Over on the Roaring 20s I posted about Burn this Book, a provocative collection of essays on censorship and the power of the written word. Edited by Toni Morrison, Burn this Book features literary heavyweights like Salman Rushdie, Orhan Pamuk, David Grossman and Nadine Gordimer. Head on over to check it out!
Every year HarperCollins attends the Texas Library Association’s annual conference. Texas is big. Their library show is big (about 8,500 total attendance!) Their hearts are big. So is their BBQ! So off we go – and we bring lots of authors. Everyone always has a great time. This year we brought the fun-loving Mary Kay Andrews, author of the highly anticipated forthcoming novel, The Fixer Upper. As you can see from previous blog posts, we can’t stop talking about this book. We figured it’s time to clam up and let the author herself do the talking. Here she is sitting outside our hotel on a balmy night in Houston. Forgive the lighting. (I was going for dramatic effect but it didn’t work)
Also in attendance at TLA was first-time author Attica Locke. Her book, Black Water Rising, is a mystery set in Houston in the 1980s. She’s already being compared to John Grisham, James Lee Burke and Michael Connelly. Ms. Locke gave an impassioned speech not about her book but about her appreciation and gratitude to librarians. Mark my words: this author is one to watch.
Hear what Attica has to say about her book and her love of libraries.
-Virginia
My mother is an avid reader. Always has been. Late at night, when all the other houses on our block were dark, there’d be a light on in ours – and next to it would be my mother and her latest ‘find’ from the library. She worked in a school library from the time I was 6 years old. She turned me on to the best books and authors (The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, all those great Betsy books by Carolyn Haywood, the Bobbsey Twins, Encyclopedia Brown, Little Women (which she read to me and my sister at night) I had my own personal readers’ advisory guru who told me what to read and when to go to bed (she still does both even though I’m 47 and haven’t lived home for 25 years.) So with that DNA, it made sense that I ended up in the business of books. Now I’m the one giving her the heads up on the next ‘sure-fire bestseller’ and she loves giving the latest galley a thumbs up or a thumbs down!
I thought it’d be fun to get her ‘take’ on some of the books she’s been reading lately. She’s pretty much a non-fiction chick. Loves a good memoir. Here’s what she has to say about In The Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White. This is the first of hopefully many reviews from my mother, Virginia Stanley, Sr.
-Virginia
I've been meaning to write about the New York Times' glowing reviewof Paulette Jiles's third novel, The Color of Lightning. Based on oral histories of the post–Civil War years in North Texas, Paulette Jiles's The Color of Lightning is at once an intimate look into the hearts and hopes of tragically flawed human beings and a courageous reexamination of a dark American history. The review, found here, is definitely worth a read. Steven Heighton calls it "a gripping, deeply relevant book," and writes: "Jiles moves fluently not only among various plots but also among various viewpoints — black, white, Indian, Mexican, adult, child. Her roving omniscience gives the novel the breadth and busyness of a Diego Rivera mural, yielding a portrait of a place and the peoples surging through it at a time of irrevocable change." Browse inside the book, check out the review, and let us know what you think.
-Kayleigh
Tune into Oprah tonight, April 13th, to see Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked, and, most recently, A Lion Among Men, discuss what life is like raising his 3 adopted children with his husband Andy Newman. Browse inside the book, and be sure to set your dvr!
Have you ever read a story that took you on an emotional rollercoaster? Did it take you from happy to sad all with the turn of the page? Remember the Sweet Things is just that kind of story. It’s the true story of a woman’s twenty-year marriage where she found the love she was looking for and truly deserved.
Remember the Sweet Things, written by Ellen Greene is a touching memoir where she talks about the love she found and the love she gained for herself. Ellen was divorced, with two children. After her failed marriage and an ill-fated relationship, she decided to move across the country from New Mexico to Massachusetts to start a new life for herself and her children. While there, she met her future husband Marsh. She found him to be kind, charming, and respectful. Since she just knew this amazing behavior wouldn’t last, she decided to write down everything he did wrong so when the relationship was over, she would be justified in getting out. However, she couldn’t find anything negative to add to the list. Instead, she decided to write all the good things (good deeds, jestures, and sayings) that he made.
Check out this video of Ellen Greene as she discusses Remember the Sweet Things:
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Well folks, we’re officially up to 500 followers on Twitter, which makes this post fitting! If you’re a tweeting librarian, you can win a chance to be published in the first official Twitter book coming in Fall 2009. Twitter Wit: Brilliance in 140 characters or less will bring together the most poetic, funny and entertaining tweets from the land of Twitter. And our newest imprint, It Books, wants you to be part of it! How do you enter?
