Author name: Library Love Fest

Karin Slaughter is without a doubt one of our favorites here at Library Love Fest. If you haven't yet given her a read, there's never been a better time—her latest, The Kept Woman, goes on sale today!

The Kept Woman is the latest entry in the wildly popular Will Trent series. While each book can easily be picked up and read without reading the past entries, this book in particular is a great place to start. In The Kept Woman, Will Trent finds himself on a desperate hunt for a missing (and injured) woman in the most dangerous case of his career…one that leads back to powerful past enemies. Thrilling, terrifying, and timely, The Kept Woman has starred reviews from both Library Journal AND Booklist.

"Slaughter excels at complications—both for her characters and in the mysteries they’re investigating. This is a page-turner, of course, but it’s also a multilayered exploration of choices and consequences and the lasting effects of damage done." —Library Journal 

"Slaughter is a permanent fixture on thrillerdom’s A-list, and a new Will Trent novel after a three-year absence will only heighten the interest." —Booklist

As if being one of the top thriller writers in existence wasn't enough, Karin is also a vocal, prominent library advocate. She just stopped by the HarperCollins office to shoot a new video message to librarians everywhere. Check it out below! The Kept Woman is on sale now, so be sure to pick up your copy here!

And for you wonderful souls who kept reading, we have a special treat. The first ten people to email us at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com will receive a SIGNED copy of The Kept Woman.

-The Library Love Fest team: Virginia, Amanda, and Chris

Earlier this week, the National Book Foundation announced the books chosen for the National Book Award Longlist, and we're excited to report that HarperCollins Publishers has three books selected!

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson: The first adult novel in 20 years from the National Book Award-winnning author of Brown Girl Dreaming, written from the perspective of four teenage girls about their formative time between childhood and becoming an adult and the importance of friendship.

News of the World by Paulette Jiles: In the aftermath of the Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa Native American tribe back to her people in this exquisitely rendered, morally complex, multilayered novel of historical fiction.

Pax by Sara Pennypacker: From bestselling and award-winning author Sara Pennypacker comes a beautifully wrought, utterly compelling novel about the powerful relationship between a boy and his fox. Pax is destined to become a classic, beloved for generations to come.

Please join us in wishing these books and authors a hearty congratulations.  The finalists will be announced on October 13, with the winners ceremony on November 16, so make sure to check back in for more news!

Anyone who loves reading will love The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan.  In this valentine to readers, librarians, and book-lovers the world over, Colgan tells the story of Nina Redmond, a young, former librarian who moves to the Scottish highlands to sell books from her bookmobile.  This book is sweet, funny, and moving, and if you already love reading, you will find a new best friend in this novel.

Librarians have already shown their love for The Bookshop on the Corner by making it the #2 LibraryReads pick for September.  Now, we'd like to return the favor.  

Enter here for a chance to win The Bookshop on the Corner from our library sweepstakes!  Ten lucky librarians will receive 10 copies to be used for their library's book clubs.  Click here to learn more.

Erika Johansen's Tearling trilogy has held a special place in my heart ever since it came out when I first started working at HarperCollins Publishers.  This series tells the story of Kelsea Glenn, a gawky teenager turned powerful monarch, and the political intrigue, outside attacks, and magic forces she faces to save her country.  And now the trilogy is coming to its epic conclusion with The Fate of the Tearling, coming out this November.  

In addition to my eternal love, this series has so many fans out there.  Both previous books in the series, The Queen of the Tearling and The Invasion of the Tearling, were chosen as LibraryReads picks, and the second book hit the New York Times bestseller list.  Now I am very happy to report that the love continues for the third time.

Booklist gave The Fate of the Tearling a starred review and have made it their review of the day!  Booklist says, “This is a thrilling conclusion to a fantastic trilogy…. Johansen’s fans will be pleased."  And I could not agree more.  I truly love this series, where not everyone is beautiful, choices are hard, and sacrifices must be made.  If you haven't read the first two books, there's still time to dive in before this one hits shelves, and make sure to check out Edelweiss for an egalley!  If you love it, let everyone know! LibraryReads voting for November titles ends September 20.

