Tigers in Red Weather, The Violinist’s Thumb

I’m delighted to be hosting a giveaway for a couple of intriguing new books that are slated to be published next Tuesday, July 17.

The first book is TIGERS IN RED WEATHER by Liza Klaussmann, a riveting novel about two women in mid-twentieth century Martha's Vineyard, with a murder that casts a shadow in their daily lives and their children whose perceptions pull you even deeper into their stories.

Here’s a brief synopsis:
Nick and her cousin, Helena, have grown up sharing sultry summer heat, sunbleached boat docks, and midnight gin parties on Martha's Vineyard in a glorious old family estate known as Tiger House. In the days following the end of the Second World War, the world seems to offer itself up, and the two women are on the cusp of their 'real lives': Helena is off to Hollywood and a new marriage, while Nick is heading for a reunion with her own young husband, Hughes, about to return from the war.

Soon the gilt begins to crack. Helena's husband is not the man he seemed to be, and Hughes has returned from the war distant, his inner light curtained over. On the brink of the 1960s, back at Tiger House, Nick and Helena--with their children, Daisy and Ed--try to recapture that sense of possibility. But when Daisy and Ed discover the victim of a brutal murder, the intrusion of violence causes everything to unravel. The members of the family spin out of their prescribed orbits, secrets come to light, and nothing about their lives will ever be the same.

Brilliantly told from five points of view, with a magical elegance and suspenseful dark longing, Tigers in Red Weather is an unforgettable debut novel from a writer of extraordinary insight and accomplishment. 

 
There is an Exclusive Preview available for your enjoyment. 

Liza Klaussmann worked as a journalist for the New York Times for over a decade. She received a BA in Creative Writing from Barnard College, where she was awarded the Howard M. Teichman Prize for Prose. She lived in Paris for 10 years and she recently completed with distinction an MA in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, in London, where she lives. She is the great-great-great granddaughter of Herman Melville.

Thanks to Anna and the great folks at Little, Brown and Company, I have 3 copies of TIGERS IN RED WEATHER (a suspense thriller) to giveaway.

Here are the guidelines for this giveaway. To enter, send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com) with the subject line, “Win Tigers In Red Weather.” Your message should include your name and mailing address. The contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only and no post office box addresses can be accepted. In addition, Canadian residents have to include their telephone number. And, just so you know, I don’t share this information with anyone other than the publisher nor use it for any other purpose. The deadline to enter this giveaway for a chance at 1 of 3 copies of TIGERS IN RED WEATHER (ISBN: 9780316211338), a 368-page hardcover, will be 8 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, July 26.

The second book is THE VIOLINIST’S THUMB by Sam Kean and fans of Kean’s THE DISAPPEARING SPOON will be just as delighted by his new book that explores the wonders and mysteries of DNA.

Here’s a brief synopsis:
There's enough DNA in a single cell to stretch six feet tall, and enough DNA in our bodies to stretch almost to the moon. And within this DNA are stories that have been buried for millions of years--stories that can be used to solve historical mysteries about humans, and tell of our peculiar rise on earth.

In THE VIOLINIST'S THUMB, Sam Kean uses the forensic traces in our DNA to illuminate how humans evolved from primordial muck to the most dominant species on the planet, how studying language, art, and history can reveal the scientific workings of DNA--and vice-versa, and how the human line almost went extinct, twice, causing us to be more closely related than any other species.

There are genes to explain crazy cat ladies, a love of reckless activities, and a talent for the violin; genes that could allow someone to survive in the arctic. THE VIOLINIST'S THUMB uses genes to reveal so much about our past, and leaves us wondering if and how scientists will manipulate DNA to alter our species' future.

Sam Kean is a writer in Washington, DC. His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, the New York Post, and New Scientist. In 2009 he was a runner-up for the National Association of Science Writers' Evert Clark/ Seth Payne Award for best science writer under the age of 30, and he was a Middlebury Environmentalal Journalism fellow. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller THE DISAPPEARING SPOON.

Thanks to Anna and the great folks at Little, Brown and Company, I have 2 copies of THE VIOLINIST’S THUMB to giveaway.

Here are the guidelines for this giveaway. To enter, send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com) with the subject line, “Win The Violinist‘s Thumb.” Your message should include your name and mailing address. The contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only and no post office box addresses can be accepted. In addition, Canadian residents have to include their telephone number. And, just so you know, I don’t share this information with anyone other than the publisher nor use it for any other purpose. The deadline to enter this giveaway for a chance at 1 of 2 copies of THE VIOLINIST’S THUMB (ISBN: 9780316182317), a 416-page hardcover, will be 8 p.m. (EST) on Friday, July 27.

Do you enjoy stories that feature World War II somewhere in the plot? What about stories that deal with DNA? Thanks so much for stopping by and good luck if you enter the giveaways.