, begging it to not let certain things happen and pleading with characters not to do something. I've always said that reading is a two-way endeavor, but The Postmistress takes that to a whole new level."

--Rona Brinlee, The Bookmark
Atlantic Beach, FL

"There is a sense of emotional intimacy in this book, as the author weaves her story so evocatively that we are transported by the voices of the past. Set on the eve of America's entrance into World War II, The Postmistress is narrated by Frankie Bard, who is an American reporter for the BBC in London, working with Edward R. Murrow. She tells a story that begins in Cape Cod, and takes us on a harrowing train trip through war torn Nazi-occupied Europe, as she seeks to understand the unrelenting random cruelty of the War. This is a book that will move you to tears and stay with you long after you've finished."

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"The Postmistress is an amazing work of historical fiction, taking you from a pre-WWII small town Massachusetts to the middle of the bombing of London. Sarah Blake writes beautifully, and believably, about her characters, and makes each of them, from the town's troubled doctor, volunteering in London, the American reporter on the scene, the postmistress herself, and the people she serves, all understandable and compelling. Flawlessly mixing historical characters with her own, Blake brings back the world of letters and radio,their limits as well as their irreplaceable magic. While her characters struggle with both theological and moral issues, Blake comes down strongly on our responsibility for one another, the need for community, and the importance of individual action. On top of it all, she has written a wonderful, suspenseful novel, illuminating the period before America entered the war, and given us, in Iris and Frankie, two remarkable women we are unlikely to forget.

This is a tremendous book."

--Leslie Reiner, Inkwood Books
Tampa, FL

"This is a wonderful read. The characters are alive; I felt that I knew them and could see them, and far out Cape Cod and London in the Blitz as well. The pictures in my mind of what Frankie experienced in London and on the trains in Europe in 1941 are going to be in my head for a long time, and the people of Franklin, Massachusetts are even closer. And, of course, the love between Emma and Will and Harvey and Iris, the Postmistress, are understandable and evocative. The glimpses of the fleeing people on trains all over Europe are now mine as well as Frankie's.

This will be an all time best read for many, many peo

Thank you, Sarah Blake!"

--Janet Boreta, Orinda Books
Orinda, CA

"Sarah Blake draws in her perfectly formed characters one at a time, each one with such affection and subtle humor that from the moment the Postmistress arrived in town I was hooked on this story. They are a collection of outsiders - real people, imperfect, passionate, doubting - circles that start from lonely orbits, move closer together, intersect, overlap, finally becoming a whole. Without preaching or cliche,but with a knife that cuts right to the bone, The Postmistress asks us to consider what difference an individual, a small and seemingly powerless person, a person with troubles and faults of their own, a person just like ourselves, could make in the life of another if we really saw them, really listened to what they were saying."

--Kitty Clark, Books Inc., Opera Plaza
San Francisco, CA

"When you are ready to spend some quality time with a well told story, pick up The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. A tender, heartbreaking story of love, duty, and honor set during the days leading up to America's involvement in WWII, the characters will charm you completely. The feisty Postmistress James, new to the coastal town at the end of the cape, faces a dilemma which we hope we will never have to do. She is bound to deliver the mail-good or bad. She is given a letter to be delivered upon the death of the town's doctor, who has fled to London to help during the bombings (and therefore soothing his own demons). You will only want happiness for everyone, even though we know that war has a way of dashing hopes and dreams. Frankie Bard-radio correspondent and protege of Edward R Murrow, shines as she describes the horrors of nightly bombings in London. I was transported completely. Another hit for the new Amy Einhorn imprint and one that we will relish sharing with our customers."

--Valerie Koehler, Blue Willow Bookshop
Houston, TX

"...the perfect book to recommend to people whose reading habits you really aren't familiar with because it has a variety of things to like about it: great characters (especially female characters), dramatic plot lines, emotional depth, and an easy-to-read writing style...not dense or over-descriptive. The cover alone will sell it to some people, but the first chapter really does a great job of getting you hooked to the plot."

--Christina Meek, Davis-Kidd Booksellers
Nashville, TN

"World War II: A female radio voice from England is heard by the folks on Cape Cod where Iris, the postmistress, keeps her distance, but is a part of the daily rhythm of small town life.

Frankie, with that calm, reporter radio voice, is impassioned by the plight of war refugees. Can one of them help those in need, and the other help maintain order, as the horrors of war are interwoven through their worlds?

The Postmistress is a remarkable read."

--Becky Milner, Vintage Books
Vancouver, WA

"You have another BEST SELLER on your hands.

The three women at the heart of Sarah Blake's fabulous debut are welcome additions to American Fiction. Each in her own way a strong voice for the female of 1940 America, each in her own way becomes a sister/daughter to the reader. Iris and Emma's storyline here in America was compelling, but Frankie's adventure in Europe stole the book for me. I was so moved by the events in her life while in London and traveling across Europe, I saw the movie playing in my mind so clearly. Sarah Blake has written a novel of America at the brink of entering World War II that belongs along side From Here To Eternity and The Naked and the Dead."

