Peace
by Wendy Anderson Halperin
Radiating tenderness and reflecting the influence of eastern philosophies, a com- pilation of quotes, exquisitely illustrated, revealing where peace truly must originate: within ourselves. Halperin encourages children to find a quiet place, listen to their instincts and find things they enjoy doing.
"This lovely, uplifting title is meant to be pored over and could be used as a starting point for important discus- sions about bullying, racism, nonviolence, and many other topics." (School Library Journal, starred review )
We miss the days when Wendy lived part of the year in Interlochen and would stop by. She is pure joy!
(Atheneum Books, 2013. hdc. $16.99)
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Katie Gordon thinks of us while reading required texts at Hillsdale College. We liked this she sent by Julian Lester.
"The mystery and miracle of a book is found in the fact that it is a solitary voice penetrating time and space to go beyond time and space, and to alight for a moment in that place within each of us which is also beyond time and space... Books are the royal road that enable us to enter the realm of the imaginative. Books
enable us to experience what it is to be someone else. Through books we experience other modes of being. Through books we recognize who we are and who we might become... Books invite us into realms of the soul by asking us to imagine that we are someone other than who we are. Books require that we temporarily put our egos in a box by the door and take on the spirit of others... This is what a book, any book, offers us the opportunity to do: confess and recognize ourselves. To confess and recognize our fantasies, our joys and griefs, our aspirations and failures, our hopes and our fears. Deep within the solitary wonder in which we sit alone with a book, we confess and recognize what we would be too ashamed to tell another-- and sometimes we are as ashamed of joy and delight and success as we are of embarrassment and failure." From Look Out, Whitey! Black Power's Gon' Get your Mama!; Why Heaven is Far Away quoted in Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture by Stanley Baran.
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2013 GAAA poster arrives early this year
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Local Book Clubs
Glen Arbor Book Group at
The Yarn Shop
Mar. 15 10:00
The Silver Sparrow
by Tayari Jones
The March meeting will be at Ann Wettlaufer's home. Call 231-334-7531 for directions.
Apr. 19
The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje
(Location to be determined.)
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Lakeshore Readers' Book Group at Glen Lake Community Library in Empire
March 27 10:15
On Bear Mountain by Deborah Smith
Apr. 24 10:15
Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
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Can't sleep at night?
Just heard about a good book on NPR?
The reading pile by your chair is getting low?
Order from our website 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, letting us know what you would like us to send and we will personally attend to it pronto.
cottagebooks.com
Our website is hosted by Indiebound, whose mission is to help people across the United
States find and shop at independently-owned bookstores. All of their recommended fliers are available online through our website, but should you prefer the written copy, we are happy to give you one when next in or mail it to you. |
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Dear Readers,
March is Book Read-Aloud-Month. Grab a favorite book and person to read to!
March has arrived a bit quieter than last year,but we still have snow on the ground after record-breaking snows in February.
We are beginning to see early signs of spring. Dripping eaves, the first hint of yellow on the goldfinches, a faint but odorous hint of skunk as they leave their dens, and the last of our snowbirds leaving for sunnier climates.
This is a good time to take stock, clean out a closet, and find a book you have been meaning to read. In this issue are some great choices we are happy to send to add to your reading pile.
Barbara Siepker, Jill Webb and Josephine Arrowood |
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Book of the Month
The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow by Rita Leganski spins its mystical web in Bayou Cymbaline, "best described as a municipal jambalaya - a slow simmered stew with a hot, tangy flavor from the blending of mixed bloods and Caribbean spice". Throw in some voodoo, hoodoo and root work with the International Church of the Elevated Forthright Gospel. Then add a young boy who cannot make a sound but has the glorious gift of hearing the sounds of a shooting star, the color orange, or a special departed spirit and you have an extraordinary story. Leganski blends boundless love, deepest sorrow and ultimate forgiveness in this sensitive, lovely novel. (Harper, 2013. pap $14.99) ~Jill Webb
Join our Book of the Month Club and automatically receive our monthly paperback selections at 15% off, plus $2.50 shipping, which will be charged to your credit card. When ordering additional books with this selection, you will also receive 15% off. Should you wish to substitute, let us know within a few days of receiving this email.
Sign up yourself, your loved ones or a friend to receive a book each month.
