November 2013

On this rainy Thanksgiving Eve, we here in Library Land wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope the weather is better where you are! Luckily, I'm hosting this year so don't have to travel.

We hope that you celebrate and enjoy yourselves, love your family, eat copious amounts of food and maybe kick back with a great read. If you do, please share!

My Turkey Day read this year is going to be Bourbon: A History of the American Spirit.  Seems in keeping with the holiday spirit!

Happy Turkey Day!

Gobble, gobble

– Annie

The only bad thing I can say about this book is that I am greatly bummed that I have to wait for the next book in the trilogy. You'd think after 800 pages, I'd be ok with taking a break, but I want to know what happens next!

Natchez Burning is an engrossing and layered mystery that deals with race relations in Mississippi and Louisiana. It stars well known Iles character, Penn Cage, as he initially tries to determine if his beloved, Atticus Finch-esq father has committed a murder. However, after doing some digging, he realizes that is just the tip of the ice burg, for this specific death brings into question several horrific, unsolved murders from the 1960s. 

I've never read anything by Greg Iles before (slightly blasphemous to admit around the office), but now I fully intend to discover his backlist, especially since he does a really cool job of referencing past cases (read: books) that Penn Cage has worked on (i.e. The Quiet Game). I am intrigued. 

As soon as it becomes available on Edelweiss, I will let you know because it.is.good!

– Annie

A few months ago, Annie gushed about Brian Payton's historical novel The Wind Is Not a River, told in the alternating voices of a reporter covering the Japanese invasion of Alaska's Aleutian Islands during WWII, and his wife, who goes on a quest to find him when his plane is shot down.  Sounds exciting and romantic, right?  Well buzz surrounding this book has only gotten better! 

A STARRED review from Library Journal says: "This moving and powerfully written novel explores themes of war, life and death, morality, and love in a unique World War II battleground that very few people outside Alaska know about or remember. VERDICT Payton, known for his nonfiction works Shadow of the Bear and The Ice Passage, has written a suspenseful, beautifully researched title that readers will want to devour in one sitting. As a nearly lifelong inhabitant of Alaska and having spent three years on Adak in the Aleutians, this reviewer was particularly gratified by the accuracy of the author's portrayal of the land and people of the 'birthplace of the winds.' Bravo!"

And from Booklist: "Part adventure tale, part love story, this beautifully written novel offers a moving portrait of a couple whose lives are forever changed by the only battle of WWII to take place on American soil…. Payton, in the loveliest of prose, illuminates a little-known aspect of WWII while portraying a devoted couple who bravely face down the isolation, pain, and sacrifice of wartime."

Now that you've heard from the ultimate triumvirate in all things literary, you definitely can't miss out on this book. 

-Amanda

Matthew Quick, author of The Silver Linings Playbook and The Good Luck of Right Now, stopped by the office to say hi to you fabulous librarians. Matthew is a huge fan of libraries and visits them whenever possible. His newest book is a funny, feel-good story of a young man who, in the aftermath of his mother’s untimely death, forms an unlikely family with three other outsiders, including Richard Gere (kind of).

ISBN: 9780062285539
$25.99
eBook ISBN: 9780062285553

– Annie

More than movies, music, or any other medium, books have the ability to completely transport readers to new cities, countries, continents, and planets, and even through time.  Every book has this capability: fiction or nonfiction, realistic or the highest fantasy.  A story only has to exist for it to create a new world.  In addition to this ubiquitous (but still amazing) function of reading, The Rich and the Dead by Liv Spector and The Widow’s Walk by Robert Barclay also send their characters on romps through time and space within the story itself, all while simultaneously doing the same for the reader sitting comfortably in his or her favorite chair.  So meta. 

The Rich and the Dead: The year is 2018, and ex-Miami PD officer Lila Day is not doing so well.  Four years earlier, on New Year’s Day 2014, twelve of the world’s most powerful people were found killed in the basement of a lavish Star Island estate.  Lila was lead investigator in the case, but she was never able to find the murderer, leading her to be dismissed from the force.  Now, reclusive billionaire Teddy Hawkins has approached her with the chance of a lifetime—to travel back in time to before the murders occurred to collect evidence that will convict the killer in the present day.  Seems like a good plan, until Lila starts to care for the people who are destined to die.  Can she say goodbye, or will she risk setting events in motion that would change the future—her present—forever?

The Widow’s Walk: Garrett has always wanted to live by the sea, and now he has the chance to purchase and renovate the old home known as Seaside that has always captivated him.  Then one night he sees Constance Elizabeth Canfield, who says she’s lived at Seaside for over 150 years.  She’s not a ghost though, instead claiming to be somehow stuck between this life and the next.  Love soon blossoms between the two, but as their relationship grows, Constance begins to fade away.  Will their love fade along with Constance’s presence, or will it somehow be able to transcend time and death itself?

