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11310 Donner Pass Rd.
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800-959-5083
530-582-0515
Bookshelf Tahoe City
Cobblestone Center 475 N. Lake Blvd.
Unit 106
Tahoe City 530-581-1900
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 Dear Book Lover:
Summer is finally here. The Safeway in Truckee is hopping and the traffic is heavy in Tahoe City. Stop by Hooligans to check out our new games and ask us to demo them. We also have a reading program this summer for readers ages 10 and up. Kids get to read a prepublication book and review it for us so we know what to order for fall. This program is open to ages 10 and up; parents be forewarned, we have not read these books.
Our puzzle shelves are full and so are our greeting card racks. And, as always, please ask us for our latest recommendations for great summer reads.
Thanks for visiting your local independent bookstore. We appreciate your business!
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New Children's Books
Picture Books
Jellybeans and the Big Camp Cook-off
by Laura Numeroff and
Nate Evans
Parents of young children will find this a delightful story, whether you are heading off to a summer camping trip or are finding great adventures at home. If you haven't previously discovered the author's Jellybeans books, they are stories about four clever animal-best-friends. Nicole, Emily, Anna, and Bitsy who love adventures together. This summer they are heading to camp with lots of activities awaiting them. Emily finds there's dancing, Bitsy gets to do arts and crafts, Anna enjoys reading to other camp mates, but Nicole, whose love of playing soccer, finds the camp without a team for her favorite sport. How does she tackle her disappointment? Organizing a team and teaching her friends to play soccer will be a challenge. Can she do it? Just as jellybean flavors are different, so are strengths and talents made to work as a team. A great summer fun book for ages 4-8 with delightful illustrations by Lynn Munsinger. (Abrams Books for Young Readers, $16.99/$15.26). Reviewed by Carol
 Ladybug Girl and
the Bug Squad
by David Somar Little kids identify with a lot of Lulu's predicaments - such as finding her own fun, playing pretend games with others (not just telling them what to do), and understanding that things don't always go as planned. They understand that Lulu can't make her friends do everything she wants them to do. What I really *LOVE* about this book - and the entire series - is the way the kids play pretend outdoors. They create an imaginary scenario about the Bug Squad outdoors in nature. The authors clearly have a good understanding of the need for children to play outdoors and I feel that is always an undertone with Ladybug Girl stories. Ages 3 - 8 (Penguin Children's Books $16.99/$15.29) Reviewed by Susan
Miss Smith Under
the Ocean by Michael Garland
Miss Smith is taking her class on a field trip to the local aquarium, bringing with her a book to read to her students about her favorite nautical characters. When Miss Smith's magical characters come to life, the class finds themselves within story adventures aboard the Owl and the Pussycat's Pea-Green Boat: nearly capsized by Moby Dick, rescuing the Little Mermaid tangled in a castaway fishnet, taking on board Long John Silver and his pirate crew as they look for their buried treasure, and then reaching the beach where Robinson Crusoe has been shipwrecked. The tiny Lillputians from Gulliver's Travels and Captain Nemo and the Nautilus submarine from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea are stories Miss Smith also delights her class with as the characters return to her Incredible Storybook and the students find themselves back at the aquarium. Garland's rollicking adventure and clever illustrations will delight ages 4-8 with nautical characters they will enjoy visiting over and over. (Dutton Children's Books, $16.99/$15.29). Reviewed by Carol
Pig Kahunaby Jennifer Sattler
Fergus and his little brother, Dink, always love the beach where they can add to their collection of things that get washed up onto the sand. Fergus doesn't like to go into the water, but one day at the beach, he and Dink find some great treasures: seaweed, a pebble that looks like an eyeball, a shell that could actually be a shark's tooth, and then maybe the best of all, an abandoned surfboard they name Dave. Read to see what happens when Dink casts "Dave" back into the ocean and Fergus gathers his courage to rescue "Dave". Sattler's whimsical colored illustrations add to her clever story about the bravery shared by two beach kahuna pigs. (Bloomsbury, $14.99/$13.49). Reviewed by Carol
 Splish, Splash, Splat
by Rob Scotton
Splish, Splash, Splat brings back Rob Scotton's popular Splat character. We learn that Splat dislikes and fears water when he's forced to take a bath and finds that swim lessons start at school that day, too. To make matters worse, his mom tells him that his enemy Spike is coming over after school. Splat sums it up at breakfast: "This is not going to be a good day."
