The 2014/2015 Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) Best Book Awards were recently announced and we have two winners in the Fiction category: DECODED by Mai Jia Both a riveting mystery and a metaphysical examination of the mind of an inspired genius, DECODED is the first novel to be published in English by one of China’s Know More » […]
Tag: Mai Jia
Booklist’s Best Crime
May is Mystery Month over at Booklist and to celebrate they’ve put together “Best of” reading lists with loads of Macmillan titles!
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THE CAIRO AFFAIR by Olen Steinhauer
Steinhauer follows his acclaimed Milo Weaver trilogy with a stand-alone that is as emotionally rich as it is layered with intrigue. A career diplomat is shot dead in Budapest in front of his disbelieving wife, who is determined to find out why. This complex tale leaves us with the feeling that, despite all the information won, lost, hoarded, and put to use, the world of intelligence is no stronger than the fragile, fallible human beings who navigate it.
HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN by Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has a new case involving the murder of the last surviving sister of quintuplets, a woman with ties to Three Pines, the idyllic, off-the-grid village outside Montreal where several of Gamache’s previous adventures have been set. The novel not only puts Gamache in harm’s way but also exposes Three Pines to defilement—a cozy setting under attack from a decidedly hard-boiled world. Another bravura performance from the magnificent Penny.
THE ORPHAN CHOIR by Sophie Hannah
Teetering on the edge of sanity, Louise Beeston retreats to a country home in England, hoping to escape the haunting choir music she hears continually. This riveting stand-alone, in which suspense snowballs to a climax that is all the more dire for its everyday contemporary English setting, is absolutely haunting, in every sense of the word.
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Thriller Thursday bonus: DECODED
HOT TITLE ALERT! We want to make sure this gripping debut novel is on your radar: DECODED by multi-award-winning author Mai Jia.
One of China's bestselling novels, it reveals the mysterious world of Unit 701, a top-secret Chinese intelligence agency whose sole purpose is counterespionage and code breaking. Brilliantly combining the mystery and tension of a spy thriller with the psychological nuance of an intimate character study and the magical qualities of a Chinese fable, DECODED discovers in cryptography the key to the human heart.
The New York Times jumped on DECODED early and ran an interview with Jia on their Sinosphere Blog and reviews have been outstanding:
“Told by a shadowy narrator who draws on interview transcripts and declassified documents, the book ranges in style from mythic fairy tale to spy story to epistemological speculation. Within this fantastic framework unfolds the saga of Rong Jinzhen, a youngster of illegitimate origin and odd upbringing whose phenomenal success in his non-chosen field leads to international counterespionage.” — The Wall Street Journal
“Finally, a great Chinese novel. It stands out among Chinese novels for its pace, liveliness and the sheer novelty of the tale it tells. It grips from the first page… [Jia] offers a beguiling and magical mystery tour of China. It is an absolute joy to read.” — The Economist
“An espionage novelist who navigates the top-secret world of cryptography, Mai has been hailed as China’s Dan Brown. DECODED quite blithely—and deliberately—defies the genre expectations.” — The New Republic
“Readers skate the line separating insanity from genius in Mai Jia’s riveting tale of cryptographic warfare. A denouement at once heartbreaking and thought-provoking leaves readers pondering the collective sanity of a world shrouding knowledge in enigmas. Gifted translators bring English-speaking readers a Chinese literary treasure.” — Booklist, starred review
“Mai’s careful attention to pacing and the folklore-inspired narration make for a fascinating story, neatly interwoven with complex mathematical theory.”
— Publishers Weekly
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Thriller Thursday (3/20/14 Edition)
Happy #ThrillerThursday, friends! Here's a look at the latest books keeping us up past bedtime:
THE CAIRO AFFAIR by Olen Steinhauer
Steinhauer's geopolitical tale about a murdered diplomat, his unfaithful wife, her Egyptian intelligence ex-lover, and a CIA analyst recently earned a rave New York Times review from Janet Maslin: “Elaborate, sophisticated…a long, twisty road full of cleverly placed potholes and unexpected turns. Mr. Steinhauer draws his spies as flesh-and-blood characters in whom his readers invest both attention and emotion.”
