The Learned Owl Book Shop, Mid-August 2016
 Kate's Corner


Happy mid-August!
I don't often focus on a particular book or author; however, this month I must make an exception. On August 30th the latest Louise Penny book, A Great Reckoning, will be released. This is the twelfth book in her Chief Inspector Gamache series set in the small town of Three Pines just across the border in Quebec. I have absolutely fallen in love with these books over the years. Each time I finish one, I invariably want to go back and binge read them all. It's not just the plot and character development that draws you in, it's her ability to weave in insights on the human condition.

I had the pleasure of meeting Louise in Chicago this past spring, and I can assure you she is as wonderful and insightful in person as she is in her books. She is a great friend and supporter of independent book stores and goes out of her way to work with us. If you have not heard of Louise Penny or ever read one of her books, I encourage you to run, not walk, to your closest book store and find one. I recommend starting with her first, Still Life; however, if it is not readily available, any of the others will do and can be read independently.

Thank you for your support, and happy reading!
- Kate
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Coming up at The Learned Owl

Sat., Aug. 20, 10 AM
(Hudson Farmers Market)
Story time:

Sat., Aug. 20, 1-3 PM
(at The Owl)
Local authors A.J. and C.S. Sparber with Ariel Rising: Ariel, Between Two Worlds: Episode One. This book has humor, romance, adventure, science, tragedy and a healthy dollop of fantasy, and is good for YA through adult.

Sat., Aug. 20, 1-3 PM
(at The Owl)
Alan Dutka with Historic Movie Theaters of Downtown Cleveland.

Sun., Aug. 21, 2 PM
(at The Owl)
Our History Book Club discusses Radical Reformers. Read any book on the topic and join us! [more]

Thursday, Aug. 25,
6:45 PM (location TBA)
Our Book Club in a Bar discusses Death in the Off-Season.

Sunday, Aug. 28, 2-3 PM
(at The Owl)
Join us for a Silly Summer Costume Party featuring Enzo's Very Scary Halloween (for ages 4-8). Wear your silliest costume for our parade! We'll also have refreshments and a giveaway for each participant. Please call to reserve your spot: 330-653-2252.
Quick Links
We recommend: New mysteries

A Great Reckoning
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Kate highly recommends!
Preorder now:
by Louise Penny
[Minotaur Books, $28.99; Aug. 30]
When an intricate old map is found stuffed into the walls of the bistro in Three Pines, it at first seems no more than a curiosity. But the closer the villagers look, the stranger it becomes. Given to Armand Gamache as a gift the first day of his new job, the map eventually leads him to shattering secrets - to an old friend and older adversary, to places even he is afraid to go. And there he finds four young cadets in the Surete academy, and a dead professor. And with the body, a copy of the old, odd map... [more]

Louise recommends:
Curious Minds
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Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton
[Bantam, $28.00]
A brand-new series introducing a fun and entertaining crime-solving team with great romantic chemistry: fiesty financial analyst Riley Moon and eccentric savant Emerson Knight. [more]

by Susie Steiner
[Random House, $27.00]
Linda says: A gripping, finely-crafted detective thriller with a relatable, flawed protagonist who is excellent at her job but floundering in her personal life. Steiner has created a story that leads to what we think is a moment of "aha!" but then zigs and zags and takes us in a completely different direction. A riveting and unpredictable novel from an author I hope to see more of in the future. [more]

Under the Harrow
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Digital audio
Now in paperback:
by Flynn Berry
[Penguin Books, $16.00]
Linda says: By definition, "under the harrow" means being in great distress, frightened, in danger. In this debut psychological thriller, the young woman who finds her sister brutally murdered is under the harrow as she digs deep into the past to try to find the killer. Berry's psychological insights and skillful prose make this a thoroughly enjoyable read. [more]
New in history

by Keith Houston
[W. W. Norton & Co., $29.95]
We may love books, but do we know what lies behind them? In The Book, Keith Houston reveals that the paper, ink, thread, glue, and board from which a book is made tell as rich a story as the words on its pages of civilizations, empires, human ingenuity, and madness. In an invitingly tactile history of this 2,000-year-old medium, Houston follows the development of writing, printing, the art of illustrations, and binding to show how we have moved from cuneiform tablets and papyrus scrolls to the hardcovers and paperbacks of today.

[Liveright Publishing, $26.95]
Independence Day, 1861: The schooner S. J. Waring sets sail from New York on a routine voyage to South America. Seventeen days later, it limps back into New York's harbor with the ship's black steward, William Tillman, at the helm. While the story of that ill-fated voyage is one of the most harrowing tales of captivity and survival on the high seas, it has, almost unbelievably, been lost to history. Now reclaiming Tillman as the real American hero he was, historian Brian McGinty dramatically returns readers to that riotous, explosive summer of 1861, when the country was tearing apart at the seams and the Union army was in near shambles following a humiliating defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run.

by A. Susan Williams
[PublicAffairs, $28.99]
In the 1940s, the brightest minds of the United States and Nazi Germany raced to West Africa with a single mission: to secure the essential ingredient of the atomic bomb - and to make sure nobody saw them doing it.
Packed with newly discovered details from American and British archives, this is the gripping true story of the unsung heroism of a handful of good men (and one woman) in colonial Africa who risked their lives in the fight against fascism and helped deny Hitler his atomic bomb. [more]

Now in paperback:
1920
Avenue of Spies
The Storm of the Century
The Theater of War
New & recommended: Storybooks

[Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $17.99]
Kate says: Can't get enough of the Love Monster!
It's way past bedtime o'clock in Cutesville, but somebody can't sleep. The harder he tries to nod off, the more wide awake Love Monster is, and the later and darker and spookier it gets. When he hears a "rustle rustle," then a "creeeak, scuffle-shuffle BUMP," he's just sure there's a hungry, scary something on its way to get him. So Love Monster musters up his courage... and discovers that the something scary isn't so scary after all.

There_s a Bear on My Chair
Buy the book
There's a Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins
[Nosy Crow, $16.99]
Katherine says: A happy laid-back bear, an increasingly irate mouse (in a very handsome sweater), and a pitch-perfect surprise ending make this a great book to share - with a bear or anyone else. [more]

Quit Calling Me a Monster_
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Preorder eBook
Quit Calling Me a Monster! by Jory John, illustrated by Bob Shea
[Random House, $17.99; available Aug. 23]
Kate says: Monsters are people too! This book will be fun for parents and children. Really looking forward to using it for a story time! [more]
Diggers and pavers and cranes,
oh my!
Goodnight_ Goodnight Construction Site
Curious George_s Crane
Trucks
Construction
Phoebe and Digger
Find It 
Thanks for supporting The Learned Owl Book Shop. Happy reading!