|
|
Weekly Words about BooksFEBRUARY 23, 2014
|
 |
|
New Paperbacks Bound to Excite Book Clubs
| A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra. This extraordinary debut novel was published last May and appeared on multiple Top Ten Books of the Year lists. Set in war weary Chechnya in 2004, Marra weaves together the live s of three people - a traumatized 8-year-old girl named Havaa whose house is burned and whose father is abducted by Russian forces, a neighbor who helps her find refuge in an abandoned hospital, and the sole remaining doctor at that hospital - overworked and initially unwilling to take on the risk and responsibility that Havaa represents. Over the course of five extraordinary days, connections that weave together the pasts of these three unlikely companions are revealed. Marra's story is heartbreaking and compassionate, and he instills his beleaguered characters with remarkable humanity in the midst of a horrifying period of Chechnyan history.
The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards by Kristopher Jansma. When it first came out in hardcover last year, I wrote about this inventive debut novel focusing on a young man's quest to become a writer and the misadventures in life and love that take him around t he globe. Since then, it has garnered lots of good reviews, this one from Booklist being one of the best:
"Online columnist Jansma performs a veritable circus act here, cramming his first novel with literary allusions until it's like a small car stuffed with clowns, who then first burst forth to cavort and turn balloons into poodles. This canny, seductive, and utterly transfixing tale about the magic of storytelling and the misery of writing is told by an itinerant, chameleonic writer who calls himself Nobody."
This won't be every reader's cup of tea, but if you think it sounds interesting, you probably won't be disappointed.
The Free by Willy Vlautin. This paperback original was February's #1 Indie Next pick - independent booksellers' favorite new book this month. Vlautin's protagonists are ordinary people in difficult situations who find strength and unexpected bonds as their lives intersect. These are folks with tough lives dealing with tough issues like the cost of health care, the lack of economic  opportunity, and the devastating scars of war, and Valutin manages to mix heartbreak and humanity into a wonderful contemporary novel.
Here's what one bookseller had to say:
"There may not be another writer whose new work I look more forward to than Willy Vlautin. With just three novels under his belt, he's managed to create a collection of work that reflects the reality of the down-and-out working class in modern America. In his best book yet, the plights of three main characters intertwine as each struggles to overcome hardship and create a better life despite the odds being stacked against them. In a story full of heartbreak yet somehow ultimately uplifting, Vlautin once again demonstrates the power and beauty to be found in our own humanity." - Cody Morrison, Square Books, Oxford, MS | |
|
|
|
| | For anyone looking for fast-paced escapism, this is a good one. Not a lot of literary allusions here, but the adrenaline starts pumping almost immediately and the premise of the story is different enough not be predictable. Fans of Lee  Child's Jack Reacher will find a familiar hero in retired special forces soldier Sam Dryden, who is sucked into protecting an 11-year-old named Rachel - a girl with extraordinary powers who is fleeing desperate men intent on killing her. Lee is deft in writing about technology and medical science, which adds to the interest of Rachel's unfolding secret, but it's the nonstop action that will keep you up at night, as the unlikely couple dodge one bullet after another over the course of a high-octane cross-country journey to figure out what the bad guys are up to. Sequel, please!
|
|
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.
|
|
Join the
Get Hut's Place
Every Week -
No Charge!
If You're Already a Subscriber, How About Forwarding to a Friend?
Your e-mail will
never be shared!
|
|
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME
| |
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