Does the day turn out as badly as he thinks it will? Of course not! He ends up in the water after all, and finds out that he and Spike might actually have something in common. Age 4-8, (HarperCollins, $16.99/$15.29). Reviewed by Susan
CHILDREN'S NEW GAMES
Green Start Giant Floor Puzzles by Jillian Phillips (contributor)
Kids will love putting together these giant colorful floor puzzles, each with 35 oversized pieces that are easy for little fingers to assemble and when completed measure 36"x24". Printed on recycled materials, each with a reusable storage box. These are good for your child and good for the world.
 Puppy-PalozzaBig ones, little ones with lots of sass--each puppy has style, attitudes and class.
 Number HuntCount all the objects from one to ten. Search the busy garden to find them all again.
Under the SeaDolphins, turtles, and fish galore! Under the sea, there's so much to explore!
 ABC AnimalsAn animal for every letter, say them one by one. Put them together, the alphabet is fun!
 Deep Blue Sea: Book and PuzzleDiscover what's swimming in the deep blue sea. Read the book to learn cool facts about eight ocean creatures, then complete the 20-piece puzzle! Includes a 10-page board book. Puzzle measures 15"x12".
All puzzles for ages 3 and up. (Innovative Kids, large $14.99; small $9.99) Great fun for kids this summer recommended by Carol
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Middle & Older Readers
 Attack of the Shark-Headed Zombie
by Bill Doyle Keats cousin Henry is always scheming and taking risks. Keats doesn't always agree but somehow finds himself going along. When Henry's dangerous biking leads them both to lose their bikes in deep water, Keats finds a help wanted ad which will help them pay for new bikes. The jobs are at the creepy Hallway House, and involve weeding a garden, finding light bulbs, sweeping the garage and lastly, conquering a shark-headed zombie. Really? The jobs are not quite what they seem; can Keats and Henry prevail? Read this fun chapter book and find out. Perfect for those beginning readers stepping up to chapter books. Ages 6 -9. (Random House, $4.99/$4.49) Reviewed by Debbie
Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinxby James Rollins
In this sequel to The Skull King's Shadow, Jake uses his father's watch hoping to return to Calypsos, but instead he finds himself in a desert, strange to him, joined by his sister Kady and their three friends. While trying to decide what to do next, beautiful Princess Nefertiti appears and takes them captive, leaving them all in a battle with the Skull King. Jake has in his possession something the Skull King wants: a prize that gives its owner controlled power over the Howling Sphinx. Jake races against time to outwit Kalverum Rex and his monstrous minions, a pack of winged and clawed creatures, and to stop the Skull King from winning. Danger, challenges, and action fill this fast-paced thriller. Be sure to read Jake Ransom's first adventure, The Skull King's Shadow now in paperback. Ages 9-12. (Harper, $16.99/$15.29). Reviewed by Carol
The Resistersby Eric Nylund
At 12, Ethan is a top soccer player, a game that is played in a mechanical suit. Then two strangers come to try to recruit Ethan into an underground movement to defeat the aliens (who took over the world 50 years ago) by fighting them in insect-like suits. Ethan doesn't believe until his soccer coach comes after him. He is worried about his sister becoming part of the collective alien brain and wonders if his parents could be normal. A rousing sci-fi adventure for ages 8 to 12. (Random House, $16.99/$15.29). Reviewed by Debbie
Spellbound: The Book of Elsewhere, Vol. 2by Jacqueline West
While Olive's friend Morton is still trapped inside Elsewhere, she searches in the house's magical paintings to find a way of rescuing him. When Rutherford, Olive's oddball friend next door, mentions a spell book that may help Morton escape, Olive feels some excited relief. Mystery and magic...and laughs to take off the edge of suspense...has the reader trying to guess what will come next in this thrilling second volume of the author's Book of Elsewhere series. Of course you must first read The Shadows, the beginning suspenseful adventure now in paperback. Ages 9-12. (Dial Books for Young Readers, $16.99/$15.29). Reviewed by Carol
The Warlock: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Book 5by Michael Scott
