 The BookMark 220 1st Street Neptune Beach, FL 32266 (904) 241-9026 website: www.bookmarkbeach.com   Hours: Mon. - Wed.: 10am - 7pm
Thurs. - Sat.: 10am - 8pm
Sun.: 11am - 5pm
Your Independent Bookstore by the Sea
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Greetings!
I do not want to rush summer. There are still plenty of great books to read and lots of good authors coming to visit. And while some of our book club members travel during this time of year, we've had some great discussions.
In August, bestselling mystery author Linda Fairstein is coming to The BookMark for the first time (Death Angel), and Florida author John Dufresne returns with a mystery this time (No Regrets, Coyote). You may remember his earlier book Louisiana Power & Light. More mystery writers are scheduled for September, including BookMark favorite Randy Wayne White who is returning with his second Hannah Smith novel Deceived. Mother-son writing team Charles Todd will be here with a new Bess Crawford mystery A Question of Honor. Also in September, Tracey Garvis Graves (bestselling author of On the Island) will be here with her new novel Covet. We keep adding authors to our Fall line up and will keep you informed.
Our ten days with four authors in June felt like a party every other night. Each brought something different, and everyone who came got treated to great stories from fascinating writers. There really was something for every taste. July was less busy but no less interesting.
We hope you're enjoying your summer and that whatever you have planned for the hotter weather, reading a good book is part of it.
As always, we look forward to seeing you soon.
Rona |
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Upcoming Events
Linda Fairstein, "Death Angel" (Dutton), Friday, August 2 at 7 pm
 Prosecutor Alexandra Cooper (Coop) and detective Mike Chapman are called to the scene when the naked corpse of a young woman turns up in Central Park. Working to identify her and to determine whether a serial killer is on the loose, the two must search Central Park's vast reaches. Readers are also swept into the inner recesses of one of New York's most storied icons, the legendary Dakota apartment building when clues link it to the crime. To make this story even better, Coop and Mike's longtime relationship starts getting romantic. This is the NTY bestselling author's 15th novel featuring ADA Alexandra Cooper.
John Dufresne, "No Regrets, Coyote" (W.W. Norton), Friday, August 9 at 7 pm
John Dufresne is the author of "Louisian Power and Light". In his latest crime novel, it's Christmas Eve in Eden, Florida, and Wylie "Coyote" Melville, therapist and forensic consultant, is summoned to a horrific crime scene. Five members of the Halliday  family have been brutally killed, and the police consider it a murder/suicide. Wylie is not convinced and begins his own investigation with the help of a poker-playing sleight-of-hand artist with links to the Everglades County underworld, scheming lawyers, county politicians, and the Russian mob (think Carl Hiaasen). Bestselling author Andre Dubus III says this book "takes noir fiction and slivers it with shards of humor, ironic insight, and an almost hallucinogenic specificity." Fellow Florida mystery author James W. Hall agrees that Dufresne "has turned his considerable artistic gifts to the crime novel, and the result is touching, nervy, richly detailed, and populated with a cast of characters who are utterly unique and terrifyingly real."
Ran dy Wayne White, Deceived (Putnam), Friday, September 6 at 7 pm
In this second Hannah Smith novel, a twenty-year-old unsolved murder gets Hannah's attention, but so does a more immediate problem. A private museum has announced plans to open, but it seems that the whole thing is a scam and Hannah's friends get caught up in what turns out to be not about the area's history but about a real estate power play. Smith's town could be wiped out if she doesn't stop this fraud. Randy Wayne White is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty Doc Ford novels (the latest is Night Moves), plus several non-fiction books.
Charles Todd, A Question of Honor (William Morrow), Thursday, September 12 at 7 pm
Bestseller Todd (the pseudonym of a mother-and-son writing team) once again  demonstrates his talent at depicting the horrors of war in this fifth mystery featuring English nurse Bess Crawford. As the carnage of WW I finally nears its end, Bess finds herself investigating murders committed a decade earlier on two different continents. In 1908, while Bess and her family were living in India, a member of her father's regiment came under suspicion for killing his parents. Now ten years later, Bess is confronted by the possibility that this same person may be involved in other murders as well.
