[Ed. Note] We love that so many of you are reading ARC’s (aka, galleys), to find titles to nominate for LibraryReads, to be the first to discover the next big thing, and to make ordering decisions. Now that so many ARC’s are also available as e-galleys from Edelweiss and NetGalley, the selection is greater than ever.

There is a downside. Choice can be overwhelming, as evidenced by our own teetering tower at the left.

How do you pick what to push to the top of your virtual as well as actual TBR piles? And, when you fall in love with a book that won’t be published for several months, who can you talk to about it?

GalleyChat to the rescue; our monthly discussions of galleys fellow librarians are loving can help you tame your piles (adult GalleyChat is the first Tuesday of the month and YA/Middle Grade is the third Tuesday).

In addition, our own GalleyChatter, Robin Beerbower (Salem P.L.) gives us her take on what she’s learned from the adult edition (see her second roundup, below). Between chats, you can keep up with what other GalleyChatters are reading via postings on the Edelweiss community board (be sure to friend us).

The following is Robin’s April roundup:

The April Galleychat’s pace was its normal fast and furious self, with suspense thrillers dominating the discussion. Below are several of the titles that rose to the top. All are available as e-galleys from Edelweiss unless otherwise noted.

When it’s only April and a voracious reader tells you she’s already found one of her top ten books of the year, you take notice. The dark thriller The Distance, (Doubleday, September) by former bookseller Helen Giltrow, is already on Jane Jorgenson’s list of favorite books of the year. Continuing the dark and moody theme, Lori Rader-Day’s The Black Hour (Seventh Street Books, May) was on two chatters’ list and has also received “much love” from 3 peers on Edelweiss. On Goodreads Jorgenson calls it “A fascinating mystery that looks backwards and forwards” and “this is a great debut.”

Sharon (the author formerly known as “S. J.”) Bolton’s fourth Lacey Flint mystery, A Dark and Twisted Tide, (Macmillan/Minotaur, June; e-galley on NetGalley) is receiving many  raves. While it can be read alone, those who haven’t read Bolton’s previous titles will have a creepy good time reading the books in order, beginning with Now You See Me.

Also mentioned was J. A. Jance’s newest Joanna Brady novel, Remains of Innocence (HarperCollins/ Morrow, July), always a treat; The Bishop’s Wife by Mette Ivie Harrison (Soho Press), was called “nice twisty mystery, well-developed characters.” And, talk about being ahead of the curve, it doesn’t arrive until December. W.W. Norton’s Golda Rademacher, whose taste we’ve come to trust, cites as one of her favorites  Dry Bones in the Valley by Tom Bouman (July), a gritty mystery set in rural northeastern Pennsylvania. She was seconded by a librarian who gave it the ultimate accolade from a knowledgeable mystery reader; the ending was not at all what she expected.

My own favorite book this month was The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker (Penguin, May), which just became available as an e-galley. This 600-plus-page suspense thriller with its knot of unreliable narrators twisted and turned so much I felt like I was on both a roller coaster and a tilt-a-whirl. This will be a great read alike for Dennis Lehane’s  Shutter Island and yes, even the book everything seems to be compared to these days, Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. I am predicting big things for HQ.

It’s fun to see the return of authors whose debuts we first discovered through other GalleyChatters. Daisy Goodwin grabbed many of us with The Heiress, so there was excitement from those who have just received her new one,  The Fortune Hunter, (Macmillan/St. Martin’s, July). One GalleyChatter who has already dived in reports she is loving it.

We’re as susceptible as anyone to a beautiful cover and this one not only features an arresting image, but it pops with raised and embossed details and lettering (an extra printing expense); a good indicator of a the package to come.

Remember to friend me if you want to keep up with what I’m anticipating on Edelweiss and please join us on May 6 for our next GalleyChat.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 17th, 2014 at 5:26 pm and is filed under Fiction, Nonfiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.