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Friday, June 23, 2017

Book Buzz Chicago Summary and Recap

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon at Chicago Public Library Harold Washington Center for the Association of American Publishers Pre-ALA Annual Book Buzz.

I was only there for the Adult portion of the buzzing. I tweeted almost every book, although I will admit that by the end I got tired. If you click here you can pull up the #bookbuzzcpl hashtag (whether you are a Twitter user or not) and see every book and something about each. It will be in reverse chronological order and will have me and others who Tweeted.

When CPL librarian, and my friend, Stephen Sposato welcomed us to the Buzz he asked us each to find at least one book from today’s presentation to Buzz about- to our colleagues, to Library Reads, to our patrons.

So Stephen, challenge accepted. I will Buzz about 1 book from each presenter here below. Please note, I will NOT be promoting any of the big author's titles because you don’t need me to do that for you. You know about those books; they are on automatic order. My job is to help you learn about the books you might miss. I know you aren’t a moron. The publishers, however, some of them think we are. *sigh*

I will also include links to the Library Marketing Team’s page. Titles link to Goodreads. But again, go to the hashtag and the links to the  publishers’ pages for all of the books. I am doing only 1 per publisher.

Here they are in the order in which the publishers appeared.

WW Norton & Co

  • Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A. by Danielle Allen [NF]: This book looks amazing. It starts as a personal memoir about Ms. Allen helping a young cousin get back on his feet after spending 11 years in jail. Things are going well, but three years later he is murdered. The book then also becomes a work about reforming the system we use to deal with juveniles who commit crimes. I think it would be a great readalike for The Other Wes Moore.
  • See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt [Fic]: Written by an Australian librarian who was doing research on another topic but facts about Lizzie Borden kept coming up. Lizzie was haunting her in nightmares, so she had to write a novel about her life. This is a story about the entire family told from Lizzie’s point of view.
  • The Green Hand and Other Stories by Nicole Claveloux [GN]: French comics master’s stories gathered in English for the first time! Originally published in 1970s, this book is a great introduction to a neglected artist. Daniel Clowes loves her. Give this to his fans.
  • The End of the World Running Club by Adrian J. Walker [Fic]: Robert McCammon blurbed it, so that should be enough, but here are some details. Edgar is not a good Dad, but he is separated from his family when an asteroid hits the Earth, he races back across the wasteland to reunite with his family. For fans of Station Eleven and The Martian. Was a bestseller in Europe.
  • Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly [NF]: The unflinching and honest memoir by Kelly about his record breaking stays in space, but also his life growing up and how he came to be an astronaut. This will be a great read for anyone. We need more real life science heroes in our lives. I think my whole family will enjoy this one.
  • Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda [Fic]: Okay, this one sounds creeptastic. Paul is a perfect husband and father. He whisks his wife away for a couples weekend at their lake house, promising it will be the “best day ever,” except....things are not as perfect as they appear. A page-turner, that spirals out of control quickly. For fans of Big Little Lies. Should be a huge library hit.
  • A Moonless, Starless Sky: Ordinary Women and Men Fighting Extremism in Africa [NF] by Alexis Okeowo: A New Yorker writer and one of the best young journalists out there today looks at the regular people, mostly women, fighting to stop fundamentalism from taking over the continent. This books looks amazing but I wish she gave it moe time. Michael Connelly and James Patterson [!] did not need to be buzzed.
Quirk Books
  • Cinemaps: An Atlas of 25 Great Movies by Andrew DeGraff [NF]: Detailed, handprinted maps from classic films like The Shining, The Princess Bride, The Breakfast Club and Jaws!!!! [I am doing a different Quirk Books title from the presentation for my Read N Rave panel.] 
  • The Dirty Book Club by Lisi Harrison [Fic]: Yup, its what it sounds like. It’s the 1960s and a group of women read dirty books for their book club. The story is about how the club changes their lives. Harrison is a YA author. This is her first adult title. This seems like a great pick for book clubs.
  • The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey [Fic]: This is the first in a brand new mystery series set in Bombay in 1921 and featuring a female, lawyer sleuth who fights to protect women’s rights. 
  • The Twelve-Mile Straight by Eleanor Henderson [Fic]: 1930s, Georgia. In a white sharecropping family, the daughter gives birth to twins: 1 white, 1 black. A black farm hand is accused of rape and lynched. That is where the story begins. So many issues to consider here. Compelling read too.
  • The Floating World by C. Morgan Babst [Fic]: A Katrina set debut novel by a NO native. Deals with the aftermath, both overall and personally for one specific family. Dazzling, piercing, unforgettable.
  • Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker [Fic]: 2 sisters disappear. Three years later one comes back. It’s a twisted, family, psychological suspense, but what got me was when Anne said that this book “sets a new standard for the unreliable narrator.”
Now it’s you turn. If you attend any book buzz programs either this weekend or in the future, take a moment to promote at least one title out in the world.

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