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Events in July
Nonfiction Picks
Fiction Picks
Picture Book Picks
Kids' Graphic Novel Picks
Middle Reader Picks
Young Adult Picks
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July Events:
7/13 - Knit Night (Crocheters, too!)

 

Ongoing - Essex Art League Summer Exhibit 

 

goodeatHungry for Something Wholesome and Hearty? 
granola and yogurt
Try "Mountain Maple" or "Farmhouse Blend" granola served with a generous portion of creamy vanilla bean yogurt.

This artisan, all-natural granola is made one batch at a time in Woodstock, Vermont, with whole grain rolled oats, Vermont maple syrup and honey, the finest dried fruits, hearty nuts, and crunchy seeds. We also carry 4oz. bags for you to take home!

  
cooldrinkEnjoying the Amazing Weather? 
frappe
Stop in for a perfect frozen concoction, like the Mayan Mocha Frappe pictured above, plus brewed iced coffee, iced teas, espresso frappes, milkshakes, fruit smoothies, and so much more!! Endless options to satisfy that craving for summer beverages, customized just for you!   
storysale25% Off
July is Ladybug Girl Month at Phoenix!

cover image 9780803734197
25% Off Select Picture Books by David Soman and Jacky Davis

Ladybug Girl has all sorts of adventures, both right in her own backyard and further abroad!

cover image 9780803733398

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David Soman and Jacky Davis are a husband-and-wife picture-book-creating team.  Ladybug Girl is inspired by their daughter, who used to wear every one of her hats and necklaces at the same time.

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Ms. Davis has worked in publishing as well as in television, producing graphics at Jim Henson Productions.  She currently works as a graphic designer at a local newspaper.  Mr. Soman has been an instructor at the School of Visual Arts in New York City for fifteen years.

 

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Not Sure What to Read Next?
Check Out Our Staff Picks Online! 

Check out some of our personal favorites online, at phoenixbooks.biz.  Whether you're looking for a rollicking summer read or something totally surprising, for the story of a journey into freedom or a book of herbal recipes for the whole family, we've got a great title for you!

Once you find the book you'd love, give us a ring at 872-7111 so we can check the shelves and put one on hold just for you. 
Not Sure What to Buy? 

Gift Certificates are the Perfect Choice!
    
Make the Connection   Follow me on Twitter

 
    Follow Phoenix on Twitter, and get all the latest updates and events info. "Like" our Facebook page, and you can also write on our wall, start a discussion, or tell us about the books you recommend. We'd love to hear from you! 
Time To Declare
  
Ready to declare your support for your local, independent bookstore?  Ask us about the Phoenix Fan Club next time you're at the register! 
Thank you for choosing local and indie!
Books! 
Store Hours:
Mon-Fri: 9am-8pm
Saturday:  10am-8pm
Sunday:    11am-6pm

at the Essex
Shoppes & Cinema
21 Essex Way #407
Essex, VT 05452
802.872.7111
Join Our Mailing List!
 July 2011
Dear Friends,

Summer is here in full force, and we hope you're enjoying the sun as much as we are!  Anytime you'd like to escape the heat, we invite you in to the (air conditioned) Cafe at Phoenix for a cold and yummy custom-made shake, frappe, or iced latte.  If you'd just like to escape, we invite you to take a vacation to any place or any time, just by browsing the books on our shelves!  

In this issue we have a some news about good eats at the Cafe at Phoenix, and some titles about the importance of eating locally and mindfully.  We'll also tell you about a sale on some of our favorite storybooks, plus a ton of great fiction picks for you and your kids and teens.  Just scroll down to find your next great read!

Sincerely,

Mike, Renee, Beth, Colleen, Heather, Katie, Kristen, 

Rachel M., Rachel O., and Tod



  YOU'RE INVITED TO...
...converse, chat, pass the time, and expand your horizons.

 

KNIT NIGHT (CROCHETERS, TOO!)   

