November 2011

10 Thousand Saints is Top 10 NYT Book of 2011

November 30, 2011

So many numbers in that title, but they all concern the #1 important point that Eleanor Henderson's Ten Thousand Saints is among the New York Times Top 10 Books of the year!

This amazing debut novel garnered heaps of praise when it came out in June, including a NYT Book Review, and several choice peer reviews:

“Eleanor Henderson is in possession of an enormous talent which she has matched up with skill, ambition, and a fierce imagination. The resulting novel, TEN THOUSAND SAINTS, is the best thing I’ve read in a long time. “
— Ann Patchett

“TEN THOUSAND SAINTS is funny, touching, artistic, surprising, lovely, eye-opening, and very, very wise.”
— Arthur Phillips

Follow Eleanor on Twitter (@eleanorofithaca) and be sure to put this on your holiday wish list.

– Annie

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We Give Thanks for Librarians!

November 28, 2011

Hi All, hope you had Happy Thanksgivings and indulged in lots of delicious foods (i.e. like these). I actually went to the Macy's parade which was (to this hater of crowds) quite magical (cheese alert!).

We just want you all to know how thankful and delighted we are to work with such involved, dedicated, smart and awesome people. It makes coming to work especially enjoyable and we appreciate all you do. Thank you!

– Annie, Kayleigh and Virginia.

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The World We Found is a Booklist Featured Review

November 21, 2011

Before the day is up, be sure to head over to Booklist where the Book Review of the Day is, The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar. Thrity is the author of four novels—The Weight of Heaven, The Space Between Us, If Today Be Sweet, and Bombay Time—and the memoir First Darling of the Morning. A journalist for almost twenty years, she is the winner of the Nieman Fellowship to Harvard, winner of the 2009 Cleveland Arts Prize, and 2006 finalist for the PEN/Beyond Margins Award.

Allison Block from Booklist calls The World We Found "eloquent and evocative, bitter and sweet," and I would like you to be able to sample this beautiful book.

First five commenters to tell me their favorite Thanksgiving dish (I am blatantly trying to steal ideas) get an ARE.

– Annie

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Top Tweets of the Week

November 18, 2011

Wowza this week has been biz-ay! I am so looking forward to curling up over the weekend with this awesomeness. What do you guys have planned??

* overbooked 2011 Best of Fiction | Kirkus Book Reviews | Kirkus Book Reviews kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2011/f…

* PublishersWkly Libraries ramp up e-book lending: a recap of new developments usat.ly/roIaOi

* HarperCollins Finding Jewels at the Library ow.ly/7vlhS

* LibraryJournal Occupy Wall Street Library Removed as NYPD Evicts Protesters ow.ly/7ufn9 More than 5500 books taken from Zuccotti Park site

* overbooked Huffpost starts a series about libraries – huffingtonpost.com/news/libraries…

* flavorpillbooks Meet The 2011 National Book Award Winners ow.ly/7wHnM

* librarianbyday Why It's Time To Speak Up For Our Libraries huff.to/sW7kbA

* LibraryJournal Best Books of 2011: The Top 10 from @LJReviews ow.ly/7xgoh (And 9 more Genre Fiction Best Books lists for good measure!)

- Annie

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deWitt deWows Yet Again!

November 15, 2011

Congratulations to Patrick deWitt! DeWitt’s novel, The Sisters Brothers, has won a Governor General’s Literary Award. The Award, carrying a $25,000 prize, is Canada’s oldest and most prestigious award for English- and French-language Canadian literature. It is no surprise that we here in Library Land love this book, and we are thrilled that it is being lauded and recognized for the great work of fiction that it is. For more information, visit the awards site.

– Annie

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The Yenta Takes It All

November 15, 2011

As the weather grows colder in New York, one need grows more urgent:

We have to find winter boyfriends.

Annie has done a bang-up, fantastic job of matching me with the perfect literary boyfriend (#literarybf). This holiday season, I plan on hunkering down indoors with King Aragorn and the perfect hot toddy. Happily matched, it’s now time for me to return the favor.

Annie’s top 3 qualities were: sense of humor, confidence (sans arrogance), and forthrightness. In my humble, entirely unbiased opinion, Annie is sweet, smart, and authentic. She’s travelled the world and is totally comfortable in her own skin. I think she needs a man who is equally sure of who he is, and what he wants. It would help if he was down-to-earth and totally hilarious—not to mention dreamy.

The contenders:

Jean Valjean, Les Miserables
Our pals at Penguin Library suggested Jean Valjean—eligible bachelor and ultimate redeemed man. He’s forthright and confident, which fits the bill, but at the end of the day, might not be enough fun for Miss Annie, whose sense of humor is matchless.

Peeta Mellark, The Hunger Games
Annie already has a soft spot for Peeta, who is “gentle and kind, but when he is threatened, fights like a maniac. He's bold…thinks very well on his feet and has a very likable personality and a flair for showmanship.” Peeta is pretty impressive but, ultimately, he’s a bit on the young side. Which brings us to the final bachelor…

Henry DeTamble, The Time Traveler’s Wife
I know what you’re thinking—Henry has a medical condition which causes him to involuntarily time travel, so he might not be the best boyfriend. But if anyone is secure enough to handle a bit of extra personal space, it’s Miss Mazes. Besides, Henry is kind, funny, handsome, honest, and smart. Also, he’s a librarian—which, on account of Annie’s MLIS, would make them a library science power couple.

Voila, I've done it! If you'd like us to find you a literary bf, join the conversation on Twitter (#literarybf). Happy dating, and happy reading!

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Romantic Reveal for Ms. Kayleigh George

November 14, 2011

The results are in! I have whittled down the list of fictional boyfriends for Kayleigh. Twitter provided an excellent forum for some very insightful and spirited discussion about what #literarybf to choose, but let me walk you through my thought process (scary).

Kayleigh stipulated that her top three qualities were intellectual curiosity, kindness, and devotion (and rough-hewn, masculine features wouldn't hurt either). In my (completely biased opinion) she is smart, incredibly well-rounded, and has a heart as golden as Jason's fleece. I think she would benefit from someone who challenges her, isn't threatened by her strength but won't take advantage of her soft side, and who can wax poetic but not live in the clouds. To that end:

Bachelor #1: Newland Archer from Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence.

Smart, young, successful, Newland is seemingly quite the package. He could converse on a multitude of subjects, sweep Kayleigh off to Europe, and if he looks anything like Daniel Day Lewis…yum.

Ultimately though, he is too angst ridden; torn between societal expectations and his own desires. Wharton describes him as "at heart a dilettante, and thinking over a pleasure to come often gave him a subtler satisfaction than its realization." That would not be satisfying enough, so on to the next stud.

Bachelor #2: Benedick from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

I think KG would love the mental sparring she and Benedick would inevitably engage in. He would indeed challenge her as they battled to outwit, outsmart and outlove each other; he vows to be “horribly in love" with his leading lady, and as they say love is a battlefield. Kayleigh could also get to wear pretty awesome dresses. Verdict: While this would be fun for a time, it sounds exhausting and like way too much strife/work. Soooo….this leaves the winner. Drum roll, please.

Bachelor #3: Aragorn from J.R.R Tolkein's Lord of the Rings Trilogy

He is a perfect combination of manly and sensitive; he's confident, thoughtful, brave and loyal, and ummm…A KING! I think he would also fit in splendidly in modern day Brooklyn. Can't you see him sporting flannel, drinking locally distilled whiskey and rocking un-ironic facial hair? You know you can…

So concludes this installment of The Literary Matchmaking Game. Stay tuned for tomorrow's final chapter when Kayleigh reveals who she chose for me.

– Annie

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Top Tweets of the Week

November 11, 2011

Happy Friday, friends! We are about to celebrate Pat's birthday with some rum punch and donuts! A happy Friday, indeed. I'm off to Boston for the weekend….what do you all have planned?

