Fiction  

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr  

From Elizabeth M: This exquisitely written novel tells the story of a blind French girl and a German boy in the days leading up to and during WWII.  Marie-Laure has been lovingly raised by her father in the neighborhood of The Museum of Natural History where he is the Master of the Locks.  To help her move about her small world, her father builds a model of their neighborhood so she can memorize streets and buildings.  When the Germans occupy Paris, Marie and her father flee to Saint-Malo on the coast to stay with family who live there.  At the same time in Germany, a young orphan named Werner and his sister Jutta listen to a primitive radio and hear programs broadcast from Saint-Malo.  Werner's talent in repairing radios earns him a place at a military academy where he is recognized as a talented member of the Hitler Youth program.  The story is told in alternating chapters about Marie and Werner and yet flows seamlessly together.  Long after you finish the last page the characters and images will stay in your mind.  You will savor the lyrical tone of the book and want to share it with all of your reading friends. (A staff favorite! Almost everyone at the bookshop has read and absolutely LOVED this book!)  Reg. price: $27.00; our price $21.60 (Available May 6)

     

From Elizabeth S: 

 This is the story of Nicholas Kolt, an author with phenomenal first time success (international best seller, movie rights and money beyond his wildest dreams) that all goes straight to his head!  He is under great pressure to produce his second novel and he takes himself to a posh island resort in the Mediterranean.  There Nicholas, through descriptive recollections, comes to terms with his past.  The characters staying at the resort that weekend and the events that happen in a short time frame keep the book fast paced and enjoyable. A beautifully written novel from the very talented author Tatiana de Rosnay.  Reg. price: $26.99; our price: $21.59 

Natchez Burning by Greg Iles 

From Vicky:   Penn Cage is the mayor and former prosecutor of Natchez.  His father, Dr. Tom Cage, is a much loved doctor in the town.  When Viola Turner, Tom's black nurse during the tumultuous 1960s, is found dead soon after she returns to Natchez in her final days with cancer, Dr. Cage is accused of her murder.  As he stubbornly refuses to defend himself, his son Penn seeks desperately to uncover the truth about Viola's death and is drawn into a web of lies and violence.  He finds an ally in a local reporter who has dedicated his career to exposing a murderous secret racist society which has been terrorizing and killing blacks since the 1960s.  You will not want to put down this gripping story of race, lies and murder.  This thriller has already been awarded an almost unheard of 5 starred reviews.   Reg. price: $27.99; our price: $22.39  

 

Delicious! by Ruth Reichl

From Elizabeth S.: This book delivers on its great title! Ruth Reichl has a way with words - food writing, memoirs, and now fiction! The story unfolds as a young woman named Billie leaves her past in California and comes to New York City to take a job with  the top food magazine, Delicious, only to settle in and have the magazine close! This is where the story take off as a mystery and coming-of-age page turner.  The characters come alive and draw you right into the fun.  From start to finish I loved this book and I'm looking forward to making the gingerbread recipe in the back of the book! 

Reg. price $27.00; our price: $21.60 (available May 6) 

The Orenda by Joseph Boyden 

In this highly praised saga, a Jesuit missionary in the 17th century ventures into the Canadian wilderness in search of converts, but is abandoned when his native guides flee their Iroquois pursuers. A Huron warrior and elder named Bird soon takes him prisoner, along with a young Iroquois girl, Snow Falls, whose family he has just killed, and holds them captive in his massive village. The relationships among these three are reshaped again and again as life comes at them relentlessly: a dangerous trading mission, friendly exchanges with allied tribes, shocking victories and defeats in battle, and sicknesses the likes of which no one has ever witnessed. The Orenda traces a story of blood and hope, suspicion and trust, hatred and love, that comes to a head when Jesuit and Huron join together against the stupendous wrath of the Iroquois, when everything that any of them has ever known or believed faces nothing less than annihilation. Reg price $26.95; our price $21.56  (Available May 13)  

     

Chestnut Street by Maeve Binchy

Beloved author Maeve Binchy imagined a street in Dublin with many characters coming and going, and every once in a while she would write about one of these people. She would then put her notes in a drawer "for the future," she would say. 

