October 2016

T.C. Boyle's latest masterpiece, The Terranauts—the story of eight young scientists voluntarily sealed inside a biodome—went on sale earlier this week.  Along with that great news, The CW announced that it will be launching a TV show based on the book!  Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory is set to produce, and it will be written by Zach Helm.

There's already been so much love for this book, including three starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly, and I cannot wait to see what The CW has in store for this hilarious, incisive deep-dive into human behavior.

Make sure to pick up a copy today so we can all be ready when the show premiers!

-Amanda

The wait is over!  Check out the latest episode of Under the Radar, Over the Moon and learn about some truly SPOOK-tacular reads.

You can find out more about the titles we discuss in the October episode here.  Make sure to download the egalleys, and we know you'll fall under their spell.  And, as always, we'd love to hear what you think!

-Amanda

Congratulations to the three HarperCollins titles that made the November LibraryReads list!  

The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen: “Johansen has consistently taken huge narrative risks with this series…. With richly developed characters who are never boring black and white, and villains who are as fascinating as the heroes, the finale of this outstanding series will be talked about by readers.” —Library Journal

I'll Take You There by Wally Lamb: New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb weaves an evocative, deeply affecting tapestry of one Baby Boomer's life—Felix Funicello, introduced in Wishin’ and Hopin’—and the trio of unforgettable women who have changed it, in this radiant homage to the resiliency, strength, and power of women.

Moonglow by Michael Chabon: “His most beautifully realized novel to date…. a masterful and resounding novel of the dark and blazing forces that forged our tumultuous, confounding, and precious world.” —Booklist, starred review

These are some seriously phenomenal books, so we're so happy to see you feel the same way.  Thank you to everyone who voted, and make sure to submit your votes for the LibraryReads Favorite of Favorites Longlist!  The voting deadline is November 1st.

My love for Paul Tremblay's A Head Full of Ghosts knows no bounds, so you can only imagine how excited I am to say this wonderful, smart, creepy novel has won the 2016 Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction!

This award recognizes significant works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children’s/young adult literature, published by state residents or about Massachusetts subjects.  You can see the full list of winners here.

The love just keeps pouring in for this book.  In addition to the starred reviews and killer quotes from its initial publication, A Head Full of Ghosts also won the 2015 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement In A Novel and is still getting great mentions even over a year after it hit shelves.

I love this book so much—and since I'm clearly not alone in that—I want to spread the love even further.  The first ten people to send us an email to librarylovefest@harpercollins.com will receive a complimentary copy of A Head Full of Ghosts.*  Read it, love it, share it with your friends; just don't miss out on this phenomenal book.

*[EDIT] This giveaway is now closed.

-Amanda

We are so proud to announce two amazing books by two of our favorite authors have been selected as finalists for the National Book Award in fiction: News of the World by Paulette Jiles and Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson.

News of the World, the #1 LibraryReads pick for October, is a sparse, heart-wrenching Western set in post-Civil War Texas that follows an aging war veteran who takes a job transporting an orphaned girl across Texas to her adoptive aunt and uncle. In a starred review, Booklist raves, “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.”

Another Brooklyn, the first adult novel in 20 years by the National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming, is a stunning, lyrical coming-of-age story centered on a group of friends as they navigate the ever-changing landscape of a perilous, beautiful, and affecting Brooklyn, New York. Another Brooklyn also received a starred review from Booklist, who says, "The novel’s richness defies its slim page count. In her poet’s prose, Woodson not only shows us backward-glancing August attempting to stave off growing up and the pains that betray youth, she also wonders how we dream of a life parallel to the one we’re living.”

Please join us in congratulating Paulette and Jacqueline for this incredible accomplishment! For more information on the National Book Awards, please visit the official page here. The winners will be announced November 16th, so stay tuned! If you've read either (or both!) of these soon-to-be classics, be sure to share your thoughts.

-Chris

Three times a year, Library Journal picks out their top debut novels, and in this Fall/Winter iteration, there is a bevy of HarperCollins titles to look out for:

The Fire by Night by Teresa Messineo: A powerful and evocative debut novel about two American military nurses during World War II that illuminates the unsung heroism of women who risked their lives in the fight—a riveting saga of friendship, valor, sacrifice, and survival combining the grit and selflessness of Band of Brothers with the emotional resonance of The Nightingale.  Request an egalley here.

Our Hearts Will Burn Us Down by Anne Valente: The lives of four teenagers are capsized by a shocking school shooting and its aftermath in this powerful debut novel, a coming-of-age story with the haunting power of Station Eleven and the bittersweet poignancy of Everything I Never Told You.  On sale now!

A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell: A single mother’s life is turned upside down when her best friend vanishes, in this chilling debut thriller in the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.  Request an egalley here.

Ragdoll by Daniel Cole: A pulse-pounding procedural with a dark sense of humor, Ragdoll follows a volatile detective as he tracks down a murderer before he becomes its next victim.  Request an egalley here.

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan: A charming, clever, and quietly moving debut novel of endless possibilities and joyful discoveries that explores the promises we make and break, losing and finding ourselves, the objects that hold magic and meaning for our lives, and the surprising connections that bind us.  Request an egalley here.

No Other World by Rahul Mehta: From the author of the prize-winning collection Quarantine, an insightful, compelling debut novel set in rural America and India in the 1980s and ’90s, part coming-of-age story about a gay Indian American boy, part family saga about an immigrant family’s struggles to find a sense of belonging, identity, and hope.  Request an egalley here.

The Midnight Cool by Lydia Peelle: The Whiting Award-winning author of the story collection Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing delivers her enchanting debut novel, set in 1916 Tennessee: a rich and rewarding tale of two flawed yet endearing grifters who pursue women, wealth, and a surprisingly valuable commodity for the troops in Europe—mules.  Request an egalley here.

No One Is Coming To Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts: The Great Gatsby brilliantly recast in the contemporary South: a powerful first novel about an extended African-American family and their colliding visions of the American Dream.  Request an egalley here.

So many great debuts to read!  I hope by now you've found a few new authors to add to your TBR pile.  And, as always, we'd love to hear what you think!

-Amanda

At long last, News of the World by Paulette Jiles hits library shelves today! We've been ranting and raving about this book for over a year now and it has been a true pleasure to witness the initial buzz snowball into a veritable frenzy.

News of the World follows an aging war veteran who takes a job transporting an orphaned little girl across post-Civil War Texas to her adoptive aunt and uncle. Nuanced, deeply-felt characters, rich historical detail, and an unflagging sense of adventure mix with Paulette's beautiful prose to create a reading experience you won't soon forget.

See below for some of the amazing librarian love and trade reviews News of the World has garnered. It was also voted by librarians across the country as the #1 LibraryReads pick for October. Oh, AND it has been longlisted for the National Book Award. We have a feeling this book is just getting started and can't wait to see what else is in store. To celebrate its publication, we will send a copy to the first FIVE people to email us at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com. 

"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

"News of the World has everything. 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 Library, Raleigh, NC

"The language is lyrical and spare and wonderfully evocative, so that by the end of the book, readers will have a hard time returning to the contemporary world. Surely one of the best books of the year." —Vicki Nesting, Assistant Director, St. Charles Parish Public Library

“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

“This Western is not to be missed by Jiles’s fans and lovers of Texan historical fiction.” —Library Journal

“Jiles delivers a taut, evocative story of post-Civil War Texas in this riveting drama of a redeemed captive of the Kiowa tribe….Jiles unfolds the stories of the Captain and Johanna, past and present, with the smooth assuredness of a burnished fireside tale, demonstrating that she is a master of the western.” —Publishers Weekly 

-Chris