Update: “ALA is most definitely not selling its trade show to Reed.” ALA Exec. Director Keith Fields told Library Journal, but did say, “BEA and ALA have been talking about ways in which we might work more closely together in the future.”

Initial reactions by librarians on Twitter to the idea of a combined show were positive.

Rumored for years, but intensifying in the last few months, it’s now official that Reed Exhibitions is in talks to take over both ALA shows, Annual and MidWinter, as reported by Publishers Weekly. Several years ago, Reed bought the former American Booksellers Association show, turning it in to Book Expo America. The Association continues to run educational programs in conjunction with Book Expo.

Further, the PW story says that the ALA Annual and BEA shows may be joined. PW notes the shows are “very different.” Well, there’s an understatement. BEA, of course, is dominated by publishers, while ALA floor space features library vendors, many of them technology companies.

If this comes to pass, ALA would gain much-needed revenue from the sale, librarians would have access to a wider range of big-name authors, more galleys, and would not have to choose between attending the two shows. BEA, which has been downscaled over the years, would stand a better chance of surviving. If there are losers in the deal, it’s independent booksellers, who will compete for attention with the 15 to 20 thousand librarians who regularly come to ALA.

The two shows have a different approach to choosing locations. BEA has been sticking to New York, to make the show less costly for the majority of publishers, while ALA changes venues, to make the event more accessible to a broader range of libraries. The PW story says, “If a deal is reached, Reed is believed to favor locating BEA and the ALA annual meeting in 2012 in Chicago.”

Nothing is definite yet; Reed’s only comment is that talks are in progress. Library Journal reported on the PW story, and is seeking comment from ALA.

What manga titles have libraries overlooked? That was the question posed to a group of panelists, including myself, at the recent ALA.

Below are my own takes, plus one mulligan, to borrow an idea from fellow panelist Brigid Alverson.

Katherine Dacey was also on the panel,  moderated by Library Journal’s graphic novel columnist Martha Cornog. At the end of this post, check out Brigid and Katherine’s commentary and lists for the full complete panel experience!

To illustrate that these titles have indeed been overlooked by libraries, I’ve included at the end of each recommendation a note on how many libraries own each one according to Worldcat — for comparison, 705 libraries own the first volume of Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto and 634 own Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira.

Age Called Blue

Yaoi manga, or male/male romances written for a female audience, has the problem of containing a stereotypical triple threat: ridiculously pretty men, outrageous melodrama, and complete disregard for realism. Sometimes that’s what readers want, but if you want depth, honesty, and unvarnished romance, give est em’s work a try. Age Called Blue features brash young rock musicians trying to navigate professional opportunity and personal codependency, but this is no pop idol romance. It is about passion for music and for people, and est em gives readers an unflinching look at love between damaged, fragile people. It’s about figuring out how far is too far and why everyone’s limit is different and the betrayal you’ll forgive from a person you love. It’s about the moment when you have to let go of old fantasies and realize what you need is far simpler than what you dreamed.

est em has a strong sense of gesture and silence, and her rock ‘n’ roll men speak eloquently by trading guitar riffs as much as words. For libraries wondering about content, her works are adult but avoid full front nudity and explicit sex. est em is an intriguing, crossover creator. Her work is frequently published for gay men in Japan, and her stories strongly appeal to both men and women, gay and straight, in the US. (Owned by 6 libraries.)

The Flower of Life

Fumi Yoshinaga is well known for her titles including Antique Bakery and recent historical drama Ooku, but this series has slipped under the radar. In this series, Yoshinaga brings fresh life to the many cliches of high school dramedy manga. Here are high schoolers aspiring to be manga artists, school festivals, holiday celebrations, awkward romantic confessions, and even a clandestine teacher/student romance. Instead of manipulating all of these elements for cheap thrills, however, Yoshinaga relates these slice-of-life episodes with her trademark blend of honesty, sympathy, and wry sense of humor. In her hands, a Christmas gathering becomes an ode to good company: the music may be terrible, the food lackluster, and the decorations cheap, but if you’ve got your friends, you’re golden. Each chapter neatly sidesteps cliches by returning again and again to the characters. Yoshinaga can’t resist adding in moments of goofy hilarity, but every joke is balanced by a quiet observation. Side note: this is also one of the only manga series I’ve ever read that features an overweight character who is not present simply to provide comic relief. The Flower of Life is about high school but appeals to a wide range of teens through to adults. (Owned by 86 libraries.)

