Our GalleyChatter columnist, Robin Beerbower takes a look at some of the titles to watch out for at next week’s BEA, below.

Please join our next GalleyChat, June 7, 4:00-5:00 (ET) to discuss discoveries from the show.

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There are bound to be more galleys snagged than can be jammed in a suitcase at the upcoming Book Expo America  (Wed., May 11 through Fri., May 13), so choosing wisely is paramount. Below is a rundown of highly anticipated titles road tested by our devoted GalleyChatters. All are available as Digital Review Copies, so you can live vicariously, even if  you’re not going to the show.

Click here for our Edelweiss list of titles that will be promoted at various BEA programs.

Reader Favorites for 2016—So Far

Paulette Jiles’ News of the World (HarperCollins/Morrow, October), the story of an elderly widower taking an orphaned girl, once held captive by the Kiowa, back to her relatives is receiving effusive praise on Edelweiss, making it a sure bet to become a hit with  readers and book groups. Virginia Stanley of HarperCollins will be talking it up during the AAP Annual Librarians’ Book Buzz—Part 1 and galleys will be given away in the HarperCollins booth (check at the booth for times). Janet Lockhart describes it as, “Stupendous writing, characters that get under your skin and burrow deep into your heart, great pacing, and an ending that makes you cry with joy and relief. My favorite book of 2016 so far.” Also check out HC’s BEA galley guide here.

Colson Whitehead is speaking on the Big Authors Panel II at Library Journal’s Day of Dialog and the Adult Book and Author Breakfast, and will be signing Underground Railroad (PRH/Doubleday, September).  Jessica Woodbury, blogger and
Book Riot contributor, calls this novel about a young woman escaping slavery in Georgia, “a spectacular book.” She also says, “The beauty of this book is that while it has that deep communal feel of folk tale, it also lives vibrantly through its characters. I cannot remember another book about this era that so completely brought the world to life in my mind. Just do yourself a favor and get this book.”

Vicki Nesting of St. Charles Parish Library, Destrehan, LA, gives top praise for Thomas Mullen’s Darktown (S&S/Atria/37 INK, September) by saying  “This one is definitely going on my “best of 2016” list!” and adds, “In a powerful mystery set in 1948, two of Atlanta’s first black police officers struggle to solve the murder of a young black girl against tremendous odds.” Mullen will be at the BEA Editors’ Buzz Panel and signing books in the S&S booth (check at the booth for times).

More Anticipated Novels

Vicki Nesting also recommends The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict (Sourcebooks Landmark; October) as an excellent addition to the “woman-behind-the-famous-man” category of historical fiction. She says, “Mileva Maric, a brilliant physicist and mathematician, left her Serbian homeland to study physics at a prestigious university in Zurich. There she met Albert Einstein and the two were immediately drawn to one another. This is a completely absorbing and utterly believable story of a brilliant woman forgotten by history.” Sourcebooks will have plenty of copies in their booth, plus the author will be appearing in the Hot Fall Fiction 2016 session and doing an in-booth signing.  Also check their booth for galleys of Greer Macallister’s excellent novel about Pinkerton’s first woman detective, Girl in Disguise, (March, 2017).

A book GalleyChatters say is sure to be in everyone’s hands this summer is Blake Crouch’s mind-twisting Dark Matter (PRH/Crown, July). Stephanie Chase, Library Director of Hillsboro (OR) Library said, “Awesome combination of thriller, science fiction, and speculative alternate-history style fiction. This is the book you should recommend to all your readers this summer, for its fast pace and thought-provoking treatment of what happens when we make one choice over another.” Crouch wrote the Wayward Pines trilogy published by Amazon Publishing and developed into a series on Fox TV (Season 2 begins May 25). He will sign those books during in one of the Autographing Sessions and Dark Matter in the PRH booth.

Gayle Forman, popular author of teen novels, will be appearing at the Librarians’ Author Lunch to talk about Leave Me (Workman/Algonquin), an adult novel about “not knowing what you’ve got till it’s gone.” Tracy Babiasz, acquisitions manager for Chapel Hill Library, NC, writes this intriguing description: “Could you imagine running away from your husband and twins? Maribeth does it, leaving them in order to find herself. Only Gayle Forman could take what might otherwise be an unsympathetic character and have me cheering for her!”

Ann Hood’s natural choice for book groups, The Book That Matters Most (Norton, August) will be available in the Norton booth. After Ava’s marriage dissolves, she joins an exclusive library book group where members select books that to them mattered the most during their lives. Over the year of discussing the books, members end up sharing their own personal problems. Rosemary Smith, Edelweiss power reader, said “the overriding message in this book is that our books, our stories have the power to save us all.” Check here for more Norton giveaways.

