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HARDCOVER FICTION we love at WORD
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    Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to See by Juliann Garey (ebook available)
This intense novel moves between three narrative strands: a reminiscent look at a childhood with an alcoholic father who suffered from bipolar disorder, the main character's decision to leave his barely-held-together Hollywood life and ride the whims of his own disease, and finally his shock treatment, institutionalization, and reunion with his daughter. (Emily)
Panorama City by Antoine Wilson (ebook available)
Antoine Wilson's Panorama City is the good-spirited tale of Oppen Porter, a dyslexic, naive, and extremely tall 28-year-old from a small town in central California, who is cast out into the world when his father dies. He lands in Panorama City itself, more specifically in the home of an intense aunt who attempts to change Oppen by getting him a job at a fast food restaurant, putting him into therapy, and also handing him off to a Christian fellowship program that is not exactly what it seems. Oppen's voice is is pure and funny and emotionally true, and the book reads like a dream. Panorama City was one of the most charming novels of 2012. (Jami)
Sailor Twain by Mark Siegel
A fabulous and fantastical yarn set on a riverboat in the Hudson River, the story and the art both seem particularly suited to the winter, for some reason. So full of longing, this one, for people who have left and also a longing to believe in one's own fantasies. (Emily)
Little Wolves by Thomas Maltman (ebook available)
The Minnesota prairie town of Lone Mountain is shocked out of its seemingly tranquil existence when a troubled 17-year-old, Seth Fallon, walks into town with a sawed-off shotgun, murders the sheriff, and then kills himself in a cornfield. Reeling from the death of its beloved sheriff, the town further ostracizes and taunts Seth's father, Grizz, who is left alone to grieve for his son and defend the child's reputation and memory. Meanwhile Clara, Seth's English teacher, senses foul play in a small town that isn't as peaceful as it appears. Rich with myth and metaphors, propelled by fully realized characters and a taut plot, Maltman's Little Wolves is a gripping thriller that should be read immediately! (Shane) |
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PAPERBACK FICTION we love at WORD
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Birds of a Lesser Paradise by Megan Mayhew Bergman (ebook available)
These short stories find women in rural towns who relate better to animals, both stray and exotic, than they do their peers. Women who find their strength passed down from mothers and grandmothers. Women wondering what's become of themselves. I looked forward each day to spending time with this book and these women and tried to make it last despite each tale seeming to fly through my fingers. (Simone)
Gods Without Men by Hari Kunzru (ebook available)
This was one of my favorite books of 2012. What do a British rocker, a couple with an autistic child, a Spanish monk on pilgrimage, frontier outlaws, a New Age cult, and a military training base have in common? Kunzru's storytelling abilities are on full display in this brilliantly weird and thought-provoking novel that I will be giving to all our Cloud Atlas fans. (Jenn)
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker (ebook available)
Though we wish they'd kept the hardcover design, The Age of Miracles, newly in paperback, is a staff favorite that follows a young family as they cope with a gradually unfolding environmental disaster -- the rotation of the earth has been slowing down, and the days are getting longer and longer and longer. (Emily)
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (ebook available)
Taylor won me over a few years ago with the exquisite (but awkwardly titled) Lips Touch: Three Times, a trio of unusual stories about kisses and their repercussions. Daughter of Smoke and Bone beautifully displays her skill with carefully laced plots, worldbuilding that spins on the smallest details, and characters you hate to leave behind. Our heroine, Karou, has peacock-turquoise hair, exceptional artistic skill, and a secret life that she carefully hides from her art-school friends. These secrets become impossible to hide when a longstanding war from another world breaks into our own. Taylor spins magic, romance, violence, belief, and family into one of the best young adult series currently running (Daughter is now in paperback; the sequel is out in hardcover). (Molly)
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NONFICTION we love at WORD
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Drinking With Men by Rosie Schaap (ebook available)
Reading Rosie Schaap's memoir is like going bar-hopping across the country with the best possible friend -- the one who knows the bartenders, knows the vibe of each bar, and knows how to ease you, her companion, into each new circle of friends, acquaintances and strangers with whom you never thought you'd bond. Drinking With Men isn't about drinking so much as it's about the particular kind of socializing that comes from being a regular, from belonging to a place, even if only for a time. Read it in your favorite pub, next to a pint of really good beer. (Molly)
Artful by Ali Smith
Smith's masterful fiction is not widely known in the U.S., but it should be. Her latest is a nonfiction rumination on the power and importance of art and storytelling. Creative nonfiction at its finest, this one reminds me of one of my other favorite British literary stylists, Jeanette Winterson. (Emily)
Heads in Beds by Jacob Tomsky (ebook available)
A gossipy, tell-all behind the scenes (or front desk, as it were) memoir of hotel work. A slice of life caught with an observant eye and lived with irreverence. It will be especially enjoyed by all of us who've ever worked in the service industry. (Simone)
An Elemental Thing by Eliot Weinberger
One critic has asked of Weinberger, "How does he know everything?" It's a good question, and one that definitely comes up while reading An Elemental Thing. Mesmerizing for both its subject matter (essay topics include a poetic biography of the prophet Muhammed, a look into Mandaean culture, and a history of "Changs") and its formal decisions, Weinberger's collection explodes the essay form, creating something engaging, mythical likes its subjects, in the process. (Chad)
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KIDS BOOKS we love at WORD
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    Open This Little Book by Jesse Klausmeier and Suzy Lee A simple yet gorgeous picture book that also highlights the craft of bookmaking. Keep reading and you'll find a book within a book within a book within a book...little ones will love the journey. The illustrations by Suzy Lee are vibrant and charming and the story is a great reminder of why books are so powerful. I absolutely adore this one. (Christine) The Secret of the Stone Frog by David Nytra This graphic novel for young readers follows a young sister and brother on a hallucinatory dream escapade. The black and white pen and ink images are thrillingly sinister. Get ready to be pleasantly disturbed. (Simone) Goblin Secrets by William Alexander ( ebook available) This dreamy, magical, National Book Award-winning middle grade fantasy is about a town where acting is strictly forbidden -- except, sort of, for goblins. Rownie, an orphan, is tired of being an errand boy for the witch Graba, who commands a small host of lost children. When a goblin troupe appears, Rownie is drawn to their illicit craft, their masks, and the allure of being on stage. Maybe the goblins can help him find his brother, Rowan, who was an actor; maybe they can help Rownie free himself from Graba. Goblin Secrets, for all its magic, is an elusive, internal story, the kind that you feel your way through rather than the kind you puzzle out -- but it has more staying power than you might initially expect. (Molly) It's a Tiger by David LaRochelle and illustrated by Jeremy Tankard
A child escapes from a tiger, only to see it again and again in more and more ridiculous places: in a cave, captaining a boat, hidden in a treasure chest! It's hilarious, and reading it out loud is guaranteed to induce much giggling. (Jenny)
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This has been another production of the book-lovin' fools at: WORD (126 Franklin St Brooklyn NY 11222) Open for your reading needs from: 10am to 9pm, seven days a week Available during those hours at: 718.383.0096 And always open at: www.wordbrooklyn.com |
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