Hut's Place
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 Weekly Words about Books
June 1, 2014
Worth the Wait - Good Reads Now in Paperback

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. This was one of my favorite reads last Fall, a warm and quirky romantic tale that's loads of fun. Here's how I described it in an October edition of Hut's Place:

"Don Tillman is an order-obsessed (read anal) brainiac, a geneticist and science professor who, although interested, is a total flop with women. Think Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper with an actual libido. When a friend asserts he'd make a wonderful husband nonetheless, he embarks on a search for a suitable mate. Not using match.com, mind you, but by creating The Wife Project and embarking on a scientific search for the perfect partner.

And then he meets Rosie, who fits none of Don's criteria but is intelligent and attractive in spite of her spontaneity and other obvious "flaws." She's on the hunt for her biological father, and who better than a DNA expert to help? So scientist Don drops The Wife Project and takes on The Father Project, which means more time spent with Rosie. As might be expected, an unlikely relationship develops and the reader is the beneficiary."

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown. He's probably just plain Dan Brown to his friends, but that author name was taken, so Daniel James it is. Funny thing is, the success of The Boys in the Boat could allow him to go back to Dan - he's made quite a name for himself. This fascinating  book is part rousing sports story, part history lesson, and a winning David vs. Goliath tale. Here's how one independent bookseller fan described it:

"In the early 1930s, nine young University of Washington students were part of the rowing crew striving to become the final team picked to represent the USA at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, even as Hitler was brazenly building his Third Reich. This is the emotional story of the crew and those who put their trust in them. Fiercely determined by the hard times of the Great Depression, they poured their hearts into sculpting a victorious team. A most impressive story, expertly told!"
- Carol Hicks, The Bookshelf, Truckee, CA
Top 'Indie Next' Pick
for June
We Are Called to Rise by Laura McBride. How might children in crisis be helped if everyone - teachers, social workers, troubled parents, and  the courts - worked together for their best interests? This is a big question at the heart of this compelling morality tale by McBride, an English teacher in Las Vegas who shows readers a side of her hometown not often seen. Here's the Indie Next review chosen to extol this month's number 1 pick:

"Bashkim, Avis, Roberta, and Luis introduce us to a Las Vegas not apparent to the casual tourist. Beyond being residents of the same city, it is hard to imagine what could possibly link a third-grade Albanian immigrant, a middle-aged woman on the brink of divorce, a dedicated volunteer in the Child Advocacy System, and a young Mexican war veteran recovering from physical and mental trauma. Through their stories, we see tragedy and hardship, and, ultimately, what the human heart is capable of and the inseparable link between being human and making humane choices for ourselves and others."
- Andrea Avantaggio, Maria's Bookshop,
Durango, CO

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.

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.