Reviews and Publicity - Macmillan Library

FOUR STARS for A Killing in the Hills!

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Ali Fisher

We already mentioned that Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Julia Keller's debut novel, A KILLING IN THE HILLS, is getting killer reviews. Now we get to say that it has officially received (read: rightfully earned) FOUR pre-pub starred reviews!

Take a look:

"Keller does a superb job of showing both the natural beauty of Appalachia and the hopeless anger of the people trapped there in poverty. [...] The ensemble cast is unforgettable. So is this novel." -Publishers Weekly (starred review, Pick of the Week)

julia keller "A page-turner with substance and depth, this is as suspenseful and entertaining as it is accomplished." -Booklist (starred review)

"[A] superbly detailed and suspense-drenched mystery. Share with Linda Fairstein, Meg Gardiner, and Lisa Gardner fans." -Library Journal (starred review, Debut of the Month)

"[A] mystery that has plenty of twists and turns and a shocking conclusion." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A KILLING IN THE HILLS will be available in August from Minotaur Books. [...]

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Business Book Friday!

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Booklist pulled together a hot list of 10 essential business books for 2012 including GROUPON'S BIGGEST DEAL EVER by Frank Sennett!

"Told with an appealingly jaunty prose style (imagine Ben Mezrich but with even more enthusiasm), the story portrays Mason as a plucky entrepreneur, a laid-back and politically incorrect school prankster who, on the other hand, is a sharp-as-a-tack computer programmer. [...] Groupon gets a lot of publicity these days, and that’s sure to drive readers to this entertaining and lively book. Is there a movie here, too, following in the wake of The Social Network? Well, there are no Winklevoss twins in the story, but don’t bet against it." -Booklist (starred review)

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The 2012 Man Booker Prize Longlist!

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Congratulations to all of the fantastic books on the 2012 Man Booker Prize longlist!

There are two books we're especially giddy to see on the list:

BRING UP THE BODIES
by Hilary Mantel

The sequel to Hilary Mantel's 2009 Man Booker Prize winner and New York Times bestseller, WOLF HALL delves into the heart of Tudor history with the downfall of Anne Boleyn.

SKIOS
by Michael Frayn

A master of farce turns to an exclusive island retreat for a comedy of mislaid identities, unruly passions, and demented, delicious disorder.

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Starred Review for A Foreign Country

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Betrayal and conspiracy reign in A FOREIGN COUNTRY, Charles Cummings' latest stand-alone spy thriller after THE TRINITY SIX.

Amelia Levene, the first female Chief of MI6, has disappeared just weeks before she is due to take over as the most influential spy in Europe. Desperate to find her and keep her disappearance a secret, Britain’s top intelligence agents turn to one of their own: disgraced MI6 officer Thomas Kell.

"Cumming is particularly skilled at sketching his characters, most notably Kell (a classically reluctant spy) and Weldon, who’s haunted by personal demons central to the elaborate puzzle of a story. The elegant prose will appeal to those who don’t usually read spy fiction." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A FOREIGN COUNTRY is nominated for The 2012 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award!

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Monday Fun Day! (7/23/2012 Edition)

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Today we're reveling in all of the good news coming from the pages of Library Journal!

- We're delighted to see that the Debut of the Month is SHADOW OF THE ROCK by Thomas Mogford!

"Guns, grit, and torture: this breathtaking debut runs through the shifting sands with aplomb. Mogford’s exotic locales, gorgeous prose, and closing twist make this debut a showstopper." –Library Journal (starred review)

- They offered their affection to an excellent financial guide for women, THE SEVEN PEARLS OF FINANCIAL WIDOM by Carol Pepper and Camilla Webster.

"Written by women for women, this gem of a book presents up-to-date information in a way that’s easy to read and understand. [...] Women are encouraged to start their own business, invest wisely, practice leadership, react with grace, and live well. Women in every phase of life, regardless of their financial status, will find something of interest in this guide to economic success. Men may learn something as well." –Library Journal (starred review)

- And Barbara Hoffert ran an article "Three Downton Abbey Readarounds, Including a new Fay Weldon Novel" and all three are titles from St. Martin's Press!

LIFE BELOW STAIRS by Alison Maloney

"Kent-based Maloney, author of the best-selling THE MUM'S BOOK, offers a detailed look at the servant’s life in early 20th-century England, reporting first-hand anecdotes and drumming up numerous black-and-white illustrations as well."

SERVANTS' HALL by Margaret Powell

"This continuation [of BELOW STAIRS] focuses on Rose, the underparlour maid to the Wardham family at Redlands, who elopes with the family’s only son. Scandal!"

HABITS OF THE HOUSE by Fay Weldon

"First in a trilogy, Weldon’s new work opens in 1899—not the Downton Abbey era but directly before; it’s being marketed as an enticing prequel. Weldon in fact wrote the pilot for Upstairs, Downstairs, for which she won a Writers’ Guild Award."

- Finally, as promised: a picture of Shmackies navigating the journey to North Carolina:

shmackies [...]

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On the Next Next Indie Next List!

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Ali Fisher

If you would be so kind as to step into my time machine—that's right, all the way in—so we can get started. Hurry up now, we're on a bit of a tight schedule... Haha! Just kidding. We have a time machine, silly! But seriously, please don't touch anything (except, of course, the handrail; it might get a bit bumpy). POP!

Aaand we're here!

The month? September. The year? Well, still 2012. But wait, what's this? The Indie Next List is posted and—gasp! What's that I see? There are three excellent titles on the list from St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books. Huzzah!

A KILLING IN THE HILLS
by Julia Keller

In this debut mystery from a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Julia Keller, a mother and a daughter try to do right by a town and each other before it's too late.

MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND
by Matthew Dicks

Imaginary friend Budo narrates this heartwarming story of love, loyalty, and the power of the imagination.

THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY
by Louise Penny

The latest crime novel in the New York Times bestselling Chief Inspector Gamache series by multiple Agatha Award-winning author Louise Penny.

Ok, I'm going to return you to the past (which will then become the present), but remember, if you tell anyone what you know you might bust up the current timestream. So, you know, BE CAREFUL! [...]

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Starred Reviews for The Survivor

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Ali Fisher

In Gregg Hurwitz' own words, his latest thriller, THE SURVIVOR, is the story of "a man forced to step up, willing to do anything to protect those he loves, even as his body begins to betray him." More specifically...

One morning Nate Overbay—a divorced former solider suffering from PTSD and slowly dying from Lou Gehrig’s disease—goes to an eleventh-floor bank and climbs out a window onto the ledge, ready to end it. But when a crew of robbers bursts into the bank viciously shooting employees and customers, Nate confronts the robbers, taking them out one-by-one.

Nate is then kidnapped by Pavlo, a savage Russian mobster who planned the failed heist. Pavlo gives Nate an ultimatum—break back into the bank and get what he needs or watch Pavlo slowly kill the ex-wife and teenaged daughter Nate lost when he came back from Iraq.

"Hurwitz’s writing is crisp and economical, and he steers clear of hackneyed phrases and one-dimensional characters. [...] A fine thriller that succeeds on every level."
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Surely Hurwitz can’t keep this up forever. Lately, each new book he publishes is his best so far, and this one’s no exception. [...] Nate is the kind of character who, if not handled just right, might quickly become unbelievable, but there’s no danger of that with Hurwitz at the controls. It’s hard to imagine that he can top this one, but, based on past performance, don’t bet against it." —Booklist (starred review)

Publisher's Weekly ran an interview with Gregg in June. Read their Q&A here.

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Starred Reviews for Existence

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Did Prometheus get your patrons back in the mood for some seriously pulse-pounding alien stories? I figured as much! And if they're looking for an epic alien adventure that's new to the shelves, pass them EXISTENCE by Hugo and Nebula Award-winner David Brin.

Gerald Livingston is your typical orbital garbage collector. For a hundred years, people have been abandoning things in space and it's his job to clean it up. When Gerald finds an alien communication device orbiting Earth with the message, "JOIN US," he and the rest of mankind are thrown into a maelstrom of fear, hope, violence, joy, and insatiable curiosity.

"Brin’s thoughtful, multilayered story explores a first contact scenario where every twist reveals greater peril. His longtime fans will especially appreciate that this story could be read as a prequel to 1983’s STARTIDE RISING, while those not familiar with his work will find it an impressive introduction to one of SF’s major talents." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Featuring memorable characters and masterly storytelling, Brin’s latest novel provides food for thought and entertainment. Fans of Vernor Vinge and Arthur C. Clarke, as well as Brin’s own sizable fan base, will enjoy this multidimensional story." -Library Journal (starred review)

"Brin's EXISTENCE is bursting with ideas, including near-future tech, first contact with aliens, and the exploration of what it means to be human. It's the sort of novel that runs the risk of being overstuffed — but EXISTENCE pulls it off." -io9

Also GeekWire.com did an interview with David Brin about the state of Science Fiction, new media forms, nonfiction, and EXISTENCE here!

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Monday Fun Day! (7/02/2012 Edition)

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Happy Monday, library buddies!

- Today is the last day to enter to win a signed ARC of MR. PENUMBRA'S 24-HOUR BOOKSTORE! Enter here.

- Sign up now for the Booklist webinar version of Book Battle II: This Time It’s Personal!

If you missed those legendary book brawlers, Cutie and Tiger (a.k.a. Chris Vaccari from Sterling Publishing and Talia Sherer from Macmillan), mixing it up at recent ALA conferences, now’s your chance to get a ringside seat—right in front of your own computer! The book battle is going virtual. Some critics charge that Cutie and Tiger have been a bit too nice to one another in their earlier exchanges. No matter. This time they assure us the gloves are coming off. When they climb out of the ring at the end of the hour, they will have left nothing behind—except, of course, for dozens of terrific new-book recommendations. Don’t miss this hour-long, free Booklist webinar moderator by Adult Books editor Brad Hooper. Register here.

- As promised, here's a link to the full read-alike list for The Great Nonfiction Read-Alike Panel from ALA Annual hosted on EarlyWord.com.

As always, Shelf Awareness brought us the good word on some exciting topics this morning:

- HBO will be adapting Tom Perrotta's post-maybe-rapture novel, THE LEFTOVERS! Perrotta and Damon Lindelof (Lost) will co-write the adaptation. More details here.

- They also linked to a very important BuzzFeed list: 12 Cuddly Bookstore Kitties. We highly recommend you take a minute to get to know these literary felines living the dream.

And finally here are two highlights from the Macmillan evening trip to Disneyland during ALA Annual...

Here we are enjoying a little In-N-Out burger before the rides:

in n out burg

And here we are mid-death-drop on Space Mountain:

space mt

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2013 Quick Picks Nominees!

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Ali Fisher

We're so thrilled to see that the four following compulsively readable titles have all been officially nominated for YALSA’s 2013 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers List:

THE HUNT by Andrew Fukuda

BAD BOY* by Dream Jordan

GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan

I AM A SEAL TEAM SIX WARRIOR by Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin

YALSA says, "The Quick Picks list [...] suggests books that teens, ages 12-18, will pick up on their own and read for pleasure; it is geared to the teenager who, for whatever reason, does not like to read."

We'll have our fingers crossed until ALA's 2013 Midwinter Meeting when they'll announce the final list (wish us luck typing and tying our shoes)!

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