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Rooftops of Tehran Chosen For Villanova's Fall One Book Program

Villanova University has chosen Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji (NAL) for their annual One Book Villanova Program for this coming Fall. The school is buying 7500 copies from Special Sales, and is bringing the author to campus. This is one of the biggest FYE programs in the country and its prominence will help position this great book with other schools' FYE programs. Villanova was one of the first schools to pick The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) some years back and this led to a flood of FYE picks for that book. Like The Kite Runner, Rooftops of Tehran has all the right elements for a perfect FYE title: cultural history, connections to current world events, a great coming-of-age story, and strong characters and narrative.

Viking's What I Thought I Knew by Alice Eve Cohen Generates Major Media Coverage

Author Alice Eve Cohen was interviewed by CBS "Early Show" host Harry Smith on Monday's program about her new Viking book, What I Thought I Knew, which went on sale Monday, July 13. Smith was genuinely moved by Cohen's personal and medical odyssey. Click here to view the segment. A central part of her story: at age forty-four, Cohen was diagnosed with an abdominal tumor, when she was, in fact, six months pregnant. An in-depth feature on Cohen ran on the front page of the Arts section in the July 11th edition of The New York Times, with reporter Felicia R. Lee writing, "Her memoir, which is shot through with humor, touches on many topics: the differences between biological motherhood and adoption, abortion, the value of a life for someone with disabilities, and the stormy mix of ambivalence and love that many women bring to motherhood." Click here to read the full feature, which follows coverage in More, Elle and O magazine, including the book in its summer reading round-up. Cohen also had a fantastic booksigning at the Corner Bookstore in NYC on Wednesday night. Still to come is a feature in the New York Post, review in People magazine and much more!

Watch the book trailer in which Alice Eve Cohen describes writing her story.

Jan Karon's Website Fan Club Travel to the Third Mitford Homecoming

From Blowing Rock, NC, to Holly Springs, MS, Viking/Penguin author Jan Karon's fan club will follow her anywhere. Millions have enjoyed her Mitford books, whose main character is an Episcopal priest, loveable Father Tim Kavanagh, native of Holly Springs. Last weekend, about 60 members of Karon's website fan club flew and drove to Memphis to celebrate her gift of writing and to meet with her in Holly Springs for the Third Mitford Homecoming.

During the weekend, the group toured Graceland, caught the famous duck march at the Peabody Hotel, and had barbecue at The Rendezvous in Memphis. A chartered bus brought them to Holly Springs for tours of the Walter Place Estate and Gardens, lunch at Annie's, a tour of the businesses around the courthouse square, and Hill Crest Cemetery. The law office above the downtown Bank of Holly Springs, Booker Hardware, Tyson Drugs, J.B.'s Restaurant, the water tower, Phillips Grocery, The South Reporter, and Jennie's Flowers & Gifts are all places where Father Tim visits on his trip home in the book. Therefore, they were must-see stops for the fan club.

On Saturday, Reverend Bruce McMillan, rector of Christ Episcopal Church, welcomed Jan Karon and the members of the fan club. Karon was presented gifts of jewelry, $1,200 in her honor to the Mitford Children's Fund; and several books were donated in her honor.

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