Library Love Fest

New Podcast Episode — Editors Unedited: Elle Keck interviews Cat Sebastian, author of THE QUEER PRINCIPLES OF KIT WEBB

This week on the podcast, we are featuring a conversation between critically acclaimed historical romance author Cat Sebastian and Elle Keck, Editor at Avon and William Morrow. They discuss Cat's new book (her paperback debut), The Queer Principles of Kit Webb, a stunning historical romance about a reluctantly reformed highwayman and the aristocrat who threatens to steal his heart. This conversation was fantastic! You will hear more about Cat's journey to publishing her first book, the writing process, and why it's important to feature many different kinds of relationships throughout history.

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb was a LibraryReads selection for June 2021!

Check out some of the other praise for this book:

"Sebastian’s prose is entertaining and delightful, with many steamy scenes...It’s also full of intelligent and thought-provoking political debates...An irresistible story of love and adventure that will delight both newcomers and regular readers of queer romance."
—Kirkus Reviews ⭐ review

 

“Kit Webb will surprise and delight not only fans of Sebastian and queer historical romance but also readers who are new to both.”
—BookPage ⭐ review

 

“Wielding a rapier-sharp wit and displaying an exceptional gift for insightful characterization, Sebastian fashions another fiercely romantic, fabulously sexy m/m love story that not only delivers a delicious surfeit of slow-burn sexual chemistry but also deftly illustrates the true complexity of all human relationships.“
—Booklist

“Great fun for the reader.... The book does not so much tear down class boundaries as dynamite the very idea of class itself, which is becoming a satisfying theme in Sebastian’s work. Laws that exist only to hurt people are unjust; systems that depend on people’s misery should be subverted and dismantled at every chance. The right to love and be loved as we are is a compass that always points toward justice.”
—The New York Times Book Review

 

Listen to the podcast episode here:

 

Cat also spoke at our diversity panel at ALA Midwinter 2021. You can watch the replay of that conversation here.

 

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-Lainey

LLF Guest Post: J.B. MacKinnon, author of THE DAY THE WORLD STOPS SHOPPING

Today, we welcome a guest post from J.B. MacKinnon, author of The Day the World Stops Shopping—a thoughtful and surprisingly optimistic book that investigates how we may achieve a world without shopping. 

Check out some of the praise for the book:

“A well-researched and provocative analysis offering hope and optimism for our future."
—Kirkus Reviews, ⭐ review

 

“Witty and erudite…. Expertly showing the complex relationship between consumer culture and nature, this insightful account offers a starting point for change (and optimism).”
—Library Journal

 

“Well-researched and stimulating. Readers will be galvanized to make changes in their own buying habits.” 
—Publishers Weekly

***

“Libraries have always been models for a lower-consuming society.” So goes a line from my new book, The Day the World Stops Shopping, which roams the world in an attempt to answer a surprisingly difficult question: What would the world look like if we consumed a little less stuff? One answer is, there would probably be a lot more libraries.

This book began when, after writing for years about nature and the environment, I came face to face with what I think of as the “consumer dilemma”: We must stop shopping, but we can’t stop shopping. On the one hand, consumerism is now the world’s greatest driver of climate change and other eco-crises—even more so than the world’s rising population. On the other hand, whenever consumers slow their spending, it throws the economy into a tailspin. What’s the solution?

So began a search for people and places that could show me what life after shopping could be. To find out who we might become in a post-consumer world, I spoke to psychologists who study what happens when we give up materialism, spent time with hunter-gatherers in Namibia who live with minimal possessions, and explored a London borough that is trying to turn its residents from consumers into “participants.” To learn how business might change, I visited centuries-old companies in Japan that don’t worry whether they grow or not, and new start-ups that are trying to get back to making things that last. I kept chasing down these paths until I began to see a way past the consumer dilemma.

Then something extraordinary happened: The world really did stop shopping. The COVID-19 pandemic emerged, and the global economy locked down. It was a chance, however grim, to see whether my predictions of how a world without shopping might change were on target or off by a mile.

They were on target—only more so. We witnessed shifts away from materialist values at speeds that shocked even the experts. Emissions dropped, skies cleared, and wildlife retook the quieted landscape. Digital and virtual consumption replaced the real thing, brands began to drift toward buy-less-buy-better business models, and people began to rethink everything from time to work to keeping up with the Joneses.

