Author name: Library Love Fest

Hello, librarians!

November brings with it shorter days, brisk nights, dazzling fall foliage, and, best of all, a new novel by Louise Erdrich! If that wasn't enough, we also have a fantasy debut by S. A. Chakraborty that is quickly building serious librarian buzz, a charming library-centric U.S. debut by Felicity Hayes-McCoy, the first installment in a new series from romance powerhouse Loretta Chase, and so much more. Enjoy!

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

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Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich
For fans of: The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The New York Times bestselling, National Book Award-winning author of LaRose and The Round House paints a startling portrait of a young woman fighting for her life and her unborn child against oppressive forces that manifest in the wake of a cataclysmic event.
"Masterful…a breakout work of speculative fiction…Erdrich enters the realm of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale…. A tornadic, suspenseful, profoundly provoking novel of life’s vulnerability and insistence…with a bold apocalyptic theme, searing social critique, and high-adrenaline action." 
—Booklist  review

Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads voting deadline: September 20th

The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty
For fans of: Uprooted by Naomi Novik and The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty—an imaginative alchemy of The Grace of Kings and One Thousand and One Nights, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts.
"The City of Brass is the best adult fantasy I’ve read since The Name of the Wind. It’s stunning and complex and consuming and fantastic. You must read it."
—Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of An Ember in the Ashes

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

The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy
For fans of: The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan  
In the bestselling tradition of Fannie Flagg comes Felicity Hayes-McCoy’s U.S. debut about a local librarian who must find a way to rebuild her community and her own life in this touching, enchanting novel set on Ireland’s stunning West Coast.
"The spot-on descriptions of Ireland’s dusty country roads and expansive sky all but leap off the page and provide the true joy of Hayes-McCoy’s first novel…. Maeve Binchy and Patrick Taylor fans will find much to enjoy." —Booklist

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

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LLF Staff Suggestions for November LibraryReads ListRead More »

Historical fiction fans should run to the nearest library and check out The Mapmaker's Daughter by Katherine Nouri Hughes.  The best part about historical fiction is learning about some aspect of real history previously unknown to us, and that cannot be more true than in this novel about the life of Nurbanu, born Cecilia Baffo Veniero—the mesmerizing, illegitimate Venetian who became the most powerful woman in the Ottoman Empire at the height of its power under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

This incredible story has reviewers raving:

“A heartbreaking read that marries a strong story arc with a dedication to historical details.”
   — Booklist starred review

“A fascinating evocation of the major players of the Ottoman renaissance.”
   — Kirkus Reviews

“When the fiction is good, the history is usually distorted, and on the rare occasions when the history is good, the fiction is usually less interesting than the straight historical narrative. This novel is a remarkable exception… part history, part fiction, it is enthralling.”
   — Bernard Lewis, Cleveland E. Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Emeritus, Princeton University

“Of all the appetites the lust for power is the strongest—and most dangerous. This is a lively, absorbing and utterly convincing self-portrait of a woman who came under the influence of the greatest of all Ottoman sultans—with tragic consequences.”
   — Edmund White, author of Inside a Pearl: My Years in Paris

“Based on a historical event of rare improbability—the rise in the sixteenth century of a daughter of Venice to the rank of Queen Mother in the mighty Ottoman Empire—this novel is a gorgeous feat of imagination, a stellar work by a gifted writer.”
   — Arnold Rampersand, Stanford University, author of Ralph Ellison

This debut is a perfect blend of story and history that fans of Goddess by Kelly Gardiner or The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman won't want to miss.

-Amanda

This autobiography is hard to read and hard to put down.  Born to a single mother of 5, living on welfare in a tough West end neighborhood of Atlanta, Ms. Pat learned early on she would have to fend for herself in this world. Using humor as her tool for survival, Patricia Williams tells the story of her life: from convicted felon and crack dealer to living a life she thought was only in her dreams.  Enjoying life in a comfortable, middle-class enclave in Indiana and earning a living as a successful stand-up comedian, writer and actress, Patricia Williams’ story is one of inner strength.  Look at her picture on the jacket of Rabbit. Those eyes had seen more than any child should see in a lifetime. But there’s also resilience in those eyes.  Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Rabbit.  It’s unforgettable.

