ala

All Hands on Deck! LLF Setting Sail for ALA MW in Boston

November 23, 2015

Ahoy Everyone!

Seas the day and come visit us this January 9th—11th at ALA Midwinter conference in Boston (Booth #2021)! With a haul of amazing authors and books in tow, you're sure to find something that floats your boat. Bouy, we'd love to see you there!

For more details, give the below video and event schedule a look-sea. If you'd like to attend, please visit ALA's website here for instructions on registering.

If you have any questions, please drop us a line at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com.

-The LLF Team

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Don’t You Forget About This Book!

June 18, 2012

Just in case the post title (please don't judge my cheesy humor) did not give you a clue, Molly Ringwald fans have lots to get excited about! This lovely leading lady has a new book coming out in August, When It Happens to You, and it is garnering some stellar praise. One of my faves, Eleanor Henderson (break-out debut novelist of Ten Thousand Saints) had this to say:

""Molly Ringwald's eight electric stories are alive with Joycean insight—piercing, epiphanic moments of terror, humor, and transcendence. Together they offer a deeply moving portrait of modern life."

And I know several of you were fans of Lauren Groff's Arcadia. Well, she was also a fan:

“When It Happens to You is absolutely lovely, a smart, emotionally sophisticated, intricately dovetailed novel of stories. World, I'm telling you now: Molly Ringwald is the real deal.”

You know what?? Molly Ringwald is going to be signing galleys of her forthcoming book at ALA in Anaheim – boom! Cool, huh? So come by Booth 2559 (any time) but especially Saturday at 3pm to get a copy!

– Annie

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Congratulations, Russell Banks!

May 17, 2012

Very exciting news, friends! The nominees for the first annual Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction have been announced, and Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks is among the amazing works selected! The shortlist was chosen by a seven-member selection committee of library professionals from across the country chaired by Nancy Pearl.

As I'm sure you all know, this is the first time ALA has offered single-book awards for adult trade fiction and nonfiction. The winning titles will be announced at a special event at the ALA Annual Conference on Sunday, June 24, in Anaheim, CA, so be sure to get your ticket now!

Also, I recommend checking out the video of Nancy Pearl announcing the winners…

Congratulations to all the nominees!

– Annie

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ALA 2011 Photos

June 29, 2011

Why hello there LLF friends! I am back in the office, bright eyed and chipper (ok, that's an exaggeration…ALA wore me out a bit as I'm sure those of you who were there can understand), but I am here and I've just sorted through our pictures. Like us on Facebook to check them out or you can go to our cool new Flickr stream. If you have any awesome ALA 2011 photos, please don't hesitate to share!

A heartfelt thank you to all of you who were there, who came to our booth, who participated in the panels and events. It was a pleasure and an honor to meet and speak with amazing librarians from around the country.

Looking forward to ALA 2012!

-Annie

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From the Inside(rs) Out: Book Editors and the New Titles They Love

June 21, 2011

For all of you going to ALA this weekend, I highly recommend attending AAP's fabulous event, "From the Inside(rs) Out: Book Editors and the New Titles They Love." Hosted in collaboration with Nancy Pearl, National Public Radio Commentator, author of Book Lust, and beloved library action figure, it will be held Sunday, June 26, 2011, from 10:30 am – 12 pm in Room 392 of the New Orleans Convention Center, New Orleans, LA.

Book publishing’s top editorial brass will share their passion with the library community and each will offer behind-the-scenes stories of two new fall 2011 titles.

Bill Thomas, Senior Vice President, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, Doubleday, presenting The Night Circus byErin Morgenstern and The Destiny of The Republic: A Tale of Medicine, Madness and Murder of an American President by Candice Millard.

Lee Boudreaux, Vice President, Ecco (HarperCollins) presenting The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel In Pictures by Caroline Preston, and The Arrogant Years: One Girl’s Search for Her Lost Youth, from Cairo to Brooklyn by Lucette Lagnado.

Stephen Morrison, Editor In Chief and Associate Publisher, Penguin Books, presenting The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey, and Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore by Stella Duffy.

John Sherer, Publisher, Basic Books (Perseus Books Group) presenting The Folly of Fools by Robert Trivers, and Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes by James Palmer.

Michael Pietsch, Executive Vice President & Publisher, Little Brown & Company, presenting The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach and The Drop by Michael Connelly.

“Opportunities for librarians to hear directly from book publishing’s editors are rare and we are pleased to be able to provide this highly anticipated event to ALA members in partnership with AAP,” notes Mary Ghikas, Senior Associate Executive Director of the American Library Association. All ALA attendees are invited.

For more information on the event, please contact AAP’s Tina Jordan.

-Annie

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Nancy Pearl Shows Us Love!

January 28, 2011

Like most of you, we consider ourselves to be Nancy Pearl devotees. And though we go to bat for all of our titles, there's an extra-special thrill when Nancy loves something we publish. This was just the case at the ALA Midwinter conference in San Diego, when Nancy tweeted about Caribou Island, one of our hottest titles: "Reading David Vann's gorgeously crafted Caribou Island broke my heart. Wow." Moments after Nancy's tweet went out, librarians filed into our booth and–happily–discovered a pile of hardcovers that we handed to the masses.

Another librarian-favorite also found favor with Nancy: Jacqueline Winspear's The Mapping of Love and Death. She wrote: "Forgot to tweet how much I ♥ Jacqueline Winspear's Mapping of Love and Death; can't wait to read the new one [A Lesson in Secrets] this April. You go, Maisie!"

If you'd like to join in the lovefest, check out the catalog pages for Caribou Island and A Lesson in Secrets, and be sure to follow Nancy on Twitter, @Nancy_Pearl.

crime fiction, I'd Know You Anywhere, Laura Lippman

Critical Buzz for I’d Know You Anywhere–Updated!

August 17, 2010

This past June at ALA, one of our most in-demand AREs was Laura Lippman's I'd Know You Anywhere, on sale today (check out the "buzz" from our title presentation). The critics are weighing in:

"She's one of the best novelists around, period.” —The Washington Post

"Lippman deftly keeps the balls aloft with a strong structure–a straight-ahead chronology interrupted by surgical flashbacks–and evocative writing." —Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Lippman’s taut, mesmerizing, and exceptionally smart drama of predator and prey is at once unusually sensitive and utterly compelling."–Donna Seaman, Booklist (starred review)

"From its unsettling opening to its breathtaking conclusion, "Anywhere" exemplifies Lippman's strengths: compassion, intense prose and deep empathy for the snares of ambiguous emotions."–Adam Woog, Seattle Times

"Lippman never forgets as she moves from past to present and from perspective to perspective that nothing is more important—or more elusive—than the truth."–Kirkus

Check out this video of Laura discussing the book, and be sure to stock your shelves. Laura will be appearing on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson (August 31) and on The Tavis Smiley Show (September 1)! I'd Know You Anywhere will also be coming to People Magazine's August 30th issue.

Want more Laura? Tell her why you love your library in 1,000 words or less, and win a visit! Deadline: September 30, 2010. Go to Laura’s site for the rules of the contest.

-Kayleigh

Books, Boston, Daphne Kalotay, Russian Winter

Russian Winter

July 19, 2010

In my humble opinion…if you're going to read one fiction title from our Fall 2010 list, Russian Winter is the book. Really. After finishing it a few weeks ago, I've wandered around aimlessly, through Charlotte Bronte's Villette and some non-fiction titles–unfortunately, nothing can compete with the transformative, enveloping power of Daphne Kalotay's debut novel. Russian Winter tells the story of Nina Revskaya, an aging ballerina who is auctioning off her jewelry in modern-day Boston. Divided by skillfully-placed auction cards, Russian Winter swerves deftly between Boston and Moscow, evoking the beauty of the Bolshoi and the terror of life under Stalin. The novel is literary but wonderfully accessible–out of everything on our Fall list, this is a book I can wholeheartedly recommend to most of my friends, even with their very diverse tastes in fiction. For more information on Russian Winter, check out my presentation of the title from ALA last month. Happy reading!

-Kayleigh

ALA 2010, Books, Harper Lee, Mary McDonagh Murphy, Nancy Pearl, NBC, Scout, Atticus and Boo, To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird

July 11, 2010

This Sunday, June 11th, is the 50th anniversary of the publication of To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee's American classic–a coming of age story set in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice. The book needs no introduction, and I don't think we have enough room on the blog to discuss everything we love, love, love about To Kill A Mockingbird. In fact, we've just published an entire book devoted to talking about Mockingbird's legacy. It's called Scout, Atticus, and Boo–and you might remember it from Nancy Pearl's interview with Mary Murphy at ALA.

If you're around this Sunday, tune in to NBC Nightly News for a segment on the book. Celebrate with us, by visiting the 50th Anniversary site, reading the book, re-reading the book, and/or attending an event near you.

You can also become a fan on Facebook or tweet your thoughts using #tkam as a hashtag.

Happy Anniversary, Harper!

ALA 2010, American Library Association, Book Buzz, Books, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, Tom Franklin

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

July 8, 2010

During our title presentation at ALA 2010, Virginia buzzed about Tom Franklin's forthcoming Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter: a striking and atmospheric drama that masterfully blends elements of crime and literary fiction. Given these quotes, it's not hard to see why we're psyched for on-sale. Check 'em out!

"Lately I've been wondering why, in an age when every new novel is hyped as a revolution of one sort or another, the classic trifecta of talent, heart, and a bone-deep sense of storytelling so rarely appears. But here it is: Tom Franklin's CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER. One of the many pleasures of this book comes from watching Franklin walk several writerly tightropes at once without spilling a drop of his warm Mississippi beer. It's a masterful performance, deftly rendered and deeply satisfying. For days on end, I woke with this story on my mind." -David Wroblewski, Author of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

“Larry Ott and Silas Jones are two of the most fully realized characters in recent fiction, and their story of a friendship lost and reclaimed is at the heart of this profound and profoundly moving novel. Lyrical, morally complex, superbly crafted, Crooked Letter, Crooked, Letter further validates Tom Franklin’s status as one of America’s best writers.” -Ron Rash, Author of Saints at the River and Serena

“Do you know that kind of novel that you can’t stop reading? Just one more page, you tell yourself, just one more page. The kind that you can’t stop thinking about all day, that you rush through all your other tasks to get back to? That is the kind of novel Tom Franklin has written. CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER is about love and guilt and death and redemption. It’s about ordinary people like you and me, traveling through that extraordinary journey called life. I just love this book! -Ann Hood

“Beautiful writing, a spot-on sense of place, wickedly funny dialogue, and an emotionally potent story charge this highly original, literary crime offering from master stylist Tom Franklin.” -George Pelecanos

For Virginia's full presentation of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, click here.

American Library Association, Books, Elizabeth Beckwith, Libraries, Parenting, Raising the Perfect Child Through Guilt and Manipulation, The Huffington Post

He’ll Go Down in History: The Re-Examined Story Of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

December 4, 2009

If you attended ALTAFF's The Laugh's on Us program at ALA in Chicago, you might remember the hilarious comedienne Elizabeth Beckwith, author of Raising the Perfect Child Through Guilt and Manipulation, which we've blogged about here. She had the entire room in stitches–I remember actually gasping for breath because I was laughing so hard. So of course, I was super-excited to see her holiday-themed post for The Huffington Post. It's worth a read, just for the following quote alone:

"'Christmas Town is very political, you have to kiss a lot of ass, and it's very unforgiving toward misfits. It's the dirty little secret that nobody talks about,' Blitzen remarked before sullenly finishing his drink."

Happy Friday!

-Kayleigh