New Adult is such a hot category recently and we are feeding the frenzy with a ton of great new authors, including Cora Carmack, Shannon Stoker (who's mom is a librarian), and J. Lynn to name a few. 

Some titles hitting shelves near you include:

Foreplay by Sophie Jordan: The first in a trilogy by the New York Times bestseller  
set in a prestigious—but not pristine (there are rumors of an underground kink club)—Ivy League university where three suite-mates find love with some unlikely guys. In this first part, before Pepper goes after the life she’s always wanted, she’s going to find the one she needs. Hot!

The Marked Men Series by Jay Crownover is about three tattooed bad boys and the girls who love them. The first was Rule, but now comes…. Jet by Jay Crownover: Jet Keller is every girl’s rock and roll fantasy, but Ayden Cross is done with bad boys. She doesn’t want to give in to the heat between them for fear it will consume them both. Smokin'!

Do you like George R. R. Martin?  Kristin Cashore?  Phillippa Gregory?  If you’re like me and pretty much go crazy for strong heroines, clashing kingdoms, and a hint of the supernatural, get excited for debut author Erika Johansen’s The Queen of the Tearling. 

Nineteen-year-old Kelsea Glynn is finally coming out of hiding.  Kelsea’s mother, the beautiful yet vain and stupid Queen Elyssa, died mysteriously eighteen years before, leaving the Tearling kingdom to be ruled by her equally stupid brother, the Regent.  Together they succeeded in running the Tearling into the ground, emptying its coffers and enslaving portions of its population every year as tithes to the larger, fearsome, neighboring kingdom Mortmesme and its tyrant leader The Red Queen.  Now that she has come of age, the tattered remnants of the Queen’s Guard retrieve Kelsea from the isolated cabin where she was raised so that she may take back the throne from the Regent, defy The Red Queen, and lead the Tearling out of its darkest times.

Johansen has created a very unique and vivid landscape for this book; an Earth from the future after some mysterious event wiped away all landmarks and technology but also left behind a few cultural relics like The Hobbit and the Harry Potter series.  You’ll be rooting the whole way for Kelsea as she faces bands of mercenaries, snobby nobles, and corrupt officials and ultimately begins to blossom into a just and loving ruler for her kingdom.  This is the first in a trilogy, and I already am anxious for next book to come out.  I guess I’ll accept a movie deal starring Emma Watson as compensation for having to wait.  It’s a tough life.

-Amanda

If you are anything like me, you are just going to spend the next two months eating your face off. Between turkey, ham, potatoes, chocolate, and pie, the end of 2013 promises to be awesome and also gluttonous. Don't worry, come 2014 gyms will offer membership deals and you will be able to snag these helpful guides (or if you are still like me, you'll read these books while eating leftovers on your couch as you strongly consider going to the gym).

The Body Book by the gorgeous Cameron Diaz who 
shares her formula for becoming happier, healthier, and stronger in this guide to the female body inspired by her personal experiences. I'd be ok with having anything in common with her. 

From Sandra Bullock to Naomi Watts to Anne Hathaway, trainer Simone de la Rue sculpts some of the hottest bodies In Hollywood. Now, in Body By Simone, she shares her fitness secrets, showing women how to achieve an A-list body using her fun and unique strength training and cardio workouts.

So let's make a pact. We'll read these books, and keep those resolutions to get in shape…oh hang on, it's $.10 wings night…rain check?

– Annie

If you missed out on our The Boy Detective giveaway a few days ago, have no fear!  Roger recently came into the studio and read part of his book aloud for you all to enjoy.  Check out this video to hear him read a bit of his memoir as he walks the streets of his childhood.

-Amanda

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, probably because of all the chocolate!  (I feel the same about Valentine's Day.)  But what's Halloween without a host of supernatural creatures?  Whether you're dressing up as a ghost, demon, witch, or vampire, we've got a paranormal book to inspire you. 

