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Weekly Words about New Books in
Independent Bookstores
April 19, 2015
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It's True - These New Paperbacks Will Edify and Entertain
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
by Malcolm Gladwell. The author of
The Tipping Point, Blink, The Outliers, and
What the Dog Saw delights in providing an unorthodox and counterintuitive view of society, and in this book Gladwell looks at underdogs
 and our notions of power. He begins with the original David and Goliath story, offering a new take on the popular myth (hint - the little guy should have been the favorite), then goes on to question other "accepted" views of where advantages lie.
In an interview about the book, Gladwell offered this example: "If you're trying to build the most advantageous educational system, what does that look like? Well, that definition depends a lot on how you define advantage. If you think advantage lies in resources, then you think the best educational system is the one that spends the most money. If you're with David and you think, actually no, having audacity and a fresh perspective are better than being big and powerful, then you might reach a very different conclusion."
What the Dog Knows: Scent, Science, and the Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World by Cat Warren. University professor and former journalist Warren has an admittedly odd hobby: She and her German shepherd have spent the last seven years searching for the dead. Solo is a cadaver dog, and what began as a way to harness Solo's unruly energy and
 enthusiasm soon became a calling that introduced her to the hidden and fascinating universe of working dogs, their handlers, and their trainers.
Turns out there are thousands of canines all over the US and beyond with incredible abilities - they can find missing people, detect drugs and bombs, pinpoint unmarked graves of Civil War soldiers, or even find drowning victims more than 200 feet below the surface of a lake. These abilities may seem magical or mysterious, but author Warren shows the science, the rigorous training, and the skilled handling that underlie these creatures' amazing abilities.
Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds
by Carmine Gallo. As you may know, TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment, and Design converged,
 and today it covers almost all topics - from science to business to global issues - in more than 100 languages. The TED talks have redefined the elements of a successful presentation and become the gold standard for public speaking, this book offers up nine top techniques that top TED speakers use. It won't make you Ted-worthy, but it gives those in need the confidence to overcome a fear of public speaking and make the next presentation more dynamic. Among the chapter headings:
Lighten Up - Have a Sense of Humor; Stay In Your Lane; Have a Conversation; and
Deliver Jaw-Dropping Moments.
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No Shame in Reading This Thought Provoker
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So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson. Thanks to the exploding popularity of social media, a great wave of public shaming is sweeping our land. Make one mistake in public and your humiliation can be immediate  and lasting, as angry online mobs express their collective outrage. Has justice been democratized, or are we using shame as a form of social control?
Author Ronson, a contributor to public radio's This American Life, got interested in the subject when a spambot invaded his Twitter account, and it sent him off on an investigative journey that informs this often funny but also darkly revealing social study. The book caught the attention of independent booksellers, who made it one of their Indie Next picks for April. This review gives you a good idea of why they're excited :
"This book both fascinated and terrified me with its insights into the increasing outrage to be found on social media and how careers and even lives can be quickly ruined by public forums. Ronson takes the concept further, exploring the history of public shaming, the nature of crowd 'madness,' why some people are unaffected by the process while others are devastated, and how Google searches make it hard to recover from the trauma. Not only will I recommend this book, but I will also ask people to come back and tell me what they think about the questions that are raised. This is a dialogue that needs to happen!"
- Ann Carlson, Waterfront Books,
Georgetown, SC
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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.
Email me
anytime.
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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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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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