Bookstore Love: New York's Books of Wonder

I was in New York recently to meet with my editor and agent and make my first visit to the HarperCollins offices (which is like one spectacular bookstore itself… I kept stopping to ooh and ahh at the shelves!). It was right after the ALA mid-winter meeting where the youth media awards were presented, and I was hoping to pick up something awesome to read on the train home. So I popped into one of my favorite NYC bookstores, Books of Wonder! And look what greeted me right inside the door:

A handy display of Caldecott, Newberry and other ALA award winners.

I snagged copies of THE CROSSOVER and EL DEAFO, then I moseyed over to the YA section to pet the books browse the shelves (and, okay, I'll admit it… to imagine my own book up there). As a member of the Fearless Fifteeners group of 2015 debut YA and MG authors, it's fun find their newly released books out in the wild. 

Look, there's Michelle Falkoff's Playlist for the Dead 
trying to hide from me...

…and Dan Gemenhart's The Honest Truth practically jumping off the shelf!

I also had to stop in the picture book section, and ogle the gorgeous titles there (wishing my kids were still picture book age!).

Even more fun—I'll be making an appearance at Books of Wonder with seven other 2015 YA debut authors on Saturday, June 20, as part of the TEEN DEBUT SPOTLIGHT: FEARLESS FIFTEENERS event. 

Hope to see you there!

International Giveaway of 2 signed ARCs (advance reader copies) on Goodreads!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Between the Notes

by Sharon Huss Roat

Giveaway ends April 06, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Bookstore Love: Austin's BookPeople

NEW FEATURE! Today begins a new series on my blog: Bookstore Love! 

Do you recognize these shelves?

I was looking through my photographs recently and realized how many pictures I have taken in bookstores. My travel photos ALWAYS include scenes of at least one or two YA bookshelves. (Am I the only one who does this? Please confess in the comments if you do it, too!) 

So, why not share all that bookstore love on my blog? It is infinitely more interesting than talking about myself! 

I am particularly fond of tiny little stores that cram books into every possible nook and cranny, and rambling bookstores in oddly-shaped buildings. But what I love most are bookstores that hang review cards and staff recommendations from the shelves. Nobody does that better than BookPeople in Austin, Texas.

It's the lovely Teen Lit section at BookPeople! See all the little review tags
placed at eye level? (They were on a lower shelf in the middle grade section!) 

Yes, yes… I'll give you an up-close look at some of the tags! These photos were taken two years ago when my daughter and I went to Texas for spring break. Flipping through these photos now is like a walk down memory lane of my favorite books from 2013. Look at all the pretties!

Don't you just love the little mask on the Smoke & Bone review,
and the heart for Paper Valentine?

Oooh… three favorites in a row. 

And here's a close-up of the review for Amy McNamara's
gorgeous novel, LOVELY, DARK & DEEP. 

Spot any favorites? I could spend hours in this store, reading all the beautifully illustrated (and laminated!) reviews. I'm just looking for reasons to travel to Austin again so I can see what's on the shelves there now. Maybe someone will send me a photo? (Hint, hint.) 

I'll be posting more of my own bookstore love in the weeks ahead, and inviting some author friends to share theirs, too. But now, I must dash to my local indie to pick up a stack of books I ordered. (And take photos, of course. They're next up on Bookstore Love!)

Praise for BETWEEN THE NOTES

"Absolutely charming. Perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, this story will leave you cheering." 

— Tahereh Mafi, New York Times bestselling

author of the Shatter Me series

"Once I started this book, I dropped everything and read it in one fell swoop. I love how Sharon Huss Roat allows Ivy and her other teenaged characters to be fully human, capable of petty snobbery and meanness, yes, but also of courage, humor, and startling kindness. I rooted, with all my heart, for every one of them." 

— Marisa de los Santos, New York Times 

bestselling author of LOVE WALKED IN and BELONG TO ME

"BETWEEN THE NOTES is a tender, funny, and heartfelt tale about what happens when privileged Ivy Emerson loses her house and her grand piano—and discovers that sometimes, the most beautiful music comes from the most unexpected places.This pitch-perfect debut will leave fans of Sarah Dessen and Gayle Foreman cheering for more." 

— Hilary T. Smith, author of WILD AWAKE 

and A SENSE OF THE INFINITE

"Beautifully poignant and heartbreakingly real, Roat's debut is impossible to put down.  I was rooting for Ivy every step of the way!" 

— Lucy Connors, author of The Lonesome Young

"Romance takes the front seat in Sharon Roat's pitch-perfect debut novel, BETWEEN THE NOTES, about a privileged girl forced to adjust to life on the wrong side of the tracks - funny, real, and highly recommended." 

— Lauren Baratz-Logsted, author of Little Women and Me

"A wonderful debut, Between the Notes hits all the right notes." 

— Lisa Schroeder, author of ALL WE HAVE IS NOW 

and I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME

"A big-hearted, relatable debut! You’ll root for Ivy as she learns that owning who you really are is infinitely better than pretending to be someone else." 

— Amy McNamara, author of LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP

Four days left to win the best Valentine's gift ever: 16 contemporary YA debut novels!

Aren't they pretty? Don't you want to pet them, er… I mean, read them all? One lucky winner of the #WeHEARTContemporary giveaway will get to do just that. So, head on over to Cake Literary and enter by February 14th! Winner takes all! 

We HEART Contemporary! Giveaway! 16 books! Winner take all! Can you tell that I am excited?!?

The most awesome ladies over at Cake Literary are hosting a massive giveaway of YA contemporary novels for Valentine's Day! The winner will get signed ARC (advanced reader copy) of BETWEEN THE NOTES and 15 others! Check it out here.  

Under the Tree in 2014: My True Love Gave to Me, A Thousand Pieces of You, and a whole bunch more

There's always a long list of books on my holiday wish list, and this year my true love obliged… with a glorious stack of YA novels from my ever-growing wish list! Here's wrap-up of the holiday book haul at our house this year:

I adore all things Stephanie Perkins (author of ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR, and ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER), so I was delighted when I learned she had edited a collection of 12 holiday stories by many of my favorite YA authors. Just look at them all:

Any hopes of getting some writing done over the holidays are officially dashed. As soon as I finish this post, I'm digging in.

Where to start? I'm looking forward to getting my hands on some of the books my kids (ages 15 and almost-11) got this year as well:

Happy reading to all and to all a good year!