1) Visit www.Twitter.com/YourItList to start following It Books on Twitter.
2) Email your favorite tweet to ItBooks@harpercollins.com. Please include your name and your library’s name and address for verification.
3) Entries must be received by APRIL 30, 2009! Those selected will appear in Twitter Wit this October (with your Twitter user name).
Not on Twitter? Click HERE for an easy guide to setting up an account for your library. And if you’re not following us already, head over to our page—we just might hit 600!
-Kayleigh
It seems like everyone is celebrating Passover this year–even President Obama is hosting a seder! (I wonder if he'll be asking his advisors the 4 Questions…) In honor of the holiday, here are some essential Judaica-related books (fiction and non-fiction) that every library should own.
Jewish Literacy by Joseph Telushkin. Widely recognized as one of the most respected and indispensable reference books on Jewish life, culture, tradition, and religion, Jewish Literacy covers every essential aspect of the Jewish people and Judaism.
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon. At once a gripping whodunit, a love story, an homage to 1940s noir, and an exploration of the mysteries of exile and redemption, The Yiddish Policemen's Union is a novel only Michael Chabon could have written.
Clara's War by Clara Kramer. Out this month, Clara's War is a heart-stopping story of a young girl hiding from the Nazis in an underground bunker with seventeen other people.
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Set your clocks, add a reminder to your Outlook, just make sure you don't miss Book Club Girl's interview with Adriana Trigiani, tonight at 7 pm EST. Set your reminder for the show here, and return to that same link to listen live. Remember, if you want to participate in the chat, be sure to register on Blog Talk Radio beforehand so you're not trying to do that as the show begins. (Click register at the top left of the screen). You can call and ask Adriana a question directly at (347) 945-6149. If you can't make the show, but have a question for Adriana, please email BookClubGirl@gmail.com.
To celebrate the show, 25 lucky people will receive a free copy of Very Valentine. All you have to do is listen to the show tonight, and leave a comment here. Easy, right? We will randomly select 25 winners from the entries received. No purchase necessary. The last entry will be accepted on Thursday, April 9th. Approximate retail value of each prize: $25.99. Estimated total prize value: $649.75. View rules here: Download Librarylovefest-blog-sweepstakes Leave a comment below for your chance to win!
-Kayleigh
Do you ever have those moments where you allow your mind to wonder about life? Do you think about where you are and where you are going? Have you ever thought about a dream you once had, but allowed it to become a distant memory? Start Where You Are gives realistic strategies on how to put a new spring in your step.
Start Where You Are: Life Lessons in the Pursuit of Happyness, written by Chris Gardner 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.
Start Where You Are, the follow up to his best-selling memoir The Pursuit of Happyness, answers the two questions he is asked more than any others…”How did you do it” and “How can I do it too?” Start Where You Are, on sale in May of 2009 gives us even more inspiration by showing us examples from Chris Gardner’s life experiences.
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I'm thrilled to be debuting the first trailer for Michael Perry's upcoming book, Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting. Coop follows Michael Perry, author of Truck: A Love Story and Population: 485, as he migrates to the country with his pregnant wife and daughter, attempting to reconnect with the earth, with neighbors, and with a deeper meaning for life. Faced with thirty-seven acres of fallen fences and overgrown fields, and informed by his wife that she intends to deliver their baby at home, Perry plumbs his unorthodox childhood for clues to how to proceed as a farmer, a husband, and a father.
Whether Perry is recalling his childhood ("I first perceived my father as a farmer the night he drove home with a giant lactating Holstein tethered to the bumper of his Ford Falcon") or what it's like to be bitten in the butt while wrestling a pig ("two firsts in one day"), Coop is filled with the humor his readers have come to expect. Check out the video and let us know what you think!
-Kayleigh
Today I came across this website, featuring photos of the most interesting libraries in the world. Several nations are represented, including the US, Portugal, Sweden, and Australia. Gorgeous, right?
We’re a curious bunch here at Harper Library, and we’d love to see what your library looks like. Send us the best photo of your local library, and we’ll spotlight the Top 5 photos here. Send your pictures to librarylovefest@harpercollins.com by next Friday, April 10th for your chance to be featured.
-Kayleigh
Today’s post is a bit longer than a minute but with good reason: we’re touring the office of Bobby Brinson, Senior Manager of Library Marketing. We thought you’d like to see what the glamorous world of publishing looks like (not!) Our offices are no doubt just like yours: stacked with papers, books, and a ‘to do’ list a mile long. So get a glimpse of Bobby’s office and then check out the book trailer for what he’s readingo: In The Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White. This is the incredible true story of being incarcerated in the most unlikely of places–the last leper colony in the continental United States.
