Open Monday–Saturday, 9 am–9 pm; Sundays 10 am–6 pm
Open Independence Day, Wednesday, July 4, 9 am–6 pm
From Mamie:
We lost a great one when William Trevor died in 2016. I had read two novels by him, and several anthologized short stories, but reading the collection Last Stories (Viking $26) solidified my opinion of him as a story writer extraordinaire. There is a sadness to most of the characters existences in these stories, a feeling that builds over the course of the book as Trevor exposes the longing and disappointments that each person has experienced. The writing is wonderful: it feels as though every descriptive word was carefully considered until he came up with just the right one. Readers who loved the women in Reynolds Prices books will appreciate that Trevor was also particularly adept at getting inside the heads and hearts of his female characters.
Our Take Ten staffer for July is Chelsea Poole. Chelsea is our online guru, braving the world of social media and website management for the store. If she had her way, this list would be full of Harry Potter books, but she decided to step away from her passion to create a list that might just have something for everyone on it. When not obsessively reading, you can find Chelsea obsessively staring at her Corgi, Duck.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Harper Perennial $14.99). The greatest novel ever written. What more is there to say that hasnt already been said? My favorite book of all time. If you want to read The Great American Novel, this is it.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Square Fish $10.99). After the Wizarding World, Leigh Bardugos Grishaverse is my favorite place to escape to. Six of Crows follows six uniquely talented young criminals as they attempt an "impossible" heist. Both Six and the sequel, Crooked Kingdom, provide my YA fantasy fix. The wit-filled dialogue and splendid storytelling is present throughout all of Bardugos books, but this might be the masterpiece.
The Divine Comedy: Vol. 1: Inferno by Dante, translated by Mark Musa (Penguin $16). I was an English major so between high school and college, I read my fair share of classics. None of them affected me the way Dantes vivid poetry of the Divine Comedy did. My journey through the nine circles of Hell with Dante was an audacious blend of history, religion, and fiction that blew my 15-year-old brain and continues to do so with every reread.
An important addition in Southern literature, Pat Conroys South of Broad (Dial $17) introduced me to some of the most dynamic characters I have come across. Set in Charleston, SC, Conroy follows a motley crew of teenagers--black and white, gay and straight, rich and poor--into adulthood as they deal with issues such as racism, the AIDS epidemic, and suicide. The physical and metaphorical flood that overwhelms the characters stuck with me for years.
Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite writers so when it came time to choose just one of her books for this list, I struggled. Nineteen Minutes (Washington Square $16.99), her take on the timely story of school shootings, sticks out to me for its time-jumping style and important use of secondary and tertiary characters. Picoults courtroom dramas never fail to put into words the feelings we tend to deem "indescribable."
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby (Balzer+Bray $9.99). It is hard to nail down this books genre and I think that is what I love about it so much. Set in a small cornfield town, this novel leaves together magical realism, mystery, and contemporary fiction to tell the story of Finn OSullivan and the enigmatic secondary characters that move through his life. Told through alternating POVs such as Finns, an ugly girl who likes bees more than people, and the missing girl that drives the narrative, Bone Gap is a beautifully-written story that will be unlike anything youve read.
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby (Riverhead $16). It is New Years Eve and four people from varying walks of life happen upon each other on a rooftop, all planning on jumping to their deaths. Hornby approaches the serious subject of suicide with a constant wit-filled dialogue and a string of belly laughs. The characters are annoying, grimy, and pathetic yet brimming with a relatability I have yet to find in any other book tackling mental illness.
Set in the 2020s, Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (Grand Central $15.00) tells the story of hyper-empath, Lauren, and the dystopian world she calls home. Forced from her homestead, Lauren sets off on a journey both physical and metaphysical, as she begins the creation of her new belief system, Earthseed. A solid tip-toe into the world of science fiction for those wary of the genre.
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Anchor $16.95). Robert Langdon is my literary husband and so I find it a travesty that this story of his is so often overlooked. It is The Da Vinci Code, but replace Paris with Washington, D.C., and the Quest for the Holy Grail with the secrets of the Masonic Temple. Like Browns other books, I could not put it down.
Maranatha Road by Heather Bell Adams (Vandalia $18.99). My favorite book from last year revolves around two women who love the same man: Sadie, his mother and Tenley, the mother to his baby, and their continued struggle to find peace with his tragic death. The characters were so complex that I couldn't figure out whether I wanted to give them a hug or punch them in the face. The Western NC setting was beautifully written, a character itself, contributing to the characters development and sucking me in so far that I planned a trip to the mountains the weekend after I finished this book. * * *
NEW IN PAPERBACK
My Absolute Darling: A Novel by Gabriel Tallent (Riverhead $16). "A disturbing, authentic, and suspenseful account of the worst and best that can coincide in the world."--Sarah. "There are books we like well enough to recommend, but there are a very few...that we remember forever. To my own shortlist I can now add My Absolute Darling."—Stephen King
Be Free or Die: The Amazing Story of Robert Smalls' Escape from Slavery to Union Hero by Cate Lineberry (Picador $17). The astonishing true story of Robert Smalls amazing journey from slave to Union hero and ultimately United States Congressman.
