Staff Selections
Allana
A book that came to me at just the right moment. Odell questions our conceptions of productivity in this thoughtful and well-researched book by delving into the history of those who fought for our right to participate in society not solely as mechanisms of production; from Epicurus to the Longshoremen Union of San Francisco. A fascinating analysis of the urgent need to reevaluate an economic system that suffers when the creative mind is allowed to reflect, rest, and restore. This book matters.
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Jeffrey
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author returns to Bath, New York (the setting for his 1993 novel "Nobody's Fool") for this rollicking summer read. It's a hilarious novel about working people who you will come to love. There is a bit of a mystery, some infidelity, some violence, and even a loose cobra. Currently one of my favorite books.
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Kathleen
MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINAR FRIEND author Matthew Dicks has written an inventive, funny, book about a man who leaves academia for bookstore ownership. This is the perfect book for fans of Julie Schumacher, Paul Neilan, and Jonathan Tropper. The format of the book (don't be scared off! ) is lists. Not the first thing you would think of for good smooth storytelling, but It works! Very funny social commentary on life, books, academia, and of course relationships.
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Kelli
This collection of grotesque domestic fiction is a strange mirror to our everyday lives. These stories carry the comedy, whimsy, and directness of a Shel Silverstein poem, but its application to the real and adult worlds gives them a disturbing strength. A good book if you're looking for a fast, strange time.
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Mary
Always compelling and accessible, Michael Lewis does our country a service by laying out clear reasons why this presidency is like no other, and shouldn’t be “normalized” by lazy commercial journalists. Gain insight into how our governmental departments work, and how much we rely on the capability, expertise, and good faith of our public officials for our well-being. For instance, learn about the businessman who has been trying for years to make you pay him for your weather warnings, funneling the fruits of years of research and development paid for by our tax dollars into his pocket, and find how he may be appointed to a position in our government so he can make that happen. Enlightening.
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Paul
Muriel Barbery, author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog, has an extraordinary new novel. It is a very adult book focused on mythical Faerie and Elven culture, the equivalent of which exists in nearly every world culture. Just to remind you again, there is nothing in this book to remind you of children’s literature. It divulges a culture much as Ursula LeGuin does in the best of her books DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK!
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Robert
This is a brief, but beautiful little novel made from the simplest stuff. The narrator is a bartender in late middle age. The suburban bistro he works at is falling apart and over the course of a few days he tries to patch things together. In the process he ruminates over his position and life in general. This is Fabre’s ninth novel but the first in English translation.
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Suzanne
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Terry
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Tim
A new book by Simon Van Booy is always a cause to celebrate, and Tales of Accidental Genius is indeed celebratory. With just a handful of short stories (and one long story to close the book blossoming out of the previous tale), Mr. Van Booy reminds the reader that no matter one's age, race, habitat or habits, we are all human, and are all attempting to connect -- or re-connect, I should say -- with the world around us and our place in it. These stories are like beacons in the darkness, and Mr. Van Booy's incredible ability to deliver the most profound observances by way of the simplest of sentences is breathtaking. Like any master of their craft, he makes it appear effortless. You'll want to read these again and again -- Simon Van Booy's genius is no accident.
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Deb
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Liz
An extraordinary novel, one of the best I've read all year. The often brutal story centers around a girl orphaned in a war-torn Eastern European country, a writer suffering a deep depression after a stillbirth, and the writers' artist friends, who conspire to connect the two. The book's power resides in its stunning language, interesting formal experimentation, and daring exploration of war, art, motherhood, sex, and violence.
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