Welcome to New York! The Upright Piano Player on the Plane, My Korean Deli on the Ground.

Greetings from the Holiday Inn Midtown, where many booksellers are staying during the annual Book Expo America convention.  I am very excited because the internet is free, the bedding is updated, the manager was nice, and there is no hole in the wall (yes, that has happened to me at other New York Hotels).  No, you didn't navigate to Trip Advisor by mistake. (Note: by the end of the show, I heard that many of the rooms were not updated, there were way too many smoking rooms allotted to nonsmokers, and our television, air conditioning, and toilet were sort of broken.  But such promise!
I also want to give a shout out to Frontier Airlines. I was a fiercely loyal Midwest Airlines customer, refusing to swtich to Northwest during the price wars when they'd sometimes be quite a bit cheaper, yes, even when I was paying.  And I've been a bit at sea about the changeover.  But I messed up my flight, and had to get it changed, and Frontier was very easy to deal with. 

Coincidentally I wound up sitting with Dave, the buyer from Next Chapter. He was reading Liesl and Po, the forthcoming novel by Lauren Oliver, while I was finishing up The Upright Piano Player, a first novel from David Abbott that my rep Jason was crazy about.  It's a man forcibly retired from the business he built up, beset by a number of setbacks, some minor and some major--his estranged wife is battling cancer, and he has a stalker, to name two.  It's like reading Anita Brookner, but with plot twists, and I think Ian McEwan is also a good comparison.  "Elegant, rich, and gratifying," says The Indendent, with assorted other UK-style raves thrown in for good measure on the back of my reader's copy. I have to wrap my head around the significance of the title, but all in all, Jason G. (the rep) made a great call and I'm glad I read this. The Upright Piano Player is coming out June 21 (update--moved up to 6/7!), which is certainly close enough for you to put it on hold with us.  And I checked Jason K.'s files, (the Boswell buyer) and this book will be Boswell's Best on arrival. Such a deal at 20% off (effectively 25% if you are a Boswell Benefits member, as the dollars accrue to your $5 coupon).

So I'm in New York, and my Sunday dinner companion has cancelled.  I need something to eat!  I think fondly of My Korean Deli, that delightful memoir that was published in March, but I only got around to reading recently.  Too bad I now know that all those steam tables are institutional food warmed up in the basement.  What no local chefs?  I'm shocked.  In the end, Ben convinced his mother-in-law to forego the steam table in midtown for a convenience store in Boerum Hill.

What convinced me to read this?  Well I was complaining to a New York writer friend that I just wasn't getting into anything I was picking up.  I needed a book that was an instant delight, and she immediately sent me a list.  Thanks, E.L.!  Since I had just read all these highbrow food books like Life, on the Line, and The Sorcerer's Apprentices, this was sort of the anti-foodie foodie book.  Just right!

It's Ben's wife's idea to buy the place. Gab gives up a corporate law job to give back to her mother, one of the many Korean families that came the U.S. in the 1980s to make a new life for their families.  Her father is a fix-it guy, but Kay's experience is in running restaurants and bakeries, though her vision of America is much shaped by gigs in Ohio and Texas; New York is a whole nother kettle of fish.  And Boerum Hill turns out to be not exactly what they expected either. It's gentrifying, but not that quickly*. Change the coffee to something drinkable (and more expensive) or get ride of the "cash in a flash" lottery machine and face the consequences!

And of course Ben keeps his day job at the Paris Review.  Coincidentally I had just had a long conversation with a local writer who had gone through a long and involved process applying for a job there.  He finally made it to the great Plimpton himself, but I don't think that interview went well.  George's loss is Milwaukee's gain. What a lovely book, and just right to put me in the mood for the convention. 

*What they've got turns out to be not quite a Korean Deli, but more of a Ko-dega. And here's a little interesting publishing history.  I was talking to my friend Billy, another fan of the book, and he told me it was edited by Gillian Blake, who came over from Harper.  Apparently she brought the book with her, as the book still has a ghost ISBN that shows up on our website.  There is no paperback available. And also the price is a bit off in the database for the hardcover edition.  Somebody needs to update their database (and note, not us, as we have no control over this stuff.)

Spring Rep Night at Next Chapter, Part 1: Random Ramblings from Jason and Tim

It's been years since I've attended a spring rep night.  We did one at Schwartz about 5-6 years ago, but since then, something always gets in the way of making new traditions.  Like when do you host them?  In order to get the most bang for the buck, it seems like March is the best month, so you can talk up Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduation, and summer reading.  But honestly, that feels too close to the last round in the fall.

