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Weekly Words about BooksFEBRUARY 2, 2014
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New Good Reads on
Indie Bookstore Shelves
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Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan. Loving Frank, Horan's first novel, was a fictionalized version of the true-life love affair between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney. The book was an independent bookseller  favorite and became popular with book groups as well, something that seems likely for her second novel as well. Horan again finds a real-life love affair to write about, this one between Scottish literary giant Robert Louis Stevenson and American divorcee Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne. They meet in rural France in 1875 when Fanny, having run away from her philandering husband back in California, takes refuge there with her children. Stevenson, too, is escaping from his life, running from family pressure to become a lawyer. What follows is a turbulent love affair that will last two decades, brought engagingly to life by Horan's storytelling skills.
An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris. This fast-paced and fact-based spy thriller centers on the infamous Dreyfuss Affair, a political scandal that rocked France in the 1890s and early 1900s. Harris focuses on the case of Captain Alfred Dreyfuss, the young Jewish officer falsely accused of treason and sent t o Devil's Island. He tells the story through the eyes of Georges Picquart, the ambitious head of the counterespionage agency that "proved" Dreyfus had passed secrets to the Germans. At first, Picquart is convinced of Dreyfus's guilt, but soon after the supposed traitor is imprisoned, the intelligence boss stumbles on information that leads him to suspect that there is still a spy at large in the French military. As he delves deeper, Picquart begins to question the case against Dreyfuss. Further investigation leads to cover-ups and puts him at odds with a complacent French government and anti-Semitic public sentiment. Harris has written a taut page-turner that also invokes parallels to modern-day scandals.
Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen. The seventh novel by the much-loved author and newspaper columnist is a sweet Valentine - a love story involving two unlikely, middle-aged people who discover that second  chances do exist. Divorcee Rebecca Winter, a once-successful photographer, finds herself at age 60 saddled with a Manhattan lifestyle, a still-needy son, a mother in an old folks home, and a rapidly declining bank account. She flees the city for a middle-of-nowhere cabin near a small town full of eccentric characters (here Quindlen deftly avoids stereotypes) and meets a local guy. Their relationship leads to unexpected love and a renewed appreciation of life for both. I know it sounds a little sappy, but Quindlen is a good enough writer to make the journey to a happy ending emotionally fulfilling.
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New Paperbacks in Bookstores Now
| | Benediction by Kent Haruf. The author of one of my fa vorite books of all time, Plainsong, returns to Holt, Colorado, where the impending death of a family patriarch brings a community together. Haruf writes with quiet grace, never rushing things but still delivering an emotional wallop.
The Son by Phillip Meyer. This multigenerational saga of power, blood, land, and oil that f ollows the rise of a Texas family, from the Comanche raids of the 1800s to the to the oil booms of the 20th century, was labeled "must-read" by no fewer than three bookseller friends of mine. It's gritty and violent in parts, so perhaps not for everyone, but Meyer's writing is terrific.
The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan. A heartrending piece of historical fiction, set in late 19t h-century Belle Epoque Paris, that imagines the life of Marie Van Goethem, the actual model for the iconic Degas statue "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen," and her sister, who must fend for themselves when their father suddenly dies.
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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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