We're pleased to be hosting the launch party for A River Closely Watched, the fantastic new novel by local author Jon Boilard. Come by our Granny Smith Room at 7PM on January 11th to meet the author, enjoy some refreshments, and hear Boilard read from this eerie tale of a family in turmoil in western New England.

Boilard's first novel is an exercise in Noir, or perhaps it might be better described as Southern Gothic come to rural New England.  Whichever, it is a darkness-drenched celebration of violence. 

Come by on January 15th at 7PM to help launch local author Erica Lorraine Scheidt's debut, Uses for Boys, a hauntingly beautiful coming-of-age novel about a girl who grows up loveless and alone and, following in her mother's footsteps, begins to believe that if she gives boys what they want, they will give her what she needs. We'll also be screening a book trailer for Uses for Boys created by three local teenage filmmakers from TILT, the Youth Program of the Ninth Street Independent Film Center in San Francisco.

Praise for Uses for Boys:  

"Haunting, frank and un-put-downable."-STARRED Kirkus Review

"Scheidt's novel packs a punch; this fast-moving book can be devoured in one sitting, but reveals even more upon rereading." - STARRED Publishers Weekly Review

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January 18: Tony Fletcher, author of A Light That Never Goes Out: the Enduring Saga of the Smiths

Author Tony Fletcher will be here on Friday, January 18th at 7PM to discuss A Light That Never Goes Out, the definitive book about The Smiths, one of the most beloved, respected, and storied indie rock bands in music history.

Hailing from Manchester, England, The Smiths--Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke, and Mike Joyce--were critical and popular favorites throughout their mid-1980s heyday and beyond. To this day, due to their unforgettable songs and lyrics, they are considered one of the greatest British rock groups of all time. In A Light That Never Goes Out, Tony Fletcher paints a vivid portrait of the fascinating personalities within the group, not the least of which is Morrissey, the witty, literate lead singer whose loner personality and complex lyrics made him an icon for teenagers who felt forlorn and forgotten.

Whether you're a diehard fan or the memory of Morrissey's crooning brings out your converse-wearing teenage angst in a good way, this evening is sure to be a fascinating look at The Smiths as only their biographer could deliver it.

Holiday madness is past, and now just a few long cold rainy months of winter lay ahead. What better for your nightstand than a new book by Jared Diamond? In his latest tome, Diamond offers a penetrating look at the ways humans have evolved, by comparing practices of traditional societies with those of modern industrialized societies. Human society has been around for something like 6 million years,

Tenth of December by George Saunders (Random House)

It has been something like 6 or 7 years since we last got a book of fiction from the great George Saunders, so we were already looking forward to this one. Then the New York Times went ahead with an article titled "George Saunders Has Written the Best Book You'll Read This Year." And it delivers, from the first heart-racing but darkly hilarious story to the last.  So not sure about you, but we are going to be shoving all of those other books off to the side when this one comes in this week. [eBook $12.99] 

On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes by Alexandra Horowitz (Scribner)

Alexandra Horowitz lives in New York City and walks her dog around the block several times a day. But on one such mundane journey, she realized her dog was seeing a lot of things that she was missing. This got her to wondering what else she was missing as she moved blithely through terrain so familiar that she didn't even see it anymore. So she enlisted the eyes of various experts, from a geologist to an architect to an artist, and even a toddler,and tried to see the block she'd walked around a thousand times afresh though their eyes. The result is On Looking, eleven charming and informative walks around an ordinary city block. This is a book that will, quite literally, have you walking around in wide-eyed wonder at the world around you. [ebook

Cypherpunks by Julian Assange (OR Books)

Julian Assange, the editor of and visionary behind WikiLeaks, has been a leading voice in the cypherpunk movement since its inception in the 1980s. This collection of conversations with the wanted man/freedom fighter brings together cutting-edge thinkers and activists to discuss whether electronic communications will emancipate or enslave us. And, ahem, this is a book you won't find at many bookstores, or at a certain online retailer. Just sayin'. 

Grace: a Memoir by Grace Coddington (Random House)  

Grace Coddington, the creative director of Vogue Magazine, reluctantly gained a certain fame after the 2009 documentary about Anna Wintour, "The September Issue." In this lavishly illustrated, name-dropping memoir, Coddington gets her own starring role, revealing in the process a behind-the-scenes history of the last 50 years in fashion. 

Beautifully designed (of course), Grace proves itself worthy of its author's intention to "give people something to dream about." [ebook $15.99] 

On The Map: a Mind-Expanding Exploration of the Way the World Looks by Simon Garfield (Gotham)

Simon Garfield, author of the immensely popular Just My Type, which "did for typography what Eats, Shoots & Leaves did for punctuation" (NY Times), turns his whimsical gaze to maps in his latest book. Charting (map joke!) the history of cartography, Garfield leads the reader on a delightful illustrated tour of Mercator's projection, the Manhattan subway system, the streets of Monopoly, and more.  [ebook $12.99] 

Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova

(Viking) 

Maria Konnikova's insightful and entertaining book takes a little bit of Victorian sleuthing and a little bit of 21st century neuroscience to argue that anyone, with a little diligence and clear-thinking, can be as observant as the famed fictional detective. Part manual of detection, part self-help guide to better thinking, Mastermind is a cobweb clearing book for anyone who'd like to open their eyes to a world riddled with clues to living a fulfilled life. [ebook $12.99]

The Atheist's Bible: the Most Dangerous Book That Never Existed by Georges Minois (University of Chicago)

Georges Minois' fascinating study of the so-called Treatise of the Three Impostors, a book fabricated by a Pope to slander an Emperor in the 13th century, tells a story as intriguing as anything dreamed by Borges or Umberto Eco. Spanning centuries and an unforgettable cast of obsessive characters, The Atheist's Bible is both cautionary tale against dogma and testament to the power of the written word--even when the word exists only in rumor. [ebook $11.19]

The Book of Monelle by Marcel Schwob (Wakefield)

Marcel Schwob is likely the most influential writer you've never heard of. Criminally overlooked in the English-speaking world, Schwob--a sort of French Robert Louis Stevenson--nevertheless exerted influence over a diverse array of his more famous successors, including Alfred Jarry, Borges, Paul Valery, Roberto Bolano, etc. This new translation of the luminous and strange Book of Monelle will hopefully go some way toward reviving the status of a legendary writer of whom it was once declared, "Marcel Schwob was not a man, he was a romance."

 

• 2013 calendars are 25% off;
• Boxed holiday cards are just $2.98 each; and
• select remainders are 50% their already low prices (we're talking about fine books--hand-picked by Nick--that we have too many of, on sale at rock-bottom prices).