Library Love Fest

BEA Fun!

If you attended Book Expo America last week, I'm sure your schedule was just like ours...jam-packed!  While we were extremely busy and productive, we did manage to have some fun along the way.  One of my biggest challenges to date has been mastering the art of tying a bow-tie.  I love them, however tying one can be a bit of a problem. 

One of our authors, W. Ralph Eubanks (The House at the End of the Road) took time out of his day to show me the fine art of tying a bow-tie.  Ralph makes it look SO easy.  In fact, he can accomplish this WITHOUT looking in a mirror.  Check out both videos...one where he ties the bow-tie on me and the other where he demonstrates on himself.

In between mastering this fine art if you haven't picked up his book, The House at the End of the Road, PLEASE do yourself a favor and check it out.  You will not be disappointed.  I have to give a special thank you to W. Ralph Eubanks...a true inspiration and a great person!  If I had a Brother, it would be him!

Enjoy!

-Bobby

Long Past Stopping

Everyone is buzzing about Long Past Stopping (9780061450754), Oran Canfield's hotly anticipated memoir, on sale everywhere! Oran is the son of Jack Canfield, creator of the phenomenal bestselling self-help series Chicken Soup for the Soul.  His memoir is hilarious and wry, loaded with oddball characters and stories that have to be read to be believed.   Check out the e-card, browse inside the book, or order a copy. 

-Kayleigh

Kaylie Jones Gets a Rave from The New York Times

We are so thrilled with the response to Kaylie Jones' memoir, Lies My Mother Never Told Me.  In this weekend's New York Times Janet Maslin calls the book "A bright, fast-paced memoir with an inviting spirit." Here's a longer excerpt from the review:

"When an editor suggested deleting 350 profanities from the manuscript of “From Here to Eternity,” Jones responded: “You know there is nothing salacious in this book as well as I do. Therefore, whatever changes you want made along that line will be made for propriety, and propriety is a very inconstant thing.” His daughter has learned that lesson: she doesn’t let propriety blunt her memories." 

Check out Bobby's first post on Lies My Mother Never Told Me, which includes a fabulous video of Kaylie discussing her reasons for writing it. 

-Kayleigh

Kaylie Jones Finds Her Voice

My grandmother used to say “in order to really know someone, you have to walk in their shoes”.  Sometimes what a person projects on the outside is really not what is going on inside.  To some, novelist Kaylie Jones lived the perfect life with a beautiful mother and a famous father.  However, in Lies My Mother Never Told Me, we learn that everything that glitters is not always gold.

Lies My Mother Never Told Me,on sale August 25, 2009 is a fascinating memoir by Kaylie Jones.  In this book, Kaylie Jones recalls her relationship with her mother, particularly in the aftermath of the death of her father, prize-winning novelist James Jones.  

Check out this wonderful video where Kaylie Jones gives you a glimpse of her life and why she wrote this amazing book:

I applaud Kaylie Jones for being so open and honest.  I also commend Kaylie for her bravery in sharing something so personal.  I wonder how many of us could share a personal story in the same manner. I hope Lies My Mother Never Told Me helps readers who are going through any kind of personal struggle find their voice and a sense of inner peace, just as Kaylie Jones has.

Enjoy

-Bobby

Salem Witch-hunt Novel...and a giveaway

Do yourself a favor and check out one of the most ‘buzzed about’ books this season.  The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe is an incredible first novel about a young woman who finds out that she is related to a "witch" who was condemned in the 1692 Salem trials -- and who discovers that she, too, has special powers.

This book is blowing everyone away.  Booklist has given it a starred review, USA Today included it in a Book Buzz post, it’s the #1 pick for the June Indie Next list and it was included in the aforementioned ‘Shout and Share’ at BEA.

The author will appear on Good Morning America this Wednesday, June 10. This is a compelling novel with powerful historic insight and detail.  It’ll be everywhere when it goes on sale June 9th.  Send a comment and we’ll send a copy to you.  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: $25.99. Estimated total prize value: $649.75. View rules here: Download Librarylovefest-blog-sweepstakes  Leave a comment below for your chance to win!

-Virginia

W. Ralph Eubanks Speaks...

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

Get your Irish up!

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

 

A Search For Identity

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