starred review - Macmillan Library

Starred Reviews for No Time Like the Present

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Ali Fisher

In NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT, Gordimer trains her keen eye on Steve and Jabulile, an interracial couple living in a newly, tentatively, free South Africa. There is nothing so extraordinary about their lives, and yet, in telling their story, Gordimer manages to capture the tortured, fragmented essence of a nation struggling to define itself post-apartheid.

We've already seen some celebratory reviews:

"Nobel laureate Gordimer continues her uniquely intimate study of the evolution of freedom in her homeland [...] The subject of this towering novel, the long aftermath of a liberation movement, is exceedingly timely in the wake of the Arab spring." —Booklist (starred review)

"Gordimer writes movingly and piercingly about the struggles after the Struggle." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

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Starred Reviews for When Women Were Birds

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Terry Tempest Williams' unconventional and curious collection of essays, WHEN WOMEN WERE BIRDS: Fifty-four Variations on Voice, has already earned two starred reviews!

"Each book by ecologist, activist, and writer Williams is an event, so lucid, caring, spirited, and incantatory is her approach to the matrix of nature, place, culture, family, and sense of self. [...] Williams is transcendent in her piercing, musical, elegiac, and loving reflections on women’s lives and wilderness, light and shadow, words expressed and words unspoken and invisible." -Booklist (starred review)

"Williams, the sensitive author of REFUGE, is shocked to discover her deceased mother’s unwritten memoirs—shelves worth of blank pages. Under such unpromising circumstances commences a kaleidoscopic celebration and palimpsest—all metaphorical clichés but apt—on finding a voice and woman’s identity beyond the silenced, selfless existence informed by children and a husband—even a family brimming with love." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Your patrons might also catch an excerpt of this one in O Magazine this May!

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Starred Reviews for Exit Plan

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Larry Bond's military thriller EXIT PLAN has already received two starred reviews! When a group of SEALs are forced to abandon their submarine, they're taken hostage in Iran. Escape goes from a desire to a requirement when they uncover an imminent plot against the United States.

In their starred review Publishers Weekly said,

"Set in 2013, this ripped from the headlines tale of SEAL adventures and global politics from bestseller Bond (RED STORM RISING with Tom Clancy) shows once again his absolute mastery of the military action novel. [...] Bond’s refusal to demonize most of the Iranians gives the characters a solid, real-life feel that cranks up both the tension and believability."

In their starred review Kirkus Reviews said,

"The writing is clear and crisp, the characters strong and deserving of sympathy. The reader may feel tempted to mentally wave a flag and chant “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” as our country takes extreme measures to preserve the peace, but Israelis and Iranians are also portrayed as strong, tough and generally principled patriots.

"Iran’s nuclear ambitions are prominent in the news. That makes this novel a perfectly timed, first-class read."

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The Lover’s Dictionary Contest!

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Ali Fisher

UPDATE (3/1): Thank you all for entering! This contest is now closed. Winners will be announced tomorrow!

THE LOVER'S DICTIONARY is the story of a relationship told in the form of dictionary entries, it's a 2012 Alex Award winner, and we have 20 hardcover copies to give away to our cleverest commenters here on the blog!

In THE LOVER'S DICTIONARY each page is a dictionary entry that describes one couple's relationship from the intimate, day-to-day minutiae to the deepest joys and fears of their lives together.

Booklist gave THE LOVER'S DICTIONARY a starred review and said, "Levithan demonstrates, intimacy is sometimes enigmatic and, as he notes under ineffable, 'No matter how many words there are, there will never be enough.'"

Here are a few of the entries:

autonomy, n.

"I want my books to have their own shelves," you said, and that’s how I knew it would be okay to live together.

dumbfounded, adj.

And still, for all the jealousy, all the doubt, sometimes I will be struck with a kind of awe that we’re together. That someone like me could find someone like you--it renders me wordless. Because surely words would conspire against such luck, would protest the unlikelihood of such a turn of events.

I didn't tell any of my friends about our first date. I waited until after the second, because I wanted to make sure it was real. I wouldn’t believe it had happened until it had happened again. Then, later on, I would be overwhelmed by the evidence, by all the lines connecting you to me, and us to love.

yearning, n. and adj.

At the core of this desire is the belief that everything can be perfect.

How to enter:

Leave a comment below in the style of a dictionary entry. Include one word and an unexpected definition for that word.

On March 1st Talia and I will pick our 20 favorite entries (be they silly, sassy, or heartbreaking). The winners will each receive one copy of THE LOVER'S DICTIONARY!

This sweepstakes is open to librarians in the United States. More eligibility details below!

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Starred Reviews for Children of Wrath

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Ali Fisher

In CHILDREN OF WRATH, Willi Kraus, the celebrated WWI veteran and detective, returns with the case that made him the most famous Jewish Detective in Germany in the days of the Weimar Republic. In this prequel to THE SLEEPWALKERS, Kraus tackles the case of the Kinderfresser, the vicious Child-Eater of Berlin (I know! It gives me the hebejebes, too!).

