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March is Maisie Dobbs month, and to celebrate the upcoming publication of the latest mystery in her New York Times bestselling series, A Dangerous Place, Jacqueline Winspear is hosting multiple author chats to satiate all your Maisie needs.  You can click on the image above to be taken to Maisie's March events homepage, or click on the separate events below to bookmark where you'll need to be.

• March 3 at 12pm PST / 3pm EST: Maisie Dobbs Facebook Q&A 
• March 13 at 12pm PST / 3pm EST: Goodreads "Ask the Author" Discussion
• March 25 at 3pm PST / 6pm EST: Book Club Girl On Air Radio Show

Mark your calendars!  And don't forget to grab an egalley from Edelweiss here.

-Amanda

Tess is back!  Hush Hush by Laura Lippman is the twelfth novel following the adventures of private detective Tess Monaghan, and it marks a huge change in the sleuth's life: Tess is now a mother, and while she's learning to deal with those unique struggles, she's also pulled into a disturbing case involving murder and a manipulative mother.

Hush Hush garnered excellent reviews in the months leading up to publication: Marilyn Stasio of the New York Times Book Review says, "Lippman knows her stuff and introduces some clever plot twists and turns (not to mention a murder). But her character studies, largely drawn from the way people feel about having children, are exceptional," and it received starred reviews from Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly.

And now it's finally on sale!  Happy Book Birthday, Laura and Tess!  Make sure you check out Tess's latest absorbing mystery today.

-Amanda

You'll remember Finding Jake from our previous post and when it was chosen as the #6 LibraryReads pick for February.  Now, to celebrate his book's birthday, author Bryan Reardon has stopped by to share a few words.

***

Finding Jake by Bryan Reardon tells the story of Jake Connolly and his father Simon. After a shooting at the local high school, seventeen-year-old Jake is missing. Worse, the authorities have identified him as a possible suspect. Simon embarks on a journey not only to find his son, but to find out who his son really is. Although not included in the book, this school paper, written by Jake in the seventh grade, may hold a clue:

If I Was an Animal

By Jake Connolly

It's funny. If I think about it, I can guess which animal most everyone else in class will write about. I know who the lions are. I think there will be one or two cheetahs. Everyone knows a certain class president will probably pick the eagle. But after hours of thinking about it, I still can't decide which I am.

When I try to think of something, I keep remembering this one book I read in the fifth grade. I had to do a report so I went down to the school library. While I was wandering around, probably looking all confused, Mrs. Thomas came over. She was our librarian all through elementary school. She had this way of picking very specific books out for each kid.

"Hi Jake."

Before I said anything, she nodded, like she'd just figured something out.

"Come here. I think I have a book that you'd really like to read."

Mrs. Thomas gave me Watership Down that day. I saw the rabbit on the cover and didn't love it right away.

"It's a great book, Jake. You have to be a strong reader to handle this. The language can be a little tricky. But the story… you'll love it. I'm sure."

Looking back, I think that was a challenge. I took that book and, no matter how hard it got sometimes, I finished every word and it stuck with me. Now I know why. See there was this rabbit, Fiver, who was always worried. He kept warning all the other rabbits, but some of them got annoyed and wouldn't listen. It drove him crazy, because he cared about the other rabbits so much, and he knew they were in danger. It totally reminded me of my dad. I used to think he worried about me all the time. It used to annoy me. But I get it now. See, it's just that his worry is his love for me and my sister.

So, my dad would be a rabbit. The problem is that's not what I'm supposed to be writing about. I'm sure I'll get a bad grade for this since I'm not really answering the question. But if my dad is a rabbit, and I figured that out by reading a book, then maybe I'm just a bookworm. 

***

Thank you, Bryan and Jake!  To learn more about Jake and his father's story, you can check out an excerpt of Finding Jake here.  And when that's not enough (worry not!), Finding Jake is on sale today!

-Amanda

If you or anyone you know is a single 30 year old looking for love in an urban environment, doing the whole online dating thing or trolling bars or gallery openings, and wondering where their person might be THEN GIVE THEM THIS BOOK.

A few years ago this pretty much summed up me and everyone I knew, and I wish I had had Read Bottom Up to laugh (or cry) over. It's told via emails and texts between a man and woman and their respective best friends.

Man and woman meet, there is endless back and forth about what did he/she mean by this email, does she like me, why hasn't he called yet. It's so funny and spot-on echoes endless conversations I've had with friends (either as the woman or the best friend). 