--Dan Radovich, Barnes & Noble
Vernon Hills, IL

"I just wanted to let you know how much I love The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. It is such a wonderful book! I fell in love with the unforgettable characters (especially Frankie) and did not want to put the book down, or for it to end. I felt like I was right there at the beginning of World War II with them. Frankie travelling on the train getting the stories was heartbreaking. I can't wait to recommend this to customers as soon as it comes out and will start talking it up now!"

--Jennyfer Davis, Barnes & Noble
Long Beach, CA

"The Postmistress is certainly a story of another, perhaps simpler, time, but it has an immediacy and relevance in our time as well. It is the story of the small moments that can affect us all in huge ways. The impact of a moment of inattention or a waylaid letter can have. It tells us that it is not the large moments that make up our lives, but very often the small, seemingly insignificant things that determine our path. It is a story that will hold you, move you, and stay with you long after you have turned the last page.

Sarah Blake has done an outstanding job, and I can't wait to hand-sell this book to my customers!"

--Brenda Seward, Simple Pleasures Books & Gifts
Ashland, VA

"I loved the way the scenes flowed one into another, transitioning from Frankie's war-ravaged Europe to Emma and Iris's waiting Cape Cod. The Postmistress is a very poignant, mesmerizing story that I cannot wait to recommend to many patrons."

--Jennifer Winberry, Principal Librarian, Hunterdon County Library
Flemington, NJ

"I finished reading The Postmistress this evening and I think it is a special book. I especially enjoyed the complexity of the three women and I came to see them as three different sides of a pyramid. Frankie thinks she knows the order of things and learns she really doesn't. Iris isn't sure of any thing but her systems for handling the mail and her life, but is changed when she falls for Harry. Emma is lost, but regains hope and purpose when transformed by Will's love, then loses him and feels her sense of security is something she'll never be able to hold onto. I think this will be embraced by readers and I hope to be at the forefront of the push."

--Curt Jarrell, Barnes & Noble
Towson, MD

"The Postmistress is a perfect book to recommend to that customer who asks for "a book to get lost in." The strong sense of place from the shores of Cape Cod to the streets of war torn London produces a story of three memorable women that stays with you for a long time."

--Elizabeth Merritt, Titcomb's Bookshop
East Sandwich, MA

"What a truly FANTASTIC book! I've read a lot of books that have examined life in the early days of WWII, but never one like this. Blake's novel concentrates on 3 American women during 1940-41. Each of them personify attitudes that were taken about the war in those days before Pearl Harbor, each of them bring to light an aspect of 1940s womanhood, each of them is a complex character that is hard to forget. The opening quote, from Martha Gelhorn, is perfect: 'War happens to people, one by one.' This is what comes alive in this book and makes it resonate long after the last page is turned."

--Jackie Blem, Tattered Cover Book Store
Denver, CO

"Thanks for sharing a spectacular read. I truly loved The Postmistress! What unforgettable characters. I have already sung the praises of this "remarkable novel" and will continue to do so.

On a personal note - my uncle Frank Malone worked for the Associated Press for lots of years. Once when I was a very little girl - Uncle Frank brought his good friend Edward R. Murrow to dinner at my folks home in Connecticut. He was VERY impressive even to a small child. Thank Sarah Blake for allowing me to remember this great guy. LOVED her portrayal of him!"

--Alicia Greis, Colorado College Bookstore
Dolorado Springs, CO

"The Postmistress turns WWII on its ears! Instead of focusing on battles, it focuses on vignettes war's effect on every day people. The Postmistress puts a human face on World War II. It is a gripping and very different story of World War II and the price of war."

--Deon Stonehouse, Sunriver Books & Music
Sunriver, OR

"The Postmistress is a work of the heart. Give Sarah Blake lots of shelf space and order multiple copies."

--Janet Kent, Victoria Public Library
Victoria, TX

"The Postmistress explores the many languages of love and how one letter and one woman's decision can affect many relationships. The Postmistress is a powerful book about the choices made by the heart. It is a great book and I can't wait to get it in the store."

--Fred Powell, Main Street Books
Frostburg, MD

"Reading The Postmistress made every book I read afterwards seem pale and inconsequential.

By giving the victims of Nazi persecution a voice in the tense interval between their identification as victims and their condemnation to concentration camps, the book shows people still clinging to a slim hope that they might escape, a hope those who know their history recognize as a false hope. This is so much more emotionally powerful than the oft' told story of life and death once they are in the concentration camps.

By choosing one set of victims in one well documented period of persecution, the book awakens in the reader the realization that there are victims of government oppression in many parts of today's world—we just can't hear their voices.

By introducing us to the inhabitants in the postmistress' small town who try to forget what's happening in Europe while they try to find happiness in their own lives (in spite of more personal tragedies), the book spreads the suffering of one kind or another to all who live and love. By the end of the book, the reader is counting his or her blessings (in spite of personal tragedies).

Readers of The Help will want to broaden their compassion for the victims of extreme prejudice by reading The Postmistress.

--Betsy Rider, Otto Bookstore
Williamsport, PA

"I found this thoroughly enjoyable book interesting on several levels—well-drawn female characters whose fate and observations are compelling, history made personal to the characters, and an intriguing plot. It is the kind of book that makes you want to talk about it with someone else who has read it—perfect for a lively book group discussion!