-Virginia

Library Love Fest has a ton of love for The Child Finder—a beautifully rendered mystery of a missing child and the woman hired to find her.  But this story is also a meditation on what makes a family, and author Rene Denfeld has a personal connection to such a tale.  Denfeld recently shared her story of adopting three foster children in a Modern Love piece for the New York Times, an experience that inherently informed her characters in The Child Finder.  

But we here at LLF aren't the only ones who've fallen in love with this novel; check out these great reviews:

“Intense…. Innovative… Heartbreaking, surprising…. The conclusion will leave readers breathless.” —Publishers Weekly

“Rene Denfeld has a gift for shining bright light in dark places. The Child Finder is a gorgeous, haunting gem of a novel. Raw and real yet wrapped in a fairy tale, as lovely and as chilling as the snow.” —Erin Morgenstern, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus

“A darkly luminous story of resilience and the deeply human instinct for survival, for love. Blending the magical thinking of childhood, of fairy tales, dreams, memories and nightmares, The Child Finder is a terrifying and ultimately uplifting novel that demands to be consumed and then once inside you–lingers…” —A.M. Homes, author of May We Be Forgiven

The Child Finder was also just voted as one of the best books of September by librarians across the country through LibraryReads, so this is definitely a title you won't want to miss.  You can request the egalley now on Edelweiss to dive into this thrilling and moving tale.

-Amanda

Did you know Gregory Maguire, the New York Times bestselling author of Wicked and After Alice, has a new book coming this October? Hiddensee, a wildly imaginative retelling of the origin story of the Nutcracker and the toymaker who carved him, will be the perfect Christmas gift for the book-lover in your family (or, of course, a gift to yourself!) Every Gregory Maguire release is cause for excitement, and if this recent starred review from Kirkus Reviews is any indication, Hiddensee 
continues the trend:

"A delightful, mystical, mythical confection by zeitgeist whisperer Maguire (After Alice, 2015, etc.), who likes nothing more than to work at the dark edges of a fairy tale. A splendid revisitation of folklore that takes us to and from familiar cultural touchstones into realms to make Freud blanch. Wonderful."

Can't wait until October? Head on over to Gregory's Facebook page via this link to enter for the chance to win a signed Hiddensee-inspired illustration by Gregory himself, along with an Advanced Reader's Edition of Hiddensee and paperback editions of Wicked, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and After Alice! Also, be sure to check out the below video timelapse of Gregory working on the illustration.

Hiddensee goes on sale October 31st. We are counting down the days! To download the egalley from Edelweiss, click here. We can't wait to hear what you think!

-Chris

If you remember the movie 2016 movie Maggie's Plan starring Julianne Moore, Ethan Hawke, and Greta Gerwig, then you have to read the novel it's based on: Karen Rinaldi's The End of Men, a smart, insightful, incendiary read about four New York City women who push the boundaries of convention to live life according to their own rules.  The New York Post calls it "hilarious and clever" in their Required Reading Roundup last month, and it has received even more stellar blurbs:

“Cool and hot, sweet and sharp, The End of Men is a beguiling modern tale of four self-made women who are doing it their way, and the men who’re along for the ride. I read it in one sitting, without checking my phone. A novel can’t possibly come more highly recommended than that.” —Karen Karbo, author of The Gospel According to Coco Chanel

“With humor, bravery, and panache, Karen Rinaldi puts her finger straight on the tender conundrum of the female experience, where work, love, and motherhood intersect.” —Rebecca Miller, director of Maggie's Plan

The author is quite a dynamo herself.  Her Modern Love piece in the New York Times titled "What Is a Man For?" made waves back in 2016, and she just wrote another last week on modern motherhood.

This is absolutely an author to look out for and a novel of friendship, family, and love to dive into.  If you're looking for one last novel for the summer, this is it.

