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Weekly Words about Books MARCH 10, 2013
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| One man's opinion here, but I think one of the most notable aspects of Barack Obama's first term in office is how public perception of both the President and the woman he defeated in the 2008 Democratic primary has shifted. While the reality of Washington's dysfunction has taken its toll on Obama's image, his appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State allowed her to get out of town (literally and often) and away from partisan politics. In doing so, she went from popular but polarizing politician to this country's respected and influential envoy to the world, as well as a front-runner in the 2016 presidential campaign.
The story of Clinton's reign as Secretary of State is recounted in THE  SECRETARY: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power, written by BBC foreign correspondent Kim Ghattas, who had unparalleled access to Clinton and her entourage over the past four years. Ghattis weaves a fast-paced, gripping account of life on the road with Clinton, and she offers a candid portrait of the woman who became one of the most powerful global politicians. For a quick three-minute promo for the book, featuring Ghattis, click here:
THIS SEEMS TO BE THE YEAR FOR Silicon Valley women in power to stir things up. First, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer tells her employees they need to work at the office, not at home. Now, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg weighs in with a new book called LEAN IN: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead that examines why women's progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled and that offers up her solutions for empowering women to achieve their full potential.
 The genesis for Sandberg's book was a talk she gave as part of a TED conference in 2010. TED is a nonprofit organization that brings together prominent thinkers and doers to share,in its words,"Ideas Worth Spreading." Sandberg's TEDTalk, in which she described how women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers, encouraged women to "sit at the table," seek challenges, take risks, and pursue their goals with gusto. It was something of a phenomenon and has been viewed more than two million times to date.
In Lean In, she expands on these issues, combining personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to provide practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career. At the same time, she urges women to set boundaries and to abandon the myth of "having it all." Sandberg describes specific steps women can take to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment and demonstrates how men can benefit by supporting women in the workplace and at home.
And lest you think this is a book only for women, here's what Sandberg's boss, Mark Zuckerberg, had to say about Lean In:
"For the past five years, I've sat at a desk next to Sheryl and I've learned something from her almost every day. She has a remarkable intelligence that can cut through complex processes and find solutions to the hardest problems. Lean In combines Sheryl's ability to synthesize information with her understanding of how to get the best out of people. The book is smart and honest and funny. Her words will help all readers - especially men - to become better and more effective leaders."
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Booksellers Support Failure
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Does the name Stephen Pastis mean anything to you? If you don't read newspapers, it may not, but he is the creator of one of the most popular comic strips going - Pearls Before Swine. The 10-year-old strip is hip, irreverent, goofy, pun-ridden, and most importantly, flat-out funny.
And now Pastis has brought his wonderfully absurd sense of humor to a children's book - Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. The hero is 11-year-old Timmy Failure, the clueless,  comically self-confident CEO of the best detective agency in town - Total Failure, Inc. Timmy's not the brightest sleuth (or kid in general), but that doesn't stop him from tackling case after case - or missing clue after clue. Pastis inserts drawings liberally throughout, adding visual fun to every page.
The book is on independent bookstore shelves now and is becoming a fast favorite of many booksellers. Here's what one had to say:
"In the tradition of Calvin and Hobbes, and poised to take the cartoon crown from the Wimpy Kid, this novel in comics features a boy, his pet polar bear named Total, and the cases of the Total Failure detective agency they run together. Timmy believes he's good at everything. But in the most hilarious way, we see it's just the opposite. Surprisingly poignant at times, this book is smart and funny with multi-generational appeal. No mere wannabe, it's is sure to fill the Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, and Dork Diaries void for your 8- to 12-year-old reluctant reader."
- Riley Ellis, DIESEL, A Bookstore, Oakland, CA
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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 indie 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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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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