On a side note, I was telling a woman who works at our local post office about the book and she can't wait to read it - a tale from the time when the post office was much more central to people's lives in a small town than it is today."

--Janis Brennan, Main St. Books
Orleans, MA

"In Franklin, MA, a small town on Cape Cod, a young woman has come to marry the doctor and the postmistress is falling for the town's mechanic. Across the Atlantic, a terrible war is in progress, London is being bombed, and peoples' lives are being destroyed. Young Frankie Bard helps Edward R. Murrow broadcast the news of the war over America's radios and this connection intensifies moving the characters through the book. Reading The Postmistress by Sarah Blake takes you into history letting you see and feel the story from several perspectives. I will remember this book and strongly recommend it. Thank you, Sarah."

--Margaret Hendricks, Auburn University Bookstore
Auburn, AL

"The Postmistress by Sarah Blake is filled with characters that stay with you long after the last page is read. The reporter, Frankie Bard's sections in London during the Blitz and on the trains with Jews across Europe are haunting. The chapters set in the small town at the tip of Cape Cod with Emma Fitch, the doctor's wife; Iris James, the Postmistres;, Harry, the town's mechanic and U-boat patrolman; and Otto, the Austrian Jew, are deeply moving. I can't wait to share this compelling book with my customers."

--Leslie Jennings, Booksmith
Falmouth, MA

"WWII offers limitless opportunities for good storytelling, and The Postmistress introduces us to both a new front -- a small town on Cape Cod, where tension is mounting on the eve of America's entry into the war -- and new voices. You won't soon forget Frankie Bard, radio gal!"

--Rebecca Schlei, Boswell Books
Milwaukee, WI

"I just finished the most incredible novel: The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. Blake's novel will definitely find a place on every bestseller list, but as well, her pages of this extraordinary story has a "prize" waiting inside. I am probably in the minority of women that will read this book and know that they had lived during the years of this story. I had just celebrated my seventh birthday a week before the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese while living in southern California . I am familiar with the voice of Edward R. Murrow from my parents’ radio as they listened to his reports from London and other reporters later bringing news from the Pacific war zone. Blake's book roused many memories for me from those early 40's and ones I don't want to forget. My colleagues say I have an addiction: reading. To me that is a compliment. I also have to admit to another addiction: talking to my customers about the books I read. The Postmistress will be one I will put on my "best" list this season to talk about. You can count on me to do my best to "floor sell" Sarah Blake's wonderful novel and I am looking forward to seeing this wonderful novel hit all the bestseller lists."

--Carol Hicks, Bookshelf at Hooligan Rocks
Truckee, CA

"I realize that this book is soon coming up for release---but I only just got my hands on an ARC and simply could not---not tell you how I adored it!!! I was drawn into it from the moment that Frances Bard asks her provocative question of the dinner party guests.

My heart skipped a few beats--and I had to re-read a few lines---- to make sure that the shocking death of Will had in truth really happened.

I enjoyed every minute of it---wouldn't change a thing.

Three customers left the store today with this title penciled into their notebooks as a "must buy" on its release date. I will keep spreading the word."

--Ann Gutierrez, Border Books
Westbury, NY

"Just wanted to let you know how much I LOVED The Postmistress! It's definitely one of my favorites of the past year! Author Sarah Blake has done a smashing job of weaving together the stories of 3 women during the early days of WWII. One of the women is Frankie Bard, who works as a war correspondent with Edward R. Murrow during the days of the London Blitz, the other two from a small town near Cape Cod, one of them being the postmistress in town. She alters both her own life and that of the other woman character by choosing to withhold, and not deliver a letter that she knows will have devastating consequences. All three story lines are compelling in themselves, keeping you guessing as to the outcome for these 3 women, but Frankie's story in particular reaches out and pulls you in. As a journalist telling war stories from Europe, her radio correspondence really portrays to the rest of the world what it's really like under the Nazi regime. How one morning a family will begin their day as normal, by the afternoon they are refugees, fleeing for their lives and safety to Portugal. There were many points in this novel that literally took my breath away, being at once a tender, bittersweet love story, as well as a novel of war, betrayal and loss.

This novel will be a perfect companion read for people who loved Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and Irene Nemirovsky's Suite Francais. Superb!"

--Linda Grana, Lafayette Books
Lafayette, CA

"The three protagonists of this novel are all very different, and therefore respond very differently to the months immediately preceding the United States involvement in World War II. The Postmistress of Franklin, Massachusetts is a professional woman who takes her responsibilities very seriously. She feels the best way to help her country during this time is to be perfect at her job, and make sure everyone gets their mail. Emma is an orphan who found true love and happiness for the first time in her life as the bride of the young doctor of Franklin. She cares about the problems in Europe, but desperately clings to her new life, and feels it is important to take care of those around you first, before you can help others. Frankie, our third woman is a war correspondent in London, broadcasting her impressions of the war back to the people safely at home in the U.S. Of the three, her voice is the strongest. It is the voice of Edmund R. Murrow and the voice of the blitz in England. Hers is the voice of the dislocated, the desperate, the confused, and the lost. The paths of these three women will be drawn together as the U.S. is drawn closer to the brink of war. We are reminded in these pages of the endless cruelty of war, the power of love and of loss, the reasons why we have to carry on after senseless tragedy, and the wonderful gift a simple act of kindness can be. Very well written, the book quickly envelopes you in the lives of the characters and their stories."

