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May 27, 2005

I am writing from a lawn chair on my deck. This is the first nice day we have seen all week and I am soaking it up. I am ready for a long weekend. My reading pile has ROCOCO by Adriana Trigiani (coming out June 21st), THE UNDOMESTIC GODDESS by Sophie Kinsella (coming out July 19th) and A GOOD YARN by Debbie Macomber, which is in stores now. I am going to be cooking recipes from the cookbook that Linda Greenlaw wrote with her mom called RECIPES FROM A VERY SMALL ISLAND (coming out July 6th; for more about it, go to FishingWithLinda.net). That's my plan. Crack those lobsters.

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Which author (name up to 3) is a must-buy or must-borrow as soon as his or her book comes out?

May 20, 2005

Interview: Steve Berry, author of The Third Secret

May 20, 2005

May 20, 2005

Bookreporter.com's Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight Team (Carol Fitzgerald, Joe Hartlaub and Wiley Saichek) interviewed Steve Berry, author of THE THIRD SECRET. Berry addresses the coincidence of events surrounding the publication of his latest novel and how he hopes the public will react to the book, especially considering the recent death of Pope John Paul II and the election of a new pontiff. He describes his fascination for writing about the "greater mysteries" of world history, explains how he conducts research for his novels (which is an ongoing process), and shares with readers details about his future projects.

May 20, 2005

I love summer and I always seem to read more this time of year. The last few summers there have been really slim pickings on what I call "Beach Reads." This year that's not the case. We read a lot of summer books these last few months and got inspired to created a Summer Beach Bag of Books feature. But we did not stop there. We added a contest where EACH week we will spotlight a title with very cool beach bag prizes. Read on for more about all fourteen titles and how you can win our HISSY FIT Beach Bag this week. Many thanks to Shannon McKenna and Joni Rendon who worked with me on creating this sizzling summer list.

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May 2005

Our FaithfulReader.com newsletter grew in size by 50% this issue. We now have room for up to fifteen features each month. Given the way our features and review selections have been growing, we are excited that we are able to spotlight even more books and authors for you.

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May 2005

The end of school is rapidly approaching. Am I the only one who feels this year flew by? This is the time of year where schools send home notes with encouraging words like --- "Let's all stride to make this a great end of the year! Keep studying! Keep up the good work!" It's like a rallying cry. Every note has lots of exclamation points. I always smile when I read sentences with lots of exclamation points. They make me think someone is trying really hard to convince me of something.

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May 2005

Some of you have mere days of school left while others of you have just a few more weeks. Our Poll this month asks about your summer reading. Does your school have a summer reading list? Scroll down to answer!

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May 2005

If your house is ANYTHING like mine, right now your life is a swirl of sporting events, recitals and other end-of-the-year commitments. I feel like my calendar needs a calendar. At the same time, I am plotting out summer with a week-by-week itinerary.

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Interview: Neil Olson, author of The Icon

May 13, 2005

May 13, 2005

Joe Hartlaub and Wiley Saichek of Bookreporter.com interviewed Neil Olson, author of THE ICON. Olson, who has a background in the publishing industry, talks about the most rewarding aspect of being on the "other side" of the publishing spectrum with the publication of his debut novel. He discusses the inspiration for some of his characters and the events that transpire in the book, and explains the many challenges he encountered during the writing process.

May 13, 2005

I am a cupcake overachiever. There, I said it. I love to bake cupcakes and decorate them for every occasion. Thus, I was thrilled to see that Anne Byrn, the author of THE CAKE MIX DOCTOR had a new book out --- CUPCAKES FROM THE CAKE MIX DOCTOR. Oh are there ideas in this book! There are flavored cupcakes, great frostings and decorating ideas. Lots of ideas. Last weekend for my mom's birthday I made her a cupcake bouquet. This entailed sticking cupcakes into a Styrofoam dome and sticking flowers around them. Okay...sticking is not a great verb here, but since I stuck them on toothpicks, it's very applicable. Well, this was a big hit. I am eyeing the Cupcake Wreath, the Fireworks Confetti cupcakes...I could go on and on.

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