 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!
Happy Autumn! As the air gets a little cooler, I find myself sitting outside enjoying the breeze and a good book. Our fall schedule of authors continues with some exciting events. Working memory experts Tracy and Ross Alloway will help us understand how to improve our memory skills, and book club favorite Thomas Van Essen will be here to talk about his The Center of the World and answer questions from readers. A number of clubs have read or will be reading this book in anticipation of his visit. In November, we'll host two fantastic Southern writers--Lee Smith (Guests on Earth) and Cassandra King (Moonrise). You won't want to miss any of these.
If you did miss some of our recent events, you can at least find out how things went. Some of our younger customers had a ball with the Wimpy Kid Truck and Jon & Pam Voelkel (authors of the Jaguar Stones series). And never hesitate to check to see if we have signed books still available. Most authors are more than happy to sign extra copies for our customers.
As further proof that we host some exceptional authors, just check The New York Times bestsellers' list. Even better, Karen Russell, who visited The BookMark when Swamplandia! was published, just received a McArthur "genius" award. Another more recent author, T.D. Allman, who wrote Finding Florida is happy that his book is long-listed for the National Book Award for non-fiction.
Our book clubs continue to select books that are good to read and to discuss. We invite you to join us.
As always, we look forward to seeing you soon.
Rona
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Upcoming Events
Tracy and Ross Alloway, The Working Memory: Train Your Brain to Function Stronger, Smarter, Faster (Simon & Schuster), Wednesday, October 2, 7 pm
University of North Florida Psychology Professor Tracy Alloway and CEO of Memosyne, Ltd Ross  Alloway are leading experts on working memory. What if you could find a way to better handle a crazy schedule? What if you could gain an advantage in climbing the career ladder or in sports? What if there were a way to improve your outlook on life, to face each day with more optimism and confidence? The authors will show how working memory is key to all that and more and provide information to test and improve your own memory.
Thomas Van Essen, The Center of the World (Other Press), Monday, October 21, 7 pm
 Alternating between nineteenth-century England and present-day New York, this is the story of renowned British painter J. M. W. 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 be lost forever. This debut novel has been praised as "an utterly absorbing journey of the spell cast by a secret painting on those few who have seen it over a hundred and fifty years."
Lee Smith, Guests on Earth (Algonquin), Tuesday, November 12, 7 pm
It's  1936 when orphaned thirteen-year-old Evalina Toussaint is admitted to Highland Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, a mental institution known for its innovative treatments for nervous disorders and addictions. Taken under the wing of the hospital's most notable patient, Zelda Fitzgerald, Evalina witnesses the cascading events leading up to the tragic fire of 1948 that killed nine women in a locked ward, Zelda among them. Author Lee Smith has created, through her artful blending of fiction and fact, a mesmerizing novel about a world apart a time and a place where creativity and passion, theory and medicine, tragedy and transformation, are luminously intertwined. Lee Smith is the bestselling author of Last Girls, Fair and Tender Ladies, On Agate Hill, among others.
Cassandra King, Moonrise (Maiden Lane), Thursday, November 14, 7 pm
Moonrise is a novel of dark secrets and second chances, the best novel yet from the New York Times' bestselling author of The Sunday Wife and The Same Sweet Girls. When Helen Honeycutt falls in love with a man who has recently lost his wife in a tragic accident, their sudden marriage creates a rift between her new husband and his circle of friends, who resent her intrusion into their circle. When the newlyweds join them for a summer at Moonrise, his late wife's family home in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, it soon becomes clear that someone is trying to drive her away, in this writer's homage to Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier.
Proud husband Pat Conroy writes "To write about your own wife's novel should cause shame to any serious writer, but I find that I can do it with pleasure and a strong sense of pride... When Sandra hands me a completed chapter or leaves it on my pillow to read, an immense joy fills me because Sandra always hands me a complete world to cast myself adrift in..."
The BookMark continues to be "on the road" this month. Come see us at "An Evening With David Sedaris" at the Jacksonville Times-Union Center, Monday, October 28. You can enjoy a night of all-new readings. For more information, visit the theater's website. We are proud to be Sedaris' official bookseller for this event.
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Recent Events
 Randy Wayne White never disappoints, and this visit was no exception. Gone is his second book in the Hannah Smith series. He loves to answer questions from his fans and is adamant that everyone has a story to tell. He writes everyday and encourages everyone to do the same. Pretty soon you'll have a book, he claims.
Our  Random House representatives gave us lots of good ideas for book club selections. Julie and Sherry alternated talking about some of their favorite books, now available in paperback and perfect for discussion. Titles were both fiction and non-fiction. If you've never attended one of these "Book Club Nights", you may want to add it to your schedule next time.
It turns out neither of the mother/son writing team Charles Todd is named either Charles or Todd. They were determined to have a name that was easy to remember (unlike their apparent very long last name) and that fit nicely on the spine of the book. Claire and David (aka Charles Todd) told wonderful stories about their adventures to do research for their books and how they write together. By the time the book is written, both have been so involved, neither could claim a thought or a passage. Watching the two speak and interact, it's easy to see how they could work together easily. When it came time for the signing, both singed "Charles Todd."
