| The October 2011 Staff Picks can also be viewed or printed as a PDF Staff Picks October 2011 (1MB) |
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Nightwoods| NONFICTION | ||
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 Rin Tin Tin by Susan OrleanSusan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief, has written a wonderful book about an unlikely subject. Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend. Orlean's deft prose illuminates not just the life of the subject but the world he inhabited for eleven generations. It is chock full of fascinating anecdotes and great writing. To call it a great "dog book" is to give it very short shrift. It is a great book. I was bushwacked by this book, expecting an entertaining read about a beloved dog and coming away with so very much more. Highest recommendation, I am a complete sap for this. ~ Erik Barnum |
The Savage City chronicles a particularly inglorious decade in the history of New York City when racism and extortion were rampant within the ranks of the police department, This is a riveting book about official corruption on a scale so vast that it boggles the mind. ~ Reviewed by Alden Graves |
 The End by Ian KershawWhy in the name of common sense and simple humanity did Germany fight on long after the war was hopelessly lost ? An absolutely brilliant study of fanatical and delusional Nazis, a cowed military, and of course a weary, fearful, citizenry just hoping it would all end. Kershaw's finest work since his unexcelled biography of Hitler. ~ Bill Lewis |
 Hemingway's Boat by Paul HendricksonAn extremely perceptive, beautifully written, even-handed biography of this complex man who committed suicide 50 years ago. Hendrickson uses previously unpublished material and delves into Hemingway's relationships with his sons, especially the very troubled Gregory. ~ Louise Jones |
 John Huston: Courage and Art by Jeffery MeyersI enjoyed this book, although I never warmed to its subject. Huston charged out of the starting gate as a director in Hollywood and then spent the rest of his career laconically trotting around the track, only sporadically sprinting with projects like Reflections In a Golden Eye and Prizzi's Honor. Off the set, he was castigating and abusive and managed to either alienate or discard anyone who honestly cared about him. ~ Alden Graves |
NEW PAPERBACK
 Viva Vegan! by Terry RomeroTerry Hope Romero can do no wrong! These recipes are easy and tasty. The ingredients are not hard to find, even in Vermont. The tacos on page 174 are especially amazing. ~ Krysta Piccoli |
 Death In The City of Light by David KingDuring their own reign of terror and brutality, Dr. Marcel Petoit committed crimes that caused even the Nazis to draw back in revulsion. Despite the inevitable comparison with Erik Larson's bestseller, Devil In the White City, this blood-curdling account of a serial killer who operated during the German occupation of Paris stands on its own as a uniquely memorable account of the headlong descent into murder and madness. ~ Alden Graves |
 Prophet's Prey by Sam BrowerThe Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints was an offshoot of the Mormon religion that was established when the Mormons rejected the practice of polygamy. Prophet's Prey details the sordid -- some might even suggest inevitable -- result. The FLDS degenerated into a sophisticated criminal organization overseen by a man named Warren Jeffs, who manged to accumulate millions of dollars and over eighty wives, some of them as young as twelve. Brower made it his job for seven years to bring Jeffs and his hypocritical church hierarchy to justice. ~ Alden Graves |
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 The Art of Fielding by Chad HarbachChad Harbach's first novel invites comparisons to at least one modern master. The combination of rich storytelling, fully developed characters whose lives and futures the reader cares about deeply, and crackling dialogue raise The Art of Fielding to a level of pure reading pleasure one finds in the work of Richard Russo. The fact that much of the action takes place on the baseball diamond is almost too good to be true for lovers of sporting fiction. ~ Stan Hynds |
 Chango's Beads and Two-Tone Shoes by William KennedyAfter an interlude set in Cuba in 1957, Kennedy's novel moves to familiar territory for the author. It is a July night in 1968. Robert Kennedy lies mortally wounded in Los Angeles and simmering race relations in Albany, New York are beginning to boil over. Kennedy skillfully weaves the city's rich history into an exciting and topical narrative. His characters, which here include Ernest Hemingway and Bing Crosby, are as richly drawn as his portrait of the city he so eloquently celebrates. ~ Alden Graves |
 A Man of Parts by David LodgeA brilliant novel that brings to life the good and terrible of this multifaceted man, often in his own word - his enormous, wide ranging literary output; his advocacy of labor rights and women's suffrage; his extremely active sex life - and his era. ~ Louise Jones |
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CHARLES BOTTOMLEY'S SPECIAL SELECTIONS
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NEW PAPERBACK
 Calling Mr. King by Ronald De FeoQuirky take of a hitman who, at the top of his game, develops a passion for art and architecture. What happens when his job as a contract killer interferes with visits to museums and art galleries makes for both a gritty and delightful read. ~ Sarah Knight |
 1Q84 by Haruki MurakamiA wild fantasy of parallel worlds, fraudulent novels, cults, lady assassins and cranky bill collectors. Working on his widest canvas yet, Murakami does not disappoint. ~ Charles Bottomley |
 Tony and Susan by Austin WrightA complex web spins when a woman is sent her ex-husband's novel. Rescued from obscurity, this 1994 thriller makes the reader an accomplice in the ultimate act of vengeance. ~ Charles Bottomley |
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NEW PAPERBACK
 Ghosts by Gaslight by Jack Dann & Nick Gevers editorsFans of both Horror and Steampunk will enjoy this chilling collection of Victorian and Edwardian era ghost stories. ~ Sarah Teunissen |
 The Stranger's Child by Alan HollinghurstBooker prize winner Hollinghurst charts a poem's fortunes in an English novel to beat them all - filled with country houses, garden parties, class conflict and brittle emotion. ~ Charles Bottomley |
 Lucille by Ludovic DebeurmeThe unlikely romance between an anorexic girl and a runaway is beautifully rendered in delicate drawings and moments of emotional rightness. ~ Charles Bottomley |
 Habibi by Craig ThompsonIf Persepolis or Jimmy Corrigan grabbed you, prepare to be shaken by this contemporary version of The Arabian Nights. The artwork dances off the page; the love story is a haunting song. ~ Charles Bottomley |
 The Necrophiliac by Gabrielle WittkopSometimes it takes the story of someone who sleeps with the dead to make you appreciate being alive. ~ Charles Bottomley |
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 Fatale by J. P. ManchetteAfter emptying a shotgun in her husband's guts, our heroine lands in a backwater teeming with secrets and violence. But these guys are messing with the wrong mademoiselle. ~ Charles Bottomley |
 Bomber Country by Daniel SwiftDaniel Swift's grandfather was shot down over the English Channel during World War II. To understand the pilot's experience during the war, Swift turns to the poetry of Eliot, Auden, Jarrell and others. The resulting biography/memoir is a fascinating look at the mentality of warriors and the destructive cost of combat. Beautiful and profound. ~ Charles Bottomley |
 Believing is Seeing by Errol MorrisA forensic examination of history's most famous photographs - from the Crimean War to Abu Ghraib - that reads like a great detective story. ~ Charles Bottomley |