It's a fun and quick read, so get your egalley now!

– Annie

Imagine this: you're looking for a little light reading before bed, so you pick up the novel sitting on your nightstand and decide to give it a try.  You didn't put it there, but maybe your husband left it for you.  The first thing you notice when you open the book is that the disclaimer at the very beginning—the one that says the characters in the story are not meant to resemble real people in any way—is marked out in red pen.  And as you continue to read, you recognize a horrible moment in your life, a moment you thought no one living knew about.

Welcome to the creepy thriller Disclaimer by Renée Knight.  If you like unreliable narrators, conflicting accounts of events, and ferreting out the truth, you'll love this debut novel.  It's told from two points of view: Catherine, the woman who finds the book, and the author of the book itself.  Throughout the entire novel, you're wondering how the author even knew about that incident in Catherine's life, why he's telling her story through the book, and if what he knows is even the truth.  You won't know who to trust until the very end when all of Catherine's secrets are revealed.

Definitely grab an egalley here if you liked Before I Go to Sleep, Reconstructing Amelia, or any other novels about uncovering the truth of past events.

-Amanda

It's Book Club time! For the February Book Club we discussed:

The Orphans of Race Point by Patry Francis

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy

Make sure to sign up for our newsletter to receive our monthly book club videos, excerpts, and chances to win copies of the titles for your book club!

– Annie

Geronimo Johnson is a PEN/Faulkner finalist and the critically acclaimed author of Hold it ‘Til it Hurts, and now he has written a very clever, satirical novel that is being compared to Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Welcome to Braggsville (on sale today!) is a dark and socially provocative comedy about four liberal UC Berkeley students who stage a mock lynching during a Civil War reenactment…in Georgia. 

Geronimo wrote up a little something for LLF to help celebrate his Book Birthday, so check it out and then go get your copy of Welcome to Braggsville.

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@librarylovefest.com @triggerwarning: may contain Peanuts

@age7 a friend and I, after much earnest deliberation, much labored debate, much spirited discussion, and several rounds of sugar straws, decided to run away.  Our parents did not understand us; church was terrifying, and school was school. Civilized life was hard in general.  What do two @age7s need to run away? A duffle bag, sweat pants, socks, flip-flops, joke books, water, and peanut butter, all of which we ineptly smuggled out of the house. The books we shoved in our belts like water pistols, though they bulged like life vests. The sweatpants we wore under our jeans. So sly. So slick we were.

…

Guest Blogger: Geronimo Johnson, author of Welcome to BraggsvilleRead More »

We here at LLF wish you a Happy Valentine's Day whether you eat chocolate in your pjs on the couch, watching Love Actually (my plan), wear black and ignore it, get all mushy with your person, or go to see this cinematic masterpiece.  

Whatever you do, be safe and stay warm (if you live in any of the parts of the country currently experiencing TUNDRA like conditions).

– Annie

PS: Want to read a fun, romance? Check out Meg Cabot's upcoming book, Royal Wedding.

 

Edgar Award-nominated author Lou Berney's The Long and Faraway Gone is a sharp, evocative crime novel that tells the story of two unsolved cold cases and the survivors, who are forced together 25 years later in order to confront a dark past and finally discover the truth.  Berney's third novel went on sale earlier this week, after garnering stellar reviews.  Check out these great starred reviews:

“Berney’s novel is most truly a thoughtful exploration of memory and what it means to be a survivor. Elegiac and wistful, it is a lyrical mystery . . . with a deep, wounded heart. Read it.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Focused, very insightfully, on love, loss, and memory . . . fully realized creations that readers won’t soon forget. A genuinely memorable novel of ideas.” — Booklist

“Will raise a lump in the throat . . . the leads’ struggles are portrayed with painful complexity, and Berney, fittingly, avoids easy answers.” — Publishers Weekly

Intrigued?  Well, you're in luck!  The first ten people to send an email mentioning the giveaway to librarylovefest@harpercollins.com will receive a finished copy!  Don't miss out!

-Amanda

Who loves Laura Lippman?? You ALL do! Don't try to pretend…I saw the clamoring for galleys at Midwinter.

Well she loves libraries right back. 

Laura's latest book, Hush Hush, is about to go on sale (2/24), and it features PI favorite, Tess Monaghan dealing with a very different kind of case. Tess has recently become a mother and must decide whether to take on a client accused of murdering her child years ago.

Laura stopped by the office to discuss her mystery and some bonus thoughts on libraries. Check it out! 

 

Just so we are clear, make sure to get your copy!

– Annie

Happy birthday, The Country of Ice Cream Star by Sandra Newman!

You've probably seen us mention this brilliantly inventive dystopian novel a few times, but today it has finally gone on sale!  The Country of Ice Cream Star follows our heroine, 15-year-old Ice Cream Star, as she leads a roving band of children who must find a cure to the plague that has decimated the world’s population before their leader dies.

This morning's Shelf Awareness also celebrated the novel's birthday by sharing this great piece, in which Sandra talks about how she created the unique language in The Country of Ice Cream Star.  If you were lucky enough to catch it in galley form, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  

If you haven't yet experienced the beauty and excitement that is The Country of Ice Cream Star, join me in wishing it a happy birthday by checking it out today!

-Amanda

I'm sorry to disrupt the normally scheduled book programming for this PSA but I feel like it will benefit you greatly. If you want to feel better about your day, you MUST buy or borrow Carole King: The Legendary Demos. I have listened to this album four times today and it is so excellent!

I'm not just discovering Carole King, don't worry. I have the record of Tapestry framed and hanging on my wall, but these are such great recordings of some of her brilliant songs. 

And just so this is a bit book related, she wrote a memoir…which I might have just ordered. Details.

Ok, I'm done. Monday we will return to book postings.

– Annie

The RUSA awards were held in the middle of a blizzard and concurrent to when the Superbowl was on. It was a wild time!  Congratulations to all the winners, including:

The Enchanted by Rene Denfield: Death row inmates await escape through execution in this weirdly gorgeous tale.

Something Rich and Strange by Ron Rash: A brutal and beautiful collection of human tales set in the Carolinas.

Dark Invasion: 1915 Germany’s Secret War and the Hunt for the First Terrorist Cell in America by Howard Blum: German spies collaborate to unleash a campaign of terror in the United States at the start of World War I.

Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story by Rick Bragg: “Can a man play rock and roll and still go to heaven?”

– Annie

 Of Things Gone Astray by Janina Matthewson is a magical fable about modern life and values that's perfect for fans of Andrew Kaufman and Helen Oyeyemi.  Simon Van Booy, bestselling author of The Illusion of Separateness, calls it "a brilliant novel that redefines the boundaries of where our lives begin and where they end."  Janina has stopped by to share some background behind the book and the inspiration for her first full-length novel.

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When the earthquakes hit Christchurch it felt like nothing would ever be the same. And of course it isn’t the same—the city’s still chaotic, there will be constant road works for years to come, and the city center is eerily empty. But the people in it are just carrying on. Because that’s what you do. In the aftermath, it seemed to me that when extraordinary things happen to you, they can stall you, or they can motivate you, but they very rarely actually change you.

So I think that’s what was behind my writing this book. I was interested in how, in the short term we’re so easily upset, so easily knocked off course, and how quickly we can recalibrate afterwards.  There’s a kind of dexterity to it, I think, how we step around things that fall in our path to simply carry on with our lives.

And I wonder sometimes if a reminder that we can do that is all we need to enable us to do it. We get stuck because we think life is too much, that whatever has happened to us will leave us foundering forever. I think telling ourselves that we can get through is instrumental in us actually managing too—not in a gritty, determined way, necessarily, but just with gentle repetition. Getting up every day and deciding again to live with the new situation.

Books have always helped me to do this; they make you feel connected when you are at your most alone. And I’ve always gravitated to the ones that also make me feel like the world is full of secrets and magic. Susannah Clarke, Andrew Kaufman, Neil Gaiman—people who write about our world, but stranger. Because the world is strange.

That’s why I like it.

***

Thanks Janina!  If you've already read and loved Of Things Gone Astray, share your thoughts today on social media with the hashtag #IndieGoneAstray.  If you haven't had a chance to check out this highly imaginative debut yet, you can still grab an egalley from Edelweiss now!

-Amanda

 

I don't know about the rest of you all out there, but New York City is in for a cold, wet, disgusting winter weekend.  And what better way is there to spend a nasty weather weekend than snuggled up inside with a fun book?!  Here are a few of our fun reads ready for downloading to make your weekend great.

The Clockwork Crown by Beth Cato: the fantasy/steampunk sequel to The Clockwork Dagger in which a powerful young healer goes on the run with a former government assassin, great for fans of Trudi Canavan and Gail Carriger. Download here!