-Amanda

The list is here!  We'd like to send a hearty congratulations to the two HarperCollins titles public librarians chose for the September LibraryReads list!

The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld: A haunting, richly atmospheric, and deeply suspenseful novel from the acclaimed author of The Enchanted about an investigator who must use her unique insights to find a missing little girl.

Caroline by Sarah Miller: In this novel authorized by the Little House Heritage Trust, Sarah Miller vividly recreates the beauty, hardship, and joys of the frontier in a dazzling work of historical fiction, a captivating story that illuminates one courageous, resilient, and loving pioneer woman as never before—Caroline Ingalls, "Ma" in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved Little House books.

If you haven't yet dipped into these librarian-favorites, there's still time to request the egalleys before they go on sale next month.  And make sure to submit your votes for the October list by August 20!

-Amanda

Linnea Hartsuyker's debut novel The Half-Drowned King shows a land in turmoil, before the disparate Viking clans of the Norwegian peninsula were united under one ruler.  Prophesies, war, love, and revenge combine for one of the best Viking sagas out there, proven by the amazing reviews The Half-Drowned King garnered prior to publication:

Library Journal starred review: “Making her fiction debut, Hartsuyker, who claims descent from Norway’s first king, writes an absolutely top-notch Viking saga, and readers will eagerly await the next two volumes in this trilogy.”

Booklist starred review: “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.”

BookPage: “A spellbinding evocation of a long-lost world of magic and blood feuds, populated by characters riddled with doubt and human failing beneath their epic exteriors.”

I fell in love with The Half-Drowned King when I first read the manuscript, and now I am so excited that it's on shelves everywhere, ready for readers everywhere to embark on this epic adventure.  Any readers of Bernard Cornwell, Wilbur Smith, or Madeline Miller need to dive into this one next, and I know you will be swept away.  I also encourage you to check out my exclusive interview with Linnae Hartsuyker to hear all kinds of behind-the-scenes stories of the creation of this dangerous and enchanting world and working with historical characters.

The Half-Drowned King is the start of an epic trilogy that will continue next year with The Sea Queen and climax in 2019 with The Golden Wolf, so immerse yourself in this world of kings, queens, war, and strength today to get a jump start on what is sure to be an exhilarating thrill ride.

-Amanda

When Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures first landed on shelves last year, many were shocked that the incredible stories of those brave and brilliant women had never before been told. History holds many surprises, and Jason Fagone's riveting new book The Woman Who Smashed Codes exemplifies this.

Shining light on little-known yet vitally important codebreaker Elizebeth Smith, wife of famous cryptologist William Friedman, The Woman Who Smashed Codes has the stay-up-all-night pacing of the best thrillers, weaving Elizebeth's story through WWI, Prohibition, and WWII. Elizebeth's accomplishments in the face of incredible danger must be read to be believed. In advance of its September 26th on-sale date, The Woman Who Smashed Codes has garnered widespread praise, including a STARRED review from both Booklist and Library Journal! 

"Riveting, inspiring, and rich in colorful characters, Fagone’s extensively researched and utterly dazzling title is popular history at its very best and a book club natural."  
—Booklist  review

"Fans of Margot Lee Shetterly’s Hidden Figures and Andrew Hodges’s Alan Turing: The Enigma will enjoy this carefully researched story of a smart and loyal but overlooked woman."
—Library Journal  review

To celebrate this exciting upcoming release, we will send a finished copy of the book to the first FIVE people to email us at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com. 

***UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.***

-Chris

GalleyChat, the monthly Twitter discussion by librarians from around the country about their favorite upcoming titles, was as lively as ever this month. Missed it? Not to worry! We've compiled all the HarperCollins titles that librarians are raving about. Keep reading for details on the hottest books your patrons will be clamoring for in the months ahead!

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The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty
Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty—an imaginative alchemy of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and One Thousand and One Nights, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts.