Join the twins in a new adventure as they have been separated, leaving Sophie on her own with ever-weakening Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel as she hope to find an immortal to teach her Earth Magic. Where will Sophie find this teacher? And will it surprise her to discover him in the most ordinary of places? As the end is near, Josh has chosen a side; he will not stand with his sister, Sophie, or with the Alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel, but instead chooses to fight alongside Dee. Sophie must find her twin before the battle begins or everything will be lost. The author's knowledge of mythology and folklore proves him to be a master of the fantasy, science fiction, and horror that spreads throughout this bestselling juvenile series. While waiting for the sixth and final book, The Enchantress, due Summer 2012, be sure you have read the series from the beginning, starting with The Alchemyst. Books 1-4 are in paperback. Ages 10 and up. (Delacorte Press, $18.99/$17.09). Reviewed by Carol
 Words in the Dust
by Trent Reedy
Zulaikha is an Afghan girl with a cleft palate. She spends her days running errands for her stepmother, cleaning their house to try to keep the dust out, helping with meals; her world is filled with the mundane tasks allowed by her culture. Her life begins to change when she meets Meena, a professor that knew her mother, and wants to teach Zulaikha. Taunted by the neighborhood boys (they call her Donkeyface), she dreams of a different life, and when the Americans come to her town, they offer her an opportunity to change her appearance. Is it an empty promise? A thoughtful read about a girl living in a culture vastly different from our own, who finds hope where there seemingly is none. The author served in the area of Afghanistan where the story is set, and thus has given it a very authentic feel. Ages 9-13. (Scholastic, $16.99/$15.29) Reviewed by Debbie
 Dragons & Monsters
by Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda
Know a young cryptozoologist, or a monster know-it-all? Well, this informative pop-up book is perfect for the fantasy and mythology minded. From Eastern and Western dragons, to Dracula, and how to defend yourself against werewolves, to modern monsters (Bigfoot, el chubicapra) we encounter all the time. Chock full of information, this colorful pop-up is sure to surprise a know-it-all with something they didn't know! Ages 5 and up. (Candlewick Press, $29.99/$26.99) Reviewed by Trish
Summer Reading Program
For Readers 10 & up
Want to be the first to read a new book, before its publication? Like to share what you're reading with your frien ds? Come to the Bookshelf and participate in our summer reading program. Open to ages 10 and up we are offering our stash of ARC's (advance readers) to those willing to read and review them (yes a short review form) for us. We want you to help us decide what to order for fall. And you can earn a Bookshelf Buck for every ARC you read (up to 20 books), good for purchases in the stores. This is a lending program so you can't keep the books, but it's a great way to find out what's forthcoming. Come in and see what's new for fall.
Young Adult
 Illusions
by Aprilynne Pike
In Pike's third faerie sequel Illusions, Laurel's magical world becomes more complicated than she could have imagined. Laurel faces emotional challenges between friendships, love, and Avalon that she must learn to overcome during her senior year of high school not only as a student of the human world, but also as a faerie student of Avalon. As Laurel struggles with her studies and relationships, she must also prepare her future decisions on what and who she must devote her life to. The turn of events become worse than anyone could have predicted. Illusions is a great magical and emotional ride. I definitely recommend it to all you faerie lovers out there! Ages 12 and up. (Harper Teen $16.99/$15.29) Reviewed by Meline
 Relic Master 1 The Dark City
by Catherine Fisher Raffi is an apprentice to Galen, a member of the old Order and a Keeper of Relics, who has lost his magical abilities in an accident. The Order has been outlawed by the governing Watch, so they must take care to avoid the enforcers. When Galen and Raffi are trapped by a wily criminal, they are forced to try to recover something that was stolen. Together they travel to the burning city of Tasceron to find a Relic of great importance and power. This is a dangerous deception filled journey which they may not survive. The world Catherine Fisher (also the author of Incarceron & Sapphique) has created is fully realized including the legends and mythology needed to complete the history of these people. The sequel is also available, The Lost Heiress, with book 3 The Hidden Coronet due July 12th, and book 4 The Margrave due in August. Ages 12 and up. (Dial, 16.99/$15.29) Reviewed by Debbie
 Thirteen Reasons Why
by Jay Asher Reviewed by Erika  Where She Went
