Library Love Fest

Manhood for Amateurs

A couple of weeks ago, I was determined to see Michael Chabon during the New York leg of his book tour for Manhood for Amateurs.  (As you can see here and here, I'm a huge fan of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh.)  So it wasn't a big deal for me to hop on the 2/3 and make the hour-long trek into the deep reaches of Brooklyn.  Chabon gave a wonderful talk on non-fiction writing, reading a few essays from Manhood for Amateurs, which manages to be insightful, wonderfully written, and truly poignant.  He took questions from the audience at the tail-end of the event, and even mentioned an idea he has for a book based on the life of Queen's Freddie Mercury.  (Fingers crossed!)

The talk is part of a Brooklyn Public Library series curated by editor Matt Weiland on the Art of Non-Fiction.  The next event, this Thursday night, features Padgett Powell, author of The Interrogative Mood.  For more info on the series, click here.  And while you're at it, be sure to browse inside Manhood for Amateurs.  You can also read one of the essays here courtesy of the New York Review of Books. 

-Kayleigh  

Fall Title Presentation

If you were unable to attend our title presentation at ALA in Chicago this past July, fear not!  We’re bringing our book buzz to you! Click on the links below to watch us talk about the hot books coming out in Fall 2009.  Each link is about 10 minutes long and we’ve listed the titles being discussed in each video.  Also attached is the handout that we made available to all attendees of the presentation.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions, comments, Academy Award nominations, etc.

Thanks!

-Virginia, Bobby and Kayleigh

Video 1A
Included in this video: Introduction, information on HarperCollins Catalogs, eGalleys, Book Club Girl, Library Love Fest (radio show), twitter (HarperLibrary), HarperLibrary's blog (Library Love Fest), Shelf Help, Kayleigh’s blog (The Roaring 20s), Earlyword.com and Harper Perennial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2vF140GVoQ
Download ALA Title Presentation (Part 1A)

Video 1B
Included in this video: Information on Harper Perennial, and the following titles, Shelf Discovery, by Lizzie Skurnick, By The Time You Read This, by Lola Jaye, and Lies My Mother Never Told Me, by Kaylie Jones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUe2jl8-sxE
Download ALA Title Presentation (Part 1B)

Video 1C
Titles included in this video: Bending Towards the Sun, by Leslie Gilbert-Lurie, Under This Unbroken Sky, by Shandi Mitchell, Evidence of Murder, by Lisa Black, How to Paint a Dead Man, by Sarah Hall and I Shudder, by Paul Rudnick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZIX7h_a8WI
Download ALA Title Presentation (Part 1C)

Video 1D
Titles included in this video: Beneath the Bleeding, by Val McDermid, The Financial Lives of Poets, by Jess Walter, Anne Frank, by Francine Prose and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, by William Kamkwamba

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX-b-Eh06c0
Download ALA Title Presentation (Part 1D)

Video 1E
Titles included in this video: Not Lost Forever, by Carmina Salcido, Manhood for Amateurs, by Michael Chabon and Hummingbirds, by Joshua Gaylord
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjbIu4n5k3Y
Download ALA Title Presentation (Part 1E)

Video 1F
Titles included in this video:  Far from Zion, by Charles London, I am neurotic (and so are you), by Lianna Kong, The Hidden, by Tobias Hill, The Sand Fish, by Maha Gargash, Ten Storey Love Song,by Richard Milward and The Body in the Sleigh, by Katherine Hall Page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQgzm6b72TE
Download ALA Title Presentation (Part 1F)

Video 1G
Titles included in this video: Notes Left Behind, by Brooke and Keith Desserich, The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver, Lit, by Mary Karr, Wishin’ and Hopin’, by Wally Lamb and This Book is Overdue!, by Marilyn Johnson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBOV0CKk68A
Download ALA Title Presentation (Part 1G)

Video 1H
Titles included in this video: Be Careful What You Pray For, by Kimberla Lawson Roby, Gator A-Go-Go, by Tim Dorsey, Shadow Tag, by Louise Erdrich, and Horns, by Joe Hill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmUlveJzyU
Download ALA Title Presentation (Part 1H)

Video 1I
Titles included in this video: Encore, Valentine, by Adriana Trigiani, Making Toast, by Roger Rosenblatt, The Lovers, by Vendela Vida and A Pearl in the Storm, by Tori Murden McClure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb6Sp0HEWk0
Download ALA Title Presentation (Part 1I)

 

Random Things, Part 1

Yesterday I was reading Avon's blog, avonromanceblog.blogspot.com, and saw editor extraordinaire Lucia Macro's post on random things about herself.  Our department was inspired, so this week we'll be posting lists of 10 random things you might not know about us.  I'm up first, so here goes!

1) I am a music snob, but I have been known to loop Lady Gaga during big projects throughout the day.  Pa-pa-pa-poker face.
2) I was a library page in high school and had nicknames for our craziest patrons.   
3) I lived in Spain for 5 months, but didn’t really like Spanish food until I left.
4) I watched too much Masterpiece Theater as a teen, and had a fake English accent through most of high school.
5) I won’t read chick lit, but I will watch any chick flick that’s ever been made.  Even 27 Dresses.
6) In college, my honors thesis was a collection of poetry.
7) Bourbon is my favorite drink, with whiskey a close second. 
8) I have a cut-out of True Blood’s Alexander Skarsgård pasted to the wall of my cubicle. 
9) I worked at a hedge fund for 6 weeks.  One of my duties consisted of buying my boss marzipan and jelly beans. 
10) I love doing obscure impersonations.  My best might be Gloria Swanson from Sunset Boulevard.  “No one leaves a staaaar! That’s what makes them a staaaar!”

For more random things about me, including some tragic photo-shopping accidents, check out The Roaring 20s.

-Kayleigh

Books to Cry Over

Today on Roaring I'm blogging about my Top 5 Books to Cry Over, or as I like to call them, my Top 5 Weepies.  Head on over and see if your favorites made the cut!

-Kayleigh 

ALA 2009- The Roaring Re-Cap

The Roaring 20s has a new look, and a new post! Now that ALA 2009 is behind us, I will be posting regularly again on Roaring, so be sure to send me some feedback on the new design! And while you're checking out the page, take a peek at my Fall/Winter picks from our Title Presentation.  Trust me, you don't need to be a 20something to enjoy these books.

-Kayleigh    

Meanwhile, on The Roaring 20s...

...I'm blogging about some big-name, buzz-worthy titles.  Check out my posts on:

• Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan's The Strain (complete with terrifying book trailers)
• Womenomics (including a great Colbert Report clip)
• a scandalous book trailer for Dennis Cooper's Ugly Man
• the religious controversy sure to be stirred up by debut novel You or Someone Like You 

And for those of you who are coming to ALA, there's a new headshot up, in the hopes that you'll recognize me at our booth.  Happy Friday!

-Kayleigh