Titcomb's Bookshop
Newsletter March 2015
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432 Route 6A
E. Sandwich, MA 02537
Phone:
508-888-2331
March Hours:
Mon-Sat 9-5
Sun 10-5
Remember -
You can order any books in this newsletter from us online. We'll be happy to mail them to you or you can pick them up at the bookshop.
Kathy Colvin, Editor
Karen Huppi Vail, Photographer
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Titcomb's Best Sellers
Month of February
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1. Still Life with Breadcrumbs by Anna Quindlen
2. Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton
3. Boys in the Boat by Daniel Brown
4. Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
5. Of Irish Blood and Galway Bay (tied) by Mary Pat Kelly
6. Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner
7. Still Alice by Lisa Genova
8. Mud Season by Ellen Stimson
9. Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
10. Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
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You may want to reread  Lee's classic To Kill a Mockingbird while you wait!
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The Bartlett Book of Garden Elements by Michael Valentine Bartlett & Rose Love Bartlett
With over 1,000 photographs and informative text, you will find inspiration for your next garden project in this truly definitive book of designs. A perfect gift for the gardener in your life!
$40.00
Nature Anatomy
by Julia Rothman
See the world in a new way! Rhode Island School of Design graduate Julia Rothman celebrates the beauty of the natural world with whimsically hip illustrations. A wonderful book for all ages.
$16.95
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New Toys Arriving Daily!
We are so excited! We spent 3 days at the Toy Fair in New York City looking among the thousands of toy manu-
facturers for wonderful new toys, games and puzzles.
Our criteria: Items must must be made well, have great play value and encourage imagination and learning. We love toys that inspire children to be active, to use fine motor skills and to be creative.
Here are just a few new arrivals we'd like to share with you. More are arriving daily!
Magformers
Customers have asked us to stock these very creative construction sets that connect with magnets. Use them to make all sorts of shapes - then smash them and start all over again! Hours of fun.  Magformers Rainbow 30 piece Set $49.99
We also stock the Inspire Set and the XL Cruiser Set
Green Toys
We are proud to offer a wide selection of Green Toys, made in the USA from highest quality recycled plastic and packaged in minimal recycled boxes. These are toys meant for creative play. There are very safe and very sturdy. We have dump trucks, airplanes, ferry boats, school buses, tug boats and more!
Helicopter with pilot $16.99
Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty
This is not your average putty!! We have some crazy new versions of this fabulous stuff in small and large tins! $2.99-$14.99
Strange Attractor putty comes alive when you put the enclosed super strong ceramic magnet near it. $14.99
House of Marbles
This English company has some marvelous toys! They are one of the foremost suppliers of traditional games in the United Kingdom and we are happy to stock them here, too.
Junior Adventurers Equipment
We have binoculars ($10.99), compass ($2.99), microscope ($7.99), magnifying glass ($3.99) and more.
Prickly Pile Up Game
$17.99 Can you pile each of the 36 small wooden hedgehogs?
Beetle Bug Game $10.99
This is just like the old "cootie" game we used to play when we were children. Roll the die to be the first to complete your beetle bug.
Douglas Plush Toys
Douglas makes wonderful stuffed toys! We have lots of new items for infants and children. $7.99-45.99
Pauline Pig $15.99
Flash Stingray 19" $11.99
Soft and cuddly Dog Slumpie for babies $19.99
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Bargain Books
Don't forget to check out our bargain books section when you visit the store. Great savings on some really good, carefully selected books. Here are just a few of our new arrivals, including some new gardening books. It's time to think spring!
$4.99
(reg. $7.99)
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$4.99
(reg. $7.99)
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Knitting Club
 Join our lively group of knitters at the bookshop for comradery and great conversation!
Monday, March 2
1 - 3pm
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Doll Making Presentation and Book Signing Sandwich Public Library 2pm
Join Cape Cod needlework artist and author Salley Mavor for a fascinating presentation about making Wee Folk dolls as we celebrate her newest book,
Salley will offer an illustrated talk and bring examples of her beautiful handcrafted dolls, which have been featured in her artwork and her award winning children's books, including Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. This presentation is for adults and children 10 and up who are interested in sewing and embroidery. This new book is a long-awaited follow-up to her first book on doll making, which inspired tens of thousands to create their own dolls. The book features fresh scenes and an array of new outfits, hairstyles, and accessories, with full-sized patterns. Dolls can be bendable and resemble real people or favorite fairy-tale characters with wool felt, chenille stems, and decorative stitching. They can be displayed in a dollhouse, atop a wedding cake, or in a holiday scene to be cherished year after year. |
Girl Power Panel - 6 Young Adult Authors!
