August 2013

ESPN sportscaster Mike Greenberg might be a “guy’s guy,” but he’s showing his softer side with his first novel, All You Could Ask For, a great book for book clubs (out in paperback 9/3). The story was inspired by “Heidi’s Angels,” a group of women (Mike’s wife, Stacy, included) who rallied behind their dear friend Heidi Armitage when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The experience taught them the true value of friendship, sacrifice, and compassion, and inspired Mike to write this novel and create the three female characters in it. In this guest post, Mike a.k.a Greeny and his wife introduce the characters and debate about which of the women was their favorite and who was hard to relate to.

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Guest Post: Mike Greenberg, author of All You Could Ask ForRead More »

Science fiction and fantasy books are awesome, and if you
don’t yet know why, Library
Journal is here to tell you.  Library Journal’s
Genre Spotlight on sf/fantasy novels featured three books we’re
excited about: Richard Kadrey’s Dead Set, Nick Cole’s The Wasteland Saga, and Ian Douglas’ Abyss.  The article discusses
the future of the science fiction and fantasy genres, pinpointing why and how
these books have seen a resurgence in recent years, and especially what exactly
must be present in those books to make them successful.  

Kadrey, best known for his Sandman Slim series, will release
Dead Set this October, “a stand-alone about a young girl caught
between the living and the dead.” Harper Voyager Executive Editor Denise Gill
explains about this divergence, “Writing one story and not having to set the
world and plot up for many visits lends itself to a different sort of story.” 

Nick Cole’s The Wasteland Saga will collect for the
first time in print his postapocalyptic trilogy The Old Man and the Wasteland, The
Savage Boy, and The Road is a River.  Editor Gill says, “Harper Voyager loved the
different look at the apocalypse, and the literary allusions.” 

Ian Douglas’ second book in his Star
Corpsman series, Abyss Deep, brings
elite Marines and Corpsmen to space where they gather intelligence on alien
enemies.

Here is the full article if you want to read more about the
future of the sf/fantasy genres, which happen to be my personal faves.

-Amanda

Ripper continues Isabel Allende’s
foray into YA, and if you’re looking for a teenage
sleuth/family relationships/serial killer burrito of a novel, search no
further. 

Amanda loves Ripper, an online mystery-solving game she plays
with other lonely teenagers from all over the world.  But when a string of strange murders occurs
in San Francisco, the players decide to expand their game and sleuthing skills
into real life.  Using information they
find in the news, online, and from Amanda’s father—the Deputy Chief
in charge of the Homicide Division—Amanda and the Ripper players become
embroiled in the search for a serial killer. 
However, when Amanda’s own mother is kidnapped and all
clues point to it being the work of the same killer they’ve
been tracking, the Ripper players—with the help of a scarred former Navy SEAL,
a revolutionary turned AI professor, and loyal dog (who happens to have
titanium teeth)— must beat the clock to stop the killer from claiming another
victim. 

Y’all definitely need to stay on the lookout for this one. 

-Amanda

We are hard at work in Library Land…lots of book buzzes to prepare for and videos to edit. But you know us, always time for a little fun. Today's entertainment is brought to you by Virginia's latest amazing purchase.

Sadly, you can't get the full effect of the magic because, yes, the pen does talk to you. In a super sultry voice it says, "well…helloooo there."  Dreamboat status!

PS: Even with a mustache, Rita Moreno is gorgeous! 

– Annie "Mustache" Mazes 

 

We are very sad to relay the news that long-time beloved author
Elmore Leonard passed away this morning, August 20^th, at the age of
87.

Known for his gritty westerns as well as suspense thrillers,
Leonard wrote 45 novels and numerous short stories, including Get Shorty, Three-Ten to Yuma, and Be
Cool. 
He began writing in the 1950s
and hasn’t slowed down since, with many of his popular stories
leading to film adaptations, such as Hombre
and most recently the television show Justified
from his novella “Fire in the Hole.”

We will certainly miss him, but his voice will live on in
the witty banter and unique writing of his many stories.

-Amanda

I love history. There are just so many interesting little known parts of it which is probably why I like this book so much. The Wind is Not a River is a bit like Cold Mountain for WW II, and it tells the story of the only battle fought on American soil. What, you say? Or maybe that's just what I said because I didn't realize that Japan successfully invaded the Aleutian Island American territory, sending the native population to prison camps in Japan until the end of the war. 

The book is told in the alternating voices of John Easley, a war correspondent, and his wife Helen. John finagles his way onto an aircraft that then goes down, leaving him stranded alone on the island of Attu. Helen, desperate for news of her husband, invents a back story and joins the USO as an entertainer in order to get closer to the island chain.

