Thanks to all of you who joined in on Galley Chat on Friday. Twenty-five contributed to the discussion and we’re guessing many others were lurking. Thanks, also, to the library marketing folks from Penguin and Random House, who jumped in and offered galleys to those who wanted them.

This was our first attempt, so we didn’t know what would happen. It turned out to be very lively; like doing RA with a bunch of colleagues (in 140 characters, which, although limiting, isn’t as difficult as I expected).

So, we’re going to try it again. While Fridays at 4 EDT seems like a good time, at least for those who showed up at this one, it conflicts with Follow The Reader‘s weekly librarian/bookseller chat (we had complaints from several, who were bouncing back and forth between the two). So, for our next Galley Chat, we are going to try Wednesday, May 12, at 4 p.m. EDT. Info on how to join here.

Below are the titles that elicited the most comments during Friday’s chat, in reverse order by pub month.

AUGUST TITLES

Stiltsville: A Novel Susanna Daniel Retail Price: $24.99 Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Harper – (2010-08-01) ISBN / EAN: 0061963070 / 9780061963070

Virginia Stanley, HarperCollins library marketing, made an impression when she talked about this first novel at PLA (she also presented it at MidWinter, listen here). Robin Beerbower of Salem, OR sent a comment in advance, saying it’s a “terrific first novel about a long marriage” and was particularly taken with the setting, a community of homes on pilings in Biscayne Bay, FL.

JULY TITLES

Still Missing Chevy Stevens Retail Price: $24.99 Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: St. Martin’s Press – (2010-07-06) ISBN / EAN: 0312595670 / 9780312595678

Still Missing, St. Martin’s big thriller debut, was the most-discussed of the Galley Chat titles. One library had just added it and is already getting holds, so is planning to buy more.

JUNE TITLES

The One That I Want: A Novel Allison Winn Scotch Retail Price: $24.00 Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Shaye Areheart Books – (2010-06-01) ISBN / EAN: 0307464504 / 9780307464507

Rebecca Vnuk particularly loves The One That I Want and is planning to write about this for her women’s fiction blog.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel Aimee Bender Retail Price: $25.95 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Doubleday – (2010-06-01) ISBN / EAN: 0385501129 / 9780385501125

RH’s Marcie Purcell presented Lemon Cake movingly at PLA; about a young girl who discovers she can taste her mother’s despair in the cake she baked for her daughter’s birthday. Many said it’s on their list to read next.

The Passage Justin Cronin Retail Price: $27.00 Hardcover: 784 pages Publisher: Ballantine Books – (2010-06-08) ISBN / EAN: 0345504968 / 9780345504968

Those who have read it say it’s tough to talk about The Passage without introducing spoilers, but they were clearly dying to talk about specific sections. We may need a to feature this in a discussion that is only open to those that have read it.

Crashers Dana Haynes Retail Price: $24.99 Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: Minotaur Books – (2010-06-22) ISBN / EAN: 0312599889 / 9780312599881

Audio; UNABR; 978-1-4272-1215-3; $39.99

Lots of  excitement about Crashers; a sabotaged jet crashes and investigators have a race against the clock to prevent another. Said one person, “Page-burning suspense. Keep the Dramamine handy.”

MAY TITLES

Ship Breaker Paolo Bacigalupi Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – (2010-05-01) ISBN / EAN: 0316056219 / 9780316056212

Ship Breaker is a YA title (one person says it’s perfect for those who love Hunger Games), but with potential cross over to adult. The author’s first book, The Wind-up Girl was on many end-of-the-year best lists and is nominated for a Hugo Award.

The Lonely Polygamist: A Novel Brady Udall Retail Price: $26.95 Hardcover: 602 pages Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company – (2010-05-03) ISBN / EAN: 0393062627 / 9780393062625

The Lonely Polygamist is long, but readers say it’s engrossing and the writing is beautiful. Daniel Golden, the owner of Boswell and Books in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a big fan and has been blogging about it and about “hating, then loving big, fat books.”

