Library Love Fest

ALA 2011 Photos

Why hello there LLF friends!  I am back in the office, bright eyed and chipper (ok, that's an exaggeration...ALA wore me out a bit as I'm sure those of you who were there can understand), but I am here and I've just sorted through our pictures.  Like us on Facebook to check them out or you can go to our cool new Flickr stream.  If you have any awesome ALA 2011 photos, please don't hesitate to share!

A heartfelt thank you to all of you who were there, who came to our booth, who participated in the panels and events. It was a pleasure and an honor to meet and speak with amazing librarians from around the country.

Looking forward to ALA 2012!

-Annie

ALA Happenings...

So much has happened in the last few days...this is my first ALA and I am in love.  At the booth we have had mega-unpacking/ stocking/ manual labour work days; met with swarms of people eager to get galleys; fielded constant questions from interested readers, and I've been high on it all.  I am so excited to be here, and whenever Virginia asks if I am doing ok, I respond with a resounding YES!  (She sometimes looks at me like I'm crazy i.e. today when we unloaded 4 palettes worth of books - FREE to all who stop by 1316 tomorrow!).

      Annie Mazes, Virginia Stanley, Pat Parker, Mike Brennan, Kayleigh George, Maggie Oberrender 

All day today I got to talk to librarians about books I really believe in and enjoy, and hopefully passed on this enthusiasm to others.  We did our Book Buzz, and I wasn't nervous at all, just happy to be able to share information.  I can't believe this is my job.  Side note: Kayleigh George is fabulous - her voice, her presentation, her excellent Rebecca trivia which instigated some active group participation...love!

Also, I would be remiss if I did not mention the great city of New Orleans.  I have never eaten so much delicious food in my life, and I am a native New Yorker.  The flavours here are amazing!  The people are so friendly (taxi drivers offer their hand when exiting cabs - what???), and their architecture is beautiful.

So far, so awesome.  If you are at ALA, please stop by booth 1316 and say hello.  We would love to see you!

-Annie

Kenneth C. Davis to be on TODAY

 

 

For those of you with a T.V. (I've recently moved and am without one...suppose that means I have to read), Ken Davis will be on The Today Show tomorrow, Wednesday, June 22 during the 4th hour.  He will be discussing the anniversary edition of Don't Know Much About History, and he's super smart, so tune it to be impressed.

Also, don't forget about our contest: Email Library Love Fest and tell us you want to be included!  Drawing is on June 30 and 50 people will win.

-Annie 

Librarian has a Lovefest with THE LANTERN!

We love when librarians give us feedback about our books.

We were thrilled to receive this rave review of THE LANTERN from Carol A. Kubala, Adult Services Librarian at the Saxton B. Little Free Library in Columbia, CT 

What Carol says about THE LANTERN by Deborah Lawrenson:

It came wrapped much like a present, in rich green , heavy paper; filigreed, deckle edged, fastened with a silver seal ; this special treasure of a book, The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson. My fingers carefully opened my gift from the publisher, Harper, imprint of Harper Collins and I read the first page. I was captured immediately by its lyrical language, its setting of a crumbling cottage in Provence, whispering hints of scent that tickled my nose and grew, and an intense, suspenseful story; part ghost, part love, part haunting tale of evil with murky shadows everywhere. Parallel narrators roaming the farmland of Les Genévriers carried me along and kept me reading past my bedtime to see how their journey would end. The Lantern wrapped up satisfyingly, both figuratively and in plot. That it is compared to du Maurier's, Rebecca and Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale seems a good fit. I'd also suggest The Lantern to fans of Joss's, Half Broken Things and Waters's, Little Stranger. Though the finished copy will not be gift wrapped, unfolding the story should be gift enough.

What Carol says about herself:

I have worked at The Saxton B. Little Free Library, Columbia, CT for over 27 years, presently in Adult Services. What this means in a small library is that I do whatever needs to be done with a focus on adult circulation and acquisitions. What I enjoy most about my job is helping our public find materials that fill their needs; particularly books to engage and enchant them. I also love doing book displays and moderate a Readers' Advisory forum on webjunction.  My favorite reads are what I call adrenaline adventure, like The Lost City of Z by David Grann and travel narratives.

Carol sent this photo of herself so obviously she's got a pretty good sense of humor, too!

We welcome reviews from all librarians!

Feel free to ask for galleys, write a review and help spread the word about good books!

-Virginia

From the Inside(rs) Out: Book Editors and the New Titles They Love

For all of you going to ALA this weekend, I highly recommend attending AAP's fabulous event, "From the Inside(rs) Out: Book Editors and the New Titles They Love."  Hosted in collaboration with Nancy Pearl, National Public Radio Commentator, author of Book Lust, and beloved library action figure, it will be held Sunday, June 26, 2011, from 10:30 am – 12 pm in Room 392 of the New Orleans Convention Center, New Orleans, LA.  

Book publishing’s top editorial brass will share their passion with the library community and each will offer behind-the-scenes stories of two new fall 2011 titles. 

Bill Thomas, Senior Vice President, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, Doubleday, presenting The Night Circus byErin Morgenstern and The Destiny of The Republic:  A Tale of Medicine, Madness and Murder of an American President by Candice Millard.  

Lee Boudreaux, Vice President, Ecco (HarperCollins) presenting The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel In Pictures by Caroline Preston, and The Arrogant Years:  One Girl’s Search for Her Lost Youth, from Cairo to Brooklyn by Lucette Lagnado.

Stephen Morrison, Editor In Chief and Associate Publisher, Penguin Books, presenting The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey, and Theodora:  Actress, Empress, Whore by Stella Duffy.

John Sherer, Publisher, Basic Books (Perseus Books Group) presenting The Folly of Fools by Robert Trivers, and Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes by James Palmer.

Michael Pietsch, Executive Vice President & Publisher, Little Brown & Company, presenting The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach and The Drop by Michael Connelly.

“Opportunities for librarians to hear directly from book publishing’s editors are rare and we are pleased to be able to provide this highly anticipated event to ALA members in partnership with AAP,” notes Mary Ghikas, Senior Associate Executive Director of the American Library Association.  All ALA attendees are invited.  

For more information on the event, please contact AAP’s Tina Jordan.

-Annie

Top Tweets of the Week

I'm sorry this is a short list, but we are uber busy getting ready for ALA and I fell behind on my Twitter stalking.  I'm so excited about next week though - can't wait to get to New Orleans and meet many of you...and also EAT!  The Honey Nut Cheerios (or in my case the generic HoneyNut Scooters) I'm noshing on are a poor substitute for all of the delicious, drool-worthy meals I plan to indulge in.  

Enjoy your weekends!  Happy Father's Day!

*GalleyCat How to get your @NetGalley review copy request approved--publishers share tips: http://mbist.ro/kmAloj

*EvilWylie "DO NOT I REPETE DO NOT CUT THE LIBRARYS BUGGETS OR ELSE!!!" Vaguely threatening notes from kids: bit.ly/lGlAJq (via @ScrewyDecimal)

*alaannual DanSavage is #ala11 Opening General Session speaker , Make ur own "It Gets Better" photo message for today's PhotoChallenge tag: #ala11pix

*ALALibrary First Comprehensive Research on Summer Slide Released - Beyond School - Education Week http://ow.ly/5iN5D

*BarbaraAGenco The full BKLYN book-fest lineup • The Brooklyn Paper http://ow.ly/5k9eR

*HarperCollins Meg Cabot's INSATIABLE Book Trailer! http://ow.ly/5k5W0 @harperteen

*TheLiB Does anyone know of any librarian cemetery tours planned in New Orleans during #ALA11? If not, msg me if you're interested in doing one!  

-Annie

Deborah Lawrenson's The Lantern

How does summer in Provence sound to you? 

I thought so.  Part of my preparation for ALA includes mowing through our summer, fall, and winter list and choosing favorites.  Luckily for me, as soon as I heard about Deborah Lawrenson's The Lantern, I knew I had to present it during our book buzz.  I'm not alone--there was a groundswell of support for The Lantern at BEA last month, where Salem PL's Robin Beerbower so eloquently sang its praises.  

One part ghost story, one part gothic romance, two parts Provencale vacation, The Lantern works in the tradition of books like The Thirteenth Tale, Rebecca, and Five Quarters of the Orange. And between the lavender, the figs, the heliotrope, and the walnut wine, it's nothing short of an olfactory dream, a paean to the senses.  We're bringing some beautifully wrapped ARCs to New Orleans, as well as a swoon-worthy L'Occitane gift basket, so stop by our booth (#1316) or catch our book buzz on Saturday morning.  I can't buy you a ticket to Provence, but Deborah Lawrenson sure can.  

-Kayleigh     

Lost in Shangri-La Featured on The Daily Show

Who doesn't love Jon Stewart? That's rhetorical btw...non-fans don't exist at LLF.  Anywhoodle, he will be interviewing Mitchell Zuckoff on Wednesday, June 22.  Mitchell's book, Lost in Shangri-La, is the exhilarating, untold story of an extraordinary World War II rescue mission, where a plane crash in the South Pacific plunged a trio of U.S. military personnel into an odyssey at times terrifying, enlightening, and comic.

Be sure to tune into The Daily Show next Wednesday!

-Annie

Tattered Cover Added to List of Before I Go to Sleep Fans

By now it should really not surprise you guys that Before I Go to Sleep is a huge favourite in Libraryland and beyond.  S.J Watson's debut is getting crazy love from people everywhere and now the stellar folks at Tattered Cover are throwing their roses at the proverbial stage.  Click through to read the review and see the trailer for the book one writer predicts will be "one of the hottest books of this summer." I'd listen to them, they know their stuff.

First 10 commenters who tell me their fave physcological thriller to date (cause obvi BIGTS is gonna take it's place) win a copy!

-Annie

10,000 Saints Trailer