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Weekly Words about Books FEBRUARY 3, 2013
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COMING SOON, BUT WHY WAIT?
| Here's something you may not know - most independent bookstores are happy to take preorders for books not yet published but coming soon. You can place the order in the bookstore, but any store website that accepts online orders can also handle a preorder.
This isn't necessarily common knowledge, and many bookstores don't promote the service. One exception is Bookshop Santa Cruz, which has a Preorder Now section on its website and lists forthcoming titles that it thinks will be of interest to customers. Here are the books listed on the site and their due dates; any of them can be preordered, not just from Bookshop Santa Cruz but from your favorite local independent - in person if not via the store website.
Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell ($24.95) Russell's first novel, Swamplandia! (2011), was an indie bookseller favorite chosen as finalist for the Pulitzer and the first Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. In this, her third book, she offers short stories that lead the reader again into uncharted terrain. DUE 02/12/2013
 The latest in Winspear's popular Maisie Dobbs mystery series finds the clever, compassionate sleuth called on to solve the murders of two Indian women in 1933 London. If you're a mystery fan who hasn't discovered Maisie, you have to give Winspear's series a try - the first in the series is conveniently titled Maisie Dobbs. DUE 03/26/2013  Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach ($26.95). "America's funniest science writer" ( Washington Post) takes us down the hatch on a unforgettable tour of our insides. The alimentary canal is classic Mary Roach terrain: the questions inspired by our insides are as taboo, in their way, as the cadavers in Stiff and every bit as surreal as the universe of zero gravity explored in Packing for Mars, two of her most popular titles. DUE 04/01/2013
Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou ($22). For the first time, Angelou reveals the tr  iumphs and struggles of being the daughter of Vivian Baxter, an indomitable spirit whose petite size belied her larger-than-life presence - a presence absent during much of Angelou's early life. In Mom & Me & Mom, Angelou dramatizes her years reconciling with the mother she preferred to simply call "Lady," revealing the profound moments that shifted the balance of love and respect between them. DUE 04/02/2013
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan ($27. 95). The bestselling author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and Botany of Desire (among others) discovers the enduring power of the four classical elements - fire, water, air, and earth - to transform the stuff of nature into delicious things to eat and drink. Apprenticing himself to a succession of culinary masters, Pollan learns how to grill with fire, cook with liquid, bake bread, and ferment everything from cheese to beer.
DUE 04/23/2013 |
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PRESTIGIOUS CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARDS ANNOUNCED
| | Last week, the two top awards for children's books were announced, the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature and the Randolph  Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children. The Caldecott went to This Is Not My Hat, illustrated and written by Jon Klassen, a book I wrote about in the very first Hut's Place column, while the Newbery was
awarded to The One and Only Ivan, written
by Katherine Applegate.
Klassen was actually a double honoree, as Extra Yarn - a book written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Klassen - was named one of the  five Caldecott Honor books. It's only the second time in the Caldecott's 75-year-old history that an author or illustrator has won two awards in one year.
Applegate, who lives in San Francisco with her writer husband Michael Grant, was inspired to write The One and Only Ivan after reading about the tru e story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, the Shopping Mall Gorilla. The real Ivan lived alone in a tiny cage for 27 years at a shopping mall before being moved to Zoo Atlanta after a public outcry. Applegate's Ivan, the narrator of the story, faces similar circumstances but finds his life changed by the arrival of a baby elephant named Ruby.
Three books were also awarded Newbury Honors:
Splendors and Glooms, by Laura Amy Schlitz
Bomb: The Race to Build-and Steal-the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, by Steve Sheinkin
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
Five Caldecott Honor Books also were named:
Creepy Carrots! illustrated by Peter Brown, written by Aaron Reynolds
Extra Yarn, illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett
Green, illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
One Cool Friend, illustrated by David Small, written by Toni Buzzeo
Sleep Like a Tiger, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Mary Logue
One note of caution - it is possible that The
One and Only Ivan and This Is not My Hat will be temporarily sold out if you go to buy them right away, so call first. The awards announcement always triggers immediate sales, and the books' publishers sometimes need to order a reprint to meet added demand. And if a store tells you the book is out of stock, don't think you can get it online. If the publisher is sold out and the bookstores are sold out, the book is sold out everywhere. The good news, as you read above, is that you can place a pre-order with your bookstore to assure yourself a copy from the next printing.
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A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME
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My name is Hut Landon. I'm a former bookstore owner who now runs the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) in San Francisco.
My goal with this newsletter is to keep readers up to date about new books hitting the shelves, share what booksellers are recommending in their stores, and pass on occasional news about the book world.
I'm not into long, wordy reviews or literary criticism; I'd like HUT'S PLACE to be a quick, fun read for book buyers.If you have any friends who you think might like receiving this column each week, simply click on "Forward this email" below and enter their email address. There is also a box in which to add a short message.
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WHERE TO FIND A BOOKSTORE
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Many of you already have a favorite local bookstore, but for those of you without such a relationship,
this link will take you to a list of Northern California independent bookstores by region.
If you live or work elsewhere, you can click here to find the nearest indie bookstore by simply entering your postal code.
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