Author name: Library Love Fest

Barbara Genco, BEA, Books, HarperCollins Publishers, Libraries, Library Journal

BEA

Shout700 

Book Expo America was held this past weekend in New York.  For those of you unfamiliar with BEA, it’s basically a book blitz – an unveiling of titles due out this Fall from publishers.  It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet authors and ‘catch the buzz’ about forthcoming titles.  Librarians make it their business to get to BEA and we’re all the better for it.  They speak on panels, share their wealth of knowledge and offer great opportunities for authors to speak at library events. They also have an uncanny knack for finding books that might otherwise fly a little under the radar.  They get behind those books with an inspiring force of energy and enthusiasm and spread the word to colleagues and patrons.  I’ve said it before:  A librarian is a book’s best friend.

One of the many programs dedicated to librarians at BEA was the “Shout and Share” hosted by the AAP.  This was a panel moderated by Barbara Genco, Coordinator, Special Projects and Strategic Planning at Brooklyn Public Library. It featured seven prominent librarians who gave their ‘picks’ for hot books coming out this Fall.  The entire list has been posted on www.earlyword.com – a fabulous website for collection development librarians.)  Just go to Early Word and scroll down–on the right-hand tab is a list that says "BEA '09–Picks of the Lists."

And here’s an article Library Journal ran about the event.  Happy reading!

-Virginia

Books, Celebrities, Current Affairs, Libraries, Twitter, Twitter Wit, Web/Tech, Weblogs

Twitter Wit Update

TwitterWit PB c Remember our last post on Twitter Wit? Here's an update! The on sale date is now September 8, 2009, and we're pleased to give you a quick list of our star-studded contributors, who include:

Ashton Kutcher, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Margaret Cho, Stephen Fry, Rainn Wilson, Penn Jillette, Diablo Cody, Neil Gaiman, Michael Ian Black, Paula Poundstone, Eugene Mirman, Russell Brand, Aziz Ansari, Lisa Lampanelli, John Hodgman, Susan Orlean, Judah Friedlander, Scott Aukerman, Paul Scheer, Graham Linehan, Peter Serafinowicz, Michael Showalter, Kevin Rose,Ana Marie Cox, Doug Benson, Warren Ellis, David Wain, Felicia Day, Joel McHale, Sasha Frere-Jones, Jonathan Coulton, Bill Corbett, James Urbaniak, Leo Laporte, Will Durst.

If you're on Twitter, be sure to become a follower at http://twitter.com/harperlibrary— we're almost up to 700!

Book Clubs for Men, Books, Coop, Current Affairs, Family, Farming, Got Fight?, Guillermo Del Toro, Inspiration, Masters and Commanders, Memoir, Michael Perry, Mystery/Suspense, Peter de Jonge, Shadows Still Remain, Sports, The Last of His Kind, The Strain, Vampires

A Book Club…for Men Only

Croatia-common-330x220-men-reading This morning I saw this article on male-only book clubs that have been springing up around the country.  Here's a fantastic quote from the piece:

"'We used to just sit around and drink beer and read Charles Bukowski, nothing great," says Pride, 51, of Quincy. 'But the other night we were talking about evil. Drinking our red wine and talking about evil. We're moving into a deeper dimension. We don't want to read junk.'"

Groups may focus instead on a shared topic of interest, like history, sports, or even poetry.  Other book groups don't read the assigned book at all, but use the time as a chance to catch up with old friends.  Whatever the reason, book clubs are a great way for men to build a sense of community and fellowship.  Here's a quick little list of titles that might work, depending on the book club.

For new dads, or the agriculturally-inclined:
Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting by Mike Perry

For thriller-lovers:
Shadows Still Remain by Peter de Jonge

For memoir-addicts:
In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White

For vampire fans:
The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

For outdoorsmen:
The Last of His Kind by David Roberts

For ultimate fighters:
Got Fight? by Forrest Griffin with Erich Krauss

For history buffs:
Masters and Commanders: How Four Titans Won the War in the West, 1941-1945 by Andrew Roberts

-Kayleigh

Books, Kenneth C. Davis, Libraries, Library Journal

LJ Loves Ken Davis

DKMALiterature pb c Library Journal has written a glowing review of Don't Know Much About Literature, the latest book in the Don't Know Much About series.  As you might remember from this post, the affection is mutual–Ken is a vocal advocate for libraries.  Check out an excerpt from the review below:

In this latest addition to Kenneth Davis’s popular “Don’t Know Much About” series, he and daughter Jenny quiz readers about writers, books, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, famous first and last lines, and other literary trivia. The book’s scope is broad, with selections ranging from “Children’s Classics” to “Beowulf” and “Fictional First Ladies.” The Davises provide questions, answers, and a summary paragraph for each category but don’t order the material in any predictable way, sandwiching Agatha Christie between Kafka and Melville, a technique that forces each entry to stand in isolation. Some of the questions are true or false; others ask readers to identify a character, book, play, poem, or movie. Meant to make learning about literature entertaining, this guide should refresh memories and may entice readers into exploring some of the books they always meant to check out…—Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo

Books, Family, Libraries, The Enthusiast, Charlie Haas, Weblogs

Guest Blog from Charlie Haas

The Enthusiast pb c Today Charlie Haas, author of The Enthusiast, is guest blogging for us.  Here's what he wrote:

"I grew up in a town where a bookish family stuck out like a page-turning thumb. My dad made things worse: he became president of the public library board, and fought the local establishment for money to keep our one-branch library going. My sister worked there through high school and into college. My brother and I hung out there and campaigned for permission slips that would let us take out books that were too “mature” for us.

The head librarian was a world-weary guy with hair flopping over his eyes and a cigarette permanently dangling from his mouth (yes, in the library — I go back a ways). He issued me an adult-book permission slip, but also warned me, as he squinted through his smokescreen, that it was possible for a person to be too smart. It would be a long time before I had any idea what he was talking about.

…

Guest Blog from Charlie HaasRead More »

Uncategorized

Book Lists for Collection Development Librarians

Everyone loves a short cut. We know librarians have a bazillion titles to wade through so we thought it might be helpful if we provided you with a short list of our books which are due out in the next few months. We’ve provided the basics: pub date, price, ISBN, genre.  Because Google Docs do not allow links, please check the HarperCollins catalogs page for info about each title. We’ll update this information regularly. Let us know if you find this helpful or if you’d like to see additional information on the grid.

Click here for the list!

1970s, Books, Family, Indiana, Libraries, Memoir, Philip Gulley

Philip Gulley

I Love You Miss Huddleston hc cOne of my favorite books to come out of HarperCollins this year is Philip Gulley’s memoir, I Love You, Miss Huddleston.

Mr. Gulley is the bestselling author of the Front Porch Tales and the equally charming Harmony series.
In his latest book (which has one of the best jackets EVER) he delights us with tales of growing up in Indiana in the 1970s.  Think THE WONDER YEARS.  It’s one of the sweetest, funniest books I have read in a long time.

Here’s just one little snippet from the book.  Who wouldn’t want to read more?

“My early Halloweens were perilous affairs. I dressed as a ghost, a bed sheet draped over me. We were too poor to waste a sheet, so my mother never cut holes for my eyes. My brother Glenn was supposed to hold my hand and guide me from house to house, but as soon as we turned the corner and were out of my parents’ eyesight, he would launch out on his own and leave me to my own devices. I would stumble from house to house, tripping over curbs, running into cars, and spilling my candy. The other children would swarm over me, like hyenas on a downed gazelle, fighting over my Tootsie Rolls and Smarties.”   – From I Love You, Miss Huddleston

Do yourself a favor and check out this book.

In the meantime here’s a great video with a voice-over of the author reading an excerpt from the book:

-Virginia

American Library Association, Books, HarperCollins Publishers, Libraries

What’s New For Fall 2009? Find Out Now!

Harper 1

The HarperCollins Library Marketing Team
cordially invites you to attend our

FALL 2009 TITLE PRESENTATION
at
The American Library Association's Annual Conference

Saturday, July 11, 2009
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
McCormick Place South
Room S101a
Chicago, Illinois

(Please note that we will be presenting adult titles only…no children’s books)

Get the inside track on your favorite authors and discover a few new ones along the way!

Seating is limited, so RSVP your attendance to:
Bobby.Brinson@harpercollins.com

Light refreshments will be served.  We hope to see you in Chicago!

-Bobby

Binnie Kirshenbaum, Books, Love, The Daily Beast, The Scenic Route, Weblogs

Praise for The Scenic Route

ScenicRoute pb c The Daily Beast gave Binnie Kirshenbaum's latest novel, The Scenic Route, a hefty dose of love today.  Taylor Antrim writes: "Divorced, mid-40s New Yorker takes off to Italy, meets dashing stranger in small Tuscan village, embarks on whirlwind romance. You’ve already read this book—Under the Tuscan Sun, Summer in Tuscany, A Thousand Days in Tuscany, etc—and you probably don’t want to read it again.  Except Binnie Kirshenbaum’s clever, offbeat novel The Scenic Route is an antidote to all that soft-focus sentiment. This is indeed a woman-has-midlife-crisis-and-finds-romance-in-Italy story, but it is so resolutely unsentimental, even antisentimental, that you won’t be dialing Alitalia anytime soon. Instead of escapist fantasy, narrator Sylvia Landsman offers a reality check, sobering truths about family, regret, loss, history." Browse inside the book and be sure to check out the full review.

