Reviews and Publicity

Calling all Sci-Fi/ Fantasy Readers!

Calling all Sci-Fi/ Fantasy Readers!

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Anne Spieth
Pillar to the Sky jacketLike a Mighty Army jacketGoblin Emperor jacketWords of Radiance jacketMy Real Children jacketLock In jacket
Here's the scoop on the latest greatest and soon-to-come SF & Fantasy from Tor Books:

PILLAR TO THE SKY by William Forstchen
PILLAR TO THE SKY is part of NASA-inspired Works of Fiction–a partnership between NASA and Tor/Forge aimed at raising awareness of science, technology, engineering, and math, and attracting students to those fields. The titular pillar is a controversial supertower developed by a visionary rocket scientist intent on finding a new energy source. "Forstchen’s work is as convincingly told as it is diverting." – Kirkus Reviews

LIKE A MIGHTY ARMY by David Weber
In the seventh entry in Weber's popular Safehold series, Merlyn Athrawes, the cybernetic avatar of a thousand-year-old warrior, has one purpose: to restart the history of the too-long-hidden human race. "Weber’s seventh far-future Safehold novel is a complex and fascinating epic about change, identity, and the nature of faith." – Publishers Weekly 

THE GOBLIN EMPEROR by Katherine Addison
A half-goblin named Maia unwittingly inherits the throne to the Imperial Court and struggles to navigate the politics of being Emperor. "Addison patiently and tellingly paints in the backdrop, mingling steampunk elements and low-key magic with imperial intricacies. The result is a spellbinding and genuinely affecting drama. Unreservedly recommended." – Kirkus Reviews, starred review

WORDS OF RADIANCE by Brandon Sanderson
In the second volume of New York Times bestseller Sanderson's Stormlight Archive (after THE WAY OF KINGS), the war with the Parshendi will move into a new, dangerous phase, Jasnah and Shallan search for the legendary city of Urithiru, and Kaladin is learning how to fulfill his new role as leader of the restored Knights Radiant. "... the novel is weighty without being ponderous, and delivers a satisfactory story despite being part of an episodic secondary world fantasy series." – Publishers Weekly 

[...]

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Happy #BookBday (2/25/14 Edition)

Happy #BookBday (2/25/14 Edition)

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Anne Spieth
Bitter Eden jacketMy Name is Resolute jacketHeadmaster's Wife jacketBirthday KittyJust like our furry friend says, today we wish a happy #BookBday to:

BITTER EDEN by Tatamkhulu Afrika
Based on the author’s own capture in North Africa and his experiences as a prisoner-of-war in World War II in Italy and Germany, this frank and beautifully wrought novel deals with three men who must negotiate the emotions that are brought to the surface by the physical closeness of survival in the male-only camps. “BITTER EDEN is a beautifully crafted, absorbing read, a careful examination of human relationships, and a rare glimpse into the complexities of life in wartime.” — Booklist

MY NAME IS RESOLUTE by Nancy Turner
A sweeping historical set in Revolutionary War-era New England, young Resolute Talbot is sold into slavery and taught spinning and weaving–skills that place her at the secret heart of the growing rebellion against England. "Every page of Turner's engrossing and fascinating work is better than the last. Not only historical fiction fans will love this beautifully written and compelling novel." — Library Journal  

THE HEADMASTER'S WIFE by Thomas Christopher Greene
Inspired by a personal loss, this is a beautifully written, haunting and deeply affecting portrait of one couple at their best and worst. "This is a riveting psychological novel about loss and the terrible mistakes and compromises one can make in love and marriage. Essential for fans of literary fiction." — Library Journal, starred review

[...]

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Monday Fun Day with Audio (and Free Stuff!)

Monday Fun Day with Audio (and Free Stuff!)

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Anne Spieth
Nine Inches jacketStill Foolin Em jacketInfernoAre you in Olympic withdrawal like we are after watching the closing ceremony last night? Don't worry. Our friends at Macmillan Audio have the perfect cure with their second annual LISTEN WHILE YOU WORK OUT campaign, plus a chance to win a Fitbit Flex!

You can join the challenge at macmillanaudio.com/workout and report how many minutes you listened while being active. Enter your time daily, weekly, or whenever you want, but the more often you report, the better chance you'll have to show up in the Top Listeners leaderboard, updated every Monday. Then enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win a Fitbit Flex or a prize pack of five audiobooks on CD.