by Gayle Forman In the unexpected follow up to If I Stay, we join Adam, now Mia's ex and a fast up and coming rock star. After Mia's accident, everything seemed to be slowly returning to normal, until Mia went to college and dropped out of Adam's life completely. Fueled by confusion and love, Adam's band's breakout CD becomes an instant hit, sky rocketing them to star status. But despite all the fame, the Rock 'N' Roll life style and his stunning new girlfriend, Adam can never shake Mia from his mind. That is, until the night he sees one of her concerts and confronts her. A runaway romance story that's sure to tug on your heartstrings. Where She Went is a wonderful conclusion to the story, and if you haven't read If I Stay, go do it now. Ages 14 and up. (Penguin, $16.99/$15.29) Reviewed by Trish |
New Adult Hardcover Fiction
Breaking Silence
by Linda Castillo
Set in a small Ohio Amish farming community, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder, herself with a former Amish family history, is called to investigate the death scene of three adults---husband, wife, and brother-in-law---found drowned in a barn animal drainage pit, leaving four children orphaned. What was first considered to be an accident, soon shows evidence to be murder and may somehow be related to a series of current hate crimes against local Amish families. Agent John Tomasetti is called in from Columbus to help Kate with the investigation, which will stir up a previous relationship between them. As the case progresses, Kate forms a bond with 15-year-old Salome, the older daughter of the murdered family, bringing back memories to Kate of herself at that age. As evidence of the case is uncovered and other family members become endangered, Kate and John feel the evidence they have found for the murders is still hidden behind motives that may involve earlier family relationships. Shocking twists will keep suspense fans glued to the novel's last pages. I recommend you read the first in this "Silence" series: Sworn to Silence and Pray for Silence, both now in paperback. (Minotaur, $24.99/$22.49). Reviewed by Carol
 Cold Wind by C.J. Box Joe Pickett, a game warden in Montana, is a decent, quiet type who is happily married with three daughters and who won't compromise when it comes to carrying out the law. One envisions a Clint Eastwood type of guy. He has wanted his meddling mother-in-law, Missy, out of his life for a long long time but not necessarily in prison on a murder charge - though the prospect does amuse him, but not his wife. Missy is arrested for the murder of her latest husband (number five), multi-millionaire developer Earl Alden. Because the body was chained to one of Earl's Wind Turbines, Joe suspects the murderer might be someone who is against wind farming. One will be surprised at what he finds. (Penguin $25.95/$23.36) Reviewed by Susan
 Dead Reckoning
By Charlaine Harris
Sookie Stackhouse is back again in the 11th
installment of Charlaine Harris' popular book series. With her fairy cousins now living with her, Sookie hardly finds time to rest, and as if things couldn't get any worse, someone firebombs Merlotte's. With all the animosity towards the supes, it's a wonder if things will ever look bright for Sookie and her friends again. (Penguin, $27.95/$25.16) Reviewed by Trish
 The Jefferson Key
by Steve Berry
Cotton Malone, former Justice Department operative, whose previous adventures have propelled the author's readers into exciting suspense from Europe to Asia, now comes home to the U.S. he left years earlier after finding his "other self" following personal losses. When an assassination attempt is made against the nation's current president, Malone returns with Cassiopeia Vitt, his undercover operative partner. They soon find themselves involved with a dangerous secret society of pirates first formed during the American Revolution. Also catching their attention is the assassinations of four former presidents, each seemingly unrelated. Could there be a connection to a clause in Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution? And how does a secret cipher possessed by Thomas Jefferson, a mystery surrounding Andrew Jackson, and a document forged by the Founding Fathers...and pirates!...come to play in Berry's new action-packed suspense adventure woven together with fascinating American history? Read it...you won't be disappointed. (Ballantine, $26.00/$23.40). Reviewed by Carol  State of Wonder
by Ann Patchett After a career-changing incident, Marina, 42, switches from OB-GYN to Pharmacology. She now works for Vogel Research Center. Her colleague, Anders, had been dispatched to the Amazon to check on Dr. Swenson's progress on a new secret drug. Their company had been financing the work of Dr. Swenson, under whom Marina once studied. The exact location of Swenson is unknown and she had cut off communications. When Marina receives the news that her colleague, Anders, has died there under mysterious circumstances, she is sent by his wife and her boss to try and recover his body. Filled with twists and turns this is an amazing novel. I highly recommend. (HarperCollins $26.99/24.29) Reviewed by Susan