--Sina Herkelrath, Kepler’s
Menlo Park, CA

"I really think this (Remarkable Creatures) is her best book yet. It is a novel but is based largely on the lives of two women who were fossil hunters in Lyme Regis, England, in the early 19th century. Though I think the title is meant to refer to the fossils they found, these two women were remarkable creatures themselves. Their lives coincided with the early days of modern geologic studies, and their work greatly contributed to its foundations. However, because they were living in the era before women were accorded any status, they had to struggle for recognition of their accomplishments. Joyce, Jessica and I have all been hooked by this book -- read the first paragraph or two and see if you can put it down!"

--Margot Wilcox, City Lights Bookstore
Sylva, NC

"Chevalier's written another fabulous story about two women who become friends as they search the English coast for fossils. Elizabeth Philpot is a spinster, 20 years senior to the younger, uneducated Mary Anning, who discovers a fossilized skeleton of an unknown creature. You won't be able to put this book down once you start reading it."

--Beth Carpenter, The Country Bookshop
Southern Pines, NC

"What a delightful novel. Although it starts with a simply heart-wrenching story of CeeCee living with her psychotic mother and all but abandoned by her father, it turns into a really uplifting read. All of the different women in the novel are written with such depth; and while it is a novel that loves the South, it doesn't lose itself in stereotype. I will be happy to share this book with my customers."

--Meaghan Leenaarts, Island Bookstore
Kitty Hawk, Duck & Corolla, NC

"You'll want to be friends with all of the women in this book, and you'll miss them as soon as you turn the last page. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a magical, tragic, heartwarming story about friendship and love... needless to say, I loved it!"

--Emily Price, daughter of Pam Price, Bookshop of Beverly Farms
Beverly Farms, MA

"I am reading Saving CeeCee Honeycutt now and it's perfect for these busy days when I need a book to take me away (remember the old Calgon commercials?) It is funny, poignant, and I care about Cee Cee."

--Janis Brennan, Main Street Books
Orleans, MA

"Beth Hoffman has this smooth prose that captures the idiosyncrasies and nuances of southern life and style. The cast of characters is vivid in personality, feminine intelligence, and southern charm. Hoffman also manages to convey a hard core of strength and determination beneath her sweetly loving and exuberant female characters."

--Heather Christman, Warwick's
La Jolla, CA

"'Welcome to my world, baby girl' (to paraphrase Fannie Flagg's title) is what came to my mind on meeting the narrator of Beth Hoffman's delightful debut. This lovely novel has earned the status of ‘LizPick' even before it's published."

--Liz Murphy, The Learned Owl Book Shop
Hudson, OH

"I highly recommend that you put it on your winter reading wish list. Once you find yourself among its pages you will be transported, along with CeeCee, to the warm breezes of Savannah, laughing and crying with them along the way. When the journey comes to the end, you will be sad to leave them behind and wish you could stay forever."

--Brenda Seward, Simple Pleasures Books & Gifts
Ashland, VA

"Beth Hoffman spins a sweet Southern tale of a young girl leaving her past behind and starting over with an aunt and her cook in Savannah. Cecelia Rose is a voracious reader of books and falls into step with the new women in her life. There is nothing like learning about and witnessing good & bad karma! Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is every bit of a good read as the note-worthy authors who have sent their hearty endorsement – Mary Kay Andrews, Kim Edwards and Luanne Rice."

--Emily Bell, Page & Palette
Fairhope, AL

"Saving CeeCee Honeycutt will make you laugh, cry and remind us of true kindness. A debut Southern novel full of strong women and a generous extended family reads like the first bite into a warm juicy peach on a sultry summer afternoon. I hope you fall in love with young Cee Cee as much as I did."

--Annie Philbrick, Bank Square Books
Mystic, CT

"I LOVED Saving CeeCee Honeycutt! A true southern story with great characters that come to life and who the reader will love! You won't want to leave them at the end of the book....One of my best customers who recommends books to all her friends and reading groups..couldn't put it down and is already recommending it. This one will be a word of mouth hit... just like The Help."

--Kathy Kinasewitz, Best of Books
Edmond, OK

"Saving CeeCee Honeycuttis a sweet story for all ages told in a simple uncomplicated way. It has all the pathos of a Cinderella story along with the glorious happily-ever-after ending. Reading it made me want to find and love other children in need of happy endings."

--Betsy Rider, Otto Bookstore
Williamsport, PA

"12yr. old Cecelia is sent to her Great Aunt Tootie's home in the deep South, where old manners and lifestyle prevail. CeeCee finds help resolving issues about her mentally ill mother and seemingly uncaring father from her eccentric aunt, a wonderfully wise black housekeeper, and their assorted friends and family. With characters who feel very real, this is a lovely story told with humor and compassion."

--Susan Wasson, Bookworks
Albuquerque, NM

"A heartwarming novel, full of quirky characters and a sweet, gentle, read that keeps you turning the pages with a smile on your face."

--Sheryl O'Sullivan and Nancy Dayton, Willow Books
Acton, MA

"Thanks so much for sending me Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History by Adam Nicolson. Adam Nicolson is a wonderful writer who has a firm love of nature and rural living. He has already written his experiences as a farmer in Perch Hill (which is the name of his farm in England) but this book is an amazing look at the world famous gardens of Sissinghurst from a natural, historical as well as personal viewpoint. He makes a eloquent argument about tying land, food and people together for a more healthy environment

He also illuminates the history of this place from the very beginnings of history through the grand palace it was in Elizabethan times to the ruin it was when his grandmother saw it and fell in love with it in the 1930's and made it into the world famous garden it is today. His grandmother, Vita Sackville West, stamped herself on the property so indelibly that you can't separate the two. She was famous for not only her books and poetry but perhaps even more so for being of the aristocratic Sackville family who was Virginia Woolf's lover.

All in all, a lyrical love song to a specific place which is so important to Nicolson both as a home for his grandparents, his father and now him and his family, but also as a model of how a museum can become a vital, living and producing farm, garden and house. I think this book will be a huge hit with gardeners, environmentalists as well as anyone interested in the literary associations with its inhabitants."

--Micheal Fraser, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"The White Garden at Sissinghurst is well known to horticultural devotees, but this book gives a much wider view of Sissinghurst. Adam Nicholson grew up at Sissinghurst. His attempts to restore the home farm to its original pivotal role in the estate run up against all the usual barriers and prejudices held by invested individuals and the bureaucracy of The National Trust who own Sissinghurst now. In addition to history and family biography, this book chronicles the author's learning experience of how to convey his own deeply held vision and conviction to others who have differing and perhaps valid reasons for wanting to resist change."

--Nicola Rooney, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed Sissinghurst by Adam Nicolson. I was drawn into the book by a long-time fascination with Vita Sackville-West and her association with the Bloomsbury gang. That interest was gratified by Nicolson's respectful and diligent attention to the history of the current garden and estate, as well as the wonderful family anecdotes and insights he provides. What I was not prepared for, and absolutely swept away by, was Mr. Nicolson's profound attachment to the land and history of the area itself. He brings thousands of years to life with his detailed prose, and makes it immediate and specific in a way that I can only describe as very English. His presence in the narrative perfectly balances a respectful distance from the majesty of the property that he so obviously adores. This is a lovely read and will be a joy to sell."

--Audrey Bullar, Joseph-Beth Booksellers

"I just finished The Sisters of Hardscrabble Bay and I loved it. ... it was a treat to read about those two sisters’ lives. That family and those people in Hardscrabble sure have a way with language. I can see why Stephen King is such a fan—the way she brings the lives of these small town people off the page is a lot like the way Stephen King does that in those small Maine towns-with beautifully rough language and all."

--Christina Meek, Davis-Kidd Booksellers
Memphis, TN

"Idella and Avis are two sisters who grow up along the stark coast of New Brunswick, Canada and try to survive the good times and the bad. Both eventually escape their hard life for what they both hope is a better one in America. If you loved The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, pick this book up and get lost in the sisters' story."

--Beth Carpenter, The Country Bookshop
Southern Pines, NC

"I finished reading James Thompson's Snow Angels Monday night and just had to dash off a note to tell you how much I liked it. Of course, reading it during one of the coldest cold snaps we've had in a while added to the experience. I kept finding myself trying to re-orient my sense of time, since Thompson set the novel during the dark time of the year in the Arctic Circle, and darkness was no indicator of time of day like it normally would be. I was fascinated with his depiction of a people and a place that I'm almost wholly unfamiliar with. Having Kari's wife, Kate, be an American who was, herself, trying to adjust to an alien way of life allowed Mr. Thompson to explain things, such as the Finnish temperament, in a way that forwarded the story rather than stopping it. I've already started recommending the book to people and telling them to keep an eye out for it when it's published. I can't wait to read more about Kari and Kate and the strange (to me) world they inhabit.

Thank you for giving me a new mystery author on your list to get all obsessive over. Now that Henning Mankell isn't writing any more Wallander novels, I'll get my bleak, Nordic fiction fix from James Thompson."

--Billie J. Bloebaum, Powells PDX

"Italian author Paolo Giordano has created a literary gem in his novel The Solitude of Prime Numbers. It's been a long time since I've read a book whose characters I truly cared about, as I did with Alice and Mattia. Two characters who, with the exception of the other, live solitary and lonely lives. In this respect they are both like prime numbers, separate and unique, not able to really be touched by another. At the same time, they are as the cover of the book depicts; 'two peas in a pod'.

Both having suffered tragic experiences in their childhood, they each recognize this sort of desperation in the other that stays with and haunts them into their adult years.

With prose that is both elegant and quietly intense, Giordano weaves his love of science with the human heart to give us a novel that one won't soon forget! Exquisite!"

--Linda Grana, Lafayette Books
Lafayette, CA

"Several fellow booksellers mentioned Solitude as 'one of the best books I've read in a while' and I have to agree. The juxtaposing and then interlocking storylines, seeing the world from both Alice and Mattia's eyes was intriguing, and over-emphasized their pain. Every minute of their lives was torture - from the initial accident to their awkward adolescence to their numbing adulthood -- and it was very difficult to read. I liked that it made me uncomfortable, though - it proved Giordano's message and it did make me keep reading (albeit slowly) to find out if they ended up together."

--Megan Fecko, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Lyndhurst, OH

"I loved The Solitude of Prime Numbers. From chilling childhood experiences to awkward and unrequited adulthood, following Mattia and Alice's struggle through life was my delight. The book balances an adequate amount of blood, psychosis, and heart – just my kind of story."

--Rebekah Rine, Watermark Books & Café
Wichita, KS

"Mattia and Alice are like prime numbers: they don't fit in anywhere and have trouble conforming to the expectations of their parents and peers. Through the years they try to lead normal lives, but always come back to the comfort of isolation. This is a wonderful study of two people with childhood tragedies learning to cope with ordinary life."

--Beth Carpenter, The Country Bookshop
Southern Pines, NC

"Childhood traumas have shattered Alice and Mattia physically and psychologically. They hold in common their understanding of isolation and the depth of their wounds. A friendship that begins in high school, provides for each an anchor to a world which has proved too frightening to navigate alone. In this singular and striking debut, Giordano explores the ability of the human spirit to endure and to heal. Once you pick this up, you won't want to put it down."

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"I found The Solitude of Prime Numbers to be a hauntingly beautiful experience. Seldom is loneliness of young people described so movingly. I'm looking forward to recommending it to the many bookgroups our store supports."

--Julie Barnard, Rakestraw Books
Danville, CA

"It's obvious that the author did plenty of research into the topics of bipolar disorder, twinship, and of course tornado chasing, but this book's real strength lies in the writing. True-to-life dialogue, great pacing, characters that leap off the page. Ms. Blum is a gifted storyteller and I found this novel to be informative, fascinating, and an absolute pleasure! You will too."

--Mary T., R.J. Julia Booksellers
Madison, CT

"I finished the book The Surrendered by Lee. It was my first experience with Lee's writing. He is a remarkable writer up with the best literary writers of our time. It is hard to explain the difference in styles of writing, but I certainly appreciate a writer who can take me into the novel, understand the working minds of the characters. Rich and definitely a tragic look at people and their lives. This book is sure to get some awards for Lee."

--Sharon Graves, Through the Looking Glass Bookstore
, CO

"The Surrendered is a big, beautiful powerhouse of a novel, moving back and forth in time to tell the story of June, a girl orphaned in the Korean war, and Hector, an American soldier, whose lives intersect and are changed forever when they meet Sylvie Tanner, a minister's wife who has some very dark secrets. The Surrendered recalls the glory days of big dramatic novels, but Lee's voice is fresh and completely his own."

--Carol Schneck, Schuler Books and Music
Okemos, MI

"This amazing novel will leave readers changed to the core. Written with utmost care, for both the characters' emotional lives and for each of their individual existence, THE SURRENDERED ushers us into the fractured and heartrending worlds of two remote wars, Manchuria and the Korean conflict, and how in the wake of brutality and infinite loss a sullen Korean orphan girl, the troubled wife of an American minister, and a GI with too capacious a heart all get irretrievably entangled in ways that will haunt them forever. Engrossing, affecting, borne with moral questions and mythical underpinnings, this is Chang-rae Lee's most impressive achievement."

--Marie Du Vaure, Vroman's
Pasadena, CA

"In a book that many of us have long waited for, first to read for our own pleasure, then to put into the hands of many others, Chang-rae Lee offers his biggest book - in every way - and his most intimate. Spanning much of the twentieth-century's last half, and spanning much of the world, THE SURRENDERED tells the story of a woman and man navigating their way through enormous change, doing so luminously and movingly."

--Rick Simonson, Elliott Bay Book Company
Seattle, WA

"I love this book! It was very friendly and accessible. It's great that even though something horrible happened to Munson, her life isn't imploding around her. Not only that, but she's moving ahead, continuously on a forward trajectory. I'm so sick of whiney memoirs where the author complains about what she doesn't have. The difference with this memoir is that Munson is satisfied with what she now has and is always looking toward the future. It's what I needed to read."

--Kathleen Caldwell, A Great Good Place for Books
Oakland, CA

"I picked up This is Not the Story You Think it IS and... I couldn't put it down. It was very compelling and I felt I needed to get to the end, no matter what. I'm not sure if it was how it was written or the subject matter but the book really sent me a message, maybe not the one Munson wanted but one I needed to hear: “Stick with it!!! Have a plan. Be true to yourself. Be willing to ask for help.” How often do we hear that in current literature? Thanks for the recommendation…I'm passing my ARC on to a friend!"