Newsday did a feature on Listen While You Work Out and more media coverage is still to come from Self Magazine (March issue), Fitness Magazine, Teen Vogue, and the Chicago Tribune!

Want to listen to some samples before joining in? Why not start with these Audie-Award nominated titles from Macmillan Audio (more titles available on SoundCloud):

THE RITHMATIST by Brandon Sanderson
Narrated by Michael Kramer (Fantasy category)

THE GOOD HOUSE by Ann Leary
Narrated by Mary Beth Hurt (Fiction category)

JACOB’S OATH by Martin Fletcher
Narrated by George Guidall (Fiction category)

THE HOUR OF PERIL by Daniel Stashower
Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini (History category)

STILL FOOLIN’ ‘EM by Billy Crystal (Grammy-nominee for Best Spoken Word Album!)
Narrated by Billy Crystal (Humor and Narration by the Author categories)

RAGE AGAINST THE DYING by Becky Masterman
Narrated by Judy Kaye (Mystery category)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE by David Finkel
Narrated by Arthur Bishop (Nonfiction category)

REVIVER by Seth Patrick
Narrated by Ari Fliakos (Paranormal category)

INFERNO by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Narrated by Holter Graham (Paranormal category)

EXTINCTION MACHINE by Jonathan Maberry
Narrated by Ray Porter (Science Fiction category)

NINE INCHES by Tom Perrotta
Narrated by William Dufris, Andi Arndt, Tom Perrotta, and Rupert Degas (Short Stories/Collections category)

[...]

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Friday Reads – Minotaur Stars Edition

Friday Reads – Minotaur Stars Edition

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Anne Spieth

TGIF! Today's #FridayReads are two Minotaur mysteries that are raking in the starred pre-publication reviews! 

Talia is avoiding the wilderness after reading

Destroyer Angel

DESTROYER ANGEL by Nevada Barr
In the next book in Barr's New York Times bestselling Anna Pigeon series, a camping trip in Minnesota goes harrowingly wrong when Anna's friends are taken hostage by armed thugs. 

"Once again, Barr lays down a riveting mystery and permeates the pages with scrupulous descriptions of Anna's struggle with the cold, with the night, and with the terror and fear of not rescuing her friends." — Library Journal, starred review

"Gripping... Barr's gift for depicting breathtaking scenery elevates the story, as does Anna's complex, ever-evolving personality." — Publishers Weekly, starred review  

"Anna Pigeon’s eighteenth adventure is equal parts psychological thriller and wilderness-survival tale sure to please series followers with a darker, no-holds-barred look at the emotional impact of Anna’s survival instinct, while beckoning newcomers with top-tier white-knuckle suspense." — Booklist  


Anne is reconsidering her vacation plans after reading

Cairo AffairTHE CAIRO AFFAIR by Olen Steinhauer
International politics are at play as an Egyptian agent, an American analyst, a CIA agent, and a bereaved wife all converge on Cairo to find out why a diplomat was assassinated.

"THE CAIRO AFFAIR is an elegant, elaborate clockwork of mystery and deception that should draw readers in and keep them on tenterhooks as they try to figure out what is really making it all tick." — Publishers Weekly, boxed signature review

"It has become de rigeur to compare Steinhauer to le Carré, but it’s nearly time to pass the torch: for the next generation, it’s Steinhauer who will become the standard by which others are measured." — Booklist, starred review

"In narrative arcs that vault between a 1991 honeymoon trip to Serbia and a few days in 2011, Steinhauer once again displays his mastery of complex and twisty storytelling. Readers yearning for a fiendishly complex plot, penetrating characterizations, and a new warrior in the ancient struggle between anomie and truth will welcome Sophie and her brash courage." — Library Journal

What are you reading this Friday? Share your #FridayReads with us @MacmillanLib. [...]

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Thriller Thursday (2/20/14 Edition)

Thriller Thursday (2/20/14 Edition)

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Anne Spieth
We're a day away from TGIF and you know what that means: #ThrillerThursday! Here's what we're reading this week:

RUNNER by Patrick Lee
You know how much Anne loves this "high-tech thriller that's hard to put down" (Library Journal, starred review) because she can't stop recommending it to anyone who will listen (hey casting directors: Channing Tatum!). She's not the only one–it's a March Indie Next pick, has three starred reviews, and the adoration of Lee Child, Steve Berry and Nelson DeMille. 

