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Weekly Words about New Books in
Independent Bookstores
February 7, 2016
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Something of a Surprise - Two Bestsellers Show Mass Appeal
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All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. Author Anders is editor-in-chief of the geeky and popular science fiction website io9.com. In her new novel, she tells a unique apocalyptic tale about childhood friends with special powers who mysteriously parted ways in middle school, only to come together as adults  with the planet falling apart around them. Laurence is a scientist who invented a two-second time machine as a kid, about the same time buddy Patricia discovered her magical powers. Now Laurence is an engineering genius who's working with a group that aims to avert catastrophic breakdown through technological intervention. Meanwhile, Patricia and a small band of other magicians strive to secretly repair the world's ever-growing ailments. Little do both realize that something bigger than either of them, something begun years ago in their youth, is determined to bring them together - to either save the world, or plunge it into a new dark ages. While it makes sense that fans of Anders and io9.com would head to independent bookstores, the book's bestseller status indicates that fans are spreading the word.
The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin. This is the #1 Indie Next pick for February, but I was still a bit surprised by the book's debut on the national independent bestseller list in it first week of publication. It's a dishy novel, which is always fun, but it's a very New York dish, and I thought it might not have as much appeal across the country as it has. Wrong.
Benjamin has taken her talent for historical fiction and used a scandalous real-life event to tell the story of the friendship between Truman Capote and New York socialite Babe Pauley during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Pauley was a leading figure in Manhattan's high society who, along with her socialite friends, or Swans, was completely taken with Capote when he and his larger-than-life personality exploded onto the scene. Through Babe, Truman gained an unlikely entree into the enviable lives of Manhattan's elite, along with unparalleled access to the scandal and gossip of Babe's powerful circle. Unfortunately, Capote's insecurities and need to top his previous work eventually got the better of him, leading to a tell-all magazine piece that exposed all the dirty laundry and destroyed his friendship with Pauley. Juicy stuff indeed.
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Children's Top Book Prize Winners for 2016
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Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena, illustrated by Christian Robinson. This lovely picture book tells a simple but powerful story about a young boy who rides the bus across town with his grandmother and learns to appreciate the beauty in everyday things. It's also a book
 that pulled off the unheard-of accomplishment of winning the Newbery Medal and also being chosen a Caldecott Honor book in the same year.
The big shocker was the Newbery, which typically goes to the author of a children's novel, not a picture book. The Caldecott takes care of the latter by recognizing outstanding artwork in an illustrated book for children. In this case,
Last Stop on Market Street was honored twice, once for its author and again for its illustrator - a feat I don't think has been previously matched.
By the way, the top Caldecott prize went to the deserving
Finding Winnie, written by Libby Mattick and illustrated by Sophie Blackall.
 Mattick is the great-granddaughter of a veterinarian named Harry Colebourn who, on his way to tend horses in World War I, followed his heart and rescued a baby bear who eventually became the inspiration for Winnie-the-Pooh.
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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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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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WHO'S HUT?
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Hi, I'm Hut Landon. I previously owned a local independent bookstore and was head of the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) in San Francisco for many years. Now semi-retired, I work part-time as an independent bookseller.
My goal with this newsletter is to keep readers up to date about new books hitting the shelves, share what indie booksellers are recommending in their stores, and pass on occasional news about the book world.
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