Articles tagged "Jay Kristoff"

Publishers Weekly's Best of Fall 2012

September is almost upon us and that means Fall titles are about to start showing up at your library waiting to be shelved!

At the beginning of August Publishers Weekly posted their list of The Best Books of Fall 2012, let's take another look at the Macmillan titles on that list, shall we?

SEPTEMBER

STORMDANCER by Jay Kristoff
"Kristoff’s imaginative fantasy debut presents the feudal, dystopian Shima Empire, a menacing Japanese-inspired setting in which 'the lotus must bloom' even though it turns all it touches into a toxic wasteland. The innovative setting, fast-moving plot, vivid descriptions, and thrilling action scenes make this a refreshing addition to the steampunk canon."
THE SCIENTISTS: a Family Romance by Marco Roth
"In this powerfully forlorn debut memoir, literary critic Roth mines the silence and shame he experienced growing up on Central Park West in the 1980s and ’90s as his scientist father died of AIDS."

OCTOBER

MASTER OF THE MOUNTAIN: Thomas Jefferson and His Slaves by Henry Wiencek
"Written by NBCC-award winnig historian Wiencek (THE HAIRSTONS: An American Epic in Black and White), this meticulous account indicts not only Thomas Jefferson -- who referred to blacks as 'degraded and different' with 'no place in our country' -- but also modern apologists who wish to retain him as a moral standard of liberty. Wiencek’s vivid, detailed history casts a new slant on a complex man."

NOVEMBER

THE FUN STUFF by James Wood
"This collection of 23 essays gathered from the New Republic, the London Review of Books, and the New Yorker offers the latest proof that Wood (HOW FICTION WORKS) is one of the best readers writing today. Devouring these pieces back to back feels like having a long conversation about books with your most erudite, articulate, and excitable friend."

"We've combed through hundreds of books to find our favorites of what's on tap for the season," said Publishers Weekly.

Debuts

Monday Fun Day! (7/30/2012 Edition)

Happy Monday, librarians! Welcome to the party (read: work week).

Today we're bringing you the good news about a few very special debuts.

- First of all, congratulations to Darynda Jones! The Romance Writers of America selected her debut, FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT, as the 2012 RITA Winner for Best First Book! The first three books in this series starring part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper Charley Davidson are available now from St. Martin's Press with a fourth coming soon! See all of this year's RITA winners here.

- If your patrons are looking for high-adventure of the steampunk variety with a Japanese twist, we're giving away galleys of STORMDANCER by Jay Kristoff. It's a swashbuckling debut that Publishers Weekly named their Pick of the Week!

- Earlier this month we posted a Q&A with Lydia Netzer, debut author of SHINE SHINE SHINE. Goodreads also interviewed Lydia. Read it here!

Meanwhile in North Carolina...

Talia and the cats are still unpacking and adjusting to the new place.

cat and boxes

To her great delight, whilst out adventuring in her new neighborhood Talia popped into the local Barnes & Noble and spotted a shelf almost entirely dedicated to St. Martin's Griffin titles!

b&n shelf

Debuts

Pick of the Week: Stormdancer!

"As the iron war club scythed toward her head, Yukiko couldn't help wishing she'd listened to her father."

So starts STORMDANCER, Jay Kristoff's action-packed steampunk dystopian fantasy debut that takes place in a feudal Japan-like world.

When 16-year-old Yukiko and her father are sent to capture the last of the griffins for a murderous Shogun, disaster befalls their mission and Yukiko finds herself stranded in the wilderness with a crippled griffin. Now it's up to Yokiko to heal the griffin and save her homelands from the evil Shogun.

"The innovative setting, fast-moving plot, vivid descriptions, and thrilling action scenes make this a refreshing addition to the steampunk canon." -Publishers Weekly (starred review, Pick of the Week)

"Debut author Kristoff's steampunk adventure whisks readers to a Japanese dystopia where some mythological beings still exist, a few people have fantastical gifts, and all people live under tyranny." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Barbara Hoffert from Library Journal selected STORMDANCER for her "Barbara's Picks" column and said, "Japanese steampunk? You bet. [...] This first in The Lotus War series has five-star early reviews, and nearly 1000 folks have lined up on Goodreads to crack the covers. Get it."

Sound good?

We have 10 galleys left to giveaway to interested librarians! The first ten librarians to leave a comment below will each receive a copy! This giveaway is open to current librarians in the U.S. only. Go!

STORMDANCER will be available in September from St. Martin's Press.

Reviews and Publicity

The Ultimate #BookBattle2 Webinar Title List

Today at 2pm Talia and Chris (Sterling) are going head-to-head in a reprise of their Oscar-nominated book buzz performance from ALA Annual and you don't want to miss it this time around. Sign up now!

UPDATE: This event is now over. The archived Booklist webinar will be available here soon!

Here's a sneak peek at the books that Talia will be talking about this afternoon (and see her full slide deck here!). WARNING: Major spoilers below!

50 SHADES OF GREY Read-Alikes:

WILD CARD by Lora Leigh
BLUSH by Opal Carew
PANIC SNAP by Laura Reese
TOPPING FROM BELOW by Laura Reese

Adult Titles:

THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY by Louise Penny
A KILLING IN THE HILLS by Julia Keller
ROGUE by Mark Sullivan
YOUNG PHILBY by Robert Littell
CHINESE WHISKERS by Pallavi Aiyar
PAW PRINTS IN THE MOONLIGHT by Denis O'Connor
MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND by Matthew Dicks
THE FORGETTING TREE by Tatjana Soli
THE ELEMENTALS by Francesca Lia Block
GRACE GROWS by Shelle Sumners
HOW I CAME TO SPARKLE AGAIN by Kaya McLaren
MR. PENUMBRA'S 24-HOUR BOOKSTORE by Robin Sloan
STORMDANCER by Jay Kristoff
THIS BOOK IS FULL OF SPIDERS by David Wong
SHAKESPEARE'S TREMOR AND ORWELL'S COUGH by John J. Ross, M.D.
WE KILLED by Yael Kohen

Teen Titles:

WAKE and LULLABY by Amanda Hocking
BENEATH THE GLITTER by Elle & Blair Fowler
ECHO by Alyson Noel
DEATH AND THE GIRL NEXT DOOR by Darynda Jones
WHISPERS AT MOONRISE by C.C. Hunter
THIS IS NOT A TEST by Courtney Summers
SPARK by Amy Kathleen Ryan
GLITCH by Heather Anastasiu
MIDNIGHT CITY by J. Barton Mitchell
THE HUNT by Andrew Fukuda

And, of course...

PIPPI MOVES IN! by Astrid Lindgren