A pandemic world isn’t what we want, of course. It’s not only a world without shopping, but also one without the human relationships we need so badly. Right now, I think we’re all looking forward to a little more consumer culture than we’ve seen in a while. We won’t stop there, though. Already there are clear signs that we’ll roar out of the pandemic with a record-setting consumption binge that pushes aside the new priorities many of us have set for ourselves, and pushes the planet back to the breaking point.

As that happens, a lot of us will question what it means to get back to “normal.” The Day the World Stops Shopping will be there for them. And what better place to read it than the library?

—J.B. MacKinnon

***

Thank you, J.B.! The Day the World Stops Shopping is on sale today, May 25th! In celebration, we are giving away finished copies to the first 10 librarians who email librarylovefest@harpercollins.com.

-Lainey

The June LibraryReads List Is Here!

Hello, librarians!

You voted, they counted, and the winners have finally been announced!

This month, we are thrilled to share that The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin, Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams, and The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian have been selected for the June LibraryReads List! We're also excited to announce that LibraryReads Hall of Fame authors Laura Lippman / Dream Girl and Susan Elizabeth Phillips / When Stars Collide were also selected!

Want to hear how our authors reacted to the big news? Listen to our latest episode of The Library Love Fest Podcast below to hear their responses!

Click here to see the full June LibraryReads List!

***

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot
by Marianne Cronin: A charming, fiercely alive and disarmingly funny debut novel in the vein of John Green, Rachel Joyce, and Jojo Moyes—about the unexpected friendship between 17-year-old Lenni, living on the Terminal Ward at the Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital, and Margot, an 83-year-old, purple-pajama-wearing, fruitcake-eating rebel, who transforms Lenni in ways she never imagined.

"Cronin has just struck the right balance between sensitivity and sentimentality, making her one of those admirable writers who does exceptionally fine work both celebrating life and addressing death."
—Booklist

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Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams:
The New York Times bestselling author of Her Last Flight returns with a gripping and profoundly human story of Cold War espionage and family devotion that proves again why Elin Hilderbrand says Beatriz Williams "is writing the best historical fiction out there."

"Williams sharply observes the inequities women faced at the end of WWII and the simmering suspense of the Cold War. Historical fiction fans will be riveted by the complex family relationships and the intriguing portrayal of espionage."
—Publishers Weekly

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Watch Beatriz Williams on Door to Door!

 

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian: Critically acclaimed author Cat Sebastian makes her trade paperback debut in a stunning historical romance about a reluctantly reformed highwayman and the aristocrat who threatens to steal his heart.

"Sebastian’s prose is entertaining and delightful, with many steamy scenes.... It’s also full of intelligent and thought-provoking political debates.... An irresistible story of love and adventure that will delight both newcomers and regular readers of queer romance."
—Kirkus Reviews ⭐ review

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Watch LLF's Lainey Mays interview Cat Sebastian
on ALA's Diverse Characters Panel!

Dream Girl by Laura Lippman: Following up on her acclaimed and wildly successful New York Times bestseller Lady in the Lake—one of the top selling books of her career—Laura Lippman returns with a dark, complex tale of psychological suspense with echoes of Misery involving a novelist, incapacitated by injury, who is plagued by mysterious phone calls.

"My dream novel. I devoured this in three days. The sharpest, clearest-eyed take on our #MeToo reckoning yet. Plus: enthralling."
—Megan Abbott, Edgar Award-winning author of Dare Me and The Fever

Previous LibraryReads Selections:
Lady in the Lake (July 2019)
Sunburn (March 2018)
Wilde Lake (May 2016)
After I'm Gone (February 2014)

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Watch Laura Lippman on Door to Door!

 

When Stars Collide
by Susan Elizabeth Phillips:
#1 New York Times bestseller Susan Elizabeth Phillips returns to her beloved Chicago Stars series with a romance between a Chicago Stars quarterback and one of the world’s greatest opera singers—and a major diva.

"Re-entering the world of the Chicago Stars is like a beloved friend come to call."
—Robyn Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Virgin River series

Previous LibraryReads Selections:
Dance Away with Me (June 2020)
First Star I See Tonight (August 2016)
Heroes Are My Weakness (August 2014)

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***

Thanks to all who participated and submitted votes for the June LibraryReads List! Be sure to submit your votes for the July LibraryReads List by June 1st. Click here to find out what we're recommending!  

