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LLF Staff Suggestions for April LibraryReads List

February 6, 2017

Greetings, librarians. The Library Love Fest team has made it back safe and sound from ALA Midwinter in Atlanta, Georgia and we're eager to kick off a new round of LibraryReads suggestions! Fresh debuts, the return of old friends, love, mystery, and some far-out speculative fiction, there's something here for every reader. Remember, the deadline to vote for the April LibraryReads list is February 20th. Happy reading!

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Miss You by Kate Eberlen
For fans of: Jojo Moyes, Elin Hilderbrand, and Nick Hornby
A wryly romantic debut novel with echoes of One Day that asks, what if you just walked by the love of your life, but didn’t even know it?
"An unashamedly romantic novel, but one that also deals with the ongoing and deep-seated effects of grief. Both intricate and engrossing, its real pleasure lies in Eberlen’s assured writing with its level of detail and rich characterization."
—Sunday Express (London)

Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
Public Librarian? Click here to request a physical galley
LibraryReads deadline: February 20th

Song of the Lion by Anne Hillerman
For fans of: Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn and Chee novels
A deadly bombing takes Navajo Tribal cops Bernadette Manuelito, Jim Chee, and their mentor, the legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, back into the past to find a vengeful killer in this riveting Southwestern mystery from the bestselling author of Spider Woman’s Daughter and Rock with Wings.
Praise for Rock with Wings, the previous entry in the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series: "Hillerman uses the southwestern setting as effectively as her late father did while skillfully combining Native American lore with present-day social issues."
—Publishers Weekly

Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
Public Librarian? Click here to request a physical galley
LibraryReads deadline: February 20th

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LLF Staff Suggestions for February LibraryReads List

December 1, 2016

Hello again, librarians. Time for a fresh round of reading suggestions for the February LibraryReads list. As the holidays draw near, you most certainly deserve the gift of a great read. With this list, we're sure you'll find that special something. Don't forget, the deadline to vote is December 20th. Happy reading!

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A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
For fans of: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
From the author of the smash bestseller Orphan Train comes a stunning and atmospheric novel of friendship, passion, and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s mysterious and iconic painting “Christina’s World."
"With remarkable precision and compassion, A Piece of the World transports us to a mid-century farmhouse on the coast of Maine. But just like the painting that inspired it, this gorgeous novel is about so much more. Heartbreaking and life-affirming." —Nathan Hill, author of The Nix

Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: December 20th

A Book of American Martyrs by Joyce Carol Oates
For fans of: Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver, The Round House by Louise Erdrich
In this striking, enormously affecting novel, Joyce Carol Oates tells the story of two very different American families intimately linked by the assassination of a small town abortion provider.
"This is a book for our times, challenging, surprising, powerful, and unmistakably from the imagination of Joyce Carol Oates." —Elaine Showalter, Professor of English, Emeritus, Princeton University

Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: December 20th

Garden of Lamentations by Deborah Crombie
For fans of: Elizabeth George, Louise Penny, P.D. James
Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James are drawn into separate investigations that hold disturbing—and deadly—complications for their own lives in this powerful mystery in the bestselling series.
"We can always count on her for fabulous plots…But what puts Deborah Crombie among the greats is her sure hand in raising her characters off the page."
—Louise Penny, New York Times bestselling author

Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: December 20th

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I’LL TAKE YOU THERE definitely takes you there!

November 22, 2016

Happy Birthday to Wally Lamb's latest, I'll Take You There, which hits shelves today.

Did you ever wish you could step back in time and observe your younger years as it played out in real time?

That's what Felix Funicello, the narrator of Mr. Lamb's latest heart-tugger does as he examines his relationship with the key women in his life. Through this time travel he gains a greater understanding of these women and what was happening in their lives. Felix was first introduced to us in Wally Lamb's novella, Wishin' and Hopin'. It was set in 1962 and young Felix is navigating his way through 5th grade Catholic School. It's hilarious and heartwarming. Very much like that great TV show The Wonder Years. In I'll Take You There, Felix has grown up—in more ways than one.

I'll Take You There was most deservedly a LibraryReads pick for the month of November.

Pick up a copy (or request one by emailing us at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com) and let us know what you think.

Happy Book Birthday, I'll Take You There.
Congratulations, Mr. Wally Lamb, my literary husband.

-Virginia

365 Thank Yous

Boy Reads Romance – Because of Miss Bridgerton

January 28, 2016

Note from a rookie romance reader: I don’t read romance. Well, I didn’t read romance. My allegiances can be won, and this charming, undeniably sharp release from New York Times bestseller Julia Quinn opened my eyes to a truth many of you have long known: romance reads are a damn fine way to enjoy one’s day. So let's begin…

Because of Miss Bridgerton is the first of a new prequel series detailing the lives and romances of those who came before the 8 siblings featured in Quinn’s beloved Bridgerton series. Billie Bridgerton, fiercely independent and equally charming, has little time for romance. But a woman of her time, Billie knows she will inevitably be wed…she just never expected George, the eldest and least-tolerable son of the Rokesby family, to be part of the equation.

I forced myself outside my comfort zone for this book and soon found myself curled up one cold night, my blackened heart having grown three sizes, giggling madly at just how cute these two stubborn characters were as they continually butted heads. George's tendency to say exactly what he doesn't mean at the most inopportune times truly resonated, as I too often suffer from foot-in-mouthitis. Billie's overwhelming charm but instant discomfort outside the familiarity of her family's estate is instantly appealing to all us homebodies out there. This romance never feels preordained. It feels earned. And Julia Quinn has earned a new fan: a boy…who now reads romance.

To all you wonderful romance readers, I'd love to know your thoughts. What keeps you coming back to your favorite romance reads? Any particular sub-genre that holds a special place in your heart? Share your pearls of wisdom via the comments section below or drop me a line at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com! And don't forget to check out the Because of Miss Bridgerton egalley, now available on Edelweiss.

-Chris

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Satan Goes to High School – GIRLS ON FIRE Simply Stuns

December 31, 2015

What’s more terrifying than high school? How about being a grunge-obsessed rebel at a small town high school in the midst of national paranoia surrounding a widespread satanic conspiracy?

Robin Wasserman’s Girls on Fire takes us there, exploring two fast-friends—Lacey, an equally charismatic and rebellious Cobain fanatic, and Hannah, or “Dex”, as she is renamed by Lacey in an effort to instill her punkish ways upon the impressionable plebeian—as they try to survive life in a small town still reeling from the apparent suicide of a popular basketball player under suspicious—and potentially evil—circumstances.

Wasserman masterfully navigates through the tribulations of our most formative (and often painful) years. She takes on issues of womanhood and sexuality, venturing into that bottomless ravine that can seem to separate the outside word from our truest selves, all the while deconstructing the misplaced moral panic of the 90's that led to widespread fear of satanic cults.

Girls on Fire is a gut wrenching, thought-provoking read that will bring you face-to-face with the shadows of your worst high school memories, but will also remind you of the power of friendship, rebellion, and self-discovery. As Megan Abbot states, Girls on Fire is a “captivating, terrifying novel, and one you won’t forget.” Egalleys are available on Edelweiss, so be sure to check it out here.

-Chris

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WHAT SHE KNEW is a LibraryReads Pick for January!

December 10, 2015

It's sunny and pushing 60 today in New York—so why are we shivering? Blame the mixture of excitement and thrills that come with Gilly Macmillan's hair-raising debut novel, What She Knew, being chosen as a LibraryReads pick for January!

This stunning piece of psychological suspense follows Rachel—still reeling from a painful divorce—as she comes face-to-face with every mother's worst nightmare: the sudden and unexplained disappearance of her son. Now the target of media scrutiny and public ire, Rachel must carefully wade through elusive clues and a growing suspicion that no one can be trusted, her own increasingly fragile psyche included.

A huge thanks to all 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 January list.

-The LLF Team