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Weekly Words about New Books in
Independent Bookstores
October 21, 2018
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New Indie Favorites - Romp Through Social Media Culture and Short but Charged War Novel
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green. With this hip and funny sci-fi debut, the talented Green adds another notch to his creative belt. A science teacher, tech guru, and well-known vlogger (think blogs with videos), Hank Green  and his author brother John (The Fault In Our Stars) created the YouTube channel Vlogbrothers. Hank also hosts the educational YouTube channels Crash Course and SciShow, and with his new novel, he adds the title "bestselling author" to his resume. The story is a bit goofy, but it's also topical and relevant, especially for anyone under 30, as it examines social media and its ability to shine a sudden (and unwanted) spotlight on an unsuspecting user, as well how today's culture deals with fear and uncertainty.
Roaming through New York City at 3:00 in the morning, 23-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship - like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor - April and her friend Andy name their discovery Carl and make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world - from Beijing to Buenos Aires - and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight. The attention is nice, but she soon has to deal with the consequences her new "fame" has on her relationships, her safety, and her own identity. And all eyes are on April to figure out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.
Waiting for Eden by Elliot Ackerman. This is Ackerman's third novel, following Dark at the Crossing, which was a 2017 National Book Award finalist. Th
e highly decorated former Marine and magazine journalist has written a short but powerful story that traces the connections of three star-crossed lives.
H
ere's a brief description: Eden Malcom lies in a bed, unable to move or to speak, imprisoned in his own mind. His wife Mary spends every day on the sofa in his hospital room. He has never even met their young daughter. And he will never again see the friend and fellow soldier who didn't make it back home - and who narrates the novel. But on Christmas, the one day Mary is not at his bedside, Eden's re-ordered consciousness comes flickering alive. As he begins to find a way to communicate, some troubling truths about his marriage - and about his life before he went to war - come to the surface.
Indie booksellers made Waiting for Eden one of their top picks on the October Indie Next list. This review shows why: "I was completely captivated by this intensely emotional yet compact novel. Both of Ackerman's previous novels were acclaimed by readers and critics alike, but Waiting for Eden proves something more. In less than 200 pages, the intersecting lives of three people and the consequences of their choices are revealed in an astounding manner. It's a love story, a ghost story, a horror story, a war story, and, ultimately, a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. I don't want to tell you much more as I don't want to spoil it, but urge you to read this powerful and important work of literature."
- Cody Morrison, Square Books, Oxford, MS
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New Kingsolver Novel Offers Readers Two Stories To Savor
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver. She's beloved by readers and is a longtime independent bookseller favorite, thanks to a body of work that includes the likes of The Lacuna, The Poisonwood Bible, Animal Dreams, and The Bean Trees. So a new  Kingsolver novel is always a treat, and Unsheltered is no exception. This time, the author focuses on two families in two different centuries, both living on the same New Jersey land and both facing changing landscapes that threaten the lives they have come to expect. Kingsolver uses different voices and moods to relate each family's struggles, but her skill as a storyteller remains intact.
This nice description of the book is part of a positive review from Library Journal in September: "Kingsolver's eighth novel tells two stories in alternating chapters, both taking place on the same residential lot in Vineland, NJ, but roughly 150 years apart. In the 1870s, science teacher Thatcher struggles with meeting the expectations of his socially ambitious wife while running afoul of school and city morality for teaching Darwinism and develops a connection with his next-door neighbor, naturalist Mary Treat. In the present day, journalist Willa tries to hold her family together, four generations of which are living in a house that is literally falling down around them, as they struggle with medical bills, tragedy, and long-buried conflict. In the historical story (Thatcher and his family are fictional, but other characters and plot elements are based on real people and events), Kingsolver finds parallels to our current political climate without being heavy-handed, conveying the frustration and despair of members of the professional middle class, who 'did all the right things' but feel they are losing ground."
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WHY THE COLUMN?
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Hi, I'm Hut Landon, and I work as a bookseller in an independent bookstore in BerkeIey, California.
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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