Deep Thoughts

Watch #BookBattle III Now!

Misfit library marketers Talia Sherer and Chris Vaccari (Sterling) duked it out in the third episode of their highly acclaimed Book Battle series in the Book Buzz Theater at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in January! If you missed their buzz or need a refresher see below.

The full program was recorded and is available here now:

Deep Thoughts

Wednesday Fun Day! (1/2/2013 Edition)

Hello again, blog friends! Happy New Year!

Talia and I have officially decided that 2013 is going to be the BEST EVER. It has been decided, so kick back and enjoy the adventures.

I hope you all managed to fit in both exciting events and some stellar naps this holiday season. I know I did. When I wasn't asleep, I got in some urban and extra-urban exploring. Here's a pic of me hiking (read: walking on a flat trail) in a sequined fox sweater, as you do:

Talia was rockin' the neon bling this break as per the twitter evidence:

Day-glo new year's w @jesherer twitter.com/taliasherer/st…
— Talia Sherer (@taliasherer) January 1, 2013

And finally, here's a pic of some Seattle wizard signage because I love it so much (click to cast embiggen):

Speaking of nerdy stuff, you still have time to enter our Featured Creatures book stack giveaway celebrating the second installment on our EarlyWord-hosted SF/F blog, Uncharted Pages! Contest ends Friday. Details here.

And speaking of EarlyWord, if you're still saying your final farewells to 2012, you should definitely head over to their site for a compiled list of librarian favorites from last year. They included some helpful information about which other year-end lists each title made. See which titles were library champions!

And speaking of champions, don't forget to take a look at our full ALA Midwinter conference schedule of events including the third great Book Battle showdown between Talia and Chris Vaccari of Sterling! Many of the events we're hosting and participating in require an RSVP, so please don't miss out. Take a look now.

And speaking of not missing out, be sure to like FSG's community site on Facebook, Book Keeping, where you'll get the scoop on all sorts of fun stuff (ie: my top FSG picks from 2012).

Deep Thoughts

Happy Holidays!

Tomorrow I'm heading back to the coast from whence I came, so you won't see any updates to the blog until I return on January 2nd. Thank you so much for reading along this year! I hope to see you back here next year for news, reviews, giveaways, and more.

Have an amazing holiday, everyone! Give lots of hugs this year.

Deep Thoughts

SNACK ATTACK!

Please note:

SURPRISE AFTERNOON CUPCAKE TRUCK!! Thanks for the lil treat, @lordandtaylor and @sweeterynyc. xoxo twitter.com/MacmillanLib/s…
— Macmillan Library (@MacmillanLib) December 6, 2012

That is all.

Deep Thoughts

Monday Fun Day! (11/26/2012 Edition)

Welcome back from Thanksgiving, everyone!

I hope you all had an uncomfortably delicious holiday. While you're recovering with your leftovers lunch we have a few items to share with you:

- Teen Librarians, please join us next Tuesday (12/4) for the Association of American Publishers' first ever Children's and YA Tri-State Book Buzz! There will be goodie bags, galleys, breakfast, and good times. RSVP now!

- Nancy Pearl named SHINE SHINE SHINE by Lydia Netzer one of her top ten favorite reads of the year! SHINE SHINE SHINE was also one of my favorites. See Nancy's full favorites list here.

- The paperback of Talia's tell-all memoir is coming out in January, so be sure to check that out...

Deep Thoughts

More on Book Keeping in Shelf Awareness!

We already told you about Farrar, Straus and Giroux's wonderful world of Book Keeping on Facebook (remember?), but now you can learn all the ins and outs of this great new community site in today's dedicated Shelf Awareness mailing!

Learn more here!

Deep Thoughts

Dispatches from that Little Bookstore in Big Stone Gap

"Big Stone Gap is truly, madly, amazingly beautiful."
—Wendy Welch, in THE LITTLE BOOKSTORE OF BIG STONE GAP

"Hold up... IS THIS PLACE FOR REAL?!"
—Me, in the doorway of the little bookstore of Big Stone Gap

Dearest librarians,

I have returned alive and unscathed from my weekend field excursion to the Tales of the Lonesome Pine Bookstore, a magical little mansion-turned-bookstore in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Well, to be totally honest I'm a little scratched up thanks to an overly-playful kitten (I'm looking at you, Owen!), but below the love-scratches I'm all gushy and glowing inside.

I happen to know the dapper fellow who has been bookshop-sitting while bookstore co-owners Wendy and Jack are traveling the country on book tour. I've been bugging him since day one for pics, updates, and the stories behnd the stories, but eventually I had to haul myself down there and experiece it for myself.

There are few things more satisfying than heading downstairs for coffee in the morning, passing by tens of thousands of books ready for reading, and settling into a big, comfy chair with a lapful of unearned affection from a horde of well-loved pets. The coziness factor is completely out of control! Everyone is so freaking welcoming! There are a suspicious number of cats napping in all the right places!

In fact, the more I remember from my trip, the more I think I never went to Virginia at all. I probably just visited my local REKAL branch and had my perfect weekend getaway implanted in my memory.

Wendy and Jack have admittedly had their ups and downs moving into a small town and opening an independent bookstore. You can and should read all about their journey in Wendy's memoir, but the home/business/animal sanctuary that they live/work/play in today is straight out of a book lover's dream.

If you're ever in the area, do yourself a favor and stop by.

Giveaway!

UPDATE: This contest is now closed. Congratulations to winner Melissa Gray from St. Paul Public Library!
We're also giving away a signed copy of THE LITTLE BOOKSTORE OF BIG STONE GAP to one lucky librarian and I just extended to the entrance deadline until this Friday. Details here!

Deep Thoughts

The In-House Boozy Book Brahmin!

peter and mary Hey! We know that guy!

In today's issue of Shelf Awareness for readers St. Martin's Press editor Peter Joseph was interviewed about his absorbing new recipe book Boozy Brunch: The Quintessential Guide to Daytime Drinking, an important survival resource we're going to need to get our hands on ASAP!

If only we'd known there was a boozy brunch expert in our midst. We would have helped with the research!

Read the Shelf Awareness interview here.

Deep Thoughts

Monday Recovery Day

Ladies and gentlemen, the Flatiron is powered up and Macmillan is officially back in action post-Sandy!

Our hearts go out to everyone who was and still is affected by the hurricane. We wish you all the best recovering safely and returning to normal.

We're having some e-mail recovery delays today. Please feel free to resend urgent e-mails from the past week. We appreciate your patience while we get back on our feet!

UPDATE:
We're still not receiving external e-mails. Even if you do NOT get a bounce back notification, it's likely we will not receive your e-mail today. Please feel free to call Ali at (646) 307-5486, comment below, or tweet at @MacmillanLib.

Despite the troubles, it was great to walk in this morning and see that the lights are on, the water's running, and the Publishers Weekly's Best Books 2012 issue is out! They compiled a great list and we'll start by applauding four titles that we're delighted to see in the Top 10:

BRING UP THE BODIES by Hilary Mantel
THE PEOPLE WHO EAT DARKNESS by Richard Lloyd Parry
ALL WE KNOW by Lisa Cohen
DETROIT CITY IS THE PLACE TO BE by Mark Binelli

See the full 2012 Top 10 list here. We'll be making noise about the rest of the best later this week!

Please stay safe and we hope to hear from you all again soon!

Deep Thoughts

Macmillan Offices Closed, but We're Doing Fine!

Thank you so much to everyone who has checked in on us during and after Sandy! Talia and I are both alive and well and incredibly thankful to be with power and without flooding. We hope you're all safe and comfortable, as well.

Unfortunately we can't say the same for our beloved Flatiron building. The power is out in a few of our office locations, so Macmillan is closed until further notice.

Updates:

Due to conditions in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, all Macmillan offices in NY and NJ will remain closed on Wednesday Oct 31st.

— Macmillan Reads (@macmillanreads) October 30, 2012

Macmillan Employees: There continues to be no power in the NYC or NJ offices. The offices will remain closed through Nov 1. (via @tordotcom)

— Farrar,Straus&Giroux (@fsgbooks) October 31, 2012

The offices will remain closed in NY & NJ through Thursday Nov 1. Check back daily here, or at 888-845-8477 ext: 7771 for updates .

— St. Martin's Press (@StMartinsPress) October 31, 2012

Macmillan offices will remain closed Friday November 2nd. Check back here or call 888-845-8477 ext: 7771 or 540-672-7771 for updates.

— St. Martin's Press (@StMartinsPress) November 1, 2012

Huzzah! Macmillan is back in action! We're having some e-mail recovery delays. Please resend urgent e-mails and we appreciate your patience.

— Macmillan Library (@MacmillanLib) November 5, 2012