The Long Haul: A Trucker's Tales of Life on the Road by Finn Murphy (Norton $16.95). A collection of poignant and witty stories about the people and the manual labor of the moving industry.
When the English Fall: A Novel by David Williams (Algonquin $15.95). When a catastrophic solar storm brings about the collapse of modern civilization, an Amish community is caught up in the aftermath.
Spoonbenders: A Novel by Daryl Gregory (Vintage $16.95). Once they were The Amazing Telemachus Family, performers blessed with clairvoyance, telekinesis, and other psychic abilities. But a tragic event has taken the magic away.
The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard $16.95). A Lisbeth Salander novel, continuing Stieg Larsson's Millennium Series.
Camp Austen: My Life as an Accidental Jane Austen Superfan by Ted Scheinman (FSG Originals $15). A raucous tour through the world of Mr. Darcy imitations, tailored gowns, and tipsy ballroom dancing. A Paris Review Staff Pick.
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ANN PATCHETT REMEMBERS LATE POET DONALD HALL
Prolific American poet and writer Donald Hall died in June at the age of 89. He lived a remarkable life of letters, and held a special place in the literary life of Ann Patchett, author and owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville. In an uplifting piece at LitHub.com, Patchett writes about Hall's works and how they inspired her and others like Tom Brokaw. Donald Hall's last book of essays, A Carnival of Losses: Notes Nearing Ninety (Houghton $25), comes out next Tuesday and copies can be reserved now.
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LOCAL HAIKU ANTHOLOGY WINS HSA MERIT BOOK AWARD
One Windows Light has won the Haiku Society of Americas Merit Book Award for best haiku anthology published in 2017. The volume is the work of five members of the Raleigh-based Carolina African American Writers Collective, including founder and guiding spirit Lenard D. Moore, editor and contributor to the collection. Congratulations to Moore, Dr. L. Teresa Church, Dr. Shelia Smith McKoy, Crystal Simone Smith, and Gideon Young. Read more at NC-Haiku.org.
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SUMMER WRITING WORKSHOP – REGISTER BY JULY 5
The Squire Summer Writing Workshops run July 19–22 at NC State University, offering an intensive course in fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry. Workshop leaders are authors Paul Cuadros, Rob Greene, and Elaine Neil Orr. Find out more and register at NCWriters.org.
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JOB OPENINGS AT QRB
Quail Ridge Books is looking for qualified and talented team players to fill the positions of Marketing Manager, Sales Floor Manager, and Children's Department Assistant Manager. Visit QuailRidgeBooks.com/JobOpenings for more information. Resumes may be sent to [email protected].
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NC BOOKWATCH
NC Bookwatch with host D.G. Martin airs on UNC-TV on Thursdays at 5:00 p.m and Sundays at 11:00 a.m. Coming up, D.G.'s guests are Wiley Cash with his recent novel, The Last Ballad, Karen Cox with Goat Castle: A True Story of Murder, Race, and the Gothic South, and Julian Pleasants with Home Front: North Carolina During World War II. Find the full cable schedule and a link to watch online here.
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QRB EVENTS
Where's Waldo? In Raleigh, of course! For the fifth summer, Quail Ridge Books, Shop Local Raleigh, and Candlewick Press invite kids (and grownups) to join the search for the iconic red-stripe-shirted and bespectacled character, hiding on the shelves of 30 local independent businesses including QRB. Start your search by picking up a Waldo Passport at any business, and then get it stamped wherever you spot Waldo. Win small prizes with 10 stamps and be eligible for grand prizes with 20 stamps. Plan to attend the Where's Waldo Party here on July 29, where grand prizes will be awarded. Visit ShopLocalRaleigh.org for more info, a list of participating businesses.
FRIDAY, JULY 6, 7:00 p.m. Christopher Ruocchio, Empire of Silence. We love featuring debut novelists, especially local ones. Raleigh native Ruocchio is Assistant Editor at Baen Books, and he joins us with his first sci-fi/fantasy novel. Book one of the Sun Eater series, it's the tale of a man revered as a hero, despised as a murderer, fighting a war he did not start, for an empire he does not love, against an enemy he will never understand. James S. A. Corey, bestselling author of the The Expanse novels, says, "Empire of Silence is epic science fiction at its most genuinely epic. Ruocchio has made something fascinating here."
SATURDAY, JULY 7, 10:30 a.m. Karma Wilson and Matt Myers, A Dog Named Doug, a picture books for ages 4+. Doug is a Dog who LOVES to DIG! He digs holes, and ditches, and tunnels, and ends up in places he shouldn't. But no one--not even the Secret Service--can stop a digging-loving dog named Doug. Join author Karma Wilson and illustrator Matt Myers for this doggone good event.