* PublishersWkly Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2011 bit.ly/vhx1uj

* BarbaraAGenco Do #libraries give us a core service? | Ground Level | Minnesota Public Radio ow.ly/7mzk2

* LibraryJournal Florida Library Makes 34,000 Ebooks Available at International Airport — The Digital Shift ow.ly/7n9rM

* librarylovefest Fantastic piece on the vital service performed by libraries. Required reading! ow.ly/7nPCZ

* davidleeking New blog post: : Library Podcasts you Might Find Useful bit.ly/sOv1An

* ALALibrary What do Americans want from their libraries? Here’s our chance to find out | Next Libraries nextlibraries.org/2011/10/what-d…

- Annie

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Jane Lynch on TV (duh)

November 11, 2011

Jane Lynch is making the TV rounds to chat about her insightful but hilarious memoir, Happy Accidents. Don't miss her on:

NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” on November 14

ABC’s “Live with Regis & Kelly” on November 25

Not only is she funny, her writing is very genuine. I felt like I could almost here her speaking through the text, and the way she handled difficult moments in her life was very accessible to the reader.

Granted I was a Jane Lynch fan prior to her book, so check out her interviews so you can start to appreciate the brilliance.

– Annie

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Looking for Literary Lurve (Part 2)

November 10, 2011

So we received some excellent boyfriend-status options for Kayleigh via Twitter (#literarybf)…Odysseus, Aragorn, Heathcliff. I am carefully considering each while I ponder who to pair her with. (Can we pause to discuss how lovely it is to read Kayleigh's prose? From her you get "the machinations of our young hearts," with me you get "lurve" and "boyfriend-status." Ever so slightly different). Anywho…now it's my turn to be matched up. Can you find me a literary fella to get my practical heart pitter-pattering?

NAME: Annie Mazes

NICKNAME: Annie Bananny, Annie Nickel

OCCUPATION: Librarian cum Library Marketing aficionado

CURRENT LOCATION: Astoria, Queens

HEIGHT: 5’4”

AGE: 29

SIGN: Leo

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: “But no sooner had [Mr. Darcy] made it clear to himself and his friends that [Elizabeth Bennet Annie Mazes] hardly had a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness.”

FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING: Fuzzy socks and grandpa sweaters (probably why I need a matchmaker)

COCKTAIL OF CHOICE: Vodka/Tonic or Guinness

FAVORITE BOOK/FILM ADAPTATION: The Princess Bride

TOP 3 QUALITIES IN DESIRED MATE: Sense of humor, confidence (sans arrogance), and forthrightness

Comment below, follow the conversation on Twitter (#literarybf), or make suggestions on Facebook…I look forward to hearing beau-friend options!

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For Every Girl, A Darcy

November 9, 2011

Recently we came across a feature on the Huffington Post which crossed time and genre to couple characters from classic and contemporary fiction. Most of us have read books and developed crushes on literary types—from Sydney Carton to Scarlett O’Hara—but this time around, we’re more effectively playing yenta. The structure is as follows: Annie finds a mate for Kayleigh, Kayleigh returns the favor. Over the course of the next week, we—Kayleigh George and Annie Mazes—will expose the machinations of our young hearts in the hopes of finding suitable literary paramours. Take a gander at our first profile and see if you can pair this bourbon-devoted Brooklynite with a gent that meets her needs.

NAME: Kayleigh George

NICKNAMES: Kay, Kaybear, Sprockets, George

OCCUPATION: Library Marketing maven, part-time writer of short fiction

CURRENT LOCATION: Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn

HEIGHT: 5’7

AGE: 26

SIGN: Virgo

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: “Scarlett O'Hara Kayleigh George was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were. In her face were too sharply blended the delicate features of her mother, a Coast aristocrat of French descent, and the heavy ones of her florid Irish father. But it was an arresting face, pointed of chin, square of jaw.”

FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING: Short trenchcoat

COCKTAIL OF CHOICE: Bourbon on the rocks, or a French 75

FAVORITE BOOK/FILM ADAPTATION: Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence

TOP 3 QUALITIES IN DESIRED MATE: Intellectual curiosity, kindness, and devotion. Though rough-hewn, masculine features never hurt anybody.

What do you think? Would the smoldering charms of Rhett Butler fit the bill? Perhaps the cool composure of a Mr. Darcy, the unerring moral compass of Mr. Knightley, or the passionate possessiveness of Edward Cullen?

We strongly encourage you to comment, tweet, or join the conversation on Facebook. Find a hero for this heroine!

