| The July 2013 Staff Picks can also be viewed or printed as a PDF Staff Picks July 2013 (520KB) |
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JULY FEATURE
The Illusion of Separateness
There are few writers who create art with every word the way Simon Van Booy does. His latest book is an intimate look at the tiny choices that connect us all. Van Booy has a talent for bringing out the extraordinary in everyday circumstances. His mastery of language gets better with each book. ~ Krysta Piccoli |
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| FICTION | ||
 Instructions for a
Heatwave by Maggie
O'Farrell.
Three siblings reluctantly
reunite from
around the world
to search for their
missing father during
the London heat
wave of 1976. Temperatures rise,
tempers flare and we're plunged into
the eerily familiar realms of sibling
rivalry, overbearing mothers and
how to cope when a loved one hurts
you. ~ Jess Krawczyk While maneuvering through memories and childhood secrets during Britain's drought-plagued summer, a fascinating story emerges shedding light on the present situation. Being Irish in London in the 1970s is both problematic and enriching. ~ Karen Frank |
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 Transatlantic by
Colum McCann
. Everyone
contributes to humanity's
progress;
the smallest action
could set in motion
events of a worldchanging
nature.
McCann is a master weaver, taking
us on a journey danced by a cast of
characters until one particular circle
of life is examined from many perspectives.
~ Karen Frank |
 Joyland by Stephen
King. Devin
Jones spends his summer
working at Joyland,
an amusement park
along the North Carolina
seacoast. He discovers
it was once the site of
a brutal murder and the
victim supposedly still haunts one of
the rides. Escapist fare at its best by a
master storyteller. ~ Alden Graves |
 Bobcat and Other Stories by Rebecca
Lee. Lee knows her
characters so well that they seem like
old friends, whether it's a woman
finding her bestie a wife or an architect
finding himself on a retreat.
Like Alice Munro and Karen Russell?
Give this winning collection a shot.
~ Charles Bottomley |
 The Last Summer of
the Camperdowns by Elizabeth Kelly. The combination
of 1970s politics
and the glamorous
horsey/film star
set on Cape Cod
draw the reader into an unfamiliar
and exotic world full of intrigue and
complex relationships. A witty and
dramatic story from the viewpoint
of young Riddle, who'll capture
your heart. ~ Karen Frank |
 The Mermaid of Brooklyn by Amy
Shearn. Both funny and insightful,
this novel follows a Brooklyn
mother during the summer of
her husband's disappearance - and
her "possession" by a feisty, opinionated
mermaid. A quirky book that
manages to mix complete emotional
honesty with a rare sense of humor.
~ Rachel Person, Events Manager for
our Saratoga store! |
OLD FAVORITE  Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. In the
very-plausible future, the human race has been nearly
eradicated by its pursuit of genetic perfection. A love story
and an examination of the human condition, this first in the
MaddAddam Trilogy (followed by The Year of the Flood) held me
waiting eagerly for the conclusion - set to arrive this September.
~ Jess Krawczyk |
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 Shot All to Hell:
Jesse James, the
Northfield Raid,
and the Wild
West's Greatest Escape by Mark Lee
Gardner.
The botched robbery
of a Northfield, Minnesota
bank sets off one of the largest manhunts
in American history, with the
quarry being the James/Younger
gang. A thrilling chronicle of the
ordeal endured by the robbers to escape
the noose that was slowly tightening
around their notorious careers.
~ Alden Graves |
 The Feud: The Hatfields
and McCoys by Dean King.
The dispute between
two extensive
Appalachian families
has entered the
realm of legend. In
reality, it was a viscous,
spiteful, ignoble war with farreaching
consequences. King tackles
an extremely complex subject and
persuasively puts to rest any noble
motives by members of either clan.
~ Alden Graves |
 The Friedkin Connection:
A Memoir by William Friedkin. A bumpy
ride through the
Hollywood maze,
from a Chicago TV
station mailroom
to directing The French Connection
and The Exorcist. An incisive look at
a business that traditionally takes a
dim view of idealistic notions about
the personal cinema that Friedkin
admired and embraced.
~ Alden Graves |
 Mo' Meta Blues:
The World According
to Questlove by Ahmir "Questlove"
Thompson. Beneath The
Roots bandleader's
towering 'fro is a
powerful mind.
His memoir is a thrilling journey
around his own group, his record
collection and collaborators
ranging from D'Angelo to Prince.
~ Charles Bottomley |
 The Sleepwalkers:
How Europe Went
to War in 1914 by
Christopher Clark. Clark dramatically
and meticulously
recreates
a time when human
decisions in response
to a volatile and fast-moving chain
of events could have produced any
number of different outcomes - not
necessarily a world war. A brilliant,
compelling, extremely important
book. Highest Recommendation.
~ Bill Lewis |
GRAPHIC NOVELS  In the
Kitchen
With Alain
Passard:
Inside the
World (and
Mind) of a
Master Chef by Christophe Blain. A
cover-to-cover delight! A cartoonist
takes us into a legendary Parisian
kitchen for a master class on
preparing food, complete with recipes.
Beautifully drawn, the flavors
of Passard's colorful, balmy meals
practically waft from the pages.
~ Charles Bottomley |
 Blue Plate Special:
An Autobiography
of My Appetites by
Kate Christensen. With austere
language and
a dispassionate attitude,
Christensen
takes us on a grand
tour of her life, cleverly linking important
highs and lows with her
love of specific foods. She invites us
to remember similar Proustian connections
and enjoy this entertaining
memoir. With bonus recipes!
~ Karen Frank |
 The Unwinding: An
Inner History of the
New America by
George Packer.
An astonishing history
of the last recession,
as told by the
people who survived
it and thrived during
it. Packer lets his subjects speak
for themselves. Their sobering but
inspiring stories explain
just what went wrong
with America.
~ Charles Bottomley |
 Life's A Beach by Martin Parr. Wow, Parr's photos are a panic–
wonderfully revealing of all kinds of
human behavior in countries from
Great Britain to Japan to Argentina.
People everywhere on a beach somewhere:
tanning, eating, frolicking,
swimming, reading and enjoying
themselves. ~ Sarah Knight |
 A Dog Walks into
a Nursing Home:
Lessons in the
Good Life from an
Unlikely Teacher
by Sue Halpern. When
Halpern and her
dog volunteer as a
therapy-dog team at a Middlebury
nursing home, she learns more about
humanity, kindness and insight than
she expected. A charming, moving
story – sweet but not saccharine –
and Labradoodle Pransky is a wonder!
~ Louise Jones |
OLD FAVORITE  Born To Run: A
Hidden Tribe, Superathletes,
and
the Greatest Race
the World Has Never
Seen by Christopher
McDougall. A truly
awesome, inspiring "tale of the running
gods," masterfully told. The
most enjoyable non-fiction read -
and by far the best sporting book
- I've had the pleasure of reading
in a long time. I hated to see it
end - and it got me running again!
~ Jon Fine |
 Sun Hats! Pretty, stylish, functional
sun hats (assorted sizes, prices and
colors, many SPF 50) that will protect
your brain from sunspots and
leave your friends green with envy!
From the trendy fedora to the machine-
washable sun hat, we have
your summer needs (and head!) covered!
~ Jess Krawczyk |