Staff Picks

Adult Fiction

From Elizabeth: A Good Hard Look by Ann Napolitano ($25.95; our price: $20.76) While living in New York in her mid twenties Flannery O'Connor was diagnosed with Lupus and returned to her hometown of Milledgeville, Georgia where she lived until her death in 1964.  During that time she continued to write novels and short stories which reflected her intense Catholicism and her ability to create characters who were often grotesque and morally flawed.  Ann Napolitano has written a powerful and creative novel based on the last years of O'Connor's life.  The story begins with the return from New York of one of the town's socialites, Cookie Himmel and her fiance, Melvin Whiteson.  At their wedding Flannery invites the bride and groom to come to her farm and meet her peacocks.  Cookie, who has never liked Flannery, refuses to go but Melvin is intrigued by this author he has heard so much about.  He often goes  to the farm to give Flannery driving lessons, long after Cookie demands that he have nothing to do with her.  The reader is quickly drawn into the story of unusual characters who make unwise decisions and must pay the consequences. One of them is Lona Waters, a seamstress who is asked to hire a young man as a helper.  When this unlikely duo ends up having an affair there are tragic results which lead to the break up of several families.  The reader is drawn into a world of bizarre happenings by the skillful and often eloquent writing.

From Edye: The Call by Yannick Murphy ($14.99, paperback original)  The Call, by Yannick Murphy is one of those beautifully written books that lingers in your mind long after you've closed the cover.  This is a novel written in the style of diary entries by a country veterinarian.  The protagonist weaves his story of family life and love, worry, and community as he details each "call" for his professional services in the Vermont farmland and then his response to each call.  Publisher's Weekly described this creative work as "a triumph of quiet humor and understated beauty."  It is a treasure. 

From Edye: Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews ($25.99; our price: $20.79) O.K.  So in June you read the latest Claire Cook.  In July it was Elin Hildebrand.  Now for August's perfect beach read you've got to read Mary Kay Andrews' Summer Rental.  This book follows three friends who rent a rambling old beach house on North Carolina's Outer Banks.  Each is facing a turning point in her life, much like the appealing man who lives above the garage, and the mysterious Maryn, on the run from an abusive marriage.  This book is spirited, entertaining, and as refreshing as a tall glass of iced lemonade on a hot August afternoon.


From Karen: Rules of Civility by Amor Towles ($26.95; our price $21.56) In 1966 Katey and her husband attend an art opening of Walker Evans' photographs of people on the subway circa 1930s. In two of the photographs she recognizes someone from her past. She is thrown back to her memories of her life as a young secretary in Manhattan in 1938. Encounters with eccentric Greenwich Village artists and writers, and one special man, her first love. In this breathtaking debut novel, Mr. Towles provides through his writing a black and white snapshot of place and time, of a world on the brink of modernity. His style is reminiscent of the great authors of the 20s and 30s, and he deserves accolades for his authentic portrayal of love and redemption. I look forward to more from this talented new author.

From Karen: The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy ($14.99, paperback original) This is an excellent historical novel set on the Guernsey  Islands during World War II. Other books have been set in this time and  place but I must say I really enjoyed this one, and so did my mother. The author's main character, Vivienne, felt very real to me, as she is raising her  daughters alone, one a teen and another just starting school, as well as caring for her mother-in-law, who is falling under the spell of dementia, while her husband is off fighting the Germans. Very realistic descriptions of the terror of war and occupation by the enemy in a bucolic setting, a place  that never felt 'unsafe' until the Germans invaded. Also, the love story felt genuine. I won't spoil the story, but the last line in the book really got me!  

      

From Karen: Miss Timmins' School for Girls by Nayana Currimbhoy ($14.99, paperback original) I loved this novel. It takes place at an Indian boarding school in the 1970s, when the country is still adjusting to their liberation from British rule. There is scandal and mystery, but the majority of the book is about growing up in India at that time period, and the effect on adolescents of the caste system, friendships, and first loves. A very well written novel. I could not put it down!

