May 2014

Today the ever so delightful Katherine Hall Page has stopped by to celebrate her book birthday! Small Plates is now on sale and ready to be reserved at your local library, so make sure you are on the list! 

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I wrote my first short story when I was about nine years old. And then didn’t write another one for over thirty years. The first one has been lost in the mists of time, but I believe it was about my dolls coming to life and I’m pretty sure fairies played a part. What I do recall is sending it in to my favorite magazine, Jack & Jill. They sent back a very kind rejection letter, which I found some years ago in a box of things my mother had saved. 

Essentially we start our reading lives with short stories and I, for one, have continued to love them. In school, our readers were made up of short stories, each chapter, even in Dick and Jane, was a complete tale. Then there was My Weekly Reader, which always had a piece of fiction mixed in with the news.

My Livingston, New Jersey librarian, Ruth Rockwood, must have also been a fan of the genre. When I was older and allowed to check out books from the adult section, she steered me toward many authors: O. Henry, Willa Cather, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Eudora Welty, Katherine Mansfield, to name a few. It was through an anthology from the library that I discovered the pleasure of spine tingling reading—Edgar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce, Shirley Jackson and Saki in particular. 

As a writer, I find short stories much more difficult to write than novels. And, although I quite like the ones I’ve done for Small Plates, I do not kid myself that I have mastered the form. To be as able at longer fiction as short is rare, especially in the mystery genre—Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and, more recently, Robert Barnard are without equal. Henry David Thoreau summed it up best, perhaps, observing to a friend: “Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short.” 

I don’t understand why some readers avoid short stories—“I want to read something that’s not over so quickly” is one comment I often hear. A good short story not only lingers on the palate, but also prods us to think deeply about what might happen next—and even what might have occurred earlier. Small Plates is all about the pleasure of ordering tapas or several appetizers instead of an entrée.

Enjoy!

Introducing the next hysterical romantic (mis)adventure from the internationally bestselling Mhairi McFarlane, author of You Had Me At Hello! 

Despite the oddballs that keep turning up on her dates, Anna couldn’t be happier. As a 30-something with a job she loves, life has turned out better than she dared dream. However, things weren’t always this way, and her years spent as the butt of schoolyard jokes are ones she’d rather forget.

So when James Fraser – the architect of Anna’s final humiliation at school – walks back into her life, her world is turned upside down. But James seems a changed man. Polite. Mature. Funny, even. People can change, right? So why does Anna feel like she’s a fool to trust him? 

Reserve an early copy of Here’s Looking at You today, and experience this laugh-out-loud funny and romantic story! 

You can also enter Mhairi’s cover contest! Post a photo recreating the cover of You Had Me At Hello as a comment to this Facebook post. One lucky winner will be chosen by Mhairi to win a gift certificate to Warby Parker. 

Get creative! We're so excited to see your version of the cover, however you want to recreate it. Five random photos will also be chosen by the Harper 360 team to be featured on their Facebook page the day after the contest ends. Good luck! 

I made no secret of my own love for The Orphans of Race Point by Patry Francis, and praise for this book just keeps on coming.  A starred review from Booklist says, "this beautifully wrought novel is a sometimes wrenching but ultimately uplifting story of murder and betrayal in the face of faith, family in its truest sense, and—most of all—love," and Library Journal just released its own starred review for this beautifully tragic novel: 

"Like Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, this sprawling second novel by Massachusetts author Francis (The Liar’s Diary) starts out with a traumatic incident involving a young boy befriended by a girl and expands from there into a Dickensian story in which criminals with murky motives mingle casually with the pure of heart. But instead of London or New York City, the tangled lives of the two motherless children, Gus and Hallie, and their friend, Neil, unfold on the beaches and narrow streets of Provincetown, on the outermost tip of Cape Cod, and in the seacoast city of New Bedford, MA. Fate lies heavily on the characters, as the book explores fatherhood, inheritance, human behavior, and the aspects of ourselves that can be changed. VERDICT Steeped in sea air and completely ignoring the tourist season, this story captures the essence of year-round life on the Cape and the Portuguese Catholic traditions of New Bedford fishermen as its themes of passionate treachery and abiding love play out in sometimes heartbreaking ways. Recommend to readers wondering what to read after The Goldfinch."—Laurie Cavanaugh, Holmes P.L., Halifax, MA

Congratulations to Patry Francis and The Orphans of Race Point!

-Amanda

First of all, check out those gruesome covers.  Yikes.  Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s epic vampire trilogy (The Strain, The Fall, and The Night Eternal) follows a ragtag group of humans—including a CDC investigator, a Holocaust survivor, and a former gangbanger—as they battle a mysterious and ever-widening vampiric virus that threatens to take over New York City, and soon the whole world.  And now, if your imagination just doesn’t quite cut it, the series comes to the small screen this July on FX in The Strain.  Judging by those TV-tie-in covers and these two teaser trailers, we are in for one chilling ride. 

-Amanda

David Wellington is a delight. Some of you might be familiar with him for his Monster Island Trilogy, some might remember him for his appearance at TLA (zombie historical figures featured in his short story). Either way, I super support you checking out his latest book The Hydra Protocol, in which Jim Chapel must infiltrate a top secret Russian military base and disable an unstable supercomputer.

David has popped in today, on the birthday of his book, to share some thoughts about his childhood library. 

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I’ve written before about the library where I worked, but today I’d like to take a second for some fond memories of the library where I grew up. It was sprawling and full of people. It was built of oiled wood, painted steel shelving, scuffed linoleum; it sounded like the repetitive chunk-chunk of the machine that printed out due dates. It was heaven.

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Guest Blogger: David WellingtonRead More »

We're Number 1! We're Number 1! And such modest winners. This month's LibraryReads list was just announced and Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey was chosen as the #1 book. In more exciting news, The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank also made the list. Thank you everyone who loved and voted for these books! 

Are you voting? Get onto Edelweiss to submit and have your voice heard!

– Annie

Elizabeth is Missing by debut novelist Emma Healey is a particular favorite of Amanda's and today has been chosen as the featured review on Booklist's website in honor of Mystery Month. 

Simultaneously a sophisticated mystery and a heartbreakingly honest meditation on memory and identity, Elizabeth is Missing possesses an unforgettable narrator in Maud, a grandmother fighting a losing battle against the devastating effects of memory loss.

"Part mystery, part meditation on memory, part Dickensian revelation of how apparent charity may hurt its recipients, this is altogether brilliant."
– Booklist

This book goes on sale June 10, but until then you can snag an egalley on Edelweiss.

– Annie

Dale Brown is a prolific writer and has had many military fiction bestsellers. His latest book, Starfire, finds Bradley James McLanahan alone for the first time since the death of his heroic father, Patrick McLanahan, and thrust into the middle of what could become a global battle for control of space.

Dale wrote a beautiful piece about the importance of libraries in his life, and we are happy to have him share that with us today.

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HOME AWAY FROM HOME–in more ways than one

by Dale Brown

Where was your favorite place growing up? Grandma's kitchen? Your bedroom with the dog sleeping on your bed? The basement with the race car set attached to a huge sheet of plywood?

Mine was most definitely the library.

The old red brick North Park Library at the corner of Delaware and Hertel Avenues in Buffalo was my first introduction into the world of libraries. My Dad took me there to sign up for Little League one evening, but I soon forgot about baseball and started roaming the shelves, pulling out books and marveling about how many there were, covering every imaginable subject–and they were free, except if I forgot to return one on time.

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Guest Blogger: Dale BrownRead More »

There’s been a lot of buzz (pun totally intended) going around about Laline Paull’s debut novel The Bees, and yesterday we finally celebrated its Book Birthday. 

The Bees is literally about bees, set in an ancient society where only the Queen may breed and any deformity means death. When a devout young worker bee finds herself in the possession of a deadly secret, she becomes a hunted criminal whose decisions will mean life and death for her entire hive.

The Bees was chosen by librarians as one of May’s Top 10 LibraryReads picks, and Library Journal named it Debut of the Month, saying in a starred review “Paull’s debut presents the intricate world of the honeybee hive, where devotion and service are sacred, and caste, politics, and power are as present as in any human royal court. A powerful story reminiscent of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, in which one original and independent thinker can change the course of a whole society.”  Shelf Awareness shared an interview with Laline about the background and inspiration for the novel, BookPage published an excellent review, and make sure you check out our own video with Laline (I just love the poem about libraries she quotes at the end).

Get in on this buzz and join the hive by picking up a copy today!

-Amanda

As a longtime TD Bank customer, I can't dispute that I love their pens and how convenient are those coin counters? Obviously, I know exactly what makes a great bank and am super qualified to discuss it (ha!). Luckily, we have an actual expert who can. 

In Banking on America: How TD Bank Rose to the Top and Took on the U.S.A. Howard Green discusses how TD Bank, an iconic Canadian company, has outshone its American counterparts and is now taking over their world. 

TD Bank began as The Bank of Toronto, and was started by a group of flour millers and grain dealers. In the 1950s former CEO Keith Gray spent his days filling inkwells and packing revolvers for protection in rural Ontario. Today CEO, Ed Clark, oversees more than half a trillion dollars in assets, 74,000 employees and 10 million Internet customers (no pressure).

Check out this video where Howard Green discusses exactly how this bank has grown to be so successful.

– Annie

May has finally arrived, and for me that means sunshine, flowers blooming, and the inevitable beginning of wedding season.  To celebrate the return of warmth and outdoor ceremonies, I’ve picked out my Top 3 favorite romances currently available on Edelweiss.  Fantasy, espionage, and bad boys are involved.

The Winter King by C.L. Wilson: Fantasy + Romance = I’m in heaven.  The kingdoms of Wintercraig and Summerlea have been at war ever since King Wynter’s brother/heir was murdered and bride stolen by a Summerlea prince.  For revenge, Wynter decides to mirror the offense by taking one of the beloved Summerlea princesses as a wife, on the condition that she bears him an heir within one year.  If she cannot, he will turn her out into the snow and move on to the next.  The Summer King chooses his fourth daughter, Khamsin—by far his least favorite offspring—as the first offering to the Winter King.  Khamsin and Wynter must work together to end the war between the two countries, protect their land from a greater threat, and save Wynter from his own magic that is slowly freezing his heart.  If you want epic battles and magic paired with a sensual and touching love story, look no further.

The Secrets of a Scoundrel by Gaelen Foley: What’s a romance list without at least one historical romance?  In the final installment of Foley’s Inferno Club series, Lord Nick Forrester, imprisoned for crimes against the Inferno Club, can’t believe his eyes when beautiful Lady Virginia Burke appears before his cell.  Her offer: his freedom in return for help in bringing down an international crime syndicate.  Damaged Nick and independent Virginia both have secrets they don’t want to share, but as they delve deeper into the investigation and sparks fly, they both might find the forgiveness and love they’re looking for.

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Love is in the Air (and I’m not talking about pollen)Read More »

Steven D. Levitt, and Stephen J. Dubner, the authors of that little known book, Freakonomics, have a new book out in May! Think Like a Freak will take readers further inside their special thought process, revealing a new way of approaching the decisions we make, the plans we create, and the morals we choose. It answers the question on the lips of everyone who’s read the previous books: How can I apply these ideas to my life? How do I make smarter, harder, and better decisions?

In this video the authors give a shout out to libraries and explain why thinking like a freak might just change your life.