-Kayleigh

Books, Mystery/Suspense, New York Times, Peter de Jonge, Shadows Still Remain

Awesome NY Times Profile of Peter de Jonge

Don't miss the profile of Peter de Jonge in this week's New York Times— it's a fabulous introduction to his latest thriller, Shadows Still Remain.  After co-authoring three novels with James Patterson, Peter de Jonge is cultivating his own unique style of writing, which the NY Times quickly noticed.  They had this to say: "Shadows Still Remain, published last month by Harper, though also a murder mystery, doesn’t read much like Patterson product except in being wrapped around a couple of startling plot twists. Set on the Lower East Side (the same territory as Richard Price’s recent Lush Life), it’s more in the noirish, character-driven vein of Dennis Lehane or Michael Connelly." High praise, indeed.  Check out a video of Peter talking about Shadows Still Remain, read the full profile, or browse inside.  Happy Friday!

-Kayleigh

Books, Current Affairs, Family, Family Lineage, Inspiration, Libraries, Memoir, Race, Racial Identity

W. Ralph Eubanks Speaks…

House at the end hc c In March, I wrote about the House at the End of the Road, written by W. Ralph Eubanks, Director of Publishing at the Library of Congress and his search to find the truth about his maternal grandparents; Jim Richardson, a white man and Edna Richardson, a light-skinned black woman.  W. Ralph Eubanks will be interviewed by NPR’s Talk of the Nation scheduled for Tuesday, May 19th.  Listen in as he discusses the House at the End of the Road and the fascinating journey of discovering his unique racial and cultural identity.  For more information, visit:
 
http://www.npr.org/

-Bobby

Books, Daniel James Brown, Libraries, Life Lessons, New York Times, The Indifferent Stars Above

A Guest Blog from Daniel James Brown

Today we have a guest blog from Daniel James Brown, author of The Indifferent Stars Above, which just received a great review in the New York Times.  Dan writes: "Recently, almost forty years after the fact, I came back to the library that changed my life, perhaps even saved my life, in 1969…"

   

…

A Guest Blog from Daniel James BrownRead More »

Books, Current Affairs, Good Morning America, Inspiration, Libraries, Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox…a True Champion

Fox3 In March, Virginia gave us a preview of Michael J. Fox’s new book, Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist.  If you want to see just how he remains optimistic in the face of adversity, check out this clip of Michael on Good Morning America, where he discusses his upcoming ABC-TV special with Diane Sawyer.  He also mentions his new book, Always Looking Up, on sale now.

On Thursday, May 7th, watch ABC-TV’s The View (check your local listings for times) where Michael will be interviewed about the special and his book, Always Looking Up.  Finally, later that evening keep your television on ABC-TV to watch his special, Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist.  Michael J. Fox hosted and produced the piece.

Watching Michael J. Fox in action gives me motivation and inspiration.  If he can stay optimistic no matter the circumstances, so can I…and so can you!  Enjoy!

-Bobby

Book Amnesty, Books, Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger, Inspiration, Late Fees, Libraries

Sully Talks About Book Amnesty at Library

Images I just had to share this.  Yesterday Gawker posted a video of Captain Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger talking about book amnesty at the San Francisco Public Library.  They wrote: "In case there was any doubt he's a walking angel among us, Chesley Sullenberger has done penance for being overdue on a library book stuck in that plane he safely landed on the Hudson River." That same angel is, as you know, publishing two books with William Morrow.  Check out the video and get ready for Sully's publishing debut!

-Kayleigh

A-Rod, Books, Current Affairs, Selena Roberts, Today Show

A-Rod Controversy Picks Up Speed

As you know from Virginia's post, A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez hits shelves today.  The media firestorm is already intense, with features in the AP, Sports Illustrated, an appearance on the Today Show, and lots of local coverage.  In A-Rod, Roberts goes beyond the sensational headlines, probing A-Rod's childhood to reveal a man torn by obligation to his family and the pull of his insatiable hedonism.  It's a must-read, quite simply put.  New York Magazine writes: "This is not a book of conjecture: It’s one of hard, bootstrap journalism…The sports-biography landscape is littered with halfhearted, quickie, SCANDALOUS, sloppy books with no depth, research, or legwork behind them. This is definitely not one of those." See for yourself: browse inside the book, or check out the New York Magazine story, the AP article, Selena's interview with Bob Costas, and her interview on The Today Show.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

-Kayleigh

Books, Chris Gardner, Family, Happiness, Inspiration, Libraries, Life Lessons

Chris Gardner Speaks…

StartWhereYouAre hc c Last month, I wrote about Chris Gardner’s amazing follow up to his New York Times bestseller, The Pursuit of Happyness.  Start Where You Are: Life Lessons in the Pursuit of Happyness, on sale in May of 2009 gives over forty lessons on how to not only make your dreams reality, but help you navigate on this crazy road we call “life”.  After each lesson there are “assignments” or exercises that you can do to fully understand that lesson and make it a part of your life.   Check out Chris Gardner’s video where he talks about the motivation behind Start Where You Are and how you can gain that needed push to start your life anew.  Enjoy!

