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Weekly Words about New Books in
Independent Bookstores
April 12, 2015
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New Books Prove Authors
Aren't One-Hit Wonders
Nine years ago, Sara Gruen had a life-changing novel published - Water For Elephants. The atmospheric and compelling story of star-crossed lovers
trave
ling with a seedy traveling circus during the Depression was a huge favorite with independent booksellers, spent years on bestseller lists, and remains an oft-recommended book today. A mediocre but reasonably successful film (never judge a book by its movie) also added to the book's popularity. Now, with the publication of her new novel, At the Water's Edge, booksellers are again excited, as you'll see by this review.
At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen.
"A trio of privileged Philadelphia socialites - Maddie, her husband, Ellis, and their frien
 d, Hank - travel to the Scottish Highlands during WWII to prove the existence of the Loch Ness Monster. There, they find themselves among villagers dealing with the atrocities of a war that they have blithely ignored, and Maddie discovers that both the world and her life are not at all what she had imagined. Full of great period detail and richly drawn settings,
At the Water's Edge is another spellbinding tale from the author of
Water for Eleph
ants."
- Jill Miner, Saturn Booksellers, Gaylord, MI
Although not as big a hit as Water, Ann Packer's debut novel back in 2003, The Dive F
rom Clausen's Pier, was also well received by booksellers and reviewers, and it remains one of my faves more than a decade later.
The book tackled the questions of how much we owe the people we love and whether it is sign of strength or weakness to walk away from someone in need. A young woman who has spent her entire life in Wisconsin, with the same best friend and the same dependable, easygoing high school sweetheart has begun to find this lif
e suffocating and is ready to flee her home and fiance Mike for New York. But when Mike is paralyzed in a diving accident, leaving seems both unforgivable and more necessary than ever. That dilemma was handled beautifully by Packer, and the bookseller review below of her new book, The Children's Crusade, offers promise of more reading pleasure.
The Children's Crusade by Ann Packer.
"Doctor Bill Blair and his wife, Penny, built a home in a wooded
 area of California that would later be known as Silicon Valley. It was a time full of hope for the future, but 10 years and four children later Penny has grown resentful of her role as a wife and mother. She finds solace in art, but at a great cost to her family. Thirty years later, the lives of the three oldest Blair children are in upheaval yet again when their youngest brother, the black sheep of the family, returns to the family home and forces them all to confront their past and face their future. Packer's emotionally gripping story asks just how much our adult lives are determined by the events of our childhood."
- Carson Evans, Country Bookshelf, Bozeman, MT
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Anthropology and Politics Are Subjects of Hot New Paperbacks
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Euphoria by Lily King. Well-received by critics, but with somewhat modest sales in hardcover,
Euphoria is the classic example of a book that, thanks to the enthusiasm of independent
 booksellers, is hitting the big time in paperback. A huge favorite in the Northeast (King is from Maine), where the book won the 2014 New England Book Award for Fiction, the book's popularity has spread to the point that it's the top-selling trade paperback in indie bookstores.
King has reimagined the relationship between anthropology superstars Margaret Mead, Reo Fortune, and Gregory Bateson in this story of a love triangle between three anthropologists in 1930s New Guinea. The trio, dealing with their own relationship issues, discover and begin to study the female-dominated Tam tribe, whereupon their intellectual and romantic urges create a firestorm that threatens their careers and, eventually, their lives. Book clubs are already gobbling up
Euphoria, and it looks to be well ensconced on bestseller lists.
A Fighting Chance by Elizabeth Warren. As Hillary Clinton begins her formal quest for the Presidency, this might be an opportune time to learn more about another female politician considered by many to be a worthy presidential candidate. Elizabeth Warren was a disti
 nguished law professor with a deep understanding of why people go bankrupt when a call from Washington DC changed her life. She accepted a plea to help advise Congress on rewriting the bankruptcy laws, which began her education about the bare-knuckled, often dysfunctional ways of Washington.
She fought for better bankruptcy laws for 10 years and lost. She tried to hold the federal government accountable during the financial crisis but became a target of the big banks. She came up with the idea for a new agency designed to protect consumers from predatory bankers and was denied the opportunity to run it. Finally, at age 62, she decided to run for elective office and won one the most competitive races in the country
, becoming Massachusetts' first female Senator. Her story is frank, fascinating, and (sometimes depressingly) eye-opening.
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COMMENTS, FEEDBACK
I always love hearing from folks, so please feel free to let me know what you're reading, make a comment, or ask a question.
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anytime.
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A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME
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My name is Hut Landon. I'm a former bookstore owner who now runs the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) in San Francisco.
My goal with this newsletter is to keep readers up to date about new books hitting the shelves, share what booksellers are recommending in their stores, and pass on occasional news about the book world.
I'm not into long, wordy reviews or literary criticism; I'd like HUT'S PLACE to be a quick, fun read for book buyers. If you have any friends who you think might like receiving this column each week, simply click on "Forward this email" below and enter their email address. There is also a box in which to add a short message.
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WHERE TO FIND
AN INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE
Many of you already have a favorite local bookstore, but for those of you without such a relationship,
this link
will take you to a list of Northern California
indie bookstores
by region.
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