Anyone who loved the movie The Big Chill will enjoy Allison Winn Scotch’s In Twenty Years (Amazon/Lake Union, July, DRC for this one is only on NetGalley), the story of six college friends who reunite after 20 years. Allison’s prose rings with authenticity as they find themselves coping with complicated relationships and life choices. Allison will be signing galleys in the autographing tables area on Thursday.

Penguin Random House’s BEA breakfast is always a treat (for both food and author appearances) and Jennifer Close will be featured this year to talk about The Hopefuls (PRH/Knopf, July). Since Close’s husband works in the White House and her best friend is Joe Biden’s secretary, her inside view of Washington politics is put to good use in her “sparkling new novel,” according to Melissa Samora of Chandler (AZ) Public Library. She continues “I loved the glimpse into D.C. politics and thought the story of a marriage in transition was authentic. I found myself relating to Beth on more than one occasion. I simply loved this book and gobbled it up quickly.”

Have you heard of Advance Listening Copies? Find out what that means at the Macmillan booth where they will be holding a Galley and Advance Listening Copy Giveaway at 11:00 am on Thursday for Wendy Walker’s tense psychological suspense novel, All is Not Forgotten (St. Martin’s, July). This novel about a woman trying to peel back layers of her memory to remember who attacked her as a teen has been receiving a lot of attention from GalleyChatters over the past few months. Jen Dayton enthuses, “You will be halfway through this taut psychological thriller and think that you’ve got it all figured out. But trust me, you aren’t even close.” For a full roster of all of Macmillan’s activities, check here.

Memoir Perfect for Discussing

Creator of the popular blog Momastery, Glennon Doyle Melton is appearing at the BEA Librarians’ Dinner to talk about her memoir, Love Warrior (Macmillan/Flatiron Books, August). Melton’s courage in writing such intimate details of her collapsing marriage is commendable and this touching and inspirational account will be a winner for women’s book groups. It is a good option for readers who liked of Cheryl Strayed’s Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar.

Join us for a spirited GalleyChat on June 7, 4:00-5:00 (ET) when we discuss the unexpected gems we found at BEA.

In our most recent GalleyChatter column, we highlighted the titles we expected to be hearing about at Book Expo America. We’re happy to report our predictions were accurate, but the real fun of the show is the unexpected gems.

During the post-BEA GalleyChat, those who had just returned from the show were so eager to share newly discovered titles that it was difficult to wait until the 4:00 pm start time. Below are titles that were most heavily buzzed. For a complete list of the 110 titles mentioned during the chat, check here.

Editors Note: Several publishers are making digital ARC’s of the books that ended up being “sold out” at BEA easily available to EarlyWord readers. Register here.

Unconventional Memoirs

Wall Street Journal sports writer Jason Gay’s presentation at the Penguin Random House breakfast was so delightful even non-sports fans left clutching the galley. Little Victories: Perfect Rules for Imperfect Living (RH/Doubleday, November), a collection of essays on “rules to live by,” doesn’t dictate but suggests in a humorous, wise, and entertaining way how to behave in the world today, and also includes a few snippets about Gay’s own personal struggles.

Mary-Louise Parker charmed the BEA lunch audience by calling librarians “bad-asses” and her memoir Dear Mr. You (S&S/Scribner, November) is now attracting readers. Tracy Babiasz (acquisitions manager, Chapel Hill Library, NC) says, “Parker’s unique approach to memoir, a collection of letters to the men who have impacted her life, showcases her talent for imaginative, and sometimes stream-of-consciousness writing. It should be read slowly, savoring the carefully chosen language that offer the reader a peek into Parker’s life.”

Book Group Worthy

Eli Gottlieb’s Best Boy (Norton/Liveright, August) has already received top marks from two GalleyChat regulars. Vicki Nesting (St. Charles Parish Library, LA) calls it “A brilliantly imagined and insightful story narrated by Todd, an autistic man in his 50s whose very orderly world is thrown into chaos when a new resident and a malevolent new staff member arrive at Payton Living Center.  This remarkable book will remain with readers long after they have turned the last page.” Jennifer Winberry (Hunterdon County Library, NJ) also endorsed it by adding it is “heartfelt and achingly beautiful.”