Three Souls is not your usual ghost story.  In 1935, a young Chinese woman wakes up floating above her own funeral, wondering why she's being denied entrance into the afterlife.  Floating beside her are her three souls–yin, yang, and hun–that tell her she must make amends before she can move on.  For fans of Lisa See and Amy Tan, the story is infused with the rituals, sights and sounds of early 20th century China.  If you're not a ghost for Halloween, maybe you can rustle up some traditional Chinese apparel!

For all of you aspiring to be a witch or demon this year, we have the penultimate entry in Kim Harrison's The Hollows series, The Undead Pool.  In this installment, Rachel Morgan has to deal with floundering truces, erratic spells, and undead vampire masters who keep the rest of the undead under control.  The only way to keep all-out war from starting is through ancient, elven wild magic, which carries dangers of its own.

Night Watch is the first installment in the Night Watch series about the Others, a group of magicians, vampires, shape-shifters and other supernatural beings who must pledge allegiance to either the forces of Darkness or Light.  On his first field mission, Light magician Anton Gorodetsky stumbles upon a young female Other with extraordinary potential power who hasn't yet chosen a side.  As the Light and the Dark move closer to war, the two discover that their destinies are closely intertwined and one wrong move could result in the destruction of the entire world.

So this Halloween, have fun, eat lots and lots of candy, and then make sure to check out these supernatural stories, all available on Edelweiss.

-Amanda

Cecelia Ahern is a prolific author who counts PS: I Love You, Thanks for the Memories and The Book of Tomorrow among her many international bestsellers.

Her latest book, One Hundred Names is the story of Kitty Logan, whose career as a journalist has unraveled due to one poorly investigated, high profile news story. Trying to find her way back to the type of thoughtful reporter she started out as, Kitty enlists the help of her mentor, Constance, by asking “what is the one story you always wished you could write?” Unfortunately, Constance passes away before she can share, leaving only a list of 100 names as a clue for Kitty who must piece together the names and find what links these strangers.

In the process she realizes that everyone has their own story, even if it isn’t glamorous, it is relevant and important. Adriana Trigiani said, “You will turn the pages long into the night and be thrilled by the satisfying conclusion. I loved it.” 

I thought the message of this book was incredibly lovely…it's so easy to get bogged down in sensational news and forget that even if your everyday life isn't tweeted about or splashed around on-line, it can still be interesting, matter, and effect other people.

Egalleys are available on Edelweiss, so download, read and share your story with us.

– Annie

You already know Roger Rosenblatt from Kayak Morning and Making Toast.  In his upcoming memoir The Boy Detective, Roger recounts his meanderings along the Manhattan streets of his childhood, blending memories of his past with musings on the present in a series of vignettes.  The writing is absolutely wonderful; even if you’ve never been to Gramercy Park, Irving Place, or Madison Square Park, this book effortlessly transplants you to the streets where Roger spent his youth curiously exploring his environment.  Reading The Boy Detective was an interesting and inspiring experience for me since I just moved to New York City a few months ago and Roger has such an intimate understanding of the city’s history.  We just happen to have finished, signed copies of The Boy Detective ready for the taking, so the first nine people to email librarylovefest@harpercollins.com will receive one.

-Amanda

OMG you guys! This book is so good! NOTE: it is the second book in a row that I've read, loved and raved about that is also super creepy. Please don't read into that. 

I thought this was Self Help when I heard the title. Could not be farther from the truth. It is the account of a woman who is being stalked and is gathering evidence against her stalker by documenting all of the interactions they have in a book she entitles, The Book of You. Shiver! 

Most of the narration is told by her as she writes to her stalker, a well respected English professor named Rafe (e.g. You were waiting outside my house again, you tried to force your way into the taxi, you sent me a Death Bouquet). Rafe’s taunts become more sinister by the day, and gradually Clarissa uncovers the twisted, terrifying story that he has invented with her as the starring participant, finally culminating in an awful encounter between them. 

I read this book in one day because I just had to know what happened. Kendal is a debut novelist which I found impressive because she did a great job of describing the manipulation involved in and the mental anguish caused by this behavior. I would recommend it for fans of Gillian Flynn or Into the Darkest Corner. 