The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn Nathaniel Philbrick Retail Price: $30.00 Hardcover: 496 pages Publisher: Viking Adult – (2010-05-04) ISBN / EAN: 0670021725 / 9780670021727

Audio; Penguin Audio; UNABR; 9780142427699; $39.95

The only nonfiction title that came up. Nobody in the group had read it yet, but is definitely high up on TBR lists. At PLA Book Buzz, Nancy Pearl gave it kudos, saying it shows Custer as you never imagined him.

The Frozen Rabbi Steve Stern Retail Price: $24.95 Hardcover: 384 pages Publisher: Algonquin Books – (2010-05-11) ISBN / EAN: 156512619X / 9781565126190

Many said they thought it sounded wonderful. If you want a copy, go here,. For just a taste, you can to Tablet Magazine, where it is being serialized.

APRIL TITLES

Girl in Translation Jean Kwok Retail Price: $25.95 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover – (2010-04-29) ISBN / EAN: 1594487561 / 9781594487569

Audio; Penguin Audio; 9780142427996; $39.95

A “non-cliched”  Chinese immigrant coming-of-age tale, with potential YA crossover.

We’re hearing from librarians about the galleys they want to talk about during our first Galley Chat this Friday at 4 p.m., EDT  (info on how to join here).

Of course, there’s Justin Cronin’s The Passage (if you think you don’t have the galley, check again; Random House has been papering the earth with it).

The Passage Justin Cronin Retail Price: $27.00 Hardcover: 784 pages Publisher: Ballantine Books – (2010-06-08) ISBN / EAN: 0345504968 / 9780345504968

There’s also growing interest in St. Martin’s big debut thriller, Still Missing.

Still Missing Chevy Stevens Retail Price: $24.99 Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: St. Martin’s Press – (2010-07-06) ISBN / EAN: 0312595670 / 9780312595678

Also on people’s lips is Workman library marketer Mike Rockliff’s favorite, The Frozen Rabbi (which is tied for “Most Memorable Title of the Season” with Norton’s The Lonely Polygamist).

The Frozen Rabbi Steve Stern Retail Price: $24.95 Hardcover: 384 pages Publisher: Algonquin Books – (2010-05-11) ISBN / EAN: 156512619X / 9781565126190

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The Lonely Polygamist Brady Udall Retail Price: $26.95 Hardcover: 602 pages Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company – (2010-05-03) ISBN / EAN: 0393062627 / 9780393062625

Others are excited about Stiltville, which HarperCollins’ Virginia Stanley presented succinctly at PLA; “An ordinary tale made extraordinary by the writing. It’s my story, it’s your story.”

This is what greeted us when we ducked in to Burgerville across from the Portland Convention Center; a local family expressing their appreciation for librarians.

Nancy Pearl’s PLA Book Buzz session attracted a huge audience, as predicted, only slightly dwarfed by an enormous room (PLA president Sari Feldman noted in her intro. that PLA gets a bigger room for this session each time).

Nancy began this program at PLA 2006 in Boston. She invites library marketers to talk about the titles they are particularly excited about (I’m pleased to say I was part of the inaugural group; I was head of library marketing at Hachette at the time). This is an opportunity to tap in to that legendary source of word of mouth, “in-house buzz.” It also gives librarians a great way to create their own “galleys to grab” lists prior to the opening of the show floor (indeed, that appeared to work, as publishers’ booths were inundated shortly after the doors opened).

Our heroine, Barbara Hoffert, LJ‘s Book Review Editor, managed to post an amazing roundup of titles mentioned at 2:30 the next morning. We will post links to each publisher’s roundup as they become available (Macmillan’s is up  now).

Do you remember the bad old days when publishers didn’t bring adult galleys to the library shows?

Those days are long over. Today, the challenge is to figure out which galleys to grab and which ones to lug (or ship) back home.

Of course, you’ll be seeking out new books from long-time favorite authors, like Isabel Allende’s Island Beneath the Seas (HarperCollins, 4/27; booth #1232) and Alexander McCall Smith’s Corduroy Mansions (Pantheon/Random House, 7/13; booth #2570).