THE INNOCENT SLEEP by Karen Perry
This psychological thriller about a couple restarting their lives five years after losing their son in a tragic accident is perfect for those of you who enjoyed the March 2014 LibraryReads pick, PRECIOUS THING. "This novel, with a premise that taps into the fears of every parent, is an entertaining thriller that fans of Tana French and Gillian Flynn will enjoy." — Library Journal  
(get the free downloadable praise sheet)

DEAD WATER by Ann Cleeves
In the eagerly awaited new entry in Ann Cleeves' popular Shetland Islands series (now airing on BBC as the television series Shetland), Detective Inspector Willow Reeves and Inspector Jimmy Perez team up to investigate the murder of a journalist. "Cleeves has an unusually deft hand with characters; not one of them seems purely plot-functional, and Perez’s character keeps deepening with each book." — Booklist, starred review

BROTHERHOOD OF FEAR by Paul Grossman
It's 1933 and famed detective Willi Kraus is avoiding deportation back to Nazi Germany when he finds himself unwittingly drawn into a murder mystery in Paris. "Grossman again manages to make the past come alive, and his complicated investigator displays enough depth and frailty to warrant continued exploits, even without the series’ initial hook of a Jewish cop fighting for justice under the Nazis." — Publishers Weekly, starred review [...]

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Thriller Thursday (2/13/14 Edition)

Thriller Thursday (2/13/14 Edition)

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Anne Spieth
cats in snowOur winter woes continue: the wind is howling like a banshee on top of the Flatiron and North Carolina is buried in snow! Good thing we've got our mysteries to keep us company on this chilly #ThrillerThursday:


WHERE MONSTERS DWELL by Jørgen Brekke
Two gruesome murders take place half a world apart in Virginia and Norway and are somehow connected to The Book of John—a journal bound in human skin written by a sixteenth century serial murderer from Norway. "The buildup to each murder is extraordinarily well done and almost unbearably suspenseful. On the whole, the novel lives up to the edginess of this genre. Brrrr." — Booklist

THE DEALER AND THE DEAD by Gerald Seymour
"A war crime propels this stellar thriller from Edgar-finalist Seymour. How Seymour develops these characters and manipulates them until they all end up in Vukovar is a testament to his talent and skill." — Publishers Weekly, starred & boxed review  
"The Bosnian conflict was spectacularly cruel. Two decades on, it continues to spur headlines and to provide potent plotlines for novelists. It’s fitting that Seymour, one of the finest contemporary espionage novelists, shines his unique light on it." — Booklist, starred review   

MURDER IN THE AFTERNOON by Frances Brody
In Brody's newest Kate Shackleton novel, Kate must help a family find a man who's presumed dead after he went missing from the local stone quarry. "The bucolic setting of the village of Great Applewick and the period atmosphere add authentic touches to this finely drawn traditional mystery with multiple storylines." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

[...]

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Celebrating Black History Month

Celebrating Black History Month

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Anne Spieth
In honor of Black History Month, we've put together a robust Edelweiss collection of titles (History! Biography! Fiction! Culture! Plus many more!) that we hope will help you with collection development. Here are some highlights:
Fiction

ORCHARD OF LOST SOULS by Nadifa Mohamed
MY NAME IS RESOLUTE by Nancy Turner
THE WEDDING GIFT by Marlen Suyapa Bodden
SOME SING, SOME CRY by Ntozake Shange and Ifa Bayeza

 

Social History

 

WITHOUT MERCY by David Beasley
EBONY AND IVY by Craig Steven Wilder
RED SUMMER by Cameron McWhirter

 

Civil Rights

 

GOSPEL OF FREEDOM by Jonathan Rieder
DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS by Aram Goudsouzian
LET FREEDOM RING: Stanley Tretick's Iconic Images of the March on Washington by Kitty Kelley

Slavery

THE EMPIRE OF NECESSITY by Greg Grandin
THE MANOR: Three Centuries at a Slave Plantation on Long Island by Mac Griswold
THE SLAVES' GAMBLE: Choosing Sides in the War of 1812 by Gene Allen Smith
THE HAMMER AND THE ANVIL: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the End of Slavery in America by Dwight Jon Zimmerman

 

War Stories 

 

THE WARS OF RECONSTRUCTION by Douglas R. Egerton
WAR CHILD by Emmanuel Jal
RADIANCE OF TOMORROW by Ishmael Beah
BITTER EDEN by Tatamkhulu Afrika

