The Learned Owl Book Shop  The Learned Owl Book Shop, November 15, 2013

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KateKate's Corner

  
As I was looking for a suitable quote to put in an ad today, I came across one of those funny old style ecards that are always going around facebook. This one said, "I feel a profound connection to you based on the books I saw on your bookshelf." I had to laugh because I do this pretty much everywhere I go, whether it's a friend's house or my chiropractor's office.  I'm always looking to see what people are reading.
  
Now I have the luxury of not even having to leave the store for this to happen. Each day I have the opportunity to make a profound connection with all of you as you drop in to talk about your favorite books, order books online, or share with us through social media. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to connect with you. 
  
Happy reading!
- Kate
Meet the authors / Discuss the books
  
Wed., Nov. 20
(at The Owl)
3 Green Shoes open house
  
Thurs., Nov. 21, 7 PM (Peachtree, next door)
Book Club in a Bar discusses G. M. Malliet's Wicked Autumn. Join us!

Thurs., Nov. 21, 7 PM (Hudson Library)
Edward Ball with The Inventor and the Tycoon.

Sat., Nov. 23, 1-3 PM (The Learned Owl)
Shane Kearns with Melt: 100 Amazing Adventures in Grilled Cheese.

Sun., Nov. 24, 2 PM (The Learned Owl)
Our History Book Club discusses books about lesser-known presidents.
  
Fri., Nov. 29, 1-8 PM (The Learned Owl)
"Sleep In and Shop Late!" Refreshments & special deals on featured titles. Help celebrate the 30th anniversary of A Christmas Story by entering to win your very own leg lamp! [details] Proceeds go to the Hudson Food Pantry.
  
Sat., Dec. 7 (The Owl)
Bring Your Child to a Bookstore Day! Details to come.

Sat., Dec. 7, 1-3 PM (The Learned Owl)
Bev Shaffer with Chocolate Desserts to Die For!

Mon., Dec. 9, 2 PM OR Tues., Dec. 10, 7 PM (The Learned Owl)
The Learned Owl Book Group discusses A Christmas Carol. All are welcome!
  
Tues., Dec. 10, 7 PM (The Owl)
D. Robert Pease with his Noah Zarc series (ages 9-12).
Quick Links
Thanks for Shopping Indie
To Do on Nov. 29:
1. Eat leftover turkey.
2. Visit The Learned Owl and enter to win a leg lamp. (Raffle proceeds benefit the Hudson Food Pantry.)
3. While you're there, save 20% on bookseller favorites from The Owl's Thanks for Shopping Indie display, like these:
 
 
The Telling Room 
After Iris  
 
 
The Thanks for Shopping Indie promotion runs through Dec. 31, 2013. Thanks for supporting your local bookstore!
New for adults
  

Comic GeniusMichael recommends:
Comic Genius: Portraits of Funny People

by Matt Hoyle
[Chronicle Books, $40.00]
This star-studded tribute to the kings and queens of comedy draws together such legendary names as Steve Martin, Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais, and many more. Granted extraordinary access, photographer Matt Hoyle has captured his subjects in portraits that are works of art in themselves - by turns zany and deadpan, laugh-out-loud and contemplative.                

Buy the book

 

The First Phone Call from Heaven

The First Phone Call from Heaven

by Mitch Albom
[Harper, $24.99]
The story of a small town on Lake Michigan that gets worldwide attention when its citizens start receiving phone calls from the afterlife. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax? Sully Harding, a grief-stricken single father, is determined to find out. An allegory about the power of belief - and a page-turner that will touch your soul. Albom's masterful storytelling has never been so moving and unexpected.

Buy the bookBuy the eBook

 

S.

