Macmillan Library - Macmillan Library

FATAL ENQUIRY in NYTBR!

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Anne Spieth

Great news! Tulsa librarian Will Thomas's latest Barker & Llewellyn historical mystery, FATAL ENQUIRY, received a great review in Marilyn Stasio's New York Times Book Review mystery column this past Sunday!

“[A] Classic detective duo…. The best fun in this Big Boys’ Adventure Book is observing [protagonist Cyrus] Barker in action. An autodidact who keeps a French chef in his kitchen and rare penjing trees in his garden, he’s a formidable foe who applies the wits he was born with (and the subversive skills he acquires in Canton) in hand-to-hand combat.” — New York Times Book Review (read the full review here)

Additional praise for FATAL ENQUIRY:

“Recommended for historical mysteries enthusiasts, Anglophiles, and Sherlockians. Fans of Alex Grecian, Anthony Horowitz, and Charles Todd should take special note.” — Library Journal, starred review

“Readers will relish the appealing characters, clever twists, and colorful vision of late 19th-century London.” — Publishers Weekly

“Well-crafted and immersive, this a great addition to the to-be-read stacks of Thomas’ fans, as well as those of Alex Grecian and Anne Perry’s.” — Booklist

Don't miss Will Thomas at ALA Annual!

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Best Cat Book EVER!

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Anne Spieth

Are you bummed because it's Monday? Well, we've got the perfect pick-me-up: THE BEST CAT BOOK EVER: Super-Amazing, 100% Awesome by Kate Funk!

Do you like cats?
Do you really, really like cats?
Do you like cats who look like they are seriously pissed off?
Do you like cats who are seriously pissed off AND dressed in hilarious costumes?
Are you impressed by this photographer’s ability to get her cat to pose as such things as an abominable snowman, Medusa, a jazzercise instructor, and a dinosaur?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you clearly have no soul, and should probably leave. If you answered “yes” to these questions—you’re in luck, because this book has all of those things, and more!

We love Kate Funk's furry sidekick AC so much that we've put him in our recent Booklist ads (Look for him at ALA Annual, too!).

If you're desperate to get your paws on more AC goodness, we can send you a postcard booklet—email Anne for a copy. Enjoy!

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Critters & Crime…

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Anne Spieth

To continue our celebration of Booklist's Mystery Month, meet the many cats and dogs dutifully serving alongside our favorite detectives!

Team #Meow

THE CAT SITTER'S NINE LIVES by Blaize & John Clement
Pet-sitter and amateur sleuth Dixie Hemingway is back in this ninth installment of Blaize Clement's beloved cozy mystery series, now written by her son John. Dixie rescues a man from a car accident, and a day later strange things start to happen—the man she rescued claims to be Dixie's husband, a bookstore owner and his cat vanish, and a mysterious phone call from a new client lures her to a crumbling, abandoned mansion on the outskirts of town.

BLOOD RUBIES by Jane Cleland
In the ninth book in Cleland's mystery series featuring amateur sleuth/antiques appraiser Josie Prescott, celebrity chef Ana Yartsin—known for her Fabergé egg-shaped cakes, as well as the Fabergé Spring Egg snow globe—is planning the desserts for her friend Heather and Jason's upcoming wedding. When Josie arrives to appraise the snow globe, she finds it smashed and Jason dead.
Meet Jane Cleland at ALA Annual!

DOING IT AT THE DIXIE DEW by Ruth Moose
Winner of the Malice Domestic Competition for Best First Traditional Mystery Novel, Moose's Southern cozy features Beth McKenzie, a proprietor of a bed and breakfast called The Dixie Dew, where guests are being murdered.

THE BEST CAT BOOK EVER! by Kate Funk
OK, OK, it's not a mystery…. But it’s hilarious.

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Booklist’s Best Crime

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Anne Spieth

May is Mystery Month over at Booklist and to celebrate they’ve put together “Best of” reading lists with loads of Macmillan titles!

Top 10 Crime Fiction

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 (5/15/14 Edition)

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Anne Spieth

Today’s #ThrillerThursday post is full of our favorite debuts!

INVISIBLE CITY by Julia Dahl
In Dahl's “impressive”* first novel, young journalist Rebekah Roberts finds herself drawn into her mother's tight-knit world when she's assigned to cover the murder of an Hasidic Jew. “Dahl’s convincing dialogue and perfect pacing make for a real page-turner. And her storytelling skills illuminate the intriguing worlds of the tabloid press, Hasidism, the NYPD, and Brooklyn’s 20-somethings—as well as the fragile boundaries of family, religion, and life itself.” — *Publishers Weekly, starred review

YOUNG GOD by Katherine Faw Morris
Morris’s brash rural noir, evocative of Winter’s Bone and Less Than Zero, features 13-year-old Nikki, who works with her drug-dealing dad while keeping her eyes on the future. “Morris’ spare language and short chapters (some only a sentence) serve to support the captivating, unpredictable personality of her intense young narrator, making this a novel fans of finely made fiction will fly through before they’ve even blinked.” — Booklist