-Bobby

A-Rod, Books, Current Affairs, Selena Roberts, Sports, Today Show

A-Rod

A-Rod hc c Not surprisingly, the sparks are flying over our new book, A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez which goes on sale Monday, May 4th.  Selena Roberts, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated pulls back the locker room door and gives the reader a bird’s eye view of one of baseball’s most talented-and tragically flawed-athletes. The author will talk about her book on NBC’s Today Show on Monday, May 4th. She will also give a 30 minute interview to Bob Costas for the MLB Network on May 3rd.
Take me out to the ballgame…

-Virginia

Books, Current Affairs, Guillermo Del Toro, Libraries, The Strain, Vampires

Buzzing about Guillermo Del Toro’s ‘The Strain’

9780061558238 Over on Roaring I'm blogging about Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan's thriller, The Strain— a chilling, epic novel that centers around a battle between man and vampire that threatens all humanity. It is the first installment in a trilogy, as well as an international publishing event. Put a heavy-reserve alert on this one! Now, I may be blogging on The Roaring 20s, but The Strain is not just a book for 20somethings.  Thriller fans, vampire lovers, even cinema geeks (you can vividly picture it as a movie) will love this book.  Head to Roaring for an interview with Guillermo Del Toro, and more information on The Strain.

-Kayleigh  

Africa, Books, Current Affairs, Inspiration, Life Lessons, Memoir, The Daily Show, This Child Will Be Great

Jon Stewart Loves Ellen Johnson Sirleaf!

We're loving Jon Stewart's interview with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia and the author of This Child Will Be Great.  In her stirring memoir, Sirleaf shares the inside story of her rise to power, including her early childhood; her experiences with abuse, imprisonment, and exile; and her fight for democracy and social justice. Stewart referred to her "remarkable journey," and went on to say "You've got to read this book." Check out the clip below, browse inside the book, and let us know what you think!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart M – Th 11p / 10c
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes		 Economic Crisis Political Humor

-Kayleigh 

Books, Death Row, Family, Foster Care System, Inspiration, Jarvis Jay Masters, Libraries, Memoir, Prison

What’s on Bobby’s Bookshelf?

While I am so excited that the weather in New York will actually reach (dare I say it) 80 degrees, I am still taking in a good book.  I am reading a fascinating, yet heart-breaking autobiography.  That Bird Has My Wings: the Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row, written by Jarvis Jay Masters is a compelling memoir that talks about all that he went through and what he continues to discover about himself.

That Bird has my Wings hc c That Bird Has My Wings, on sale in September of 2009, chronicles his early life, growing up with his four siblings and being surrounded by drugs at the hands of his mother and stepfather.  He also shares how he survived violence at the hands of his biological father.  They were left home alone days and weeks at a time, with no food or even the proper basic care.  After he and his siblings were taken out of the home by social services, they were put in the foster care system where his life became extremely unstable.  He was sentenced to prison at 19 for armed robbery and was put on death row at age 23 for being named an accessory in the death of a prison guard.  Since being in prison, he has written one book and several articles.  He also won a PEN Award for one of his poems.  What is even more amazing is that he does all of his writing with ball point pen filler, as that is the only writing instrument available to those in maximum security prison.

Currently there is a campaign where the goal is to get his sentence overturned.  There are those that believe he is innocent and the California Supreme Court is investigating new evidence that could lead to his release.  More information can be found on www.freejarvis.org.

…

What’s on Bobby’s Bookshelf?Read More »

Books, Current Affairs, Libraries, Life Lessons, Shakespeare

Wishing Shakespeare a Happy Birthday

9780061493515

Though April 23rd is not historically-proven to be Shakespeare's birthday, we can be sure he was christened around this time, hence naming April 23rd his official birthday.  I know die-hard fans (myself included) will cherish any excuse to celebrate the man, the bard, the genius.  Proving my point is 'Talk Like Shakespeare Day' in Chicago, an official city-wide holiday in which people can quote the bard to their heart's content.  With that in mind, the perfect book to recommend to your patrons today is, unsurprisingly, Barry Edelstein's Bardisms: a collection of Shakespearean bon mots for all occasions.  Edelstein has quotes for everything–from global warming to break-ups, and everything in between.  Bardisms is a wonderfully compact look at some of Shakespeare's greatest lines, all of which can fit to accommodate occasions or life events in 2009.  The section on wedding toasts is particularly helpful– especially if you're sick of hearing people read from Corinthians.  Now, fly hence, and browse inside.

-Kayleigh

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