Perhaps I’m a bit late to the party but I just finished reading Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls last week. I admit I wasn’t too sure about it because the cover, while gorgeous, was so pretty I figured it was going to be a “too pretty”. I should have known better. See wonderfully illuminates the plight of the Chinese American immigrant in 1930’s through the story of May and Pearl, two sisters. And their story reads so realistically at points you can almost see the Angel Island Immigration offices, the streets of Shanghai and the palm trees of Los Angeles.  

If you have yet to pick this one up, take a look at the video below and then don’t stress about your tardiness. Paperbacks are sometimes better anyway, right?

-Marie

If you Twitter (and follow us )you might have noticed my tweet last week saying we all got a call from Howie Mandel. Really. We did. The entire department (well, and company…) came in one morning to discover his enthusiastic voice in our voicemail inboxes. How’s that for special perks of the job?

The renowned funny man and host of the popular game show Deal or No Deal has a new memoir out in which he talks about his struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Check out the book trailer below featuring an interview with Howie and if you’d like to learn more, visit ABC’s 20/20 website for video clips from a piece about him that ran in November. I was able to catch part of it on television that night and found it really interesting.

Also, don’t forget to add Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me to your collection lists!

-Marie

I know I’ve mentioned here before that I often watch the Today Show in the morning as I am getting ready for work. This morning, as I buzzed around trying to figure out what to wear, I was entertained by Meredith, Matt, and Anne’s interview with the show’s very own weatherman turned novelist, Al Roker, whose debut who-dun-it is appropriately titled The Morning Show Murders. Take a peek at the video. Looks like everyone involved had a bit of fun at work. Perhaps RH Library should stage something like this… What do you think?

 Whether The Morning Show Murders (say that five times fast!) turns out to be Ms. Viera in Studio 1A with the teleprompter or just maybe Mr. Lauer in the Green Room with the boom, well… you’ll have to read it yourself to find out!

-Marie

Check out this cool new animated video trailer promoting Thomas Mullen’s new novel, The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers.  You should remember Mullen from his first book, The Last Town on Earth, which was named Best Debut Novel of the Year by USA Today and is popular with many ONE BOOK programs across the U.S.

I have a couple galleys left.  Leave a comment if you’re intrigued by the trailer and I’ll send you one.

National Geographic, in my opinion, features some of the best journalistic photography in the world. This fall, they’ve published a landmark , 512-page collection, called National Geographic Image Collection, of the highlights from the last 120 years. Below are two videos, one a montage of the collected photos and the other including highlights and interviews with some of the photographers.

I think I like the one of the shepards in the big fur coats best… Anyone else have a favorite?

Montage:

Highlights and interviews:

-David

I admit it. I’m a wimp. I don’t like scary movies and I DON’T like scary books. While I did read the likes of R.L. Stine when I was little, I’ve never gone near Stephen King or anything that really spooks. Still, I’m drawn to Sophie Laguna’s One Foot Wrong and might decide to challenge myself. Take a look at the trailer below and tell me what you think.

-Marie

Dave blogged back in February about SUM, the first fiction by a neuroscientist, that was garnering some very nice reviews. 

Today I received an email forward from a friend with a link to this moving film, inspired by SUM.  As I sit in my office in New York City and remember the events of 2001, I can’t think of a more appropriate time to watch this video which celebrates the simple succession of moments that is life.  Enjoy and if you haven’t picked up the book yet, please check it out.

Jen

As I trek to and from work each day, it’s easy to forget the presence Random House holds in the public’s consciousness.  I still get a thrill from the fact that both Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts uttered our company name in Stepmom, when I was in high school. And I admit that I barely glance around the impressive lobby as I make my way up to our Library Marketing office space most days.

So imagine my glee to watch the hilarious Kathy Griffin experience the thrill of entering the Random House offices.  Her memoir, Official Book Club Selection, is coming in September and I’m so excited for it!  That woman cracks me up, never fails.

Kathy Griffin – Getting a Book Deal clip from My Life on the D-List 

Now, if I could just  accomplish a real celebrity sighting here at work!  I had thought it would be inevitable, but so far Bon Jovi, Martha Stewart, and ANDRE AGASSI have eluded me.  And now Kathy Griffin, as well.  I must spend far too much time at my desk…

-Erica

I had heard the whispers in the halls and now the rumors are true!  Del Rey will be publishing Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel in 2010.  Details are available from Publishers Weekly.

And while I missed the official Comic Con announcement, the Quirk Books’ sequel is slated to be Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters!  And while I have not yet read the phenomenon that is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the book trailer Quirk Books released  for the sequel is hilarious.  A little reordering of my giant “to read” pile is in order…Just don’t tell Jane!

-Erica (admitted Austenite)

Judy Blume and I have something in common. How cool is that? We both loved Swimming, by Nicola Keegan. You’ve read my take on the book (and if you were at ALA you saw it on the Staff Picks table as one of my selections) now here’s Judy’s:

“I loved Swimming. It’s the most original novel I’ve read all year. I can’t get Pip’s voice out of my mind. Give yourself a treat this summer—read this book.”
—Judy Blume

Hear from Nicola Keegan herself as she explains the concept of the book to a reviewer panel.

Also, you can read the first chapter of the book and download a reading group guide on the publisher’s website.

I hope Ms. Blume and I stand in good company and you’ve all ordered your copies of this book. If not, what are you waiting for?

-Marie