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Three Starred Reviews for The Marriage Plot!

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Ali Fisher

When we saw that THE MARRIAGE PLOT received three starred pre-pub reviews, no one gasped, double-took, or spit their coffee out on their corporate casuals. We saw it coming.

Here's a quick look at what's to come in this brilliant novel:

It’s the early 1980s—the country is in a deep recession, and life after college is harder than ever. In the cafés on College Hill, the wised-up kids are inhaling Derrida and listening to the Talking Heads. But Madeleine Hanna, dutiful English major, is writing her senior thesis on Jane Austen and George Eliot, purveyors of the marriage plot that lies at the heart of the greatest English novels, when real life, in the form of two very different guys, intervenes. (Get ready to puff paint Team Mitchell or Team Leonard on a t-shirt!)

"Eugenides's first novel since 2002's Pulitzer Prize–winning MIDDLESEX so impressively, ambitiously breaks the mold of its predecessor that it calls for the founding of a new prize to recognize its success both as a novel--and as a Jeffrey Eugenides novel." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Dazzling work—Eugenides continues to show that he is one of the finest of contemporary novelists." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"With this tightly, immaculately self-contained tale set upon pillars at once imposing and of dollhouse scale, namely, academia [...] Eugenides realizes the novel whose dismantling his characters examine." -Booklist (starred review)

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He’s Just Not That Into Books: Video Games

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Ali Fisher

You know the type. He's only at the library to pick up his sister, sleep through study hall, or use the computer.

But wait. What's this? BioShock... the book? Halo... you can read?!

If you play your cards right, maybe that brooding young man will walk away with a good read tucked into the back pocket of his overlarge jeans.

This week we'll be recommending books that might just catch the attention of the ever elusive teen male reluctant reader. Today, we're focusing on video game tie-ins.

BIOSHOCK: RAPTURE is the story of the rise and fall of the city Rapture, already abandoned and in ruins at the beginning of BioShock.

This story begins at the end of World War II, when America's sense of freedom is diminished and many are desperate to take their freedom back. Among them is a great dreamer who sets out to create the impossible, a society free from government, censorship, and moral restrictions on science—Rapture. This dream is realized only to fall to tragedy.

HALO: CRYPTUM also takes place well before the earliest chronological game (Halo: Reach).

100,000 years ago, the galaxy was populated by a great variety of beings. But one species—eons beyond all others in both technology and knowledge—achieved dominance. They ruled in peace but met opposition with quick and brutal effectiveness*. They were the Forerunners. And then they vanished.

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Monday Fun Day! (7/25/2011 Edition)

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Ali Fisher

It's Monday! Monday! Monday!

And we have galleys to send you! Patti Callahan Henry has written yet another insightful exploration of the human heart, COMING UP FOR AIR.

UPDATE: We have sent out all of our COMING UP FOR AIR galleys. If you got one, enjoy!

Ellie’s world turns upside down after her controlling mother passes away and she sees her ex-boyfriend, Hutch, at the funeral. Ellie learns that he is in charge of a documentary that involved her mother before her death. He wants answers to questions that Ellie’s not sure she can face, until, when going through her mother’s things, she discovers a hidden diary – and a window onto stories buried long ago.

COMING UP FOR AIR will be available September 2011 from St. Martin's Press and is featured on the August 2011 Indie Next List. If you would like an advanced copy of COMING UP FOR AIR send your name, library, and full mailing address to Library @ MacmillanUSA.com.

Tomorrow Talia will be giving shout-outs to some hot new titles in a Booklist buzz webinar. Join us, Random House, and HarperCollins for an hour of library-specific recommendations! Sign up here.

Last week, many of our buddies over at Tor were singularly focused on San Diego Comic Con. If you're following them on Twitter you've undoubtedly seen an influx in geektastic tweets about panels, interviews, and costume sightings. I am, admittedly, quite jealous.

And finally, a head's up: for the rest of this week we'll be running blog posts on great books for reluctant readers of the teenage male variety. Tune in and tell us your favorites, too!

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More Books for Kitty Fans

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Ali Fisher

I'm guessing that you have a few fans of Carrie Vaughn's bestselling Kitty Norville series lurking around your library. In between Kitty releases, those fans might get understandably antsy, so here's a few more Vaughn stories to keep them satisfied.

DISCORD'S APPLE (7/2010) is a stand-alone dystopic fusion of mythology, fairy tales, and modern life.

"Taking a break from the Kitty Norville urban fantasy series, Vaughn melds a near-future world torn by war with the legend of the fall of Troy in this brilliantly structured, beautifully written stand-alone." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

AFTER THE GOLDEN AGE (4/2011) is a very different stand-alone novel following the decidedly average daughter of two famous superheroes (I'm sure you've already heard me singing praises for it).

