Hello, librarians!
We have so many amazing reads eligible for the April LibraryReads list. Grab an egalley and snuggle up inside, away from this blah weather, and enjoy! Find out more about our picks and download egalleys here. Don't forget to get your votes for the April LibraryReads list in by March 1st!
Looking for some reads even further out? Listen to our latest podcast episode below for a cornucopia of reading suggestions.
-The LLF Team (Virginia, Lainey, and Grace)
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On this week’s episode of The Library Love Fest Podcast, the team gives you an update on our new podcast format and lets you know about our upcoming events.
In addition to our updates, we chat with Bethany Johnsrud, National Accounts Rep, and Abby West, VP Editorial Director of Amistad. Bethany talks about audiobooks with the utmost enthusiasm accompanied by many laughs from the LLF team. Abby shares her hopes for Amistad and a few beloved books; you’ll have lots to add to your TBR list!
The excitement doesn’t end there! Hear from Connie Briscoe about her upcoming domestic suspense novel, You Never Know. More about You Never Know (on sale 3/14/2023): The revered New York Times bestselling writer makes her triumphant return with this electrifying novel of domestic suspense that marks an exciting turn in her career, a twisting, tension-filled thriller in which a hearing-impaired woman must battle her rising terror as she fights for her life.
We asked and you answered! The team listens to voicemails from librarians like you, answering our monthly question. This month’s question: what’s your favorite romance trope?
At the end of the episode, you’ll hear a short clip from four fabulous authors. We interviewed Gail Tsukiyama, Nicole Chung, Thao Thai, and Jasmin Iolani Hakes for our new program, Writers to Watch. After you hear those clips, you’ll want to watch the whole interview. Catch the replay here.
Listen to the episode below:
HarperCollins titles discussed:
Want to hear more about our upcoming books? RSVP to our world-famous book buzz on February 14th hosted by Library Journal! Learn more about this event and register here. Our next monthly book buzz, Galley Gab Fest, is on February 7th. It will be hosted on Facebook and Crowdcast.
Don’t forget to give us a call! Leave a voicemail and let us know your wildest library story. You can reach us at 212-207-7773. What happens in the library, stays in the library…until you call Library Love Fest.
Until next time!
-Virginia, Lainey, and Grace
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We're so excited to announce the HarperCollins authors selected for the Mystery Writers of America's 2023 Edgar Allan Poe Awards! These awards honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, and television published or produced in 2022. The 77th Annual Edgar® Awards will be celebrated on April 27, 2023, at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square. Find out more about the awards here.
Best Novel nomination includes:
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
Listen to an interview with Danya on our podcast:
Best First Novel by an American author:
More Than You’ll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez
Watch Katie on our Galley Club program on Facebook Live:
Best Critical/Biographical
Best Television Episode Teleplay
The Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award
Congrats to all!
-Lainey
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We have a list of staff suggestions eligible for the March LibraryReads List. Reminder: votes for the March LibraryReads List are due February 1st.
-The LLF Team (Virginia, Lainey, and Grace)
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Hello, librarians!
You voted, they counted, and the winners have finally been announced!
This month, we are thrilled to share that Roshani Chokshi's The Last Tale of the Flower Bride has been selected for the February LibraryReads list! Additionally, Tessa Bailey's Secretly Yours and Shannon Chakraborty's The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi have made the Hall of Fame!
Find out more about our titles and see the full February 2023 LibraryReads list here.
Want to hear how our authors reacted to the big news? Listen to our latest episode of The Library Love Fest Podcast to hear their responses:
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Video clips courtesy of MSNBC.
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Lit Hub released their compilation of books on "best of..." lists! The books mentioned were on four or more lists. We are thrilled that multiple HarperCollins titles have been included:
So many of our books have appeared on other "best of" lists and have received stunning reviews. For instance, Wanda Morris' Anywhere You Run has appeared on multiple lists like the New York Times' Best Mystery Novels, South Florida Sun Sentinel's Best Mystery Novels, and NPR's Books We Love. It was also an ALA's Editor's Choice Pick for 2022.
We are beyond grateful for all of the love our books received this year, and are looking forward to another wonderful year in 2023!
