January 2014

The ALA Mid-Winter conference was held this past weekend in Philadelphia, and that means so many awards were announced for books that were published in 2013. We want to give a huge congratulations to all of the winners, but especially to all of our HarperCollins titles that were honored this year:

The Listen List, for audio books: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman and The Son by Phillipp Meyer

The Sophie Brody Medal, for outstanding achievement in Jewish literature: Like Dreamers by Yossi Klein Halevi

The Reading List: Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare, Romance; One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean, Romance Short List;The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker, Fantasy Short List;  Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight, Women’s Fiction Short List

Notable List: The Riddle of the Labyrinth by Margalit Fox, Nonfiction

The Alex Award, for adult titles with teen appeal: Help for the Haunted by John Searles and The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell.

The Listen List for Outstanding Audio Book Narration: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman and The Son by Philipp Meyer. 

BCALA Best Poetry Award: Chasing Utopia by Nikki Giovanni

Newbery Honor: The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes

(Theodor Seuss) Geisel Honor: Penny and Her Marble by Kevin Henkes

Coretta Scott King Author Award: P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia; Darius & Twig by Walter Dean Myers

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award: Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson

Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor: Tito Puente, Mambo King/Tito Puente, Rey del Mambo by Monica Brown

Schneider Family Book Award: Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell

A big round of applause for our winners! If you haven’t read these notable books yet, now’s the time to catch up and see where the books of 2013 have set the bar for the upcoming year.

-Amanda

Virginia is a big fan of Ruth Kassinger's first book, Paradise Under Glass, so her latest one, A Garden of Marvels (on sale 2/25) has had a lot of buzz around our department. We just gave away a bunch of galleys at ALA Midwinter, so hopefully some of you were able to snag one. 

We aren't the only ones buzzing about this book either, it has garnered starred reviews from Library Journal, Kirkus and Publishers Weekly.

Ruth has very nicely agreed to guest blog, so welcome!

***

When I was fifteen and a student in Baltimore, I fell in love with the early twentieth-century poet Mina Loy. I’d read a few of her crackling, avant-garde poems in an anthology, and was intrigued by her wit. She was little remembered in the 1970s, and when I looked for a copy of Lunar Baedeker, the source of those poems, the closest, and perhaps only, available copy was at the Library of Congress. I determined I would go there and read her book. My father thought this a long way to go for some old “pomes,” but agreed to drop me at Penn Station on his way to work downtown. I caught a train to Washington’s Union Station, and then walked fifteen minutes to the library.

Entering the main reading room was (and is) like stepping into a great cathedral, all soaring dome, painted ceiling, and multiple tiers of marble columns. I found the information for Loy’s book in the wooden card catalogs, filled out a retrieval slip, and handed it to the librarian at the (aptly circular) circulation desk. The book was rare, she said, and not housed in the regular stacks; she directed me down some lofty, echoing hallways to the Rare Book Room. I was delighted: now I was on a Rare Quest. Again, I handed over my slip.

The librarian in this rather pedestrian room asked for identification, and I produced my high school I.D. She looked at it, and told me, regretfully, that one must be eighteen to look at rare books. I was stunned. What had my age got to do with poetry? I was terribly shy, but disappointment overwhelmed my diffidence. I had come so far, I said, no doubt a little tremulously. Wasn’t there someone I could talk to? She directed me to the office of the Librarian of Congress. 

Did I actually speak to the Librarian of Congress? Not knowing that this librarian was a bit different than Mrs. Sachs at my local branch, I didn’t pay attention to his name. In any case, this older man took pity on me, walked me back to the Rare Book Room, and explained that an exception had been made. I spent a few hours with Loy’s small book––green cover, I recall––and developed a new appreciation for librarians, not to mention polite persistence. Writing as I do at the intersection of history, science, and journalism, appreciation of both continues to serve me well. 

– Ruth Kassinger

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Thank you, Ruth!  You can snag a copy on Edelweiss, FYI.

– Annie

Today we celebrate the book birthday of That Old Black Magic by Mary Jane Clark. She's been lovely enough to share some of her thoughts with us:

*****

Dear Librarians,

It’s been a lifelong love affair…my relationship with the Public Library.

If not for the Public Library, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind, I wouldn’t be writing books today.  When I was a kid, there were no Barnes and Nobles and, even if there had been, my parents didn’t necessarily have the extra cash lying around to buy the latest Nancy Drew or Trixie Belden mystery.  My sister and I carefully selected our books from the shelves of the Public Library. 

When we were little, we went to story hour, where the elderly librarian would read to us, even, as happened during one snowstorm, when we were the only ones there.  As we grew older, we would stop most days as we walked home after school to see if there was anything neat on the “NEW BOOKS” rack.  We studied there and researched there and sometimes just enjoyed the quiet there.  We treasured our library cards.  We learned to love reading.

Many years have passed, and, now, I still have to pinch myself sometimes and feel truly honored when I see one of my books on a library shelf or hear there is a waiting list for the newest title.  As I’ve traveled around the country or perused e-mails, I’ve learned how many, many readers have been able to get my books at the public library.  That exposure has helped immeasurably in building a fan base.  I am beyond grateful for that.  It also gives me immense pleasure to know that people, even if they can’t necessarily afford to purchase my books, can still enjoy them.  

