Life Among Giants by Bill Roorbach
This funny, exuberant novel captures the reader with the grand sweep of seven-foot-tall David Lizard Hochmeyer's larger-than-life quest to unravel the mystery surrounding his parents' deaths. It is a journey laden with pro football stars, a master chef and his beautiful transvestite lover, a world-famous ballerina and her English rocker husband, and a sister, who is as brilliant as she is unstable. A wildly entertaining, plot-twisting novel of murder, seduction, and revenge. $14.95

The Round House by Louise Erdich
One Sunday in the spring of 1988, a woman living on a reservation in North Dakota is attacked. The details of the crime are slow to surface as Geraldine Coutts is traumatized and reluctant to reveal what happened.  The Round House won the National Book Award.  It's a great read and would make an excellent discussion book.  $15.99
 
Winter of the World (Century Trilogy #2) by Ken Follett
Ken Follett's Fall of Giants, the first novel in the extraordinary historical epic Century Trilogy, was an international sensation. Winter of the World picks up right where the first book left off, as its five interrelated families--American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh--enter a time of enormous social, political, and economic turmoil beginning with the rise of the Third Reich, through the Spanish Civil War and the great dramas of World War II, to the explosions of the American and Soviet atomic bombs and the beginning of the long Cold War. $25.00
  
This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
Junot Diaz is a brilliant writer!  On a beach in the Dominican Republic, a doomed relationship flounders. In the heat of a hospital laundry room in New Jersey, a woman does her lover's washing and thinks about his wife. In Boston, a man buys his love child, his only son, a first baseball bat and glove. At the heart of these stories is the irrepressible, irresistible Yunior, a young hardhead whose longing for love is equaled only by his recklessness--and by the extraordinary women he loves and loses.  In prose that is endlessly energetic, inventive, tender, and funny, the stories lay bare the infinite longing and inevitable weakness of the human heart. They remind us that passion always triumphs over experience, and that "the half-life of love is forever." $16.00

  1356 by Bernard Cornwell
September 1356. All over France, towns are closing their gates. Crops are burning, and through-out the countryside people are on the alert for danger. The English army-led by the heir to the throne, the Black Prince-is set to invade, while the French, along with their Scottish allies, are ready to hunt them down. But what if there was a weapon that could decide the outcome of the imminent war? Rich with colorful characters, great adventure, and thrilling conflict, 1356 is a magnificent tale of how the quest for a holy relic with the power to change history may culminate in an epic struggle. List price: $28.99 Our price: $23.19 

  The Gallery of Vanished Husbands by Natasha Solomons
London, 1958. It's the eve of the sexual revolution, but in Juliet Montague's conservative Jewish community where only men can divorce women, she finds herself a living widow, invisible. Ever since her husband disappeared seven years ago, Juliet has been a hardworking single mother of two and unnaturally practical. But on her thirtieth birthday, that's all about to change. A wealthy young artist asks to paint her portrait, and Juliet, moved by the powerful desire to be seen, enters into the burgeoning art world of 1960s London, which will bring her fame, fortune, and a life-long love aff air. $16.00

Adult Non-Fiction

Lawrence in Arabia by Scott Anderson In early 1914, T.E. Lawrence was an archaeologist in Syria; by 1917 he was the most romantic figure of World War One, battling both the enemy and his own government to bring about the vision he had for the Arab people.  Based on years of intensive primary document research, this fascinating new book definitively overturns received wisdom on how the modern Middle East was formed. Sweeping in its action, keen in its portraiture, acid in its condemnation of the destruction wrought by European colonial plots, this is a book that brilliantly captures the way in which the folly of the past creates the anguish of the present.  $28.95

 Weekends with Daisy by Sharron Kahn Luttrell  

Sharron Kahn Luttrell was still mourning the death of her beloved German shep­herd when she decided to volunteer as a weekend puppy raiser. Daisy captures Sharron's heart the moment she's handed the leash. Keith, the convict who cares for and trains Daisy during the week, seems intimidating at first, but he is soft-spoken and polite. What's more, Daisy's appearance on Fridays, freshly scrubbed and sweet smelling, seems further evidence of his gentle nature. Each new command Daisy masters and task she learns suggests a man who is patient, persistent, and com­mitted to his work. When Sharron discovers the horrifying crime that led to Keith's incarceration, her trust in him is shattered. Ultimately, it is Daisy and her un­wavering trust in Keith that helps Sharron come to terms with Keith's past, and to recognize his strug­gle for redemption. Sharron and Keith start their journey believing that they are training Daisy, but in truth she is the one showing them the way: gently pushing them to fulfill their own destinies, to grow up, let go, and experience what it really means to sit, to stay, and to love. $26.00
 
A House in the Sky, A Memoir by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett

Knit Christmas Stockings: 19 Patterns for Stockings & Ornaments by Gwen Steege

Claude Monet's Gardens at Giverny by Dominique Lobstein and Jean-Pierre Gilson

E.B. White on Dogs by E.B. White and Martha White

Fangirl is a gem!  Funny, clever, heartwarming and sweet - it's beautifully written with wonderful characters by the author of Eleanor & Park. Cath and her twin sister Wren are starting college, but Wren has decided to branch off on her own, leaving the quiet and introverted Cath in the very uncomfortable position of making her own way at college.  For years, the girls had been huge fans of Simon Snow, a fictional character much like Harry Potter, and though Wren has outgrown her interest, Cath is still totally engrossed in the fictional world of Simon Snow and even writes a very popular series of fanfiction based on the books.  The book follows Cath as she learns to deal with her roommate, her roommate's boyfriend, a difficult but passionate teacher, her loving but emotionally fragile father, a boyfriend and her sister.    $18.99  

Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper
Susan Cooper, author of the Newbery award winning Dark is Rising series, turns her considerable talents to this excellent historical novel about a Wampanoag youth and a Puritan boy in 17th century Massachusetts around Plymouth.  Little Hawk was on a 3 month test of manhood when most of his tribe are killed by disease.  He and his grandmother move to a white community, where they lead quiet lives until tragedy strikes.  John Wakely is a 10 year old boy who lives in the town and whose life is changed by his bond with Little Hawk. Beautifully written and filled with historial facts.  $16.99 (Available September 3) 

Children's Fiction

  
QB1 by Mike Lupica
Jake Cullen is a freshman quarterback playing high school football in the high-pressure land of Friday Night Lights. He is also the brother of Wyatt Cullen, who quarterbacked his team to the Texas State Championship last season--not to mention the son of former NFL quarterback and local legend, Troy Cullen. To be a Cullen in Texas is to be royalty . . . and a quarterback. All of which leaves 14-year-old Jake in a Texas-sized shadow, a tall order for any boy, especially one who's merely a freshman.
Being a good teammate comes naturally to Jake; being a winner and a celebrity does not. He's just like every other boy--awkward around a pretty girl, in awe of his famous family, and desperate to simultaneously blend in and cast his own shadow. Inspired by the real-life Manning family of quarterbacks and set amid the football-crazy culture of Texas, QB1 is a great coming-of-age story, Ages 10 and up. $17.99  (Available Sept. 17th)
 
The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech
Fans of Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech's Ruby Holler will love her latest tween novel about finding family when you least expect it.
When a young couple finds a boy asleep on their porch, their lives take a surprising turn. Unable to speak, the boy Jacob can't explain his history. All John and Marta know is that they have been chosen to care for him. And, as their connection and friendship with Jacob grow, they embrace his exuberant spirit and talents. The three of them blossom into an unlikely family and begin to see the world in brand-new ways. The Boy on the Porch is a singular story about opening your heart and discovering home in unexpected places.  Ages 9 - 12.  $16.99

From Vicky: Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan   

Willow Chance is a 12 year old genius, and her adoptive parents love her unconditionally - which is a good thing, because her brilliant mind is generally out of step with those around her, particularly teachers and children her own age.  When her parents die in a car crash, Willow is overwhelmed with grief, but she finds help in the most unlikely places - her totally ineffective but lovable guidance counselor, a taxi driver and a new friend named Mai, who lives with her mother and brother in a garage behind their nail salon.  Counting by 7s is an extraordinary story about the power of love and family. Willow's voice is wonderfully quirky. Counting by 7s will touch your heart and make you laugh.  Highly recommended.  This would make a great discussion book for ages 10-14  $16.99

Children's Picture Books

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty
 Rosie may seem quiet during the day, but at night she's a brilliant inventor of gizmos and gadgets who dreams of becoming a great engineer. When her great-great-aunt Rose (Rosie the Riveter) comes for a visit and mentions her one unfinished goal--to fly--Rosie sets to work building a contraption to make her aunt's dream come true. But when her contraption doesn't fly but rather hovers for a moment and then crashes, Rosie deems the invention a failure. On the contrary, Aunt Rose insists that Rosie's contraption was a raging success: you can only truly fail, she explains, if you quit. Ages 5 and up. $16.95

The Eye of the Whale:  A Rescue Story by Jennifer O'Connell
On a cool December morning, a humpback whale was discovered tangled in hundreds of yards of crab-trap lines, struggling to stay at the surface to breathe. A team of volunteers answered the call, and four divers risked their lives to rescue the enormous animal. What followed was a rare and remarkable demonstration of animal behavior. This celebrated story, beautifully depicted in Jennifer O'Connell's mesmerizing paintings, will make you wonder about animal emotions and the unique connections we can have with animals, even whales.  To see a fascinating interview with the author, please click here .  $16.95 

  

The Blessing Cup by Patricia Polacco

As a young Russian Jewish girl in the early 1900s, Anna and her family lived in fear of the Czar's soldiers. The family lived a hard life and had few possessions.  Their treasure was a beautiful china tea set. A wedding gift to Anna's parents, the tea set came with a wish that "Anyone who drinks from this will have blessings from God. They will never know a day of hunger. Their lives will always have flavor. They will know love and joy and they will never be poor. " When Anna's family leaves Russia for America, they bring one tea cup and its blessings. This cup, "The Blessing Cup," became an anchor of family history, and it remains a symbol of lasting love more than a century later. Recommended for ages 6-10.  $17.99