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Top Tweets of the Week

November 4, 2011

So this weekend I am brunching, bowling and barhopping. What plans (feel free to use alliteration or not) do you guys have? Happy Weekend!

* librarianbyday Top Ten Links 2.43: eBooks, Easy QR Codes, Time Management and Career Expectations bit.ly/uQUQ71

* StandUpLibraryN California must value librarians; libraries can't run themselves fb.me/13uE55zTX

* PublishersWkly New study shows value of libraries to the book—and the e-book—business bit.ly/uKLN2L

* HuisceBeatha In the Bookroom relaunches w/Librarians’ Best Books of 2011 series. 1st up: @UffishL on Stephen Greenblatt’s The Swerve ow.ly/7fzhB

* LibraryJournal Chicago Librarians, Supporters Protest Proposed Budget Cuts With Read-In (VIDEO) ow.ly/7fHwm

* LesaHolstine Here's my list of December's hot book titles, bit.ly/rzNgeE

* librarianbyday Why Amazon’s Lending Library is Not a Threat to Public Libraries bit.ly/ugZlqj

* LibraryJournal All 50 State Librarians Vote to Form Alliance With Internet Archive’s Open Library — The Digital Shift ow.ly/7jfow

* PublishersWkly It's our top 10 books of 2011! PW Best Books 2011: The Top 10 bit.ly/tso1V4

– Annie

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NYLA Mystery Slam

November 4, 2011

I had the pleasure of taking a road trip with Kayleigh and the lovely Ali Fisher (from Macmillan) to Saratoga Springs for the NYLA conference. We arrived pumped full of caffeine and blasting this album (don't judge), and KG and Ali set about presenting some pretty excellent mystery/thriller/suspense titles to a room full of librarians (who we had so thoughtfully plied with red wine). The presenters did a fabulous job, made the audience laugh and provided lots of info on a number of great titles. Our list is below and you can check out Ali's list here.

The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman
An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd
So Pretty It Hurts by Kate White
Untitled by Daniel Silva
Phantom by Ted Bell
The Body in the Boudoir by Katherine Hall Page
Never Tell by Alafair Burke
Hide Me Among the Graves by Tim Powers
Capitol Murder by Philip Margolis
Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear
No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie
Before the Poison by Peter Robinson

Mystery Crossovers:
A Land More Kind than Home by Wiley Cash
The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd
Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore

– Annie

PS: I know you can't tell because we are so incognito, but that's me, Ali and Kayleigh rocking some serious disguises in the spirit of the day.

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Win a Copy of The Demi-Monde: Winter

November 2, 2011

The Demi-Monde is the most advanced computer simulation ever devised. Created to prepare soldiers for the nightmarish reality of urban warfare, it is a virtual world locked in eternal civil war. Its thirty million inhabitants are ruled by duplicates of some of history’s cruelest tyrants: Reinhard Heydrich, the architect of the Holocaust; Beria, Stalin’s arch executioner; Robespierre, the face of the Reign of Terror.

But something has gone horribly wrong inside the Demi-Monde, and the US President’s daughter has become trapped in this terrible world. It falls to eighteen-year-old Ella Thomas to rescue her, yet once Ella has entered the Demi-Monde she finds that everything is not as it seems, that its cyber-walls are struggling to contain the evil within and that the Real World is in more danger than anyone realizes…

You KNOW you are intrigued! Luckily there is a contest to win a copy over on Facebook, so go check it out. However, if you really can't wait, you can read an excerpt from the UK edition. You're welcome.

– Annie

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Enter the MICRO contest for a Chance at Macro Prizes!

November 1, 2011

For the publication of Michael Crichton's new blockbuster, MICRO, we are happy to announce the MICRO YOURSELF photo contest. All you have to do to enter is submit a photo of yourself on a micro scale and tell your friends to vote for you. The top 50 photos (based on fan voting) will have a chance to win one of over 25 prize packages which include a free e-reader and a leather-bound edition of Jurassic Park, signed by Michael Crichton! Visit the Facebook page for full details. IF you are so inclined, we would love to see your creativity at work, so after you have submited your entry, send it through to us here at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com also.

– Annie