August 2010

Books, Charlaine Harris, Collection Development, HarperCollins Publishers, Kill the Dead, Libraries, Publishers Weekly, Richard Kadrey, Sandman Slim

Book Giveaway! Kill the Dead by Richard Kadrey

KilltheDead.HC.c Richard Kadrey returns with high-octane follow-up to his addicting SANDMAN SLIM. Publishers Weekly has given it a nice shout-out:

“James Stark, antihero of 2009's Sandman Slim, returns in this gritty, over-the-top tale of supernatural mayhem. Having taken his revenge on the rival magician who got him sent to Hell, Stark settles in sorcery-infested Los Angeles and gets a part-time gig with the Golden Vigil, an angelic hit squad of dubious morality that's somehow allied with Homeland Security. He spends the rest of his time as a freelance slayer of monsters. When Lucifer comes to Earth, supposedly to oversee a Hollywood biopic of his life, he hires Stark to be his bodyguard, but something isn't quite right and soon the city is awash in murderous zombies. Stark has to get to the bottom of the mystery or risk being sent back to Hell, along with everyone he cares about.
Profane, intensely metaphoric language somehow makes self-tortured monster Stark sympathetic and turns a simple story into a powerful noir thriller.”
– Publishers Weekly
Eos, $22.99 (448p) ISBN 978-0-06-171431-3; October 2010

SandmanSilmHC_c Richard Kadrey’s series is snarky, sarcastic, dark, twisted, and totally addicting. If you haven’t read this author, you’re in for a treat. 

“If Simon R. Green wrote an episode of Dog the Bounty Hunter, it would read much like Sandman Slim—violent, vivid, non-stop action of the supernatural kind. I couldn’t put it down.”
—Charlaine Harris

Send an email to librarylovefest at harpercollins dot com and we’ll get you started with a copy of SANDMAN SLIM.

-Virginia

Abuse, Book Buzz, Books, Collection Development, Conor Grennan, HarperCollins Publishers, Libraries, Little Princes, Nepal, Next Generation Nepal

Little Princes

LittlePrincesHC C
We are so excited about the upcoming release of Little Princes, by Conor Grennan.  Last month, I wrote about this amazing story.  If you missed it, click here.

We received a great review from Lisa Steckhahn, Reference Librarian from the West Allis Public Library in Wisconsin.  Here is Lisa's review of Little Princes:


A three month stint volunteering in an orphanage in Nepal on a trip around the world became a life mission that not only changed Conor Grennan’s life but the lives of many of Nepal’s children forever. Most of these orphans are not really orphans at all.  Their parents were conned by human traffickers who convinced them that they could give their children a better life by allowing them to be taken away.  So inspired by his time volunteering he started a nonprofit foundation called Next Generation Nepal (NDP).  This book recounts his story from his arrival in Nepal to trekking across the Himalayas in search of the children’s parents.  When I started this book I knew next to nothing about Nepal. But this engaging story has educated and touched me about this little know part of the world.  This book is sure to become a hit when it's released in January.

-Lisa Steckhahn
Reference Librarian
West Allis Public Library

Many thanks to Lisa and everyone at the West Allis Public Library.  If you would like a copy of Little Princes and didn't request one previously, please post a comment or email us at librarylovefest at harpercollins dot com and I would be more than happy to send you one.  I'd love to hear your comments!  I truly believe you will love Little Princes as much as we do!

Enjoy,

-Bobby

HarperCollins Publishers, Women

Women Power!

Dkmah pb c 90 years ago today women got the right to vote.

When election time rolls around, nothing gets my Irish up like an indifferent person – especially a woman – who doesn’t exercise her right to vote.

It took a lot of moxie, smarts and guts for women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony to stand up for their rights – which are now our rights.

We get to pull the lever, punch a card, raise a hand, have our say because of the bravery and fortitude of these women.

Worth remembering today.

-Virginia

http://www.dontknowmuch.com/2010/08/dont-know-much-about%C2%AE-the-19th-amendment/

Booklist, Books, Collection Development, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

Tom Franklin: a star for a star!

CrookedLetterREV BOOKLIST
September 1, 2010

*Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter.  Franklin, Tom (Author)
Oct 2010. 288 p. Morrow, hardcover, $24.99. (9780060594664).