Click here to learn more about LibraryReads.

-Chris

 

Podcast Episode: New Rockin' Audiobooks (Feat. Bethany Johnsrud, National Accounts Rep)

Hey podcast listeners! Since audiobooks are so popular in libraries, we wanted to give you an overview of some new audiobooks from HarperCollins on the podcast this week. We are joined by Bethany Johnsrud, National Accounts Rep, for a conversation about her favorite new audiobooks—be sure to stay tuned for some clips! 

Listen to the episode here:

Find a list of titles discussed and audio clips from each book below. All are available now unless otherwise noted.

• The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, read by Saskia Maarleveld
  -See Kate's Instagram takeover here.
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.
• The WIndsor Knot by SJ Bennett, read by Jane Copland
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.
• Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams, read by Nicola Barber and Cassandra Campbell (on sale June 1, 2021)
  -Listen to the Advanced Listener Copy on Edelweiss+ or NetGalley
• How to Kidnap the Rich by Rahul Raina, read by Riz Ahmed (on sale June 22, 2021)
• Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, read by Marin Ireland
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.
• Good Company by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, read by Marin Ireland
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.
• Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy, read by Val Toomey, George Newbern, Marin Ireland, and Joel Froomkin
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.
• The Light of Days by Judy Batalion, read by Mozhan Marno
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.
• Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi, read by Mozhan Marno
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.
• How Y'all Doing by Leslie Jordan, read by Leslie Jordan
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.
• Little and Often by Trent Preszler, read by Matt Bomer
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.
• Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard, read by Joyce Maynard (on sale July 13, 2021)
• Impostor Syndrome by Kathy Wang, read by Lauren Fortgang (on sale May 25, 2021)
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.
  -We mentioned Chris' interview with Kathy:
  

• Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau, read by Caitlin Kinnunen
  -Listen to a clip from the audiobook here.

We also mentioned the last podcast episode we did on audiobooks with Senior Audio Marketing Associate Andrew Kaberline. Listen to that episode here:

We recently launched an Advanced Listener Copy program on Edelweiss+ and NetGalley where you can listen to audiobooks in advance of their publication. 

Thank you for coming on the podcast, Bethany! You always bring lots of laughs and thoughtful conversation!

-Lainey

LLF Guest Post: "Lessons the library taught me on creativity" by Kate White, author of THE FIANCÉE

Today, we would like to welcome New York Times bestselling author Kate White for a guest blog post. Her upcoming book, The Fiancée, is a riveting psychological thriller about a captivating woman who joins a family and threatens to upend their picture-perfect lives. 

Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author of The Last House Guest and The Girl from Widow Hills said:
“A tense, simmering, fast-paced mystery, Kate White’s latest captivating thriller explores the secrets that lurk just under the surface of a picture-perfect façade. I raced through this story about a close-knit family’s annual gathering at an idyllic estate that quickly turns deadly. The Fiancée kept me guessing until the very end, never sure who to trust—or where the danger was hiding.”

***

I’m so pleased to have the chance to tell you a little about myself and my new (fifteenth!) suspense novel, The Fiancée.

First, the book. It opens with Summer Redding heading to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Gabe, and young stepson for an annual get-together at her in-laws’ sprawling estate. Summer, a struggling actress, is looking forward to a break from hustling for work in Manhattan. On the agenda are leisurely gourmet meals, tennis matches, and plenty of poolside relaxation.

It turns out that Gabe’s brother Nick has invited his new flame Hannah, whom Summer immediately recognizes from a few years before. Oddly, Hannah claims not to know her. Yet she charms the other family members, and after Nick announces that he’s proposed to Hannah, Summer decides to grin and bear it.

But the reunion is soon rocked by tragedy when a family member dies. Though the doctors attribute the loss to natural causes, a grieving Summer fears that the cunning-seeming Hannah is involved, even as Gabe dismisses her suspicions. Before long Summer begins to fear that the first death might only be the beginning.

The Fiancée is for anyone who enjoys suspense, and since it’s a “locked-room” mystery, it’s an especially good fit for fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley. What I love about locked-room mysteries is that the reader can be pretty darn sure that the killer is right there on the property with the protagonist, perhaps even sitting at the same dinner table. Kind of terrifying, right?