HarperCollins’ Virginia Stanley has been tirelessly advocating Melissa DeCarlo’s The Art of Crash Landing (Harper Paperbacks/HC, September) and it is now one of my favorite books of the year and a top choice for book groups. Pregnant and broke, and wearing a huge chip on her shoulder, Mattie flees Florida for Oklahoma, hoping to collect on her grandmother’s estate but ends up trying to unravel her deceased mother’s mysterious background. Mattie’s voice could come across as biting and annoying, but DeCarlo has made her funny and appealing.

Jennifer Dayton (Darien Library, CT) couldn’t stop talking about Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (Penguin/Riverhead, September), the story of Mathilde and Lotto’s 20-plus year marriage as told from both points of view. Jennifer adds, “Be aware however that, as in life, there are always two sides to every story and be prepared for the literary whiplash that will be coming your way.”

The Best of Genre Fiction

Jim Butcher’s newest title is the first in the Cinder Spires fantasy series, The Aeronaut’s Windlass (Penguin/Roc, September). It got a big shout out during BEA’s Shout ‘n’ Share from Kristi Chadwick (Advisor, Massachusetts Library System)  who is excited that the author is returning to “pure fantasy.” Now that she’s finished reading the book she reports, “Definitely first-in-a-series world-building, but with an excellent pace and action. I am looking forward to the next one (alas, so far, far away). Oh, and it has sentient cats. ‘Nuff said.” (For a full list of the titles mentioned at Shout ‘n’ Share, download our spreadsheet, BEA 2015 Shout ‘n’ Share, or link to our Edelweiss collection, BEA 2015 Shout ‘n’ Share).

An unexpected find for many was the thriller After the Crash, Michel Bussi (Hachette Books, January; NOTE, cover is not final, so we are not showing it). Collection development librarian Patty Sussmann (Newburgh Free Library, NY) reports, “For lovers of a thrill ride, this is a page turning thriller that offers twists and turns that keep you guessing until the very end.” During her Speed Dating session, Hachette’s marketing rep Melissa Nicholas immediately hooked us by simply saying, “First there was Girl on the Train, this is Baby on the Plane.”

During her BEA interview, author Ruth Ware was quick to point out that her marriage is just fine and in no way resembled the impending nuptials in her debut psychological suspense thriller In a Dark, Dark Wood  (S&S/Galley/Scout Press, August).  After crime writer Nora wakes up in the hospital, all she can remember is running through the icy woods covered in blood after attending a “hen” party (English version of a bachelorette party). Only after being questioned by a detective investigating a murder do the details start to emerge. And yes, this is perfect as a Girl on the Train readalike.

Keep an eye on these titles. Given librarians’ reactions, they are likely to take off with the public.

Please join the next GalleyChat on July 7, 4:00-5:00 (ET) with virtual cocktails at 3:30.

Book Expo America is around the corner (Wed., May 27 through Fri., May 29; see our First-Timers Guide here as well as our Edelweiss collection of titles to  be featured at BEA 2015). There are bound to be more galleys grabbed than can be stuffed in a suitcase, so choosing just the right titles is paramount. Below is a rundown of highly anticipated titles road tested by our devoted GalleyChatters. Even if you’re not going to the show, this will give you a good idea of what’s going to be hot this summer and fall. Most are available as Digital Review Copies. — Robin Beerbower, EarlyWord’s GalleyChatter

Jonathan Evison will be signing galleys of his latest book, This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance! (Algonquin/Workman, September) in the Workman booth. When Harriet Chance receives a reminder that her late husband’s Alaskan cruise tickets from a raffle are expiring, the 79-year-old decides to sail by herself, unaware of the family secrets that will emerge. As usual, Evison has such a clear eye for developing his characters and we love them despite their foibles.  I agree with Rosemary Smith, top Edelweiss reviewer and blogger, who said “Evison writes like a dream.”

Annie Barrows will be appearing at the Annual BEA Adult Librarians’ Author Lunch and has already received high praise from two Galleychatters for her new book The Truth According to Us (Dial Press/RH, June).  Janet Schneider (Bryant Library, NY) said this novel about a young woman writing for the Federal Writer’s Project in Depression-era West Virginia is “moving and complex, with fascinating main and secondary characters. Reminiscent in tone of Cold Mountain without the physical journey.”

Paula McLain is appearing at the Penguin Random House librarians’ breakfast to talk about her highly anticipated novel, Circling the Sun (Ballantine/RH, July), the story of aviation pioneer Beryl Markham whose own memoir, West With the Night was a sensation when it was first released (Hemingway said, in characteristically sexist terms, “this girl, who is to my knowledge very unpleasant and we might even say a high-grade bitch, can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves as writers”) and again when it was rediscovered and republished in the 1980’s. Still in print, it was published in a new edition recently (North Point Press, 2013). New Rochelle (NY) Public Library’s Beth Mills says the novel can’t miss with its “compelling sense of place and the dramatic Karen Blixen/Denis Finch-Hatton/Beryl love triangle will pull in the Out of Africa fans.”