You hold in your hands That Old Black Magic, the latest installment in the Piper Donovan/Wedding Cake mystery series.  This time, Piper goes to New Orleans to work at a famous French Quarter pastry shop.   She’s immediately enthralled by the charming sights, sounds and smells of the old city.  But the magical mood quickly turns sinister when one of the local business owners is found dead, with the vicious crime pointing to the work of one of the hoodoo spirits.  Soon, past secrets are exposed and Piper is caught in a web of intrigue and suspense.

Booklist has given That Old Black Magic an early thumbs up.  “Clark is skilled at providing motive and opportunity to many characters and keeping the suspense building to the end.”

I have high hopes for That Old Black Magic.  I hope you will enjoy it and spread the word to your library patrons.

With much gratitude,

Mary Jane Clark

****

Thank you, Mary Jane!

– Annie 

The Mystery Writers of America has announced their nominees for the 2014 Edgar and Mary Higgins Clark Awards and we are proud to say HarperCollins has four nominated titles!

Best First Novel by an American Author:  Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

Best Paperback Novel:  The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne

Mary Higgins Clark Award:  The Money Kill by Katia Lief

Mary Higgins Clark Award:  There Was an Old Woman by Hallie Ephron

Awards will be presented to the winners on May 1, 2014, so make sure you stay tuned here for more info!

-Amanda

London, 1385.  Unrest festers in King Richard II’s court, caused by an ancient book of prophecies which foretells the young ruler’s assassination.  John Gower, a minor poet and professional purveyor of information, is asked by wily bureaucrat Geoffrey Chaucer to find the book and avert a full-blown scandal.  The search for the book and the deadly conspiracy it foretells reaches all the way from the royal court to the most disreputable slums and brothels of medeival London.

Fans of historical fiction with lots of intrigue should definitely take note of A Burnable Book by Bruce Holsinger, award-winning scholar of the medeival period.  But you don’t have to wait to sink your teeth into all the betrayal, murder, and court intrigue in this literary mystery: Holsinger is giving away 10 advanced readers editions of the book from his Facebook page.  The deadline to enter is tomorrow, January 17, so don’t miss out!

-Amanda

I can’t resist a good love story, especially one with just a hint of tragedy, so it’s no surprise that I really enjoyed The Orphans of Race Point by Patry Francis, an artfully written novel of suspense, betrayal, family, and love told through the voices of three distinct characters over the course of several decades. 

Hallie and Gus have been fated for each other ever since they were nine years old when, after Gus’s mother was brutally murdered by his father, Hallie was able to bring solace to the traumatized boy in the form of two fish and David Copperfield.  Hallie and Gus reconnect and fall in love when they are both sixteen, but the violence seemingly inherant in Gus’s family isn’t far behind.  After a violent encounter that leaves Hallie in the hospital, Gus shocks everyone—and devastates Hallie—when he decides to join the seminary.  A few years and one horrific betrayal later, Gus is sentenced to life in prison for murdering Ava Cilento, mother of the third narator, Mila.  The lives of Hallie, Gus, and Mila clash and intersect as each tries to find transcendance in the face of hardship.

Patry superbly captures the three characters’ voices, and I was especially impressed with the teenaged Mila.  Patry dives into the separate motivations, memories, and thoughts of all three characters with clear, lyrical writing that reveals the enduring power of the deep bonds of love and what it means to be family.  I definitely recommend you check it out on Edelweiss.

-Amanda

Drum roll please… The February LibraryReads list has just been announced, and we are ecstatic to reveal that HarperCollins has four titles!  Your votes were counted, and The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick, This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash, After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman,and Ripper by Isabel Allende were all chosen as a February Top 10.  Thank you to everyone who read, loved, and voted for these wonderful titles!

Anne de Courcy is a journalist and prolific non-fiction writer, having penned eleven books including Diana Mosley, Debs at War, and The Viceroy’s Daughters. Her latest book, The Fishing Fleet: Husband Hunting in the Raj, goes on sale March 4th and she stopped by today to talk about her favorite library.

***

Two things are essential to me in my writing life, both highly individual and horrendously expensive but to me, worth every penny – my Burmese cats and the London Library (annual subscription: £460).

My cats, a brother and sister with glossy bitter-chocolate coats and huge golden eyes, are a constant source of joy, amusement and aesthetic pleasure. If you live alone, as I do, it is not only a comfort to have something else with a heartbeat in the house but a salutary reminder that one’s own wishes cannot always be paramount. It is truly said that dogs have owners but cats have staff.

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Guest Blogger: Anne de CourcyRead More »

From the Sundance Festival to the Oscars, Anne Thompson, a seasoned Hollywood veteran, breaks down the movie industry month by month in her new book, The $11 Billion Year. It is an incredibly interesting read detailing the movies, the moguls, and the moviegoers that, in 2012, delivered Hollywood’s biggest domestic box-office ever.

Our very beloved, Nora Rawlinson had this to say about it:

“The $11Billion Year makes you feel like a Hollywood insider. No matter how much you think you know about the movie industry, you’ll learn more from Anne Thompson. She lives and breathes the business.”

And doesn't this quote just ooze juiciness?? 

"Ace Hollywood analyst Anne Thompson not only knows where the bodies are buried—she digs them up for you!" – Peter Rainer, author, Rainer on Film: Thirty Years of Film Writing in a Turbulent and Transformative Era