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Weekly Words about New Books in
Independent Bookstores
April 22, 2018
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A Pair of New Arrivals Highlight the Best of Short Story and Poetry Creations
You Think It, I'll Say It: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld.
With her five novels - Prep, The Man of My Dreams, American Wife, Sisterland, and Eligibl
e - Sittenfe
ld has built a burgeoning following and earned critical praise like
this f
rom the Washington Post: "Novelists get called master storytellers all the time
, but Sittenfeld really is one." Now she has turned her wit and
insight about the human condition to short stories in this new collection of 10 tales. Here's a revi
ew from independent bookseller Louisa Smith from Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA.
"No one does a better job of writing about the high and low points of contemporary relationships than Curtis Sittenfeld. Her characters are petty, flawed, tender, funny, and completely believable. The characters in You Think It, I'll Say It do not shy away from assuming they know those around them, making the twist when
their misjudgments are revealed even more satisfying. While it is easy to fall in love with the insightful storytelling and humor, Sittenfeld's true gift is to make you recognize yourself in these pages."
Wade in the Water: Poems by Tracy K. Smith. The current Poet Laureate of the United States, Smith is the author of three previous poetry collections,  including Life on Mars, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Her memoir, Ordinary Light, was a finalist for the National Book Award and is a favorite of many indie booksellers. So it's no surprise that her latest work, which focuses on injustice and the state of our union, is front and center in bookstore poetry sections. I know poetry isn't everyone's first reading choice (myself included), but Smith is worth getting to know, and reviews like this appearing on NPR.org make Wade in the Water a good place to start:
"In these poems, with both gentleness and severity, Smith generously accepts what is an unusually public burden for an American poet, bringing national strife home, and finding the global in the local."
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Historical Fiction Debut Was a Surprise Hit, Now in Paperback
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry. English author Perry was introduced to American readers last summer, and it went pretty well. Actually, Perry's novel -
 described in
The New York Times as
"part ghost story and part natural history lesson, part romance and part feminist parable" - took the book world by storm, ending up on independent bookstore bestseller lists and being named a
Kirkus Review Best Book of 2017 and a
Washington Post Notable Work of Fiction.
Set in late 19th century England,
the story follows a vibrant and intellectually minded young widow who moves from London to Essex and is drawn to investigate rumors of a centuries-old mythical creature returning to the town. She is also drawn to the town's vicar, in spite of his views on religion and morality that don't mesh with hers. That's the set-up for a Victorian gothic novel that has had critics drawing comparisons to the likes of Charles Dickens and Bram Stoker. If that sounds like your cup of tea, Perry's writing won't disappoint.
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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, you can click here to find the
nearest indie bookstore by simply entering your postal code.
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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.
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,
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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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