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We are thrilled to hear about all of the buzz surrounding Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's upcoming book INDEPENDENCE (on sale 1/17/2023)! This stunning historical fiction novel, set during the partition of British India in 1947, follows three sisters and their everlasting bond. Simultaneously deeply moving and informative, this book is sure to stay with you for a long time.
Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review, stating, "Divakaruni seamlessly weaves the political upheaval into the characters’ lives...while also depicting the beauty, vitality, and vastness of India. This is a must."
INDEPENDENCE also received a starred review from Booklist, praising Divakaruni's nuance and attention to detail. Booklist says, "Woven throughout their stories is the violence, rage, and anguish of a divided nation, all stirringly depicted by Divakaruni in unforgettable prose."
Other fantastic reviews...
"Lyrical and richly detailed, Independence explores the implications of its title not only for a country, but for the young women who must learn to deal with a perilous, exciting new world." — Shelf Awareness
"The author’s latest novel is an engaging family saga that explores resilience against a backdrop of violent national upheaval. The story is well paced as it follows its cast of characters through a chaotic world while still capturing the rich interiority of each of the three daughters." — Kirkus
"Divakaruni tells the story of India’s independence through the eyes of three sisters, each of whom is uniquely different, with her own desires and flaws. I cheered for them and cried with them as they move through the history of their country that is at once devastating, inspiring, and triumphant. You will, too." — Lisa See, #1 New York Times bestselling author
The Library Love Fest team had the pleasure of talking to Chitra during our Historical Fiction Door to Door in November. You can watch the replay here. After hearing all of these stunning reviews, I'm sure you want to dive into reading! Head over to Edelweiss or Netgalley to get your digital copy of the galley. Congratulations to Chitra on all of the praise for INDEPENDENCE!
-Grace
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Hello, librarians!
You voted, they counted, and the winners have finally been announced!
This month, we are thrilled to share that Benjamin Stevenson's Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone and Joanna Shupe's The Duke Gets Even have been selected for the January LibraryReads list!
See the full January 2023 LibraryReads list here.
Want to hear how our authors reacted to the big news? Listen to our latest episode of The Library Love Fest Podcast to hear their responses:
Reminder: RSVP for our February 14th buzz here.
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Hello, librarians!
We hope you are having a wonderful start to the holiday season! You won't be lacking any reading recommendations this month! A list of staff suggestions eligible for the February LibraryReads List is here. Reminder: votes for the February LibraryReads List are due January 1st.
One more reminder: sign up for our next WORLD-FAMOUS BOOK BUZZ for even more reading recommendations, and most importantly, never-before-buzzed books coming in 2023! RSVP for the Spring/Summer 2023 Adult Preview on February 14th at 2:00 PM ET here.
-The LLF Team (Virginia, Lainey, and Grace)
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Last night, November 16th, the National Book Awards were announced and we are beyond excited to announce that Imani Perry's South to America won for nonfiction! Read more about this win here.
Check out this amazing photo of Imani and her editor Sara Birmingham at the event:
Can’t even put into words how much it meant to see @imaniperry win the National Book Award last night. Her work is a gift ❤️ pic.twitter.com/BxIJBhXPr2
— Sara Birmingham (@SaraBirmingham) November 17, 2022
South to America is an essential, surprising journey through the history, rituals, and landscapes of the American South—and a revelatory argument for why you must understand the South in order to understand America.
“[A] saturated, gorgeously written, and keenly revelatory travelogue...Perry's southern tour is intimate and encompassing, finely laced and steely, affecting and transformative.”
—Booklist ⭐️ review
“[Perry] melds memoir, travel narrative, and history in an intimate, penetrating journey through the South…. A graceful, finely crafted examination of America’s racial, cultural, and political identity. Perry always delivers.”
—Kirkus ⭐️ review
Order a copy here.
Congrats, Imani!!
-Lainey
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Hello, librarians!
You voted, they counted, and the winners have finally been announced!
This month, we are thrilled to share that Elinor Lipman's Ms. Demeanor has been selected for the December LibraryReads list! Find out more about this title here.