--Andrea Davis, Copperfield's Books
Healdsburg, CA

"Lesley Kagen, author of the bestselling book Whistling in the Dark, has written her best book yet. During the summer of 1968, eleven year old Shenny Carmody’s mother has disappeared and her twin sister, Woody, has gone mute. As her life around her unravels, Shenny embarks on a secret and desperate search to find her mother. I fell in love with Kagen’s rich characters and their wit, and the mystery, as it unravels through the eyes of Shenny, will keep you on the edge of your seat. Tomorrow River is both a heartbreaking and fully satisfying read with characters so alive you will feel like you know them."

--Lanora Hurley, Next Chapter Bookshop
Mequon, WI

"Ivan Doig loves his characters; one senses that he sees a glimmer of virtue even in the rapscallion thugs who lurk so effectively in his newest novel, Work Song. Ten years after leaving Whistling Season’s Marias Coulee, Montana, where he’d reinvented himself as a schoolteacher, Morrie Morgan arrives in Butte at the height of the post-WWI copper mining boom – and its labor strife. Doig quickly invites us to embrace his protagonist and Butte’s colorful population, and we soon feel part of their lives, as we have with the Montanans he’s given us in his 12 previous works. The subplot of an homage to classic literature is worth the read; one is tempted to visualize an Ivan Doig novel on the library shelves of Butte."

--Cheryl McKeon, Third Place Books
Lake Forest Park, WA

"I just finished reading an advance copy of Ivan Doig's Work Song and I'm taking you up on your invitation to share my thoughts on the novel.

It's been a long time since I've read a work of fiction that didn't contain one or more of the following; multiple murders and/or suicides, drugs, cell phones, teenage angst, cheating spouses, international intrigue, state of the art electronics, the walking dead, and anything to do with a cosmopolitan lifestyle. All I can say is "What a relief!"

I enjoyed all the characters, but my favorite was the book's hero Morrie Morris. Mr Doig captured a man of the world, part bon vivant, part scholar, and a dash of a worldly rogue. What a great recipe for an unforgetable character.

I already have several customers in mind who will enjoy this title."

--Bob Boyd, Steve's Books and Magazines
Tulsa, OK

"Set in Butte, Montana just after WWI, Morris Morgan comes to town running from a gambling scam and ends up helping the union organizers fighting the owners of the copper mine. This is a great story that will keep you turning the pages late into the night."

--Beth Carpenter, The Country Bookshop
Southern Pines, NC

"The Breaking of Eggs is the story of Feliks Zhukovski, Polish by birth, Communist (make that "leftist" ) at heart, who, at age 61, finds that just about everything he has based his life on is crumbling. Sole owner of a soon-to-be-outdated series of travel guides to Eastern Europe, Feliks, self-controlled and overly rational, falls ill and is forced by a chance remark ("It's always good to be at home when you are ill") to confront the fact that he has no sense of home. With great charm, humor and wisdom,( and a vast amount of modern European history), Powers tells of Feliks' rebirth from a political to an emotional creature. This story manages to take well-worn themes -the horrors of wars, the decisions made and misunderstood or regretted, the costs of political allegiances, the elasticity of families - and make them into a fresh and moving and remarkable story. Unforgettable."

--Leslie Reiner, Inkwood Books
Tampa, FL

"I wanted to tell you a little bit about Broken Glass Park by Alina Bronsky. I finished it last night, and it is a remarkable novel.

It's that rare sort of book that captures a very specific experience but makes it universally significant, propelled by a wholly captivating narrator. Seventeen year old Sascha Naimain is an infections narrator, who is at times funny and wise, but also startlingly resilient. Her voice is as fresh and authentic as Holden Caulfield's, but while Holden fell into himself, Sascha fights vigorously to grow outside and away from her bleak situation. Her determination is inspiring, even at the novel's most brutal moments. Bronsky has written an incredible, powerful novel, and I hope that it sells like crazy for Europa. It will get the full treatment in my store, of course, and I look forward to sharing it with my customers."

--Jason Hafer, Wolfgang Books
Phoenixville, PA

"I once lived in Germany, and this book gives voice to an immigrant experience so startlingly vivid that my memory of the country is deepened retroactively. Wonderful voice, wonderful characters, wonderful book."

--Sarah McNally, McNally Jackson Books
New York, NY

"I just finished The Cross Gardener, the next Shack. Though I tell myself I don't like these kinds of stories, I kept going. It moved me to tears and gave hope. It has a meaning that is deeper than The Shack, though those who loved the latter will find this another very inspiring novel. When tragedy hits this young father, all life goes out of him and he is no longer capable of parenting. The stranger he follows helps him to accept the terrible tragedies in his life and gives him some answers to questions that have tortured him. It gives him hope and a desire to move on."

--Rita F. Maggio, BookTowne
Manasquan, NJ

"Johnson tips both ten-gallon and fedora to the hardboiled and western genres, melding the homage seamlessly."

--Scott Montgomery, BookPeople
Austin, TX

"The Dark Horse was a great new read for me. Walt Longmire provides a character in the manner of Joe Pickett, John Wayne, or even reaching towards a cowboy Chuck Norris. The book was a gritty, fast-paced read that pulled me right into the wide open spaces of Wyoming, with a character that you really want to believe in. I would suggest this is a great book for hand sell opportunities with Western fans, and I’m looking to pull in some of the more traditional Western fans...those who enjoy reading the Louis Lamours’ and the like. Craig Johnson combines the contemporary Western character with a generous use of the wild west jargon and cliches. Great fun, good read."

--Bill Gordon, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Lexington, KY

"In this fifth outing for Wyoming's Sheriff Longmire, Walt goes undercover when he does not believe that his new prisoner killed her husband after he set fire to her barn full of horses. The regular cast of characters is joined by intriguing newcomers and the story builds like one would build a structure - one piece at a time and each piece is necessary to the whole. Rugged Wyoming landscape, a fast pace, powerful dialogue and Johnson's exceptionally funny sense of humor all add up to yet another very literary mystery by a master storyteller."

--Susan Wasson, Bookworks
Albuquerque, NM

"Atkins uses an actual case of Dashiell Hammett’s when he was a Pinkerton and fully envelops the reader in time and place with a colorful group of characters."

--Scott Montgomery, BookPeople
Austin, TX

"Mosley gives us his latest creation, PI Leonid McGill, with wit, humor, action, and one of his best plots."

--Scott Montgomery, BookPeople
Austin, TX

"Walter Mosley introduces a new character, Leonid McGill, a private detective who is attempting to do penance in his life. But the true star of Mr. Mosley’s new novel is New York as the author pays homage to his residence and brings alive all the glitter, corruption, diversity and substance that comprise our greatest city through the eyes and wondering Leonid."

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"Oh, those crazy Roman emperors! This one is Domitian, as fascinatingly twisted as his predecessors. Domitian is driven to torment anyone who does not fear him. And there are two people he cannot seem to best: Thea is a Jewish slave girl, one of the few survivors of the seige of Masada. Arius the Barbarian is a gladiator from Britain whose rage sustains him in the arena. Great characters, great fun!"

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"Steeped in Southern history and atmosphere, the story tracks a string of killings over thirty years that haunt a man from teens to midlife."

--Scott Montgomery, BookPeople
Austin, TX

"Every so often, not often enough, a book comes along that makes us say, "Whoa, Nellie!" Shadow of the Wind was one of them. So was Water for Elephants. Let's not forget King of Lies or Serena. Sometimes it just happens. And it has happened again. Meet our new favorite book, which will be yours too.

R. J. Ellory (known to me as Roger; we've exchanged emails) is a proper Englishman who decided rather than follow the edict of "write what you know," decided he'd rather write what interested him. And that just happened to be the American South. His new novel A Quiet Belief in Angels is set in southern Georgia starting at the time World War II is breaking out. Joseph Vaughan is thirteen, and living in the small-town world of Augusta Falls. The calm and sense of community get shattered early on when young girls start turning up murdered. The killer remains a shadowy presence throughout the novel. Joseph becomes obsessed with the murders, and gathers his friends to become the Guardians. Together, they try to keep the girls of Augusta Falls safe.

The past, of course, follows Joseph even when he moves to Brooklyn to be a writer. Faulkner's famous quote "The past is never dead. It's not even past" really applies here. You won't believe what happens, and you won't see the ending coming at all. (Sally claims she did; I have my doubts!)

A Quiet Belief in Angels is simply stunning. The writing is gorgeous and evocative; you'd never believe it was written by a non-Southerner. It's rich and deep, and the prose is positively Conroy-esque in its description. Sally and I both stayed up way too late reading this novel.

Read this book. Just read it."

--Frazer Dobson, Park Road Books
Charlotte, NC

"I read the prologue. I read the first page. Then I had to close the book and catch my breath. What an extraordinary writer! Vigorous and tender. Beguiling. Allow yourself to open this book. Be amazed."

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"Slap by Christos Tsiolkas is not just a story about a 4 year old boy whose misbehavior at a neighborhood 'barbie' in Southern Australia brings on a slap by someone other than his father. Different opinions about whether or not the slap was warranted rapidly surface among the eight friends and threaten to destroy loyal friendships. The boy's parents, without full support of the husband, file a lawsuit against their friend which produces harsh and usually unspoken thoughts about marriage, friendships and love. Tsiolkas writes an honest and passionate story about how one act can change the course of where one thought their life was heading. A wonderful read."

--Annie Philbrick, Bank Square Books
Mystic, CT

"Australian writer Kate Veitch brings readers another powerful novel in Trust with the story of a woman determined to allow herself to grow with her art while raising her family and taking care of her husband in the traditional way. After a car accident brings tragedy to her family, Susanna comes to terms with how fragile and fleeting life can be and puts her mind to becoming the artist she wants to be. Her independence threatens her husband who is obsessed with making his son into a tennis star, missing the signs that his son prefers men to tennis. Susanna's creativity has been inherited by her daughter Tessa who designs vintage clothing but remains in a coma after the accident. Without being whiny or just another book about a woman who is unhappy in life, Trust is able to show us that sometimes strength and perseverance can help one get to where they truly want to be in life."

--Annie Philbrick, Bank Square Books
Mystic, CT