– Annie

Whether you're a dog person or not, you've gotta watch this promotional video for Shake by Carli Davidson.  Enjoy!

Shake by Carli Davidson

$17.99

10/22/13

ISBN: 9780062242648

-Virginia

HarperCollins is re-publishing the Night Watch series, by Russian author Sergei Lukyanenko. An international bestseller, this 5-part fantasy saga revolves around the Others, an ancient race of magicians, shape-shifters, vampires, and other supernatural beings that live among us, and swear allegiance to either the powers of Darkness or the forces of Light. For the past 1000 years, the two sides have been locked in an uneasy truce, keeping their powers in balance as each side secretly plots to take over. DRAMA!

These books are darkly comical and equal parts urban fantasy, spy thriller, and chess match. They also show that even in a world of witches and wizards, vampires and werewolves, good and evil can be a matter of perspective. Deep thoughts for today.

These books will be available over the Winter, building up to the release of the next book in the series, New Watch, in April. However, egalleys are available on Edelweiss, so download away!

– Annie

Mario Alberto Zambrano's Loteria and Lisa O'Donnell's The Death of Bees made Booklist's Top Ten Debut Novels of 2013! Both of these novels offer wonderfully fresh takes on the coming-of-age genre.  In The Death of Bees, two orphaned sisters struggle with secrets about their family as they form bonds with their elderly neighbor.  In Loteria, a young girl uses a stack of Mexican playing cards for inspiration in her diary, ultimately telling the story of her family's demise.  Congratulations, Mario and Lisa!

-Amanda

Cool piece in the Huffington Post.  We love our tattooed librarians! 

If you’re into books and tattoos, check out this book we published a few years ago. The Word Made Flesh by Eva Talmadge and Justin Taylor is a collection of more than 150 full-color photos of literary tattoos with stories and explanations of meaning from their bearers.

We’ve asked before and it’s time to ask again:  Got a cool literary tattoo you care to share?  Send us a photo to librarylovefest@harpercollins.com that we can post on Library Love Fest and we’ll send you a copy of The Word Made Flesh.

-Virginia

"We are water: 'fluid, flexible when we have to be. But strong and destructive, too.' That's evident in this emotionally involving new novel from the author of She's Come Undone..Clear and sweetly flowing; highly recommended." - Library Journal, starred review

The wonderful, warm, wise and wickedly funny Wally Lamb recently stopped by the HarperCollins office to deliver a video message to librarians.  Enjoy!

I envy anyone who is reading We Are Water for the first time.  I loved it that much.  I want you to read it and love it as much as I did.

Write in to librarylovefest@harpercollins.com and we’ll send complimentary copies to the first 20 librarians.

Once you’ve read it, closed the book and wiped your eyes, send us an email and tell us what you thought.

I so hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.

-Virginia

2014 has officially become the Year of James Rollins, and we're here to help you prepare for the deluge of awesomeness that's coming.  You already know him for his Sigma Force series, about a covert arm of the US government under the auspices of DARPA, the Department of Defense’s Research and Development arm, who become embroiled with ancient secrets, religious intrigue, and scientific discoveries, or the Sanguines Series, about a shadowy sect within the Vatican and a book that should never have been opened.  But that's definitely not all there is to the man behind the curtain (or book cover).  Intrigued?  Watch here for more exciting info in the coming months, but in the meantime enjoy this tantalizing excerpt from his upcoming novel Innocent Blood, the second in the Sanguine Series, coming out this December.  Enjoy!

-Amanda

You voted, they counted, November's LIbraryReads Top 10 has finally been released, and this month we have two!  Congratulations to Joshilyn Jackson and Amy Tan for Someone Else's Love Story and The Valley of Amazement being chosen by librarians all over the country.  We are so excited to see what else the future holds for these books.  

A big thank you to all the librarians who voted for this month's picks.  Keep it up!  And if you're not in on the fun, join in and help choose next month's big books.