With the help of her husband, Binchy's editors gathered the stories after her death and put them together in this charming volume.
Reg. price: $26.95; our price $21.56 

   

Capital in the Twenty-First Century,

by Thomas Piketty

French economist Thomas Piketty's new book may be the most important economics book of the year.... He makes a powerful case that we're on the way back to "patrimonial capitalism," in which those in the 1% are dominated not just by wealth, but by inherited wealth, in which luck of birth matters more than effort and talent. Six of the 10 wealthiest Americans are already heirs rather than self-made entrepreneurs. This is a fascinating look at our economic history through the years.  Piketty plots some controversial points of views and projections for the future. Definitely a discussion-worthy book! $39.95

The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan

Even though she was just twenty-two when she died, Marina left behind a rich, expansive trove of prose that, like her title essay, captures the hope, uncertainty, and possibility of her generation. This book is a collection of Marina's essays and stories. $23.00 

Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience  by Shaun Usher
This is a spectacular collection of more than 125 letters giving a never-before-seen glimpse of the events and people of history--the brightest and best, the most notorious, and the endearingly everyday. Entries include a transcript of the letter; a short contextual introduction; and, in 100 cases, a captivating facsimile of the letter itself. The artfulness of Shaun Usher's eclectic arrangement creates a reading experience rich in discovery. Mordant, hilarious, poignant, enlightening--surprise rewards each turn of the page. Colorfully illustrated with photographs, portraits, and relevant artworks, this handsome hardcover is a visual treat too, making Letters of Note an utterly distinctive gift, and an instant classic.

$40.00 (available May 6)

Delancey, a Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage, by Molly Wizenberg

Margaret Fuller, A New American Life by Megan Marshall 

New in paperback!  Megan Marshall just won the Pulitzer Prize for this fascinating book. Margaret Fuller was a trailblazer: Thoreau's first editor, Emerson's close friend, first female war correspondent, and passionate advocate of personal liberation and political freedom.

Marshall tells the story of how Fuller, tired of Boston, accepted Horace Greeley's offer to be the New York Tribune's front-page columnist, and she wrote movingly about the plight of the urban poor.  In Italy as a foreign correspondent, Fuller took a secret lover, wrote dispatches on the brutal 1849 Siege of Rome, and gave birth to a son.  Yet, when Fuller died in a shipwreck off Fire Island shortly after her 40th birthday,   her life's work was eclipsed by tragedy and scandal. Marshall's moving account brings this American heroine back to indelible life.  $16.95

The Mortal Sea: Fishing the Atlantic in the Age of Sail by W. Jeffrey Bolster

From Vicky: You don't have to go out West or to some exotic location around the globe to find great rocks and minerals!  This inspiring new guide has 100 key sites to hunt rocks of all sorts that will have you itching to crack out a hammer and chisel and get started!  From gold to opals, amethyst to topaz, fossils and more - you can find them all in New England!  Each of the locations listed has information on accessibility, suggested tools, valuable collecting tips, most commonly found minerals, directions, special rules for the site and more.  There are lots of color photos to identify minerals, too.    Written by a collector and mineral expert with more than 35 years of experience. $21.95

On November 5, 1942, a US cargo plane slammed into the Greenland Ice Cap. Four days later, the B-17 assigned to the search-and-rescue mission became lost in a blinding storm and also crashed. Miraculously, all nine men on board survived, and the US military launched a daring rescue operation. But after picking up one man, the Grumman Duck amphibious plane flew into a severe storm and vanished.

New in paperback!  Nathaniel Philbrick makes history come alive once again in his latest book, now out in paperback. This is the story of the 1775 battle that ignited the American Revolution. Boston was an island city occupied by British troops. After the Boston Tea Party, British and American soldiers and Massachusetts residents have warily maneuvered around each other until April 19, when violence finally erupts at Lexington and Concord. In June, however, with the city cut off from supplies by a British blockade and Patriot militia poised in siege, skirmishes give way to outright war in the Battle of Bunker Hill. It would be the bloodiest battle of the Revolution to come, and the point of no return for the rebellious colonists. Philbrick brings a fresh perspective to every aspect of the story. He finds that the real work of choreographing rebellion falls to a thirty-three year old physician named Joseph Warren who emerges as the on-the-ground leader of the Patriot cause and is fated to die at Bunker Hill. With passion and insight, Philbrick reconstructs the revolutionary landscape--geographic and ideological--in a mesmerizing narrative of the robust, messy, blisteringly real origins of America.  $18.00  

