July 2016

Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a perennial library favorite, proven once again last week when you all voted her latest novel, First Star I See Tonight, onto the LibraryReads Top 10 picks for August.  Fans were so excited to see this beloved, award-winning, New York Times bestselling author return to her Chicago Stars football series with a long-awaited new entry about a star quarterback and a feisty detective playing for keeps.  In addition to all the librarian love, First Star I See Tonight received FOUR starred reviews!

Library Journal: "Laugh-out-loud funny, insightful, and touching, this latest gem from one of the genre’s best is a must-buy for all library collections."

Booklist: "Phillips’ literary star shines bright in her dazzling (and long-awaited) installment in her Chicago Stars series…. Writing with a deceptively easy sense of grace, equally enhanced by her distinctively dry sense of wit, Phillips fashions an irresistibly sexy love story that is guaranteed to hit every romance reader’s sweet spot"

Publishers Weekly: “Phillips continues her popular contemporary Chicago Stars series (after Natural Born Charmer) with an utterly delightful standalone gambol that pairs up recently retired Stars quarterback Cooper Graham and private detective Piper Dove…. (Phillips) has a knack for nuance and stage-setting that grounds her characters and makes them feel perfectly real. Fans and newcomers alike are certain to fall in love with this delightful pair as they scrimmage and score.”

Kirkus: "This thoroughly enjoyable novel delivers a swift kick to the heart—an essential summer read."

You can experience the love for yourself by downloading the egalley before it goes on sale August 23.  Whether you take it to the beach or nestle into your favorite reading nook with it, you will fall in love.  

-Amanda

When it comes to anything fantasy, my ears immediately perk up.  It will come as no surprise that I pounced on Sarah Beth Durst's The Queen of Blood as soon as the manuscript was available and subsequently tore through it over the course of one weekend.  This first entry follows an idealistic young student and a banished warrior who become allies in a battle to save their realm from malevolent spirits.  This will definitely be one of my new series to look out for, but I'm not the only one gushing about this adult debut.  TWO starred reviews have already come in:

“…a stellar and imaginative tale…. Durst ably dispenses with tropes of the genre, zooming through the standard 'young magician at the academy' plot to focus on Daleina’s growth as both a person and a potential queen. In addition to a solid cast of characters and great political intrigue, Durst delivers some fascinating worldbuilding, and the spirits are malevolent, cunning, wild, and mysterious antagonists.” —Publishers Weekly  *STARRED* review

"The captivating characters will draw readers into a world of magic and intrigue and keep them wanting more…. Durst, an award-winning YA author (Vessel) and three-time Andre Norton Award finalist, presents a thrilling beginning to a sweeping series about searching for sovereignty and truth in order to save one’s land." —Library Journal  *STARRED* review

If you're looking for political intrigue, thrilling adventure, and high stakes in your next fantasy read, look no further.  There's still time to download the egalley from Edelweiss, so dip in and let us know what you think!

-Amanda

News of the World by Paulette Jiles is an exquisitely rendered, morally complex, multilayered novel of historical fiction that follows an aging itinerant news reader who agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her remaining family in Texas in the aftermath of the Civil War.

We are such huge fans of this book in-house, and it's garnered wonderful support from the library community as well.  Here's just a sampling of the great praise for News of the World:

“Stupendous writing, characters that get under your skin and burrow deep into your heart, great pacing, and an ending that makes you cry with joy and relief. I feel sorry for the book I read next. News of the World is a hard act to follow.” —Janet Lockhart, Wake County Public Libraries, Raleigh, NC

“My respect for Paulette Jiles grows with every novel she writes, and News of the World is her best work yet…  She writes with great clarity, understanding, and a forgiving heart.” ― Nancy Pearl, librarian, bestselling author, literary critic

"Jiles’ lyrical style and minimal punctuation allow the reader to become immersed in the dusty Texan landscape, witnessing the anguish, fear, compassion, and joy in the unlikely pair’s journey." ― Booklist starred review

"Jiles makes the narrative so compelling… Lyrical and affecting, the novel succeeds in skirting clichés through its empathy and through the depth of its major characters." ― Kirkus starred review

Now hear from the author herself.  Our wonderful video studio visited Paulette at her home in Texas, and she wanted to share a message to librarians:

Thanks, Paulette!  If you haven't yet experienced this beautiful novel for yourself, there's still time to download the egalley from Edelweiss.  If you love it as much as we do, please let us know what you think!  LibraryReads nominations are due by August 20.