Book Club Night with Penguin Random House, Tuesday, September 17 at 6:30 pm
You may have heard that two major publishers--Random House and Penguin Group USA--have merged to become "Penguin Random House". Our two sales representatives from Random House will be here to recommend good books for book clubs. There will be prizes and some light refreshments. This is a great way to get some ideas not only for your book groups but for your own reading.
Tracey Garvis Graves, Covet (Dutton), Friday, September 20 at 7 pm
 Graves is the New York TImes bestselling author of On the Island, her first book which has already been acquired by MGM for a movie. In Covet, she introduces Chris and Claire, a couple whose marriage is on the brink of fracturing when Chris takes on a taxing new job and Claire meets a handsome police officer with a mysterious past. This mesmerizing novel asks the provocative question--what if the life you wanted, and the person you loved belonged to someone else? For fans of Jennifer Weiner, Emily Giffin, or Kristen Hannah.
We'll keep you posted as our Fall schedule takes shape with some of your favorite authors, including Lee Smith and Cassandra King, and more! |
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Recent Events
Will Schwalbe kicked off ten days and four author visits! And what a great beginning. I've been telling people that The End of Your Life Book Club is "oddly not depressing." Schwalbe liked this description and agreed. The story of his conversations about books with his mother during her two-year battle with cancer evoked some wonderful stories from readers about caring for their loved ones and about their desire to share this book. In keeping with his love of sharing a good book, Schwalbe asked each person he spoke with "what are you reading?"
 | | The author (left) signs her book for a loyal BookMark customer. |
We were honored to host debut novelist Anton DiSclafani on her 32nd birthday. We served cupcakes (thanks to her publicist) and some bubbly, and we
 | | The cupcakes were decorated with horseshoes for the occasion. |
even sang. The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is one of the books Rona recommended on NPR for a summer read, and a number of people who had read the book agreed. There were also some customers who had worked at the camp in their youth and shared stories and photographs with the author.
When Karen White visited a few days later, we had a bit of bubbly left, so we  decided to share it with her and her fans. White entertained with stories of how she writes and how excited she is about her first book published in hardcover--The Time Between. Her family stories are always funny. Everytime during the course of her marriage that she's asked her husband for something big, like a beach house, he replies "Hell No!'. Since she now writes her books at that beach house and plays the "hell no" grand piano, she's optimistic about finding a place in Edisto, the setting for her novel. Stay tuned...
This star-studded series of events closed with Steve Berry. The story and history  behind The King's Deception mesmerized everyone. What if Queen Elizabeth I were a man? Seems there's lots of evidence supporting such a theory, and Berry presented much of it. While this idea fascinated Berry's readers on this side of the pond, it seems there was a bit more resistance on the other side. In a recent trip to England, the author found he had to be more careful when proposing his theory.
Longtime friend and BookMark supporter Scott McLucas shared the story of his Lucky Life. He worked in early television, lived in France and New York City, and has always been a great supporter of arts and culture around the world. In fact, he founded the One World Foundation to fund worthy projects. It's fair to say he charmed the audience.
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Staff Picks
Rona recommends ...
No One Could Have Guessed the Weather, by Anne-Marie Casey (Amy Einhorn Books)
You can tell that Casey was a script editor and prime-time television producer before she wrote this debut novel. Her characters are easy to visualize, and the dialogue is well-crafted. Four women in very different circumstances find each other in New York City and form friendships with one another. It's hard to avoid a comparison to Sex in the City. That being said, the writing is smart and sassy and utterly enchanting.
Return to Oakpine, by Ron Carlson (Viking)
 While No One Could Have Guessed the Weather is about women's friendships, Carlson's new novel is about how men form and keep friendships. Set in a small town in Wyoming, four men are reuniting thirty years after graduating from high school and the dissolution of their short-lived garage band. (Think literary "The Big Chill"). Each has gone a different route, and each has demons. Carlson's exquisite prose evokes the power of the place, time, events, and people in a way that should be savored. He never disappoints me.
Tere recommends ...
