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Weekly Words about BooksJune 8, 2014
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What's New?
Three to Consider
The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker. You've probably never heard of it - heck, I hadn't until two weeks ago - but this book is already a phenomenon. Swiss author Dicker's novel has sold 2 million copies internationally and been translated into 32 languages. It has won thr  ee literary prizes in France, where it has been hailed as a literary thriller. Not all reviewers in this country have been as kind, but there have been plenty of good ones. This is probably more like Dan Brown than Stieg Larsson, to give some context, but one thing is for sure - the book's worldwide popularity can't be dismissed.
Literary phenom Marcus Goldman is in Somerset, NH, to see his mentor, Harry Quebert, one of the country's most respected writers, and to find a cure for his writer's block. But when Harry is suddenly and sensationally implicated in the murder of a teenage girl who disappeared three decades earlier, Marcus launches his own investigation, following a trail of clues through his mentor's books, the backwoods and isolated beaches of New Hampshire, and the hidden history of Somerset's citizens. To save Harry, his own writing career, and eventually even himself, Marcus must answer three questions, all of which are mysteriously connected: Who killed Nola Kellergan? What happened one misty morning in Somerset in the summer of 1975? And how do you write a book to save someone's life?
Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Fans of Gabaldon's hugely popular Outlander series will be thrilled to know that the 8th installment is just arriving in bookstores. And although this is a series, Gabaldon has intentionally written each to be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone novel. In the first novel, readers learned the story of Claire Randall, an English ex-  combat nurse who walks through a stone circle in the Scottish Highlands in 1946 and disappears . . . into 1743. The story unfolded from there, and with Written in My Own Heart's Blood, we are now in the year 1778, when France declares war on Great Britain, the British army leaves Philadelphia, and George Washington's troops leave Valley Forge in pursuit. At this moment, Jamie Fraser returns from a presumed watery grave to discover that his best friend has married his wife, his illegitimate son has discovered (to his horror) who his father really is, and his beloved nephew, Ian, wants to marry a Quaker. Meanwhile, Jamie's wife, Claire, and his sister, Jenny, are busy picking up the pieces. And off we go... For those unfamiliar with Gabaldon, here is her own amusing description of the books on her website: "The OUTLANDER series started by accident, when I decided to write a novel for practice, in order to:
Learn what it took to write a novel, and  To decide whether I really wanted to do that for real.
I did, and I did - and here we all are, still trying to figure out what the heck you call books that nobody can describe, but that fortunately most people seem to enjoy.
In essence, these novels are Big, Fat, Historical Fiction, à la James Clavell and James Michener. However, owing to the fact that I wrote the first book for practice, didn't intend to show it to anyone, and therefore saw no reason to limit myself, they include...
history, warfare, medicine, sex, violence, spirituality, honor, betrayal, vengeance, hope and despair, relationships, the building and destruction of families and societies, time travel, moral ambiguity, swords, herbs, horses, gambling (with cards, dice, and lives), voyages of daring, journeys of both body and soul...you know, the usual stuff of literature."
Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch. The author of The Dinner returns with another slick psychological thriller revolving around a family tragedy and unrevealed secrets. When a medical procedure goes horribly w rong and famous actor Ralph Meier winds up dead, Dr. Marc Schlosser needs to come up with some answers to defend himself from wrongful death (or murder) charges. Complicating things - a summer trip that Schlosser and his family took the year before to the Meier's home on the Mediterranean ended in the rape of one of Schlosser's daughters. Worse yet, Meier may have been the perpetrator. As Koch unravels the events of that fateful trip, the circumstances of Meier's death take on new meaning, while sex, morality, and medical ethics add to the page-turning mix.
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New Clinton Memoir Easy Choice For Many
| | Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton. This well-timed book (due in stores on Tuesday) from our likely next president offers an inside account of the crises, choices, and challenges she f aced during her four years as America's 67th Secretary of State, and how those experiences drive her view of the future. It was a wild ride for sure, as Clinton dealt with crises in China, North Korea, and the Middle East (for starters), visited 112 countries, traveled nearly one million miles, and gained a truly global perspective on many of the major trends reshaping the landscape of the 21st century.
Drawing on conversations with numerous leaders and experts, Clinton offers her views on what it will take for the United States to compete and thrive in an interdependent world. She makes a passionate case for human rights and the full participation in society of women, youth, and LGBT people. Additionally, she distinguishes the trendlines from the headlines and describes the progress occurring throughout the world, day after day. Yes, it's fodder for campaign speeches to come, but it's also a modern history lesson that provides a fascinating inside look at the global challenges we face, courtesy of a savvy, globetrotting Secretary of State.
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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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