So you want to go to the beach?  Fall in love?  Solve a cold murder case?  Here’s your golden ticket to any place and any time you can imagine.

-Amanda

LibraryReads has just posted it's fourth list, but in case some of you aren't familiar with the fantastic, amazing, genius concept, I thought I'd provide some info:

What is LibraryReads? We have a handy FAQ!

Are you a public librarian who is signed up with Edelweiss? Then you are ready to vote for your favorite books each month!

Want to be able to vote? Here's how you can sign-up!

For more information about LibraryReads, visit their website.

Remember: Vote early! Vote often!  

– Annie                                          

Enter to win one book or audiobook for your personal library—and five books or audiobooks for your local library! Be one of ten winners to choose from this selection of new books.  For complete details and to enter for a chance to win, click here.

End of Days by James Swanson: The The New York Times bestselling author of Manhunt brings to life the minute-by-minute details of the JFK assassination–from the Kennedys’ arrival in Texas to the shooting in Dealey Plaza and the shocking aftermath.

The First Phone Call From Heaven by Mitch Albom: The story of a small town on Lake Michigan that gets worldwide attention when its citizens start receiving phone calls from the afterlife. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax? Sully Harding, a grief-stricken single father, is determined to find out. Part mystery, part allegory, this novel is a heart-racing page-turner and an soul-fulfilling tale of faith, hope and love.

Innocent Blood by James Rollins & Rebecca Cantrell: The second installment in the bestselling The Order of the Sanguines Series, about an ancient order who speak the truth behind Christ’s miracles and strive to protect the world from evil

The Pagan Lord by Bernard Cornwell: The latest installment in the Saxon Tales, the epic saga of the making of England, magnificently brought to life by “the reigning king of historical fiction” (USA Today).

Ripper by Isabel Allende: Continuing her foray into YA crossover started with Maya’s Notebook, and also deciding to tackle the thriller genre, Allende tells a gripping story about a serial killer on the loose in San Francisco and the teenage girl determined to find him/her. Booklist starred review.

The Trident by Jason Redman: A Navy SEAL’s highly-charged account of his combat missions in Iraq and his miraculous recovery from wounds that might have killed him—if it were not for his grit and the devotion of his wife and family.

We Are Water by Wally Lamb: From the New York Times bestselling author of Shes Come Undone, a disquieting and ultimately uplifting novel about a marriage, a family, and human resilience in the face of tragedy.

Worthy Brown's Daughter by Phillip Margolin: Nearly thirty years in the writing–and a remarkable departure for house best-selling author Phillip Margolin–Worthy Brown’s Daughter is a gripping novel of frontier justice based on a heart-breaking true story of racism in the 19th-century Oregon Territory.

Click here for all the contest details!

My love for Willy Vlautin's writing is well documented. The Motel Life is one of my favorite books, and his latest novel, The Free is fabulous as well.

“In The Free, Willy Vlautin gives us a portrait of American life that is so hard and so heartbreaking that it should be unbearable, but it isn't. The straightforward beauty of Vlautin's writing, and the tender care he shows his characters, turns a story of struggle into indispensable reading.  I couldn't recommend it more highly.” —Ann Patchett

"Willy is brilliant in the way his simple prose gets to my heart; I worried about the characters for days after I finished the book. I can’t wait to start recommending The Free to library patrons and book groups.” —Robin Beerbower, Salem Public Library, Oregon

The votes are in, and congratulations are in order for the fabulous Sarah MacLean and her latest novel, No Good Duke Goes Unpunished. It has the number one spot on LibraryReads' December list. The talented and beloved, Adriana Trigiani also made the list with The Supreme Macaroni Company. 

Are you voting? If not, you should be! Voting is processed through Edelweiss, but if you need instructions on how to sign-up, please click here.

Have questions about LibraryReads?? Here is a handy (and attractive) FAQ sheet.

– Annie

The ever so talented Ann Patchett stopped by the studio to say hello to librarians and thank you all for the hard work you do. Her latest book, This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage, is on sale now.

Judging by the cold snap we had in New York this week, winter is on its way.  While I am looking forward to ice skating, hot chocolate, and fluffy socks, I’m also more than a little worried about the freezing sleet, treacherous ice patches, and runny noses that are the inevitable consequences of the season.  So instead of braving the long trek to the grocery store in a winter not-wonderland, I think I’ll celebrate my victory over the season and experience the cold vicariously by staying inside, curling up in a warm cocoon of blankets, and reading these wintery books.

In Mind of Winter, Holly is stuck in the house on a snowy Christmas morning with Tatiana, her adopted daughter from Russia.  As more and more snow falls, Holly becomes increasingly convinced that something followed her and her husband home from Russia, something evil now inside the house, inside themselves.  With each passing hour, Tatiana becomes more and more moody, her behavior increasingly disturbing and frightening, until Holly finds she can no longer recognize her daughter.  A psychologically suspenseful tale of denial and guilt, Mind of Winter is sure to make you consider leaving the house after all.

As Russia celebrates victory over the Nazis, shots ring throughout the streets of Moscow in One Night in Winter.  Two schoolchildren are found dead—murder? Suicide pact? A love triangle? A conspiracy against Stalin himself?—leading to a terrifying investigation in which Stalin orders the arrest of children ages seven to seventeen.  Though every parent’s worst nightmare, the investigation unveils two potentially fatal love affairs at the children’s elite school.  Based on real events, this is a passionate tale of love, marriage, adultery, family, and childhood.

Now all I have to do is stock up on soup and I’ll be ready for my annual hibernation!

-Amanda

New Adult is such a hot category recently and we are feeding the frenzy with a ton of great new authors, including Cora Carmack, Shannon Stoker (who's mom is a librarian), and J. Lynn to name a few. 

Some titles hitting shelves near you include:

Foreplay by Sophie Jordan: The first in a trilogy by the New York Times bestseller  
set in a prestigious—but not pristine (there are rumors of an underground kink club)—Ivy League university where three suite-mates find love with some unlikely guys. In this first part, before Pepper goes after the life she’s always wanted, she’s going to find the one she needs. Hot!

The Marked Men Series by Jay Crownover is about three tattooed bad boys and the girls who love them. The first was Rule, but now comes…. Jet by Jay Crownover: Jet Keller is every girl’s rock and roll fantasy, but Ayden Cross is done with bad boys. She doesn’t want to give in to the heat between them for fear it will consume them both. Smokin'!

Do you like George R. R. Martin?  Kristin Cashore?  Phillippa Gregory?  If you’re like me and pretty much go crazy for strong heroines, clashing kingdoms, and a hint of the supernatural, get excited for debut author Erika Johansen’s The Queen of the Tearling. 

Nineteen-year-old Kelsea Glynn is finally coming out of hiding.  Kelsea’s mother, the beautiful yet vain and stupid Queen Elyssa, died mysteriously eighteen years before, leaving the Tearling kingdom to be ruled by her equally stupid brother, the Regent.  Together they succeeded in running the Tearling into the ground, emptying its coffers and enslaving portions of its population every year as tithes to the larger, fearsome, neighboring kingdom Mortmesme and its tyrant leader The Red Queen.  Now that she has come of age, the tattered remnants of the Queen’s Guard retrieve Kelsea from the isolated cabin where she was raised so that she may take back the throne from the Regent, defy The Red Queen, and lead the Tearling out of its darkest times.

Johansen has created a very unique and vivid landscape for this book; an Earth from the future after some mysterious event wiped away all landmarks and technology but also left behind a few cultural relics like The Hobbit and the Harry Potter series.  You’ll be rooting the whole way for Kelsea as she faces bands of mercenaries, snobby nobles, and corrupt officials and ultimately begins to blossom into a just and loving ruler for her kingdom.  This is the first in a trilogy, and I already am anxious for next book to come out.  I guess I’ll accept a movie deal starring Emma Watson as compensation for having to wait.  It’s a tough life.

-Amanda

If you are anything like me, you are just going to spend the next two months eating your face off. Between turkey, ham, potatoes, chocolate, and pie, the end of 2013 promises to be awesome and also gluttonous. Don't worry, come 2014 gyms will offer membership deals and you will be able to snag these helpful guides (or if you are still like me, you'll read these books while eating leftovers on your couch as you strongly consider going to the gym).

The Body Book by the gorgeous Cameron Diaz who 
shares her formula for becoming happier, healthier, and stronger in this guide to the female body inspired by her personal experiences. I'd be ok with having anything in common with her. 

From Sandra Bullock to Naomi Watts to Anne Hathaway, trainer Simone de la Rue sculpts some of the hottest bodies In Hollywood. Now, in Body By Simone, she shares her fitness secrets, showing women how to achieve an A-list body using her fun and unique strength training and cardio workouts.

So let's make a pact. We'll read these books, and keep those resolutions to get in shape…oh hang on, it's $.10 wings night…rain check?

– Annie

If you missed out on our The Boy Detective giveaway a few days ago, have no fear!  Roger recently came into the studio and read part of his book aloud for you all to enjoy.  Check out this video to hear him read a bit of his memoir as he walks the streets of his childhood.

-Amanda