 

Biography/Autobiography/Memoir

 

MEN WE REAPED by Jesmyn Ward
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MY MOTHER by Jamaica Kincaid
AND THEN LIFE HAPPENS by Auma Obama
CONVERSATIONS WITH MYSELF by Nelson Mandela, foreword by Barack Obama

Music 

JIMI HENDRIX by Leon Hendrix
RESPECT YOURSELF: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion by Robert Gordon
BOB MARLEY by Chris Salewicz
PRINCE: Inside the Music and the Masks by Ronin Ro

 

Culture

 

HAIR STORY: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America (2nd Edition) by Ayana Byrd and Lori Tharps
HIGH ON THE HOG by Jessica B. Harris

 

Sports

 

SAPP ATTACK by Warren Sapp
THE HUSTLE: One Team and Ten Lives in Black and White by Doug Merlino
MORE THAN JUST A GAME by Chuck Korr and Marvin Close
THE SPORTSMAN: Unexpected Lessons from an Around-the-World Sports Odyssey by Dhani Jones

 

Graphic Novels

 

AYA: LIFE IN YOP CITY by Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie
AYA: LOVE IN YOP CITY by Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie

[...]

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#BookBday Bonus: THE SIXTH EXTINCTION

#BookBday Bonus: THE SIXTH EXTINCTION

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Anne Spieth
We've got another special Book Birthday this week: THE SIXTH EXTINCTION by Elizabeth Kolbert, which started as a two-part series in the New Yorker.

Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly contracted. Scientists are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. The cause? Humans! (GULP.)

THE SIXTH EXTINCTION has FOUR outstanding starred pre-publication reviews and major media coverage is starting off with a Big Bang:
     * A front page rave New York Times Book Review from former Vice President Al Gore 
     * A New York Times daily review by Michiko Kakutani
     * Appearances on CBS "This Morning" and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"
     * Interviews on NPR's "All Things Considered" and "Fresh Air"
     * Reviews to come in Scientific American Magazine, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and many more

Praise for THE SIXTH EXTINCTION:

“'People change the world,' Kolbert writes, and she vividly presents the science and history of the current crisis. Her extensive travels in researching this book, and her insightful treatment of both the history and the science all combine to make THE SIXTH EXTINCTION an invaluable contribution to our understanding of present circumstances, just as the paradigm shift she calls for is sorely needed.”
— New York Times Book Review by Al Gore

“New Yorker staff writer Kolbert accomplishes an amazing feat in her latest book, which superbly blends the depressing facts...with stellar writing to produce a text that is accessible, witty, scientifically accurate, and impossible to put down.”
— Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Rendered with rare, resolute, and resounding clarity, Kolbert’s compelling and enlightening report forthrightly addresses the most significant topic of our lives.”
— Booklist, starred review

“A highly significant eye-opener rich in facts and enjoyment.”
— Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This solid, engaging, multidisciplinary science title should appeal to a broad range of science enthusiasts, particularly those interested in environmental conservation.”
— Library Journal, starred review
(also featured in Neal Wyatt's RA Crossroads review)

[...]

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Happy #BookBday (2/11/14 Edition)

Happy #BookBday (2/11/14 Edition)

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Anne Spieth
Hip hip hooray, it's time for another #BookBday! Today we celebrate:

QUESADILLAS by Juan Pablo Villalobos
Mexican novelist Villalobos's darkly comic story about a poor Mexican family in which two teenage brothers set off to find their missing twin siblings–who were potentially abducted by aliens–is "a riotous tall tale” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) and "frequently laugh-out-loud funny." (Shelf Awareness)

GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN by Marci Jefferson
This solid debut novel about the beautiful and captivating Royalist exile Frances Stuart, who must walk a fine line between pleasing kings and protecting her family's secret is perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory. "Jefferson's intoxicating first novel superbly draws readers into the mischief and maneuverings, loyalties and treacheries, and lust and hostility of powerful 17th century kings and scheming court sycophants." – Publishers Weekly, starred review

ACT ONE by Moss Hart
Moss Hart’s ACT ONE is not only one of the most celebrated American theater books of the twentieth century, according to legendary actress Julie Andrews it's also “The ultimate Broadway memoir by the master who raised the bar for us all.” The book is coming out just in time for Lincoln Centre Theatre's stage adaptation of “Act One,” written by Tony and Pulitzer-Prize Winning writer/director James Lapine. 

[...]

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