May 2017

Greetings, librarians. By now, you've not only been reading into the summer, but actually LIVING in it. The best way to celebrate all this glorious warm weather? A new Karin Slaughter! A new Susan Wiggs! Or perhaps one of the powerful debuts on our list, such as the critically acclaimed The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker or Rebellion by Molly Patterson. Keep reading below for the rest of our tantalizing suggestions!

Don't forget: the deadline to vote for the August LibraryReads list is June 20th. Happy reading!

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The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
For fans of: Find Her by Lisa Gardner and Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
Decades after a horrific confrontation that left her mother dead and her sister traumatized, a New York-based lawyer returns to her hometown of Atlanta to assist her father save the life of a young woman accused of a school shooting.
"Simply the best book you'll read all year. Raw, powerful and utterly gripping—yet written with a tenderness and empathy that will break your heart." —Kathryn Stockett,
New York Times bestselling author of The Help

Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
Public Librarian? Click here to request a physical galley
LibraryReads deadline: June 20th

Map of the Heart by Susan Wiggs
For fans of: First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Sweet Tomorrows by Debbie Macomber
Susan Wiggs—an author "who paints the details of human relationships with the finesse of a master" (Jodi Picoult)—returns with a deeply emotional and atmospheric story of love and family, war and secrets, that moves back and forth across time, from the present day to World War II France.
"From World War II to present-day America; from the Nazi resistance to the 21st century; from the deepest corners of the heart to the furthest limits of love—Map of the Heart is a moving, sophisticated story of fathers and daughters, love and loss, secrets and lies, rebellion and redemption."
—Jane Green, New York Times bestselling author of Falling

Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
Public Librarian? Click here to request a physical galley
LibraryReads deadline: June 20th

The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker
For fans of: Warriors of the Storm by Bernard Cornwell and Desert God by Wilbur Smith
An exhilarating saga of the Vikings that conjures a brutal, superstitious, and thrilling ninth-century world and the birth of a kingdom—the debut installment in a historical literary trilogy that combines the bold imagination and narrative power of A Game of Thrones, Vikings, and Outlander.
"A terrific historical epic…. Posing thoughtful questions about the nature of honor and heroism, and devoting significant attention to women’s lives, the novel takes a fresh approach to the Viking adventure genre…. The action scenes will have the blood humming in your veins."
—Booklist  review

Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
Public Librarian? Click here to request a physical galley
LibraryReads deadline: June 20th

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LLF Staff Suggestions for August LibraryReads ListRead More »

The Library Love Fest team recently stepped into our wonderful video studio to talk about some of the big books you should know about for the Summer/Fall 2017 seasons, plus one mega debut from early 2018 (*cough cough* The Woman in the Window—already one of the most talked about books of the year—read it now!).  

There's plenty here for all reading tastes—fiction and nonfiction, debuts and bestsellers—so take a look to find your next great read.

See something you liked?  Let us know!  Send us an email at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com to request a galley (while supplies last)!

-The LLF Team

We've made no secret of our love for Balli Kaur Jaswal's lively, sexy, and thought-provoking East-meets-West tale Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows (watch Virginia rave about it here in our Under the Radar, Over the Moon video series).  It's always so satisfying—and never surprising—when more rave reviews start pouring in for the books we love, so check out the wonderful words below and then dive into this delicious story about community, friendship, and women’s lives at all ages.

“The tone throughout is one of impish glee, and the erotica is convincing despite its humorous frame…the cultural milieu adds a new twist on the Bridget Jones subgenre.  It also lays waste to many a cherished stereotype. Readers will never think of Punjabi widows quite the same way.” —Bookpage

“This is a sparkling read, bolstered by a few of the women’s stories sprinkled in throughout.” —Publishers Weekly

“By turns erotic, romantic, and mysterious, this tale of women defying patriarchal strictures enchants.” —Kirkus

Request the egalley now to find out what everyone is raving about!

-Amanda

Roxane Gay's hotly anticipated upcoming memoir, Hunger, is not far off. On sale June 13th, Hunger chronicles the devastating trauma of Gay's early childhood and its major role in shaping how she would relate to herself and her body in later years. Powerful, searingly honest, and, ultimately, hopeful, this is surely an important book that will be discussed for years to come. 

