NEW
The Forgotten Room by Lincoln Child. Child is a master of the psychological thriller. With the suicide of a brilliant scientist and the discovery of a secret room filled with bizarre machinery, Professor Jeremy Logan, "enigmologist," is called on to uncover who is behind a plot to revive a long forgotten and dangerous research project. A tightly composed thriller of scientific research gone awry. ~
Jennifer Canfield
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. This
is the first in a new
series from Maas,
author of
The Throne
of Glass series. It's a
wonderfully lush and
evocative novel about
the Fae. When nineteen-year-old huntress
and mortal inadvertently kills
one of the immortal High Fae, she is
thrown into another world that she
must learn to navigate in order to survive.
Highly recommended! ~
Becky Doherty
Poison by Sarah Pinborough. Are you sick and tired of books that end in "happily-ever-after"? Does the concept of true love make you slightly ill? Then this diabolical version of Snow White is going to make your day.! ~
Sarah Donner
HARDCOVER
Epitaph: A Novel of the O.K. Corral by Mary Doria Russell. This continuation of Russell's equally enjoyable
Doc about Doc Holliday chronicles the gunfight at the OK Corral and the events that led up to it. The author's ability to create a fully realized sense of place is extraordinary and she fills her landscapes with finely etched characters. Even the most casual reader will find themselves absorbed within just a few pages. ~ Reviewed by
Erik Barnum
Beneath the Bonfire: Stories by Nickolas Butler. With the same
warmth readers loved
in
Shotgun Lovesongs,
Butler tells stories
of deeply personal
struggles and the role
of nature in each character's life. The
sense of place is breathtaking. Travelling
the back roads cross country,
visiting their fields and lakes, I might
have met any of them. I adored this
entire collection. ~
Amelia Stymacks
Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry. Set
in the seamier areas of
1895 Manhattan and
sketched in vibrant
prose, this wondrous
debut novel gets its
title from the Church
of Marvels, a Coney Island sideshow.
Its destruction by fire altered the lives
of two sisters whose mother perished
in the blaze. Parry choreographs her
flamboyant characters into a dance
impossible to resist, while mysteries
and miracles abound. ~
Erik Barnum
NEW PAPERBACK
The Narrow Road to the Deep North
by Richard Flanagan. This harrowing story
of POWs working on Japan's
notorious Burma Death Road
railway is an epic made up of a
thousand intimate moments.
At the depth of history's darkest
episode, Flanagan has found a
fascinating, complex hero. One of the
most powerful novels I've read this year.
Breathtaking. ~ Reviewed by
Charles Bottomley
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. The
long awaited third novel from Donna
Tartt was well worth the patience. She
is back and better than ever in this epic
novel of life, death, fate, memory and
love. Her characters and plot are carefully
thought out and executed without flaw.
The art of the novel is alive and well!
Rejoice! If you read one novel this year
make it this one! ~ Reviewed by
Whitney Kaaz
Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore. Set in Vermont,
Bittersweet is a tale of violence and a
family's dark past. A scholarship student
at a famous college spends the
summer at her roommate's Vermont
estate and is forced to make hard
choices. Exciting and a great summer
read. ~ Reviewed by
Sarah Knight
NONFICTION
NEW
White Heat 25 by Marco Pierre White. The
25th Anniversary
edition of this
amazing book.
British bad boy
White was the
original high-profile celebrity chef.
Gordon Ramsey is one of his now
famous apprentices. White was selftaught,
immensely talented, and extremely
outspoken. He was the youngest
chef ever to receive three Michelin
stars. A must have for any foodie. ~
Becky Doherty
OLD FAVORITE
Europe Between the Oceans: 9000 BC-Ad 1000 by Barry Cunliffe. A comprehensive work that highlights the dynamics of Europe from the neolithic into the middle ages. Through accessible and authoritative prose, Cunliffe explains how European history has been heavily influenced by the oceans and seas that surround it. Numerous maps, charts and photographs further illustrate his thesis. ~ Reviewed by
Nate George
The End of the Point by Elizabeth Graver. Masterfully
evocative of time and
place, this novel spans
three generations
of a New England
family who return
yearly to a fictitious
Massachusetts summer community. A
novel about change, both historical and
personal, it is also about the fissures
and healing that occurs within familial
relationships. ~ Reviewed by
Amy Palmer
HARDCOVER
Visiting Hours: A Memoir of Friendship and Murder by Amy Butcher. One morning
in 2009, Ms.
Butcher awoke to
the news that her
closest acquaintance
at college had savagely
stabbed his
girlfriend the previous night. The
murder shattered the comfortable perception
the young woman once held
about people, places, and the bond
of friendship. She embarked upon a
personal crusade to find the answer
to what may be an unanswerable
question. Why did he do it? ~ Reviewed by
Alden Graves
Eleanor Marx: A Life by Rachel Holmes. Nearly
forgotten by history,
Karl Marx's
youngest daughter
was a pioneering
feminist and union
activist. Holmes'
superb biography brings the woman
back to life and reminds us her work
isn't over yet. Informative and fascinating
- who knew the most dangerous
family of the 19th century could
also be such delightful company? ~ Reviewed by
Charles Bottomley
FAVORITE VINYL
Carrie & Lowell by Sufjan Stevens. After the
passing of his wayward
mother, Sufjan
Stevens returns
to his acoustic roots. Stripped-down
instrumentation brings Sufjan's ethereal
vocals and hauntingly honest lyrics
to the forefront. Stevens is grappling
with religion and getting older,
while trying to understand and accept
his mother's decision to leave when
he was young. This is his masterpiece. ~ Reviewed by
Chris Linendoll
My Salinger Year
by Joanna Rakoff. Throughout
her year working for a New York City literary agency, Joanna
Rakoff and her colleagues experienced intense ups-and-downs.
The potential publication of J.D. Salinger's Hapworth provides
a unique framing device. This is a coming-of-age story, examining
what it means to really be an adult and the transition from
college life to the "real world." ~ Reviewed by
Chris Linendoll