Store Blog

Selecting a book is easy when it's something you're interested in. We gravitate toward that which appeals to us, and avoid that which does not. Sadly, this approach does not lend itself to a well-rounded perspective. Here are three tips for selecting something beyond your usual bibliographic fare. (Read more)

I read a lot of books in the course of a year and—I have to confess—most of them tend to linger for a while and then dissipate from my memory like a morning mist. I retain some vague, generalized opinion about whether I liked the book or not. Beyond that, I can only nod knowingly while someone discusses a plot point I hardly remember at all.

That is why 2016 was such a spectacular year for me. I can’t recall another year when there were so many great books that made such vivid impressions that I could actually comprise a list. So, in ascending order... (Read More)

Kung-Hsi Fa-Ts'ai! Happy New Year! You might be thinking, “That was weeks ago!” But I say: “New Years is celebrated differently by culture!”  January 28, 2017 starts the celebrations for the Chinese New Year. And what better way to celebrate a new year than with a new book (or two)?

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There is nothing like taking a trip. But sometimes you cannot due to time, money, how far away, it is a fictitious world or when in history you want to travel. Luckily for some friends of mine they do not have those problems. Cleo, Evan, Matt, Grace and Luis can travel through books and even time!

Have you ever loved a book so much you wanted to become a character in it? For Cleo and Eric, they can do just that in The Key Hunters series by Eric Lupar. And you can start your adventures with first two book, The Mysterious Moonstone and The Spy’s Secret.

Cleo and Evan do not care for their new school librarian, Ms. Crowley. Yet, they are curious about where she disappears to when she goes into the back of the library. When following her one day, they find a secret door and a message from their beloved previous librarian saying she is trapped inside the books,... (READ MORE)

Almost 40 years ago, a book called The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin came to be. And now, all these years later, the adventures of sixteen heirs trying to figure out the mystery of an eccentric millionaire’s death and his will, still intrigues readers to this day!

Here at the Northshire, our sleuths (I mean staff members) still enjoy recommending this book to new readers, helping old fans find new copies to replace those dog-eared editions that have been loved to pieces (literally) and even reading or rereading it themselves!

Athletes overcome challenges every day. However, some have had to overcome things that could have derailed them at any point, leaving us to never know the likes of Tim Howard, Althea Gibson or Jim Abbott. Gregory Zuckerman's (with assistance from sons Elijah and Gabriel) Rising Above: How 11 Athletes Overcame Challenges in Their Youth to Become Stars, tells how these athletes overcame challenges in his or her life in a first person told chapter. Some issue do not surprise (drugs, neglect, poverty, gangs and racial issues) but others might (being “too small” or unable to read or write).

Howard, Gibson, Abbott, along with eight other people, are inspirations not to just people who want to excel in sports, but in other areas, too. (READ MORE)