-Amanda

In 2013 the CDC reported that binge-drinking is on the rise: classified as 4 or more drinks per occasion, 3 or more times a month, 1 in 8 women and 1 in 5 girls qualify.

Alarming stats for sure.

The new face of risky drinking is female.

Discover the impact of this startling epidemic in Ann Dowsett Johnston’s new book, Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol.

Combining in-depth research with her own personal story of recovery, Ms. Johnston, award-winning journalist, delivers a groundbreaking examination of a shocking yet little recognized epidemic threatening society today—the precipitous rise in risky drinking among women and girls.

Take the 10 Questions about Women and Alcohol Quiz! 

Listen to Ann’s compelling interview on The Diane Rehm Show. 

"A powerful and important book about the increase in alcoholism and binge-drinking among women, and about our willful blindness to the damages of drinking in our culture." - Susan Cheever, author of My Name Is Bill: Bill Wilson – His Life, and the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous

Aloha! I've been living the life the last few weeks, snorkeling, hiking, and zip-lining in Hawaii, but I have made time for reading on the beach (obvi), and I just had to tell you about Bird Box by Josh Malerman. It is so good and so creepy! Actually, reading it on a sunny beach is a good idea because it will give you chills.

The story opens with the narrator, Malorie, preparing to flee the boarded up house she has been living in for four years with her two children. Her goal: to get to the river behind her house and paddle 20 miles downstream. The catch: they must all be blindfolded. Why? Because five years ago unknown creatures appeared and anyone who sees them goes mad and either commits suicide or murder in horrific ways. 

The story that unfolds follows Malorie from the beginning of her experiences with the creatures through to the fateful day the children were born to the present trip down the river. I don't normally go in for creepy, but this is a great book. Well written, wonderfully interesting without being overly explanatory (leaving you with some things to ponder), and definitely disturbing. I told my sister the whole story and she was freaked out just hearing about it.

It's still early days so it's not available on Edelweiss, but I will absolutely be talking about it more and will share when it's out. I'm also hopeful it will be turned into a movie because that would be amazing.

– Annie

PS: The author is the lead singer of the band The High Strung, FYI.

Any JFK fans out there?  Conspiracy theorists?  Just in time for the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination, Swanson gives us a minute by minute account of that day, from the Kennedys' arrival in Texas to the shocking aftermath, that finally shears fact from fiction in End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy.  And Kirkus loves it too:

"For the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Swanson (Bloody Crimes: The Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincoln's Corpse, 2010, etc.) breathlessly re-creates the tragedy. Drawing on the decades of technological advances that have deepened the knowledge of the assassination, the author presents the stunning unfolding of the event in punchy, poignant vignettes, following one character after another to the inexorable conclusion. “Today we know much more about the assassination of President Kennedy than the members of the Warren commission did,” acknowledging the organization appointed by President Lyndon Johnson to investigate the murder and present its findings nearly a year later. Swanson’s tidy, concise character summaries give a terrific sense of the dramatis personae in just a few strokes: JFK, impossibly brilliant and charismatic, overcoming enormous obstacles to his rising star; stylish Jackie, emerging from mourning the death of newborn Patrick, agreeing to accompany her husband to Dallas as part of the campaigning swing through Texas, holding up beforehand for Jack the outfits she had chosen to “show these Texans what good taste really is”; Lee Harvey Oswald, the “lifelong loser and nobody,” planning to catch a bus after killing the president; and LBJ, incredibly poised under the strain of those first few hours, especially regarding his graciousness toward Jackie. Swanson manages a sympathetic, human portrait of Marina, Oswald’s long-suffering Russian wife, and excoriates the Secret Service for many bad decisions—e.g., the immediate washing out of the limo and the rush to take JFK’s body back to Washington, D.C., before a proper criminal autopsy was performed, an oversight that would “come to haunt the history of John Kennedy’s assassination for the next fifty years.” Clarity has finally lifted the lingering suspicion of conspiracy in favor of the creation of a shining Kennedy legacy. Chilling, gruesome and riveting.” – Kirkus Reviews

-Amanda

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash (Morrow) has won the inaugural Maine Readers' Choice Award, founded by the Maine State Library and the Maine Library Association to increase awareness and reading of adult literary fiction. The award was announced at the opening ceremony of the Bangor Book Festival.