BONE DUST WHITE by Karin Salavaggio
When a young woman witnesses the murder of her mother who had abandoned her as a child, eight month pregnant Detective Macy Greeley must solve the case and stop a killer. “This complicated, peel-away-layers debut procedural intoxicates from the opening page and has word-of-mouth selling power.” — Library Journal, starred review & Debut of the Month for April

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

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Books BY Librarians

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Anne Spieth

We love books (duh). And we love librarians (umm, duh!). So that means we double-love these books by librarians (and you should, too):

FATAL ENQUIRY by Will Thomas
Thomas's Barker & Llewellyn series, set in Victoria’s England, have won him a devoted following and his latest has the duo trying to figure out a reluctant ally's real motives. “Recommended for historical mysteries enthusiasts, Anglophiles, and Sherlockians. Fans of Alex Grecian, Anthony Horowitz, and Charles Todd should take special note.” — Library Journal, starred review

Thomas works as a librarian in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

CRADLE TO GRAVE by Eleanor Kuhns
On sale June 17, 2014
In the “intriguing” (Publishers Weekly) third entry in the late-18th-century historical mystery series, Will Rees is stunned to learn a Shaker friend of his has been accused of kidnapping and murder.

Kuhns is the 2011 winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel competition. She is currently the Assistant Director at the Goshen Public Library in Orange County, New York.

E-galley available on Edelweiss

SWAY by Kat Spears
On sale September 16, 2014
In this hilarious and often poignant debut YA, a young man who avoids emotional connection at all costs, is forced to open his heart when he meets the girl of his dreams in this Cyrano De Bergerac story with a modern twist.

Spears works at the Library of Virginia where she organizes author appearances and other literary events.

E-galley available on Edelweiss

MURDER AT THE BRIGHTWELL by Ashley Weaver
On sale October 14, 2014
An exquisite seaside resort, an eccentric group of British aristocrats on holiday, and rich 1930s detail lay the setting for this fantastic Golden Age–style debut mystery by young librarian Weaver. “An elegant Christie-esque 1930s romp that will delight fans of Rhys Bowen's Lady Georgie series with its wit, charm, and strong independent heroine. With its dash of romance, Amory Ames and her rakish husband Milo might just be the new Nick and Nora Charles.” — New York Times bestselling author Deborah Crombie

Weaver is the branch manager at Oberlin, the headquarters branch of the Allen Parish Libraries in Louisiana.

E-galley available on Edelweiss

If you're going to ALA Annual, don't miss Will Thomas, Kat Spears, and Ashley Weaver on the “I’m a Librarian! NO! I’m an Author! NO! I’m a Librarian AND an Author” panel!

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Macmillan Library @ ALA Annual 2014 (Booth #528)

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Anne Spieth

VIVA LAS VEGAS! We're ridiculously excited to see your happy little faces in the Macmillan (adult) booth #528 and at all of our great events at ALA Annual next month. Check out our schedule below and RSVP ASAP!

Friday, June 27

In-booth signing with Jane Cleland & Hannah Dennison
5:30-7:00pm
Las Vegas Convention Center | Booth #528

Jane Cleland and Hannah Dennison will be signing complimentary copies of BLOOD RUBIES and MURDER AT HONEYCHURCH HALL.

The Michael L. Printz Program & Reception
8:00-10:00pm
Paris Las Vegas | Versailles Ballroom
Ticketed event, space is limited

Come listen to the 2014 Michael L. Printz honor award-winning authors including Rainbow Rowell (ELEANOR & PARK) as they're interviewed by a panel of teens at this YALSA & Booklist-sponsored event.

Tickets are $34-40. Details and purchasing information available here.

Saturday, June 28

The AAP’s Book-A-Licious Breakfast
8:30-10:00am
Las Vegas Hotel | Pavilion 10
RSVP required, space is limited

Join New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo (THE DEAD WILL TELL) for breakfast and book-talk!

Details and RSVP here.

E-galley available on Edelweiss

Isn't it Romantic?
8:30-10:00am
Las Vegas Convention Center | Room N263

Meet Deborah Coonts (LUCKY BASTARD) and pick up a complimentary copy of her latest Lucky O'Toole, Las Vegas Adventure novel.

In-booth signing with Jessica Love and Catherine Linka
9:00-10:00am
Las Vegas Convention Center | Booth #528

Jessica Love and Catherine Linka will be signing complimentary copies of PUSH GIRL and A GIRL CALLED FEARLESS.

PUSH GIRL E-galley available on Edelweiss

A GIRL CALLED FEARLESS E-galley available on Edelweiss

Speed Dating with Kat Spears and Catherine Linka
10:30-11:30am
Las Vegas Convention Center | Room N112
RSVP required, space is limited

Meet YA authors Kat Spears (SWAY) and Catherine Linka (A GIRL CALLED FEARLESS) and receive complimentary copies of their debut novels!