Ristorante Paradiso

This title is one of the few recent manga out there aimed squarely at adult women, and more librarians (and foodies!) should be picking it up. As a girl Nicoletta was left in the care of grandparents by her flighty mother Olga for one logical but unfeeling reason: her mother has met a new man who says he’ll never want children. Her mother chooses a new husband over her inconvenient daughter. Now 21, Nicoletta takes off for Rome to confront her mother once and for all. Instead she’s pulled into Olga’s world: she gets an unexpected chance to rebuild her relationship with her mother and discovers a new home in her mother’s restaurant. Ristorante Paradiso, full of deliciously described cuisine and staffed entirely by older, suave gentlemen, as well as squabbles, unsolicited advice, romantic tension, and dashing mentors. Nicoletta struggles to master cooking, family, and matters of the heart, and Ono’s fluid, sketchy art suits this young woman’s coming of age tale perfectly. Ono’s work is especially appealing for readers who are seeking out the indie side of manga; her art is intentionally unpolished and wonderfully expressive. (Owned by 24 libraries.)

20th Century Boys

Monster and Pluto get a lot of press as the go-to titles for Naoki Urasawa, one of the best manga-ka working today writing for adults. I am an unabashed fan of Pluto (old-school sci-fi gets me every time) but 20th Century Boys is the lesser known of his works. 20th Century Boys spans twenty two volumes, with nine volumes currently out, making it the longest of his series to hit the States; perhaps libraries are reluctant to commit to the series. This is a grand shame. An ambitious epic, I’d compare it in scope and style to the TV show Lost. The story starts out as a glimpse into the lives of a group of middle school friends and shows the way their childhood dreams have alternately lingered or faded as adult reality has set in. In Urasawa’s clever hands, though, 20th Century Boys quickly morphs into a thriller with conspiracies, secret organizations, cults, terrorism, and insidious politics. Multiple timelines, memories, and points of view to create a growing sense of unease as more and more threats are revealed like the ticking of a hidden bomb. Wisely, Urasawa keeps returning to the initial theme of lost dreams, particularly looking at the power of young imaginations as a gift that needs to be reclaimed. Urasawa has a flair for investigatory dramas, and the puzzle pieces falling into place as 20th Century Boys unfold is utterly compelling. Urasawa is not full of violence or sex, elements which sometime feel like the hallmarks of men’s manga, but counts on sincere emotion, heroism among everyday people, and deft pacing to envelop the reader. (Owned by 118 libraries.)

Wild Adapter

My own mulligan was a hard choice — which rare and relatively unseen manga do I add to my list? I decided to go with the still (sadly) incomplete but evocative Wild Adapter from manga creator Kazuya Minekura. I almost decided to chime in with Akimi Yoshida’s Banana Fish (please do check out the ongoing roundtable discussions I’m a part of here for more information): after all, who doesn’t like epic crime drama with a strong dose of emotional intensity and frequent mexican standoffs? With six volumes currently available, however, Wild Adapter provides a lot of the same appeal for less money spent by an individual library. Minekura is famous for combining smokin’ hot bad boys and demon action into an irreverent retelling of the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West in the popular series Saiyuki and Saiyuki Reload. The dreamboat stars are a calculated draw for female readers while the vicious action and goofy humor call out to the guys. Wild Adapter balances older audience elements just as well.  Minekura mixes together all of my favorite crime story flavors: yakuza (Japanese organized crime families), shadowy experiments, amnesia, badass fights, shifting loyalties, and bursts of bitter humor. A cryptic pair of leading men, who hide as many secrets from each other as from their myriad enemies, borrow attitude and grim determination from the best seinen (men’s) manga. The relationship between the two, however, full of slowly building tension that borders on but never explicitly becomes romantic, is pure josei (women’s manga) tradition. Her artwork delineates the action and mystery just as surely as she loads a touch or a glance with meaning. Minekura has been on hiatus in order to recover from illness, but fans both in Japan and in the US eagerly await news about when the series will restart. (Owned by 45 libraries.)

