book
look
Big thrill
Also:
■ Jewish lit
■ Goodbye, Richard
Until February 15, anyone who subscribes to the International Thriller Writers’
free newsletter will automatically be entered
in a contest to win 150 signed novels by some
of today’s top thriller writers. Authors
included in the giveaway are Tess Gerritsen,
David Baldacci and Joseph Finder. Three runners-up will receive copies of the 2006 anthology Thriller: Stories to Keep You Up All Night,
edited by James Patterson.
The monthly newsletter contains news
about all aspects of thriller novels, including
upcoming titles, news about authors and
news about the genre. To sign up for the
newsletter and enter the contest, visit
www.150thrillers.com.
The Rohr family is also establishing the
Sami Rohr Jewish Literary Institute, a forum
devoted to the continuity of Jewish literature.
The institute, also run under the auspices of
the Jewish Book Council, will hold a biennial
gathering, creating an environment in which
established and emerging writers can meet
and exchange ideas and perspectives.
The finalists are:
Disobedience, by Naomi Alderman
Our Holocaust, by Amir Gutfreund
Accidents, by Yael Hedaya
Not Me, by Michael Levigne
The Genizah at the House of Shepher,
by Tamar Yellin
Winners will be announced in March.
Richard Carlson
TIM BURMAN
Jewish literature award
The Jewish Book Council has announced
the finalists for its new $100,000 Sami Rohr
Prize for Jewish Literature.
The prize, named for a Miami real-estate
magnate and book lover, is the largest Jewish
literary prize and honors “an emerging writer
whose work stimulates an interest in themes
of Jewish concern.”
“One of the goals we wish to accomplish
through the creation of the Sami Rohr Prize is
the establishment of an elite corps of writers
of Jewish literature from all over the world,”
Geri Gindea, director of the program, said.
giveaways
COSTCO HAS 10 signed and slipcased
copies of Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Rising,
five signed copies of Jim Cramer’s Jim
Cramer’s Mad Money: Watch TV, Get
Rich and five copies of Philippa Gregory’s
The Boyeln Inheritance to give away. To
enter, print the name of the book you
hope to win, your name, membership
number, address and daytime phone
number on a postcard or letter and send
it to: The Costco Connection, P.O. Box
34088, Seattle, WA 98124-1088, or fax it
to (425) 313-6718.
No purchase is necessary. Only current Costco members are eligible to win.
One entry per household. Entries must
be received or postmarked by March 1,
2007. Winners will be randomly selected
and notified by mail on or before April 2,
Remembering Richard Carlson:
Live like your heart is in it!
The heart-stopping telephone call I
received late on a Friday night in December
from Richard Carlson’s wife makes no sense
at all to me. She tells me, “Richard’s energy
was just too big for his body.”
Earlier that week, I was struggling with
the meaning of life, and Richard Carlson, the
bestselling author of the Don’t Sweat the Small
Stuff series, popped into my head. So—
stepping over the line from professional friendship into intensely personal—I called him.
How does he live, I wanted to know. How
does he handle uncertainty, setbacks, pain?
Richard’s voice was warm and cheerful, as
usual. I asked, “So what is life all about—
karma, God, destiny?”
And Richard told me that we are gifted in
ways that support our destiny, and we do have
control over our lives. “Bad” things happen—
but it is our response that matters, how we
handle our emotions. We go to great places in
life, not by making huge corrections, but by
implementing tiny changes in our course as a
pilot would.
The next day this 45-year-old man who
looked and acted 10 years younger, who was
still madly in love with his wife and still
entranced by his two teenage daughters, got
on a plane to New York to promote his newest
book, Don’t Get Scrooged, and died of a heart
attack.
When Kris Carlson calls, she says she
misses her soul mate. “He is still with us,” she
says.
I miss my friend who walked his talk.
Who gave me every nuance of every moment.
That’s the meaning of life. Richard Carlson
truly lived like his heart was in it.
—Diana Jordan
2007. The value of the prizes are, respectively, $27.95, $25 and $25.95. Void
where prohibited. Winners are responsible for all applicable federal, state and
local taxes. The decision of the judges is
final. Employees of Costco, Random
House, Simon & Schuster and their families are not eligible.
signings
Linda Fairstein signs Bad Blood on
July 16, at noon, at the Bridgewater,
New Jersey, Costco, at 325 Promenade
Blvd.
Send your feedback on this
month’s Buyer’s Pick to:
discussionquestions@costco.com
All signings are subject to change or
cancellation.
(Click here for maps and
directions to Costco locations.)
The Costco Connection FEBRUARY 2007