BEA regular Elin Hilderbrand will be signing copies of her forthcoming holiday novel Winter Stroll (Little Brown, October) in the Hachette booth as well as The Rumor (Little Brown, June) which arrives just in time for tossing in a vacation bag. As usual, Hilderbrand writes a juicy novel full of secrets, lies, and relationships. Stephanie Chase (Hillsboro Library, Oregon) said, “Full of everything that makes a Hilderbrand novel a wonderful read, from descriptions of food and Nantucket to a clash of privilege to friendships, rivalries, and affairs. So much fun!”

Sourcebooks Landmark will be giving away a large number of Katarina Bivald’s The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend (January 2016). St. Charles Parish Library’s (LA) Vicki Nesting suggests picking up a copy of  this charming tale of about a Swedish bookseller arriving in a dying town to visit her pen pal, only to find she has passed away. Vicki says it is  “full of life, love, and the power of books, and is perfect for fans of Lorna Landvik and Fannie Flagg.”

Glamour magazine books editor Elisabeth Egan’s
A Window Opens (S&S, August) could have been simply a good contemporary women’s novel about marriage, career, and children, but in Egan’s deft hands it becomes a novel that anyone who loves books will appreciate (one of Egan’s characters suggests those of us who read e-galleys, print galleys, and “carbon-based books” are “platform agnostics”). Simon & Schuster will be giving away galleys and Egan will be appearing in the session Debut Fiction from Industry Insiders.

BEA Editors’ Buzz Adult Books will feature Dan Marshall’s scorching memoir, Home is Burning (Macmillan/Flatiron, October). Painfully honest, shockingly irreverent, extremely crude, and at times side-splittingly funny, Marshall’s remembrances of the year of taking care of his father dying from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) while also dealing with his mother’s cancer battle had me laughing through my tears. The publisher says “Dave Eggers meets David Sedaris,” which is an apt description, and I would add Augusten Burroughs to the mix.

Garth Risk Hallberg’s ambitious debut City on Fire, set in gritty 1970s New York City is a high-profile title, because of reports that it sold to Knopf for almost $2 million with movie rights going to Scott Rudin. Many of us were wanted to know if it is worth the 900 plus page count. The good news is that regular chatter Janet Lockhart gives it double thumbs up. She says, “A New Year’s Eve attack on a young girl connects the stories of a wide cast of characters that includes punk rockers, artists, school teachers, high school students, financial advisors, police officers, journalists, fireworks experts and more.  A literary page turner that will appeal to fans of Tom Wolfe, Dickens, David Foster Wallace, and Donna Tartt.” Hallberg will also be appearing at the BEA Editors’ Buzz Adult Books session.

GalleyChatters have been clamoring for months for the galley of Ernest Cline’s Armada (Crown/RH, July), the followup to librarian favorite Ready Player One,  Not only is the Digital Review Copy available now, but he will speak at the AAP’s Librarians’ Dinner. Leslie Stokes (Heard Co. Public Library, Georgia) said “Cline retains his magical ability to pull the reader into his story and take us on a thrilling ride. Fans of his first novel will be glad to see the return of 1980s pop culture references, but they are not so plentiful or obscure as to need footnotes.“

See our downloadable spreadsheet for more GalleyChat road-tested BEA titles. And don’t forget to join us for the post-BEA GalleyChat, Tues., June 2nd, 4 to 5 pm, EDT #ewgc (more details here).

Book Expo America is just six weeks away — time to start planning so you can get the most out of the show.

Several EarlyWord’s GalleyChatters, veteran BEAers, have created the EarlyWord BEA First-Timers Guide for Librarians to share tips and recommendations.

We’ve set it up as a forum, so you can ask questions, make connections with like-minded librarians before the show (maybe even find a roommate) and enter your own favorite tips.

We like to think of this as a free-flowing pre-BEA cocktail party, so please join in.

LibraryReads & the Association of American Publishers have just announced their roster of events exclusively for librarians, to be held at the upcoming Book Expo America.

Several require advance registration. Fellow procrastinators — don’t wait. These events fill up quickly (both LJ‘s Day of Dialog and SLJ‘s were sold out weeks ago, even though the programs haven’t been announced).

