FALL
BOOK CLUB BUZZ CONTESTS
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October 1
THE RECIPE CLUB
by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel
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November 15
DINING WITH JOY
by Rachel Hauck
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Greetings: As the air turns crisp, we hope your book club is re-connecting and looking forward enthusiastically to the coming year. We've got some terrific book suggestions to get your season of reading off to a good start. Why not serve one of our tasty author recipes at your meeting, such as Curried Carrot Soup (from Rita Golden Gelman's Female Nomad and Friends), Jessica Jiji's Iraqi Nana's Date Cookies, or Justin Kramon's "Hold the Spices" Pasta Sauce. Your book club will thank you! How can you receive free books and support your favorite charity at the same time? Read about a unique literary publishing venture -- the Concord Free Press. Take a moment to enter our current contests to win a copy of Julia Glass's new novel, The Widower's Tale and Jim Minick's memoir The Blueberry Years. And don't forget to try their delicious recipes.   Happy Reading and Bon App�tit!Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Kruppinfo@bookclubcookbook.combookclubcookbook.com |
BOOK CLUBS RECOMMEND
Reading Suggestions from Book Clubs
NBA (N o Boys Allowed) of Santa Cruz, California, recommends:
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (Knopf, 2009), Fiction, 688 pages
"This gripping story provides an intriguing peek into the culture and history of Ethiopia. The book motivated us to look up information about Ethiopia -- generally a poor forgotten country -- and gave us an appreciation for what must be a place of beauty and rich culture.
"We discussed the depth of the characters who were quirky and fallible, but also kind, generous and compassionate. The Ghoshes were a loving extended family, believable because of their humanity, their bonds and their rifts. The book was exotic, mystical, and surprisingly uplifting, despite the sometimes horrific events.
"We discussed the masterful plot, history of Ethiopia, the accuracy of the medical scenes and compared the book with Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children."
More New Book Recommendations
Including:
Escape by Carolyn Jessop
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes
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 CONCORD FREE PRESS
Inspiring Generosity Among Readers
Ask the Concord Free Press for a book and it's yours -- for free. In exchange, you make a donation in any amount to a charity of your choice or to someone in need, record your donation on a designated web site, and then pass along the book so others can give and keep the chain going. The Concord, Massachusetts publisher calls its unique venture "generosity-based publishing," and it's taking off with authors, readers, and charities.
CFP was launched two years ago with founder Stona Fitch's novel, Give + Take, a book he says is thematically aligned with the press's mission as it explores the topic of generosity. Since then, authors -- including Gregory Maguire and Wesley Brown have donated manuscripts to the press. "Writers are generous too, and interested in being part of something new and positive in publishing," says Fitch. CFP authors are primarily mid-career novelists, and the press is generally interested in "quirky, singular fiction."
Some CFP books go on to have commercial second lives. Give + Take was published by Thomas Dunne this year and Gregory Maguire's The Next Queen of Heaven, released by CFP last year, will be published by HarperCollins next month. The press releases two titles per year. Its next release, coming this fall, is a novel by Scott Phillips, author of The Ice Harvest.
With writers, designers and printers donating services, expenses are low and covered by donations. CFP books are "limited editions" with small print runs of 2,500 copies, each with a serial number so the charity inspired by each individual book can be tracked online. Readers can request books directly from CFP, or find them at over sixty bookstores listed on the CFP website. Fitch says bookstores have rallied around the CFP concept; it inspires excitement and brings customers into stores.
"Our books keep going from hand to hand, generating donations along the way," says Fitch. To date over $150,000 has been donated to charitable organizations through four CFP titles; one copy can raise hundreds or thousands of dollars as it's passed from reader to reader.
"We want to put out great books and see how much generosity we can create," says Fitch.
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FALL JEWISH BOOK FESTIVALS
See Your Favorite Book Club Authors
Literary luminaries from fiction, mystery, biography, and memoir are slated to speak at Jewish book events across the country this fall. We're thrilled to cosponsor the Boston Jewish Book Fair on November 21, 2010, featuring novelists Allegra Goodman, Myla Goldberg, and Cathleen Schine.
To find an event in your area, visit the Jewish Book Council website.
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CHOOSE A BOOK - INVITE AN AUTHOR
Author News
Our Choose a Book - Invite an Author program allows you to browse for great titles for your club and schedule author chats. Remember to visit our location directory to find an author close to home who will visit your group in person.
Welcome to new member Jim Minick.
He joins our existing roster of terrific writers, including Jennie Shortridge, Izzy Rose, and many others.
NEWS
Barbara Delinsky: Not My Daughter: paperback release October 26, 2010. During September the Family Tree e-book is on sale for 99 cents.
Jim Minick: The Blueberry Years is a featured Alternate in book clubs, including Good Cook and QPB.
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