Want to hear how our author reacted to the big news? Listen to our latest episode of The Library Love Fest Podcast to hear Elinor's response:
In the recording, Elinor referenced this photograph below of the Pollard Memorial Library in Lowell, MA hanging in her office. It was taken by Tony Sampas, Reference Librarian at Pollard Memorial Library; Archivist & Special Projects Manager, Center for Lowell History. Thanks for sharing, Elinor!
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Hello, librarians!
Thank you for your continued support of our books, especially all the reading and voting you do for LibraryReads! We have another round of recommendations for you. Get ready—we have an embarrassment of riches coming out at the start of the new year!
Click to find a list of our staff suggestions eligible for the January LibraryReads List. Reminder: votes for the January LibraryReads List are due December 1st.
-The LLF Team (Virginia, Lainey, and Grace)
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We are excited to share this interview from Carol Fitzgerald, President of the Book Report Network! She recently interviewed Sally Koslow, author of The Real Mrs. Tobias—on sale now. This book is a sharply funny and big-hearted multi-generational story about the deeply complicated relationships between mothers and daughters-in-law, told through three women who marry into the same family. Therese Anne Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of It All Comes Down to This, says: “Sally Koslow channels Nora Ephron in this lively tale of obligation versus desire and the politics of family power. Deftly written with equal parts intelligence, pathos, and humor, The Real Mrs. Tobias is a pure pleasure to read.”
Don't miss this great conversation!
You can watch Carol's video interview or listen to the audio on Carol’s podcast!
Be sure to visit The Book Report Network and Bookreporter.com for more great content!
-Lainey
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The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland is an immersive story about an imprisoned man at Auschwitz who was able to relay information about death camps to FDR. His actions inspired the United States to respond to Nazi Germany and its atrocities. Freedland sheds light on this forgotten story. This deeply impactful and moving book published this week.
“…riveting history, eloquently written, and scrupulously researched," reported the Minneapolis Star Tribune in their rave review. There has been incredible buzz for this important book.
Check out the other amazing reviews:
“Concentration camp stories make for painful reading, but British journalist and broadcaster Freedland relates a riveting tale with a fascinating protagonist…Freedland delivers a gripping description of Vrba and a companion’s planning, breakout, and grueling walk to Slovakia…A powerful story of a true hero who deserves more recognition.” — Kirkus review
“A brilliant and heart-wrenching book, with universal and timely lessons about the power of information — and misinformation. Is it possible to stop mass murder by telling the truth?” — Yuval Noah Harari, bestselling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
“As World War II recedes further into the past, Jonathan Freedland has revived one story from the Holocaust that’s both historically significant and a riveting read. Freedland, the author of several thrillers and a correspondent for The Guardian, writes with a novelist’s verve to tell the story of Rudolf Vrba, the first Jewish person to escape from Auschwitz…The Escape Artist vividly brings his story to a new generation of readers.” — Bookpage
We hope you get a chance to read this vital book!
-Grace
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Hello, librarians!
You voted, they counted, and the winners have finally been announced!
This month, we are thrilled to share that Kevin Wilson's Now Is Not the Time to Panic has been selected for the November LibraryReads list! Additionally, we welcome Olivia Dade to the Hall of Fame with Ship Wrecked! Find out more about these titles and download the egalleys here.
Want to hear how our authors reacted to the big news? Listen to our latest episode of The Library Love Fest Podcast to hear their responses:
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Hello, librarians!
Fall has arrived! Time to LEAF through a good book. Get it??
Click to find a list of our staff suggestions eligible for the December LibraryReads List. Reminder: votes for the December LibraryReads List are due November 1st.
Also! Don't forget to tune in to our Facebook Live video with Laura Zigman, author of Small World, on October 25th at 2 PM ET. Also available on Zoom! Click here for more information and to get a copy of the egalley.
-The LLF Team (Virginia, Lainey, and Grace)
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On October 25th at 2pm, you can hear from Laura Zigman! She will be joined by two members of the Ecco team: Helen Atsma, Vice President and Publisher, and Miriam Parker, Vice President and Associate Publisher. RSVP for the event here.
In honor of this interview, we're giving access to the e-galley of SMALL WORLD. We hope you'll download, read, and then join us on the 25th on FB Live or Zoom!
Fill out this form to receive the e-galley: https://forms.gle/s2EUNLGAu9fajrm69
We aren't the only ones that loved this book...
“I absolutely loved Small World—a wise, warm, and often hilarious exploration of sisterhood and community, set against a nuanced portrait of one family’s tragic past.”
—Shelby Van Pelt, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures
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For lovers of Meg Wolitzer, Maria Semple, and Jenny Offill comes this raucous, poignant celebration of life, love, and friendship at its imperfect and radiant best.We’re giving access to the egalley of WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS prior to our interview with the author Catherine Newman! From now until September 27th we’re offering a complimentary download of WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS.
We hope you’ll read this and join in the conversation with the author and her editor on Tuesday, 9/27 at 2pm ET on Library Love Fest Facebook page (available on Zoom as well).
Fill out this form to receive the egalley. While you're waiting for your egalley, you can read Newman's love letter to librarians!
Plus, we’re not the only ones who love this book…
"This is an absolute heartbreaker of a novel. Catherine Newman’s book, through deceptively simple language and everyday moments experienced during a friend’s hospice death — funny, sad, regretful, hopeful — is a celebration of life. For anyone who has prepared a hole in their heart for loss, We All Want Impossible Things is a reminder that, in time, that hollowed hallowed space is also there for when the light and love from grief pour back in." — Laura Zigman, author of Separation Anxiety
"A novel set in a hospice has no right to be as hilarious, charming, and hopeful as We All Want Impossible Things. With Nora Ephron-style lightness, Catherine Newman has constructed a truly singular tale of love and friendship in the twenty-first century. I loved it." — Joanna Rakoff, author of My Salinger Year
"Catherine Newman sees the heartbreak and comedy of life with wisdom and unflinching compassion. The way she finds the extraordinary in the everyday is nothing short of poetry. She’s a writer’s writer—and a human’s human." — New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center
"We All Want Impossible Things is a riotously funny and fiercely loyal love letter to female friendship. The story of Edi and Ash proves that a best friend is a gift from the gods. Newman turns her prodigious talents toward finding joy even in the friendship’s final days. I laughed while crying, and was left revived. Newman is a comic masterhand and a dazzling philosopher of the day-to-day." — Amity Gaige, author of Sea Wife
"Gorgeous, tender, and unexpectedly funny. I read the entirety of Edi and Ash's story with my hand clasped over my heart." — Kate Baer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Kind of Woman and I Hope This Finds You Well
"Devastatingly humorous and humorously devastating, We All Want Impossible Things is an unbelievably brilliant and funny book about friendship, family, food, sex, and death. Catherine Newman serves up a masterclass in narrative – you’ll stay up late devouring every word." — Katherine Heiny, author of Early Morning Riser and Standard Deviation
“The poignant and personal story of the decades-long friendship of Edith and Ashley takes place in a hospice ward, where Edi is dying of ovarian cancer. Sound sad? Heartbreaking? It is. But it’s also heartwarming and life affirming—and yes, hilarious.” — Publishers Weekly
"How did Catherine Newman write a book about dying that is so luminously alive? Earthy, funny, and terrifyingly honest—this is a book with heart and guts and all the other goopy gravy we need to stay among the living. A radical delight." — Rufi Thorpe, PEN/ Faulkner Finalist for The Knockout Queen
"Breezy New York Nora-Ephron-style wit meets hospice memoir to create something PROFOUNDLY beautiful. Grief, love, cake—it's ALL there." — Marian Keyes, international bestselling author of Rachel's Holiday
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Hello, librarians!
You voted, they counted, and the winners have finally been announced!
This month, we are thrilled to share that Wanda M. Morris' Anywhere You Run and Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead have been selected for the October LibraryReads list! Additionally, Alisha Rai adds to her Hall of Fame placement with her newest book Partners in Crime! Find out more about these titles here.
Want to hear how our authors reacted to the big news? Listen to our latest episode of The Library Love Fest Podcast to hear their responses:
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