LibraryReads voting deadline: September 20th
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss

Sunburn by Laura Lippman
New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman returns with a superb novel of psychological suspense about a pair of lovers with the best intentions and the worst luck: two people locked in a passionate yet uncompromising game of cat and mouse. But instead of rules, this game has dark secrets, forbidden desires, inevitable betrayals—and cold-blooded murder.

LibraryReads voting deadline: December 20th
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss 

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
A mesmerizing debut psychological thriller full of delicious twists about a coolly manipulative woman who worms her way into the lives of a wealthy “golden couple” from Connecticut to achieve the privileged life she wants.

LibraryReads voting deadline: August 20th
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss

Don't Skip Out on Me by Willy Vlautin
From award-winning author Willy Vlautin, comes this moving novel about a young ranch hand who goes on a quest to become a champion boxer to prove his worth.

LibraryReads voting deadline: December 20th
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss

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#EWGC – HarperCollins Recap of the August GalleyChat!Read More »

The long-awaited trailer for Angelina Jolie's film First They Killed My Father, based on Loung Ung's memoir of the same name, debuted this morning on People.com along with key art from the film.  The movie will debut on Netflix in September and tells the story of Loung Ung's life as she survived the Cambodian genocide under Pol Pot’s brutal regime when she was five years old.  Filming the movie was a huge, emotional project for both Ung and Jolie, and you can read more about their experience in a Q&A here.

The film premiers on Netflix on September 15, as well as a wider release in 10 theatrical markets.  Make sure to grab a copy of Loung Ung's memoir to read up on this harrowing and courageous story before it hits screens across the country.

-Aman

The Romance Writers of America have released their 2017 Rita Award winners, which honor the best in romance fiction.  You can see the entire list here, but we'd like to extend a special congratulations to No Mistress of Mine by Laura Lee Guhrke, winner of the Historical Fiction: Long category!

No Mistress of Mine is the latest in Guhrke's dazzling An American Heiress in London series, in which a reformed rogue finds all his honorable resolutions tested by the only woman who ever broke his heart.  Summer is the perfect time to enjoy a steamy romance by the beach, so make sure you dive into this award-winning delight before the season's over!

-Amanda

Hello, librarians!

There are A LOT of fantastic books on this list so we will keep this brief so you can get reading. New books from library-favorites such as Wiley Cash, Gilly Macmillan, and Joe Hill, as well as hotly-anticipated debuts from Liv Constantine and Gabrielle Union combine to make October a special month for both you and your patrons. We can't wait to hear what you think!

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

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The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash
For fans of: Ron Rash and Charles Frazier
The author of the celebrated bestseller A Land More Kind Than Home returns with this eagerly awaited new novel, set in the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina in 1929 and inspired by actual events, that chronicles an ordinary woman’s struggle for dignity and her rights in a textile mill.
"Lives are changed forever in this intimate and yet expansive novel about a real-life 1929 North Carolina mill strike. With subtlety and insight, Wiley Cash reveals the dignity and humanity of people asking for a fair shot in an unfair world. Fraught with the turmoil of social change, The Last Ballad moves inexorably toward a devastating moment of reckoning. A timely and topical portrait of a community in crisis." 
—Christina Baker Kline, author of A Piece of the World and Orphan Train

Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: August 20th

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
For fans of: Karin Slaughter, Mary Kubica, and Kimberly McCreight
A mesmerizing debut psychological thriller full of delicious twists about a coolly manipulative woman who worms her way into the lives of a wealthy “golden couple” from Connecticut to achieve the privileged life she wants.
"With a plot equally as twisty, spellbinding, and addictive as Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl or Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train, this is sure to be a hit with suspense fans."
—Library Journal  review

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

Odd Child Out by Gilly Macmillan
For fans of: Liane Moriarty and Tana French
From the New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew comes a whip-smart suspense novel about two young friends, the mystery of one's near-fatal accident, and the secrets each of their families hold.
"Subtle, nuanced writing and a compelling, timely story taut with tension—Odd Child Out is a hugely satisfying and thrilling read. Highly recommended!"
—Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

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

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LLF Staff Suggestions for October LibraryReads ListRead More »

Elizabeth Peters's Amelia Peabody series has entranced readers for years, and today the final installment has finally reached shelves.  The Painted Queen finds Amelia the target of assassins in an excavation season that will prove to be unforgettable.

