April
came in like a lion and went out like a lamb, and in its
trail, it left a burgeoning supply of great new books. From
first communions to birthdays, anniversaries and weddings
(not to mention the all-important Mother’s Day), May is
bursting with days and dates to remember and commemorate.
Bookends has an abundance of book and gift suggestions for
every occasion. Here are some of our recent favorites…
Dede
writes: It is always cause for celebration when
Elinor Lipman writes a new novel. Her most recent,
My Latest Grievance (0618644652)
,
has been getting wonderful reviews. The young heroine is
transformed by her odd family—not a promising storyline,
but in this author’s hands, our silliest and most selfish
foibles are penned with compassion and quirky humor. The
Boston Globe review said, “Lipman is a fizzy writer,
but her fizz is tempered with genuine emotion, and her marvelously
funny stories take place in a world recognizably our own.”
Alexander
McCall Smith fans will welcome a new novel in his series
set in Botswana. His heroine, Mma Ramotswe, is as unflappable
and charming as ever, facing her problems with a fashionable
pair of shoes in Blue Shoes and Happiness
(0375422722).
The New York Times recently called The Ladies
Detective Agency series “enchanting.”
Jane
Austen in Scarsdale: Or Love, Death and the SATs
(0312325029)
by Paula Marantz Cohen is a funny and sweet book,
based on Jane Austen’s Persuasion (0192802631).
Book List reviewed it by saying “…it is a charming
modernization of one of Austen’s best novels.” A satiric
take on the college admissions experience with an engaging
love story, this book made me laugh out loud.
Just
a quick mention, I suggest packing Jeanne Ray’s Julie
and Romeo Get Lucky (1416509704)
in your beach bag for a great summer read. Just out in paperback,
you will be happy to catch up with this funny and romantic
duo and their families from Somerville—whom you will remember
from the hilarious Julie and Romeo (0451208684).
Alice
writes: Michael Pollan, the acclaimed author
of The Botany of Desire (0375760393),
has just released a new book about what Americans are eating
for dinner. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma (1594200823),
I learned some interesting facts: for instance, of the 45,000
products sold in the average American supermarket, more
than one quarter of them are made with corn. With an overwhelming
surplus of corn, this food—often far removed from its original
form—has found its way into unhealthful snacks and staples
of the American diet. Pollan paints a fascinating picture
of our nation’s eating disorder—scientific but very readable
to lit majors like me.
For
many years Julia Child intended to write a book about
her six years in France, and she started the project with
her nephew, journalist Alex Prud’homme, before her death
in 2004. My Life in France (1400043468)
was composed from her letters during that time period and
her conversations with Alex. Her voice comes through perfectly—the
phooeys and other distinctly Julia idioms made me nostalgic
for her PBS show. As newlyweds, she and Paul moved to Paris
for his job where she begins with language classes and moves
on to cooking classes. Enrolling in the Cordon Bleu cooking
school, she then meets up with the two women with whom she
will write her classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking
(0375413405).
It is in France where she will find her “raison d’etre,”
becoming one of the best and most influential teachers of the twentieth
century.
Due
out this month, Pauls Toutonghi’s Red Weather
(0307336751),
is about a 15-year old boy growing up in Milwaukee, the
son of Latvian parents. It’s 1989, in the twilight of the
Cold War, and Yuri Balodis wants to do something to break
out of his quiet existence. His father, an alcoholic janitor
who loves country western, is extremely angry when his son
falls for a pretty classmate, Heather Graham, the daughter
of a man who leads a newspaper-selling socialist group.
The Grahams are privileged people for whom socialism is
a theory. Yuri's parents fled Latvia in a shipping container
after suffering under communism. Yuri isn’t sure what he
believes in, but a string of visiting relatives and his
obsession with Heather are helping him sort through his
teenage angst. With humor reminiscent of David Sedaris,
Toutonghi’s debut is peopled with memorable and endearing
characters.
Our
next book group selection, which we will discuss on May
9th from 7-8 p.m., is The Old Capital
(1593760329),
a novel that was specifically cited when Yasunari Kawabata
won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968. Set in Kyoto—Japan's
capital for centuries—the story follows a young girl named
Chieko. The adopted daughter of a kimono designer and his
wife, Chieko has grown up believing certain facts about
her background and how she came to live with her mother
and father. These understandings are dismantled as she learns
disturbing information about her past, roots that are tangled
into the culture of postwar Japan. With tradition and modernity
juxtaposed, beauty and practicality set against one another,
Kawabata visits themes not through a fast-moving plot (which
is not to say that the central conflict isn't compelling)
but rather through characterization and setting.
FROM THE CHILDREN’S ROOM:
Marilyn
writes: Senator Edward Kennedy’s My
Senator and Me (0439650771)
is a book you can enjoy regardless of your party affiliation.
Told from the point of view of Splash, the senator’s dog,
this book provides a dog’s eye view of our nation’s capital
as well as a good introduction to some of the workings of
government. Endearing and engaging, the lively text and
illustration make this a wonderful book for five- to seven-year
olds.
Day
Out With Daddy (0802780598)
by Stephen Cook is sure to bring a smile to your
face. Mom has to go out of town, so father and son have
a day out together. Bright colors and humorous illustrations
capture the highlights of their day, from rising in the
early morning to staying up really late. This is a great
book for ages four and up.