SUNDAY, JULY 8, 2:00 p.m. Mark U. Wilde-Ramsing and Linda F. Carnes-McNaughton, Blackbeard's Sunken Prize: The 300-Year Voyage of Queen Anne's Revenge. June 10th of this year marked the 300th anniversary of the grounding of the flagship of notorious pirate Blackbeard. Its discovery off the coast of Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina in 1996 was a triumph for maritime archaeology. These two archaeologists have teamed up to write the definitive story of Blackbeard and his ship. They will be introduced by Lindley S. Butler, project historian of the Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project.
SUNDAY, JULY 15, 2:00 p.m. John Fea, Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump. Professor of American History at Messiah College, and an evangelical Christian himself, John Fea examines how we have arrived at this moment in American politics. He challenges his fellow believers to replace fear with hope, the pursuit of power with humility, and nostalgia with history.
TUESDAY, JULY 17, 7:00 p.m. ArtCurious Podcast host, Jennifer Dasal: Michelangelo, Raphael, and the Greatest Rivalry in Renaissance Art. The Renaissance produced some of the most beautiful artworks of all time--but the competition and backbiting between Michelangelo and Raphael was not a pretty thing. Dasal is also North Carolina Museum of Art's Associate Curator of Contemporary Art. Come hear her talk about the intense rivalry between two great masters vying for the same demanding patron as they created their iconic works.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 7:00 p.m. Sharon O'Donnell, Please Don't Let Me Be the Oldest Mom in the PTA: Stories about Mid-Life Motherhood. This is the must-have book for all moms who had a child after the age of 35--a group the medical profession not-so-kindly calls "advanced maternal age." O'Donnell will share her humorous and poignant stories of having a child at 38, and how she discovered that breastfeeding and AARP membership aren't really that far apart!
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BOOK CLUBS & MEETINGS (Everyone welcome)
SATURDAY, JULY 7, 10:30 a.m. Carolina Kinder German Storytime. Introduce children ages 4–7 to German language and culture with stories, songs, games and crafts.
SUNDAY, JULY 8, 2:00 p.m. Writers Coffeehouse. Every writer of any kind at any stage in their writing career is welcome to join this discussion and networking group. No set agenda, no fees, no publishing requirements. Not a peer review/critique group.
MONDAY, JULY 9, 7:00 p.m. Not For Men Only, The Coldest War by James Brady.
TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2:30 p.m. OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King.
THURSDAY, JULY 12, 7:00 p.m. Literary Horror. Get In Trouble: Stories by Kelly Link.
SUNDAY, JULY 15, 4:30 p.m. Literary Pursuits. The Door by Magda Szabo.
MONDAY, JULY 16, 7:00 p.m. Understanding the Middle East. Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 7:00 p.m. Treatment Tales. Head for the Edge, Keep Walking by Kate Tough. Treatment Tales is a discussion group for younger adults 1829 who are living with cancer, from diagnosis to remission, to discuss shared experiences as well as books of interest to the group. New members are always welcome to drop in. Contact Elizabeth at [email protected] for more info.
THE FREAKIN' AWESOME BOOK CLUB, for young adults with developmental disabilities, meets Sundays at 4:45 p.m. at QRB or in members' homes. Currently reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. Contact facilitator Marlyn Wells at [email protected] for more information.
TEEN WRITERS COLLECTIVE: Meets at Whole Foods Community Room in Ridgewood Shopping Center, usually on the first, third and fifth Wednesdays of the month at 7:00 p.m. Suggested entry level is rising high school freshman+. Contact Cris Crissman at [email protected] for more information.
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Quail Ridge Books
33 Years of Independent Bookselling
919-828-1588
QuailRidgeBooks.com
“Literature is strewn with the wreckage of men who have minded beyond reason the opinion of others.”~~Virginia Woolf
For inquiries concerning QuailMail contact editor Kent Bryant at [email protected].
Links to browse or shop the books:
Last Stories by William Trevor
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Inferno by Dante
South of Broad by Pat Conroy
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Maranatha Road by Heather Bell Adam
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
Be Free Or Die by Cate Lineberry
The Long Haul by Finn Murphy
When the English Fall by David Williams
Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory
The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz
Camp Austen by Ted Scheinman
A Carnival of Losses by Donald Hall
The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash
Goat Castle by Karen Cox
Home Front by Julian Pleasants
Where's Waldo? books
Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio
A Dog Named Doug by Wilson & Myers
Blackbeard's Sunken Prize by Wilde-Ramsing and Carnes-McNaughton
Believe Me by John Fea
Please Don't Let Me Be the Oldest Mom in the PTA by Sharon O'Donnell
The Coldest War by James Brady
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
Get In Trouble: Stories by Kelly Link
The Door by Magda Szabo
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi
Head for the Edge, Keep Walking by Kate Tough
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling