September is the start of the big fall publishing season. Find out all about the hottest new books being released this month with this September 2010 New Releases Calendar . Cover Photo Courtesy Spiegel & Grau  Read More →

Sophomore Slump? Well, not really. It technically can’t be. Yann Martel did write a novel before Life of Pi , but his books from here on out will always be compared to Pi until he writes something that matches the imagination, wit and style of that modern classic. Beatrice and Virgil , Martel’s third novel, sadly falls short of Pi ’s magic. It packs a punch at the end, but the storytelling this time is much more plodding and burdensome,... 

As summer winds down, you might start to take stock of how 2010 is going so far. We are doing the same thing. If, in the process of contemplating the year, you decide you need to catch up on some reading, here is what we think are the 5 Best Books of 2010 so far. Cover Photo Courtesy Grand Central  Read More →

Maybe we were a little late to The Hunger Games bandwagon, but we have a message for those who also have not read the books yet: They are brilliant. Feverishly addicting. For those suffering from withdrawal from the finales of Harry Potter or Twilight , here is your chance to discover a trilogy pulsating under the radar. The Hunger Games and its sequel, Catching Fire , by  Read More →

President Barack Obama and family are on vacation, and one of their first trips out was to a local bookstore. Obama bought The Red Pony by John Steinbeck,   To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Jonathan Franzen’s new novel,  Freedom — which has gotten a lot of attention ahead of its August 31st release (maybe bookstores that leaders of state frequent get advanced copies). Obama’s reading list has helped past books achieve... 

Kids around here are getting ready to start school soon. Even though no one in my family goes to school, I can’t help but get swept up in the excitement. If you are about to start a new school year, or if you are just nostalgic for schooldays past, check out these books about back to school . Cover Photo Courtesy Scholastic  Read More →

Ford County is John Grisham’s first collection of short stories. Grisham returns to Ford County, Mississippi, the setting of A Time to Kill , and brings readers seven stories of life in this small, Southern setting. Grisham has previously tried to branch out from legal thrillers with books like Bleachers and Playing for Pizza . Ford County is a better read than either of those, combining his skill at writing page turners with his observant... 

Anita Diamant, the bestselling author of The Red Tent , has a new novel about the experiences of four women who survived the Nazi regime in Europe only to find themselves detained in a detainment camp in Haifa, in modern-day Israel. Day After Night is a fascinating tale about the aftermath of the Holocaust and the struggle that Jewish people of all nationalities faced as they worked to establish a new country. Read a complete review of Day After... 

The movie version of Eat, Pray, Love is hitting theaters this week. Eat, Pray, Love is Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir about spending a year in Italy, India and Indonesia after going through a difficult divorce. It is always difficult to please readers with movie versions of books, but Eat, Pray, Love has the added challenge of trying to translate a true story onto the big screen. I thought Gilbert’s voice was one of the best things about... 

In The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner , readers catch a quick glimpse of the Twilight universe through the eyes of a newly created vampire. This short novel begins just days before Bree and her fellow new vampires attack the Cullen family at the end of Eclipse , and if you’ve read that story, you know when it ends. Written from Bree’s perspective in the same way the Twilight books are written from Bella’s, Bree Tanner has the... 

Let’s be honest, if you are a Twilight fan, there is no way you read the first three books and then thought, “I’ll wait a few years until Breaking Dawn is available in paperback to finish the series.” No, you read all four books as fast as you can. You probably own them in hardcover because you didn’t even want to get on …  Read More →

I’m in the process of starting a neighborhood book club. I’m already in an all-women book club, but as social chair for my Homeowner’s Association and an avid reader, I thought a neighborhood book club would be a good way to get people more connected. We plan to read fiction and nonfiction about community as well as local authors. I was sure to include examples that would appeal to men and women in my description of the group,... 

One Day by David Nicholls was an international bestseller before it was released in the U.S. in June. This straight-to-trade-paperback book has been one of the hottest picks of summer, and it is likely to get hotter since it is being turned into a movie starring Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway. Although it is clever, well written and laugh out loud funny at times, don’t be fooled — this isn’t a feel good romantic comedy. If you... 

August new book releases reflect the transition from summer to fall. There are still some beachy books set for release, but there is also a preview of the big titles that will become more numerous in September. August 2010 Book Release Calendar Cover Photo Courtesy Scholastic  Read More →

If you have not already read The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger , there probably isn’t anything I can say that would get you to read it now. I could not do a series on love stories without including it though. It is one of my favorite books of the past decade, and at its heart it is a timeless love story. Henry and Clare’s relationship is complicated, imperfect, challenging; but it is also beautiful, deep and full...