The writing is great, the setting is stark and bleak,and yet the bravery that each exhibit in the face of impossible odds is amazing. 

Definitely keep your eyes open for this one!

– Annie

Fans
will be delighted with the return of Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn and Chee series
with Spider Woman’s Daughter, the
first novel in the series written after Tony’s passing by his daughter Anne
Hillerman.  The novel centers on Navajo
Nation Police Officer Bernie Manualito and her husband Sergeant Jim Chee as
they investigate the shooting of Bernie’s mentor, retired Lieutenant Joe
Leaphorn.  As Bernie and Chee get more
and more involved in one of Leaphorn’s cold cases, they realize the case may be
hotter than it seems.  An established
author, Anne stays true to her father’s work but still leaves her mark with her
unique voice, creating a wonderful story in its own right.  You don’t have to take only our word for
it.  Library Journal loves it too!  Here’s what they have to say about Spider Woman’s Daughter.

*Hillerman,
Anne.

Spider Woman’s Daughter.

Nov.
2013. ISBN 9780062270481.

Tony Hillerman’s 18 mysteries followed the investigations
of Navajo cops Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Fans mourned when Hillerman died in
2008. Now the late author’s beloved characters return in this series relaunch
by his daughter, Anne. The book opens with an act of unexpected violence
against a dear friend, witnessed by police officer Bernadette Manualito. She
and her husband, Jim Chee, begin to piece together clues and determine who
would commit this crime, even questioning the motives of the unaccounted-for Louisa
Bourbonnette, Leaphorn’s friend and housemate. Interspersed throughout the
tale, yet important to character development and emphasizing the role of Navajo
culture and beliefs (a highlight of the previous series), are vignettes of
Bernadette’s troubled sister and Jim’s past studies to become a Navajo healer
and descriptions of Navajo creation stories. Characters from 1988’s Thief of Time play a dominant role in
the unfolding of the plot. Pot hunters, archaeologists, controversy over
the museum display of tribal objects, and insurance fraud culminate in a
heart-stopping, action-packed conclusion as Bernadette and Jim risk their
lives to bring a would-be assassin to justice. VERDICT Fans of
Southwestern mysteries will cheer this return of Leaphorn and Chee.

—Patricia Ann Owens, formerly with
Illinois Eastern Community Colls., Mt. Carmel

 

-Amanda

P.S. Check out this letter from Marie Hillerman, wife to
Tony and mother to Anne, about her husband, her daughter, and their works.

To start this post off right, I have exciting news! For the past few months, hundreds of librarians from across the country have been voting and reading and voting some more, and our very own Help for the Haunted by John Searles was chosen from among all the upcoming September books for the inaugural LibraryReads Top 10 List! Congratulations to John and this truly amazing novel.

If you aren’t yet familiar with Help for the Haunted, please read on. Eerie and full of dark secrets,
Searles’s novel tells the story of Sylvie, a young girl who, after the
mysterious loss of her parents, goes on a journey to find out what really
happened the night they were killed. On sale September 17, Help for the
Haunted started getting the attention of librarians at BEA, and the buzz
has continued with booksellers, bloggers, and other authors. Gillian Flynn,
author of Gone Girl, calls Help for the Haunted "frightening
and beautiful.”

Not only is the novel phenomenal, Searles himself
is, quite simply, the best thing ever. I haven’t accolades enough to tell you
how amazing this guy is.  And now I have an awesome gift to pass along to
you!

John is giving away two pairs of tickets to see Matilda: The Musical between now and September
16, 2013! You can enter for your chance
to win on John’s website. You may enter once between July 30 and August 25, and
then enter again from August 26 to September 16.  

In addition, the first 10 people to
email librarylovefest@harpercollins.com win a
galley!  Total win-win situation here, y’all: great book,
and the chance to see an amazing play. 

-Amanda

PS: See why everyone
loves Help for the Haunted – read an excerpt now. Like John Searles on Facebook to stay up-to-date on his tour schedule, events and sweepstakes news.

It is with great sadness we relay the news that library favorite, Barbara Mertz (a.k.a. Elizabeth Peters) passed away on August 8th at the age of 85.

Under her pseudonym as Barbara Michaels she has written twenty-nine novels of suspense. As Elizabeth Peters, she had produced more than 35 mystery-suspense novels, many of them set in Egypt and the Middle East, featuring the intrepid Amelia Peabody. Under her own name, she authored several nonfiction books about ancient Egypt, still in print today.

