May 7, 2009
We’d like to congratulate our books that’ve won Literature Awards from the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association, as announced on May 1.
The incomparable Jhumpa Lahiri snagged the Fiction award for Unaccustomed Earth and Andrew X. Pham won an honorable mention for a book about his Vietnamese veteran father, The Eaves of Heaven.
May 7, 2009
It’s almost Friday. Almost but not quite.
To help you get through the day we’re giving away 5 copies of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society!
If you aren’t yet familiar with this book, you need to be. The little book that could, it has proven to be a powerhouse, delighting us all with several weeks spent on the New York Times best seller list. Now available in paperback, it makes a great addition to any book group. Visit the website for more information (and a recipe for potato peel pie, if you dare). Also check out our previous blog post.
For your chance to win, leave a comment.
May 6, 2009
There’s been a lot of buzz around Arthur Phillips’ new novel, The Song is You. According to the recent USA Today review, there seems to be something for everyone. Fans of Phillips, author of The Egyptologist, Prague, and Angelica, will love the “gorgeously constructed prose for which all his books have been praised.” “Musicphiles and pop-culture junkies” will revel in the IPod-ready play list dispersed within the pages of the book: everything from U2 to the Pet Shop Boys, The Cranberries to Miles Davis. The story revolves around a grieving protagonist who becomes obsessed with a young Irish rocker he meets by chance when she performs in a Brooklyn bar. With every shuffle of his mp3 playlist and every lyric she sings, he becomes more and more entangled.
I must say, I am intrigued and your patrons will be too (especially the text, cell, and electronic saavy). This post begs the question…
What song is you?
For me everything from the Beatles to a very 80’s Madonna (among others), Aretha Franklin to many in the current Top 40 come to mind. Hey, we all have our musical vices.
-Marie
May 5, 2009
FAT: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes, written by Jennifer McLagan, last night was named Cookbook of the Year by the James Beard Foundation at their 2009 awards ceremony.
FAT was also recognized with a Beard award in the Single Subject Category—an honor it also received last month at the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) 2009 Cookbook Awards.
FAT features more than 100 sweet and savory recipes using butter and fat, with sidebars on cultural, historical, and scientific facets of culinary fats. The book is a unique exploration of the delicious glories of cooking with and enjoying high-quality fats.
Two other Crown Publishing Group titles were also recognized by the Beard Foundation with awards. Congratulations also goes to:
SCREEN DOORS AND SWEET TEA (Author: Martha Hall Foose, Publisher: Clarkson Potter, Editor: Rica Allannic) for its win in the ‘American Cooking’ category
ALINEA (Author: Grant Achatz, Publisher: Achatz LLC/Ten Speed Press, Editors: Nick Kokonas, Aaron Wehner) for its win in the “Cooking from a Professional Point of View” category
-David
May 4, 2009
FINALLY!
When I first heard that they were making a movie from Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer-winning, Oprah-selected post-apocolyptic novel, The Road, I thought: That’s going to be a terrible movie. I mean, it was a great book, but it was pretty much father and son walk along the road, almost starve to death, find food, hide from cannibals, walk some more, almost starve to death again, find food, etc. There’s not much happening plot-wise. Still, there was early buzz, and Viggo Mortensen was to star, so I was sort of anxious to see it–at least a trailer.
However, it was supposed to come out in Fall 2008, and needless to say, it never made it. No one’s really sure why, but now, according to The Movie Blog, the film has been officially given a release date of October 16th. I like that date, because the Oscar-contenders usually drop at around that time, and I want this movie to be good. We’ll keep our fingers crossed. Either way, be sure to have some extra on your shelves come October.
-David
May 4, 2009
Attending the Massachusetts Library Association conference? Then be sure to save time to attend the MLA Publishers’ Book Buzz event. Our very own Erica McDonald will be presenting hot new titles from authors Jonathan Lethem, Stieg Larsson, Tracy Kidder, and more. Oh, and almost forgot: FREE galleys for attendees!
Here’s the info on the event, check the conference program for location information:
Wednesday, May 6th
9am – 10:30am
Publisher Round-Up & Book Buzz
MLA’s exhibiting publishers will take this time to let you know about what’s coming up for the rest of 2009 from their respective houses! Best-selling fiction and non-fiction, gory thrillers, essential how-to manuals for home repair… this group covers all the bases.
Speakers: Erica McDonald, Random House Inc Library Marketing; Heidi Kanter, Director of national account and library sales Quayside Publishing; Talia Ross Sherer, Library Marketing Director, Macmillan; Virginia Stanley, Library Marketing Director, HarperCollins Publishers
May 1, 2009
On sale a little early!
Resilience, a previously embargoed memoir by Elizabeth Edwards about the events surrounding former presidential candidate John Edwards’ marital infidelity was originally scheduled to go on sale May 12th. However, The New York Daily News broke the story about the book yesterday, so the pub date is moving up.
The Oprah Winfrey Show will be airing an interview with author Elizabeth Edwards on Thursday, May 7th, and the book will now go on sale the day after, Friday May 8th. Be prepared!
-David
April 30, 2009
Last night I saw the trailer for the new Julie & Julia movie, starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. We’d previously posted about a movie tie-in edition of Julia Child’s My Life in France that will be released to coincide with the movie release. Also, be sure you have other Julia Child books in stock as the movie will most likely spawn a new generation of “Julies”. I must say this movie looks like a delight! See for yourself by watching the trailer!
-Marie
April 30, 2009
After enjoying, yes, actually enjoying President Obama’s press conference last night (with special thanks for ending just in time for LOST), I was thrilled to learn this morning that he is currently reading NETHERLAND by Joseph O’Neill.
From David Leonhardt’s exclusive interview with President Obama in this Sunday’s New York Times Magazine: “At the end of our conversation, when I asked him if he was reading anything good, he said he had become sick enough of briefing books to begin reading a novel in the evenings —Netherland, by Joseph O’Neill.”
CNN’s blog Political Ticker, CBS News Political Hotsheet, Huffington Post, PW, Amazon’s blog Omnivoracious, NYT’s blog Papercuts, all covered the story.
-Erica
April 29, 2009
Are you a closeted book reviewer? If so, we’re opening a contest to all our loyal readers!
Be a guest book reviewer on our blog! If you’ve read a good Random House, Inc. book lately (or, well…. ever) submit a review to us at [email protected]. Please also include your first name, location, and library name. We will choose five and post one each day for a full week on our blog. Deadline for submission is 5/8.
So show us your stuff and remember to keep it on the shorter side. This is a blog after all.
-Marie
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