Mark B.

Bookseller at Ravenna

Except for a three year stint as a stay-at-home dad, Mark has been with Third Place Books since the fall of 2001, and was one of the original crew to open the Ravenna location. He loves fiction, philosophy, family and many other things that start with the "F" sound.

Washington Black (Paperback)

By Esi Edugyan

$16.95

ISBN: 9780525563242

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Vintage - April 9th, 2019

Washington Black is the best book I've read in a while. The story is told by George Washington Black, who is born into slavery on the island of Barbados, then a British colony. What starts off as a brutal slave story soon becomes an adventure tale, as Washington Black ends up on a ship bound for Virgina, and then finds himself bound for the Arctic. The threat of the slave plantation is never far from his thoughts though. I love the narrative voice in this book, which was a finalist for the Man Booker prize and won the Scotiabank Giller Prize in Canada. (Edugyan lives in Vancouver, CA.) Do yourself a favor and let yourself get caught up in the adventures of Washington Black.

Cicada (Hardcover)

By Shaun Tan, Shaun Tan (Illustrator)

$19.99

ISBN: 9781338298390

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Arthur A. Levine Books - January 29th, 2019

Cicada has worked tirelessly at a cold nameless corporation for 17 years. I'm not sure if he ever made a living wage, or if his job was threatened by an unnamed internet conglomerate entity, but there is something better waiting for Cicada at the end. I can't imagine why I related to this dark and yet hopeful story, but I'll just say that Shaun Tan does it again.

Wild Life (Paperback)

By Molly Gloss

$15.99

ISBN: 9781534414990

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Gallery / Saga Press - February 5th, 2019

One of my favorite novels has been reissued with a nifty new cover. Wild Life takes place in the Pacific Northwest during the early 1900's, and features Charlotte Bridger Drummond, a fearless, tough-as-nails, independent woman. When a little girl goes missing, Charlotte decides to join the search. Molly Gloss has written a beautiful tale with mythical elements, but that is firmly grounded in the reality of the logging camps and wild woods of the northwest frontier. Unforgettable.

Craig & Fred: A Marine, A Stray Dog, and How They Rescued Each Other Cover Image

Craig & Fred: A Marine, A Stray Dog, and How They Rescued Each Other (Paperback)

By Craig Grossi

$16.99

ISBN: 9780062693396

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: William Morrow Paperbacks - November 27th, 2018

Craig Grossi signed up for the Marines soon after the attack on 9/11. Upon arrival in Afghanistan he was told three unofficial rules: No beer, no porn and no dogs. With dogs, there was some concern about rabies, but mainly it was about the danger of distraction. Within days Craig had met Fred, a happy-go-lucky stray, who scrounged for food around the encampment. Craig started to feed him scraps and a vital friendship was born. The only question was how to get Fred out of Afghanistan and back to the states. This book is a dog story and a road trip, but it's also an exploration into the long road back to normal for our veterans.

Tags:

dogs

Theory of Bastards (Paperback)

By Audrey Schulman

$18.00

ISBN: 9781609454371

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Europa Editions - April 24th, 2018

I started this novel without any expectations and was well-rewarded. Frankie Burke has just taken a research position at a primate facility. She is studying the mating habits of bonobo monkeys and at the same time she is recovering from surgery to treat her endometriosis. Frankie is focused on her new position and living a life without pain, but in the background there are hints of hints of a looming environmental catastrophe. Soon a dust storm causes the evacuation of the surrounding countryside and Frankie and her human co-workers must do what they can to ensure the survival of the primates in their care. This is a compelling and emotionally stirring tale that stuck with me for days after closing the last page.

The Poet's Dog (Paperback)

By Patricia MacLachlan

$5.99

ISBN: 9780062292643

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Katherine Tegen Books - September 4th, 2018

A moving story about life and death and what lives on. The Poet's Dog is Teddy, an Irish Wolfhound, and he is the thread that connects the past and the present. Through him, the love of his former owner, Sylvan, who gave him words, and taught him to save others, lives on. A slim and meditative book about love and caring for others during times of hardship.

Tags:

middle reader

Early Work: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Andrew Martin

$26.00

ISBN: 9780374146122

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - July 10th, 2018

Peter Cunningham is a writer who doesn't really seem to do much writing. He drinks to much and cheats on his live-in girlfriend without pausing to consider the possible fallout from his misbehavior. This book is very funny and smart, and I couldn't put it down. I'm not really sure why I connected with this novel about a not-so-lovable loser, but before I had finished Early Work, I knew that it would end up on my top ten list of books read in 2018.

Comemadre (Paperback)

By Roque Larraquy, Heather Cleary (Translator)

$16.95

ISBN: 9781566895156

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Coffee House Press - July 10th, 2018

At a sanatorium just outside Buenos Aires, where patients are living out their last days, Dr. Quintana and his colleagues have signed up to participate in a medical research project, which concerns the minutes just after death. They just need a few volunteers. An excellent translation of a horror novel, which is also darkly funny.

Tags:

translation, horror

A Key to Treehouse Living (Hardcover)

By Elliot Reed

$19.95

ISBN: 9781947793040

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Tin House Books - September 4th, 2018

William Tyce is a young boy, who has been cast adrift in his life. In an attempt to make sense of his world, he creates a glossary, which becomes A Key to Treehouse Living. This is a poignant coming of age tale with its narrative hidden in between the lines of the glossary entries. An inventive and moving debut.

In the Distance (Paperback)

By Hernan Diaz

$16.95

ISBN: 9781566894883

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Coffee House Press - October 10th, 2017

Hakan Soderstrom and his older brother leave Sweden with the intention of boarding a ship that will take them to New York. Hakan loses track of his brother and ends up on a ship that takes him around Cape Horn and drops him on the California coast. Determined to reunite with his brother in New York, he departs California, swimming against the tide of immigrants heading west. This first novel is an epic adventure that is at times gruesome and heartbreaking, but always compelling. Hakan is a larger-than-life character, who -- by the end of the book -- has become a mythological creature in the land that he ceaselessly roams.

Goodbye, Vitamin: A Novel (Paperback)

By Rachel Khong

$16.00

ISBN: 9781250182555

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Picador - July 10th, 2018

When Ruth is visiting her parents for Christmas, her mother asks her to stay for a year to help care for her father, who is starting to suffer the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s. Meanwhile, Ruth is trying to find her own footing, after her fiancée left her for another woman. Goodbye, Vitamin is narrated by Ruth in short diary-like entries that are often very funny, but by the end of the book these vignettes add up to a moving chronicle of familial love, as Ruth finds meaning and connection in some unexpected places. Goodbye, Vitamin sneaks up on you and may have you laughing out loud and then bring you to tears on the same page!

Rachel Khong was the managing editor then executive editor of Lucky Peach magazine from 2011 to 2016. Goodbye, Vitamin is her first novel.

Mad Boy (Paperback)

By Nick Arvin

$17.00

ISBN: 9781609454586

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Europa Editions - June 12th, 2018

Mad Boy -- set in the War of 1812 -- is a rollicking adventure that often veers into the surreal. Ten-year-old Henry Phipps’ mother has died, and he aims to fulfill her wish to be buried at sea, surrounded by family. He is also determined to scrape up the funds to free his father from debtor’s prison and to find out whether his brother Franklin has truly been shot for desertion from the American army. There are crazy characters aplenty, exciting battle scenes and wild humor that will have you excitedly turning pages to find out all it all ends.

She Rides Shotgun: A Novel (Paperback)

By Jordan Harper

$16.99

ISBN: 9780062394415

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Ecco - March 13th, 2018

It was getting late and I promised myself that I would just read a few more chapters. The next thing I knew, I was burning through the rest of She Rides Shotgun without pause. I just couldn’t stop. Jordan Harper’s debut novel lives up to the promise he showed in his short story collection, Love and Other Wounds. This thriller is rife with bad guys, but the main character is eleven-year old Polly, whose dad has just been released from prison and is already on the run, with Polly, riding shotgun.

Tags:

mystery

We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe Cover Image

We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe (Paperback)

By Jorge Cham, Daniel Whiteson

$18.00

ISBN: 9780735211520

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Riverhead Books - May 8th, 2018

I'm not a physicist or a mathematician, but I've always been drawn to the Big Questions. This book is just filled with Big Questions and lots of humor. Whiteson and Cham explain in layman's terms and with cute comics, the five percent about the universe that we do know, while opening up the readers' minds to the 95 percent of the universe that we are still stumped by. They explain how we might tackle these still unanswered questions and give us hope with the fact that we have managed to learn so much about our universe in just the last few hundred years.

Tags:

science

In Every Moment We Are Still Alive Cover Image

In Every Moment We Are Still Alive (Hardcover)

By Tom Malmquist, Henning Koch (Translated by)

$25.99

ISBN: 9781612197111

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Melville House - January 30th, 2018

Tom Malmquist's wife was rushed to the hospital, pregnant with their first child. Within days Karin is dead from acute leukemia and Tom was left to care for their newborn daughter. At times he feels as if he is too tired to go on and should be committed to save those around him from being scorched by his own pain and suffering. Amazing, heartbreaking and complicated, much like life itself, this fictionalized memoir is not an easy read and why would it be? It's full of raw truths that will put your heart in a vise-like grip and leave you gasping and aching to hold your loved ones close.

Wonderland (Paperback)

By Samuel Ligon, Stephen Knezovich (Illustrator)

$20.00

ISBN: 9780990819394

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Lost Horse Press - April 7th, 2016

I'm not sure whether this is a book of short stories or long jokes. Then again, maybe it's an art book with very extensive captions. Whatever label applies, I am totally enamored of Samuel Ligon's Wonderland. There are many passages to savor and worthy of reading aloud to friends and foe alike. And it's so nicely packaged too!

Tags:

short stories

The Job of the Wasp (Paperback)

By Colin Winnette

$16.95

ISBN: 9781593766801

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Soft Skull Press - January 9th, 2018

The Job of the Wasp is narrated by the most recent arrival at a school for orphaned boys. The new boy immediately starts to feel isolated and at odds with the other students at this creepy academy. When the dead bodies start to turn up, our narrator must place blame or possibly find himself as the prime suspect. Are the murders the act of a demented headmaster, or a twisted game played by the boys themselves? This dark and unsettling novel is a coming-of-age tale, a murder mystery and a Gothic ghost story that will have you turning pages at a breakneck pace.

The Story of a Brief Marriage: A Novel Cover Image

The Story of a Brief Marriage: A Novel (Paperback)

By Anuk Arudpragasam

$14.99

ISBN: 9781250075277

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Flatiron Books - September 19th, 2017

It is impossible to realistically imagine life in another man's shoes. We empathize with other human beings, but we cannot know their true pain and suffering. We cannot imagine leaving what is left of our meager belongings by the side of the road, or worse yet, having to stand by as loved ones die and suffer. But the need for survival is an impulse that drives our main character on in his daily routine of life in a refugee camp. Witnessing Dinesh's twenty-four hours is an eye-opening experience.

Life (Hardcover)

By Cynthia Rylant, Brendan Wenzel (Illustrator)

$17.99

ISBN: 9781481451628

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Beach Lane Books - June 27th, 2017

With simple prose and evocative illustrations, Cynthia Rylant and Brendan Wenzel have created a book that celebrates the wonders and mysteries of life. This book works for young children and adults alike. I've read it a numbers of times and it never fails to put a lump in my throat. A beautiful book that is a worthy addition to any bookshelf.

Tags:

picture book, children's

Cold Hand in Mine (Paperback)

By Robert Aickman, Reece Shearsmith (Foreword by)

$14.95

ISBN: 9780571311743

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Faber & Faber - August 9th, 2016

I credit Adam at the Lake Forest Park store, for introducing me to Robert Aickman. At the time, Cold Hand in Mine was not in print, but his books of "strange stories" are now in wonderful paperback editions by Faber & Faber. The terrors within these pages are subtle and disquieting. Aickman has been compared to Algernon Blackwood and M.R. James, but he may even be better those those acknowledged masters of unsettling fiction. These timeless and creepy stories are extremely well-written and I want to do my part to ensure that Aickman finds the reading audience that he deserves.

Tags:

short stories, British, horror

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White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide (Paperback)

By Carol Anderson

$17.00

ISBN: 9781632864130

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Bloomsbury USA - September 5th, 2017

Many whites are only now becoming familiar with the term Institutional Racism, and how we benefit in this society merely by being born white. Maybe you've read Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates and you're ready to read more about race in America. Carol Anderson marvelously lays out every step forward for African-Americans reaching for equal rights, only to have those rights systematically stripped away by the states. This is the ugly history that they don't teach us in public schools, but that we should all be aware of. White Rage already has a spot secured in my top ten books of 2016. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Tags:

race

Void Moon (Mass Market)

By Michael Connelly

$9.99

ISBN: 9781478948278

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Grand Central Publishing - June 27th, 2017

Michael Connelly, author of the Harry Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer series, never disappoints his readers. The consistent quality of his mysteries is guaranteed. Void Moon is a stand-alone mystery and it's my personal favorite. It features Cassie Black, who is not a cop or a lawyer, but an ex-con with a secret, which propels her back into a life of crime for one last score. Unfortunately, her successful heist is a little too successful, relieving the mob of 2.5 million dollars. They don't take kindly to their loss and send killer Jack Karch after Cassie in a pursuit that will keep you turning pages late into the night.

Miss Jane (Paperback)

By Brad Watson

$15.95

ISBN: 9780393354386

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: W. W. Norton & Company - July 11th, 2017

An exquisite character study -- based on the life of the author's great aunt. -- Miss Jane tells the story of Jane Chisolm, born to dour parents in the early 20th century Mississippi. Jane is born with a defect, which make having children out of the question, and creates a sort of solitary existence for her, as she makes her place in the world. These are tough times, and there isn't much sympathy to be found on the farm, but the doctor, who delivers her, becomes her mentor, passing her books and the wisdom of his experience. Jane blossoms, despite her physical difference, and becomes a shining example of a loving and compassionate human being. One of my favorite books of 2016.

Tags:

fiction

Pan: From Lieutenant Thomas Glahn's Papers Cover Image

Pan: From Lieutenant Thomas Glahn's Papers (Paperback)

By Knut Hamsun, Sverre Lyngstad (Translated by), Sverre Lyngstad (Introduction by)

$15.00

ISBN: 9780141180670

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Penguin Classics - September 1998

Discover Knut Hamsun, whose work influenced such writers as Maxim Gorky, Thomas Mann, Isaac Bashevis Singer and Paul Auster.

Lieutenant Thomas Glahn lives in a cabin with his dog Aesop in the woods bordering a nearby village. He survives by his hunting skills and prefers the natural world to the world of men, but he grows lonely and attempts to relate to the townspeople. He falls in love with Edvarda Mack, daughter of the local squire, but the nearly sociopathic Glahn is odd and he sabotages his own desires. I've read this book twice and the impression it left on me returns again and again. I am constantly handselling Pan, so I decided to make it my June staff pick.

Down City: A Daughter's Story of Love, Memory, and Murder Cover Image

Down City: A Daughter's Story of Love, Memory, and Murder (Hardcover)

By Leah Carroll

$26.00

ISBN: 9781455563319

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Grand Central Publishing - March 7th, 2017

I was reading the last twenty pages, while wiping tears away from my eyes. This is a brave and thoughtful book -- an elegy really. I grew up in nearby Massachusetts, so many of the settings are familiar to me. What is also familiar to me is the underlying sense of struggle that goes along with being working class in that neck of the woods. "Down City" is a heartbreaking and yet a simultaneously loving tribute to Leah Carroll's parents and their lives.

Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich Cover Image

Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich (Hardcover)

By Norman Ohler, Shaun Whiteside (Translated by)

$28.00

ISBN: 9781328663795

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - March 7th, 2017

Nazis on meth. Sounds like a bad b-movie, but in this case it is historical fact. The Germans developed methamphetamine and packaged them in a tablet they called Pervitin. The drug proved particularly useful during the blitzkrieg, when the tank and infantry soldiers were required to stay awake for days in a row, to complete the offensive push. Ohler includes quite a bit of documentation to prove his case. Figuring out what kind of drug cocktail that Hitler himself was on at the end proves a more difficult task, but Blitzed is a quick and compulsive read that will have you shaking your head in horrified amazement.

Nine Island (Paperback)

By Jane Alison

$16.95

ISBN: 9781936787128

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Catapult - September 13th, 2016

I have never read Ovid; I am not an older single woman; and I have never lived in a Condo on Miami Beach, and yet I was totally able to relate to J, our narrator, who is trying assess in her later years, whether it's time to give up on love. There is a wonderful humanity in this slim semi-autobiographical novel and quite a few laughs, too. Who doesn't need a few laughs right now?

Gabriel's Story: A Novel (Paperback)

By David Anthony Durham

$15.95

ISBN: 9780385720335

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Anchor - April 30th, 2002

It's shortly after the Civil War and fifteen-year-old Gabriel Lynch is not ready to settle down with his mother and new stepfather on a hardscrabble farm in Kansas. Instead he joins up with a group of cowboys headed for Texas. It is then trial by fire for Gabriel as he grows up on the road, witnessing the horrors and violence of the old west. This debut novel from Durham is a coming-of-age tale with elements of Blood Meridian and Lonesome Dove except with an African-American cast of characters. I read this book fifteen years ago, and scenes are still burned into my memory. Take a wild ride with Gabriel Lynch.

A Well-Mannered Young Wolf (Hardcover)

By Jean Leroy, Matthieu Maudet (Illustrator)

$16.00

ISBN: 9780802854797

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers - October 3rd, 2016

It's always good to use your best manners, especially among other cultures, such as the wild with its population of carnivores. The young wolf in our story is hungry, but - as his parents have taught him - he must honor his prey's last wish, before devouring them. He finds out quickly that not everyone keeps their word, as he does.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride Cover Image

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride (Paperback)

By Cary Elwes, Joe Layden, Rob Reiner (Foreword by)

$16.00

ISBN: 9781476764047

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Atria Books - October 4th, 2016

If you are a fan of "The Princess Bride" then it's hard not to enjoy this wonderful book about the making of the classic film. Cary Elwes (Farm Boy/Dread Pirate Robert) fills us in on all the behind-the-scenes details, including why it took so long to bring the popular book to the big screen. As You Wish is also filled with asides from the likes of Rob Reiner, Wallace Shawn, Robin Wright and others; and there are many never-before seen photographs from the film. This is a must have for every fan of "The Princess Bride."

Children of the New World: Stories Cover Image

Children of the New World: Stories (Paperback)

By Alexander Weinstein

$16.00

ISBN: 9781250098993

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Picador - September 13th, 2016

This collection of stories feels chillingly prescient. These tales are just-around-the-corner futuristic. Here we have characters, who raise their entire families online, and meet with support groups in the real world to grieve their digital losses. Sex is now innercourse, where partners exchange packets of data. There is the advent of broadcasting everything you do through contact lenses, where you can also check your eye-mail. A wink can mean much more than a wink in this world. Put your smart phone down for a while and read these tales of warning.

Cold Skin (Paperback)

By Albert Sanchez Pinol, Cheryl Leah Morgan (Translator)

$13.00

ISBN: 9781841958835

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Canongate Us - February 6th, 2007

The narrator in Cold Skin is given a year's assignment as a weather official on a seemingly deserted island. The only other human on the island is a crazed Australian, manning the lighthouse. We learn quite quickly that the small island is overrun nightly by amphibious creatures. And then things really get weird. Cold Skin is compelling, creepy, and will stick with you long after you close the cover.

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You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine: A Novel (Paperback)

By Alexandra Kleeman

$15.99

ISBN: 9780062388681

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Harper Perennial - August 9th, 2016

Strange. Creepy. Funny? Well, yes. Funny, but not funny ha-ha. This first novel by Kleeman is a dark satire on our society's obsession with body image and consumerism, and how closely the two are tied together. Her prose is fascinating, describing bodies and their functions in a clinical and yet alluring fashion. You may not have read anything like this before.

Crooked Heart: A Novel (Paperback)

By Lissa Evans

$15.99

ISBN: 9780062364845

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Harper Perennial - July 5th, 2016

World War II is in vogue right now (All the Light We Cannot See, The Nightingale), and Crooked Heart can now join their ranks. It's the story of ten-year-old Noel, who is evacuated from London during the Blitz. He is taken in by a skittish widow named Vee, who figures she might make a little money through charitable donations and catch up on her debts. The war seems far away at first, but then its effects begin to be felt in the little village of St. Albans. There are humorous moments in the lives of these wonderful characters, but the story is grounded in reality, and ultimately it's about what it means to be a family.

Out of Sight: The Long and Disturbing Story of Corporations Outsourcing Catastrophe Cover Image

Out of Sight: The Long and Disturbing Story of Corporations Outsourcing Catastrophe (Hardcover)

By Erik Loomis

$25.95

ISBN: 9781620970089

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: New Press - June 2nd, 2015

Truth is often stranger than fiction, and in this slim yet powerful book, truth is much more horrible than fiction. Erik Loomis has done an amazing job of putting together a succinct history of labor's struggle against corporate power. He shows that when the federal government started to finally enact safety laws, and unions were gaining more rights for workers, corporations just moved manufacturing overseas. Once out of the U.S. they are able to skirt safety regulations and pay minimum wages as low as thirty-two cents an hour. Five million U.S. jobs have been lost due to NAFTA, and new trade agreements just enable U.S. corporations to continue their policy of exploiting the poorest on this earth. I don't call too many books a must-read, but this one is certainly worth your time and money spent.

Spill Simmer Falter Wither (Paperback)

By Sara Baume

$14.99

ISBN: 9780544954618

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Mariner Books - March 14th, 2017

Ray is an outcast, who makes his way to town every Tuesday to pick up necessities. It is on one of these trips that he sees a poster from the local animal shelter, advertising a scruffy-looking, one-eyed mutt for adoption. He immediately adopts the dog, who he names one-eye. Ray never went to public school, instead staying at home, reading whatever books he came across. He never knew his mother and his father was often absent. One-eye is not Lassie, but a real dog that attacks other dogs and finds nasty things to roll in. In a way, he becomes Ray's canine therapist, as Ray slowly reveals his tortured past and years of loneliness. This is not a feel-good book, and there is an underlying sense of dread, as if something dark and ominous is just around the corner. The last few pages of Spill Simmer Falter Wither still haunt me a week after I closed the book. A powerful debut.

Puff: A Novel (Paperback)

By Bob Flaherty

$14.99

ISBN: 9780060751524

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Harper Perennial - February 2005

In honor of 4/20.

Puff takes place on the night of a severe blizzard in Boston during the 1970s. John and Gully Sullivan masquerade as Red Cross rescue personnel in order to maneuver around the city, trying to score a bag of weed before the night is through. Their misadventures, written by stand-up comic Bob Flaherty, are a riotous good time.

Sweetgirl: A Novel (Paperback)

By Travis Mulhauser

$15.99

ISBN: 9780062400833

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Ecco - November 2016

Mulhauser's debut novel, Sweetgirl, has been compared to a lot of great works, including Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell. Let me just say right off that all of the comparisons are fully justified. From page one, Mulhauser creates fully-dimensional characters that populate this wild ride of a book. The dialogue is often quite humorous and brings to mind Elmore Leonard.

Sixteen-year-old Percy James starts off looking for her mother, who is most likely off on a meth binge. Instead, she happens upon an infant by an open window in the meth dealer's farm house. All comparisons aside, Sweetgirl is about the best debut I've read in years. Forget about Gone Girl. She's so yesterday. Instead dive into Sweetgirl. You won't regret it.

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Will Not Attend: Lively Stories of Detachment and Isolation (Paperback)

By Adam Resnick

$17.00

ISBN: 9780147516213

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Plume - July 28th, 2015

If one can turn lemons into lemonade, then I suppose one can turn tragedy into comedy. At least, that is what Adam Resnick has done with his childhood and it's related traumas. This is dark humor with an edge, that might have you cringing, but it will also have you laughing out loud at points.

The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition Cover Image

The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)

By Ursula K. Le Guin, David Mitchell (Foreword by), Charlie Jane Anders (Afterword by)

$16.00

ISBN: 9780441007318

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Ace - July 2000

The story line is quite simple: Genly Ai has arrived on the planet Winter in an effort to enlist the people in a growing association of intergalactic civilizations. There are many layers to this classic science fiction novel, but foremost is the exploration of gender roles. On this planet, the people are androgynous and sexless until they are ready to breed. At that time they may become a male or female, depending on who they meet. A resident of Winter can be a father of three, and also a mother to four. Le Guin has created a tale that feels epic in scope, but is also quite moving on an intimate human scale. For a book written in 1969, The Left Hand of Darkness feels very relevant to our world today. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery Cover Image

Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery (Paperback)

By Henry Marsh

$17.00

ISBN: 9781250090133

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Picador - June 7th, 2016

Marsh is a British brain surgeon and part of his aim in this book is to talk about his mistakes as well as his successes. As you can imagine, there is very little room for error in brain surgery. He admits his own amazement, looking down into the patient's brain, and realizing that is where thought originates and makes us who we are. Marsh considers neurosurgery to be more of a craft than an exact science, and when he pulls out the drills and saws, we understand his point. There were times when I had to set the book aside for a while, because the surgery descriptions are graphic and intense. Ultimately, this book is a profile of a man, who courageously cuts into the brains of patients in an attempt to give them a few more years of life, or the ability to live without seizures. He must guide the patient toward the correct decision, because sometimes surgery is not always the best option. Sometimes it's just too late. This book is one of my favorite books of 2015.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory Cover Image

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory (Paperback)

By Caitlin Doughty

$15.95

ISBN: 9780393351903

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: W. W. Norton & Company - September 28th, 2015

Did you ever read the first line of a book to see if it grabbed you? Well, this odd memoir grabbed me from the first sentence and wouldn't let go until the end of the source notes. Most of us probably hold at least a little bit of morbid curiosity about what goes on behind the doors at your local crematorium. Your curiosity will be more than satisfied by Ms. Doughty's account of her years as a burgeoning mortician. In addition to details such as how they keep those darn eyelids closed during the funeral, Doughty educates us on death rituals from around the world and obscure funeral laws. There was a day when the families of the dead were responsible for preparing the bodies for burial, but -- with the advent of the funeral business -- our society has become detached from the reality of death, to the point of denial. Doughty seeks to reconnect us with the very last page of the last chapter in our book of life.

Bug in a Vacuum (Hardcover)

By Melanie Watt

$21.99

ISBN: 9781770496453

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Tundra Books - August 25th, 2015

Rather than being snug in a rug, this bug is trapped in the cavernous interior of a vacuum cleaner. At first, he is confused and angry, but he eventually learns to cope and accept his place in life, even if it is in a dusty vacuum bag. How well do you deal with drastic change?

The Hunter: A Parker Novel (Paperback)

By Richard Stark

$14.00

ISBN: 9780226770994

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: University of Chicago Press - September 2008

The Hunter is the first book in the Parkarker series by Richard Stark -- penname for Doanld Westlake. The prose is taut and lean and part of what makes this series great. the other element is, of course, Parker himself. He makes Jack Reacher look like a little schoolgirl. In The Hunter, Parker has been betrayed and left for dead by his partner and his wife, but he will not reast until vengeance has been dealt out properly. Get hooked on the Parker novels!

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Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals (Paperback)

By John Gray

$17.00

ISBN: 9780374270933

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - October 16th, 2007

Desert rat Edward Abbey once said, "Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell." Well, progress for the sake of progress seems also to be a very human ideology. We separate ourselves from the other animals, but we are merely a different species of animal, albeit the most destructive species. We like to think of ourselves as exalted and intelligent persons, who have dominion over all the other animals, but the truth is that we are deluding ourselves. Thanks to evolution though, we may be stuck with our delusions, because reality is a lot less comfortable. A very thought provoking book, that may change the way you think about yourself.

The Harder They Come (Paperback)

By T.C. Boyle

$15.99

ISBN: 9780062349385

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Ecco - March 2016

You may be familiar with the quiet American and the ugly American, but this book is populated with angry Americans. They're angry over illegal immigrants growing drugs in their woods. They're angry about intrusion by the government into their private lives. Some are even angry over "Chinese Aliens." Fear and paranoia seem to run the lives of the characters in this novel. This is a literary page-turner told with humor and pathos. This may even be Boyle's best book to date.

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A Constellation of Vital Phenomena: A Novel (Paperback)

By Anthony Marra

$17.00

ISBN: 9780770436421

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Hogarth - February 4th, 2014

The title is a mouthful, and the idea of reading about war torn Chechnya was not too enticing to me; but this book had been recommended to me a number of times, so I plunged in. This debut novel is a moving portrayal of the effects of war on average citizens: doctors, an arborist, and the thousands of innocent refugees that are thrown from their homes, as one country exercises its power over another. There are, without a doubt, grim moments in this story, but there is also immense love and compassion. This book will stay with you for some time after you close the last page.

The Room: A Novel (Paperback)

By Jonas Karlsson

$14.00

ISBN: 9780804139984

Availability: Backordered

Published: Hogarth - February 17th, 2015

Bjorn is a new employee with plans to climb the corporate ladder quickly. Soon after his arrival at the Authority, Bjorn discovers a room by the elevator. The room contains a classy and serene office, serving no apparent purpose. After spending time in the room, Bjorn feels revitalized and his production at work increases. His fellow employees start to grow concerned, because nobody else can see this room, except for Bjorn. Should he be forbidden to access the room, even if there is no room?

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Barabbas (Vintage International) (Paperback)

By Pär Lagerkvist

$14.95

ISBN: 9780679725442

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Vintage - November 20th, 1989

This slim yet powerful novel fills in the fictional details of Barabbas, the prisoner who was released in exchange for Jesus of Nazareth. Nobel Prize winning author Lagervist gives us a Barabbas, who wants to believe, but cannot comprehend the faith of others. He wanders the old neighborhood, but is clearly not the brutal Barabbas of old. There are many ideas to sift through in this wonderfully translated novel.

You and Me (Hardcover)

By Susan Verde, Peter H. Reynolds (Illustrator)

$14.95

ISBN: 9781419711978

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Abrams Books for Young Readers - January 6th, 2015

Did you notice on the front cover that the friends are looking at an actual photograph and not an illuminated smart phone? This is old school love and friendship, feline style. The rhyming prose makes this a fun book to read aloud, while the illustrations add another thousand words of friendship, caring and the power of chance encounters.

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The Girl with a Clock for a Heart: A Novel (Paperback)

By Peter Swanson

$14.99

ISBN: 9780062267504

Availability: Backordered

Published: William Morrow Paperbacks - January 6th, 2015

Twenty years after the disappearance of the girl he was once enamored with in college, George Foss spots her in a restaurant one night. He is having dinner with his girlfriend, but goes back later in hopes of spotting Liana. For George's sake, it would have been better if Liana had stayed disappeared, but George's sense of loyalty to his ex-flame is driven by his libido and not his intellect. George will make some stupid decisions along the path of this twisty thriller, but we will follow along willingly, hoping at some point he'll smarten up. This is a simmering page turner, perfect for a long winter night.

Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body Cover Image

Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body (Paperback)

By Neil Shubin

$16.00

ISBN: 9780307277459

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Vintage - January 6th, 2009

A marvelous book that shows our connection to every other creature that walks, crawls, or swims this earth; even creatures without a head. Neil Shubin covers a lot of ground, as he reveals how new discoveries about our ancient ancestry are still being made. In fact, with the availability of DNA sequencing, and computer imaging, paleontology is making greater strides than ever, showing the origin of humans and how we have evolved over the millennia. When studying reality, the wonderful aha moment occurs when a particular idea gels and makes sense. I had always heard that we were made of star stuff, but it wasn't until watching a documentary on the periodic table a few years back that it all clicked. There are many of those "aha moments" in Your Inner Fish, which makes it not only a joy to read, but a vital book for anyone questing knowledge about humanity

Neverhome (Paperback)

By Laird Hunt

$16.00

ISBN: 9780316370165

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Back Bay Books - May 19th, 2015

I want to be able to just put this book in your hands and say, "trust me." This tale takes place during the Civil War. Ash decides to join the war in place of her husband, who remains behind to tend the homestead. Based on actual letters written by women, who fought as men in that war, Ash's voice is original and compelling, as she reels out her unique tale. At times mythic and adventurous, and other times crushingly realistic about the violence of war, this was one of my favorite books in recent years, and I hope it becomes one of your's too.

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Mr. Peanut (Vintage Contemporaries) (Paperback)

By Adam Ross

$16.00

ISBN: 9780307454904

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Vintage - April 19th, 2011

Mr. Peanut is not an easy book to recommend, partly because it's not an easy book to read. The storylines in the novel fold back on themselves and the references to Escher are no coincidence. This is truly a Möbius strip of a novel. The other tough aspect of this novel is the way in which marriage is portrayed. If you thought Gone Girl was the dark side of marriage, then Mr. Peanut is the black abyss. Ross writes of the relationship between David and Alice with brutal honesty, including the bitterness, rage, jealously, regrets and shame. By the end of the novel--when the threads are pulled together--the result packs an emotional wallop. It is also the type of conclusion that will have you rethink what you have read, and realize that you have just been taken for an immensely risky and brilliant literary ride.

The Humans: A Novel (Paperback)

By Matt Haig

$16.00

ISBN: 9781476730592

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Simon & Schuster - August 12th, 2014

It's a story that has been told many times before in many variations. A human mathematics professor on earth has discovered a formula that the human race may not be ready for. At least that is what an alien race thinks, and the reason they decide to kill the professor and replace him with an alien duplicate. The alien must find anyone else who may have learned the formula and dispose of them. We can all guess that the the alien doppelganger will end up loving his new-found human family, and their dog... and peanut butter. Well, maybe I couldn't predict the peanut butter element, but this book serves to remind us of the qualities in our fragile and imperfect lives. We may not be ready for the bigtime, as far as superior alien races are concerned, but we have love.... and peanut butter.

Black Moon: A Novel (Paperback)

By Kenneth Calhoun

$15.00

ISBN: 9780804137164

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Hogarth - January 20th, 2015

This book left me unsettled and I like that in a book. Scenes from this tale still haunt my waking hours as well as my dreams. The vision of a society without sleep, hallucinating and confused, and having it in for those who can still sleep, is nightmarish and even apocalyptic. At times the story seems disjointed, but that only adds to the feel of jittery edginess that accompanies this tale of insomnia.

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The Last Girlfriend on Earth: And Other Love Stories (Paperback)

By Simon Rich

$13.00

ISBN: 9780316219389

Availability: Hard to Find

Published: Back Bay Books - January 14th, 2014

This slim volume of short stories contains a lot of laughs. Most of the stories veer into the absurd (What if your ex-girlfriend started dating Adolf Hitler? What if your friends set you up on a date with a troll...an actual troll?), but just under the surface of these humorous tales though is a poignancy that leaves a lasting impression.

Metal Cats (Paperback)

By Alexandra Crockett

$12.95

ISBN: 9781576876770

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: powerHouse Books - May 6th, 2014

Another cat book?! Why yes it is, but what sets this one apart is the obvious love that these clean-cut, church-going boys have for their feline companions. Okay, I'm kidding about the clean-cut and church-going part, but the obvious affection for their cat friends is plain to see. It would make a great gift for the metal head/cat lover in your family.

Henny (Hardcover)

By Elizabeth Rose Stanton, Elizabeth Rose Stanton (Illustrator)

$17.99

ISBN: 9781442484368

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books - January 7th, 2014

Henny is a little different from her chicken siblings. She was born with arms. Sometimes it's fun to have the added appendages, but at other times it's difficult to fit in. Eventually though, Henny finds that she can be helpful around the farm and her arms actually come in handy (pun intended.) Just wait until you see her milking the cow!

The Lock Artist: A Novel (Paperback)

By Steve Hamilton

$18.99

ISBN: 9780312696955

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Minotaur Books - March 2011

This is, without a doubt, one of those books that will have you grabbing every available minute to read. Winner of the Edgar for Best Novel, The Lock Artist functions as both a coming-of-age tale and an exciting thriller. Michael, the lock artist, has not spoken since he was eight because of a trauma that will be revealed by the end, but he has also acquired a skill that makes him quite sought after in the wrong circles: he can pick any lock or combination safe. This vibrant and well-written tale is a blast!

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At the Bottom of Everything: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) (Paperback)

By Ben Dolnick

$15.95

ISBN: 9780345803177

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Vintage - September 9th, 2014

This novel is just chock full of all my favorite literary subjects: pain, guilt, truth, redemption. The hook is that Adam and Thomas, who had been best friends in school, are changed by an event. This event causes Adam to retreat from Thomas for ten years, until he is pulled back into Thomas's life by a plea from his parents: please help our son.

I didn't know where the story of Adam and Thomas was going to take me, but the journey was riveting. At the Bottom of Everything is a short novel, but it crosses many an emotional landscape. If you wonder how people can live with a terrible knowledge and what that knowledge does to their everyday lives, and at what cost comes redemption (if it's even possible), then give Ben Dolnick's novel a try.

Silas Marner (Paperback)

By George Eliot, David Carroll (Introduction by), David Carroll (Notes by)

$9.00

ISBN: 9780141439754

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Penguin Classics - April 29th, 2003

A weaver by trade, Marner is shunned by his own community for a crime he did not commit. He relocates to the countryside , finding solace by obsessively counting his worth in coins each night. Until that pleasure too, is taken from him. That winter, Silas discovers a two-year-old girl, abandoned near his home in the bitter cold. He takes her in, names her Eppie after his dead mother and raises her as his own. Sixteen years pass before Eppie's true bloodline has been discovered, complicating Silas' relationship with the young woman he now considers his daughter. This short novel covers many themes, and builds to an emotional but satisfying end. Eliot also wrote Middlemarch and The Mill on the Floss.

Harvest (Paperback)

By Jim Crace

$16.00

ISBN: 9780307278975

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Vintage - September 20th, 2013

I was immediately engrossed in Harvest from the first chapter on. A trio of outsiders are blamed by the population of a small English village, for the burning of their lord's dovecote. So begins the disintegration of what once seemed an idyllic country life. Over one week, what began as seemingly simple way out of trouble -- persecuting the outsiders -- unravels until it all that is left is guilt, blame and shifting morals. A brilliant book.

The Big Sky (Paperback)

By A. B. Guthrie, Jr.

$15.99

ISBN: 9780618154630

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Mariner Books - January 9th, 2002

Before Lonesome Dove and All the Pretty Horses, A. B. Guthrie's The Big Sky was the go-to novel of the American West. Those who want a gritty and realistic portrayal of the characters and environment that made up the frontier at that time need look no further. Sink your teeth into The Big Sky and and at the end when you hunger for more, pick up book two, The Way West, which won Guthrie the Pulitzer Prize.

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The Rook: A Novel (The Rook Files #1) (Paperback)

By Daniel O'Malley

$16.00

ISBN: 9780316098809

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Back Bay Books - October 16th, 2012

A smart funny thriller about Her Majesty's supernatural secret service, that is -- thankfully -- the first of an upcoming trilogy. Myfanwy Thomas, the title character, is smart, feisty and has extraordinary powers, which come in mighty handy. The rook -- one of two, along with bishops, chevaliers, pawns and retainers -- battle whatever supernatural enemy rears it's ugly head, for queen and country...hopefully without queen or country ever knowing. This is a compelling read that will leave you anxiously waiting for the second installment.

Fiend: A Novel (Paperback)

By Peter Stenson

$14.00

ISBN: 9780770436339

Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores

Published: Broadway Books - April 8th, 2014

Yes, it's yet another apocalyptic zombie novel, but this time the only survivors are those people who were high on meth at the time, and the only way to avoid catching zombie fever is to stay high on meth. A ragtag group of addicts must locate a cooker, and supplies in order to survive. Zombies and their inherent gore are here as expected, but in the end Fiend is more about the horrors of addiction, and who you may want to have by your side at the end of the world.

A Rage in Harlem (Harlem Detectives Series #1) Cover Image

A Rage in Harlem (Harlem Detectives Series #1) (Paperback)

By Chester Himes

$14.00

ISBN: 9780679720409

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard - December 17th, 1989

I put Chester Himes right up there on the top shelf with Cain, Chandler and Hammett. A Rage in Harlem is an excellent introduction to the characters of Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones. This is a funny, fast-paced and gritty look at 1950's Harlem. Read this and you'll become a fan of Chester Himes.

A Slight Trick of the Mind (Paperback)

By Mitch Cullin

$16.00

ISBN: 9781400078226

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Anchor - May 9th, 2006

Sherlock Holmes, one of the great literary minds of all time, is 93-years-old in this novel, and starting to lose his powers of deduction. He recounts a trip made to Japan shortly after WW II, and is trying to teach the maid's young son the art of beekeeping. There are still important mysteries to be solved though, and Holmes struggles with his frailty and declining mental health to find the answers. A poignant tale featuring one literature's best loved characters.

Immobility (Paperback)

By Brian Evenson

$19.99

ISBN: 9780765330970

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Tor Books - April 9th, 2013

Josef Horkai has been awoken from storage after thirty years to aid the community. Only he can safely venture forth into the ruined landscape, and return with an item could mean the future of humanity. Evenson weaves a carefully constructed tale of a dystopian future where trust is a rare commodity and answers are a thing of the past. I was immediately drawn into Evenson's novel, and couldn't wait each day to get back to this book.

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The Atheist's Guide to Reality: Enjoying Life Without Illusions (Paperback)

By Alex Rosenberg

$16.95

ISBN: 9780393344110

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: W. W. Norton & Company - December 10th, 2012

Reality...what a concept! This book is not meant to persuade anyone that there is no god. Instead, Rosenberg assumes that the reader is a nonbeliever, who wants to get a better grip on reality. An engaging read that will have your brain working overtime.

My American Unhappiness (Paperback)

By Dean Bakopoulos

$14.95

ISBN: 9780547549101

Availability: May not be available. Please call (206) 366-3333 for info.

Published: Mariner Books - July 3rd, 2012

Yes, this is actually a laugh-out loud book about unhappiness. Zeke's funding for his Inventory of American Unhappiness Project is running out. In the meantime, while gauging the unhappiness of everyone around him, he ignores his own well-being. Zeke is a likeable narrator that just needs a good waking up to discover the riches that surround him. This is a warm-hearted book that will cheer you up, even as it inventories the unhappiness of America.

The Radleys: A Novel (Paperback)

By Matt Haig

$24.99

ISBN: 9781451610338

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Free Press - September 20th, 2011

Finally, a modern day vampire tale I can endorse. The Radleys are a family of abstainers. They are vampires, but they try to maintain a normal life by abstaining from human blood. That is until circumstances force them into the light, and they must deal with their supernatural thirst and desire. A page-turner, that also satisfies as a smart tale of family togetherness.

Elegies for the Brokenhearted Cover Image

Elegies for the Brokenhearted (Paperback)

By Christie Hodgen

$14.95

ISBN: 9780393340235

Availability: May not be available. Please call (206) 366-3333 for info.

Published: W. W. Norton & Company - July 18th, 2011

You can often tell a lot about someone by what they think of others. In Christie Hodgen's novel, there are five elegies written by Mary Murphy about five people who had an influence on her life. The prose is powerful and compelling, as more is revealed about Mary's own difficult life. This book will knock your proverbial socks off!

Far North: A Novel (Paperback)

By Marcel Theroux

$17.00

ISBN: 9780312429720

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Picador - June 22nd, 2010

This beautifully written post-apocalyptic tale tends to get lost among the tales of cannibals and zombies, but I would rank it right up there with McCarthy's The Road or Crace's The Pesthouse. One refreshing difference in this novel is that the main character, Makepeace -- sheriff of a dead town -- is a woman. Her trials and travails are harsh, but her will to survive and sense of hope brighten an otherwise dark landscape.

To Dance With the White Dog (Paperback)

By Terry Kay

$15.99

ISBN: 9780671726737

Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 1-5 days

Published: Washington Square Press - November 1991

This slim book is just chock-full of wisdom and poignancy. Sam Peek has survived his wife of 57 years, but now his children are concerned about whether he can still care for himself. Into Sam's life walks a mysterious white dog, who then becomes his companion, even though no one besides Sam has actually seen the dog. This book may move you to tears -- it did me -- and the sweet story will stay with you long after you finish.

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Mark B.

Bookseller at Ravenna