Tag: staff picks

November Staff Pick: The Hypocrite

November 1, 2024
by Robin Wood

The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya (Pantheon), picked by bookseller Leslie

The country is Italy, specifically the island of Sicily.  To me, the opening conjured images of lazy afternoons, reading, Aperol spritzes, and warm, family togetherness, while exploring.  That’s not what this book is about.

The book takes place during present day London (during Covid) where the daughter, Sophia, has written a play, and about ten years earlier when Sophia is a teenager taking a holiday on Sicily with her father, a writer.  Coming from a divorced family, Sophia believes that their holiday will be a time to connect while her father treats her like an employee at times, dictating his new book to her.

Flash forward to London – her father sits down to see his daughter’s play; he is horrified to see it is about him.  Sophia is brutal in her characterization of her father and his old fashioned ways, and how he treated her during their holiday. The father can’t believe it!!

This book is about different generations, being uncomfortable, expectations, disappointment, love, all of it!

The book goes back and forth between Sicily and London, a format I love.  I was surprised and uncomfortable at times while reading this book.  There are no easy answers especially with family – I really thought a lot about that, and isn’t that what a good book should do?

~ Leslie

October Staff Pick: You Like It Darker

September 29, 2024
by Robin Wood

You Like It Darker by Stephen King (Scribner), picked by bookseller Lori

Twelve new short stories from the master of horror. Standouts for me: “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to 1981’s Cujo, and “The Answer Man,” my personal favorite, which asks us to ponder the meaning of our own lives and ask ourselves how we will approach the inevitable end of it. 

Beauty, horror, humor and humanity are all present in the pages from the true King of the genre.

~ Lori

December 2023 Staff Pick: The MANIAC

September 26, 2024
by Robin Wood
George with The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut

The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut (Penguin Press), picked by store co-founder, George Cooper

Now out in paperback!

Don’t be fooled by the title, or its listing as fiction. This is a brilliant biography of the greatest genius of the 20th century, John von Neumann, inventor of Game Theory and the modern digital computer (known by the acronym MANIAC, which his wife Clara called the JONNYAC) that was first used to design the hydrogen bomb.

Rather than taking us dryly through von Neumann’s endless accomplishments, many of which are beyond explaining to laymen, the author beguiles us with the voices of the genius’s celebrated scientific colleagues (who either loved or hated him) and his wives (who felt the same). We thus become witness not only to von Neumann’s triumphs but also his peccadillos and (in)humanity. The book is full of vignettes, from private meetings to marital quarrels, which give it a fascinating and compelling life.

He was a consultant to the Manhattan Project, drifting in from time to time and quickly solving problems other mental giants had been struggling with, and went on to a fruitful career with the U.S. Defense Department. But the problem that challenged him most was trying to generalize the process uniting biology, technology, and computer theory to explain all self-replicating phenomena, from life on earth to the possibility of machines doing the same.

He died at only fifty-six from cancer, in 1959, in a special suite provided for him by the government at Walter Reed Hospital, surrounded by dignitaries and attendants, hoping to catch the last pearls of wisdom from the fruitful mind of this singular polymath.

When asked what it would take for a machine to think and behave like a human being, he said it would have to “understand language, to read, to write, to speak. And it would have to play like a child.” But his death preceded the development of the truly powerful computers of today (still operating on the fundamental principles of MANIAC) that are doing just that. The very first project of DeepMind, a leading Artificial Intelligence machine, was playing Go, the game universally acknowledged to be the most intellectually difficult, and beating its human master. (The book concludes with a dramatic blow-by-blow description of this five game challenge match.)

When asked how he could bring together his ideas on computers and self-replicating machines with those on the brain and mechanisms of thought, von Neumann offered: “Cavemen created gods, I see no reason why we shouldn’t do the same.”

Don’t miss this book if you’re interested in biography, science or even science-fiction, because both were part of von Neumann’s world.

~ George Cooper

September Staff Pick: Colored Television

September 3, 2024
by Robin Wood
Emily with an ARC of Colored Television by Danzy Senna in the bookstore

Colored Television by Danzy Senna (Riverhead Books), picked by manager Emily

When her novel (dubbed the “mulatto War and Peace”) is rejected by her agent, Jane wonders if pivoting to television might finally give her the life she wants; time and energy to enjoy her family, a nice house in a good school district and an audience that will actually consume and appreciate her work. 

Jane is used to life between worlds but will this new venture, and the deception she practices to get there, all finally be too much? 

No book is ever about one thing, at least not the good ones, but rarely does a story perfectly mix together life’s big issues. Senna cleverly examines race, class, and cultural consumption while still producing a fun and compelling read. 

~ Emily, store manager

August Staff Pick: The God of the Woods

July 30, 2024
by Robin Wood

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Riverhead Books), picked by assistant manager Sara

I couldn’t put this book down – the perfect summer mystery read! It had me all the way until the last sentence!

The dynamic of the two alternating timelines are seamlessly woven together uncovering family secrets and lies that leave you wondering exactly how far this family is willing to go to keep things hidden – and who is helping them.

This book has an ending you won’t see coming, and leaves you with a smile on your face.

July Staff Pick: The Paris Novel

July 13, 2024
by Robin Wood

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl (Random House), picked by bookseller Gina

When her mother dies Stella is left with a one way ticket and an unusual request “Go to Paris”…

Very similar to myself, Stella isn’t one to stray to far out of her comfort zone, but impulsively she honors her mother’s final request.

Here’s where the fun starts: through fashion, new friends, a mysterious painting and most importantly FOOD Stella begins to understand what it truly means to live YOUR life, take chances, and live your life to the fullest. (Hey, I quit my job and moved to Key West!)

This book is a true feast for the senses (especially your taste buds – did I mention the food???)

Transport yourself to Paris and LIVE!

~ Gina

June Staff Pick: The Demon of Unrest

May 29, 2024
by Robin Wood
George with The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson

The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson, (Crown), picked by store co-founder George Cooper

There’s nothing so interesting as reading a history of a profound event when you have an uncomfortable dread that you are living through a run-up to its successor, in this time when a modern “Demon of Unrest” is plaguing our nation.  

Legendary story-teller Larson gives us a detailed account of the period from Lincoln’s election in November, 1860, to the fall of Ft. Sumter on April 13, 1861 and the beginning of the Civil War. We are with the protagonists, North and South, each step of the way as the opportunities for compromise slip away and war fever takes hold. The deadly bombardment of the Fort becomes not a military battle, but a grander version of the duels that still animated Southern manhood. 

In this brilliant addition to Civil War literature, Larson is a master of the telling detail, the moment or quotation that makes us pause. Like this from the southern Senator and plantation owner James Henry Hammond, famed for claiming “Cotton is King.” Near the end of the war, he acknowledged:  

We are here two races, white and black, now both equally American, holding each other in the closest embrace, and utterly unable to extricate ourselves from it, a problem so difficult, so complicated, and so momentous, never was placed in charge of any portion of mankind and on its solution rests our all. 

Who among us now, one-hundred sixty-five years later, would say that we have found that solution.

May Staff Pick: Long Island

April 30, 2024
by Robin Wood

Long Island by Colm Tóibín (Scribner, May 7), picked by bookseller, Leslie

Long Island tells the story of Eilis Fiorello, nee Lacey. Colm Tóibín first wrote about Eilis in his terrific novel Brooklyn, published in 2009. Eilis is now living in Long Island with her family – husband Tony and teenage children Larry and Rosella. When a stranger comes to Eilis’s door to tell her that he will be depositing a baby that Tony has fathered with the stranger’s wife while working as a plumber in their house, Eilis decides to handle the matter in a very straightforward way. She tells her children about it. She then informs Tony that she’ll be going back to Ireland for her mother’s birthday because she doesn’t want to be home when the baby is delivered. Eilis tells Tony that this has nothing to do with her and he should handle the situation. 

While reading this book, I could feel the suffocation that Eilis must have felt in her marriage and in her house, with Tony’s brothers and Italian mother always in everybody’s business. Tony’s mother believes her sons can do no wrong.  I found her to be most annoying and irritating.

Eilis hasn’t been back to Ireland since she left as a young woman and made a life with Tony. Once there, she lives in her mother’s house and rekindles relationships from her past. There is so much that is not said in this book. For one, I could sense that Eilis asked herself – What do I want?  How do I want to live?  I kept asking myself – What will Eilis do? She yearns for love.

