Library Love Fest

Guest Blog from Charlie Haas

Today Charlie Haas, author of The Enthusiast, is guest blogging for us.  Here's what he wrote:

"I grew up in a town where a bookish family stuck out like a page-turning thumb. My dad made things worse: he became president of the public library board, and fought the local establishment for money to keep our one-branch library going. My sister worked there through high school and into college. My brother and I hung out there and campaigned for permission slips that would let us take out books that were too “mature” for us.

The head librarian was a world-weary guy with hair flopping over his eyes and a cigarette permanently dangling from his mouth (yes, in the library -- I go back a ways). He issued me an adult-book permission slip, but also warned me, as he squinted through his smokescreen, that it was possible for a person to be too smart. It would be a long time before I had any idea what he was talking about.

Philip Gulley

One of my favorite books to come out of HarperCollins this year is Philip Gulley’s memoir, I Love You, Miss Huddleston.

Mr. Gulley is the bestselling author of the Front Porch Tales and the equally charming Harmony series.
In his latest book (which has one of the best jackets EVER) he delights us with tales of growing up in Indiana in the 1970s.  Think THE WONDER YEARS.  It’s one of the sweetest, funniest books I have read in a long time.

Here’s just one little snippet from the book.  Who wouldn’t want to read more?

“My early Halloweens were perilous affairs. I dressed as a ghost, a bed sheet draped over me. We were too poor to waste a sheet, so my mother never cut holes for my eyes. My brother Glenn was supposed to hold my hand and guide me from house to house, but as soon as we turned the corner and were out of my parents’ eyesight, he would launch out on his own and leave me to my own devices. I would stumble from house to house, tripping over curbs, running into cars, and spilling my candy. The other children would swarm over me, like hyenas on a downed gazelle, fighting over my Tootsie Rolls and Smarties.”   - From I Love You, Miss Huddleston

Do yourself a favor and check out this book.

In the meantime here’s a great video with a voice-over of the author reading an excerpt from the book:

-Virginia

Craig Ferguson and Lawrence Block yuk it up

Want a laugh? Check out the very funny exchange between author Lawrence Block (Step by Step) and late night host (and soon-to-be-published author) Craig Ferguson (American on Purpose)
I wouldn’t have put these two together as a comedy duo.  Who knew?

-Virginia

What's New For Fall 2009? Find Out Now!

The HarperCollins Library Marketing Team
cordially invites you to attend our

FALL 2009 TITLE PRESENTATION
at
The American Library Association's Annual Conference

Saturday, July 11, 2009
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
McCormick Place South
Room S101a
Chicago, Illinois

(Please note that we will be presenting adult titles only…no children’s books)

Get the inside track on your favorite authors and discover a few new ones along the way!

Seating is limited, so RSVP your attendance to:
Bobby.Brinson@harpercollins.com

Light refreshments will be served.  We hope to see you in Chicago!

-Bobby

Praise for The Scenic Route

The Daily Beast gave Binnie Kirshenbaum's latest novel, The Scenic Route, a hefty dose of love today.  Taylor Antrim writes: "Divorced, mid-40s New Yorker takes off to Italy, meets dashing stranger in small Tuscan village, embarks on whirlwind romance. You’ve already read this book—Under the Tuscan Sun, Summer in Tuscany, A Thousand Days in Tuscany, etc—and you probably don’t want to read it again.  Except Binnie Kirshenbaum’s clever, offbeat novel The Scenic Route is an antidote to all that soft-focus sentiment. This is indeed a woman-has-midlife-crisis-and-finds-romance-in-Italy story, but it is so resolutely unsentimental, even antisentimental, that you won’t be dialing Alitalia anytime soon. Instead of escapist fantasy, narrator Sylvia Landsman offers a reality check, sobering truths about family, regret, loss, history." Browse inside the book and be sure to check out the full review.

-Kayleigh

Don't Know Much About...the Importance of Libraries

Ken Davis, author of the hugely popular series, Don't Know Much About...has written a wonderful piece about the importance of libraries and the necessity to keep their doors open – now more than ever.  Ken Davis is our hero! 
-Virginia

Awesome NY Times Profile of Peter de Jonge

Don't miss the profile of Peter de Jonge in this week's New York Times-- it's a fabulous introduction to his latest thriller, Shadows Still Remain.  After co-authoring three novels with James Patterson, Peter de Jonge is cultivating his own unique style of writing, which the NY Times quickly noticed.  They had this to say: "Shadows Still Remain, published last month by Harper, though also a murder mystery, doesn’t read much like Patterson product except in being wrapped around a couple of startling plot twists. Set on the Lower East Side (the same territory as Richard Price’s recent Lush Life), it’s more in the noirish, character-driven vein of Dennis Lehane or Michael Connelly." High praise, indeed.  Check out a video of Peter talking about Shadows Still Remain, read the full profile, or browse inside.  Happy Friday!

-Kayleigh

W. Ralph Eubanks Speaks...

In March, I wrote about the House at the End of the Road, written by W. Ralph Eubanks, Director of Publishing at the Library of Congress and his search to find the truth about his maternal grandparents; Jim Richardson, a white man and Edna Richardson, a light-skinned black woman.  W. Ralph Eubanks will be interviewed by NPR’s Talk of the Nation scheduled for Tuesday, May 19th.  Listen in as he discusses the House at the End of the Road and the fascinating journey of discovering his unique racial and cultural identity.  For more information, visit:
 
http://www.npr.org/

-Bobby

A Guest Blog from Daniel James Brown

Today we have a guest blog from Daniel James Brown, author of The Indifferent Stars Above, which just received a great review in the New York Times.  Dan writes: "Recently, almost forty years after the fact, I came back to the library that changed my life, perhaps even saved my life, in 1969..."

   

Michael J. Fox...a True Champion

In March, Virginia gave us a preview of Michael J. Fox’s new book, Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist.  If you want to see just how he remains optimistic in the face of adversity, check out this clip of Michael on Good Morning America, where he discusses his upcoming ABC-TV special with Diane Sawyer.  He also mentions his new book, Always Looking Up, on sale now.

On Thursday, May 7th, watch ABC-TV’s The View (check your local listings for times) where Michael will be interviewed about the special and his book, Always Looking Up.  Finally, later that evening keep your television on ABC-TV to watch his special, Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist.  Michael J. Fox hosted and produced the piece.

Watching Michael J. Fox in action gives me motivation and inspiration.  If he can stay optimistic no matter the circumstances, so can I…and so can you!  Enjoy!

-Bobby