May seemed as good a time as any, and the guys at Random House put something together with our hosts at Next Chapter in Mequon, also inviting folks from Books and Company in Oconomowoc.  I really like these events, particularly as way more books tend to be off my radar than when I was a buyer.  I look through catalogs (either paper or virtual), but it all seems a blur.

I should say now that if the rep didn't put the book on their tip sheet, I can't remember it.  Yes, it's only the next day.  Pathetic, right?

Some Jason suggestions:

The Upright Piano Player, by David Abbott.  Jason's been talking this up for months, comparing it to Ian McEwan and Anne Tyler. A man on the edge of the retirement has a well-ordered life, but under the surface, things are a bit messier.  Rep Jason said, I heard you liked Stoner so I think this book is for you (just like a bookseller)  It is said to be one of those novels where every sentence, no every word, is perfectly thought out.  And apparently the author is, well, seasoned, which is nice to see.  (out June 7)

Moondogs, by Alexander Yates.  This is one of those glorious novels that has a lot of interconnected plotlines that almost seem like stories. Characters include "a missing American businessman in the Philippines, his estranged son, his jilted lover, a slick police commissioner, some ruffled dignitaries, a misguided villain, one badass rooster, and some supernatural saviors who all want a piece of him."   I like novels described as "overstuffed" but when I hear "gritty" and Tarantino-esque", I get nervous.  But I can think of folks to sell this to. (available)

The Devil All the Time, by Donald Ray Pollock.  This guy wrote the buzzed-about Knockemstiff collection.  Jason says the new book makes Winter's Bone looks like a Disney movie.  I thought, "Well, maybe Miramax in its heyday."  Set in rural Ohio and West Virginia, the bunch populating this novel consists of serial killers, tormented vets, cancer victims, and spider-handling preachers.  Dark and violent is an understatment. (out July 12)

Conquistadora, by Esmeralda Santiago.  Everyone is calling this a Puerto Rican Gone with the Wind.  This upper class Spanish woman escapes to a Caribbean sugar plantation and falls in with twin brothers. There always seems to be a place for a sprawling, romantic historical.  And Booklist says "The issues of social caste, slavery, and sex roles make this a fascinating read."  Oh, and to keep with the theme, I'm sure there are some violent moments too. (out July 12)

We're also very hot on The Last Werewolf, by Glen Duncan, having already had great reads on the book (also out July 12) from Jason and Greg.  Jake Marlowe learns that he's the last werewolf when his friend from WOCOP (World Organization for the Control of Occult Phenomena) tells him so.  He also knows he is doomed to die. He's also wanted by vampires, who learn that a werewolf bit makes them insensitive to sunlight. 

Here are some kid-friendly picks from Tim Mooney.

The Watcher, written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter.  It's a picture book about Jane Goodall.  I guess there's so many kids books on Goodall that the New York Times did a roundup.  (Amie is also a fan of Patick McDonnell's Me,,,Jane). The illustrations are really bright and will pop for young readers and listeners.


A Ball for Daisy, written and illustrated by Chirs Raschka. Caldecott winner Raschka has "written" a wordless book about a dog and her ball.  Amie says it has some of her favorite Raschka illustrations and another attendee says it is perfect for crazy dog people too. Awwwwwwww.

Baby Badger's Wonderful Night, by Karen Saunders.  Daddy Badger helps his son overcome his fear of night-time.  Pam really likes this one too.  And you know that if it's about badgers, it will probably sell better in Wisconsin.

The Friendship Doll, by Kirby Larson.  In 1927, 58 friendship dolls were sent to the United States to promote friendship.  This is the story about one of them, Mis Kanagawa, and the four girls whose lives were changed by her. Jocelyn is a big fan, and her swansong recommendation was included in the summer 2011 kids recs from the American Booksellers Association. "What  beautiful, rich, and heartbreaking story," she opines.

And Amie wanted to make sure that I included The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, the third installment in this popular series.  Dad's on honeymoon so the sisters are off to Maine (another book from Jason is called Maine, which apparently represents vacation to East Coast) for rollicking adventure. The first book in this series won the National Book Award.  Even Jason read it.

Many of these books came out May 10, which apparently is the kid equivalent of July 12.

I was going to include John too, but that's too many recs for one blog post!  So look for his suggestions in a future update.