Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early 40s, the little town of Pagford is left in shock.  Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils.... Pagford is not what it at first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the town's council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity, and unexpected revelations? List Price:  $35.00  Our Price: $28.00

Jane: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan by Robin Maxwell
Cambridge, England, 1905. Jane Porter is the only female student in Cambridge University's medical program.  She is far more comfortable in a lab coat dissecting corpses than she is in a corset and gown sipping afternoon tea.  Jane dreams of traveling the globe in search of fossils that will prove the evolutionary theories of her scientific hero, Charles Darwin.  When dashing American explorer Ral Conrath invites Jane and her father to join an expedition deep into West Africa, she can hardly believe her luck. Jane quickly learns that the lush jungle is full of secrets--and so is Ral Conrath. When danger strikes, Jane finds her hero, the key to humanity's past, and an all-consuming love in one extraordinary man: Tarzan of the Apes. $14.99

Adult Non-Fiction 

From Vicky:  The Richest Woman in America: Hetty Green in the Gilded Age by Janet Wallach
Hetty Green was a notoriously frugal woman born in New Bedford in 1834.  She invested her money on Wall Street and by the time of her death in 1916 she had accumulated about $100 million dollars - $2.5 billion dollars today!!  There are many outrageous stories about Hetty Green's extreme stinginess and tendancy to sue.  Wallach, believing that at least some of the worst stories were born in the yellow journalism of the time and the biases against women in business, draws a more sympathetic picture of this woman, who invested brilliantly and gained wealth with every financial panic. A wonderful book for anyone interested in local history and finance.  (Did you know that as a child Hetty attended school here in Sandwich?)   $27.95

Remembering the Music, Forgetting the Words: Travels with Mom in the Land of Dementia by Kate Whouley
In this profound, life-changing, and laugh-out-loud funny memoir, Cape Cod author Kate Whouley takes us on her journey as an Alzheimer's caregiver for her mom.  Kate brings us right into the laugh-or-you'll-cry experiences of this horrible disease.  In her mother, we meet a strong-minded, accidental feminist with a weakness for unreliable men. And we meet a daughter who learned early to fend for herself. We encounter their shared passions: books, words, and music. As her mother falls into forgetting, Whouley remembers for her. And when the books are forgotten, and the words begin to fade, it is the music that matters most. Holding hands after a concert, with a shared joke between them, their relationship is healed--even in the face of a dreaded and deadly diagnosis.  $16.00

Sermons in Stone:  The Stone Walls of New England and New York by Susan Allport and Illustrated by David Howell
What do we actually know about stone walls? About the people who built them, and why? Stone walls are not simply monuments to the skill of Yankee farmers. The historical record makes clear that many were built by slaves, Indians, indentured servants, and children. Sermons in Stone is the surprising and illuminating history of the walls, a story that begins in the Ice Age and that has been shaped by the fencing dilemmas of the nineteenth century, by conflicts between Native Americans and colonists over land use, by American waves of immigration and suburbanization.  $16.95

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
This is the inspiring true story of a son and his mother, who start a "book club" that brings them together as her life comes to a close. Over the next two years, Will and Mary Anne carry on conversations that are both wide-ranging and deeply personal, prompted by an eclectic array of books and a shared passion for reading. Their list jumps from classic to popular, from poetry to mysteries, from fantastic to spiritual. The issues they discuss include questions of faith and courage as well as everyday topics such as expressing gratitude and learning to listen. Throughout, we are constantly reminded of the power of books to comfort us, astonish us, teach us, and tell us what we need to do with our lives and in the world.  $25.00

 Judging a Book by Its Lover (A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere) by Lauren Leto
For all those overwhelmed readers who need to get a firm grip on the relentless onslaught of must-read books to stay on top of the inevitable conversations that swirl around them, Lauren Leto's "Judging a Book by Its Lover" is manna from literary heaven! A hilarious send-up of--and inspired homage to--the passionate and peculiar world of book culture, this guide to literary debate leaves no reader or author unscathed, at once adoring and skewering everyone from Jonathan Franzen to Ayn Rand to Dostoyevsky and the people who read them.  $14.99