The Girl You Left Behind, by Jojo Moyes (Pamela Dorman Books)
Feisty, outspoken Sophie risks everything for a desperate chance to reunite with her husband during WW I. Fast forward to the 21st century, when we meet depressed, broke and widowed Liv who clings to memories of her late husband. A portrait of Sophie, painted by her husband and now owned by Liv ties their two stories together through nearly 100 years have passed. Was Sophie's portrait stolen by Germans occupying their French town? Liv's battle to retain ownership of the painting unravels the tale of the lengths to which we go to hold on to love.
The Lowland, by Jhumpa Lahiri (Alfred A. Knopf)
 Lahiri (pulitzer prize winner for Interpreter of Maladies) tells the story of two brothers in India in the late 1960's. One is an idealist who believes in political change but dies futilely, and one is a pragmatist who sacrifices greatly, and makes a decision with good intent that profoundly alters his life and the lives of other family members. It is a beautifully told story of quiet desperation, redeeming love, deferred dreams and family "loyalties".
Kids' Picks... Annette recommends...
The Day the Crayons Quit, by Drew Daywait and Oliver Jeffers (Philomel Books)
 Duncan's crayons have had it. Red is overworked, even on holidays. (All thos Christmas decorations and Valentine's Day hearts!) Gray is exhausted. (Whales! Elephants!) Orange and Yellow both think they are the rightful color of the sun, and since Peach's wrapper was peeled off, he feels naked! Can Duncan put them at ease? Lively illustratiions will have artists of all ages seeing colors anew.
If You Want to See a Whale, by Julie Fogliano and Erin Stead (Roaring Brook Press)
 The creators of And Then It's Spring quietly and beautifully tell us what we must do to see an ocean giant: Don't get so comfortable that you fall asleep, and don't get distracted by wild roses or clouds or bugs that nibble. Pencil illustrations and linoleum prints in blues and greens softly evoke the sea. For sailors and landlubbers alike, ages 4-8.
Thunderstorm, by Arthur Geisert (Enchanted Lion Books)
 The text marks the time as we follow a powerful Midwestern storm from morning through late afternoon. Detailed, hand-colored etchings, created as one continuous illustration, unfold as farmers, families, and animals hunker down before, and come together after. For ages 5-8.
On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein, by Jennifer Berne and Vladimir Radunsky (Chronicle)
Before he became a genius physicist, Albert Einstein was a boy who looked and imagined and wondered. Watercolor and ink artwork play up Einsteins lifelong sense of curiosity and mystery, and may inspire the same in the minds of those aged 6-9.
A  Big Guy Took My Ball!, by Mo Willems (Hyperion)
Piggie is upset. A big guy took the ball she'd found! Friend Gerald heads to the rescue, only to abruptly return. That big guy is VERY BIG! Early readers will find big grins in this 19th Elephant and Piggie adventure.
Bowling Alley Bandit (Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut #!), by Laurie  Keller (Henry Holt and Company)
Picture book favorite Arnie the Doughnut, Mr. Bing's Doughnut-Dog, kicks off this zany, illustrated chapter book series by solving a mystery in a bowling tournament. Wisecracking, slapstick humor provides belly laughs aplenty. Early and reluctant readers will eat it up!
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Inside the Book Business
What is Everybody Reading this Summer?
I thought it might be fun to share with you what other people at the beach have been reading (or at least buying) this summer. No matter whether you've got children in school or you're still in school yourself (either as a student or a teacher), there is something special about "summer vacation." Even if you're still working, there's an ease and slower pace to these months, and our reading choices sometimes change to fit the mood.
Here's a list of some bestsellers at The BookMark so far this summer:
Fiction
City of Women, by David R. Gillham (paperback)
The Time Between, by Karen White (hardcover)
The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, by Anton DiSclafani (hardcover)
The World Without You, by Joshua Henkin paperback)
The Art Forger, by B.A. Shapiro (paperback)
And the Moutains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini (hardcover)
The Other Typist, by Suzanne Rinddell (hardcover)
Mystery
The King's Deception, by Steve Berry (hardcover)
Bad Monkey, by Carl Hiaasen (hardcover)
Inferno, by Dan Brown (hardcover)
Joyland, by Stephen King (paperback)
The Keeper of Lost Causes and The Absent One, by Jussi Adler-Olsen (paperback)
The Delicate Truth, by John LeCarre (hardcover)
The Black Country, by Alex Grecian (hardcover)
Non-Fiction
The Black Count, by Tom Reiss (paperback, Winner of the Pulitzer Prize)
The Guns at Last Light, by Rick Atkinson (hardcover)
The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown (hardcover)
Finding Florida, by T.D. Allman (hardcover)
The Swerve, by Stephen Greenblatt (paperback, Winner of the Pulizter Prize)
Shakespeare's Pub, by Pete Brown (hardcover)
Whatever you're reading this summer, enjoy it!