Straight from the Earth: Irresistible Vegan Recipes for Everyone

by Marea Goodman

We've all been loving this book, which features lots and lots of simple, clever crafts and delicious recipes!  It's the type of book you could turn to again and again for inspiration.   $30.00 

From Vicky: This is NOT a cookbook, but will make a wonderful gift for anyone interested in food and books - and who isn't?  The author is a voracious reader who believes that reading and eating have a lot in common.  They are both consumed; they are comforting, nourishing, restorative and more.  She has taken some of the most memorable scenes of meals from a wider array of  adult and children's literature and photographed each one with complimentary table settings.  See the golden cheese toast Grandfather served in Heidi; the Christmas buffet from

Ultimate Book of Vehicles From Around the World 

by Anne-Sophie

From Vicky: The perfect book for any truck-loving child in your life!  It's filled with illustrations of lots and lot of vehicles - from fishing boats to rescue vehicles, trains, cement mixer, excavators and much, much more.  There are more than 60 flaps to open, rotating wheels to turn, pop-ups and tabs to pull for hours of fun for children old enough to handle the book with some care. (Ages 3 1/2-7)  $19.99  

A Lion in Paris by Beatrice Alemagna

Duck & Goose Go To the Beach by Tad Hills 

From Vicky: Duck and Goose books are some of our very favorite picture books - very sweet, funny and touching stories with brilliant illustrations that perfectly match the humor and humanity of these two precious friends.  In this newest book, Duck decides to go to the beach, but Goose isn't so sure. Off to the beach they go, however, where they experience the waves and sand, birds and sea creatures.  This book is a pure delight and will speak to young children who are also beginning to venture out in the world.
 (Ages 3-6)  $17.99


Peanut Butter and Jellyfish by Jerrett J. Krosoczka
From Vicky: Peanut Butter is a seahorse and Jellyfish is.... a jellyfish! They are great friends and love spending time swimming around their ocean home. Crabby lives nearby and is always taunting them and calling them names. When Crabby gets caught in a lobster trap, will Peanut Butter and Jellyfish be able to come to the rescue? With clever writing and wonderful illustrations, this book also illustrates how good it can feel to apologize and forgive. $16.99 

From Vicky: Marcia Williams, a brilliant artist and author who has brought to life a number of classic works of fiction, now turns her talents to a book she adores: Pride and Prejudice. This beautifully illustrated volume tells the story through Elizabeth's eyes: the excitement over Mr. Bingley's arrival, the ball, the trip to London and the wedding. The illustrations are delicately detailed and really make the story accessible to younger readers, especially with the cartoon-like illustrations on some pages. The scrapbook format includes notes and invitations to open and read, recipes, and cute little vignettes. This book is a pure delight and would make a very special gift to for ages 8-12 (or a Jane Austen fan of any age!) $16.99

When thirteen-year-old Margaret's father is unfairly sentenced to death by the cruel Judge Biggs, she is determined to save him, even if it means using her family's secret and forbidden ability to time travel. With the help of her best friend, Charlie, and his grandpa Josh, Margaret goes back to a time when Judge Biggs was a young boy and tries to prevent the chain of events that transformed him into a corrupt, jaded man.

Strong storytelling, suspense, high drama and a bit of humor add up to a terrific and heartwarming read.  (ages 9 - 12) $16.99 

Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart 

Steering Toward Normal by Rebecca Petruck

Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen

The real-life results are painful, funny, and include a wonderful and unexpected surprise-meeting and befriending of Betty Cornell herself. Told with humor and grace, Maya's journey offers readers of all ages a thoroughly contemporary example of kindness and self-confidence. $18.99  

What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Gwen Castle lives on a Nantucket-like island where a lot of very rich families come for the summer.  She's 17 and from a family of fishermen and housecleaners.  She's thinking about her future and college - and not getting stuck on the island for the rest of her life.  She would definitely like to forget her recent "Biggest Mistake Ever" with a boy. This summer, she gets a job as an assistant to an elderly wealthy woman.  She also finds herself having to deal with her father, who gives her some shocking advice, and with Cassidy Somers, a rich boy who's exiled to the island for the summer where he's working as a yard boy.  This is a wonderful story of family and friends, love and sex by the Massachusetts author of My Life Next Door.   $17.99

The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene