Sunday, June 29, 2014
8:30– 10am
Las Vegas Convention Center
Room N111
Seating is limited, so RSVP to librarylovefest@harpercollins.com today!
See you there!
Yannick Murphy is the award-winning author of The Call. Her latest book, This is the Water (on sale 7/29) is a fast-paced story of murder, adultery, and parenthood involving a swim team of teenage girls, their morally flawed parents, and a killer who swims in their midst.
Today on LLF, Yannick talks about her extensive love and experience with libraries:
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I grew up in New York City, in Greenwich Village, and my local library was the historic Jefferson Market Library. Styled using gothic architecture, complete with a clock tower, and stained glass windows, it used to be an old courthouse, but in my mind it was as magical as a castle. It had wide stone stairs whose steps spiraled to the upper floors, that I spent many an afternoon running up and down and testing out my voice, and listening for an echo, that when it came back to me was, for some reason, so reassuring.
There was the reference room in the basement, which used to be a holding room for inmates. I can remember my sisters and I daring each other to go down to that dark section, and then scaring each other by running down the stairs to where the sister was who had accepted the dare and screaming at the top of our lungs.
Best of all, though, it had a great collection of children’s books, and I would imagine that beautiful library had a lot to do with my fondness for books and my eventual love of writing.
As I grew older, I volunteered in my school libraries. I would arrive early, before school started, just so I could help process new books and shelve books. In college, I also worked at the library. I remember going for the job, and the head librarian said that I first had to take a shelving test. He gave me thirty or so cards, and asked that I put them in correct Dewey Decimal order. He then said to come into his office and tell him when I was done.
He left, and closed his office door while I sat at a library table with the cards in front of me. I started wondering how once I finished all the cards that he would check all of the cards to see that I put them in the right order. I figured that if I were him, I would just write on the back of the cards the numbers 1-30, so that I could easily check if the test taker had ordered them correctly. I turned over the cards. Sure enough, on each of them, in the corner, written in faint pencil mark, was a number. I put them all in order in a matter of seconds, then I went and knocked on his office door.
“I’m done,” I said. “What? So fast?” he said. “That’s impossible,” he said.
I couldn’t help myself. I had to tell him that I had discovered his method for checking that the cards were in the correct order.
“In all of my fifteen years as a librarian I have been using these same cards to test students for this library job, and you are the first person who has ever thought to check the back of the cards.” “Good, so I’m hired,” I said. “Not just yet,” he said.
He gave me a set of new cards that had no numbers on the backs of them, that I had to put in the correct order. Doing that took me some time, but it also took him some time to correct them.
Eight years ago, when we moved to Vermont, I took a job teaching library in the local elementary school. This was a great job, as there is nothing more enjoyable that reading books to little kids. Some of my favorite books to read to them was “Are You My Mother?” and “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” because when reading the parts of the baby bird or the baby bear I would use this strange voice that sounded like a child with a New York accent who had just inhaled helium.
Where else can you emit such an awful sound and have a rapt audience at the same time? Teaching library was a blast, but then the school decided that it needed the library room as a classroom, and the book shelves were cleared out, and stuck into the hallway, and scattered through out the building, and Library is no longer taught at the school, and students no longer take out books. What a shame! What has the world come to? I thought, but of course there is no answer to that question.
Our small town libraries are precious to me. In my book “This is the Water” I mention how the town that the main character lives in is wonderful and safe, and I state how the librarian of the one room library keeps a barrel full of oyster crackers in the library, free for the taking, and how he’ll even deliver a book you’ve put on hold to your house if it’s on his way. This is a true part of my novel!
Some of the other local libraries we use even call us to remind us when our book is overdue and when our book on hold has arrived. The libraries are all small; they don’t even have a detector at the exit, whose alarm would sound if you walked out of the library without checking out a book. The nicest, sweetest, retired women work at the front desk, who are extremely slow at checking out books, and I swear, I have only ever once, being very late to pick up my kids, walked out of the library with a book that I didn’t check out. And yes, I did return the book a week later. But shh, please don’t tell. I will never, ever do it again. The guilt is too much!
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Thank you, Yannick. Be sure to download an egalley of This is the Water on Edelweiss.
– Annie
Anyone who knows anything about women’s basketball knows about Brittney Griner. Selected as the #1 draft pick in the WNBA in 2013, and holding the record for top shot-blocker ever (in both the men and women’s game), the dunk-happy Griner is said to have fundamentally changed college basketball more than any other player in history. Griner is equally famous for making headlines off the court, as she did when she publicly acknowledged she is gay in a Sports Illustrated interview last April. She’s also been instrumental in leading the nation’s dialog on issues like femininity, body image, and more. Griner’s personal memoir In My Skin explores the highs and lows of her life, the bullying she endured, and the assumptions she has redefined, as well as her passion for the game, and empowers readers to be true to themselves and love who they are on the inside and out.
This moving and inspirational memoir went on sale earlier this month and has already been raved about by Out Magazine, BET, The Huffington Post, and Slate. In My Skin is an excellent addition to any library for teens, LGBT audiences, and general sports fans.
-Amanda
Gabriel García Márquez, Nobel Prize-winning author of the beloved One Hundred Years of Solitude, passed away yesterday. Known for popularizing the magical realism style of writing, Gabriel wrote numerous novels and short stories that ensnared our imaginations and opened our eyes to the culture and history of his native Colombia. I don’t know how many times I read “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” for classes throughout high school and college, but each time there was something new to be noticed and enjoyed. He will definitely live on as one of the greatest writers of our time.
The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor is a terrific read. One of my faves on the list. Why? Because I know the fate of Titanic. Everyone does. Yet, I defy you to stop turning the pages on this one. It’s historical fiction at its very best, switching between 1912 and 1982 and blending fact and fiction so beautifully. It’s a story of family, love and survival. At the heart of this novel is the true story of 14 people from a small town in Ireland who board Titanic in hopes of a better life in America. Of those 14, only 3 survive. This has a real ‘you are there’ feeling. The ship suddenly shakes and vibrates. Water starts to slowly appear on the floors of the cabins. There is concern but the overall mood is still light hearted. The ship is unsinkable…right? Time elapses. The ship takes on more water and begins to list. The mood shifts. Tension climbs.
It’s a terrific, gripping, harrowing read with wonderfully drawn characters – past and present. Two thumbs up. I loved it.
-Virginia
For more information on the story behind the story, check out this link on the author’s website.
It’s National Library Week, and our hearts are full! So full that we’d like to share some love with our LibraryLoveFest readers…in addition to a well-deserving library.
So, check out these really cool library purses. Want to win one? Send a selfie of you and/or your staff in front of your library to us at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com. We’ll randomly select 10 winners to receive one of these swanky Out of Print pouches. At the end of the week, we’ll post all the fun photos we receive here on LibraryLoveFest.
AND…if you want to help out a fellow library, check out some other cool book-related swag! For this week only, Out of Print is donating a portion of their sales to P.S. 244 in Queens, NY to purchase a scanning system for their library!
-Virginia
I am SUPER excited to announce the May LibraryReads picks because they are two of my favorites this year. The Bees by Laline Paull and Bird Box by Josh Malerman. Both books are so excellent in very different ways.
The Handmaid's Tale meets The Hunger Games in The Bees, when devout, little, worker bee, Flora 717, finds herself in possession of a deadly secret and becomes a hunted criminal whose decisions will mean life and death for her entire hive.
Bird Box is a seriously creepy and deliciously imaginative story of a mother and her two small children who must make their way down a river, blindfolded. And something is after them – but is it man, animal or monster? Eek!
Get your copies now – CAUSE.THEY.ARE.GREAT.
Not participating in LibraryReads? That should be remedied immediately! Here's how.
– Annie
Elizabeth Lowell's latest novel is Night Diver, a tale of adventure that takes place in the deadly world of underwater treasure hunters.
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When I was a child, I was a walking, talking, question mark looking for a place to explode. The library was my ground zero. My queries…endless.
How are crystals made?
How did the earth come to be?
How many kinds of horses are there?
What are all those lights in the sky?
How far away are they?
Why is there night and day?
What is it like to go cave exploring? Scuba diving?
How did people live a thousand years ago? Two thousand?
Have people always been on earth?
…
In my opinion, Barbara Hoffert is the queen of the interview, so it was only fitting that she sit down with Erika Johansen, author of The Queen of the Tearling, the first in a new trilogy.
Erika's book has been getting lots of advance praise (including from our own Amanda Rountree), and it is getting made into a movie starring Emma Watson! It is an adventurous saga about an untested young princess who must claim her throne, learn to become a queen, and combat a malevolent sorceress in an epic battle between light and darkness. Dun, dun, dun!
For the entire interview visit our YouTube page, but for now I'll let Barbara guide you along…
An Introduction:
On why we will relate to the characters:
…
Barbara Hoffert Interviews Erika Johansen, author of The Queen of the TearlingRead More »
Holly Peterson's latest book, The Idea of Him, just went on sale yesterday, and she wrote a lovely piece on her blog about how NYPL was her safe haven. She's let us republish it here because I think many people can relate to her experiences and find havens at their own local branches.
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The New York Public Library is my safe haven from the cacophony of Manhattan. Bleating horns, bike messengers racing to earn the next pick up, taxis playing chicken with each other, surprise wind tunnels on side streets that butt up against an open field in Central Park and then whip all that vast pent up energy into us up against a wall. My senses are assaulted, I feel grimy, I’m carrying too many research files and a lap top and cord in one bag, a purse in another, and the New York Times is in a deli bag along with a protein bar, muffin and tea that is spilling all over both.
In the midst of this madness, I am a writer seeking calm and a good place to concentrate. There is no book-lined, peaceful study at home overlooking a forest or seascape in my life in the way that I imagine Virginia Wolfe or Leo Tolstoy or the modern John Grisham writing their oeuvres.
Once I’ve battled my way to New York’s famed Forty-Second street and Fifth Avenue, I then sit on the glorious steps of my sanctuary in this urban jungle we call Manhattan: our very own masterpiece oeuvre: the New York Public Library.
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Library Love from Holly Peterson, author of The Idea of HimRead More »
I’m in publishing and y’all are librarians, so I think it’s safe to assume we love books and therefore owe our livelihoods to a Mr. Johannes Gutenberg. In her debut novel Gutenberg’s Apprentice, Alix Christie pulls together the threads of history in an enthralling new tale that explores the story of the first printing press and the lives of the three men who made its existence possible.
Young Peter Schoeffer is on his way to success as a professional scribe in Paris when his foster father, wealthy merchant and bookseller Johann Fust, calls him home to meet Johannes Gutenberg, who has invented a revolutionary way to manufacture books: the printing press. Fust is funding Gutenberg’s workshop and orders Peter to become his apprentice. As Peter’s skills in “the darkest art” grow, so too does his admiration for Gutenberg and their mission to mass produce copies of the Holy Bible. When mechanical difficulties and interference from the Catholic Church threaten their work, tension spreads between the three men as they face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Together, they must fight for the completion and success of the printing press and the future of books and publishing as we know it today.
Check out this exciting read on Edelweiss (though it does seem kind of ironic to read it electronically).
-Amanda
Cynthia Sax writes some very racy, fun books and her latest, Breaking All the Rules recently received a starred review from Library Journal…HOTT! Cynthia stopped by to share some of her thoughts on her heroines with us….
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Camille, the heroine of Breaking All The Rules isn’t your typical erotic romance heroine. She has green hair, multiple piercings, tattoos and she certainly isn’t submitting to anyone, not even to Nathan Lawford, Blaine Technologies’ hunky yet uptight, rule-drafting CFO.
As Library Journal shares, “Hot, darkly funny, and slightly crass, Sax’s novella stands out for its excellent character development and refreshingly different female protagonist. Camille is brassy, unprofessional, and far from perfect, but her eccentricities create a nevertheless likable figure who feels more relatable, more real than many of the “cookie cutter” female characters in erotica, who are sugary sweet with no discernible flaws or problematic coping mechanisms.”
None of my heroines are perfect. They are all flawed because I think ALL women deserve happy ever afters. We don’t have to be perfect or classically beautiful or supermodel skinny. We can dress in faded frayed suits, listen to extremely vulgar hip hop music, leave for three hour breaks in the middle of a work day.
And we can express our sexual selves. We can be a little freaky in the bedroom (or on the boardroom table or in the elevator) and still be worthy of lasting love. My heroines (and, in Nate’s case, my hero) often struggle with the perception of who society thinks they should be (a ‘good’ person) versus what makes them unique and truly happy. This exploration is one of the reasons I love writing and reading erotic romance. Everyone has an intimate secret that we worry other people won’t accept.
This is also why I think erotic romance belongs in libraries. Librarians are trusted to recommend stories that make a difference. Assisting a patron to embrace his or her sexual self changes lives.
Cynthia
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Thank you, Cynthia! Be sure to snag a copy for yourself (winky, winky).
– Annie
A lovely debut novel, great for book clubs, Vintage tells the story of a Midwestern vintage clothing shop and a group of women who meet there and cultivate an unlikely but steadfast friendship.
Violet struggles with the desire to run her store herself and the realization that she needs to ask for help to keep it going.
18 year-old April Morgan is pregnant and alone when she discovers unexpected possibilities and people who won’t let her give up on her dreams.
Betrayed by her husband and with a grown daughter who doesn't understand her traditions, Amithi Singh fears her life has passed her by with nothing to show for it.
These three very different woman come together to form an intense bond in a story that really captures the essence of female friendships. Cause if you don't have your girlfriends, what do you have?
– Annie
I was an obsessive Barbie lover when I was younger (Barbie mansion with elevator, bright pink sports car, the whole deal), so I was super intrigued when I first heard about The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. Set in 17th century Amsterdam—with all the oppressive religious zeal and overblown trading of the Dutch East India Company of the era—The Miniaturist opens with the marriage of young, country-bred Nella to Johannes Brandt, one of the top merchants in Amsterdam. As a wedding gift, Johannes presents Nella with a cabinet-sized replica of their home and charges her with furnishing it. Nella originally orders only a few harmless pieces from an elusive miniaturist, but soon additional packages begin to arrive, and these pieces aren’t nearly so innocent. These unsolicited figures mirror the house’s inhabitants in unexpected and seemingly impossible ways, and as Nella receives more and more pieces, she is drawn further and further into the secrets of her new family.
The Miniaturist is a character cloaked in mystery who seems to have hidden knowledge and power over the rest of the Brandt household, even stretching her cryptic influence throughout the rest of Amsterdam. I loved how The Miniaturist was this omniscient, seemingly omnipresent figure in everyone’s life, steering Nella towards more and more revelations. Jessie Burton’s Amsterdam is both dazzling and dark, with rich dinners and successful merchants juxtaposed with religious fervor and vindictive neighbors constantly watching for sinful behavior. This book is mysterious and tragic, dark and empowering, and I definitely recommend it for fans of atmospheric mysteries in the tradition of Emma Donoghue, Sarah Waters, and Sarah Dunant. Check it out today on Edelweiss!
-Amanda
Only three weeks to go before we lace up our boots and head down to Texas where we will have a bunch of super-fun, happy time activities for you to partake in. So come by Booth 1739 and say Hi!
Wednesday, April 9th
Noon-12:50pm: Opening Author Session with James Rollins
Grand Hyatt
2:00-3:00pm: James Rollins booth signing (#1739)
2:00–3:50pm: Author Panel: Oh the Horror! with Josh Malerman, author of Bird Box
4:00-5:00pm: Josh Malerman booth signing (#1739)
Thursday, April 10th
8:00–9:50am:Author Panel: The New Adult Genre with Cora Carmack, Sophie Jordan, and Molly McAdams
11:00-Noon: Cora Carmack and Molly McAdams joint booth signing (#1739)
3:15-4:00pm: Sophie Jordan booth signing (#1739)
6:30-8:30pm: Evening with the Authors (Ticketed Event)
Crunch! An Evening with the Zombie Authors.
with David Wellington
Friday, April 11th
8:00-9:50am: TLA Book Buzz
10:30am-Noon: Book Giveaway in Booth 1739
12:30-1:20pm: Author Speaker: Greg Iles
Can't wait to see you there!
Hey Everyone! It was great to see many of you at last week's 2014 Public Library Association conference! I hope you all had as good a time as we did and discovered many promising new books. For any of you who weren't able to make it to Indianapolis, here is an overview of the upcoming Summer/Fall 2014 titles we're excited about. Please let us know if you have any questions, and we hope to see you this summer in Las Vegas for ALA Annual!
-Amanda
I have some serious mystery/thriller suggestions for your reading pleasure!
June
The Death of Lucy Kyte by Nicola Upson: When beloved British mystery author Josephine Tey inherits a rural cottage from her godmother, she finds herself tasked with unraveling a chain of secrets linking the present and the past.
JulySeptember 
Angel Killer by Andrew Mayne: FBI agent Jessica Blackwood believes she has successfully left her old life as a rising star in the magic world behind her until the Bureau encounters a killer whose crimes are so baffling, some think he’s supernatural.
I don't know about you, but this weather is the pits. I am OVER it. So you know what makes for a pleasant break? Delicious looking cakes with fun middle parts! Enter, Suprise-Inside Cakes by Amanda Rettke.
From the founder of the popular blog I Am Baker, here are dozens of stunningly inventive cakes with surprises inside for every occasion—it’s a very impressive talent, and makes for beautiful pictures.
Butterfly Cake, Balloon Cake, Rainbow Cake, Daisy Cake
Kiss Cake, Candy Cane Cake, Pumpkin Candle Cake, Vampire Cake, Zebra Cake…the list is endless and you will immediately feel the need to create them (albeit, you might lack the patience as I do).
If you do happen to bake any of these, please send me pictures.
– Annie
Radical Remission is book written by Kelly Turner, a researcher in the field of Integrative Oncology. She spent a year traveling the world, finding and speaking with patients who were cured of cancer using non-traditional methods. In her book, she reveals the nine keys to an unexpected remission from cancer that can occur either in the absence of conventional medicine, or after conventional medicine has failed.
Savage Harvest by Carl Hoffman is blowing up! It is the incredibly cool story of the disappearance of Michael C. Rockefeller, one of the great mysteries of the last century. In the tradition of The Lost City of Z and Lost in Shangri-La, critically acclaimed journalist and author Carl Hoffman travels to the remote coast of New Guinea to solve the mystery, delving into the complex spiritual world of Asmat tribe, one that included head hunting and cannibalism.
Simon Winchester says “Hoffman has shown that with assiduous tradecraft, hard work and near-obsessive tenacity, it is possible to know, to solve the supposedly insoluble. . . . Savage Harvest is a remarkable testament to the revealed truth, and of its revealing – even if that truth is wholly bizarre and, to most, quite literally unpalatable.”
And it has gotten a plethora (fun word) of Starred Reviews:
“A bare-knuckle, adventure-filled journey in search of the answer to a half-century–old cold case: Whatever happened to Nelson Rockefeller’s son, Michael? . . . A searching, discomfiting journey yields an elegant, memorable report.”-Kirkus
“By dint of grueling fieldwork, startling archival discoveries, revelatory visits with a Dutch missionary relieved to break his 50-year silence, profound insights, and muscular writing, Hoffman tells the unforgettable story of a soothing and politically expedient cover-up and a brutal and tragic collision of cultures.” –Booklist
“In an expertly told tale that is begging for a film adaptation, Hoffman crafts a remarkable, balanced examination of this sensational case. . . . [He] deserves much credit for this riveting, multi-layered tale.” –Publishers Weekly
You should check out the book trailer too – so spooky and engaging!
– Annie
Ann Patchett. Richard Ford. Shelley Shepard Gray. Erika Johansen. Toni Blake. Elizabeth Boyle. Peter Swanson. Lori Wilde. Sophie Hannah. Quite the line-up, eh?
Hopefully all you public librarians are as excited for PLA 2014 as we are, so if you find yourself in Indianapolis from March 11-14, make sure you come to Booth 1837 to meet all of our authors! For a full schedule of HarperCollins events, click here. We hope to see you all there!
-Virginia, Annie, and Amanda
I know there are a lot of Kim Harrison fans out there, and today the #1 New York Times bestselling author celebrates her Book Birthday! Kim once again brings us the supernatural adventures of Rachel Morgan in the penultimate book of the Hollows series, The Undead Pool.
Strange magic is attacking Cincinnati and the Hollows, causing spells to backfire or go horribly wrong, and the truce between the races, between Inderlander and human, is shattering. Rachel must stop the occurrences before the undead vampire masters who keep the rest of the undead under control are lost and it becomes all-out supernatural war.
Can she do it?? I'm gonna wager yes, but you should check it out for yourself. Kirkus gave it a starred review and said, "a great ride in and of itself, rather than simply a buildup to the finale, which is sure to be whiz-bang.”
Also, how fly does she look on the jacket? She's rocking that corset!
Enjoy and savor this one, and then maybe go back and re-read the series before the last book comes out in September.
– Annie
As the perfect antithesis to our Frivolous Friday last week, today is devoted to learning about and experiencing the many facets of history and the modern day world through a nonfiction lens. Check out our three fabulous nonfiction picks, and, as a bonus, the first three people to send us an email at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com will receive a galley of each!
ADHD Does Not Exist by Richard Saul, MD: The author draws from his 50 years of medical practice and experience with over 5,000 patients to explain how other conditions are the culprits for ADHD related symptoms.
Dark Invasion by Howard Blum:a true-life WWI-era spy thriller about a German plot to wage terror on American soil, and the NYPD Inspector tasked with stopping it.
Updike by Adam Begley: Drawing on in-depth research and interviews with countless friends and relatives, this biography delivers a candid, detailed, 
and intimate look into the life of one of the most celebrated figures in American literature.
Take this chance to balance out all those suspenseful thrillers and corset-busting romances with three entertaining and healthy doses of knowledge.
Have a good weekend everyone! -Amanda
For some reason, I seem to be reading a lot of books involving stalkers lately (does everyone remember The Book of You?). I’m going to ignore what that possibly says about me and instead point out that stalkers make for exciting reading: case in point, Kate White’s Eyes on You.
TV host Robin Trainer is a woman on a mission. After losing her on-air job two years ago, Robin has once again reached the top: her new show is swiftly climbing in the ratings and her first book about the secrets women keep is a bestseller. But such success engenders jealousy, and soon little things start to go wrong, like a nasty note found in her purse. These incidents quickly escalate to some truly horrifying psychological and physical abuse, the most memorable incident for me being when Robin finds a Barbie doll dressed to look like her, but with the eyes gouged out. Robin’s fight to be on top turns into a fight for her life in a stunning conclusion that shows some of the people closest to you can also be your worst enemies.
Check it out on Edelweiss, but don’t blame me if you start looking over your shoulder at work!
-Amanda
I'm going to spare you from listening to my delightful singing voice and merely point out that today is a happy book birthday for J.W. Ironmonger's Coincidence!
Azalea Lewis’s life has been dominated by a baffling set of coincidences so perfect one almost is forced to believe an invisible hand of fate is directing them. Troubled by what she has uncovered about the disappearances and deaths all occurring on Midsummer's Day, she approaches Thomas Post, a rational-minded academic whose specialty is discrediting our belief in coincidence. As they fall in love, Thomas tries to help her to understand her past as a series of random events—not a divinely predetermined order. However, as the fateful day draws nearer, Thomas fears Azalea may throw herself into the very fate she fears and he will lose her forever. Warm and romantic, yet mind-blowing, Coincidence is an unforgettable novel of two souls trying to make sense of their place in the universe.
Celebrate by picking up a copy today!
-Amanda
