Library Love Fest

The Pioneer Woman on Throwdown with Bobby Flay

Okay, so yesterday I spent upwards of 10 minutes explaining the appeal of Throwdown to the office.  Hulu has the following description of the show:

"Chef Bobby Flay is on a secret mission to challenge the absolute masters in one kind of cooking — award winning BBQers, bakers, pizza makers and more — some with a roomful of trophies to prove it. In each episode, one of these cooks thinks Food Network is shooting their profile for a show. What they don't know is that Bobby is going to drop in for a surprise visit and challenge them to an unexpected cook-off. Since they're in their element and Bobby's out of his, prepare for an exciting, tension-filled competition."

I happen to really love Bobby Flay, whether he's winning or losing with grace.  He's not a broad-market television personality--he's a true-blue chef.  Plus, his culinary assistants are constantly ribbing him, which means part of the fun is watching their banter in the test-kitchen.   

Why am I telling you all this? Yesterday we got a memo from our publicity department: our author, Ree Drummond, is facing off with Bobby next week on Throwdown! Ree is the author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks and will be throwing down for a Thanksgiving challenge, a week from today.  That's November 17th, 9 pm EST on the Food Network.  Clearly I'm psyched, but what about you? In Bobby's words: "Keep doing what you do, but ask yourself this: are you ready for a throwdown?"

-Kayleigh

 PS: My blind devotion to Throwdown might be a bi-product of these sticky buns from Flour Bakery.  If you're ever in Boston, they are epic. See below!

Moonlight Mile - Guest Review

We at HarperLibrary are very excited about the new book from Dennis Lehane entitled Moonlight Mile.  Clearly we are not the only ones!  Check out this great review from Lesa Holstine, Library Manager from Arizona:

Lesa's Book Critiques
Books and Authors, with an emphasis on Mysteries.
Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane

Twelve years ago, Angela Gennaro walked out on her partner, Patrick Kenzie when he turned four-year-old Amanda McCready over to her mother in Gone, Baby, Gone.  There was one more book in the series, then Dennis Lehane moved on to standalone novels, leaving Kenzie/Gennaro fans begging for more.  We've waited eleven years for Moonlight Mile, but we finally have the novel that concludes the series in a way we can live with.

Twelve years after the events of Gone, Baby, Gone, Patrick Kenzie is still a private investigator.  He's also a desperate man, "Sucking it up doing jobs I don't like for a company I'm not terribly in love with so that eventually I can get hired permanent and we can get insurance and benefits and a paid vacation."  He and Angie are married.  She's close to getting her doctorate, and they have a four-year-old daughter.  But, they're hurting in a bad economy just as everyone else is.  He lost his free office as a consequence of the church reforms in Boston following their failure to deal with bad priests.  Patrick is feeling the same desperation as so many people in the bad economy, worrying about money and mortgage payments.

And, Amanda McCready has disappeared again.  Her aunt never forgave Patrick for giving Amanda back to her lousy mother.  Since Bea blames Patrick for the past, she wants him to find the sixteen-year-old. But, now, she's a sixteen-year-old on the run from her crazy mother and gun-toting husband, with just a few members of the Russian mob after her.  So why wouldn't Patrick look for Amanda when, "A girl disappears again twelve years after her first disappearance brought down a gang of cops and cost the city a few mil during a bad budget year?"  Of course, he'll take the case that drove a wedge between him and Angie twelve years earlier. 

Dennis Lehane has brought us full circle with Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro Kenzie.  And, he is still the master at telling the story of the couple and their community.  They're brought up-to-date in a city suffering from a bad economy; empty houses, unfinished developments, and people desperate to survive.  It's a story of consequences, consequences as a result of events twelve years earlier, and consequences of events the characters have no control over, the economy.   Moonlight Mile allows Patrick and Angie to team up for one more case, while Angie reminds him "Why we got out of the rough stuff business.  It wasn't just because you got shot.  It was because we were junkies to it.  We loved it.  We still love it."  

And, we still love Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro.  So, thank you, Dennis Lehane, for Moonlight Mile.  Here's a fan who accepts Moonlight Mile as a satisfying conclusion to a beloved series.

Dennis Lehane's website is http://www.dennislehanebooks.com/

Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane.  HarperCollins, ©2010. ISBN 9780061836923 (hardcover), 336p. 
 
Thank you!
Lesa

Many thanks Lesa!  Pick up your copy of Moonlight Mile  NOW!

Enjoy!

-Bobby

Marshalling Justice

I just finished a book entitled Marshalling Justice: The Early Civil Rights Letters of Thurgood Marshall, by Michael G. Long.  Marshalling Justice will be on sale in January 2011. The year 2011 marks the 75th anniversary of Marshall's arrival at the NAACP offices in New York and the 50th anniversary of his move to the Federal bench, and with that we are proud to publish this book.  Many may think that this is just a collection of letters, but I can truly attest to the fact that it is much more than that.  Marshalling Justice really taps into who Thurgood Marshall was how he managed to stay active in the cause of civil rights. 

Marshalling Justice also shows what motivated him to champion certain cases, and what we discover is that it was not always for the greater good.  In some instances, it was personal.  Thurgood Marshall, being a native of Maryland always wanted to attend the University of Maryland Law School.  Unfortunately at the time he wanted to attend, blacks were not allowed admission.  After he graduated from Howard University School of Law, he had the opportunity to take on the case of another young black man craving admission to the University of Maryland Law School.  When the case was won, Marshall took it a step further.  He made it his business to ensure the young man succeeded in every aspect of his studies.  Whether the young man needed a tutor, a mentor and just a shoulder to lean on, Thurgood Marshall was there, so that he could show just how successful this young man could be.

I am SO excited about this book and would love to hear your comments.  I will send free advance reader copies of Marshalling Justice to the 15 lucky people who send us a comment or an email at librarylovefest at harpercollins dot com.  If you would be so kind as to send a brief review of the book after you read it, I would greatly appreciate it!

Marshalling Justice shines a light on an unsung hero in the area of civil and human rights.  I truly hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Enjoy!

-Bobby

NBC-TV's Weekend Today Show Book Buzz

John Searles gave a heads up about several books just out from various publishers.  Check it out!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39802472  

-Virginia

Playing with the Moon

Just for fun…A very cool site with some very cool photos….

http://funnbee.info/2008/08/playing-with-moon.html

- Virginia

Bookreporter.com

You may already have this fabulous site on your radar (or, better yet, on your ‘bookmarked favorites’) but in case you don’t, do check it out. Chock full of information about books from ALL publishers (click here for the latest Bookreporter newsletter).  Today’s post includes a follow-up piece on a Hyperion book just out called BREAKING NIGHT, about a woman who went from being homeless to graduating from Harvard.  It’s a story that you read while shaking your head in utter disbelief.

-Virginia

Nancy Pearl

The wise and wonderful Nancy Pearl has just published another sure-fire bestseller, BOOKLUST TO GO. Travel the world with recommended reading from the woman who has an uncanny ability to remember details from every book she has ever read!

And if that’s not enough, check out this hilarious Nancy Pearl t-shirt that was created by and available from the brilliant minds at www.unshelved.com

Viva el Libro!
- Virginia

National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week

October 3-9 is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week.  It has now been extended through the month of October.  I think it should have no end date. 

The topic of bullying has become a national dialogue, sparked by the suicide of Tyler Clementi. He was the 18 year old Rutgers student who jumped off the George Washington Bridge after learning his roommate had secretly posted a live videostream of him being intimate with another man.

You don’t have to look very hard to find another horrific story about someone being bullied.

Here are two I read just today.  Both are from the perspective of the fathers of bullied children. These stories will put a lump in your throat – and make you mad as hell.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39497339/ns/today-parenting/

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/10/04/bullying.causes.suicide/index.html?hpt=C1

What can you do? Check out this link.  As I’d mentioned in Friday’s post, we have a few books that might help.  I also asked readers to write in if they know of any good books, videos or other resources that address ANY kind of bullying.  In no time at all I heard from BriMeetsBooks who suggests Dan Savage's Youtube channel against gay teen suicide.

These are videos from gay and lesbian folks from all walks of life telling gay teens that despite the bullying and harassment they may face, it does get better.   Thank you, Bri.

I hope I hear from more readers.  If you don’t know of any resources but just want to write something about the topic of bullying, please do.  Share what you know. 

Thanks so much.
-Virginia

Tom Franklin

We are huge Tom Franklin fans here.  We’ve been talking up his latest book, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter ever since we first laid eyes on the manuscript a year ago.  It’s a terrific story and Tom is a great guy. Check out this fantastic Q&A session with Tom.  This is a perfect book for reading groups, and the attached Reading Group Guide might be helpful to you!  If you want a complimentary copy of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter send an email to librarylovefest AT harpercollins DOT com.  We’d love to hear what you think.  Thanks! Download Crooked Letter Q&A Download Crooked Letter RGG (2)

-Virginia

Stiltsville - Guest Review

We are so happy about the huge response we received for Stiltsville, by Susanna Daniel.  The love for Stiltsville continues! 

We received a great review from Lisa Steckhahn, Reference Librarian from the West Allis Public Library in Wisconsin.  Here is Lisa's review of Stiltsville:

This book is a look at the lifespan of a marriage and a friendship starting at the beginning and checking in at all of the major milestones along the way.  Frances meets Dennis and Marse at the same time.  Marse likes Dennis but he ends up falling for Frances.  Even with this rocky start Marse and Frances become best friends.  This is a testament to the author’s ability to create characters that are likeable but still fully realized with authentic flaws and strengths.  Susanna Daniel manages to avoid clichés and craft a believable story filled with a marriage’s mistakes and triumphs.  The Miami setting is another character in the book that lends an unforgettable setting.  It would be a great book to return to during the coldest days of winter. 

-Lisa Steckhahn
Reference Librarian
West Allis Public Library

Many thanks to Lisa and everyone at the West Allis Public Library.  If you have not added Stiltsville to your reading list, what are you waiting for? I believe you will love Stiltsville as much as we do!

Enjoy,

-Bobby