The bestselling author of A Hundred Summers brings the Roaring Twenties brilliantly to life in A Certain Age, an enchanting and compulsively readable tale of intrigue, romance, and scandal in New York Society, brimming with lush atmosphere, striking characters, and irresistible charm.

A Certain Age went on sale last month and has continued to garner great reviews.  PopSugar recently included it as one of “The 31 Books You MUST Put in Your Beach Bag This Summer!” saying, “Prepare to be beguiled… A Certain Age is a charming story full of wit, romance, and surprising twists.”

And the love doesn't stop there:

“A rousing, enjoyable read… Williams’ historic details and detailed descriptions only add to the decadence. New money, old money and intrigue make for a lot of lively fun.” —Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“Deliciously scandalous and elegantly written, A Certain Age is a dazzling reinterpretation of Richard Strauss’s opera Der Rosenkavalier, and a thoroughly satisfying love story.” —Shelf Awareness

“Passion, beauty, grace, and the ugliness not seen inside people drive this opera, I mean brilliantly written book to the very passionate, brilliant end.” —MomZinga

Grab this compelling novel off the shelf today and dive into the scandalous world of the '20s.

-Amanda

Drum roll, please!  The August 2016 LibraryReads list was just announced, and we're pleased to share that the latest addition to award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Chicago Stars series, First Star I See Tonight, was chosen by librarians from across the country as one of the best books of August!  Congratulations!

If you aren't already participating in the monthly LibraryReads action, visit their website to find out how to sign up.

And if you ARE already participating, don't forget to submit your votes for the September list!  The voting deadline is Wednesday, July 20.

Happy reading!

-Amanda

It was great seeing many librarians at the ALA Annual conference in Orlando, Florida a few weeks ago, and we're so happy many of you were able to attend our title presentation to learn about many of our upcoming books from the Fall 2016 and Winter 2017 lists.

If you weren't able to make it, don't worry!  The presentation was audio recorded and is hosted on EarlyWord.com.  There you can find information on all the titles we talked about and hear us rave about them.  Now to whet your appetite, below is just a sampling of the titles we discussed:

The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan: From the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award nominated author of What She Knew comes this whip-smart, addictive, and harrowing novel of psychological suspense—perfect for fans of Paula Hawkins and Kimberly McCreight.  Request the egalley here.

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly: Set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow South and the civil rights movement, this is the never-before-told true story of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians who played a crucial role in America’s space program—and whose contributions have been unheralded, until now. Request the egalley here.

The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck: Set at the end of World War II, in a crumbling Bavarian castle that once played host to all of German high society, this is a powerful and propulsive story of three widows whose lives and fates become intertwined—an affecting, shocking, and ultimately redemptive novel from the author of the New York Times Notable Book The Hazards of Good Breeding.  Request the egalley here.

Click here to find all the information you need on even more great forthcoming titles.  Happy reading!

-Amanda

Looking for fresh titles for your book discussion group? Join HarperCollins along with representatives from Penguin Random House, Norton, Macmillan, and Sourcebooks as we showcase our favorite upcoming and backlist titles that are a perfect fit for adult book groups. This free, one-hour webinar is moderated by Rebecca Vnuk, Booklist Editor for Collection Management and Library Outreach.

Click the above picture to register!

-Chris

Meg Cabot fans, rejoice!  Today, Entertainment Weekly has released an exclusive excerpt from her newest book, The Boy is Back!  The eagerly awaited addition to her "Boy" series goes on sale October 18, but through the link you can read an excerpt and even pre-order a signed edition for your personal library.  Libraries will also be happy to hear that we are simultaneously releasing a hardcover edition perfect for your shelves.

The Boy is Back marks Cabot's first return to the series in years, when a scandal brings a celebrity golfer back home to the small-town, the crazy family, and first love he once left behind.  But of course, the girl he left behind wants nothing to do with the boy who broke her heart.  Check out the exclusive excerpt to get a sneak peek at what awaits these two when they're thrown back together after a decade.  Check it out and let us know what you think!

-Amanda

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs returns this August with Family Tree, a powerful, emotionally complex story of love, loss, the pain of the past, and the promise of the future.  

If you're excited as we are for the upcoming publication, we have a special offer for you!  We are offering a merchandising kit to librarians, which will be shipped out the week of July 25^th, that you can use to pre-promote and promote Family Tree in your libraries.  The kits include blank love notes (to use as staff picks cards), recipe cards, postcards, Facebook sharing image, and an author essay and Q&A (for posting on blogs & newsletters).

You can request your Family Tree media kit by clicking here and completing the form by July 24^th.

And if you want to get a head start reading Family Tree, you can request an egalley from Edelweiss here.

-Amanda