Both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews gave this book a starred review. Here's what they said:

"Grossman's brilliant second historical featuring Berlin policeman Willi Kraus finds Kraus already feeling the isolation of being a Jew in an overwhelmingly Aryan environment. [...] Fans of cerebral murder mysteries will look forward to the next installment." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"...it's terrifying and worthy. Human nature has never looked so raw." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Publishers Weekly interviewed Paul Grossman back in December and he offered some interesting insight into the research for CHILDREN OF WRATH, such as, "One major influence in my decision making was the works of German psychologist Alice Miller and her ideas on how German child-rearing practices of the 19th century became a key component in the rise of Nazism." He also hints at what's up next for the series: "France." Read the full interview here!

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The Killer is Dying Shortlisted for the 2012 Hammett Prize!

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Ali Fisher

The North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers recently announced their shortlist for the 2012 Hammett Prize! The prize is awarded to a crime novel of "literary excellence in the field of crime" penned by an author in the US or Canada.

This year's shortlist includes James Sallis' excellent Southwestern tale, THE KILLER IS DYING--which is part crime novel and part coming-of-age novel. Many readers will know Sallis as the author of DRIVE, the crime novel recently adapted into a film of the same name starring Ryan Gosling.

In their starred review Publishers Weekly said,

"In this hallucinatory, almost visionary novel of suspense set in Phoenix, Sallis (DRIVE) focuses on three people of vastly different backgrounds and situations [...] Through no-nonsense staccato chapters, with minimal action, Sallis does a superb job exploring the workings of his characters' thoughts and motives."

See the full list of 2012 Hammett Prize nominees here.

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Starred Review for Third Grave Dead Ahead

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Ali Fisher

After her adventures in the RWA Golden Heart Award-winning novel FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT and sequel SECOND GRAVE ON THE LEFT, Private Investigator and Grim Reaper Charlie Davidson has come to find that leading a double life of solving crimes and shepherding souls into the afterlife exhausting. But the cases, the dead, and the boys just keep getting wilder!

Publishers Weekly gave the third installment in the series, THIRD GRAVE DEAD AHEAD, a starred review and called P.I./Grim Reaper Charlie, "smart" and "wickedly hilarious." Of the story, they said, "Jones pulls all the craziness together in the end while leaving plenty of open threads to pull the reader into the next installment."

Library Journal said, "A must-buy for Charley Davidson fans, the novel has an engaging style--coupled with the enjoyable sarcasm of its protagonist--that will no doubt win Jones an expanding readership among paranormal romance/mystery aficionados."

And Booklist said, "Readers will be dying to know where the fourth grave is."

The REAL question is, what do librarians think of it? Well, Shayera Tangri of Los Angeles Public tweeted, "I LOVED Third Grave Dead Ahead. Loved it like I love cake. And you know that's a lot. :-)" We do know, Shayera. We do, indeed.

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Starred Review for THE STOLEN BRIDE

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Fans of King Arthur will be pleased to hear that Tony Hays' fourth Arthurian mystery, THE STOLEN BRIDE, received a glowing starred review from Publishers Weekly!

They said,

"Utterly convincing characters and a perfect balance between action and sleuthing distinguish Hays’s suspenseful fourth mystery set in King Arthur’s Britain. [...] Hays just keeps getting better with each entry in this intriguing historical series."

Read the full review here.

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Author Profile: Olen Steinhauer

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Olen Steinhauer was recently profiled in Publishers Weekly about his latest novel AN AMERICAN SPY featuring the reluctant, contemporary spy Milo Weaver (preceded by THE TOURIST and THE NEAREST EXIT). The article, "A Literary Spy: Olen Steinhauer," discusses Steinhauer's journey to writing spies and what intrigues him about them. The article reads,

"Steinhauer's remarkable portrayal of the trilogy's Weaver has garnered comparisons with John le Carré. A huge fan of le Carré, Steinhauer calls THINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY 'a wholly literary novel.' It seems clear that Steinhauer, in that spirit is trying to marry literary devotion to craft and seriousness with the compelling narratives of genre. A lot of today's spy fiction 'is interested in how spies work,' he says. 'I'm interested in how people deceive each other.'"

Steinhauer also offers some interesting commentary on his writing process. He says,

"I write myself into a corner, then get stuck, then get an idea, then change everything... If it went smoothly, I'd be worried."

Publishers Weekly also gave AN AMERICAN SPY a starred review and said,

"Steinhauer is particularly good at articulating contemporary spy craft—the mechanics of surveillance and intelligence in the digital age and the depth of paranoia endemic to the trade. In addition, his ability to create characters with genuine emotions and conflicts, coupled with an insightful and often poetic writing style, set him apart in the world of espionage fiction."

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Two Stars for Half-Blood Blues!

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Esi Edugyan's HALF-BLOOD BLUES won the 2011 Giller Prize and was shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction and the 2011 Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction, so we're not too surprised to see the starred reviews come rolling in.

"While the rarely explored subject adds to the book’s allure, what stands out most is its cadenced narration and slangy dialogue, as conversations, both spoken and unspoken, snap, sizzle, and slide off the page." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"That narrow moment in time when the freewheeling decadence of Weimar Germany gave way to jackbooted tyranny has been the subject of much fine fiction, but Edugyan is the first to overlay it with jazz history. It makes a sublime marriage." -Booklist (starred review)

Her debut novel, THE SECOND LIFE OF SAMUEL TYNE, was selected by the New York Public Library as one of the "25 Books to Remember from 2004."

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