Today I come to you with open ears (well, eyes) and an open heart. I have a problem and am in need of your help.
I. am in. a reading. rut.
Tragic, I know.
The books I’ve picked up the last couple of nights just aren’t doing it for me and I’m kind-of, sort-of know what I’m in the mood for but nothing I grab off the shelves satisfies me. Don’t you hate that? So I figured I would lean on you, my one-stop circulation specialist shop, to see what you recommend I delve into next.
Last week I was reading something fairly modern with a mystery twist to it. And it lost me. For now anyway. I want something rooted a bit more in history but not too historical fiction-y (Read – no Tudors, princesses, or queens right now. I love them but they can wait.) Perhaps I want a contemporary classic? I do love coming-of-age stories. Or since we are flirting with Spring here in New York City, maybe I’m in the mood for something light and airy but not too fluffy? It is hard to say.
So, please give me the best you got and I promise I will take all your wonderful suggestions to heart. Also, if you are in the same boat I am, unburden your heart and perhaps someone can throw you a line.
Thanks in advance!
-Marie
PS – Don’t worry about crossing publisher lines. We have been known to cheat a little here. I won’t tell if you won’t!
I’ve heard about the most wonderfully inspiring book donation program! As you weed your Romance Collections, there is a wonderful opportunity to pass along those editions to non-profit organizations providing assistance to women in need. Share the Love!
Join favorite authors Eloisa James, Julia Quinn, & Julia London, among others, in supporting this thoughtful cause!
You’ll find top picks from our Spring 2010 releases, along with sample discussion questions, links for more resources, and readers advisory hints.
It’s available online as well as in print. They will be hot off the press at Midwinter! We are also happy to send them to you in the mail, just send your address to library@randomhouse.com if you’d like to receive some copies.
Calendar-based budgets are tough. We know this; believe me. The end of the year is always a struggle to scrape together enough cash to buy that one last thing or a scramble to spend a huge remainder that will just disappear otherwise.
If your case is the latter, we have something that you may find useful–a checklist of the 2009 Random House Inc. titles that were most popular in libraries. Not the bestsellers, but the library bestsellers. So no matter your region or your library’s size, these are tried-and-true and most likely deserving of a spot on the shelves.
The movie tie-in edition of Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autismby Temple Grandin has just been announced! It will pub in January, just in time for the HBO movie, Temple Grandin, airing in February. It has a star studded cast, with Claire Danes (as Temple Grandin), Julia Ormond, Catherine O’Hara, and David Strathairn.
NEW HBO TIE-IN EDITION will feature key art from the film
“Extraordinary, unprecedented. . . . A deeply moving and fascinating book.” —Oliver Sacks
“There are innumerable astounding facets to this remarkable book.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer
“A uniquely fascinating view. . . with insights that can only be called wisdom.” —Deborah Tannen, author of You Just Don’t Understand
Temple Grandin is a gifted animal scientist who has designed onethird of all the livestock-handling facilities in the United States. Inthis unprecedented book, Grandin delivers a report from the countryof autism. Writing from the dual perspectives of scientist andautistic person, she tells us how that country is experienced byits inhabitants and how she managed to breach its boundaries tofunction and excel in the outside world.
Members of our library mktg dept. attended the AASL conference last week and the buzz from the librarians revolved around the lack of women authors on this year’s Publisher’s Weekly Best Books of 2009 top ten list.
I just scanned the list myself, and while I am THRILLED to see Gillian Flynn’s Dark Places on the fiction round-up – I completely agree that it’s shocking to see such male domination. And they completely missed Jeannette Walls’ Half Broke Horses (Scribner)and A.S. Byatt’s The Children’s Book!
What do you feel PW missed? Which female authors do you think should be in the top ten list?
My absolute favorite thing about working in publishing is meeting the authors. And yesterday, we got to meet Kris Radish! She was just as fabulous as I had imagined and sent us away with goodies to raffle off to libraries!
Share with us your favorite novel from Radish and we’ll pick one lucky librarian to receive a signed copy of The Shortest Distance Between Two Women, a Radish women’s visor, and more!
And keep an eye on your holds lists and get those preorders ready! Kris’s lastest novel, Hearts on a String, will be out in May!
I’d like to thank the many librarians who were able to join us for the first AAP Librarian Book Buzz Presentation last week! It was exciting to have so many publishers in one room, dedicated to the library marketplace.
Just because you’re not local to NYC doesn’t mean that you should be left out! Below are the titles I presented and buzzed about – staff favorites, book you MUST have and the important mid-list books you don’t want to miss! With only 12 minutes to present, I could only touch upon some highlights. There are many more where these came from, so be on the lookout for more from our department.
There’s been a lot of talk, both online and off, about Teen Read Week lately. Right on its heels, and in light of a conversation Dave and I had the other day, I give you Exhibits A, B, and C. These are obviously three different covers by three different publishers for the infamous classic, Wuthering Heights.
Our friends at HarperCollins have springboarded off the successful look of a recent smash-hit series for their new edition of “Bella and Edward’s Favorite Book.” Look familiar? Then there are our Penguin pals who have opted for something more gothic and Tim Burton-esque. Finally, Random House Inc.’s Vintage imprint has come up with a “Classic” approach that still has a hint of the abstract.
Each publisher has made it perfectly clear that while newly discovered books and anticipated blockbusters are all well and good, classics and the importance of reading them are also high in the priority list. Gone are the cloth and dust covered tomes of yesteryear; instead these gussied up editions are likely aimed at a new generation of teen readers, all vying for equal shelf space and due consideration. While I’m not quite sure which I’d go for I wonder how would these pretty new paperbacks fare on your shelves? Given teens, trends, and the classically inclined, what do you look for in hopes of racking up the date stamps upon checkout?
-Marie
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