At any time you may choose to make a pre-payment of $165 for a one year subscription (12 books).
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Mystery/Thrillers
Before I left on vacation a customer suggested I take along a mystery by Deborah Crombie. I read The Sound of Broken Glass straight through, enjoying the interesting in-depth characters woven into a thrilling murder mystery that had its roots in the childhood of main character, Alan. His gifted guitar playing began in his youth when he was required to be his mother's caretaker. A kind, lonely neighbor played an important role in his upbringing. As an adult, Alan is in the center of the murders of two barristers two days apart. Alan becomes intimately involved with one of the two acclaimed female Scotland Yard detectives assigned to investigate the case. At its center is the London setting in the Crystal Palace neighborhood with its colorful characters in this well written mystery. (HarperCollins, March, 2013. hdc $25.99) ~Barbara Siepker
 Robert Crais has always been a master of mystery and suspense, but he has outdone himself in Suspect. Two wounded and hurting veterans are teamed to find a cop killer. Not a unique story until the reader discovers that one is an L A policeman (human) and one is an Afghanistan Marine veteran -- a German Shepherd patrol dog. Both have lost beloved partners in urban or foreign wars. Both want revenge.They are each others last chance. Outsiders are betting and counting on failure. Crais shows incredible insight and sensitivity with the bonding of the new partners as they follow a long cold trail to maybe their own end. This novel will be one of the best of the year, sure to be a best seller. But, most important, sure to touch deep into all who read Suspect. (Putnam, 2013. hdc $27.95) ~Mike Toal has become a crime/action reviewer since moving to GA from South Bend where he reviewed for "South Bend Tribune."
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New in Paperback
The lives of wealthy grownups in a Northern Michigan town are revealed in deliciously keen
detail through the eyes of a boy in William McPherson's re-released novel, Testing the Current. McPherson, a Michigan native and Pulitzer Prize winner, reminds readers of the clarity with which children comprehend adult rituals. Protagonist Tommy MacAllister - still young enough to find bedtime comfort in the cool satin that edges his favorite blanket - absorbs clues to the nuanced world of the lady bridge players, country-club golfers, and cocktail guests who populate his parents' 1930s social circle. This poetically written set piece with deftly drawn characters stirs a longing for childhood and summers past. (Random, 2013. pap $15.95) ~Rebecca Powers is a Birmingham-based freelance writer/editor and Wayne State University journalism instructor.
Defending Jacob by William Landay is a suspense filled murder mystery portraying a family under siege with the arrest of their fourteen-year-old son, Jacob, for the murder of a classmate. The father, Andy Barber, a first rate prosecuting attorney, is firmly convinced of his son's innocence, Barber strives mightily to solve the case and thus save his son. Skillfully written with gripping court room scenes and family drama, the tension builds inexorably. Highly recommended for readers who love plot twists and intriguing clues that keep them in suspense right to the last page. (Dell, 2013. pap $7.99) ~Celeste Crouch
 The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin will have you thinking long after the last page. You'll admire the vibrant descriptions that capture the beauty of the landscape as well as the portrayal of the deep affection and connection the residents have for the land, as the author explores themes of love, loyalty, courage, compassion, revenge, and honor. Talmadge, well in to middle age at the turn of the century, is content with his solitary life tending his apple and apricot orchards and wondering into town occasionally for supplies or chatting with Caroline Middey, the midwife and herbalist who lives down the road. When he discovers two filthy, starving, and pregnant young girls hiding out on his property, profound changes occur. The girls are rightfully fearful of men but gradually Talmadge gains their trust, inviting them into his home to nurture them as he would a young sapling. This opens the door to deep caring as well as great tragedy. (Harper, 2013. pap $15.99) ~ Jill Webb
Red Paint calls itself "the friendliest town in Maine," a place where everyone knows one another and nothing too disturbing ever happens. Native son Simon Howe is a sturdy family man--a good father and husband--and owner-editor of the town's newspaper. Because there's rarely any real news, he runs stories about Virgin Mary sightings, high school reunions, and petty criminals. But he suddenly finds his predictable life disrupted by the arrival of an anonymous and disturbing postcard that engages him and his family in a full-scale psychological battle with an unidentified stalker. (Other Press, 2013. pap $14.95)
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