Centerville Public Library Monday, March 16th, 2015 - 6PM Centerville Public Library 585 Main Street, Centerville MA All are welcome to attend a fabulous panel of great young adult authors as the Centerville Library hosts a night of fierce fictional females, crazy girl-power authors, and all the tantalizing tall tales they love to tell. "Totally wicked!"
The panel will feature K. R. Conway - Cruel Summer, Undertow and Storm Front
Kathleen Benner Duble - Madame Tussaud's Apprentice
Natasha Friend - My Life in Black & White, Perfect
A. C. Gaughen - Lady Thief, Scarlet
Trisha Leaver - Creed
Katie O'Sullivan - Blood of a Mermaid
This discussion will be moderated by Sara Mannal, News Coordinator, Channel 18. This is a free event, but RSVPs requested by clicking here.
We will have the authors' books for sale at the event. To order the featured books, please click here. |
We will discuss Ivan Doig's novel, Sweet Thunder Tuesday, March 17 at 7pm.
We are so excited that Ivan will join our discussion by phone and hope you all can join us!
In Sweet Thunder, Ivan Doig brings back character Morrie Morgan from his earlier bestsellers The Whistling Season and Work Song. Set in 1920s Butte, Montana, Morrie Morgan is on his honeymoon when he learns he has inherited a mansion from his former boss. Of course it proves to be less windfall than money pit. Butte is a town of miners who are trying to get out from under the hold of the ruthless Anaconda Copper Mining Company. Morrie becomes the editorialist for the "Thunder", the union newspaper going up against Anaconda. Sweet Thunder is another great story set in the West: a noble press pursuing victory for the miners and Morrie Morgan struggling for his own personal happiness.
Reg. Price $16.00, Book Club Price $12.80 |
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Judy Chicurel
Book Talk and Signing
Saturday, March 28
2 - 3pm
We are so pleased to welcome Judy Chicurel to Titcomb's to talk about her new book,
If I Knew You Were Going to be This Beautiful, I Would Never Have Let You Go!
 At its heart, If I Knew You Were Going to be this Beautiful is a coming of age story, capturing the lives of protagonist Katie and her small group of friends as they grow up in the early 1970s. Both funny and heartbreaking in equal measure, Chicurel expertly creates a slow burning page-turner, with characters whose lives you truly care about. Reg. Price $25.95, our price $20.76 |
Book Talk! Michael Kindness and Ann Kingman of Books on the Nightstand Sandwich Public Library Sunday, March 29 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Last year's event with book experts Michael Kindness and Ann Kingman was so popular, we've invited them to come back to Sandwich to lead a discussion about some of their very favorite books!
This is a wonderful opportunity to get out of the house and join your fellow book lovers for tea, light refreshments and really great conversation!
Michael and Ann write the very popular and award-winning website, blog and podcast, Books on the Nightstand. They also host Booktopia, an exciting series of reader/author get-away weekends throughout the US. For their "day jobs" they are sales representatives for Penguin Random House and have more than four decades of combined book and publishing experience. (Oh, and they are really nice people, too!)
If you love talking about books and hearing about great new books coming out soon, you will not want to miss this event. It's a great way to discover new books for your book club discussions, too!
