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   Blue Nights Long Last HappyAmong Righteous Men Among Others  

 

Blue Nights by Joan Didion. I'm a recent convert to the memoir genre, and I wasn't sure that this one was going to do it for me. But as you might already suspect if you're a fan, Didion writes with such quiet grace and insight that you can't help but be engaged. If you've lost someone near and dear (and who among us hasn't), this book will be both familiar and a companion in grief. (Jenn)   


Long, Last, Happy by Barry Hannah. Barry Hannah passed away unexpectedly in March of 2010, but he left behind an impressive canon of novels and short stories from his nearly forty-year career. Long, Last, Happy is a best-of collection of previously released short stories, and also includes four new unreleased short stories. His fiery prose rings of truth, honesty, humor and anger. A great introduction to the second king of Mississippi literature. (Cree)

 

Among Righteous Men by Matthew Shaer. Shaer uses the dramatic events in a yeshiva dormitory, and following fallout and legal battle, as a springboard for this look into the Hasidic community of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The lineage of the Hasidic rabbis and how Crown Heights came to figure into the story of the Hasidic Jews of  New York is a curious piece of the fabric of our city. (Simone)  

 

Among Others by Jo Walton. This is most perfect book for those of us who grew up reading. If you remember the sinking feeling of being caught reading under the desk in class, it's for you. But in addition to being a love letter to books, it's smart and has a good amount of magic without being annoying and is just really good. Especially great for all the sci-fi buffs out there. (Stephanie)  

 

  Crimes In Southern Indiana   How To Save A Life Thinking, Fast And Slow What Animals Really Like  

Crimes in Southern Indiana by Frank Bill. When debut author Frank Bill was asked what advice he had for other aspiring writers, he said: "Write what you dig, not what you think people want." Apparently, Frank Bill digs gritty hardboiled crime fiction, with a modern pulpy edge to it as well. His first collection of short stories takes you on a tour of the desperate side of American society today. Recommended for fans of Jim Thompson, Daniel Woodrell and even Chuck Palahniuk. Tremendously powerful debut! (Cree)  

 

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr. I've been a fan of Zarr's work since Story of a Girl, and she's only getting better. Goth-punk-girl Jill has to deal with her mother's craziest new idea--adopting a baby. To add insult to injury, the mother, a seemingly-vapid teen named Mandy, is going to come to live with them until the delivery. What couldn't go wrong? (Jenn)
 

Thinking, Fast And Slow by Daniel Kahneman. This is a book that you can really only read slowly, not fast at all, but it will change the way you think about your thinking, and also the way you think about how you think about your thinking. We all know that's it's easier to judge other people's actions than to step back and examine our own, but this book gets at the heart of why, what to do about it, and many other mental quandries. (Stephanie)

 

What Animals Really Like by Fiona Robinson. If pigeons coo, you'd expect that cows like to moo, right? Wrong. They like to dig. The animal kingdom is sick and tired of your tedious expectations of their desires and they have chosen this book as a place to draw a line in the sand. Very fun to read out loud. Perhaps more fun for readers than listeners, even. You will have the sillies for the rest of the day. (Adrian

Staff picks

 Everybody Sees The Ants Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone Freedom Summer  Debt    

Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King. I want to press this book into the hands of every teenager, and half of the adults, who walk into the shop. King tackles bullying and depression with brutal honesty, balanced out by a touch of surrealism, gentle humor, and boundless compassion. (Jenn)  

 
Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone by Hunter S. Thompson. Part of what makes Hunter Thompson so fascinating is his own life story, and the persona he successfully created around himself. It is sometimes overlooked how great of a writer he was as well. This collection of articles from Rolling Stone bridges the man with the journalist. In one piece, Thompson writes about himself and his own (legendary) campaign to be sheriff of Aspen, CO. Also included are numerous other journalistic pieces on sports, politics, American society, and some correspondences between himself and Jann Wenner. Great for those new to Hunter S. Thompson and hardcore fans alike! (Cree)

Freedom Summer by Bruce Watson. Although I was familiar in a general way with the voter registration drives and freedom schools of Freedom Summer, this book was an eye-opener. The violence and tension the volunteers and black citizens of Mississippi withstood those months came roaring off the page. So too did the enormity of bridging the worlds of isolated southern black communities and the outside world though personal connections. Important history. (Simone)

Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber. For you, if you have been having actual nightmares about national default, and are still annoyed about the taxpayer-funded bailout of irresponsible financial institutions. It's a thoughtful and thought-provoking book that goes far beyond the average economic discussion (thankfully) and uses anthropology and a truly global outlook to think critically about our relationship to money and credit. Well, I just made it sound really boring. It's not boring, I promise. I was lugging that big red hardcover all over town. (Stephanie)  
Google ebooks
 
   Look At MeMotherless Brooklyn Norwegian Wood Blind Assassin

This month some of our favorite Vintage paperback books are discounted in ebook format! It's a great chance to try out Google ebooks for the first time (or, for the more experienced, snap up a stack of great reads). Remember, Google ebooks can be read on any smartphone and reader except the Kindle. Let us know if you have any questions about how to set up your account or access your books.

Look At Me by Jennifer Egan ($5.99 until November 20). Did you know that Jennifer Egan invented Facebook before Mark Zuckerberg graduated from high school? It's true. In this very book.

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem ($5.99 until November 20). One of the very few novels in the world to reference Greenpoint, like we needed additional reasons to love it.

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami ($5.99 until November 20). Curious where all the love for 1Q84 is coming from? Start with this book.

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood ($5.99 until November 20). One of WORD's favorite book group choices from our very favorite Canadian.
 


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