 It was a very hot and steamy Sunday afternoon, but that did not deter devoted Wimpy Kid fans from visiting the Wimpy Kid Hard Luck Truck. They got to see a video preview of the next book and received stickers and pencils. Many had pictures taken to appear on the official Wimpy Kid website. The new book is available on November 5, and we are taking pre-orders.
Tracey Garvis Graves had a great story to tell about how she achieved success and her determination to write a novel. She wrote every morning before getting her family off to school and work and leaving for work herself. After a year, she had finished her first book On the Island. Her new book, Covet, is receiving review attention and acclaim.
You didn't need to be a kid to enjoy Jon and Pam Voelkel.
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Even the authors had a great time!
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Their Jaguar Stones books are technically for children ages 10 and up, but everyone (adults too) had a blast with them. The children had the chance to eat "worms" (protein snacks that
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Jon Voelkel demonstrated a monkey call.
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really did look like worms) and learned how to make the sounds of different kinds of monkeys. The books provide great adventures and knowledge about Maya culture and history. The two authors graciously signed copies of all three books in the series, so if you missed them, you can still get a copy (sans worms).
As we mentioned in our previous newsletter, The BookMark has been "on the road" selling books at various events, including a cookbook event at the Main Library downtown where Top Chef Favorite Grayson Schmitz signed copies of her favorite cookbook, The Joy of Cooking. The Florida Heritage Book Festival in St. Augustine featured many of your favorite authors, including Andrew Gross, Tim Dorsey, Laura Lee Smith, Michael Grunwald, and Eric Deggans.
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Staff Picks
Rona recommends ...
The Explanation for Everything, by Lauren Grodstein (Algonquin Books)
As an anthropologist, I was naturally attracted to a book that pits theories of evolution against theories of intelligent design. I admit also to being a little ambivalent. In the end, Grodstein's novel is more about the value of understanding and how compassion can be found in science as well as in faith. Nothing beats a good story of human growth and relationships paired with a vigorous scientific and moral debate.
F allen Land, by Patrick Flanery (Riverhead Books)
The author of Absolution (now available in paperback) has done it again. This is more of a thriller with surprises along with social commentary. Fallen Land is a novel that tackles the greed of developers along with the hopes and dreams of families, and even the legacy of slavery. All this combines in a page-turning story of how one family's dream house becomes something much scarier. Flanery writes with a sense of urgency that mirrors the action in the book.
Buford recommends...
The Man from Berlin, by Luke McCallin (Berkley Trade Paperback)
If you like Phillip Kerr's interesting series about Bernie Gunther, a dyspeptic Berlin detective having to adjust to the Nazi regime during wartime, then Luke McCallin's debut mystery introducing Gregor Reinhardt is for you. Reinhardt is called in to solve the murder of a beautiful Yugoslavian filmmaker and a German officer, but quickly finds everyone is not thrilled with his role. Conflicting military jurisdictions, partisans and wartime conditions create special hardships for Reinhardt...and mysterious entertainment for the reader.
Tere recommends ...
The Signature of All Things, by Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love/Viking Books)
Alma's life as a wealthy, homely "lady botanist" allows plenty of time for study,  roaming White Acre's wooded ground as freely as she did as a child. Gilbert's narrative voice uses the era's more formal speech patterns, which evokes the early 1800's Pennsylvania setting, where most of the book takes place. Despite her father's dominating personality, she becomes a woman in her own right and a serious scholar, a bryologist who studies mosses for 26 years. After an ill-fated, short-lived marriage, Alma seeks answers far from home, hoping to uncover her husband's secrets. During the exciting period in science when Darwin was publishing his theories of evolution, Alma struggles to find self confidence in her own intellect and peace in her heart.
The Songs of Willow Frost, by Jamie Ford (author of The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet/Ballantine)
William Eng is an orphan living with strict nuns when he is taken to see a movie featuring an "Oriental" woman he suddenly realizes is his mother. He runs away to meet her and discovers the sad story that led to his current situation. The backdrop of Seattle during the depression is an integral part of the novel, mirroring the emptiness and desperation of the characters' lives. Ford's depiction of the powerlessness of people in the face of poverty and overwhelming forces may seem a bit dark, but the strength of spirit and will to survive for family add a redemptive note to this beautifully written story of endurance.
Kids' Picks... Annette recommends...
Daisy Gets Lost, by Chris Raschka (Schwartz & Wade Books)
Daisy the dog chases a squirrel in the park, only to realize she doesn't know where she is. Swirling watercolor illustrations evoke emotion in this beautiful, wordless follow-up to Chris Raschka' Caldecott-winning A Ball for Daisy. Will appeal to dog lovers, parents, or anyone who's ever felt lost.
The Year of Billy Miller, by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books) 
Billy Miller is about to start second grade, and he's worried. Will the bump on his head stop him from being smart? The school year progresses in four chapters, each focused on Billy and someone important to him: his teacher, his dad, his little sister, and his mom. Author/artist Henkes' novel for 6-10-year-olds will especially endear those who've loved Ramona, Clementine, or a seven-year-old boy.
Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, by Kate DiCamillo and K.G. Campbell (Candlewick)
Comic-book reader Flora Belle Buckman knew just what to do when the vacuum cleaner hit the squirrel. She didn't know, however, that the squirrel she named Ulysses had been reborn with "powers of strength, flight and misspelled poetry." Loss and grief are tackled with hope and humor, and sprinkled with full-page, black-and-white, comic-book-style sequences. Holy Bagumba!
Fortunately, the Milk, by Neil Gaiman and Skottie Young (HarperCollins)
Mum's away on business. What happens when Dad goes out to get the milk? Fortunately for us, Neil Gaiman has written this wonderfully wacky tale involving aliens, pirates, dinosaurs, wumpires, time travel, and possibly, the fate of the world. As Dad himself says, "That's not something you see every day."
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Inside the Book Business
The BookMark is always honored to host bestselling, award winning authors. We're thrilled to announce the following successes for some of our visiting authors:
Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia, received the MacArthur Award for "geniuses." This prize includes $625,000 to be spent by the recipient however she chooses. Congratulations to Karen Russell who delighted us with her book and is now a certified genius.
T.D. Allman's book Finding Florida: The True History of the Sunshine State is on the long list for the National Book Award for non-fiction. You may remember his remarks about some of the "myths" concerning Florida's history. Clearly, this controversial book has struck a chord, and we wish Allman the best.
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 September to discuss Natasha Solomon's "The Gallery of Vanished Husbands." Most loved it, a few just liked or didn't care for it at all. Those who loved it were captured by the story of a woman finding a life and a love under very difficult circumstances. The characters, the time period, and the discussions of art were all appealing. Those who were less enthusiastic thought the characters were not developed enough.
The evening fiction book club had a lot to talk about after reading Continental Drift, by Russell Banks. Most members did not feel empathy for the book's main character, and some struggled to find the redemption or message in the mostly tragic events of the plot. However, many commented about Banks' amazing skill as a writer, noting that the quality of the writing kept them turning pages even when the outcome for the characters was hard to see and accept.
 Beautiful Souls: The Courage and Conscience of Ordinary People in Extraordinary Times, by Eyal Press received very positive reviews. Press' examples of individuals taking personal risks to save the lives of others was both "challenging" and "well written." Readers gave other examples of heroic behavior. For example, Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania in 1940 disobeyed his government's instructions and saved several thousand Jews by issuing visas so that they could travel to Japan. Similarly, in 1994 Paul Rusesabagina saved over a thousand Tutsis from genocide at great personal risk, as recounted in the movie Hotel Rwanda. Some readers noted the disparity in risks faced by the people Press wrote about, especially including more mundane "whistle blowers" with others in more dangerous circumstances. As suggested by these examples, the topic of personal courage and responsibility invites a broader cultural perspective. Overall, the group gave the book a 4.75 out of 5 rating, suggesting that it had good lyrics, a good beat, and was easy to dance to.
Future Book Club Selections 
The morning fiction group chose Lillian & Dash, by Sam Toperoff (Other Press). In this carefully crafted novel, Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellman come to life and recount their wild three-decades-long affair, in alternating voices. In vivid detail, their voices give an insider's perspective of the great, disruptive artistic and political movements that their relationship spanned, including Hollywood's heyday, Broadway and the new literary scene in New York, the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the rise and fall of Fascism, Communism and the McCarthy era--and get at the heart and soul of this fast-living, hard-drinking literary couple.
The evening fiction book group chose Thomas Van Essen's The Center of the World, in anticipation of his visit in October. The morning book club will get the chance to ask unanswered questions, and the evening group will get the inside scoop on the novel and the writer's perspective just prior to discussing it at the end of the month. Planning ahead, the group chose Ian McEwan's Sweet Tooth for November.
The fiction groups meet on the last Wednesday of each month. The next meetings are Wednesday, October 30 at 10:30 am and 7 pm.
 The non-fiction book club chose Rounding the Horn: Being a Story of Williwaws and Windjammers, Drake, Darwin, Murdered Missionaries and Naked Natives -- a Deck's-Eye View of Cape Horn, by Dallas Murphy (Basic Books). 55 degrees 59 minutes South by 67 degrees 16 minutes West: Cape Horn--a place where the storms are bigger, the winds stronger, and the seas rougher than anywhere else on earth. Yet, "rounding the horn" became the ultimate maritime rite of passage as the small stretch of water between Cape Horn and the Antarctic Peninsula was the only gateway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. From the deck of the sailboat Pelagic, Dallas Murphy leads readers on a tour of the Cape while vividly recounting the earlier voyages of exploration from Drake to Darwin.
The non-ficition book club meets each month on the second Wednesday. Their next meeting is Wednesday, October 9 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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