Read about Brigid’s picks:

Cat’s Paradise by Yuji Iwahara (Owned by 42 libraries.)
ES: Eternal Sabbath by Fuyumi Soryo (Owned by 86 libraries.)
Suppli by Mari Okazaki (Owned by 19 libraries.)
Twin Spica by Kou Yaginuma (Owned by 44 libraries.)
And her mulligan: Me and the Devil Blues by Akira Hiramoto (Owned by 46 libraries.)

You can also check out Martha Cornog’s two picks in Brigid’s post:

Cinderalla by by Junko Mizuno (Owned by 29 libraries.)
Lady Snowblood by Kazuo Koike & Kazuo Kamimura (Owned by 144 libraries.)

Read about Katherine’s picks:

The Four Immigrants Manga by Henry Yoshitaka Kiyama (Owned by 443 libraries.)
Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki (Owned by 130 libraries.)
Satsuma Gishiden by Hiroshi Hirata (Owned by 36 libraries.)
Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms by Fumyio Kouno (Owned by 206 libraries.)
And her mulligan: Phoenix: Civil War by Osamu Tezuka (Owned by 309 libraries.)

Just received Mike Rockliff’s always informative and interesting “Workman Update,” with the list of authors and galleys at Workman’s booth, #2701. They will have Advance Readers Copies of the book he’s been raving about for months (and, yes, I do always believe what Mike says about books), West of Here, by Jonathan Evison. The book’s editor is Chuck Adams, who also edited Water for Elephants and A Reliable Wife.

West of Here Jonathan Evison Retail Price: $24.95 Hardcover: 496 pages Publisher: Algonquin Books – (2011-02-15) ISBN / EAN: 1565129520 / 9781565129528

Our Galley Chat last week turned into a discussion of galleys to grab at ALA. Below are highlights, but for a longer rundown of titles to look for, check out the picks from the Librarians Shout & Share program at BEA as well as the longer list of all the titles that were mentioned.

Several people recommended the following on Galley Chat:

Juliet Anne Fortier Retail Price: $25.00 Hardcover: 464 pages Publisher: Ballantine Books – (2010-08-24) ISBN / EAN: 0345516109 / 9780345516107

RH Audio; UNABR; 9780739384954; $40

A debut novel that comes with great expectations on the publisher’s part, after pre-empting the book prior to what was shaping up to become a heated auction. This is the story of a young woman who travels to Siena and delves into the story of her ancestors, Romeo and Giuletta (wait; didn’t they die in Verona? Appears there may be a twist here), just received a starred review in PW.

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Cleopatra: A Biography Stacy Schiff Retail Price: $29.99 Hardcover: 384 pages Publisher: Little, Brown and Company – (2010-11-01) ISBN / EAN: 0316001929 / 9780316001922

Hachette LARGE PRINT; Hdbk; 9780316120449; $31.99
Hachette Audio; UNABR; 9781607887010; 34.98

The bio of the Egytian queen and renowned beauty now has the added interest that the rights have been bought for a movie, with the possibility of Angelina Jolie playing Cleopatra.

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One Galley Chatter mentioned that The Room was “all over BEA.” We’ve been hearing great things about it from librarians who have read the galley.

Room: A Novel Emma Donoghue Retail Price: $24.99 Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Little, Brown and Company – (2010-09-13) ISBN / EAN: 0316098337 / 9780316098335

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My own recommendations are on an earlier post, but I want to give special attention to Up From the Blue, a debut by Susan Henderson. Just check out these amazing quotes; I agree with every one of them. Since it’s being published in trade paperback, you can take a risk and buy a few extra copies for your readers advisors.

