RUSA Literary Tastes author program features Daniel J. Brown, Tessa Dare and V.E. Schwab

CHICAGO — The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) will host three award-winning authors — Daniel J. Brown, Tessa Dare and V.E. Schwab -- at the 2014 ALA Annual Conference program “Literary Tastes: Celebrating the Best Reading of the Year,"  a conference tradition that features authors from RUSA’s literary awards for adults.

Each year expert readers’ advisory librarians from RUSA’s Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) spend hundreds of hours reading and reviewing books written for adults to identify the most outstanding writing published in the areas of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, genre fiction, Jewish literature and audio book narration. “Literary Tastes” is an opportunity to hear from noteworthy authors whose books are among RUSA's annual selections and also celebrate the art and craft of writing with fellow book lovers. Review all of RUSA’s awards at the RUSA website.

• Daniel J. Brown, author of "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" (Viking), RUSA Notable Book Nonfiction category winner, which tells the story of eight oarsman and their coxswain struggling to overcome the choppy waters and the hardships of the Great Depression in their pursuit of glory.
• Tessa Dare, author of "Any Duchess Will Do" (Avon), the top pick for The Reading List’s Romance category in 2014. A humorous and cleverly told story about how a very desperate, for grandchildren, Duchess of Halford strikes a bargain with her only son, Griff: pick a woman–any woman. If she can transform her son’s choice into duchess material, he must marry the girl. Griff picks the least likely candidate in bluestocking barmaid Pauline, only to quickly realize he has no idea who he is dealing with.
• V.E. Schwab, author of "Vicious" (Tor Books), the top pick for the The Reading List’s Fantasy category in 2014. Masterfully told, a friendly rivalry turns vicious when college friends Victor and Eli obtain super-human powers and use them for very different purposes. This dark paranormal fantasy, a riveting tale of vengeance and redemption, proves that extraordinary powers don’t necessarily make superheroes.

The program will be held from 8-10 a.m. on Sunday, June 29, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Room N258 in conjunction with the 2014 ALA Annual Conference. Following the formal presentation, authors will be available for book signings.

The Reference and User Services Association, a division of the American Library Association, represents librarians and library staff in the fields of reference, specialized reference, collection development, readers’ advisory and resource sharing. RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need.  Not a member, but interested in discounted registration rates on conference, preconferences and other events? Join, renew or add RUSA to your ALA membership at www.ala.org/membership. Learn more about the association at www.ala.org/rusa.