Wiley is about as smart, kind and genuine as they come.

Check out this wonderful video he made in response to winning this award:

A Land More Kind Than Home received glowing praise well before it was published.

Wiley’s next book, This Dark Road to Mercy, due out January 28, 2014, is enjoying the same response:

“THIS DARK ROAD TO MERCY is a terrific, moving and propulsive novel: Harper Lee by way of Elmore Leonard." - Jess Walter, New York Times best-selling author of Beautiful Ruins and We Live in Water

“On the heels of his wildly successful debut, Wiley Cash has written another winner. It's a time capsule and at times an edgy thriller, but at its fine emotional center it’s all about what it means to be a father." - Jill McCorkle, New York Times best-selling author of Life After Life and Going Away Shoes

Congratulations, Wiley!

–Virginia

Laura Lippman is amazing, and that certainly hasn’t
changed with her most recent novel, After
I’m Gone.  In this stand-alone work, the law has caught
up to Felix Brewer, a bookie with less-than-legal operations.  However, instead of serving time, Felix flees
with the help of his mistress.  Behind
him he leaves a beautiful, loving wife, three young daughters, and said
mistress, much to her surprise.  Ten
years later the mistress goes missing and is presumed dead.  Her body is found some time later, but no
arrests are made. 

Now in the present day, a retired homicide cop has reopened
the cold case and is determined to discover who killed Felix’s
mistress.  Throughout the novel, the plot
hops back and forth across time, with some chapters following the present-day
investigation and others exploring the lives of the five women Felix left
behind from the time he disappeared and leading up to a stunning conclusion which
gathers with all the major players in the present to finally discover who the
murderer is. 

This is a seriously tangled story of the five women Felix
left behind and how they were able to continue their lives after he left.  Laura keeps you guessing the identity of the
killer the entire novel, revealing other shocking secrets and plots along the
way.  Twists, turns, greed, and loyalty
abound in this page-turner, but behind all that is the story of a family trying
to cope after the loss of a loved one.  I
highly recommend it, and luckily you can check it out on Edelweiss.

-Amanda

Shadows moving in the underbrush, the glint of sunlight off
the ice, the roar of the river: exploring uncharted lands allows you to
experience undeniable thrills and beauty, but involves danger and unknowable
threats as well.  These books tell
stories of the famous expeditions of our past, as well as showing us that there
are still new places to discover.

Peter Stark retells the thrilling tale of John Jacob Astor’s
1810 expedition to claim the Pacific coast for the United States in Astoria.  A party of one hundred and forty odd members
set out to reach the West Coast, nearly half perishing along the way, and
ultimately succeeded in opening the way for America to become a global trading
power. 

In 1916 British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton performed the
greatest act of survival in history by sailing across the Southern Ocean from
Antarctica and crossing the mountains in South Georgia to return with help and rescue
stranded members of his expedition.  In Shackleton’s Epic by Tim Jarvis, Jarvis relates his attempt to recreate Shackleton’s
feat using only period gear and a crew of 6. 
The book includes photos and illustrations of Shackleton’s
original expedition and Jarvis’ recreation.

Paul Rosolie describes his experiences in the Madre de Dios
region of Peru in Mother of God.  Rosolie’s wonder surrounding this
region is palpable as he relates how he encountered giant snakes, uncontacted
native tribes, floating forests, and witnessed a jaguar’s
death.  This modern-day explorer sheds
light on one of the last dark spaces on the map, revealing the greatest
concentration of disparate life on Earth. 
Check this one out on Edelweiss.

Crack open one of these from the comfort of your favorite
reading spot and be transported through time and space to the farthest corners
of the globe. 