Praise has already come pouring in, including a Publishers Weekly starred review: “The long-running series by MWA Grand Master Peters (1927 – 2013) featuring forthright Amelia Peabody Emerson and her irascible archeologist husband, Radcliffe Emerson, comes full circle with this energetic final novel completed by Hess, Peters’s friend and fellow mystery author…. the Emerson clan takes a fitting final bow as the curtain falls on a pioneering career."

The Painted Queen is on sale today, so now's your chance to devour this final chapter in an amazing adventure, or take this opportunity to dive into the complete series and experience the adventure from start to finish.

-Amanda

Molly Patterson's ambitious debut novel, Rebellion, has garnered serious praise in advance of its August on-sale date. Tracing the lives of four daring women across several generations and continents, Rebellion received a starred review from both Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews. Per Kirkus, Patterson is "a talent to watch…manages to travel broad swaths of history and geography while creating intimate moments with a refreshing lack of sentimentality; and the novel’s sense of adventure makes it addictive reading." We are thrilled to have Molly join us today for a guest post, so without further ado, enjoy!

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For one academic year, from September 2012 to June 2013, I held the title of Writer-in-Residence at a tony boys’ school in Washington, D.C. The position offered a vanishingly small stipend, room and board, medical insurance, and very few duties. I was expected to teach a fifty-minute class four days a week and I was expected to write. That was all.

I’d been working on Rebellion for two years when I moved to D.C. and the book seemed to be falling apart in my hands: the structure was unsound, the main character uninteresting. I’d never written a novel before and I wasn’t sure that I was capable of writing one. There were no screens on the window to my apartment and one day, two different birds flew into my bedroom, hours apart. They found their way out, but I remained stuck.

The nation’s capital has a lot to offer someone with time but no money. One day, I took a bus down Massachusetts Avenue and made my way across the Mall to the Library of Congress. Previously, my idea of the type of person granted access to this institution was a researcher dressed in corduroy, someone who knew her way around a footnote, an endnote, and a bibliography. I had no formal research training. I didn’t even know what I wanted to look for in the Library’s vast catalog. But it turns out that in one important respect, the Library of Congress is the same as all the other libraries I’ve frequented and loved over the years: it’s open to all. You don’t need an association with any institution to use it. What you need is a project, a passion. That I had.

My first time—and, indeed, every time—in the Library, I was awed. It’s a stunning building, with marble floors and columns, stained glass, mosaic ceilings, and wooden study tables polished with age. In my memory, there are little alcoves off the main reading room where few ever venture. Several stories up, tourists gaze down from behind glass as if into a fishbowl, while inside the reading room, a focused quiet is maintained.

During my days at the Library, I perused volumes of correspondence from American missionaries in China. It was valuable research for the novel, but even more valuable was the feeling I got from being there. Sitting with my stack of musty volumes, surrounded by others with their own creaky books, I had no idea who was an academic working on a dissertation, who was tracking his family’s genealogy, and who was following a pet interest just for fun. It didn’t matter. We were all researchers, given credence by our curiosity and a desire to satisfy it.

When I was feeling stuck working on Rebellion, a visit to the Library couldn’t point the path forward, but it could reveal what was beyond the windshield and out the side windows, too. Of course, I wanted to see what was there—that’s what every writer always wants: to find out what’s on the next page, and the next, and the next.

***

Thanks, Molly! Rebellion goes on sale August 8th. Can't wait? If you're a librarian, the egalley can be downloaded from Edelweiss. Happy reading!