Rural Mississippi in the 1970s was rife with racial tension, but skin color didn’t matter to boyhood companions Silas Jones and Larry Ott. Silas, the son of a poor, single black mother, and Larry, the child of white lower-middle-class parents, were both outsiders, Silas because of his color, Larry because he was quiet and a little odd, his nose always buried in horror novels. The young men’s bond strengthened over time, until the night a pretty local girl went on a date with Larry to the drive-in movies and was never heard from again. No body was found and Larry never confessed, but that didn’t keep the townspeople from suspecting him. Estranged from his friend, Silas heads off to college in Oxford, Mississippi, and more than 20 years later, returns to take a job as town constable. He sees no reason to contact Larry, who’s settled into a lonely existence as a mechanic, unable to escape the relentless whispers and dirty looks. The disappearance of another girl brings the two former friends back together, forcing them to come to terms with buried secrets and dark truths. Edgar Award winner Franklin (Hell at the Breech, 2003) renders luminous prose and a cast of compelling characters in this moody, masterful entry.— Allison Block

Congratulations, Tom!

-Virginia

Books, Stiltsville, Susanna Daniel

Stiltsville – will you review this?!

9780062005489 Ever since I picked up the manuscript of this novel, I have been talking about it – to my friends, to my family, to my co-workers, to librarians – to anyone who would listen.  This book very quietly wrapped itself around my heart and it has stayed there ever since.  Set against the backdrop of Miami, this affecting debut novel offers a gripping, bittersweet portrait of a marriage—and a romance—that deepens over the course of three decades.  I just love this book and it seems I’m not alone:

Nina Sankovitch on the Huffington Post writes, “Stiltsville is a compelling portrait of a marriage, a sweet serenade to Southern Florida, and a moving account of a woman’s life.” Read the rest here.

“I fell in love with Susanna Daniel’s characters, Dennis and Frances. The dialogue, the pacing, and the tenderness between this married couple is so authentic and true. But it’s the setting of Florida, and especially the place that is Stiltsville, that literally elevates this story to magic.”
   — Hannah Tinti, author of The Good Thief

“Set against the wild and changeable landscape of South Florida, Stiltsville is a wise and loving portrait of a marriage, written with keen insight into the ways two lives grow together over the years. This is a rare first novel. Susanna Daniel writes beautifully of matters of the heart.”
   — Jennifer Haigh, author of The Condition, Baker Towers, and Mrs. Kimble

“Like the narrator of this wonderful novel I fell in love in the opening pages of Stiltsville. There was nothing I wanted more than to spend time in the company of these vivid characters and keep reading Susanna Daniel’s lovely, lucid prose. Sadly, like all good books, this one came to an end-for me at two in the morning. Happily I can go back and be transported all over again. Many readers, I’m sure, will follow me.”
   — Margot Livesey, author of The House on Fortune Street
 
I’ve got 50  finished copies that I’d like to send to anyone who wants to write a review.  Send us an email (librarylovefest AT harpercollins DOT com) if you’re interested.

Thanks!

-Virginia

Books, Collection Development, Electric Barracuda, Tim Dorsey

Tim Dorsey

The unscripted book reviews are often the best.  That’s why I love to roam the halls of HarperCollins with my flip video camera, surprising people with my very favorite question: “What are you reading?”  Here’s the latest!

For more on Tim Dorsey's latest Serge Storms story, Electric Barracuda, check out the catalog page.

-Virginia

Books, Brave Girl Eating, Family, Harriet Brown, Jezebel

Brave Girl Eating

9780062008619 When I wasn't busy blogging about Charles Bukowski's birthday (shameless plug, I know), I happened to catch Jezebel's post on Harriet Brown's Brave Girl Eating: A Family's Struggle with Anorexia.  Having come from a family where eating disorders were fairly common, Brown's argument for a family-based method of recovery really hits home.  I appreciate the point she makes regarding our perception of eating disorders: the way we correlate them with extremes, whether it's stick-thinness or morbid obesity.  Many victims do, in fact, suffer invisibly. 

Do you want to know more about Brave Girl Eating? Browse inside the book, and check out these stellar pre-publication quotes:

“Harriet Brown’s Brave Girl Eating is an up close and personal account of one family’s struggle to help a child with anorexia nervosa. What sets this book apart is the author’s incorporation of clinical research findings from the field of eating disorders into the story of one family’s struggle. Ms. Brown’s tale of how her family was able to participate in her daughter’s recovery process is a compelling story of family strength and an inspiring story for all of us committed to treating individuals with eating disorders.”— Evelyn Attia, MD, Director, Center for Eating Disorders, Columbia University Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medical College

“As a woman who once knew the grip of a life-controlling eating disorder, I held my breath reading Harriet Brown’s story. As a mother of daughters, I wept for her. Then cheered.”— Joyce Maynard

“Brave Girl Eating is one of the most up to date, relevant and honest accounts of one family’s battle with the life threatening challenges of anorexia. Brown has masterfully woven science, history and heart throughout this compelling and tender story. Brave Girl Eating was fortunate to have one brave family.”— Lynn S. Grefe, Chief Executive Officer, National Eating Disorders Association

“Brave Girl Eating is a story that gets too close for comfort; it’s an honest account of the toll anorexia takes on the writer’s family and their tenacious, loving efforts to fight back. Harriet Brown is an intelligent, elegant writer and this book offers both solace and useful information for families struggling with eating disorders.”— Audrey Niffenegger  

-Kayleigh

crime fiction, I'd Know You Anywhere, Laura Lippman

Critical Buzz for I’d Know You Anywhere–Updated!

