Novel Ideas
The Book Rack Newsletter
September, 2009 - Vol 1, Issue 1
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Did you know?
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Did you know that Alexander McCall Smith, author of The No. 1 Ladies
Detective Agency books (and many others) was a professor of Medical Law for
many years before he wrote his first novel? Check out Tea Time for the
Traditionally Built or one of his other wonderful books!
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Hello, and welcome to the Book Rack Cooperative National Newsletter, or what we like to call "Novel Ideas."
This is the
inaugural edition of a monthly newsletter about books. Not just any
book, but books we love and want to pass on to other folks. Not
just the newest book on the block, but old favorites, too. We might
even feature the one that got away - that book you heard about once,
many years ago, and were eager to read, but somehow just never got
around to reading. Ultimately though, this newsletter is brought to you by the
owners of the 100+ Book Racks across the country, so we can add to the work we already do in our
stores - open your eyes to great books.
Here's what you can expect in each issue:
Reader's Choice: we'll feature a few handpicked reviews of books you could
find on the shelves of your local Book Rack - if you can't find that book,
whoever is behind the desk can find you one by the same author or
something similar to get you reading.
Opening act : we'll share a fun fact, a great first line, or some other tidbit from the world of books.
But the book was better:
we'll let you know about movies coming to a multiplex near you that are
based on books - more on movie tie-ins in the October issue.
A bit about...: we'll tell you a bit about one of the shops in the
Co-op - it may be the local shop you've been going to for years or one
that you'll want to stop by in your travels.
What's that? You
didn't know the Book Racks were connected? Check out the end of this
newsletter for the story of how the Book Rack got started and how we
grew to over 100 shops, and check out www.thebookrack.com/pages/storelocations.aspx to find your nearest shop.
Got some comments about books, the newsletter, or the Book Rack? send 'em along to news@thebookrack.com
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Please allow me to introduce myself |
My name is Michelle, and I'll be your
editor today, and likely for the run of this newsletter. I was pressed
into service by my brother, Mike, the president of the Book Rack
Co-operative, but I do not come to you without qualifications. My love
of books and reading goes back practically to birth. In fact, I still
have the Danish modern rocking chair on which Mike and I were read to
as infants.
The first book I read on my own was Hop on Pop
by Dr. Seuss when I was 4, so the story goes, though I had likely just
memorized it as it doesn't contain all that many words. My mother was a
voracious reader, and as I graduated into short novels and beyond, she
would eagerly read whatever I was reading, then conduct an informal
book group of sorts so we could discuss the book, touching on
everything from words I didn't know, to key plot points, to larger
thematic discussions. Not only did she encourage reading by example,
but she made sure I was never without a book with weekly trips to the
library and our local warehouse bookstore.
I distinctly remember an episode in
my 10th grade honors English class. We were all handed copies of David
Copperfield, and told to read the first 10 chapters over the weekend.
There were audible groans throughout the class, because the book was
over one thousand pages and therefore far too long for our adolescent
attention spans, while I dove right in with excitement and immediately
began reading. Things like this continued to happen to me - I delighted
in almost all the literature that I was assigned while most of my peers
avoided reading our assignments at all costs. Of course there were notable
exceptions...nobody likes everything! I remember Sisyphean struggles
trying to get through The Grapes of Wrath in college, and had a similar challenge with Faulkner's The Bear.
I went on to a well-respected state
university and majored in English - no surprise there. And what's an
English major to do after graduation? Become a librarian of course!
After a short stint getting schooled in the publishing world - I mean
that both literally and figuratively - I began my studies at a graduate
school of Library Science and received my Masters degree with
honors in 2000. While I did my coursework I was employed by one of the
best public libraries in the state, where I continue to work today.
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Reader's Choice
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High Crimes by Joseph Finder
This is one of those books that sucks
you right in; the central mystery of the story is revealed early on,
and the is-he-or-isn't-he keeps you reading right through to the end.
The story unfolds over the backdrop of a military court-martial and
takes place in Washington DC among politicians and high-ranking
military folk. Claire Heller Chapman, a well-known Boston attorney, is
very surprised to find that her beloved husband may not be who he
seems. As Claire discovers the ins-and-outs of a court-martial, she
realizes she can't wage this battle on her own, and finds two gentlemen
to assist her in her quest. As she seeks to clear her husbands name and
find out for herself who he really is, the action moves back and forth
between the trial in DC and the alleged crime which took place years
before in San Salvador.
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Reader's Choice
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The Blue Horizon by Wilbur Smith
This is Smith's 28th novel and, and
it is a swashbuckling, brawling, sprawling historical epic of South
Africa. Set in the early 18th century, it tracks early members of the
Courtney family (later Courtneys have appeared in a number of Smith's
previous books) as they stake a claim to South Africa. Louisa, a young
Dutch woman brutally abused and wrongfully accused of jewel theft, is
rescued from a life of slavery by young Jim Courtney. They are chased
by bounty hunters and battle numerous enemies, while the rest of their
family is forced to flee Dutch revenge. Although gory, The Blue Horizon
is a rich, exciting, and fascinating look at an Africa just beginning
to be discovered by Europeans: it was a savage and brutal time when
only the hardiest survived, much less succeeded.
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Reader's Choice
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On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah
This was prolific romance writer
Hannah's first hardcover book, so you know it's going to be a good one
and it's now available in paperback. Annie finds herself abandoned after
20 years by an unfaithful husband and a college-bound daughter. Having
no identity of her own after spending her life nurturing them, she
returns to her native Mystic, a logging town in Washington State. There
she finds her old high school beau in crisis after his wife's suicide.
His depression prevents him from caring for his small daughter, Izzy,
who is also emotionally troubled. Annie is able to find meaning again
through nurturing others, but this time she learns to rely on her own
inner strength.
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Reader's Choice
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The Beach House by Jane Green
Nan lives by herself on a bluff in
Nantucket and loves being the eccentric lady in town. She gets some bad
news from her accountant, and instead of giving up her beloved house,
she decides to open her home as a sort of bed-and-breakfast to make
ends meet. A lot of characters are introduced all at once, which was a
bit confusing at first, but Green creates such multi-dimensional
characters that soon all becomes clear. Each person comes to Nan's
house with their own emotional baggage, and you find yourself immersed
in these people's stories and wanting them to triumph over their
struggles. Nan is the slightly wacky grandmother type that many of us
had, or wish we had, and she becomes mother hen to all her boarders as
they figure out their lives.
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But the book was better...
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On August 21, the movie Post Grad
comes out, based on a book by Emily Cassel. The movie stars Alexis
Bledel and Jane Lynch. Post Grad is about a young woman
trying to figure out what to do with her life as she exits college.
On September 18, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs opens. The movie
stars the voices of Neil Patrick Harris and Anna Faris. It's based on a
beloved children's book by Judi and Ron Barrett and it's about a town
that experiences weather with food. In other words, instead of snow,
you get mashed potatoes; instead of hail you get hamburgers...
On
October 2, Shutter Island opens, based on the Dennis Lehane book. It
stars Leonardo Dicaprio and Mark Ruffalo and is about two federal
marshals searching for a woman who escapes a hospital for the
criminally insane.
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A bit about...
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When Virginia
Darnell's husband passed away in 1963, she found herself with no job,
no income, and no professional skills. She desperately needed a way to
pay her bills. As her son Fred shopped for used books for college at
hit-or-miss newsstands and disorganized flea markets, Virginia saw her
opportunity.
She realized that a used paperback book store - tastefully done, neatly
organized, and kept clean - would make a good business. Her concept was simple, and is still at the heart of what all Book Racks do today.
Over the next 30 years, Virginia and Fred licensed the idea across the
country, and now there are over 100 Book Racks helping people find
their next favorite book. The Co-op is now based out of Massachusetts
where Arlington, MA store owner Mike Buglio keeps an eye on things.
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