Don’t forget, if you’d like to be part of our ‘Book-A-Minute’ video series, borrow a flip camera, press the ‘record’ button and tell us what you’re reading. We’ll be happy to post your review (and no, it doesn’t have to be a Harper book. I guess…)
-Virginia
In a minute or less we’ll tell you about the next sure-fire hit from HarperCollins. Today’s review is from Jeanette Zwart, our Vice-President of Sales. JZ (as she likes to be called) loves a good literary read and today she’s talking about Right of Thirst by Frank Huyler.
And be sure to check out the video trailer for Right of Thirst. Let us know what you think!
That’s what we’re calling our new video series featuring colleagues talking about the latest book they’re reading – in one minute or less! We told you this was going to be fun, quick and informative and we meant it.
You’ve already watched Kayleigh George speak from the heart about Blue Angel, the book that’s making her miss her bus stop. Sit back for a minute (literally) and enjoy today’s book review by Rachel Brenner, National Account Manager for Baker and Taylor and Target. Rachel is loving The Fixer Upper, the forthcoming book by in-house favorite, Mary Kay Andrews.
Do you have a book you’d like to talk about? We’d love to hear from you. Send us your book review – in a minute or less – and we’ll post it on our blog (and no, it doesn’t have to be a Harper title!)
-Virginia
We've exceeded 400 followers on Twitter! Check out our word cloud, and be sure to follow us.
Have an awesome weekend!
-Kayleigh
…But it sure is cool!
Check out the Des Moines Public Library’s efforts to go green and don't miss this amazing video that shows how one man’s garbage truly is another man’s…art!
Has your library ‘gone green’? Let us know what efforts your library has taken to help the planet. 25 lucky LIBRARIANS (sorry, general readership) will win a copy of You Are Here: Exposing the Vital Link Between What We Do and What That Does to Our Planetby Thomas Kostigen. This New York Times bestselling author (who spoke at the ALA conference last year) is the Anderson Cooper of the environment. He takes us to the most extreme environmental areas on the planet to show how what we do from the comfort of our own home affects people, places, and things across the globe.
We will randomly select 25 winners from the entries received. No purchase necessary. The last entry will be accepted 2 days after this posting. Approximate retail value of each prize: $25.95. Estimated total prize value: $648.75. View rules here: Download Librarylovefest-blog-sweepstakes Leave a comment below for your chance to win!
-Virginia
My love for libraries began at the Rochdale Village Branch of the Queens Library in New York. It looks a little different now, with computers taking the place of microfilm and microfiche machines. I am also very happy to see more books available to patrons! Every time I walk in, I still get the same feeling I had during my first visit to the library.
When I was very young, my older sister would go out after school and I would ask my mother where she was going. She would say “she went to the library”…and I asked “what is a library and why can’t I go?” So after my mother told me about the library, being the nosy (I mean inquisitive) child I was, I had to see this place for myself.
I finally got my chance to go. The next day my mother took me to the library. When I walked in, I remember seeing so many shelves of books. I wondered how on Earth I was going to read them all! I just knew there was a new world out there and it was my goal to discover it!
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We’re saving trees with an online catalog.
Starting this month, all HarperCollins sales catalogs will be phased out and publications will now be searchable online by going to: www.harpercollinscatalogs.com
The new online catalog is even better than a printed catalog because you will be able to search titles and create lists, sorting by author, title, category, ISBN or pub month. You’ll also be able to get up-to-the-minute news of any add-on titles, important schedule changes, national publicity alerts, and more.
This online catalog will be an extremely useful tool not only for acquiring new books but it will also help you fill holes in your collection by providing easy access to backlist titles by every author in the catalog. Once you’ve had time to navigate the site, we’d love to hear your feedback.
Send an email to: librarylovefest@harpercollins.com
Thanks so much. Have fun checking out the catalog!
-Virginia
Over on The Roaring 20s, I'm asking readers for their craziest library story. I was inspired by this news article, about a 26 year old who was locked in his local library. The best 5 stories will receive a complete set of Harper Perennial’s Olive Editions: Michael Chabon’s The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and Jonathan Safran Foer’s Everything is Illuminated. Email your best story to roaring20s@harpercollins.com or leave one in the comments of the post. Happy writing!
-Kayleigh
Each week Barnes & Noble Center Stage features one bestselling author with a new release—but the conversation will include all of that author’s books, not just the new one. It’s a great opportunity for you to ask your favorite authors any question, but it’s even more perfect if you have a “big picture” question about how they write, what ties their books together, who inspires them, and much, much more.
Make sure you stop by Center Stage now to ask Laura your question!
Check out this video of Laura discussing Life Sentences.
We're halfway through the week and ready to celebrate! Over at The Roaring 20s, I'm giving away 25 copies of G. Xavier Robillard's Captain Freedom, a satirical novel about a disgraced superhero’s search for a new career, his true archenemy… and a girlfriend.
Packed with pop culture references, Robillard goes non-stop from page one, racing through the twisted story of Captain Freedom. The action starts with Freedom’s fall from grace on the world stage, a disastrous dinner party and his search for a sidekick to his flagging comic book sales, a stint in rehab, his disastrous children’s book, a run for political office and finally, his true calling. This wild ride of a satire sends up celebrity, politics, Hollywood, the fashion world, upper management, current events and much more, including the beloved world of comic books. High-tail it to Roaring for your chance to win!
-Kayleigh
Happy St. Patrick's Day. It's a beautiful, crisp clear day in New York City. I'm sitting in my office just off 5th Avenue and can hear the faint bleating of the bagpipes as the parade makes its way uptown. Love it.
I'm Irish American. My grandmother came to the United States when she was just 13 years old. Some family members say I resemble her – which is a compliment in itself but I'd be happy to have just an ounce of her courage – or her recipe for Irish soda bread.
Last night I attempted to make one (a soda bread, that is.) Something went wrong (as it always does when I turn on an oven) and when it came time to take it out it was the size of a New York City manhole cover. I brought a hunk of it into the office and my co-workers politely ate it and then ran away fast. I can only imagine why.
So, no good soda bread from me but a great appreciation of all things Irish: my grandmother and her courage, the wail of a bagpipe, and, oh yes…a man named Falmouth Kearney. He lived in County Offaly (where my relatives reside today) and emigrated to America, arriving in New York in 1850 on a ship called Marmion. Oh, yes – he is also the great great great grandfather of Barack Obama (well, actually that should be O'Bama.) Love it.
If you're itching for some a good book on Ireland, check out At the Edge of Ireland. Author David Yeadon and his wife Anne found their own “little lost world”on the Beara Peninsula of Southwest Ireland. Far removed from the touristic hullaballoo of Dublin, Killarney and The Ring of Kerry, they discovered an enticing Brigadoon of soaring mountain ranges, spectacular coastal scenery, and roads narrow and winding enough to keep the package-tour coaches out. Here they found all those intrinsic elements of “The Old Ireland,” in a wild-times craic of music seisuns, hooley dances, seanachai storytellers, and colorful ceili concerts plus a handful of “searchers,” healers, artists, writers, and poets to give the place a patina of contemporary significance.
Do check it out. You'll be charmed…and motivated to travel to one of the most beautiful countries in the world: Ireland.
– Virginia
The reviews keep pouring in for Zoe Heller's The Believers, a novel set in New York about a dysfunctional family (what other kind is there?) The latest rave is from Newsday which ran on Sunday, March 15th. Heller is the author of What Was She Thinking? which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and adapted into the Oscar-nominated film, Notes On a Scandal. Heller's novel The Believers is literary, accessible and hard to put down. Check it out when you get a chance. Here is a video of Ms. Heller in a post on The Roaring 20s.
-Virginia
Imagine growing up in a family not knowing the real story of your ancestors. The House at the End of the Road explores one man’s journey of discovering his unique racial and cultural identity.
The House at the End of the Road, takes us back to Prestwick, Alabama in the year 1914. This book tells the story of W. Ralph Eubanks, Director of Publishing at the Library of Congress and his search to find the truth of his maternal grandparents; Jim Richardson, a white man and Edna Richardson, a light-skinned black woman. The House at the End of the Road also brings back memories of a time in our country’s history, where racism was alive and well and racial identity not only divided a family, but also (in some cases) made the difference between life and death.
Check out this video of W. Ralph Eubanks as he talks briefly about his quest.
I was completely captivated by this story. The House at the End of the Road takes you to a time where interracial marriage was not only looked down upon, but was considered illegal. It takes you to a place where who you identified with determined your social class and ultimately your future. On a personal note, I couldn’t help think about my family who lived in a small town very similar to Prestwick, and how they were able to live in a time where just your very existence was considered wrong.
The House at the End of the Road also reveals how Eubanks’ grandparents were able to instill love, tolerance and understanding in their children to prepare them for a world that made them feel as if their love was taboo. These lessons were in turn passed down to the generations that followed. They did an amazing job teaching that love and content of character and should always outweigh any notions of racial identity. I truly hope you add this to your reading list.
-Bobby