Kirkus Reviews says, "In this warm homage to and deconstruction of classic comic books, a young woman demonstrates that you don’t need superpowers to be a hero."

And Library Journal specifically notes that this one is "a good bet for most public libraries, especially if they're home to Kitty Norville fans or comic book devotees."

And if your patrons just can't leave Kitty's world, they're in luck! Next month Tor will release KITTY'S GREATEST HITS (8/2011), a series of short stories following some of the other characters in Kitty's life.

Library Journal says, "This collection should please fans of the series, especially those who want to know more about the side characters, but readers new to the Kittyverse will also find a fine introduction to this richly populated, fascinating paranormal world."

Vaughn is exceptional at pulling the strange, fantastic, and otherworldly into the lives of very real and modern young women. And if you want to get more people hooked on Vaughn's work, it should appeal to fans of Patricia Briggs, Charlaine Harris, and Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter Series.

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Monday Fun Day! (7/18/2011 Edition)

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Ali Fisher

Happy Monday, librarians!

First of all: congrats to all five winners of the Great ALA Signed Books Sweepstakes! We had hundreds of enthusiastic entries and so much positive feedback that we'll definitely be holding more contests like this in the future. In case you missed it, the winners are as follows:

The three (3) runners-up for a signed copy of IRON HOUSE are:
Nancy Vigezzi, Merrimack Public Library
Lisa Hullett, Wallace State Community College Library
Jeff Bailey, Arkansas State University-Jonesboro

The 1st runner-up for three (3) signed paperbacks is:
Lisa Cosgrove-Davies, Arlington Public Library

The Grand Prize Winner for six (6) signed hardcovers is:
Shana Hitt, Brooklyn Public Library

Last week EarlyWord put up a list of great new reads, "New Title Radar – Week of July 18," and marked Colin Cotterill's KILLED AT THE WHIM OF A HAT as the Rising Star! And did you see Colin as Book Brahmin in Shelf Awareness last week? He's a riot.

If you've fallen head over, ehem, heels for the sassy kicks on the cover of third-in-series THIRD GRAVE DEAD AHEAD, you can buy them here on heels.com! NOTE: This is this Little, Brown UK version of this cover, so keep your eyes peels for our steamy US version.

DRAGON'S OATH, the first novella in a House of Night mini-series, released last week so we can finally share with you some rad early versions of the illustrations by Kim Doner.

"These characters may be nearly immortal, but they are at the beginning of such immortality and, therefore, they are like any other young couple.

These are a few of the sketches I made: him approaching from behind her, sword down; her handing him a sunflower; her beginning to lift the face of a sunflower up towards him." -illustrator Kim Doner

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Starred Reviews for Buried Secrets

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Ali Fisher

Both Booklist and Library Journal gave starred reviews to BURIED SECRETS, the spy thriller sequel to VANISHED. This is a creepy one folks, so Talia is all over it.

Nick Heller, private spy, is summoned by an old family friend. Hedge fund titan Marshall Marcus desperately needs Nick’s help. His teenaged daughter, Alexa, has just been kidnapped. Alexa, whom Nick has known since she was young, has been buried alive. She is held prisoner in an underground crypt, a camera trained on her, her suffering streaming live over the internet.

"A total wow of a read. [...] Great tension results from the knowledge that Marcus feels he has to keep his secret. About as perfectly plotted and suspenseful as possible, this is a tremendous high-wire act." -Booklist (starred review)

"Highly recommended not only for Finder fans but for mystery lovers fascinated with digital surveillance. Crisp, clipped chapters and numerous cliff-hangers propel the action at a breakneck pace. Finder’s outstanding writing and engrossing plot twists embellish a captivating summer read." -Library Journal (starred review)

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Monday Fun Day! (7/11/2011 Edition)

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Ali Fisher

Happy Monday, everyone!

Let's start by congratulating Chevy Stevens whose chilling debut, STILL MISSING, won the 2011 Thriller Award for Best First Novel. Well done, Chevy! You can see all the 2011 Thriller Award-winners here.

Congrats are also in order for a second exceptional debut, THE POACHER'S SON by Paul Doiron, which just won the 2010 Strand Critics Award for Best First Novel!

In response to a flood of requests, we posted the full text of the fabulous BEA panel, "The Great Readalike. If You Like This…You’ll LOVE That!" The recommendations are spot on; I've already found two new favorites.

Barbara Hoffert shared some of her personal panel highlights from ALA 2011 in Authors at ALA: My Final Word. Her list includes “Tales from the Heart: Literary Memoirs” with Margaux Fragoso (TIGER, TIGER), “Celebrating Southern Writers" with John Hart (IRON HOUSE), and “Mystery and Horror @ Your Library” with Bill Loehfelm (THE DEVIL SHE KNOWS) and Erica Spindler (WATCH ME DIE). Barbara also included her Best Suggestion for a Book Club Read: THE TRANSFORMATION OF BARTHOLOMEW FORTUNO by Ellen Bryson and says,

"Both touching and absorbing, this First Author title reminds us that we’re none of us geeks—we share our humanity, whatever our 'curiosities.'"

Speaking of TIGER, TIGER, IRON HOUSE, and THE TRANSFORMATION OF BARTHOLOMEW FORTUNO, our Great ALA Signed Books Sweepstakes is only open until Friday, so get your entry in now!

And if you're in the mood to enter another rad contest, FSG is giving away 50 copies of THE HYPNOTIST here: http://us.macmillan.com/FSGadult/promo/hypnotistjuly.

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The Great Readalike. If You Like This…You’ll LOVE That!

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Ali Fisher

Listen to the full presentation here at BookExpoCast.com

Kaite Stover, Kansas City Public Library

If you like:
The American Heiress, Daisy Goodwin

Then try:

The
Golden Prince, Rebecca Dean
Ragtime,
E.L. Doctorow
Consuelo
and Alva Vanderbilt: The Story of a Daughter and a Mother in the Gilded Age,
Amanda Mackenzie Stuart

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The Great ALA Signed Books Sweepstakes!

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Ali Fisher

Enter to win signed books from Macmillan authors!

We were lucky enough to have 17 amazing authors join us for ALA Annual in New Orleans this year. 17! Well, we couldn't let all of them sneak away without signing a few extra books for a giveaway extravaganza.

So here's the deal: five (5) lucky librarians will win signed books for their personal collections! Drumroll for the fabulous prizes...

Three (3) lucky runners-up will each receive one (1) signed hardcover of:

IRON HOUSE by John Hart

One (1) lucky runner-up will receive all three (3) of the following signed paperbacks:

THE LOCK ARTIST by Steve Hamilton
THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS by Alden Bell
THE TRANSFORMATION OF BARTHOLOMEW FORTUNO by Ellen Bryson

One (1) super lucky grand prize winner will receive all six (6) of the following signed hardcovers:

MISERY BAY by Steve Hamilton
DEADLY THREADS by Jane K. Cleland
IRON HOUSE by John Hart
BLESS THE BRIDE by Rhys Bowen
STICKY FINGERS by Nancy Martin
TIGER, TIGER by Margaux Fragoso

To enter The Great ALA Signed Books Sweepstakes send your name, your library, and your full mailing address to Library@MacmillanUSA.com by Friday, July 15th.

[UPDATE]: This contest is now CLOSED and winners have been notified. Thank you for participating!

The three (3) runners-up for a signed copy of IRON HOUSE are:
Nancy Vigezzi, Merrimack Public Library
Lisa Hullett, Wallace State Community College Library
Jeff Bailey, Arkansas State University-Jonesboro

The 1st runner-up for three (3) signed paperbacks is:
Lisa Cosgrove-Davies, Arlington Public Library

The Grand Prize Winner for six (6) signed hardcovers is:
Shana Hitt, Brooklyn Public Library

This sweepstakes is open to current librarians in the United States. More details on eligibility below. Best of luck!

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Tuesday Fun Day! (7/5/2011 Edition)

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Ali Fisher

I know, I know; "Tuesday Fun Day" doesn't exactly rhyme, but we were out of the office on Monday and I simply refuse to skip Fun Day, so you're just going to have to deal.

First of all, I have to tell you that I spent the long weekend completely wrapped up in Nebula-nominee SHADES OF MILK AND HONEY. My only question: why did I wait so long to pick it up?! This book is 100% swoon-worthy. It's no surprise that The Salt Lake County Library System selected it as a Reader's Choice-nominee! In response to the news, author Mary Robinette Kowal's said,

"I adore libraries, so to be on this list is a real honor."

A big round of applause to the 2011 RWA Librarian of the Year, Wendy Crutcher! This honor is awarded to a librarian who demonstrates outstanding support of romance authors and the romance genre. Read her acceptance speech on her blog.

Vogue weighs in on this Summer's Best Beach Reads, including Deborah Kay Davies’ TRUE THINGS ABOUT ME and Daisy Goodwin’s THE AMERICAN HEIRESS.

Fans of Alyson Noël can enter to win an MP3 player with the EVERMORE (The Immortals Series, Book 1) audio book already uploaded!

Finally, as the library marketing world starts to say our farewells to Marcie Purcell of Random House who is retiring after 20 years of service to libraries, Talia is introducing a new Marcie into her life.

Librarians, meet Marcie, Talia's new scruff ball:

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