-Chris

If you are a librarian but haven't yet dipped your toes into the wonderful world of GalleyChat, now is the time! Unfamiliar? GalleyChat, a Twitter discussion taking place the first Tuesday of every month from 4-5PM EST, is all about upcoming books librarians are most excited about. It has quickly grown into a vibrant community and one of the best resources for discovering what everyone will be reading in the months ahead. 

Here are some details on HarperCollins titles that are garnering major buzz in the GalleyChat community!

***

The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld
A haunting, richly atmospheric, and deeply suspenseful novel from the acclaimed author of The Enchanted about an investigator who must use her unique insights to find a missing little girl.

LibraryReads voting deadline: July 20th
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss                                  

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
A mesmerizing debut psychological thriller full of delicious twists about a coolly manipulative woman who worms her way into the lives of a wealthy “golden couple” from Connecticut to achieve the privileged life she wants.

LibraryReads voting deadline: August 20th
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss

The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash
The author of the celebrated bestseller A Land More Kind Than Home returns with this eagerly awaited new novel, set in the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina in 1929 and inspired by actual events, that chronicles an ordinary woman’s struggle for dignity and her rights in a textile mill, a moving tale of courage in the face of oppression and injustice.

LibraryReads voting deadline: August 20th
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss

…

#EWGC – HarperCollins Recap of the July GalleyChat!Read More »

Looking for your next GREAT book club read? Join us on Tuesday, July 18th, at 2:00PM EST for Booklist's Book Club webinar! It's free, fun, and filled with fantastic recommendations that will make you the hero of your book club. What's not to love? Click here to register!

-Chris

In case you missed our Facebook Live event this past Friday, you can now watch the archived video below or on Facebook. The LLF team discussed some of our favorite current titles, including the inaugural Sarah Jessica Parker Book Club Central pick, 
No One Is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts, as well as exciting future releases such as the newest Laura Lippman standalone, Sunburn. Watch below for more!

If you don't want to miss our next Facebook Live, be sure to like us on Facebook to receive advance notice! For all the latest news in library land, sign up for our newsletter!

-The LLF Team

I loved it, librarians loved it, and now Reese Witherspoon loves it!

Award-winning actress, producer, and book lover Reese Witherspoon has chosen Kate Quinn's The Alice Network as the next selection of her @RWbookclub! Quinn's dual narrative historical novel tells the story of the real-life network of female spies who operated in France during WWI, along with the story of a young American socialite looking for her cousin in post-WWII France.

Reese will post about The Alice Network on her social media in July, and you can join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.  There will also be a Facebook Live discussion at the end of July for the #RWBookClub members.

Haven't read The Alice Network yet?  The first 10 people to email us at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com will receive a complimentary copy!  This is the perfect opportunity to dive into this enthralling historical novel, so make sure you join in the fun this summer.

-Amanda

A one night stand, an imploding marriage, and a small Southern town full of secrets combine in Joshilyn Jackson's The Almost Sisters, which rocketed onto the July LibraryReads list at number 7.  Joshilyn stopped by LLF to share what making this amazing list means to her:

***

When my editor called me and told me The Almost Sisters was a LibraryReads Pick, I let out a barbaric yawp and a did a spontaneous dance that had a lot to do with joy and very little to do with personal dignity. I danced, in fact, like nobody was looking, even though my husband, our two dogs, and Cat the Younger were right there. Once I shared the news, Scott danced with me, and the dogs milled about excitedly with no idea why. Cat the Younger acted like he was too cool to care, sitting complacent on the china cabinet, looking down his nose at us.

Scott went out and bought a frosty bottle of sparkling rosé and popped it open, saying we were going to drink the whoooole thing. Confession: he doesn’t much care for it… I married well. It was worth the wee, pink, bubble-induced headache I had in the morning; it’s the kind of news that we celebrate like crazy-pants at my house.

I tell you all this so you will know how much you matter—how much this means to writers like me.

My job mostly takes place in my dark cave of a bedroom, me in enormous pajamas with feral hair, crunched up in the bed with a laptop, grunting and puffing when it goes poorly and cackling into the screen like a smug hyena when I get into that high-like zone where story falls out of me feeling whole. It is very solitary and weird, an oddly private process with a hopefully very public end result.