Rebound by Noelle August: the second in a series about Boomerang—the dating site for the millenial generation—and the behind-the-scenes romances in their offices, perfect for fans of the New Adult genre. Download here!

When Good Earls Go Bad by Megan Frampton: a fun and sexy novella from the author of The Duke's Guide to Correct Behavior, about an earl and the woman who signs on to be his housekeeper, and both get more than they bargained for.  Download here!

So don't let horrible winter weather get you down!  We have plenty more great books just waiting to be enjoyed.

-Amanda

We are so excited about the launch of a new project – The Library Love Fest Book Club!

Every month (if you are a newsletter subscriber), we will send out a fabulous video with the three of us each discussing one book that we particularly love and think is perfect for book clubs. They all appear on our Book Club website, along with over 120 other appropriate titles for you to choose from. 

Tada! Here is the first month's video. In it we talk about The Golem and the Jinni, After I'm Gone and Stiltsville. 

If you receive the newsletter you can get excerpts and win copies of the books for your library, so sign up now. And definitely watch that video – we have a theme song!

– Annie

 

I’m a big old fan of this debut novel. Turn of the century NYC, side shows, secret babies, sisters, illicit love. What’s not to love??

The three person narrative is told by Sylvan Threadgill who finds an abandoned newborn baby and is determined to track down her parents; Odile Church, raised in the curtained halls of her mother’s spectacular Coney Island sideshow, who now must contend with the death of her mother and the loss of her sister Belle, the sword swallower star of the show; and Alphie Leonnetti, a reformed escort, who wakes up groggy and confused in Blackwell’s Lunatic Asylum for Women (gasp!).The last thing she remembers is a dark stain on the floor and her mother-in-law screaming.

On a single night, these strangers’ lives become forever entwined, as secrets come to light, consequences are faced, and long-desired acceptance is found.  Leslie Parry creates a richly atmospheric vision of the colorful world of those at the fringes of society and keeps the surprises coming. For fans of The Night Circus or Water for Elephants.

Get an egalley!

– Annie 

PS: Leslie will be at ALA Midwinter, so if you will be too be sure to stop by Booth 4526 on Sunday at noon!

So I was late to the game with The Queen of the Tearling (the first in this amazing trilogy), and I felt like a dumb dumb when I finally read it because it was excellent and fun and smart and engaging and generally awesome, and I could have enjoyed it sooner had I not been all "oh, I don't really read Fantasy." Dumb Dumb.

So when The Invasion of the Tearling became available as a manuscript I immediately printed it out and read it in two days. Two wonderful, adventure-filled days. Kelsea is still learning the ins and outs of being the leader of a country (with the help of her guard Lazarus and the enigmatic, enticing Fetch), but she is also having persistent out of body experiences that show her what life was like before the Crossing. VERY Big Brother.

In that world Kelsea observes Lily, a privileged but very sheltered and insecure young woman, who Kelsea gradually discovers played an incredibly significant role in the creation of The Tearling.

Concurrently, the Red Queen is still pawing at the doorstep of Kelsea's kingdom and is desperate for those sapphires. SO much intrigue! Plus a very handsome and dangerous stranger keeps appearing out of fireplaces. I'm going to read it again, that's how excited I am getting talking about it. 

Don't worry though, I'm not teasing you. It just became available on Edelweiss, so you too can read it!  

Enjoy and let us know what you think!

– Annie

Hazel Gaynor is the lovely and intelligent author of The Girl Who Came Home and A Memory of Violets. She guest blogged for us back in November about her local library, and now I'd like to share with you a video of her speaking about it and her new book. Isn't she charming?!

 Don't forget that Hazel was also chosen as one of Library Journal's Ten Big Breakout Authors of 2015!  You really don't want to miss out on reading her….to that end, download an egalley while there is still time!

– Annie

Can you imagine a life without access to the Internet from your home?  For many in New York City, and across this country, no home access to the Internet is just a fact of life.  But the New York Public Library is working to change that.

The NYPL will soon launch the nation's largest Internet lending program.  The library will lend 10,000 high-speed Internet hot-spots to residents who don't have their own home Internet access and are registered in one of the library's educational programs.  How cool is that?!

You can read the full article about the program here.  Like we needed any more proof that libraries are the coolest.

-Amanda

First of all, take a look at that cover.  Really look at it.  At this point, you might be getting that creepy, uncomfortable feeling deep in your gut.  And that's just the introduction to the exciting and terrifying, thought-provoking and heart-wrenching novel A Head Full of Ghosts by multiple Bram Stoker Award finalist Paul Tremblay.

When fourteen-year-old Marjorie Barrett begins to show signs of acute schizophrenia, but the medications and treatments show no signs of working, the Barrett family turns to a local priest, who believes Marjorie to be possessed and convinces the family to agree to an exorcism.  Desperate for money to pay for Marjorie's medical bills, the family also agrees to allow a film crew into their home to record the event and the toll the weeks leading up to it take on the family’s lives.  The ensuing hit tv show, The Possession, is an instant hit.  Fifteen years later, Marjorie's younger sister Merry—eight years old at the time of the exorcism—tells the story from her point of view, revealing long-buried secrets behind the show and what really happened to her family.

I cannot completely convey how incredibly captivating and disturbing this novel is.  The whole time you're reading, you're never really sure if Marjorie is really possessed or if her actions are the results of a very disturbed mind influenced by pop culture and exacerbated by religious fervor.  The novel truly raises questions about memory verses reality, science verses religion, and the very nature of evil.  Marjorie and Merry's story is both terrifying and tragic, and I seriously recommend checking it out for yourself by downloading an egalley from Edelweiss here.  But clear your calendar and grab your comfort blanky first—you won't want to put it down until Merry's final, heart-breaking secret is revealed.

-Amanda

Please join me in a big round of applause for all our February LibraryReads winners!

The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn: the final, dazzling installment of a four-book series featuring the Smythe-Smiths.

Finding Jake by Bryan Reardon: a heart-wrenching but redemptive story of psychological suspense told from the point of view of the father of a boy who is unaccounted for during a school shooting.

The Siege Winter by Ariana Franklin and Samantha Norman: a tour de force mystery and murder, adventure and intrigue, told by two courageous young women whose fates are intertwined in twelfth century England’s devastating civil war.

Thank you to everyone who voted for LibraryReads this month!  Want to join in the fun?  Check out the LibraryReads website to find out how and to see the entire February list.  If you're stumped for eligible books available to read for future LibraryReads lists, we've curated a new Pinterest board of the LibraryLoveFest gals' favorite books ready for download on Edelweiss.  Please check it out and get a jump start on your March list reading!

-Amanda

Andrew Mayne's debut novel, Angel Killer, was a runaway self-published hit, and it continued running when HarperCollins got hold of it. Amanda and I are big fans of Jessica Blackwood, the lead FBI agent character, and the very interesting way Andrew weaves the art of illusion with crime-solving.

We are giving away 15 copies of Angel Killer to the first people to email us at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com, so get your clicker fingers ready and Go! I'll wait.

Now that you've emailed us, here is a behind the scenes look at Andrew's progression as writer.

***

I was eight and bored. I’d finished the latest Encyclopedia Brown mystery and was searching for something new to read. A boy detective myself, but despite letting it be known around the neighborhood my investigating skills were for hire, business was scarce. So I was looking for a way to kill time between cases.

Snooping around the guest bedroom closet I discovered several boxes of books my father had stowed away. What a treasure! These weren’t the small books about giant red dogs or boy detectives I was familiar with. No, the dogs here had names like Cujo and terrorized their families! The detectives drank martinis instead of chocolate milk and dispatched villains with bullets, not brainteasers! The covers were filled with alien worlds, menacing eyes and scantily dressed women wrapped around suave men who would kill you as soon as say “Hello”.

We’ve all opened that door. It starts with a cover that tingles your curiosity. Next, you’re haunting bookstores in search of more adventure. Those books made me want to be a storyteller with my own tales. I lied about my age to go from high school to star of my own magic show performing in places I was too young to set foot inside. I worked circuses, cruise ships and headlined a casino revue in Japan. I created behind the scenes for Penn & Teller, David Blaine and spent several years helping famous skeptic, James Randi, investigate faith healers, mediums and other fraudsters.

Along the way I kept writing and sharing stories to anybody who would listen, including the showgirls I lived with in Japan who I’d read to at night as they gathered around in their pajamas. We should all have such muses…

Eventually I decided to take writing seriously and wrote a novella for fans of my podcast (now over 10,000 listeners). It climbed the eBook charts, motivating me to write more. Even before A&E picked up my TV pilot, a retailer declared me the fifth best-selling independent author in the UK that year. It was an encouraging start, to say the least.