Today, Booklist Online is featuring their STARRED review of Hunger as their Review of the Day. Praising Hunger as "a generous and empathic consideration of what it’s like to be someone else: in itself something of a miracle," the glowing review can be read in full by clicking the link below! You can also still read the egalley on Edelweiss by clicking here.

https://www.booklistonline.com/Hunger-A-Memoir-of-My-Body-Roxane-Gay/pid=8879943

-Chris

Everywhere you turn, you're bound to hear about the newest fitness trend. But what is so often lacking in these come-and-go fads is an honest attempt to meet those new to fitness halfway, to find a fun, accessible way to inject fitness as a natural part of the every day. Christmas Abbott, CrossFit superstar and author of the bestselling The Badass Body Diet, knows that to be successful is to be engaged. 

With her latest book, The Badass Life, on sale today, Christmas has taken the lessons she has learned as an accomplished athlete and trainer and injected them into an approachable guide to encourage habit change through fun, dynamic daily tasks challenging your mind, body, and spirit.

Publishers Weekly praised The Badass Life, saying, "With her usual high energy and optimistic attitude, Abbott returns with a book intended to help people improve their lives with a reasonable and systematic approach… Abbott’s sincerity is apparent on every page. Readers seeking ways to jump-start their lives will find Abbott a companionable guide." 

To celebrate The Badass Life's book birthday, we will send a copy to the first FIVE people who email us at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com. Yay for fitness and yay for Christmas helping us achieve it!

-Chris

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books have captivated readers of all ages for years and years now with the story of the Ingalls family and life on the frontier. Sarah Miller is one such reader, and in Caroline, Sarah has reimagined that story from the eyes of Caroline “Ma” Ingalls. Authorized by the Little House estate, Caroline is a tale of family, fidelity, hardship, love, and survival.

Sarah stopped by LLF to share a little background on how this book came to be and how libraries aided her on her journey.

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“Unless you have lived as I did, where books were scarce and so prized greatly, you can not realize how wonderful it really is to have a whole library so convenient for your use.” ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

            How envious would Laura have been to grow up where I did, with a library I could see from my own front porch? It could not have been more convenient. When I was 14, it provided my first job, shelving books. (Two decades later, I’m working there once again.) When I saw The Miracle Worker on stage one Sunday afternoon and was struck with a mighty bolt of fascination, I didn’t have to wait until Monday morning to stoke my curiosity about Helen Keller. I marched down the street, unlocked the library door, and raided the shelves of every book and film about her. Eventually that fascination snowballed and evolved into a novel called Miss Spitfire.

            The library’s shelf full of Little House audiobooks is also the unlikely culprit behind my fascination with Caroline Ingalls. I picked one up on a recommendation by a friend, and then returned to that shelf again and again for the next book, and the next. As I listened, I began to hear more than what I’d read on the pages as a child. The way Cherry Jones voiced Ma’s words, her tone and inflection — as well as my own adult perspective — made me realize how much more there is to Ma’s character than a child can recognize. There’s a moment in Little House on the Prairie, when Pa is a day late returning from a trip to town, 40 miles away. Laura wakes in the night to find Ma sitting in her rocking chair with Pa’s pistol in her lap, keeping vigil for his return. I can still tell you the intersection where I was sitting when I heard that scene and realized for the first time that for all her outward calm, Ma is barely holding it together. That woman was my age, I realized, and not only that, the real Caroline Ingalls was pregnant with her third daughter the year her husband decided to pull up stakes and settle the family in Kansas. Can you imagine? From then on, I couldn’t stop wondering what her life had really been like.

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LLF Guest Post: Sarah Miller, author of CAROLINERead More »

If you're in search of something to read this Memorial Day weekend, we have the perfect book for you.  Never Call Me a Hero tells the story of a dive-bomber pilot who helped turn the tide of WWII during the Battle of Midway.  Jack "Dusty" Kleiss was the only pilot that day to score hits on three different enemy ships, and here he tells his tale for the first time.  A blend of the memoir of one man and the history of this battle and its legacy, Never Call Me a Hero will be great for fans of Don’t Give Up, Don’t Give In by Louis Zamperini and All the Gallant Men by Donald Stratton, two firsthand WWII combat memoirs that have had extraordinary success.

Watch the video above to hear more from Dusty himself, and make sure to experience the story for yourself, on shelves May 23.

