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BOOKENDS
559 Main Street Winchester, MA 01890 (781) 721-5933
www.bookendswinchester.com
M-F 9-8 Sat. 9-6 Sun. 12-5
Whew, what an
exciting month we’re beginning at BookEnds. Of course,
there are the expected blockbusters not least of which is
the highly-anticipated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
We’re also welcoming some superstar writers to the store.
In particular, we’re thrilled about Linda Greenlaw’s
return. Catch is serving up some appetizer-sized samples from
her cookbook, and the always-entertaining author of The Lobster
Chronicles and The Hungry Ocean will share—with her
mother—the experience of writing the book: how can you
go wrong? We also have some other notable writers who will
be stopping by the store, so even if you can’t be here
to hear their stories, come check out their books. For riveting
stories best read on beaches and picnic blankets, look no
further than BookEnds. (We also have addictive tales appropriate
for air-conditioned spaces!)
Dede
writes: A reminder that Winchester Reads’ 2005
selection is Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner (1594480001) .
If you have not yet read this powerful first novel set in
Afghanistan, you may want to consider it. It has been a word-of-mouth
phenomenon. Stop by and pick up the Winchester Reads brochure
that outlines plans for October’s events and offers
suggestions for further reading and related movies.
It is
always cause for celebration when Adriana Trigiani
has a new novel! Her latest, Rococo (1400060079),
is a delicious story of divine decorating in New Jersey. Famed
local interior designer Bartolomeo di Crespi tussles with
the local philanthropist Aurelia Mandelbaum and Father Porporino
over the renovation of the beloved church of Our Lady of Fatima.
The story brings us to the rarified heights of design in New
York City as well as to beautiful Santa Margherita on the
Italian coast. As usual, this author charms us and provides
us with many laughs.
Delights
and Shadows (1556592019)
by Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winner Ted Kooser,
is out in paperback. His poems from the heartland will move
and, indeed, delight you.
Lisa
Scottoline is a former trial lawyer who has written
bestselling thrillers. Her latest, Devil’s Corner
(0060742887),
is a great read with a gritty urban setting and a very appealing
young lawyer as the main character. I think this author just
gets better and better.
Judy
H. writes: Thomas Lynch, poet and
author of Undertakings (0140276238),
has a delightful, new nonfiction book, Booking Passage:
We Irish Americans (0393042065).
In a collection of essays, Lynch lyrically narrates his own
history and Irish ancestry, discussing such topics as his
three sisters (affectionately called the “Three Furies”);
the death of his young cousin who emigrated from Ireland to
America and became a priest; a traditional Irish wake; the
resurgence of the Irish economy; and the sex abuse scandal
in the Catholic Church. Brett Lott, the author of Jewel, sums
up Booking Passage, “Mr. Lynch reveals time and again,
in a voice riven with joy and sorrow and above all wisdom,
what it means not just to be American or Irish, but human.”
Alice
writes: John Irving is probably my favorite author,
and I have been waiting what feels like years for him to publish
a new book. Until I Find You (1400063833)
is due on July 12th, and I can’t wait to get my hands
on it. Critics say that it can be compared to his most ambitious
and moving novels; it is both sad and comic—a combination
Irving has perfected. The 848-page novel follows Hollywood
actor Jack Burns, raised by a single mother. His mother, a
tattoo artist, was abandoned by his father soon after Jack
came into the world—a desertion that molds his childhood
and follows him into adulthood. In Oprah magazine, Vince Passaro
wrote, “Whatever your literature retailer charges you
for this book, you will be getting every penny’s worth.”
Last month
I talked about Michael Eisner’s Camp (0446533696)
as I was sinking into my nostalgia for the 19 years I spent
at overnight camp. This month, as my longing grows stronger,
I recommend Sleepaway: Writings on Summer Camp
(1594480885),
edited by Eric Simonoff. With essays both
serious and comic by authors like Margaret Atwood and David
Sedaris, the collection transports us retired campers back
to the good old days.
If you
like Cormac McCarthy, rejoice because his
new book is coming out this month. I am not a fan of movies
or books filled with gruesome scenes, but somehow the violence
in No Country for Old Men (0375406778)
is tempered by the grace and beauty of McCarthy’s writing.
Hunting antelope near the Rio Grande, Llewelyn Moss comes
across two dead bodies, two million dollars in cash and a
lot of heroin. Taking the money, he tells his young wife that
he’ll be gone for a while—a choice that will introduce
us to a cast of characters who are gruff, raw and smart. The
novel is simply written: straight-forward and not flowery.
His characters are sage, yet it is not the contrived dialogue
often found in other novels.
Next up
for book group, on Tuesday, July 12 from 7-8 p.m.,
we’ll discuss Charles Baxter’s Saul and
Patsy (0375709169).
Self-reflective Saul and easygoing Patsy are a young married
couple, transplanted East Coast intellectuals and idealists
living in the Midwest. First they have a baby and then a mentally-challenged
boy named Gordy begins to haunt their lives. The winner of
the 2000 National Book Award, Baxter plunges us into a world
where belonging, happiness, love, acceptance and all of those
broad life goals are analyzed by a worrier, a displaced Jew
in an area of the country “so devoid of irony as to
be virtually a ‘museum of earlier American feelings.’”
Eric
writes: The Thursday Next Series by Jasper
Fforde is a book lover’s dream come true. Loaded
with puns, inside jokes, grammatical humor and allusions to
everything from Hamlet to Kafka’s The Trial, these books
are the best escapist literature possible. Fforde’s
genius and creativity should appeal to anyone who loves reading
and has an intelligent, wry sense of humor. Start with The
Eyre Affair (0142001805)
and continue on with Lost in a Good Book
(0142003040),
The Well of Lost Plots (0143034359)
and Something Rotten (0670033596).
From
the Children’s Room
Eric
writes: The Adventures of Cow (1582461392)
by Lori
Korchek and Marshall Taylor is an insane but oddly
funny picture book that follows Cow, a squeezable toy, as
he makes his way through life. I can’t figure out why,
but this book makes me laugh even though I’m a teenager,
and I don’t normally read picture books. Maybe it’s
the understated humor or the extremely funny photos; I recommend
it to all ages and to anyone who has a crazy sense of humor.
Isabel
writes: Student reviewer Lanbo enjoyed John
Flanagan’s The Ruins of Gorlan (0399244549).
The first book in The Ranger’s Apprentice series, our
critic wrote, “If you like adventure and fantasy, then
this book is definitely a book for you to enjoy. This book
was such a page-turner, I couldn’t put it down. This
book is packed with action, adventure, friendship and courage.
In this book, Will was chosen by a ranger named Halt to be
his apprentice. Later on in this book, Will has to fight the
most terrifying beast of all. Read this book to find out what
happened.” We recommend this book for middle schoolers.
Pat
writes: Lost and Found (0399241779)
by Rebecca Doughty is a picture book for
preschool though primary ages. Lucy is a little girl who is
always in a rush and losing things—her shoes, her socks,
her homework, her lunch—but it doesn't seem to bother
her. Her teacher tells her, “Lucy, if you weren't always
in a rush, you might not lose things quite as much.”
Things don't change until one day Lucy loses something really
important. Doughty's quirky and humorous illustrations are
perfect for the simple yet fun story, with a real-life lesson
to impart.
Written
by Karla Kuskin and illustrated by Betsy
Lewin, So, What’s it Like to Be a Cat? (0689847335)
is a wonderfully fun picture book not just for the young but
for all cat lovers who have experienced cats and all their
idiosyncrasies. Interviewed by a young boy, “Cat”
describes, in a poem, what it is like to be a cat. Lewin—illustrator
of Click, Clack, Moo—captures his many moods, from leaping
a lot to sleeping a lot, with the tone of independence we
know cats have.
Project
Mulberry (0618477861),
a new novel by Newbery Medal winner, Linda Sue Park,
is a wonderful read for middle school students. Julia Song
moves to a new town where they are the only Korean family.
After becoming best friends with her next-door neighbor Patrick,
Julia joins an after-school club that participates in competitions
at the state fair. Julia's mother suggests raising silkworms
for their project. Although Patrick loves the idea, for Julia,
this is too Korean and not American enough. Overcoming the
obstacles—like where to get the mulberry leaves (the
only thing the silkworms will eat) and how to compromise in
a situation where your best friend doesn't agree—makes
for good reading. Each chapter ends with Julia and Park discussing
the story—its characters, where the ideas came from
and where the author is taking them—adding an unusual
dimension to an already interesting story.
Alice
writes: Katharine Whild’s Marlowe the Great Detective
(0971248842)
is a fun picture book both for the four-to-eight year old
listener and the adult reading it aloud. Marlowe is the Guy
Noir of the cat world—in fact, he’s named after
Dashiell Hammett’s character—who tries to impress
his lady friend, Franny, with his sleuthing abilities. With
beautiful, whimsical illustrations and a simple narrative,
little ones and Garrison Keillor fans will love this tale.
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