Hello BookFriends,
Today I’m thinking of ideas for those of you at home with kids. And the first thing that 
comes to mind is puzzles, puzzles, puzzles! We have jigsaw puzzles for all age groups. The whole family can do this together. Or not. My family loves to do puzzles when we’re all together for the holidays. I’m not very good at it but I love watching them. I remind myself it takes practice to get good at anything.
Also, what about art supplies? A friend just told me she’s doing a small watercolor a day. I felt an immediate urge to do the same. Not that I have any training. The last time I studied watercolor was when I was fifteen and took a weekly class with my friend in “fashion illustration.” What I remember most about that class was how we were told to draw the model’s feet. Still, I could try. I think it would be creatively satisfying. And I know where to go for my supplies. Hello, to our Art Supply Buyer- Emily!
The kids would probably like a set of thin markers with a sketch book. And there’s a terrific paperback by Lynda Barry(one of my favorite comic writer/illustrators) on creating your own comics. I know one teenager I’m getting Making Comics for. 
And that brings me to another idea –maybe the kids would be open to keeping a diary or journal of this strange time in their lives. They could Illustrate, too, of course. This could be just for them. They don’t have to share unless they want to. We have some pretty great blank books that would make a cool gift. Not that they can’t do this with whatever supplies they have around the house, but, you know —
I just read an absolutely enchanting novella by Lee Smith. Lee is one of my favorite writers so I was intrigued when she told me it’s set in Key West, in the 50s, during the time that Operation Petticoat was filming here. The cast and crew were housed at the Blue Marlin Motel (yes, the one on Simonton Street) and in this gem of a story, so are 13 year old Jenny and her parents, who are trying to patch up their marriage. Great characters (never mind Tony Curtis and Cary Grant) perfect pitch, generous humor. The next time someone asks, Don’t you have a novel set in Key West? I’ll smile and hand them Blue Marlin. Pre-order now for delivery when it comes out in two weeks (4/21), just when you’ll really need it. Once we can all get out and about again, I know Lee will come to Books & Books KW and share her stories of spending time here when she was Jenny’s age.
Stay well.
Love,
Hi, non-fiction fans.
No, I’m not talking about Donald Trump. It’s the story of Winston Churchill during the German bombing blitz of Britain in 1940. As he assumed power from a disgraced Prime Minister who had tried to placate Hitler, Germany had overrun Europe and forced British forces into an ignominious retreat across the Channel. How Churchill managed to ramp up production, not of something relatively simple like ventilators, but combat aircraft, was a marvel. And how he got population to remain hopeful through daily aerial bombing attacks is a lesson of leadership for all time. From Erik Larson, author of Devil in the White City.
Lily King’s new book, WRITERS & LOVERS, is exactly the book we need now. Witty and heartfelt, this story of Casey, a 31 year old woman working in an upscale restaurant to pay the bills (great moments) while trying to finish her first novel, is filled with memorable characters – from the older writer with two little kids (best kids in a book in a long time) who want Casey even more than their father does, to a younger writer, a best friend, and a much missed mother.
The reviews are glowing and I can’t say it any better, except to echo Lily’s own words when asked what moves her most in reading a novel, which turns out be exactly what moves me. “Small unexpected moments of human connection.” There’s not a false note or sappy sentence in this book. But there are many moments of unexpected human connection.
Lily King is also the author of the best-selling novel Euphoria, which has been on our staff rec list since our store opened.
Emma Straub is from New York City. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller 
Judy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, New Jersey, making up stories inside her head. Adults as well as children will recognize such Blume titles as 
As we hunker down to combat the unseen enemy, we have to find ways to take advantage of our newfound time. What better way than to attack a big book, one that will leave you a bigger and better person at the end.
One book that I have been recommending for sometime now is Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. As the title suggests, Harari traces the emergence of our species, homo sapiens, from cave dwelling hunter-gatherers competing with other humanoids as well as powerful animals, to our current overwhelmingly dominant place in the food chain. He identifies the key inflection points in history – such as the Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions, as well as the emergence of money as a medium of exchange – and explains what brought them about, and how they have shaped ourselves.
Celebrate the Key West Literary Pantheon
Right now, gift cards really are the gift that keeps on giving.
Independent Bookstore Day has been rescheduled for Saturday, August 29, 2020, making this beautiful totebag a collector’s item for sure.
Lead by Assistant Manager Gianelle, last month’s virtual book club pick was 
We had a wonderful time with Mamta Chaudhry, author of HAUNTING PARIS, a timeless story of love and loss takes a mysterious turn when a bereaved pianist discovers a letter among her late lover’s possessions, launching her into a decades-old search for a child who vanished in the turbulence of wartime Paris.