-Amanda

I think by now you all know how ecstatic we are about The Tilted World by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly.  I've always been astounded by the creative writing process, especially by collaborative writing.  In this interview, Tom and Beth Ann discuss what is was like to work collaboratively to produce such a great novel.  And it just makes me even more amazed.  If you're as struck by the creative process as I am, you'll definitely want to read this interview.

"It’s historical fiction that rumbles with fierce energy and walks the line between realistic intensity and allegorical myth-making. It’s also that rarest of things, a collaborative novel without breaks in tone and style, a book that is more than merely a book, a book that is an act of love."-William Boyd, about The Tilted World 

And in case any of you in the New York are have forgotten, Tom and Beth Ann will be at The Strand this upcoming Tuesday, October 8th, to discuss The Tilted World with Wiley Cash and Bill Cheng.  Dont forget! Don't miss out!

-Amanda

IndieNext pick and New York Times bestseller The House Girl comes out in paperback November 5, something all you book clubs out there need to keep an eye out for.  Five Rib-Eyes for HOUSE GIRL!

Check out this review and interview from Shelf Awareness for some interesting behind the scenes facts from this stellar novel.  

"Skillfully executed and packed with surprises, this story of the ways in which art saves our humanity is an engrossing, do-not-miss adventure"–Jaclyn Fulwood, Shelf Awareness

-Virginia

Today is Christmas Eve.
Today is my birthday.
Today I am fifteen.
Today I buried my parents in the backyard.
Neither of them were beloved.

– from THE DEATH OF BEES by Lisa O’Donnell

This critically acclaimed winner of the Commonwealth Book Prize for Fiction is a riveting and brilliantly voiced debut novel that follows two young sisters who attempt to hold the world at bay after the mysterious death of their parents. 

If your book club is looking for a good meaty book to chew on, I give this one 5 out of 5 ribeyes! (my new rating system)

Booklist gave this a starred review, calling it a ‘beautifully written page-turner.’

Library Journal wrote:

"Quirky characters with distinct voices enliven this sometimes grim and often funny coming-of-age story in the vein of Karen Russell's best seller Swamplandia! O'Donnell's debut is sure to be a winner."

And The Herald says:

“THE DEATH OF BEES is compelling stuff, engaging the emotions from the first page and quickly becoming almost impossible to put down.”

If you’ve already read THE DEATH OF BEES, we’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you haven’t yet read it, let us know.  We’d love to send a paperback your way.

First 20 people to write in to librarylovefest@harpercollins.com win!

-Virginia

From Jay-Z to Frank Sinatra, folks from all over know that New
York City is a crazy, wonderful place to call home.  Not only is it the home of the Statue of
Liberty, the United Nations, and countless celebrities, all the lovely
LibraryLoveFest ladies hang our hats here as well.  NYC has captured the lives and imaginations
of so many artists and writers over the years. 
The glory and grit of the City
that Never Sleeps has captured the lives and imaginations of so many artists
and writers over the years, and we have several upcoming titles that
demonstrate how.

Dick Wolf’s The Execution features NYC as the setting for his second novel
starring Detective Jeremy Fisk.  Fisk
must team up with Mexican agent Cecilia Garza to find and stop an assassin who
has turned his sights on Manhattan for United Nations week.  If you are a fan of Wolf’s
Law & Order or Miami Vice, then check this one out.

From the author of Making
Toast and Kayak Morning comes
Roger Rosenblatt’s newest work, a memoir of his
early years exploring NYC.  In The Boy Detective, Rosenblatt remembers
a disappeared New York in his walks across Manhattan, tracing the physical
paths as he traverses the alleys of his memory in a tribute to and lament for
the city.  Available on Edelweiss.

Nathan W. Pyle explores the comical side of the Big Apple in
NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette, his hip
and funny illustrated guide to living in the city.  Pyle provides tips for any transplant on how
to survive NYC like a local, from successfully hailing a cab to properly riding
an escalator.  As a recent immigrant to
NYC myself, I wish I had read these tips earlier.

-Amanda