If you stopped by our booth at PLA this past March, you might have been lucky enough to snag a galley of Kicking Up Dirt, the memoir by two-time Women’s Motocross Champion Ashley Fiolek. Ashley overcame disability (she was born deaf), broken bones, and adversity, rising to the top of a previously male-dominated sport. Kicking Up Dirt is the story of the family, and faith, that helped propel and encourage her along the way. Get ready to be inspired!
We are so excited about this amazing new book. First time novelist Shilpi Somaya Gowda has a true hit on her hands with Secret Daughter, an emotional story that explores motherhood, loss, acceptance and belonging. The reviews are outstanding! Here are just a few of them:
"Secret Daughter is an engaging read, with its quick shifts between characters and rapid movement through 20 years of familial narrative…Gowda resolutely refuses to tie up all her loose ends, keeping the novel from settling into banality."
–Boston Globe
"Some of the best contemporary novels about families and what it means to be American are bring written by Indian – or Pakistani-Americans, many of them women. I've read and admired a lot of them lately, and Secret Daughter, Californian Shilpi Somaya Gowda's debut, is my favorite…her novel is captivating and ultimately very wise…This novel travels far in the world, and deep into the human heart."
–Minneapolis Star Tribune
I had the pleasure of meeting Shilpi Somaya Gowda as she signed copies of Secret Daughter at the Texas Library Association Conference held in San Antonio earlier this month. She was warm, engaging, and a true hit among the librarians there!
Secret Daughter should be a part of your reading list. You WILL NOT regret it!
Enjoy!
-Bobby
One of the titles we've been buzzing about nonstop has been Leah Stewart's Husband and Wife, the follow-up to her acclaimed novel The Myth of You and Me, which was named one of People Magazine's 10 Best Reads. Husband and Wife is the story of Sarah Price, a 35 year old mother who traded her MFA for a steady job that would enable her husband to pursue fiction writing full-time. When Sarah discovers that his novel, Infidelity, is based on real-life adultery, Sarah’s world is turned upside down. Adding to her confusion, her husband abdicates responsibility for the fate of their relationship and his novel’s publication—a financial lifesaver they have been depending upon—leaving both in Sarah’s hands. Reeling from the betrayal, she is plagued by dark questions. How well does she really know Nathan? And more importantly, how well does she know herself? For answers, Sarah looks back to her artistic 20-something self, embarking on a surprising journey in the process.
Virginia's ALA Midwinter presentation of the book can be found here.
Happy reading!
-Kayleigh
This month, English 101 (our modern classics book club), is reading Isabel Allende's Daughter of Fortune–a tour-de-force that traverses 19th century Chile, California, and China. It's fitting then, to talk about Allende's eagerly-anticipated Island Beneath the Sea, out now in hardcover! Island Beneath the Sea is the story of Zarité–known as Tété–the daughter of an African mother she never knew and one of the white sailors who brought her into bondage. Tété becomes the slave of twenty-year-old Toulouse Valmorain, who arrives on Saint-Domingue in 1770 to run his father’s plantation. Spanning four decades, Island Beneath the Sea is the moving story of the intertwined lives of Tété and Valmorain, and of one woman’s determination to find love amid loss, to offer humanity though her own has been battered, and to forge her own identity in the cruellest of circumstances.
-Kayleigh
I am always amazed at how an author can keep presenting one hit title after another. Brunonia Barry is no exception. She wowed us with her New York Times bestseller, The Lace Reader and now she's back again! I am so excited about her newest title The Map of True Places, on sale in May. I presented this title at our Seasonal Book Buzz at the American Library Association Midwinter Conference this past January. To hear my "buzz", click here!
I know once you start reading The Map of True Places, you will not want to stop!
Enjoy!
-Bobby
We are still very excited about A Pearl in Storm by Tori Murden McClure. A Pearl in the Storm, new in paperback this month, is the fascinating memoir of the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. This story will leave you mesmerized and it will stay on your mind and in your heart. It is truly a story of survival, adventure and having the guts to accomplish any goal, big or small. If you haven't read this book, I urge you to do so!
Enjoy!
-Bobby
Who didn't love to hate that kid? For everyone who has ever watched an episode of Little House on the Prairie, this book, CONFESSIONS OF A PRAIRIE BITCH is for you. Alison Arngrim, the actress who played the pouty spoiled Nellie Oleson on the hit TV show has written a dishy fun book about her years on – and off – the set.
It's funny, insightful and moving.
– Virginia
Before we head out for the weekend, we just wanted to let you know about the starred review in Library Journal for Michael J. Sullivan's Necessary Heartbreak: A Novel of Faith and Forgiveness.
No, Michael J. Sullivan is not one of our authors. But he is the husband of one of our colleagues, a friend and publishing maven. Michael first published his book himself, which shows you the strength of his conviction. Not only is he talented, but his determination is an inspiration.
Necessary Heartbreak tells the story of Michael Stewart, a single father raising his teenaged daughter and doing the best he can at work and at home. But he's turned his back on his faith—that is, until he and his daughter Elizabeth slip through a mysterious door. . . . and find themselves in first-century Jerusalem during the tumultous last week of Jesus Christ's life. Michael realizes that before they can escape from the past—he must experience history's most necessary heartbreak in order to live, love, and reclaim the blessings he has in the present.