Massachusetts Cranberry Culture:  A History from Bog to Table by Robert Cox and Jacob Walker
New Englanders know that cranberries are not for holidays alone. For centuries, this tart fruit--a staple in the Yankee diet since before it was domesticated--has reigned over the cranberry heartland of Barnstable and Plymouth Counties, Massachusetts. Authors Robert S. Cox and Jacob Walker trace the evolution of cranberry culture in the Bay State, exploring the delectable history of this quintessential New England industry.  $19.99

Mick Jagger by Philip Norman
Norman's Mick Jagger is an extraordinarily detailed and vibrantly written in-depth account of the life and half-century-long career of one of the most fascinating and complex superstars of rock music--the most comprehensive biography to date of the famously enigmatic musician. $34.99

Cookbooks

From Elisa:  Gran Cocina Latina:  The Food of Latin America by Maricel E. Presilla
If you asked me what style of cooking I love the most I would say Latin.  Nothing beats a great meal at a Mexican, Brazilian or cuban restaurant.  (We served Cuban food at out wedding 18 years ago!)  This new cookbook covers Latin cooking like never before.  From Mexico to Argentina and all the Spanish-speaking countries of the Caribbean, you get a comprehensive collections of recipes that are easy for the home cook to execute.  There are over 500 recipes,from the foundational adobos and sofritos to empanadas and tamales to ceviches and moles to sancocho and desserts such as flan and tres leches cake. (Oh my!)  Along with color photography there is also detailed equipment notes (nothing too complicated), drink and serving suggestions.  This is the kind of cookbook you curl up with on a cold Sunday and savor as you imagine creating one amazing dish after another!  $45.00

 The Soup Sisters Cookbook:  100 Simple Recipes to Warm Hearts....One Bowl at a Time by Sharon Hapton with Pierre A. Lamielle
With 100 recipes arranged by season, The Soup Sisters Cookbook is a truly unique way to enjoy heartwarming soups throughout the year.
The Soup Sisters Cookbook showcases scrumptious recipes from the "souper volunteers" of the Soup Sisters and recipes from many of Canada's top celebrity chefs. The pages are filled with an abundance of 'souper' beautiful photographs.  There is advice on making and storing stock; the equipment and techniques you need for successful soup making; and a full list of essential pantry ingredients. It is certain to appeal to soup-lovers everywhere!  $22.95

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman
The long-awaited cookbook by Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen--home cook, photographer, and celebrated food blogger.  Deb Perelman loves to cook. She isn't a chef or a restaurant owner--she's never even waitressed. Cooking in her tiny Manhattan kitchen was, at least at first, for special occasions--and, too often, an unnecessarily daunting venture. Deb found herself overwhelmed by the number of recipes available to her. Have you ever searched for the perfect birthday cake on Google? You'll get more than three million results. Where do you start? What if you pick a recipe that's downright bad?  So Deb founded her award-winning blog, Smitten Kitchen, on the premise that cooking should be a pleasure, and that the results of your labor can--and should--be delicious . . . every time. Deb is a firm believer that there are no bad cooks, just bad recipes. She has dedicated herself to creating and finding the best of the best and adapting the recipes for the everyday cook. $35.00  (Available October 30)

   

From Vicky:  Personal Effects by E. M. Kokie
Every once in a while a book totally grabs me and won't let me put it down.  This is one of those books.  It is a powerful story written with empathy, humor and heart about a 17 year old boy, Matt, who is consumed with anger and hurt after his brother T.J. is killed in the war in Iraq.   His abusive and distant father offers no solace and lives in denial.  Their mother, now deceased, left the family when Matt was little, unable to handle the pressures of her life.  Months after T.J.'s death, his personal effects are delivered home and Matt secretly discovers letters from someone whom he believes to be his brother's girlfriend.  Matt's journey to return the letters leads him to discover that his brother kept a secret life from his family, but what he discovers helps him to face and share his sorrow, to make his own decisions about his life and to let go of some of his anger. Every character in this book is so well portrayed  - Matt's friend Shauna and her family, the guidance counseler at school and his attempts to help Matt; and the people Matt never knew were in his brother's life.   Ages 15 and up.  $16.99

The Diviners by Libba Bray
Are you looking for a really scary book by an amazingly talented author?  This is it!!!  Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City in the 1920s. The only catch is Evie must live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult. When a rash of occult-based serial murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation.  You won't ever want to use a ouija board again after reading this book! $19.99