Up from the Blue: A Novel Susan Henderson Retail Price: $13.99 Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Harper Paperbacks – (2010-10-01) ISBN / EAN: 0061984035 / 9780061984037

We just learned that Tantor Audio will be hosting Marilyn Johnson, author of This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All at booth #2853 on Saturday, 4 to 5 p.m. during ALA.

MARILYN JOHNSON
This Book Is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All

Read by Hillary Huber
Running Time: 7 hrs 30 min – Unabridged
Trade; 9781400116348; 6 Audio CDs; $34.99
Library; 9781400146345; 6 Audio CDs; $69.99
MP3; 9781400166343; 1 MP3-CD; $24.99

If you’re going to D.C. this week, you have a rare opportunity to see Carl Jung’s The Red Book, which will be on view in a special exhibition, at the Library of Congress (Mon, through Sat, 8:30 to 4:30 p.m.)

In the book, Jung chronicled in words and drawings his own hallucinations during a mental breakdown. He considered The Red Book the wellspring of all his works, but it was locked away in a vault until last year when it was sent to New York for public viewing and Norton published a facsimile. It was also featured in the New York Times Magazine.

The following spread is from Norton’s catalog.

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The Red Book C. G. Jung Retail Price: $195.00 Hardcover: 416 pages Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. – (2009-10-07) ISBN / EAN: 0393065677 / 9780393065671

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Like many of you, I rely on John Berry’s preview of ALA conference to help me find my way through the approximately 2,000 programs and meetings going on. I was in a bit of a panic, because I couldn’t find it on the new on the LJ Web site (ah, the challenges of transitioning to new servers; I am totally sympathetic). Found it in the nick of time.

ALA 2010: The Costly Cornucopia

Also, Cindy Orr at the Readers Advisor Online blog has a great rundown of Readers Advisory programming.

ALA Annual Conference RA Programs

Of the listings, I want to give a special shout-out to Neal Wyatt’s brainchild, the RA Research and Trends Forum. This year, the topic is visual narratives, examined in several formats; love the idea of mixing together video games, graphic novels and illuminated manuscripts.

RA Research and Trends Forum
Saturday June 26th, 4-5:30 p.m.
Convention Center, room 204 B/C

Nathan Altice, video game narratives
Tom De Haven, on graphic novels; an expert on comics, De Haven is known for his comics-themed novels, the Derby trilogy and It’s Superman
Daniel De Simone, LC’s expert on illuminated manuscripts

Also, don’t forget the publishers buzz sessions, which we ran down last week:

From the Inside(rs) Out: Book Editors and the New Titles They Love
Friday, June 25 from 3:30 to 5:00 (just prior to the opening of the Exhibit floor)
Convention Center; Room 103A

HarperCollins FALL TITLE Presentation
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Convention Center, Room 147A
Adult Titles, 10:00 AM – 11:15 AM
Childrens Titles, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
RSVP to: Bobby Brinson, HarperCollins

Random House, Inc. BOOK BUZZ
Sunday, June 27th
Convention Center, Room 152A
Children’s Titles: 10:00am – 11:00am
Adult Titles: 11:15am – 12:15pm
RSVP to: Library@RandomHouse

And, check the publisher’s ads to find out which authors will be featured in their booths (hint: Vicki Myron will be at one of them):

Random House, booth #2903

Penguin, boooth #2505

Publisher buzz sessions have become useful, not to mention fun, sources of insight into forthcoming titles librarians need to know about.

At ALA for the first time this year, the Trade Libraries Committee of the Association of American Publishers will present book editors buzzing their favorite fall titles, moderated by Nancy Pearl.

From the Inside(rs) Out: Book Editors and the New Titles They Love
Friday, June 25 from 3:30 to 5:00 (just prior to the opening of the Exhibit floor)
Convention Center; Room 103A

Also scheduled are sessions by publishers’ library marketing departments; great not only for getting advance buzz, but galleys, totes and (much-needed) refreshment. Earlier sessions are where librarians first heard about titles that are just breaking out now, like A Fierce Radiance or The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.

Important Note; the publishers request that you register in advance so they will have enough goodies on hand. However, if you forget to RSVP, no worries; we’ve never seen anyone turned away at the door, just be respectful of the limited quantities of freebies.

HarperCollins FALL TITLE Presentation
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Convention Center, Room 147A
Adult Titles, 10:00 AM – 11:15 AM
Childrens Titles, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
RSVP to: Bobby Brinson, HarperCollins

If you’re wondering how much the HC Library Marketing team can BUZZ, check out their photo here!

Random House, Inc. BOOK BUZZ
Sunday, June 27th
Convention Center, Room 152A
Children’s Titles: 10:00am – 11:00am
Adult Titles: 11:15am – 12:15pm
RSVP to: Library@RandomHouse

The RUSA Reading List Awards are unusual for ALA; rather than literary fiction, they focus on genres, most of which are overlooked when best books awards are being handed out.

The awards were announced at MidWinter. Adriana Trigiani won in the Women’s Fiction category  and did what any bestselling author would do in her situation; she called her mom (who is a librarian).

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Winners are below, the full lists, with runners-up and readalikes (this is RUSA, after all!)  is available here.

Adrenaline

(Action, Thrillers and Adventure)

Gone Tomorrow (Jack Reacher, No. 13) Lee Child Retail Price: $27.00 Hardcover: 432 pages Publisher: Delacorte Press – (2009-05-19) ISBN / EAN: 0385340575 / 9780385340571

Fantasy

Lamentation (The Psalms of Isaak) Ken Scholes Retail Price: $7.99 Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages Publisher: Tor Fantasy – (2009-09-01) ISBN / EAN: 0765360918 / 9780765360915

Historical Fiction

Agincourt: A Novel Bernard Cornwell Retail Price: $14.99 Paperback: 512 pages Publisher: Harper Paperbacks – (2010-01-01) ISBN / EAN: 0061578908 / 9780061578908

Horror

Last Days Brian Evenson Retail Price: $12.95 Paperback: 256 pages Publisher: Underland Press – (2009-02-01) ISBN / EAN: 0980226007 / 9780980226003

Mystery

A Beautiful Place to Die: A Novel Malla Nunn Retail Price: $15.00 Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: Washington Square Press – (2009-10-20) ISBN / EAN: 1416586210 / 9781416586210

Romance

What Happens in London Julia Quinn Retail Price: $7.99 Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages Publisher: Avon – (2009-07-01) ISBN / EAN: 0061491888 / 9780061491887

Science Fiction

The Windup Girl Paolo Bacigalupi Retail Price: $24.95 Hardcover: 300 pages Publisher: Night Shade Books – (2009-09-15) ISBN / EAN: 1597801577 / 9781597801577

Women’s Fiction

Very Valentine: A Novel Adriana Trigiani Retail Price: $25.99 Hardcover: 384 pages Publisher: Harper – (2009-02-01) ISBN / EAN: 0061257052 / 9780061257056

If you have time to hunt down just one galley at MidWinter, go directly to HarperCollins’ booth (#1403) for This Book is OverDue! And, overdue it is; finally, a book written for a general audience that gives librarians the respect we deserve and recognizes how important, rather than irrelevant, we are in the digital age.

We just learned the book is being featured in the February issue of O the Oprah Magazine, saying it shows that “today’s librarians make it their mission to rescue us from chaos, managing the information overload that saps our souls” and that the author “celebrates [librarians] who risk prosecution by refusing to let government officials invade our privacy…”

The author, Marilyn Johnson will also be signing at the Harper booth on Monday, from 11:30 to 12:30 and will appear at the ALTAFF Author Tea from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm on Monday (Hyatt Regency; Grand Ballroom).