As a librarian I hope you’ll also get a kick out of the fact that two key turning points involve a book!

Now a little about me. I’m the former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, who left about nine years ago to write fulltime while I still had the chance. It was tough to say goodbye to the Cosmo beauty closet, but I adore my new life as an author.

I was inspired to be an author in part by my mom (a librarian!!!) and also the endless hours I spent as a book-ish kid in libraries. Some lessons those library hours taught me about creativity:

1. You don’t necessarily need a whole room of your own to work in, but you must find a private nook or cranny.
2. Shhhh. Quiet really is important. 
3. But it doesn’t have to be utterly quiet. Sometimes hushed footsteps and murmuring can act as a nice white noise. Now that I do have a home office, I create my own white noise with moody instrumental music on my Amazon Echo!

***

Thank you, Kate! 

Be sure to watch the replay of our Door to Door featuring Kate here:

The Fiancée goes on sale June 29, 2021. There will also be a Library Hardcover edition!

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-Lainey

LLF Staff Suggestions for the July LibraryReads List

Hello, librarians. Happy May! Random fact: the UK celebrates National Smile Month beginning May 17th. Why do we bring this up? Well, nothing makes us smile more than a great book...and with our staff suggestions for the July LibraryReads List, there are plenty of smiles to go around. Keep reading to learn (and smile) more! Remember to submit your votes by June 1st.

Happy reading!

-The LLF Team (Virginia, Chris, and Lainey)

***

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
For fans of: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and 
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
The award-winning poet and essayist makes her fiction debut with this magisterial epic—an intimate yet sweeping novel with the freshness and forcefulness of Homegoing, The Turner House, and The Water Dancer—that chronicles the journey of one American family from the centuries of the colonial slave trade through the Civil War to our own tumultuous time.

"Themes of family, class, higher education, feminism, and colorism yield many rich layers. Readers will be floored."
—Publishers Weekly ⭐ review

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

The Women's March by Jennifer Chiaverini
Also from the author: Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters and
Resistance Women
New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini returns with an enthralling historical novel of the woman’s suffrage movement inspired by three courageous women who bravely risked their lives and liberty in the fight to win the vote.

Praise for Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters:
"Through meticulously researched historical detail and sympathetic portrayal of each character, including Mary herself, Chiaverini provides a fascinating glimpse into the women of an influential family on the front lines of some of the most important moments of that indelible time."
—Booklist

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

False Witness by Karin Slaughter
Also from the author: The Last Widow and The Good Daughter
From the New York Times bestselling author of Pieces of Her and The Silent Wife, an electrifying standalone thriller about a successful defense attorney whose latest case has chilling ties to a decades-old secret.

"Slaughter shines an intense spotlight on a new normal laced with COVID-19 protocols and a cast of survivors battling a ruthless pandemic, a serial sadist, and a lifetime of unbeatable odds.... Equal parts hyperrealistic thriller and epic tragedy, Slaughter’s latest is pitch-perfect storytelling."
—Booklist ⭐ review

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

Appleseed by Matt Bell
For fans of: Recursion by Blake Crouch and 
Fall; or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson
In the vein of Neal Stephenson and Jeff VanderMeer, an epic speculative novel from Young Lions Fiction Award–finalist Matt Bell, a breakout book that explores climate change, manifest destiny, humanity's unchecked exploitation of natural resources, and the small but powerful magic contained within every single apple.

"The reason you’ve never read a book like Appleseed is that there’s never been a book like Appleseed. The scary thing, though, is this is a world you might recognize. This premise, this content, this form, this language—only Matt Bell could have given us this novel."
—Stephen Graham Jones, author of The Only Good Indians

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

Listen to a podcast interview between LLF's Chris Connolly and Matt Bell!

 

The Minister Primarily by John Oliver Killens
For fans of: Baracoon by Zora Neale Hurston
A major literary event—the eagerly anticipated publication of a long-lost novel from legendary writer and three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee John Oliver Killens, hailed as the founding father of the Black Arts Movement and mentor to celebrated writers, including Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, Arthur Flowers, and Terry McMillan.

