Monday Fun Day! (10/24/2011 Edition)

Monday Fun Day! (10/24/2011 Edition)

Well, well, well, if it isn't Monday, again.

- We had a blast last week at the AAP Librarians' Sneak Peek Book Preview event! If you missed it, we listed all the titles we presented in this post. Stay tuned for a (partial) recording of the event!

- ESPN is gearing up for the premiere of the documentary film "Unguarded," about the life and addiction of Chris Herren, author of BASKETBALL JUNKIE. Take a peek at the director’s clip (hosted on ESPN.com) and check out the film on ESPN which airs November 1, at 8pm!

Unguarded Video Img

- Minotaur Books had cause for celebration last week when AS THE PIG TURNS hit the New York Times Hardcover Bestsellers list, making that nine(!) excellent Minotaur titles on the list so far this year:

THOUGH NOT DEAD
THE NIGHT SEASON
ONE WAS A SOLDIER
BREAKING SILENCE
MISERY BAY
BACK OF BEYOND
A TRICK OF THE LIGHT
TAG MAN
AS THE PIG TURNS

- And finally, give me a shout if you're going to be in Saratoga Springs next Wednesday for NYLA's Mystery Slam event at the Annual Conference. I'll see you there!

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AAP Sneak Peek Success!

AAP Sneak Peek Success!

Yesterday's AAP Librarians' Sneak Peek Book Preview was the perfect way to spend a rainy Wednesday!

Of the titles I presented (see below), THE INQUISITOR, THREATS, TRIGGERED, and MIDNIGHT IN AUSTENLAND prompted the strongest audience reactions (mostly ooo's, ewww's, and oh my's!). Join the conversation on Twitter with hashtag: #aapbookbuzz!

Macmillan's Titles:
  • LOVE IN A NUTSHELL | Evanovich, Janet | 978-0-312-65131-2 
  • COME HOME | Scottoline, Lisa | 978-0-312-38082-3 
  • HOME FRONT | Hannah, Kristin | 978-0-312-57720-9
  • ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART | Green, Jane | 978-0-312-59182-3 
  • THE INQUISITOR | Smith, Mark Allen | 978-0-8050-9426-8
  • AVAILABLE DARK | Hand, Elizabeth | 978-0-312-58594-5
  • HEART OF A KILLER | Rosenfelt, David | 978-0-312-59837-2
  • ASHES TO DUST | Sigurdardottir, Yrsa | 978-0-312-64174-0; 978-1-250-00493-2
  • CLOUDLAND | Olshan, Joseph | 978-1-250-00017-0
  • THE MAN FROM PRIMROSE LANE | Renner, James | 978-0-374-20095-4
  • THREATS | Gray, Amelia | 978-0-374-53307-6
  • THE CAT SITTER’S PAJAMAS | Clement, Blaize | 978-0-312-64313-3
  • NO COOPERATION FROM THE CAT | Babson, Marian | 978-0-312-33240-2
  • GYPSY BOY | Walsh, Mikey | 978-0-312-62208-4 (YA crossover)
  • TRIGGERED | Wortmann, Fletcher | 978-0-312-62210-7 (YA crossover)
  • THE STARBOARD SEA | Dermont, Amber | 978-0-312-64280-8 (YA crossover)
  • HEMLOCK GROVE | McGreevy, Brian | 978-0-374-53291-8 (YA crossover)
  • JOE GOLEM AND THE DROWNING CITY | Mignola, Mike | 978-0-312-64473-4 (YA crossover)
  • MIDNIGHT IN AUSTENLAND | Hale, Shannon | 978-1-60819-625-8
  • THE DARKENING FIELD | Ryan, William | 978-0-312-58651-5
  • CHILDREN OF WRATH | Grossman, Paul | 978-0-312-60191-1

BOOKS FOR TEENS | See info under Books for Teens

There should be a partial recording of the event out soon (unfortunately, there were some technical difficulties near the end), so stay tuned!

We owe a big thanks to Becca of the AAP and Erica at Random House for putting the event together and to all the librarians that came out and joined us!

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Monday Fun Day! (10/17/2011 Edition)

Monday Fun Day! (10/17/2011 Edition)

Hello, my charming library wizards! Welcome to a new week.

- If you were roaming the halls of New York Comic Con this weekend, I can only hope that: A. You stopped by the Tor Books booth for some rad giveaways and author signings and, B. You were dressed as Gort.

- Speaking of sci-fi, Cory Doctorow name-dropped our very own Talia Sherer in his Publishers Weekly article, "With a Little Help: Now at Your Library," discussing his experience with his "pay what you like" short story collection, With a Little Help

"Throughout this experiment, Tor has been remarkably generous with advice and help, and this was no exception. Talia Sherer, Macmillan's library sales director, directed me to several librarians, and I tapped each of them. They were warm, and helpful, and blindingly organized about delivering advice.

"...after three months, Ingram has now listed the book in its catalogue. And I've just finished an interview with ALA's Booklist announcing the book's availability, and many librarians have offered to help spread the word through their mailing lists."