This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All Marilyn Johnson Retail Price: $24.99 Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Harper – (2010-02-01) ISBN / EAN: 0061431605 / 9780061431609

What else should you look for? Of course, you’ll be stalking galleys from your favorite authors, but it’s even more valuable to stay ahead of the curve by picking up some debut authors. Here’s just a few to tempt you:

The Postmistress Sarah Blake Retail Price: $25.95 Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam – (2010-02-09) ISBN / EAN: 0399156194 / 9780399156199

USA Today recently covered this debut in their “Book Buzz” column, noting that Kathryn Stockett, author of the continuing sleeper success, The Help calls it, “A beautifully written, thought-provoking novel that I’m telling everyone to read.” The author will be signing at the Penguin booth, #1324, Sunday, 1:30 to 2:30

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The Passage Justin Cronin Retail Price: $26.00 Hardcover: 800 pages Publisher: Ballantine Books – (2010-06-08) ISBN / EAN: 0345504968 / 9780345504968

We noted earlier that Ballantine is pinning big hopes on this book for the summer. The author will be featured at the Random House booth during the Spotlight on Adult Lit., Saturday, 2 to 4.

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Saving CeeCee Honeycutt: A Novel Beth Hoffman Retail Price: $25.95 Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Viking Adult – (2010-01-12) ISBN / EAN: 0670021393 / 9780670021390

Another title we covered earlier, this is the inaugural pick for the Sam’s Club Book Club and we’re hearing rapturous responses from early readers. The author  will be featured at the Penguin booth, #1324 during the Spotlight on Adult Lit., Saturday, 2 to 4.

If you’re like me, when you checked you calendar yesterday, you suddenly realized that MidWinter is NEXT week. HOW did that happen?

I know none of you, dear readers, are procrastinators. But you may have a friend who procrastinates and then is angry that she missed all the great author events at ALA.

Here’s how she can put together her schedule quickly:

1) Check out ALA’s rundown of authors (some with highly anticipated new titles, like Elizabeth Gilbert and Tracy Chevalier) who will be appearing.

2) Don’t miss these events that are not on ALA’s list:

AAP Author Breakfast
Sunday, January 17, 2010
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Room 151 A/B Convention Center

What a deal;  free breakfast with SIX major short story writers, including NBA winner Ha Jin (as you know, critics proclaimed 2009 the Year of the Short Story, but clearly 2010 will also be a strong year), sponsored by the Assoc. of American Publishers (the invitation lists all the authors). It’s free, but you have to send an RSVP to Marlene Scheuermann at the AAP.

Publisher Title Presentations
This is a great way to get a jump on the  Spring/Summer seasons and to get at inside look at what the library marketing reps are particularly excited about, as well as a chance to load up on major galleys. Two of the largest trade houses will be doing title presentations:

HarperCollins
Saturday, January 16, 2010
10:00 AM – 11:15 AM — Adult Titles
11:30 to 12:30 — Children’s Titles
Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel
(Connected to the Boston Convention Center)
425 Summer Street
Burroughs Room
Boston, Massachusetts
Please RSVP by emailing Bobby Brinson so there will be an adequate number of galleys, tote bags and goodies.

Random House, Inc.
Sunday, January 17th
Children’s Titles: 10:30am – 11:30am
Adult Titles: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
RSVP to library@randomhouse.com for location information.

ALCTS – CMDS  and RUSA – CODES — Collection Management in Public Libraries Discussion Group
Monday, January 18
1:30 – 3:00 p.m
Room 156 Convention Center
A rare opportunity to find out what other coll. dev. librarians from around the country are thinking

Sunday, January 17th
4-6pm
RUSA Book and Media Awards
Intercontinental, Rose Kennedy III
Celebrate the genres with the Reading List Awards announcements, as well as the Notable Book Awards, the Dartmouth Medal, the Zora Neale Hurston Award, the Sophie Brody Award, the Louis Shores, and Outstanding Reference Sources, as well as many others.