DECODED by Mai Jia
“Told by a shadowy narrator who draws on interview transcripts and declassified documents, the book ranges in style from mythic fairy tale to spy story to epistemological speculation. Within this fantastic framework unfolds the saga of Rong Jinzhen, a youngster of illegitimate origin and odd upbringing whose phenomenal success in his non-chosen field leads to international counterespionage.” — The Wall Street Journal
BONUS: read the interview with Mai Jia in the New York Times Sinosphere blog
DON'T LOOK FOR ME by Loren D. Estleman
In the 24th(!) book in the Amos Walker series, the "barely housebroken" P.I. finds himself caught between the mafia and the porn industry. "A direct descendant of Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, Walker fires up a cig, has a sip of Scotch, and ponders how the case of a disappeared wife can get this complicated. A very good entry in a solid series." — Booklist
THE TRIDENT DECEPTION by Rick Campbell
"Campbell utilizes his background as a retired navy commander and his familiarity with submarines to craft a terrific thriller debut. Campbell does an amazing job, balancing character interaction with high-octane action, all the while keeping the technical jargon to a level understandable by nonmilitary readers. This is the best novel about a submarine since Tom Clancy’s classic THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER." — Booklist, starred review
What's tingling your spine this #ThrillerThursday? Share your reads with us @MacmillanLib.
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Happy New Year 2014!
Happy New Year! We hope your holidays were wonderful. We're rested, rejuvenated and ready for all that 2014 will bring!
Want to know what our New Year's Resolution is? It's for all the librarians we know to participate in LibraryReads!
Do you love to read? Do people often ask you what book they should read next? Are you a public librarian? If you answered yes to all of these, then my friend, you are ready for LibraryReads.
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What is this magical LibraryReads thing we speak of? It's a monthly list of the Top Ten newly released must-read books, voted on by librarians like you! By harnessing the value of "library staff picks" into a single nation-wide discovery tool, you can help connect books to as many readers as possible.
If you're ready to start, nominations are now being accepted for books publishing in March 2013 (due February 1). Here are some titles we recommend:
SHOTGUN LOVESONGS by Nickolas Butler
TEMPTING FATE by Jane Green
PRECIOUS THING by Colette McBeth
THE HAVEN by Carol Lynch Williams
THE CAIRO AFFAIR by Olen Steinhauer
DECODED by Mai Jia
NOTORIOUS by Allison Brennan
THE REVENANT OF THRAXTON HALL by Vaughn Entwistle
THE MIDNIGHT WITCH by Paula Brackston
THE OTHER HALF by Sarah Rayner
ALWAYS UNIQUE by Nikki Turner
QUEEN ELIZABETH'S DAUGHTER by Anne Clinard Barnhill
CODE ZERO by Jonathan Maberry
I REMEMBER YOU by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
NOTES FROM THE INTERNET APOCALPYSE by Wayne Gladstone
PROVIDENCE RAG by Bruce DeSilva
To vote, you must be an Edelweiss user and registered as a public librarian. If so, then you’re all set! To recommend a title, find the book page while logged into Edelweiss and click on “Your Review.” You will see the check the “Submit to LibraryReads” box on the bottom right of that box; click on it when saving your review to nominate that title.
If you are already an Edelweiss user, and logged in, but don’t see the option to “Submit to LibraryReads” when you click on “Your Review,” you may be in an Edelweiss organization that is not classified as a public library. In this case, please email support@abovethetreeline.com for help.
If you are not an Edelweiss user, please register for Edelweiss using the Organization Type “Library – Public” to join the LibraryReads community.
Read in any format you like–paper or digital–but please submit all your reviews electronically, via Edelweiss.
Speaking of Edelweiss, did you know you can get whitelisted* for access to Macmillan e-galleys? It's true! Here's how to get pre-approved:
1. Register for Edelweiss with your library-issued e-mail address.
2. Send Anne an email that includes the e-mail address you registered with, your full name, and your current library (subject: Edelweiss).
3. Wait for Anne to send you a confirmation message, then download to your heart's delight and nominate titles you love for LibraryReads
*Whitelisting is only available to librarians currently employed in the U.S.
For more on Edelweiss, including reading recommendations, click here. Want to know even more about LibraryReads? Check out our FAQ for nomination deadlines, guidelines for writing reviews, details on how each list gets decided, and FREE marketing materials for your library. Happy reading and happy nominating!
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