She will be greatly missed, but her books will continue to live on, engaging readers far into the future.

– Annie

Sena Jeter Naslund has written some amazing books including Ahab's Wife and Abundance, but now she brings us The Fountain of St. James Court: Or, Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman, the novel she is most excited about. To share in her excitement, feel free to check out this excerpt and then mark your calendars for September 10, 2013, at 7pm EST when you can Facebook chat with her.

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To:  My Friends, The Librarians of the United States

Were it not for a librarian at the Birmingham Public Library, I would not have become a writer. Because a librarian recommended to my mother that she read aloud to me the Laura Ingalls Wilder series of Little House books, I was filled with wonder that mere words could transport a person from one time and place to another. And I thought I’d like to be able to do that someday.

It has meant the world to me that my bestselling novels have received awards from the Alabama Library Association and also from the Southeastern Library Association, as well as receiving the Harper Lee Award and the Hall-Waters Southern Prize.

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Guest Blogger: Sena Jeter NaslundRead More »

For any of you lovelies who were at Digipalooza last week
and had the privilege of meeting the wonderful Virginia, and especially all of
you who missed out, here is a recap of Virginia’s presentation and the
books we at LLF are so excited about. 

 

Mitch Albom’s newest book, The First
Phone Call From Heaven, is a fulfilling story of faith, hope, and love that
will keep your heart racing and your hands turning pages.

We Are Water is classic Wally Lamb, with a troubled family,
great characters, and a warm-hearted, emotionally powerful story.

Amy Tan’s first novel in almost a decade,
The Valley of Amazement, explores the deep connections between mothers and
daughters in a moving narrative of family secrets and the legacy of trauma. 

The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick makes you laugh
with his feel-good tale of a young man’s relationship with three
other outsiders after his mother’s death.

Isabel Allende uses a young adult protagonist in her
exciting murder mystery about a serial killer roaming around San Francisco in
Ripper.

Adriana Trigiani’s The Supreme Macaroni
Company continues with her beloved characters in a novel that is funny,
romantic, and heart-warming.

The ninth and probably final book in the “Tales
of the City” series, The Days of Anna Madrigal by Armistead Maupin
is told through the interweaving stories of several familiar characters and follows
Anna on a road trip as she uncovers secrets from the past 75 years.

William Boyd was chosen to take up the James Bond mantel in
this new narrative of conspiracy, espionage, and war in Solo.

Kerrelyn Sparks returns to romance in the Revolutionary War
in Less Than a Gentleman, the sequel to her first novel in historical fiction,
The Forbidden Lady.

Crave launches Monica Murphy’s sexy Billionaire Bachelors
Club series with a lavish bet, a night of carnal desires, and a lasting
connection between two people who never thought it possible. 

…

Fun Times at DigipaloozaRead More »

Etched in Sand, Regina Calcaterra's memoir, is the incredibly heart-breaking and honest portrayal of a family of five children who grew up on Long Island and had to cope with a bi-polar mother and impossibly hard living situations. 

In this video, Regina discusses her life and the importance libraries had. These were places where she could better herself. In the library, she read, fell in love with books, and escaped from her present situation by fantasizing about the characters she admired in literature. This relationship in part fueled her love for civil service, and today she is a lawyer and activist. 

Etched in Sand
Regina Calcaterra
On Sale Now
ISBN: 9780062218834
$15.99
eBook IBSN: 9780062218841

– Annie

 

 

“It would be easy for me to love this month’s book pick because it’s set in the Pacific Northwest or because it’s a fist novel. The truth is, I’m singing the praises of The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin, because it gets everything right.” – Pennie Ianniciello

Need we say more? Debut author Amanda Coplin’s The Orchardist was chosen by Pennie Ianniciello of Costco as her pick for this month, adding to its IndieNext and New York Times bestseller fame. Check out Earlyword's post.

A beautiful novel written with immense empathy, The Orchardist takes you to a gorgeously imagined Pacific Northwest at the beginning of the twentieth century, telling the story of a reclusive orchard keeper and his experiences with two young pregnant girls that force him to confront his past and change his world forever. You just might want to start an orchard yourself after reading this book.

– Amanda

J.A. Jance is prolific. Second Watch (on sale 9/10) is her 21st mystery featuring J.P Beaumont, but this one is a bit different than the rest. It switches between present day and then takes you back in time to when J.P was a young soldier in Vietnam. 

What makes this book particularly special is the very personal story behind it. Jance written "The Story Behind Second Watch" as a way to share her experiences. I saw her speak at ALA last year where she shared some of the details and it was touching, so please click through and find out for yourself.

– Annie