-Amanda

Christina Baker Kline's Orphan Train has captivated readers for years now, so HarperCollins is very excited to bring a new edition out into the world, one specifically written for young readers.  Check out the special message from the author below, and make sure you check out Orphan Train Girl today!

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Dear Readers,

Little did I imagine, when my novel Orphan Train was published in 2013, that I would still be talking about it four years later at bookstores, libraries, community centers, on college campuses, and in high schools around the country. For a number of reasons, this book—which highlights a significant moment in American history that has been hidden in plain sight—seems to have struck a nerve.

Wherever I go, I meet mothers and fathers who are reading Orphan Train alongside their teenagers. Often they tell me they wish their younger children could read it too. School administrators who've assigned Orphan Train for school- and district-wide reads have struggled to find a companion text for their upper-elementary and middle schools. As such, I began to contemplate writing a younger version of the book that parents and caregivers could read with their children, teachers and librarians could share with their students, and school districts and communities could present as part of their "One Book" reads of Orphan Train.

In the young readers edition I shifted the emphasis to Molly's perspective and changed her age from 17 to 12, but the central plot arc—the friendship between Vivian and Molly—is still the backbone of the story. It was important to me to retain the tone and feel of Orphan Train. The books are designed to be read alone or side-by-side.

So, it is with great pleasure that I present Orphan Train Girl. I'm delighted that a younger audience will have the experience of reading Vivian's and Molly's stories, and the remarkable ways they intertwine—and that they'll learn about this important but little-known piece of American history.

Warm regards,

Christina Baker Kline

You voted, they counted, and the list has been announced!  Join us in a round of applause for the HarperCollins titles you chose as some of the best titles of the month, including the top pick!

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz: Your #1 pick for June!  From the author of Moriarty and Trigger Mortis, this fiendishly brilliant, riveting thriller weaves a classic whodunit worthy of Agatha Christie into a chilling, ingeniously original modern-day mystery.

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn: In an enthralling new historical novel from national bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption.

Thank you to everyone who shared their love for these two amazing books!  If you'd like to start participating in LibraryReads, visit their website for more info.

-Amanda

This project has been in the works for a while now, but Entertainment Weekly finally released the first images from the new movie adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.  Watch the video below for the inside scoop about the EW cover featuring the cast, and check out more pictures of the cast here and a few exclusive shots from the set here.

The movie hits theaters on November 10th, so make sure you pick up your copy of Murder on the Orient Express now so you can dive into the mystery before the final clue is revealed.

-Amanda

The Edgar Awards were presented on Thursday, April 27th, and we're happy to announce that Charles Todd, the supremely talented mother-son writing team, won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for The Shattered Tree! 

The latest in the Bess Crawford mystery series, The Shattered Tree finds WWI nurse Bess Crawford rescuing an injured soldier whose background—and allegiances—are shrouded in secrecy. Marilyn Stasio with the New York Times Book Review says, “As always in this immensely satisfying series, Todd heightens the mystery by setting it within a war-shattered world of battered villages, barren farms and broken people.” 

You can watch Mary Higgins Clark present Charles Todd with the award below! Pick up your copy of The Shattered Tree here.

-Chris

Library Love Fest is over the moon about this book, Driving Miss Norma by Tim Bauerschmidt and Ramie Liddle, on sale today! This life-affirming story, which garnered hundreds of thousands of fans when it was first documented on Facebook, tells the journey of one very special 90-year-old who, in the face of terminal cancer, decided to say "YES" to living. Read below why our own Virginia Stanley loves this book so much and also check out the book trailer! You can read an excerpt of the book here.

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I'm a huge fan of this book. At age 90, newly widowed Norma Bauerschmidt was diagnosed with stage 4 uterine cancer. Her choices: chemo and radiation and living the rest of her life in a facility or refuse medical treatment and explore the United States in an RV with her son, daughter-in-law and a standard poodle named Ringo.

Norma opted to hit the road. This is her story.

If you want to meet a courageous, spirited and unforgettable woman who stared death in the face and chose instead to embrace life, read Driving Miss Norma. I promise you'll never forget her.

-Virginia 

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Thanks, Virginia! To celebrate, we will send a copy of the book to the first FIVE people to email us at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com. For more details about this wonderful book, click here.

-The LLF Team