As Long Island progressed, I came to love Eilis more and more, and her happiness became so important to me. Then I wondered – what is it she is seeking?  Is it happiness, purpose or something else. Colm Tóibín’s intimate story is captivating.

~ Leslie

April Staff Pick: The Creative Act

March 28, 2024
by Robin Wood
Sara holding The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin (Penguin Press), picked by our Assistant Manager, Sara

Sara holding The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

With The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin, I found myself going back to it whenever I needed a little inspiration. It is an extraordinary book that captures the practice of creating.

The Creative Act is a collection of short reflections from Rubin’s career as a legendary music productor who is well known for helping artists connect with their own creativity by creating a space where they can offer who they really are to the world. With his own insights from his experiences, the tools he provides is as simple as listening to your own intuition, finding out what works for yourself, and incorporating your own creative routine with habits that include meditating, being in nature and exercises. These insights are then elaborated further in different chapters that are easy to pick up and follow. I read it and listened to the audiobook, which I found relaxing and enjoyable.

One takeaway from the book is that we are all creators of something in our daily lives. It does a great job capturing the sacred practice of trusting one’s own intuition and being free to experiment with finding ways to express yourself. My favorite quote from the book reads, “Look for what you notice but no one else sees.”

When I am not at the bookstore, I enjoy walking the island and taking pictures. This is my way of creating something while also documenting it for memories – my own journal that I get to share with friends and family. It’s nothing serious, just a hobby I picked back up during the pandemic that I have grown to love doing. During this process, I allow my mind to wander as I take in the simple act of walking in nature. This book reminded me to touch back on my hobbies and how important it is to have routines and continue to create – or what creating means to me. I have become more mindful as I capture the beauty of what I see in hopes that others can see it too.

Another component that drew me into this book was the cover. It’s the alchemical symbol for the sun which represents life, energy, and spirituality where I found the simplicity of it had so much depth behind it that it made it even more meaningful. Rubin has a minimalist way of living so it only fit that the book would represent this in some way too with keeping everything simple.

March Staff Pick: Under the Henfluence

February 28, 2024
by Robin Wood
Bookseller Camila with one of her chickens and Under the Henfluence, by Tove Danovich

Under the Henfluence, by Tove Danovich (Agate Midway), picked by Bookseller Camila

Bookseller Camila with one of her chickens and Under the Henfluence, by Tove Danovich

“This book is about chickens, yes, but it is also about how they can change your life if you let them,” Tove Danovich, Under the Henfluence.

It’s March! Spring is in the air and what better way to celebrate the upcoming season, than to immerse yourself in the weird and wonderful world of chickens. Tove’s book (newly released in paperback), Under the Henfluence: Inside the World of Backyard Chickens and the People Who Love Them expertly weaves the history and business of chicken keeping with extensive research and personal anecdotes. Tove not only raises her own backyard flock of chickens, she is a gifted researcher, storyteller, and journalist.

“It’s a mix of stories from my own flock and reporting on chickens as a species which asks the question of what we owe to the animals we’ve tamed,” Tove Danovich.

I have my own backyard flock of hens. They are what you would call “corona chickens,” or chickens purchased during COVID-19 while we were stuck at home with time on our hands. They are our pets that not only provide eggs, they bring us joy, love, and endless entertainment. “When times get tough, as one hatchery employee told me, people turn to chickens.”

I connected with Tove’s personal anecdotes on her experiences with her flock. Her stories were my stories. We shared in the joys and heartbreak that go with loving your flock. It was also fascinating to learn about our 3,000 (plus) years of chicken domestication. She writes about the chicken industry, 4-H clubs, chicken showing, chicken therapy, all the while sharing her personal journey and experiences. While reading this book, I found myself becoming mindful about where we get our eggs and poultry. I learned what “free-range” versus “cage-free” really means, and how terrible the lives of chickens can be in large industrial facilities meant to provide us with eggs and meat. Where we get our food matters. How animals are treated matters.

I laughed, I cried, and I connected with Tove’s informative book about the world of backyard chicken keeping. You don’t need a flock of your own to LOVE this book! You’ll certainly gain an appreciation for our feathered friends and the people that love them!

~ Camila