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Weekly Words about BooksJANUARY 26, 2014
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Indie Bestseller List Welcomes New Titles to Its Ranks
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HARDCOVER FICTION
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley. Readers first met 11-year-old chemistry whiz and aspiring detective Flavia de Luce in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, which won numerous mystery writing awards an d set the stage for an ongoing series that now numbers six books. In this installment, which takes place in 1951, much of the focus is on the mysterious mountaineering death of Flavia's mother Harriet, whose body has been recovered and is being returned for burial to the de Luce family estate. But the funeral also attracts senior members of Her Majesty's government - Winston Churchill even makes an appearance - which leads the inquisitive Flavia down dangerous paths of espionage and murder. The precocious but persistent preteen sleuth retains her charm and appeal in this newest addition, which should please both Flavia's fans and newcomers to the series.
PAPERBACK FICTION
The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner. Just out in paperback, this intense and ambitious novel was a finalist for the National Book Award last year. The Flamethrowers tells the story of a young artist and motorcycle fanatic named  Reno, who heads to New York in the mid-1970s. There she connects with a disparate group of artists, dreamers, and rebels in not-yet-chic Soho before falling for the semi-estranged scion of an Italian tire and motorcycle empire. A trip to Italy with her beau leads to involvement with members of the country's radical movement and eventual calamity.
One of the book's many stellar reviews appeared in Harper's magazine, where Tom Bissell called The Flamethrowers "a political novel, a feminist novel, a sexy novel, and a kind of thriller...Virtually every page contains a paragraph that merits - and rewards - rereading."
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind
by Scott Stossel. As recently as 35 years ago, anxiety did not exist as a diagnostic category; today, it is the most common form of officially classified mental illness. In this fascinating and often uplifting book, the editor of The Atlantic offers up a revelatory and moving account of his own struggles with anxiety, as well as a history of the efforts by scientists, philosophers, and writers to understand the condition. Stossel vividly depicts anxiety's human toll - its crippling impact and devastating power to paralyze - while at the same time exploring how those who suffer find ways to manage and control it. In doing so, he provides greater understanding of the affliction and offers some hope for people dealing with it.
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Fresh, New Thriller Features Unlikely Hero
| | The Ascendant by Drew Chapman. Attention mystery and suspense fans - I've got a book for you. It's a fresh take on the genre, with both a different form of terrorism and a "hero" who is actually little more than a cocky smart-ass at the outset.
Gar rett Reilly is a Wall Street whiz who has a knack for numbers and the ability to see patterns that no one else can. When he spots billions of dollars worth of U.S. Treasury bonds being inexplicably and rapidly sold off, his radar goes off. It takes him a while to convince the powers-that-be of the threat that the sell-off poses to our economy, and when the military wants him to head a squad of rogue tech soldiers, Reilly becomes a reluctant leader.
It's not much of a secret who's behind this high-tech terrorism, but the why reveals itself more slowly. As the story unfolds, Reilly becomes less self-absorbed and more committed to the cause. Unfortunately, his actions also make some folks mad enough to kill him, so our boy has his hands full trying to save both the world and himself before the country's financial stability ruptures entirely.
I found both the plot and the protagonist refreshingly different, and the author does a good job of building suspense and keeping things moving. This is a fun page-turner whose sequel-teasing at book's end is a welcome bonus.
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WHERE TO
FIND AN INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE
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.
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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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