"Killens (1916–1987), a member of the Black Arts movement and author of And Then We Heard the Thunder, cleverly satirizes 1960s American politics in this sharp thriller.... Killens maximizes the potential of his plot with outrageous humor. Readers will be glad to find this gem unearthed."
—Publishers Weekly

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

The Stranger in the Mirror by Liv Constantine
For fans of: When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica
A diabolically twisty, psychologically unsettling novel about a woman with no recollection of her past from the authors of the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick The Last Mrs. Parrish and 
The Wife Stalker.

"Gripping! Equal parts character study and domestic thriller, The Stranger in the Mirror makes for a perfect weekend read—a highly enjoyable page-turner where you race to the end, breathless to discover the shocking truth."
—Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of When You See Me

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

Nobody, Somebody, Anybody by Kelly McClorey
For fans of: Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan
A moving and darkly comic debut novel about an anxious young woman who administers a self-made "placebo" treatment in a last-ditch attempt to rebuild her life.

"I read Nobody, Somebody, Anybody the way I watch horror films: half-hiding behind my fingers, both worried for the anxious young protagonist and eager to know what trouble she’d find herself in next. Kelly McClorey’s voice is funny, heartbreaking, and singular—unlike anything I’ve ever read. This is a book for anyone who’s ever been sad or stuck, or longed to be somewhere or someone else. I loved it."
—Rachel Khong, author of Goodbye, Vitamin

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

Island Queen by Vanessa Riley
For fans of: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
and The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
The mainstream breakout book for acclaimed African-American romance novelist Vanessa Riley: A remarkable, sweeping historical novel based on the incredible true life story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, a free woman of color who rose from slavery to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful landowners in the colonial West Indies.

"Island Queen is what you would get if you were to drop Olivia Pope and all the men who lusted after her into the 18th Century Caribbean.... With prose that reads like poetry, Vanessa Riley expertly steers the reader through Dolly’s heartbreaking lows all the way into her triumphant emergence as the richest free woman of color in the islands." —Kaia Alderson, author of Sisters in Arms

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton
For fans of: We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet and 
The Baker's Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan
From the internationally bestselling and beloved author of the critically acclaimed Boy Swallows Universe, a mesmerizing, uplifting novel of adventure and unlikely friendships in World War II Australia—calling to mind The Wizard of Oz as directed by Baz Luhrmann.

"Achingly beautiful and poetic in its melancholy, All Our Shimmering Skies is a majestic and riveting tale of curses and the true meaning of treasure."
—Booklist ⭐ review

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

I Couldn't Love You More by Esther Freud
For fans of: Late in the Day by Tessa Hadley
and Hot Milk by Deborah Levy
A sweeping story of three generations of women, crossing from London to Ireland and back again, and the enduring effort to retrieve the secrets of the past.

"Beautiful and insightful.... As Freud delves into the three women's lives, the reader is taken on a journey of heartbreak as desperate actions taken to protect loved ones are revealed. This eloquent exploration of the ineffable ties between mothers and daughters delivers the goods."
—Publishers Weekly ⭐ review

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

London's Number One Dog-Walking Agency
by Kate MacDougall
For fans of: Everybody Died, So I Got a Dog by Emily Dean
The irresistibly charming memoir of a young woman who started her own business as a dog walker for London’s busy, well-heeled dog lovers. A true love letter to London, dogs, and growing up.

"It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me long for a dog! Incredibly moving, very funny and wonderfully wise, this is a brilliant debut memoir and a beacon of hope when we need it most. I shall be recommending it to everyone I know, dog-loving or otherwise."
—Annie Lyons, bestselling author of The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

It Happened One Summer
by Tessa Bailey
For fans of: Beach Read by Emily Henry
Tessa Bailey is back with a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com about a Hollywood "It Girl" who’s cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town...where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn’t belong.

"Bailey delivers on her usual trifecta of sharp banter, instant chemistry, and high-heat sex scenes, but they are coupled with intense soul-searching for both Piper and Brendan... Another winning romance from an author at the top of her game."     
—Kirkus Reviews ⭐ review 

Previous LibraryReads Selections:
Tools of Engagement (Sept. 2020)
Love Her or Lose Her (Jan. 2020)
Fix Her Up (June 2019)

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

Vessel by Cai Chongda
For fans of: Where the Past Begins by Amy Tan
An unprecedented and heartfelt memoir that illuminates the lives of rural Chinese workers, offering a portrait of generational strife, family, love, and loss that crosses cultures and time.

"Chongda paints a tantalizing portrait of a changing China in his dazzling English-language debut.... Looking back on his life, he concludes, 'I have lived in the gap between worlds.' It's in this space that his writing glows, juxtaposing the beauty of both small-town living and urban life. [Vessel] shines with the bright talent of an excellent storyteller."
—Publishers Weekly

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev
For fans of: Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert 
The author of Recipe for Persuasion—"not only one of the best but one of the bravest romance novelists working today" (Shelf Awareness)—adds an Indian American twist to Jane Austen's classic Sense and Sensibility in this delightful retelling that is a feast for the senses.

"Incense and Sensibility is a tender, well-crafted novel, as much about finding purpose as it is about falling in love. Dev writes with such rare empathy and humor that I often found myself holding my breath on one page only to be giggling by the next. This is the kind of book you finish with a whole-body, happy sigh and a warm ache in your chest where the characters will live on."
—Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas
Also from the author: Chasing Cassandra and Devil's Daughter
New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas returns with an enthralling and steaming romance between a widowed lady and a Scot on the run—who may have connections to one of London's most noble families.

Praise for Devil's Daughter:
"Long-time fans of RITA Award-winning Kleypas will relish the cameo appearances of so many of her beloved characters, while readers new and returning alike will revel in her stylish prose, sharp wit, and swoon-worthy sensuality as she successfully merges the worlds of her Wallflower and the Ravenels series in a splendid Victorian-set historical romance."
—Booklist ⭐ review

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

The Comfort of Monsters by Willa C. Richards
For fans of: Long Bright River by Liz Moore
Set in Milwaukee during the "Dahmer summer" of 1991, a remarkable debut novel for fans of Mary Gaitskill and Gillian Flynn about two sisters—one who disappears, and one who is left to pick up the pieces in the aftermath.

"On its face, The Comfort of Monsters is a riveting page-turner that begs to be read quickly, compulsively. But page by page, this electrifying debut by Willa Richards weaves an increasingly complicated and dark tale of guilt, fury, and the danger of building stories on that shakiest of foundations, memory. Every sentence is a delight in this taut and thrilling debut...."
—Elizabeth Wetmore, New York Times bestselling author of Valentine

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

The Stranger Behind You by Carol Goodman
Also from the author: The Sea of Lost Girls and 
The Night Visitors
In the tradition of Daphne du Maurier, Michelle Richmond, and Shari Lapena, comes the newest mystery thriller from Edgar Award–winning, bestselling author Carol Goodman—a twisty, chilling story set in a former Magdalene Laundry in Manhattan that explores today’s #MeToo complexities.

"Carol Goodman’s The Stranger Behind You is at once a ripped-from-the-headlines thriller, a powerful meditation on the deep bonds and power of female friendship, and a colorful glimpse of New York City old and new."
—Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of Confessions on the 7:45

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

Lights Out in Lincolnwood by Geoff Rodkey
For fans of: Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta
A mordantly funny, all-too-real novel in the vein of Emma Straub about a suburban American family who have to figure out how to survive themselves and their neighbors in the wake of a global calamity that upends all of modern life.

"Lights Out in Lincolnwood is an instantly addictive, high-velocity tale of domestic tumult set against the beginning of the end of the world. Teeming with suburban pathos, crackling humor, and disarming tenderness, this novel brilliantly reveals that nothing—not even the impending collapse of civilization as we know it—imperils us more than our own weaknesses and desires."
—Cassidy Lucas, author of Santa Monica

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LibraryReads Votes Due: June 1, 2021

 

Click here for more great July reads!

 

The deadline to submit your votes is June 1!

***

We hope you enjoy the books! For more information about LibraryReads, visit their website. Remember: Vote early! Vote often!

-Chris

From the Door to Door archives: Recommended anti-racism reads with very special guests

Watch our past Door to Door episode from June 11, 2020 where we featured recommended anti-racism reads. We were joined by Wendy Bartlett, the Collection Development Manager/Book Buyer for the Cuyahoga County Library in Ohio, K.C. Boyd, Library Media Specialist at Jefferson Academy in the District of Columbia Public Schools System, and Tracy Sherrod, Editorial Director of Amistad at HarperCollins.

Find a list of the titles discussed (both published by HarperCollins Publishers as well as other publishers) here.

Watch the replay on Facebook to see comments from librarians who tuned in here.

 

-LLF

 

Come See Us at Library Journal's Day of Dialog on Thursday, 5/6!

