[koland]

Three new freebies this morning:

St. Dale, by Sharyn McCrumb

Book Description
The Dale Earnhardt Memorial Pilgrimage is the last trip Judge Bekasu Holifield would have chosen for her vacation. But this year it's her sister Justine's turn to make their plans, and soon Bekasu's boarding a silver cruise bus for a tour of Southern stock car speedways with Justine, their cousin Cayle, and a group of strangers-all of whose lives have somehow been touched by the legendary racer they never met... For Shane McKee, the tour is a chance to get married at the speedway with his hero there in spirit. New York stockbroker Terence Palmer has made the trip to honor his only link with the father he never knew. Rev. Bill Knight, whose hobby is medieval pilgrimages, agrees to chaperone a dying child-and finds himself on a strangely familiar journey of faith and devotion. Bekasu begins connecting with her fellow travelers in unexpected ways. But she's not the only one. As the bus rolls down an uncertain road, prayers will be answered, secrets will be revealed, bonds will be forged, and no one will leave this journey of self-discovery quite the same.


Sullivan's Justice, by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg

Book Description
New York Times bestselling author Nancy Taylor Rosenberg delivers Sullivan's Justice-and plunges probation officer Carolyn Sullivan into a case that will challenge everything she holds dear while exposing the deadliest of secrets.... Her work for the Ventura County Probation Department brings Carolyn Sullivan face-to-face with the most depraved criminals, and serial killer Raphael Moreno is at the top of the list. But things get even darker when a single phone call propels her into a nightmare. Carolyn's brother, Neil, has discovered the body of his girlfriend floating in his swimming pool-and he's soon the prime suspect in her murder. Neil has an alibi: he was in bed with celebrity heiress Melody Asher. But when Melody refuses to back up Neil's story and the evidence against him mounts, the brother Carolyn thought she knew suddenly seems like a complete stranger. The key to everything seems to be Moreno, but getting inside his head is a dangerous game. Now Carolyn must find the courage to make the ultimate decision-whether to risk the lives of innocent people or save herself and those she loves most...


Falling Out Of Fashion, by Karen Yampolsk

Book Description
In the bestselling tradition of The Devil Wears Prada, Karen Yampolsky's hilarious and disarmingly candid debut goes deep inside the glossy, glamorous, and completely ruthless world of magazine publishing, where bitchiness and betrayal are always in vogue, and this month's hotshots are just one dud issue away from a pink slip and a one-line career obit on Page Six...

As a teenager at a prestigious prep school, Jill White studied her roommate's magazines, filled with airbrushed-beyond-recognition photos of whisper-thin blondes who hadn't finished a meal since third grade. She dreamed of one day starting a magazine of her own that would feature women of all sizes and colors ... smart, witty, real women with aspirations beyond tinier thighs and shinier hair.

Flash forward several years and a couple of giant leaps up the career ladder, and Jill has it all. Jill magazine is a huge hit, and her fabulous life comes complete with free designer clothes, an abundance of celeb friends, a shamelessly huge salary, and a framed Time magazine cover in her office featuring her beaming face over the legend, "Jill White, Media Wunderkind." Now that mega-successful Nestrom Media has taken over Jill's parent company, its future should be assured. Jill shares the fifteenth floor of the Nestrom building with illustrious Fashionista magazine, and the Nestrom suits are panting with admiration for both Jill and Jill.

But the ashes from the postcoital cigarette have barely hit the floor before Jill's new bosses start barking about getting ad revenue up and toning down articles like "His ***** is not a toy ... or is it?" in favor of fluff pieces with the reality star du jour. What smelled like team spirit devolves into a bitter game of manipulation and backstabbing. With Ellen Cutter, the blond, bland, Bergdorfed CEO of Nestrom Media, and Liz Alexander, Jill's publisher (and Ellen's conniving sidekick) suddenly aligned against Jill, plus a paranoid new managing editor with an addiction to spying, the situation is as grim as the magazine's decidedly unfabulous new offices. Reluctant to jump ship, and equally reluctant to watch as her baby morphs into yet another cheesy rag, Jill fights back, even as Ellen and Liz plot her next move for her. With her name, her creation, and her future all on the line, Jill realizes mean girls don't get left behind in high school ... they grow up and work in publishing.