-Amanda

I fell in love with Gilly Macmillan's The Perfect Girl as soon as I picked it up.  The Perfect Girl is the story of a young music prodigy who's mother is found dead on the evening of her comeback recital after a tragic accident years before.  The story is captivating, exciting, and chilling, and I'm certainly not the only one to fall in love.

A starred review from Publisher's Weekly says, "As the suspenseful, serpentine tale unreels from the alternating perspectives of several key players, readers will be rooting for the resilient, resourceful Zoe all the way to the perfectly executed final twists."  BookPage also raves about The Perfect Girl, saying, “Macmillan captivates readers with a story just as addictive as her first… [and] shines when exploring the intricacies of relationships… Macmillan has provided a follow-up novel possibly even better than her first, and fans of Tana French, Ruth Ware, and Gillian Flynn will become completely entrenched in the unfolding details.”

You can find a really cool Q&A with Gilly Macmillan here, and make sure to look for The Perfect Girl on shelves today!

-Amanda

We at LLF have held special love in our hearts for Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures since the very first time we learned about it.  In this remarkable book, she tells the phenomenal true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America’s greatest achievements in space.  

In addition to getting starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, AND Library Journal pre-pub, now that it's gone on sale even more love is pouring in.  The book was featured on the cover of the New York Times arts section and included in the Wall Street Journal's "Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2016," and Shetterly has done so many great interviews, including CBS This Morning and On Point.

And that isn't even the tip of the iceberg!  There's definitely a lot to look forward to for this phenomenal true story, including the movie adaptation starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kirsten Dunst, and Kevin Costner.  Check out the trailer here, but make sure you read the true story before it hits screens early next year!

-Amanda

Last year, psychoanalyst and literary scholar Mikita Brottman wrote The Maximum Security Book Club, a riveting account of the two years she spent reading literature with criminals in a maximum security men's prison outside Baltimore.

This intimate look at life inside a prison—and inside the lives of the prisoners—is powerful, poignant and unforgettable.  I personally loved this book (you can hear my thoughts in Under the Radar, Over the Moon Episode 3).  Critics loved this book, too.

“This memoir’s energy emanates from Brottman’s sharp understanding of group dynamics and her determination to avoid clichés. She delves into the personal stories of the men she met behind bars, and is clear-eyed both about literature’s powers and its limitations.” —Los Angeles Times, "4 new nonfiction books not to be missed"

“Readers see more than how criminals respond to literary masterpieces. They also see how the author realigns her own college professor thinking about books she sees anew through the eyes of her tough-minded students. Great literature reassessed in a gritty world far removed from academe’s ivory towers.” —Booklist

“Take nine convicted felons confined for the long haul at a maximum security men’s prison. Add a well-meaning literary scholar armed only with cheap reprints of challenging books by writers from Conrad to Kafka. The resulting dynamic is the subject of Mikita Brottman’s fascinating and unvarnished book about criminals as rough-hewn literary critics. I tore through The Maximum Security Book Club…” —Wally Lamb, New York Times bestselling author of We Are Water

Why, then, did the Jessup Correctional Institute cancel Mikita Brottman’s Book Club?  It remains a mystery, but this OpEd by the author is so worth the read…

-Virginia

Nina Willner's Forty Autumns is a remarkable true story of courage, resilience, and love that traces the dramatic lives of five women who are separated by the Iron Curtain through the Cold War up until the miraculous day when they are reunited as a family.  Check out the video above to hear more from the author herself, and definitely don't miss the rave reviews that have come in for this incredible story:

“Willner’s epic memoir traverses three generations of mothers, recounting the tragedy, estrangement, and overwhelming courage of a family torn apart by the ideological division of Germany during the Cold War. Willner, a former U.S. Army intelligence officer, weaves familial legends of escape from farmsteads guarded by roving East German border patrols, with tales of international espionage at the 1958 World’s Fair. Her interrogative and unabashed voice explores the painful intersection of national duty and familial responsibilities… Willner’s depiction of the brutal East German regime and the fight of one family to unite is a thrilling and relevant read for historians and casual readers alike.” — Publishers Weekly

“Thoughtful and informative, Willner's book not only offers a personal view of the traumatic effects of German partition. It also celebrates the enduring resilience of the human spirit. A poignant and engrossing, occasionally harrowing, family memoir.” — Kirkus Reviews

Download the egalley to read the entire true story today.

-Amanda

We've been raving for a while now about Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures. Telling the previously untold story of NASA's "human computers," the brilliant and courageous African American women whose calculations helped fuel some of America's greatest achievements in space, Hidden Figures is getting praise from numerous outlets, including starred reviews from Library Journal and Booklist, who called it an "incredibly powerful and complex story."   

Want to win a copy along with a movie poster signed by the cast of the upcoming feature film?  Click the picture below and enter for your chance to win! Deadline to enter is September 9th at 12:00pm ET.

T.C. Boyle's newest novel The Terranauts is a hilarious, incisive deep-dive into human behavior through the eyes of eight young Terranauts, four men and four women voluntarily sealed inside a glass enclosure designed to serve as a prototype for a possible off-earth colony, who become entangled in much more than the game of survival.

Booklist gave The Terranauts a starred review, saying "A virtuoso storyteller and a connoisseur of hubris, Boyle mesmerizes and provokes," and they've made that starred review their official review of the day! Check out their website to read the full review, and then go straight to Edelweiss to download the egalley so you can read the novel for yourself.

And don't forget!  Voting for the October LibraryReads list ends this Saturday, August 20, so make sure to share your love for The Terranauts before the week is over.

-Amanda

So much love has come pouring in for Paulette Jiles's News of the World, and there's still time to continue sharing your love!  The voting deadline for the October LibraryReads list is coming up, so don't miss your chance to submit your votes!

Nadia Hashimi, the internationally bestselling author, returns with A House Without Windows, a vivid, unforgettable story of an unlikely sisterhood. In today’s post Nadia writes about the importance of libraries in her childhood. We love her and her new novel!

For two decades, Zeba was an unremarkable woman. But her quiet life is shattered when her husband, Kamal, is found brutally murdered in the courtyard of their home. Nearly catatonic with shock, Zeba is arrested for the crime. Awaiting trial, she meets a group of women whose own misfortunes have landed them in jail, including Nafisa, imprisoned to protect her from an “honor killing” and Mezghan, pregnant and unmarried, waiting for a court order to force her lover’s hand. The prison is both a haven and a punishment; removed from the unforgiving world outside, the prisoners form a lively and indelible sisterhood. Is Zeba a cold-blooded killer, her cellmates wonder, or has she, like them, merely been unlucky? Has she truly inherited her mother’s powers of jadu—witchcraft—that can bend fate to her will? Can she save herself? Or them?

A House Without Windows is on sale today! 

***

Later this year, what may be the world’s oldest library will open its doors to the general public. The library in Fez, Morocco, is believed to have been founded by a Muslim woman and first opened in 859. (Yes, 859…the age of the Vikings!) Pictures of the library are astounding—floral Andalusian art, intricate calligraphy and horseshoe arches. I can comfortably admit that I think “parchment” is a sexy word and I would even venture to guess I’m not alone.

The care with which this structure was originally built, with which it is has been rehabilitated over the years and with which it is now being restored speaks to the importance of libraries in our communities. These are cornerstones to our societies, past and present.

…

LLF Guest Post: Nadia Hashimi, author of A HOUSE WITHOUT WINDOWS, on sale today!Read More »

Enter to win one book or audiobook for your personal library—and five books or audiobooks for your local library! Be one of ten winners to choose from this selection of new books.  For complete details and to enter for a chance to win, click here.

The September LibraryReads list was just announced, and I'd like to give a big round of applause to Jenny Colgan and Ann Patchett for being the #2 and #3 picks!

Jenny Colgan's The Bookshop on the Corner is about Nina Redmond, a librarian with a gift for finding the perfect book for her readers, but can she write her own happy-ever-after?  You'll just have to read to find out!

In Commonwealth, Ann Patchett, the acclaimed, bestselling author and winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize, tells the enthralling story of how an unexpected romantic encounter irrevocably changes two families' lives.

Please join me in congratulating these two amazing titles, and make sure to check them out when they go on sale in September.

If you're not already participating in LibraryReads, visit their website to find out how you can join in the fun.

-Amanda