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 Weekly Words about Books
May 18, 2014
Bookseller Buzz Leads to Bestseller Debut

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Back in January, independent booksellers from around the country gathered in Seattle for a three-day annual conference called the Winter Institute. One of the highlights every year is a reception that introduces 60-some authors of forthcoming books to attendees, along with advance copies of the titles. From the publishers' point of view, it's a chance to create some advance buzz to the people who recommend books for a living. So, as you can imagine, they all have their fingers crossed to see what books strike the booksellers' fancy. This year, everyone was talking about All the Light We Cannot See, which explains it's debut at #2 on the national IndieBound bestseller list.

Doerr's novel focuses on a blind French girl and a German boy whose lives are irrevocably altered by the onset of World War II. The author tells the story of
Marie Laure and Werner, whose paths eventually cross in occupied France during World War II, in short, alternating chapters that are a sheer delight to read. You'll be drawn to Marie Laure in particular - blind but hardly disabled as she learns to memorize and navigate her Paris environs, only to have to do it all over again when her father and she must flee to a small town of the Brittany coast when the Germans occupy the City of Light. Meanwhile, orphaned Werner proves to be a whiz at fixing radios, which lands him in an elite military school and, eventually, tracking Resistance transmissions.  Doerr makes the reluctant soldier a character of interest and sympathy, making his eventual connection with Marie Laure all the more moving.   
     New From Two      Prize-Winning Authors 
And the Dark Sacred Night by Julia Glass. The winner of a 2002 National Book Award for Three Junes has written richly detailed a rich, multi-generational family saga  about the quest for an unknown father, immersing readers in a panorama that stretches from suburban New Jersey to rural Vermont and ultimately to the tip of Cape Cod.

The protagonist, Kit Noonan, is an unemployed art historian fighting ennui. His wife, frustrated by his inertia, insists he must solve the one big mystery in his life - the identity of his father - to get himself back on track. A trip to visit his crusty stepfather sets Kit on a journey of discovery about a family he has never really known. Divided into sections that are written from the perspective of key characters, Glass explores the pain of family secrets, the importance of identity, and the ultimate meaning of family.


The Snow Queen by Michael Cunningham. The newest from Pulitzer winner Cunningham (The Hours) examines the complex dynamics among a
trio of characters - two brothers and a woman - facing their own life crises. Barrett Meeks, recently dumped by his boyfriend, is haunted by a translucent light he sees in the sky above Central Park and unexpectedly turns to religion. Barrett lives with his older brother Tyler and Tyler's wife-to-be Beth, both of whom are dealing with their own problems. She's vigorously fighting Stage 4 cancer and he has a drug addiction he's trying to hide while trying to write the perfect wedding song.
 
While this may sound pretty grim, it's not.
Cunningham bestows his conflicted characters  with profound empathy, as the brothers deal with the reality of big dreams lost, and unexpected changes as lives evolve  This is literary fiction from a master of the genre.

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.
 
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
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.

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