Details on all the programs in this downloadable document: AAP/LibraryReads BEA Programs.

Below are the three that require registration:

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Wednesday, May 27, 6:30 pm.
Ninth Annual BookExpo America Adult Librarians’ Dinner
Yale Club, NYC (52 Vanderbilt Avenue, Grand Ballroom)

Featuring:

Master of Ceremonies: Al Roker, The Storm of the Century (HarperCollins/ Morrow; HarperLuxe, 8/11/15)

Karin Slaughter, Pretty Girls (HarperCollins/ Morrow, 8/12/15)

Ernest Cline, Armada (RH/Crown; RH Audio, 7/14/15)

Sloane Crosley, The Clasp (Macmillan/FSG; Macmillan Audio, 10/6/15)

Lauren Groff, Fates & Furies (Penguin/Riverhead; Penguin Audio, 9/15/15)

James Patterson, Cross Justice, (Hachette/Little, Brown, 11/23/15)

Please register your interest to attend HERE. The AAP will confirm if they are able to meet your request.

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Wednesday, May 27, 7:00 pm.
Fourth Annual BookExpo America Children’s Librarians’ Dinner
Co-Hosted by AAP and School Library Journal
Cornell Club, NYC (6 E. 44th Street)

Featuring:

Jeff Anderson, Zack Delacruz: Me and My Big Mouth (Sterling Children’s Books, 978-1454914990, 8/4/15)

Mike Curato, Little Elliot, Big Family (Macmillan/Holt, 10/6/15)

Matt de la Pena, Last Stop on Market Street (Penguin/Putnam Juvenile, 1/8/15)

Candace Fleming & Eric Rohmann, Bulldozer’s Big Day (S&S/Atheneum, 5/5/15)

Kevin Henkes, Waiting (HarperCollins/Greenwillow, 8/12/15)

Adam Silvera, More Happy Than Not (Soho Teen, 6/2/15)

Please register your interest to attend HERE. The AAP will confirm if they are able to meet your request.

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Thursday, May 28, 12 pm – 1:30 pm
Annual BEA Adult Librarians’ Author Lunch
Jacob K. Javits Center (Room 1E15-16)

Featuring:

Tama Janowitz, Scream (HarperCollins/Dey Street, 978-0062391322, 1/5/16)

Barry Moser, We Were Brothers (Workman/Algonquin, 978-1616204136, 10/20/15)

Stephanie Clifford, Everybody Rise (St. Martins Press/Macmillan; Macmillan Audio, 8/8/15)

Vu Tran, Dragonfish, A Novel (W. W. Norton, 8/3/15)

Annie Barrows, The Truth According to Us, (RH/Dial Press; RH Audio; RH Large Print, 6/9/15)

Mary Louise Parker, Dear Mr. You (S&S/Scribner, 11/17/15)

Please register your interest to attend HERE. The AAP will confirm if they are able to meet your request.

BEA is all about discoveries. Follow me, in the slide show below,  as I wander around the floor with my trusty iPad. 

Click on the photos to read more about each book.

Note: if the slide show does not appear, reload the page.

Slide One

Gaiman text

Hansel and Gretel - cover

Stein

I'm My Own Dog

Dahl Text

Goodnight Football

Tom and Jerry

Mouse In My Book

There's a Mouse Hiding In This Book! A Cat Is Chasing Me Through This Book! Don't Give This Book a Bowl of Milk! This Book Is Not a Piece of Cheese! All by Benjamin Bird, illus. by Carmen Pérez, Capstone

Ferret Text

Ferrets Cover

Half My Facebook Friends Are Ferrets, by J.A. Buckle, Capstone, Sept. 2014

Stan Lee Text

Zodiac Cropped

Jacby Text

Jackaby

Sciezka text

Frank Einstein

Horrorstor Text

Horrorstor Jacket

Horrorstor back

Therapy Text

Therapy dog

McMullan Text

I'm Brave!

Stanley Text

Stanley series

March text

March Cover

The AAP has just announced its roster of events exclusively for librarians, to be held at the upcoming Book Expo America, which runs Wednesday, May 28, through Saturday, May 31.

Below are those that require advance registration. Fellow procrastinators — don’t wait. BEA events are selling out fast (both LJ ‘s Day of Dialog and SLJ‘s are already sold out, before the full line-up of panelists have been announced).

