July 2015

We've all experienced the Wednesday slump in a long week of work.  If you're searching for something exciting to reinvigorate your week, look no further!  Here are a few suspenseful and thrilling novels with egalleys available for download that are sure to put the pep back in your step.

 Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter: a sophisticated and chilling psychological thriller of dangerous secrets, cold vengeance, and unexpected absolution, in which two estranged sisters must come together to find truth about two harrowing tragedies, twenty years apart, that devastate their lives. Get your egalley here.

 Everything She Forgot by Lisa Ballantyne: from the author of The Guilty One comes a compelling domestic thriller about a woman who is saved by a mysterious stranger, and the incident sparks memories from her childhood that she’d deliberately chosen to forget.  Grab the egalley here.

 Dance of the Bones by J.A. Jance: J. P. Beaumont and Brandon Walker, two of New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance’s most acclaimed series characters, join forces in one of the most suspenseful works of her career.  Download the egalley now!

These excellent mysteries are sure to get those minds working again!  Definitely download one today.

-Amanda

Elizabeth Lowell is no stranger to LibraryLand as a master of romantic suspense, and she has squarely hit the nail on the head again with Perfect Touch which goes on sale today!

To celebrate her book birthday, Elizabeth has stopped by LLF to share some thoughts.

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A lot of people seem to believe that libraries have no place in the digital age. Let me count just a few ways in which those folks are wrong.

1. No Internet function I know of can quickly unite a child with a good book, whether digital or print.

2. Wikipedia only goes so far. Nothing beats a reference librarian for steering students toward the research materials they need.

3. Many people can’t afford digital devices for their children. A library can help digitally deprived kids learn to use computers. Then they can find what they want and what they need as students and future voters.

4. Senior citizens on fixed incomes love to read printed books, but few can afford to buy all the books they want to read. Having a library in the community is a wonderful reward for all their years of hard work. 

5. Libraries are they heart of countless communities. They offer a safe place to do homework (and get help!) when the students’ own homes are chaotic. In that safety lies a fertile ground for learning and for connecting to a larger world. Without libraries our country would be a poorer, stunted place.

Not everybody takes advantage of libraries, especially those who need them most. Yet still the librarians keep the light burning, the doors of knowledge open, as they wait for the next curious, eager mind to walk in. When that happens, a marvelous alchemy occurs between the curious and the learned. Knowledge is shared and received, enriching both parties. 

I wasn’t raised with wealth. Libraries gave me a pathway into many worlds that otherwise would have remained unexplored. That lack of exploration would have made my life poorer. My deep thanks to those who made my childhood fascinating and continue to enrich my adulthood. 

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Thank you, Elizabeth!

Be sure to snag your copy.

– Annie 

Oh my! Looking for a recommendation for a hot summer weekend read? Download an egalley of Falling Into Bed with a Duke, the first in Lorraine Heath's new series. 

It's sizzling good fun on this glorious Friday afternoon. 

Enjoy your weekends!

– Annie

I know it is rare to experience the desire for February when it is currently beyond gorgeous outside (#buhbyehumidity), but I am excited about the publication of a suspenseful debut, The Good Liar by Nicholas Searle.

I'm about 1/3 in, but I was immediately hooked. Our main character (but by no means protagonist) is Roy, an older gentleman with a decidedly manipulative air about him. Roy meets Betty and immediately sets to wooing her for his own nefarious reasons. From there the story unwinds across decades, moving between past and present, revealing what and who Roy is.

It has been getting a lot of in-house buzz, and I'm very curious to see how Roy's life plays out. You can find out for yourself on Edelweiss. 

I'd love to hear what you think!

– Annie 

This literary debut by Sigal Samuel is reminiscent of Nicole Krauss’s The History of Love and Myla Goldberg’s Bee Season. 

Four distinct voices weave together the tale of a dysfunctional Montreal family obsessed with climbing the Kabbalah’s Tree of Life. The Meyers are widowed David, a professor of Jewish Mysticism, but not necessarily a believer in religion; his daughter Samara who secretly lights Shabbat candles and is studying for her Bat Mitzvah; and his eleven-year-old son Lev, keen to help their eccentric neighbor build the Tree of Life out of garbage. Long-held family secrets square off against faith and secularity in this story, written with extraordinary heart and intelligence.

The recent starred Library Journal review says,

"VERDICT Every character in this outstanding first novel is searching for a reason to exist—not just the Meyer family, but also their neighbors and close friends. The need for human relationships and mysticism’s relationship to life impel them forward into very questionable actions that might have disastrous consequences. This heart-stopping narrative will keep readers glued until the very end."

Download an egalley now!

– Annie

My love for all things sci-fi/fantasy is no secret, so I am very excited to share with you guys one of my favorites of the fall: A.G. Riddle's Departure.  

Departure is an originally self-published bestseller that's a beautiful mash-up of Lost and Oblivion.  The story starts in 2014 on a flight from US to London that crashes into the English country side after experiencing some intense turbulence.  What starts out as a standard struggle for survival turns into a time travel paradox as the survivors discover new technologies and mysterious creatures that seem intent on hunting them down.  Five seemingly unrelated survivors hold clues to what's really going on, and as this small group of key survivors learn more about their new world, they realize they were more influential in the past than they realized and discover they'll have to make a choice in the new world that could change that future forever.

I absolutely tore through Departure.  I couldn't put it down as it stealthily evolved as more clues are revealed.  I loved watching the characters learn about themselves and each other in the present, past, and potential future, and the future that the author has created is scary indeed.  Riddle does not shy away from social criticism and meditations on what people are willing to do to protect those they love.  Definitely expect this book to linger with you.  I think it will be great for fans of twisty, mind-bending time travel stories and speculative thrillers like Wool and The Martian.

Don't wait to dive into Departure for yourself. You can download the egalley from Edelweiss now.

-Amanda

Karin Slaughter, author of the upcoming Pretty Girls, is a long time library supporter, and spearheaded the creation of Save the Libraries, an organization that promotes community support for public libraries. 

Today she has put out the call for your memories, photos, and stories about the libraries and librarians that shaped your life. Visit her Facebook page and share your experiences. 

Kate McCune is a sales rep for HarperCollins, and she knows books. She is smart, thoughtful and insightful. I've seen whole rooms immediately agree with and act upon her suggestions. I mention this because she has a great blog that I think you should follow – Harper/Bookselling. It is all of the book and none of the sale.

She has written something about Go Set a Watchman that resonated with me in light of everything that is being said about the novel:

"Did I hope for more wisdom from the saintly Atticus? I confess I did….Do I want the chance to read Ms. Lee’s lovely prose again, perfect or not? Heck yes."

Heck yes!  Still definitely not reading at my desk.

– Annie

 

 

It is here! The publishing event so many have been waiting for. Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman is on sale and you can finally get your copy! I also suggest listening to the audio book because Reese Witherspoon really made the South come alive for me. I think she does a beautiful job of voicing Jean Louise's thoughts.

Coincidentally (or maybe I'm subconsciously just really excited),  I dressed to match the cover.  

Follow along with the conversation by using #GoSetaWatchman on Twitter, and if you plan to use the book for a community-wide read or book club pick, please let us know!

Now excuse me, I have lots of really important things to do…I'm definitely not going to be reading at my desk.

– Annie

Simon Toyne is the author of the bestselling Sanctus trilogy, which has been translated into 27 languages and published in 50 countries.  He now begins a new series with The Searcher, an eerie epic of good and evil, retribution and redemption.  

The story starts in a small town in Arizona called Redemption, where the townspeople have gathered at the cemetery to bury a local man and are suddenly disrupted by a plane crash in the distance.  As the local sheriff speeds towards the scene, he almost runs into a man in the street—a man with no memory of who he is or why he’s there, with only a book inscription and a tag in his jacket that names him Solomon Creed.  When the sheriff tells him he’s in Redemption, Solomon is convinced he’s there for a reason—to save a man he’s never met, the man the town had buried that very morning.  To uncover his identity and the truth behind the death of the man he believes he was there to save, Solomon dives into the secrets of the town of Redemption, but this small town has dark secrets, and there are those who don’t want him to succeed.

The author does an excellent job making Solomon as intriguing and mysterious a character as possible.  Solomon has all this in-depth knowledge of all kinds of topics, ranging from scientific, to medical, to historical, to martial, and he has no memory of where it all came from.  You have no idea who Solomon is, but you absolutely know he was never a normal person.  We don't get to learn many of his secrets by the end of this novel, but be assured the rest of the series will parcel out his past bit by bit, and a small clue at the end of The Searcher promises it will be astounding.  I think readers will also enjoy the religious and supernatural undertones that add complex and otherworldly layers that make it perfect for fans of high concept thrillers.  Think Terry Hayes’s I Am Pilgrim and the beloved books by Steve Berry and James Rollins.  