Staying "Social"
I continue to share some of my random thoughts and reading ideas on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks to those of you who "Like" us and "Follow" us. Since one never has enough people who "like" them and "follow" them, we invite you to join in.
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Book Club Discussions
Book Club Notes
 The morning fiction book club met in June to discuss David Gillham's debut novel City of Women (Berkley). This was one of the more engaged meetings for this group. The characters were complex, and the decisions they made during this morally difficult time--1940's Berlin--were not always obvious. This led to varying opinions about who was right, what motivated different people, and who was responsble for the consequences. Even though several members found the time period difficult, most agreed this was a book they'd recommend. It certainly proved to be an excellent "book club" choice.
Once a year, the evening fiction book club chooses a non-fiction book, and this year they chose The End of Your Life Book Club (Vintage) by Will Shwalbe. Their understanding and discussion of the book was greatly enhanced since many of the members had attended Schwalbe's presentation and book signing just a week or so before the June meeting. Schwalbe's memoir about the informal "book club" he and his mother formed while she underwent cancer treatments more than lived up to its Bookmark reputation as "oddly, not depressing". The club found the book uplifting, inspiring, thought provoking and a ringing endorsement of the time honored tradition of sharing and discussing good literature.
 The evening non-fiction book club gave generally positive reviews to China Airborne: The Test of China's Future, by James Fallows (Vintage Books). The development of the airline industry in China offers an interesting framework to evaluate the challenges and opportunities facing this rapidly growing economy. While some readers described the book as "academic" or "dry", overall the group gave it a 4 out of 5 star rating, noting that the content was well worth the effort.
Future Book Club Selections
The morning fiction group chose The Center of the World (Other Press), by Thomas Van Essen for July. Alternating between nineteenth-century England and present-day New York, this is the story of renowned British painter J. M. Turner and his circle of patrons and lovers. It is also the story of Henry Leiden, a middle-aged family man with a troubled marriage and a dead-end job, who finds his life transformed by his discovery of Turner's The Center of the World, a mesmerizing and unsettling painting of Helen of Troy that was thought to have been lost forever.
The evening fiction book group chose City of Women for July. Based on the discussion the morning group had, they are in for a treat. Planning ahead, they selected Willa Cather's O Pioneers! for August. Part of the group's goal is to read a classic each year, and this book certainly fulfills that wish.
The fiction groups meet on the last Wednesday of each month. The next meetings are Wednesday, July 31 at 10:30 am and 7 pm.
The non-fiction book club chose Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSMY, and the Lost Story of 1970 (Da Capo Press), by David  Browne for August. It's January 1970, and three of the most iconic acts of the '60's are, at last, wrapping up major new releases. The Beatles assemble one more time to put the final touches on Let It Be. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young finish their highly anticipated Deja vu. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel finally complete their masterpiece, Bridge Over Troubled Water. Meanwhile, on the sidelines, a shy upstart singer-songwriter named James Taylor is trying to write one more song to finalize an album called Sweet Baby James. Over the course of the next twelve months, the lives of these remarkable musicians--and the world around them--will change irrevocably.
The non-ficition book club meets each month on the second Wednesday. Their next meeting is Wednesday, August 14 at 7 pm.
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Unable to attend any of these events? Call us at 241-9026 and we will reserve a copy for you.
Did you know...For every $100 spent in an independent business, $73 stays in the community, compared to only $43 for a national chain. None of the money spent online stays in the community. Shopping locally makes good sense for you and good cents for your local economy. |
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