Details on all eight programs are here BEA 2014 — AAP Events for Librarians. Below are those that require registration:

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28TH, 6:30 pm.
Eighth Annual BookExpo America Adult Librarians’ Dinner
Co-hosted by AAP and LibraryReads
Yale Club, NYC (52 Vanderbilt Avenue, Grand Ballroom

We are particularly excited about this one because it’s hosted by one of our favorite reviewers, Maureen Corrigan of NPR’s Fresh Air and because it features the author of a book that’s been getting GalleyChat buzz, Joel Dicker, The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (Penguin Books, 5/27). Full list of authors here – BEA 2014 Adult Librarian Dinner Invitation.

Register your interest to attend HERE. AAP will confirm if they are able to meet your request.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28TH, 7:00 pm.
Third Annual BookExpo America Children’s Librarians’ Dinner
Co-hosted by AAP and School Library Journal
Princeton Club of New York (15 W. 43rd Street, James Madison Ballroom)

The panel of seven authors includes John Rocco, author of the 2012 Caldecott Honor Book, Black Out. His forthcoming book is Blizzard (Disney/Hyperion, 10/28) and B.J. Novack, who has recently been moonlighting as an author. He will publish his first book for kids this fall, which will, of course, be non-traditional, The Book with No Pictures, (Penguin Young Readers/Dial, 9/30). Full list of authors here — Third Annual BookExpo America Children’s Librarians’ Dinner Invitation.

Please register your interest to attend HERE, AAP will confirm if they are able to meet your request.

THURSDAY, MAY 28TH, 12:15 pm – 1:45 pm.
Annual BEA Librarians Author Lunch
Jacob K. Javits Center, Room 1E12-13

Features a hot group of authors, including Deborah Harkness, Garth Stein, and Kathy Reichs. Full list   here — BEA 2014 AAP Adult Librarian Lunch Invitation.

Please register your interest to attend HERE,. AAP will confirm if they are able to meet your request.

After all the buzz programs, author presentations, and hours walking the floor at BEA, what impressed librarians most? The Librarians’ Shout ‘n’ Share panel, organized by the AAP and Library Journal is a good indicator. In just one hour, librarians buzzed nearly 75 titles. Many of them are available on Edelweiss or NetGalley, so you can play along at home. Below are titles that were on many librarians’ lips (a full list of all the titles from Shout ‘n’ Share, including ordering information and which are currently available as digital ARCs, through Edelweiss and/or NetGalley, is on our downloadable spreadsheet Shout-n-Share-BEA 2013).

Bringing cheers from the audience when it was mentioned was The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic (Penguin/Dorman, Aug. 1), a debut by Emily Croy Barker. Angela Carstensen, SLJ‘s “Adult Books For Teens” columnist noted, “Pamela Dorman’s pitch at LJ‘s Day of Dialog was incredibly persuasive. She called it The Magicians for girls and Jane Eyre crossed with Harry Potter.” Digital ARC’s are availalble on Edelweiss and on NetGalley (the book is also part of First Flights, the Penguin Debut Author program — more information is here).

John Searles clearly won fans during the AAP librarian’s dinner. His Help for the Haunted, (HarperCollins/Morrow, Sept. 17) was mentioned wherever librarians gathered. Kaite Stover, the female half of Booklist‘s described its appeal; “Deftly shifting between a traumatic past and present, Help for the Haunted delivers the gripping story of recently orphaned Sylvie Mason,whose parents aided souls with paranormal afflictions before their sudden death in an abandoned church. Immediately prior to their deaths, Sylvie’s parents were searching for her sister, Rose, who later becomes Sylvie’s guardian and may even have had a hand in their parents’ death. The novel explores the tension between the two sisters as Sylvie with the help of a detective struggles to remember what exactly happened the night of her parents’ death. Murky, and yet straightforward, Help for the Haunted haunts the reader from cover to cover, drawing her deeper into the investigation as the detective and Sylvie circle the conclusion of the case.” Download Kaite’s full presentation here: BEA Shout n Share – K. Stover

Among Alene Moroni picks was  Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital (RH/Crown), which explores what happened to many of the patients and the heart-breaking decisions the staff of a New Orleans hospital had to make after Katrina.  It was also one of the titles featured in the closely-watched “Edtiors’ Buzz Panel,” (see USA Today story).

Doug Lord, LJ‘s “Books for Dudes” columnist was enthusiastic about The Ministry of Guidance Invites You to Not Stay (RH/Doubleday, Sept. 10), a memoir by an Iranian-American who not only decided to move to Tehran during a particularly turbulent year, but also brought his blonde, blue-eyed wife and young son with him.