9780061706554 This past June at ALA, one of our most in-demand AREs was Laura Lippman's I'd Know You Anywhere, on sale today (check out the "buzz" from our title presentation).  The critics are weighing in: 

"She's one of the best novelists around, period.” —The Washington Post

"Lippman deftly keeps the balls aloft with a strong structure–a straight-ahead chronology interrupted by surgical flashbacks–and evocative writing." —Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Lippman’s taut, mesmerizing, and exceptionally smart drama of predator and prey is at once unusually sensitive and utterly compelling."–Donna Seaman, Booklist (starred review)

"From its unsettling opening to its breathtaking conclusion, "Anywhere" exemplifies Lippman's strengths: compassion, intense prose and deep empathy for the snares of ambiguous emotions."–Adam Woog, Seattle Times

"Lippman never forgets as she moves from past to present and from perspective to perspective that nothing is more important—or more elusive—than the truth."–Kirkus

Check out this video of Laura discussing the book, and be sure to stock your shelves. Laura will be appearing on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson (August 31) and on The Tavis Smiley Show (September 1)!   I'd Know You Anywhere will also be coming to People Magazine's August 30th issue. 

Want more Laura? Tell her why you love your library in 1,000 words or less, and win a visit! Deadline: September 30, 2010.  Go to Laura’s site for the rules of the contest.
 

-Kayleigh

A Lonely Death, Books, Charles Todd

Review A Lonely Death by Charles Todd!

Here at Library Love Fest, we really enjoy exchanging galleys for reviews of our books.  But in this case, there's a little more incentive than an ARE–review Charles Todd's A Lonely Death and enter for your chance to win a $250 gift card! A Lonely Death is the latest in the Ian Rutledge mystery series, which has won the Barry Award and was nominated for the Independent Booksellers Dilys Award, the Edgar and Anthony awards and the UK’s John Creasey Award. Novels in the series have garnered other honors, including a selection as one of the century’s 100 favorite mysteries by the IMBA; as a New York Times Notable Book; as one of PW’s Best Mysteries of the Year, and as an Indie Next pick and an Indie Next notable book.  Check it out now for your chance to win.  Happy reading! 

Books, Librarians, Libraries, Library Journal

LJ’s Fall Book Buzz 2010

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I'd venture a guess and say that our department loves Library Journal as much as librarians do.  So I'm thrilled to report that we'll be participating in

LJ's Fall Book Buzz next Tuesday, August 17th (3 pm EST).  Mark your calendars and register now for 60 minutes of read-alikes, fall frontlist, and inside information on your–and your patrons'–favorite authors.  Here's the full invitation:

Fall Book Buzz 2010
 
SPONSORED BY: Greenleaf Book Group, HarperCollins, Random House, Workman/Algonquin, and Library Journal
EVENT DATE: Tuesday, August 17, 2010– 3:00 PM EDT – 60 minutes  
 

Everyone loves the September 1 Fall Announcements issue from LJ, but what if those pages could talk to you? Register for the Fall Book Buzz 2010 and you’ll find out about read-alikes and new series titles, get tidbits about new authors and old favorites, and maybe even get the chance to win a galley giveaway or two!

Join our panelists from Greenleaf Book Group, HarperCollins, Random House and Workman/Algonquin and Library Journal Book Review editor Anna Katterjohn for sixty entertaining and informative minutes covering the best in front list and forthcoming titles.

Presenters:

Katelynn Knutson, Marketing Associate, Greenleaf Book Group
Virginia Stanley, Director of Library Marketing, HarperCollins Publishers
Erica Melnichok, Associate Marketing Manager, Random House
Michael Rockliff, Director, Library Sales and Marketing, Workman/Algonquin

Moderator:

Anna Katterjohn, Managing Editor Book Review, Library Journal

If you are not able to make the live webcast, register now and you will get an email reminder from Library Journal post-live event when the webcast is archived and available for on-demand viewing at your convenience!

   

Anarchy Evolution, Greg Graffin, Religion, Steve Olson

Anarchy Evolution

9780061828508 What do punk rock and evolution have in common? More than you'd think.  After all, both seem to reject authority in very interesting, "creative" ways.  This intersection of art and science is the topic of Greg Graffin and Steve Olson's Anarchy Evolution: Faith, Science, and Bad Religion in a World Without God, out this Fall from It Books.  You may remember Graffin from his days as the front-man of seminal punk band, Bad Religion, but he is also a professor at UCLA, where he teaches evolution.  In a starred review, Kirkus writes:

“With the assistance of science journalist Olson (Mapping Human History: Discovering the Past Through Our Genes, 2002, etc.), Bad Religion leader Graffin presents a memoir of a life lived “at the intersection of evolutionary biology and punk rock. 