We recommend:
S. by Doug Dorst
[Mulholland Books, $35.00]
The chronicle of two readers finding each other in the margins of a book and enmeshing themselves in a deadly struggle between forces they don't understand, this book is also Abrams and Dorst's love letter to the written word. read more

Buy the book

 

This House Is HauntedThis House Is Haunted by John Boyne

[Other Press, $14.95]

Linda says, "A vintage ghost story - highly recommended!"
Norfolk, 1867: Eliza Caine responds to an ad for a governess position at Gaudlin Hall. When she arrives at the hall, shaken by an unsettling disturbance that occurred during her travels, she is greeted by the two children now in her care, Isabella and Eustace. There is no adult present to represent her mysterious employer, and the children offer no explanation. Later that night in her room, another terrifying experience further reinforces the sense that something is very wrong.
From the moment Eliza rises the following morning, her every step seems dogged by a malign presence that lives within Gaudlin's walls. Eliza realizes that if she and the children are to survive its violent attentions, she must first uncover the hall's long-buried secrets and confront the demons of its past. Clever, captivating, and witty, This House Is Haunted is pure entertainment with a catch.

Buy the bookBuy the eBook
New for children & teens
  
FriendsFriends by Eric Carle
[Philomel Books, $17.99; available Nov. 19]
When a best friend moves away, it can be painful for the child who is left behind. But the spunky boy in this upbeat story makes up his mind to find his missing playmate. Young readers will cheer on the boy as he braves currents, climbs mountains, and dashes through rain before finally reuniting with his friend. A story alive with love and perseverance, brightened with vibrant art and Eric Carle's trademark fostering of imagination. For ages 3-5.
Preorder book   
  
Paul Meets BernadettePaul Meets Bernadette by Rosy Lamb
[Candlewick Press, $14.00; available Dec. 10]
Paul is a fish who used to go around in circles. He made big circles and little circles. He circled from left to right and from right to left. He circled from top to bottom and from bottom to top. What else was there to do? Until one day Bernadette drops in and shows Paul that there is a whole world out there, right outside his bowl, with so many things to see. A banana-shaped boat! A blue elephant with a spoutlike trunk (be quiet when she's feeding her babies)! A lovely lunetta butterfly, with tortoise-shell rims! Simple saturated paintings play off this charming ode to an active imagination - and the way that life changes when a bewitching creature opens your eyes. For ages 4-8.
Preorder book 

 

I Even FunnierI Even Funnier: A Middle School Story

by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein

[Little Brown and Co., $13.99; available Dec. 9]

Middle schooler Jamie Grimm has big dreams of being the best stand-up comic in the world - and he won't let the fact that he's wheelchair-bound stand in his way. After winning the New York state finals in the Planet's Funniest Kid Comic Contest, Jamie's off to Boston to compete in the national semi-finals. But when one of his best buddies runs into trouble at school and a sudden family health scare rears its head, Jamie has to put his comedic ambitions on hold and stand by the people he cares about. Can Jamie pass up the big competition for the sake of his friends and family?

For ages 9-12.

Preorder book eBook Preview 
 

Full RideFull Ride by Margaret Peterson Haddix
[Simon & Schuster, $16.99]
Becca's claim to fame is one she's been hiding from for the past three years: Her father is a notorious embezzler, and when he was caught, his excuse was, "How else is a guy like me supposed to put his kid through college?"
Three years after the trial and imprisonment that destroyed Becca's life, she and her mother have started over again and are living in a town where no one knows their secret. But as college - and its cost - looms large, Becca begins to wonder how they'll afford it. And how she can apply for financial aid without divulging her secret? A local scholarship opportunity seems like a dream come true; but as the application process commences, Becca uncovers a chain of secrets that could destroy everything she's worked so hard to build. But the truth could also lead her toward the future she's always dreamed of... For ages 13-17.
Buy the book Buy the eBook
  
The DivinersIn paperback on Dec. 3:
The Diviners by Libba Bray
[Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $11.00]
Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City - and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It's 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.
Evie worries he'll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.
Printz Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Libba Bray opens a brand-new historical series with The Diviners, where the glittering surface of the Roaring Twenties hides a mystical horror creeping across the country.
For ages 14 & up.
Preorder book Buy the eBook
Thanks for supporting The Learned Owl Book Shop. Happy reading!