The egalley is available for download on Edelweiss, so don't wait to check it out for yourself!

-Amanda

The first chapter of Go Set a Watchman, the eagerly anticipated novel from Harper Lee, was posted to the Wall Street Journal this morning. I wonder how many hits this website has gotten since then.

It's the first taste we've gotten of the novel too, and it's lovely. So atmospheric and immediately puts you into the mind of Jean Louise.

I highly recommend listening to Reese Witherspoon read the first chapter as well because her southern, melodious sound wraps you up in the South and drops you onto the train with Scout.

Can't wait to hear what you guys think!

– Annie 

I picked up an ARE of Cold-Hearted Rake as my post ALA unwind-and-relax read, and it was perfect. Strong willed heroines; brooding, reckless royalty; salacious and irresistible interactions! 

Due to the untimely death of his cousin, Devon Ravenel has unexpectedly become an Earl (much to his chagrin because he has heretofore loved doing nothing but charming ladies of ill repute and hanging out at his club). With this powerful title comes many unwanted responsibilities; his new estate is saddled with debt, and the late earl’s three innocent but spirited sisters still occupying the house. However, most inconvenient of all is the presence of Kathleen, the gorgeous young widow determined to be proper and respect the rules of mourning at all costs. 

Obviously these two don't get along at first, but that's because they are so similar in temper and passion! 
Kathleen knows better than to trust Devon, but can't help her attraction, and as Devon grows more accustomed to his new found wealth, he is determined to possess her. 

STEAMY! When this one comes out in October, get yourself a nice glass of wine and enjoy the first in this much anticipated new series from Lisa Kleypas.

– Annie

Nadia Hashimi, author of last year's The Pearl That Broke Its Shell, returns with another novel about the strength and resilience of Afghan women in When the Moon Is Low.

In her second novel, Nadia tells the story of Fereiba, who packs up her family and flees Kabul after her husband is murdered by the Taliban. The family’s journey through the underworld of Europe’s refugee community to London—where Fereiba’s sister can offer them safe harbor—is by turns astonishing, frightening, and triumphant. 

When the Moon Is Low recently received a starred review from Library Journal, which calls it "perfect for book clubs."  Make sure you pick up the July issue to read the full review.

Our collective love for Nadia knows no bounds, and we want to share that love with you!  We're giving away 5 copies of When the Moon is Low, so send us an email mentioning this giveaway to librarylovefest@harpercollins.com for a chance to win!

*EDIT: this giveaway is now closed.

-Amanda

There is only one more week until Harper Lee's lost novel goes on sale, and anticipation is high! Be part of the conversation by following #GoSetAWatchman on Twitter and Facebook, and order your copy now.

Definitely check out this video, as well. Michael Morrison (President & Publisher, HarperCollins) and Jonathan Burnham (SVP & Publisher, HarperCollins) discuss their thoughts, and the coolest part – you get to see the book being printed! 

Is anyone using it as a book club book or community read? We'd love to hear from you. Write to us at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com.

– Annie  

If you liked Holly Brown's debut novel, Don't Try To Find Me, you are in luck because she has a second book on sale today! 

A Necessary End is a riveting novel of psychological suspense about a woman determined to be a mother despite a past full of secrets, a husband who’s nowhere near ready for fatherhood, and a teenaged birth mother with a mysterious agenda of her own.

 

story of thirty-nine-year-old Adrienne who has tried before to adopt a child, but this time, nothing is going to get in her way. 

Sure, her husband, Gabe, is ambivalent about fatherhood. But she knows that once he holds their baby, he’ll come around. He’s just feeling a little threatened, that’s all. Because once upon a time, it was Gabe that Adrienne wanted more than anything; she was willing to do anything…But that was half a lifetime ago. She’s a different person now. There are lines she wouldn’t cross, not without extreme provocation. 

And sure, she was bitten by another birth mother-clear to the bone-and for most people, it’s once bitten, twice shy. But Adrienne isn’t exactly the retiring type. 

Enter Leah. At nineteen, she bears a remarkable resemblance to the young woman Adrienne once was. Which is why Adrienne knows the baby Leah is carrying is meant to be hers. But Leah’s got ideas of her own. If Gabe and Adrienne let her live with them for a year, they get the baby, free and clear. All Leah wants is a fresh start in California, and a soft landing. Or so she says.

It seems like a small price for Adrienne to pay to get their baby. And with Gabe suddenly on board, what could possibly go wrong?