In 1980, at age 15, Graffin co-founded the seminal punk band and also became fascinated with the writings and ideas of evolution. Bad Religion still plays and records, and the author is an evolutionary biologist with a doctorate in zoology from Cornell University. For Graffin, the appeal of both worlds was that, at their best, they challenged authority, dogma and given truths and opened up space for the anarchic process of creativity. As a naturalist, the author states that “the physical universe is the universe”—there is nothing more. But that is more than enough for him, as having a role in the unfolding adventure of life on earth—which includes both tragedy and death—sustains him. Life, he writes, is not simply an inexorable process of natural selection, in which the fittest survive and procreate, but an anarchic creative collision of biology and environment, chance and circumstance. Graffin and Olson explain this view of evolution in clear, accessible language. While avoiding easy analogies with evolution, a large part of the book is devoted to the evolution of Bad Religion, as its art and career careened in unpredictable directions. Along the way, Graffin provides a wonderful depiction of the early L.A. punk scene, a detailed account of his adventures doing field work in the remote Amazon region of Bolivia and an honest appraisal of his failure to successfully balance science, music and family. In the end, writes the author, it is the human trait of empathy—not religion or any other authority—that allows us to recognize our common humanity and to accept the uniqueness of each individual.  Humble, challenging and inspiring.”   

If you'd like to review Anarchy Evolution for Library Love Fest, shoot us an email (librarylovefest AT harpercollins DOT com).  We'd love to hear what you think.

Rock on, and happy reading!

Kayleigh

Dennis Lehane, James Rollins, Laura Lippman, Neal Stephenson, NPR, thriller

NPR’s Top Killer Thrillers

9780688163167 "The NPR audience nominated some 600 novels to our "Killer Thrillers" poll and cast more than 17,000 ballots. The final roster of winners is a diverse one to say the least, ranging in style and period from Dracula to The Da Vinci Code, Presumed Innocent to Pet Sematary. What these top 100 titles share, however, is that all of them are fast-moving tales of suspense and adventure.”

Props to HarperCollins authors Dennis Lehane, James Rollins, Laura Lippman, and Neal Stephenson who made it into the top 100!

#18 MYSTIC RIVER by Dennis Lehane
#32 GONE BABY GONE by Dennis Lehane
#35 SUBTERRANEAN by James Rollins
#38 SHUTTER ISLAND by Dennis Lehane
#70 WHAT THE DEAD KNOW by Laura Lippman
#79 CRYPTONOMICON by Neal Stephenson

Check out the full list here!

-Virginia

Beach, Books, Celebrities, Elizabeth Taylor, Furious Love, Love, Marriage, Nancy Schoenberger, New York Times, Relationships, Sam Kashner

The New York Times Reviews Furious Love!

9780061562846 You might remember my preternatural attachment to Richard Burton from earlier posts…in case you don't, here's my first review of Furious Love, the dual-biography of the Burtons by Nancy Schoenberger and Sam Kashner.  The New York Times recently ran a stellar write-up of Furious Love, calling it "an indulgent, plenty-of-fun book about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s traveling circus of money, booze and mutual obsession." I couldn't agree more.  Reviewer Ada Calhoun writes, "There’s a lesson here for couples: marriage doesn’t have to be a partnership of equals. It can be a bodice-ripping, booze-soaked, jewel-bedecked brawl that survives even death. It’s a tough way to live, but it makes for a good beach book." If that doesn't make you want to stuff Furious Love inside your beach-bag, I don't know what will.  Browse inside the book, and click here for the full review!   

-Kayleigh

Awards, Books, Collection Development, Julia Quinn, Libraries, RITA, Romance, Romance Writers of America

Julia Quinn is a WINNER!

What happens mm c Congratulations to Julia Quinn! Quinn’s book, What Happens In London, has won the 2010 RITA for Best Regency Historical Romance. The purpose of the RITA contest is to promote excellence in the romance genre by recognizing outstanding published romance novels and novellas. The award itself is a golden statuette named after Romance Writers of America’s first president, Rita Clay Estrada, and has become the symbol for excellence in published romance fiction. 

For more information, including a complete list of winners, please visit: http://www.rwanational.org/cs/2010_RITA_GH_winners

Congratulations to Julia on such an amazing honor!  If you haven't read What Happens in London, add it to your reading list today!

Enjoy,

-Bobby

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