Here's the starred review from Library Journal: "Single father Michael Stewart is a survivor of a difficult childhood, but he has lost his faith. He and his daughter are volunteering at a food pantry when they slip through a magic door that transports them to first-century Jerusalem, where they come into contact with Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ himself. VERDICT This wonderful time-slip novel. . .will appeal to fans of Anne Rice's recent religious fiction (e.g., Christ the Lord)."
In-house favorite Dot Frank has a new book coming out – just in time for summer! Lowcountry Summer is the sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Plantation. Do yourself a favor and dive into this book. You’ll be transported to the lushness of the Low Country within a few pages…
-Virginia
HarperCollins was one of four publishers who presented upcoming titles to librarians at the Connecticut Library Association on April 19th.
If you were there, I certainly hope you enjoyed the presentation! The handouts were scooped up and I’m afraid there were a few people who didn’t get one. Here is the pdf of all the books I presented. Enjoy! Download CT Book Buzz 2010
We at HarperLibrary are so excited about attending the American Library Association's Annual Conference in June. It gives us the opportunity to spend time with the people we love the most…LIBRARIANS! Although it is a month and a half away, our author lineup and conference events are in full swing. Please stop by our booth (# 2513) for all the action and some great giveaways! Check out some of the authors and events you will NOT want to miss:
Saturday, June 26, 2010
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Auditorium Speakers Series
Nancy Pearl with Mary McDonagh Murphy, author of Scout Atticus and Boo
10:00 AM – 11:15 AM
HarperCollins Seasonal Title Presentation
To RSVP, send an email to: bobby dot brinson at harpercollins dot com
(Note: The HarperChildren's Books Seasonal Title Presentation will immediately follow starting at 11:30 AM)
10:30 AM – Noon
ALTAFF Program: Isn't It Romantic?
Featuring Sophia Nash, author of Secrets of a Scandalous Bride
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Mary McDonagh Murphy, booth signing
Scout, Atticus and Boo
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Sophia Nash, booth signing
Secrets of a Scandalous Bride
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Stacy Parker Aab, booth signing
Government Girl
Sunday, June 27, 2010
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Literary Tastes Breakfast
Featuring Adriana Trigiani, author of Very Valentine
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Adriana Trigiani, booth signing
Brava, Valentine
1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
ALTAFF Program: Authors Come in All Colors
Featuring Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of Wench
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Dolen Perkins-Valdez, booth signing
Wench
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
ALTAFF Program: The Laugh's on Us
Featuring Roy Blount, Jr., author of Hail, Hail, Euphoria!
Monday, June 28, 2010
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Auditorium Speakers Series
Dennis Lehane, author of Moonlight Mile
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Dennis Lehane, booth signing
Moonlight Mile
10:30 AM – Noon
ALTAFF Program: First Author, First Book
Featuring Daphne Kalotay, author of Russian Winter
11:00 AM – Noon
Marilyn Johnson, booth signing
This Book is Overdue!
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Daphne Kalotay, booth signing
Russian Winter
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
ALTAFF Gala Author Tea
Featuring Laura Lippman, author of I'd Know You Anywhere
HarperCollins is a proud sponsor of ALTAFF (www.ala.org/atlaff). For tickets, please call 1-800-545-2433 ext 2161.
I am sure we will be adding to this already dymanic schedule, so please visit us for further updates. We look forward to seeing you in DC!
Enjoy!
-Bobby
“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
― Charles W. Eliot
Here at Harper, we're whipping out our sharpies and composing our own blackout poetry in honor of Austin Kleon's ridiculously cool Newspaper Blackout. The book turns a simple equation (newspaper + sharpie= poetry) into something extraordinarily thoughtful. Check out Austin Kleon's short story in blackout form on 52 Stories, Book Cub Girl's blackout ode to Betsy Tacy, and my attempt at channeling e.e. cummings.
-Kayleigh
On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It was a Friday. The following Monday, 45,000 letters written by bereaved citizens were delivered to the White House. Within seven weeks of the President’s death, Jacqueline Kennedy had received over 800,000 condolence letters. In the two years following President Kennedy’s death, the volume of correspondence exceeded a million and half letters.
The letters, essentially untouched for 46 years, bring to life the hope, idealism, and sense of possibility JFK embodied to many Americans during his brief presidency, and how his death inspired a universal and profound sense of purpose and sadness, the feeling that their country had been changed forever.
-Virginia
Earth Day is fast approaching and—now more than ever—green living is on all of our minds. This Earth Day, stock your shelves with these eco-friendly titles from our digital (and entirely paperless) Summer and Fall catalogs. From farming to cooking to climate change, we’ve got something green for every palate.
The Tree: A moving meditation on the intersection of nature and art from late English author John Fowles.
Bucolic Plague: Green Acres meets Dave Sedaris in this hilarious memoir from Josh Kilmer Purcell.
The Weather of the Future: An incredible new perspective on climate change, from one of America’s foremost experts on the subject.
Farm to Fork: Emeril shows us how to take locally-grown ingredients and turn them into nourishing meals we can be proud of.
And for a complete listing of our best environmental books, check out our environmental studies online catalog.
-Kayleigh