Children's Picture Book

From Vicky: Oh, Jet by Jillian Powell ($6.95) Summer is a great time for new readers to keep up their reading skills and Oh, Jet is a delightful choice for the very new reader.  Jet and his family go for a walk on the beach and Jet keeps fetching the wrong things!!  Children will love the simple humor and wonderful illustrations. 

New and Recommended  

Adult Nonfiction

The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL by Eric Greitens ($27.00) In an inspiring memoir from one of the world's most elite warriors, Eric Greitens recounts in remarkable detail his time as a Navy SEAL--from the most harrowing encounters and brutal attacks, to the lessons learned from his humanitarian efforts. Check out NPR's great interview with Eric Greitens here.      

The Tao of Travel: Enlightenments from Lives on the Road by Paul Theroux ($25.00) Theroux celebrates 50 years of wandering the globe by collecting the best writing on travel from the books that shaped him, as a reader and a traveler. Excerpts from the best of Theroux's own work are interspersed with selections from travelers both familiar and unexpected: Vladimir Nabokov, J.R.R. Tolkien, Samuel Johnson, Eudora Welty, Evelyn Waugh, Mark Twain, and others.

Haiti After the Earthquake by Paul Farmer ($27.99) On January 12, 2010 a massive earthquake laid waste to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, killing hundreds of thousands of people. Within three days, Dr. Paul Farmer arrived in the Haitian capital, along with a team of volunteers, to lend his services to the injured. In this vivid narrative, Farmer describes the incredible suffering--and resilience--that he encountered in Haiti. Having worked in the country for nearly thirty years, he skillfully explores the social issues that made Haiti so vulnerable to the earthquake--the very issues that make it an "unnatural disaster." Complementing his account are stories from other doctors, volunteers, and earthquake survivors. 

A World On Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War by Amanda Foreman ($35.00) Acclaimed historian Amanda Foreman follows the phenomenal success of her New York Times bestseller Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire with her long-awaited second work of nonfiction: the fascinating story of the American Civil War and the major role played by Britain and its citizens in that epic struggle. Even before the first rumblings of secession shook the halls of Congress, British involvement in the coming schism was inevitable. Britain was dependent on the South for cotton, and in turn the Confederacy relied almost exclusively on Britain for guns, bullets, and ships. The Union sought to block any diplomacy between the two and consistently teetered on the brink of war with Britain. For four years the complex web of relationships between the countries led to defeats and victories both minute and history-making. In A World on Fire, Amanda Foreman examines the fraught relations from multiple angles while she introduces characters both humble and grand, bringing them to vivid life over the course of her sweeping and brilliant narrative.    

Adult Fiction

A Dance with Dragons by George Martin ($35.00; our price: $28.00) Dubbed "the American Tolkien" by TIME magazine, Martin has earned international acclaim for his monumental cycle of epic fantasy. Now the #1 New York Times-bestselling author delivers the fifth book in his landmark series--as both familiar faces and surprising new forces vie for a foothold in a fragmented empire.   

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin ($25.00; our price: $20.00) She was only two-foot eight-inches tall, but her legend reaches out to us more than a century later. As a child, Mercy Lavinia "Vinnie" Bump was encouraged to live a life hidden away from the public. Instead, she reached out to the immortal impresario P. T. Barnum, married the tiny superstar General Tom Thumb in the wedding of the century, and transformed into the world's most unexpected celebrity.    

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson ($25.99; our price: $20.79) In this gripping psychological thriller in the vein of Shutter Island and the film Memento, an amnesiac attempts to reconstruct her past by keeping a journal and discovers the dangerous inconsistencies in the stories of her husband and her secret doctor.

The Taste of Salt by Martha Southgate ($13.95, paperback original) Josie Henderson loves the water and is fulfilled by her position as the only senior-level black scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. In building this impressive life for herself, she has tried to shed the one thing she cannot: her family back in landlocked Cleveland. Her adored brother, Tick, was her childhood ally as they watched their drinking father push away all the love that his wife and children were trying to give him. Now Tick himself has been coming apart and demands to be heard. Weaving four voices into a beautiful tapestry, Southgate charts the lives of the Hendersons from the parents first charmed meeting to Josie 's realization that the ways of the human heart are more complex than anything seen under a microscope.  