Robin Nesbitt of Columbus [OH] Metropolian Library said her collection development goal this year is to raise circulation through books, (not DVD’s), so she is searching out titles that will connect with her public. Thus, Night Film, by Marisha Pessl, (Random House, Aug. 20) is on her radar. The author, whose 2007 debut, Special Topics In Calamity Physics was structured around a syllabus for a college literature course, switches focus to a different art form in a literary thriller about a reclusive movie director.

Librarians were also buzzing about a novelty board book they discovered in the aisles, Little Penis, which incorporates a puppet (the subtitle; A Finger Puppet Parody Book). Published in January, it will be followed this fall by “the perfect stoccking stuffer,” Little Penis Santa Clause, (both by Craig Yoe, published by S&S/Cider Mill Press). For some reason, neither was picked by the panel, although Stop Tweeting Boring Sh*t: The New Rules of Work (Chronicle, July 23) was. It just may be more workplace appropriate.

Book Expo offers opportunities to hear from favorite authors such as Barbara Kingsolver, Junot Diaz, Michael Chabon and the chance to get a peek at the sure-fire best sellers of the fall (J.K. Rowling’s title for adults, Casual Vacancy, is one of the leaders in that category, but is still under wraps). But the real fun is trying to divine which titles will be the next The Art of Fielding or The Night Circus or Rules of Civility.

New York magazine’s “Vulture” blog gives its pick of the Ten Hottest Book Prospects, Shelf Awareness rounded up bookseller picks in fiction and nonfiction in advance of the show, Publishers Weekly did so after, and seven librarians picked their favorites (nearly 90 titles; even with a few brief minutes, librarians can really pack in the titles) at the fourth annual “Shout ‘n’ Share” panel (titles listed here, with information on which are available as egalleys, so you can play along at home).

Of the many titles mentioned in the above, a few echo some previous BEA hits:

The Next ART OF FIELDING

(title passionately promoted at the Editors Buzz panel)

The Yellow Birds, by Kevin Powers, Hachette/Little, Brown, September 11 — eGalley from NetGalley

Last year, Hachette/Little, Brown’s publisher, Michael Pietsch talked up The Art of Fielding, described by some as an unlikely combination of J.D. Salinger and baseball. This year, he was equally passionate about The Yellow Birds, a novel about the Iraq war by one of its veterans.

Runners Up:

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, Susannah Cahalan, S&S/Free Press, 11/13/12

There was also strong reaction to S&S/Free Press editor Millicent Bennett’s presentation of New York Post writer Callahan’s book that recounts her struggle to find out what was causing her  convulsions and to deal with doctors’ prognosis that she would have to be institutionalized.

In the Shadow of the Banyan, Vaddey Ratner, S&S, 7/31/12  — eGalley from NetGalley 

A novel based on debut author Ratner’s own experience  coming of age of during the Cambodian genocide in the 1970s. It also connected with librarians on GalleyChat.

The Next PAT CONROY

(author whose personal story wins over the crowd)

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, Workman/Algonquin, 8/28/12 —  eGalley from NetGalley

Back when BEA was ABA, the Book and Author programs mixed big name authors with emerging authors, who often became the buzz of the show. That magic happened for that Conroy and his first novel, The Prince of Tides. Now that BEA’s main author events focus on headliners (some of them only tangentially authors, like Kirstie Alley and Stephen Colbert), discoveries come from other events. This year, when Jonathan Evison described the background to his second novel, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, at the AAP/EarlyWord Author Lunch, it was clear his emotions are still raw. Like Conroy’s novel, it is based on the author’s own family and the loss of his sister. The audience came away from the session a bit shaken, but talking about the book, which was chosen by several of the Shout ‘n’ Share panelists.

The Next TIGER’S WIFE

(debut by an impossibly young writer)

The People of Forever Are Not Afraid, by Shani Boianjiu (RH/Hogarth, September 11) —  eGalley from NetGalley

Tea Obreht, at 25, was the youngest writer in the New Yorker ‘s picks of  best 20 writers under 40. Her book Tiger’s Wife went on to gather multiple awards and land on best seller lists. Sounding eerily familiar, Boianjiu  was the youngest writer ever chosen for the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35” program. At the Editor’s buzz Panel, S&S editor Alexis Washam described the book, about three girls in the Israeli army as  “The Things They Carried meets Mean Girls.”

The Next JUST KIDS

(Musician’s autobiography)

Waging Heavy Peace, Neal Young, Penguin/Blue Rider, 10/2/12

Patti Smith anointed Neil Young as her successor when she interviewed him about his memoir  (read an account of  their conversation on the New Yorker‘s book blog).