Not only are galleys available at the booths, there will also be author signings, including some big names — check out the ads in the PLA program (a preview of Penguin’s is here — hint — SUE GRAFTON!)

You’ll also be looking for galleys that have already been getting advance buzz, like Norton’s wonderfully-titled The Lonely Polygamist, by Brady Udall, which many considered the “Book of the Show” at the American Booksellers Assoc’s Winter Institute last month (it just received the ultimate New Yorker accolade; I was so absorbed in it the other day that I missed my subway stop. And, yes, I caught people staring at the title).

The Lonely Polygamist: A Novel Brady Udall Retail Price: $26.95 Hardcover: 608 pages Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company – (2010-05-03) ISBN / EAN: 0393062627 / 9780393062625

The buzz on Ballantine’s apocolyptic vampire novel, The Passage, coming in June, has been building for months (see our January story). The publisher seems determined to blanket the earth with copies of the 700-page behemoth and Portland will be no exception (get it at the Random House booth, #2570).

But, the real “gets” of the show floor are the titles you didn’t know you were looking for. We talked to publisher’s library marketing folks to find out what you shouldn’t overlook. Their responses are below.

We want to hear about your finds at the show. On Friday, April 16th, after you’ve had some time to sort through your treasures, we will host a “Galley Chat” Tweetup. More details coming soon shortly.

Macmillan, booth #1058

Macmillan’s library marketing guru, Talia Sherer (recently named a “Mover & Shaker” by Library Journal; be sure to congratulate her!) says that Still Missing by Chevy Stevens is the BIG thriller debut from St. Martins Press.

Still Missing Chevy Stevens Retail Price: $24.99 Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: St. Martin’s Press – (2010-07-06) ISBN / EAN: 0312595670 / 9780312595678

HarperCollins, booth #1232

Virginia Stanley wants you to look out for A Fierce Radiance by Lauren Belfer (you can listen here to her excitement when she presented it at the HarperCollins Book Buzz session during MidWinter). She says it’s a perfect book club book.

A Fierce Radiance Lauren Belfer Retail Price: $25.99 Hardcover: 544 pages Publisher: Harper – (2010-06-01) ISBN / EAN: 0061252514 / 9780061252518

Workman, booth #2477

Mike Rockliff is enthusiastic about Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger, by Lee Smith, which just got 4 of a possible 4 stars in People (3/29) and also:

The Boy Who Loved Tornadoes Randi Davenport Retail Price: $23.95 Hardcover: 384 pages Publisher: Algonquin Books – (2010-03-30) ISBN / EAN: 1565126114 / 9781565126114

Random House, booth #2570

In the welter of galleys at the RH booth (they DO represent a lot of imprints), including The Passage, and Lisa Unger’s forthcoming Fragile (Shaye Areheart; August), Jen Childs says not to overlook a debut historical novel set in fifteenth-century Spain.

By Fire, By Water Mitchell Kaplan Retail Price: $15.95 Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Other Press – (2010-05-18) ISBN / EAN: 1590513525 / 9781590513521

W.W. Norton, booth #1302

We already mentioned The Lonely Polygamist, by Brady Udall. Golda Rademacher tells us that The Red Thread by Ann Hood, the author of The Knitting Circle, has been getting great response. Hood will go on an extensive national tour this spring/summer and is scheduled for the Diane Rehm Show (NPR) on 5/3.  PW ‘s and LJ‘s reviews are in and are enthusiastic (LJ; “Hood offers a thoughtful novel about the yearning for a child that’s primed to be a book club pick”).

The Red Thread: A Novel Ann Hood Retail Price: $23.95 Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company – (2010-05-03) ISBN / EAN: 0393070204 / 9780393070200

Penguin, booth #1206

Penguin will be hosting some big names at their booth. In addition, Alan Walker points to galleys of the next big book by editor Amy Einhorn at Putnam (the first title under her recently-created imprint was The Help. She also published this season’s hit, The Postmistress). Called The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, it “imagines a love affair that would threaten Louisa’s writing career.”