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova ($15.00, now in paperback) Sarah Nickerson, like any other working mom, is busy trying to have it all. One morning while racing to work and distracted by her cell phone, she looks away from the road for one second too long. In that blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her over-scheduled life come to a screeching halt. After a brain injury steals her awareness of everything on her left side, Sarah must retrain her mind to perceive the world as a whole. In so doing, she also learns how to pay attention to the people and parts of her life that matter most.  

The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman ($15.00, now in paperback) The Red Garden introduces us to the luminous and haunting world of Blackwell, Massachusetts, capturing the unexpected turns in its history and in our own lives.In exquisite prose, Hoffman offers a transforming glimpse of small-town America, presenting us with some three hundred years of passion, dark secrets, loyalty, and redemption in a web of tales where characters' lives are intertwined by fate and by their own actions.  

Children's and Young Adult

Little Miss Austen: Pride & Prejudice: A Counting Primer by Jennifer Adams, illustrated by Alison Oliver ($9.99) Teach your favorite toddler how to count and introduce them to the world of classic literature. With clever, simple counting text by Jennifer Adams, paired with stylish design and illustrations by Sugar's Alison Oliver, Little Miss Austen is a must for every savvy parent's nursery library. (board book)

The Little Black Dog Has Puppies by J.B. Spooner, illustrated by Terre Lamb Seeley ($16.95) Anyone who has been to the island of Martha's Vineyard knows the Black Dog. A stray that was adopted by Captain Bob Douglas, skipper of the beautiful topsail schooner Shenandoah, she became one of the greatest sea dogs in New England history. Today her profile can be found on T-shirts, hats, and umbrellas across the country. Now comes a third book about the Black Dog and her many exploits. Her latest adventure is her best one yet, as the captain discovers that his faithful companion is expecting puppies! And not just any puppies, but a new, special island breed to become known as the Vineyard Whitefoot. It's a heartwarming tale for all those who fell in love with the Black Dog. (picture book)

Skippyjon Jones, Class Action by Judith Byron Schachner ($17.99) Siamese cat Skippyjon Jones really wants to go to dog school, but his mama won't let him. Inside his closet, he finds himself on the playground of his imagination surrounded by dogs of all kinds. And when a bully sends shiver-itos down the spines of the little yippers, Skippy saves the day and earns the biggest gold star. (picture book)    

Magic Tree House #46: Dogs in the Dead of Night by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca ($12.99)  Jack and Annie travel to a monastery in the Swiss Alps where, with the help of St. Bernard dogs and magic, they seek the second of four special objects necessary to break the spell on the wizard Merlin's beloved penguin, Penny. The nonfiction companion to this book, Magic Tree House Fact Tracker $24: Dog Heroes ($4.99) is the perfect way for kids to find out more about the topics they discover in Dogs in the Dead of Night. Available August 9th. (Ages 7-9) 

 Troublemaker by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Mark Elliot ($16.99) When his older brother gets in serious trouble, sixth-grader Clay decides to change his own mischief-making ways, but he cannot seem to shake his reputation as a troublemaker. (Ages 9-12)

Lunch-Box Dream by Tony Abbott ($16.99) Told from multiple points of view, a white family on a 1959 road trip between Ohio and Florida, visiting Civil War battlefields along the way, crosses paths with a black family near Atlanta, where one of their children has gone missing. (Ages 10-14)   


 

The Summer I Learned to Fly by Dana Reinhardt ($15.99) Thirteen-year-old Drew starts the summer of 1986 helping in her mother's cheese shop and dreaming about co-worker, Nick. But when her widowed mother begins dating, Drew turns to her father's copy of The Book of Lists, her pet rat, and Emmett--a boy on a quest--to help her cope. (Young Adult)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs ($17.99) A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. (Young Adult/Adult)