A Wealth of Books!

I wish that I had taken a photo of the South County Library staff yesterday when the boxes from Book Expo arrived. I think that I was more excited than Jess and Kathleen, the actual attendees. One of the first things I'll do when I retire will be to call Maryellen (who will also be retired) and book our trip to NYC. We won't be reimbursed, no, but we also won't have to worry about staffing levels or be circumscribed by policy on who we want to see and when.

The cartons of books were a heavy lift but Jessica got them up on carts and we dug in. I love my Nook, no question, but there's nothing like fingering the pages of advanced reader's copies, realizing that one is about to be ahead of the curve, pronouncing on the new novels before the general public gets to see them.

I immediately emailed Barbara Hoffert, book editor at Library Journal, to brag that I was holding in my hand an autographed copy of Amy Waldman's much anticipated The Submission, a novel about choosing the architectural design for a memorial at ground zero. Could I go ahead and review it? And, while I'm at it, and since I'm leaving next week for a "reading" vacation in Maryland and Massachusetts, would she like me to tackle the new Anne Enright? Tom Perrotta? Alice Hoffman?

The Perrotta it is! Kudos to Kathleen Young-Wells for accosting Mr. Perrotta at BEA. Declaring herself his biggest fan anywhere - we librarians love superlatives - she was able to acquire an autographed copy for herself and another one for me. Please note that he graciously responded that he'd been waiting for her all his life. She swooned.

The man must be prescient as his latest novel in a long list of work noted for its blatant social commentary involves - you guessed it - the Rapture! Ironically titled The Leftovers, of which I surely hope I'm one, this is another book that's been getting plenty of hype. I can't wait to dig in.

I began The Submission at 7 AM, eschewing my NY Times and the No-News News Press, and honestly, if I wasn't on my way to the doctor's office for the results of an MRI, and then on to lunch at
Crave, I'd be plopped in a chair until I finished this remarkable novel. It's exceeding even my high expectations. I'll link to the reviews the minute they're published.