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott Kelly O’Connor McNees Retail Price: $24.95 Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam – (2010-04-01) ISBN / EAN: 0399156526 / 9780399156526

Wiley, booth #933

Howell has a book that to combines two subjects that appeal to librarians; earth friendliness and pets. The author will be signing in the booth on Thurs. at 3 p.m.

And, if you can tear yourself away from the goodies in the conference center to check out the city, be sure to check out Frommer’s online guide to Portland (published by Wiley).

Pets and the Planet: A Practical Guide to Sustainable Pet Care Carol Frischmann Retail Price: $16.99 Paperback: 312 pages Publisher: Howell Book House – (2009-02-24) ISBN / EAN: 0470275731 / 9780470275733

Behind on putting together your PLA schedule? Here’s how to do it in just two steps. After all, you’re not really a procrastinator, you’ve just got too damned much to do, so you need all the help you can get.

[We’re sorry that budget issues means many of our colleagues won’t be there. Here’s hoping for better times in 2012 when PLA will be in Philly.]

1) Use the Programming Schedule, Not the Preliminary Guide

You might be tempted to go to the snazzy-looking Preliminary Guide, but one advantage of being a procrastinator is that you don’t have to deal with no stinkin’ incomplete information. What you want is the more prosaic Programming Schedule. It includes a helpful drop-down menu so you can sort by session track. You can also sort by speaker. Lurking on that list are some big-name authors, like Kim Harrison, on the Cross-Over Readers Advisory panel with Kaite Stover from Kansas City Library.

DON’T overlook the AAP’s mystery author panel:

Friday, March 26
10:30 – 11:45 a.m.
Oregon Convention Center
Portland Ballroom #253-254

Karin Slaughter, Broken (Delacorte Press/Random House Inc., June 2010)
Ted Dekker, The Bride Collector (Center Street/Hachette Book Group, April 2010)
Cara Black, Murder in the Palais Royal: An Aimée Leduc Investigation (Soho Press, March 2010)
Meg Gardiner, The Liar’s Lullaby (Dutton/Penguin, June 2010)
Dana Haynes, Crashers (Minotaur Books/Macmillan, July 2010)
Jo Nesbo, The Devil’s Star (HarperCollins, February 2010)

Unfortunately, you’ve probably missed out on the AAP’s author breakfast on Thursday morning, which includes Leila Meacham (Roses) and Kristin Hannah (Winter Garden). It’s always a great event. You can try sending an RSVP to Marlene Scheuermann, but we hear they are almost full.

2) Go to the Special Events listings.

Inexplicably, the Programming Schedule does NOT include major events like Nancy Pearl’s SRO “Book Buzz” program on Wed., 10:30 to noon, Convention Center, Oregon Ballroom (tip to procrastinators; get there EARLY).

There’s also a CHILDRENS BOOK BUZZ panel, which is NOT listed under Special Events. It’s on the Programming Schedule (see why you need this guide?). It runs 10:30 to 11:45 on Friday in the Convention Center — Portland Ballroom #256.

At this point, you can’t worry about the MEAL EVENTS until the show. These require advance registration, which was due Feb. 10, so us procrastinators  just have to hope that there will still be tickets at registration.

If you are in New York City on Thursday March 18th, please join us.

The Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street is being dragged kicking and screaming into the age of technology. For the first time in its 101 years of reviewing, selecting and annotating children’s books, the Best Books of the Year list will be available electronically.