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| New Adult Hardcover Non-Fiction
One Hundred Names
For Love
by Diane Ackerman
This remarkable story the author shares with her readers is about the love and relationship between herself and her husband after his stroke following a major surgery. Paul West, himself an acclaimed author, suffered the loss of language, so devastating to his world of words. Although the prognosis for West's recovery was bleak, Ackerman became his primary caregiver and "therapist", helping to find the husband she knew and returning to him the language he loved. The author's emotional journey tells readers how the healing powers of language and the intimacy of bonded love can overcome the most devastating consequences of aphasia, which returned West to conversing, and against-all-odds to writing. A beautifully told story of crisis with love and determination to repair. (W .W. Norton, $26.95/$24.26). Reviewed by Carol
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New Paperback Fiction
City of Ashby Megan Chance
Two women are caught in Nathan Langley's deadly web: his wife Geneva, heiress to a mining fortune, and his mistress Beatrice, a stock company actress. The story is set in Seattle prior to Washington statehood when the 1889 Great Fire destroyed a major part of the city. Ginny and Bea form an unlikely friendship and plot to free themselves of the deadly hold Nathan has on them. Surrounded by a cast of characters evolving from the city's theatrical stage to Seattle's upper-hill wealthy social class, Chance's gripping historical novel, narrated by the voices of these two determined women, is a tale of mystery, love, guilt, and the will to survive. A riveting story I couldn't stop reading! Book Clubs must consider this. (Broadway Paperbacks, $15.00/$13.30. Reviewed by Carol
 The Craigslist Murdersby Brenda Cullerton The author's hilarious tale is about an interior "desecrator" designer who turns to murder in a satire that will have the reader cheering on an unlikely heroine. Charlotte Wolfe, working on New York's upper east side, becomes increasingly angry when she discovers her filthy rich women employers are selling their husbands' leftovers from wife #1 on Craigslist. As the financial crisis escalates and Charlotte's resources fall short, she decides to clean house and bite the hands that have fed her. As Charlotte tracks her prey, trawling the List for her next victim, the reader is taken into a laugh-out-loud funny edge-of-your-seat suspense novel. Mystery fans will get a big chuckle reading this one. (Melville House, $14.95/$13.46). Reviewed by Carol
The Lion
by Nelson DeMille
It's been 10 years since the match-up between Libyan terrorist Asad Khalil and retired NYPD cop John Corey . Both survived the encounter in Nelson DeMille's bestseller, The Lion's Game. Khalil returns, seeking revenge, in The Lion, and it's clear from the start that this time, there will be only one survivor.
Khalil first came to the U.S. to extract revenge on the pilots who killed his family during the Libyan bombing run of April 15, 1986. His killing spree puts him squarely in the cross hairs of Corey and the fictional Anti-Terrorist Task Force. The Task Force was, and is, based on the very real Joint Terrorist Task Force, an alliance between the NYPD and the FBI. (Grand Central Publishing, $14.99/$13.39). Reviewed by Susan
The Ninth Wife
by Amy Stoll
A fresh look on male-female relationships. Thirty-five-year-old Bess Gray is about to give up any hopes for marriage. As a folklorist and martial arts amateur living in Washington, D.C., she meets and falls in love with Rory, an Irish musician. When Rory proposes marriage, he confesses that he will be leaving behind eight previous marriages, shocking Bess into not giving him an answer to his proposal. When Bess decides to find answers about the wives who came before, she sets out on a cross-country journey, only to discover more about her own past then she ever expected. Although witty and satisfying, this novel is about marriage and identity, giving the reader hope that true love will triumph even though the odds may be against them. A smart and funny eye-opening tale of love, marriage, home and family. (Harper, $14.99/$13.49). Reviewed by Carol
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Gift Cards/Certificates and IndieBound
 Gift cards are always a welcome gift for a reader, who can then choose exactly what they want. Our booksellers are always ready with a great book suggestion for adults and children.
IndieBound is about supporting Independent bookistores and other businesses, and celebrating what makes them unique. It's about reaching out, it's about raising awareness, and it's about taking pride in your community.
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Deborah Lane
Bookshelf Stores Inc |
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