Mike
Lupica is well-known as an adult sportswriter,
but he has begun writing for young adults and scored
a hit with his first novel, Travel Team (0142404624),
now in paperback. His second novel for young adults, Heat
(0399243011),
is another winner. It’s about Michael Arroyo, a young boy
growing up in the shadow of Yankee Stadium. Michael is a
pitcher, and he’s very good. He dreams of leading his South
Bronx All-Stars to the Little League World Series, but rival
coaches question his age. With his birth certifcate in Cuba,
and no mother or father, he has no way to prove it. And
if the department of social services find out his father
is dead, he’ll be separated from the only family he has,
his older brother Carlos. This is a fast-paced novel with
strong, well-developed characters. Recommended for middle
school readers.
Alex
Rider is back! In Ark Angel (0399241523),
Anthony Horowitz continues the adventures of our
favorite reluctant young teen spy. I won’t give the plot
away, but rest assured, Alex is as brave, resourceful, and
ingenious as ever in foiling the villains. Student reviewers
Josh, Liam, Mike, and Nicholas agree that this is the best
book in the series so far. If you haven’t read any of the
Alex Rider books yet, start with Stormbreaker (0142406112),
Alex Rider’s first adventure. Recommended for boys and girls
12 and up who like action packed stories.
In
Bella at Midnight (0060775734), author Diane
Stanley follows the adventures of young Bella, born
to a knighted father who doesn’t want her, raised by a loving
peasant family and befriended by a prince. When Bella learns
of a plot against the kingdom and her prince, she must set
out in disguise on a dangerous journey that will change
her life forever. Student reviewer Catherine, aged 13, tells
us, “This was a fabulous book! I would recommend it to anyone
that loves fantasy.”
Alyssa
H. tells us that Skin (141690655X)
by Adrienne Maria Vrettos “was really good! It was
sad, though brutally honest, about problems where there’s
no easy solution. It’s really a story about a whole family—Donnie,
who feels like he’s being worn into non-existence by Karen’s
anorexia, Karen, and their fighting parents. The writer’s
style is extremely cool…I’d definitely recommend this book
to boys and girls because it’s about more than a
girl’s weight struggle. It’s an enjoyable book to read,
not just a ‘don’t be anorexic’ lesson.” For high school
and mature middle school readers.
Pat
writes: On the Night You Were Born
(0946576104)
by Nancy Tillman is a wonderful gift for any new
baby. “On the night you were born, the moon smiled with
such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you… and the
moon stayed up until morning next day.” Each page is beautifully
illustrated with animals heralding baby’s arrival. In soft
lyrical text, the polar bears dance, and the geese fly home—all
to celebrate you on the night you were born.
Tree
Ring Circus (0152053638)
is a joyful and lively picture book written and illustrated
by first-time author Adam Rex. A seed in the ground
three miles out of town begins to grow after a sudden rainstorm.
It then becomes home to blue jays, squirrels, chipmunks,
sparrows and more. Then a runaway clown and escaped animals
join…until the tree can hold no more. Part word game, number
game and mystery for the reader to solve, each page is filled
with colorful illustrations that children will pore over,
being sure that they don’t miss a one.
Just
Listen (0670061050)
is a new book by Sarah Dessen, the popular author
of young adult literature for the high school readers. Annabel
Greene is a girl who appears to have everything. Very popular
and always surrounded by friends, she is a model and has
made a commercial for a local department store. However,
this façade seems to unravel as you move into the story.
With a seemingly perfect family living in a beautiful contemporary
“glass house,” Annabel seemed to have it all. Through flashbacks,
we learn that Annabel was ostracized at school until a classmate
befriended her, helping her learn about truth and being
true to oneself.
Judy
H. writes: Will Hobbs’ new novel, Crossing
the Wire (0060741384),
focuses on the timely issue of illegal immigration from
Mexico. The story is about Victor, a young Mexican
boy who is trying desperately to support his family. While
working as an illegal immigrant, Victor’s dad was killed
in a construction accident in South Carolina. In desperation,
Victor decides to illegally enter the US for work. Hobbs
graphically shows the dangers illegals face by crossing
into the US and the cruelty some illegals face from “coyotes.”
Hobbs’ book is appropriate for middle school readers and
gives them insight into a problem with no easy answers.
Under the Baseball Moon (0399236236)
is another novel for older elementary and middle school
readers by John Ritter, author of The Boy Who
Saved Baseball (0142402869).
The book is about Andy Ramos, a young skateboarding jazz
trumpeter whose dream is to make it big in the music world,
and his girlfriend Gloria Martinez, a softball pitcher determined
to be in the Olympics one day. Both teens help each
other in trying to attain their goals and both are becoming
successful—but is their success due to talent and hard work
or from the intervention of a mysterious “hip” stranger?
Isabel
writes: Twice Told (0525468188)
is a fascinating new book. Illustrator Scott Hunt
has compiled 18 original stories from respected young adult
authors (such as William Sleator and Sarah Dessen) who responded
to pictures he’d drawn. Nine charcoal drawings were each
interpreted by two different authors, and the results are
amazingly different, drawing out diverse themes and varied
creative impulses.
A
perfect tribute to motherhood, Joanna Ryder’s new
picture book, My Mother’s Voice (0060295090),
is about a young girl who is buoyed by the sound of her
mother’s voice. Her mother’s constant love can be heard
in the cheers at her softball game and in the tender comforts
she provides when the girl doesn’t feel well. The soft warmth
of the illustrations compliment the soothing tone in this
touching story about the importance of mothers in a child’s
life.
Newbery
Medal-winning author Lois Lowry has just completed
a new novel for middle school readers, Gossamer
(0618685502).
Much lighter than some of her other books, this gentle story
is about the importance of memories. Littlest One is a delicate,
invisible spirit who is training to be a dream-giver. She
helps a tormented foster child at night, infusing healing
recollections into his dreams. The characters’ daylight
hours are bettered by the everyday sights and sounds threaded
into their dreams.