The Children’s Book Committee
Bank Street College of Education

Cordially invites you to attend a breakfast celebrating the presentation of

The 2010 Children’s Book Awards to the authors and illustrators

Thursday, March 18, 2010
9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Bank Street College of Education
The Evelyn Rome Tabas and Daniel Tabas Auditorium
610 West 112th Street
New York, NY 10025-1898

RSVP to bookcom@bankstreet.edu

The Josette Frank Award for fiction:

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate Jacqueline Kelly Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) – (2009-05-12) ISBN / EAN: 0805088415 / 9780805088410

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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Grace Lin Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – (2009-07-01) ISBN / EAN: 0316114278 / 9780316114271

The Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for nonfiction:

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream Tanya Lee Stone Retail Price: $24.99 Hardcover: 144 pages Publisher: Candlewick – (2009-02-24) ISBN / EAN: 0763636118 / 9780763636111

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Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 (Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Hardcover)) Brian Floca Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 48 pages Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books – (2009-04-07) ISBN / EAN: 141695046X / 9781416950462

The Claudia Lewis Award for poetry:

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors Joyce Sidman Retail Price: $16.00 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children – (2009-04-06) ISBN / EAN: 0547014945 / 9780547014944

For more information: 212.875.4540

The Children’s Book Committee is an affiliate of the Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature.

This is clever; Frommer’s is running a photo contest. The winner will have his or her photo featured on the cover of a Frommer’s book and will win $5,000 (contest ends 3/31).

How appropriate it would be if a librarian won, given what great travelers we are and how many Frommer’s titles libraries buy.

I’m no photographer, but just looking at the hundreds of photos that have already been entered serves as a mini-vacation.

This Sunday, Jan. 24th, I’ll be conducting a live interview with the always engaging and hilarious John Scieszka (author of The Time Warp Trio series and the modern classic The Stinky Cheese Man) at Symphony Space in NYC. The event includes a discussion with the audience, a creative writing project, and a book signing. Click here for tickets.

Also coming up is my online course, Children’s Book Publishing 101, offered through the Bank Street School. It runs January 29th through February 12th. Deadline for registration is today.

If you will be in the New York/Brooklyn area on Saturday, Nov. 21 area, you have the opportunity to brunch with Nancy Pearl. The brunch is a benefit for the upcoming production of Terrible Things, performed by Katie Pearl (Nancy’s daughter, of course) and Lisa D’Amour. It’s being held at the Packer School in Brooklyn, which served as the  location for episodes of Gossip Girl.

You are invited to Brunch with
Nancy Pearl
Librarian, Action Figure, and Book Recommender to the World!

Saturday November 21st 11-1:30pm
At the Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn Heights, NY

To benefit the upcoming production of
TERRIBLE THINGS
A new performance by Katie Pearl (Nancy’s daughter!) and Lisa D’Amour
Premiering 12/4-12/20 at Performance Space 122, NYC

When you join us, you will:

Feast on local eats, coffee and cocktails
Indulge in book lust and conversation with Nancy Pearl
Luxuriate in the Cathedral-esque wonderland of the historic Packer School

SNEAK-A-PEAK at Nancy’s OBIE Award-winning daughter’s new performance, featuring stories from Nancy’s pre-action figure life!

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE:http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/87806

Ticket Information:
$35 – one ticket to the benefit
$50 – one ticket to the benefit, PLUS a ticket to opening weekend of TERRIBLE THINGS
$85 (15% off!) – two tickets to the benefit, PLUS two tickets to opening weekend of TERRIBLE THINGS
$250 – two tickets to the benefit, two tickets to any night of TERRIBLE THINGS, plus a one-on-one get together with Nancy!

The OBIE-Award winning team of PearlDamour turns PS122 into a low-rent IMAX in their newest dance theater piece TERRIBLE THINGS. Let them take you on a T-R-I-P inside the quarks, molecules, and memories of  Katie Pearl and her Action Figure Mom.  CLICK HERE for more info on the show, or visit us at PearlDarmour.com.

A chance to see our EarlyWord Kids contributor, Lisa Von Drasek:

New York Librarians Meetup Group’s Discussion on Librarians and Blogging

Monday, Nov. 2 at 5:30 pm
NYPL Mulberry Street Branch Library
10 Jersey St., between Lafayette & Mulberry

Participants:

Lisa Von Drasek – EarlyWord Kids

Alexandra Crosier – Shelved @ NYC

Jenna Freedman – Lower East Side Librarian

Jennifer Craft – Blogging @ NYPL (Mulberry Street Branch)