Even if you’re not attending BEA next week, there are ways to be part of it.

To find out about the big books of the show, check these guides:

— LJ’s Barbara Hoffert has again created an amazing “BEA Galley & Signing Guide.”  This year, she has outdone herself, by adding information on titles available for download from NetGalley as well as those available for request in print. Note: the guide does not show which titles are downloadable from Edelweiss. Some publishers, like Norton and HarperCollins are offering egalleys only through Edelweiss, so go to them to download Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior, 11/6 and  Dennis Lehane’s Live by Night, 10/2. Some publishers, e.g. Random House, offer their egalleys via both Edelweiss and NetGalley.

— Publishers Weekly also has its regular “Galleys to Grab” as well as “Children’s Galleys to Grab,”

— Shelf Awareness is featuring the big books of the show today through Friday, beginning with a focus on “BEA Book Buzz: For Young Readers”

And, during the show, BEA will live stream some of the events, including the Editors’ Buzz Panels and the Book and Author Breakfasts and Lunches (look for the feeds on EarlyWord).

We just got a heads-up that there are a few spaces remaining in a special BEA session aimed at book group leaders (click on the image below to REGISTER). Run by the energetic Carol Fitzgerald of the Book Reporter Network (which includes ReadingGroupGuides.com), it’s sure to be a great program and a chance to pick up some hot galleys.

Book Expo announces the first speaker for the Book & Author events; Michael Chabon will be featured on Thursday, June 7 at the Book and Author Breakfast.

His next book is Telegraph Avenue (HarperCollins, 9780061493348, on sale 9/11/12).

More author announcements will be coming soon.

Below are links to the BEA programs that were audio or videotaped by Book Expo, C-Span’s Book TV (they recorded and broadcast the Librarian’s Shout ‘n’ Share program) and, in one case, an attendee. Now you, too, can hear The Office‘s Mindy Kaling (she has a book of essays coming in the fall), describe the BEA crowd as looking, “…like a high-school reunion where all the jocks died in a plane crash on the way to regionals, and the plane crash killed all the minorities too.”

BEA is adding new videos as they become available (click here for the most recent list).

Also, we’ve included a list of all the titles mentioned on the Shout ‘n’ Share program.

(more…)

Again this year, consumer media coverage of Book Expo America is focused on eBooks (the Financial Times headline, “E-books Rewrite an Industry” contrasts with a blogger’s take that BEA is about clueless “Industry Dinosaurs on Parade“).

As for the books at Book Expo, New York magazine rounds up the hottest fiction galleys in “The Ten Hottest Prospects From This Year’s Book Expo” and the Wall Street Journal summarizes the Editors Buzz panel in Six Books Look to Build Buzz at BookExpo America.

But the industry trade magazine is not completely blinded by eBook talk. PW declares that, in adult, Hardcover Fiction is Back and that it’s A Bountiful Fall for Children’s Books.

As the sound of packing tape being ripped off  hundreds of rolls echoed through the cavernous Javits Center, so ended another Book Expo. Three days of talking and shouting and love for the book (whatever the delivery system). Yes, there were celebrities.. a John Lithgow sighting…droves of attendees waiting patiently for a glimpse of Jane Fonda…Exhausted publishers’ representatives who have been standing on concrete for three days were ready to ship those boxes and return to home base.

Here are my day three picks…(part one; more to come later)

Plagues, Pox and Pestilence by Richard Platt ; illus. by John Kelly
Ages 8 and up
Kingfisher (Oct. 25) 9780753466872

Facts about disease and its transmittal illustrated with sticky, gooey cartoonish illustration.

Accurate straightforward information with a light touch.

…………..

Below is a photo of Christopher Paolini signing posters (like the one on the left) for BEA attendees. Look for Inheritance, the fourth and final volume in the series that began with Eragon, on November 8, weighing in at 704 pages.

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
Knopf Books for Young Readers (Nov 8) 9780375856112

…………..

The upcoming Wimpy Kid Number 6 has no name yet. The one-day laydown is November 1st. Meanwhile, we have the promo art on the left, and a snow globe, based on that design, on the right.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Number 6
Abrams/ Amulet (Nov 1) 9781419702235

…………..

Children’s book illustrator Sophie Blackall created a blog in which she illustrated the romance of “missed connections.” These are collected in this sweetly hopeful volume. (The blog was featured in a Valentine’s Day story on NPR)

Missed Connections by Sophie Blackall, YA/ crossover
Workman Publishing  (Sept. 22) 9780761163589