Wednesday
, July 13th from 6:00-8:00pm   
All skill levels welcome.  See you there!


  nonficNONFICTION PICKS
Mindful Munching and Economic Endangerment


Making Supper Safe: Why We Lost Trust in Our Food and How We Can Get it Back, by Ben Hewitt (Local Author!)
cover imageFood recalls have become so ubiquitous we hardly even notice them. The massive peanut salmonella contamination of 2008-2009 alone killed nine and sickened an estimated 22,500 people; only a few weeks later, contaminated frozen cookie dough sent 35 people to the hospital. The most dangerous aspect of our food system isnt just its potential to make us acutely ill, but the ever expanding distance between us and our sources of nourishment. Hewitt introduces a vibrant cast of characters and revolutionaries who are reinventing how we grow, process, package, distribute, and protect our food, and even how we protect ourselves.  (Hardcover)


The Town that Food Saved, by Ben Hewitt
cover imageOver the past few years, Hardwick, Vermont has jump-started its economy and redefined its self-image through a local, self-sustaining food system unlike anything else in America. Even as the recent financial downturn threatens to cripple small businesses and privately owned farms, a stunning number of food-based businesses have grown in the region.The Town That Food Saved is rich with appealing, colorful characters, from the optimistic upstarts creating a new agricultural model to the long-established farmers wary of rapid change in the region.  (Now in Paperback!)    


Gluten-Free Cupcakes, by Elana Amsterdam   
cover imageGluten-Free Cupcakes - by the popular food blogger and author of The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook - is the first collection of gluten-free cupcake recipes featuring almond flour and coconut flour. Cupcakes are the world's cutest treat - but until now, those on a gluten-free diet haven't had a cupcake cookbook of their own. Gluten-free guru Elana Amsterdam re-engineers this favorite dessert for today's dietary needs in this colorful collection.   (Paperback)


Reckless Endangerment, by Gretchen Morgenson
cover imageGretchen Morgenson, the star business columnist of The New York Times, exposes how the watchdogs who were supposed to protect the country from financial harm were actually complicit in the actions that finally blew up the American economy.  Drawing on previously untapped sources and building on original research from coauthor Joshua Rosner - who himself raised early warnings with the public and investors, and kept detailed records - Morgenson connects the dots that led to this fiasco.  (Paperback) 
 


  ficFICTION PICKS
Music, Marriage, and Murder


The Bells, by Richard Harvell
cover imageAs a boy, Moses possessed an extraordinary gift for sound. But it is this gift that will cause Moses' greatest misfortune: determined to preserve his brilliant pupil's voice, the choirmaster Ulrich has Moses castrated. Now a young man, he will forever sing with the exquisite voice of an angel - a musico - yet castration is an abomination in the Swiss Confederation, and so he must hide his shameful condition from his friends and even from the girl he has come to love. When his saviors are exiled and his beloved leaves St. Gall for an arranged marriage in Vienna, he decides he can deny the truth no longer and he follows her - to sumptuous Vienna, to the former monks who saved his life, to an apprenticeship at one of Europe's greatest theaters, and to the premiere of one of history's most beloved operas.   (Paperback)


cover imageAmerican Heiress, by Daisy Goodwin
Be careful what you wish for. Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage. Witty, moving, and brilliantly entertaining, Cora's story marks the debut of a glorious storyteller who brings a fresh new spirit to the world of Edith Wharton and Henry James.  (Hardcover)


cover imageSister, by Rosamund Lupton
When her mom calls to tell her that Tess, her younger sister, is missing, Bee returns home to London on the first flight. Tess is found dead, apparently by her own hand. Bee is certain that Tess didn't commit suicide. Though her family and the police see a grieving sister in denial, Bee uncovers the affair Tess was having with a married man and the pregnancy that resulted - and her difficultly with a stalker who may have crossed the line when Tess refused his advances. Tess was also participating in an experimental medical trial that might have gone very wrong. As a determined Bee gives her statement to the lead investigator, her story reveals a predator who got away with murder - and an obsession that may cost Bee her own life.  (Hardcover)  



  PICTURE BOOK PICKS
Storybook Science


Charie and Kiwi, by The New York Hall of Science Staff
cover imageHow can a flightless bird be a bird at all? It's simply evolutionary!  This book is inspired by an exhibit at The New York Hall of Science, New York City's hands-on science and technology center. NYSCI's mission is to convey the excitement and understanding of science and technology to children, families, teachers and others by galvanizing their curiosity and offering them creative, participatory ways to learn. (Hardcover)


All the Water in the World, by George Ella Lyoncover image
Faucet, well, raincloud, sea ... from each of these
comes water. But where does the water go?
To find out, turn the page, dive in with tongue
or toes, with eyes and ears and nose-
and wonder at the flow of this great world's
life story.    (Hardcover)     
 


  KIDS' GRAPHIC NOVEL PICKS
A Crazy Cat and an Astro Academy


cover imageGarfield: Fish to Fry, by Peter Berts   
The famed orange cat comes to comics from Papercutz! In the first story, Fish to Fry, the tables turn on Garfield when he is put on trial by fish everywhere for his crimes against aquatic life (namely stealing them out of fish bowls). Other stories include "Family Picture" and "Nice to Nermal," with Garfield, Odie, Nermal, Jon and more   (Hardcover)



cover imageGarfield: Curse of the Cat People, by Peter Berts
In this second collection of three Garfield stories from Papercutz, Garfield and Odie are transported by a magic mirror to an alternate-universe of Ancient Egypt where cats rule the world! Hilarity ensues when Garfield uses his wit to get himself named Pharaoh! Other stories in this volume include "The Pet Show" and "Bone Diggers," starring Garfield, Odie, Nermal, Jon and more.  (Hardcover)       


cover imageAstronaut Academy: Zero Gravity, by Dave Roman
Blast off for adventure at Astronaut Academy! Hakata Soy is new at Astronaut Academy, and so far things aren't going well. Hakata's past as the leader of a futuristic superhero team is catching up to him just as he's making a fresh start. How will Hakata find time to study for his classes in Fire Throwing and Anti-Gravity Gymnastics when he's got a robot doppelganger on its way to kill him?  With tons of goofy humor, snappy dialogue, and a madcap plot, New York Times bestseller Dave Roman has created a two-volume space adventure that reads like the wacky offspring of Sweet Valley High and Power Rangers.  (Paperback)
 


  MIDDLE READER PICKS
Mysteries on the Mountain and Right at Home


Missing on Superstition Mountain,
by Ellise Broach
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It's summer and the three Barker brothers - Simon, Henry, and Jack - just moved from Illinois to Arizona. Their parents have warned them repeatedly not to explore Superstition Mountain, which is near their home. But when their cat, Josie, goes missing, they see no other choice. There's something unusually creepy about the mountain, and after the boys find three human skulls, they grow determined to uncover the mystery. (Hardcover)  

cover imageBad Kitty Meets the Baby, by Nick Bruel
Kitty's owners are home with a big surprise for Kitty. But what is it? Kitty, reeling in horror, thinks it's a... dog. The neighbor cats are convinced it's a cat. But we all know that it's really a BABY!  With Nick Bruel's trademark mix of antic humor (this time involving a Kitty game show and the Kitty Olympics, which the baby wins hands down), riotous illustrations, total mayhem, and Uncle Murray Fun Facts, this may be the funniest Kitty book yet, and the one that hits closest to home. (Hardcover)   
 


  YOUNG ADULT PICKS
Epic Quests and Tough Decisions


cover imageBlood Red Road, by Moira Young   
Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured   and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.   (Hardcover)

cover imageMy Life Undecided, by Jessica Brody
"PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT! Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic. Here's the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I'm fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can't remember the last good decision I made. See, thats why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. Thats right. I gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else decide which book I read for English. I even let them decide who I dated!  Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can't choose or have chosen for you. And now everythings more screwed up than ever..." (Hardcover)      


cover imageEverlasting (Immortals #6), by Alyson Noel
Their epic love story has captured the hearts of millions and enchanted readers across the world. In this beautiful finale, their journey draws to a spectacular conclusion where all will be revealed.  Their darkest enemies now defeated, Damen and Ever are free to embark upon their final quest - to free Damen from the poison lingering in his body. If they can just find the antidote, they'll finally be able to feel each other's touch. But their fight to be together will lead them into the most formidable terrain yet - into the dark heart of Summerland. (Hardcover)      


Moonglass, by Jessi Kirbi
cover imageWhen Anna was little, she and her mother used to search for sea glass, but since they looked at night, they called it moonglass. Ten years after her mother's mysterious death, her father is working as head lifeguard on the same beach where her mother grew up. Reluctant to get close to anyone, Anna begins to spend more time alone, running the length of the beach and wondering about who her mother really was. After meeting a lifeguard named Tyler, she slowly lets her guard down, and together they start exploring the abandoned houses that dot the beach. But when learning more about her mother's past leads to a painful discovery, Anna must reconcile her desire for solitude with ultimately accepting the love of her family and friends. (Hardcover)