September 2014

Love is in the air! Check out these great romance novels from beloved authors, Tessa Dare and Eloisa James

Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare: The second book in the Castles Ever After series features Miss Clio Whitmore, a lovely young woman who is fed up with waiting for her fiancé, the Marquess of Granville, to finally agree to set a date. She plans on saying adios, sir because it has been 8 YEARS since he proposed, and nada wedding. However, the Marquess’ brother, Rafe, has something to say about this and vows that his brother will marry Clio, even if he has to woo her himself to make it happen. You can imagine that this plan has some holes and amongst the flowers, cakes, wining, and dining, Rafe begins to realize the outcome might not be exactly what he originally bargained for. 

Author John Searles loves book clubs and has set himself a challenge to meet with one book club in every state in the nation! If he makes it to all 50 states in the next year, the first book club to talk to him in each state will win a tote bag full of books for every member! 

John’s already scheduled talks with clubs from many states, but he hasn’t yet received any entrants from book clubs in the states of Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada, North Dakota and Wyoming. So if your library is in one of those states and has a book club – sign up now, chances are you’ll be the first and could win a Skype with John, plus a huge pile of books!

Read on for the details on how to enter your book club to win John!

…

John Searles Wants to Talk to 1 Book Club From Every StateRead More »

From the author of The Girl with a Clock for a Heart comes The Kind Worth Killing, another dark literary suspense novel about a random encounter and the murders that follow. On a late flight from London to Boston millionaire Ted Severson meets the mysterious and beautiful Lily Kintner. Over one too many martinis, Ted reveals secrets about his wife Miranda—how his marriage has gone stale, how a week ago he caught her in an adulterous act with their architect. And when Ted jokes that he would like to kill Miranda for what she’s done, Lily calmly states, “I’d like to help.” After all, she continues, what difference does it make if a few bad apples get pushed along a little sooner than life intended? 

Back in Boston, Ted and Lily forge a strange, twisted bond while plotting Miranda’s demise. But Lily has her own dark history she’s not sharing with Ted, and suddenly these co-conspirators are pulled into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with some very surprising results.

This book is SO good – I really liked his first one, but this one is stellar. It has 3 separate parts and at the end of each, you are just like WHA???? What just happened??

Joe Hill, author of NOS4A2 and Horns says “A work of lovely violence and graceful malevolence, The Kind Worth Killing slips into your life like a stiletto in the ribs. This is a book that launches Peter Swanson straight into the ranks of the killer elite, alongside Tana French, Gillian Flynn, and Lauren Beukes. He’s the real deal.”  

Tony Schumacher has twisted history in his thrilling debut novel, and makes us wonder what would have happened had Germany conquered England in WWII? The Darkest Hour (ON SALE TODAY!) follows John Henry Rossett, a hardened, former British detective reluctantly working for the SS in the Office of Jewish Affairs. But when John discovers a young Jewish boy hiding in an abandoned building, he breaks from the SS, and vows to protect the child and hopefully achieve what he has believed was impossible—redemption.

Tony joins us today to discuss the ties that bond – Library Books. Welcome!

****

There is a post going around on Facebook at the moment. You’ve probably seen it: “List ten books that have changed you or stayed with you…”
Even though I spend my time on Facebook saying “please don’t tag me”… I got tagged.

I guess that’s what Facebook friends are for.

…

Guest Blogger: Tony Schumacher, author of The Darkest HourRead More »

A round of applause is in order for Sophie Hannah and The Monogram Murders.  This new Hercule Poirot mystery—the first sanctioned by the Agatha Christie estate—went on sale last week and has blasted up to the #13 spot on the New York Times bestseller list.  But it's not just book buyers who love this mystery; Sophie Hannah's addition to the Christie canon has also been showered with starred reviews.

On top of the starred reviews it has received from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, The Monogram Murders has also been awarded another starred review from Booklist Online:

"The return of Hercule Poirot after a 40-year absence is certain to please the legions of Agatha Christie fans, young and old, forced to content themselves with rereading the master. Working with the authorization of the Christie estate, Hannah, known for her psychological thrillers, proves more than capable at re-creating the legendary Belgian detective, who once again puts his “little grey cells” to good use, this time in unraveling an exquisitely tangled triple murder. Attempting to take some time away from his regular detective work, Poirot is staying in a London residential hotel. One night, dining solo at a nearby café, he encounters a distraught woman who claims to be “beyond help.” The woman quickly disappears, but Poirot becomes convinced, for reasons we only learn much later, that she is somehow connected to three murders in an upscale hotel, crimes that have the Belgian’s hotel mate, Scotland Yard Inspector Catchpool, completely baffled. Poirot elbows himself into the action, mercilessly ordering Catchpool about while he interviews hotel staff and gets his deductive juices flowing. Hannah sticks to the Christie formula, embellishing now and again, and making the most of the hapless but quite sympathetic Catchpool as the largely clueless narrator. Not that there aren’t a plethora of clues on offer. Hannah lards this retro dish with a surfeit of red herrings and, of course, plenty of suspects, all of which will satisfy fans of Golden Age whodunits. Poirot is at his lordly, flamboyant best during the Great Reveal, staged at the hotel, which is likely to leave even the most determined clue-sniffers reeling. Christie devotees will be devoutly hoping that Hannah plans on a few more twirls of Poirot’s mustache. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Morrow is pulling out all the stops to ensure that Poirot’s return is trumpeted wherever cozy fans take their tea."

Congratulations, Sophie, Hercule, and The Monogram Murders!

-Amanda

A Trifecta of Good Taste – Library Journal, the Romantic Times, and our own Amanda Rountree – were all fans of The Clockwork Dagger, Beth Cato's debut novel about a young woman setting off to heal her broken nation and the adventures she encounters on her way. But wait….there is more!

Entertainment Weekly's Shelf Life had this to say:

“[The Clockwork Dagger takes an] intriguing approach, and a rewarding one. While Octavia doesn’t use violence to solve her problems, she’s no pushover. She’s empathetic and strong of spirit, a believer in the ancient ways of alchemy—which puts her at odds with the encroaching science of her world’s steampunk revolution. And it is her world, not ours; like other steampunk works, The Clockwork Dagger is set in a completely fabricated universe rather than an alternate version of our own. This makes for some dazzling, uniquely detailed backdrops. It also frees Cato from having to haul around the Victorian Era’s real-world baggage—and it helps level the playing field for those who aren’t as familiar with steampunk’s particulars.”

Beth also wrote a fantastic piece about steampunk & genre-bending on The Huffington Post.

If like me, you love Alan Cumming, it will be something you ALSO have in common with Barbara Hoffert who did a splendid job of interviewing him about his new book, Not My Father's Son (on sale 10/7). In his own entertaining voice (too bad we can't actually hear the delightful accent), Alan shares the emotional story of his complicated relationship with his father and the deeply buried family secrets that shaped his life and career.     

You can watch the whole interview here (worth it!), but here are some snippets to whet your interest:

 "What did you discover about your family and why did you turn it into a book?" 

"How did you find the courage to confront your father?"

Watch, Read, Enjoy!  And if you happen to be in NYC, go see Alan in Cabaret! It's magic.

– Annie

If you take a step back and actually think about it, the existence of humankind as we know it is pretty amazing.  In his forthcoming revolutionary work Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Harari draws on both biology and history to form a narrative of how humanity was formed, how we've evolved, and a speculative look at what the future could hold for us.  

To get a taste of the kind of topics discussed, the author has created a great website with a few short videos that introduce some of the ideas he posits in the book, like how humans are the only organisms on the planet that believe in things that exist purely in their imagination and how this has allowed humankind to evolve way beyond anything else.  Check out one of his videos below:

The videos are only short teasers for his arguments, but if you find your appetite whetted for more Sapiens, head on over to Edelweiss to download an egalley. 

-Amanda

Congratulations to Alan Cumming and his amazing memoir, Not My Father's Son, which was chosen as the #4 pick on the LibraryReads October list!

In his book, the acclaimed actor shares the emotional story of his complicated relationship with his father and the deeply buried family secrets that shaped his life and career.

Barbara Hoffert from Library Journal did a great interview with Alan which you can watch here. As ever, her questions are spot on!

Make sure to grab a copy and thanks to all who voted! For information on how to participate, visit the LR site.

In the words of author Alix Christie, Gutenberg's Apprentice tells the story of the of "the world's first tech start-up": the birth of printing.  This debut novel has received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist, and should instantly grab the interest of anyone who loves the printed word.  Ms. Christie stopped by our offices to share some terrific behind-the-scenes info about the novel and the true story that inspired it.

Gutenberg's Apprentice goes on sale September 23, but you still have time to get in an early read by downloading an egalley from Edelweiss.  Enjoy!

-Amanda

I adored Susanna Daniel’s first book, Stiltsville. In fact, I couldn’t stop talking about it!  I was equally crazy about Daniel’s follow up book, Sea Creatures.  I’m thrilled that it has been selected as a September Target Book Club pick.

My colleague Kate McCune has a wonderful blog that you all should check out.  Kate is a rep with a nose for all that is good—and I’m glad she’s included Sea Creatures in her latest posting.

Do yourself a favor and read Susanna Daniel.  She’s a terrific writer.

-Virginia 

While we might not know where New Adult books belong on the shelves, we can definitely be sure that readers want them there.  The New Adult genre has steadily grown more and more popular as people become aware of these stories about men and women in their early twenties, in college, or otherwise just starting out in their adult lives.  Whether you’re a dedicated fan or a new reader to the genre, we have a few forthcoming New Adult books from three of the most popular authors that are definitely worth checking out.

All Broke Down by Cora Carmack: Texas, football, and romance combine in a Friday Night Lights-esque series centered around the fictional Rusk University football team.  This second book in the series (after All Lined Up) follows a chronic champion for lost causes and a football player who realizes he might need some fixing after all.

Wild by Sophie Jordan: This third and final book in the Ivy Chronicles finds the last suitemate, Georgia—previously dubbed “boring” and “predictable” by her ex-boyfriend—deciding to change her image by attending the campus kink club, but finding more there than she bargained for.

Better When He’s Bold by Jay Crownover: The second Welcome to the Point novel, featuring bad boys from the wrong side of the tracks and the women who love them.  This sequel to Better When He’s Bad follows the new underground leader of the Point and the girl who turns to him for protection when she realizes her life is in danger. 

All of these novels can be enjoyed without having read the previous books in their respective series, but dedicated readers will enjoy seeing a little of the happily-ever-after of the previous books’ couples.  Regardless, they’re all available for egalley download from Edelweiss, so get reading!

-Amanda

 This fall, PBS will air a new Ken Burns documentary, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History. The documentary will air in seven parts, premiering Sunday, September 14 at 8 pm, and running to early November. The Roosevelts chronicles the lives of Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, and it will be the first time in a major documentary television series that their individual stories have been interwoven into a single narrative.

To prepare for this TV event, check out The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, a self-portrait no biography can match for its candor and liveliness, its wisdom, tolerance, and breadth of view—a self-portrait of one of the greatest American humanitarians of our time.

Eleanore, Franklin, and Theodore Roosevelt were major figures during very important times in United States history.  Don't miss this opportunity to watch how this family changed the country, and the world.  

-Amanda

 Set in a logging town on the lawless Pacific coast of Washington State at the turn of the twentieth century, The Bully of Order tells the story of the Ellstrom family and the violent social and historical forces that tear them apart.  This novel of darkness, redemption, and western civilization goes on sale today, but before you dive in, author Brian Hart has stopped by to share his love of libraries.

***

The Once and Future Librarian

My best friend’s mom was and still is my hometown librarian and everyday after school we would walk the old railroad tracks to the library so he could bum some money from her, maybe steal a few smokes from her purse, then we’d go skate. I woke up often on their couch. I ate their food and lifted clean t-shirts from the dryer, pinched untended cigarettes, maybe a stray beer from the cooler on the porch. Books were stacked up on every flat surface of their house and lined the walls in the mudroom and spilled into hallway and the bathroom. The TV might’ve only picked up a few channels (if you could tweak the antenna on the roof just right) but there was always something to read.

It was too far from town to walk and if me and my friend didn’t get up in time to catch a ride, as was usually the case, we’d be left out there all day to fend for ourselves. We’d read and light things on fire, swim in the canals, climb trees and try and jump to other trees, plummet to the ground, limp home and read some more.

In their backyard  they had an old Airstream where in the evenings me and my friend would be sent to do our homework. I might’ve hacked out one of my first short stories in there, stubbing my fingers on the keys of a Brother word processor.

In 2010 I was in my hometown using one of the public library computers when I finalized the sale of my first novel. My friend’s mom was there working; she was the first person I told and the first person that I hugged. Some people have priests and rabbis, others have bartenders and weed dealers, therapists and psychiatrists—I have a librarian and she’s been there from the beginning. 

***

Thanks Brian!

-Amanda