 
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New and Recommended Books:
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Fiction:
Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
For those familiar with Ishiguro's previous novels, ( Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go) his latest work is very different. Set in ancient Britain, The Buried Giant concerns the journey of an aging couple, Axl and Beatrice, hoping to find a son they have not seen for years. Moving and strangely believable, Buried Giant is a haunting tale that will sit with you for days after the final sentence. Reg. price $26.95, our price $21.56 (Available March 3)
A  Touch of Stardust by Kate Alcott
(author of The Dressmaker and
The Daring Ladies of Lowell)
A Touch of Stardust takes place behind the scenes during the filming of Gone With the Wind. In 1938, bright-eyed Julie Crawford from Fort Wayne, Indiana, comes to Los Angeles with dreams of writing for the silver screen. Julie gets a job in the publicity office at Selznick International Pictures, but is quickly fired. Fortunately, she meets the actress Carole Lombard, who is also from Fort Wayne and makes Julie her personal assistant. Julie gets an intimate glimpse of the love affair between her employer and Clark Gable, as she tries to juggle her own romance and navigate the treacherous terrains of Tinseltown. If you're a fan of old-Hollywood glamour, you will love the details about life on movie sets and movie stars' homes, in a blend of fact and fiction. A breezy read for those with "stardust" in their eyes. Reg. price $25.00, our price $20.00
The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce
In this companion book to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, a dying woman in the north of England waits for her old friend to arrive. Told from the point of view of Queenie Hennessey, the timeline is the same as the original, with the same main characters and a similar whimsical supporting cast, yet it feels very different, and is far darker. Through a series of letters that Queenie has begun writing to Harold while she waits, we learn the key to their relationship: Queenie has secretly loved Harold deeply, her whole life, and loves him still. There is humor, though, which comes from the setting of St. Bernadine's Hospice, which seems like a merry place to end one's days. If you loved The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry as much as we did, this is a must-read! Reg. price $25.00, our price $20.00 (Available March 3)
Heartbreak Hotel by Deborah Moggach
The star of this provincial drama is retired actor Russell "Buffy" Buffery. Life looks up for this veteran of three marriages and father to six grown-up children when he inherits Myrtle House, a shabby B&B in the Welsh Borders. It's while he's contemplating his personal history that a money-making idea occurs: he'll turn the hotel into a base for residential courses for the newly single, divorced and bereaved. Buffy's courses prove an immediate hit and soon people are dashing up for classes in gardening and car maintenance. If you loved author Moggach's The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, you will want to book a reservation in Heartbreak Hotel! Reg. price 26.95, our price $21.56 (Available March 3)
Shame and the Captives by Thomas Keneally
From the author of Schindler's List, Shame and the Captives is a fictionalized account of the 1944 escape by Japanese prisoners from a POW camp in New South Wales. The Japanese believed that to survive the war as losers was a great dishonor, that it would be preferable to die in battle. The escape is described with chilling efficiency, and we gain an insight into the minds of the Japanese so even if we don't empathize with their desire for a glorious death, we comprehend it.
Reg. price $26.00, our price $20.80
The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell
Ian Caldwell (The Rule of Four) returns with a new intellectual thriller: a lost gospel, a relic, and a dying pope's final wish send two brothers - both Vatican priests - on a quest to untangle Christianity's biggest mystery - the Shroud of Turin. A page-turner!
Reg. price $25.99, our price $20.79 (Available March 3)
 Cat Out of Hell by Lynn Truss
We had to include this book in part because the protagonist is a talking cat named Roger! (We hope Rodger, our bookshop cat, isn't as vocal!)
This tale of cats and murder is an increasingly suspenseful and often
hysterically funny adventure that will please cat lovers and haters alike. And afterwards, as one critic noted, "You may never look at a cat in quite the same way again" (The Daily Mail)
Reg. price $24.95, our price $19.96 (available March 3)
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New in Paperback:
 The Bridal Chair by Gloria Goldrich
Artist Marc Chagall painted "The Bridal Chair" as a wedding present for his daughter, Ida. However, it actually was a symbol of his anger at the circumstances surrounding her marriage. This historical fiction deals with Marc Chagall through the eyes of his daughter, and Paris in the 1920s, against a backdrop of the Nazi invasion. $14.99 (available March 3)
 The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
Finally in paperback!
The Husband's Secret will make you wonder what in your own life would or would not have happened if, say, you had waited just five more minutes before you walked out the door, had not said that hurtful thing, had applied a bit of logic to that situation. The Husband's Secret is as scary as it is familiar. $16.00 (Available March 3)
 The Painter by Peter Heller
Peter Heller, author of The Dog Stars, a staff favorite, returns with an achingly beautiful, wildly suspenseful second novel about an artist trying to outrun his past....Traveling from the rough adobe cottages and rivers of Colorado to the bright streets and galleries of Santa Fe, aching with grief for all he has seen, Jim tries to recon- cile the love he feels in his heart with the violence that comes so easily. $15.95 (Available March 3)
 Redeployment by Phil Klay
Winner of the 2014 National Book Award for Fiction, author Phil Klay is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. His collection of short stories focuses on the men who have to enforce government policies, the decisions of others. The final, powerful story, "Ten Klicks South," is about dead soldiers coming home. Personal effects are gathered, wedding rings removed, bodies prepared for transport. "And as it was unloaded off the bird, the Marines would have stood silent and still, just as we had in Fallujah.... And they would have stood silent and still in Kuwait. And they would have stood silent and still in Germany, and silent and still at Dover Air Base.... Marines and sailors and soldiers and airmen would have stood at attention as it traveled to the family of the fallen, where the silence, the stillness, would end." Powerful stories, indeed. $16.00
 The Farm by Tom Rob Smith
Daniel is living an uneventful life in London with his partner, Mark, and his parents are living a quiet life on a farm in Sweden. One day he receives a frantic phone call from his father, Chris: "Your mother... she's not well.... She's been imagining things." Daniel decides to fly to Sweden. Before he does, his mother calls and says everything Chris has said is a lie, and she's flying to London. Who would you believe? The Farm is a staff favorite - atmospheric and suspenseful! $15.00
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New Nonfiction:
 Dead Wake by Erik Larson
Ever since The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson's narrative nonfiction has been staff favorites. Whatever tale he chooses to tell, we find it compelling. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania is no exception!
Larson's account is impressively suspenseful given that we know the fatal outcome. A German U-Boat sank the British ocean liner, RMS Lusitania, off the south coast of Ireland in 1915. The ship sank and of the nearly 2,000 passengers and crew members on board, about 1,200 died. The waters were so still that some onboard could see the torpedo coming. Larson describes that the desperation on deck was so vivid that even the captain of the attacking submarine had to look away. History at its harrowing best! $28.00 (Available March 10)
Naturalist's Paradise: Wallace, Bates, and Spruce in the Amazon by John Hemming
Alfred Russel Wallace, Henry Walter Bates and Richard Spruce were English naturalists who went to Amazonia 150 years ago.
This book is the first to combine the young men's experiences of the Amazon, drawing heavily on their own letters and books. All three explored an unknown river and had many thrilling adventures: violent attacks of malaria, fearful rapids, murder attempts, encounters with indigenous peoples, shipwrecks, and many other hardships. Fascinating! $34.95 (available March 10)
 Barbies in the Horse Bin by Lisa Bates
New book on parenting by a Sandwich author!
A non-traditional book on organizing, Barbies in the Horse Bin examines what being organized really means, why things constantly become disorganized and, most importantly, how to raise an organized child. This book reads like a conversation with a trusted friend and it informs by utilizing concepts, quotes and personal stories that resonate with readers. This book helps you look beyond "the mess", "the forgotten soccer cleat" and the "perfection" to solve problems your way with your family.
Lisa uses her decades of experience working with children and families, her sense of humor and expert storytelling to convey the most important aspects of not only teaching organization to children but also developing their executive functioning skills and self-esteem. You will never think about "being organized" the same way again. Features include the "Fabulous 15" Organizational Skills and everyday activities for children of all ages. $12.99
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Children's Picture Books
 Home by Carson Ellis $16.99
Homes of all kinds are featured in this absolutely beautiful picture book. There are country homes and city homes, fancy homes and plain homes, animal homes and imaginary homes. So many different homes fill the pages and offer much to talk about. $16.99 (Ages 4-8)
 Peace is an Offering by Annette Lebox and illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
This is a beautiful and gentle poem about finding peace where you are and in the everyday things in life. Children of many backgrounds find peace in a shared cookie, holding hands, talking with a younger brother or sister or an invitation to a birthday. Peace is all around if you look for it. A wonderful gift. $16.99 (Ages 3-7) (Available March 10)
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Children's Fiction (Ages 6 - 12)
 Listen, Slowly
by Thanhha Lia $16.99
From Vicky: I loved Thanhha Lia's National Book Award winning novel Inside Out And Back Again, and couldn't wait to read this newest book. It's a beautifully written story of a 12 year old California girl, Mai, who travels with her father and grandmother back to their family home in Vietnam so that her grandmother can try to find out what happened to her husband who disappeared during the Vietnam War. Mai finds herself suddenly immersed in a culture she knows only a little about and a language she can hardly speak. The book is so moving and the people so real and the story both humorous and truly poignant. A wonderful and very readable look at Vietnamese culture and people and history. $16.99 (Ages 9-13)
 Astrotwins by Mark Kelly
Looking for a really great adventure story? This is it! Astrotwins, set in 1975, is the story of 11 year old twins Mark and Scott who decide to build a rocket in their grandfather's workshop. They get help from four other friends who add their skills and knowledge of computers, welding, physics and math. Readers will learn along with the
characters as they work together on their goal. It's lots of great fun mixed with lots of science and history.
