One of the best parts of my job is introducing customers to treasures that they’ve never heard about before. At the holidays, my favorite “I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this” book is J.R.R. Tolkien’s Father Christmas. Yes, that Tolkien — the man who brought us hobbits and elves in Lord […]
Although I think the book is beautiful (that font!), I have to say that the title and cover art of Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Marriage Plot is making it a bit of a tough sell for customers, who seem to think it’s chick lit. But this book isn’t candy-coated wish-fulfillment fiction […]
The Family Fang is not a vampire book. (I’m not sure if it’s awesome or sad that vampire literature is so popular that I have to start that way.) It’s a novel about Caleb and Camille Fang, famous performance artists who involve their children, Annie and Buster (Child A and […]
Yesterday while shelving books, I happened to mention that I was thinking of seeing Martin Scorsese’s new movie, Hugo. This statement had the effect of conversation dominoes — one after another, people from every single table in the full cafe chimed in to tell me they’d seen the movie and […]
Don’t get me wrong — I love the mashed potatoes. But my favorite part of a family Thanksgiving meal are the moments right before we eat, when we stand around the table in a circle, hold hands, and wait for my grandpa to ask one of us to pray. Holding […]
Mr. Chartwell is the story of a human-sized, talking black dog that moves in with a polite English librarian, destroying her sheets and garden and teapots. The dog’s name is Mr. Chartwell — or, as he prefers to be called by “friends,” Black Pat. To make things even weirder, Black […]
I’ve had a lot of trouble trying to decide whether or not to recommend When She Woke to our customers. On one hand, it’s a quick, thought-provoking read that pulls you into its world within the first few pages. It would make a fantastic book club selection because there are […]
So … I’ve always kind of hated historical fiction. I just don’t think it’s fair to assign make-believe ideas and events to real people’s lives — I know I’d like to be judged by what I do, say and write instead of by what people imagine about me. Besides, there’s so much well-written history […]
Michael Lewis has a real talent for recognizing and bringing out the humanity in a subject that seems dry and confusing. He did it with Moneyball, with Blindside, with Liar’s Poker, and now he does it with Boomerang. But this time, the subject is a little bigger than baseball. This […]
I’m a sucker for a good romantic comedy, and this series by Megan McCafferty is the literary equivalent. There’s a review where I go a little fangirl over Perfect Fifths at BookPage. This book was a review copy, which means I got it for free.
The name of this novel says it all — it’s safe and comfortable. I found it slow; I bet my grandma would love it. If you’re looking for a light, safe read, check out my review at BookPage. This book was a review copy, which means I got it for […]