Details and RSVP here.

SWAY E-galley available on Edelweiss

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#BookBday Bonus: THE SHELF

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Anne Spieth

We've got another special Book Birthday this week: THE SHELF: From LEQ to LES: Adventures in Extreme Reading by Phyllis Rose.

Can you have an Extreme Adventure in a library? Phyllis Rose casts herself into the wilds of an Upper East Side lending library in an effort to do just that. Hoping to explore the “real ground of literature,” she reads her way through a somewhat randomly chosen shelf of fiction, from LEQ to LES.

Praise for THE SHELF:

“A seasoned, open-minded, and passionate reader, inquisitive thinker, and delectably lucid and witty writer, Rose rallies readers to affirm our love of literature and libraries.” — Booklist, starred review

“Rose's...understanding of readers and reading is candid and sincere.”
— Library Journal

“Rose’s experiment provides specific case studies to use in weighing the age-old question: which books are worth keeping? For skeptics of the canon, this book will make the cut.” — Publishers Weekly

“Chatty, enthusiastic and at times rambling, Rose is a welcoming guide on her latest journey of literary discovery.” — Kirkus Reviews

To celebrate the publication of THE SHELF, we’re offering librarians a chance to win an entire shelf of books from Macmillan (including THE SHELF) to those of you that are “extreme” enough to try Phyllis’s experiment!

Simply select a shelf of adult books in your library according to the specified guidelines:
* No more than five books by the same author on the shelf
* The selection must include a diversity of authors
* The selection must include classics and modern work
* Children’s books are not eligible

Take a picture of the shelf and send it to us with a report about the books you read on your shelf. The report should include detailed summaries and your thoughts on each book—one or two sentences won’t count! And please remember that Children’s books are not eligible for this project.

Email your reports to library@macmillanusa.com with the subject line “The Shelf Project.”

The sweepstakes is open from May 13 through November 14 and prize shelves of books are limited to the first five responders.

We know we’re asking for you to do a lot of reading, but we also know that librarians are expert speed readers. We hope you have an extreme adventure in your library and perhaps you’ll add a nice collection to your stacks. Good luck!

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Happy #BookBday (5/13/14 Edition)

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Anne Spieth

We've got great new books for all kinds of readers today:

THE WITCH OF BELLADONNA BAY by Suzanne Palmieri
In Palmieri's follow-up to THE WITCH OF LITTLE ITALY, Bronwyn is forced to return home to Magnolia Creek, Alabama to unravel the mysteries surrounding the murder her brother has been convicted for. “Palmieri’s second magical family mystery is steeped in a vibrant mix of Southern charm and gothicism. A fascinating look at magic, mystery, family and love with a Southern gothic flair.” — Kirkus Reviews

SNOW IN MAY by Kseniya Melnik
A remote Siberian town with a darkly fascinating history teems with life in this luminous linked debut collection. “The Russian port town of Magadan, a former threshold into the Stalin-era gulags, links the characters in Melnik’s gorgeous debut collection of short stories. Achingly beautiful, this collection signals a writer to watch.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

ENDURING COURAGE: Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of Speed by John F. Ross
With impeccable research, Ross tells the gripping true story of Eddie Rickenbacker, a man who overcame his father’s violent death, a debilitating handicap, and accusations of being a German spy to become the most celebrated flying ace of WWI. “Obviously this is exciting material to work with—after all, Rickenbacker was a man who drove in the first Indy 500 and dueled with the Red Baron’s flying circus—but Ross is never fawning in this thoroughly enjoyable and downright rollicking read.” — Booklist, starred & boxed review

THE HOLLOW GROUND by Natalie S. Harnett
Set amongst the deadly coal mine fires of 1960s Pennsylvania, this extraordinary debut tells the coming-of-age story of Brigid Howley, a young girl struggling to keep her family together despite the "curse" laid upon them generations earlier. “Brigid is no ordinary hard-luck heroine; her voice rings true, offering a matter-of-fact telling that never falls into self-pity or melodrama. Set against the 1960s Pennsylvania coal mine fires, this debut novel is a dark and rewarding read.”
— Library Journal

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2014 Locus Award finalists

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Anne Spieth

The Locus Science Fiction Foundation has announced the top five finalists in each category of the 2014 Locus Awards and Tor Books has a strong showing!

Best Novella
“The Princess and the Queen” by George R.R. Martin (DANGEROUS WOMEN)

Best Short Story
“Some Desperado” by Joe Abercrombie (DANGEROUS WOMEN)

Best Anthology
QUEEN VICTORIA’S BOOK OF SPELLS, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
THE YEAR'S BEST SCIENCE FICTION: Thirtieth Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois

Best Publisher
Tor

Best Editor
John Joseph Adams
Ellen Datlow
Gardner Dozois
Ann and Jeff VanderMeer

The winners will be announced during the Locus Awards Weekend in Seattle WA, June 27-29, 2014. See the complete list of awards and finalists here. Congratulations to the nominees!

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