I try to get people and things and places that are so real to me, and so beloved to me, to run out of my brain and down through my fingers and out in the form of words. It’s a long, fraught trip from the brain to the page, made in the hopes that these words will work as a road map, bringing readers to tiny imaginary Birchville, Alabama.

I want folks to see Leia Birch, the narrator, the way I see her: brassy, bright, funny, nerd-cool, but also flawed, with a crack in her deepest heart. I want people to visit the town her family founded just after the Civil War on the burned out bones of a ‘Bama hamlet. I want people who came from the small town South to recognize elements of their own communities, and those raised elsewhere to feel they have truly armchair travelled. Hopefully visitors will understand my homeland a little better, love its beautiful pieces, understand our flaws.

And truthfully? Writers don’t know how well our maps are working to bring readers to our imaginary lands, not truly, until the book goes out into the world.

Here is what I know about librarians: you guys are True North readers. If you like it enough to make it a LibraryReads Pick, my map must have gotten you to this place I so want folks to visit. Moreover, I also know what huge, glorious mouths you have—you guys talk books, and readers listen.

And while I write alone, and while I write very much for my own pleasure, I also write to be read. Thank you for visiting Birchville, double thank you for liking it enough to say so out loud in total public, and, most of triple thankin’ all, thank you for all you do to get books like mine into the hands of readers.

***

Thanks, Joshilyn!  The Almost Sisters goes on sale July 11, so all you readers out there should make sure to dive into this powerful, emotionally resonant novel of the South as soon as it hits shelves.

-Amanda

A panel of librarians from around the country came together for another well-attended Read n' Rave at this year's ALA Annual in Chicago. Modeled after the ever-popular Shout 'n Share panel that takes place every year at Book Expo, Read n' Rave gives the panelists an opportunity to voice their love of upcoming books they don't want you to miss. The full recap can be read over at The Booklist Reader by following the link below: 

http://www.booklistreader.com/2017/06/28/books-and-authors/annual-conference-read-n-rave-report-2017/

Keep reading for a list of all the HarperCollins titles chosen by the panelists. One notable book that garnered RAVES from many of the panelists was LLF-favorite 
The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn!

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Erin Downey Howerton, Children’s Manager at the Wichita Public Library
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
A mesmerizing debut psychological thriller full of delicious twists about a coolly manipulative woman who worms her way into the lives of a wealthy “golden couple” from Connecticut to achieve the privileged life she wants.

Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss

Stephen Sposato, Manager of Content Curation and Reader’s Advisory at the Chicago Public Library
The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld
A haunting, richly atmospheric, and deeply suspenseful novel from the acclaimed author of The Enchanted about an investigator who must use her unique insights to find a missing little girl.

Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss

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BOOKLIST Read n’ Rave Recap at ALA Annual!Read More »

Hello, librarian friends! The Library Love Fest team has survived the wonderful, crazy, and spellbinding rush of ALA Annual in Chicago. Where do we go from here? More books! We have some very special titles in store for your September LibraryReads considerations, including our Lead Read pick for Fall 2017: The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld. Also new this month is an advanced peek at some great upcoming October releases. Let's get reading!

Don't forget: the deadline to vote for the September LibraryReads list is July 20th.  

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The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld
For fans of: The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter and The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
A haunting, richly atmospheric, and deeply suspenseful novel from the acclaimed author of The Enchanted about an investigator who must use her unique insights to find a missing little girl.
"Rene Denfeld has a gift for shining bright light in dark places. The Child Finder is a gorgeous, haunting gem of a novel. Raw and real yet wrapped in a fairy tale, as lovely and as chilling as the snow."
                                  —Erin Morgenstern, New York Times bestselling author of 
                                    The Night Circus

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

The Twelve-Mile Straight by Eleanor Henderson
For fans of: Barkskins by Annie Proulx and The Son by Philipp Meyer
From New York Times bestselling author Eleanor Henderson, an audacious American epic set in rural Georgia during the years of the Depression and Prohibition.
"One of the deepest and most nuanced explorations of our shared humanity that I’ve read…. The writing is so extraordinary it will make your teeth ache; the story is so compelling that you may gasp out loud…. This is no ordinary novel. It is art of the highest order."
—Cristina Henríquez, author of The Book of Unknown Americans

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

Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss
For fans of: The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty by Vendela Vida and The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht
The award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of The History of Love conjures an achingly beautiful and breathtakingly original novel about personal transformation that interweaves the stories of two disparate individuals—an older lawyer and a young novelist—whose transcendental search leads them to the same Israeli desert.
"Krauss’s elegant, provocative, and mesmerizing novel is her best yet. Rich in profound insights and emotional resonance…. Vivid, intelligent, and often humorous, this novel is a fascinating tour de force."
—Publishers Weekly  review

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

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LLF Staff Suggestions for September LibraryReads ListRead More »

This year's ALA Annual conference in Chicago was one of the largest ever, with around 22,000 librarians in attendance!  It was a wonderful show in every aspect, from the great panels to the wonderful authors and exciting conversations in the booth.  

If you weren't able to attend the show, you missed out on a couple exciting things: HarperCollins celebrated its 200th anniversary in the booth on Friday night with a champagne toast.  We look pretty good for our age, right?!

You've also probably heard that No One Is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts was chosen as the inaugural pick for Sarah Jessica Parker's Book Club Central.  A hearty round of applause for this wonderful debut novel!

And finally, you didn't get to see your favorite Library Love Fest trio talk about some of the top books from the Fall 2017 and Winter 2018 lists.  But fear not!  Our presentation was audio recorded and is hosted on EarlyWord.com.  Head there to listen to all the books we talked about, complete with sound machine effects.  Click here for a copy of our handout to follow along.

We hope to see you at next year's conferences in Denver and New Orleans!  Make sure to stop by and say hello!

-Amanda

Photo courtesy of the American Library Association

Among all the incredible happenings at this year's ALA Annual in Chicago, perhaps the biggest news was that No One Is Coming to Save Us, the debut novel by Stephanie Powell Watts, was chosen by Sarah Jessica Parker as the inaugural pick for her new book club, Book Club Central, formed in partnership with ALA, Booklist, and United for Libraries. You can read the New York Times coverage of the announcement here and also see Sarah Jessica unveil the pick on Good Morning America here.  

An intimate and deeply human look at an extended African American family living in contemporary North Carolina as they wrestle with their conflicted visions of the American Dream, No One Is Coming to Save Us released in April to widespread critical acclaim. Janet Maslin with the New York Times raved, "Watts’s book envisions a backwoods African-American version of The Great Gatsby. The circumstances of her characters are vastly unlike Fitzgerald’s, and those differences are what make this novel so moving." The Washington Post praised Watts as "unusually deft with dialogue…. [The novel is] conveyed in a prose style that renders the common language of casual speech into natural poetry, blending intimate conversation with the rhythms of gossip, town legend, even song lyrics…. An indelible story."

To celebrate the occasion, we will send a copy of the book to the first 25 people to email us at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com. Congratulations Stephanie!

-Chris

For all you Adriana Trigiani fans out there, there's only one week left before her sweeping Italian saga Kiss Carlo hits shelves.  

The beloved New York Times-bestselling author of The Shoemaker’s Wife has created an exhilarating epic novel of love, loyalty, and creativity—the story of an Italian-American family on the cusp of change.

Don't miss your chance to see Adriana herself on June 19 on NBC TV/TODAY SHOW and on June 20 WNYW/Good Day New York!

 Be prepared to be swept off your feet by Kiss Carlo and add this gem to the “library of your dreams.”

The first 25 people to send us an email at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com will receive complementary copies of Kiss Carlo!  Don't miss out! [EDIT: this giveaway is now closed]

-Amanda