Hello librarian friends!

Who's going to Library Journal's Day of Dialog on Thursday, May 6th? If you haven't yet registered for this free event, there's still time!

Register for Library Journal's Day of Dialog

Whether it's the incredible author panels, egalley giveaways, or in-booth author chats, you'll be in book-lover's heaven! You can check out all the HarperCollins happenings below! Be sure to come say hello! For full details on Library Journal's Day of Dialog, visit the official event page. 

 

In-Booth Author Chats

11:00 - 11:20am ET

Karin Slaughter, author of False Witness
About False Witness: From the New York Times bestselling author of Pieces of Her and The Silent Wife, an electrifying standalone thriller about a successful defense attorney whose latest case has chilling ties to a decades-old secret.

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1:00 - 1:20pm ET

James Han Mattson, author of Reprieve
About Reprieve: A chilling and blisteringly relevant literary novel of social horror centered around a brutal killing that takes place in a full-contact haunted escape room—a provocative exploration of capitalism, hate politics, racial fetishism, and our obsession with fear as entertainment.

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3:00 - 3:20pm ET

Honorée Fanonne Jeffers,
author of The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
About The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois: The award-winning poet and essayist makes her fiction debut with this magisterial epic—an intimate yet sweeping novel with the freshness and forcefulness of Homegoing, The Turner House, and The Water Dancer—that chronicles the journey of one American family from the centuries of the colonial slave trade through the Civil War to our own tumultuous time.

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Author Panelists

Literary Fiction, Here and Abroad
9:30 - 10:10am ET

Bernhard Schlink, author of Olga
About Olga: A sweeping novel of love and passion from author of the international bestseller The Reader about a woman out of step with her time, whose life is witness to some of the most tumultuous events of modern age.

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History and Culture
10:15 - 10:55am ET

Matthew Pearl, author of The Taking of Jemima Boone
About The Taking of Jemima Boone:In his first work of narrative nonfiction, Matthew Pearl, bestselling author of acclaimed novel The Dante Club, explores the little-known true story of the kidnapping of legendary pioneer Daniel Boone’s daughter and the dramatic aftermath that rippled across the nation.

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Literary Fiction, Crossing Boundaries
12:15 - 12:55pm ET

Wiley Cash, author of When Ghosts Come Home 
About When Ghosts Come Home: The eagerly awaited novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A Land More Kind Than Home, This Dark Road to Mercy, and The Last Ballad—a tender and haunting story of a father and daughter, crime and forgiveness, race and memory.

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Gregory Maguire, author of The Brides of Maracoor
About The Brides of Maracoor: Multimillion-copy bestselling author Gregory Maguire unveils the first in a three-book series spun off the iconic Wicked Years, featuring Elphaba’s granddaughter, the green-skinned Rain.

Find out more on Edelweiss+

 

Memoir Matters
12:15 - 12:55pm ET

Tabitha Lasley, author of Sea State
About Sea State:A stunning and brutally honest memoir that shines a light on what happens when female desire butts up against a culture of masculinity in crisis.

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Mystery
3:30 - 4:10pm ET

Wanda M. Morris, author of All Her Little Secrets
About All Her Little Secrets: The HarperCollins Lead Read Pick for Fall 2021! In this fast-paced thriller, Wanda M. Morris crafts a twisty mystery about a Black lawyer who gets in over her head after the sudden death of her boss—a debut perfect for fans of Attica Locke, Alyssa Cole, Harlan Coben, and Celeste Ng, with shades of How to Get Away with Murder and John Grisham’s The Firm.

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World War II Fiction
4:15 - 5:00pm ET

Kaia Alderson, author of Sisters in Arms
About Sisters in Arms:Kaia Alderson’s debut historical fiction novel reveals the untold, true story of the Six Triple Eight, the only all-Black battalion of the Women’s Army Corps, who made the dangerous voyage to Europe to ensure American servicemen received word from their loved ones during World War II.

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We are so excited to see all of these wonderful authors! The Library Love Fest Team will also be in the HarperCollins booth all day to chat, catch up, and help you with egalleys, book club suggestions, virtual author events, reading recommendations, and so much more. Be sure to click below to register for Library Journal's Day of Dialog event on Thursday, May 6th!

Register for Library Journal's Day of Dialog

-LLF