| The January Staff Picks can also be viewed or printed as a PDF Staff Picks January 2014 (1MB) |
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JANUARY FEATURE
A dark historical novel that follows Elspeth, a midwife with a disturbing past, and her son, as they seek revenge for their loss and uncover more than either of them bargained for. An incredible debut! ~ Jess Krawczyk |
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The Kept| NONFICTION | ||
 Full Fathom Five:
Ocean Warming
and a Father's
Legacy by Gordon
Chaplin. A
loving depiction of
a vanishing undersea
wilderness in
the Bahamas. Part
memoir of growing
up collecting and cataloguing specimens
with his larger-than-life scientist
father while free diving in "gin clear"
waters, part reflection on loss and
longing for "home." A poignant and
fascinating read. ~ Amy Palmer |
 My Promised
Land: The Triumph
and Tragedy
of Israel by
Ari Shavit. A
third-generation
Israeli journalist,
Shavit explores the
defining events
that created the
accomplishments and uncertainties of
his homeland with personal history
and extensive interviews. A fascinating
and important insight into a complex
and troubled nation. ~ Louise Jones |
 Gabriele
d'Annunzio:
Poet, Seducer and
Preacher of War by
Lucy Hughes-Hallett. One of 2013's
most acclaimed biographies:
about a
maniacal writer and
celebrity who drove an entire continent
into the abyss. An astonishing
story, told with the force of a grenade,
of how a human force of nature sowed
the greatest horrors of the 20th century.
~ Charles Bottomley |
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NEW PAPERBACK
 The Sting Man: Inside Abscam by Robert
W. Greene. The terrific true story behind
American Hustle! With the help of a
con man par excellence, Greene unravels
the 1970s bust that brought down a score of
crooked Congressmen. A hilarious and colorful
primer in the real art of the deal.
~ Charles Bottomley |
 You Herd Me! by
Colin Cowherd. All right, I'll
admit it: ESPN's
Cowherd is a blowhard.
But he's passionate.
After reading
this collection of
essays, you'll never
watch sports the same way again.
~ Christopher Linendoll |
 Yankee Magazine's
Lost and Vintage
Recipes.
Yankee Magazine's
editors searched
their archives for
the best recipes in
the magazine's 78-
year history; the dishes they compiled
are simple, delicious and a step back
in time. ~ Sarah Donner |
 Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh. Literally laugh-out-loud funny.
Perfectly expresses all the neurosis of today's
twenty- and thirty-somethings, all with
crude drawings and razor-sharp wit.
~ Christopher Linendoll |
 Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala.
Christmas, 2004, Deraniyagala was
gazing at a wave outside her hotel
room in Sri Lanka. Within minutes
she and her family were running for their lives from a tsunami.
This breathtaking memoir is a stylistically stunning, haunting
narration by a woman who lost everything. ~ Amy Palmer |
 The Squared Circle:
Life, Death, and
Professional Wrestling by David Shoemaker. If you
remember Macho
Man Randy Savage,
Mr. Perfect, Junk
Yard Dog or Eddie
Guerrero, this is the book for you.
Shoemaker provides incredible insight
into a world few ever know. Frequently,
the on-screen drama of pro
wrestling has nothing on what's going
on backstage. ~ Christopher Linendoll |
 The Graveyard by Marek Hlasko.
A drunken slip of the tongue costs a proud
factory worker everything in this nihilistic
dispatch from the heart of the Iron Curtain.
A bitterly funny wrecking ball of a book, as
relevant in today's post-Edward Snowden
world as it was at the height of the cold war.
~ Charles Bottomley |
 Ryan Adams: Losering, A Story of Whiskeytown by David
Menconi. Whiskeytown was poised to become the
biggest band in alternative country. That is, before bandleader
Ryan Adams began continually firing his band mates, getting
blind drunk on stage, and generally becoming a destructive
rock star cliché. ~ Christopher Linendoll |
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 The Invention
of Wings by
Sue Monk Kidd. This
novel celebrates
the groundbreaking
life works
and sacrifices of
Sarah Grimke,
an American
feminist and early abolitionist, and
renews our awa reness of this legendary
figure, whose integrity, bravery
and faith altered the course of
our history. Compelling, meaningful
historical fiction at its very best.
~ Nancy Scheemaker |
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Disappear by Christian
Jungersen. When
Mia Halling's
husband
Frederik is diagnosed
with a
brain tumor, he
rapidly becomes an erratic stranger.
She then learns he has embezzled
large sums of money. A twisting psychological
thriller combined with a
study of mind and personality, this
is a fascinating read. ~ Amy Palmer |
OLD FAVORITES
 Autobiography of
a Corpse by Sigizmund
Krzhizhanovsky. Kick off 2014
with an exciting
discovery! Lovers
of Poe, Borges and
Kafka will savor
these extraordinary
fantasies, suppressed for decades
by the Soviet Union. From a man
trying to bite his own elbow to a
fugitive hand set loose in the city,
this is the stuff of dreams (and
nightmares). ~ Charles Bottomley |
 The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane. An
elderly widow
living in an isolated
location
is startled when
a mysterious
woman comes
to care for her. Is
she being stalked by an otherworldly
feral presence, or is her mind playing
tricks? This unsettling novel will
keep you guessing. ~ Amy Palmer |
 The Circle by
Dave Eggers. The
masterful Eggers
has written
his most accessible
novel
in years. A
cautionary tale
of what can
happen if we
let social media and Big Brother run
our lives. ~ Christopher Linendoll |
 Dreams and
Shadows by C.
Robert Cargill. Science
fiction isn't my
usual cup of tea,
but between the
story of a childhood
wish spiraling
out of control,
the universal quest for love and
belonging and epic battles between
Hell, fairies, spirits and humans,
I was drawn in and couldn't
put it down! ~ Jess Krawczyk |
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| MANCHESTER | SARATOGA SPRINGS |
| 1/13 Women Read: The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin | 1/14 Armchair Explorers (Section A): The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea |
| 1/14 History: Wild Swans by Jung Chang | 1/15 KnitWits: Knits from an English Rose by Louisa Harding and Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer |
| 1/14 Cookbooks: Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi | 1/16 Cookbooks: Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan |
| 1/16 Mystery & Thriller: Double Game by Dan Fesperman | 1/21 Armchair Explorers (Section B): The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea |
| 2/14 Classic Mystery: The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad and The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers | 1/23 Truth & Tales (Sections A & B): Confronting the Classics by Mary Beard |
| 1/26 Poetry: A Book of Luminous Things edited by Czeslaw Milosz | |
| 1/27 Buddhist Study: How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind by Pema Chodron | |
| Contact EBarnum ebarnum@northshire.com for information | Contact NScheemaker nscheemaker@northshire.com for information |