Yay!

- Fans of Mary Robinette Kowal's SHADES OF MILK AND HONEY will be ecstatic to hear that Tor plans to publish two more of her quasi-Regency fantasy sequels after, GLAMOUR IN GLASS! See the announcement here! We've received quite a few requests for GLAMOUR IN GLASS galleys, which unfortunately are not available, yet. But I read an unedited version of the manuscript and can promise that there is plenty of adventure and charm to look forward to!

- HarperCollins' Library master, Virginia Stanley is now on Twitter (@VStan523)!! Go bug her.

- Look at this pup:

Leo puppy pic

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The Word of the Day: KITTENS?!

The Word of the Day: KITTENS?!

Sleight of paw cover

Teens, chocolate, crafts, economics, and now... kittens! 

It's Friday, and that means it's the perfect time to talk about a ridiculously adorable trend in mysteries: crime solving cats! Here are a few gems for you:

THE CAT SITTER'S PAJAMAS
Blaize Clement

Celebrity hijinks, counterfeit fashion, and KITTENS IN HAMMOCKS!?

NO COOPERATION FROM THE CAT
Marian Babson

Murder, mayhem, and KITTENS IN THE KITCHEN?!

SLEIGHT OF PAW
Sofie Kelley

And of course we had to feature this amazing Magical Cats Mystery that our buddies over at Penguin sent us that's full of secrets, library books, and KITTENS WITH MAGIC POWERS?!

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The Word of the Day: Chocolate

The Word of the Day: Chocolate

Yesterday, the word of the day was "teens." If you didn't get a chance to skim the 2012 teen title previews we posted, check them out under the Books for Teens section up on the link bar, snuggled between Debuts and About Us. 

Today, we've decided that the word of the day is: "chocolate." Not that we need an excuse to celebrate, but apparently it's Chocolate Week and we are fully in support of this holiday.

I put together a sampler plate of delicious book recommendations just for you:

SMALL-BATCH BAKING FOR CHOCOLATE LOVERS is the perfect cookbook to whip out for a full week's worth of tasty sampling treats that you won't feel the need to share.

If you're not a baker, don't panic! You can still celebrate with the best of them. Just swing by your favorite local bakery and pick up a box of chocolate glazed donuts. If you like a little danger with your confections, grab the latest installment in the Donut Shop Mysteries series. Or, if you like your chocolate on the spicy side, grab a copy of SOME LIKE IT HOT and settle in for a night with pastry chef Danny Lunden, who couldn't be sweeter if you dipped him in chocolate fondue.

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Monday Fun Day! (10/3/2011 Edition)

Monday Fun Day! (10/3/2011 Edition)

Welcome to October, you crazy librarians!

We have a lot on our plates this week, so let's kick things off with a quick round-up.

- We're huge fans of the Library Love Fest ladies, so the picture they posted of class act Kayleigh George dressed up as as Jackie O with JACKIE AS EDITOR slayed us!

Jackie O Dress Up

- Urban fantasy writer Carrie Vaughn was interviewed at Bubonicon about KITTY'S GREATEST HITS, the Wild Cards series, and more. Watch all four videos here at MTV.com.

- If you're still trying to get a handle on what to recommend for steampunk, you might be interested in this discussion at Tor.com with Barnes & Noble SFF buyer, Jim Killen:

"Each month on Tor.com, Mr. Killen curates a list of science fiction & fantasy titles, which our contributors then discuss and explore."

In October, Mr. Killen and the Tor.com-ers will be discussing steampunk. See their schedule here.

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Dark and Stormy? Yes, Please!

Dark and Stormy? Yes, Please!

Yesterday afternoon the office went dark.

We don't always have the overhead lights on since we're lucky enough to have massive windows, but we fell to darkness when a herd of black clouds rampaged over Manhattan. See?

storm collage

As we all smashed our noses against the windowpanes, it came to me that this tempestuous sky of DOOM was reminiscent of a few very rad covers of ours:

Young Adult stormy covers

THE HUNT, TEMPEST, and PAST CONTINUOUS are all wrapped up in dramatic images of storms and lightning bolts. 

It's also worth noting that all three of these blustery Young Adult titles are led by fierce and heroic teenage male protagonists. 

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Banned Books as Graphic Novels

Banned Books as Graphic Novels

Today we're taking a look at a new way to read two exceptional books that have been challenged and banned:

ANNE FRANK: THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL has been banned from schools in Virginia, Alabama, and Texas for being too upsetting, sexually offensive, and downright pornographic.* FAHRENHEIT 451 has been removed from required reading lists at schools in Mississippi and challenged in Texas for offensive language, violence, and Bible burning.**

These chilling stories show us the darkest sides of humanity from the past and a possible future. The urge to protect ourselves from the horrible things they depict is strong, but their messages of pain and hope must be heard and understood.

Both of these classics are now available as authorized graphic novels from Hill and Wang.

Banned Books Robot

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