VERY INTERESTING BACK STORY! The author is a retired astronaut. His identical twin brother, Scott, is about to take off for a year long journey into space. The Kelly brothers will be the subject of a NASA Twins study , which will look at the effect of space flight on humans. The book's publication date was recently changed so Mark could be at his brother's lift off in Russia the week of March 23. $16.99 (Ages 8-12) The Only Game by Mike Lupica
Jack is an amazing baseball player, but loses all interest in competing after the accidental death of his older brother - an accident he blames himself for. His best friend and teammate Gus is angry that he has quit the team and Jack finds support in a friendship with Cassie, who convinces him to help coach her softball team. This is a wonderful story of friendship and the first of four books about four friends, Jack, Cassie, Gus and Teddy. A wonderful read for anyone, sports fans and non-sports fans alike! (Ages 9-13)
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Children's Nonfiction
 Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France
This is a wonderful story of how the scientific method can disprove quackery. Benjamin Franklin, who was in France in 1778 to raise support for the American Revolution, was asked by the King of France to be on a commission to investigate a "miracle" cure that was taking Paris by storm. Austrian Dr. Franz Mesmer would wave an iron wand around a person's body and play the glass armonica, invented by Franklin years earlier, in a darkened room. Using a "blind" study and careful observations, Franklin disproved Mesmer claims. Fascinating look at a little known aspect of Franklin's life and the importance of the scientific method. $17.99 (Ages 6-9) (Available March 10)
 Flowers are Calling by Rita Gray and illustrated by Kenard Pak
From Vicky: (It won't be long before the flowers will be calling again - really!!) This is a beautiful picture book about pollinators - the insects and birds that depend on flowers for their food and are essential for the plants. Told with clever rhyme, readers learn about how and why different creatures seek the pollen of different flowers, whether they be long and narrow blossoms or sturdy and flat. Lots of interesting information at the end of the book. (Did you know that some early spring flowers actually create their own heat, which helps attract insects and spread their blossoms' scent? $16.99 (Ages 4-8) (Available March 3) |
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Young Adult Fiction
 Mosquitoland by David Arnold
Mim, who has just moved with her father and new stepmother from Ohio to Mississippi, embarks on a journey by bus when she discovers that her mother is sick back home in Cleveland. Along her journey, she meets a quirky group of fellow travelers and confronts her own demons, redefining her notions of love, loyalty and what it means to be sane. But what is real? Mim, who narrates her story, reminds the reader, "I am not OK." A hilarious and heartbreaking story. $17.99 (Ages 14-17) (Available March 3) Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman Only a very small handful of books earn 5 starred reviews - and this amazing fantasy, a sequel to Seraphina, is one of them!! Goredd is a world where humans and dragons coexist. When war breaks out between them, however, Seraphina, half-dragon, half-human, is sent to find others like her to fight the dragons who would destroy humankind. One of these half-dragons, however, is the most terrifying of all - one who can creep into others' minds and control them. Seraphina has kept her mind safe by holding back on her own gift, but now must choose between safety or a powerful new destiny. This book is best read after reading Seraphina. $18.99 (Ages 12-17) (Available March 10) ,
 Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver $18.99 March 10 This newest book from the bestselling author of Before I Fall is a gripping mystery. Sisters Dara and Nick were inseparable until an accident left Dara's face scarred. Since their parents' separation and conflict over a boy, they don't even talk with each other. When Dara and another younger girl in their town disappear, Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances may be linked. $18.99 (Ages 14-17) (Available March 10)
 Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith "Brilliant... irreverant... bizarre.. darkly funny" These are words that describe Andrew Smith's writing. Often compared with Kurt Vonnegut, he's an author to watch and author to read. Now in paperback, it's a great time to pick up Grasshopper Jungle and give it a try. 16 year old Austin Szerba tells the story of the end of the world, which begins in his small Iowa town when 6' praying mantises with insatiable appetites for food and sex are unleashed. It's also the story of Szerba's relationships - he's torn between his love for his girlfriend and his best friend, Robbie, who is gay. "If you appreciate kooky humor, sentences that bite, and a nuanced understanding of human beings' complicated natures and inexplicable actions, then you, too, will love Smith's bold, bizarre, and beautiful novel."
--"The Boston Globe" $10.99 (Ages 14 up)
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