I wrote Angel Killer to tell something close to home. Dinner as a kid was filled with my father’s ATF agent stories hunting moonshiners, body-guarding presidents, investigating bombings and chasing international hit men. This inspired my brother to become an FBI agent and me to write in safety.

Jessica Blackwood possesses some of my experiences but in important ways the mirror opposite. I was a magician born into a law enforcement family. She’s from a showbiz family whose moral code compelled her to become a cop. I’m a man in a male-dominated industry, who takes things for granted. Jessica is someone who has to work for everything and overcome the biases of the people around her.

Her story is all the things I know and don’t know. Which is why the curious boy detective/magician is excited to be bringing Angel Killer to a larger audience. I hope you enjoy it.

Best,

Andrew Mayne

***

 Annie

In Keija Parssinen's novel, The Unraveling of Mercy Louis, the eponymous character is a teenage basketball protege and overall exceptional athlete. So dig deep and employ all your athletic prowess to get a copy of this book as fast as possible because it.is.good! I read this over the holidays and was so taken by the characters. 

Keija has popped into Library Love Fest to share with us her history with libraries – a unique take since she grew up in Saudi Arabia. Welcome, Keija!

***

In Saudi Arabia, where I grew up in the 1980s, we depended on libraries to keep us in books. It was hard to get certain titles past airport customs, where men would open up your suitcase and dispense with anything that looked suspicious—which most books written in English did. Getting anything through the mail took ages, and customs worked hard on that end, too; a friend told the story of how she once received a coffee table book on art that had all the naked women cut out of the paintings. So the oil company and school libraries were it for entertainment, and I’ve loved and relied on the blessed institutions ever since.

In my current hometown of Columbia, Missouri, the public library is so beautiful that I usually try to take out-of-town visitors there to marvel at its elegance. But the Columbia Public Library (part of the Daniel Boone Regional Library system) isn’t just pretty; it is also a cutting-edge model for how libraries can serve their communities, providing a spacious and whimsical indoor play space for children, daily baby and toddler music classes, thousands of books, CDs, and DVDs, free internet access, and adult education classes on everything from the job search to filing taxes. I rely on it as a workspace, as well as a place to take my son on long winter days, when cabin fever strikes hard.

When my first book, The Ruins of Us, was published in 2012, libraries took on a new role in my life. They became conduits through which I could connect with countless new readers. It was exciting to see my book on the shelf at the library and to know that people in my community were reading about the characters that had taken me years to create. In 2013, the library selected Ruins for its One Read program, one of the longest-running and most extensive community reading programs in the nation. Besides the obvious thrill that such an experience offers, I also befriended several of the librarians and learned quickly what a badass, smart, curious-minded group they are, always hungry for compelling new books, always thinking creatively about how to reach more readers of all ages. And so my early love affair with libraries has thus deepened into a long-term, committed relationship. I can’t wait to see my second novel, The Unraveling of Mercy Louis, covered in that crinkly protective sheath and sitting on the shelf at the library, awaiting the arrival of a new reader.

****

Thank you so much, Keija!

Make sure you snag a copy, lovely readers.

– Annie

A powerful and global debut memoir, FInding Samuel Lowe follows Paula Williams Madison's quest to track down her maternal grandfather and reunite with a family that never knew she existed.

When Nell's Jamaican mother left her Chinese father after learning he would be welcoming a Chinese bride, Nell never saw him again, later learning he'd returned to China with his new family.  Even after moving to America, Nell's Asian features set her apart from her Harlem neighbors, creating a sense of loneliness that instilled a perpetual sense of loss in her daughter Paula.

Now a grown woman, with a successful career behind her and her own grandchild just arrived, Paula has decided the time has come to search out Samuel Lowe and reunite with her mother’s family. With her brothers beside her and with the help of generous strangers, Paula tracks her grandfather’s life, from China to Jamaica and back, ultimately reconnecting with relatives who had not even known to look for her.

Finding Samuel Lowe has recently received a starred review from Booklist, calling it, "A profoundly moving and revelatory memoir of far-reaching discovery and affirmation," and it will be featured in the Spotlight on Multicultural Literature in the February 1 issue.  Be sure to pick up a copy to read the rest of the review and learn more about this inspiring story.

If you'd like to learn more about Paula's quest to track down her grandfather, you can download an egalley here and start reading today!

-Amanda